The COO Roundtable

The COO Roundtable Episode 50 By PFI Advisors For our milestone 50th episode, Matt is joined by two guests who are equally committed to highlighting the importance of professional management across the RIA industry: Allison Felix, Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer of Cassaday & Co. and Scott Brown, President of Pinnacle Associates. Celebrating their 30th anniversary, Cassaday & Co was founded in 1993 and is a hybrid broker dealer and RIA. They are located in McLean, Virginia, have 85 employees, and currently manage $4.5B in AUM. Pinnacle Associates was founded in 1984 and has both an institutional and a wealth management component to their business model. They are located in New York City, have 65 employees, and currently manage just over $7B in AUM. Matt, Allison, and Scott discuss how the COO role impacts their teams internally, their firm holistically, and themselves personally, and much more including how each guest: Navigated their career path, including Allison’s journey from Executive Assistant to Chief Operating Officer, and Scott’s beginnings as General Counsel, to CCO, COO and now President Has continued to grow their skillset and advance their career Tackles the HR portion of their job Has affected their firm’s client experience and service offerings Manages to stay sane as they tackle all their role requires And don’t miss Scott’s Godfather impression at the top of the interview! We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

The COO Roundtable Episode 49 By PFI Advisors Our latest episode of The COO Roundtable features two guests who challenge our audience to think of the COO role in different ways - Edgar Collado of Tobias Financial Advisors and Alex Satterfield of Byron Financial. Tobias Financial Advisors is based in Florida and has a strong foundation in tax planning. They were founded in 1980 as a CPA firm and currently manage about $700M in AUM and have 19 employees. Byron Financial is headquartered in North Carolina and began in 1985 with a focus on life insurance. Currently they have 7 employees and grew from roughly $175M in AUM in 2019 to approximately $700M in AUM today. Matt, Edgar, and Alex talk about the COO role from both the day-to-day operations of a firm to a high-level, strategic point of view and much more including: Each guests’ background, career path, and how they landed in an Operations role How each guest involves their team in the firm’s strategic planning process How they prioritize the goals and needs of their respective firms The “Myth of Outsourcing” The HR component of the COO role We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

The COO Roundtable Episode 48 By PFI Advisors For our first podcast of the new year (and our fourth year running!), Matt is welcomed by two exciting guests – Daryl Seaton, President at Sowell Management and Barrett Karvis, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Edge Capital Group. Sowell Management is headquartered in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Founded as a TAMP, they recently celebrated 20 years in business and have 29 employees. They currently manage $4B in AUA. Edge Capital Group is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 2007, their AUM as of last year was approaching $5 billion and currently have 37 employees. Matt, Daryl, and Barrett chat about how their roles as operations professionals intertwine with their firm’s inorganic growth strategies and much more including: Who supports them running their larger than average RIAs The role of the COO in talent acquisition and talent management How each guest balances scalability with customization What metrics they use to judge the health of their organization We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

The COO Roundtable Episode 47 By PFI Advisors For our final episode of 2022, we were joined by two incredible members of our COO Society community: Julie Allen, Vice President of Business Operations at FirstWave Financial, and Chris Pelch, Chief Operating Office of Vance Wealth. FirstWave Financial began as a CPA firm in 1995 with a strong family foundation aimed to help its clients “deal with the complexity that wealth brings.” They are located in Satellite Beach, Florida, and currently have $400M in AUM and a team of 12 employees. Vance Wealth was founded in 2003 and helps its clients tackle important questions they face when looking to retire. They have two offices in California, $450M in AUM, and a team of 18 employees. During their discussion with Matt, Julie and Chris tackle both the Human Resources and Operations component of their roles and much more including: The different strategies each firm has used to successfully onboard new employees How each guest handles ongoing new-employee engagement and career development The steps each guest takes when evaluating different vendors Time management tips and tricks Their top initiatives for 2023 We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

The COO Roundtable Episode 46 By PFI Advisors Our latest episode of The COO Roundtable features a rare single-guest format. Stacey McKinnon of Morton Wealth recently wrote an important paper titled, “Your Career is Up to You” which features Philip Palaveev of the Ensemble Practice. Matt and Stacey discuss the paper by turning the spotlight inward and instead of focusing on how listeners can help their firms achieve more growth, they discuss ways everyone can be more fulfilled and successful in their professional life. Matt and Stacey have an honest and revealing conversation about their own career paths and much more including: What it means to really “own” your career How you can’t become the best version of yourself without the help of others Common obstacles people face in their careers and how to overcome them Keys to standing out in your organization to ultimately advance your career How to keep your sanity through it all! We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

