Your Story Joy Future Goals Money Story Joy Future Goals Money Matters
Because before we talk about your money, we talk about you.
Our Newest Adventure!
We're always looking for better ways to help our clients navigate an increasingly complex financial world. We are innovators who ask questions, challenge assumptions, and believe that collaboration makes the world go round. If any of this resonates with you, we’d be honored to adventure together!
Timeline & Current Status
We're Embark Financial Advisors, a financial advisory practice in Plano, Texas. As of October 27 we’ve officially moved to Kestra. Our full website launches in early December. Until then, this is where you'll find what's changing, who we are, and how to reach us.
Broker-dealer
transition
As of October 27, we have formally changed our broker-dealer affiliation from Ameriprise to Kestra. All advisors have transitioned with us, and we continue to operate under the same team name: Embark Financial Advisors.
We're reaching out to each of you personally to share the news and walk through next steps. If you live outside Texas, there may be a slight delay in reaching you while we clear a few additional steps. We expect this to take no more than two weeks.
Individual client & account transitions
We'll personally call each household to confirm whether you'll be moving with us. On your end, the process looks like this:
- We will need to collect your personal information so we can re-establish you as a client. We aren't permitted to transfer any of our records from Ameriprise.
- eSign your account transfer documents. Expect regular updates from us until everything has been fully re-established on our new platform
- Resume our regularly scheduled meetings throughout 2027.
Back to normal!
Most transfers take 14 to 28 business days after you eSign. Before moving, we worked to make sure there'd be no need for trades, account changes or other routine service through the rest of the year. Unless we specifically discussed it on our call, there's no action needed through year-end. As a team, we'll spend November and December re-establishing our internal systems and preparing for a strong 2027. Once your assets arrive on the new platform, we're back to business as usual.
Frequently Asked Questions and Updates
FAQ's
Our entire team of advisors and staff is transitioning with us!
After multiple decades of affiliation with Ameriprise, and many months of research, interviews, deliberation, and quite frankly lots of prayer and meditation... We have all jointly made the exciting (but a bit intimidating) decision to transition Embark Financial Advisors to a different Texas based independent broker dealer-Kestra Financial.
Our entire team of advisors and staff is transitioning with us!
After multiple decades of affiliation with Ameriprise, and many months of research, interviews, deliberation, and quite frankly lots of prayer and meditation… We have all jointly made the exciting (but a bit intimidating) decision to transition Embark Financial Advisors to a different Texas based independent broker-dealer-Kestra Financial.
Why am I just now finding out?
Up until this point, industry protocol and regulatory requirements have prevented us from sharing this exciting news, but we are THRILLED to finally let the cat out of the bag.
As of October 27 our affiliation has formally transitioned from Ameriprise to Kestra. Our sincere hope is that you, our valued clients, friends, and family-would choose to EMBARK with us on this new adventure!
What does this mean for me?
Following us to our new home with Kestra will require a bit of paperwork on your end. However we have done everything in our power to make this a seamless upfront transition for you. Additionally, you can expect that our ongoing relationship will remain the same.
Same advisor, same fees, same investment advice, same meeting schedule, and same comprehensive experience-;just with additional services, the benefit of elevated technology, and more emphasis on building a collaborative community within our client base.
What happens to my accounts during this transition?
We have put together this document in an effort to proactively answer the many questions we anticipate fielding over the next several weeks. Here are a few immediate things to know upfront:
- Should you choose to come with us, your assets will be held with National Financial Services (NFS). NFS is a Fidelity company and independent custodian that safeguards your funds and maintains your account records (separate from our firm and Kestra).
- In the meantime, your accounts will remain at Ameriprise until we are able to connect with you and confirm whether or not you would like to continue working with us. Someone from the Embark team will be contacting you as quickly as possible by phone, email, or text to determine next steps.
- Ameriprise will temporarily assign your accounts to their call center (known as the Ameriprise Personal Wealth Group). This is a department dedicated to retaining accounts when advisors leave. If asked, they are required to provide you with our new contact info which we provided as a part of our separation notification.
- Once we have your verbal authorization as well as the “2026 Data Audit” folder (explained in the next section), you will receive forms to Docusign in your email. Once signed, we estimate that it should take no more than 14 to 28 business days for your accounts to transfer. Once your accounts have transferred, we will be in touch with next steps.
Did you take my data with you?
In compliance with industry protocol, we are only permitted to maintain five key pieces of your information when leaving Ameriprise: first and last name, email address, phone number, home address, and account titling.
As you probably remember, in everyone’s recent mid-year review we conducted an audit of all current data we have on file for you. This was originally intended as quality control for the financial planning software update Ameriprise required this calendar year.
