HERNDON, Va. — Kehrer Bielan Research & Consulting (KBR&C), an award-winning provider of research and consulting for the financial advice industry, selected Karen Benedict, senior vice president of Northwest Financial Advisors (NWFA), for its annual Top Directors Awards list.¹ Benedict ranked fourth on the list that recognizes the five most successful investment services directors among the nation's credit unions.

Northwest Financial Advisors is a subsidiary of Northwest Federal Credit Union (Northwest Federal) offering credit union members and the general public a comprehensive range of wealth management services. KBR&C assessed the performance of 177 credit union investment programs to produce a list of directors who have risen above their peers. The company used 13 data-driven criteria and a weighted, average score that acknowledge the importance of revenue, assets, advisors and clients to the success of the financial institution's investment services business.

Kevin Fisher, NWFA's president and CEO said, “Kehrer Bielan is a reputable business that we look to for unbiased, authentic investment industry research and insight, so I’m delighted to see Karen’s name on its Top Directors list for the second consecutive year. I concur with Kehrer Bielan’s acknowledgement and congratulate her and her team on this well-deserved recognition."

Benedict has led the firm for more than eight years. Her team of 12 advisors serves clients virtually, from its Herndon headquarters and at several Northwest Federal branch locations in Virginia and Maryland. Under her leadership, the firm surpassed $2 billion in total assets under management (AUM) in 2021, doubling AUM in six years.

The winners were announced in an awards ceremony held at the recent annual PROCU Conference in Laguna Beach, California. For more information about the awards, visit Kehrer Bielan’s website.

About Northwest Financial Advisors
Serving individuals and businesses across the nation for over a quarter century, Northwest Financial Advisors (NWFA) is owned by NW Capital Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest Federal Credit Union. The firm offers a comprehensive range of personalized, unbiased wealth management advice and solutions to help individuals and business owners work toward creating, growing and preserving their assets. LPL Financial, the nation's leading independent broker-dealer² and NWFA's securities custodian, ranked NWFA the No. 1 investment program among its credit union programs and the No. 7 investment program among its bank and credit union programs combined in 2022.³ Visit nwfllc.com for more information.

About Kehrer Bielan Research & Consulting
Kehrer Bielan Research & Consulting (KBR&C) provides the financial advice industry with insights based on a melding of research and experience in managing the delivery of investment, insurance and wealth management services. The firm provides performance assessment and benchmarking, human resource management and development, due diligence, consumer insights and interpretation of industry trends through its original research, unbiased consulting and peer study groups. Please visit kehrerbielan.com or email info@kehrerbielan.com for more information.

¹ Recipients of the annual Kehrer Bielan Top Directors Award were selected based on a transparent, data-driven evaluation process comprised of 13 criteria and a weighted average score.

² Based on total revenues, as reported by Financial Planning magazine, 1996-2021.

³ Rankings based on total production among all LPL Financial Institution Services (FIS) advisors through June 30, 2022.