M Financial Group Firm Leaves Wachovia

M Financial Group today reintroduced Barry, Evans, Josephs&Snipes as its member firm.

Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Barry, Evans, Josephs & Snipes has been an M member firm since 1987, and is now being re-established as an independent financial services firm. The reintroduction comes after Barry, Evans, Josephs & Snips completed the purchase of assets and accounts divested by Wachovia, according to a press release.

The firm, founded in 1982 for high-net-worth individuals and corporations, had been a subsidiary of Wachovia since 1999.

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“This is an exciting step for our company that will allow us to enhance the solutions and services we deliver to clients,” said John Barry, CEO of Barry, Evans, Josephs & Snipes, in the release. “Being an independent firm is consistent with our entrepreneurial spirit, our commitment to innovation, and most of all, our focus on building long-term relationships with the individuals, families, and corporations we serve. We look forward to continuing the legacy of Barry, Evans, Josephs & Snipes by seizing new opportunities to deliver value to our clients.”

Barry, Evans, Josephs & Snipes will continue its membership in M Financial Group, a life insurance design and distribution company, the release said. Barry serves as a member of M Financial’s Product Development Group and Incentive Compensation Plan Committee.

Fred Jonske, M Financial’s president and CEO, said: “John Barry has been an exemplary member of the M Community for over two decades. Few have contributed to M Financial’s success in so many ways, including performance, innovative ideas, and service. We look forward to supporting John and his team as they achieve new levels of success as an independent firm.”

M Financial retains more than 115 member firms in 36 states.

ICI Pushes DoL for More Employee Advice

The Investment Company Institute (ICI) urged the Department of Labor (DoL) to provide workers and retirees with more access to advice and education about managing assets and income in retirement.

ICI testified before a working group of the DoL’s ERISA Advisory Council, highlighting its research that retirees often consult financial advisers, written and online information, and financial software tools when deciding how to manage their defined-contribution plans at retirement, according to statement from the ICI.

“Individuals have vastly different needs for retirement asset and income management, and different products are designed to meet these needs,” said Sarah Holden, ICI’s senior director of retirement and investor research, reported to the Advisory Council. “How they choose to use their retirement assets depends on a number of factors including age, health, and personal and family needs.”

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ICI said the DoL should foster the development of education and advice programs to help people weigh these factors and make sound decisions at retirement. To do this, ICI recommends the DoL adopt regulatory policies to facilitate better use of advice programs and further develop educational materials. The institute also recommends the DoL provide more educational resources itself.

“These recommendations are based on the fundamental tenet that the decision of how to take a distribution at retirement is highly individualized,” Holden said in her testimony. “Investors must consider their own personal circumstances and the objectives, limitations, and cost of the options available. The Department of Labor should continue to build upon its efforts to educate individuals about saving and investing, to include materials on making retirement distribution decisions.”

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