The Choice for RIAs in Growth Mode & Billion-Dollar Breakaway Teams

PFI: "Pure Financial Independence"

PFI Advisors provides “white glove” transition support for billion-dollar breakaway teams that feel they already have the scale to start their own RIA without partnering with the national platforms that are currently out there.

For existing RIAs, PFI Advisors is available to consult on many of the operational and strategic issues facing larger firms as they continue to grow and need scale. This could include:

  • Onsite review and operations diagnostic of your RIA’s major systems and workflows
  • Pre-merger back office preparation and planning or post-merger integration support
  • Retainer-based COO Resource Support to optimize your firm’s operations and overall business strategy

We remain focused on our mission:

To further evolve the RIA industry from a collection of “practices” to “businesses,” and to be a continued voice in validating the industry as a legitimate landing spot for billion-dollar teams and their clients.

We provide a customized consulting model to navigate the many choices of technology, business and RIA infrastructure needed to transition wirehouse businesses into the RIA universe. No basis points, no percentage of earnings, no equity required – that is Pure Financial Independence.

PFI Advisors was founded by Matt Sonnen, the former COO and CCO of Luminous Capital, one of the industry’s greatest breakaway success stories for transitioning a large Merrill Lynch team into the RIA channel.  Starting with $1.7 billion, the firm grew to nearly $6 billion in AUM over a 4 1⁄2 year period, ultimately monetizing the business for more than $100 million. After transitioning Luminous Capital into First Republic Bank, Matt joined Focus Financial Partners, the leading aggregator of RIAs.  There, he helped breakaway teams and recently formed RIAs develop strategic initiatives to benefit from best practices, streamline operations, and improve efficiencies.

Matt has teamed with his wife, Larissa (Reese), a former AXA financial advisor, operations professional, and entrepreneur; and Anna Maria Garcia, an Analyst he worked with at Focus Financial on several breakaway transitions and operations projects.