Category: Finance
RIA Edge Podcast: RIA M&A Mid-Year Update with Jessica Polito

RIA Edge Podcast: RIA M&A Mid-Year Update with Jessica Polito

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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 and market forces that have influenced M&A activity year-to-date. More specifically, Mark and Jessica discuss:

  •  The quality and objectives of RIAs currently engaging in M&A
  •  How M&A has evolved into a strategic growth tool for firms on the rise
  •  Why valuations have remained strong despite headwinds in global markets and increasing costs of capital
  •  The keys to a deal being successful “after the close”

Resources:

RIA Edge Podcast 

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Jessica Polito:

About Our Guest:

Jessica Polito founded Turkey Hill Management, LLC in 2021 after a long career in investment banking. Turkey Hill is built on the premise that there should be complete alignment between the M&A advisor and the wealth management client it serves. The company does not charge a “success fee” at the completion of a deal, as is done by most traditional investment banks. In doing so, the client can be assured that the advice given is unbiased and in the best interest of the client.

Jessica draws from her many years of buyside and sellside M&A experience in the wealth management space to ensure that every partnership is not just financially sound, but preserves the legacy of both sides of the deal. She lives in Westport, Connecticut with her husband and four small children. She received her Bachelors of Science in Business Management from Babson College with dual concentrations in Finance and Economics and holds her Series 79 and 24 licences. 



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RIA Edge Podcast: Schwab’s Tom Bradley: RIA Megatrends – The Drivers of Current & Future Growth

RIA Edge Podcast: Schwab’s Tom Bradley: RIA Megatrends – The Drivers of Current & Future Growth

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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, it addresses some of the challenges even the most successful firms have experienced from their growth – and how they have set their firms up to solve for these issues and continue to grow their businesses.

Mark and Tom also discuss:

  • 93% of firms in Schwab’s Outlook research expect to grow over the next five years, and the average growth rate of net new assets is 17%. What will differentiate the firms that outperform and exceed these expectations?
  • If I am looking to assess the quality of my firm’s growth – and more specifically, my future growth potential – what questions should I be asking? How do I connect this with the potential investments I might need to make in human capital, technology, marketing, or business development?
  • Many RIAs have doubled, or even tripled in size, over the last decade. What are some of the most common challenges that this growth as caused for firms?
  • While thousands of RIAs have seen their assets under management swell over the last decade, “true growth” – growth excluding market appreciation and M&A – was incremental for many. What are the most successful firms in the industry doing to create intentional and repeatable growth?

Resources:

 RIA Edge Podcast 

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With GUEST:

About Our Guest:

Tom Bradley is Managing Director for Schwab Advisor Services and oversees the division that provides custodial support services for independent Registered Investment Advisors with up to $2 billion in assets custodied at Schwab. He is also a leader in driving the ongoing integration between Schwab Advisor Services and TD Ameritrade Institutional.

Prior to joining Schwab, Bradley spent over three decades at TD Ameritrade, much of that time in the service of independent advisors. He served as president of TD Ameritrade’s Institutional business for 12 years prior to becoming president of the firm’s Retail Distribution unit, which is where he spent his last five years at the firm. He is a graduate of the University of Richmond’s Robins School of Business.



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Steve Sanduski
RIA Edge Podcast: It’s a Bull Market for Advice: But is it a Bull Market for Advisors? With Steve Sanduski

RIA Edge Podcast: It’s a Bull Market for Advice: But is it a Bull Market for Advisors? With Steve Sanduski

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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 market for financial advisors. In this episode of the RIA Edge podcast, Steve and Mark Bruno discuss how advisors can accelerate the growth of their businesses, specifically:

  • How advisors can adopt the right mindset and framework for thinking about growth
  • How advisors can kickstart true organic growth strategies
  • How AI, generational change, and other factors will force advisors to revamp their business models/strategies to be competitive as we complete the waning years of the last baby boomers turning 65.

Resources:

 RIA Edge Podcast

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Steve Sandusky:

About Our Guest:

Steve Sanduski has 35-plus years of business experience includes:

  • Working in Silicon Valley for Hewlett-Packard pre-internet days.
  • Helping start a RIA that grew from $0 to $1.8 billion in AUM during my six years at the firm.
  • Running Peak Advisor Alliance (now Carson Group Coaching) for 11 years as the Managing Partner as it grew from 0 to 1,000 financial advisor coaching clients.
  • The co-founder and CEO of ROL Advisor, a digital tools and training company that serves hundreds of financial advisors in 11 countries.

