Financial advisors Jesse Clinton and Phillip Pedrena have left Merrill Lynch to join the independent wealth advisory firm Snowden Lane Partners as partners and managing director.

Financial advisors Jesse Clinton and Phillip Pedrena have left Merrill Lynch to join the independent wealth advisory firm Snowden Lane Partners as partners and managing directors.

The Clinton Pedrena Group will operate from Snowden Lane’s New York City headquarters.

Focused on corporate executive compensation, the group targets hedging and asset protection, diversification, monetization and liquidity, tax minimization and portfolio optimization.

At the start of the month, Snowden brought in Philip Lazzari, Mark Stevens, Eric Watson and Eric Buckner from UBS as partners and managing directors. They operate as The Harbor Wealth Management Group at the firm's new office in Baltimore, MD.

Snowden Lane is led by Lyle LaMothe, chairman of the board of directors; Rob Mooney, managing partner and chief executive; and Greg Franks, managing partner and president.