Sanctuary Wealth announced that it has welcomed OPT Wealth Management, founded by Kyle Vasel, to its platform. The move highlights the firm’s continued momentum as it attracts experienced advisors seeking greater independence, flexibility, and control over their businesses.
OPT Wealth Management is led by Vasel, a former Merrill Lynch advisor who managed approximately $260 million in client assets. The firm focuses on serving high-net-worth individuals and families approaching retirement, including executives within the financial services industry.
The firm’s name reflects its core planning philosophy centered on organization, profits, and taxes. By emphasizing these three pillars, OPT Wealth Management aims to help clients navigate major financial decisions with greater clarity and long-term confidence.
Vasel spent 15 years at Merrill Lynch, where he most recently held the role of Senior Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor. During his tenure, he earned the Certified Financial Planner designation and the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor credential, and was recognized on the Forbes Best-in-State Next-Generation Wealth Advisors list in 2019 and 2022.
At Sanctuary Wealth, OPT Wealth Management will leverage the firm’s partnered independence platform, which provides technology, investment solutions, and operational support designed for breakaway advisors transitioning from traditional wirehouse models. The platform enables advisors to operate independently while maintaining access to institutional-grade resources.
The addition of OPT Wealth Management reflects a broader industry trend of advisors leaving employee-based wirehouse structures in favor of independent models that offer greater autonomy and the ability to customize client offerings. Sanctuary Wealth continues to position itself as a destination for these advisors by expanding its platform capabilities and partnership options.
KEY QUOTES:
“Kyle built an impressive business over 15 years in the wirehouse channel, but he also understood the limitations that come with that model. After more than two years of careful due diligence, he chose Sanctuary’s partnered independence platform as the best path to the flexibility, ownership and freedom he was seeking. Sanctuary was built for advisors exactly like Kyle because our roots are in the wirehouse breakaway movement, and that remains core to who we are today. His decision is the latest example of an elite advisor recognizing that independence offers a better way to serve clients and build on his own terms with the support of the right partner.”
Vince Fertitta, President, Wealth Management, Sanctuary Wealth
“I feel strongly that to provide meaningful advice to my clients I need the flexibility to discuss a full range of options and strategies to help them achieve their goals. With Sanctuary, I’ve found the technology, support systems and investment solutions to help me enhance my offering, along with a culture that supports my approach to service. Our shared wirehouse background meant there was immediate alignment in how we think about serving clients and building a business. I’m excited to move forward as an independent advisor with a firm that understands the world I came from and is committed to partnering with me for the long-term success of my practice and my clients.”
Kyle Vasel, Founder, OPT Wealth Management
“Like many wirehouse advisors today, Kyle reached a point where the employee model could no longer support the business he wanted to build. Supporting that transformation has always been at the core of Sanctuary’s business and continues to be a primary focus for our firm.”
Adam Malamed, CEO, Sanctuary Wealth
