Manulife John Hancock, Lincoln, Prudential Hire Chief Leaders
Manulife John Hancock Welcomes Product Head
Manulife John Hancock Retirement, the U.S. Retirement business of Manulife Wealth & Asset Management, has welcomed Anne Thibeault as the new head of Product.
In this role, Thibeault will lead Product Strategy and Transformation, Product Delivery, and the Benefits Consulting Group (BCG).
“Anne is a strategic and forward-thinking leader with deep expertise in the retirement space,” said Wayne Park, CEO of Manulife John Hancock Retirement. “Her experience in driving transformation and delivering innovative, participant-focused solutions will be instrumental as we continue to evolve our product offerings to meet the needs of today’s retirement savers.”
Anne brings over 20 years of experience in the retirement industry, joining Manulife John Hancock from Empower, where she most recently served as senior vice president, head of Empower Advisory Group. Prior to that, she was vice president, head of Product Delivery, where she worked on Empower’s product capabilities following the acquisition of Prudential’s retirement business.
“I’m excited to join Manulife John Hancock Retirement and contribute to a mission-driven organization that puts participants at the center of everything they do,” said Anne Thibeault. “I look forward to working with the team and partnering with advisors and TPAs to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that help people achieve financial security and retire with confidence.”
Anne holds a master’s degree from the University of Hartford and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stonehill College.
Lincoln Financial Names Investor Relations Leader
Lincoln Financial announced that John Muething will take on an expanded role as vice president, Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A), and head of Investor Relations.
Muething will continue to lead Lincoln’s FP&A function, while now also overseeing the company’s investor relations strategy and engagement with the investment community. He will continue to report to Chris Neczypor, executive vice president and chief financial officer.
With more than 17 years at Lincoln, the firm says Muething’s dual leadership role will help to further align its financial planning and investor relation functions.
“John’s extensive knowledge of our business and proven financial acumen make him exceptionally well-suited to lead our Investor Relations function,” said Neczypor. “He has been instrumental in shaping our financial strategy and external stakeholder communications and has already begun engaging with the investment community. I am confident he will further strengthen our relationships with investors and analysts.”
As part of this team’s established leadership structure, Scott West, vice president, will continue to lead day-to-day investor relation activities and report to Muething.
This leadership change follows the departure of Tina Madon, who has left the company to pursue another opportunity. “We thank Tina for her contributions to Lincoln and wish her continued success in her next chapter,” added Neczypor.
Prudential Taps Global Head of Investor Relations
Prudential Financial, Inc. has appointed Tina Madon as global head of investor relations.
In this role, Madon will lead Prudential’s engagement with the investor community, partnering closely with its global leadership team to articulate Prudential’s evolution to a higher-growth company. Madon begins Dec. 1 and will report to executive vice president and chief financial officer Yanela Frias.
Madon joins Prudential from Lincoln Financial, where as head of investor relations she led a strategy to reposition Lincoln’s shareholder base and enhance analyst coverage, and worked closely with Lincoln’s executive leadership team.
“Tina is a seasoned investor relations leader and innovator, with a strong track record for engaging investors in ways that foster greater understanding, clarity and appreciation for strategy and performance,” said Frias. “I look forward to partnering with Tina and our investor community as we sharpen our focus on becoming a higher-growth company.”
Before joining Lincoln, Tina held senior investor relations roles at Focus Financial Partners, Arbor Advisory Group, Och-Ziff Capital Management, and Merrill Lynch. She began her career as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers.
Madon succeeds Bob McLaughlin, who will be retiring from Prudential at the end of 2025.
Microsoft Unveils AI-Powered Investing Features
Morningstar, Inc. has launched integrations that enable licensed users and firms to access its AI-ready data and research from within Microsoft’s AI tools.
This includes Morningstar’s data and research library that spans its coverage of open-end funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and stocks alongside portfolio analytics, ratings, performance data, and proprietary methodologies.
- Microsoft Foundry: Integrate Morningstar’s content into enterprise-scale AI applications.
- Microsoft Copilot Studio: Build custom AI agents powered by Morningstar data and research for tailored workflows.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot: Coming soon, connect Morningstar into M365 Copilot to surface Morningstar insights through tools like Microsoft Teams.
Morningstar says its integrations with Microsoft leverage the Morningstar Agent and the Morningstar Model Context Protocol (MCP) to help break hurdles found in fragmented workflows, enabling secure entitlement-based access to quality data and research within the platforms they already use.
