Welcome back to another episode of the Independence Playbook. In today’s episode, John is joined by Harris Baltch, Head of M&A and Capital Strategies, to talk about how advisors can prepare for M&A pre-launch, prepare for M&A post-launch, and create a credible and repeatable M&A strategy.
Welcome back to another episode of the Independence Playbook. In today’s episode, John is joined by Jon Morris, Chief Legal and Governance Officer at Dynasty Financial Partners. Jon shares some of the essential items advisors need to know from a legal perspective before breaking away.
Welcome back to another episode of the Independence Playbook. In today’s episode, John is joined by Frank Coates, Chief Technology Officer. Technology is a vital component of any business, but its rapidly evolving environment can make it more difficult for advisors to stay abreast of the latest capabilities and features. Tune in as Frank and John discuss the most common questions advisors have regarding technology.
Welcome back to another episode of the Independence Playbook. In today’s episode, Angela Gingras, Chief Administrative Officer, joins John. Angela has deep experience in RIA operations and can provide great insight into best practices for advisors transitioning to a fully independent model.
Welcome back to another episode of the Independence Playbook. In today’s episode, John is joined by Gordy Abel, Chief Marketing Officer, to discuss how advisors should approach their brand development and marketing strategy as they transition to a fully independent RIA model.
Welcome back to another episode of the Independence Playbook. In today’s episode, John is joined by Caitlin Douglas, Director of Transition Services, to discuss the transition to the independence model. Caitlin shares the checklist for advisors considering the move to independence and how the pandemic altered some ways we approach transition services today.
Welcome to the Independence Playbook Podcast! Join John Sullivan, Head of Network Development and Sean Lindenbaum, Director, South East Division, as they lay the foundation for this series and discuss all things due diligence. Some of the questions they will answer are what are the benefits of independence? What does independence even mean?
Episode 32: The Future of Wealth Management Guest Speaker: Anand Sekhar, Vice President, Practice Management & Consulting at Fidelity There are many forces driving innovation in wealth management and lots of questions around the future of wealth management. Anand shares his point of view based on his extensive work with some of the top RIA(s) across the country. Listeners should expect to gain some great perspective and best practices coming out of this podcast....
Episode 31: How Great Leaders Combine Data and Instinct to Produce Results Guest Speakers: Steve Tenney, Founding Partner & Chief Executive Officer at Great Diamond Partners. Nikolee Turner, Managing Director, Business Consultant, Advisor Services at Charles Schwab. Data is an important theme in all types of businesses, especially wealth management. In this episode, we explore the intersection between data and instinct. How wealth management entrepreneurs use benchmarks and quantitative info...
Episode 30: Getting the Inside Scoop on the Independent Space: A Conversation with Ben Harrison In this episode, Austin speaks to Ben Harrison, Co-Head of Wealth Solutions at BNY Mellon | Pershing. Their discussion covers Ben’s professional journey and some of the lessons he has learned along the way, as well as, his insights into the future of the independent space. Austin and Ben also cover the importance of financial literacy and the wealth management industry’s responsibility to help people ...
Episode 29: How to Find and Keep the Best Talent within Your Organization With more than 30 years of experience in Financial Services, Mason Salit, Chief Talent Officer at Dynasty Financial Partners, has a very unique vantage point on identifying and growing human capital. Mason brings passion and joy to his day-to-day duties and discusses the importance of a strong culture of mentorship in this podcast. Having known each other for more than 16 years, Austin and Mason share lots of stories and l...
Inside the Deal Part 4: Integration Zero in on how to integrate an RIA, a new team, or a new advisor into your firm. In Part 4: Integration, Harris Baltch is joined by Jack Petersen, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Summit Trail Advisors. With 9 M&A deals completed since launching their firm, Summit Trail has deep experience in structuring transactions and integrating advisors and teams into their business. Join the two as they delve into integration best practices, common pitfalls that bu...
Inside the Deal Part 3: Closing Zero in on negotiating & closing RIA deals, and learn best practices for RIAs contemplating a sale. In Part 3: Closing, Harris Baltch, Dynasty Head of M&A and Capital Strategies, is joined by Marty Bicknell, CEO of Mariner Wealth Advisors, to discuss how to negotiate and close RIA M&A successfully. Join the two as they delve into how to close deals in a virtual world, how a buyer can differentiate themselves from the pack, repeatable M&A ...
Inside the Deal Part 2: Execution Zero in on RIA deal execution behind closed doors and learn best practices for RIAs contemplating a sale. Harris Baltch, Dynasty's Head of M&A and Capital Strategies, is joined by Liz Nesvold, Managing Director and Head of Raymond James' Asset and Wealth Management Investment Banking Unit, to discuss how to execute RIA M&A successfully. Join two of the most accomplished RIA dealmakers in the space as they delve into a review of the evolving M&A lands...
Inside the Deal Part 1: Deal Readiness How do RIAs know if they are M&A ready? How are deals sourced? Harris Baltch is joined by Mark Tibergien, Founder of Mark Tibergien Insights, former CEO of Pershing Advisor Solutions and current Board Member of Pathstone Family Office, and Brad Armstrong, Partner at Lovell Minnick Partners, to delve into the key criteria for ‘M&A deal readiness’, how to access the best COIs for originating high quality M&A opportunities, and more....
Episode 28: Improving Your Communication as a Leader This podcast focuses on a very important theme for leaders—communication. I am joined by Adam Piandes, who is a coach, author, speaker, and entrepreneur. We discuss how to have authentic conversations with fellow team members in the work environment. We unpack how to be compassionate, even when the stakes of running a business are high. Finally, we touch on the impact of social media on our lives and our connections to others. This one is wort...
