Art by Subin Yang

TRA Appoints National Sales Manager

The Retirement Advantage Inc. (TRA) has appointed Darin Erdmann as national sales manager (NSM) effective March 27. He will be charged with leading the company’s national sales team and will report to Jeff Schreiber, TRA’s director of sales. 

In this newly developed role, Erdmann will oversee and manage the company’s sales team activities, assist in identifying new market opportunities and generate additional growth in the company’s defined retirement planning markets. He will also be responsible for the assignment of sales territories, setting of goals, assisting in the closing of new business and establishing training programs for the firm’s Regional Sales Consultants (RSCs).

“Darin is exactly the experienced sales professional we were looking to add at TRA. He will continue to provide the support that our advisers, wholesale partners and end clients have come to expect,” Schreiber says. “Darin has consistently demonstrated his leadership by delivering on profitable sales initiatives and being a resource for new marketing initiatives. He has always had a solid understanding of exactly what a quality sales team requires in order to maximize their sales opportunities.”

“I’m looking forward to continuing to increase the awareness of the TRA brand as well as spending more time assisting our sales team in exceeding their individual goals. A key component of our success are our distribution partners, so cultivating and enhancing those relationships is also an integral step in achieving our joint goals,” Erdmann says of his promotion.

Prior to this role, Erdmann was with TRA, covering Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and South California territories. He currently holds his chartered retirement plans specialist (CRPS) and cash balance consultant (CBC) designations and resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

SS&C Technologies Names Retirement Solutions Manager

SS&C Technologies Holdings Inc. announced that Kevin Rafferty has been named general manager, SS&C Retirement Solutions. As general manager, Rafferty will drive short- and long-term growth initiatives. He will report to Mike Sleightholme, senior vice president and general manager.

“Retirement Solutions is a strategic business. SS&C Retirement Solutions now services more than 8 million plan participants, and there is a growing need for flexible, innovative solutions and outsourcing services,” Sleightholme says. “I look forward to working closely with Kevin to drive our vision as we continue to build on our strong momentum.”

Rafferty was most recently the CEO and board member of Financeware, a fintech company serving the wealth management industry. He has more than 30 years of experience, including as president of Backstop Solutions Group and at SunGard, where he was president of SunGard Wealth and Retirement and CEO of SunGard’s Brokerage Services Group.

MMA Acquires Illinois Brokerage Firm

Marsh announced that Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC (MMA), its U.S. middle market agency subsidiary, has acquired Schaumburg, Illinois-based Assurance Holdings Inc. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Assurance is a full-service brokerage providing business insurance, employee benefits, private client insurance and retirement services to businesses and individuals across the country.

Assurance will operate as the Midwest regional headquarters for MMA under the leadership of Anthony Chimino, CEO of Assurance. Chimino will report to David Eslick, chairman and CEO of MMA. Assurance’s 525 colleagues will join MMA and continue to work out of its Schaumburg and Chicago offices.

Janus Henderson Announces Leaderships Changes to Research Team

Janus Henderson announced changes to its research team.

The company has hired Matthew Peron as director of Centralized Equity Research. He was most recently chief investment officer of City National Rochdale. Peron will begin at Janus Henderson on April 13 and will be located in the firm’s Denver office. In this capacity, Peron will oversee the firm’s Centralized Equity Research function and be named as portfolio manager on all research strategies. He will report to George Maris, co-head of equities for Janus Henderson.

Carmel Wellso, Janus Henderson’s existing director of Central Equity Research, will begin a six-month sabbatical beginning July 1. Until then, she will work closely with Peron to ensure a seamless transition. After her six-month sabbatical, Wellso will determine in what capacity she would like to return to Janus Henderson.

Effective April 13, Peron will become portfolio manager on all research strategies. There will be no change to any of the research strategies’ investment objectives or philosophies.

“We are pleased to welcome Matt to the Janus Henderson team. We believe his extensive investment and leadership experience will complement our risk-adjusted return driven investment philosophy, help ensure a seamless transition and support the team to continue delivering valuable investment performance on behalf of our clients,” Maris says. “Carmel has made significant contributions to the firm over the past 12 years, including, but not limited to, enhancing the capabilities of the Centralized Equity Research team and more broadly as a senior leader within Janus Henderson. I know I speak for the entire firm when I say her leadership, insight, commitment and friendship will be missed. We look forward to welcoming her back after a well-deserved break.”