RIA Edge

Brandon Kawal reflects on the RIA M&A shift from gold rush mentality to an institutional arms race. In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, editorial director for Informa Connect’s Wealth Management Group, talks with Brandon Kawal, partner at Advisor Growth Strategies, about remaining buoyant in the M&A market despite the challenges of … Read More Read More

Foster’s firm, Angeles Wealth Management, has a 40% compound growth rate without tapping the M&A markets by fostering a “culture of storytellers.” In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, editorial director for Informa Connect’s Wealth Management Group, talks with Jon Foster, president and CEO of Angeles Wealth, a firm that caters to … Read More Read More

Savant CEO and founder Brent Brodeski shares his playbook of success through M&A as a means to fill service gaps and to expand his service model across 15 states, with national ambitions.  In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, editorial director for Informa Connect’s Wealth Management Group, talks with Brent Brodeski, CEO … Read More Read More

An early architect of Joe Duran’s United Capital, and a former Goldman Sachs PFM exec, Mike Capelle and his partners secured $200 million to build a national RIA with a vision of bringing all a client’s planning needs—tax, insurance, estate planning—under one roof. In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, editorial director … Read More Read More

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, editorial director for Informa Connect’s Wealth Management Group, talks with Craig Robson, founder of Regent Peak Wealth Advisors, about why, after 25 years at Merrill Lynch, he ventured into independent practice where, over the past five years, he’s built a growing practice catering to wealth … Read More Read More

Growth-minded RIAs often look to bring new services to clients. Research from WMIQ and Marshberry shows widely different motivations and approaches—and sometimes elevated expectations for the impact on firm value. In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, managing director of editorial and content strategies for the Wealth Management Group at Informa, talks … Read More Read More

The seasoned RIA executive has penned a nearly 100-page whitepaper sketching a bleak but compelling future for the wealth management industry.  In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, editorial director for Informa Connect’s Wealth Management Group, talks with Mark Hurley, founder of Fiduciary Network who heads the cybersecurity firm Digital Privacy & … Read More Read More

Wealthspire Advisors’ Mike LaMena on the secret to building a national RIA with a single identity that still empowers advisors to bring their “personal brand” and credibility to local communities and niche markets. In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, editorial director for Informa Connect’s Wealth Management Group, talks with Mike LaMena, … Read More Read More

Dan Seder shares Blue Chip Partners’ unique approach to managing human capital and building a growth engine inside a $1 billion AUM firm.  In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, managing director of editorial and content strategies for the Wealth Management Group at Informa, talks with Dan Seder, managing partner with Blue … Read More Read More

Marshberry’s Rob Madore shares strategies for growth, succession and the recent shift in how RIAs are approaching mergers and acquisitions. In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, managing director of editorial and content strategies for the Wealth Management Group at Informa, talks with Rob Madore, vice president of financial services for MarshBerry, … Read More Read More

Ryan Parker, CEO of EP Wealth, sheds light on the firm’s intentional M&A strategy and what it means for the company’s development. In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, managing director of editorial and content strategies for the Wealth Management Group at Informa, talks with Ryan Parker, CEO of EP Wealth, on … Read More Read More

Lisa Salvi shares how successful firms leverage a comprehensive approach to long-term success. In this episode, David Armstrong, managing director of editorial and content strategies for the Wealth Management Group at Informa, talks with Lisa Salvi, Managing Director, Advisor Services, Charles Schwab, about Schwab’s RIA Benchmarking Study that highlights industry performance and where advisory firms … Read More Read More

Jonathan Hirtle, founder and chairman of Hirtle, Callaghan & Co., has been called the “Oracle of Outsource” by Pension & Investments magazine for his work pioneering the “outsourced chief investment officer” business model for families and institutions.  Here, Hirtle speaks with Wealth Management’s David Armstrong about the opportunity he saw to start the firm 35 … Read More Read More

Snowden Lane Partners: A calibrated blend of autonomy and support.  In this episode, David Armstrong, managing director of editorial and content strategies for the Wealth Management Group at Informa, talks with Alison Burkett, head of enterprise development at Snowden Lane Partners, about the firm’s approach to growth: A carefully calibrated blend of autonomy and support. … Read More Read More

This episode of the RIA Edge podcast features a conversation between David Armstrong, managing director of editorial and content strategies for the Wealth Management Group at Informa, and Molly Bennard, the CEO of Connectus Wealth Advisers. Connectus Wealth is a Focus Financial Partners-owned firm, but, unlike others inside that network, it acts more like a … Read More Read More

Uncover the latest trends shaping the M&A sphere in 2023, driving strategic decisions and future success. In this RIA Edge episode, Mark Bruno, managing director of the wealth management group at Informa talks with Catherine Williams, head of practice management at Dimensional Fund Advisors, about the changes in the M&A landscape and the noticeable shifts … Read More Read More

