2018 PLANSPONSOR Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year Finalists Announced

Today, PLANADVISER is pleased to announce the finalists for the annual PLANSPONSOR Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year awards.

The focus of the award has remained relatively consistent over the years—to identify the nation’s best advisers who help make retirement security a reality for workers across the nation. There are 15 finalists for 2018, spread across four categories:

INDIVIDUAL

Joe Brummel, Wealth Enhancement Group in Burnsville, Minnesota

David Griffin, Atlanta Retirement Partners in Atlanta, Georgia

Christopher D. Kulick, Jr., CAPTRUST in Doylestown, Pennsylvania

SMALL TEAM

Graystone Consulting | Cincinnati, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in Cincinnati, Ohio

Greenspring Advisors in Towson, Maryland

LHD Retirement in Indianapolis, Indiana

MHK Retirement Partners in Middleton, Wisconsin

UBS Retirement Plan Consulting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

LARGE TEAM

Ascende Wealth Advisers, Inc. in Houston, Texas

Francis Investment Counsel in Brookfield, Wisconsin

The J&R Group of Merrill Lynch in Chicago, Illinois

Plan Sponsor Consultants in Alpharetta, Georgia

MEGA TEAM

Everhart Advisors in Dublin, Ohio

MRP in Denver, Colorado

Sentinel Pension Advisers, Inc. in Wakefield, Massachusetts

In order to be selected as a finalist, advisers had to meet requirements, set by the PLANADVISER editorial team, that reflect what is considered to be the evolving best practice standard. Advisers must: have a significant majority of their business revenue derived from employer-sponsored retirement plans; serve as a fiduciary; show a commitment to fee-based compensation; set high standards for plan benchmarks; and have most of their plans on their way to meeting those standards.

Advisers were nominated in September and October 2017. Nominations were solicited online from retirement plan advisers (however, self-nominations are not permitted), from their employers and/or broker/dealers (B/Ds) and from plan sponsors, as well as from working partners of these advisers, including investment vendors, accountants, attorneys and pension administrators.

Nominated advisers had to accept the nomination and enter the process before the end of 2017. To officially enter the process, nominated advisers were required to provide various details about their practice and answer essay questions via an online form.

The winners will be announced at the annual PLANSPONSOR/PLANADVISER Excellence in Retirement awards celebration on March 29. Please visit the event page for more information at https://www.plansponsor.com/events/2018-plansponsorplanadviser-awards-excellence-dinner/.