DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS, LTSL, LTS PrA, LTSF, LTSK) (“Ladenburg”), a publicly-traded, diversified financial services company, together with its independent advisory and brokerage (IAB) subsidiaries Securities America, Triad Advisors, Investacorp, KMS Financial Services, and Securities Service Network, today announced the successful conclusion of its seventh annual Ladenburg Institute of Women & Finance Symposium. The annual, invitation-only event, held this year from Oct. 9 to 11 in Dallas, hosted over 200 total attendees for networking, thought leadership, and business development sessions targeted toward women advisors, while also honoring excellence in the profession.

Since its founding in 2012, the Ladenburg Institute of Women & Finance (“LIWF” or the “Institute”) has established itself as an industry leader in championing innovative ways to increase the number of women advisors in the independent financial advice space, while supporting the professional growth of women advisors through educational programs on best practices for serving clients, managing teams and growing their businesses. Additionally, LIWF provides professional growth opportunities to younger female advisors through its LIFT Mentoring Program.

Richard Lampen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ladenburg, added, “We are thrilled with the continued expansion of the Ladenburg Institute of Women & Finance and the outcome of this year’s Symposium. Finding new and innovative ways to increase opportunities for female advisors and the clients they serve is integral to our future, and is an essential part of our corporate culture. Now and for years to come, we will enthusiastically collaborate across our subsidiaries to push further along this path as we grow our community of determined and exceptional women advisors.”

This year’s Symposium also featured the launch of LIFT University, a new program that brings female business students and daughters of Ladenburg IAB-affiliated financial advisors who are considering careers in the financial advice profession to the event. LIFT University enables these potential future female advisors and executives to attend the Symposium with travel and lodging costs covered, and pairs them with experienced female advisors for the duration of the event in order to help them gain exposure to critical industry concepts, begin building their professional networks and develop an inside perspective on the many benefits of a career in financial advice.

Ten women business majors attended the inaugural edition of LIFT University, including students from the University of Georgia, the University of Central Missouri, Southern Methodist University and Texas Women’s University.

In addition, the Symposium celebrated the success of Ladenburg’s IAB subsidiaries in bolstering the ranks of women advisors in the profession. The firm’s senior leaders noted that a June 11, 2018, article in Financial Planning magazine recognized that 28% of advisors affiliated with both Securities America and Triad Advisors are female, while women make up 22% of KMS Financial Services advisors. Separately, a May 23, 2018, article in InvestmentNews recognized Securities America for increasing the firm’s proportion of women advisors as a percentage of total advisors by 1.3% from the previous year.

Jaime Desmond, COO of Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management, and Chairman of LIWF’s Steering Committee, said, “As more women take on roles as financial decision makers, breadwinners and heads of their households, the financial advice industry must evolve to better reflect this audience and create solutions that meet their specific needs. Hiring, training, and bringing together more women advisors is a major aspect of accomplishing that goal. Firms that make these strides will act as a positive force for change in society, while also benefiting from the natural advantage that women advisors have in connecting with and understanding the concerns of female clients. For all these reasons, Ladenburg and its IAB subsidiaries are fully invested in the mission of the Ladenburg Institute of Women & Finance.”

Throughout the three-day Symposium, featured experts spoke on practice management and financial planning strategies that can enable women advisors to stay ahead of shifting industry forces such as technology and client behavior. The presenters also offered insights on how economic and healthcare trends may affect how advisors interact with clients to help them achieve their best financial lives.

Highlights included:

• Keynote speaker Ron White, a two-time national memory champion, showed how advisors can improve their memory and use it to grow their business through better speaking abilities and faster learning techniques for adopting new technology and other skills.
• Keynote speaker Jared Weiner, of the Future Hunters, explored the future of the financial advice business, including an interactive session where forward-thinking advisors shared their visions for the business — as well as the steps they are taking to guide their clients and practices into the future.
• Roberta Eckert, Vice President of the Nationwide Retirement Institute, presented on why advisors should guide clients through healthcare factors that often impact retirement and cost of living, including Medicare rules, as well as how to create a customized assessment for clients.
• Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management President and CEO Phil Blancato and Fidelity Investments Sector Strategist Denise Chisholm provided insights on how advisors can invest in various sectors, while taking into consideration their different traits and risk factors.
• The event also provided distinct forums for experienced advisors to network with each other, for younger advisors to meet in-person with new mentors, and for all attendees to learn how Ladenburg Advantage provides a wide assortment of products and services that advisors can use to add value for clients.

For further information, please visit www.ltiwf.com.

About Ladenburg Thalmann:

Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS, LTSL, LTS PrA, LTSF, LTSK) is a publicly-traded diversified financial services company based in Miami, Florida. Ladenburg’s subsidiaries include industry-leading independent advisory and brokerage (IAB) firms Securities America, Triad Advisors, Securities Service Network, Investacorp and KMS Financial Services, as well as Premier Trust, Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management, Highland Capital Brokerage, a leading independent life insurance brokerage company, Ladenburg Thalmann Annuity Insurance Services, a full-service annuity processing and marketing company, and Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc., an investment bank which has been a member of the New York Stock Exchange for over 135 years. The company is committed to investing in the growth of its subsidiaries while respecting and maintaining their individual business identities, cultures, and leadership. For more information, please visit www.ladenburg.com.

This press release includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding future growth and growth of our independent advisory and brokerage business. These statements are based on management’s current good faith expectations or beliefs and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by the statements herein due to changes in economic, business, competitive and/or regulatory factors, including the SEC’s proposed rules and interpretations concerning the standards of conduct for broker dealers and investment advisers when dealing with retail investors, future cash flows, a change in the Company’s dividend policy by the Company’s Board of Directors (which has the ability in its sole discretion to increase, decrease or eliminate entirely the Company’s dividend at any time) and other risks and uncertainties affecting the operation of the Company’s business. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include those set forth in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and other factors detailed from time to time in its other filings with the SEC. The information set forth herein should be read in light of such risks. Further, investors should keep in mind that the Company’s quarterly revenue and profits can fluctuate materially depending on many factors, including the number, size and timing of completed securities offerings and other transactions. Accordingly, the Company’s revenue and profits in any particular quarter may not be indicative of future results. The Company is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise, except as required by law.