This era in wealth management has seen unparalleled growth opportunity. Lido Advisors has embraced this golden age of shifting demographics and technological advancements to be one of the fastest growing and successful firms in the industry.  In this episode of the RIA Edge podcast, Mark Bruno, managing director of the wealth management group at Informa, and … Read More Read More

This episode of the RIA Edge podcast features a conversation between Mark Bruno, Managing Director of Wealth Management Group at Informa, and Arthur Ambarik, CEO of Perigon Wealth Management. The discussion delves into  Perigon’’s unique position and model within the RIA channel, as well as the  primary contributors to its impressive growth trajectory. Arthur shares … Read More Read More

Following a remarkable period of M&A activity in the RIA industry, one of the star bankers in the industry has made the leap from leading deals to leading one of the largest RIAs in wealth management.   In this special episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host Mark Bruno, the Managing Director of the Wealth Management … Read More Read More

Building an RIA firm that can successfully attract, retain and develop top talent – and ultimately become the “RIA of choice” in a specific market — is no easy feat. But one firm, Halbert Hargrove, for years has been building bridges from G1, to G2 and even G3 talent. In the process the firm’s experiences … Read More Read More

While the M&A activity levels at the start of 2023 slowed somewhat, there have been several notable developments during the first half of the year that will shape M&A and valuations over the remainder of 2023 – and beyond.  In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, Jessica Polito, Founder of investment bank Turkey Hill … Read More Read More

This episode of the RIA Edge podcast provides advisors with a view into the trends that are influencing and impacting growth across the RIA landscape.  Specifically, industry veteran Tom Bradley, Managing Director at Schwab Advisor Services, and Informa’s Mark Bruno provide benchmarks for growth rates and a high-level view of the “levers” that top firms … Read More Read More

While the need for financial advice – and the ability to access advice – has never been greater, most advisors still have not been able to capitalize on the growing number of opportunities.  According to Steve Sanduski, advisor coach, CFP, New York Times Best-Selling Author and founder of the Sanduski Advisor Network, suggests that while … Read More Read More

While there have been hundreds of M&A transactions in the RIA channel in recent years, Focus Financial was one of the first strategic acquirers in the industry more than a decade ago – and has since grown into one of the largest and most influential firms in the wealth management business.  In this episode of … Read More Read More

While markets may be in bear territory, it’s a bull market for financial advice – as more individuals need access to professional advice than ever before.  How can RIAs effectively take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime growth opportunity to acquire new clients and deepen relationships with existing clients? Megan Carpenter, the CEO and Founder of FiComm … Read More Read More

While scores of RIAs continue to experience growth, despite headwinds in the markets and economy, some firms are growing more strategically than others – and this strategic growth is exponentially more valuable according to Jeff Vivacqua, President of Growth & Development at Cambridge Investment Research. In this episode of the RIA Edge podcast, Mark Bruno, … Read More Read More

RMB Capital has become one of the largest and most successful RIA firms in the wealth management industry – with its own, at times, under-the-radar approach to growth. A strategic approach to M&A, organic growth and management of all things capital has fueled the firm’s success over the years, landing RMB on the inaugural RIA … Read More Read More

With heightened market volatility and uncertainty significantly impacting client portfolios over the last year, RIAs have been leaning more on alternative investments to present their clients with new sources of return, income and downside protection.  In this episode of RIA Edge, David Levi, Managing Partner at Brookfield and Head of Brookfield Oaktree Wealth Solutions, shares … Read More Read More

The RIA Edge Podcast: One-on-One with AlTi CEO Michael Tiedemann At the start of 2023, Michael Tiedemann and his namesake wealth and asset management firm – Tiedemann Advisors – completed one of the largest and most unique mergers to-date in the wealth management industry. Tiedemann combined his firm with Alvarium Investments and the Cartesian Growth … Read More Read More

When Jeff Dekko took the helm at Wealth Enhancement Group, it was a regional player with roughly $600 million in assets. Fast forward to 2023, and WEG is now one of the largest players in the RIA space with more than $60 billion in assets under management and a rapidly growing national footprint.  While WEG … Read More Read More

While M&A activity levels across the industry have generally cooled in recent months from a record pace, the minority investment market is heating up and continues to re-shape the RIA landscape.   In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, Managing Director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Karl Heckenberg, CEO and President of Emigrant Partners, … Read More Read More

Whether you are looking to buy, sell or build a partnership with another company, finding the right fit for your vision is essential. In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, Managing Director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Natalie Wolfsen, CEO of AssetMark, and Barrett Ayers, CEO of Adhesion Wealth, on their recently closed … Read More Read More