The COO Roundtable Episode 45 By PFI Advisors Our latest episode of The COO Roundtable features two leaders of relatively young and evolving RIAs. We are joined by Michael Wagner, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Omnia Family Wealth and Ben Gurley, Director of Heartwood Wealth Advisors. Omnia Family Wealth was launched in 2015 and started with a team of 5 members. Currently headquartered in Aventura, Florida, they are now a team of 11 people and advise on $2.2B in assets. Heartwood Wealth Advisors joined the RIA space in 2019. They are headquartered in Richmond, VA, have 11 employees, and $1B in AUM. Together, Matt, Michael, and Ben (who both service clients in an advisory capacity in addition to operations) tackle the question, “Does make you better at operations or vice versa?” and much more including: Each guests’ career path, including Ben’s background as a middle school teacher and Michael’s experience joining the family business How each guest manages both the operations portion of their role as well as the additional responsibility of firm ownership How each firm is evolving to meet the needs of their clients Each guest discusses how operations has helped their firm grow organically How each guest approaches talent management, a hot topic at many RIAs today! We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the “Reggie Jackson episode” of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two thoughtful leaders of their organizations, Principal and Chief Compliance Officer of SYM Financial Advisors, Crystal Creekmore, and returning guest Gary Bonner, COO of Southwestern Investment Group. SYM Financial Advisors is headquartered in Winona Lake Indiana and has 5 offices across Indiana and Michigan. Founded in 1968, they are currently in their 3rd generation of ownership. They manage $3.7B in AUM and have 68 employees. Founded 20 years ago, Southwestern Investment Group is headquartered Franklin, Tennessee. They currently have 11 offices across 5 states and manage $5.5B in AUM with 176 employees. Together, Matt, Crystal and Gary discuss how solid operations can better communication both within the firm and with clients directly, and much more including: Professional background of each guest, including how Crystal's kindergarten teacher served as a job reference when she applied at SYM Financial Advisors Each guest’s view on the dual-hatted role of COO/CCO Guests discuss whether it is best to centralize or silo operations How each firm tracks the status of projects and tasks How RIAs can leverage portal technology to communicate with clients Each guest shares how they have used the EOS framework within their firm We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the “Reggie Jackson episode” of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two thoughtful leaders of their organizations, Principal and Chief Compliance Officer of SYM Financial Advisors, Crystal Creekmore, and returning guest Gary Bonner, COO of Southwestern Investment Group. SYM Financial Advisors is headquartered in Winona Lake Indiana and has 5 offices across Indiana and Michigan. Founded in 1968, they are currently in their 3rd generation of ownership. They manage $3.7B in AUM and have 68 employees. Founded 20 years ago, Southwestern Investment Group is headquartered Franklin, Tennessee. They currently have 11 offices across 5 states and manage $5.5B in AUM with 176 employees. Together, Matt, Crystal and Gary discuss how solid operations can better communication both within the firm and with clients directly, and much more including: Professional background of each guest, including how Crystal's kindergarten teacher served as a job reference when she applied at SYM Financial Advisors Each guest’s view on the dual-hatted role of COO/CCO Guests discuss whether it is best to centralize or silo operations How each firm tracks the status of projects and tasks How RIAs can leverage portal technology to communicate with clients Each guest shares how they have used the EOS framework within their firm We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In our latest episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two impressive guests: Amanda Barrale, Chief Platform Officer of Moneta and Eric Sontag, President and Chief Operating Officer of Wealthspire. Moneta is headquartered in St Louis and has offices in Kansas City, Denver, and Boston and currently manages $32.8B in AUM with 440 employees. Wealthspire is headquartered in New York City and has 19 offices around the country. Founded in 1995, they manage $19B in AUM and have 270 employees. Together, Matt, Amanda, and Eric have a great discussion about building RIA Operations at scale and much more, including: The crucial role Operations plays in M&A The balancing act of offering customization to clients in a scalable fashion The conundrum of centralizing operational tasks vs. allowing advisory teams to work independently How each firm uses data intelligence and transparency to communicate to the broader firm, especially in a hybrid work environment Career paths for Operations team members We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In our latest episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two impressive guests: Amanda Barrale, Chief Platform Officer of Moneta and Eric Sontag, President and Chief Operating Officer of Wealthspire. Moneta is headquartered in St Louis and has offices in Kansas City, Denver, and Boston and currently manages $32.8B in AUM with 440 employees. Wealthspire is headquartered in New York City and has 19 offices around the country. Founded in 1995, they manage $19B in AUM and have 270 employees. Together, Matt, Amanda, and Eric have a great discussion about building RIA Operations at scale and much more, including: The crucial role Operations plays in M&A The balancing act of offering customization to clients in a scalable fashion The conundrum of centralizing operational tasks vs. allowing advisory teams to work independently How each firm uses data intelligence and transparency to communicate to the broader firm, especially in a hybrid work environment Career paths for Operations team members We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In our latest episode, Matt welcomes two incredible guests: Kristie Clayton, Integrator at iMatter and the Visionary Forum, and Melissa Bushman, VP of Operations at AltruVista. Kristie’s experience in banking and credit unions led her to wealth management where she found her true passion – leading teams and developing people to their full potential. Melissa brings a history of project management consulting, sports and entertainment, and non-profits to her current role at AltruVista. In this episode, Matt, Kristie, and Melissa discuss their role as an “integrator” and the impact it has on their firms. Other topics of discussion include: How each guest was introduced to the EOS system and how they have implemented it in their roles Kristie’s creation of FIM (Female Integrator Mastermind) developing from a desire to foster a community of likeminded individuals The difference between “Chief Operations Officer” and “Chief Operating Officer” How each guest gets everything done in their busy schedules Training and career paths for operations roles We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In our latest episode, Matt welcomes two incredible guests: Kristie Clayton, Integrator at iMatter and the Visionary Forum, and Melissa Bushman, VP of Operations at AltruVista. Kristie’s experience in banking and credit unions led her to wealth management where she found her true passion – leading teams and developing people to their full potential. Melissa brings a history of project management consulting, sports and entertainment, and non-profits to her current role at AltruVista. In this episode, Matt, Kristie, and Melissa discuss their role as an “integrator” and the impact it has on their firms. Other topics of discussion include: How each guest was introduced to the EOS system and how they have implemented it in their roles Kristie’s creation of FIM (Female Integrator Mastermind) developing from a desire to foster a community of likeminded individuals The difference between “Chief Operations Officer” and “Chief Operating Officer” How each guest gets everything done in their busy schedules Training and career paths for operations roles We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

For the 41st episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes three special guests from Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors – CEO and Co-founder, Lauren Oschman, Co-founder and board member, Tommy Martin, and Partner and Chief Operating Officer, Brad Quick. Vestia has offices in Fort Wayne, IN, Indianapolis, IN, Los Angeles, CA, and Omaha, NE. They currently manage $500M and specialize in serving physicians. Together, Matt, Lauren, Tommy, and Brad have an insightful discussion about how focusing on their niche has helped Vestia become more efficient, knowledgeable, and consistent in providing stellar service to their clients’ unique needs. Other topics of conversation include: Each guests’ career paths and the skills they bring to Vestia’s leadership team How Vestia uses the EOS framework in their firm Their approach to succession planning The specific metrics Vestia uses to gauge the health of the organization (their answers are amazing, and we suggest you have a notepad handy!) How they use a physician’s heart transplant model as a roadmap for their employee development We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

