HighTower Managing Directors Share Best Practices At Barron's Top Financial Advisors Summit

CHICAGO, Oct. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- HighTower, the nation's destination of choice for entrepreneurial advisors seeking greater independence and practice control, announces that two of its Managing Directors were chosen to share their expertise at the Top Financial Advisors Summit hosted by Barron's.

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Paul A. Pagnato, Partner and Managing Director of HighTower's Reston, VA-based Pagnato-Karp Group, and Richard Saperstein, Managing Director, Principal and Chief Investment Officer of HighTower's New York, NY-based Treasury Partners, were selected as featured speakers at the conference, which took place from September 25-27, 2013 at the Waldorf Astoria in Orlando, FL.Barron's named Mr. Pagnato and Mr. Saperstein to its list of the "Top 100 Financial Advisors" for 2013. Barron's also included both in its 2013 compilations of America's "Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors" and "Top 1000 Financial Advisors by State."

The conference brought together the professionals featured in the "Top 100 Financial Advisors" list and a select group of 400 advisors chosen by their respective firms to meet and network with the Barron's honorees. The publication organized the gathering as a forum for advisory practices to augment the expertise and skillsets of their top talent in both formal and informal settings.

"Paul and Richard are examples of corner-office advisors who thrive at HighTower by taking advantage of the multiple paths to independence that we offer," said Michael Parker, National Director, Enterprise Development at HighTower. "It is a tribute to their high standards and professionalism, and the HighTower model, that they were given the opportunity to share their best practices and actionable ideas with other top advisors from across the United States."

Mr. Pagnato led a breakout discussion entitled "Marketing Focus: Choosing How and Where to Market Your Brand," which focused on the important roles that public relations, digital/social media and company culture play in branding and marketing strategies. This was his third time serving as a featured speaker at the conference. He will lead another discussion, "Marketing Analysis: Building the Total Team Brand," at the next Barron's Top Financial Advisors Summit in February 2014.

"I am humbled to be recognized by Barron's as one of the top 100 financial advisors in America, and grateful to be a part of such a collaborative event," said Mr. Pagnato. "Hosting interactive discussions with the conference's elite group of attendees enabled Richard and me to use this platform to positively influence the financial services industry."

Barron's also included Mr. Pagnato in its 2012 ranking of America's "Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors" and "Top 1000 Financial Advisors by State" for Virginia (in which he was ranked fifth) for the second year in a row. He worked for 19 years at Merrill Lynch, where he established the firm's Private Banking & Investment office in Washington, DC, before joining HighTower in August 2011. The Pagnato-Karp Group manages over $2 billion in client assets, and specializes in meeting the unique financial planning needs of the country's wealthiest individuals and their families.

Mr. Saperstein led a conference breakout discussion entitled "Communicating What's Right — But Difficult — For Your Clients," which focused on aligning investment strategies with clients and managing difficult situations such as death and disability.

"At HighTower, we believe advisors have a duty to not only help clients map out and reach their financial goals, but also to assist clients and their families in challenging times," said Mr. Saperstein. "Advisors must forge relationships with multiple generations of a client's family to accomplish this objective. It is very important to have a forum to communicate this and other best practices to dynamic advisors from a variety of markets."

With more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, Mr. Saperstein has been named one of the country's "Top 100 Financial Advisors" by Barron's every year since 2004, and was rankedthird on the publication's list of the "Top 1000 Financial Advisors by State" for New York in 2013 and 2012. He joined HighTower in April 2009 after his previous employer, Bear Stearns, was acquired by J.P. Morgan. While at Bear Stearns, Mr. Saperstein and his team created and supervised the Cash Management Group. Treasury Partners provides a variety of conservative cash and wealth management services to private and corporate clients, and oversees more than $7 billion in client assets.

For media inquiries, please contact Melinda Brodbeck, Jennifer Connelly Public Relations (JCPR), at 973-850-7348 or mbrodbeck@jcprinc.com.

About HighTower

HighTower is a national, advisor-owned financial services company serving high-net-worth and institutional clients. HighTower advisors are experienced investment professionals with large and established practices. As a dually-registered, multi-custodial firm, HighTower provides sophisticated investment solutions as well as an independent and unobstructed view of the markets. The company is headquartered in Chicago and maintains corporate centers in New York and San Francisco and offices across the country. See www.hightoweradvisors.com.

Melinda Brodbeck
Jennifer Connelly Public Relations
973-850-7348
mbrodbeck@jcprinc.com

SOURCE HighTower