Talent Introduction Program Top Honor Award
The Talent Introduction Program (TIP) Top Honor Award recognizes the five financial professionals who have done the best job in attracting new talent to Guardian. These are leaders who know how to build trust and connections in their communities, can inspire others, and are skilled at identifying people who can become successful financial professionals with Guardian, while maintaining the highest standards of personal and professional conduct. While all referrers receive bonuses under TIP, Guardian also makes donations ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 in the names of Top Honor Award winners to the charity of their choice.
The Top Honor Award is open to all Leaders Club qualifiers and reflects both the quantity and the quality of new recruits they refer, taking into consideration their productivity and retention rates.
Learn about our Top Honor Award winners, how they inspire new financial professionals, and the work of the charitable organizations they chose.
“With this business, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it.”
Scott Zedeker
Fort Myers/Naples
After 17 years as a weatherman on local TV station WINK, Scott Zedeker is a familiar face in Fort Myers. That familiarity, plus the trust he’d established on air, has translated into a successful career as a financial professional with Guardian. How successful? In just his fourth year, he has achieved the number-one position in the TIP Top Honor Award.
Scott’s journey began when he decided to leave his TV job. A former TV station colleague had joined Guardian in 2016. When she heard he was leaving, she reached out and introduced him to the agency’s leadership team. Impressed, Scott joined the team — just in time for COVID, although that period also gave him more time to obtain his licenses.
He’s learned a tremendous amount by being in the office and soaking up the knowledge and experience of the agency’s team. “I learn something new almost every day,” he says, “whether it’s different types of plans, tax implications, or the challenges of working with a new small business. Every situation is different.”
Scott is intimately familiar with the needs of small businesses, as he and his wife own two small businesses and are deeply embedded and involved in the Fort Myers community. His knowledge of the community and the network he’s built helps him find new clients, helping them protect themselves, their families, and their businesses. “My mentality is that the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. There’s lots of opportunity and lots of people you can meet.”
Charity of choice: $10,000 to Next Level Church (FL)
Next Level Church started with 35 people in a movie theater in 2002. There are now three locations in southwest Florida, with a fourth location having opened in downtown Fort Myers (near Scott’s office) in October 2024. This new building will also includes a shelter for women.
“My advice for my recruits is, ‘Trust the process. Learn every day. Always improve. Your pocketbook will improve if you do the right thing for your client.”
Nick Taber
Western Pacific
Nick Taber is a Guardian “lifer,” joining right out of college in 2008. As with many good things in life, serendipity played a role: He was best friends with the son of Ron Haugge, who owned the agency at the time. (And, in fact, that son, Pat Haugge, is also in the business today!) Ron ran into Nick’s dad and asked what Nick was doing after college. When Ron heard Nick was doing interviews, he reached out and Nick jumped aboard.
Starting so young could have been a challenge, but Nick had some great mentors in the nucleus of GAs and FPs who, as he puts it, “raised” him in the business. This includes Andy Link (his first GA), Ron Haugge, Brian Solonin, and Darby Minick. This group, plus other FPs he’s met in the business over the years, are still his biggest influences and each one has shaped him in a different way, whether in their work ethic, willingness to help others, or their ability to network constantly.
Nick loves the process, the culture, and the way Guardian does business. His guiding principle is to always do right by the client, noting that The Living Balance Sheet® and its emphasis on “protection first” is crucial, as are the tools Park Avenue Securities offers.
Charity of choice: $5,000 to Missoula YMCA (MT)
Nick strongly believes in helping young people stay active and be involved in sports, a belief so strong that he serves on the board of the Missoula YMCA. The donation on his behalf will go to support their current capital campaign, so it was a natural fit.
“Success is about discipline and just getting up every day, trying to make a difference in the lives of the people we touch.”
Mark Murphy
Forest Hills Financial Group
Mark Murphy joined Guardian directly from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in 1985. It’s a decision that made him “rich in terms of knowledge and the ability to make a difference in the world.” He credits Guardian and Indiana University for shaping his life.
