Select Page
The Power of Silence: Turning Off  Notifications Enhances Productivity

Founder’s Bias and the COO Dilemma

Earlier this month, we released our 5-year anniversary episode of the COO Roundtable Podcast. Feeling somewhat sentimental during the recording, I read a few sentences from our introductory episode, released back in December 2018: With the goal of shedding...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 51

The COO Roundtable
Episode 51

Ep 51 - Vince Crane of Flower City Capital & Zach Morris of Paces Ferry Wealth Advisors https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Ep51-Final-Edit.mp3 For our 51st episode, Matt welcomed two operations professionals who run relatively new firms, Vince...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 50

The COO Roundtable
Episode 50

Ep 50 - Allison Felix of Cassaday & Co. & Scott Brown of Pinnacle Associates https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ep50-Final-Edit.mp3 For our milestone 50th episode, Matt is joined by two guests who are equally committed to highlighting the...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 49

The COO Roundtable
Episode 49

EP 49 - Edgar Collado of Tobias Financial & Alex Satterfield of Byron Financial https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Ep-49-COO-Roundtable-Final-Edit-1.mp3 Our latest episode of The COO Roundtable features two guests who challenge our audience to think...
The COO Roundtable Episode 48

The COO Roundtable
Episode 48

EP 48 - Barrett Karvis of Edge Capital Group and Daryl Seaton of Sowell Management https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Ep-48-COO-Roundtable-Final.mp3 For our first podcast of the new year (and our fourth year running!), Matt is welcomed by two exciting...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 47

The COO Roundtable
Episode 47

EP 47 - Julie Allen of FirstWave Financial and Chris Pelch of Vance Wealth https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Ep-47-COO-Roundtable-Final-1.mp3 For our final episode of 2022, we were joined by two incredible members of our COO Society community: Julie...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 46

The COO Roundtable
Episode 46

EP 46 - Stacey McKinnon of Morton Capital Wealth https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Ep46-COO-Roundtable-1.mp3 Our latest episode of The COO Roundtable features a rare single-guest format.  Stacey McKinnon of Morton Wealth recently wrote an important...
An Alternate Way  to Ask for Referrals

An Alternate Way
to Ask for Referrals

When asked how organic growth is achieved, advisors always point to referrals from centers of influence and/or clients.  According to Schwab’s most recent benchmarking study, referrals account for more than 60% of asset growth coming from new clients.  With...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 45

The COO Roundtable
Episode 45

EP 45 - Michael Wagner of Omnia Family Wealth & Ben Gurley of Heartwood Wealth Advisors https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Ep45-COO-Roundtable-Final.mp3 Our latest episode of The COO Roundtable features two leaders of relatively young and evolving...
The Power of Silence: Turning Off  Notifications Enhances Productivity

The Behavioral Side
of M&A

A good cultural fit is key to the success of a merger. Day 2 of the Echelon Deal & Deal Makers Summit included a fantastic session moderated by Katie Johnson of FiComm Partners with Herbers & Co. CEO Angie Herbers and Limitless Advisor CEO Stephanie...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 44

The COO Roundtable
Episode 44

EP 44 - Crystal Creekmore of SYM Financial Advisors & Gary Bonner of Southwestern Investment Group https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Ep-44-COO-Roundtable-Final.mp3 In the “Reggie Jackson episode” of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two thoughtful...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 43

The COO Roundtable
Episode 43

EP 43 - Amanda Barrale of Moneta & Eric Sontag of Wealthspire https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Ep-43-Final-2.mp3 In our latest episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two impressive guests: Amanda Barrale, Chief Platform Officer of Moneta and...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 42

The COO Roundtable
Episode 42

EP 42 - Kristie Clayton of iMatter and the Visionary Forum & Melissa Bushman of AltruVista https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ep-42-Final.mp3 In our latest episode, Matt welcomes two incredible guests: Kristie Clayton, Integrator at iMatter and the...
The Complexities of Investing  in Alternatives

