Rick Sauerman

First Vice President, Investments, ClearSight Advisors of Raymond James

Business at a Glance

PLANADVISER: What differentiates your team in a crowded advisory marketplace today? Please expand on what you do differently in practice, not philosophy.

Sauerman: The retirement advisory marketplace is full of both generalist and specialist practitioners offering varied approaches. Our team is differentiated by our tailored, exclusive focus on retirement benefits and the outcomes we consistently deliver.

First, we implement a disciplined fiduciary framework that goes beyond compliance checklists. In practice, this means we actively help plan committees strengthen governance structures, improve meeting documentation, clarify fiduciary roles and establish repeatable decisionmaking processes. This approach reduces fiduciary risk and enables committees to act with confidence in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.

Second, we take a bespoke approach to plan design and participant engagement. Rather than relying on generic education, we develop customized communication strategies tailored to each workforce. We translate complicated financial concepts into clear, actionable guidance using targeted, multimedia outreach designed to drive measurable behavioral change—not one‑time participation.

Third, we consider retirement planning within the organization’s broader benefits strategy. By understanding how the retirement plan fits alongside other employer‑sponsored benefits, we help sponsors optimize total benefits spending without creating conflicts of interest. This allows us to provide more holistic guidance to participants, who often struggle to understand the full menu of their employer-sponsored benefits and how they best fit their financial needs.

Our differentiated approach is ultimately focused on building client confidence. By earning and re‑earning trust every day, our team has not lost a single client to a peer since the team’s formation.

PLANADVISER: How are regulation, technology, or market volatility changing the way you advise plans and participants? What adjustments have you made in response?

Sauerman: Regulation, technology and market volatility necessitate adaptability. While part of our role is executing repeatable processes, we constantly tweak those processes as the retirement landscape evolves.

From a regulatory perspective, increasing fiduciary scrutiny has reinforced the need for process discipline. We have enhanced how we support committees before and after meetings—focusing on clearer documentation, defined fiduciary roles and repeatable decisionmaking frameworks. Rather than reacting to regulatory change, we proactively stress‑test plan decisions through a fiduciary lens so committees remain confident as rules evolve.

Market volatility means more frequent, plain‑language communication during periods of uncertainty, helping participants understand what market movements mean and, just as importantly, what they don’t. We emphasize diversification, appropriate risk exposure and staying invested, while tailoring messaging to different participant segments, rather than leaning into a “one‑size‑fits‑all” approach.

Technology aided in these efforts and has allowed us to meet participants where they are. We focus on multimedia engagement—digital and even analog tools to deliver targeted guidance, track engagement and adjust messaging based on participant behavior. For plan sponsors, technology has improved transparency and efficiency, allowing us to focus meeting time on decisionmaking, rather than reporting. Further, our firm is at the forefront of adopting artificial intelligence tools, and our team is actively implementing prudent solutions when plan sponsors and participants may benefit.

Overall, adaptability actually allows us to provide steadier fiduciary guidance, clearer participant communication and more resilient plan outcomes in a constantly changing environment.

PLANADVISER: Why does broadening the talent pipeline in retirement plan advising matter to the industry’s future? What risks do you see if it doesn’t happen?

Sauerman: The retirement advisory industry is facing a convergence of demographic, workforce and participant challenges that cannot be solved by maintaining the old status quo.

A significant portion of experienced advisers are approaching retirement, while the number of retirement plans—and their complexity—continues to grow. At the same time, plan participants are more diverse, more skeptical and more in need of guidance they can relate to and trust. Bringing in professionals with varied backgrounds, perspectives and experiences strengthens our ability to connect with participants, understand evolving workforce needs and deliver advice that resonates across different generations, demographics and priorities.

From a practical standpoint, broader talent also drives better outcomes. Diverse teams challenge assumptions, improve problem‑solving and bring creativity to plan design, governance and participant engagement. We believe “how” advice is delivered matters nearly as much as “what” advice is given, and team diversity allows us to optimize the “how” factor in both plan sponsor and participant interactions.

If our industry does not broaden the talent pipeline, we risk stagnation. A shrinking pool of qualified advisers will struggle to support plan sponsors, innovation will slow, and participant engagement gaps may widen. Perhaps most importantly, we risk losing relevance with the very people retirement plans are meant to serve. Ensuring a strong, diverse next generation of advisers is essential to maintaining trust, improving outcomes and securing the long‑term health of the retirement industry.

PLANADVISER: What concrete steps has your firm taken to attract, develop, or retain next-generation or underrepresented talent? What has worked—and what hasn’t?

Sauerman: Our firm has taken intentional, long‑term steps to attract, develop and retain next‑generation and underrepresented talent, with a strong emphasis on building sustainable careers by investing in people.

One of the most effective efforts has been the firm’s adviser inclusion networks, which include networks for women, Black, LGBTQ+ and veteran financial advisers. These networks go beyond community‑building and focus on practical support through mentorship, business development resources, symposiums and targeted education designed to improve retention and long‑term success.

We have also expanded early‑career and next‑generation pathways, including the Advisor Mastery Program, which intentionally creates on‑ramps for individuals without traditional industry backgrounds. This program provides structured training, office experience and time to develop skills before building a book of business—an approach we view as critical for attracting more diverse talent.

What has worked is meeting talent earlier, investing in development and pairing education with real mentorship. What hasn’t worked as well, by the firm’s own acknowledgment, is relying solely on lateral hiring to improve diversity, given the limited pool of experienced underrepresented advisers. As a result, we continue to lean into campus outreach, internships and multi-year development efforts to build the pipeline for the future.

These steps reflect a recognition that meaningful progress requires patience, infrastructure and sustained commitment—not quick fixes.