For the 41st episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes three special guests from Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors – CEO and Co-founder, Lauren Oschman, Co-founder and board member, Tommy Martin, and Partner and Chief Operating Officer, Brad Quick. Vestia has offices in Fort Wayne, IN, Indianapolis, IN, Los Angeles, CA, and Omaha, NE. They currently manage $500M and specialize in serving physicians. Together, Matt, Lauren, Tommy, and Brad have an insightful discussion about how focusing on their niche has helped Vestia become more efficient, knowledgeable, and consistent in providing stellar service to their clients’ unique needs. Other topics of conversation include: Each guests’ career paths and the skills they bring to Vestia’s leadership team How Vestia uses the EOS framework in their firm Their approach to succession planning The specific metrics Vestia uses to gauge the health of the organization (their answers are amazing, and we suggest you have a notepad handy!) How they use a physician’s heart transplant model as a roadmap for their employee development We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 40th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two extremely thoughtful and strategic guests, Yonhee Gordon, Principal, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Marketing Officer of JMG Financial Group, and Christine DeMao, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner of Gibson Capital. JMG Financial Group is headquartered in Downers Grove, IL just outside of Chicago. They recently celebrated 38 years in business, have 86 employees, and currently manage $4.7B in AUM. Celebrating 33 years in business, Gibson Capital is headquartered in Wexford, PA, currently manages $2.3B, and has 15 employees. Together, Matt, Yonhee, and Christine have a comprehensive discussion on the many ways a COO impacts the firm, including culture, creating a consistent and outstanding client experience, and much more, as they cover: Their firms’ respective backgrounds, including ideal clients, service offerings, and growth trajectories Their professional backgrounds, including Yonhee’s lengthy tenure at JMG and the experience Christine brings with her 15 years at Gibson Capital How to promote RIA ownership within the firm for not just those on the advisor track, but for those in operations roles as well Which Key Performance Indicators each guest keeps their eye on Steps each firm is taking to balance in-person vs. remote work to ensure everyone is on the same page We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! Read the full transcript here. You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 40th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two extremely thoughtful and strategic guests, Yonhee Gordon, Principal, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Marketing Officer of JMG Financial Group, and Christine DeMao, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner of Gibson Capital. JMG Financial Group is headquartered in Downers Grove, IL just outside of Chicago. They recently celebrated 38 years in business, have 86 employees, and currently manage $4.7B in AUM. Celebrating 33 years in business, Gibson Capital is headquartered in Wexford, PA, currently manages $2.3B, and has 15 employees. Together, Matt, Yonhee, and Christine have a comprehensive discussion on the many ways a COO impacts the firm, including culture, creating a consistent and outstanding client experience, and much more, as they cover: Their firms’ respective backgrounds, including ideal clients, service offerings, and growth trajectories Their professional backgrounds, including Yonhee’s lengthy tenure at JMG and the experience Christine brings with her 15 years at Gibson Capital How to promote RIA ownership within the firm for not just those on the advisor track, but for those in operations roles as well Which Key Performance Indicators each guest keeps their eye on Steps each firm is taking to balance in-person vs. remote work to ensure everyone is on the same page We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! Read the full transcript here. You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

This month’s episode features two incredible guests: Rob Ziliak, Chief Operating Officer at Buckingham Wealth Partners and Ryan Armock, Head of Operations at Thrivent Advisor Network. Founded in 2019, Thrivent currently has 450 employees, and manages $6.5B in AUM. Buckingham Wealth Partners, a well-known RIA founded in 1994, currently manages $65B in collective assets between Buckingham Strategic Wealth and Buckingham Strategic Partners and has 540 employees. Together, Matt, Rob, and Ryan discuss the effect their respective roles play in creating and ensuring a great client experience and much more, including: An overview of each firm and their respective strategies for growth How each firm has adapted their business throughout the pandemic and the long-term effects of these changes What our guests are doing to attract the best talent in the current job market How our guests’ roles in operations impact their firm’s M&A strategy We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis. Investment advisory services offered through Thrivent Advisor Network, LLC., (herein referred to as “Thrivent”), a registered investment adviser. Advisory Persons of Thrivent provide advisory services under a “doing business as” name or may have their own legal business entities. However, advisory services are engaged exclusively through Thrivent Advisor Network, LLC, a registered investment adviser. Thrivent Advisor Network reported over $5.3 billion in AUM in its latest annual Form ADV filing. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is ranked 369 on the Fortune 500. (Fortune Magazine, June 2021). Correction: When Ryan Armock states, "…and that brings us to where we are at today with about six and a half billion in assets under management, about 450 employees and about 300 IARs.” the correct number is 200 IARs.

This month’s episode features two incredible guests: Rob Ziliak, Chief Operating Officer at Buckingham Wealth Partners and Ryan Armock, Head of Operations at Thrivent Advisor Network. Founded in 2019, Thrivent currently has 450 employees, and manages $6.5B in AUM. Buckingham Wealth Partners, a well-known RIA founded in 1994, currently manages $65B in collective assets between Buckingham Strategic Wealth and Buckingham Strategic Partners and has 540 employees. Together, Matt, Rob, and Ryan discuss the effect their respective roles play in creating and ensuring a great client experience and much more, including: An overview of each firm and their respective strategies for growth How each firm has adapted their business throughout the pandemic and the long-term effects of these changes What our guests are doing to attract the best talent in the current job market How our guests’ roles in operations impact their firm’s M&A strategy We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis. Investment advisory services offered through Thrivent Advisor Network, LLC., (herein referred to as “Thrivent”), a registered investment adviser. Advisory Persons of Thrivent provide advisory services under a “doing business as” name or may have their own legal business entities. However, advisory services are engaged exclusively through Thrivent Advisor Network, LLC, a registered investment adviser. Thrivent Advisor Network reported over $5.3 billion in AUM in its latest annual Form ADV filing. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is ranked 369 on the Fortune 500. (Fortune Magazine, June 2021). Correction: When Ryan Armock states, "…and that brings us to where we are at today with about six and a half billion in assets under management, about 450 employees and about 300 IARs.” the correct number is 200 IARs.

For our latest episode, Matt welcomes two fantastic guests: Jennifer Wagoner Kirksey, Managing Director of Wealth Operations at Tolleson Wealth Management, and Trevor Phillippi, Chief Operating Officer of 6 Meridian. Originally founded as a single family office, Tolleson Wealth Management currently has $10B in assets under oversight and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. 6 Meridian, founded in 2016, is located in Wichita, Kansas and currently manages $1.8B in AUM. Matt, Jennifer, and Trevor discuss how their role is critical to “running the business,” what excites them about the future, and much more, including: An overview of each firm, and how they have both grown organically Each guests’ professional background, specifically looking at Trevor’s long tenure at Meridian and Jennifer’s path from entry level to Managing Director The role of the performance reporting analyst and the importance of reliable, high-quality data The services each firm offers their clients beyond traditional investment management The challenges each firm contends with in acquiring talent in today’s market We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! To read our article, “Adding to Your Team? Consider a Performance Reporting Analyst” published in Wealth Management.com, click here. You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.The views and opinions expressed here today do not necessarily reflect the view of Tolleson Wealth Management. The information discussed is for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation or an offer to buy a security or instrument or participate in any other service offered by the firm.

