Podcasts about united capital

Interview recorded - 16th of September, 2025On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming on Mel Matterson. Mel is writer and financial services veteran, with 20 years in the realm of high finance. During our conversation we spoke about his outlook, how he is bullish, large deficits, central bank independence, yield curve control, peak ponzi scheme, market outlook, when to sell and more. I hope you enjoy!0:00 - Introduction1:32 - Outlook on markets5:05 - Bond rally?11:26 - Large deficits17:02 - Central Bank independence22:07 - Yield control QE?26:12 - Peak ponzi scheme29:52 - Market outlook32:52 - Economic shift39:24 - When to sell?41:52 - One message to takeaway?For over twenty years, Mel has held key posts with both established asset managers such as Russell Investments and fast-growth startup firms like United Capital (acquired 2019 by Goldman Sachs). Since 2019, Mel has focused almost exclusively on private equity and the employee stock option financing space. He also founded the personal finance and wellness app, MoneyComb, in 2014. Seed funded by Duke University and incubated under leading behavioral economist Dan Ariely, MoneyComb quickly gained a reputation for innovative thinking about money and happiness: MoneyComb in WSJ.Having served as the CEO of three different FINRA and SEC registered broker-dealers, Mel has established himself as an expert in the operation of financial firms with an emphasis on broker-dealer formation, private placements, compliance, and scaling of digital operations.Mel holds an MBA with concentrations in investment and corporate finance from Duke University. He received his BA from Loyola University Chicago where he majored in philosophy, minored in English, and helped establish the school's nascent men's rugby program. Mel is also a Certified Financial Planner™ Professional and holds the CFP® designation.Mel Mattison:Website - https://www.melmattison.com/X - https://twitter.com/MelMattison1Book - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CK6WTGJV?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_ZBJCM70F8RTF8WCETGYTWTFinance:Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/67rpmjG92PNBW0doLyPvfniTunes -https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfinance/id1554934665?uo=4LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-fatseas-761066103/Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnthonyFatseasThumbnail picture from - https://www.carsongroup.com/insights/blog/seven-reasons-this-bull-market-is-alive-and-well/

In this episode of PRess Play: The StreetCred Podcast, hosts Elena Krasnow and Jimmy Moock sit down with Jacqueline Martinez, managing partner at Alaris Acquisitions. Jacqueline shares her journey into M&A, her experience working at United Capital during its landmark sale to Goldman Sachs and her perspective on the human side of dealmaking. She also … Read More Read More

Send us a textOn the latest episode of The Get Ready Money Podcast, I spoke with Cary Carbonaro, financial advisor, speaker, author and female advocate about changing the way we think about women and wealth.In this episode we discussed:Women can do money. How women can feel comfortable with money.Why are there so few women in financial services (only 24% of CFP's are women).Women should look for someone who's going to guide and teach.  It doesn't matter what you make, it's how much you keep.Money is amorphous, it's what you do with you do with your money that counts. Connect with Cary Carbonaro:Website (here)LinkedIn (here)Facebook (here)Instagram (here)X (here)Books:The Money Queen's Guide: For Women Who Want to Build Wealth and Banish Fear (Bookshop)Women and Wealth: A Playbook to Empower Clients and Unlock Their Fortune (Bookshop)Resources mentioned:The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth about Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller (Bookshop) Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (Bookshop)Bloomberg (here)Wall Street Journal (here)Bio: Cary Carbonaro is an award-winning Certified Financial Planner™ professional with over 25 years of experience, and currently serves as Managing Wealth Advisor and Women and Wealth Ambassador for Ashton Thomas. She leads a multimillion-dollar financial planning practice, specializing in empowering women to overcome financial challenges and increase their financial literacy.Cary's extensive career includes leadership roles at ACM Wealth, Goldman Sachs where she was Vice President and Head of Office, and United Capital where she founded and led the Women's Leadership division. At United Capital, she earned titles such as Diamond Office Winner, Managing Director, Partner, Voice of Women, FinLife Coach, and MVP.Cary is the author of the bestselling book The Money Queen's Guide: For Women Who Want to Build Wealth and Banish Fear,  Morgan James, Oct 2015. Cary's second book.  Women and Wealth: A Playbook To Empower Clients and Unlock Their Fortune,  published by Wiley April 29, 2025.  She serves as a CFP® Board Ambassador, representing the financial industry in the media, and has been honored six times on Investopedia's Top 100 Financial Advisors list. In 2016, she was awarded the prestigious Investment News Women to Watch recognition. In 2024, Cary was appointed as the sole female member of the Nasdaq Advisor Council. She has also endowed a scholarship at the State University of New York at Cortland for Women in Business, where she was the founding president of Sigma Delta Tau sorority. Cary is the founding president of the Women's Giving Alliance, a giving circle in the South Lake Community Foundation, and a member of the Benefactors Circle at tSupport the showThe Get Ready Money Podcast and its guests do not provide investment advice. All content is for educational purposes. Guest opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Get Ready Money Podcast and Tony Steuer.

