The 20 Rising Stars of Retirement Plan Advisory 2008

Napolitano Group, he has earned the Certified Investment Manager Analyst designation from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and now is poised to succeed Napolitano when he retires in the next five years or so. Dressel believes the trend of the future is in collective trusts and separately managed accounts (SMAs) rather than publicly traded mutual funds. As a result,The Napolitano Group has begun steering some of its larger clients in that direction. While offering collective trusts or SMAs in a defined contribution plan initially may require more education among participants, they save money for the plan and allow for more flexibility, he explained. He predicted that, within five years, nearly half of all large plans will be constructed in this way. men are still a team and they still service that original client.They also manage the two associates who work on the team. A Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist, Hagwood sees his longevity at Morgan Stanley as a great accomplishment, noting that many financial advisors jump around from firm to firm or move on to other fields. “It’s the only job I’ve ever had,” he said.“I’m loyal to my clients, and I’m proud of that professionally.” The industry, on the other hand, is poised for some change, as the need for advisors continues to ramp up to meet participants’ need for education and information, as well as human interaction. Recently, Hagwood has been fielding dozens of phone calls from participants nervous about the market and their investments. As a result, he’s planning to be more proactive in the short term, reaching out to clients and plan participants. “We’re launching a campaign to meet with participants so they remember these are long-term investments,” he explained. Going forward, Hagwood plans to stay in place, applying his marathon-running skills to his professional life. “The hope and the goal are to stay with Morgan Stanley,” he said. “Five to 10 years out, I think I’ll continue to be happy in the wirehouse channel.” 9. TROY HAMMOND President and Chief Executive Officer Pensionmark Retirement Group, Santa Barbara, Calif. Age: 38 Education: University of California at Santa Barbara (B.A. in Business Economics) Mentor: William Chetney, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Retirement Partners; Thomas Goodson, Chief Executive Officer, AmeriFlex Financial Services Hammond has been with the same firm since he was a college intern in July 1990. He chose the firm – then called AmeriFlex Financial Services – because it was the first one on the alphabetized internship list. “I have stayed here because I found a great environment where I was good at something, I was able to help people and I can make money doing it,” he explained. “I’ve never had a desire to leave all of that.” He now owns 75% of the firm, which was rebranded as Pensionmark earlier this year, and doesn’t envision ever leaving. In fact, Hammond envisions just the opposite, expecting to become even more involved in an ever-evolving industry and doing so on a grander scale. “Our growth has enabled us to deliver better services and to do so in a manner that is more scalable, so I see more people around me with more clients delivering more and better services,” he said. A National Retirement Partners member firm, Pensionmark currently targets plans in the $5 million to $25 million range and has about 150 companies on its client roster. Hammond noted that, in nearly 20 years, the firm has maintained an almost 100% retention rate, excluding businesses that were dissolved, acquired or merged. RETIREMENT PLAN ADVISORY RISING STARS 27 8. AARON HAGWOOD First Vice President and Wealth Advisor Morgan Stanley, Boston Age: 35 Education: Keene State College (B.S. in Political Science) Mentors: Peter Klinkmueller, Regional Sales Manager, ADP Retirement Services; Rick Ryan, District Director, Morgan Stanley Hagwood, who joined Dean Witter in 1997 after graduating college, oversees 75 corporate retirement plans with some $300 million in assets under management. He’s come a long way since he and partner Scott Tomoda bid on their first bit of 401(k) business nearly 10 years ago. “Our first foray into 401(k) plans was in 1999,” he said. “An opportunity came up, and we saw a niche.There weren’t a lot of advisors at the firm working with 401(k) plans.” Nowadays, Hagwood is responsible for corporate services, while Tomoda oversees the wealth management business, which has about $100 million in assets under management. However, the two SEPTEMBER 2008 8. AARON HAGWOOD

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The 20 Rising Stars of Retirement Plan Advisory 2008 Contents Doing Well By Doing Good The Post-PPA Bounce Automatic Enrollment vs. Managed Account Unfair Advantage? You Bet The New World Order 20 Rising Stars of Retirement Plan Advisory Mentors’ Page

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