Behind the Deal With Mark Bruno

Echelon Partner's Mark Bruno goes Behind the Deal with Larry Roth, Managing Partner at RLR Strategic Partners. In this episode, Mark and Larry discuss the rise of Special Purpose Acquisition Companies. In particular, the interview focuses on the Kingswood Acquisition Company - the first ever-SPAC targeting the wealth management industry. As the lead independent director for the Kingswood SPAC, Larry offers an overview of its acquisition strategy and provides perspective on the role of SPACs in a white-hot M&A marketplace.

Episode 8 features a wide-ranging interview with Amy Webber, President and CEO of Cambridge Investment Research. Mark and Amy discuss some of Cambridge's recent acquisitions, the status of its 2020-21 deal pipeline, as well as the strategy behind the independent broker-dealer's increased emphasis on M&A.

In Episode 7 of Behind the Deal, Bob Oros, the CEO of Hightower Advisors, talks with ECHELON's Mark Bruno about some of the current and future drivers of M&A in the wealth management industry. Mr. Oros also offers details and insights into the M&A strategy at Hightower, which has become one of the largest firms - and most active acquirers - in the RIA industry. Lastly, the interview touches on the pros and cons of doing acquisitions in a largely remote world, and what it is like trying to bring companies closer together in this incredibly unique working environment.

Episode 6 of Behind the Deal features Mark Bruno's in-depth interview with Vince Morris, president of Resources Investment Advisors. Vince offers insights into OneDigital’s acquisition of Resources earlier this year – one of the largest deals of 2020 – and details how the companies are bringing multiple teams and organizations together in a remote world.

Carolyn Armitage, Managing Director at ECHELON Partners, shares the key findings from ECHELON's Q2 2020 Deal Report. Mark and Carolyn dissect the latest macro trends in dealmaking, such as the surge in average deal size and the rise of minority acquisitions.

Ron Carson, the founder and CEO of Carson Group - and one of the largest independent wealth management firms in the business - shares several candid stories from the 30+ deals he has worked on during his career. Mark and Ron also dive deep into some of Carson's standard "Deal-Breakers and Deal-Bakers" when evaluating acquisition targets.

With WealthTech merger and acquisition activity accelerating considerably, ECHELON's Mark Bruno goes behind several deals with two of the leading technology experts and influencers in the wealth management industry: Joel Bruckenstein of T3 and Oleg Tishkevich of Invent.us. The interview touches on the drivers of WealthTech M&A, the convergence of asset management and technology - and how the value of WealthTech companies has increased as more advisors run remote operations.

Mark goes behind the four major deals that Greg has been involved in since 2009 – including his experiences in both wealth management and WealthTech deals. Specifically, Greg provides a candid perspective on each of these deals and outlines how he has evaluated potential partners, acquirers and acquisition targets over the last decade. He also offers advice on the “interior work” or introspective questions leaders of wealth management firms should consider before approaching a deal.

Mark Bruno goes behind several deals with Kay Lynn Mayhue, the president of Merit Financial Advisors, which has grown to nearly $4 billion in assets under management through their strategic acquisition strategy. Kay Lynn offers her "requirements and red flags" when evaluating acquisition opportunities, and also weighs in on the emotional and psychological elements of deal-making.