The COO Roundtable

We are joined by Rebecca Davis of Greenspring Advisors and Joe Klein from The Bahnsen Group for Episode 65.  Rebecca is the Director of Operations at Greenspring, headquartered in Townson, MD with additional offices in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  The firm has 41 team members and manages approximately $6.8 billion.  Joe has the dual role of Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director of the firm’s Family Office offering.  The Bahnsen Group is headquartered in Newport Beach, CA with offices in 6 other states.  The firm manages about $5.5 billion of client assets and employs 60 team members.  Matt, Rebecca, and Joe discuss what makes their firms unique from a cultural standpoint, as well as: How both firms leverage content marketing to drive organic growth What services and client experience they offer to make client relationships “sticky” The uniqueness of working at a founder-led RIA and how they both have worked to transition responsibilities away from the founder Time management techniques employed by both guests What strategies they execute to keep team members motivated and engaged

In this episode, Matt welcomes COO Adrian Chastain of Gratus Capital and Partner and COO Kailee Ostroski from Connecticut Wealth Management.  Gratus Capital manages approximately $3 billion of client assets, has 50 team members, and is located in Atlanta, GA.  Connecticut Wealth Management, in Hartford, CT, has 65 team members and oversees about $3.3 billion of client assets.  Matt, Adrian, and Kailee discuss what it means to be an RIA Operations professional, the core focus on People, Process, and Technology, as well as: How to best promote a “Culture of Operations” at your RIA Tips for getting “buy in” from team members for the adoption of new technology tools The “Goldilocks” scenario of trying to hire new employees at “just the right time” Different approaches to building your firm’s technology roadmap Why everything seems to come back to Process

In his third ever monologue “rant,” Matt takes a break from our normal interview format to speak directly to RIA owners and COO candidates to discuss the “Do’s and Don’ts of COO Onboarding.”  Referencing conversations with COOs, past articles he’s written, and former podcast guests, Matt urges RIA owners to have a clear understanding of what they need from their next Operations hire before beginning a search (how will you know you’ve found a good candidate if you don’t know exactly what you are hiring for?).   He also recommends that newly-appointed COOs consider the firm’s capacity for change as they look to make recommendations to add efficiency and scale to their new RIA.  His ultimate goal is for COO candidates and RIA owners to use this episode as the foundation for productive conversations during the interview process to ensure the right people, with the right level of experience, are being hired for the right roles.  During this episode, Matt hits on the following topics: The definition of “Founder’s Bias” and how it derails a newly-appointed COO Why he’s not a fan of the fractional COO role Things COO candidates should look and listen for during the interview process to ensure they will be set up for success David Canter’s four action items every COO should perform after accepting a new job Why Ted Lasso was the perfect COO The difference between an Operations Manager, Director of Operations, and Chief Operating Officer The ultimate sin RIA owners can commit when hiring a COO

We are joined by Megan Hannah of Emerald Advisors and Spencer Rand from Five Oceans Advisors for Ep 62.  Megan has the unique position of Chief Operating Officer and Portfolio Manager.  Emerald Advisors is located in Bellevue, WA and manages approximately $700 million of client assets.  Spencer has the dual role of Director of Operations and Chief Compliance officer at Five Oceans Advisors, headquartered in Los Angeles with a fully remote staff, managing around $500 million.  Matt, Megan, and Spencer discuss their varied histories in the business, the fact that both guests have earned their Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, as well as: How their background in investments has shaped their approach to Operations What led both firms to land on their ideal client persona Services offered outside of traditional wealth management Recuriting and hiring strategies The importance of employee retention and culture We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

We welcome Janelle Anderson and David Lehman for Ep 61!  Janelle is the Operations Manager and Chief Compliance Officer at Grand Wealth Management, located in Grand Rapids, MI.  The firm manages approximately $600 million and has 13 employees.  Matt and Janelle met at a DFA study group in May 2023.  David is a financial advisor and the Chief Operating Officer with Wealthbridge Advisors, headquartered in Lake Oswego, OR.  Wealthbridge is affiliated with Ameriprise Financial, has 18 employees and manages around $760 million for clients.  David has been a member of the COO Society since March of 2023.  Janelle and David discuss with Matt how they both juggle dual-title responsibilities at their firms, as well as: Their approach to finding and retaining employees How they have both impacted culture at their organizations Productivity tips to ensure they are getting the most important tasks accomplished each day Career paths for Operations staff How they have both approached the “Valley of Doom,” made famous by Echelon Partners’ Dan Seivert We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Episode 60 marks our 5-year anniversary, and Matt was feeling nostalgic for this conversation with Amber Salzman of Capstone Financial Advisors and Jean Paul Atallah of RZH Advisors.  Amber is Manager of Client Services and a partner of the firm, which is located in Downers Grove, IL, and manages approximately $1.8 billion with 35 employees.  She also has her Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional (FPQP®) certification.  Jean Paul has spent his entire career in the financial services industry, but only joined RZH Advisors about 18 months ago, where he is the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer.  The firm is located in Stamford, CT, manages about $1.6 billion and has 11 employees.  Listeners of this episode will realize quickly that Amber and Jean Paul are true students of the industry, and they discuss with Matt different sources and industry groups they rely on for best practices, as well as: How they each have approached CRM implementations at their respective firms The search for the RIA Operations “holy grail” and how they ensure clean data is flowing across their tech stack The optimal firm structure for delivering services to their ideal clients What strategies they implement to best serve and motivate their employees How they both approached the crunch of year-end tasks this year Here is the Wealthmanagement.com article that Amber mentioned: Growing RIAs Must Focus on Process, Not Technology We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

