PLANADVISER: Where do you see the greatest opportunity to improve advisory services and business practices, and how are you acting on it?
Nilsson: Offering a holistic and high-quality financial wellness program with a high uptake rate is one of the greatest opportunities for advisers to stay relevant and valuable. We’ve proven that participants have an appetite for advice that goes beyond retirement savings. They value tailored advice that addresses their overall financial picture. This advice ranges from creating a budget to strategizing homeownership in expensive states. By purchasing Lockton’s retirement business, Creative Planning made a statement to the industry that no one should be left behind when it comes to financial planning. Other firms followed, realizing that the future includes participants who feel they have access to meaningful advice. Historically, participant engagement has been concentrated among a small segment of employees that we’ve sympathetically called “sophisticated” or “engaged,” while the majority of plan participants have been disengaged and therefore underserved. Closing this engagement gap is one of the most persistent opportunities in our industry today. Adviser-managed accounts provide one of the cleanest and most scalable ways to personalize participant portfolios based on indicative data received through payroll files. This data can drive targeted marketing and communication strategies to connect with disengaged participants. Advisers who successfully scale personalized advice without sacrificing the quality of that advice will be best positioned to deliver value to both participants and plan sponsors, and I’ve been acting on it by discussing it with my clients.
PLANADVISER: How do you incorporate purpose or mission into your day-to-day work?
Nilsson: Seeing the contrast between successful and unsuccessful financial outcomes among people my parents’ age motivated me to help simplify the journey to financial wellness. As Peter Mallouk champions, we need to equip people with the essential knowledge for making sound financial decisions. I apply that same philosophy in my work by ensuring participant financial well-being is a consistent focus of our discussions. Fiduciary, ERISA and IRS compliance is not my main value proposition. I focus instead on improving my clients’ offering, and then the compliance expertise falls into place accordingly. I routinely discuss plan data to help identify financial education gaps. These financial education conversations then happen naturally and create momentum for meaningful change to address unmet financial leads, such as lack of financial literacy. By keeping participants at the center of the conversation, we can help organizations transform their retirement plans from a benefit employees simply have into a benefit they actively use to improve their financial futures.
PLANADVISER: Who are your mentors or role models and what lessons have you learned from them?
Nilsson: Mindy Marburger has been both a mentor and a role model throughout my career. One of her greatest strengths is her ability to balance multiple perspectives while consistently driving the best possible outcome for the client. She consults with a calm, approachable demeanor that puts clients at ease, allowing them to fully benefit from the depth of knowledge she brings to every interaction. Whether she’s leading a complex strategic discussion or facilitating a routine SOC 1 review call, her unique ability to engage clients makes each conversation enjoyable.
Mindy exemplifies professionalism through her approachability, credibility and authenticity. Rather than prescribing a single approach to serving clients, she encourages independent thinking and welcomes new approaches that can enhance the client experience. Her leadership style fosters growth, confidence and continuous improvement. Beyond her technical expertise, she brings energy and positivity to the office. She’s deeply respected by colleagues and clients alike, and I have been fortunate to learn from and work alongside her.