The Complexities of Investing
in Alternatives

Advisory firms’ challenges when it comes to alts range from getting access to investments, meeting minimums, figuring out how to subscribe and the headache of performance reporting. Ask any two firms how they go about investing in and reporting on their...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 41

The COO Roundtable
Episode 41

EP 41 - Lauren Oschman, Tommy Martin, and Brad Quick of Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/EP41_Final-2.mp3 For the 41st episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes three special guests from Vestia Personal Wealth...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 40

The COO Roundtable
Episode 40

EP - 40 Yonhee Gordon of JMG Financial Group & Christine DeMao of Gibson Capital https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Ep40_Final-1.mp3 In the 40th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two extremely thoughtful and strategic guests, Yonhee...
The Power of Silence: Turning Off  Notifications Enhances Productivity

The Important Role Talent
Plays in M&A Transactions

For buyers and sellers, highlighting the talent up and down the organization is a powerful way to stand out among competitors. It has been widely reported that 2021 marked the eight consecutive year of record M&A activity in the RIA space. A principal driving...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 39

The COO Roundtable
Episode 39

EP 39 - Rob Ziliak of Buckingham Wealth Partners & Ryan Armock of Thrivent Advisor Network https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Ep39_final.mp3 This month’s episode features two incredible guests: Rob Ziliak, Chief Operating Officer at Buckingham...
The Power of Silence: Turning Off  Notifications Enhances Productivity

Operations Has a
Branding Problem

Don’t be gaslit into believing that operations should take a subordinate role to sales and relationship management. As many of our loyal listeners know, one of my favorite topics to discuss on our COO Roundtable podcast each month is the unfortunately...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 38

The COO Roundtable
Episode 38

EP 38 - Jennifer Wagoner Kirksey of Tolleson Wealth Management & Trevor Phillippi of 6 Meridian https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/EP_38_Final_v2-2.mp3 For our latest episode, Matt welcomes two fantastic guests: Jennifer Wagoner Kirksey, Managing...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 37

The COO Roundtable
Episode 37

EP 37 - Jason Mirabella of WealthSource Partners & Tom Preston of Brighton Jones https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/EP-37-2-Final.mp3 For our first episode of the new year, Matt welcomes two highly accomplished guests: Jason Mirabella, Chief...
Wake Up and Smell  The Talent Shortage

Wake Up and Smell
The Talent Shortage

Our industry has seen tremendous growth over the past two years, and it feels like every RIA in the country is reporting record years in terms of onboarding new clients and new assets under management.  That means that most, if not all, RIAs are looking to hire...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 36

The COO Roundtable
Episode 36

EP 36 – Karl Heckenberg of Emigrant Partners https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/EP-36-2-Final.mp3 For our special three-year anniversary episode, we put a twist to our regular format and Matt was joined by Karl Heckenberg, CEO and President of Emigrant...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 35

The COO Roundtable
Episode 35

EP 35 – Amanda Green of Matrix Private Capital Group & Gary Davis Jr. of Satovsky Asset Management https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/EP-35-3-Final.mp3 In the 35th episode of The COO Roundtable, Amanda Green of Matrix Private Capital Group and Gary...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 34

The COO Roundtable
Episode 34

EP 34 - Jennifer Papadopolo of RegentAtlantic & Matt Wiles of Crestone Capital https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/EP34-2-Final.mp3 In the 34th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two amazing guests: Jenn Papadopolo, COO of RegentAtlantic,...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 33

The COO Roundtable
Episode 33

EP 33 - Jandy Rowe of Wipfli Financial Advisors & Brad Hixson of Lido Advisors https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/EP-33-1-Final.mp3 In the 33rd episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two highly respected operations professionals: Jandy Rowe,...
M&A Requires More Than  Securing Financing

M&A Requires More Than
Securing Financing

What first-time buyers are missing is that, despite popular opinion, most transactions are not propelled solely by a seller’s desire for monetary gain – they simply want to feel that by joining a larger organization, they can experience the next stage of career...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 32

