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Lincoln Financial Review

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This review was produced by SmartAsset based on publicly available information. The named firm and its financial professionals have not reviewed, approved, or endorsed this review and are not responsible for its accuracy. Review content is produced by SmartAsset independently of any business relationships that might exist between SmartAsset and the named firm and its financial professionals, and firms and financial professionals having business relationships with SmartAsset receive no special treatment or consideration in SmartAsset’s reviews. This page contains links to SmartAsset’s financial advisor matching tool, which may or may not match you with the firm mentioned in this review or its financial professionals.

Lincoln Financial Securities Corporation

Lincoln Financial Securities Corporation (LFS) functions as both a registered investment advisor (RIA) and a registered broker-dealer.

The fee-based firm has billions in client assets under management, and it currently serves nearly 18,000 clients. Individual clients make up the vast majority of the financial advisor's clients.

The firm charges asset-based fees, hourly fees, fixed fees and commissions. 

Lincoln Financial Securities Background

LFS traces its origins back to 1969 when it became incorporated. The firm became a registered investment advisor with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1985. Lincoln National Corporation wholly owns LFS.

This firm also offers sponsored advisory services through SEI Investments Management Corporation and AssetMark, Inc. Morningstar Investment Services, LLC, Brinker Capital, Symmetry Partners LLC, CLS Investments LLC, City National Rochdale, LLC, Flexible Plan Investments Ltd. and Pacific Financial Group Inc.

Lincoln Financial Securities Client Types and Minimum Account Sizes

Lincoln Financial serves individuals, high-net-worth individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, corporations and other businesses. 

The firm’s account minimums typically vary based on account type. They range from $25,000 to $250,000. 

Services Offered by Lincoln Financial Securities 

Lincoln Financial offers the following advisory services:

  • Portfolio management
  • Financial planning
  • Selection of other advisors (including private fund managers)
  • Retirement plan consulting services
  • Custom Wealth Advantage Choice Wealth Management Program
  • Custom Wealth Advantage Program (which includes the Custom Wealth Advantage Separately Managed Accounts Program, Custom Wealth Advantage Unified Portfolio, Custom Wealth Advantage Mutual Fund Program, and the Custom Wealth Advantage Strategist Program). 

Lincoln Financial Securities Investment Philosophy 

Lincoln Financial’s professionals help clients evaluate different securities in various asset classes, according to the firm’s website. The firm also believes a successful portfolio contains the right combination of investment vehicles, and advisors analyze each security on its risk, style and performance.

Lincoln utilizes several products, including exchange-traded equity securities, bonds, mutual funds, annuities and alternative investments

Lincoln Financial Services Fees

For programs that rely on portfolio managers, Lincoln requires clients to pay a portion of the total fee up to 3.00% of assets. Fees for retirement plan advisory services are negotiable.

What to Watch Out For

LFS has multiple disclosures listed on its Form ADV.  One of the violations, which stemmed from the firm allegedly failing to enforce certain procedures between 2007 and 2009, resulted in a fine of $525,000 and a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) censure. 

Also know that some advisors also offer investment and insurance products which charge fees that are in addition to the fees for regular advisory services. This can create a conflict of interest if advisors push products charging a sales commission but which are not in the best interest of the client. However, as an SEC-registered firm, LFS and its advisors must abide by fiduciary duty and act in your best interests. 

Opening an Account with Lincoln Financial 

You can set up an account with Lincoln Financial by visiting one of the firm’s offices or by calling an advisor at (800) 237-3813.

Investing Tips for Beginners

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All information is accurate as of the writing of this article.

How Long $1mm Lasts in Retirement

SmartAsset's interactive map highlights places where $1 million will last the longest in retirement. Zoom between states and the national map to see the top spots in each region. Also, scroll over any city to learn about the cost of living in retirement for that location.

Least
Most
Rank City Housing Expenses Food Expenses Healthcare Expenses Utilities Expenses Transportation Expenses

Methodology We analyzed data on average expenditures for seniors, cost of living and investment returns to determine how many years of retirement a $1 million nest egg would cover in cities across America.

First, we looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on the average annual expenditures of seniors. We then applied cost of living data from the Council for Community and Economic Research to adjust those national average spending levels based on the costs of each expense category (housing, food, healthcare, utilities, transportation and other) in each city. Using this data, SmartAsset calculated the average cost of living for retirees in the largest U.S. cities.

We assumed the $1 million would grow at a real return (interest minus inflation) of 2%. Then, we divided $1 million by the sum of each of those annual numbers to determine how long $1 million would cover retirement expenses in each of the cities in our study. Cities where $1 million lasted the longest ranked the highest in the study.

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Council for Community and Economic Research