PLANADVISER: Tell us about your role at your firm and how you contribute to its growth and progress.
Tufte: As a marketing manager, operational collaborator and leader of our service committee, my responsibilities range from managing innovative marketing campaigns to focusing on community-centric initiatives such as food drives and fundraisers. In my multifaceted role at intellicents, I spearhead initiatives that have significantly contributed to the company’s growth and expansion.
Over the last three years, my concerted efforts substantially expanded the footprint of our marketing initiatives. These involved enhancing customer participation through intellisteps, our employee financial plans, and further enriching their experiences with intellicasts, our tailor-made webinars. Additionally, I helped transform participant outreach with unique initiatives such as custom education videos and personalized communication resources. Recognizing the pivotal role of digital presence, I also championed a comprehensive website redesign and have begun implementing effective SEO tactics to increase organic outreach.
On the operational front, I introduced a proactive project management system, which has increased cross-department communication and enhanced efficiency company-wide. Through regular staff meetings and facilitating engaging employee outings, I’ve made dedicated strides in cultivating a thriving company culture.
My contributions have not only driven the company forward, but also put us on a path of sustained progress and success.
PLANADVISER: What steps do you think will help improve the retirement industry and participant outcomes in the future (particularly ways in which your firm can help with that progress)?
Tufte: In my role at intellicents, assisting others and finding solutions is instrumental, particularly in our shared pursuit to over-serve the underserved. We aim to enhance participant outcomes via substantial educational resources.
During my tenure at intellicents, we improved our financial plan: intellisteps. This plan offers participants comprehensive guidelines on crucial financial aspects ranging from budgeting, managing emergency savings and debt, to life insurance and retirement readiness. We intend to provide a financial foundation that can navigate participants toward a stable and successful retirement. This is effectively supplemented with video tutorials, handouts, interactive worksheets, credible websites and personal consultations.
Our emphasis lies in sharing knowledge on financial topics that align with participants’ life stages. We strive to be as inclusive as possible by providing information through various mediums. This includes making videos and webinars accessible through closed captioning and expanding our educational material into multiple languages. We recognize the importance of participants’ feedback and strive to address their primary needs.
I believe dedicating time and knowledge to individuals fosters a sense of community that results in significant life improvements. Therefore, continuous communication and education will play a pivotal role in rejuvenating the retirement industry and enhancing participant outcomes in the future.
PLANADVISER: What are you most passionate about outside of the office?
Tufte: Family comes first for me, no question! If you’ve ever been on the sidelines of a soccer game, you’d probably spot me cheering, even if my kiddos have a habit of aiming the ball at the wrong goal. It’s these moments, cheering them on, that truly light up my life.
There is something else not many people know about me: my love for dance. It started when I was three, and before I knew it, dance had become my second language! It wasn’t long before I was sharing what I’d learned with young dancers and high schoolers alike.
Minnesota, as I came to find out, has this infectious dance energy where it bobbed and weaved from high school sport to competitive studios, and guess what? I’ve been lucky enough to be part of it all. Teaching dance for 11 years now, I’ve had the joy of coaching an insanely amazing group of 400 girls!
So, yeah, when I’m not rocking my professional cap, you’ll either find me cheering at my kids’ games or teaching some pliés and pirouettes, always with a heart full of joy and enthusiasm.