LPL Updates Brand at Yearly Conference

The broker-dealer says it expects nearly 9,000 advisors, staff and sponsors at its San Diego-based event.

LPL Financial kicked off its yearly Focus conference Sunday in San Diego with a new twist to its brand.

The independent broker-dealer says its new “visual identity is designed with a modern look and approachable style that reflects the breadth of LPL’s client-focused  services and wealth management solutions,” according to a news release.

The development comes more than three years after it tinkered with its brand and added a “Feel Free” slogan to it. 

LPL’s Focus event is set to have close to 9,000 attendees — including financial advisors, employees and sponsors — and will include about 200 breakout sessions, according to the firm. 

Topics at the event, which runs through Wednesday, include artificial intelligence, behavioral finance, estate planning, client segmentation and marketing. Some of the event’s keynote speakers are Olympic medalist Apolo Ohno and former NFL Super Bowl champion Jon Dorenbos, who also was a two-time Pro Bowler.

A registration desk for LPL Financial’s Focus event at the San Diego Convention Center on Aug. 11.

“We are thrilled to gather in San Diego for the largest Focus event in LPL history … ,” President and CEO Dan Arnold said in a statement. “We are investing back into our winning model to create unprecedented flexibility in how advisors affiliate” with the firm.

Last week, LPL Financial recruited Houston-based advisor Alberto Francis to its high-net-worth-focused employee affiliation model from Bank of America Private Bank. Francis’ move came about two months after LPL recruited its first advisors to the HNW channel — which was launched in November — in Oklahoma City.

The IBD’s advisor headcount was 23,462 as of June 30 — up 1,520 from a year ago and 578 from the first quarter of 2024. Its total advisory and brokerage assets were $1.5 trillion at the end of the second quarter, up 21% from Q2’23.