Fiducient Advisors Selects New Chief Investment Officer

Matthew Rice announced that he is stepping down from his position as chief investment officer of Fiducient Advisors, owned by insurance, wealth and retirement planning aggregator NFP Corp., in a LinkedIn post on Monday.  

“With a heart filled with both excitement and nostalgia, I share with all of you that after an incredible journey of 23 years, I will be bidding farewell to Fiducient Advisors later this year,” Rice wrote in the post. “This decision was not an easy one, as this firm has been my second home, a place where I have grown both professionally and personally, and where I have had the privilege of working with some truly remarkable individuals.” 

Bradford Long, a managing partner in Fiducient, is stepping into the role of CIO, effective immediately, according to the post. Long first joined Fiducient in 2012 and will now lead the firm’s investment strategy and research efforts. 

In addition, Long chairs the firm’s investment committee and is a member of its discretionary committee, research forum, capital markets team and mission-aligned investing committee.  

“As Deputy CIO, I had the opportunity to lead our Investment Committee for the last 18 months,” Long wrote in an emailed statement. “While the title change is effective this week, our broader succession plan has afforded us ample time for a very thoughtful transition.” 

Prior to joining Fiducient, Long worked in various research capacities at Citigroup and Wells Fargo in New York. He earned a B.A. in finance with a minor in economics from the University of Colorado and is a CFA charterholder.  

Long is also active with Greenhouse Scholars, a nonprofit providing financial and personal support to under-resourced college students. 

The news come shortly after Fiducient named Sabrina Bailey as its new CEO last week. Bailey will join from the London Stock Exchange Group plc, where she was global head of investment and wealth solutions. She will succeed Bob DiMeo, the co-founder of Fiducient, who will become chairman.  

“For the better part of a year, we have actively engaged in our succession planning, including the diligent selection of a new CEO,” wrote DiMeo in an emailed statement. “While I remain passionate and active in the business in my new role as Chairman, I couldn’t be more delighted in the appointment of Sabrina Bailey as Fiducient’s new CEO. We’re all also very excited about Brad’s planned transition from Deputy CIO to CIO. These are exciting times at Fiducient that I believe honor and enhance our client centric nature.” 

Earlier this year, NFP named Joel Shapiro as president of its retirement division and appointed Geoff Keeling as CIO for NFP Retirement Inc., its retirement division.