Tag: RIA
RIA Edge Podcast: CEO Rob Mooney On Snowden Lane’s Pivot to a ‘New Chapter’ in 2025

RIA Edge Podcast: CEO Rob Mooney On Snowden Lane’s Pivot to a ‘New Chapter’ in 2025

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Snowden Lane entered 2025 on a high note. The firm had an active recruiting year, expanding its national footprint and posting record profitability and revenue with approximately $12 billion in AUM. 

Yet the highlight for CEO Robert Mooney was the decision to buy back a significant portion of the firm’s equity from its original financial backer, Estancia Capital. The firm also broadened ownership to more employees and managers while letting longer-tenured advisor partners cash in some vested chips at “an attractive valuation.” 

Now, 75% of firm ownership is in the hands of managers and employees. Mooney sees the pivot away from outside capital as something to celebrate, particularly as more competitors run toward private equity.  

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong talks with Mooney about the recent changes at Snowden Lane and how his firm is navigating the shifting dynamics in wealth management. 

Rob shares insights on:

  • Why the wirehouses are still Snowden Lane’s best hunting grounds for talent, though he is starting to see serious opportunities to recruit from other RIAs; the firm recently added Charles Schwab as a custodian alongside its traditional partner Pershing.
  • A new proprietary retirement transition plan that offers advisors eyeing the exits an early payout.
  • The growing role of alternative investments, where the demand is coming from and how advisors are integrating them.
  • Why firm executives are bringing more practicing advisors from the field offices into managing director roles to help with strategic growth decisions.
  • The sustainability of current RIA valuations and what firms might be getting wrong. 
  • The firm’s recent recapitalization and the benefits of broadening ownership in the firm to advisors and home-office employees. 

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Rob Mooney:

About Our Guest:

Rob is the Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Snowden Lane. Rob spent 22 years at Merrill Lynch, in New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, and London. He was General Counsel and Chief Business Risk Officer of Global Wealth Management and a member of the GWM Executive and Operating Committees. He previously held senior executive positions in International Private Client and the Asia Pacific Region. Rob started at Merrill Lynch in London (Europe, Middle East, and Africa Region) and before that worked at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He has a BA from Franklin and Marshall College and a JD from George Washington University. He is Chairman of the Board of Centurion, the oldest organization in the U.S. dedicated to freeing the wrongly convicted, and a founding Board member of the Christina Seix Academy, a residential school for underprivileged inner-city children. He is a former Board Chairman and Board member of the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey

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RIA Edge Podcast: Wescott’s Commitment to Community, Client Retention with Grant Rawdin

RIA Edge Podcast: Wescott’s Commitment to Community, Client Retention with Grant Rawdin

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In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong interviews Grant Rawdin, founder and CEO of Wescott Financial Advisory Group, which manages $4 billion in AUM. Grant shares the story of founding his firm in 1987 as an offshoot of a law firm, his passion for client advocacy, and how the firm grew through strategic networking and a commitment to professional management. He emphasizes Wescott’s unique culture, including its B-Corp certification and involvement in the Net Positive Consortium for Wealth Management, as essential elements of its identity, and most important, talent retention.

Key takeaways from this episode include:

  • Rawdin’s belief that net organic growth starts with client retention, and how the firm achieves its high numbers with multi-generational clients.
  • Beyond retention, the other activities that help the firm create “rivers of referrals,” the core of Wescott’s growth engine.
  • The firm’s commitment to social justice and positive community involvement, including what its coveted “B-Corp” designation means, and why it became a founding member of the Net Positive Coalition for Wealth Management, a growing group of RIAs committed to sustainability.
  • The mindful approach he takes to acquisitions, and the importance of integrating the right talented professionals into the firm culture to the benefit of employees and clients.
  • What data Rawdin follows to make growth-oriented business decisions and track ROI
  • The firm’s unique inclusion of an organizational psychologist to support clients and staff through transitions

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Grant Rawdin:

About Our Guest:

Grant Rawdin is the founder and CEO of Wescott.  Wescott grew from the tax, business and estate services he provided to clients at Duane Morris LLP, a venerable AMLaw 100 law firm; Wescott was founded in 1987.  Grant is an attorney, an accountant and a Certified Financial Planner® professional and has served as advisor to many businesses and families.  He is admitted to both the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bars.