The COO Roundtable
Episode 32

EP 32 - Overview of Our New Digital Consulting Platform https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/EP-32-1-FINAL.mp3 For the 32nd episode of The COO Roundtable, we wanted to pause from our regular interview format and answer some questions we have been...
The Power of Silence: Turning Off  Notifications Enhances Productivity

Client Segmentation
Is Not Evil

It’s not personal, it’s strictly business. Many RIAs struggle with profitability when they attempt to “be all things to all people,” which forces them to offer a wide range of services to clients of all shapes and sizes. As we have previously written, if...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 31

The COO Roundtable
Episode 31

EP 31 - Eric Stephenson of Align Impact & Natalie Wheeler of Berkshire Money Management https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/EP-31-2-Final.mp3 In the 31st episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two operations professionals who have had a huge...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 30

The COO Roundtable
Episode 30

In the 30th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Michael Paley, Chief Operating Officer at Klingman & Associates and Kevin Hrdlicka, Chief Operating Officer at Savant Wealth Management.  Klingman & Associates is located in New York City, has 18...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 29

The COO Roundtable
Episode 29

EP 29 - Gina Bradley of Colony Group & Susan Korin of Balasa Dinverno Foltz https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/EP-29-1-Final.mp3 In the 29th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two highly accomplished RIA professionals, Gina Bradley, COO...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 28

The COO Roundtable
Episode 28

EP 28 - Tony Parkin & Nikolee Turner of Charles Schwab Advisor Services https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/EP-28-1-Final-1.mp3 In the 28th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two extremely experienced consultants from Charles Schwab Advisor...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 27

The COO Roundtable
Episode 27

EP 27 - Kara Armstrong of CapSouth Wealth Management & Nick Maggiulli of Ritholtz Wealth Management https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/EP-7-1-FINAL-1.mp3 For this special edition of The COO Roundtable, Matt recorded live from Mercer Capital’s...
Our Thoughts on  Content Marketing

Our Thoughts on
Content Marketing

Someone recently crinkled their nose at me and asked, “You’re an operations and technology/business consulting firm – why do you waste so much time on content marketing?”  It’s a fair question, and one I was proud to answer.  We do spend a lot of time writing...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 26

The COO Roundtable
Episode 26

EP 26 - Kelly Downs of Berman Capital Advisors & Matt Ran of Telemus Financial Life Management https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/EP-26-1-Final-1.mp3 In the 26th episode of The COO Roundtable, our host, Matt Sonnen, welcomes Matt Ran, Chief...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 25

The COO Roundtable
Episode 25

EP 25 - Lisa Cook of Pacific Portfolio Consulting & Erica Farber of Balentine https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EP-25-2-Final.mp3   In the 25th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Lisa Cook, the newly-appointed COO at Pacific...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 24

The COO Roundtable
Episode 24

EP 24 - Phil Hildebrandt & Paul Lythberg of Segall Bryant & Hamill https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/EP-24-1-Final.mp3 In the 24th episode of The COO Roundtable, which marks our podcast’s 2nd anniversary, Matt welcomes two prominent guests from...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 23

The COO Roundtable
Episode 23

EP 23 - Aiki Altmets of Regimen Wealth & Lynne Born of Wealth Architects https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Ep-23-1-Final.mp3 In the 23rd episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Aiki Altmets, COO and CCO of the newly-formed Regimen Wealth and...
Heartbroken

Heartbroken

This tribute to Eddie Van Halen is going to seem silly to most readers, considering I never met the man, but the fact remains that I am absolutely devasted by the news of his passing today.  His music – and in my goofy mind – Eddie himself has been a large part...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 22

The COO Roundtable
Episode 22

EP 22 - Karen Denise of CAPTRUST & Kaylyn Melia of Socius Family Office https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Ep-22-0-Final-1.mp3 In this special episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt recorded live for Bob Veres’ Insider’s Forum.  For those unfamiliar...
Making a Big Firm  Feel Small

Making a Big Firm
Feel Small

The continued tear of M&A activity throughout the RIA industry has resulted in some firms reaching critical mass very quickly.  These firms are learning that with size comes all the troubles associated with scalability.  Beyond the structural challenges...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 21