Mark doesn’t believe in competition, but he does believe in making a difference in the lives of the people he serves. He wants it to be great for our clients first, his team second, Guardian third, and him, fourth. His goal is to change the lives of 100 million people.
He can’t do it alone — that’s why it is important for him to recruit new talent that can collectively make a difference. For Mark, “there’s nothing you can’t do with a little bit of hard work, determination, and dedication.” While motivation is important, Mark notes that “success is more about discipline and falling in love with the mundane and just getting up every day trying to make a difference in the lives of the people we touch.”
Mark is a prolific writer and speaker. His latest book, The Ultimate Investment: A Roadmap to Grow Your Business and Build Multigenerational Wealth, has been ranked the #1 bestseller on Amazon. Mark’s podcast, the Hero of The Hour, has earned a spot in the U.S. Top 40, securing its place in the highly competitive categories of Business and Entrepreneurship. He is a member of the Indiana University Varsity Club National Board of Directors and was voted #1 Top Best-in-State Financial Security Professional and # 9 Top Financial Security Professional by Forbes in 2024.
Charity of choice: $5,000 donated to Hoosiers For Good (IN)
Hoosiers For Good partners charitable organizations with student athletes from Indiana University to use their influence and leadership to help Indiana communities thrive. For Mark, it’s a great way to support his “happy place” — Indiana University and the community.
“Even if the day doesn’t go as planned, just stay focused on the most important aspect of being a financial advisor: helping people move themselves in a better financial direction.”
Mark Bucklaw
Lifetime Financial Growth
Mark Bucklaw is another Guardian “lifer” who joined immediately after finishing college at Duquesne in 2012. “I met an advisor from the agency and he told me about what he does and how much of an impact he has on people’s lives.” Once he understood what financial planning was all about and how, as an advisor, he could help people at every stage of their lives, Mark was aboard. Three months after graduating, he’d already taken his license test and been appointed.
Mark is succinct when asked the secret of his success: “Perseverance.” He’s also been aided by the always helpful community at Lifetime Financial Growth. Following their example, he puts the work in every day. “Even if the day doesn’t go as planned, just stay focused on the most important aspect of being a financial advisor: helping people move themselves in a better financial direction.”
Working for Guardian helps. He loves The Living Balance Sheet® and notes, “Guardian has given me a great opportunity to work with people and have relationships within the medical field. That’s because they’ve done a great job with product design on both insurance and investment offerings through PAS.”
Charity of choice: $2,000 to Ohio Health (OH)
Mark works with a lot of physicians, a number of whom work at Ohio Health, a strong local hospital that supports the community. Thanks to a teammate at the agency, he learned about projects the hospital is working on to bring additional resources into the community. He’s directing his donation to help move these changes forward.
“It’s all about educating people, whether existing or new prospects, and growing together.”
Leon Li
Greater Los Angeles
After starting his career as the owner of a telecommunications company with 20 employees, Leon Li knows how to talk to small business owners. That experience has helped rapidly develop a successful career as an FP, starting with New York Life in 2019 and transitioning to Guardian in 2021. In his three years with Guardian, he’s been in the Leaders Club every year.
The hard work required to achieve this level of success comes naturally to Leon. His father, a physics professor in Beijing, where Leon was born, is “the hardest working dad I’ve ever seen.” After years of working 24/7 at his own business, Leon loves the challenge of learning from his top producers and bringing new people into the business, including his son, who joined the agency two years ago from college.
He looks at his job as educating his clients, both existing and prospective, and growing together with them. His success is due to hard work, persistence, and a “never say die” attitude.
Charity of choice: $2,000 to National Philanthropic Trust (CA)
The National Philanthropic Trust helps donors achieve their philanthropic goals with donor-advised funds and is one of the largest grant-making institutions in the United States. They’ve done a lot in southern California and Leon has done business with the director.