Advisor Spends Six Weeks Campaigning for Unexpected Honor

Breaking · Recognition

Advisor Spends Six Weeks Campaigning for Unexpected Honor

Colleagues credit his persistence.

By Staff Fabricator · Industry Desk

Brent Kessling poses with a hand over his heart in an office filled with enormous Vote for Brent portraits while two employees make campaign calls. — Kessling prepares to let his work speak for itself.AI-generated satirical photo illustration

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — Advisor Brent Kessling said Friday he was “completely taken aback” to receive a professional honor after six weeks of emails, personal calls, and photographs of himself beside the words “VOTE FOR BRENT.”

The League of Independent Advisors and Recordkeepers (LIAR™) cited his “exceptional industry engagement.”

“I’ve always believed the work should speak for itself,” Kessling wrote in his seventh reminder.

His team prepared two announcements: one saying he was humbled to win, and one saying he was humbled just to be nominated. Both were approved before voting opened.

The League reported a record 14 votes. Kessling received 11, including two his assistant cast “to make sure the form worked.”

Plan sponsor Kyle Brandt said he voted after receiving more contact from Kessling during the campaign than during the previous year.

“I thought that would be the end of it,” Brandt said.

He has since been asked to share the announcement.

Our Own Prestigious Recognition Program

Industry Asks How to Apply for Liar of the Year

By Staff Fabricator

A deliberately ornate gold award medal with red ribbons, reading 401(k) at the top, LIAR in enormous letters in the center, and OF THE YEAR along the bottom.

CHICAGO — The League of Independent Advisors and Recordkeepers opened nominations Friday for the inaugural 401(k) Liar of the Year award, prompting several firms to request the nomination link before the selection criteria had been announced.

“Is there a version for the email signature?” one advisor asked.

The winner will receive the Golden Back-Pat, a statuette of a professional congratulating himself. Finalists will receive a smaller version described as equally prestigious.

The League said nominations would be evaluated independently.

Brent Kessling has already submitted an independent evaluation of his nomination.

Succession · An Update

J.D. Carlson Returns From Pro Surf Tour, Finds Succession Plan Still in Effect

By Staff Fabricator

J.D. Carlson returns to Plan Design Consultants with an eyebrow bandage, a black eye and an unbothered smile, carrying his cream and turquoise surfboard. His outstretched wrist has a beige orthopedic splint as he reaches for a Visitor badge from the receptionist. The desk sign reads Plan Design Consultants and smart • easy • awesome, with easy in orange. — Carlson returns to the firm he successfully left.AI-generated satirical photo illustration

J.D. Carlson returned from the professional surf tour Friday and reported to the office, where he found his son Tristan continuing to run the company exactly as instructed.

Carlson described the transition as a success and asked where his desk and the fax machine had gone.

His nomination for 401(k) Liar of the Year recognizes “the industry’s first round-trip succession plan.”

The surfboard has been given a permanent place in the office. Carlson has been given a visitor badge.

Previously: Carlson hands over the firm and returns to the pro surf tour →

Quick Takes

LIAR Names Top 100 Industry Leaders; Remaining Seven Asked to Check SpamThe League says no member should interpret a delivery failure as a judgment.
457 Plan Wins Award Originally Engraved for 403(b)Organizers said the distinction would be addressed during the breakout session.
Recordkeeper Accepts Award for Client ServiceClients learned of it from the hold music.

In Brief

LIAR Introduces Enhanced Humility Package

CHICAGO — The League of Independent Advisors and Recordkeepers introduced a $1,450 Enhanced Humility Package Friday for award recipients wishing to communicate how little they sought recognition.

The package includes a desk plaque, website badge, email signature, and four prewritten announcements thanking others.

The premium tier upgrades “humbled” to “deeply humbled.”

Brent Kessling selected the premium tier after learning that another advisor in his building was deeply humbled.

401(k) Liar of the Year

THE NOMINEES · SELECTED CITATIONS

Brent KesslingAdvisor
For helping clients arrive independently at his conclusions.
Dan KowalskiKowalski Plumbing & Heating
For attending an industry conference with something people actually needed.
Marcy FeldkampTri-County Pension Services
For following up without calling it thought leadership.
GaryCurrently unavailable
For making himself the emergency contact in his own out-of-office reply.
Dale PruittWarehouse supervisor, Dayton
For confirming his account is “probably fine” for a fifteenth consecutive year.
Penny (v2)Meridian Trust Services
For returning from a software update with a much better opinion of Meridian.
Form 5558Extension specialist
For contributing more to work-life balance than the wellness committee.
J.D. CarlsonReturning founder
For completing the industry’s first round-trip succession plan.

Official Selection Procedures

Self-nominations must be written in the third person.
Judges will receive submissions with company names removed. Logos will remain.
Ties will be resolved by creating another category.

The One True Thing

The organization wins every year.

You get a plaque. It gets its name on your website, in your email signature, and in front of every client you have.

Normally, an organization would have to pay for that much advertising.

You thank it for choosing you.

Previous Edition

Vol. 1, No. 12 · ThursdayFund Company’s Report Finds Participants Who Did Nothing Had Their Best Year EverPlus: Doing Nothing, Faster.

Corrections

Yesterday’s edition identified Brent Kessling as an advisor. He has asked that we add “award-winning.” We have not.

Next Edition

Vol. 1, No. 14 · Sunday ComicsThe NomineesMember engagement is really up this year.