Grant is a graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law and Temple University, where he received his B.A. in English Literature.  He is the very proud father of four children and resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with his wife, Laura Rawdin.

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RIA Edge Podcast: Building Out the ‘Anti-Aggregator’ RIA, with David Hefty

RIA Edge Podcast: Building Out the ‘Anti-Aggregator’ RIA, with David Hefty

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In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong interviews David Hefty, founder and CEO of $3.4 billion AUM Credent Wealth Management. Hefty narrowly escaped pursuing a career trading commodities on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade, and instead started an independent wealth management firm shortly after college. But it wasn’t until the past few years that he and his team implemented an aggressive growth strategy, doing over a dozen deals in short order and uniquely being fueled by a relationship with a private credit firm (keeping the undiluted equity in the hands of the advisors). Hefty and his team put the client experience at the forefront of all decisions, and for them, that means full assimilation of onboarded teams into the Credent brand and the workflows. 

Top takeaways from this episode include:

  • Credent’s assimilation strategy when it comes to M&A and what it means to be an “anti-aggregator.”
  • Why most acquisitive RIAs are building out an “advisor-centric” model of a wealth management firm, and why that’s not always good for the client. 
  • What motivated the decision to access private credit instead of equity funding to fuel Credent’s growth strategy, and the firm’s relationship with lending shop Crestline Investors.
  • The detailed onboarding process that every one of Credent’s 13 recent acquisitions underwent when they joined the firm. 
  • With a dozen more deals in various stages of pursuit, Hefty reveals his future ambitions for the firm and what it will take to become truly “unbuyable” by all but a few national firms. 

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With David Hefty:

About Our Guest:

There are few people more passionate about changing financial lives than David Hefty. As Chief Executive Officer, his vision and leadership have built Credent into a firm dedicated to doing what’s best for hardworking Americans, all with the highest standards of transparency.

Believing all Americans should have access to high-quality, independent advice, David is committed to fee-only financial partnerships. He co-founded Hefty Wealth Partners in 2000 and joined Oak Point Financial Group in 2018 to form Credent Wealth Management.

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RIA Edge Podcast: Redefining Growth in Wealth Management

RIA Edge Podcast: Redefining Growth in Wealth Management

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David Armstrong talks with Jim Gold, CEO of Steward Partners, about the firm’s growth trajectory. Steward Partners, originally founded by wirehouse breakaways, has cultivated a unique approach by tapping experienced advisors with the independence of RIAs. With over $40 billion in assets, Jim shares insights into their robust M&A strategy and the importance of succession planning in an aging industry.

The main takeaways include:

  • Steward Partners’ M&A philosophy and its pivotal role in addressing the “succession crisis.”
  • The changing mix of advisor recruits and firm acquisitions as growth levers.
  • How Steward designs equity and partnership structures to attract and retain advisors.
  • Future growth ambitions and potential needs for additional capital.
  • Strategies for organic growth and how they differentiate Steward.
  • The importance of keeping advisors happy and well-resourced for their own success.

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Jim Gold:

About Our Guest:

Jim Gold serves as CEO, is a Founding Partner, a Board Member, and a member of the Executive leadership team at Steward Partners Global Advisory. He has extensive experience in the Financial Services industry, having held several senior-level roles, most recently as Executive Director at Morgan Stanley. Prior to assuming his current role, Mr. Gold ran the Southern Connecticut Complex, headquartered in Greenwich, Conn. Mr. Gold spent 18 years with Smith Barney, beginning in 1995 as a financial advisor. He went on to hold numerous management positions at the firm, including National Training Officer, Assistant Branch Manager, Branch Manager, and Complex Manager. Mr. Gold received numerous accolades from the firm during his tenure, most recently, he was recognized for his accomplishments in Diversity.

