ADVISOR GROUP CONCLUDES 16TH ANNUAL W FORUM CONFERENCE, ITS LARGEST WOMEN'S EVENT TO DATE

National Hybrid Event for Women Financial Professionals Attracted More Than 350 Advisors In-Person and 900 Total Attendees

PHOENIX, Feb. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Advisor Group, one of the nation's largest networks of independent wealth management firms, announced the successful conclusion of its 16^th annual W Forum conference for the firm's women advisors and office associates. This year's hybrid conference attracted more than 350 in-person financial professional attendees to San Diego as part of a total hybrid audience of 900. Held from February 6-8, W Forum provided attendees with education, training and peer-to-peer learning opportunities geared to helping them grow their businesses.

The conference was built around a vision of a future for the wealth management industry where women lead and flourish. W Forum included innovative networking opportunities, thought-provoking workshops, and engaging interactive sessions while exploring critical growth topics ranging from business strategies to practice management solutions to leadership best practices. The conference featured women leaders across the country sharing their insights peer-to-peer.

W Forum is the centerpiece of Advisor Group's Women Forward, an initiative that promotes success for women across the firm and beyond. Advisor Group is a leader among independent broker-dealers in hiring and advancing the careers of women. As of 2022, 50% of the firm's people leaders were women. Advisor Group was the only wealth management firm to be named to the ParityList that recognizes firms across the country that are the best places for women to advance. At 33.4%, the InvestmentNews IBD Survey for 2021, ranked Advisor Group second in terms of highest portion of women representatives in its category.

"This was our most powerful W Forum to date," said Kristen Kimmell, Executive Vice President, Business Development and executive sponsor of the Women's Advisory Board. "Our curated lineup of presenters represented a diverse mix of perspectives and topics, all geared toward helping our advisors prepare for the future and run the best businesses in the industry."

Innovative Concepts and Ways to Connect
The event featured new ways to learn and connect including '60 Seconds to Success' where advisors shared one-minute business building ideas with their peers. Advisor Group also implemented Braindate, a technology built for innovative networking that allowed attendees to brainstorm, solve challenges and share experiences through meaningful and tailored interactions. Additionally, Advisor Group partnered with Ion Learning to offer a year-long education course for attendees in applied EQ so they can continue their W Forum experience beyond the conference itself.

The conference concluded with award-winning keynote speaker and bestselling author Erica Dhawan sharing insights on 21s century teamwork, collaboration and innovation.

2023 Visionaries
Advisor Group celebrated the 5^th anniversary of its W Forum Visionaries program. Visionaries honorees are selected from a massive pool of nominees to give a TED Talk-style presentation to spark inspiration among attendees. These women were selected through a rigorous application process that included a review of their businesses as well as their dedication to supporting and empowering women within the wealth management industry and beyond.

This year's Visionaries included a diverse array of unique and thoughtful topics:

• Lisa Dickholtz of Dickholtz Wealth Management, Inc. - "Blindsided... No One Prepared Me for This!" - Ms. Dickholtz discussed preparing and identifying all the benefits and costs of a woman financial advisor selling her practice.
  
  
• Stephanie Summers of Kramer Wealth Managers - "The Power of Being Heard" - with the support of her interpreter Lisa Dewing, Ms. Summers outlined the power of building an inclusive environment for clients, peers and individuals with disabilities.
  
  
• Joann Woodrops of Wall Street Alliance Group - "The Rose That Grew from Concrete" – Ms. Woodrops addressed the art of manifestation to drive growth in business and personal lives.
  
  
• Jackie Mazur of Guide My Finances - "The Key to Building a Million Dollar Practice" - Ms. Mazur provided a blueprint to move outside the demographic boxes, to treat clients as individuals, which builds a stronger practice.
  
  
• Trisha Qualy of Affiliated Advisors - "How to Run Your Race" - Using her experience as a marathon runner, Ms. Qualy explained how to apply this discipline to her practice.

"We want to ensure that our financial advisors grow faster and serve their clients better here than anywhere else in the industry," said Jamie Price, President & CEO of Advisor Group. "That's especially true for our women advisors, a group of extremely talented professionals who are dedicated to helping their clients realize their financial dreams. We're committed to bringing more women into this industry and helping them build amazing businesses. W Forum was a tremendous success and represents just one way that Advisor Group can leverage its scale and expertise to provide compelling and game-changing experiences for our advisors."

W Forum's charity partner was Jambos, whose mission is to bring comfort to children in the foster care system by providing them with brand-new pajamas. Over $7,500 was raised, and 500 pajamas were donated during this event.

About Advisor Group
Advisor Group, Inc., a portfolio company of Reverence Capital Partners, is the nation's largest network of independent wealth management firms, serving approximately 10,000 financial professionals. The firm is mission-driven to support the strategic role that financial professionals can play in the lives of their clients. Cultivating a spirit of entrepreneurship and independence, Advisor Group champions the enduring value of financial professionals. For more information visit https://www.advisorgroup.com.

Securities and investment advisory services are offered through the firms: FSC Securities Corporation, Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., SagePoint Financial, Inc., Triad Advisors, LLC, Infinex Investments, Inc., and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, and members of FINRA and SIPC. Securities are offered through Securities America, Inc., American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc., and Ladenburg Thalmann & Co., broker-dealers and member of FINRA and SIPC. Advisory services are offered through Arbor Point Advisors, LLC, American Portfolios Advisors, Inc., Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management, Inc., Securities America Advisors, Inc., and Triad Hybrid Solutions, LLC, registered investment advisers. Advisory programs offered by FSC Securities Corporation, Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., SagePoint Financial, Inc., Securities America Advisors, Inc., Triad Advisors, LLC., and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., are sponsored by VISION2020 Wealth Management Corp., an affiliated registered investment adviser.

Media Inquiries
Joseph Kuo / Donald Cutler
Haven Tower Group
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424 317 4851 or 424 317 4864

SOURCE Advisor Group