NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Advisor Group, one of the largest independent broker-dealer networks in the nation, recently announced the launch of Envestnet Retirement Solutions (ERS), a leading practice management platform designed for retirement plan advisors. The platform is part of the firm’s comprehensive offering for financial advisors in the retirement plans marketplace, which includes best-in-class tools, comprehensive sales support, a dynamic education curriculum and a dedicated team of home office professionals.
ERS provides advisors with integrated, open architecture and flexible fiduciary solutions, combining the investment tools, processes and analytics that are essential drivers of a sustainable retirement plan business in a single web-based application. The platform features a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution, management dashboard, investment analytics, fund research and monitoring reports, as well as a turnkey RFP and vendor search tool.
“We are extremely pleased to offer a solution that is tailored to both the advisor’s and plan sponsor’s needs, while being sophisticated enough to account for constantly evolving regulatory compliance and fiduciary standards,” said Taylor Hammons, Senior Vice President of Retirement Plan Consulting Services at Advisor Group. “In our opinion, many of the stand-alone systems used in the retirement industry have impeded forward progress for plan advisors. We feel that ERS addresses these shortfalls.”
ERS is the latest offering to retirement plan advisors through Advisor Group’s Retirement Plan Consulting Services (RPCS) division. The firm offers other comprehensive tools, including Retirement Plans Central (RPC), Advisor Group’s one-stop resource for advisors to build and maintain their book of group retirement business. RPC aggregates all of an individual advisor’s group retirement plan business in one place, offering automatic monthly downloads on all plan data, plan fee benchmarking, comprehensive reporting capabilities and compliance with ERISA’s 408(b)(2) rule.
Advisor Group is also committed to the education of its advisors through Qualified Plans Sales Institutes, full-day sales and practice management seminars devoted to the retirement plan space and offering guidance on client engagement best practices to improve visibility and increase close rates and retention. The events are hosted by Advisor Group’s RPCS team in conjunction with leading industry consultant and Strategic Partner sponsors.
Retirement plan advisors can also leverage the firm’s Retirement Plan Advisory Council, which works closely with Advisor Group leadership, to find collaborative solutions on key business issues and developments on products, service, support, technology, field communication and training. The RPAC is comprised of advisors committed to the retirement plans business, providing guidance, input and real-world insights to senior management that will expand its footprint within this marketplace.
“Between the practice management tools and thought leadership we offer, as well as the depth and experience of our RPCS team, I believe our capabilities stack up with anyone in the industry,” said Allison Couch Pratt, Executive Vice President of National Sales for Advisor Group. “Taylor and his team have done an outstanding job of providing our advisors with actionable education and sales ideas that have translated into outstanding growth for our retirement plan business.”
Advisor Group’s retirement planning business has experienced tremendous growth since launching three years ago, doubling sales and its number of qualified plans each year. In 2015, the firm saw a 162 percent increase in new plans and a 195 percent increase in new plan assets over 2014.
The RPCS team has close to 150 years of combined experience in the industry. In addition to Pratt and Hammons, the roster includes Peter Hirsch, Vice President of Retirement Plan Supervision; Stacia Apostolos Laux, Sales Manager Retirement Plan Consulting Services; Dennis Solberg, Retirement Consultant; Rex Ritchie, JD, CLU®, ChFC®, Director, Advanced Sales and Qualified Plans; Gary Maack-Magnusson, JD, LLM, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®, Senior Consultant, Advanced Sales and Qualified Plans; and Joe Terry, Chief Supervision Officer.
About Advisor Group
Advisor Group, Inc. is among the largest independent broker-dealer networks in the United States. The four broker-dealers that comprise Advisor Group – FSC Securities Corporation, Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., SagePoint Financial, Inc. and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc. – are Registered Investment Advisors and members of FINRA and SIPC. Advisor Group fosters the spirit of entrepreneurship and independence exemplified by its more than 5,200 affiliated independent financial advisors across the US. For more information, please visit www.advisorgroup.com.
