Money Management Institute Announces Finalists for 2019 MMI/Barron's Industry Awards

NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --The Money Management Institute (MMI) today announced the finalists for the 2019 MMI/Barron's Industry Awards, which recognize innovation and leadership in the investment advisory solutions industry.

"Now in their eleventh year, these annual awards celebrate outstanding achievement by honoring firms that have delivered groundbreaking investment advisory solutions and programs for financial advisors and investors over the past year," said Craig Pfeiffer, MMI President and CEO. "We are pleased to team with Barron's, one of the world's most respected financial publications, to recognize the innovative work being done across our industry."

Sterling Shea,? Global Head of Wealth & Asset Management at Dow Jones, the publisher of Barron's, added, "At a time when investors are increasingly searching for professional investment guidance to help them meet their financial goals, these awards acknowledge firms that are supporting financial advisors and their clients with state-of-the-art investment solutions, addressing critical industry issues, and giving back to the communities they serve."

Winners in the following eleven categories will be announced during the 2019 MMI/Barron's Industry Awards Dinner on Tuesday, October 15 at the 2019 MMI Annual Conference in Atlanta.

Digital Innovation: Honoring a new technological innovation (or specific enhancement to an existing platform or tool) that enhances the investor or advisor experience with advisory solutions:

• AllianceBernstein ? Abbie Virtual Assistant
• BlackRock ? Envestnet/BlackRock Integration
• Envestnet Analytics ? Envestnet Analytics/LifeYield Opportunity Advantage
• HighTower ? HighTower Clear
• Morgan Stanley ? Risk Analysis Tool for Financial Advisors
• YCharts ? YCharts.com

"Doing Good": Honoring programs that support a deserving cause or give back to the communities we serve:

• American Century Investments ? Prosper with a Purpose
• Lord Abbett ? Lord Abbett Maternity Wing at Jersey City Medical Center
• UBS ? Support of San Diego Trafficking Prevention Collective

Inclusion: Honoring efforts to promote inclusion and enhance workplace diversity in the investment advisory solutions industry:

• Bank of America Merrill Lynch ? Investment Solutions Group Diversity & Inclusion Council
• Capital Group/American Funds ? Roundtable Conversations on Diversity & Inclusion
• Edward Jones ? Inclusion & Diversity Mentoring Program

Sustainable Investing: Honoring programs that support awareness and adoption of sustainable and ESG investing:

• Bank of America Merrill Lynch ? Sustainable and Impact Investing Initiative
• Morgan Stanley ? Morgan Stanley Impact Quotient
• PIMCO ? PIMCO ESG Investing Platform
• The Investment Integration Project (TIIP) ? Fundamentals of Sustainable Investment: A guide for financial advisors

Distribution Excellence: Honoring firms that provide exemplary and innovative advisor sales support both in the field and from the home office:

• Capital Group/American Funds ? Distribution Excellence
• Clark Capital Management Group ? Clark Capital Distribution Team
• J.P. Morgan Asset Management ? Data Driven Coverage & Advisor Resource Team

Thought Leadership/Education: Honoring new programs, research, educational campaigns, or content that meaningfully advance industry knowledge and understanding of topics key to the future of advisory solutions:

• Clearbridge Investments, a Legg Mason Company ? Anatomy of a Recession Program
• Envestnet ? Envestnet Institute
• Russell Investments ? 2019 Value of an Advisor Survey

Disruption: Honoring a groundbreaking new product, technology, or process that will fundamentally alter the future delivery of advisory solutions:

• Capital Group/American Funds ? North American Distribution Intelligence Augmentation
• Envestnet ? Envestnet MoneyGuide's MyBlocks
• Just Invest LLC ? Just Invest Direct Indexing

Sponsor Platform of the Year: Honoring a sponsor platform that exemplifies innovation in delivering better outcomes for investors and financial advisors:

• Bank of America Merrill Lynch ? Merrill Lynch One ? Investment Advisory
• LPL Financial ? Model Wealth Portfolios
• Morgan Stanley ? Modern Advice Platform

Asset Manager of the Year (AUM of $25 billion of less): Honoring a smaller asset manager that exemplifies innovation in delivering better outcomes for investors and financial advisors:

• Calvert Impact Capital ? Community Investment Note
• Clark Capital Management Group ? Navigator Investment Solutions
• Horizon Investments ? Goals-Based Investment Management Solutions
• Just Invest LLC ? Just Invest Direct Investing

Asset Manager of the Year (AUM of more than $25 billion): Honoring a larger asset manager that exemplifies innovation in delivering better outcomes for investors and financial advisors:

• American Century Investments ? Avantis Investors
• Eaton Vance ? Investment and Wealth Management
• John Hancock Investment Management ? John Hancock Investment Management

Solutions Provider of the Year: Honoring a solutions provider (technology or service provider) that exemplifies innovation in delivering better outcomes for investors and financial advisors:

• eMoney Advisor, LLC ? Foundational Planning
• Fiserv ? Unified Wealth Platform
• LifeYield ? LifeYield Income Advantage
• Orion Advisor Tech ? Orion Advisor Technology

Nominations for the 2019 MMI/Barron's Industry Awards were submitted in an open nomination process, and finalists were selected by a special review committee representing all segments of MMI's membership. MMI member firms will vote to determine the winners in each category.

Proceeds from the 2019 MMI/Barron's Industry Awards Dinner will benefit MMI's Gateway to Leadership Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization that fosters career awareness and workforce readiness for aspiring minority students who may not have a natural path to a career in the financial services industry.

About Money Management Institute (MMI): Established in 1997, the Money Management Institute (MMI) is the industry association representing financial services firms that provide financial advice and investment advisory solutions to investors. Through conferences, educational resources, and thought leadership, MMI facilitates peer-to-peer connections, fosters industry knowledge and professionalism, and supports the development of the next generation of industry leadership. MMI member firms are dedicated to helping individual and institutional investors, at every level of assets, plan for and fulfill their financial goals. For more information, visit http://www.MMInst.org.

About Barron's: Barron's (http://www.barrons.com) is America's premier financial magazine, known for its market-moving stories. Published by Dow Jones since 1921, it reaches an influential audience of professional fund managers, financial advisors, affluent individual investors, financial-services professionals, and senior corporate executives. With new content available every business day in digital form and every week in print, Barron's provides readers with an intelligible recap of recent market action coupled with insights on what's likely to happen in the market in the days and weeks to come. In addition, its annual series of exclusive conferences for financial advisors and investors is dedicated to identifying, enhancing, and expanding best practices in investing. As a result of these initiatives, Barron's is the trusted financial-publishing brand that people active in the market turn to for information, ideas, and insights they can use to increase their professional success and enhance their personal, financial well-being.

SOURCE Money Management Institute