Financial Advisor Success

Ep 479: Maintaining Good Work/Life Balance While Adding Advisors And 4Xing The Firm To $315M with Andy Panko

5 snips
Mar 3, 2026
Andy Panko, owner of Tenon Financial who scaled a flat-fee RIA to hundreds of millions while keeping work-life balance. He discusses why he hired mid-career advisors, how a flat-fee model clarifies time versus revenue, protecting lifestyle while growing, handling seasonal workload, and marketing via education to keep steady prospects.
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ANECDOTE

Why Andy Chose To Start Solo And Cap Clients

  • Andy started Tenon Financial as a solo RIA to escape corporate life and intentionally capped himself at ~40–50 households for lifestyle freedom.
  • He quickly hit his target, enjoyed ~90% net margins and under-20-hour workweeks, then later reconsidered hiring as family seasons changed.
ANECDOTE

A Podcast Listener Became The First Hire

  • Michelle, the first advisor Andy hired, reached out after hearing him on Michael Kitsis's podcast and eventually joined after months of conversations.
  • That unsolicited contact pushed Andy to research compliance, IT, payroll and formal hiring infrastructure.
ADVICE

Provide Leads So Advisors Can Deliver End To End

  • Let the firm own marketing and prospecting so advisors can focus on full-service delivery from intro call to ongoing operations.
  • Ensure advisors handle onboarding and all client ops so they intimately know account details and service steps.
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