SAN DIEGO, June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LPL Financial LLC announced today that financial advisors Mike Trudeau, CFP^®, Matt Merrick, Ben Ollila, CFP^® and Ben Prchal have joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer, Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and custodial platforms, aligning with existing RIA firm Strategic Wealth Group. They reported serving approximately $220 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets* and join LPL from Thrivent Investment Management.

Based just outside of Minneapolis in Lino Lakes, Minn., Trudeau, Merrick and Ollila began collaborating in 2009 and bring a combined three decades of financial industry experience to the practice. Prchal, who entered the financial industry in 2021, completes the team. Together, they take a take a holistic approach to helping their clients — most of whom are nearing or in retirement — plan for the next phase of their fiscal futures.

“We approach financial planning like it’s a jigsaw puzzle to solve,” Merrick said. “Each piece of our clients’ financial puzzle — like retirement, Social Security investments, assets and estate planning — must be placed correctly to complete their fiscal picture.”

Why they chose LPL and Strategic Wealth Group

Looking for a strategic partner to help them provide an elevated client experience, free from corporate mandates and proprietary investments, Trudeau, Merrick, Ollila and Prchal turned to Strategic Wealth Group and LPL for the next chapter of their business.

“By going independent with Strategic Wealth Group and LPL, we will be able to provide a holistic and tailored experience for each client, using products and services that make sense for their long- and short-term goals,” Trudeau said. “A tremendous plus is that Strategic Wealth Group’s services are backed by LPL’s innovative technology and integrated capabilities, allowing us to provide a next-level experience.”

Prchal added, “By partnering with Strategic Wealth Group, we now have access to Strategic Tax Group, an in-house team of tax professionals, which will allow us to bundle financial planning, accounting and estate planning under one roof. By making this move, we will have the opportunity to serve our clients our way and build the business we envision.”

Scott Posner, LPL Managing Director, Business Development, said, “We welcome Mike, Ben, Matt and Ben to LPL and congratulate them on their move to independence with Strategic Wealth Group. With more freedom and flexibility, financial advisors who choose LPL can work more effectively, run thriving practices and create value for their clients. We look forward to supporting Strategic Wealth Group for years to come.”

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About LPL Financial

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LPLA) is among the fastest growing wealth management firms in the U.S. As a leader in the financial advisor-mediated marketplace, LPL supports over 29,000 financial advisors and the wealth management practices of approximately 1,200 financial institutions, servicing and custodying approximately $1.8 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets on behalf of approximately 7 million Americans. The firm provides a wide range of advisor affiliation models, investment solutions, fintech tools and practice management services, ensuring that advisors and institutions have the flexibility to choose the business model, services, and technology resources they need to run thriving businesses. For further information about LPL, please visit www.lpl.com.

Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial LLC (“LPL Financial”), a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Strategic Wealth Group and LPL Financial are separate entities.

Throughout this communication, the terms “financial advisors” and “advisors” are used to refer to registered representatives and/or investment advisor representatives affiliated with LPL Financial.

We routinely disclose information that may be important to shareholders in the “Investor Relations” or “Press Releases” section of our website.

*Value approximated as reported to LPL

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