Deals & People July 26, 2012

Mutual of Omaha Appoints Three to Leadership Positions

Mutual of Omaha’s Retirement Plans Division named Diane Kolvek and J. Michael Peddicord as regional sales directors, and Robert Nourse as national accounts channel manager. 
Reported by

Kolvek will support the company’s regional sales managers located in the Western region of the U.S., fostering relationships with third-party administrators (TPAs), and is based in Omaha, Nebraska. She joined Mutual of Omaha in 2008 as a Retirement Plans senior channel manager, and has nearly 20 years of experience in sales and relationship management supporting 401(k) product areas at Fidelity, Guardian Life Insurance Company and ReliaStar. Kolvek earned her bachelor’s degree from Northwest Missouri State University.

Peddicord will be responsible for leading the Retirement Plans Division’s TPA Channel. He will also support company’s regional sales managers located in the Eastern region of the country by cultivating relationships with TPAs in this area. He is based in Columbus, Ohio. Since receiving his bachelor’s degree from Capital University, Peddicord gained experience from various leadership roles at Legg Mason and Nationwide Financial Services, and most recently served as vice president of sales for Principal Financial Group.

For more stories like this, sign up for the PLANADVISERdash daily newsletter.

Nourse brings more than 25 years of experience in financial services to his position, most recently as vice president and senior relationship manager at Nationwide Financial, and with sales and leadership positions at The Guardian Life Insurance Company before that. He will be responsible for managing relationships with the company’s national broker/dealer alliances, and is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Nourse holds a bachelor’s degree from Xavier University.

“One of our strategic initiatives is to place top talent into leadership positions that support the sustainable growth and distribution of our product line,” said Seth Friedman, 401(k) national sales director for Mutual of Omaha. “These individuals will bring solid leadership support to our regional sales managers and advisers, helping Mutual of Omaha continue to build a competitive retirement plan experience that benefits both the plan sponsor and their participants.”

 

Diversions July 26, 2012

Voter Preference Revealed in Smartphone Demographics

If you use an iPhone or an Android smartphone, you’re more likely to vote for Obama than for Romney, a survey found.
Reported by

A nationwide poll in showed a nearly 20% difference in political alignment among voters who own either an Android or iPhone smartphone, according to Velti, a global provider of mobile marketing and advertising technology.

Almost half the iPhone/Android owners (49%) said they would vote for Obama if the election were held today, while only 31% said they would vote for Romney. (Some polls showed Romney pulling slightly ahead in the race when Americans were surveyed in late June, regardless of smartphone preference.)

For more stories like this, sign up for the PLANADVISERdash daily newsletter.

“The results of this survey demonstrate that the smartphone market is becoming a whole new demographic that candidates must take into consideration when building a comprehensive campaign strategy,” said Krishna Subramanian, chief marketing officer, Velti. “Mobile advertising is emerging as an influential medium and a distinct audience.” 

The study also found a significant education gap between supporters of the candidates. Of iPhone/Android owners with a college degree or higher, 56% plan to vote for Obama, while only 35% plan to support Romney. Among iPhone/Android owners with a household income of $75,000 a year or greater, 49% of respondents said they would vote for Obama, while 39% plan to vote for Romney.

Romney does, however, maintain an advantage among retirees, with 57% of retired iPhone/Android owners supporting him, versus 34% who said they would vote for Obama.

Supporters of each candidate were more evenly split across their choice of smartphone, the survey found. Obama voters constituted 47% of iPhone owners and 50% of Android owners, while anticipated Romney voters were made up of 34% iPhone owners and 29% Android.

Other findings from the survey include:

  • Over half (54%) of male smartphone users age 18 to 34 said they would vote for Obama, compared with fewer than a third (32%) of males age 35 to 44.
  • Among female smartphone users, 60% of women age 18 to 34 said they would vote for Obama, compared with just 39% of those age 45 and older.
  • iPhone/Android owners who are single or never married said they are more likely to vote for Obama than those who are married (59% vs. 43%).

«