Tag: Organic Growth
RIA Edge Podcast: Scaling an RIA Through Talent and Ownership with Tom Orecchio

RIA Edge Podcast: Scaling an RIA Through Talent and Ownership with Tom Orecchio

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Growth can mean very different things depending on how a firm is built and who it is built for.

What does it really take to evolve from a small advisory practice into a professionally managed firm without losing culture, client focus or identity?

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong speaks with Tom Orecchio, CFA, CFP, ChFC, AIF, chief executive officer, wealth manager and principal at Modera Wealth Management, about building an employee-owned RIA designed for long-term growth. He shares how leadership, ownership alignment and disciplined M&A shape Modera’s growth approach. 

Tom also explains how service expansion, technology investments and organic growth planning support advisors while keeping clients at the center.

Key takeaways:

  • Identifying the growth trajectory inflection point where advisor principals need to become, or hire, professional managers
  • His firm’s experience with employee equity ownership
  • What Modera looks for in acquisition partners (beyond location or size)
  • Why a technology revamp set the firm up to support future growth, retain operational consistency and the client experience
  • His firm’s approach to organic growth

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Tom Orecchio:

About Our Guest:

Tom’s career began at Heritage Financial where he worked as a financial planner. In 1995, he joined the firm Greenbaum and Associates where he later became a partner. His role as a principal and wealth manager continued as the firm grew and evolved into Greenbaum and Orecchio and then into its current entity, Modera Wealth Management, LLC.

Tom received his B.A. in government and law from Lafayette College and went on to earn some of the most recognized credentials in the industry. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professional. He is also a Chartered Financial Consultant, a Chartered Life Underwriter® and an Accredited Investment Fiduciary.

Tom is a National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) registered financial advisor. He has demonstrated his leadership and commitment to fiduciary standards in the industry by serving as NAPFA Chairman (2007-08) and as a national board member (2004-08). In 2013, Tom was the recipient of the NAFPA Robert J. Underwood Distinguished Service Award. He is an active member of the CFA® Institute, the National CEO Study Group, and the 20/20 National Study Group.

Tom is actively involved in the community as director of the Modera Wealth Management Scholarship Fund and is on the board of directors for the Modera Charitable Foundation. He also sits on the Northeast Advisory Board for Lafayette College. Tom has served as a board member of the finance committee for the Cathedral of Saint John the Theologian and also Northvale PAL, Inc. In addition, he has served as NV Eagles Youth Football president, Bergen County Junior Football League treasurer, and has sat on the board of directors for the youth baseball league in his town. Tom loves spending time with his family and three sons and often can be found on the football or baseball field coaching his sons’ teams.

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RIA Edge Podcast: Carnegie’s Jordan Raniszeski on Managing for Future Growth

RIA Edge Podcast: Carnegie’s Jordan Raniszeski on Managing for Future Growth

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How do advisory firms continue growing once scale introduces complexity? What does it take to build a structure that supports independence, client experience, and long-term flexibility?

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong speaks with Jordan Raniszeski, CFP, CPA,  senior managing partner at Carnegie Private Wealth, about the strategic decisions behind the firm’s rapid growth after its transition to independence.

He talks about early investments in human capital and junior advisors, an evolving executive management structure, and how flexible marketing strategies all resulted in expanded capacity and growth, and prepared the firm for its next phase.

Key takeaways:

  • The decision to leave a bank model in order to build brand control and internal flexibility
  • How associate advisors expanded capacity without sacrificing client experience
  • Why early investments in people created momentum for organic growth
  • The role of management structure in supporting long-term scale
  • How marketing, referrals, and community presence contributed to new client flow

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Jordan Raniszeski:

About Our Guest:

Jordan Raniszeski is a leader in the Wealth Management industry and Senior Managing Partner at Carnegie Private Wealth where he’s helped build a team of well-regarded and experienced advisors. The advisors of Carnegie Private Wealth collectively serve more than 519 households with over $2,000,000,000 in brokerage assets as of August 29, 2025.

In his more than 20 years of experience as an advisor working with high-net-worth individuals and families, Jordan developed expertise in helping corporate executives, professionals and business owners. As a business owner and organizational leader himself, Jordan intimately understands the time constraints and complexities facing these clients and helps them build a plan to pursue their goals while balancing many different priorities.

Jordan’s career path showcases his leadership and commitment to client service. He began at Deloitte’s individual tax practice, honing his skills in tax and estate planning strategies. Later, at Wachovia Bank (now Wells Fargo), Jordan helped build the Executive Financial Planning practice. Partnering with Angie Ostendarp, he then grew one of Wells Fargo Advisors’ largest brokerage practices. Throughout his journey, Jordan has remained a devoted student of the industry, constantly seeking innovative ways to serve clients.

