Deals & People February 8, 2008

A New Adviser Focus at T. Rowe Price

Heidi Walsh, who has headed up T. Rowe Price’s strategic marketing efforts, will now turn her focus to consultants and advisers.
Reported by

Recognizing the evolving role of advisers, T. Rowe Price is creating a new position within its sales team focused on both advisers and consultants. Heidi Walsh will lead this effort and be moving to the firm’s Sales team as the Director of Consultant/Advisor Relations. Walsh, who has been with T. Rowe Price for more than a dozen years, will report to John Galateria in her new role.

John Doyle will assume direct leadership of Walsh’s former team, RPS Strategic Marketing, on an interim basis.

Deals & People February 7, 2008

Prudential Expands Wharton Executive Education Program

Prudential Annuities has completed a second round of educational training classes with the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School as part of an executive retirement education program for advisers.
Reported by

The program, A New Model for Understanding Retirement Risk, is a two-and-a-half day program offered through a partnership with the University of Pennsylvania business school. The program, which provides financial professionals with extensive training in retirement income strategies, is part of an effort to further distinguish the firm’s Masters Council program, which is the top-ranking tier of financial professionals selling Prudential Annuities products and services.

The Wharton executive education program builds on the business model created by Prudential Annuities to help address some of the risks of investing inside the five years before and the five years after retirement, a press announcement explained.

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The program was initially launched last fall, which sold out quickly, Prudential said (See Prudential Joins With Wharton to Offer Retirement Risk Education for Financial Professionals). Prudential Annuities offered its Masters Council program members an opportunity to attend the January 2008 session. At that session, Wharton Executive Education program trained 75 participants during each of two consecutively scheduled two and a half day sessions from January 5 through January 8 and January 9 through January 12, 2008. In total, 300 financial professionals have attended the customized program.

Interested participants are required to complete a two-hour, online prerequisite program created and administered by Prudential Annuities. Admission to the free Wharton program is determined on a first-come, first-served basis upon completion of the online program, the company said

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