The COO Roundtable
Episode 21

EP 21 - Doug Johnson of Parcion Private Wealth & Chris Keller of Benjamin F. Edwards & Company https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Ep-21-1-Final.mp3 In the 21st episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Chris Keller, Executive Vice President...
Always Focus on  the Client Experience

Always Focus on
the Client Experience

Below is a long, harrowing, frustrating, and oftentimes sad recount of my recent interaction with Microsoft support for our son’s Xbox.  As you will see, this experience has scarred me for life.  I can’t imagine any RIA putting their client through such an...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 20

The COO Roundtable
Episode 20

EP 20 - Diane Gabianelli of Parallel Advisors & Cecilia Williams of Halbert Hargrove https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Ep-20-1-Final.mp3 In the 20th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Diane Gabianelli, Co-President and Chief Financial...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 19

The COO Roundtable
Episode 19

EP 19 - Mike Reed of Dakota Wealth Management & Michelle Thetford of Hightower Advisors https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Ep-19-1-Final.mp3 In the 19th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Michelle Thetford, Chief Operations Officer of...
The New  RIA Workplace

The New
RIA Workplace

PFI Advisors is proud to announce we have partnered with Stacey McKinnon, COO of Morton Capital for an industry research piece, “The New RIA Workplace.”  While some RIAs were caught flat-footed when widespread stay-at-home orders were instituted across the...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 18

The COO Roundtable
Episode 18

EP 18 - Steven Beals of EP Wealth Advisors & Eric Hehman of Austin Asset https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Ep-18-1-Final.mp3 In the 18th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Steven Beals, Chief Administrative Officer of EP Wealth Advisors...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 17

The COO Roundtable
Episode 17

EP 17 - Vibhaw Arya of Shufro Rose & Brandon McKerney of Columbia Pacific Wealth Management https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Ep-17-1-Final-1.mp3 In the 17th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Vibhaw Arya, Chief Operating Officer at...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 16

The COO Roundtable
Episode 16

EP 16 - David Aaron of Cerity Partners & Jim Atkinson of STA Wealth Management https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Ep-16-2-Final-1.mp3 In the 16th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes David Aaron, Partner at Cerity Partners* and Jim Atkinson,...
The Power of Silence: Turning Off  Notifications Enhances Productivity

How Top RIA COOs Are
Responding to COVID-19

Every RIA needs a Business Continuity Plan (it’s SEC-required) and most RIAs are good about updating it every year when they perform their annual compliance review.  Unfortunately, many firms focus on the document itself, and not the actual plan.  If the document is...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 15

The COO Roundtable
Episode 15

EP 15 - Loren Pierson of Mercer Advisors & Michael Kossman of Aspiriant https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Ep-15.2-Final.mp3 In the 15th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Loren Pierson, COO of Mercer Advisors and Michael Kossman, COO,...
Gratitude  & the Mamba Mentality

Gratitude
& the Mamba Mentality

Yesterday was Kobe Bryant’s memorial service here in Los Angeles.  On January 26th Kobe, along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and 7 others tragically perished in a helicopter crash on their way to Gianna’s basketball game.   This catastrophe has sent ripples...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 14

The COO Roundtable
Episode 14

EP 14 - Industry Spotlight: M&A Landscape for RIAs https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Ep-14-2-Final.mp3 With M&A activity at an all-time high and no sign of stopping anytime soon, we take a break from our usual interview format here in Episode...
A Gen Z Perspective  on the RIA Space

A Gen Z Perspective
on the RIA Space

Proud of your latest Millennial hire?  You may want to consider the fact that Gen Z, the generation after Millennials, has already begun graduating college and are looking for our first jobs.  We have been raised on technology, have a dramatically different...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 13

The COO Roundtable
Episode 13

In the 13th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Kristi de Grys of Merriman Wealth Management and Larry Miles of AdvicePeriod.  After spending almost two decades in the aerospace industry, Kristi de Grys brings an outside (and strongly analytical) perspective...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 12