In this episode, Jack Sharry talks with Mike Capelle, Co-founder & Co-CEO of Modern Wealth Management. From his decades-long career in wealth management, Mike has experience building advisor-client platforms that drive continuous growth. He was part of the team that co-founded, scaled, and sold United Capital, a $25 billion RIA with 90 locations, to Goldman Sachs for $750 million. Jack and Mike discuss how Modern Wealth Management provides a full-service wealth management platform, including tax planning, estate planning, and insurance. They address the challenges and opportunities of integrating legacy systems and the importance of creating a replicable model for national expansion. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:06) - How Modern Wealth Management reshaped financial planning (06:02) - How to serve clients (10:10) - The challenges and opportunities in acquisitions (16:17) - The future of the wealth management industry (18:56) - Mike's key takeaways (22:00) - Mike's interests outside of work Quotes "We saw the need in the market and the opportunity because we felt there was a shift from going to investment to planning, where there was much more alignment between the advisors and the client." ~ Mike Capelle "It's a great opportunity to really impact people's lives. They don't have all the resources to do everything they want. You have to help them understand what they want their future to look like, what things are important, and what trade-offs make sense to them." ~ Mike Capelle "We certainly recognize the opportunity with the industry, and not only do you have an underserved market of people across the country who are developing wealth, but needing help in how they manage it and how they use it as the engine to get to the outcome they want to." ~ Mike Capelle Links  Mike Capelle on LinkedIn Joe Duran United Capital Modern Wealth Management Salesforce eMoney Advisor Doug Fritz Randy Lambert Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Why are advisors failing at organic growth?In this episode, Adam Holt & Derek Notman recorded live in person with industry titan Joe Duran while attending the Fearless Investing summit hosted by Nitrogen. The talk about organic growth, rollups (not the kind you eat, lol!), how selling has become a dirty word and that advisors are not spending enough time selling. Jump in to hear this interesting podcast and perspective and learn some tips you can apply today.Joe discusses:Organic growth versus consolidationHow we need to get back to sales and training the next generation of advisors how to do itThe low percentage of time advisors are focused on salesPE's role in growthAnd moreResources: Follow RethinkFA on LinkedInConnect With Joe Duran:Follow Joe Duran on LinkedInLearn more about Rise Growth PartnersConnect With Adam Holt:Asset-Map LinkedIn: Adam HoltLinkedIn: Asset-MapFacebook: Asset-MapTwitter: Asset_MapYouTube: Asset-Map Connect With Derek Notman:LinkedIn: Derek NotmanCheck out Couplr.AIAbout Our Guest:Joe Duran is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author and a prominent figure in the financial industry. He is the founding partner of United Capital, recognized as one of the nation's fastest-growing wealth counseling firms. Before establishing United Capital, Duran served as president of GE Private Asset Management. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and earned MBA degrees from both Columbia University and the University of California, Berkeley. Duran frequently provides financial commentary on television networks such as CNBC and CNN, and has been profiled in publications including The New York Times and SmartMoney. He resides in Laguna Beach, California, with his wife, Jennifer, and their three daughters.In addition to his role at United Capital, Duran built and led Centurion Capital as its president, demonstrating his entrepreneurial acumen in the financial sector.Duran's journey began in Zimbabwe, where he faced significant challenges during his upbringing. At 18, he left for London with just $200, marking the start of his remarkable career. Throughout his professional life, Duran has emphasized the importance of optimism, integrity, and service. He advocates for viewing the world as a kind place, giving more than one takes, and maintaining a clear vision of one's values and goals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Interview recorded - 9th of September, 2024On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming on Mel Mattison. Mel is writer and financial services veteran, with 20 years in the realm of high finance. During our conversation we talked about Mel's outlook for the markets, higher inflation for longer, risk of economic collapse, social security, stock melt-up, which assets will perform and more. I hope you enjoy!0:00 - Introduction0:49 - Outlook on the macro and markets?5:10 - Higher inflation for longer?11:55 - Can government thread deficit needle?15:28 - Risk of collapse?21:30 - Social security into stocks?24:20 - Increased volatility in the markets30:51 - Stock melt-up?34:49 - Dollar pain for global countries?40:01 - Assets to perform post crash?43:16 - One message to takeaway from conversation?For over twenty years, Mel has held key posts with both established asset managers such as Russell Investments and fast-growth startup firms like United Capital (acquired 2019 by Goldman Sachs).  Since 2019, Mel has focused almost exclusively on private equity and the employee stock option financing space.  He also founded the personal finance and wellness app, MoneyComb, in 2014.  Seed funded by Duke University and incubated under leading behavioral economist Dan Ariely, MoneyComb quickly gained a reputation for innovative thinking about money and happiness: MoneyComb in WSJ.Having served as the CEO of three different FINRA and SEC registered broker-dealers, Mel has established himself as an expert in the operation of financial firms with an emphasis on broker-dealer formation, private placements, compliance, and scaling of digital operations.Mel holds an MBA with concentrations in investment and corporate finance from Duke University.  He received his BA from Loyola University Chicago where he majored in philosophy, minored in English, and helped establish the school's nascent men's rugby program.  Mel is also a Certified Financial Planner™ Professional and holds the CFP® designation.Mel Mattison:Website - https://www.melmattison.com/X - https://twitter.com/MelMattison1Book - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CK6WTGJV?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_ZBJCM70F8RTF8WCETGYTWTFinance:Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/67rpmjG92PNBW0doLyPvfniTunes -https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfinance/id1554934665?uo=4LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-fatseas-761066103/Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnthonyFatseas

In this episode of the Road to Growth podcast, we are pleased to introduce you to Graeme Carling. Graeme is a true business success story. From humble upbringings v. Those early experiences ignited a spark in Graeme who would go on to work his way into well-paid managerial positions, but it was never enough. Graeme always wanted to work for himself, and in spite of his initial failed forays into business ownership, he was always destined for entrepreneurialism. With three failed businesses under his belt, Graeme found himself at a pretty low ebb, licking his wounds. It was at this time Graeme happened to catch the end of an Oprah Winfrey show with Rich Dad Poor Dad author, Robert Kiyosaki, which led to him committing to his own financial education. He even roped in his new girlfriend (and eventual wife) Leanne, by gifting her a copy of Kim Kiyosaki's book, Rich Woman. After a while, with their first child together on the way, Graeme and Leanne quit their jobs, on the same day, with modest savings in the bank to survive for the next six months, and set about building their empire together. Graeme and Leanne would spend the next 15 years, working, learning, and traveling together, as they built a business portfolio spanning multiple sectors and international locations, worth millions of pounds. With vision, commitment, and relentless effort, they've taken their place amongst the entrepreneurial success stories, though to them…it was never in doubt. With an unrivalled track record for sourcing acquisitions and creative deal- making, Leanne Carling has grown group business, Carling Property Group into the largest privately-owned landlord in Scotland. She brings vast experience in consolidating fragmented sectors to her role as Mergers & Acquisitions Director of investment company United Capital. Leanne's work ethic, energy for the next opportunity, and unique female voice in the fragmented markets space, make her an absolute expert in deal making, negotiating, and investments. Over the last two decades, Leanne has been a driving force in more than 1,000 real estate portfolio acquisition transactions, with a value of circa £200million. The rapid growth of Carling Property Group is testament to Leanne's talent for sourcing potential acquisitions that no-one else has identified, and buying at the right price to maximise eventual sale value. As Mergers & Acquisitions Director Leanne identifies, manages, and negotiates M&A activity to its completion. Leanne's ability to source opportunities and construct deals that work for both buyer and seller is second to none, and is in large part responsible for delivering United Capital's strategic goals. Leanne has delivered large-scale buy-and-build strategies across multiple sectors and her meticulous approach to deal sourcing and pipeline/ opportunity management has been instrumental to the success of the group.   Learn more and connect with Graeme Carling & Leanne Carling by visiting them on   Website: https://www.thecarlinggroup.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@carling-group Personal Website: https://www.graemecarling.co.uk/ LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/graeme-carling/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/graemecarlingofficial/ X - https://twitter.com/GraemeCarling Personal Website: https://leannecarling.com/ LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanne-carling Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leannecarlingofficial/ X - https://twitter.com/leannecarling   Be sure to follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/to_growth on Facebook: facebook.com/Road2Growth   Subscribe to our podcast across the web: https://www.theenriquezgroup.com/blog Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Cdmacc iTunes: https://apple.co/2F4zAcn Castbox: http://bit.ly/2F4NfQq Google Play: http://bit.ly/2TxUYQ2 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKnzMRkl-PurAb32mCLCMeA?view_as=subscriber   If you are looking to be a Guest on Podcasts please click below  https://kitcaster.com/rtg/  For any San Diego Real Estate Questions Please Follow Us at web: www.TheEnriquezGroup.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKnzMRkl-PurAb32mCLCMeA or Call : 858 -345 - 7829 Recently reduced properties in San Diego County * Click **** bit.ly/3cbT65C **** Here* **********************************************************************

An early architect of Joe Duran's United Capital, and a former Goldman Sachs PFM exec, Mike Capelle and his partners secured $200 million to build a national RIA with a vision of bringing all a client's planning needs—tax, insurance, estate planning—under one roof. In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, editorial director … Read More Read More

In this episode of the Digital Executive, hosted by Brian Thomas at Coruzant Technologies, we dive into the inspiring entrepreneurial journey of Graeme and Leanne Carling, Scotland's powerhouse couple. With a saga that begins with overcoming early failures to becoming Scotland's largest privately-owned landlord, the Carlings share the grit and strategy behind their success. Graeme, influenced by financial education icons like Robert Kiyosaki, alongside Leanne, with her acute talent for sourcing acquisitions and deal-making, have expanded their empire beyond real estate into sectors including engineering, AI, and green energy.Leanne, as the Mergers and Acquisitions Director at United Capital, elaborates on her criteria for selecting lucrative deals, emphasizing cash flow, capital, and equity. Meanwhile, Graeme reflects on the Carlings' humble beginnings during the financial crash, purchasing single-family homes and gradually diversifying their investments based on market opportunities and future trends.Now operating globally, with recent expansions into the U.S. market and investments in AI and security, the Carlings are excited about the future. They share insights into their latest ventures, such as Elevate Holdings in Florida, focusing on civil and structural engineering, and their interest in government contracts and health tech. This episode not only highlights the Carlings' remarkable path to entrepreneurship but also showcases their continuous quest for growth, innovation, and the impact of partnership in business success.