M&A activity has re-shaped the wealth management industry in recent years – but it also accelerating the evolution of the business, and ultimately access to financial advice.  In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, Managing Director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Brent Brodeski, CEO of Savant Wealth Management, about the firm’s inorganic and … Read More Read More

In reviewing the past year, advisors are looking for more ways to grow their business. How will they take the first step into 2023 with a growth mindset? In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, Managing Director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Jim Cahn, Chief Investment Officer and Chief Business Development Officer for … Read More Read More

The way advisors market their services has changed over the years, from one-to-one word-of-mouth and cold-calling to mass market approaches across Instagram and LinkedIn. Having more options than ever is inherently good for advisors looking to grow their businesses – but understanding how to appropriately use each platform is a key to successful marketing and … Read More Read More

With the intense competition for talent in the wealth management industry, leaders of RIAs need to be more strategic than even when developing compensation, talent development and retention programs. In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, Managing Director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Brandon Odell, Partner and Director of Business Consulting at The … Read More Read More

The competition for new and experienced individuals in the RIA channel is at an all-time high. Employees of RIAs have more options and opportunities than ever before — requiring leaders of RIA firms to be acutely focused on the management of human capital, compensation, benefits and retention.  In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, … Read More Read More

With markets no longer providing advisers with a wide number of opportunities to grow their assets, RIAs must be truly intentional about how they drive meaningful organic growth.  In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, Managing Director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Jalina Kerr, Managing Director of Client Services for Schwab Advisor Services, … Read More Read More

RIA mergers and acquisitions have been re-shaping the industry for the last several years. But after years of record deal-making activity, how have the declining market conditions and rising interest rates impacted RIA M&A in 2022? In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, Managing Director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Raj Bhattacharyya, CEO … Read More Read More

The number of advisors looking to execute a succession plan in 2022 has nearly doubled since the beginning of the year, according to the latest RIA Edge Study “Pulse Poll” released in September. What is driving this accelerated shift? In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, Mark Bruno, managing director at Informa Wealth Management, … Read More Read More

The RIA industry has experienced a significant amount of growth in recent years – but a handful of firms have found the keys to driving sustainable, long-term growth that will set them up for success in the future? What are the “secrets” to becoming a top-performing RIA? In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, … Read More Read More

While M&A has been one of the most dominant themes in the RIA industry over the last several years, the battle for a limited supply of talent might be the defining theme of 2022. With compensation increasing for high-quality talent, a number of firms are finding it easier to acquire talent than it is to … Read More Read More

Steward Partners Global Advisory has become one of the largest and fastest growing independent firms in the wealth management industry over the last several years. The firm has accelerated its growth through a unique blend of models for advisors – as well as ownership structure replicated by few other, if any, independent firms with more … Read More Read More

Leaders of RIA firms have a number of strategic options to consider when evaluating organic growth opportunities. When your RIA is part of a broader national tax planning business, however, the opportunities for growing a wealth management business can be plentiful – provided you have the right strategies and processes in place.  In this episode … Read More Read More

For the longest time, mergers and acquisitions have been one of the most dominant, if not the most dominant, themes within the RIA channel. During the last quarter, however, the market and economy have changed substantially — throwing potential challenges into the red-hot RIA M&A market.  In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, Managing … Read More Read More

There is a “CEO state of mind” that some leaders of advisory firms have adopted to ensure that growth is front-and-center for all of its team members every day. SVB Private is one of the best examples of this and their growth mindset can provide a blueprint and framework for hundreds of RIAs to learn … Read More Read More

While M&A activity gets the majority of the attention in the RIA industry, strategic and sustainable organic growth is actually the secret to success for the industry’s top firms.  The fastest growing and most influential RIAs have a balanced approach to M&A and organic growth. They are always thinking about how the two forms of … Read More Read More

While market appreciation, traditional referrals and word-of-mouth marketing has driven growth for a number of RIAs, the industry’s largest and most successful firms are strategically leveraging M&A, digital marketing and data to drive their next wave of growth.  Cressit, the $23 billion RIA based out of Chicago, may be one of the industry’s best examples … Read More Read More

When it comes to business growth within the M&A space, you must be strategic in development while acquiring companies that fit your business model. In this episode, Mark Bruno, Managing Director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Carolyn Armitage, CFP®, CIMA®, Head of Thrivent Advisor Network, about the key findings from the RIA Edge study, … Read More Read More

Few firms have experienced the growth that Pathstone – one of the largest RIAs in the business — has enjoyed in recent years.  Through a strategic approach to M&A, technology, and socially responsible investing, Pathstone has emerged as one of the most successful advisory firms to ultra-high-net-worth individuals.  In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark … Read More Read More