For our latest episode, Matt welcomes two fantastic guests: Jennifer Wagoner Kirksey, Managing Director of Wealth Operations at Tolleson Wealth Management, and Trevor Phillippi, Chief Operating Officer of 6 Meridian. Originally founded as a single family office, Tolleson Wealth Management currently has $10B in assets under oversight and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. 6 Meridian, founded in 2016, is located in Wichita, Kansas and currently manages $1.8B in AUM. Matt, Jennifer, and Trevor discuss how their role is critical to “running the business,” what excites them about the future, and much more, including: An overview of each firm, and how they have both grown organically Each guests’ professional background, specifically looking at Trevor’s long tenure at Meridian and Jennifer’s path from entry level to Managing Director The role of the performance reporting analyst and the importance of reliable, high-quality data The services each firm offers their clients beyond traditional investment management The challenges each firm contends with in acquiring talent in today’s market We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! To read our article, “Adding to Your Team? Consider a Performance Reporting Analyst” published in Wealth Management.com, click here. You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.The views and opinions expressed here today do not necessarily reflect the view of Tolleson Wealth Management. The information discussed is for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation or an offer to buy a security or instrument or participate in any other service offered by the firm.

For our first episode of the new year, Matt welcomes two highly accomplished guests: Jason Mirabella, Chief Platform Officer of Wealthsource Partners, and Tom Preston, Director of Client Service of Brighton Jones. Founded in 2009, Wealthsource Partners is headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California, has 35 employees and manages $1.8B in AUM. Brighton Jones was founded in 2000 and currently has 225 employees. They are headquartered in Seattle, Washington and manage $8.5B in AUM. Matt, Jason, and Tom discuss how operations plays a key role in firm growth, client experience, and much more, including: An overview of each firm, including how each guests’ role fits into their overall firm structure Our guests tackle the “Sales vs. Operations” divide in the industry KPIs each guests calculate to gauge the health of their organization How to create actionable steps from those KPIs and implement them in a firm Where both guests see the industry trending in the next 18 months We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

For our first episode of the new year, Matt welcomes two highly accomplished guests: Jason Mirabella, Chief Platform Officer of Wealthsource Partners, and Tom Preston, Director of Client Service of Brighton Jones. Founded in 2009, Wealthsource Partners is headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California, has 35 employees and manages $1.8B in AUM. Brighton Jones was founded in 2000 and currently has 225 employees. They are headquartered in Seattle, Washington and manage $8.5B in AUM. Matt, Jason, and Tom discuss how operations plays a key role in firm growth, client experience, and much more, including: An overview of each firm, including how each guests’ role fits into their overall firm structure Our guests tackle the “Sales vs. Operations” divide in the industry KPIs each guests calculate to gauge the health of their organization How to create actionable steps from those KPIs and implement them in a firm Where both guests see the industry trending in the next 18 months We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

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 Partners for a compelling conversation on the RIA industry. Known for their strategic partnership with RIAs, Emigrant Partners is currently invested in 19 firms and has close to $90B in cumulative assets. Matt and Karl talk about industry trends including the investment outlook for RIAs, the role of the COO moving forward, RIAs now being run as true business, and much more, including: The history behind Emigrant Partners After a bit of teasing by Matt, Karl shares an in-depth version of his professional background Karl shares the signs he looks for to determine if an RIA needs operations help What role the COO plays in an RIA’s M&A pitch to other firms The “gating issue” Karl sees when it comes to onboarding clients of different generations and how operations can enhance that client experience We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! Click here to read our article “Why Professional Management Fails for RIAs”. You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