Leadership has been a constant theme in Jordan’s life. From roles in student government and charitable organizations to positions on sports teams, he has consistently stepped up to guide others. Jordan’s experience made him a natural fit to lead Carnegie’s formation. He now guides the Carnegie team, focusing on a shared vision for wealth management’s future.

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RIA Edge Podcast: Client-Centric Growth and Innovation with Jon Beatty

RIA Edge Podcast: Client-Centric Growth and Innovation with Jon Beatty

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The future of RIAs is being shaped by technology, talent, and a renewed focus on client-centric leadership.

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong talks with Jon Beatty, head of advisor services at Charles Schwab, on the eve of Schwab Impact, about how the industry is adapting to the accelerating pace of technological change and what qualities differentiate the most successful advisory firms. 

In the conversation, you’ll hear:

  • What Beatty looks forward to the most at Schwab Impact, the firm’s annual conference for advisors and industry executives—and it’s not only what’s happening on the stage.
  • The takeaways from Schwab’s most recent Independent Advisor Outlook Study that Beatty found most revealing.
  • How some firms are maintaining, or even growing,  profitability even as they add new client services on top of a fixed revenue base.
  • How the most successful advisors are evolving in their use of technology, including artificial intelligence.
  • The key to balancing scale and efficiency without sacrificing personalized client service.
  • The most critical metric RIAs have to track meaningful growth.

Resources:

 Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Jon Beatty:

About Our Guest:

Jon Beatty is a member of Charles Schwab’s Executive Council. As Managing Director and Head of Schwab Advisor Services, he oversees the business that serves over 16,000 independent advisory firms that trust Schwab with $4.7 trillion in assets under management. 

Schwab Advisor Services provides RIAs with everything they need for custody and beyond, including innovative technology, the latest wealth management solutions, and an unmatched breadth of solutions to help advisors take their businesses further, all powered by more than 3,000 dedicated Advisor Services employees. 

You likely won’t meet anyone more passionate about helping independent advisors succeed than Jon. He joined Schwab 28 years ago and has been a member of the Advisor Services leadership team for 16 years. Jon has dedicated his career to working with RIAs and loves to hear from clients and prospects on how Schwab can best meet their needs.

Jon has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Wittenberg University. He is registered with the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., and holds Series 7 and 9/10 registrations.

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RIA Edge Podcast: Building a National RIA Brand Without Losing Identity with Kay Lynn Mayhue

RIA Edge Podcast: Building a National RIA Brand Without Losing Identity with Kay Lynn Mayhue

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In this episode of the RIA Edge podcast, host David Armstrong speaks with Kay Lynn Mayhue, president of Merit Financial, about the firm’s approach to growth as it reaches $24 billion in assets under management and celebrates its 50th acquisition. Mayhue discusses Merit’s recent capital partnership with Constellation Wealth and how the firm balances aggressive M&A activity with organic growth initiatives.

Mayhue explains Merit’s three partnership models—succession, leadership, and growth—and how the firm has evolved to attract larger, more sophisticated advisory practices. She emphasizes Merit’s philosophy that organic growth responsibility belongs at the company level rather than with individual advisors, allowing advisors to focus on client relationships while the firm develops strategic alliances and referral programs to drive new business.

Key insights:

  • How Merit Financial maintains a unified brand across all 50+ offices, which Mayhue credits with creating operational efficiencies while still allowing advisors significant autonomy within established guardrails
  • How the firm’s approach to advisor efficiency varies based on client demographics and advisor growth potential, with top producers receiving additional support to maintain growth capacity
  • How strategic partnerships with CPAs, banks, and retirement plan advisors serve as critical organic growth channels for Merit advisors
  • How Merit’s leadership team development has been crucial to its scaling strategy, with Mayhue advising firms to hire strategic leadership positions earlier than they think necessary

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Kay Lynn Mayhue:

About Our Guest:

Kay Lynn Mayhue, CFP®, AEP®, RFC®, has played many roles in the financial advisory industry: as a successor, partner, seller, and buyer. This unique and diverse background allows her to be able to relate to advisors in all phases of their careers and mergers and acquisitions.

With a background in financial planning and leadership, her career spans several areas, including advising clients, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic growth. Kay Lynn worked her way up from an entry-level position to earn her seat at the C-Suites table as President of Merit, which oversees $15.96 billion* in RIA and Brokerage assets under management. She holds her CFP®, AEP®, and RFC® and has been a critical decision-maker for two firms over the past twenty years.

