In this issue of InvestmentNews, we celebrate those members of our industry who have dedicated themselves to making the financial advice industry more representative. The progress on this area is tangible, which is reinforced when you look at our annual 40 Under 40 issue. Absent the efforts of the firms and individuals highlighted in these profiles today, that group of young professionals may not have gotten where they are.
Shundrawn Thomas, our Lifetime Achievement Award winner, represents much of what is good about this progress. I’ve had the good fortune to meet Shundrawn a time or two, and look forward to our Sept. 16 webcast. He brings a unique grace and style that we all can learn from. Jeff Benjamin elucidates this grace in a profile on page 8.
“The 2021 winner of the InvestmentNews Excellence in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Lifetime Achievement Award is not the kind of person who seeks recognition for his success nor status as an African American in an industry where women and minorities in leadership are still rare,” Benjamin writes. “But Thomas appreciates and enthusiastically shoulders the opportunity to challenge the status quo, and to help make success stories like his more common.”
But even as we celebrate these accomplishments, the fight for equality is not over. News broke last week, as reported on page 3, that leaves no question that challenges remain.
Fortunately, this is an industry that’s primarily focused on serving all communities.
From outstanding individuals to innovative organizations, find out who made the final shortlist for top honors at the IN awards, now in its second year.
Cresset's Susie Cranston is expecting an economic recession, but says her $65 billion RIA sees "great opportunity" to keep investing in a down market.
“There’s a big pull to alternative investments right now because of volatility of the stock market,” Kevin Gannon, CEO of Robert A. Stanger & Co., said.
Sellers shift focus: It's not about succession anymore.
Platform being adopted by independent-minded advisors who see insurance as a core pillar of their business.
RIAs face rising regulatory pressure in 2025. Forward-looking firms are responding with embedded technology, not more paperwork.
As inheritances are set to reshape client portfolios and next-gen heirs demand digital-first experiences, firms are retooling their wealth tech stacks and succession models in real time.
