LPL Financial Congratulates Ron Carson, John Waldron and Charles Zhang for Recognition in Barron's 'Top 100 Financial Advisors' Ranking

BOSTON, April 20 /PRNewswire/ -- LPL Financial Corporation ("LPL Financial"), the nation's largest independent broker-dealer*, today congratulated Ron Carson, John Waldron and Charles Zhang for their recent recognition in the "Top 100 Financial Advisors" ranking by Barron's, a leading financial magazine.  According to Barron's, the "Top 100 Financial Advisors" list recognizes the most successful retail financial advisors in the United States for the 2009 calendar year on the basis of assets under management, revenues generated and the strength of the advisor's overall practice.

Ranking details of the LPL Financial advisors, who were selected out of approximately 700 submissions of top advisors throughout the nation, were as follows:

• Ron Carson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Carson Wealth Management Group ($2.4 billion in AUM) of Omaha, Nebraska, was named # 9 out of 100, advancing from his prior year ranking of #14.
• John Waldron, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Waldron Wealth Management ($2.0 billion in AUM) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was named #22 out of 100, advancing from his prior year ranking of # 30.
• Charles Zhang, Managing Partner of Zhang Financial ($1.1 billion in AUM) of Portage, Michigan, was named #56 out of 100, advancing from his prior year ranking of #58.

Bill Dwyer, President of National Sales and Marketing for LPL Financial, said, "LPL Financial is proud to serve as an enabling partner to these advisors recognized by Barron's, and the many thousands more on our platform who share their passion for serving their local communities, and helping retail investors achieve their life goals. We enthusiastically congratulate Ron Carson, John Waldron and Charles Zhang for being included among this enormously select group of financial advisors, which reflects their unwavering commitment to client service.  Their presence each year in this list, combined with their advancement in this year's rankings, reflect the broader validation of the independent financial advice model that we are witnessing throughout the country today.  Events of the past two years have caused retail investors to increasingly demand objective and unbiased financial advice from a trusted local provider, and we are confident this trend will only continue to accelerate."

About LPL Financial

LPL Financial is one of the nation's leading financial services companies and largest independent broker-dealer (based on total revenues as reported in Financial Planning magazine, June 1996-2009).  Headquartered in Boston, Charlotte, and San Diego, LPL Financial and its affiliates offer industry-leading enabling technology, comprehensive clearing and compliance services, practice management programs and training and independent research to 11,950 financial advisors, more than 750 financial institutions, and approximately 4,000 institutional clearing and technology subscribers.  LPL Financial has $279.4 billion in advisory and brokerage assets as of December 31, 2009.

LPL Financial and its 2,400 employees serve financial advisors through Independent Advisor Services, supporting financial advisors at all career stages; Institution Services, focusing on the needs of advisors and program managers in banks and credit unions; and Custom Clearing Services, working with broker-dealers at leading financial services companies.  For more information, please visit www.lpl.com.

*Based on total revenues, as reported in Financial Planning magazine, June 1996-2009

Member FINRA/SIPC

SOURCE LPL Financial Corporation