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RIA Edge Podcast: CEO Michael Nathanson Pulls It Together, Putting Focus Back on Fast Growth Track

RIA Edge Podcast: CEO Michael Nathanson Pulls It Together, Putting Focus Back on Fast Growth Track

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In this episode, host David Armstrong, managing director of editorial and content strategies for the Wealth Management Group at Informa, sits down with Michael Nathanson, CEO of Focus Financial Partners, to discuss Focus’ pulling out of the public markets in favor of private equity partners, their recent rebranding and the team’s hub consolidation strategy. 

Michael reveals how Focus is evolving its approach from a consortium of 90 independent firms into efforts to bring at least some of them together under one roof, which, he bets, will pay off in greater efficiencies, a wider set of services for clients and accelerated organic growth. 

Highlights include:

  • The rationale behind Focus’ recent rebranding, its “hub” organization strategy and the continuing consolidation among firms
  • What “interdependence” means for Focus advisors, and how Nathanson’s team thinks about balancing efficiencies against advisor autonomy
  • Focus’ experience as a publicly traded company and the bet that the firm’s private equity backers are making.
  • How the firm plans to drive organic growth.
  • What he looks for when hiring executive leaders or partnering with RIAs.
  • What to expect from Focus now when it comes to M&A.  

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Michael Nathanson:

About Our Guest:

Michael is a highly respected and experienced leader in the wealth management industry. As Chief Executive Officer, he plays a pivotal role in driving organizational change and spearheading a range of firm-wide initiatives. He is relentlessly dedicated to bringing meaning and joy to the lives of clients, his team, and throughout the Focus Partnership, by fostering a culture that values lifelong learning, cultivates innovation, and offers opportunities to live lives full of passion and purpose.

Michael’s passion is reflected in the recognition he has received, having been selected ten times by Barron’s magazine as one of the top 100 independent financial advisors in the nation, included in Worth magazine’s list of the country’s top 250 wealth advisors and recognized as one of ThinkAdvisor’s 2022 LUMINARIES winners for Executive Leadership. He also was selected six times as a “Super Lawyer,” as published in Massachusetts Super Lawyers. During his tenure as Chief Executive Officer and Chair of The Colony Group, he is most proud of the firm being named one of 50 firms as a Best Place To Work for Financial Advisors by InvestmentNews.

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RIA Edge Podcast: Integrated Partners’ Andree Mohr on Sophisticated Financial Planning and the ‘Ceiling of Complexity’ That Holds Some RIAs Back

RIA Edge Podcast: Integrated Partners’ Andree Mohr on Sophisticated Financial Planning and the ‘Ceiling of Complexity’ That Holds Some RIAs Back

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Live at the recent MarketCounsell Summit in Las Vegas, David Armstrong chats with Andree Mohr, president of Integrated Partners, a unique advisory platform assisting entrepreneurial advisors in scaling their businesses through strategic CPA partnerships. 

Mohr covers Integrated’s origin story and the dynamics of integrating wealth management services into accounting firms. The discussion highlights the importance of putting the client’s needs first in the business partnerships Integrated pursues and how that can sometimes require humility and adaptability on the part of the advisor. 

 Mohr discusses the technology advancements fueling the “personalization at scale” goal that most growth-minded advisory firms strive for,  and the need for advisors to evolve into “expert coordinators of experts” leveraging partnerships to address complex client needs. 

Highlights from this episode include:

  • Integrated Partners’ strategy of partnering with CPAs.s
  • What happens when advisors hit the “ceiling of complexity” when coordinating insurance, taxes, estate planning, and investment portfolios
  • Why client retention is really the key to growth, and how advisors can use their own stories to turn those clients into “rabid fans” and natural referrals.  
  • The importance of curating expert networks to bring more services to clients and the challenges some advisors have with outsourcing. 
  •  The impact AI will have in bringing higher degrees of specialization and personalization to financial services.

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect with Andree Mohr:

About Our Guest:

Andree supports growth on many levels as the President of Integrated. In this role, She oversees the day-to-day operations, manages budgets, and drives the firm’s key objectives to ensure the consistent and healthy growth of the organization. A particular passion of hers is helping entrepreneurial-minded financial advisors implement strategic operations that enhance efficiencies, foster practice growth, and bring their business visions to fruition. Through Integrated’s CPA Alliance program, she assists CPA partners in monetizing their most trusted advisor status while simultaneously aiding clients in their financial planning and tax needs.

