The Richards Group has announced that Mike Mandracchia has recently been recognized by the Financial Times as one of the top Retirement Plan Advisors in the country. The Financial Times hosted the “FT 401 Retirement Plan Advisors” in New York City recently to acknowledge this group based on their experience, expertise and credentials, as well as metrics including growth, assets under management and plan participation rates. “There were only 4 advisors chosen from Northern New England, so Mike is in select company”, said Ben Taggard, VP of Wealth Management. “Congratulations to Mike for this well-deserved honor. It’s great to see his excellent work with TRG clients recognized at a national level.” The Richards Group consults with many for profit and not for profit employers throughout the region on their retirement plans, providing fiduciary stewardship, investment analytics, benchmarking and cost containment, as well as offering a number of strategies to help with participant education and to improve retirement readiness. The retirement plan consulting practice’s industry focuses include healthcare, education, manufacturing, construction and retail. The Retirement Plan Advisory Team at The Richards Group includes Steve Burnett in Norwich, VT and Jill Golden and Sara Kermenski in Brattleboro, VT. “While I’m certainly honored, I think it’s more important to recognize the validation of the advisory model we’ve worked so hard to develop at The Richards Group and what we deliver to our clients,” said Mandracchia. It’s gratifying to see an independent authority such as the Financial Times place such importance on the proper management of retirement plans and to know that TRG meets their high standards.” Established in 1867, The Richards Group is one of the region’s leading insurance, employee benefits, retirement plan and HR consulting firms, serving over 10,000 clients in the tri-state area of Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.