The latest senior wealth management moves and appointments in the North American wealth sector.

Raymond James
Raymond James has welcomed financial advisors Jeanie M Taras and Michael S Taras to its employee advisor channel, based in Jacksonville, Florida.

Operating as Taras Wealth Management of Raymond James, the mother and son duo are joined by senior client service associate Sarah G Guyton. 

The team transitioned to Raymond James from UBS Financial, where they previously managed approximately $220 million in client assets. They will serve clients as part of RJA’s North Florida Complex, led by complex manager Gregg Stupinski, the US-listed firm said in a statement yesterday. 

Jeanie Taras, a native of Jacksonville, Florida, has led a 45-year career in the financial services industry. She spent over three decades at Merrill Lynch, working her way up from cashier to a vice president position at the firm before moving to UBS in 2012. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of North Florida, a Certified Financial Planner^TM designation and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® certification.

Inspired by his mother, Michael Taras began his career in wealth management at Merrill Lynch in 2013. He subsequently served at Lincoln Investment in 2017 and UBS in 2019. Michael graduated from the University of North Florida with a dual major in finance and financial services. He is a Certified Financial Planner^TM professional and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor^SM.

Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Guyton has 38 years of experience in the financial industry. She earned a bachelor’s degree in general science from Hollins University.

Walker & Dunlop
Walker & Dunlop, a provider of capital to the commercial real estate segment, has combined its fund management, proprietary capital, high yield, and seniors bridge lending groups into the investment management and proprietary capital group. The group will be led by Mitchell Resnick. 

Resnick will also serve as president of Walker & Dunlop Investment Partners, Walker & Dunlop's wholly-owned alternative investment manager. He joined Walker & Dunlop in 2016, bringing over 25 years of commercial real estate experience with him. 

Blackford Capital
Blackford Capital, a middle-market private equity firm, has appointed Ken Wagner as chief financial officer, leading the firm's finance, accounting, regulatory, compliance, reporting and controls functions. He will oversee the portfolio company due diligence and provide deals team support. Wagner reports to Blackford's managing partner and chief operating officer Paul Doyle.

Wagner previously worked for 10 years with Doyle at other companies. He joins Blackford from Coastal Group, where he served as chief financial officer with Paul Doyle, who was Coastal's CEO at that time.

Founded in 2010, Blackford Capital is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.