Meet the 2022 LUMINARIES Winners

Edelman Financial Engines

Over the past year, the firm says it “increased the presence from underrepresented groups by nearly 20% among investment advisors, 12% at director and higher levels, and 10% among client service associates." It also set up its CFP Diversity Scholarship program and We Aspire Financial Planner Development Program.

Envestnet

Envestnet’s commitment to financial literacy and financial wellness includes its support of the Black Wharton Undergraduate Association; Envestnet Institute on Campus; and the Women’s Initiative Network. As of June 30, 2022, over 6,000 students completed it’s on Campus program; this year there were 600 students, 44% of whom are women and 40% of whom are students of color.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion - Individuals

Mac Gardner, FinLit Tech

Gardener, CFP, serves as founder and chief education officer of FinLit Tech. Its mission is to “build a bridge between financial literacy and financial technology.” FinLit Tech develops financial education tools to be used from the start of the personal finance education journey, as early as in elementary school, throughout all of its subsequent stages. He has been in the financial services industry for over 20 years and published two books: “Motivate Your Money!” and “The Four Money Bears.”

Kristi Rodriguez, Nationwide

As head of the Nationwide Retirement Institute, Kristi Rodriguez has led the firm’s partnership with several financial services organizations, industry associations and historically Black colleges and universities to form the Financial Alliance for Racial Equity. She is also an active member of volunteer groups such as The Links and Kindway, focused on serving incarcerated individuals.

Suzanne Siracuse, Suzanne Siracuse Consulting Services

A former industry publisher and CEO, she has launched many initiatives, such as the Women Advisor Summits and Women to Watch Awards. She recently helped stage the first Excell Represent Women in Wealth Management Awards, sponsored by Carson Group, Fidelity Institutional, Mariner Wealth Advisors and Financial Independence Group.

James Thompson, Bernstein Private Wealth Management

The head of Diverse Markets Strategy at Bernstein Private Wealth Management created the Diverse Markets Strategy division within the firm’s private wealth group in 2018. Also, he was recently named a Council of Urban Professionals 2021 Finance Catalyst.

Tana Thomson, Vista Capital Partners

Vista Capital Partners’ Chief People Officer has helped the firm raise its diversity by 43% in the last 18 months with 100% retention of diverse staff members over the past three years. Women make up 40% of the C-suite at Vista and close to 60% of staff overall, the firm says.

Thought Leadership - Firms

Andes Wealth Technologies

Combining behavioral finance with risk visualization, Andes Wealth Technologies provides financial professionals with a wealth platform that “offers solutions in risk-tolerance assessment, behavioral finance, deep analytics and investment policy statements,” it says Plus, the firm’s “four-dimensional risk measurement framework” helps to clarify “long standing confusions and misconceptions so advisors can have meaningful conversations around investor emotions during market turmoil.”

Ed Slott & Company

Led by Ed Slott, this distinguished group “has taught millions of Americans and their financial professionals how to protect and get the most out of their retirement savings." It recently introduced its IRA Success program, an on-demand, CE-approved, 12-course e-learning program in cooperation with The American College of Financial Services on IRA distribution planning.

Ethic

This provider of direct indexing strategies has built a platform so advisors can work with “clients’ unique sustainability, financial, charitable giving and tax management preferences.” The firm is committed to giving advisors tools and resources to enhance their understanding of sustainability concepts and deepen relationships with clients.

Hammond Iles Wealth Advisors

The firm’s Focus on Families Initiative worked to ease the challenges and uncertainties brought on by COVID-19. Its commitment to financial literacy aims to “guide clients, prospects, investors and would-be investors to explore their purpose, master their money mindset, and feel confident about investing.”

The American College of Financial Services

For nearly a century, this organization has worked to promote lifelong learning and expand financial education. It recently launched Know Yourself, Grow Your Wealth, an e-learning consumer education and empowerment experience for students at over 20 HBCUs. In April, its Black Executive Leadership Program welcomed its first cohort.

Thought Leadership - Individuals

Denise Chisholm, Fidelity Investments

As director of Quantitative Market Strategy, Denise Chisholm works to change how the industry uses historical data so investors can make better decisions. She’s created a differentiated way of analyzing the market that helps people better understand this data, so they can separate the signals from the noise.

Daniel Crosby, Ph.D., Orion Advisor Solutions

This behavioral finance expert strives “to normalize and empathize with the emotional components and baggage that tends to come when talking about money and investing.” His podcasts help financial advisors grow their practices and strengthen client relationships by improving financial literacy, increasing awareness about money behaviors, and improving financial wellness when money stress is at an all-time high.

Jeffrey Levine, Buckingham Strategic Wealth

The chief planning officer of Buckingham and has earned the CFP/PFS, CPA and many other designations; he also serves as chief planning nerd at Kitces.com. Featured onstage at many industry events and always on Twitter, he’s become a highly trusted, informative resource to investors, industry professionals, educators and the media sources. He focuses on merging tax-related developments, retirement and the latest changes in laws, regulations, tools and trends.

Matt Reiner, CFA, CFP, MattReiner.com

This individual works to help advisors learn about practice management, technology and what’s new in the industry. He hosts a podcast and believes that with true innovation, RIAs can attract top-tier talent, create practices that are efficient and scalable, and offer higher-quality personal service to clients at all levels of wealth.

