The 20 Rising Stars of Retirement Plan Advisory 2008

solutions for them,” he said, adding that he also anticipates enhanced retirement income distribution options and products from providers in the future. 19. NATHAN TROTMAN Financial Advisor RSI Financial Services, Mt. Laurel, N.J. Age: 37 Education: University of Delaware (B.S. in Human Resources) Mentors: Kurt Hettel, Managing Director, RSI Financial Services Interested in the financial markets from a young age,Trotman moved into the retirement plan realm because he was concerned about his own retirement security and believed he could help others with their plans.“The opportunity to help others achieve their retirement goals by first helping their companies set up the best possible retirement plan and then assisting individuals get the most out of the plan is extremely rewarding for me,” he said. Trotman’s first career was in his family’s food services business. After working in the family business from a young age and later owning two different food services franchises after college, he sold out and exited that field for a new challenge. “The odd hours associated with the food service/restaurant business were starting to take their toll and have an affect on my personal life,” he said.“It was then I decided to renew my interest in financial services.” In 1999, Trotman joined Prudential Securities and after two years moved to Lockwood Financial Services. “After spending two years on the retail side at Prudential and two years on the wholesale side at Lockwood, I determined that I enjoyed working on the retail side much more,” he said. “In addition, after experiencing many different aspects of the business, I found that my experiences with clients and their retirement plans were the most interesting to me.” SEPTEMBER 2008 In 2003, Trotman – designated a Certified Financial Planner, a Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist and an Accredited Investment Fiduciary – joined RSI Financial Services, a division of Gallagher Benefit Services. There, he works with mid-sized employers and advises or co-advises on about $200 million of the firm’s $350 million in plan assets. In addition to sales and marketing responsibilities, he works with clients to find and maintain the best plan design for their companies, provides ongoing investment and fiduciary support and plays an active role in the education of plan participants. One of the most rewarding experiences Trotman has had in his career was working with a non-profit client to fix its plan and boost participation.“When I met this company, their retirement plan was a compliance nightmare,” he said, explaining that participants had never been helped to understand the plan and therefore were paying too much in fees and commissions. “After two years of numerous meetings, educational seminars and one-on-one meetings with employees, the plan has been fixed and there is almost 100% participation.” years at SK International and as a teacher for two years for the NewportMesa Unified School District. At SageView, he has assisted in the design and implementation of the firm’s proprietary investment program and been instrumental in guiding clients to build goals and objectives for their plans and integrate customized education programs. In addition to this, he assists clients with their ERISA fiduciary responsibilities and investment reviews. “I initially got involved with this profession because of my personal interest in investing,which then translated into wanting to help people take care of their money responsibly,” Upham said. “I was disappointed in the advice my friends were getting from others and felt I could do it better, approaching it with a more longterm relationship perspective rather than a short-term transactional view.” Going forward, Upham’s goals include helping SageView become a nationally recognized advisory practice. And in building the business, he has taken cues from some of his clients. “I admire those companies that have long employee tenure, where the majority of the employees speak highly of the organization when outside of the office,” he explained. “It is very difficult to attract and retain quality people over long periods of time, and those companies that are able to do so are in a class by themselves. I have had the privilege to work with some of these companies as an advisor, and I have taken these characteristics and tried to incorporate them into SageView.” An Accredited Investment Fiduciary, Upham foresees significant shifts in plan design and government mandates in the near future. “It is very likely that we could see two employer-sponsored retirement options for employees to choose from,” he said. The first option would be managed by the company or a professional manager and look a lot like the traditional defined benefit model without the required target interest rate, he explained. The second option would allow participants to self-direct but would involve the employee signing a document that would absolve the employer of any and all fiduciary responsibility to the employee. i RETIREMENT PLAN ADVISORY RISING STARS 33 20. JON UPHAM Managing Director, Advisory Services SageView Advisory Group, Irvine, Calif. Age: 35 Education: Concordia University (M.A. in Administration); University of Redlands (B.A. in History and Education) Mentor: Randy Long, Principal, SageView Advisory Group; Paul Orris, Educator, Newport-Mesa Unified School District Upham has worked in the retirement services industry for the past 10 years, having joined SageView in 1998 after working as an equity trader for two

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