RIA+

This episode of RIA+ features two key leaders at Gibson Capital – which recently celebrated its 35th anniversary and now manages roughly $2.5B for 200 families across the country. While a number of strategic decisions have contributed to Gibson’s prolonged success, the notion of providing “uncommonly attentive advice” has always stayed at the core for Gibson, one of the most focused and intentional RIAs you will come across in this industry. Christine DeMao, Gibson’s COO, and Chris Sidoni, Gibson’s Chief Investment Officer, joined Emigrant's Mark Bruno to talk about their unique approach to building one of the industry’s premier firms, and how its ability to go narrow and deep has differentiated Gibson in an increasingly competitive market. 

FL Putnam is one of the fastest-growing RIAs in the nation, and crossed $10B in assets earlier this year after successfully acquiring and integrating a number of businesses and teams over the last 24 months. The firm has evolved into a true wealth platform with a diverse mix of services – one that has the firm positioned for continued strategic growth in 2025 and beyond. Tom Manning sits down with Emigrant's Mark Bruno in this first episode of season 2 of RIA+ to offer an inside look at the drivers of FL Putnam's success. 

Joe Anderson, President and CEO of Pure Financial, and Jason Carver, its Managing Partner and CFO, share insights into Pure's rapid growth, now exceeding $6 billion in assets. They discuss innovative marketing and content strategies that prioritize client education. The duo highlights the importance of empowering financial advisors and adapting lead generation tactics, particularly during the pandemic. Their take on balancing organic and inorganic growth through mergers and acquisitions reveals tactics for long-term sustainability in the competitive financial landscape.

The top-performing firms in the RIA industry have experienced organic growth rates that are more than double the typical firm - and Charles' Schwab's new RIA benchmarking study provides a close-up of the strategies and tactics driving their growth. In this episode of RIA+, Emigrant's Mark Bruno interviews Schwab's Lisa Salvi, Managing Director, Advisor Services, about the key findings from the 2024 Schwab benchmarking study, which highlights the remarkable growth in the RIA channel. They go deep into the data to reveal the secrets of the top-performers and discuss practical approaches to referrals, talent and client communication strategies that can lead to accelerated growth. 

In this episode of RIA+, Mark Bruno talks with Fidelity's Laura Delaney - one of the leading RIA M&A researchers - about dealmaking activity in the first half of 2024. While overall volume and valuations remain strong, this interview goes beyond the numbers and focuses on the drivers of successful M&A activity and uncovers what the RIA industry has collectively learned over the last five years - a period of record-breaking and transformational M&A. 

Leo Kelly, CEO of Verdence Capital Advisors, discusses building an RIA where the client is the architect. He shares insights on growth strategies, investing in talent and tech, and meeting evolving needs of HNW clients. The podcast covers his journey, hyper-collaborative team building, growth mindset culture, and ambitions for creating a lasting legacy.

Charlie Rocco, Managing Partner at Moneco Advisors, discusses how the firm focuses on developing NextGen talent to drive growth and client experience. He shares insights on human capital strategy, partnership approaches, and the competitive talent landscape in the RIA industry.

Several "megatrends" are rapidly re-shaping the dynamics of the wealth management industry -- seemingly in real-time. A massive intergenerational transfer of wealth, the emergence of new technologies, and the need to provide clients of all ages with comprehensive planning and investment services has created a new era for financial advice. Or, "Wealth Management 3.0" as Flourish CEO Max Lane describes it in this in-depth interview with Emigrant Partners' Managing Director Mark Bruno. Max and Mark discuss how these megatrends are unfolding, and how advisors can capitalize on a number of new growth opportunities. 

As RIAs continue to experience accelerated growth in their businesses, client bases and teams - an Enterprise Operating System has become an important framework for many leaders across the industry. The EOS framework, detailed in Gino Wickman's bestselling book Traction is now being embraced by scores of RIAs - with good reason. In this episode of RIA+, Emigrant's Mark Bruno interviews Mike Paton, who has helped thousands of leaders around the globe run better businesses (and live better professional lives). An EOS Implementer and sought-after speaker, Paton succeeded Gino Wickman, spent five years as EOS Worldwide’s Visionary, and co-authored two books in the Traction Library – Get A Grip and Process! In this interview, he details why Traction has gained so much traction with RIAs, and offers insights into how its transformed their firms.

This episode of RIA+ features a timely interview with Tylor Bordelon Seaman, the CEO of Maslow Wealth Advisors - the $1.5 billion RIA formerly known as Durbin Bennett until the beginning of March 2024. Tylor sat with Emigrant Partners' Mark Bruno to share the details of the firm's rebranding strategy, along with the vision and objective for Maslow moving forward. As this interview details, a rebrand is more just a change of logos and website address - it's an opportunity to launch the next generation of Maslow, clearly define and articulate its current and future value proposition, and crystalize its identify as it continues its impressive growth.