Strategic Wealth Designers Lawsuit: Taylor, Keeney, and Clark Cases

The Strategic Wealth Designers lawsuit picture has two sides. The Louisville, Kentucky advisory firm is the plaintiff in one case, suing a former Colorado-based advisor named Jason Taylor in 2024 over alleged breaches of a non-solicitation and confidentiality agreement. It is also a defendant in two client suits filed in Kentucky in 2025, both tied to annuity recommendations made by a former partner, Dustin Stanley.

The Firm Behind the Cases

Strategic Wealth Designers operates under the legal name Strategic Wealth Investment Group, LLC. It was founded in 2002 by Matthew J. Dicken and registered as an SEC investment advisor in 2012, with headquarters at 500 N. Hurstbourne Parkway in Louisville. As of mid-2026 the firm manages roughly $1.38 billion in assets and employs 41 advisors across offices in ten states.¹

Strategic Wealth v. Jason Taylor

Jason Hyrum Taylor joined Strategic Wealth in November 2022 as a lead financial advisor in its Colorado operations, managing about $20 million in client assets. He started at a $96,000 base salary plus commissions and later moved to a commission-only structure that paid him over $100,000 a year.²³

On April 18, 2024, Strategic Wealth Designers and Strategic Wealth Investment Group filed suit against him in Adams County, Colorado. The case was removed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on May 20, 2024, as case number 1:24-cv-01421.²

What the Complaint Alleges

The firm’s complaint centers on a confidentiality agreement containing a 24-month non-solicitation clause and a duty to return all confidential data on departure. Strategic Wealth alleged Taylor stopped routing new assets to the firm two months before he resigned and began steering clients to Farther Finance while still employed, then continued contacting those clients from his new Farther email after leaving.²

The complaint also accused Taylor of misappropriating trade secrets, including client leads, sales strategies, billing practices, and proprietary retirement management systems. One specific allegation: on or about March 5, 2024, Taylor allegedly told a client that the firm’s “Retirement Planning University” program was actually his, and warned her she would have no advisor if she stayed with the firm.²

Damages and Current Status

Strategic Wealth asked for an injunction forcing Taylor to comply with his employment agreement, plus damages calculated as “three times the revenue generated to SWD of the accounts Mr. Taylor was managing based on the preceding 12 months of his employment, not to be less than $10,000 per client.”² No resolution has been reported, and neither side’s counsel has commented publicly.

SEC records show Taylor stayed at Farther Finance from February 2024 through June 2026, then moved to EP Wealth Advisors, where he currently works as a vice president advisor.³⁴

How Colorado Law Shapes the Taylor Case

Colorado imposes some of the tightest limits in the country on post-employment restrictions. Under legislation effective August 2022, non-compete agreements are banned unless the worker earns above a “highly compensated” salary threshold, which is $127,091 in 2025, and the restriction protects trade secrets rather than merely blocking competition.⁵⁶

Customer non-solicitation agreements face a lower bar. They are enforceable if the worker earns at least 60% of the highly compensated threshold ($76,254 in 2025) and the clause is no broader than needed to protect trade secrets.⁶ Taylor’s reported compensation of over $100,000 would clear the non-solicitation threshold but fall below the full non-compete requirement, which could limit which parts of his agreement the firm can enforce.

Colorado law also carries procedural rules. Restrictive covenants have to be presented before a job offer is accepted, existing employees must get at least 14 days’ notice before a new covenant takes effect, and any enforcement dispute involving a Colorado resident must be litigated in Colorado. Employers who violate the statute face penalties, actual damages, costs, and attorneys’ fees.⁵

Client Lawsuits Involving Dustin Stanley

Strategic Wealth is also on the defense side of two lawsuits filed by clients of Dustin Stanley, a former partner and investment adviser representative. Stanley worked at Strategic Wealth Investment Group from May 2014 until January 10, 2025, when the firm fired him. In its regulatory disclosures, the firm said routine oversight identified instances where Stanley facilitated annuity replacements that were not in clients’ best interest and did not meet fiduciary standards. Stanley disputes that characterization and says the firm’s internal review found no customer harm.⁷

Two client suits followed, both filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court in Kentucky and later removed to federal court. Both name Strategic Wealth Investment Group as a co-defendant alongside Stanley individually, and Stanley denies the allegations in each.

Keeney v. Strategic Wealth Investment Group

William and Cynthia Keeney filed suit on April 22, 2025, alleging that fixed-annuity recommendations were not in their best interest or suitable for their retirement savings. They seek $100,000 in damages. The case is active in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, with a jury trial scheduled for September 13, 2027.⁸⁷

Clark v. Strategic Wealth Investment Group

James and Marsha Clark filed suit on July 10, 2025, alleging that Stanley recommended fixed annuities and an indexed universal life insurance policy that were not suitable for their retirement savings. They seek $470,000 in damages.⁷

Where Things Stand

All three cases remain open. The Taylor suit in Colorado has produced no reported resolution, the Keeney case is set for trial in September 2027, and the Clark case was still in its early stages as of the most recent filings. The firm’s SEC filings as of May 2026 reported no disciplinary or criminal matters in the preceding 10 years, though the client suits had not been resolved by that point.¹

1
SmartAsset. Strategic Wealth Designers Review
2
Financial Advisor Magazine. Strategic Wealth Sues Former Advisor
3
SEC IAPD. Jason Hyrum Taylor Individual Summary
4
FINRA BrokerCheck. Jason Hyrum Taylor BrokerCheck Report
5
Venable LLP. Considering Restrictive Covenants in Colorado
6
Senn Fortis. Non-Compete Salary Thresholds Increase Jan 1, 2025
7
SEC IAPD. Dustin R. Stanley Individual Report
8
Justia. Keeney et al v. Strategic Wealth Investment Group, LLC et al