DALLAS, May 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avantax^®, a leader in tax-focused financial planning and wealth management, today announced the expansion of its business development team adding Bruce Tuckey and Dave Renko as regional recruiting directors. The team’s expansion follows record-breaking results including full-year 2022 newly recruited assets of approximately $1.7 billion, an increase of approximately 79% over 2021.

The new recruiting directors will leverage their experience and relationships to spearhead strategic growth in their respective regions. In addition to recruiting independent Financial Professionals, they will also lead recruitment efforts for Avantax’s employee-based RIA, which Avantax refers to as Avantax Planning Partners℠ (APP). Avantax partners with accounting firms to deliver comprehensive wealth management services – including financial planning, advisory services and retirement plan solutions – to the accounting firms’ clients. Complemented by organic growth, APP has grown total client assets to more than $7 billion (as of March 31, 2023).

“Our tax-focused approach has attracted record numbers of Financial Professionals, and it has proven compelling to talented and experienced recruiters from the largest broker-dealers because with Avantax, they can share our a differentiated, tax-intelligent value proposition,” said Tim Stewart, CFP^®, Vice President and Head of Business Development at Avantax. “We’re thrilled to welcome Bruce and Dave to the family. They’re eager to identifying independent Financial Professionals and accounting firms that would be great additions to the Avantax Community.”

Stewart and his Business Development team are excited to welcome these recruiting experts:

• Dave Renko, Charlotte, NC: Renko joins Avantax as the Regional Director of Recruiting serving the Southeast. Renko brings a competitive approach to the team, with 30 years of experience in the industry. He most recently served as a senior recruiter at Cetera, following roles at Woodforest National Bank, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, and Cannon Financial Institute.
  
  Renko said: “In my former life as an advisor, collaborating with CPAs was a wonderful experience given the deep trust they’ve built with clients. Avantax’s approach of integrating financial planning and tax services is truly distinctive and valuable. I look forward to guiding advisors who want to join forces with a wealth manager or CPA, helping them identify an affiliation model that aligns with their business and life goals.”
  
  
• Bruce Tuckey, Detroit, MI: Tuckey joins Avantax as a Regional Director of Recruiting to recruit financial advisors, CPAs, enrolled agents, and tax professionals in the Great Lakes Region. He brings more than 40 years of experience in accounting and financial services, including served as a Regional Director of Business Development for LPL Financial from 2011 to 2019. He is a CPA and served as a financial advisor at PNC Investments and Merrill Lynch.
  
  “I’ve enjoyed a diverse career as a tax preparer, CPA, CFO, financial advisor, and now as a recruiter,” Tuckey said. “To that end, I’m thrilled to join Avantax, a company that leads the way in providing solutions and executive support to these communities. I’m confident I can contribute to the growth of the company while helping Financial Professionals thrive.”

In their new roles, Tuckey and Renko will report directly to Laurie Stack, Vice President, Business Development at Avantax. They will guide Financial Professionals who are ready to grow their business and join a robust Avantax Community that encourages education and development. During the past 40 years, Avantax has helped thousands of Financial Professionals follow their paths to independence as part of the Avantax network. Tax and Financial Professionals can learn more about Avantax by clicking here.

About Avantax^®
Avantax, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVTA) delivers tax-focused financial planning and wealth management solutions for Financial Professionals, tax professionals and CPA firms, supporting our goal of minimizing clients’ tax burdens through comprehensive tax-focused financial planning. We have two distinct, but related, models within our business: the independent Financial Professional model and the employee-based model. We refer to our independent Financial Professional model as Avantax Wealth Management^®. Avantax Wealth Management offers services through its registered broker-dealer, registered investment advisor (RIA), and insurance agency subsidiaries and is a leading U.S. tax-focused independent broker-dealer that works with a nationwide network of Financial Professionals operating as independent contractors. We refer to our employee-based model as Avantax Planning Partners℠. Avantax Planning Partners offers services through its RIA and insurance agency by partnering with CPA firms to provide their consumer and small-business clients with holistic financial planning and advisory services. Collectively, we had approximately $80.6 billion in total client assets as of March 31, 2023. For more information on Avantax, visit www.avantax.com.

Media Contacts
Tony Katsulos
Avantax, Inc.
(972) 870-6654
tony.katsulos@avantax.com

StreetCred PR on behalf of Avantax:
Kendra Galante
(402) 740-2047
kendra@streetcredpr.com

Natalie O’Dell
(717)-818-2116
natalie@streetcredpr.com