Kay Lynn has overseen multiple mergers and acquisitions over the past four years and has been recognized for her position as a female leader in the financial services industry. She is passionate about helping people take their careers – and themselves – to exceptional levels. Kay Lynn’s influence in the industry and her drive for success a driving factors in Merit’s ongoing growth and appeal to growth-oriented advisors. 

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RIA Edge Podcast: Concurrent’s Nate Lenz on True Independence at Scale

RIA Edge Podcast: Concurrent’s Nate Lenz on True Independence at Scale

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Is true independence possible at scale? In this episode of the RIA Edge podcast, host David Armstrong talks with Concurrent CEO Nate Lenz about how his fast-growing RIA platform is helping advisors stay independent while accessing the scale, capital and talent needed to grow. 

From multi-custodial flexibility to a unique minority partnership model, Lenz shares what is energizing younger advisors looking to remain independent, even as pressures to scale drive business strategy and soaring RIA valuations keep many from being able to afford the benefits of firm ownership. 

Key takeaways:

  • Why Concurrent launched a “minority, non-control” capital program backed by capital partner Merchant to take ownership stakes in RIAs, arguing the approach aligns incentives with advisors and avoids the roll-up model that often strips away autonomy.
  • How the firm’s “Basecamp” platform creates efficiencies that advisors could not achieve alone, even as they retain their own brands and client relationships, and how a “powered by Concurrent” co-branding with partner firms can preserve local culture while signaling national strength.
  • How his firm is addressing the “talent wars” by turning inward and building training programs for new advisors. Lenz has a goal to train 100 new advisors over five years through a structured apprenticeship model.
  • How Concurrent is using its large 401(k) plan sponsor base and partnerships with firms like TIFIN to create new organic growth channels.
  • How higher interest rates have compressed valuations and raised the cost of capital in the RIA M&A market, yet not all firms will respond in the same way. Some well-capitalized firms with equity to deploy still have a strong edge even as they steer clear of auction-style deals where buyers pay unsustainable multiples.

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Nate Lenz:

About Our Guest:

With more than a decade of financial industry experience, Nate Lenz is a leader for advisors looking to realize their potential as entrepreneurs. He is currently the CEO and Co-Founder of Concurrent, a $7 billion OSJ turned RIA that was named an InvestmentNews Best Place to Work in 2023. Concurrent is driven by partnering with advisors to help them grow their independent businesses.

Nate’s career has focused on supporting financial advisors, empowering them to succeed without the backing of big financial services companies. Prior to his work at Concurrent, he was a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at I&A Consulting, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and recruiting experienced advisors. Before that, he was VP of Succession Planning & Acquisitions at Raymond James Financial Services, where he led the in-house consulting team that provided support to 4,000+ RJ independent financial advisors. His previous work helped shape his vision for Concurrent and deepen his investment in guiding independent financial advisors through all phases of the business life cycle.

He graduated from Columbia University and was recognized in 2022 as an InvestmentNews 40 Under 40 honoree.

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RIA Edge Podcast: Building Growth Partnerships with Summit Financial’s Stan Gregor

RIA Edge Podcast: Building Growth Partnerships with Summit Financial’s Stan Gregor

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Explosive growth doesn’t happen by accident. It’s fueled by intentional partnerships, strategic resources, and cultural alignment.

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong sits down with Stan Gregor, CEO of Summit Financial, who shares how his firm has grown from $3 billion to nearly $25 billion in assets since 2020. 

He reveals the minority investment model that prioritizes partnership over control, the resources Summit provides to help advisors grow organically and through acquisitions, and the importance of cultural fit. Stan also offers his perspective on private equity’s role in the industry and emerging service trends for RIAs.

Keypoints:

  • Summit Financial’s minority investment partnership model and how it differs from roll-up and aggregator structures
  • The selective approach to onboarding partners, focusing on cultural fit, aspiration, and willingness to leverage resources
  • In-house resources, from legal and estate planning to marketing via Chapman Communications, that drive above-market organic growth
  • Industry shifts toward private equity, private credit and alternative investments, and how Summit vets boutique opportunities
  • Views on competition, partnership pitfalls and future monetization strategies while maintaining focus on growth and enterprise value

Resources:

 Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Stan Gregor:

About Our Guest:

Stan Gregor is the CEO of Summit Financial LLC. As a senior executive with over 30 years of experience, Stan has operated in banking, private wealth management, investment management, fiduciary trust services, fixed income trading, investment banking, retirement services, insurance, financial planning, and public finance. He has also 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.

Most recently, Stan was the founder and co-CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald Wealth Partners (CFWP). Under his leadership, CFWP grew to over $5 billion in assets in less than two years through several strategic acquisitions of RIAs, independent advisors, and wirehouse teams.

