RIA Edge

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 and founder of Savant, about laying a cornerstone to...

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 for Informa Connect’s Wealth Management Group, talks with...

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 creators by simply paying deeper attention and...

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 with Rob Madore, vice pr...

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 & Protection. Hurley’s rec...

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, chief executive officer of Wealthspir...

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 Chip Partners, about the firm’s rapid, and continuing, t...

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, about the recent RIA Edge re...

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 the company’s robust growth in recent years by thinking big but...

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 fi...

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 years ago to bring  invest...

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. Targets for acquisi...

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 collective of smaller RIAs that benefit...

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 compared to previous years due to...

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 Ken Stern, president of Lido Advisors t...

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 the story of Perigon&#821...

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 Group at Informa, engages in a fascinating dialogue with Liz Nesvold, a renowne...

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 has created a bit of a roadmap for other RIA firms to learn from and follow as th...

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 Management, talks with Mark Bruno about the drivers, motivators an...

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 are using to accelerate growth. In addition,...

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 it’s a bull market for advice, it has not been a bull marke...

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 the RIA Edge podcast, Rajini Kodialam, Focus Co-Founder and Chief Operating Off...

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 – and one of the top ma...

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, Managing Director at Informa Wealth...

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 Edge 100 list of the industry’s top firms.  In this episode of the R...