The Essential Branch Manager

There's no doubt branch managers play a critical support role for financial advisors. They mentor dozens of advisors—sometimes more than 100—and serve as recruiters, all the while having to lead their branches in the wake of corporate mergers and culture shock. The job is no longer just the coveted position advisors sought after a successful run.

Every year On Wall Street partners with New York Life/MainStay Investments to honor the year’s elite of branch management. A read through this year’s profiles of the top ten branch managers shows the hard work, dedication and commitment these professionals strive for. But some have their complaints about mounting pressures and changing cultures within their firms, as contributing writer Danny Sarch details on page 54. In addition, Associate Editor Andrew Welsch discusses in our cover story (page 26) how some firms have come to recognize the increasing burdens on branch management and are retooling their training programs to provide relief.

It’s a package I’m sure managers and advisors alike will find engaging and enlightening, as I did in my new role as editor-in-chief of OnWallStreet.

In my first few days, I accompanied Andrew to Merrill Lynch for a look at the firm’s revamped approach to communicating with clients, an attempt to strengthen the relationships advisors have forged with investors for decades. It served as an excellent primer on the challenges firms face, as they aim to bolster their ranks with Millennial advisors to replace the aging-out veterans who have carried the wealth management industry into its prosperity.

Our mandate at OWS is to provide timely analysis, deliver scoops and give you, the reader, what you want every day.

We also plow through data to uncover the most compelling and insightful stories. In the weeks ahead, I invite you to contact me at Ralph.Ortega@sourcemedia.com with your suggestions and to connect at upcoming events and conferences, too. I am excited to have joined the team, and I look forward to producing hard-hitting journalism that informs and inspires you to return to our website and magazine, time and time again.

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