With “The Sabbatical Episode,” Matt welcomed two highly respected RIA professionals to tackle a topic not often discussed in our industry: mental health.  Allison Felix, a two-time guest to the podcast, is Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer of Cassaday & Co.  Erika Yelle is Chief Compliance Officer at Coldstream Wealth Management.  Both guests have been with their firms for over two decades and have held various positions and witnessed incredible growth at both RIAs.  Cassaday & Co. is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, has 86 employees and currently manages just under $5 billion of AUM.  Coldstream Wealth Management employs approximately 160 employees, manages just under $7 billion of client assets, and has 7 office locations in the Pacific Northwest.  Matt, Allison, and Erika have an honest conversation around the internal pressures we tend to place on ourselves to always be available, the fear of setting an Out of Office reply, our industry’s slow movement away from Gordon Gekko’s comment in the ‘80s that “lunch is for wimps,” as well as: Their respective firms’ policies around sabbaticals How employees who are so integral to the day-to-day operations of their firms can plan for an extended time away The benefits sabbaticals have not only to employees, but the broader organization Tips for “re-entry” after time away so as not to be too overwhelmed We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.  

For this episode, we step away from our normal format of speaking with operations professionals in the trenches, to speaking with an author and entrepreneur about the role of the COO.  Cameron Herold has written a fabulous book directed at CEO’s who are contemplating hiring a COO, titled, Second in Command – Unleash the Power of Your COO.  He is also the founder of the COO Alliance and the host of his own podcast dedicated to the role of COOs, Second in Command.  Cameron has sat in the COO seat himself, overseeing the growth at 1-800-GOT-JUNK from $2 million to $106 million in revenue in just six years. Matt and Cameron have an honest conversation around the CEO’s need to hire for their blind spots, as well as: The difficulty business owners have in finding the right person to fill the COO role Why RIAs need to keep the rate of change inside their organizations greater than the rate of change outside their businesses The seven types of COOs and what each brings to their organization Cameron’s advice for those who aspire to be a COO How a CEO and COO should work best together, and the proper expectations from both sides of that working relationship How CEOs can best judge the success of their COO When RIAs should consider replacing their COO for the next phase of growth We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To purchase Cameron’s book, click here. You can view Cameron’s COO Scorecard here.  

Matt welcomes two long-time RIA operations professionals for Episode 57. Trevor Hodges is the relatively new Director of Operations at Sax Wealth Advisors, headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey with a few offices in the New York and New Jersey area. While he has spent his entire career within the RIA space, Trevor joined Sax Wealth a few months ago. Sean Chen has known Matt since they were both 21 years old and working together at Merrill Lynch, and continued their professional relationship at Luminous Capital. Sean is the COO and CCO at Validus Capital in Los Angeles. Sax Wealth Advisors formed in the late ‘90s underneath their parent company, Sax LLP, which is an accounting and tax practice firm. Today the firm manages roughly $1.7 billion and employs a team of 21. Validus Capital launched in 2022 out of a predecessor RIA, manages approximately $1.4 billion of client assets, and currently has 13 employees and one remote employee in Texas. Matt, Trevor, and Sean discuss what makes Sean unique among all previous guests on the podcast, how operations professionals can prove their worth in this client-focused industry, as well as: How they view the systems and processes utilized by their firms The additional services beyond wealth management offered by both firms to attract and retain more of their ideal clients How they both leverage portal technology to deliver services to their clients The importance of CRM for their internal teams and the delivery of consistent and scalable service Each guest’s approach to inorganic growth We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

The COO Roundtable Episode 56 Powered by Coldstream Wealth Management For Episode 56, Matt invited two operations professionals that he met at a DFA Operations Strategy session earlier this year.  Rachel Rant is a partner and Director of Operations at Aspen Capital Management, located in Boise, ID.  Scott Swanson is a partner, Chief Operating Officer, and financial advisor with Quantum Financial Advisors, with several office locations in the Los Angeles area.  Aspen Capital management was founded in 2002 as a solo advisor practice and stayed that way until about 2017.  Fast forward to today, the firm manages approximately $900 million in assets and employs 9 full-time employees.  Quantum Financial Advisors was launched in 2022 out of a larger RIA and today manages approximately $900 million of client assets and employs 13 people.  Rachel, Scott, and Matt discuss the pros and cons of adding institutional complexity to the organization as you add more technology tools over time, as well as: When and how each guest landed in wealth management after successful careers in other industries What metrics they study to help determine when their growing firms need to add more staff The deliberate planning that has gone into the organizational structure of each of their firms Their early attempts to segment their client base and determine the appropriate service level Each guest’s approach to remote work vs. in-office work, and how the definition of “productive” changes from day to day We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.