Month: March 2022

RIA Edge Podcast: Beacon Pointe’s Matt Cooper on Driving Exponential RIA Growth

RIA Edge Podcast: Beacon Pointe’s Matt Cooper on Driving Exponential RIA Growth

From one small firm in 2011 to a national RIA with 36 offices in 2020, Beacon Pointe has experienced tremendous growth within the industry in a short period of time.

Beacon Pointe’s M&A strategy has played a large role in its growth and they have evolved into one of the leading, most active – and most strategic acquirers in the industry.

In this episode, Mark Bruno, managing director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Matthew Cooper, Founding Partner, President, Beacon Pointe Advisors to discuss the firm’s growth strategy, and best practices for buying and selling a business.

Mark and Matt discuss:

  • How the challenges of smaller RIAs, the competition for talent, and the evolution of technology all influenced Beacon Pointe’s M&A strategy
  • The profile of an ideal acquisition for Beacon Pointe
  • What are the primary motivators for RIAs that are looking to exit their market
  • When bringing firms together under Beacon Pointe what happens “after the close.”  More specifically, how Beacon Pointe approaches operational and cultural integration to create new growth and value

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Matt Cooper:

About Our Guest:

Matt is a founding partner of Beacon Pointe Advisors and oversees the firm’s strategic plan focused on mergers and acquisitions, creating synergistic partnerships between Beacon Pointe and other wealth managers across the country. He regularly speaks on a host of wealth management and industry-related topics across various national conferences. Matt has a passion for continuous lifetime learning with a focus on the wealth management and financial life management industries. At a time when the RIA industry is changing more rapidly than any other point in history, his focus is on building the best possible business to serve clients and to assist other wealth advisors in meeting their lifetime goals. Matt graduated from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business with a BS in Finance and Business Economics.

RIA Edge Podcast: Mercer Advisors’ Martine Lellis on Growth Through Talent Management

RIA Edge Podcast: Mercer Advisors’ Martine Lellis on Growth Through Talent Management

As organizations grow, employees from top-to-bottom need to be aligned and appropriately motivated — and recruiting new talent will be essential to driving and creating exponential growth.  

In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, managing director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Martine Lellis, chief talent and administrative officer with Mercer Advisors, on human capital and talent management within the firm. Martine shares her extensive views on the intense war for talent in the RIA space, and dives into the evolving NextGen and G2 talent shift.

Specifically, Mark and Martine discuss:

  • The driving forces behind the demand for talent, and how Mercer views the competitive landscape in the RIA space.
  • What role does talent acquisition play in Mercer’s M&A strategy?
  • How firms are staffing today to support, manage and create growth
  • When thinking about NextGen and G2 talent, how does Mercer approach those conversations, and where are new talent pools emerging in the industry?
  • The role talent acquisition plays in Mercer’s overall M&A strategy

Listen to the RIA Edge Podcast

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Martine Lellis: 

About Our Guest:

Martine oversees Talent Management, HR, and Compliance at Mercer Advisors as well as leads cross-functional initiatives aimed at improving offerings for clients. Before joining Mercer Advisors, Martine was a Principal and both the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at Sullivan, Bruyette, Speros & Blayney, an RIA in Mclean, VA.

Martine has a degree in Mathematics from Duke University and an MBA from Georgetown University. She’s a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. She consulted with Keir Educational Resources as a writer and instructor for CFP® exam review courses. In addition, Martine served as a member of the Schwab Advisor Services Technology, Operations & Service Advisory Board.