New York, NY

Robert Scherzer heads WIA's Metro New York office, and is primarily responsible for the development and oversight of its institutional consulting business for corporate, tax‑exempt, and governmental retirement plans.

Bob has extensive institutional experience, with nearly 30 years in the retirement plan industry. He has spent the majority of his career servicing plans of all sizes and complexities, including several of the nation’s largest retirement plans. His breadth and depth of knowledge cover all aspects of defined contribution, defined benefit, ESOP, and non-qualified plans, including:

Recordkeeping platforms

Plan Design/Behavioral Finance techniques

Institutional investments and stable value portfolios

Fiduciary governance

Liability-driven investing of defined benefit plans

Buy-in/buy-out strategies of defined benefit plans

Employee engagement and financial education strategies

Prior to founding the Metro New York office in 2016, Bob ran the Principal Financial Group’s largest retirement sales and service office in New York City for many years. Bob supervised its team of 15 highly trained professionals, personally working with plan sponsors and retirement plans of all sizes and complexities, and responsible for annual goals exceeding 500 plans and $1.2 billion in corporate and tax-exempt retirement plan assets.

In 2020 Bob was named to the Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Advisers list, recognizing the top financial advisers who specialize in serving defined contribution (DC) retirement plans across the U.S.*

Bob lives in Basking Ridge, New Jersey with his wife, Leslie, and children Ryan, Connor, Katie, and Colin. His passions include coaching football and baseball at the youth level and spending time at Long Beach Island with his family. Bob is a former board member of the Worldwide Children’s Foundation and current trustee of Chuck’s 15 Yard Foundation, assisting a local family in financial difficulty.

*The Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Advisors is an independent listing produced annually by Ignites Research, a division of Money-Media, Inc., on behalf of the Financial Times (October 2020). The FT 401 is based on data gathered from advisors, regulatory disclosures, and the FT’s research. The listing reflects each advisor’s status in six primary areas: DC plan assets under advisement (AUA), DC AUA growth rate, specialization in DC plans, years of experience, advanced industry credentials and compliance record. A total of 855 advisors applied for the award, of which 401 were selected (47%). This award is not indicative of the advisor’s future performance. Neither the advisors nor their parent firms pay a fee to the Financial Times in exchange for inclusion in the FT 401.

Sergio has been in the financial services industry for more than 20 years and has extensive experience in managing retirement plans for both corporations and nonprofits. He is responsible for serving the clients of WIA's New York Metro office, working with all aspects of their plan administration, including:

•Plan design consulting – review plan design provisions to help ensure that the plan still meets the needs of the employer and employees.

•Plan provider selection – assist clients in reviewing the full range of administrative and recordkeeping services offered by their plan provider and determining if the costs are reasonable when compared to the marketplace.

•Investment option selection and monitoring – assist with the initial design of the investment lineup, and the ongoing monitoring of those options.

•Fiduciary education – keeping clients up to date on the ever-changing legislative environment.

•Ongoing support – work with clients to correct any operational deficiencies the plan may encounter, including late contributions submissions, late Form 5500 filings, and operating the plan not in accordance with the plan documents.

Sergio is a lifelong New York City resident and lives in Astoria, Queens. He actively participates in short distance triathlons and has completed several half Ironman distance races.

In his role as Consultant, Conor works closely with the rest of the team to deliver each client the individualized attention and solutions they require. Conor plays a key role in conducting investment due diligence, analysis, and manager research. He holds his Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) designation and is currently a CFA Level II Candidate.

Conor joined the NY Metro team full-time in May of 2020 following his graduation from Clemson University. While pursuing Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Financial Management, Conor was recognized at Clemson as a Thomas F. Chapman Leadership Scholar and completed internships with Pensionmark, now WIA, and Medalist Capital. He was also a member of the Wall Street South Investment Club and served as Treasurer of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. Upon graduation, Conor earned Cum Laude honors for both of his degrees.

In his free time, Conor enjoys playing golf and racquetball, rooting for his Clemson Tigers, and spending time with friends and family.

Connor joined the NY Metro team full-time in August of 2022 after spending four years working for Plan Providers in the retirement plan industry. Connor spent two of those years as a Regional Director covering the Pacific Northwest running his own sales team and region. At WIA, Connor works closely with the rest of the team to assist our clients with optimizing their retirement plans and reducing the typical burden placed on Plan Sponsors. Connor works mainly in the early discussions with Plan Sponsors, specializing in startup plan knowledge and small-market plans. Connor runs analysis and health reviews of current plans and works with Plan Sponsors to implement improvements and plan optimization to their plan design and investments.

Connor enjoys spending his free time on the golf course, at the beach, or rooting for his beloved Clemson tigers.