In most cases, you would have received your data audit in an email from Brooklyn.Rollins@ampf.com sometime between August and October of this year. That email contained a password-protected zip folder with instructions on how to access its contents.
Luckily that folder contains the majority of the info we need to establish you as a client in our new system, mirror all accounts/beneficiaries/payments/etc that you currently have in place, and to re-input your financial planning data.
To speed up the transfer process, simply find and forward that email to us at Hello@embarkAdvisors.org and include a few times over the next week or two that you could be available by phone to confirm personal information and discuss next steps. You can also visit our website at EmbarkFinancialAdvisors.com to schedule a specific time slot.
Will your office location change?
Not for now! Completely unrelated to this transition, our lease is up in late 2027 and we have already signed a 10-year contract on a new suite in our exact same building that can accommodate our expected team growth. We doubled our in-office headcount this year and expect more to come! We will maintain both suites through the end of 2027 and will then migrate exclusively to our new suite (once again same building!) in early 2028.
What about contact info?
Our website, current office location, and main phone line will remain the same. Our email addresses and secure texting phone number will change. You can always find all of our most current contact info on our website: EmbarkFinancialAdvisors.com
How will online access work?
As long as you hold accounts or insurance with Ameriprise, you will continue to have access to your Ameriprise.com portal and any legacy documents (statements, uploads, tax information, etc). Embark on the other hand will no longer have any access or visibility to those accounts, document vault, or personal information.
Once your assets transition, you will have a new client portal. Enrollment will be a part of the onboarding process with our team. Please note that although NFS (the asset custodian we have chosen) is a Fidelity company, you will have a separate log-in from any existing Fidelity accounts.
Will I maintain my same investments?
Yes. Your assets will be transferred “in kind,” meaning they move exactly as they are and are not sold. This means there are no tax implications and no investment updates needed. It is possible that some investment tickers (a unique ID assigned to each individual holding) might update post transition, but this is simply an administrative platform issue and does not impact your holdings in any meaningful way.
Because our new broker-dealer allows access to a wider array of sophisticated investment products, you can expect a more intense portfolio review in your next annual strategy meeting (Q1 2027) to assess opportunities for improved portfolio recommendations.
Are there tax implications for transferring assets?
No. There are no tax implications to transfer assets. An in-kind transfer is a tax-neutral event. Your cost basis will transfer if there is a cost basis recorded at Ameriprise.
Will I incur costs for transferring investment assets?
No. Ameriprise does charge account-closure fees for investment accounts. However Embark has funds set aside to reimburse these costs within 90 days of transfer. Reimbursement is automatic and there is no action required by you to have this charge covered.
I already paid my annual financial planning fee. Will I be charged twice?
No. Any year-to-date financial planning fees you have paid will carry over, and your planning relationship with your advisor will continue in the same capacity through the end of your current engagement. Although there is no additional cost, we are required to file a new financial planning contract and if applicable, will include the appropriate paperwork in your initial Docusign Packet.
How long will the transfer take?
Most transition paperwork will be done through Docusign sent to your email. Once you sign the transfer paperwork through Docusign, the estimated transfer time is 14 to 28 business days. Some forms require a physical signature, and we will work with you to get these forms as promptly as possible.
What will happen to my systematic arrangements (bank arrangements, monthly deposits, etc.)?
Your systematic arrangements at Ameriprise will stay in place until you transfer assets. After your funds have been transferred and bank information has been added, all systematic arrangements (including mortgage payments, insurance premiums, retirement distributions, financial planning arrangements, etc) will need to be reestablished by our team under your new account number(s). We understand that this could easily become an inconvenience for you, and we plan to thoughtfully work through timing so that no payment, premium, or distribution is missed!
What will happen to my direct deposits?
Once your new account number is established, you will receive a new routing number and account number for direct deposits and systematic arrangements. Again, we understand the importance of thoughtfully working through timing to ensure that no payment, premium, or distribution is missed!
What will happen to my insurance policy?
Your coverage will stay in force as long as you continue to pay your premiums and you will have continued access to all policy information through the Ameriprise client portal. Please note that Embark will no longer have access or visibility to your Ameriprise portal, documents, and/or any Riversource holdings (namely life insurance and disability). However we should be able to maintain advisor-of-record status (and therefore access and visibility) on most long-term care policies.
What will happen to my annuity?
If you are receiving retirement income from an annuity, those payments will continue depositing into your bank account with no interruption. If your annuity funds an account that pays out your monthly retirement income, we will call together to either redirect those deposits or continue them as-is when the time comes. Rest assured there will be no interruption to any current income!
As with insurance, there are some annuities that Embark will no longer have access/visibility on, however you will maintain full access through the Ameriprise Client portal which we can navigate together if needed.