HighTower Celebrates 10 Years and Extraordinary Human Spirit at 2017 Apex Summit

CHICAGO, June 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HighTower gathered a roster of high-profile speakers and its community of elite financial advisors in San Francisco last month for the company's 3^rd Apex summit. The 2 days of keynote speeches and panel discussions explored the role that financial wellness plays in achieving an extraordinary quality of life, while also incorporating reflections on the 10-year anniversary of HighTower's founding.

"There is a profound connection between financial health and overall wellness," said HighTower CEO Elliot Weissbluth. "Our Apex speakers highlighted that connection and inspired the HighTower community to make a greater difference in the lives of our clients."

Key themes and takeaways from the Apex speakers and panelists included:

Technology is driving disruptive change in financial services

Nearly every session that discussed the financial industry touched on technology's transformative effects. Futurist, Author & Founder of the Future Today Institute Amy Webb offered a glimpse at jobs that will be lost and created (hybrid MBA-anthropologists, financial actuaries, alternative currency specialists) by advances in technology. When it came to financial advisors themselves, Apex speakers agreed that technology that attempts to cannibalize or displace will not work for the industry—or investors.

Human connection is more important than ever

One of the key challenges that the financial advice industry faces is finding the right balance between technology and human interaction. A number of Apex speakers emphasized the power and importance of human connection in their talks:

• Jim Kwik, CEO & Founder of Kwiklearning.com advised that one way to learn any subject or skill faster is to learn with the intention of teaching someone else—and that when you think of a person you want to share your new knowledge with, it becomes personally meaningful, and thus more memorable.
• Jenn Lim, CEO & Chief Happiness Officer of Delivering Happiness also emphasized the importance of building meaningful relationships and personal emotional connections with colleagues and clients: "When people are financially invested, they want a return; when people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute."
• Jacquelline Fuller, VP, Google and President of Google.org highlighted the benefits of philanthropy, citing research that shows giving to others from a position of empathy returns value in terms of wellbeing and health.

 We are all capable of extraordinary things

The most memorable moments of Apex 2017 were courtesy of speakers who told the stories of their incredible achievements:

• Former NASA astronaut Captain Scott Kelly shared photographs and anecdotes from his year in space. He also told his own powerful story, about how despite his humble beginnings as a less-than-perfect student, through goal-setting and hard work he achieved the extraordinary. In closing, Captain Kelly reminded the audience that "if we can build a space station orbiting the earth at 17,000 miles per hour, we can do anything."
• Olympic marathoner Alan Culpepper talked about training as an elite athlete and led attendees in a 5K run for charity through downtown San Francisco.
• Kyle Maynard—motivational speaker, best-selling author, entrepreneur, award-winning extreme athlete—told his story of a life driven by purpose and meaning. Maynard was born with a rare condition known as congenital amputation, which left him with arms that end at the elbows and legs that end near his knees—but none of that stopped him from becoming the first man to bear crawl to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Anthony Scaramucci, entrepreneur and best-selling author of "Hopping over the Rabbit Hole," closed the event with an insider's perspective on the current business and political environment, emphasizing that "it's not what happens to you, but how you handle what happens to you that matters."

"We founded HighTower on the principle that the wellbeing of our clients should always come first—and that our role as advisors includes empowering clients to lead extraordinary lives," added Weissbluth. "Apex 2017 was a celebration of that spirit, and we look forward to a new decade of unobstructed views."

To look back on updates and highlights from the event, search the hashtag #HTApex on social media.

About HighTower

HighTower is a national firm built by and for elite financial advisors. HighTower advisors commit to the fiduciary standard: a binding promise to put our clients' interests first. Powered by a proprietary technology and investment platform, HighTower embraces bold change to create a culture of collaboration and growth and to meet the evolving needs of sophisticated investors. For more information, see www.hightoweradvisors.com and www.byadvisorsforadvisors.com.

Melinda Brodbeck
JConnelly
973-850-7348
[email protected]

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