She is also the co-author of “Center Stage: How to Become the Star of Your Practice” along with Matt Ackermann. The book focuses on operational, team building, and business processing efficiencies to help empower advisors to streamline their practices. The end result: advisors will have a roadmap to grow their business, leave a lasting legacy, and ultimately provide a boutique, concierge, memorable experience for their clients.

Her professional background includes graduating from Northeastern University, with an emphasis on experiential learning. She has been supporting advisors in various capacities for the last 13 years and truly enjoys helping them with their growth endeavors, facilitating business optimization, and ultimately watching them realize their goals.

Rounding out her life involves spending time with her husband and twin daughters, passionately cheering on the New England Patriots, traveling, and supporting charitable causes that are important to her.

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RIA Edge Podcast: Sustainable Wealth Management Firms with Jennifer des Groseilliers

RIA Edge Podcast: Sustainable Wealth Management Firms with Jennifer des Groseilliers

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In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, editorial director at Informa Connect’s Wealth Management Group, speaks with Jennifer des Groseilliers, CEO of The Mather Group. The conversation took place live during Schwab’s recent IMPACT Conference in San Francisco. 

Jennifer was recently appointed head of the $14 billion AUM firm, though she is a veteran in financial services, having worked across advisory channels, first at Ameriprise and later at MetLife and MassMutual. She came to The Mather Group just a few years after the firm was acquired by private equity investor the Vistria Group.  

She is leading a firm that has grown rapidly through a number of acquisitions in recent years, with Vistria’s financial backing. The firm currently has some 14 offices around the country, 175 employees and about 4,000 clients. It focuses on financial planning for affluent and HNW individuals, with a minimum account size of $1 million and a family office service model for clients with more than $25 million. 

David and Jennifer discuss:

  • The balanced approach to growth that includes scaling responsibly through both internal development and strategic acquisitions
  • The Mather Group’s meticulous process that ensures new acquisitions align with their corporate values and culture
  • How a recent acquisition brings an alternative investment specialist into the organization, and how alts are incorporated into client portfolios. 
  • The firm’s strategy for attracting and retaining top talent in the competitive RIA space, including a popular employee equity plan and a “robust” summer internship program that feeds new talent into many of its offices. 
  • Why “emotional intelligence” is a key focus for leadership at The Mather Group and how it benefits both client relations and team dynamics.

Resources:

 Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Jennifer des Groseilliers:

About Our Guest:

Jennifer des Groseilliers is the Chief Executive Officer of The Mather Group. Jen cultivates a collaborative culture through inclusive and supportive leadership. Her unwavering commitment to keeping clients at the center of all efforts drives her approach.

Jen’s extensive professional experience includes joining the MetLife Premier Client Group as a Managing Partner in 2013, leading an advisor force of over 160 financial advisors. She later became the CEO of MassMutual Illinois in 2016, and in 2020, after a merger with WestPoint Financial Group, she assumed the role of Partner and Chief Experience Officer, leading various departments including Investments, Compliance, Practice Development, and Financial Planning.

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RIA Edge Podcast: Turning Clients into Fans, and Designing Sustainable Growth, with Wealthstream Advisors’ Michael Goodman

RIA Edge Podcast: Turning Clients into Fans, and Designing Sustainable Growth, with Wealthstream Advisors’ Michael Goodman

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Recorded live at the Schwab Impact Conference in San Francisco, David Armstrong, editorial director at Informa Connect’s Wealth Management Group, sits down with Michael Goodman, founder, and leader of RIA Wealthstream Advisors, an RIA Edge 100 firm, to explore how he thinks about sustainable growth and client service in wealth management. 

They delve into Goodman’s philosophy and approach behind managing a successful wealth advisory firm and serving clients with meaningful wealth and complex financial needs. Goodman emphasizes the importance of tailored support, from working with full delegators to knowledgeable individuals within financial services.

