August 25, 2015

SAN DIEGO - Aug. 25, 2015 - LPL Financial LLC the nation's largest independent broker-dealer*, a custodian for registered investment advisors (RIAs), and a wholly owned subsidiary of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LPLA), today announced that financial advisors Chad Tom and Wayne Wycoff have launched the independent financial advisory firm, Stratos Wealth Partners. The firm uses the same name as Stratos Wealth Partners (Stratos), a large enterprise and hybrid RIA firm supported by LPL through which it will provide fee-based advisory services. Tom and Wycoff's firm has also joined the LPL Financial broker-dealer platform for commission-based services. Tom and Wycoff reported that, based on prior business, they had serviced nearly $300 million of client assets, as of Jan. 1, 2015**.

"We are very pleased to have begun this new phase of our careers as independent advisors aligned with LPL Financial and Stratos," said Tom, a partner at the new firm. "We strongly believe in the importance of being able to provide truly independent financial advice. We conducted an extensive search for the most appropriate partners and we believe that the flexibility and breadth of resources available to us through LPL's RIA hybrid platform will enable us to provide the superior level of customized client care that we envision for our firm."

Former regional bank-based financial advisors, Tom and Wycoff have more than 17 and 16 years, respectively, of financial services experience. They are joined by two professional support staff members at their Zanesville, Ohio, office and plan for future growth in the region.

The firm provides wealth management and comprehensive financial planning for private individuals and families, trusts and endowments, businesses and nonprofits. Tom and Wycoff have served many local organizations in the Zanesville region, including utilities, hospitals and educational institutions, as well as their employees and retirees. Although primarily focused on providing fee-based advisory services, the firm also provides investment management, retirement planning, multigenerational strategies and charitable planned giving services. The firm also works closely with third-party attorneys and CPAs in such areas as tax planning and business succession planning as well as the management of royalties and bonuses for clients in the oil and gas industry.

"Our goal is to create a customer-centric firm that provides a one-stop shop for all our clients' financial needs," said Wycoff, also a partner at the firm. "With our new structure, we believe that we will have access to extensive investment solutions, advanced technology and planning tools and have the autonomy to be able to best serve our clients."

Steve Pirigyi, executive vice president of business development at LPL Financial, said, "We have supported Stratos' large enterprise for several years and are pleased that together we are able to provide Chad Tom and Wayne Wycoff with the structure and resources that they need as they move to independence."

"We are extremely pleased to welcome Chad, Wayne and their team to Stratos Wealth Partners," said Christopher Walling, CRPC® and managing partner at Stratos. "Their firm is uniquely positioned to serve a wide range of clients in the greater Columbus area and further expand our footprint in the state of Ohio. And their background and experience in managing trusts will be a tremendous asset to our network of advisors. Chad and Wayne are two first-class financial professionals and even better people, so we are thrilled to have them onboard."

*Based on total revenues, Financial Planning magazine, June 1996-2015

**Asset numbers were reported by Chad Tom and Wayne Wycoff based on prior business and have not been independently and fully verified by LPL Financial.

About Stratos Wealth Partners - Zanesville
Stratos Wealth Partners in Zanesville, Ohio, is an independent financial advisory firm that provides customized wealth management and financial planning to a diverse clientele in southeastern Ohio and across the United States. Its clients include individuals and families, trusts and endowments, businesses and nonprofits. The firm's wide range of services include investment management, retirement planning, multigenerational strategies and charitable planned giving, and it works closely with its clients' attorneys and CPAs in areas such as tax planning, business succession planning and in management of royalties and bonuses for clients related to the oil and gas industry. The firm supports an open-architecture philosophy to provide its clients with the most suitable investments. Founded by veteran financial advisors Chad Tom and Wayne Wycoff, the firm is affiliated with Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd., a national network of independent financial advisors and wealth managers. For more information, visit www.stratoszanesville.com.

About Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd.
Based in Beachwood, Ohio, Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd., is a network of independent financial advisors and an independent Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firm serving more than 125 affiliated LPL financial wealth advisors throughout the United States. The firm's 75 executive and support professionals assist its advisors in the execution of services and strategies for their clients. Stratos Wealth Partners' significant scale and national resources enable its advisors to deliver high caliber service, select among the industry's broadest product platform and develop innovative strategies as they build long-term, personal client relationships on a local level. For more information, visit www.stratoswealthpartners.com.

About LPL Financial
LPL Financial, a wholly owned subsidiary of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA), is a leader in the financial advice market and serves $486 billion in retail assets. The Company provides proprietary technology, comprehensive clearing and compliance services, practice management programs and training, and independent research to more than 14,100 independent financial advisors and more than 700 banks and credit unions. LPL Financial is the nation's largest independent broker-dealer since 1996 (based on total revenues, Financial Planning magazine, June 1996-2015), is one of the fastest growing RIA custodians with $112 billion in retail assets served, and acts as an independent consultant to over an estimated 40,000 retirement plans with an estimated $120 billion in retirement plan assets served, as of June 30, 2015. In addition, LPL Financial supports approximately 4,300 financial advisors licensed with insurance companies by providing customized clearing, advisory platforms, and technology solutions. LPL Financial and its affiliates have 3,385 employees with primary offices in Boston, Charlotte, and San Diego. For more information, please visit www.lpl.com.

Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial. A registered investment advisor, member FINRA/SIPC. Stratos Wealth Partners and Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd. are separate entities from LPL Financial are separate entities.

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Media Contact
Lauren Hoyt-Williams
980-321-1232
Lauren.Hoyt-Williams@lpl.com




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