Matt Sonnen, PFI Advisors

The founder and CEO of PFI Advisors led the launch of an RIA-operations educational platform, the COO Society, which also hosts regular group forums and video calls to refine best practices in the RIA industry. The platform facilitates coaching and collaboration via a forum and monthly video calls, “helping refine best practices which are vital to maturing the role of the operations department in the RIA industry.”

Executive Leadership - Firms

Atria Wealth Solutions

Since 2017, this firm has launched two business channels, grown to over $100 billion in assets under administration, acquired six broker-dealers, hit a milestone of having some 450 employees in its home-office locations and more. The firm also rolled out the Unio New Account Opening platform and mobile-friendly technology.

FP Alpha

Advisors can use this firm’s platform to upload documents like wills, trusts, tax returns and insurance policies, while it summarizes data and identifies specific planning issues and ways to address them. The platform uses AI learning and insights from 40 experts across 16 financial planning disciplines; it also is integrated with large CRM providers and other industry players. The firm also rolled out Tax Snapshot in 2021.

Laserfiche

This firm provides AI-driven content management and business process automation for the wealth management, banking and insurance space Its Solution Marketplace has been used by over 250 organizations “to listen and adapt to the needs of their employees and those they serve.”

Eric Clarke, Orion Advisor Solutions

This company founder and CEO has led his firm through several large organizations and partnerships such as one with a major cloud-data warehouse. It continues to enhance Orion Custom Indexing, as well as offer free financial planning tools to advisors with pro bono clients; via recent deals, its combined platform services $3 trillion in assets under administration.

Sonya Mughal, Bailard

This CEO took the helm last year, but has a long history with her firm, which is majority owned by its staff – about 42% of whom are women. “Her ability to create an inclusive culture has preempted industry trends and been a driving factor behind the firm’s success at adding top talent,” the organization says.

Michael J. Nathanson, The Colony Group

This CEO recently led the firm’s business expansion via five mergers and the addition of 100 employees. At the same time, the firm grew to 20 offices and over 300 employees. He hired consultants, created a Diversity Council, started firmwide education and training programs and formed a partnership with a non-profit dedicated to providing people of color with opportunities to work at financial firms.

George Nichols III, The American College of Financial Services

The president and CEO of this nationwide organization is focused on ways to address economic injustice in America via changes in the distribution of financial education to underserved communities. Under his leadership, the organization introduced its first group of Black Executive Leaders and developed the Know Yourself, Grow Your Wealth program.

Community Impact - Individuals

Jean Heath, Envestnet

This executive chairs Envestnet’s Campus Advisory Board, which partners with the academic community to build a diverse pool of workforce-ready, entry-level talent. The head of the firm’s Asset Management Network also works on job placement and financial literacy “with an emphasis on educating and mentoring women and diverse students and encouraging them to pursue a career in wealth management.”

Fred Kaynor, Schwab Charitable

Since joining Schwab’s charitable team in 2014, yearly grants have grown from under $1 billion to over $4 billion. He’s also “helped establish this team as a leader in the nonprofit sector and himself as a go-to thought leader … on how donors can best support their communities.” During the past 12 months, thousands of advisors have helped support tens of thousands of donors in making grants to some 100,000 charitable organizations in the U.S.

Danielle Robinson, Jackson

The assistant vice president of corporate philanthropy and leads her firm’s charitable foundation, which aims to advance financial education. Its community impact was $5.6 million in 2021 and contributions to nonprofits have totaled more than $75 million since 2007. The number of students who have received financial education through the foundation recently topped 10 million. The level of engagement at the firm’s own volunteerism program stands at about 30% of its workforce.

Nicole B. Simpson, CFP, D.Min.

The head of Harvest Wealth has led the Generation X Community Association focused on serving youth, underserved, underemployed and others who have been incarcerated. She also set up the Dare 2 Dream Institute to create a learning institution that teaches and trains individuals in marginalized communities to become financially free, including through entrepreneurship, with support from the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

Bob Swift, TCI Wealth Advisors

With 3rd Decade and under his leadership, TCI Wealth Advisors focuses on empowering young adults through financial planning education efforts launched in Arizona. The program then expanded into nearby states and then began partnering with Dimensional Fund Advisors, and growing into California, North Carolina and Texas. It recently opened its doors to students nationwide for in-person and virtual classes. During the course of the two-year program the average increase of net worth for students is over $50,000, 3rd Decade says.

Cetera

This firm’s philanthropy organization has raised more than $1.2 million, including $360,000 over the last two years, to leave a charitable impact in the communities where its advisors live, work and visit” It has supported the Soldiers’ Angels veteran organization, the children’s education provider Youth on Record and its Diversity in Financial Planning Scholarship program.

The American College of Financial Services

This organization created the Center for Economic Empowerment and Equality in 2021 “to narrow the wealth gap and cultivate lasting relationships between financial services and underserved communities.” It also launched an e-learning consumer financial education program, available at 20 HBCUs across the country, and is expanding a joint program with OneAmerica across Indiana.

Envestnet

This firm has expanded its On Campus program, which is now offered at 49 schools, including historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) such as Howard University. The program also includes mentoring, job placement, and financial literacy initiatives for students.