Raymond James welcomes experienced advisor group with $2.8 billion in assets
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Raymond James recently welcomed a team of 12 financial advisors in Bedford, New Hampshire to Raymond James Financial Services (RJFS) – the firm’s independent advisor channel – according to Daniel Cole, Northeast regional director for RJFS.
Financial Strategies Retirement Partners (FSRP) is led by CEO and Managing Partner Shawn Monty, CPWA®, C(k)P™, AIF®, alongside Partners Al Gilbert, C(k)P®, AIF®, and Sarah Kenda, AIF®, RICP®.
FSRP arrives from Commonwealth Financial Network where they collectively oversaw $2.8 billion in client assets, including $1 billion in private wealth assets under management and an additional $1.8 billion in employer-sponsored retirement plan assets under advisement. The 24-person team joins Raymond James with 12 advisors and an additional 12 branch service professionals. Together they provide personalized and comprehensive financial planning to business owners and families as well as fiduciary guidance to employer sponsored retirement plans.
“Joining Raymond James marks an exciting new chapter for our team and the clients we serve,” said Monty. “We were looking for a partner that supports independence, innovation and long-term growth while enabling us to continue delivering the personalized guidance our clients expect. Raymond James empowers us with the platform and resources to build on the foundation we’ve created over the past three decades.”
Monty began his financial services career in 1985 and joins RJFS after 31 years at his previous firm. He has been recognized by Forbes as one of New Hampshire’s Best-in-State Wealth Advisors for four consecutive years through 2026, in addition to being named as a Five Star Wealth Manager from 2012 to 2025 by New Hampshire Magazine. He holds the Certified Private Wealth Advisor®, Certified 401(k) Professional™ and Accredited Investment Fiduciary® designations.
Gilbert has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and co-founded FSRP alongside Monty in 2007. He holds the Certified 401(k) Professional™ and Accredited Investment Fiduciary® designations. He was also named to the Five Star Wealth Manager award from 2013 to 2025.
Kenda joined FSRP in 2018 as a partner and brings 25 years of financial services industry experience to the team. Her experience is backed by the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® and Retirement Income Certified Professional® designations. She was named a Five Star Wealth Manager from 2020 to 2025.
About Raymond James Financial Services
Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. (RJFS), member FINRA/SIPC, is a financial services firm supporting independent financial advisors nationwide. Since 1974, RJFS provides a wide range of investment and wealth planning-related services through its affiliate, Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC. Both firms are wholly owned subsidiaries of Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE-RJF), one of the nation’s premier diversified financial services companies with financial advisors throughout the United States, Canada and overseas. Total client assets are approximately $1.87 trillion as of April 30, 2026. Additional information is available at raymondjames.com.
Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services are offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. Financial Strategies Retirement Partners is not a registered broker/dealer and is independent of Raymond James Financial Services.
Investments & Wealth Institute™ (The Institute) is the owner of the certification marks “CPWA®” and “Certified Private Wealth Advisor®”. Use of the CPWA® or Certified Private Wealth Advisor ® signifies that the user has successfully completed IMCA’s initial and ongoing credentialing requirements for wealth advisors.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization's initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.
The Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors 2026 ranking, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. This ranking is based upon the period from 6/30/2024 to 6/30/2025 and was released on 4/7/2026. Those advisors that are considered have a minimum of seven years of experience, and the algorithm weighs factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass best practices in their practices and approach to working with clients. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Out of approximately 52,043 nominations, roughly 11,302 advisors received the award. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor's future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients' experience. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Compensation provided for using the rating. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC. Please visit https://www.forbes.com/best-in-state-wealth-advisors/ for more info.
2012-2025 Five Star Professional Wealth Manager Award: This award was issued on 9/1/2025 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 12/25/2024 through 7/18/2025. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1183 New Hampshire-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 82 (7% of candidates) were named 2025 Five Star Wealth Managers. YEAR: 2024, 1,094 considered, 87 winners, % of candidates: 8%, issued date: 9/1/24, research period: 12/12/23 - 7/9/24; YEAR: 2023, 1,017 considered, 89 winners, % of candidates: 9%, issued date: 9/1/23, research period: 12/12/22 - 6/30/23; YEAR: 2022, 979 considered, 87 winners, % of candidates: 9%, issued date: 9/1/22, research period: 12/20/21 - 6/17/22; YEAR: 2021, 943 considered, 96 winners, % of candidates: 10%, issued date: 9/1/21, research period: 11/30/20 - 6/25/21; YEAR: 2020, 928 considered, 91 winners, % of candidates: 10%, issued date: 9/1/20, research period: 12/9/19 - 7/1/20; YEAR: 2019, 928 considered, 85 winners, % of candidates: 9%, issued date: 9/1/19, research period: 11/19/18 - 7/10/19; YEAR: 2018, 955 considered, 74 winners, % of candidates: 8%, issued date: 9/1/18, research period: 12/26/17 - 7/17/18; YEAR: 2017, 739 considered, 89 winners, % of candidates: 12%, issued date: 9/1/17, research period: 12/27/16 - 7/6/17; YEAR: 2016, 666 considered, 158 winners, % of candidates: 24%, issued date: 8/1/16, research period: 2/6/16 - 7/19/16; YEAR: 2015, 853 considered, 166 winners, % of candidates: 19%, issued date: 9/1/15, research period: 2/6/15 - 7/19/15; YEAR: 2014, 1045 considered, 189 winners, % of candidates: 18%, issued date: 9/1/14, research period: 2/6/14 - 7/19/14; YEAR: 2013, 1049 considered, 204 winners, % of candidates: 19%, issued date: 9/1/13, research period: 2/6/13 - 7/19/13; YEAR: 2012, 743 considered, 170 winners, % of candidates: 23%, issued date: 9/1/12, research period: 2/6/12 - 7/19/12. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria - required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP's consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP's consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client's experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria - considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager's future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients' assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. FSP is not affiliated with Raymond James. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.