They discuss:

  • What Goodman saw was missing from his accounting client relationships, which prompted him to take the leap and launch his own RIA.
  • The process Wealthstream Advisors uses to decide to take on certain clients that may not always meet their minimum AUM requirement.
  • How a deep understanding of certain corporate compensation plans helps Wealthstream turn executive clients at those companies into fans of the firm, fueling their referrals.
  • Why Goodman encourages his advisors to dump the jargon around the sophisticated planning strategies the firm employs and simply ask the client one pertinent question. 
  • How the 100% employee-owned firm approaches M&A
  • Why Goodman believes that it’s important to sacrifice maximized firm profitability in order to keep some excess capacity in the organization—to accommodate future growth or cushion the inevitable sustained market downturn. 
  • The key KPIs Goodman tracks to help make decisions on staffing and resources.  

Resources:

 Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Michael Goodman:

About Our Guest:

Michael Goodman, founder of Wealthstream Advisors, is dedicated to fostering lifelong partnerships and helping clients achieve greater financial clarity and peace of mind. Wealthstream Advisors, an independent boutique wealth management firm in New York City, operates as a Registered Investment Advisory firm, providing objective and personalized financial planning and evidence-based investment management while adhering to a fiduciary standard.

Michael emphasizes the importance of tailored financial plans and investment strategies. Through collaboration with Wealthstream Advisors, clients gain enhanced financial knowledge and confidence, empowering them to make informed decisions about managing and growing their wealth.

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RIA Edge Podcast: Alternatives at the Core with Dick Pfister

RIA Edge Podcast: Alternatives at the Core with Dick Pfister

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In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, editorial director at Informa Connect’s Wealth Management Group, sits down with Dick Pfister, founder of AlphaCore Wealth Advisory, to explore his firm’s investment approach that places alternatives at the core of the service offering. Dick discusses his early days bringing alternatives to advisors with his firm Altegris, the origins of AlphaCore, the organic growth journey of the firm, and how the sometimes cumbersome alt-investment process is integrated into the service for clients.  

David and Dick explore:

  • AlphaCore’s distinctive approach of integrating alternative strategies to provide diversification and risk management at the portfolio’s core
  • How he approaches building a dedicated team and scalable technology to support both organic growth and acquisitions.
  • The reasoning behind taking an investment from Karl Heckenberg’s Constellation Wealth Capital
  • The firm’s seven core values, including No. 1: Do what’s best for the client.
  • Practical strategies for achieving organic growth through client referrals, educational events, business development, and leveraging referral networks

Resources:

 Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Dick Pfister:

About Our Guest:

Dick has over 25 years of experience in the wealth advisory and financial services industry with an emphasis on diversifying traditional portfolios with alternative strategies. In 2015, he founded AlphaCore, which has become a leading wealth advisory firm. He serves as AlphaCore’s CEO and is a managing member of the Investment Committee. Throughout his career, he has successfully navigated changing market conditions on behalf of hundreds of entrepreneurs and investment professionals.

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RIA Edge Podcast: Enhancing the RIA Experience with Jalina Kerr

RIA Edge Podcast: Enhancing the RIA Experience with Jalina Kerr

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In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, editorial director at Informa Connect’s Wealth Management Group, sits down with Jalina Kerr, managing director of client experience for Schwab Advisor Services. Jalina talks about Schwab’s approach to enhancing the advisor experience, including the group’s work on technology integrations, changes made in the wake of the TDAI integration, and how the firm is trying to follow advisors’ lead when it comes to prioritizing the custodian’s approach to tech development.  

David and Jalina discuss:

  • How the firm is thinking about the “advisor experience” on the platform, and how they are working to improve it. 
  • Schwab’s approach to gathering and acting on advisor feedback in close to real-time.
  • Addressing the challenges and complexities of large-scale platform integration, particularly post-TD Ameritrade merger
  • The growing demand for simplified technology ecosystems, including integrated bundles,  and how Schwab aims to meet those needs.

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Jalina Kerr:

About Our Guest:

Jalina Kerr is the Managing Director of Client Experience for Schwab Advisor Services. Kerr’s team shapes the constantly evolving client experience with progressive technical and human resources designed to support the custody needs of a diverse advisor base.

Kerr began her career at Schwab in 1994 on the Advisor Services trading desk. During her tenure at Schwab, Kerr has held roles in client service delivery and operations, as well as advisors in transition, strategy, and technology.

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