Prior to joining Cantor Fitzgerald, Stan was the Head of Wells Fargo Wealth Management -Eastern US Markets and President of Wachovia Wealth Markets. He provided executive leadership to the Eastern U.S. Markets and headed up the Wealth Insurance Division, overseeing the private bank, wealth brokerage, investment management, fiduciary trust services, financial planning, and insurance. Stan was responsible for leading nearly 5,000 team members, generating revenues of $2.5 billion with $69 billion of investment fee-based AUM, $19 billion of deposit balances, and $16 billion of loans.

Prior to Wachovia, Stan was CEO of Commerce Capital Markets, where he directed private wealth management, brokerage, asset management, fixed income trading, derivatives, investment banking, retirement services, insurance, and public finance.

Subsequently, Stan was CEO of Quick and Reilly (Q&R) as one of the visionaries who transformed Q&R from a transactional discount broker to a full-service advisory company. When Q&R was acquired by Bank of America, Stan stayed on as co-CEO of Bank of America Investment Services until 2005.

Over nearly a decade at Citigroup, Stan had several senior executive-level roles leading different divisions, including consumer banking, private wealth management, and Citigroup as Northeast Group Executive Vice President.

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RIA Edge Podcast: Chris Erblich on TFO’s Response to Client Needs

RIA Edge Podcast: Chris Erblich on TFO’s Response to Client Needs

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How can a firm truly put families first in wealth management?

Join host David Armstrong as he interviews Chris Erblich, co-founder of TFO Family Office Partners. Chris shares the origin story and evolution of TFO’s three distinct but interconnected entities: a full-service multifamily office in Phoenix, a wealth management firm in Ohio and a South Dakota-based public trust company. He explains how each was built in response to real client needs rather than a grand business plan.

It all started with a family office sparked by a gap in legal-client relationships, expanded into wealth management and ultimately the firm formed a trust company to address trustee challenges for ultra-high-net-worth families. Throughout the conversation, Chris emphasizes TFO’s purpose-driven mission: to help families, however and wherever they need it.

David and Chris discuss:

  • What prompted estate attorney Elbrich to first convince his law firm to back an in-house multi-family office, and why he and his partners eventually bought it outright.
  • How an opportunistic meeting with a Genspring advisor looking for a new home led him to build a separate MFO in Phoenix.
  • The firm’s approach to client services, tax preparation and estate planning.
  • Building an in-house South Dakota Trust company that was, at first, seen as an accommodation, but soon became a profitable business service highly valued by clients. 
  • Elbrich’s mission statement and the one question that helps him decide where to focus his efforts growing the business. 
  • Future growth plans, and how he feels about mergers and acquisitions in the RIA space. 

Resources:

 Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Chris Erblich:

About Our Guest:

Chris is a nationally recognized estate planning attorney, business owner, and speaker focusing on helping individuals and families connect their wealth and purpose. His clients are those who have truly lived the American dream, and Chris values the opportunity to work with and learn from them. In addition to Chris’ role as Partner at Husch Blackwell, Chris is the CEO and Chairman of TFO Family Office Partners (based in Phoenix, Arizona), CEO of TFO Wealth Partners (based in Maumee, Ohio), and President and Director of TFO Trust Company (based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota). Chris also has multiple real estate investments. It is this experience that enables him to understand firsthand the challenges and complexities of managing both companies and properties, and he readily identifies with clients’ goals and desires for their own businesses. In addition to the services he provides to clients, Chris is a highly sought-after speaker in the world of high-net-worth estate planning and has delivered more than 200 presentations nationwide to attorneys, accountants, financial service professionals, and business owners.

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RIA Edge Podcast: Building Wealth Firms That Last with Mark DeLotto

RIA Edge Podcast: Building Wealth Firms That Last with Mark DeLotto

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What makes a financial advisory firm truly sustainable in the competitive world of wealth management?

Join David Armstrong as he engages with Mark DeLotto, partner and corporate development officer at Simon Quick Advisors, on the firm’s distinctive growth journey and his roadmap for future growth. Mark offers insights into cultivating a culture of broad ownership, team collaboration, and strategies for organic growth driven by deep expertise in trusts and estate planning, and his ambition for more dealmaking in the RIA space. 

David and Mark discuss:

  • The transformation of Simon Quick Advisors from an early focus as a family office, to advising a few institutions, to becoming a full-service wealth management firm for HNW and UHNW clients.  
  • How broadening the number of next-gen employee owners has aligned the team around the firm’s goals and incentives, and the impact that decision has had on the firm’s growth trajectory. 
  • Why the firm decided to bring estate planning intelligence in-house.
  • The firm’s first three M&A deals, and how Mark and his partner believed in the mission to the point where they made personal guarantees to the bank to raise the capital to pursue a deal. 

