Lincoln Financial Distributors Adds Four Retirement Plan Services Distribution Specialists

Lincoln Financial Distributors (LFD), the wholesale distribution business of Lincoln Financial Group (NYSE:LNC), today said it expanded its Retirement Plan Services intermediary sales force by four people, bringing the team to 34-strong throughout the United States.

The four new specialists are: Gina Balducci, covering the western San Francisco Bay Area and northwest California; Ashlee Vingle, responsible for San Diego; Timothy Yarbrough, focused on southwest Texas; and Patricia Norton, helping clients throughout southeast Florida.

As part of their responsibilities, Balducci, Vingle, Yarbrough and Norton will provide Lincoln’s retirement plan solutions to financial representatives, supporting advisors as they drive better retirement outcomes for their clients through Lincoln’s wealth protection expertise and broad portfolio of asset-protecting solutions. These new additions represent a continued expansion of Lincoln’s intermediary Retirement Plan Services sales team, which was announced in January 2014.

“We will continue expanding our sales force to provide better service and increase awareness of our retirement plan services offerings,” said John Kennedy, head of LFD’s Retirement Solutions Distribution, which includes Lincoln’s Intermediary Retirement Services Plan sales business. “Lincoln was built on delivering accumulation, asset protection and income distribution strategies, and our Retirement Plan Services portfolio is an impressive part of that business. By expanding our team, advisors will experience an increased level of support, providing access to the right tools and solutions as they develop goal-based retirement plan programs for their clients.”

About Gina Balducci (San Francisco Bay Area west and northwest California)

Balducci has more than 10 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining LFD, she served as district manager, retirement services for ADP, San Francisco, where she was responsible for developing and implementing sales strategies around its defined contribution business. Balducci has served in a variety of sales capacities throughout her career, including as an external wholesaler at Zacks Investment Management, and a hybrid wholesaler for Russell Investment Group.

She earned a bachelor of arts degree in international studies and economics from the University of South Florida and holds FINRA Series 7 and 66 registrations.

About Ashlee Vingle (San Diego, CA.)

Vingle has nearly six years of financial services and marketing experience. Prior to joining LFD, she was a regional sales consultant for CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions, where she served advisors in the wire and independent planner channels in Los Angeles. Previously, she served in a number of financial advisory roles at Merrill Lynch.

Vingle received a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and holds FINRA Series 7 and 66 registrations.

About Timothy Yarbrough (southwest Texas)

Yarbrough has close to two decades of financial services experience. Prior to joining LFD, Yarbrough was an external wholesaler with Wells Fargo Advantage Funds, where he focused on supporting advisors from Merrill Lynch, UBS, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo throughout north Texas. He has held a variety of roles during his career, including serving as a financial consultant for Charles Schwab & Co., and in sales roles with John Hancock, Fixed Income Securities, LLC., American Funds Distributors, and USAA Investment Management Co.

Yarbrough received a bachelor of applied science degree in psychology from the University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio. He is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor, and holds FINRA series 7, 63, 65 and 24 registrations.

About Patricia Norton (southeast Florida)

Norton has close to three decades of financial services experience. Prior to joining LFD, she was a district manager for sales of ADP, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. In that role, she was responsible for selling bundled mutual funds through the bank, wire and independent planner channels. Earlier in her career, she held a range of sales leadership positions with Transamerica, CitiStreet, LLC, First Union National Bank, Prudential Retirement Services, and Merrill Lynch.

Norton received a bachelor of arts degree in English, from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. She holds FINRA Series 6 and 63 registrations.

About Lincoln Financial Distributors

Lincoln Financial Distributors, Inc. (LFD), the wholesale distribution business of Lincoln Financial Group (LFG), provides expertise and access to a range of solutions that help advisors protect wealth and deliver outcomes for their clients. Lincoln’s broad portfolio includes innovative annuity, life insurance and retirement solutions that focus on addressing issues related to taxes, healthcare, longevity, inflation and market volatility. LFD comprises seasoned financial professionals who distribute Lincoln products through licensed insurance agents, registered broker-dealers, and other financial services intermediaries. Affiliates are separately responsible for their own financial and contractual obligations.

About Lincoln Financial Group’s Retirement Plan Services:

For more than 60 years, Lincoln Financial’s Retirement Plan Services (RPS) business has been helping savers boost their retirement readiness through employer-sponsored plans. Our distribution force of more than 400 professionals, including institutional and wholesale distribution channels and advisor-based sales teams, work to provide plan sponsors with retirement plans that not only meet the unique needs of their plan participants but also align with sponsors’ total rewards strategies and help recruit and retain top talent. RPS Retirement Consultants, available onsite, online and by phone, develop long-term one-on-one relationships with savers to help motivate them to take actions that lead to better retirement outcomes. RPS offers personalized services, solutions and education to help plan participants get to and through retirement. The business serves approximately 1.4 million participants through 22,000 plan sponsors with $54 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2014.

About Lincoln Financial Group

Lincoln Financial Group provides advice and solutions that help empower Americans to take charge of their financial lives with confidence and optimism. Today, more than 17 million customers trust our retirement, insurance and wealth protection expertise to help address their lifestyle, savings and income goals, as well as to guard against long-term care expenses. Headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, Lincoln Financial Group is the marketing name for Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) and its affiliates. The company had $216 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2014. Learn more at: www.LincolnFinancial.com.

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