Tag: Marketing
Abacus Wealth’s Neela Hummel on Strategically Building a $4.4BN RIA

Abacus Wealth’s Neela Hummel on Strategically Building a $4.4BN RIA

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Not many CEOs of multi-billion dollar RIAs started out as an intern at the firm that they are now running. Even fewer have followed that career path to the top of a $4.4BN RIA that boasts over 70 employers. 

That’s the story of Neela Hummel, co-CEO of Abacus Wealth Partners, who recently took over as a co-head of the firm alongside Mary Beth Storjohann. In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, Mark Bruno, Managing Director of the Wealth Management Group at Informa, talks with Neela about her path and new position at Abacus. Neela also shares how Abacus has embraced diversity within the company, creating a culture of inclusivity that has helped power Abacus’ growth and expansion. 

Mark and Neela discuss:

  • How Abacus has recruited a high percentage of female advisors and how it aligns with the clients that they serve today.
  • The evolution of roles within the company as it has grown
  • How Abacus has approach M&A and assessed cultural fits
  • How has the advisor-client dynamic has changed in recent years and where will it go in the near future

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Neela Hummel: 

About Our Guest:

Integrity. Advocacy. Tenacity. Community. These were the values Neela Hummel’s mother imprinted onto her family. Every time she goes to bat for a client, help them navigate their relationship with money, or see their shoulders relax in a meeting, her passion for what she does is renewed. Neela’s love of math and quest for order brought her into financial planning over a decade ago, but doing right by people is what keeps her going. 

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Arnerich Massena’s Reegan Rae: The Secrets of Successful Organic Growth

Arnerich Massena’s Reegan Rae: The Secrets of Successful Organic Growth

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In recent years, M&A has dominated the RIA industry. But Arnerich Massena is different—as one of the fastest-growing RIAs in the business, starting in 1991 they began achieving growth with a model that served several unique clients and business types. This required having multiple platforms of service for their clients but also beginning a journey to identify the best opportunities for creating long-term, sustainable growth.  

Organic growth has almost exclusively driven Americh Massena’s growth. In this episode, Mark Bruno, managing director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Reegan Rae, CPWA®, Co-CEO, managing principal, senior investment advisor, Arnerich Massena. Reegan shares her company’s growth philosophy, how they measure growth rates when considering market opportunities, and what the future holds for Arnerich Massena when it comes to M&As.

Mark and Reegan discuss:

  • How does Arnerich Massena define and focus on growth? How do they balance growth from existing relationships or new client acquisition?
  • What is the key to growth within a business and who is responsible for growth at Arnerich Massena?
  • How has Americh Massena re-invested in the business to drive and accelerate growth? Where has the best ROI been seen?

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Reegan Rae:

About Our Guest:

Co-CEO alongside Bryan Shipley, Reegan provides oversight of the firm’s long-term strategy and service model, working with the Leadership Team to ensure that Arnerich Massena is delivering the services that best meet clients’ needs. She is focused on building and sustaining the company’s long-term business strategy, providing thought leadership and overall guidance for the firm. She has worked with Arnerich Massena for more than nine years, and has been a firm principal since the company became 100% employee-owned in 2017.

Reegan’s experience in the financial industry spans more than 14 years, during which she previously served as a registered principal and member firm relationship manager for M Holding Securities (the broker-dealer of M Financial Group) and as financial advisor for AXA Advisors.

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Build or Buy – or Both? Wealthstream’s Michael Goodman on building a $1BN RIA

Build or Buy – or Both? Wealthstream’s Michael Goodman on building a $1BN RIA

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The leaders of RIA firms have more options than ever before when evaluating growth opportunities in today’s market. M&A activity continues at an accelerated pace – and technology is allowing advisors to extend their services to an ever-increasing number of investors and clients.  

In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, managing director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Michael Goodman, founder and president of Wealthstream Advisors, about the keys to building a successful and consistently growing RIA. Wealthstream, which recently crossed the $1BN threshold, has grown through a mix of strategic acquisitions, marketing and business development. 

Specifically, Mark and Michael discuss:

  • How an independent RIA can compete with increasingly influential professional buyers in the M&A market
  • The keys to evaluating the right acquisition opportunities
  • Creating a repeatable, scalable, business development process
  • Acquiring vs. hiring talent to drive growth

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Michael Goodman:

About Our Guest:

Michael Goodman is the founder and president of Wealthstream Advisors, Inc. As the company’s leader, he spearheads business development, designs and implements the firm’s strategic direction, and builds and manages client relationships. His passion is helping Wealthstream’s clients articulate their financial goals, then helping them find solutions and build plans in order to reach those goals.

After gaining experience in a variety of areas within the financial industry, Michael realized he could best serve clients in the way he wanted by striking out on his own. In 1996, he founded the independent practice that would eventually become Wealthstream Advisors. Michael’s goal then—as it remains today—is to embrace and deliver a “total financial strategy” for clients.