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 Partners for a compelling conversation on the RIA industry. Known for their strategic partnership with RIAs, Emigrant Partners is currently invested in 19 firms and has close to $90B in cumulative assets. Matt and Karl talk about industry trends including the investment outlook for RIAs, the role of the COO moving forward, RIAs now being run as true business, and much more, including: The history behind Emigrant Partners After a bit of teasing by Matt, Karl shares an in-depth version of his professional background Karl shares the signs he looks for to determine if an RIA needs operations help What role the COO plays in an RIA’s M&A pitch to other firms The “gating issue” Karl sees when it comes to onboarding clients of different generations and how operations can enhance that client experience We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! Click here to read our article “Why Professional Management Fails for RIAs”. You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 35th episode of The COO Roundtable, Amanda Green of Matrix Private Capital Group and Gary Davis Jr. of Satovsky Asset Management join Matt to discuss all things RIA operations and change management. Matrix Private Capital Group manages nearly $600 million of AUM, is headquartered in New York City, and has offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, and Palm Beach, Florida. Satovsky Asset Management manages $700 million from their headquarters in New York City. Matt, Amanda, and Gary discuss how an operations professional who is new to their firm should conduct an early assessment of the RIA and much more, including: A history and overview of each firm Each guest’s experience in the RIA industry, including Amanda’s time at BNY Mellon | Pershing and Gary’s time as a consultant How they each attain buy-in from management and staff when suggesting changes to the organization How each guest positions their firm for growth in a profitable fashion What opportunities they see in the RIA industry in the coming 18 – 24 months We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 35th episode of The COO Roundtable, Amanda Green of Matrix Private Capital Group and Gary Davis Jr. of Satovsky Asset Management join Matt to discuss all things RIA operations and change management. Matrix Private Capital Group manages nearly $600 million of AUM, is headquartered in New York City, and has offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, and Palm Beach, Florida. Satovsky Asset Management manages $700 million from their headquarters in New York City. Matt, Amanda, and Gary discuss how an operations professional who is new to their firm should conduct an early assessment of the RIA and much more, including: A history and overview of each firm Each guest’s experience in the RIA industry, including Amanda’s time at BNY Mellon | Pershing and Gary’s time as a consultant How they each attain buy-in from management and staff when suggesting changes to the organization How each guest positions their firm for growth in a profitable fashion What opportunities they see in the RIA industry in the coming 18 – 24 months We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 34th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two amazing guests: Jenn Papadopolo, COO of RegentAtlantic, and Matt Wiles, COO of Crestone Capital. RegentAtlantic is headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey and has a satellite office in New York City. They have 70 employees and manage $6B in AUM. With 50 employees and approximately $3.5 billion of AUM, Crestone Capital is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado and has offices in Denver, Austin, Los Angeles, and a brand-new office in Salt Lake City. Matt, Jenn, and Matt discuss the intersection of HR and Operations and much more, including: An overview of each firm Each guest’s career background, including Jenn’s long tenure at RegentAtlantic and the unique perspective Matt has gained from being both an advisor and COO The different services each firm offers their clients beyond traditional wealth management How each guest acknowledges and empowers their ops teams The biggest challenge they are each facing today We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 34th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two amazing guests: Jenn Papadopolo, COO of RegentAtlantic, and Matt Wiles, COO of Crestone Capital. RegentAtlantic is headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey and has a satellite office in New York City. They have 70 employees and manage $6B in AUM. With 50 employees and approximately $3.5 billion of AUM, Crestone Capital is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado and has offices in Denver, Austin, Los Angeles, and a brand-new office in Salt Lake City. Matt, Jenn, and Matt discuss the intersection of HR and Operations and much more, including: An overview of each firm Each guest’s career background, including Jenn’s long tenure at RegentAtlantic and the unique perspective Matt has gained from being both an advisor and COO The different services each firm offers their clients beyond traditional wealth management How each guest acknowledges and empowers their ops teams The biggest challenge they are each facing today We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 33rd episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two highly respected operations professionals: Jandy Rowe, Principal and Chief Operating Officer of Wipfli Financial Advisors, and Brad Hixson, Director, Mergers and Acquisitions of Lido Advisors. Wipfli Financial Advisors has 90 employees, is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with 19 offices around the country and manages $5B in AUM. Lido Advisors has 110 employees and is headquartered in Los Angeles with an additional 22 offices across the United States. Lido manage $10B in AUM. Matt, Jandy, and Brad discuss how operations plays a key role in growth by attracting both ideal advisors and clients, and much more including: Background of each firm, including Wipfli Financial Advisors’ use of the CPA services from Wipfli LLP and the development of their AVID platform for smaller clients, and Lido Advisors’ approach to bringing “family office style investment philosophy to the high net worth space” Our guests’ professional background, including how Brad’s career “started at the gym” and Jandy’s unlikely start with Wipfli 20 years ago How each firm structures their back office for maximum efficiency and growth What other outside resources our guests leverage as they manage multi-billion dollar enterprises How each guest manages to “do everything” with the help of their team Click here to read the Advisor Perspectives article Matt mentioned during this episode, M&A Requires More Than Securing Financing. We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 33rd episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two highly respected operations professionals: Jandy Rowe, Principal and Chief Operating Officer of Wipfli Financial Advisors, and Brad Hixson, Director, Mergers and Acquisitions of Lido Advisors. Wipfli Financial Advisors has 90 employees, is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with 19 offices around the country and manages $5B in AUM. Lido Advisors has 110 employees and is headquartered in Los Angeles with an additional 22 offices across the United States. Lido manage $10B in AUM. Matt, Jandy, and Brad discuss how operations plays a key role in growth by attracting both ideal advisors and clients, and much more including: Background of each firm, including Wipfli Financial Advisors’ use of the CPA services from Wipfli LLP and the development of their AVID platform for smaller clients, and Lido Advisors’ approach to bringing “family office style investment philosophy to the high net worth space” Our guests’ professional background, including how Brad’s career “started at the gym” and Jandy’s unlikely start with Wipfli 20 years ago How each firm structures their back office for maximum efficiency and growth What other outside resources our guests leverage as they manage multi-billion dollar enterprises How each guest manages to “do everything” with the help of their team Click here to read the Advisor Perspectives article Matt mentioned during this episode, M&A Requires More Than Securing Financing. We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

For the 32nd episode of The COO Roundtable, we wanted to pause from our regular interview format and answer some questions we have been receiving about our new digital consulting platform, The COO Society. PFI Advisors offers one-on-one consulting services on a project or retainer basis, but we also wanted to create a DIY consulting platform for RIAs looking to gain access to our insights at a lower price point. Our industry does a great job of providing sales training to advisors, and there are a lot of certifications investors and even compliance professionals can pursue, but we felt there was a void in educational and training resources available for those trying to educate themselves on how to run an RIA and position it for growth. We are driven to fill that void with our latest consulting offering, The COO Society. Be sure to listen to the end of the episode, where we provide a promo code to get a discount on your first month’s membership! You can watch a promotional video and learn more about The COO Society here. For a sample of what the course material looks like, please watch this 4-minute clip from our latest course detailing Key Performance Indicators. You can view a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the key components of the platform here. Thank you for being a continued listener to the COO Roundtable Podcast! We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

