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| Sigma Financial Corporation |
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History:
In the early 1980s, Jerry Rydell worked as a state of Michigan co-manager for Homelife Insurance Company, now known as Phoenix Homelife. As an investment advisor, he was deeply dissatisfied with the broker/dealer alternatives then available. And so in 1983, he made the decision to establish Sigma Financial Corporation as a way of creating the services he had been seeking.
The following year, he founded Sigma Planning Corporation (SPC) to function as an SEC-registered investment advisor. Originally intended as a means of providing Sigma representatives with fee-based planning opportunities, the firm currently offers numerous money management services, allowing reps to compete effectively in the rapidly growing fee-based money management business.
The Early Years
Sigma Financial Corporation immediately attracted a small group of representatives, all of whom had been affiliated with Homelife. Gradually, they were joined by other professionals who had become acquainted with Jerry through his longtime activities in the local CLU and CFP chapters. Initially, Sigma emphasized fee-based financial planning and required that all representatives be Registered Investment Advisors, a mandate that was later eliminated.
A Reputation for Service
Sigma Financial Corporation continued its steady, controlled growth into the 1990s. By then, the firm was becoming well known for the "high-touch, high-quality personal service" it offered associates. This perception was reinforced in 1991, when Sigma won the Broker-Dealer of the Year Award, presented by the Dow Jones Investment Advisor Magazine. Based on a fax poll of reps, the award-combined with the firm's newly launched advertising campaign-generated tremendous interest and attention within the industry. Before the decade was out, Sigma had garnered six separate Broker-Dealer of the Year awards, a tribute to its service-focused philosophy.
Today, high-level service and support remain a priority for Sigma, a fact demonstrated most recently by the roll-out of "Systems for Success." This A-to-Z tool for practice management is designed to help reps thrive and prosper in today's difficult marketing environment.
An Unswerving Focus on Reps
In 1995, Sigma launched an initiative to help registered representatives double their production in three years. To support its organization-wide campaign, the firm began conducting a variety of educational programs on a broad range of topics. Not surprisingly, this effort bolstered the company's status even further. As a result, Sigma not only expanded its network of associates but also tripled the average production of its rep force during the 1990s.
In 1998, determined to improve the level of customer service for reps using brokerage accounts, Sigma set out to find a clearing firm that could meet its highest expectations. Following an exhaustive search, the firm made its choice and, in 1999, began clearing its trades through First Clearing. Based in Richmond, Virginia, First Clearing provides both outstanding service in the southern-hospitality mode as well as unsurpassed, technology-driven information services. As just one example, the InfoMax web site contains over 80,000 pages of research and marketing tools-everything a rep needs to conduct business.
Succeeding as an Independent
Sigma Financial Corporation is one of the few--and last--truly independent firms within an industry characterized by mergers, acquisitions and mega-corporations. Over the years, Sigma has steadfastly rejected acquisition offers, preferring to remain autonomous and self-directed.
In September of 2001, the firm announced that it had entered into a joint venture with Midland National Life Insurance to form a captive broker-dealer (Sammons Securities) that would service the agent force of Midland National Life. This alliance enabled Sigma to leverage its back office operations and, in so doing, achieve a competitive economy of scale while maintaining its independence.
Community Outreach
In addition to serving its registered representatives-who now number 600+--Sigma has made a strong commitment to corporate citizenship. Each year since 1997, the firm has supported a major charitable event in the community. Past efforts have included building a house through Habitat for Humanity, sponsoring the Wyland Foundation's Ocean Challenge in 1998 and 1999, and hosting annual golf outings to benefit Big Brothers/Big Sisters and to support research on multiple sclerosis.
Looking to the Future
Sigma enters 25+ years with approximately 600+ representatives, plus another 600 "shared" reps through its affiliation with Sammons Securities. In coming years, associates can expect the firm to pursue the same strategy that has enabled it to succeed in good times and bad-a strategy that calls for a combination of careful planning, steady and controlled growth, solid alliances, and a continuing focus on service and support. |
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| Toll Free:
+1 888 744 6264 |
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