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Merit’s Kay Lynn Mayhue: Building a National Wealth Management Firm

Merit’s Kay Lynn Mayhue: Building a National Wealth Management Firm

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A small, but growing, number of influential independent advisory firms are on the fast track to becoming truly national wealth managers. M&A has been a tool that has allowed regional firms to expand their footprints, and Merit Financial Advisors is perhaps one of the industry’s best examples of how strategic M&A can be transformational – and ultimately lead to accelerated growth. 

In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, managing director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Kay Lynn Mayhue, CFP®, AEP®, RFC®, president of Merit Financial Advisors, about her firm’s rapid growth in recent years. 

Kay Lynn offers a look under the hood at some of Merit’s recent acquisitions, while also providing more detail on the strategic partnership the firm formed with Wealth Partners Capital Group and a group of private investors led by HGGC. 

Specifically, Mark and Kay Lynn discuss:

  • Merit’s growth trajectory and plan to reach $10B in AUM
  • How Merit evaluates acquisition targets and opportunities
  • How Merit’s organizational structure is evolving to facilitate future growth
  • Insights into Merit’s 2022 pipeline and future M&A strategy

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Kay Lynn:

About Our Guest:

Kay Lynn Mayhue, CFP®, AEP®, RFC® serves as President of Merit, which oversees $4 billion* in RIA and brokerage assets under management. A seasoned veteran of the financial services industry with more than 20 years of service under her belt, Kay Lynn now shares her wealth of experience and refined leadership skills with the partners and team at Merit. She primarily focuses on the implementation of company objectives to advance Merit’s mission and to promote growth and profitability as an organization. She also oversees operations to ensure production efficiency, top quality, exceptional service, and cost-effective management of resources. Driven by results, Kay Lynn works tirelessly to implement, direct, and evaluate the organization’s operational and fiscal function and performance. Her critical expertise in succession planning has paved the way for countless advisors to achieve the future of their dreams, and secured Merit’s legacy as a firm that will continue to serve others for generations to come.

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Wipfli’s Jeff Pierce: Strategies for Driving Quality RIA Growth

Wipfli’s Jeff Pierce: Strategies for Driving Quality RIA Growth

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While every RIA has its own unique approach to adding new clients and talent, the top-performing firms share some common strategic approaches to accelerating and driving organic and inorganic growth. 

In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, Managing Director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Jeff Pierce, CEO of Wipfli Financial Advisors, about the keys to his firm’s march to $5 billion in assets. Jeff specifically shares his thoughts on how his firm is beginning to use M&A to  acquire both clients and talent that will drive future growth. In addition, Mark and Jeff discuss:

  • Creating consistent, scalable growth
  • The current “talent wars” in the RIA market
  • 2022 M&A opportunities 
  • Opportunities to add planning and advice services for Wiplfi’s accounting clients

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Jeff Pierce: 

About Our Guest:

When it comes to his client philosophy, Jeff says one key tenet has always been clear: Investing is about more than just money. It’s a guiding principle he reinforces across the business, emphasizing the importance of fostering client well-being beyond their financial lives. For Jeff, that means helping Wipfli Financial’s advisors create alignment between their clients’ resources, values and aspirations.

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Grow by Design, Not by Default: Journey’s Penny Phillips

Grow by Design, Not by Default: Journey’s Penny Phillips

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For the last decade, strong equity markets have powered a substantial amount of growth for tens of thousands of financial advisors. A handful of firms, however, have “cracked the code” and created blueprints for driving strategic growth for their firms that will extend well beyond this prolonged bull market. 

In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, managing director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Penny Phillips, co-founder and president of Journey Strategic Wealth about the keys to creating sustainable growth and the evolution of options now available to independent advisors.

Specifically, Mark & Penny discuss:

  • Why Penny transitioned from her role as a successful consultant to launch an RIA
  • How M&A is reshaping and redefining the economics of advice 
  • How successful RIAs are approaching marketing, business development and client acquisition
  • Why not all growth is “good growth”

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Penny Phillips: 

About Our Guest:

Social, demographic, and technological changes are shifting the traditional financial services business model. Penny works to support financial advisors and institutions as they embrace change and discover new ways to thrive.

 

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The Evolution of Independence: Snowden Lane’s Rob Mooney

The Evolution of Independence: Snowden Lane’s Rob Mooney

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As the independent and RIA channels have grown and become more influential, the challenges and opportunities aligned with running your own businesses have grown significantly in recent years. 

To better understand and assess the options that are now available to advisors who are looking to build their own businesses — or accelerate the growth of their existing business — Informa’s Mark Bruno and Snowden Lane’s Rob Mooney discussed major changes in the wealth management landscape. 

Specifically, in this episode of RIA Edge, Mark and Rob explore:

Mark and Rob discuss:

  • The primary drives of Snowden Lane’s growth over the last ten years
  • How to successfully navigate mergers and acquisitions, marketing, business development and client acquisition strategies
  • The emergence of new RIAs and mega-RIAs within the wealth management industry

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Rob Mooney:

About Our Guest:

Rob co-founded Snowden Lane Partners in 2011, following a 22 year career in senior executive roles at Merrill Lynch. Snowden Lane is an independent, hybrid wealth advisory firm that operates at the highest standards of care and client focus. Today, Snowden Lane Partners is an internationally branded boutique, representing a culture that values integrity, transparency and putting the client first; along with state-of-the-art technology and innovative investment solutions.