Episode 27: Trends in the Off-Shore Advisory Space As one of the major wealth management institutions exits the international market, we sit down with Miguel Sosa, Founder and Partner at Premia Global Advisors. After more than 30 years at Merrill Lynch, Miguel founded Premia. Miguel shares his view on the space, his process, and the opportunities for advisors to move away from a transactional business model. This conversation spans both the on-shore and off-shore focused advisor and is certainly...
Episode 26: In this year’s final podcast, I speak with Lisa Crafford, a principal within the Platform Strategy and Consulting Group at BNY Mellon | Pershing. A former Australian National Trampoline Champion and world-wide traveler, we discuss a wide variety of themes relevant to the independent advisory movement. You’ll want to listen in order to understand the relevance of “hungry, humble, and smart.”
Episode 25: What it means to be a “Schwabie”—Examining the Powerful Culture of Charles Schwab through the Stories of its People Guests: Brad Losson, VP & National Managing Director, Relationship Management at Charles Schwab Advisor Services Jerry Cobb, Managing Director, Business Consulting at Charles Schwab Leslie Tabor: Managing Director, Business Consulting at Charles Schwab In this episode of the Powering Independence Podcast, we explore the people and culture of Charles Schwab. Our gues...
Episode 24: Making the Uncomfortable, Comfortable: How to Discuss the Meaning of Wealth as a Financial Advisor Guest: Tobias Donath, Vice President, Fidelity's Center for Family Engagement The roles of financial advisors have morphed over the years. With the democratization of products and most services, building deeper relationships with clients is critically important. However, the path towards conversations about family values, the significance of wealth, and legacy can be challenging for som...
Episode 23: Homemade Volcanoes, Zoom Calls, and Snap Filters: Managing Work-Life Integration in Today's Environment One of the most obvious impacts of COVID-19 has been the need to integrate professional and family life in a much closer way. With many schools beginning the academic year remotely, working parents are called upon to balance many new roles and responsibilities. A silver lining in the pandemic is that families have had the opportunity to spend more time with each other than ever bef...
Episode 22: A Differentiated Business Model for Differentiated Clients: How Intellectus Built a Firm for Entrepreneurs Guest: Dave La Placa, Founder and CEO of Intellectus Partners Dave La Placa has an incredible background and many great experiences that fuel this conversation. A founder of several companies, co-executive producer of a movie, board member for several technology companies, and CEO of Intellectus Partners, an RIA Focused on entrepreneurs. Dave brings an tremendous amount of insig...
Episode 21: Operational Excellence: A Discussion on How to Effectively Translate Military Knowledge to Financial Services Organizations On this episode of the podcast, Austin speaks to Jim Combs, Chief Executive Officer of National Advisors Trust. Jim discusses his time at West Point, where he was a 4-time varsity lacrosse player. The conversation hones in on leadership, service, and creating a sustainable culture through setting the right standards.
Episode 20: Into the Great Wide Open: Perspectives of the Advisor Transition Process from the Front Lines. Into the Great Wide Open was the eight studio album recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 1991. The title track follows Eddie as he embarks upon a music career in Hollywood. Although perhaps a reach, there are several similarities between the protagonist of the song and the protagonists of the independent advisor movement. First and foremost, the future is wide open, the sky is the...
Episode 19: Hitting the Right High Note: A Conversation with one of the Founders of High Note Wealth Michael Forrester received a degree in History from the University of Minnesota and an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts from Le Cordon Bleu College. He combined that experience with a career in real estate to begin a wealth management career. Recently, Michael took the next step in his life by starting High Note Wealth Wealth in Deephaven, Minnesota. Michael has both his CFA and CFP Designations...
Episode 18: Entering the Matrix: A View from Inside the Future of Wealth Management Guests: Ben Weisshaut, Founder and CEO of Wishlife and Mang-Git Ng, Founder and CEO of Anvil Foundry Fin-tech is a buzz word within the financial services and wealth management space. Thinking about the future intersections between technology and the delivery of financial advice is a really fun exercise. Silicon Valley has been a hub for innovation and design for many years. A tremendous amount of wealth has been...
Episode 17: How Does the Math Work? Guest: Ben Bines, Senior Vice President, Network Development, Dynasty Financial Partners Compensation matters…full stop…period. Understanding the economics of running an independent registered investment advisor is incredibly important. The benefit in this transition from an employee to an owner is the control. As an owner, the principals now control the decisions—how much to spend on real estate, marketing, and employee salaries. With all of the misinformatio...
Episode 16: Providing Financial Advice In the Middle of the Corona Virus Outbreak and Market Volatility These are unprecedented times both domestically and globally. COVID-19 has had far-reaching impacts upon many areas of our lives. Volatility has spiked in the global marketplace and has certainly increased the volume of communication necessary from our advisors to their clients. The intensity of fear/uncertainty feels similar to the housing crisis in the late 2000s. Thinking back to that time,...
Episode 15: Making Change Count How to Positively Impact Diversity and Create Change in the Financial Services Industry, Guest: Meghan Philbin, Communications Consultant and Coach, Templar Advisors
Episode 14: The Story of Shirl Penney and Dynasty Financial Partners From Bates College to New York City to Saint Petersburg, Florida we follow the journey of Shirl as he worked to create Dynasty Financial Partners. We’ll talk about the financial services industry, the future, family, business, and the next stage of evolution for Dynasty.