On top of that, he’s been A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ licensee since 1996, a New York Times Bestselling author, and currently hosts four popular podcasts with more than 700 published episodes.

Over the decades he has realized that his flow state is really a “Flow Wheel.” It’s the virtuous cycle of Learning, Translating, and Inspiring people to live a meaningful and financially sufficient life.

In practice, that means he’s a curious, voracious learner and doer who translates what he learns so he can inspire others through coaching, group training and tools, and his podcasts, books, and blogs.



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RIA Edge Podcast: Focus Financial’s Rajini Kodialam: The Evolution of RIA M&A

RIA Edge Podcast: Focus Financial’s Rajini Kodialam: The Evolution of RIA M&A

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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 Officer, sits with Informa’s Mark Bruno to discuss the evolution of M&A and the opportunities that exist today. Specifically, Mark and Rajini discuss:

  • How RIAs – both as buyers and sellers – are thinking differently about M&A today than they were just 12 months ago, given the changes in markets, economy and cost of capital
  • What “problem” Focus specifically solves for firms that it acquires or partners with – and how has that evolved over the last decade
  • How Focus differentiates itself from other professional buyers that have emerged in recent years
  • Opportunities for RIA to go global and enter markets outside of the U.S.

Resources:

 RIA Edge Podcast

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Rajini:

 About Our Guest:

Rajini is a co-founder of Focus and responsible for acquisition, relationship management and value-added initiatives across the firm.

Prior to founding Focus, Rajini worked at American Express where she managed interactive services for the U.S. Consumer Card and Travel businesses. Prior to joining American Express, she was with McKinsey & Company.

Rajini loves to cook, experiment with xeric gardening in her Austin home and aspires to write a sci-fi novel.  Rajini holds an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York, a PGDM from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and a B.A. from Delhi University, India.



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RIA Edge Podcast: Embracing the Marketer’s Mindset: Megan Carpenter’s Playbook for RIAs to Drive Meaningful Growth

RIA Edge Podcast: Embracing the Marketer’s Mindset: Megan Carpenter’s Playbook for RIAs to Drive Meaningful Growth

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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 marketing minds in the wealth management industry — dropped by the RIA Edge podcast to share stats, best practices and an RIA playbook for putting a strategic marketing plan in place. 

In the episode of RIA Edge, Megan and host Mark Bruno discuss:

  • The mindset of RIAs that are having the most success creating meaningful organic growth — and how leaders of these firms make sure this trickles down to all of their employees
  • There have been a number of firms that have experimented with digital marketing over the last several years. The firms that have seen the most growth, what are they doing correctly? More specifically, among the firms that are experimenting and having success, what are they doing differently?
  • Benchmarks for healthy organic growth rates, as well as how much should RIAs be investing in marketing
  • Marketing is still a new frontier for many leaders of wealth management firms. What are some good resources for advisors who want to become more educated about all of the options and innovations available to accelerate their marketing?

Resources:

 RIA Edge Podcast

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Megan Carpenter:

 

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The RIA Edge Podcast: The Difference Between Good and Great Growth: Cambridge Inc.’s Jeff Vivacqua

The RIA Edge Podcast: The Difference Between Good and Great Growth: Cambridge Inc.’s Jeff Vivacqua

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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 Management, speaks with Jeff about the drivers of high-quality growth and how RIA firm leaders can create processes and guidelines that will generate repeatable growth through M&A and organic strategies. Specifically, Mark and Jeff explore:

  • Areas of opportunity for advisors to accelerate the growth of their businesses organically 
  • How will the future drivers of growth differ from the previous, more traditional drivers of growth?
  • The firms that are growing the fastest – and the most consistently – what are they typically doing right? How are they thinking about, and investing in marketing, strategically?
  • What role will M&A play in Cambridge’s future growth and development?

Resources:

 RIA Edge Podcast

 Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Jeff Vivacqua and Cambridge:

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The RIA Edge Podcast: An Inside Look at an RIA Edge 100 Firm: RMB Capital’s Don Bechter

The RIA Edge Podcast: An Inside Look at an RIA Edge 100 Firm: RMB Capital’s Don Bechter

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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 RIA Edge podcast, Informa Wealth Management’s Mark Bruno interviews Don Bechter, Managing Partner of RMB, about the primary contributors to the firm’s growth since inception. Specifically, Mark and Don discuss:

  • What role M&A has played in accelerating RMB’s growth and reach
  • How RMB has created a scalable, repeatable strategy for growing through both marketing and business developments
  • New roles and development programs that RMB has added to help the firm continue to grow and attract new talent

Resources:

 RIA Edge Podcast

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Don Bechter and RMB:

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RIA Edge Podcast: The Rise of Alternatives in the RIA Channel: Brookfield’s David Levi

RIA Edge Podcast: The Rise of Alternatives in the RIA Channel: Brookfield’s David Levi

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With heightened market volatility and uncertainty significantly impacting client portfolios over the last year, RIAs have been leaning more on alternative investments to present their clients with new sources of return, income and downside protection. 

