Wells Fargo Advisors, an independent investment arm of Wells Fargo & Company, is one of the leading financial services firms in the United States. Its brokerage business is represented by nearly 16,000 financial advisors nationwide and was born out of the Wells Fargo & Company's 2009 acquisition of Wachovia Corporation. Based in St. Louis, Mo., the firm provides consulting, asset management, brokerage services, estate planning strategies, retirement planning, portfolio analysis/monitoring and other financial services through approximately 20,000 registered representatives nationwide.