2011 Advisor Summit Keynote Speakers

• Warren Cormier
• Larry H. Goldbrum, Esq.
• Marcia S. Wagner

Warren Cormier

Warren Cormier is founder and President of Boston Research Group. He has more than 25 years of quantitative and qualitative experience in financial services research for investment firms (both retail and institutional clients), banks, and insurance companies. He has served as Director of Research for both Shawmut Corporation and Bank of Boston and was a partner at Temple, Barker & Sloane.

Mr. Cormier is also recognized as a market research leader in the Defined Contribution industry. In 2006, he was voted by DC professionals into the Top 20 Most Influential People in the Industry. He also created the DCP 2000-2006 plan sponsor satisfaction and market dynamics studies that have become the standard for service quality and trend measurement in the 401(k) arena.

Mr. Cormier recently co-founded the Behavioral Finance Forum with Dr. Shlomo Benartzi. The mission of the forum is to foster collaboration between the world's leading behavioral finance academics and leading financial institutions to help consumers make better financial decisions.

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Larry H. Goldbrum, Esq.

Larry is Executive Vice President and General Counsel of The SPARK Institute, the leading voice in Washington for the retirement services industry.  The Institute’s members include a broad based cross section of over 50 of the largest retirement plan service providers and investment managers, including banks, mutual fund companies, insurance companies, third party administrators, trade clearing firms and benefits consultants.  Larry provides significant leadership on critical retirement industry issues, including fee disclosure, fiduciary matters, lifetime income solutions, 12b-1 fees, target date funds, in-plan Roth conversions, among others.  Larry also led the development of widely adopted industry best practices for the 403(b) plans and lifetime income solutions in retirement plans, and led the Institute’s efforts on developing the Universal Small Employer Retirement Savings Program, a proposal to help solve the retirement plan coverage gap for American workers at small companies. He also has prepared numerous comment letters regarding proposed rules and regulations and provided testimony to the Department of Labor and United States Congress in order to help shape the outcome of rulemaking efforts.

Larry has received recognition in the “Leadership” category of Money Management Executive’s  Fund Operations Awards and The 401(k) Wire also named Larry as one of the 401(k) plan industry’s 100 most influential people multiple times.

Larry formerly served as Chief Risk Officer and Senior Vice President of Wachovia Retirement Services, and has over 23 years of experience in the retirement plan industry, including six years of private practice specializing in ERISA matters.  He also has served on the American Bankers Association Council on Retirement and Employee Benefits.  

Larry is a frequent speaker at retirement plan industry conferences and is often quoted in industry media.  He received his law degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Law and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from The George Washington University and is a member of the Washington, D.C. Bar. 

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Marcia S. Wagner

Marcia S. Wagner is a specialist in pension and employee benefits law, and is the principal of The Wagner Law Group, A Professional Corporation, in Boston, Massachusetts, which she founded in 1996. A summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Cornell University and a graduate of Harvard Law School, she has practiced in Boston for over twenty-four years. For the past three years, 401k Wire has listed Ms. Wagner as one of its 100 Most Influential Persons in the 401(k) industry.

Ms. Wagner is recognized as an expert in a variety of employee benefits issues and executive compensation matters, including qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, "rabbi" trusts, all forms of deferred compensation, and welfare benefit arrangements. Ms. Wagner was appointed to the IRS TE/GE Advisory Committee, and ended her three-year term as the Chair of its Employee Plans subcommittee. Ms. Wagner has also been inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel. Ms. Wagner is a frequent lecturer and author in the ERISA/employee benefits area and has authored a Bureau of National Affairs Tax Management Portfolio, entitled "Plan Disqualification and ERISA Litigation", for which she has received the BNA 1994 Distinguished Author Commendation, and has also authored, among other books and articles, the following: BNA Tax Management Portfolio: "ERISA Litigation, Procedure, Preemption and Other Title I Issues", and BNA Tax Management Portfolio: "EPCRS – Plan Correction and Disqualification".

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