Rob is Board Chair of Centurion, the oldest organization in the U.S. dedicated to freeing the wrongly convicted from prison. He is a founding Board member of the Christina Seix Academy, a residential school for underprivileged inner city children in Trenton, NJ. He is a former Board Chairman of the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey . Rob and his wife reside in Princeton, NJ and have four children.

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From Practice to Platform: Strategic RIA Growth With Stan Gregor

From Practice to Platform: Strategic RIA Growth With Stan Gregor

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With more investors seeking out financial advice than ever before, RIAs are in a position to capitalize on an evolving mix of investing, planning and technology developments that can create long-term business growth.  

In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, managing director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Stan Gregor, CEO of Summit Financial. Stan shares details on Summit’s growth trajectory in recent years – while offering advice on how other firms can create scalable, repeatable growth strategies and transform their practices into truly unique advice platforms. 

Specifically, Mark and Stan discuss:

  • Balancing organic and inorganic growth strategies
  • How to identify the right types of acquisition, recruiting, and partnership opportunities
  • The difference between growth and “good growth”
  • The most valuable technology and communication lessons learned in the past 18 months

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Stan Gregor: 

About Stan Gregor:

As a senior executive with over 30 years of experience, I’ve operated in banking, private wealth management, investment management, fiduciary trust services, fixed income trading, investment banking, retirement services, insurance, financial planning and public finance. I’ve been involved in acquiring and integrating some of the largest and most complicated banking, wealth management, insurance, and capital markets businesses and cultures with a demonstrated track record of increasing productivity, profitability and shareholder value.

At Summit Financial, I apply these decades of financial services experience every day to ensure our firm continues to fully align client and advisor needs. Through SummitVantage, our fully integrated suite of advisor resources, we create legacy partnerships with leading advisors looking for full support–and full flexibility–to thrive in a crowded market.

 

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Drivers of Strategic RIA Growth: Wealthcare’s Matt Regan

Drivers of Strategic RIA Growth: Wealthcare’s Matt Regan

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Every RIA firm is unique and has its own strategies and approaches for driving growth. But a handful of the fastest growing and most successful firms have one thing in common: They take an active approach to managing and thinking about growth on a daily basis – and ultimately how they can continue to improve the outcomes they are delivering to clients.  

That is just what Wealthcare Capital Management has done on it’s journey to becoming one of the top RIA firms in the industry. 

In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, managing director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Matt Regan, president of Wealthcare Capital Management, about the growth he has experienced within his company, and how Wealthcare was able to become one of the largest and fastest growing firms in the industry. 

Mark and Matt discuss:

  • The most efficient and effective drivers of RIA growth
  • Understanding and marketing to clearly defined client segments
  • How technology can be the backbone of an RIA firm
  • Major contributions Matt has seen to both organic and inorganic growth 
  • Matt’s views on the RIA industry in the next 3 to 5 years 

Resources:

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Matt Regan: 

About Matt Regan: Matt Regan serves as Wealthcare’s President. Most recently and prior to Wealthcare, Matt served as the Chief Operating Officer of Wescott Financial, a $2 billion RIA based in Philadelphia. With more than two decades in the financial services industry, Matt has been involved in a number of transformative business models and has remained focused on building world class organizations with a focus on the client. As a founding partner of WR Hambrecht+Co, Matt launched the retail brokerage offering and helped to design and launch the auction-based OpenIPO system. As a consultant to Vanguard, Matt was involved in the technology and business transformation that created the infrastructure that underlies the firm’s Personal Advisor Services offering. Matt is a graduate of the University of Toronto and resides outside Philadelphia with his wife and three children.

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Marketing with Intent: Chequers’ Megan Gorman on how RIAs can build a brand and voice

Marketing with Intent: Chequers’ Megan Gorman on how RIAs can build a brand and voice

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Many in RIAs understand the importance of strong marketing strategies, but knowing what types of strategies – and then consistently executing – is a major challenge for a number of advisors. 

In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, managing director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Megan Gorman, founder and managing partner of Chequers Financial Management, about her approach to organic growth and how she has leveraged a range of marketing strategies to connect with clients and identify new client opportunities. Megan shares how to determine which strategies are right for you.

Specifically, Mark and Megan discuss:

  • The importance of strategic marketing to drive consist growth and relevance
  • How Morgan integrated her marketing strategies with her unique voice to connect with women investors and clients
  • The role social media can play in your marketing strategy
  • Balancing active marketing with client and management responsibilities

Resources:

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Megan Gorman:

About Our Guest:

Megan is the founding partner of Chequers Financial Management, a fee-only planning firm that specializes in high net worth and ultra-high net worth families in San Francisco, California. Megan heads the firm’s family office services practice.

As well, Megan is a Senior Contributor for Forbes in personal finance and tax. She is also quoted regularly in the press as a tax and financial planning expert including such publications as The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. She blogs at TheWealthIntersection.com, has appeared on numerous podcasts, and is a regular weekly commentator on The Money Tree Podcast.

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