Optimize at UBS
Stay where you are with a clearer view of grid mechanics, equity options, and what's actually negotiable internally.
On the ALFA? Read the briefWinthrop & Co. · UBS Brief
Capital is leaving UBS.
What's actually leaving UBS, and where it's going. The brief we share with our advisors, tailored to your business.
UBS
Industry Brief
Q1 2026 · Recruiting & Transitions
$100B+
has departed UBS in publicly reported team moves since January 2024.
winthropco.com / research
What's happening right now
Your peers are quietly evaluating.
A snapshot of recent transitions tracked from UBS. Names anonymized where confidentiality required. The full ledger lives inside the UBS Options Brief.
Sept 30, 2026
Cullman/Holt Group (Cullman, Holt; Upper Arlington/Dublin, OH)
→ Wells Fargo FiNet
$1.3B
Sept 15, 2026
Shafer-Block team (Shafer, Block; Wayzata, MN)
→ NewEdge Wealth
$1.25B
Sept 10, 2026
Redstone Wealth Management Group (Carlson, Herron, Blair; Greensboro, NC)
→ Wedbush
$500M
Sept 10, 2026
Vazquez-Monasterio Team (Vazquez, Monasterio; Santa Fe, NM)
→ Merrill Lynch
$1.2B
Sept 3, 2026
Scientia Wealth Partners (Schlesinger, Cheu; San Francisco, CA)
→ Raymond James (Alex. Brown channel)
$470M to $600M
Showing 5 of 40
We track every documented transition. The UBS Options Brief includes the full ledger plus the destinations sized to your book.
The full analysis
Read the deep-dive on UBS departures →Methodology, named teams, destinations, and the catalysts driving capital flight from UBS.
The wirehouse count
How many advisors left the wirehouses in 2026 →Merrill Lynch, UBS, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo on both lenses, first half of 2026.
Why now
Four catalysts pushing UBS advisors out.
- 01
Highest Producer Grid replaces Combined Team Grid
The 2025 compensation overhaul ties team-member payouts to the single top producer's revenue rather than the team's aggregate, restructuring decades of team economics overnight.
- 02
Credit Suisse integration friction
Two years post-acquisition, bureaucratic bottlenecks persist: bespoke marketing approvals, technology requests, and client support workflows still face unusual delays.
- 03
$20B regulatory capital overhang
The Swiss FINMA capital requirement compresses domestic investment and signals continued margin pressure on U.S. wealth operations.
- 04
Margin optimization over advisor headcount
Leadership has prioritized pre-tax margin expansion over retention. The 2-percentage-point margin lift came directly from advisor attrition the firm chose to absorb.
Sound familiar? You're not alone.
What you get
Inside the UBS Options Brief.
Built for UBS advisors evaluating their next chapter. Delivered confidentially within minutes.
Your options across the whole market, sized to your book and structured around your priorities.
Side-by-side economics matrix: grid, equity, capital, and support across each option.
Deferred compensation and clawback analysis specific to your UBS contract.
12b-1 revenue treatment compared across each firm you consider.
Independent legal counsel coordination plus client communications playbook.
Day-one readiness checklist plus 90-day post-move support cadence.
Request the UBS Options Brief
Confidential. In minutes.
No retainer. No exclusivity. The UBS Options Brief lands in your personal inbox automatically, with the data and framing you need to evaluate your next chapter privately.
- Built for your specific tenure and book composition
- Delivered privately, only to you
- No obligation to act on what you read
Compare your paths
Four credible options. Side by side.
The UBS Options Brief includes the version of this matrix sized to your book, with economics, equity, and platform tradeoffs detailed.
Boutique destination
Full brand and data ownership with white-glove service and tighter alignment.
Hybrid-RIA
Multi-custody flexibility, equity potential, and a wider product menu.
Independent RIA
Complete autonomy, brand control, modern tech stack, and durable enterprise value.
How we work
From first call to first trade.
A typical UBS engagement runs 60–120 days from diligence to day one. Confidential at every step.
Week 1
01Diligence
We map your goals, constraints, and portability against the live market.
Weeks 2–3
02Options
The open market, measured against your book and your priorities.
Weeks 4–6
03Negotiate
Terms, equity, capital, and support. Side-by-side. On your terms.
Weeks 6–12
04Execute
Clean, compliant transition with client communications and day-one readiness.
FAQ for UBS advisors
The questions you're probably already turning over.
If yours isn't here, ask it directly in a private call.
How does the new Highest Producer Grid affect my transition timing?
If you're on a team that previously benefited from the Combined Team Grid, the math has already changed. We model both your current effective payout and your transition-receiving payout side-by-side so you see exactly what's at stake on each side.What about my deferred compensation and clawback periods?
We pull the full schedule of your deferred comp and clawback exposure, then benchmark against the transition packages each firm you consider is offering. In most cases the offset is meaningful, but the calculus is specific and we work through it in the Industry Brief.How is 12b-1 trail revenue handled in a transition?
UBS's recent move to retain mutual fund 12b-1 fees materially affects total compensation for some teams. We compare how each receiving firm treats these revenue streams. Many maintain advisor-level sharing where UBS does not.Can I bring my analyst or admin team?
Almost always, yes. Receiving firms typically extend transition support to retain key team members, and many compensate analyst or admin transitions directly. We negotiate this explicitly into your transition package.What's the typical timeline for a UBS team?
Most UBS transitions run 60–120 days from notice to day one. We've moved teams faster (some in 30–45 days when timing demands it) and we've moved teams slower (when client comms benefit from a quieter sequence). Your timeline is yours.
For advisors at UBS
Your move. Privately.
The UBS Options Brief arrives in your personal inbox in minutes. Confidentially. No obligation.
For UBS advisors