Join the hosts, Addisen and Mael, for an intriguing interview with Mel Mattison a Finance Leader, Author & Entrepreneur Discover Mel's journey as a titan in the world of finance and entrepreneurship. With a career spanning over two decades, Mel has traversed the landscape of finance, from pivotal roles at prestigious firms like Russell Investments to one of the first employees at the startup United Capital, which ultimately saw a monumental acquisition by Goldman Sachs for a staggering $750 million. As an accomplished author and CEO, Mel brings a wealth of experience and insight to the table. Get ready to glean invaluable wisdom from his experiences in finance, entrepreneurship, and leadership. So, sit back, relax, and join us as we unravel the story of Mel Mattison's path to success. You don't want to miss this invaluable wisdom from his experiences in finance, entrepreneurship, and leadership. So, sit back, relax, and join us as we unravel the story of Mel Mattison's path to success all The Before Success Podcast. -------------------------- Do you want to record and edit your podcast like a pro? Start using Podcastle and get 20% off with this link. (side note: we have been using it since the start and we both highly recommend it!): https://podcastle.com Do you want excellent quality old money-style clothes? Look no further because Valerio Verdi is the place to purchase so click on the link and use code BSUCCESS10 for 10% OFF! : ⁠https://valerioverdi.co⁠ -------------------------- ⁠Mel's LinkedinMel's BookMel's Website --------------------------  For sponsorship or guest featuring, contact: ⁠beforesuccess.contact@gmail.com⁠The Before Success Podcast on ⁠Linkedin.⁠ ------------------------- Credits: Hosts: Addisen K. / Mael T. Guest(s): Mel Mattison Intro Music: Damarcus VanBuren End Music: SPARKZ Swoosh Sound: StudioKolomna -------------------------- Copyright © 2023 The Breakthrough Podcast. All rights reserved

How can you align your values with wealth management, lead authentically in business and navigate life's challenges with resilience? Joe Duran, a known figure in the field of wealth management, is highly regarded for his approach that goes beyond traditional financial strategies. As the founder and former CEO of United Capital, he consistently emphasizes the significance of aligning one's values with wealth management, recognizing that true prosperity extends beyond measures. His philosophy surpasses wealth management by integrating values, authenticity and resilience into an approach. Through this approach, Joe not only revolutionizes people's perception of wealth, but also empowers them to lead more fulfilling lives rooted in their genuine aspirations and values. In this episode of The Greatness Machine, Joe joins Darius to share his journey from Zimbabwe to becoming an entrepreneur. He highlights the importance of kindness and belief in the universe, discusses his experience building and selling United Capital, leaving Goldman Sachs for impact as well as providing insights on wealth management and personal growth. Additionally, Joe delves into topics such as aligning choices with values, bridging the gap between personal and professional identities, and the significance of leadership. Topics include: The power of choosing to believe in a kind universe Joe emphasizes creating conditions where individuals can shine Joe talks about the lessons he learned from being on the rugby field Money as fuel, not the end goal Joe looks back selling United Capital to Gold Sachs in 2019 Embracing challenges and setbacks as opportunities for growth and learning Closing the gap between ideal and real self Breaking down the separation between personal and professional identities Joe introduces the concept of working at the top of your license And other topics… Connect with Joe: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-duran-711167 Twitter: https://twitter.com/duranmoney/ Connect with Darius: Website: https://therealdarius.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whoompdarius/ YouTube: https://therealdarius.com/youtube Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the leader of Dynasty Financial Partners' Investment Banking division, Harris brings over 15 years of financial services experience to the table. His career journey is marked by significant achievements, including a successful stint at UBS Investment Bank, where he played a pivotal role as an Executive Director in the Financial Institutions Group. During his time at UBS, he was instrumental in originating, leading, and executing strategic M&A and capital market transactions exceeding $10 billion, specifically focusing on the asset and wealth management industry. I'm excited to share Harris' expertise with you, while discussing the evolving landscape of RIA M&A, as well as discussing equity, industry skepticisms, and what the future looks to have in store for the space. THE SHIFT TO INORGANIC GROWTH STRATEGIESThere is an important mindset shift necessary for advisors moving from organic to inorganic growth strategies. This shift often happens internally, for example, when an advisor excels and seeks equity in the firm, leading CEOs to seek valuation guidance. Other times, it's about friendly deals between neighboring RIAs or advisors seeking to join a former colleague's firm. Organic growth, characterized by internally driven expansion such as acquiring new clients or increasing assets under management, is a familiar terrain for most advisors. The shift to inorganic growth, however, such as mergers and acquisitions (M&A), requires a different strategic approach and mindset. Inorganic growth often involves complex negotiations, valuations, and integration processes that aren't typically encountered in organic expansion. THE VALUE OF EQUITY IN M&A TRANSACTIONSHarris also touched on the critical role of equity in M&A transactions. In a high interest rate market, cash is king, but equity can be an even more valuable currency. This is especially true when smaller firms merge with larger ones, allowing for a 'second transaction' opportunity as the larger entity grows and scales. The successful realization of value from equity stakes in M&A transactions relies not only on the timing and execution of the initial deal, but determining whether these equity stakes can be monetized profitable also relies on: The ongoing performance and strategic direction of the merged entity The overall health of the industry Market conditions The strategic decisions made post-merger INDUSTRY SKEPTICISMWhile optimistic about the future, Harris also acknowledged the skepticism surrounding the industry, citing examples like Focus Financial and United Capital. The success or failure of equity models in the RIA space will largely depend on how these transactions are structured and the strategic decisions of the firms involved. He suggests that a careful approach, focusing on long-term value rather than short-term gains, will be crucial for the success of these equity plays. Harris' insights into the RIA market highlight the importance of strategic thinking and adaptability in a rapidly evolving industry. His emphasis on the psychological aspects of deal-making, the strategic use of equity, and the need for disciplined underwriting underscores the complexity of modern investment banking in the RIA space. As the industry moves forward into 2024 and beyond, the lessons shared by Harris will undoubtedly play a critical role in shaping the future of RIA mergers and acquisitions. • • • For my full discussion with Harris, and more on this topic and topics not featured on this blog post:Listen to the Full DealQuest Podcast Episode Here• • • FOR MORE ON HARRIS BALTCH:https://dynastyinvestmentbank.com/team/harris-b/https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrisbaltch/ Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today!

