Tag: Retirement Planning

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

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.



RIA Edge Podcast: Carolyn Armitage on The Importance of Succession Planning for RIAs

RIA Edge Podcast: Carolyn Armitage on The Importance of Succession Planning for RIAs

The number of advisors looking to execute a succession plan in 2022 has nearly doubled since the beginning of the year, according to the latest RIA Edge Study “Pulse Poll” released in September. What is driving this accelerated shift?

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, Mark Bruno, managing director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Carolyn Armitage, head of Thrivent Advisor Network, about the importance of creating a succession plan—and ultimately, the best and worst practices for putting a formal succession plan in place. 

Specifically, Mark and Carolyn discuss:

  • What is motivating RIA firm leaders to execute succession plans now
  • Why it’s important to have a formal written succession plan
  • How to determine when it is the right time for the founder to exit—and the employees to take over
  • Who business owners are choosing as successors and the importance of ensuring cultural alignment

Resources:

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Carolyn Armitage:

About Our Guest:

Carolyn Armitage leads Thrivent’s newly crafted independent RIA, Thrivent Advisor Network. With her extensive experience in the wealth management industry, Carolyn’s strategic guidance will enable the next phase of development for the organization.

Her experience includes roles as an independent Financial Advisor, producing Branch Manager, the head of multiple wealth management teams such as HD Vest – now Advantax, ING Advisors Network – now Voya & Cetera, among others. She also led the Large Enterprise Business Management Consulting team for LPL Financial. Prior to her current role of heading up Thrivent’s RIA, Thrivent Advisor Network, Carolyn provided investment banking and consulting services, including valuation, expert witness, strategic planning and positioning, compensation, incentives, and equity sharing structuring, and internal and external succession planning to the industry’s most elite firms through the firm ECHELON Partners.