Robin Saar Cassie Mlakar First State Bank LPL

Mother-Daughter Advisor Team Discuss Their Model for Growth

LPL Financial

LPL advisors Robin Saar and Cassie Mlakar of the Investment Services team at First State Bank in Shannon, Ill. sat down with LPL’s Michelle Page, senior vice president, Institution Services, at LPL’s recent Women Advisors Leaders Forum to share their insights on a variety of topics relevant to their business.

PODCAST: Listen to the interview

Saar and Mlakar were among approximately 100 women advisors who attended LPL’s second annual LPL Women Advisors Leader’s Forum. The event focuses on building and empowering women advisors at LPL and within the industry. The team talked about their growth and plans for the future.

  • Shifting to advisory business: By focusing on transitioning their business to LPL’s centrally managed platforms, they have been able to deepen client relationships and support their rapid growth plan.
  • Succession planning: Saar said, “I recall a very distinct conversation with our LPL growth consultant shortly after Cassie joined us. He said, ‘You have something really unique here—a mother-daughter team, and you should build on it.’ We took his advice, and we reinvented our value proposition.”
  • Being a woman in financial services:  “Our greatest value add is being an all-woman team,” Mlakar said.  The ways LPL connects women advisors create value in their affiliation with the firm. “We have the ability to build strong businesses and change our clients’ lives,” Saar said.

The views and opinions expressed by the LPL Financial Advisor(s) are as of the date of the recording. These views may not be representative of the views of other Financial Advisors and are not indicative of future performance or success. Neither LPL Financial nor the LPL Financial Advisor can be held responsible for any direct or incidental loss incurred by applying any of the information offered.

First State Bank and LPL Financial are separate entities.