The COO Roundtable
Episode 12

EP 12 - Mark Tibergien & Karen Novak of BNY Mellon Pershing https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Ep-12-3-Final.mp3 In the 12th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Mark Tibergien and Karen Novak of BNY Mellon Pershing.*  Mark, CEO, Advisor...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 11

The COO Roundtable
Episode 11

EP 11 - Kelli Cruz of Cruz Consulting & Jim Regitz of Newport Advisory https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Ep-11-2-Final.mp3 In the eleventh episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Kelli Cruz, CEO of Cruz Consulting and Jim Regitz, Founding...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 10

The COO Roundtable
Episode 10

EP 10 - Highlights: Episodes 1 - 9 https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Ep-10-1-Final.mp3 In the tenth episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt takes some time to reflect on some of the highlights and biggest takeaways from the nine content-packed episodes...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 9

The COO Roundtable
Episode 9

EP 9 - Susan Dickson & Suzanne Williamson of Private Ocean https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Ep-9-1-Final.mp3   In the ninth episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomed Susan Dickson and Suzanne Williamson, principals of Private Ocean.  Susan...
As RIAs Evolve, C-suite  Specialization Begins to Emerge

What RIAs should learn
from Uber and Lyft

Most RIA owners are obsessed with growing top-line revenue at all costs, with little thought to the bottom-line profitability of each additional dollar of AUM A recent New York Times article called Uber and Lyft two of “the largest and most anticipated …...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 8

The COO Roundtable
Episode 8

EP 8 - David Canter & Scott Slater of Fidelity Clearing & Custody Solutions https://episodes.castos.com/pfiadvisors/Ep-8-Final.mp3 In the eighth episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt sat down with David Canter and Scott Slater of Fidelity Clearing & Custody...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 7

The COO Roundtable
Episode 7

EP 7 - Heather Goodman of True Capital Management & Mark DeLotto of Massey Quick Simon https://episodes.castos.com/pfiadvisors/Ep-7-Final.mp3 In the seventh episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt sat down with Heather Goodman of True Capital Management and Mark...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 6

The COO Roundtable
Episode 6

EP 6 - Jeff Conception, Nancy Andrefsky, & Lou Camacho of Stratos Wealth Partners https://episodes.castos.com/pfiadvisors/Ep-6-0.mp3 In the sixth episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt was excited to welcome the first CEO to the Roundtable discussion!  Jeff...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 5

The COO Roundtable
Episode 5

EP 5 - Heather Fortner of SignatureFD and Lucas Winthrop of Winthrop Wealth Management https://episodes.castos.com/pfiadvisors/Ep-5-0.mp3 In the fifth episode of The COO Roundtable, host Matt Sonnen was thrilled to sit down with Heather Fortner of SignatureFD and...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 4

The COO Roundtable
Episode 4

EP 4 - Tom Harms of Summit Trail Advisors and Stacey McKinnon of Morton Capital Management https://episodes.castos.com/pfiadvisors/Ep-4-0.mp3 In the fourth episode of our podcast, The COO Roundtable, Matt sat down with Tom Harms of Summit Trail Advisors and Stacey...
As RIAs Evolve, C-suite  Specialization Begins to Emerge

5 Building Blocks to Becoming a Successful Buyer

There are more than 12,000 SEC-registered investment advisors[1] in the United States trying to differentiate and grow their businesses across the competitive and fragmented RIA space – a veritable Wild West of firms at the forefront of change. RIAs are not only...
Why Professional Management  Fails for RIAs

Why Professional Management
Fails for RIAs

We have written much about the benefits of professional management for RIAs.  By bringing in professional management, the owners/advisors of the firm are availed of the day-to-day burdens of running the business, which allows them to focus 100% of their efforts on...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 3