This week, Nick speaks to Graeme Carling, Chairman & Co-Founder of The Carling Group.Graeme is a notable entrepreneur, with a reputation for successfully negotiating deals in his own inimitable style: bold, direct, and uncompromising. He has decades of experience in bringing together fragmented markets and successfully negotiating high-value deals.  In 2019 Graeme, as CEO of investment company United Capital, began acquiring multiple businesses in the UK building services sector, growing group turnover to £40 million. With Graeme leading his expert team, United Capital continues to make significant acquisitions, with a potential acquisition pipeline value of over £1 billion.Nick and Graeme discuss Graeme's business journey, The Carling Group's portfolio at present and some of the sectors that interest Graeme.Graeme's book choices were - Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki and three books by Steven Pressfield - Do The Work, Turning Pro and War of Art.This content is issued by Zeus Capital Limited (“Zeus”) (Incorporated in England & Wales No. 4417845), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) for designated investment business, (Reg No. 224621) and is a member firm of the London Stock Exchange. This content is for information purposes only and neither the information contained, nor the opinions expressed within, constitute or are to be construed as an offer or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the securities or other instruments mentioned in it. Zeus shall not be liable for any direct or indirect damages, including lost profits arising in any way from the information contained in this material. This material is for the use of intended recipients only.

Who's better equipped to serve clients; independent financial advisors or large established companies?With the recent sale of United Capital there's been a lot of talk about what Goldman Sachs is focusing on. Turns out quite a bit including serving independent financial advisors. Join us as we chat with Goldman Sachs Managing Director and US Navy Captain Richard Lofgren to learn what they are doing to support advisors and what advisors should be thinking about to stay relevant and continue to grow.In this episode Richard, Adam and Derek chat about:Planning is critical for the marketAutomating to get speed to marketTech ignorance is a career warning lightTech still has no empathyGoldman Sachs as a Service (GSaaS)The similarities between military planning and financial planningThe enemy always gets a voteAnd more!Resources:Connect with Richard Lofgren on LinkedInFollow RethinkFA on LinkedInListen to RethinkFA on YouTube PodcastsFind us on Digital Wealth NewsApply to be a guest on the RethinkFA Think TankConnect With Adam Holt:Schedule an Asset-Map DemoAsset-Map LinkedIn: Adam HoltLinkedIn: Asset-MapFacebook: Asset-MapTwitter: Asset_MapConnect With Derek Notman:Schedule a Call with DerekSchedule a Couplr DemoCouplrLinkedIn: Derek NotmanLinkedIn: CouplrTwitter: Derek Notman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to scaling and selling your business, few individuals are as qualified to provide insight as Matt Brinker, whose leadership helped grow United Capital from $300 million in assets to $25 billion before its 2019 sale to Goldman Sachs. Now a managing partner at Merchant Investment Management, Matt joins the Business of Advice with Cody Foster to discuss his biggest keys to business growth and transition.

Earlier this week, Matt and his team flew to Huntington Beach, California to attend Future Proof 2023. Thousands of investment professionals are in attendance. They have spent three days there so far. And they've sat down with more than 10 speakers to get their views on everything from the Federal Reserve to stocks in general to the art of entrepreneurship. And on this episode of Making Money With Matt McCall, Matt kicks off his "Future Proof" series by interviewing one of the biggest names in the financial industry – Joe Duran. Joe made headlines in 2019 when he sold United Capital to Goldman Sachs for $750 million in cash. And now, he's working on a new venture. Joe shares the details on the podcast as well as his thoughts on one of the hottest topics in the market right now – artificial intelligence. Don't miss your chance to hear the insights of one of the most well-respected people in finance. ➡️ Watch Here

Bruce is joined by Ron Carson, founder and CEO of Carson Group, and John Furey, managing partner of Advisor Growth Strategies, to talk about Goldman's sale of United Capital and how financial advisors can move beyond a mindset of fear and scarcity. This episode is sponsored by Schwab Asset Management.

