COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 1, 2021 -- As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, the impact has been felt by advisors and financial professionals, even the most successful. In 2020, only 57% of successful advisors and financial professionals expected the profitability of their practice to increase in the next 12 months, compared to 81% in 2019—a profound decline of 24 percentage points. Moreover, these top performers cited the pandemic as the number one concern to the success of their practice over the next 12 months (33%). To confront these concerns, successful advisors and financial professionals are proactively looking ahead, by focusing on strategies to protect their clients, practices and profitability, and position their firms for future growth. These are among the latest findings revealed by Nationwide's sixth annual