SENIOR MOMENTS
beat
Erik Pedersen mentors others BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ
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PHOTO BY CARL SCHULT
ust call me Old Man Pedersen,” says Erik Pedersen. And while he is just 35, Pedersen takes great pride in serving as the “old man” of AXA Advisors Southwest, where he was recently named senior vice president. “Roughly 10,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65 today, and about 10,000 more will cross that threshold every day for the next 19 years. The amount of money that will move from accumulating to distribution as folks retire will be unprecedented,” says Pedersen. “The need for professional advisors has never been greater.” With less than five percent of financial advisors in the country under age 30, and nearly 50 percent of advisors over 55, many are thinking about retirement, themselves. As such, Pedersen—who was just named among the Top 10 AXA Advisors in the nation—is focused on three main areas to help develop young talent. First, he co-founded GET Phoenix, a non-profit networking group that provides professional development opportunities to career-oriented young professionals throughout Maricopa County. Second, he and AXA Advisors are investing in a comprehensive program to help team members who are newer to the industry find success. And third, his team is cultivating an advisorcentric, youth-empowering culture. “We are actively bringing in recent and new college grads into our office every day,” says Pedersen. “So if that means anyone approaching 40 in our office is old, I will take it!”
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Tell us more about GET Phoenix... We seek to provide quality networking and development opportunities to young professionals 24 to 39 in fields including finance, law, insurance, real estate, accounting, and more. Give us an example of a unique teambuilding program you’ve done at AXA. This summer, we are hitting the road and taking the team to San Diego. The only possible topper—the company cruise! Is there anywhere you get to be “the young one” these days? Nope—at home I am Daddy to two kids under 5, and practically Grandpa at work. SO SCOTTSDALE! |
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| JUNE 2015
5/21/15 2:35 PM