MIAMI, Oct. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS, LTS PrA, LTSL, LTSF, LTSK, LTSH) ("Ladenburg"), a publicly-traded diversified financial services company, today announced the successful conclusion of its eighth annual Ladenburg Institute of Women & Finance Symposium, an invitation-only event held in New Orleans from Oct. 14 to 16. This year's event brought together more than 200 advisors and other attendees for sessions on topics ranging from practice management and business growth to effective networking; hosted ten female college students and recent graduates interested in financial advisory careers through Ladenburg's Link to the Future program; and honored three outstanding female advisors with the inaugural Ladenburg Women's Connection Awards for their contributions to broadening opportunities for women.

The mission of the Ladenburg Institute of Women & Finance ("LIWF") is to increase the number of women advisors in the independent financial advice space and provide career enrichment and professional development opportunities for female advisors affiliated with Ladenburg's subsidiary independent advisory and brokerage (IAB) firms – Securities America, Triad Advisors, Securities Service Network, Investacorp and KMS Financial Services.

In addition to its annual symposium, LIWF holds webinars and other training, education and networking events throughout the year in order to build a community of peer support for female advisors, facilitate mentoring of woman advisors by their female colleagues and spread the word that the financial services space benefits from creating more opportunities for women.

Richard Lampen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ladenburg, said, "The Ladenburg Institute of Women & Finance's purpose aligns directly with Ladenburg's broader mission to help advisors grow their businesses and better serve their clients. Our eighth annual LIWF Symposium was another rewarding and successful opportunity to support our female advisors and honor their accomplishments. The women in attendance this year, as in past years, were among our top advisors, and it was a great inspiration to me to meet them and hear how they are dedicated to serving their clients and building their businesses. As we move ahead, their contributions will only become more crucial. We look forward to working together to grow our community of female advisors and further LIWF's mission."

Three Advisors Honored with Inaugural Ladenburg Women's Connection Awards

This year's Symposium also featured the launch of the Ladenburg Women's Connection Awards, which recognize outstanding advisors who have demonstrated the qualities that most exemplify the mission of LIWF. There are three separate awards, each given to one female advisor that has been nominated by her peers:

• The Exemplary Practice Award honors a female advisor who has brought other women into the industry via her practice and who, through her mentorship and leadership, has nurtured their careers.
• The Empowering Community Award honors a female advisor who has supported women in her community, either through financial advice programs tailored to women's needs, supporting academic scholarships for young women interested in financial services careers or otherwise empowering women.
• The Advancing Our Profession Award honors a female advisor whose overall professional efforts through leadership, education and community engagement support LIWF and its core values of diversity, inclusion and advancement of women.

The winners, announced at the awards dinner on Oct. 14, were:

• Exemplary Practice: Kimberly Kropp, Moylan Kropp
• Empowering Community: Luna Jaffe, Lunaria Financial
• Advancing Our Profession: Gayle B. Canini, Employee Benefits Administration, Inc.

Jaime Desmond, Chief Operating Officer of Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management and Chairman of LIWF's steering committee, said, "The Ladenburg Women's Connection Awards recognize those women who are doing the hard work every day to ensure that their peers have opportunities to grow and flourish in our industry. These are pioneers who, through their vision, expertise and overall excellence have raised the bar for what we can all achieve towards advancing women's careers in finance. It is our honor have them as part of the Ladenburg family."

Young Women Participate in Link to the Future Program

Ladenburg's Link to the Future program ("LTTF") provided scholarships to ten female college students and recent graduates of bachelor's and master's programs in business-related fields to cover travel and lodging costs of attending the Symposium. At the event, the LTTF participants were paired with an experienced female advisor to answer questions, provide insights and help with networking. Participants also attended a pre-conference educational session, where they heard from senior industry professionals about the day-to-day work of a financial advisor and how a future career as a financial advisor can be a rewarding path for helping clients achieve their life goals.

Participants included daughters of current advisors from Ladenburg's IAB subsidiaries. They represented institutions from across the country, including students and recent graduates from colleges and universities in the New Orleans area.

Amy Rehn, Chief Operating Officer of Triad Advisors and a member of the LIWF steering committee, said, "Part of our mission is to show young women what a career in financial advice really looks like – specifically, that it's a relationship-based business in which advisors become like members of their clients' families as they play a crucial role in guiding their clients towards achieving their long-term life goals. LIWF and Link to the Future help to remove barriers that might prevent otherwise interested young women from pursuing careers as financial advisors and inspire them to join us in our exciting, gratifying profession."

During the Symposium, experts spoke on a range of topics, including practice management, financial planning strategies for female clients and how health and wellness figure into the provision of financial advice. Presenters also discussed the implications of macroeconomic trends and federal tax policy.

Highlights included:

• Keynote speaker Julie Littlechild, an author and client experience expert, discussed her "Absolute Engagement" philosophy, which encourages financial advisors and other entrepreneurs to design their businesses in ways that reflect their personal vision and, in so doing, drive revenue, lower stress and spend more time doing impactful work.
• Chef Susan Spicer, celebrity chef and owner of several successful restaurants, cooked a New Orleans treat for attendees.
• Mo Campanella, a professional development consultant and trainer, talked about the value of advisors recognizing the trade-offs of holding multiple roles in their practices and opting for a CEO model of operation.
• Chris Johnson, an author and speaker, discussed the importance of exercise, healthy eating habits and getting enough rest to improve performance and increase productivity.

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

About Ladenburg Thalmann
Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS, LTS PrA, LTSL, LTSF, LTSK, LTSH) 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 and 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 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, 2018 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 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.

Media Contacts:

Joseph Kuo / Chris Clemens
Haven Tower Group
424 317 4851 and 424 317 4854
jkuo@haventower.com or cclemens@haventower.com

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SOURCE Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc.