Herndon, Va. — Karen Benedict, Sr. Vice President and Investment Program Manager for Northwest Financial Advisors (NWFA), a subsidiary of Northwest Federal Credit Union, was recently ranked No. 9 on Bank Investment Consultant’s (BIC) Top 25 Bank Program Managers list. She is the sole northern Virginia financial institution investment program manager and female to make the list.

Bank Investment Consultant, a leading news and analysis source for bank and credit union advisors, program managers and executives, ranked individuals on several criteria to produce a list of well-rounded professionals. These criteria include the number of advisors managed, team assets under management (AUM), growth percentage of their team’s production and production per advisor. 

NWFA President/CEO Kevin Fisher remarked, “We’re very proud to see Karen’s name among the top 10 individuals on BIC’s list. This recognition honors her success leading Northwest Financial Advisors, the No. 1 LPL Financial credit union investment program in the nation [based on total investment revenue for 2016]. Karen has spearheaded several significant initiatives for our investment advisory group, including establishing advisor succession plans, developing our own portfolio models and creating an outstanding culture of compliance. Karen’s performance on behalf of Northwest Financial Advisors has been exemplary, and we congratulate her and our advisors on this achievement.”

“On behalf of LPL, I congratulate Karen Benedict on receiving this industry distinction,” said Arthur Osman, LPL Executive Vice President, Business Consulting. “Karen has demonstrated leadership in our industry at large and her leadership has played an integral role in building a successful investment program at Northwest Federal Credit Union. We are proud to support Karen and her  team and their commitment to deepening the level of service they can provide to clients by offering investment services that help them work toward their financial goals.”

The investment program at Northwest Federal Credit Union is supported by LPL Financial, a leading retail investment advisory firm and independent broker/dealer. LPL Financial Institution Services is the nation’s leading provider of third-party investment services to financial institutions, offering insurance and investment services to approximately 750 banks and credit unions nationwide*. Institution Services provides resources, high-touch service, consulting and technology solutions to support bank and credit union wealth management programs. 

Under Karen’s leadership, NWFA’s team of advisors collectively served $1.14 billion in brokerage and advisory assets, growing the firm by $71 million in AUM for the year. To view the full BIC Top 25 Program Managers list, visit www.bankinvestmentconsultant.com (link is external).

Northwest Financial Advisors and Northwest Federal Credit Union are not registered broker/dealers and are not affiliated with LPL Financial. Bank Investment Consultant and LPL Financial are not affiliated.