In the aftermath of the 2025 InvestmentNews Awards, we had a chance to catch up with Justin Herndon, Director or PR and Enterprise Reputation at Thrivent. In addition to Terry Rasmussen taking home the award for CEO of the year, and several other of the firm's advisors receiving nominations for various awards, the company has made waves for its aggressive growth strategy in 2025. InvestmentNews had the opportunity to ask Herndon a few follow-up questions.
Justin Herndon: This was an incredible honor to be in the room as Terry [Rasmussen] was recognized among some of her peers and the industry. We simply wouldn’t be in the position we are now to grow and to see the success of our advisors without her at the helm. She was nominated last year and won this year, so I think the industry is finding out what we already knew – she’s the right leader at the right time for us.
Herndon: Thrivent encourages our clients to take a long-term view of their goals and finances and, as a company, we do the same. Coming into the year, we expected volatility, and that’s what we’ve seen. The political environment and economic climate are always changing, so it’s important to stay patient and not let emotions get the best of you.
Our growth strategy is something we have been building up to for a few years now. If anything, we’re more and better prepared to handle headwinds because of the long-term approach we took and how we built up a support system for our advisors to find success at Thrivent. What you’re seeing and what the industry is witnessing from us is really just the beginning.
Herndon: I think they're hungry for it. I really do.
I think when the advisors hear those goals, they're excited, because it also means they know the company believes in the trajectory of their own career. A lot of the folks that come to us are new advisors, new to the industry. They're school teachers, they're the military vets. They're people who are just changing - maybe it's a registered nurse who's changing a career. We're a second career destination, which is awesome, because we hear all kinds of great stories of those folks - "Thrivent gave me a new lease on life."
One example: There was one advisor - she has her own special needs, and her child has special needs. Through her advisory second career, she found this niche need among special family special-needs families. She's dedicated her practice to that now, and there is just a flood of referrals that are coming into her. She truly specializes in what they need, and she understands it.
Herndon: It's just really important to recognize the hard work that advisors do over the course of the year. We attached ourselves early on with the InvestmentNews Awards last year, and then, we really needed to invest in getting some of our advisors getting recognized as well. It's just really important to recognize our advisors' work throughout the year.
By listening for what truly matters and where clients want to make a difference, advisors can avoid politics and help build more personal strategies.
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