Talk:Osaic

2019 comment

I’m suggesting the following edits to this page to help with clarity, accuracy, and to improve the overall presentation of the information it contains. (As a self-employed copywriter who does occasional work for Advisor Group, I’m trying avoid COI issues by suggesting the edits as opposed to making them myself.)

Here are the issues I see with the article as it currently exists:

• The first sentence states that Advisor Group is an independent broker-dealer “as of May 2016.” That’s simply incorrect. Advisor Group has always been an independent broker-dealer. In other words, it didn’t “become” one when it was sold by one parent company to another. (I’ll have more on the history of the company below.) Also, I’m not sure why “Independent Broker-Dealer” is capitalized. The phrase includes a common adjective and a common compound noun, none of which require a capital. (i.e. would we write “Nissan is an International Automobile Manufacturer based in Japan”?)
• The only reference in the article links to a slideshow comparing the revenue of various broker-dealers that is not specifically about Advisor Group. Moreover, the reference is titled “Jory Gruber Out at AIG” but doesn’t take readers to an article or site that discusses Jory Gruber’s departure from AIG—or even mentions either of those two subjects.
• The information is mostly packed into a single paragraph that includes multiple topics--description, recent purchase by a parent company, location, size (number of advisors, etc.), structure, broker-dealer members (as well their locations)--forcing the general reader to “extract” the information they may be looking for rather than having it “presented” to them.
• Valerie Brown is the Executive Chairman (capitalized, as it’s a title), not the “chairman” (lower case). (Note she is listed as “Chairman” and not “Chairperson” or “Chairwoman.”)[1]

So I’m suggesting the following edits:

• A simple opening sentence that defines what Advisor Group is: “Advisor Group is an independent broker-dealer headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.”[2]
• Update the sentence regarding the size the company and assets under administration. It now has 7,000 advisors and over $240 billion in total client assets under administration. [3] (Note: the total client assets under administration is the combination of the TCAUA of the four broker-dealers that make up Advisor Group, which are cited below.)
• Create a new section regarding the history of the company. A very brief summary of that history would be: Advisor Group traces is roots back to SunAmerica Planning Centers, Inc., a financial services company formed in 1988 in Baltimore, Maryland. (I have a PDF of the incorporation filing but don't know how to link to or reference it. Any suggestions would be appreciated.) In 1997, SunAmerica Planning became the SunAmerica Financial Network.[4] In 1999, the SunAmerica Financial Network was acquired by American International Group (AIG)[5] and, in 2006, became AIG Advisor Group.[6] In 2016, AIG Advisor Group was acquired by Lightyear Capital LLC, a New York-based private equity firm focused on financial-services investing, and PSP Investments, a Canadian pension investment manager, forming Advisor Group Holdings, Inc.[7]

I also suggest the inclusion of information about the four broker-dealers that make up Advisor Group, as well as some information specific to each company, as, with the exception of SagePoint Financial, each of these companies has a fairly long history of operating under its own name, with its own capital, prior to becoming part of Advisor Group:

FSC Securities was founded in 1958.[8] In 1997, it was acquired by SunAmerica, Inc. and became part of the SunAmerica Financial Network. In 1999, SunAmerica Financial was acquired by AIG, which later formed AIG Advisor Group.[9] Since its inception, FSC Securities has operated under its own name. As of 2019, FSC has 857 financial advisors and $34 billion in total client assets under administration.[10]

Royal Alliance was founded in 1969.[11] In 1989, its then parent company Integrated Resources Equity Corporation (IREC) established Royal Alliance as a broker-dealer.[12] In 1990, IREC was acquired by Broad, Inc. which had created SunAmerica Planning Centers to assist clients with financial and retirement planning.[13] In 1993, Broad Inc. changed its name to SunAmerica, Inc. and later formed the SunAmerica Financial Network.[14] In 1999, the SunAmerica Financial Network was acquired by AIG, which later formed AIG Advisor Group.[15] Since 1989, Royal Alliance has operated under its own name. As of 2019, Royal Alliance has 3,178 financial advisors and $103 billion in total client assets under administration.[16]

SagePoint Financial was founded in 1970.[17] In 2005, its then parent company, AIG, merged its subsidiaries the SunAmerica Financial Network, Sentra Securities and Spellman Securities to form AIG Financial Advisors,[18] and made it part of AIG Advisor Group. In 2009, AIG Financial Advisors was renamed SagePoint Financial.[19] As of 2019, SagePoint Financial has 1,433 financial advisors and $45 billion in total client assets under administration.[20]

Woodbury Financial Services was founded in 1968.[21] In 2001, The Hartford acquired Woodbury Financial to offer insurance, annuities and mutual funds through its affiliated financial advisors.[22] In 2012, Woodbury was acquired by AIG and became part of AIG Advisor Group.[23] Since 2001, Woodbury Financial has operated under its own name. As of 2019, Woodbury Financial has 1,838 financial advisors and $60 billion in total client assets under administration.[24]

Thank you. Any helpful suggestions are very much appreciated. --Richardmlange (talk) 20:58, 5 April 2019 (UTC)

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