KMS Financial Services Announces Erinn Ford To Serve As President

SEATTLE, Feb. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- KMS Financial Services, Inc. ("KMS"), a Seattle-based independent advisory and brokerage ("IAB") firm supporting 350 financial advisors, today announced the appointment of Erinn Ford as the firm's President, to take effect in March.  Ms. Ford will succeed Tracy "Ace" Forsythe, a 20-year KMS veteran who is retiring this summer. KMS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS, LTS PrA).

Eric Westberg, Chairman and CEO of KMS, said, "Erinn Ford has consistently been one of the most visible leaders in the retail financial advice space, especially in the Pacific Northwest region, where she and her family have been involved with our industry for decades.  Her outstanding track record for supporting the business growth of independent advisors across the country speaks for itself, and her many professional accomplishments reflect her energy and enthusiasm for helping advisors succeed.  We are very fortunate that a confluence of personal and professional plans for Erinn attracted her to KMS, where she will play a central role in supporting the next phase of our growth. She succeeds Ace Forsythe, who has been pivotal to the growth of KMS and an incredible partner. We wish Ace the best in his well-deserved retirement."

As President of KMS, Ms. Ford will oversee multiple core elements of the firm's forward strategy, including recruiting and retention, enhancements to the firm's client service model and refinements to the firm's open architecture product platform, to provide KMS-affiliated advisors the flexibility, autonomy and expertise to reach their business goals.  Ms. Ford, who has over 25 years of industry experience, most recently served as President of Cetera Advisors, part of Cetera Financial Group.

Erinn Ford said, "Culturally and strategically, this is a perfect fit for me.  KMS combines a boutique service culture with the industry-leading resources of Ladenburg, while heavily emphasizing the accessibility of the KMS leadership team to the advisors served by the firm.  I am a strong proponent of the network model as a structure that adds substantive value to the businesses of independent financial advisors, and Ladenburg is one of the leading players in our industry with this approach."

Ms. Ford added, "Becoming part of the KMS team not only opens an exciting new chapter in my professional life, it also provides me with a homecoming to the Greater Seattle area, where my family and I have deep personal roots that go back for generations.  The opportunity to join KMS comes at a time in my life when it makes sense for family reasons to relocate permanently to Seattle once more. I am deeply grateful to Cetera Financial Group and Cetera Advisors, and proud of all that we accomplished together.  I wish my former colleagues and the firm's advisors all the best."

Richard Lampen, Ladenburg's President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We thank Ace Forsythe for his many contributions to the success of KMS, and we congratulate KMS on adding a seasoned executive of Erinn Ford's caliber to its leadership team.  We were pleased to support KMS in bringing aboard Erinn, as part of our broader strategy of promoting the success of our subsidiaries by providing them with the resources, contacts and intellectual capital to excel in serving financial advisors.  We believe there is considerable opportunity for KMS to reinforce its leadership position throughout the West Coast states, and the hiring of Erinn Ford positions the firm to further realize its full potential."

Prior to serving as President of Cetera Advisors, Erinn Ford was the firm's Senior Vice President, Advisor Relations, with oversight for enhancing the advisor experience.  Ms. Ford holds Series 7, 24, 63 and 65 securities registrations, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in speech communications from the University of Washington.

About KMS Financial Services, Inc.
KMS, an independent advisory and brokerage ("IAB") firm founded in 1971, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. and had $16.6 billion in client assets and 350 experienced investment professionals, as of December 31, 2017.  KMS representatives have an average industry tenure of 21 years, an average KMS tenure of 11 years and are located across the U.S. KMS offers comprehensive compliance oversight and support, practice management services and training, and the distinct culture of a small, experienced firm with the resources of a much larger enterprise. For more information, please visit www.kms.com.

KMS Financial Services, Inc. is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and a member of the Security Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC).

About Ladenburg Thalmann:
Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS, LTS PrA) is a publicly-traded diversified financial services company based in Miami, Florida. Ladenburg's subsidiaries include industry-leading independent advisory and brokerage (IAB) firms Securities America, Inc., Triad Advisors, LLC, Securities Service Network, LLC, Investacorp, Inc. and KMS Financial Services, Inc., as well as Premier Trust, Inc., Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management Inc., Highland Capital Brokerage, Inc., a leading independent life insurance brokerage company, Ladenburg Thalmann Annuity Insurance Services LLC, a full-service annuity processing and marketing company, and Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc., an investment bank which has been a member of the New York Stock Exchange for over 135 years. The company is committed to investing in the growth of its subsidiaries while respecting and maintaining their individual business identities, cultures, and leadership. For more information, please visit www.ladenburg.com.

Media Contacts:
Julius Buchanan / Jessica Caris
Haven Tower Group
424 652 6520 ext. 114 or 424 652 6520 ext. 104
jbuchanan@haventower.com or jcaris@haventower.com

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SOURCE KMS Financial Services, Inc.