/// The Scalpel is proud to partner with Brickhouse Nutrition. Dr. Rose uses and highly recommends Field of Greens. Your purchase through this link supports The Scalpel Podcast. /// https://scalpeledge.com/brickhouse -------------------------------------------------   On this episode, Dr. Keith Rose welcomes Doug De Groote of De Groote Financial Group, degrootefinancial.com.   They discuss the current state of the US economy according to the text, what are some potential risks in the financial market that people may be ignoring or unaware of, and - perhaps most importantly - what is it going to take to reverse the trajectory of the US and personal economies.   Doug De Groote is Founder and Managing Director of De Groote Financial Group, one of the nation's top wealth advisory firms. Through a comprehensive financial planning approach, Doug and his team focuses on helping clients to capitalize on their strengths, develop greater goals and aspirations and manage their wealth through all that life may throw at them.   Doug is a Certified Financial Planner™ CFP® with an MBA in Financial Planning and is a Certified Tax Coach (CTC). Doug is also an active member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA). Before establishing De Groote Financial Group, he founded United Wealth Management which became a division of United Capital. Prior to that, Doug was a partner at Crowell, Weedon & Co. and hunted professionally for Garry Kelly Safaris in South Africa. Doug is a proud Board Member of Turning Point USA.   ----------------------------------------------- Connect with The Scalpel: Website: https://scalpeledge.com Email: KFR@scalpeledge.com TruthSocial: @scalpeledge Rumble: @TheScalpel Twitter: @TheScalpelEdge Instagram: @TheScalpelPodcast

In this latest pile of TRAP, the Trap Pack discussTopical issues, including FCA fees coming down (yay), Scottish Widows loses 180 funds (eek), DB scheme admins asking for money back (double eek), Zoom asking employees to return to the office (!), TRAP hitting 65k downloads, employing pros and leaving them to it, Buffett's birthdayMeat and Potatoes: Succinct Seminar SuccessQuestions posted by our beloved TRAPists @jeu1985 @Financial118Culture CornerLinks referred to in the show:NL: Scottish Widows to cut 180 (!) Life and Pension funds: https://citywire.com/new-model-adviser/news/scottish-widows-cuts-180-pension-funds/a2422951?re=111659&ea=1700645&utm_source=BulkEmail_NMA_Weekly&utm_medium=BulkEmail_NMA_Weekly&utm_campaign=BulkEmail_NMA_WeeklyNL: Capita and others asking ex-scheme members for some of their transfer values back! https://citywire.com/new-model-adviser/news/revealed-capita-demands-1m-db-transfer-money-back-from-members/a2423312?re=111846&refea=1700645CW: Sports Stars start VC Fund England captain Stokes seeks edge with launch of venture fund | Business News | Sky NewsNL: Kitces EP347 on selling to United Capital and then being sold on to Goldman Sachs: https://pca.st/8ctia7xr and EP300 from September 2022 where Joe Duran talks about selling to Goldman: https://pca.st/usp9yjfj which we in turn discussed in EP3 of TRAP: https://pca.st/fmln11ozNL: Debbie Condon's Intuitive Support Provider LOA Guide: https://www.intuitivesupportservices.com/quick-linksNL: Phil Bray's written two useful Webinar long forms: https://yardstick-agency.co.uk/4311-1KU3Y-2453515AC6C084426ERRKC81113A4A96C728FD/cr.aspx) https://theyardstickagency.co.uk/blog/10-costly-webinar-mistakes-you-need-to-avoidCW: 10x is Easier than 2x https://www.amazon.co.uk/10x-Easier-Than-World-Class-Entrepreneurs/dp/140196995X=========================== ===Take part in the conversation! We want YOU to suggest topics and questions you'd like the Trap Pack to answer. The best way to do this is to ask them here. Help us to help you! The more followers we have, the more we can do stuff going forward. So please: Subscribe and Like our YouTube Channel Leave a 6/5 star review on iTunes Share TRAP with your peers and colleagues 'Enjoy' the Twitter chat at @AdviserPodcast.

Bruce is joined by Ron Carson, founder and CEO of Carson Group, and John Furey, managing partner of Advisor Growth Strategies, to talk about Goldman's sale of United Capital and how financial advisors can move beyond a mindset of fear and scarcity.

Cary Carbonaro is the Senior Vice President and Director of Women and Wealth Services for Advisor Capital Management, an independent RIA with offices around the country that oversees more than $6 billion in assets under management for 1,700 households. Cary distinctively transitioned from selling her practice to United Capital to establishing a leadership role, only to later grapple with the sale of United Capital to Goldman Sachs. This shift presented complexities as she encountered a culture not attuned to her media-centric approach to advisor marketing. Listen in as Cary recounts her decision to launch her own advisory practice during tech crashes and dwindling marketing budgets, as well as her subsequent choice to sell to United Capital. She also discusses the transformative sale of United Capital to Goldman Sachs and its impact on her marketing strategies, her efforts to buy back her practice, and her move to a smaller firm amidst personal challenges. You'll hear about Cary's early career confidence struggles and how her evolving definition of success now goes beyond practice growth. For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/347

Kara Murphy, formerly of United Capital and then Goldman Sachs, recently became the first chief investment officer of Kestra Holdings, which has about $33 billion in assets under management. She joined the podcast to share her plans for the new division she will lead, Kestra Investment Management, which will work the firm's 2,400 advisers on investment selection and advice. Blair DuQuesnay of Ritholtz Wealth Management joined Jeff Benjamin and co-host for this episode Nicole Casperson to discuss takeaways from Britney Spears' public plea to end her 13-year conservatorship.