For the 32nd episode of The COO Roundtable, we wanted to pause from our regular interview format and answer some questions we have been receiving about our new digital consulting platform, The COO Society. PFI Advisors offers one-on-one consulting services on a project or retainer basis, but we also wanted to create a DIY consulting platform for RIAs looking to gain access to our insights at a lower price point. Our industry does a great job of providing sales training to advisors, and there are a lot of certifications investors and even compliance professionals can pursue, but we felt there was a void in educational and training resources available for those trying to educate themselves on how to run an RIA and position it for growth. We are driven to fill that void with our latest consulting offering, The COO Society. Be sure to listen to the end of the episode, where we provide a promo code to get a discount on your first month’s membership! You can watch a promotional video and learn more about The COO Society here. For a sample of what the course material looks like, please watch this 4-minute clip from our latest course detailing Key Performance Indicators. You can view a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the key components of the platform here. Thank you for being a continued listener to the COO Roundtable Podcast! We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 31st episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two operations professionals who have had a huge impact on their respective organizations, Natalie Wheeler, Chief Operating Officer at Berkshire Money Management and Eric Stephenson, Director of Client Advisory and Operations at Align Impact. Celebrating 20 years in business this year, Berkshire Money Management is located in Dalton Massachusetts. They have 15 employees and manage $775 in AUM. Founded in 2014, Align Impact is headquartered in Los Angeles and has 20 employees. They manage $1.6B in AUA. Matt, Natalie, and Eric discuss how they have worked to standardize their firms’ processes and procedures and much more including: Background of each guests’ firm including ideal client and service offerings Our guests’ professional background, including a fun story about Eric’s past as a pole vaulter and Natalie’s recent promotion to Chief Operating Officer How each guest “keeps their sanity” while juggling the many demands of their role How they impact organic growth at their firms How career opportunities come to those who raise their hands The “Profit vs Growth” question, or as Matt calls it “The Chicken and Egg Conundrum” We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can read the full transcript here. You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 31st episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two operations professionals who have had a huge impact on their respective organizations, Natalie Wheeler, Chief Operating Officer at Berkshire Money Management and Eric Stephenson, Director of Client Advisory and Operations at Align Impact. Celebrating 20 years in business this year, Berkshire Money Management is located in Dalton Massachusetts. They have 15 employees and manage $775 in AUM. Founded in 2014, Align Impact is headquartered in Los Angeles and has 20 employees. They manage $1.6B in AUA. Matt, Natalie, and Eric discuss how they have worked to standardize their firms’ processes and procedures and much more including: Background of each guests’ firm including ideal client and service offerings Our guests’ professional background, including a fun story about Eric’s past as a pole vaulter and Natalie’s recent promotion to Chief Operating Officer How each guest “keeps their sanity” while juggling the many demands of their role How they impact organic growth at their firms How career opportunities come to those who raise their hands The “Profit vs Growth” question, or as Matt calls it “The Chicken and Egg Conundrum” We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can read the full transcript here. You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

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 employees and manages $2.7B in client assets. Savant Wealth Management is headquartered in Rockford, Illinois, has 18 offices across the country and manages just under $11B. Matt, Michael, and Kevin discuss how professional management drives RIAs to the next level and much more, including: The background of each guest’s firm, their ideal clients, and how each firm has historically grown assets under management Our guests’ professional backgrounds, including Michael’s time as an early employee at Focus Financial Partners and his continued growth in the industry, and Kevin’s career-spanning journey with Savant Wealth Management How they, as COOs, support their firm’s growth, including Kevin’s input on “specialization” and Michael’s advice to think “five years ahead” How the COO is the “keeper of the client experience” What each guest does on a daily basis to make employees as successful as possible The KPIs our guests use to monitor the health of their respective firms We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

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 employees and manages $2.7B in client assets. Savant Wealth Management is headquartered in Rockford, Illinois, has 18 offices across the country and manages just under $11B. Matt, Michael, and Kevin discuss how professional management drives RIAs to the next level and much more, including: The background of each guest’s firm, their ideal clients, and how each firm has historically grown assets under management Our guests’ professional backgrounds, including Michael’s time as an early employee at Focus Financial Partners and his continued growth in the industry, and Kevin’s career-spanning journey with Savant Wealth Management How they, as COOs, support their firm’s growth, including Kevin’s input on “specialization” and Michael’s advice to think “five years ahead” How the COO is the “keeper of the client experience” What each guest does on a daily basis to make employees as successful as possible The KPIs our guests use to monitor the health of their respective firms We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 29th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two highly accomplished RIA professionals, Gina Bradley, COO & General Counsel of Colony Group and Susan Korin, COO & CCO of Balasa Dinverno Foltz (“BDF”). Colony Group is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and is headquartered in Boston, MA. With 15 offices nationwide and 260 employees, Colony Group manages $13B in AUM. BDF was also founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL. They have 67 team members and currently manage $5.3B in AUM. Matt, Gina, and Susan discuss the many areas a COO impacts their firm, how the COO manages people vs infrastructure, and much more including: Background of each guests’ firm including ideal client and service offerings Our guests’ professional background, including how they both became COOs and how they juggle their dual roles in their respective firms How their role as COO both supports and manages the growth in their organization and the infrastructure needed to achieve those goals Both firms’ vision (as of April 2021) of a post-COVID workplace The cultural impact the COO has on a firm We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 29th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two highly accomplished RIA professionals, Gina Bradley, COO & General Counsel of Colony Group and Susan Korin, COO & CCO of Balasa Dinverno Foltz (“BDF”). Colony Group is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and is headquartered in Boston, MA. With 15 offices nationwide and 260 employees, Colony Group manages $13B in AUM. BDF was also founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL. They have 67 team members and currently manage $5.3B in AUM. Matt, Gina, and Susan discuss the many areas a COO impacts their firm, how the COO manages people vs infrastructure, and much more including: Background of each guests’ firm including ideal client and service offerings Our guests’ professional background, including how they both became COOs and how they juggle their dual roles in their respective firms How their role as COO both supports and manages the growth in their organization and the infrastructure needed to achieve those goals Both firms’ vision (as of April 2021) of a post-COVID workplace The cultural impact the COO has on a firm We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 28th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two extremely experienced consultants from Charles Schwab Advisor Services’ Business Consulting & Education division, Tony Parkin and Nikolee Turner. Matt, Tony, and Nikolee discuss how professional management drives “lasting and significant changes” at organizations, the importance of clear and repetitive internal communication, the need to understand your ideal client before determining your firm’s organizational structure, and much more including: An overview of Schwab’s consulting services and how they provide support to help RIAs run successful businesses A funny story about Tony’s first time visiting the PFI Advisors’ office Both guests’ professional backgrounds, including how Tony discovered the benefits of the independent model and Nikolee’s fascination with “how people pursue their own excellence” Nikolee shares Schwab’s Five Guiding Principles for Advisory Firm Success Tony and Nikolee’s thoughts on when they believe a firm needs professional management Challenges firms face when bringing in professional management for the first time To view a copy of the 2020 Schwab RIA Compensation report, click here. We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 28th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two extremely experienced consultants from Charles Schwab Advisor Services’ Business Consulting & Education division, Tony Parkin and Nikolee Turner. Matt, Tony, and Nikolee discuss how professional management drives “lasting and significant changes” at organizations, the importance of clear and repetitive internal communication, the need to understand your ideal client before determining your firm’s organizational structure, and much more including: An overview of Schwab’s consulting services and how they provide support to help RIAs run successful businesses A funny story about Tony’s first time visiting the PFI Advisors’ office Both guests’ professional backgrounds, including how Tony discovered the benefits of the independent model and Nikolee’s fascination with “how people pursue their own excellence” Nikolee shares Schwab’s Five Guiding Principles for Advisory Firm Success Tony and Nikolee’s thoughts on when they believe a firm needs professional management Challenges firms face when bringing in professional management for the first time To view a copy of the 2020 Schwab RIA Compensation report, click here. We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

