Deals & People October 17, 2023

2024 Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year Nominations Are Open

If you work with or know of a great plan adviser or adviser team, please help PLANADVISER recognize the best in the business.

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PLANADVISER is asking for your help in identifying the best retirement plan advisers in the country. If you work with or know of a great plan adviser or plan adviser team, please help us recognize the best in the business.

For the third year in a row, the awards are being issued in six categories. However, we have separated our recognition for Community Impact and Giving Back into a separate program and replaced that category with 403(b) Plan Service, because it never felt right to select a “winner” in the Community Impact category. We will recognize advisers making a Community Impact through our editorial department and coverage in PLANADVISER.

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In addition, we have added subcategories for our Closing the Coverage Gap award—one for MEPs/PEPs and one for Micro/Startup Plans—to further define what we are trying to recognize with these awards.

Nominations for the 2024 PLANADVISER Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year awards are now being accepted in six categories:

  • Plan Sponsor Service – Nominate individuals only. Finalists and winners in this category stand out for their innovation and dedication in the service of retirement plan sponsor clients, with a particular focus on the efficient and effective delivery of plan-level support. The Plan Sponsor Service category recognizes those advisers directly serving and working with plan sponsors and should be recognizable to the plan sponsor client.
  • Plan Participant Service – Nominate individuals only. Finalists and winners in this category stand out for their innovation and dedication in the service of retirement plan participants, with a particular focus on the efficient and effective delivery of individual-level advice and education.
  • Mentorship – Nominate individuals or teams. Finalists and winners in this category stand out for their commitment and success in supporting the personal and professional growth of their firm’s staff, their fellow advisers and their industry peers.
  • Efforts in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) – Nominate individuals or teams. Finalists and winners in this category stand out for their success in addressing the financial services industry’s clear and present diversity problem, with a particular focus on the importance of creating equitable and fair workplaces.
  • 403(b) Plan Service – Nominate individuals only. Finalists and winners in this category stand out for their innovation and dedication in the service of 403(b) plan sponsor clients. The category is intended to recognize those advisers focused on the efficient and effective delivery of plan-level support, not product sales.
  • Closing the Coverage Gap – Nominate individuals only. Finalists and winners in this category stand out for their dedication to helping more Americans, especially those who work for small businesses or who are members of underrepresented communities, gain access to quality workplace retirement plans. The category includes two subcategories to further define the work advisers are doing, whether with multiple employer and pooled employer plans or with startup plans.

Nominations are welcome from plan sponsor clients, employers and brokers/dealers, as well as from working partners of these advisers, such as product and service providers, investment vendors, accountants, attorneys and plan administrators. However, self-nominations are not permitted, and only nominations from plan sponsor clients will be accepted for the Plan Sponsor Service, Plan Participant Service and 403(b) Plan Service categories.

Award recipients across all categories will be honored at the PLANADVISER Industry Leader Awards on in New York City on May 8, 2024. Finalists and winners for Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year awards will be featured online at PLANADVISER.com. Previous Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year winners can be viewed at https://www.planadviser.com/awards.

 The deadline for submitting nominations for the 2024 Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year awards  is December 8, 2023. Questions can be directed to awards@issmediasolutions.com.

The nomination form is here. You may preview the form here before submitting your nomination.

Deals & People October 16, 2023

Retirement Industry People Moves – 10/13/23

Vestwell names Rettig to board of directors; Star Mountain Capital adds DeAngelis as senior adviser; Club Vita appoints Gleed as head of U.S. business development.

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Vestwell Names Rettig to Board of Directors

John Rettig

Vestwell announced it has appointed John Rettig, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Bill Operations LLC, a cloud-based software provider, to its board of directors. Rettig will work closely with Vestwell CEO Aaron Schumm and CFO Dave Sheen.

“We’re delighted to welcome John to the team as an innovator who shares Vestwell’s vision and commitment to serving small and medium-sized companies,” Schumm said in a statement. “Adding John’s extensive operational, strategic, and analytical experience to our board of directors is a key element in our strategy to scale our businesses.”

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Rettig has more than 20 years of strategic finance and operational leadership experience in both private and public companies. Before joining Bill, he was the CFO of Exponential Interactive Inc., a digital media company.

“It’s hard not to see the vast impact Vestwell has on the industry today,” said Rettig in a statement. “I’m thrilled to join the board of directors at Vestwell and help champion the firm’s next phase of growth.”

Star Mountain Capital Adds DeAngelis as Senior Adviser

Steve DeAngelis

Star Mountain Capital LLC, a specialized investment manager, announced that Steve DeAngelis has joined as a senior adviser.

“Steve’s experience with alternative investment distribution, investor reporting, communications and talent management is a great addition for all our stakeholders, including continuing to provide differentiated capabilities and reliable capital for the high-quality businesses we invest with,” Brett Hickey, Star Mountain Capital founder and CEO, said in a statement.

DeAngelis’ experience includes founding and building a technology-based wealth management platform to more than $100 billion in assets and selling to PFPC Worldwide, a division of PNC Financial. Previously, he was managing director and head of the U.S. advisor solutions group at Goldman Sachs Asset Management and first executive vice president and head of distribution and later president at FS Investments.

“I appreciate the opportunity to focus time and capital on differentiated investment value propositions for financial advisors, especially at Star Mountain Capital, an organization that aligns with my values and team-oriented culture,” DeAngelis said in a statement.

Club Vita Appoints Gleed as US Head of Business Development

Natalie Gleed

Club Vita LLP, which specializes in longevity data analytics, announced the hiring of Natalie Gleed as its head of U.S. business development.

“We are thrilled to welcome Natalie to the Club Vita,” Jennifer Haid, Club Vita’s CEO, said in a statement. “She is a highly qualified and experienced professional with a passion for driving understanding and engagement with actuarial analytics.”

According to Club Vita, Gleed’s hiring came in response to growing demand for longevity analytics to support pension risk transfer activity in the U.S. and Club Vita’s increasing presence in the PRT market. She will be responsible for driving the adoption of Club Vita’s product suite and analytics.

Gleed brings more than 20 years of actuarial experience, having previously held a variety of roles across insurance companies in the U.K. and U.S., most recently as a key account manager at the Swiss Re Group. “I’m excited to get started,” Gleed said in a statement, “My previous experience in the industry, both in the U.S. and in the U.K., has prepared me perfectly to bring Club Vita’s offering to the U.S. market and to help develop further innovations within Club Vita.”

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