MainStay Investments' and On Wall Street's Third Annual Branch Manager of the Year Awards


This was a year of change for branch managers. During last year's financial crisis, many of them saw the ground shift under their feet. Some were transformed into producing branch managers. Others saw their jobs change due to the "complex" business model. But these Top Ten Branch Managers, nominated by their advisors and selected by a panel of judges, have special lessons to impart - both personal and professional. They manage by walking around their offices and talking to their advisors. They encourage and cajole. They lend their staff a sympathetic ear but realize the needs of investor/clients as well. They see the value of iPhones and social media; but, as one manager, who has battled back from cancer, told the judges: "Technology won't replace the human dynamic."


  • Branch Managers Of The Year

    Honoring the winners of MainStay Investments' and On Wall Street's Third Annual Branch Managers of the Year Awards.

  • Celebrity Chef Keynotes Third Annual Awards Dinner

    In her speech Lidia Bastianich, host of television's Lidia’s Italy, compared her business model to the financial advisory industry and to the role of the branch manager in particular. She emphasized the importance of recognizing and addressing the needs and the desires of the client.

  • VIDEO: The Traffic Cop

    Warren Bischoff of RBC Wealth, one of the Top Ten Branch Managers of the Year, talks about being a complex manager and what it's like to work with superstar advisors.

  • VIDEO: The $20-a-Week Lesson

    Frank Consalo of Fulton Financial/Raymond James discusses how a family decision affected his thinking plus how listening to both his advisors and their clients reaps big rewards.

  • VIDEO: Big Brother, Advisor, Teacher

    May 7, 2010

    Branch Manager Richard Franchella of RBC Wealth describes how he kept his advisors motivated during the financial meltdown.

  • VIDEO: The Importance of Delegating

    May 4, 2010

    A top branch manager of the year, Renee Arst of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney discusses just how critical it is for a team leader to delegate to her lieutenants.

  • VIDEO: A Partner in the Trenches

    May 11, 2010

    By walking around and taking time to talk to each of his advisors every day, producing branch manager Charles Weber of Robert W. Baird gives his secret to his success.

  • VIDEO: The Sophisticated Strategist

    May 11, 2010

    Dan Kraus of Raymond James & Associates helps his complex of advisors devise a holistic approach to the estate planning, tax needs and investment goals of each wealthy client that they serve in southeast Florida.

  • VIDEO: Getting Advisors Back On Offense

    May 11, 2010

    Keith Henry of Bank of America/Merrill Lynch pinpoints the biggest stumbling block to strong advisor performance and describes what he looks for when hiring.

  • VIDEO: Pushing His Team To Its Full Potential

    May 11, 2010

    Complex manager Michael Simonds of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney believes that helping his 150 advisors improve their competency gives his team the competitive edge.