“Investors should be able to access trusted, independent data and insights wherever they choose to work. By teaming with Microsoft, we’re removing friction and putting the breadth and depth of our data and human intelligence right inside the AI tools they already use,” said Adam Wheat, head of Data & Research Solutions, chief technology officer for Direct Platform, Morningstar.
Merit Financial Acquires Blueprint
Merit Financial Advisors, a Georgia-based financial advisory firm that specializes in financial planning and wealth management solutions for high-net-worth individuals and families and those navigating life transitions, has acquired Blueprint Wealth Advisors, LLC.
The acquisition expands Merit’s presence in Illinois and Wisconsin, including entry into the Chicago market, and adds $1.2 billion in total assets.
Blueprint operates offices in Chicago and Rockford, Illinois, and Fitchburg, Wisconsin, providing comprehensive wealth management services for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients. Ryan Evans and Nick Wilkins, managing partners and wealth advisors at Blueprint, will join Merit as regional directors and partners, along with their team.
“Bringing Nick, Ryan, and the Blueprint team into our organization represents a pivotal moment in our growth strategy,” said Zach Mersberger, Managing Principal and Partner at Merit. “They bring top talent, experience serving high-net-worth clients in the Chicago and Madison, WI areas, and proven leadership to help us continue growing Merit’s impact. This is truly a transformational partnership for us.”
This marks Merit’s fifty-second acquisition and follows Merit’s recent partnership with Mennenga Tax & Financial, which added $715 million in assets and further expanded the firm’s tax capabilities.
“Partnering with a larger firm that shares our culture was important to us, both for supporting continued growth and for enhancing the resources and services we can offer our clients,” said Ryan. “Merit’s culture and values closely align with our own, making this a natural fit for our team and our clients,” added Nick. “This partnership strengthens our ability to lead, grow, and continue delivering a high level of care to clients.”
The transaction was finalized on November 14, 2025. FP Transitions, an M&A advisory firm specializing exclusively in the wealth management industry, acted as the advisor for this transaction. The financial and legal terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Osaic Buys $705M True Wealth
Osaic, Inc., one of the nation’s largest providers of wealth management strategies, announced that True Wealth Advisors has joined the firm from LPL Financial. The Englewood, Colorado–based independent wealth management firm oversees more than $705 million in client assets.
Led by Mason Samuels, the five-advisor group includes Alex Goldstein, Lloyd Sprague, Sam Grizzle and Ryan Nuu, supported by Sami Merrick, Jake Rolin and Ruth Leyerle. The firm specializes in helping clients build practical, goals-based wealth strategies and delivering retirement income and wealth-preservation planning for pre-retirees and retirees.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Mason and the True Wealth Advisors team to Osaic,” said Kristen Kimmell, executive vice president of business development at Osaic. “Their dedication to helping clients build and preserve wealth aligns perfectly with our advisor-centric culture. We look forward to supporting their growth and providing the resources, technology and community that empower them to deliver an exceptional client experience.”
True Wealth is the latest advisory team to join Osaic from LPL, following the affiliation of Simplified Wealth Management and AFC Planning Group in September.
HSA Bank Rolls Out Education Campaign for Eligible Participants
HSA Bank is introducing a “Take care of it with an HSA” campaign, including resources to educate eligible consumers enrolling in a Bronze or Catastrophic health plan in the wake of changes to federal government legislation in the H.R. 1 Bill.
Commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the legislation expands rules around health savings accounts (HSAs) including enrollment eligibility to include all Bronze and Catastrophic health coverage offered through the ACA Marketplace beginning January 1, 2026. According to HSA Bank, this change is expected to potentially allow at least seven million eligible consumers to sign up for an HSA and set aside tax-free dollars for short-term healthcare expenses as well as long-term savings for healthcare expenses in retirement.
“Consumers face rising premiums and healthcare costs and may not be aware of the developments that impact their health plan choices,” said Kevin Robertson, chief growth officer at HSA Bank. “As a leading HSA provider, we’re uniquely positioned to help individuals manage healthcare costs while supporting their long-term financial goals.”
HSA Bank’s “Take care of it with an HSA” webpage features educational content to help consumers make informed decisions during and beyond the 2026 open enrollment period, including a short video explaining how an HSA works and a guide for consumers on utilizing an HSA to offset costs through tax benefits while they are working and into retirement.