Voya Financial Advisors Introduces New Advanced Planning Program to Expand Advisor Services

WINDSOR, Conn., Feb. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), announced today that its broker-dealer, Voya Financial Advisors, Inc., has introduced a new Advanced Planning program to help advisors deliver financial planning to their clients. The program is driven by a dedicated credentialed services team equipped with targeted resources and best-in-class technology platforms. The new program complements the firm's recent "white glove" service offering, which allows advisors to improve their practice efficiency and build stronger relationship-based business models. Voya Financial Advisors has been evolving their network in the past year by focusing on new resources, technology enhancements and an expanded product shelf, helping to grow annual advisory sales by 30 percent during 2015.

According to research from Voya Financial¹, individuals who work with a financial professional take more steps to plan for retirement; for example, they are more than four times (37 percent) as likely to have a formal written retirement plan. Financial planning provides an opportunity for advisors to work with clients to build a well-rounded strategy. The new Advanced Planning team fulfills a growing need in the market by supporting those advisors who want to offer financial planning services to their clients.

"Voya wants to help advisors expand the way they support their clients. This includes deepening those relationships and staying focused on financial planning and retirement readiness," said Tom Halloran, president, Voya Financial Advisors. "Our new Advanced Planning program is an example of the investments we are making and the value we deliver to advisors who are evolving and growing their practices. These efforts underscore our position as a leading broker-dealer and the vision we have to be America's Retirement Company™."

Voya's Advanced Planning team leverages a suite of expanded resources and integrated technology capabilities. An industry-leading software platform delivers a single seamless experience to help advisors provide better plan implementation and adoption. "Each member of the team is experienced and holds advanced designations. They can walk advisors through a clear and thoughtful process. The ultimate goal is to get clients organized and emotionally attached to their plan," noted Michael Berry, CFP, Advanced Planning team, Voya Financial Advisors. "Advisors now have an opportunity to receive technology and guidance along the way as they develop a client's financial plan. This provides them with more time to focus on deeper client discussions and to identify effective solutions."

The Advanced Planning team provides a structured process for advisors and clients to follow as they create a plan — with a clear focus on defining and quantifying the value of the advisor's role throughout the experience. Plans are completed with the support of digital resources and reviewed regularly to make adjustments based on life changes and market events. This collaborative process fosters ongoing communication and shifts the focus away from short-term investment returns to a client's broader financial goals.

The new relationship-oriented approach is helping advisors establish stronger connections with their clients. "By implementing a defined process, with specific client expectations, this has enabled me to have more productive meetings, fewer ad-hoc requests and focused time to grow my ideal customer base," said Michael Balderson, a Spokane, Washington-based advisor affiliated with Voya Financial Advisors.

Voya believes that regardless of one's age or life stage, investing the time today to get organized and create a plan can help individuals prepare for a more secure financial future.

Voya Financial Advisors is a top-tier independent broker-dealer focused on helping advance the retirement readiness and financial security needs of Americans. For more information, visit www.voyafa.com.

¹ Voya Retirement Research Institute 2015 study: "The benefits of working with a financial professional."

Media Contact:
Laura Maulucci 
Voya Financial  
Office: (860) 580-1278 
Cell: (508) 353-6913
Laura.Maulucci@voya.com                                

About Voya Financial^®
Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), helps Americans plan, invest and protect their savings — to get ready to retire better. Serving the financial needs of approximately 13 million individual and institutional customers in the United States, Voya is a Fortune 500 company that had $11 billion in revenue in 2015. The company had $452 billion in total assets under management and administration as of Dec. 31, 2015. With a clear mission to make a secure financial future possible — one person, one family, one institution at a time — Voya's vision is to be America's Retirement Company™. The company is equally committed to conducting business in a way that is socially, environmentally, economically and ethically responsible — Voya has been recognized as one of the 2015 World's Most Ethical Companies™ by the Ethisphere Institute, and as one of the Top Green Companies in the U.S., by Newsweek magazine. For more information, visit voya.com or view the company's 2014 annual report. Follow Voya Financial on Facebook and Twitter @Voya.

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SOURCE Voya Financial, Inc.