The COO Roundtable
Episode 3

EP 3 - Trevor Chuna & Shaun Kapusinski of Sequoia Financial Group https://episodes.castos.com/pfiadvisors/Ep-3-0.mp3 In the third episode of our podcast, The COO Roundtable, Matt was thrilled to sit down with Trevor Chuna and Shaun Kapusinski of Sequoia Financial...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 2

The COO Roundtable
Episode 2

EP 2 - Gary Bonner of Avalon Advisors & Mike Lee of LourdMurray https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Ep-2-1-Final.mp3 In the second episode of our podcast, The COO Roundtable, host Matt Sonnen sits down with Gary Bonner of Avalon Advisors and Mike Lee...
The COO Roundtable  Episode 1

The COO Roundtable
Episode 1

EP 1 - Jeff Fuhrman of Coastal Bridge Advisors & Tony Craun of Sand Hill Global Advisors https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Ep-1-1-Final.mp3 In our inaugural episode, Matt sits down with Jeff Fuhrman of Coastal Bridge Advisors and Tony Craun of Sand...
Introducing The COO Roundtable Podcast

Introducing The COO Roundtable Podcast

Introduction to COO Roundtable https://coosociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Ep-0-0-Final.mp3   I am thrilled to announce the launch of The COO Roundtable, Powered by PFI Advisors; our latest endeavor in championing the role of operations professionals within...
As RIAs Evolve, C-suite  Specialization Begins to Emerge

Harnessing RIA M&A strategies for growth

With the RIA industry setting itself up for further consolidation based on the macro trends impacting the industry, the opportunity for peer-to-peer M&A activity is increasing dramatically. Multiple industry studies are anticipating record levels of deal-making in...
As RIAs Evolve, C-suite  Specialization Begins to Emerge

Alt investments on the rise among RIAs

We wrote this article for InvestmentNews to highlight the research we conducted for our Alternative Investments White Paper last October, where we highlighted the alternative investment resources provided by Artivest, iCapital Network, PPB Capital Partners, and...
What Are Clients  Willing to Pay For?

What Are Clients
Willing to Pay For?

While attending Schwab IMPACT last month, we had the privilege of listening to a presentation by Joe Duran, CEO of United Capital.  In his opening remarks, he compared Vanguard in the financial services industry to Netflix in the entertainment industry, or Amazon...
Jumping into  the M&A Game

Jumping into
the M&A Game

As operational and technology consultants, we are contacted at least three times per month from larger RIAs saying, “A friend of mine just bought a $100 million practice – I want to do that too!” This is a common response from aspiring buyers as the industry is...
How RIAs Can Compete in the Lending Game

How RIAs Can Compete in the Lending Game

Too many wirehouse brokers considering going independent are led to believe that once they leave their bank-owned brokerage they will no longer have access to sophisticated lending tools to offer their clients, such as competitively priced margin loans or home loans....
7 Critical Steps to Becoming a Professional RIA Buyer

7 Critical Steps to Becoming a Professional RIA Buyer

As conference season winds down in the wealth management industry, everyone seems to be discussing the “mega trends” that are leading to consolidation in the RIA space. From aging advisors, to low-cost online competition, to more strict regulatory requirements...
Onboarding a Wirehouse Advisor Into Your RIA

Onboarding a Wirehouse Advisor Into Your RIA

For an RIA, onboarding a wirehouse advisor or advisory team and incorporating them into your firm is an intriguing concept, but seems daunting to most.  The biggest question RIAs always have is, “Where do I begin?”  There are often so many unfamiliar nuances...
Don’t Cut Your Fees  Just Yet…

Don’t Cut Your Fees
Just Yet…

Everyone in the industry is, in our opinion, losing their mind over fee compression caused by Robo Advisors. Advisors feel they need to increase their spending on technology and cut their fee in half to prevent their clients from leaving in droves for a Robo Advisor....
Tough Sales Love  for RIAs

Tough Sales Love
for RIAs

Envestnet was kind enough to invite me to participate in a panel discussion last week at their Advisor Summit in Chicago.  The topic was “Growing Your Firm’s Top Line Through The Headwinds.” I arrived to the session with prepared remarks in line with our M&A...