NEW YORK, April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Investment Advisor, the leading publication for independent and independent-minded investment advisors and financial planners, has announced its 10th annual IA 25:  the 25 most influential people in and around the advisor community. Investment Advisor's editors selected these honorees for the impact they have had and will continue to have on investing, practice management, technology and the regulatory universe in which all advisors operate.

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"Over the 10 years that Investment Advisor has published the IA 25, we've never ranked our choices in order of importance," commented Investment Advisor's group editor-in-chief, Jamie Green. "This year, however, it would be hard to argue with the choice of Elliot Weissbluth from HighTower, Mary Schapiro from the SEC, Mohamed El-Erian from PIMCO and Phyllis Borzi from the Department of Labor as having particular influence in the professional lives of advisors and the clients they serve. They stand at the center of implementing wide-ranging legislation and regulation, to building innovative advisor business models to affecting in significant ways how, when and where advisors invest on behalf of their clients. They are, in our editors' judgment, the most influential people in and around the advisor universe."

The IA 25 profiles in the May issue of Investment Advisor include exclusive interviews with Weissbluth, Schapiro, El-Erian and Borzi, as well as with Vanguard founder John Bogle, MFS Chairman emeritus Robert Pozen, new TD Ameritrade Institutional head Tom Nally and more, including leading advisors, advisor partners, regulators, legislators and advisor association leaders. Full interviews and more complete profiles will be available throughout May through an AdvisorOne.com special report providing advisors with insights on the issues and trends that will affect them this year and in coming years.

This year's IA 25 are:

• Elliot Weissbluth, HighTower Advisors
• Mohamed El-Erian, PIMCO
• Mary Schapiro, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
• Phyllis Borzi, U.S. Department of Labor
• Amy Webber, Cambridge Investment Research
• John Bogle, Vanguard
• Charles Biderman, TrimTabs
• Chip Roame, Tiburon Strategic Advisors
• Dale Brown, Financial Services Institute
• Eric Clarke, Orion Advisor Services
• John Peluso, Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network
• Jon Henschen, Henschen & Associates
• Michael Kitces, Pinnacle Advisory Group
• Robert Pozen, MFS Investments
• Tom Nally, TD Ameritrade Institutional
• Richard Lampen, Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services
• Allen Stanford and Jon Corzine
• Joshua Brown, The Reformed Broker
• Jud Bergman, Envestnet
• Julie Littlechild, Advisor Impact
• Mario Draghi, European Central Bank
• Mark Tibergien, Pershing Advisor Solutions
• Xi Jinping, People's Republic of China
• Dr. Kent Smetters, Wharton, Veritat
• Larry Roth, Advisor Group

"Once again, the willingness of these leaders to sit down and discuss the key issues affecting the industry reflects the importance of independent advisors on both Wall Street and Capitol Hill," said John Sullivan, editor-in-chief of Investment Advisor.

About Investment Advisor

With a circulation of 110,000, Investment Advisor is now in its 32nd year of serving independent and independent-minded investment advisors and financial planners across the United States through its monthly magazine and online at AdvisorOne.com. Investment Advisor and AdvisorOne.com are part of the Investment Advisory Group of Summit Business Media, LLC, which also includes Research magazine.

About Summit Business Media

Summit Business Media is the leading B2B media company serving the insurance and investment markets. SBM publishes 16 magazines, more than 30 targeted industry Web sites, 150 reference titles, a dozen conferences and is the leading provider of group benefits and retirement prospecting tools and insurance industry financial data. For more information, visit summitbusinessmedia.com.

SOURCE Summit Business Media