Art by Subin Yang

The Lanzetta Group Moves to Securities America Platform

Securities America announced that the Lanzetta Group, a Super-OSJ (Office of Supervisory Jurisdiction) group, has joined the firm’s platform.

John Lanzetta, principal of independent wealth management firm LifeSpan Financial in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, serves as the group’s OSJ.

Gregg Johnson, Securities America’s executive vice president of branch office development and acquisitions, says, “The advisers of the Lanzetta Group have a proven track record, and we are excited to welcome them to our platform. The group sought an independent advisory and brokerage partner that combined stability, friendly service and a tight-knit culture with the extensive resources of our parent company, Ladenburg Thalmann, to support their growth. Securities America is committed to taking already-strong performers like the Lanzetta Group to the next level with our industry-leading technology, training and support, and we are pleased that our value proposition in serving large producer groups continues to resonate with advisers across the country.”

The Lanzetta Group, which includes practices located in Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Florida, provides individuals, as well as small businesses and their employees, with a broad range of financial services, including long-term retirement planning, wealth management advice, assistance with employer-sponsored qualified retirement plans and insurance strategies.

“Over the years, our advisers have built successful businesses by consistently focusing on their clients’ needs. Each adviser in our group has their own approach and their own vision of success,” Lanzetta says. “What really impressed us during our extensive due diligence process was Securities America’s understanding of the full range of those businesses, along with their ability to support each one of them. With Securities America’s resources, infrastructure and respect for our advisers’ independence, we look forward to stepping our growth into high gear. We are now able to drive even stronger results for our advisers and better service for our clients.”

Deutsche Bank Hires West Coast Head

Deutsche Bank Wealth Management announced that Michael Rogers will join as West Coast head and managing director, overseeing the Los Angeles and San Francisco offices. Rogers will be responsible for driving Deutsche Bank Wealth Management’s growth on the West Coast, serving high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and business owners. Starting in this role in June, he will be based in Los Angeles and report to Patrick Campion, head of Wealth Management, Americas.

“A California native, Michael’s private banking and leadership experience coupled with his local industry knowledge will make him a strong addition to our team,” says Campion. “Deutsche Bank Wealth Management offers clients tailored wealth management solutions alongside access to the resources of a global bank, and we are investing strongly into the growth of our Americas franchise. We look forward to strengthening our offering on the West Coast under Michael’s leadership.”

Rogers joins from Merrill Lynch, where he was regional managing director of the Mountain West region. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, Rogers served as executive director for the Los Angeles Private Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley and a private banker at J.P. Morgan Chase and Bank of America. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California and an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.

Greenleaf Joins Retirement Advisor Council

Jamie Greenleaf has joined the Retirement Advisor Council as principal and lead adviser, effective as of the start of the year.

Greenleaf has been working in the retirement industry for 26 years, most notably as the lead adviser and principal for Cafaro Greenleaf. Aside from her work at Cafaro Greenleaf, she is an adjunct lecturer in the Plan Sponsor University certification program for UCLA’s Anderson School of Business-Executive Education, according to the firm.

Greenleaf acquired a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Delaware Valley College, is a registered financial adviser and is life insurance licensed. She is also a registered investment adviser representative and has series 7, 26 and 63 licenses.

Industry Veterans Join Securian Financial

Chris Brock and Brian Forneris have joined Securian Financial as regional sales vice presidents working with advisers to bring the company’s retirement plan solutions to small- and mid-size employers.

Based in Tampa, Brock is supporting retirement plan advisers located throughout Florida. He previously served as a regional retirement plan specialist with ADP. Brock holds FINRA Series 6, 7 and 63 registrations and earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University.

Forneris is located in Cleveland and supports advisers in Ohio and the Pittsburgh area. Most recently, Forneris was a retirement plan consultant with The Standard. He holds FINRA Series 6, 7, 63 and 65 registrations, and earned the CRPS, AIF and QKA designations. He has a bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University.

“Chris and Brian, with a combined 38 years of experience in the industry, are outstanding additions to our team,” says Steve Chappell, Securian Financial’s national vice president of retirement plan sales. “We are continuing to add talent to our sales force due to the growing demand for our products and service.” 

Morrison & Foerster Hires Top SEC Director

Jina Choi has joined Morrison & Foerster in the San Francisco office as a partner in its Securities Litigation, Enforcement, and White-Collar Defense group. Choi has spent the last 16 years at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where she was head of the SEC’s San Francisco Regional Office for five years and developed a reputation for her work on high-profile, complex, and novel enforcement actions.

At the SEC, Choi led a staff of 130 attorneys, accountants, and other professionals responsible for the SEC’s enforcement and compliance programs in Northern California, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska. She supervised teams of attorneys in the investigation and litigation of cases involving violations of the federal securities laws, including financial reporting fraud, investment fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, insider trading, market manipulation, and investment adviser/broker-dealer fraud. As regional director, Choi also made significant contributions to the SEC’s examination program, leading a talented group of examiners whose work involving developing technology was particularly strategic.

