Herndon, Va. — Northwest Financial Advisors (NWFA), a subsidiary of Northwest Federal Credit Union (Northwest Federal), today announced that Karen Benedict, NWFA senior vice president and investment program manager, was recently ranked No. 12 on Bank Investment Consultant’s (BIC) Top 30 Bank Program Managers list. Benedict has appeared on the prestigious investment industry list for four consecutive years. She is also the only institution-based investment program manager in Northern Virginia to make this year’s list.

BIC, a leading news and analysis source for bank and credit union advisors, program managers and executives, selects the nation’s top bank and credit union investment program managers using several quantitative criteria to produce a list of well-rounded professionals. Criteria used include the number of advisors managed, team assets under management (AUM), percentage growth in their team’s annual production and production per advisor.^{1, 2}  

“Karen continues to take on new challenges to ensure the quality and strength of our firm, so I am delighted to see that BIC has once again recognized her,” said Kevin Fisher, president and CEO of NWFA. “I commend her and her team for a job well done on behalf of our clients who depend upon our capabilities, especially in these uncertain times.”

NWFA serves credit union members and others from its Herndon, Virginia headquarters, eight Northwest Federal branch offices in Virginia and one in Maryland, as well as virtually via web-based meetings. Under Benedict’s leadership, NWFA’s team of 11 dedicated advisors together served over $1.6 billion in brokerage and advisory assets, and gross asset inflows topped $140 million, a 13 percent increase over 2018.

NWFA is supported by LPL Financial, a leading retail investment advisory firm and independent broker/dealer.³ LPL Financial is the nation’s leading provider of third-party investment services to financial institutions, offering insurance and investment services to more than 800 banks and credit unions nationwide.⁴ NWFA benefits from LPL’s Financial Institution Services (FIS) which provides consulting, back-office support, access to technology and resources delivering integrated capabilities, and solutions to address the evolving needs of bank and credit union investment programs. 

For the detailed list of top program managers, visit bic.financial-planning.com.

About Northwest Financial Advisors

Serving individuals and businesses across the nation for nearly 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, objective wealth management advice and solutions to help individuals and families work toward creating, growing and preserving their assets. LPL Financial, the nation’s leading independent broker-dealer and NWFA’s securities custodian, ranked NWFA the No. 2 investment program among its credit union programs and the No. 7 investment program among its bank and credit union programs combined in 2020.5 Visit www.nwfllc.com for more information. 

About LPL Financial

LPL Financial (https://www.lpl.com) is a leader in the retail financial-advice market and the nation’s largest independent broker-dealer. We serve independent financial advisors and financial institutions, providing them with the technology, research, clearing and compliance services, and practice management programs they need to create and grow thriving practices. LPL enables them to provide objective guidance to millions of American families seeking wealth management, retirement planning, financial planning, and asset-management solutions.

¹ BIC ranking based on number of advisors managed, team assets under management (AUM), growth percentage of team’s production and production per advisor.

² The team assets under management numbers reported by BIC include advisory and brokerage assets serviced by the advisor team. Asset numbers reported were as of January 1, 2020.

³ Based on total revenues, Financial Planning magazine June 1996-2019.

⁴ 2018/2019 Kehrer Bielan TPM Survey. Based on Financial Institution Market Share.

⁵ Rankings based on total production among all LPL Financial Institution Services (FIS) advisors through March 31, 2020.

Securities are offered through LPL Financial (LPL), a registered broker-dealer (member FINRA/SIPC). Insurance products offered through LPL or its licensed affiliates. Investment advice offered through Northwest Financial Advisors, a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial. Northwest Federal Credit Union (NWFCU) is not registered as a broker-dealer or investment advisor. Registered representatives of LPL offer products and services using Northwest Financial Advisors, and may also be employees of NWFCU. These products and services are being offered through LPL or its affiliates, which are separate entities from, and not affiliates of, NWFCU or Northwest Financial Advisors. Securities and insurance offered through LPL or its affiliates are:

Not Insured By NCUA or Any Other Government Entity.  /  Not Credit Union Guaranteed.  /  Not Credit Union Deposits or Obligations.  /  May Lose Value.