Episode Notes Bruce and Jeff chat with Candice Carlton, head of advisor growth marketing at FiComm Partners, about Merrill Lynch's new tool allowing advisors to share custom videos and why Candace sees it as a wake-up call for advisors. She goes through the do's and don'ts of using video to market yourself as an advisor, and explains why this is a tool everyone will have to master. Candice Carlton is the head of advisor growth marketing at FiComm Partners. Prior to FiComm, she worked for and with some of the fastest growing and most innovative firms in the US, including Mercer Advisors, United Capital acquired by Goldman Sachs and XY Planning Network. As one of the industry's largest and most experienced asset managers, we offer a focused lineup of competitively priced ETFs, mutual funds and separately managed account strategies designed to serve the central needs of most investors. By operating our business through clients' eyes, and putting them at the center of our decisions, we aim to deliver exceptional experiences to investors and the financial professionals who serve them.

"You should take it personally if you don't get quoted in an article when you spent time engaging on a certain topic. You should want to improve and figure out why it is that you didn't get in the piece. And any good PR team is gonna help you get to the bottom of that and get better the next time out." - Jason Lahita-Through his own experiences and real-life anecdotes, Jason Lahita uncovers the intricacies of the PR landscape, from mastering the art of storytelling to cultivating transparent and fruitful relationships with the media. Discover the ever-changing media landscape and gain invaluable insights and strategies for navigating the PR game with finesse.Tune in and unlock the secrets to leveraging media opportunities for ultimate success.-Jason's varied skillset includes — but is not limited to — the ability to sell fine wine, fixing US Navy warplanes as an avionics technician, sports and nautical themed metaphors, and a refined understanding of high-quality PR practices acquired over years of experience playing the game.After working in PR at United Capital Financial Advisors and receiving his MBA from UC Irvine, he started his first PR shop, FiComm Partners, in 2012. For six years, Jason built the company alongside an awesome business partner who had joined in 2014. At the close of those years, the two found that they wanted different things for their small orange business, so Jason departed for his next chapter – starting an actual orange business. Just kidding, although if it had been an orange business, things might have gone differently. Oranges are oranges, after all.Leaving FiComm in good hands, Jason returned to his roots of working within RIAs in 2018 when he joined Integrated Partners, a fantastic financial firm that reminded him a lot of United Capital. For two years, he ran PR inside this great organization, until one day, it was time for Jason to set forth and start anew in 2020.And so, StreetCred PR was born, with Integrated Partners as the company's first client. Soon new clients joined, and then more clients, and a growing team of fantastic people driving the work.-Follow us on socials and thank you for your continued support! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The industry has big news and we have even bigger opinions. Grab a drink and join us as we rank what's underrated and overrated in wealth management. · Eric Clarke Retires· Three Joe Duran acolytes start “not United Capital 2.0” without him· Envestnet will roll out RIA custody by 2024, predicting 15-basis-point margins· InvestCloud CEO John Wise and management team ousted· Riskalyze rebrands as Nitrogen What's in a name Blog: https://potomacfund.com/whats-in-a-name/ We hope you enjoy and follow us on this journey! If you have any ideas, comments or suggestions please fire them our way. Make sure you subscribe to never miss an update.Listen on AcastSubscribe in Apple Podcasts Learn more about Potomac Fund Management: https://potomacfund.com/ Read our blog: https://blog.potomacfund.com/ Disclosure: http://bit.ly/2l3OvaL PFM-216-20230524 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to Matt Brinker, Managing Partner of Merchant Investment Management, share how he built United Capital, a platform to help advisers scale their businesses, into a $25bn behemoth before its acquisition by Goldman Sachs. Matt reveals why he then changed focus from uniformity and scale to celebrating diversity in business structures and individuals with Merchant. Brinker delves into his observations of the success factors of firms that have been able to scale, how digital tools can bridge the client experience gap, the growth of alternative investments in the US, and exciting developments in global markets. He also provides insightful commentary on investment strategy, capital duration, and the importance of building long-lasting, sustainable businesses.

Bruce and Jeff chat with Candice Carlton, head of advisor growth marketing at FiComm Partners, about Merrill Lynch's new tool allowing advisors to share custom videos and why Candace sees it as a wake-up call for advisors. She goes through the do's and don'ts of using video to market yourself as an advisor, and explains why this is a tool everyone will have to master. Candice Carlton is the head of advisor growth marketing at FiComm Partners. Prior to FiComm, she worked for and with some of the fastest growing and most innovative firms in the US, including Mercer Advisors, United Capital acquired by Goldman Sachs and XY Planning Network.

