Retirement Industry People Moves

Retirement Services Group Joins LaSalle St.

Retirement Services Group, a Northbrook, Illinois-based firm specializing in profit sharing and 401(k) plans, which oversees approximately $625 million in assets, has joined LaSalle St., a family of wealth management firms encompassing independent broker/dealer (B/D) and registered investment adviser (RIA) platforms.

Retirement Services Group was founded in 1993 by Peter Kearney, who has more than 25 years of experience in wealth and investment management and also serves on the American Funds Advisory Council. Kearney works closely at Retirement Services Group with his colleague Jeff Kinzler, a financial adviser who has 30 years of industry experience. Kinzler specializes in working with individuals and business owners in both the pre- and post-retirement phases of their lives. Patrick Kearney, a 2016 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, will also work within the practice to further develop its client acquisition and servicing activities.

Retirement Services Group provides a full range of solutions for small and medium-size companies in need of profit sharing and 401(k) retirement plans. These include plan consultation and strategic design, annual investment review and analysis, education and promotion of plans to employees, as well as administration and recordkeeping.

“Our decision to join LaSalle St. became clear when we realized how greatly we would benefit from open access to senior management, and from the level of professionalism among home office staff,” Peter Kearney says. “The best teams in our field leverage such advantages into exceptional retirement plan experiences for employers and employees. With LaSalle St. as our partner, we will become even better at doing so for our clients. During the current market upheaval, that’s more important than ever.”

DWS Appoints Client Coverage Leader

DWS has elevated JJ Wilczewski to head of client coverage Americas and global head of institutional clients and consultants.

In his new role, Wilczewski will lead client coverage for the Americas, which includes responsibility for wealth, advisory, institutional and consultant relationships. He will also lead coverage for institutional clients and consultants globally, ensuring robust local and global collaboration to satisfy and solve evolving client needs. He previously led coverage of the institutional client business for DWS in the Americas.

Wilczewski will also serve as a member of DWS’s Americas Leadership Council as well as a member of the recently formed Global Leadership team. The leadership team is responsible for the identification and development of strategic opportunities for DWS as well as execution on all strategic executive board decisions.

Prior to his role at DWS, which he joined in 2014, Wilczewski served as a partner and head of institutional advisory solutions at Aon. He also spent five years as managing director, head of global business development at Wilshire Associates and 11 years with Van Kampen Investments. He is a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University where he received a bachelor’s degree in risk management.

Innovest Selects New VPs for Retirement Practices

Innovest Portfolio Solutions has added two vice presidents, Steven Fraley, and Dustin Roberts.

Fraley will promote consulting services to retirement plans, nonprofits and families. In addition, he will join Innovest’s Investment Committee and Capital Markets Research Group. Prior to joining Innovest, Fraley was a manager of pension investments at Emerson Electric Co. in St. Louis and a portfolio manager at Northern Trust. Fraley is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Roberts is a member of the firm’s Retirement Plan Practice Group, a specialized team that identifies best practices and implements process improvements to maximize efficiencies for retirement plan clients. Prior to joining Innovest, Roberts worked in roles at Employer Retirement, Aspire Financial Services and Unified Trust Co.

PFM Announces Appointment to Multi-Asset Class Management Investment Committee

Floyd Simpson III, senior managing consultant with PFM since October, has been appointed to PFM’s Multi-Asset Class Management (MACM) Investment Committee, effective July 24.

The committee is responsible for investment management of more than $13.7 billion in institutional assets, as of June 30, and it brings together a diversity of perspectives from across PFM’s asset management practice. The seven-member committee includes investment leaders from the firm’s multi-asset class and fixed-income businesses.

“During the course of his tenure, Floyd has shown a strong grasp of the investment process, a keen insight into manager due diligence, and exhibits a comfortable communication style. With those strengths, he has quickly become an important and respected team member and contributor to clients’ experiences,” says Jim Link, managing director and head of the Multi-Asset Class Strategies Group. “He has taken on increasing responsibilities since joining the company, including assisting with client and prospect activities primarily in the Midwest and South regions. Additionally, Floyd interfaces with our research and marketing teams to produce materials that provide our clients with clarity regarding our investment strategies.”

The committee meets monthly to review the economy and markets. Between meetings there are ongoing discussions regarding portfolio adjustments so final decisions can be made at the meetings. The committee will also meet under special circumstances, and has done so recently on numerous occasions given the spread of COVID-19 and its impact on the capital markets.

Simpson holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Truman State University, a master’s degree in business administration from DePaul University, as well as the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Prior to joining PFM, he worked at a minority-owned Pennsylvania-based investment firm as an investment officer and associate portfolio manager.