Advisor Group Kicks Off Annual W Forum Conference, A National Virtual Event For Women Financial Professionals

PHOENIX, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Advisor Group, the nation's largest network of independent wealth management firms, today announced the kickoff of its 15^th annual W Forum conference for women financial professionals, associates and home-office employees. Over 1,000 participants associated with Advisor Group's six subsidiary firms – FSC Securities, Royal Alliance, SagePoint Financial, Securities America, Triad Advisors and Woodbury Financial Services – are expected to join the virtual event, which is being held from June 16 to 18 and is themed "The Path."

W Forum is a central part of Advisor Group's Women Forward Initiative, which offers a year-round series of career enrichment and networking opportunities along with mentorship and development resources to support women financial professionals in achieving business growth and success.

Wealth Management Platform Generates Record Growth, Complements Recruiting

As part of the event, Advisor Group today announced record monthly asset growth for its Wealth Management Platform (WMP), a comprehensive suite of investment advisory programs, technology solutions and expert support resources aimed at helping financial professionals grow and manage fee-based accounts.

In May, WMP saw inflows of more than $1 billion in net new assets (NNA), representing Advisor Group's strongest-ever month for growth on its WMP and the first time monthly NNA has exceeded the $1 billion threshold. Women financial professionals contributed proportionately to this increase and were responsible for nearly 20% of the record growth.

In addition to surpassing the $1 billion mark in NNA last month, the platform has added at least $4.8 billion in NNA through May of this year, compared with about $1.4 billion for the same period in 2020. NNA encompasses accounts of existing clients that are moved to WMP, as well as assets added through recruitment of new financial professionals and M&A activity, net of attrition.

The NNA figures include asset growth at FSC Securities, Royal Alliance, SagePoint and Woodbury, the four firms that made up the Advisor Group network prior to its acquisition of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services, including Securities America and Triad Advisors, in February 2020. Monthly NNA totals are expected to continue to grow significantly going forward, as asset reporting for the former Ladenburg firms is harmonized with Advisor Group's legacy firms and their NNA metrics are included in the firm's enterprise-wide totals. Continued strong recruiting results are expected to fuel further growth in NNA inflows.

Honoring Allison Pratt Upon Her Retirement

As part of the commencement of the conference, Advisor Group announced the retirement of Executive Vice President, National Sales Allison Pratt, following a nearly 35-year career in the independent wealth management industry, including the last seven years at Advisor Group. Ms. Pratt's decision to retire follows family health matters and her desire to prioritize family at this time.

Ms. Pratt will continue to serve in her current role until August 6, 2021. Ms. Pratt has played a central role in Advisor Group's success as the head of its national sales organization, which includes investment advisory services, retirement plan consulting services, insurance consulting services, advanced planning, product sales support, business coaching and consulting services, and strategic partner relations.

As part of her role, Ms. Pratt has overseen Advisor Group's Wealth Management Platform since 2016, when the full-year net new assets figure was $1.4 billion in total, compared against the $1 billion in NNA for the month of May alone this year.

Commenting on the record monthly NNA growth, Ms. Pratt said, "These exceptional results didn't just happen – they are the result of a multi-year effort to carefully plant the seeds of growth, as well as a tremendous amount of hard work, diligence and persistence on the part of the thousands of independent financial professionals across our network. They also stem from Advisor Group's proactive stance in adapting to the new fiduciary era, and from significant investments from Reverence Capital in growing the sales and consulting resources we make available to our financial professionals, ensuring that all of our product lines seamlessly align to benefit the end client."

Ms. Pratt continued, "Our focus on positioning all of our financial professionals for success in the fiduciary era is mirrored by our commitment to building a stronger industry overall that reflects the diversity of our broader society. Growing the ranks of women financial professionals across our firms is an indispensable part of Advisor Group's overall success story."

"The progress we have made in lifting women in the wealth management space has been one of the proudest accomplishments of my professional life. As I step away from a rewarding and fulfilling career, I am gratified to know that Advisor Group is in the strongest position in its history, and I look forward to an even brighter future for women in our industry in the years ahead."

The Wealth Management Platform includes four investment advisory programs – Genesis Model Portfolios, Separately Managed Accounts (SMAs), Unified Managed Accounts (UMAs) and Advisor Managed Portfolios.

