Family-owned, independent broker-dealer, The Leaders Group, Inc., surpassed 1,000 registered representatives in 2020, adding 276 this year alone with 139 of those additions being retail or dual retail-wholesale representatives–many of whom were formerly affiliated with Nationwide. Founded in 1994 by the late Dave Wickersham, The Leaders Group has grown steadily and enjoyed more than 25 years in a constantly evolving and volatile market.
As the number one distributor broker-dealer in the world for variable life insurance, The Leaders Group achieved 20-22 percent of year-over-year top-line revenue growth in 2020 and averaged about 20 percent in annual top-line revenue growth over the past five years. The firm has expanded its influence over annuity business and forged a path for licensed property and casualty agents to produce in the personal finance market, particularly IRAs and some 401(k)s. The Leaders Group has been the preferred broker-dealer for life insurance producers and retail representatives and has also been a leading broker-dealer for private placement insurance and life settlement solutions.
“The strategies we have implemented over the past several years have put our business on a higher growth trajectory than even we could have predicted,” said President and CMO Sean Wickersham. “The praise our back office receives from new reps illustrates our distinction from other broker-dealers and RIA firms.”
The Leaders Group is one of the nation’s only broker-dealers specializing in wholesale brokerage business. With nearly 200 general agents and wholesale organizations, the firm is committed to helping distribute securities and insurance products through BGAs. Many other broker-dealers fail to understand wholesale business and can be difficult to work with due to their lack of experience within the market. While other broker-dealers are becoming more restrictive, The Leaders Group’s ability to leverage wholesale relationships helps newly registered representatives protect the relationships they have built throughout their careers.
Some producers have a need for a robust retail platform; The Leaders Group provides that platform, enabling general agents to recruit retail producers under their hierarchy and affiliate them within the agency. Every communication from The Leaders Group serves to reinforce the relationship between the retail representative and their GA. As evidence of the firm’s commitment to wholesale business, The Leaders Group has a dedicated team of professionals to serve as the point of contact for registration, transition, and education and sales support.
“The Leaders Group is a growing firm in a challenging industry,” said Charles Arnold, Sales and Business Development Team manager. “We understand the frustrations that many financial professionals face when leaving one firm for another and aim to ease their transition as much as possible. Flexibility is a big reason why people are choosing to work with us.”
In addition to widening their imprint on the broker-dealer market, the firm has seen growth in the outside registered investment advisor (RIA) space. TLG Advisors, Inc., provides a solution for advisors seeking more freedom and value within the financial services industry. Many of The Leaders Group’s financial professionals are dually registered as investment advisor representatives (IARs) with TLG Advisors, a combination typically not found at other firms.
The overarching motto “Doing the right thing is always the right thing” guides The Leaders Group’s business operations and decision making. The firm looks to continue thriving as a result of their unique understanding of the industry and flexible accommodation of almost any business model or situation.
The Leaders Group, Inc. is a national, independent broker-dealer focused on delivering a superior level of customer service. Today they are the number one distributor broker-dealer of VUL in the world and continue to be The Premier Broker-Dealer for BGAs.™ They take pride in supporting your efforts to run your business independently and endorse a client-first mindset, maintaining a high level of accessibility and industry-specific knowledge to fit almost any business model. Their friendly and experienced staff is ready to assist you with building your business.
They are family owned and operate independently from all insurance providers, marketing organizations and other entities. Their reps are not a number but members of The Leaders Group family.
