lpl financial, a wholly owned subsidiary of lpl financial holdings inc. (nasdaq:lpla), is a leader in the retail financial advice market and currently serves $462 billion in advisory and brokerage assets. lpl is one of the fastest growing ria custodians and is the nation's largest independent broker-dealer (based on total revenues, financial planning magazine june 1996-2015). the company provides proprietary technology, comprehensive clearing and compliance services, practice management programs and training, and independent research to more than 14,000 independent financial advisors and over 700 banks and credit unions, enabling them to help their clients turn life's aspirations into financial realities. advisors associated with lpl also service an estimated 40,000 retirement plans with an estimated $115 billion in retirement plan assets, as of september 30, 2015. lpl also supports approximately 4,300 financial advisors licensed and affiliated with insurance companies with customi