Advisor Group has consistently expanded and enhanced the platform in recent years, including reducing minimum investments for UMAs; expanding its product shelf to include select retail alternative investments; strengthening its focus on innovative high-net-worth solutions; relaunching asset-based pricing, thereby eliminating conflicts related to traditional ticket charges; and redesigning the platform to provide a streamlined and more advisor-friendly user experience.

Greg Cornick, Advisor Group's President, Advice and Wealth Management, said, "Advisor Group is committed to supporting women financial professionals and know they are well-positioned in an industry increasingly driven by trusted relationships and a shift to holistic planning. Their success growing advisory assets has contributed to Advisor Group's record-breaking month. Our Wealth Management Platform's outstanding performance in attracting net new assets is also a testament to the work that Allison and her team have accomplished to support financial professionals' adoption of advisory business models. Going forward, we will continue to proactively invest in the services, technology and platforms that our financial professionals need to do their best work for clients."

'VISIONARIES' HEADLINE W FORUM AGENDA

This year's W Forum marks the first time the event will combine elements of Advisor Group's Women Forward Initiative and the Ladenburg Institute of Women and Finance, Ladenburg Thalmann's former network-wide program supporting growth for women financial professionals.

This year's W Forum theme, "The Path," focuses on supporting women financial professionals in defining their visions of success in life and in their careers while helping them chart a roadmap to achieve their goals.

As in prior years, the event will feature W Forum Visionaries, a series of TED Talk-style presentations by four female financial professionals aimed at sparking inspiration among attendees. This year's Visionaries are:

• Rita Robbins, Founder and President of Affiliated Advisors, on "Embracing the Third Phase of Life;"
• Gujral Jyoti, Principal of Financial Solutions Group, on "Connecting Passion with Purpose;"
• Monica Brown, on "The Art of Continuous Evolution;"
• Kelly O'Malley, with "How I Increased My AUM by 40% in 90 days."

W Forum will also feature:

• A Talk with Patty Jenkins: Advisor Group's Chief Marketing Officer, Susan Theder, will interview the award-winning writer, producer and director in a featured general session segment.
• Trends in Wealth Management: Advisor Group's President and CEO, Jamie Price, and Executive Vice President of Advisor Engagement, Erinn Ford, will discuss trends in the wealth management industry that will affect financial professionals' businesses.
• Discussion of Advisor Group Women's Initiatives: Advisor Group Senior Vice President of Wealth Management Marketing, Katey Davern, and Ladenburg Asset Management Chief Operating Officer, Jaime Desmond, will provide updates on Advisor Group's women's initiatives.
• Round Table Discussions: Collaborative working sessions will offer small groups of participants an opportunity to discuss critical topics with colleagues.

Jamie Price, CEO of Advisor Group, said, "It's a great honor for us to bring together women financial professionals, assistants and home-office staff from across the country to share best practices and support each other in their professional endeavors. I believe it is crucial to the future of our industry to find ways to increase the opportunities for growth and advancement for women professionals, and with the W Forum and the Women Forward Initiative, we are putting the resources and expertise of the entire Advisor Group network behind that goal."

Mr. Price concluded, "We thank Allison Pratt for many contributions to Advisor Group. Allison has done an incredible job in expanding and enhancing our Wealth Management Platform.  The strength of our Wealth Management Platform, combined with our ongoing investments in growth resources for our financial professionals, make Advisor Group extremely well-positioned to continue to lead in the independent wealth management space."

About Advisor Group

Advisor Group, Inc. is the nation's largest network of independent wealth management firms, serving approximately 10,100 financial professionals and overseeing over $475 billion in client assets. The firm is mission-driven to support the strategic role that advisors can play in the lives of their clients. Cultivating a spirit of entrepreneurship and independence, Advisor Group champions the enduring value of financial professionals and is committed to being in their corner every step of the way. 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, and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, and members of FINRA and SIPC. Securities are offered through Securities America, Inc., a broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. Advisory services are offered through Arbor Point Advisors, LLC, 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., and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., are sponsored by VISION2020 Wealth Management Corp., an affiliated registered investment adviser. Advisor Group, Inc. is an affiliate of these firms. 20 E. Thomas Rd., Ste. 2000, Phoenix, AZ, 85012. 866.481.0379.

Media Contacts:
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SOURCE Advisor Group