For this special edition of The COO Roundtable, Matt recorded live from Mercer Capital’s inaugural RIA Practice Management Insight’s conference. This virtual conference “focused on back of the house (operational) issues that are as vital to success as they are easy to ignore.” Joining Matt as guests were Kara Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer of CapSouth Wealth Management and Nick Maggiulli Chief Operating Officer (and Data Scientist) of Ritholtz Wealth Management. CapSouth Wealth Management is headquartered in Dothan, AL and has two other locations in Georgia and North Carolina, and they manage $650M in client AUM. Ritholtz Wealth Management is located in New York, NY, has 33 employees, and manages $2B in AUM. Together, Matt, Kara, and Nick discuss how COOs drive efficiencies and manage their most important clients – the employees of their respective firms. Other topics covered include: Each guests’ professional background and personal journey that led them to their current role, including Kara’s route via finance and Nick’s background as a data scientist Overview of their respective firms and their growth visions for 2021 How each guest defines their role as COO due to their firm’s unique demands The ways Kara and Nick balance being “behind the scenes” while making sure they are recognized for their hard work and contributions to their firm How they each tackle integration of the various tools and systems that make up their firm’s technology stack We’d like to thank Mercer Capital for providing this opportunity. We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or Stitcher. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

For this special edition of The COO Roundtable, Matt recorded live from Mercer Capital’s inaugural RIA Practice Management Insight’s conference. This virtual conference “focused on back of the house (operational) issues that are as vital to success as they are easy to ignore.” Joining Matt as guests were Kara Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer of CapSouth Wealth Management and Nick Maggiulli Chief Operating Officer (and Data Scientist) of Ritholtz Wealth Management. CapSouth Wealth Management is headquartered in Dothan, AL and has two other locations in Georgia and North Carolina, and they manage $650M in client AUM. Ritholtz Wealth Management is located in New York, NY, has 33 employees, and manages $2B in AUM. Together, Matt, Kara, and Nick discuss how COOs drive efficiencies and manage their most important clients – the employees of their respective firms. Other topics covered include: Each guests’ professional background and personal journey that led them to their current role, including Kara’s route via finance and Nick’s background as a data scientist Overview of their respective firms and their growth visions for 2021 How each guest defines their role as COO due to their firm’s unique demands The ways Kara and Nick balance being “behind the scenes” while making sure they are recognized for their hard work and contributions to their firm How they each tackle integration of the various tools and systems that make up their firm’s technology stack We’d like to thank Mercer Capital for providing this opportunity. We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or Stitcher. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 26th episode of The COO Roundtable, our host, Matt Sonnen, welcomes Matt Ran, Chief Operating Officer and Partner of Telemus Financial Life Management, and Kelly Downs, Chief Operating Officer of Berman Capital Advisors. Telemus has two offices in Michigan, another in Chicago, and manages $3.5B in AUM. Berman Capital Advisors also manages $3.2B is headquartered in Atlanta, GA and has two additional offices in Chicago. Matt, Kelly, and Matt discuss how a COO impacts all aspects of a firm’s success, including client “stickiness”, adopting new technology, and much more including: An overview of their firms’ backgrounds Matt and Kelly’s professional backgrounds and how they shifted toward professional management after both spent time as financial advisors What new initiatives each firm implemented during the pandemic that they plan to keep long term How each firm has placed priority and continued to focus on culture even in a Work From Home environment Each firm’s growth-oriented projects and outlook for 2021 We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 26th episode of The COO Roundtable, our host, Matt Sonnen, welcomes Matt Ran, Chief Operating Officer and Partner of Telemus Financial Life Management, and Kelly Downs, Chief Operating Officer of Berman Capital Advisors. Telemus has two offices in Michigan, another in Chicago, and manages $3.5B in AUM. Berman Capital Advisors also manages $3.2B is headquartered in Atlanta, GA and has two additional offices in Chicago. Matt, Kelly, and Matt discuss how a COO impacts all aspects of a firm’s success, including client “stickiness”, adopting new technology, and much more including: An overview of their firms’ backgrounds Matt and Kelly’s professional backgrounds and how they shifted toward professional management after both spent time as financial advisors What new initiatives each firm implemented during the pandemic that they plan to keep long term How each firm has placed priority and continued to focus on culture even in a Work From Home environment Each firm’s growth-oriented projects and outlook for 2021 We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 25th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Lisa Cook, the newly-appointed COO at Pacific Portfolio Consulting in Seattle, WA and Erica Farber, Partner at Balentine in Atlanta, GA. Balentine’s 39 employees manage $3.5B in assets under advisement and Pacific Portfolio Consulting manages $3.8B in client assets with 17 employees. Lisa and Erica join Matt to discuss how RIAs can leverage the role of the COO to its fullest potential, including the following topics: The history, ideal client, and service offerings of both firms Erica and Lisa’s respective backgrounds, including the support Erica received when she “raised her hand” and asked for a larger role, and Lisa’s industry experience while being caught in “merger mania” How they each impact their firm’s culture, including Lisa’s opportunities as the first COO in Pacific Portfolio Consulting, and how Balentine empowered their employees to create their present-day authentic culture The strategies they use to gain adoption and affect change in their organization How RIAs should rate the success of their COO How their firms are preparing themselves to be “M&A ready” We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 25th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Lisa Cook, the newly-appointed COO at Pacific Portfolio Consulting in Seattle, WA and Erica Farber, Partner at Balentine in Atlanta, GA. Balentine’s 39 employees manage $3.5B in assets under advisement and Pacific Portfolio Consulting manages $3.8B in client assets with 17 employees. Lisa and Erica join Matt to discuss how RIAs can leverage the role of the COO to its fullest potential, including the following topics: The history, ideal client, and service offerings of both firms Erica and Lisa’s respective backgrounds, including the support Erica received when she “raised her hand” and asked for a larger role, and Lisa’s industry experience while being caught in “merger mania” How they each impact their firm’s culture, including Lisa’s opportunities as the first COO in Pacific Portfolio Consulting, and how Balentine empowered their employees to create their present-day authentic culture