LPL Financial’s Focus 2018 Increases Focus on Diversity and Inclusion

“This is an exciting time for our firm and our advisors. With an increasing focus on diversity programming, we can help our advisors grow their businesses and build networks of like-minded business owners and play a role to change the landscape in our industry,” said Kathleen Zemaitis, senior vice president of advisor diversity and inclusion at LPL. “Our industry has not kept pace with the increasing diversity among American investors. We recognize the role we can play to nurture the next generation of advisors and to provide resources and best practices that will help advisors evolve their practices in order to better serve clients’ unique needs. ” 

Focus on Inclusion featured industry-renowned business coach Sarano Kelley leading participants through exercises to refine their value proposition by identifying the opportunity they have to utilize their unique backgrounds and experiences as a differentiator in the marketplace.

“In an industry where diversity and inclusion can be a challenge, LPL has a tremendous opportunity to be a leader. I’m excited to see the firm expanding its efforts in this space,” said Stanley Funches, president of Intelus Wealth Management. “In the community I serve, access to financial tools and resources is limited, which is why diversity is so important to me. LPL has the tools and capabilities to be a significant player and reduce gaps by focusing time and resources to building a diverse advisor base, work force and being intentional about serving clients in those markets.”

A highlight of the morning’s Focus on Women included remarks from top-producing LPL advisor Susan Kaplan, who has been ranked a top 100 advisor with Barron’s since 2012 and consistently ranked on Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisor and Top 200 Women Advisors lists. Kaplan, who is one of LPL’s top-producing individual advisors, credited being a woman as a factor in her success.

In addition to the events today, two advisor diversity panels are planned. The panels collectively feature six advisors discussing the best practices they’ve used to build thriving, inclusive practices by engaging with diverse investor communities. LPL also hosts an annual Women Advisors Leaders Forum each fall to further nurture a community of women advisors with LPL.

Related Links:

Learn more about how LPL’s independent platform creates opportunity for women and LGBT advisors.

Find out more about how LPL supports a culture of diversity and inclusion.

Hear from LPL’s chief diversity officer on how engaging and empowering employees delivers outcomes on employees, clients and communities.

Barron’s Top 100 Advisors Award is based on assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record, quality of practice and philanthropic work.

The Forbes ranking of America’s Top Women Wealth Advisors, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative and quantitative data, rating thousands of wealth advisors with a minimum of seven years of experience and weighing factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and best practices learned through telephone and in-person interviews. Portfolio performance is not a criterion due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK receives a fee in exchange for rankings.

The Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisor ranking, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on in-person and telephone due diligence meetings and a ranking algorithm that includes: client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, including: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Portfolio performance is not a criterion due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receives a fee in exchange for rankings.