In addition to her time at the SEC, Choi’s government experience includes serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) in the Northern District of Texas, as a Trial Attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert P. Patterson, Jr. in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She also has experience in private practice at other large law firms.

At Morrison & Foerster, Choi will represent and counsel companies and individuals on enforcement-related litigation, government and internal investigations, whistleblower complaints, and compliance programs.

“Jina’s insight into the investigation process makes her an exceptional resource to clients in high-stakes matters,” says Craig Martin, firm-wide managing partner and co-head of the firm’s Investigations and White-Collar Defense Group. “Her unique vantage point on SEC enforcement and regulation will be essential to clients facing a complex enforcement and compliance environment.”

Transamerica Hires Two for Retirement Services Platform

Transamerica Retirement Solutions has announced two additions to its retirement services platform. Brian Walker has joined as division sales manager, and Joe Vandetti has rejoined the company as regional vice president for its mid-market retirement plans.

Walker will oversee the company’s mid-market retirement plan distribution efforts in its Southeastern Division, including Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, and Wisconsin. He will report to Darren Zino, national sales director for mid-market retirement plans. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from James Madison University.

“Transamerica remains focused on retirement plans as a critical part of our business, and we are very happy to have Brian Walker join our team of sales professionals,” says Joe Boan, chief sales officer for Transamerica. “As our momentum continues to accelerate, I have every confidence that Brian and his team will be valuable resources to financial professionals working with mid-market retirement plans.”

Vandetti returns to Transamerica Retirement Solutions and resumes his responsibilities covering the western Pennsylvania area, including Pittsburgh. He will report to Tim Lastivka, divisional sales manager.

“Transamerica Retirement Solutions continues to attract the industry’s best and brightest talent. I am happy that Joe Vandetti will be part of our mid-market retirement team, and I have every confidence he will be a tremendous resource to financial professionals in the greater Pittsburgh area” says Boan.

intellicents Buys Texas Financial Planner

intellicents has purchased Retirement Asset Advisory, Inc. (RAA) from Bill Worley and John Cole.

“We have known and respected Bill and John for over 20 years now; so we saw this as a great opportunity for our first entry into the Texas market,” says Brad Arends, co-founder and CEO of intellicents. “The Dallas branch will initially focus on offering fiduciary retirement plan investment advisory and management services to area employers, and personal wealth management and financial planning services.”

“We will now have a lot more horsepower to service our clients,” says Cole. “[intellicent’s] 3(38) discretionary advisory services will be an additional fiduciary service to offer. “

Conte Wealth Advisors Adds Primary Adviser in Tampa Location

Pennsylvania-based independent financial services firm, Conte Wealth Advisors, LLC (CWA), has added its first Tampa, Florida, adviser, Robert Seaman, to its advisory team.

“I was drawn to CWA because of the breadth of investment offerings available to my clients and the autonomy to build a plan based on what I felt was appropriate for each client,” says Seaman.

“Mr. Seaman is a perfect fit for the CWA team given his wealth of knowledge about higher education retirement plans and planning,” says Anthony Conte, CWA’s Managing Partner. “We expect his practice to continue to grow and evolve with our team as he brings his unique advisory approach and expertise to bear within CWA’s network of advisers.”

Of the network of advisers currently working under the CWA brand, other recent additions have been in Pittsburgh and Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, and CWA continues to aggressively target growth nationwide.

Jennison Associates Hires Fixed Income Team Managing Director

Dmitri Rabin will join the fixed income team of Jennison Associates as a managing director and portfolio manager, effective March 12. Rabin brings 18 years of investment experience to the role, specializing in mortgages and structured finance.

Rabin played an important part in the U.S. Treasury’s effort to reform the residential mortgage-backed securities market after the 2007/2008 financial crisis, co-authoring a framework to improve investor protections in structured finance documents and was also the co-chair of the Mortgage Securitization Council for the Association of Institutional Investors. He will work in Jennison’s Boston office and report to Thomas Wolfe, Jennison’s head of fixed income.

“Dmitri has a deep understanding of how the mortgage and structured finance space has evolved since the financial crisis,” says Wolfe. “His extensive portfolio management and research experience, as well as his dedication to investors, complements our strong existing team.”

Previously, Rabin spent 10 years at Loomis, Sayles & Co., most recently as co-head of the mortgage and structured finance group, which oversees $30 billion of structured finance investments. Before Loomis, he was an analyst at Pine Cobble Capital and Cambridge Place Investment Management. He began his career at Boston Consulting Group, where he was a project leader. Dmitri received a bachelor’s degree in computer science and economics with high distinction from Amherst College, and an MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.