Top Stories of 2022 from Our Community

By Melissa Woods, Marketing Associate

A new year tends to bring moments of reflection. We are sharing a few of the stories that made us smile, were cause for celebration, generated social traction and inspired us. What’s extra inspiring is that this is just a sampling so please continue to follow our incredible Private Advisor Group community. Here are a few top hits from 2022.

Jason Velencia Named Financial Planning’s 2022 Rising Star

He’s a veteran, has a natural tendency to help others, and we’re so thrilled he was recognized as a Financial Planning Rising Star. This award celebrates early-career financial planners who embody the values of the profession and are on a trajectory to make a difference in the field. Jason Velencia, with DVB Financial, a firm based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania fulfilled a childhood dream by serving in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years, including a tour in Afghanistan in the infantry unit prior to joining the financial services realm. Velencia later harnessed his desire to help people and serve others by joining DVB in 2018. When the pandemic hit in 2020, Valencia led a revamping of the firm’s software for planning, client management, information sharing and investments. He’s certainly one to watch and we’re thrilled to have him as part of the Private Advisor Group family.

Give and Give More

2022 was a big year for community service! Ever inspired by our co-founder John Hyland, the Private Advisor Group community swam, biked, and raced in an Ironman all to fundraise over $100,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In addition, Private Advisor Group was the proud platinum sponsor of Invest in Others, a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying the efforts of our profession where our Hyland serves as Board Chair. An entire team also endured outside elements for an overnight sleepout and fundraised over $40,000 to combat youth homelessness and human trafficking in support of our co-founder Pat Sullivan and his board and nonprofit work with Covenant House NJ. These are just a few of the giving efforts our community participates in.

Frank Smith Tapped as Next CEO

In a year of amazing growth, we welcomed exciting change as RJ Moore tapped Frank Smith as the next CEO. Fun fact, Frank’s promotion press drove some of the highest social media engagement of the entire year for us. Cheers to a well-planned succession, to our incredible past, and to a bright future.

Susan Wilkinson Named to Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisors List

Susan Wilkinson, founder and managing partner of Wilkinson Wealth Management and Private Advisor Group Council Member, was named to Forbes’ Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-in-State list. Drawn from all 50 states, each advisor featured is selected by SHOOK Research— chosen based on an algorithm of qualitative and quantitative criteria. These reports identify U.S.-based female financial advisors who are leading the way in offering financial advice and best practices to their clients.

Cybersecurity Cover Story

Not only is cybersecurity a big deal for us, this particular story featured our CIO, Phil Coniglio and was highlighted in Financial Planning’s biggest stories of 2022 and in the magazine’s April cover story. He said, “having an incident response plan that the firm practices periodically is crucial to any cybersecurity defense strategy.”

Read the full story for cybersecurity best practices and for guidance to ensure you’re not falling behind on risk.

A Growing Community

Speaking of high social engagement, welcoming AK Financial Group, Investors Financial Group and all of our newly affiliated advisors is always a true reason to celebrate. We are so looking forward to the continued growth and expansion of our community.

Have a favorite story we missed or one to feature? Don’t hesitate to drop us a line at marketing@privateadvisorgroup.com. Thank you for following, covering and engaging with our community. Cheers to 2023! 

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