Advisor Talk with Frank LaRosa

Building an OSJ sounds like the obvious move if you want a bigger valuation. Frank LaRosa says that logic is exactly what's costing advisors their multiple. Frank and Stacey open with a question most advisors never actually ask themselves before recruiting other advisors into their practice. What is your unique ability and is managing people part of it? Frank shares a story from a coaching client...

Some decisions get more expensive the longer you wait to make them. Frank LaRosa and Stacey Frank open up about the cost of holding on to people too long, whether that is an employee, a junior partner or even a client who drains more energy than they are worth. Frank breaks down how his firm used data to identify which new hires were likely to succeed and which ones were not, a process that ended...

Key topics include: -The core differences between direct affiliation and OSJ / enterprise models. -Why payout percentages don’t tell the full financial story. -How scale, support, and service models impact long-term net income. -When outsourcing operations can accelerate growth - and when it doesn’t. -How larger teams and solo practitioners should think differently about affiliation. -Why affiliat...

Scaling sounds great until you find out what it costs you. Every advisor wants the high multiple. Far fewer want the version of themselves required to earn it. Frank LaRosa and Stacey Frank tackle the transition that trips up most advisors, the move from doing the work to owning the business to leading it as a CEO. The dream is an enterprise level practice. The obstacle is that the advisor is stil...

Your firm name is not just a label. It is the brand people search for, refer and remember. And most advisors get it wrong. I n this solo episode, Frank LaRosa pulls back the curtain on the naming conversations he has with breakaway advisors every week. Many default to their last name without realizing it can scare off the very advisors they hope to recruit. Others fall for a name that sounds great...

Four days. Twenty-four firms. $4.5 trillion in controlled assets. Here is what Frank and Stacey took away from Elite Ignite 2026. Frank LaRosa and Stacey Frank are back in the studio for the first time in about six weeks and they are using this episode to do something they have never done quite like this before: open up the room. Elite Ignite started five years ago as an internal team meeting. It...

Key Highlights from the Episode: 0:00 – Introduction 1:02 – Should I stay or should I go next year?   2:27 – Why Q4 is often the best time to transition   3:59 – How holidays and client schedules factor into timing   5:35 – Deferred comp considerations for advisors   10:23 – Why firms sweeten deals in Q4 to hit quotas   12:48 – The myth of the “perfect” time to move   14:42 – Leveraging holiday pa...

Advisors spend years earning credentials and almost no time showing people who they actually are. Wade Shields thinks that is the whole problem. Wade came to Elite Consulting Partners after ten years in New York City making documentary and branded content for Google, Ernst and Young and the American Cancer Society. The process he used there and the one he uses now starts the same way: figure out w...

In this Greatest Hits episode of Advisor Talk, Frank LaRosa and Stacey Frank take a grounded, advisor-first look at how AI is actually changing the profession - and why the future of advice is still fundamentally human. Rather than fearing AI, Frank explains why this moment closely mirrors the rise of online trading in the early 2000s - a shift that many believed would eliminate advisors, but ulti...

She helped advisors make the move for two decades. Then she had to make it herself. A headhunter called. Shannon said she would do a five minute call just to give a name. Several months later she was the new president of Ozark. This is not a story about being unhappy. Shannon loved Raymond James, still does and is still a shareholder. This is a story about a harder kind of decision: the one where...

Most advisors say they want to exit. What they actually want is to stop doing the parts they hate. Scott Danner has had this conversation more times than he can count. The advisor says they want to sell. Then the deal falls apart. Not because the numbers were wrong but because nobody asked the right question at the start. Scott is the Executive Vice President and Head of Legacy at Steward Partners...

The firm advisors think they know is not the firm that exists today. And if you are going to say NO, at least know what you are saying no to. Frank LaRosa goes one on one with Brian Mora of Ameriprise for a candid conversation that challenges some of the most common misconceptions advisors carry about one of the largest and most innovative firms in the industry. Frank and Brian break down what $1....

Every firm says they have great culture. Very few can back it up. Raymond James can. And in this episode, they explain exactly how. Frank LaRosa sits down with Jodi Perry, Head of Advisor Recruitment and Business Development and Todd Ferguson, Chief Information and Security Officer at Raymond James, for a wide ranging conversation recorded live at the Ignite Conference. The group breaks down what...

