SageView Advisory Group announced today it has hired Kerry Woods as Vice President of Participant Education and Engagement to lead its new PersonalSAGE financial education platform for participants of its retirement plan sponsor clients.
PersonalSAGE (Strategic Advice, Guidance and Empowerment) is a financial readiness platform aimed at providing education and access to financial planning services for all retirement plan participants.
“We are focused on meeting the evolving needs of retirement plan participants and helping them improve their financial outcomes with confidence,” said Jon Upham, SageView’s President and Head of Institutional Retirement. “This comprehensive financial education and engagement platform provides in-person and technology-driven financial planning solutions aimed at transforming financial habits, perceptions, and readiness so participants can tackle financial challenges when they arise.”
“We believe every single person should have access to a financial plan regardless of their net worth. PersonalSAGE provides the type of one-on-one access to a financial professional many participants may not have otherwise.”
Newport Beach, Calif.-based SageView, with over $150 billion in retirement plan assets, serves retirement plan sponsors across the country. Additionally, the firm’s wealth management business has grown to approximately $4 billion via organic expansion and targeted acquisitions.
Mass affluent retirement plan participants—those with less than $100,000 to $1 million in net worth—are least likely to work with a financial advisor because of minimum threshold requirements. PersonalSAGE provides each participant a personalized assessment of their financial standing and access to experienced financial coaches both in person and virtually for one-on-one consultations.
Participants will have access to the team of PersonalSAGE financial coaches through multiple avenues, including a dedicated participant website, virtual and in-person education sessions, and via an online technology platform built in collaboration with SageView’s technology partner, LifeCents.
Expanded leadership team
Woods is an experienced strategic development consultant who has worked over the last decade at both Voya Financial and Empower Retirement. Her most recent role was Vice President, Consultant Relations Director at Voya Financial. She is the latest key leader to join SageView since the company announced a strategic and financial partnership with private-equity firm Aquiline Capital Partners in January 2021.
“I’ve seen firsthand how a lack of financial education can impact generations of families, so this initiative is extremely important to me. SageView has always been a trusted advisor to our Plan Sponsor clients and has conducted employee education for many years,” Woods said. “PersonalSAGE is the next evolution of our offering for participants and provides holistic financial readiness beyond just education. The ability to sit down one-on-one with a financial professional, share your financial goals and struggles and receive actionable, personalized advice is crucial to improving participants’ financial outcomes.”
In an increasingly competitive labor market, Woods said holistic financial wellness can be an added benefit to help plan sponsors retain and attract employees as well.
SEE ALSO:
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• Employers Count on Financial Wellness Programs for Retention and Satisfaction
Veteran financial services industry journalist Brian Anderson joined 401(k) Specialist as Managing Editor in January 2019. He has led editorial content for a variety of well-known properties including Insurance Forums, Life Insurance Selling, National Underwriter Life & Health, and Senior Market Advisor. He has always maintained a focus on providing readers with timely, useful information intended to help them build their business.