This week in our corporate roundup, Ascensus names a new CEO, Savvy Advisors welcomes four seasoned professionals to their team, Sageview Advisory Group and Transamerica introduce a new solution offering both a 401(k) Retirement Plan Exchange and a pooled employer plan (PEP), and more.
Ascensus Names CMO
Ascensus has named financial services marketing leader Emily Pachuta as its new chief marketing officer, responsible for the firm’s digital, marketing and analytics capabilities.
Pachuta reports to Ascensus President Nick Good and joins the company’s executive leadership team. She began her new role on June 17 and is based in the company’s Dresher headquarters.
“Emily Pachuta is a highly experienced leader in our industry with a track record of bringing together digital, marketing, and analytics capabilities to drive business growth and improve client outcomes,” said Good. “She understands the importance of fostering emotional connections with a brand and delivering increasingly positive experiences for the clients we serve. We are delighted to welcome her to our leadership team.”
Pachuta most recently served as chief marketing and analytics officer for the Americas division for Invesco, where she spent nearly six years.
Previously, she served as managing director of U.S. Retail & iShares Marketing for BlackRock and as head of Client Marketing & Investor Insights as a member of UBS’ Wealth Management Americas business. Prior to joining UBS, Pachuta led Lincoln Financial Group’s centralized Strategic & Product Marketing organization.
She began her professional career with the Merrill Lynch Global Private Client business, serving in several roles overseeing integrated marketing, public relations, and creative services.
Pachuta succeeds Carl Negin, who led marketing at Ascensus since 2018 and recently shared his plans to leave the company to spend time with his family as he pursues other opportunities.
Pachuta earned her undergraduate degree in Philosophy from Yale University and her Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University.
Savvy Introduces Latest Wealth Managers
Savvy Advisors Inc., a registered investment advisor (RIA) affiliated with Savvy Wealth, Inc., has announced that four new wealth managers have joined the firm.
Savvy now employs 24 financial advisors who collectively manage more than $600 million in assets under management (AUM).
“At Savvy, we use next-generation technology to improve advisor efficiency and provide clients with a modern, tech-forward experience,” said Gina Rose Galli, growth leader at Savvy Wealth. “A key part of our success is partnering with accomplished wealth managers who are committed to providing their clients with the best possible service. In my opinion, our expanding advisor team solidifies Savvy as one of the fastest-growing, technology-led advisory firms in the industry.”
The latest additions to Savvy’s team of seasoned advisors include:
- Adam Dean – Based in Sioux City, Iowa, Dean provides customized wealth management services to clients from a variety of backgrounds including physicians, university professors and small business owners. Throughout his career, he has worked as an advisor at Morgan Stanley and Baird, and has worked in comprehensive financial planning, investment management, retirement strategies, estate planning, and tax optimization.
- Nate Kunkel – Located in the greater Cincinnati area, Kunkel spent the last six years at Mariner Wealth Advisors where his team managed over $300 million in AUM. Kunkel primarily works with a client base composed of current or former employees of Procter & Gamble. He offers a comprehensive range of services including investment management, financial planning and analysis, retirement planning and more.
- Brian Mills – Operating out of Los Angeles, Mills provides wealth planning, customized downside protection solutions, and portfolio management services to ultra-high-net-worth clients. Mills began his career as an internal wholesaler with Lincoln Financial and spent the last six years at Lido Advisors where he most recently held the title vice president of wealth management. He is planning to pursue the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) and is involved in the LA chapter of College Track, an organization that serves students from low-income communities who will become the first in their family to graduate from college.
- Albert Pinedo – Located in the Greater Tampa Bay area, Pinedo specializes in advanced equity analysis, portfolio management and financial planning for clients on a global scale. Pinedo started his wealth management career in Latin America and spent the last 12 years working for Marketwise Asset Management in the U.S. He primarily serves affluent business owners and corporate executives who are affiliated with the technology and financial services industries. With over 20 years of industry experience, Pinedo earned his Certified Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA).
SageView and Transamerica Launch Integrity Pooled Solutions
SageView Advisory Group (SageView), one of the nation’s leading independent RIA firms, has collaborated with Transamerica to launch Integrity Pooled Solutions, which offers both a 401(k) Retirement Plan Exchange as well as a Choice Pooled Employer Plan (PEP).
SageView will serve as the 3(38)-investment manager and financial advisor for plans joining the Exchange or the PEP, while Transamerica Retirement Solutions will serve as the recordkeeper. Transamerica Fiduciary Services is the Pooled Plan Provider (PPP), and TAG Resources is the 3(16)-plan administrator.
According to the release, the Retirement Plan Exchange is ideal for plans with under 100 employees who want to offer a 401(k) plan while reducing costs, complexity and fiduciary liability. Meanwhile, the Choice PEP can be a solution for plans of any size looking for streamlined services offered by SageView, Transamerica and TAG Resources.
Plan sponsors that join either the Exchange or the PEP will also gain access to PersonalSAGE, SageView’s financial education and engagement platform that offers one-on-one financial guidance and education for employees.
“SageView is excited to expand our solutions for employers who may not have the expertise or time in-house to oversee a retirement program and still want a retirement plan that doesn’t compromise service or quality,” said Jon Upham, president and head of Institutional Retirement at SageView. “Transamerica is a leading provider of retirement and investment solutions and shares our vision to help make workplace retirement programs more accessible and attractive to employers of all sizes.”
“Joining forces with SageView demonstrates our joint commitment to expanding access to retirement plans,” said Darren Zino, Transamerica’s senior managing director for retirement. “Our objective is to ensure every American worker has the opportunity live their best life and retire with dignity and retirement security. This new offering is a significant step towards achieving that goal.”
Integrity Pooled Solutions launches on July 1, 2024.
Advisor360°, FMG Integrate on Marketing Skills
Advisor360° is integrating with technology solution FMG to build on its marketing capabilities.
In addition to including FMG’s premium website package on its platform through single-sign-on (SSO), Advisor360° has integrated FMG with its workflow engine, document vault for books and records storage, and entitlements functionality to help the home office better manage advisors’ marketing efforts.
“FMG’s comprehensive marketing suite transforms how advisors communicate with clients and prospects, offering a single, centralized hub for engagement,” said Mat Mathews, chief product and engineering officer of Advisor360°. “At the same time, the integration streamlines the compliance workflow, giving firms easier oversight of advisor marketing outreach.”
FMG features compliance and publishing tools that enable enterprise wealth management firms to easily review, accept, or reject changes to advisor websites, and provide syndicated content to share with clients and prospects. With the Advisor360° integration, site updates and records of content changes are automatically saved in a SEC Rule 17a-4 compliant vault, streamlining compliance steps for the advisor and the home office.
“Together, Advisor360° and FMG offer an end-to-end client relationship solution that delights clients along their entire financial journey,” said Susan Theder, FMG’s chief marketing and experience officer. “We make it easy for advisors to market themselves authentically and effectively across every channel so they can build their business and spend more time going deeper on existing client relationships.”
The companies have produced an e-book to illustrate how advisors can use the new integrated functionality to be more productive and engage more effectively with clients and prospects.
SEE ALSO:
- Corporate Roundup: ERISA Turns 50, T. Rowe Price Launches Framework
- Corporate Roundup: Nuveen Taps New CEO, Sharebuilder 401k Slashes Setup Fee
- Corporate Roundup: Morningstar Wealth, Empower, GSAM
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.