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Mark DeLotto:

About Our Guest:

Mr. DeLotto joined Simon Quick in April 2007 and currently serves as the Partner and Corporate Development Officer, with primary responsibility over the areas of finance and operations. He also oversees human resources, legal, compliance, technology, and infrastructure, and, as a member of the Management Committee, contributes to the firm’s strategic direction, business development, and business planning. He also sits on the firm’s Operating Committee. In early 2013, Mr. DeLotto became an equity partner of Simon Quick.

Mr. DeLotto began his career with Fleet/Quick & Reilly as a Financial Advisor. At the Bank of America Investment Services, he managed and serviced client assets. He earned Series 7, Series 66, and New Jersey Life and Health Insurance Producer Licenses and was selected to partner with a successful team of advisors in 2005.

Prior to joining Simon Quick, Mr. DeLotto supervised, mentored, and coached over forty financial advisors and sales assistants as a licensed market principal at Bank of America Investment Services, Inc.

Mr. DeLotto has a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Villanova University School of Business. He is an active member in the Morris/Somerset Chapter of the Villanova Alumni Association and was an active member of The Villanova School of Business and served as a mentor in the Commerce and Finance Counselor program. A graduate of the Delbarton School in Morristown, NJ, he currently serves on the Board of the Alumni Association and is the Co-Chair of the school’s annual fundraising effort. Mark currently sits on the Technology Advisory Board for both Pershing LLC (an affiliate of BNY Mellon) and Fortigent LLC (an affiliate of LPL Financial). Mark sits on the Board of Directors for the ARC of Morris County, an organization dedicated to people affected by intellectual and related developmental disabilities and their families in Morris County.

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RIA Edge Podcast: Savant’s Brent Brodeski: How M&A is Accelerating the Evolution of Advice

RIA Edge Podcast: Savant’s Brent Brodeski: How M&A is Accelerating the Evolution of Advice

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M&A activity has re-shaped the wealth management industry in recent years – but it also accelerating the evolution of the business, and ultimately access to financial advice. 

In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, Managing Director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Brent Brodeski, CEO of Savant Wealth Management, about the firm’s inorganic and organic growth, as well as its objective to extend advice to millions of new investors. 

Specifically, Mark and Brent discuss:

  •  How Savant Wealth evaluates potential acquisitions and what a good fit looks like
  •  Where the overall industry is currently in the M&A cycle
  • The difference between return on investment and return on “impact”
  •  What do RIAs need to attract more talent in the future

Resources:

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Brent Brodeski:

About Our Guest:

Brent is the CEO and a founder of Savant. He has been involved in the financial services industry since 1988 and previously taught investment and finance courses at Rock Valley College, Rockford University, and Northern Illinois University. Brent earned a bachelor of science degree in finance and economics and a master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting from NIU. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, and a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®).



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RIA Edge Podcast: Wealth Enhancement Group’s Jim Cahn: The Drivers of RIA M&A in 2023

RIA Edge Podcast: Wealth Enhancement Group’s Jim Cahn: The Drivers of RIA M&A in 2023

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In reviewing the past year, advisors are looking for more ways to grow their business. How will they take the first step into 2023 with a growth mindset?

In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, Managing Director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Jim Cahn, Chief Investment Officer and Chief Business Development Officer for Wealth Enhancement Group, about WEG’s M&A strategy — and the role M&A could continue to play in the firm’s growth next year. 

Specifically, Mark and Jim discuss:

  • How Wealth Enhancement Group’s platform differs from other active, professional buyers
  • How the 2022 market downturn has impacted M&A activity and smaller, less experienced buyers
  • How WEG is driving organic growth for advisors outside of M&A
  • How growth in the RIA industry will take shape in 2023

Resources:

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Jim Cahn:

About Our Guest:

Jim brings significant financial services experience along with the investment management industry’s best thinking and best practices to his role as Chief Investment Officer of Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services. Throughout his professional career, Jim’s philosophy on investing has centered on providing clients with cost-effective, well-diversified portfolios and investment strategies that fit within a specific risk tolerance in order to help clients pursue their financial goals. Prior to joining Wealth Enhancement Group, Jim served as chief investment officer and portfolio manager for a Chicago firm, where he oversaw investment programs, launched a hedge fund-of-funds and consulted with clients. A frequent contributor to financial media, he has appeared on CNBC, Fox Business and BloombergTV, and has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. He has also written a monthly column for Forbes.com since 2013.



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