Ladenburg Subsidiary Congratulates Hybrid RIA and OSJ Resources Investment Advisors on Formation of One of the Nation’s Leading Networks of Retirement Plan-Focused Advisors in Affiliation with Retirement Benefits Group

Retirement Benefits Group Encompasses 68 Financial Advisors and Staff, Together with Over $10 Billion in Assets Under Administration

Atlanta, GA – January 7, 2019 –Triad Advisors, LLC ("Triad" or "the Firm"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS, LTSL, LTS PrA, LTSF, LTSK), and Resources Investment Advisors, LLC (“Resources”), a leading wealth management and retirement plan-focused hybrid RIA and OSJ firm, jointly announced the successful recruitment of Retirement Benefits Group (RBG), a retirement plan-focused advisory firm with over $10 billion in assets under administration (AUA). (Assets under administration includes fee-based advisory, brokerage and plan-based client assets.) Triad Advisors is a leading independent advisory and brokerage (IAB) firm supporting independent hybrid financial advisory practices and registered investment advisory (RIA) firms.

RBG provides consulting services and guidance to retirement plan sponsors through its headquarters location in San Diego and 15 affiliated offices nationwide. The firm’s 68 advisors and staff provide a comprehensive range of services including plan design, investment monitoring and fiduciary services, as well as private client wealth management. The firm currently serves more than 580 total retirement plans.

Based in Overland Park, Kansas, Resources Investment Advisors serves approximately 160 advisors across 48 affiliated offices nationwide, who collectively advise more than 2,100 corporate retirement plans with approximately $36 billion in total assets under management. The group’s advisors also have more than $3 billion in total client assets through their wealth management operations.

RBG, which will continue to support independent financial advisors under its current brand and leadership structure, will affiliate with Resources Investment Advisors (“Resources”), which specializes in supporting independent financial advisors focused on company retirement plans and private wealth management. Resources, which affiliated with Triad in early 2017, will be one of the leading networks of corporate retirement plan-focused advisors in the country. In addition to leveraging the platforms and solutions offered by Resources, RBG will also utilize Triad’s independent RIA and hybrid brokerage services.

Jeff Rosenthal, President and Chief Executive Officer of Triad Advisors, said, “Leading retirement plan consulting teams like Retirement Benefits Group are looking for strong partner firms that can fully align around their needs in today’s highly complex retirement plan advice space. Firms like RBG that are ready to move to a new stage of growth require world-class infrastructure, a sophisticated understanding of the retirement plan space and a hands-on service model that can accelerate the success of their affiliated advisors. At Triad, we’re pleased to deliver these strengths, together with the exceptional value-added services and solutions that we can provide through our parent company, Ladenburg Thalmann. We’re proud to serve RBG, and we look forward to helping drive the firm’s continued success in close collaboration with Resources Investment Advisors.”

Vince Morris, Founder and President of Resources Investment Advisors, said, “Today’s corporate retirement plan marketplace offers truly unique opportunities for well-resourced financial advisors to effectively support plan sponsors and plan participants in an evolving and highly complex landscape. Plan participants need more in-depth and sophisticated offerings to help them properly prepare for retirement, while sponsors need more comprehensive guidance, expertise and innovation from the advisors who support their plans. Along with multiple investments we have made over the past two years in significantly expanding our support infrastructure, our announcement today further strengthens the market position of both Resources and RBG, with the enhanced scale and market reach our advisors need to stay one step ahead in this environment, for the benefit of both their businesses and their clients.”

Sean Ciemiewicz, Principal of Retirement Benefits Group, said, “Our new affiliation with Resources Investment Advisors and Triad Advisors presents our group with opportunities for accelerated growth by providing plan sponsors and plan participants with the support they need to meet their goals. Last year served as a strategic inflection point for RBG to take a fresh look at the firms we work with to create the best possible combination of culture, high-touch service, retirement plan expertise and immediate access to the tools and resources our advisors expect. After a comprehensive review, Resources and Triad emerged as the best possible partners to help us bring our future vision for RBG to fruition. We look forward to leveraging our new relationships with Resources and Triad to further advance our ability to serve financial advisors, retirement plan sponsors and plan participants.”

About Triad Advisors

Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, Triad Advisors, LLC is a national, independent advisory and brokerage firm as well as a multi-custodial SEC-Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) that is an early pioneer and continued leader in the Hybrid RIA marketplace. The company provides a comprehensive platform of products, trading and technology systems, as well as customized wealth management solutions. Recognized as one of the most successful and fastest-growing independent firms in the industry (including being named the leading firm for Hybrid RIAs nine years in a row by Investment Advisor magazine), Triad Advisors is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS, LTSL, LTS PrA, LTSF, LTSK). For more information, please visit www.triad-advisors.com.

About Resources Investment Advisors

Founded in 1987, Resources Investment Advisors, Inc. (“Resources”) encompasses an independent hybrid registered investment adviser (RIA) firm registered with the SEC, as well as a Super-OSJ group, that specializes in supporting independent financial advisors across the country who are focused on the corporate retirement plan space. Resources delivers industry-leading growth platforms, tools, technology and education to its community of affiliated independent financial advisor businesses, each of which are independently managed, while also connected through shared ideas, values and best practices in client service. In 2017, Resources was named the Fastest Growing RIA in the country by WealthManagement.com. For more information, please visit www.riaadvisor.com.

About Retirement Benefits Group

Retirement Benefits Group is a supportive group of retirement plan consultants with headquarters in Southern California and 15 affiliate offices nationwide. The firm’s goal is to provide professional, non-biased guidance to institutional clients and their employees. Retirement Benefits Group specializes in providing customized retirement plan consulting services, executive benefits, wealth management and retirement management services to individuals and companies of all sizes throughout the United States. The firm’s team of retirement plan consultants provides risk management strategies for fiduciaries and custom strategies designed to help participants work towards retirement. For more information, please visit www.rbgnrp.com.

About Ladenburg Thalmann

Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS, LTSL, LTS PrA, LTSF, LTSK) 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, Triad Advisors, Securities Service Network, Investacorp and KMS Financial Services, as well as Premier Trust, Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management, Highland Capital Brokerage, a leading independent life insurance brokerage company, Ladenburg Thalmann Annuity Insurance Services, 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.

This press release includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding future growth and growth of our independent advisory and brokerage business. These statements are based on management's current expectations or beliefs and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by the statements herein due to changes in economic, business, competitive and/or regulatory factors, and other risks and uncertainties affecting the operation of Ladenburg Thalmann's business. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include those set forth in Ladenburg Thalmann's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and other factors detailed from time to time in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The information set forth herein should be read in light of such risks. Further, investors should keep in mind that Ladenburg Thalmann's quarterly revenue and profits can fluctuate materially depending on many factors, including the number, size and timing of completed offerings and other transactions. Accordingly, Ladenburg Thalmann's revenue and profits in any particular quarter may not be indicative of future results. Ladenburg Thalmann is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise, except as required by law.

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