From one small firm in 2011 to a national RIA with 36 offices in 2020, Beacon Pointe has experienced tremendous growth within the industry in a short period of time. Beacon Pointe’s M&A strategy has played a large role in its growth and they have evolved into one of the leading, most active – and … Read More Read More

As organizations grow, employees from top-to-bottom need to be aligned and appropriately motivated — and recruiting new talent will be essential to driving and creating exponential growth.   In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, managing director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Martine Lellis, chief talent and administrative officer with Mercer Advisors, on human … Read More Read More

Plancorp, a $5.1 billion RIA, has been one of the fastest-growing – and most focused – firms in the industry. Plancorp’s growth has been fueled by an unrelenting emphasis on the client experience, and a commitment to enrolling its expanding team in the company strategy and success.  In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, … Read More Read More

Not many CEOs of multi-billion dollar RIAs started out as an intern at the firm that they are now running. Even fewer have followed that career path to the top of a $4.4BN RIA that boasts over 70 employers.  That’s the story of Neela Hummel, co-CEO of Abacus Wealth Partners, who recently took over as … Read More Read More

In recent years, M&A has dominated the RIA industry. But Arnerich Massena is different—as one of the fastest-growing RIAs in the business, starting in 1991 they began achieving growth with a model that served several unique clients and business types. This required having multiple platforms of service for their clients but also beginning a journey … Read More Read More

The leaders of RIA firms have more options than ever before when evaluating growth opportunities in today’s market. M&A activity continues at an accelerated pace – and technology is allowing advisors to extend their services to an ever-increasing number of investors and clients.   In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, managing director at Informa … Read More Read More

A small, but growing, number of influential independent advisory firms are on the fast track to becoming truly national wealth managers. M&A has been a tool that has allowed regional firms to expand their footprints, and Merit Financial Advisors is perhaps one of the industry’s best examples of how strategic M&A can be transformational – … Read More Read More

While every RIA has its own unique approach to adding new clients and talent, the top-performing firms share some common strategic approaches to accelerating and driving organic and inorganic growth.  In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, Managing Director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Jeff Pierce, CEO of Wipfli Financial Advisors, about the … Read More Read More

For the last decade, strong equity markets have powered a substantial amount of growth for tens of thousands of financial advisors. A handful of firms, however, have “cracked the code” and created blueprints for driving strategic growth for their firms that will extend well beyond this prolonged bull market.  In this episode of RIA Edge, … Read More Read More

As the independent and RIA channels have grown and become more influential, the challenges and opportunities aligned with running your own businesses have grown significantly in recent years.  To better understand and assess the options that are now available to advisors who are looking to build their own businesses — or accelerate the growth of … Read More Read More

With more investors seeking out financial advice than ever before, RIAs are in a position to capitalize on an evolving mix of investing, planning and technology developments that can create long-term business growth.   In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, managing director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Stan Gregor, CEO of Summit Financial. … Read More Read More

Every RIA firm is unique and has its own strategies and approaches for driving growth. But a handful of the fastest growing and most successful firms have one thing in common: They take an active approach to managing and thinking about growth on a daily basis – and ultimately how they can continue to improve … Read More Read More

Many in RIAs understand the importance of strong marketing strategies, but knowing what types of strategies – and then consistently executing – is a major challenge for a number of advisors.  In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, managing director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Megan Gorman, founder and managing partner of Chequers … Read More Read More

Mergers and acquisitions are becoming a more common way for larger RIAs to grow. But successfully managing a merger or acquisition after the deal closes is anything but a straight line — and many RIAs are looking for guidance on how to build a “culture of one.”  In this episode, Mark Bruno, managing director at … Read More Read More

While a number of RIAs have experienced significant growth in recent years, many have actually grown by default – not design: Often, advisors are relying on the market, existing clients and referrals to drive growth. But there are a number of steps and strategies that advisors can implement to drive intentional, sustainable growth. Few leaders … Read More Read More

While the RIA channel has been growing at a steady clip for years, a handful of firms have grown at an accelerated rate and are now responsible for the lion’s share of assets and clients in the industry. Wealthspire Advisors has been one of the fastest growing RIAs in the business, and CEO Mike LaMena … Read More Read More

Finding business strategies that work, and promote continuous growth can be one of the biggest challenges when running a business, especially coming out of the pandemic.  But one firm, Cerity Partners has been able to maintain and continue their growth in tremendous ways. In this episode, Mark Bruno sits down with Claire O’Keefe, partner and … Read More Read More

The RIA channel has seen tremendous growth over the last decade, but a handful of RIAs have executed on M&A and marketing strategies that have positioned them as the industry’s truly elite firms. In this first episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, Managing Director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Scott Hanson, co-founder and senior … Read More Read More