Sometimes the money IS the right reason. And pretending otherwise might be the most expensive mistake you ever make. In this episode of Advisor Talk, Frank LaRosa and Stacey Frank challenge the conventional wisdom around advisor transitions and make the case that when the difference between two firms is not a few thousand dollars but millions, the economics have to come into play. Frank breaks dow...

Most advisors go into a transition focused on the upfront money. Very few are prepared for everything that happens after they walk out the door. Some surprises are good ones. Clients move faster than expected. Assets go up, not down. The income jump is real. But there are also things advisors consistently underestimate, overlook, and wish they had negotiated differently. In this episode of Advisor...

Waiting sounds reasonable. Until you run the numbers. Protect what you have built. Let the deferred comp vest. Move when the timing is right. But is waiting actually costing you more than you realize? In this episode of Advisor Talk, Frank LaRosa and Stacey Frank break down why 2026 may be the most opportune time in recent memory for financial advisors to evaluate a firm transition and why decidin...

The truth is, most financial advisors know they should be using AI. Very few know where to actually start. Too many tools. Too many platforms. Too much noise. But the advisors who take the time to learn it now will have a significant edge over those who wait. In this special edition of Advisor Talk, Frank LaRosa is joined by Chief Information Officer Sue Cheema, Chief Marketing Officer Brian Lutz,...

At first glance, these offers can seem attractive. Gain liquidity. Access growth capital or strategic support. Remain with your current firm. Continue building your business. But are these deals really as straightforward as they sound? In this episode of Advisor Talk, Frank LaRosa and Stacey Frank break down what financial advisors need to consider before agreeing to a minority equity sale - inclu...

Frank and Jon unpack: • Why today's competitive landscape means growth-motivated buyers must approach deals differently. • The three core reasons advisors pursue acquisitions - and which ones actually lead to long-term success. • How leverage, bank financing, and EBITDA-based lending really work in practice. • Why “fixer-upper” books may offer the strongest ROI. • How elite buyers win deals by und...

Frank and Rob dive into: • Rob’s path from UBS and Morgan Stanley to launching NewEdge Wealth. • How NewEdge Wealth and NewEdge Advisors differ and advisor profiles that may fit each platform. • How multi-custody and open architecture models can offer flexibility. • Perspectives of some advisors that have experienced business growth after joining the firm. •  The role of private equity and its inn...

In this Greatest Hits episode of Advisor Talk, Frank LaRosa sits down with Cetera CEO Mike Durbin for a wide-ranging, candid conversation about ownership structure, affiliation flexibility, M&A strategy, custody decisions, and what it really means to build a “forever home” for advisors. From private equity misconceptions to succession solutions, this episode explores how advisors can think strateg...

In this episode of Advisor Talk, Frank LaRosa and Stacey Frank break down the realities behind minority equity deals in advisory practices - including what advisors often misunderstand about control, exit clauses, valuation multiples, and long-term implications. Frank explains why even a 10–20% minority stake effectively creates a partner in your business - whether you think of it that way or not...

In this episode of Advisor Talk, Frank LaRosa and Stacey Frank take a grounded, advisor-first look at how AI is actually changing the profession - and why the future of advice is still fundamentally human. Rather than fearing AI, Frank explains why this moment closely mirrors the rise of online trading in the early 2000s - a shift that many believed would eliminate advisors, but ultimately made gr...

Key questions answered in this episode: What does it mean when financial advisors choose not to decide? Choosing to stay put - without evaluating alternatives - is still an active decision, often driven by comfort, fear, or overwhelm rather than strategy. Why do advisors delay firm transitions even when they’re unhappy? Two major factors show up repeatedly: the path of least resistance and paralys...

Frank and Stacey break down the critical difference between goals and purpose, why confusing the two leads to burnout, and how advisors who reconnect to their “why” build stronger client relationships, make better transition decisions, and enjoy their careers longer. Key questions answered in this episode: What is the difference between a financial advisor’s goals and their purpose? Goals define o...