HOUSTON, Texas and SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Sept. 28, 2017 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants, a retail property, casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant, announced today that Director of Retirement Rob Massa and Ascende Wealth Advisers Inc., EPIC\u2019s Retirement Consulting Team, has been named to the 2017 Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Plan Advisers. This list recognizes the top financial advisers who specialize in serving Defined Contribution (DC) retirement plans.<\/p>\n
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\nThis is the third annual FT 401 list, produced independently by the Financial Times in collaboration with Ignites Research, a subsidiary of the FT that provides business intelligence on asset management. Applicants were graded on seven criteria: DC assets under management (AUM), DC AUM growth rate, specialization in DC plans, years of experience, advanced industry credentials, compliance record and DC plan participation rate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is an honor for Rob Massa and his team to be named a 401 Top Retirement Plan Adviser,\u201d said Jim Watt, EPIC Southwest Region President and National Employee Benefits Practice Leader. \u201cThis recognition validates our team\u2019s commitment to continue to deliver a higher standard of care to help our clients meet their retirement goals. Our team has earned a well-deserved place among the industry\u2019s most prominent retirement plan advisers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The final FT 401 represents an impressive cohort of elite advisers: the \u201caverage\u201d adviser in this year\u2019s FT 401 has 19 years of experience advising DC plans and manages $1.6 billion in DC plan assets. The FT 401 advisers hail from 38 states and Washington D.C., and DC plans on average account for 74% of their total assets under management.<\/p>\n
The FT 401 is one of a series of rankings of top advisers developed by the FT in partnership with Ignites Research, including the FT 300 (independent RIA firms) and the FT 400 (broker-dealer advisers).<\/p>\n
About Ascende Wealth Advisers, Inc.:<\/strong> About EPIC:<\/strong> EPIC now has 1,100 team members operating from offices across the U.S., providing Property Casualty, Employee Benefits, Specialty Programs and Private Client solutions to more than 20,000 clients.<\/p>\n With run rate revenues approaching $300 million, EPIC ranks among the top 20 retail insurance brokers in the United States. Backed by Oak Hill Capital Partners, the company continues to expand organically and through strategic acquisitions across the country.<\/p>\n
\nAscende Wealth Advisers,\u00a0Inc. (AWAI)\u00a0is an SEC registered investment advisory firm dedicated to providing unbiased investment advice by acting as either an ERISA 3(21) co-fiduciary or an ERISA 3(38) investment fiduciary to corporate sponsored qualified and nonqualified plans, as well as international and offshore savings arrangements.<\/p>\n
\nEPIC is a unique and innovative retail property and casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm. EPIC has created a values-based, client-focused culture that attracts and retains top talent, fosters employee satisfaction and loyalty and sustains a high level of customer service excellence. EPIC team members have consistently recognized their company as a \u201cBest Place to Work\u201d in multiple regions and as a \u201cBest Place to Work in the Insurance Industry\u201d nationally.<\/p>\n