At their National Conference Williams Financial Group Launched a Proprietary Business Process and Communications Platform for their Independent Financial Professionals

DALLAS, Nov. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Williams Financial Group (WFG Investments Inc., member FINRA & SIPC), a privately-held, Dallas-based financial services firm providing brokerage, advisory and investment services, hosted its National Conference (October 17th to 19th) in Plano, Texas for its 280 affiliated independent Financial Professionals, whose combined assets under management are approximately $7 billion.

"The overarching goal at each of our conferences is to help our advisors improve the level of service they can provide to their clients, identify key trends affecting the financial services industry and provide education on products and services that will translate into strategies focused on helping them grow their business," said Wilson Williams, CEO, Williams Financial Group.

Rolling out WFG Connect, the firm's new business process and communications platform, at this year's conference marks a milestone for the firm and their advisors. WFG Connect is a single sign-on platform that provides access to critical business processes, aggregated client account data, customer relationship management tools, extensive reporting and multiple dashboard views. WFG Connect will provide transparency, efficiency and an increase in control for our affiliated independent Financial Professionals with respect to their client accounts and day-to-day management.

"We are about to celebrate our 25^th anniversary and with this critical technology roll-out we are fully prepared to continue along our path of measured growth while providing quality service to all of our independent Financial Professionals and their clients," said David Williams, President, Williams Financial Group. 

Key trends identified at the conference were delivered by keynote speakers and select WFG Management.

Sanjiv Mirchandani, President, National Financial Services (NFS), identified how fundamental changes in the industry are sparking modifications to the products advisors recommend and the way they work with their clients.

"A core tenet of the new advice model we call 'Advisor 2.0' is that advisors must not only embrace new technology – but make it the cornerstone of their practices," said Sanjiv Mirchandani, President, National Financial.

"The introduction of its new Business Process and Communications Platform clearly demonstrates that Williams Financial Group understands that in today's competitive environment, technology is essential to both enhancing broker efficiencies as well as facilitating a broader and more meaningful level of communication and outreach to investors." 

Greg Valliere, Chief Political Strategist, Potomac Research Group addressed the "fiscal cliff" and the election as well as implications for investors.  

"My experience at the Williams Financial Group Conference reaffirmed my belief that the top management and advisors at Williams Financial Group are committed to absorbing timely research and education in order to build a plan for their clients amidst a changing economic and political environment," said Greg Valliere.

The Equity Research team at Williams Financial Group provided insight into select coverage areas.  

Cody Acree, Director of Equity Capital Markets and Senior Research Analyst, Semiconductors, discussed investment positioning given the significant changes occurring in the tech sector, where the global adoption of tablets and smartphones is pushing the computing market into secular decline at the same time the majority of other growth drivers are being stifled by the sluggish global economy.

Matt Beeby, Senior Research Analyst, Oil Field Services, provided insight on the favorable long-term macroeconomic trends for offshore drilling and services, noting long-term planning cycles of Majors and National Oil Companies combined with a shortage of ultra-deep water drilling rigs is likely to keep new fixture day rates near $600,000 per day. Meanwhile, the North American onshore drilling landscape remains challenged, though near-term headwinds could be moderated as Exploration & Production companies introduce 2013 capital budgets.

David Neil Williams, Research Analyst, Home Building, highlighted current favorable trends in the housing sector emphasizing  household formations, of which 4+ million are estimated to have been delayed through the downturn, stabilizing home prices, lean inventory levels and attractive interest rates as the underlying demand drivers, adding pressures such as unemployment and lack of access to credit will likely remain headwinds in the intermediate term, dissipating in lockstep with housing growth.

"It is clear that Williams Financial Group's Equity Research group remains dedicated to providing a top quality research product to both WFG's institutional and individual client services group.  WFG  analysts are specialists in their vertical and continue identifying the best ideas to make our client's money," said Claude Connelly, Chief Operating Officer and head of WFG Capital Markets.  

The WFG Equity Research Group also announced the launch of their online equity research library driven by an elegant search solution that allows users to drill down to the specific reports and analysis by analyst, sector, company or dates. The library is now available online via the newly redesigned Williams Financial Group website www.williams-financial.com. The new website and library are built on the DotNetNuke CMS platform using custom development solutions built by Engage Software.

"With the new Research Library, our Financial Professionals and their clients will have full access to all our historic published reports to assist in their work on stocks, sectors, and themes," said Cody Acree, Director of Equity Capital Research. 

Additional products and services offered by Williams Financial Group introduced at the conference included:

WFG Asset Management announced a partnership with the investment management firms of Horizon Investments of Charlotte, NC and Wilshire Associates of Santa Monica, CA. This partnership will provide a low cost platform with an array of solutions for WFG Financial Professionals whose clients desire accumulation, protection or spending from their portfolio.

WFG Insurance Services announced version 2.0 of their proprietary Life Insurance Fiduciary Evaluation (L.I.F.E) process and the release of several key pieces to assist financial professionals in overall estate, financial, and insurance planning. 

WFG Mutual Fund Services announced an informational services model to inform financial professionals of best-practices and widely-used funds across the WFG platform. 

In appreciation of their participation we would like to recognize our platinum sponsor National Financial Services LLC (NFS).

About National Financial
National Financial, a Fidelity Investments company, offers broker-dealer firms a comprehensive clearing platform that includes a dedicated service model, a powerful global trading platform, and a source of leading investment solutions, all designed to help them grow confidently. A leading clearing provider in the U.S. for over 30 years, National Financial leverages the strength, resources, and experience of the Fidelity organization, one of the world's largest providers of financial services. As of September 30, 2012, National Financial serves nearly 270 broker-dealers representing over $425 billion in assets under administration. For more information about National Financial, please visit www.nationalfinancial.com.

WFG will host its next conference in San Diego, California. Those interested in participating should contact Amy Gottenberg, Director of Marketing, at [email protected]

About Williams Financial Group
Founded in 1988, Williams Financial Group is a privately-held, Dallas-based financial services firm providing brokerage, advisory and investment services to over 280 independent Financial Professionals with clients (individual investors and select institutions) whose combined assets under management are approximately $7 billion. For further information visit www.williams-financial.com. Securities offered through WFG Investments, Inc., member FINRA & SIPC, subsidiary of Williams Financial Group. 

Media Contact:
Amy Gottenberg,
[email protected]
Williams Financial Group
800.225.3650. 
2711 North Haskell Ave., Suite 2900
Dallas, TX 75204