The firm also welcomes a new group from Morgan Stanley as part of the expansion in North Carolina.

US financial services firm Baird has added The Jester Group to its organization and has opened a wealth management office in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

The Jester Group has joined from Morgan Stanley, and is led financial advisor Gene Jester, director. The group also consists of financial advisor Bert Lester Bennett, senior client specialists Emma Jackson and Tracie Legg; and associate David Jester, Baird said in a statement.

The new office is located at The Exchange at Meadowmont, 1414 Raleigh Road (Highway 54), Suite 420, Chapel Hill. Baird now has five wealth management offices in North Carolina, as well as investment banking and fixed income institutional sales operations in Charlotte and public finance operations in Winston-Salem. 

“We are very excited to welcome The Jester Group to Baird, and expand our North Carolina footprint to include the great community of Chapel Hill with the addition of these talented and esteemed financial professionals,” said Matt Curley, divisional director for Baird’s private wealth management group. 

Baird’s private wealth management business encompasses approximately 860 financial advisors serving clients in 90 locations across 29 states, and has client assets of $126 billion.