MIAMI, Jan. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS, LTSL, LTS PrA, LTSF, LTSK) ("Ladenburg"), a publicly-traded diversified financial services company, today announced the successful conclusion of its second annual ELEVATE Advisory Symposium, designed to support the business growth of fee-based financial advisors across the company's five independent advisory and brokerage (IAB) subsidiaries, encompassing Securities America, Triad Advisors, Investacorp, KMS Financial Services, and Securities Service Network.  More than 300 financial advisors affiliated with Ladenburg's IAB firms attended the invitation-only event – held at the JW Marriott in Nashville, Tenn., from January 13 through 15 – which delivered forward-thinking ideas, techniques and strategies to enhance advisors' fee-based businesses through holistic financial planning for clients.

Richard Lampen, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ladenburg, said, "We kicked off 2019 with a resoundingly successful second annual ELEVATE Symposium, building on the high level of energy and engagement from our inaugural event from over a year ago.  We're pleased with the overwhelmingly positive response among our invitees to the insights and expertise showcased at this conference, along with the enhanced networking and best practices sharing opportunities for financial advisors, strategic partners and home office staff.  The depth and breadth of this event further underscores the power of Ladenburg and its subsidiaries' collective intellectual capital and resources, while affirming our company's position as a leading innovator of the network model for the independent financial advice industry."

At this year's ELEVATE Symposium, Ladenburg also announced the launch of its enterprise-level Advanced Planning Group to enhance the comprehensive wealth management capabilities of financial advisors across all five of its IAB firms.  Comprised of a team of dedicated consulting professionals with expertise in tax planning, estate planning and business planning, the Advanced Planning Group acts as a resource for financial advisors to allow them to deliver sophisticated and highly customized solutions for high net worth and upper quartile mass affluent clients to address complex challenges and opportunities.

From helping advisors navigate sensitive family dynamics while facilitating intergenerational wealth transfers, to constructing tax-smart portfolio strategies that require continuous monitoring, to supporting the corporate retirement plans of business owner wealth management clients with in-depth annual plan diagnostics and much more, the Advanced Planning Group enables financial advisors to add greater value to client relationships.

In a related development, Ladenburg also announced the rollout to all of its IAB firms and their financial advisors of the Link to the Future initiative, first introduced in April of last year by Securities America to its advisors.  Link to the Future seeks to cultivate the next generation of financial advisors by providing college students across the country who are interested in entering the financial advice profession with funding and access to industry events, as well as potential mentoring relationships with established financial advisors and home office executives.

At this year's ELEVATE Symposium, Ladenburg welcomed an inaugural cohort of 20 recipients, selected from among university students across the country who are interested in pursuing a career in the financial advice space, providing them with conference scholarships that cover their travel and lodging expenses, along with full access to the Symposium's educational and professional sessions.  The program also connected scholarship winners with specially selected financial advisors who served as on-site hosts to answer students' questions about the profession, guide them through various breakout sessions, and potentially build long-term mentor relationships.

ELEVATE's educational and networking sessions unfolded across four tracks — Advanced Planning, Advisor as Portfolio Manager, Growing Your Advisory Practice and Partnering with Third-Party Money Managers — with ample opportunity for advisors to customize their Symposium experience, meet with colleagues and leaders of their respective IABs, and to learn about products and services from strategic partners in the exhibitor marketplace.

John Blood, Senior Vice President of Advisory Services and Solutions, said, "Interest among financial advisors in growing their fee-based business has continued to surge across the industry, and our annual ELEVATE Symposium helps to aligns our advisors with the leading-edge strategies and tools necessary to thrive in this evolving environment.  In keeping with our commitment to actively look around corners and position our advisors ahead of the pack with macro-industry trends, we were delighted to utilize this event as an opportunity to bolster our fee-based advisory support programs with our Advanced Planning Group, while helping to lay the groundwork among all of our IAB firms to attract next gen financial advisors through our Link to the Future program expansion."

Mr. Lampen concluded, "Our annual ELEVATE event is just one example of the multiple resources that Ladenburg is mobilizing to help our financial advisors build stronger fee-based client relationships, while improving the efficiency and effectiveness of how these professionals serve such clients.  Looking ahead, the successful conclusion of this event and the related new initiative launches demonstrate Ladenburg's focus on leveraging our capital, expertise and technology to drive innovation-led growth for our IAB firms and the 4,300 plus financial advisors throughout the country that we collectively serve."

About Ladenburg Thalmann
Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS, LTSL, LTS PrA, LTSF, LTSK) is a publicly-traded diversified financial services company based in Miami, Florida. Ladenburg's subsidiaries include industry-leading independent advisory and brokerage (IAB) firms Securities America, Triad Advisors, Securities Service Network, Investacorp and KMS Financial Services, as well as Premier Trust, Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management, Highland Capital Brokerage, a leading independent life insurance brokerage company, Ladenburg Thalmann Annuity Insurance Services, a full-service annuity processing and marketing company, and Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc., an investment bank which has been a member of the New York Stock Exchange for over 135 years. The company is committed to investing in the growth of its subsidiaries while respecting and maintaining their individual business identities, cultures, and leadership. For more information, please visit www.ladenburg.com.

This press release includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding future growth, growth of our independent advisory and brokerage business and future levels of recurring revenue. These statements are based on management's current expectations or beliefs and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by the statements herein due to changes in economic, business, competitive and / or regulatory factors, including the SEC's proposed rules and interpretations concerning the standards of conduct for broker dealers and investment advisers when dealing with retail investors, future cash flows, a change in the Company's dividend policy by the Company's Board of Directors (which has the ability in its sole discretion to increase, decrease or eliminate entirely the Company's dividend at any time) and other risks and uncertainties affecting the operation of the Company's business. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include those set forth in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and other factors detailed from time to time in its other filings with the SEC. The information set forth herein should be read in light of such risks. Further, investors should keep in mind that the Company's quarterly revenue and profits can fluctuate materially depending on many factors, including the number, size and timing of completed offerings and other transactions. Accordingly, the Company's revenue and profits in any particular quarter may not be indicative of future results. The Company is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise, except as required by law.

Media Contacts:

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Haven Tower Group
424 652 6520 ext 101 or ext 102
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SOURCE Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc.

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