The strategies they use to gain adoption and affect change in their organization How RIAs should rate the success of their COO How their firms are preparing themselves to be “M&A ready” We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 24th episode of The COO Roundtable, which marks our podcast’s 2nd anniversary, Matt welcomes two prominent guests from Segall Bryant & Hamill: Chief Executive Officer Phil Hildebrandt and Chief Operating Officer & Chief Compliance Officer Paul Lythberg. Segall Bryant & Hamill is headquartered in Chicago, IL, has been in business for over 26 years, and manages $22B of client assets. Matt, Phil, and Paul discuss how their CEO and COO roles work together to ensure “the trains are running on time,” the nuances of running a large organization, and much more, including: Overview of Segall Bryant & Hamill’s history and services We hear Phil and Paul’s background, including Phil’s start with the firm in 1995 when SBH was in its startup phase and how Paul has honed his skills from his days at Allstate to joining SBH 8 years ago How SBH’s growth required investments in their infrastructure and professional management, which led to Paul’s COO role allowing him to free up more of Phil’s time and increase organizational scalability Their views on culture, including Phil’s take that culture is a “living, breathing, organism you can’t fabricate” How our guests manage change in their larger-than-average firm The Key Performance Indictors they rely on to get a picture of the “health” of their business We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 24th episode of The COO Roundtable, which marks our podcast’s 2nd anniversary, Matt welcomes two prominent guests from Segall Bryant & Hamill: Chief Executive Officer Phil Hildebrandt and Chief Operating Officer & Chief Compliance Officer Paul Lythberg. Segall Bryant & Hamill is headquartered in Chicago, IL, has been in business for over 26 years, and manages $22B of client assets. Matt, Phil, and Paul discuss how their CEO and COO roles work together to ensure “the trains are running on time,” the nuances of running a large organization, and much more, including: Overview of Segall Bryant & Hamill’s history and services We hear Phil and Paul’s background, including Phil’s start with the firm in 1995 when SBH was in its startup phase and how Paul has honed his skills from his days at Allstate to joining SBH 8 years ago How SBH’s growth required investments in their infrastructure and professional management, which led to Paul’s COO role allowing him to free up more of Phil’s time and increase organizational scalability Their views on culture, including Phil’s take that culture is a “living, breathing, organism you can’t fabricate” How our guests manage change in their larger-than-average firm The Key Performance Indictors they rely on to get a picture of the “health” of their business We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 23rd episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Aiki Altmets, COO and CCO of the newly-formed Regimen Wealth and Lynne Born, President of Wealth Architects. Regimen Wealth is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and manages $200 million in client assets with 6 employees. Located in Mountain View, California, Wealth Architects has over $1 billion in AUM with 20 employees. Matt, Aiki, and Lynne discuss the entrepreneurial spirit and the commitment necessary to be successful in professional management while growing an RIA, and much more, including: Overview of their firms’ backgrounds, services, and ideal clients We hear each guest’s fascinating background, including Aiki’s story about co-founding an RIA during a global pandemic; and Lynne’s journey from running one of the largest accounting firm-owned multifamily offices to her decision to join Wealth Architects earlier this year How each guest works with their respective CEOs to tackle their firm’s needs and the demands of their positions The technological challenges each guest has overcome to build a more efficient back office infrastructure What entrepreneurial characteristics help both Aiki and Lynne in their respective roles We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 23rd episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Aiki Altmets, COO and CCO of the newly-formed Regimen Wealth and Lynne Born, President of Wealth Architects. Regimen Wealth is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and manages $200 million in client assets with 6 employees. Located in Mountain View, California, Wealth Architects has over $1 billion in AUM with 20 employees. Matt, Aiki, and Lynne discuss the entrepreneurial spirit and the commitment necessary to be successful in professional management while growing an RIA, and much more, including: Overview of their firms’ backgrounds, services, and ideal clients We hear each guest’s fascinating background, including Aiki’s story about co-founding an RIA during a global pandemic; and Lynne’s journey from running one of the largest accounting firm-owned multifamily offices to her decision to join Wealth Architects earlier this year How each guest works with their respective CEOs to tackle their firm’s needs and the demands of their positions The technological challenges each guest has overcome to build a more efficient back office infrastructure What entrepreneurial characteristics help both Aiki and Lynne in their respective roles We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In this special episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt recorded live for Bob Veres’ Insider’s Forum. For those unfamiliar with Insider’s Forum, it “is designed to provide essential information for running and growing prosperous businesses and better serving clients, advanced technical content, as well as valuable opportunities for networking with industry thought leaders.” Matt had the pleasure of interviewing Kaylyn Melia, Chief Operating Officer at Socius Family Office and Karen Denise, Senior Director in charge of Client Service at CAPTRUST. Socius Family Office is headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and has one office just outside of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. With approximately 100 different client families, Socius Family Office manages approximately $550B in assets. A well-known name in the industry, CAPTRUST is headquartered in North Carolina and has over 30 locations and 721 employees. They manage roughly $400B in client assets across their various business lines. Matt, Kaylyn, and Karen’s thoughtful conversation covers just how involved operations professionals are in all aspects of a firm; they also discuss: Overview of their respective firms and the clients they service, such as Socius Family Office’s focus on young professional athletes and entrepreneurs and CAPTRUST’s concentration on foundations and institutional retirement plans The professional background of each guest and how they entered the wealth management industry Fantastic career advice from both women including Kaylyn explaining how “Small wins can add up,” and Karen reminding professionals “Don’t limit your thinking to your current role” How each firm manages growth in a profitable and scalable fashion Where each guest goes for further industry-specific education It was a great honor to record our podcast live as part of the conference. We’d like to thank Lisa Crafford of BNY Mellon Pershing and Shaun Kapusinski of HIFON for providing this opportunity. We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or Stitcher. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.