Schwab will make donations of $7,500 to Be the Match Foundation (in memory of Mathias Giordano), and $7,500 to the NAPFA Consumer Education Foundation on behalf of FJY Financial.
The Trailblazer Impact Award went to Yeske Buie in San Francisco and Vienna, Va. That honor recognizes an independent advisory firm that is forging new ground in the RIA space by combining entrepreneurial spirit with a drive to advance the industry’s interests as a whole.
According to Schwab, Yeske Buie’s founders have almost 60 years of experience, yet the firm is entrepreneurial and one of its strategic goals is that the owners become dispensable. The firm gets kudos for embracing change is a stated value.
As noted in a press release, Yeske Buie is committed to helping individuals enter the profession with three internal initiatives for industry newcomers: an internship program; a Financial Planning Resident program; and a career-path template that guides people along the professional trajectory from planner to principal.
The Financial Planning Resident program hires residents as full-time employees and trains them as associate financial planners, with the plan of having the residents leave at the end of three years. The continual influx of new staff helps the firm live with a beginner’s mind and pursue constant growth. In client services, Yeske Buie is formalizing a process and service aimed at millennials.
In addition, Yeske Buie also stands out for its efforts to spearhead the use of policy-based financial planning, which leverages synergies between academics and financial planning.
Schwab will make donations to the Foundation for Financial Planning on behalf of Yeske Buie.
And finally, Conrad Siegel Actuaries in Harrisburg, Pa., won the Best-In-Retirement Business Award that honors an independent record keeper or advisor focusing on retirement plans that understands the unique needs of plan sponsors and/or participants and has developed an innovative approach to serving them.
In business since 1963, Conrad Siegel says 60 percent of its revenue is generated through serving defined contribution or defined benefit plans. The company has identified several strategies for growth in the next five years, including geographic expansion and new practice areas, which it believes will add value for existing clients.
Conrad Siegel develops simple and easy-to-understand plans using concepts from actuarial and behavioral science. The firm also offers comprehensive benefit statements to help employers communicate the value of the program to plan participants.