This week, a former TIAA thought leader launches her new consulting practice aimed at annuities, OneDigital announces its acquisition of North Carolina-based Triad Financial Advisors, and Vestwell and Flywire collaborate on simplifying 529 college savings payments.
Annuity veteran launches consulting practice
Tamiko Toland, a former managing director at TIAA, announced this week the launch of her own practice that will provide consulting services to advisors wanting to expand into the annuity market.
“I’m looking forward to putting my experience to use for clients who can benefit from insights on annuities and lifetime income within both the retail and institutional settings,” Toland wrote in her announcement on LinkedIn.
Toland Consulting aims to facilitate the adoption and acceptance of lifetime income in both the retail and institutional settings. Among its available services are in-plan annuity evaluations or implementation strategies, where Toland offers support for consultants, advisors, or plan sponsors interested in better understanding the annuity space, along with thought leadership-based marketing campaigns that include social media, bylines, presentations, and more.
Other services include project-based evaluations of potential or ongoing products and speaking engagements.
“I know there are many firms out there seeking to improve retirement security of their clients and who could benefit from the strategic thought leadership I bring to the table,” Toland said in a statement to 401(k) Specialist.
Toland is a seasoned thought leader in the retirement income and annuities space, having previously worked at TIAA as head of lifetime income strategy and market intelligence. Prior to that, she was director of retirement markets at Cannex. Toland began her career as a writer in the investment and annuity new space, with bylines in MutualFundWire.com and Annuity Market News.
OneDigital acquires $900M wealth manager
OneDigital Investment Advisors, an SEC-registered investment adviser and wholly owned subsidiary of OneDigital, are acquiring Triad Financial Advisors (TFA), a wealth management firm based in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The transaction brings approximately $900M in assets to the OneDigital platform.
Founded in 1982, TFA provides wealth management services, including retirement planning, investments, asset management, portfolio analysis and monitoring to high-net-worth families and women investors.
“This was a thorough decisionmaking process. Our values and vision align with OneDigital, and this partnership brings more opportunities to not only our clients as part of a broader company, but also more opportunities for our employees to expand their own career opportunities,” commented Patrick Rush, CEO and Owner Triad Financial Advisors. “OneDigital provides property and casualty, medicare, 401(k)s and other group benefits that we often had to refer to other companies to implement. We can now keep all of this business under the OneDigital umbrella.”
Vestwell and Flywire collab simplifies 529 payments
Vestwell has partnered with Flywire, a global payments enablement and software company.
Through the Vestwell and Flywire partnership, the tuition payment processing time is reduced to a few days and provides families using a 529 education savings account full visibility into the status of their payment.
“Tuition costs are at an all-time high and continuing to rise. It’s imperative for most families to utilize tax-preferred education saving programs to help offset education expenses for their children’s future,” said Aaron Schumm, founder and CEO of Vestwell. “We have long admired Flywire, making education savings more accessible for families across the country, and are proud to partner with them. At Vestwell, we’re committed to expanding enhanced savings access helping individuals save for the critical aspects of life –– education, healthcare, and retirement.”
“At Flywire, we’re always looking for ways to add more value to the colleges and universities we serve, and to make the lives of students and families easier,” said Sharon Butler, EVP of education, Flywire. “As more families leverage 529 savings plans to pay for education-related expenses, our innovative solution is helping to streamline the overall payment experience, providing families a digital path to payment and creating operational efficiencies for institutions.”
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Amanda Umpierrez is the Managing Editor of 401(k) Specialist magazine. She is a financial services reporter with over six years of experience and a passion for telling stories and reporting news. Amanda received her degree in journalism and government and politics at St. John’s University. She is originally from Queens, New York, but now resides in Denver, Colorado with her partner. In her free time, Amanda enjoys running, cooking, and watching the latest drama show.