In this episode of RIA Edge, David Levi, Managing Partner at Brookfield and Head of Brookfield Oaktree Wealth Solutions, shares his perspective with Informa’s Mark Bruno about the rise of alternatives in the RIA channel and the increased number of alternative offerings now directly available to high-net-worth investors. Specifically, Mark and David discuss:

  • Macro-challenges and opportunities across the RIA landscape – What are the most successful RIAs doing to drive growth, attract and retain clients in a challenging market
  • Why alternatives, why now: How alternatives have shifted from institutional to individual investors and the major driving forces behind this shift 
  • What types of problems are advisors largely looking to solve now that has prompted a heightened interest in a broader set of alternative investment options? 
  • How advisors can now access new real estate, infrastructure and private credit offerings for their clients

Resources:

 RIA Edge Podcast

Connect With Mark Bruno: 

Connect With David Levi and Brookfield:

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The RIA Edge Podcast: One-on-One with AlTi CEO Michael Tiedemann

The RIA Edge Podcast: One-on-One with AlTi CEO Michael Tiedemann

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The RIA Edge Podcast: One-on-One with AlTi CEO Michael Tiedemann

At the start of 2023, Michael Tiedemann and his namesake wealth and asset management firm – Tiedemann Advisors – completed one of the largest and most unique mergers to-date in the wealth management industry. Tiedemann combined his firm with Alvarium Investments and the Cartesian Growth Corp., a Special Purpose Acquisition Company, to form Alvarium Tiedemann, or AlTi, a publicly traded firm with more than $60 billion in AUM and one of the largest publicly traded wealth managers on the globe. 

In this episode of the RIA Edge podcast, Tiedemann goes behind the deal with Mark Bruno, Managing Director of the Informa Wealth Management Group, to discuss the strategy and vision behind the deal. Specifically, Mark and Mike discuss:

  • The growth opportunities public markets present to AlTi, given its position as both a wealth and asset management company
  • How AlTi is evaluating growth opportunities moving forward, both through M&A and organic growth strategies
  • How AlTi defines “quality growth” and assigns value across the wealth management market
  • The role technology can play in creating scale and unlocking new growth opportunities

 Resources:

 RIA Edge Podcast

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Michael Tiedemann and Alavarium Tiedemann:

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RIA Edge Podcast: Wealth Enhancement Group’s Jeff Dekko: The True Drivers of RIA Growth

RIA Edge Podcast: Wealth Enhancement Group’s Jeff Dekko: The True Drivers of RIA Growth

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When Jeff Dekko took the helm at Wealth Enhancement Group, it was a regional player with roughly $600 million in assets. Fast forward to 2023, and WEG is now one of the largest players in the RIA space with more than $60 billion in assets under management and a rapidly growing national footprint. 

While WEG has grown considerably through M&A, organic growth has played an important role in the company’s rise as well. In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, Managing Director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Jeff Dekko, CEO of Wealth Enhancement Group, on how to build a solid foundation for scalable growth. 

Specifically, Mark and Jeff discuss:

  • What value the Wealth Enhancement Group can deliver to firms it acquires, and how it differentiates in a competitive buyer’s market
  • What is driving the overall M&A market in 2023
  • How to build a framework for scalable growth
  • The importance of constantly changing and updating marketing and growth strategies based on the businesses and client needs – as well as market opportunities

Resources:

 RIA Edge Podcast

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Jeff Dekko:

About Our Guest:

Jeff has more than 20 years of business experience in marketing, technology, operations and finance. He is responsible for overall leadership, growth and development of Wealth Enhancement Group. Jeff began his career with General Mills, Inc., where he served in a variety of marketing management positions. In 1994 he joined Recovery Engineering, Inc., where he was instrumental in the development and branding of the PUR water filtration system. Jeff was a key member of the team that successfully sold the company to Procter & Gamble for a 100% premium over market value. Through his work in technology and management consulting firms, Jeff has helped numerous organizations realize greater levels of success. Jeff provided consulting services to Wealth Enhancement Group before being asked to join the organization as CEO in 2003.



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