Last Day At LPL

Friday was my last day at LPL and I wanted to say thank you to a great company for an amazing 6.5 years.

The two logical questions are where are you going and why did you leave? I'll leave what is next for another time, but I'm excited about it and it'll be out soon. As anyone who has been to an LPL conference lately knows, we are touting our Research team as being more institutional. This is the right move for LPL, but doesn't fit my brand. If you've ever seen me present, dress up silly for a video, or tell a stupid joke on my podcast, I'm just not meant to be institutional. They've hired some great employees lately that fit this direction and I can't wait to see the department continue to grow. I'll be cheering for them (plus I own some shares so they better keep growing!)

Here are a few highlights over the years.

* We had more than 50 people in Research when I started, now we are close to 20. Yet, we have extremely successfully managed more than $70 billion in AUM, along with all the incredible amount of research and writing we do to help our Advisors.

* We were one of the first broker/dealers to have a podcast, now four years later LPL Market Signals has had nearly 1 million downloads and I hear all the time how much people enjoy listening to it each week.

* Our YouTube channel is one of the top financial video sites out there. We knew years ago that video was the wave of the future and we've leveraged that as much as we could.

* lplresearch.com is our blog and it has quickly become a place that investors and Advisors alike can find actionable and relevant market info. With more than 3 million views since 2017, it has been another huge success.

* I've had a blast managing one of our top performing models (the Technical Equity model) with Scott Brown the past few years. YTD, 1, 3, and 5-years it is one of the top performers. Scott, your future is very bright and I can't wait to see how you continue to help our industry.

* Our stock hit $16 soon after I started in early 2016, but closed at $118 on Friday. That is something we all can be proud of for sure.

I'd like to thank a few people.

Jeff Buchbinder and Barry Gilbert. You guys are the glue to our team and you are everything someone could ever hope for in a co-worker, but also a friend. There's no one else I'd rather be with during something like March 2020 than you two. To think how many texts we sent after midnight back then...

Dan Arnold thank you for letting me be a voice and thought leader for this company. You're leadership and drive are inspirational to all of us.

John Lynch thank you for always being a voice of reason and someone I can always trust. Every time we talk I learn something and I appreciate you so much. Plus, you owe me dinner at Midwood Smokehouse, so let's do it soon!

Thanks to Burt White for taking a chance on an Ohio boy who would start talking all fast and excited when he started talking markets. What a ride it has been and I owe it all to you. I still remember what you said to me that first time we hung out in your office when you were recruiting me. You said I wasn't New York. I asked if that was a good thing and you said it was if I worked for LPL. That all sure was true and worked out well.

Lastly, thanks to all the amazing LPL Advisors out there. I never really looked at this like a job (it was too much fun) and I never really looked at you as anything other than a friend. This is by far the hardest part about leaving, I'll miss you guys more than you'll ever know. But the good news is I'll still be around and I'd love to catch up at anytime.

I've been told by some that leaving LPL is like taking an escalator down. I fully agree that LPL is on the up escalator, but I'd like to think I'm just ready to get on another up escalator.

I wish everyone out there a great summer and I'm looking forward to a little break for a few weeks, but you better believe I'll be coming back strong and fast once I'm back. See you soon!

Ryan