As the former Head of Acquisitions, Matt Brinker, closed 90 transactions in his 13 years with United Capital. After setting his sights on a new path, Matt is now the managing partner at Merchant Investment Management. In this episode, Matt shares his love for the independent advisor space, how he believes your capital partner influences your destination and what drives his passion. He also speaks about the key ingredients to digital marketing and how his own money story has shaped his perspectives.https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattbrinker/https://twitter.com/mkbrinker?lang=enhttps://www.merchantim.com/ Subscribe to never miss an episode and connect with us on: Website | https://bit.ly/FiCommPartnersInstagram | https://bit.ly/FiCommInstagramLinkedIn |  https://bit.ly/FiCommLinkedInTwitter | https://bit.ly/FiCommTwitter

As majority shareholder and CEO, Graeme leads United Capital and brings significant expertise in acquisitions and delivering growth. Graeme specialises in consolidating fragmented markets and maximising value from corporate assets.Graeme acquired McGill from KPMG after it entered administration in 2019. Since then Graeme and his senior McGill Scotland team have re-built the business, won several significant public sector contracts, and expect turnover to continue increasing year on year.Graeme has successfully secured financial investment from UK and overseas family offices, HNW individuals, and significant bank debt funding. With an ability to identify investment opportunities, he has become one of Scotland's notable entrepreneurs and built a strong reputation for growing value in companies.Amongst Graeme's other business interests are one of Scotland's largest private residential landlord, Carling Property Group and various other investment companies. Over the last 13 years, Graeme and his wife Leanne have been involved in over 1,000 property transactions, either buying or facilitating with a value of circa £200million.https://www.united-capital.co.uk

Podcast: Financial Advisor Success (LS 54 · TOP 0.5% what is this?)Episode: Ep 300: The Evolution Of The Advice Business At Scale And The True Power Of Brand With Joe DuranPub date: 2022-09-27Joe Duran is a Partner and Head of Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management, a national wealth management firm within Goldman Sachs that oversees more than $100 billion in assets under advisement for tens of thousands of client households. In this episode, Joe shares how he witnessed firsthand how the financial services industry is evolving as more banks and brokerage firms are implementing advisory services, how the shift of national firms into the advisory business is leading them to reach the next generation of clients, and why he feels that independent advisors are underestimating the power of a brand.  Listen in as Joe shares why he made the big decision for United Capital to be acquired by Goldman Sachs, as well as why he feels that financial advisors are doing a disservice to themselves if they are not utilizing Fintech to develop more efficient processes. You will learn what he believes is the real threat to advisory firms, the importance of finding a way to differentiate yourself through more specialized service offerings, and why he thinks we do not need to fear robo-advisors.  For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/300 The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Michael Kitces, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.

Podcast: Financial Advisor Success (LS 56 · TOP 0.5% what is this?)Episode: Ep 300: The Evolution Of The Advice Business At Scale And The True Power Of Brand With Joe DuranPub date: 2022-09-27Joe Duran is a Partner and Head of Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management, a national wealth management firm within Goldman Sachs that oversees more than $100 billion in assets under advisement for tens of thousands of client households. In this episode, Joe shares how he witnessed firsthand how the financial services industry is evolving as more banks and brokerage firms are implementing advisory services, how the shift of national firms into the advisory business is leading them to reach the next generation of clients, and why he feels that independent advisors are underestimating the power of a brand.  Listen in as Joe shares why he made the big decision for United Capital to be acquired by Goldman Sachs, as well as why he feels that financial advisors are doing a disservice to themselves if they are not utilizing Fintech to develop more efficient processes. You will learn what he believes is the real threat to advisory firms, the importance of finding a way to differentiate yourself through more specialized service offerings, and why he thinks we do not need to fear robo-advisors.  For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/300 The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Michael Kitces, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.

Joe Duran is a Partner and Head of Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management, a national wealth management firm within Goldman Sachs that oversees more than $100 billion in assets under advisement for tens of thousands of client households. In this episode, Joe shares how he witnessed firsthand how the financial services industry is evolving as more banks and brokerage firms are implementing advisory services, how the shift of national firms into the advisory business is leading them to reach the next generation of clients, and why he feels that independent advisors are underestimating the power of a brand.  Listen in as Joe shares why he made the big decision for United Capital to be acquired by Goldman Sachs, as well as why he feels that financial advisors are doing a disservice to themselves if they are not utilizing Fintech to develop more efficient processes. You will learn what he believes is the real threat to advisory firms, the importance of finding a way to differentiate yourself through more specialized service offerings, and why he thinks we do not need to fear robo-advisors.  For show notes and more visit: https://www.kitces.com/300 

Stephanie Bogan, the founder of Limitless Advisor, is no stranger to success. She sold her first consulting firm to a fortune 200 company and built the client experience at United Capital. But she always felt like something was missing.  In this episode, she shares her own journey in finding freedom, becoming her most authentic self and the power of mindset. We catch a glimpse at not only how to create a business that is successful but more importantly a life that is empowering.  https://twitter.com/steph_boganhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sbogan/https://limitlessfa.life/ Subscribe to never miss an episode and connect with us on:Website | https://bit.ly/FiCommPartnersInstagram | https://bit.ly/FiCommInstagramLinkedIn |  https://bit.ly/FiCommLinkedInTwitter | https://bit.ly/FiCommTwitter

Mark is joined by his first overseas guest, Mark Ciucci. Mark Ciucci has had an illustrious career in the US as Vice President of training and onboarding at Goldman Sachs. He was also a founder and Senior Vice President of Planning & Guidance at United Capital .Mark joins the podcast to discuss his experience in creating the values based card game at United Capital, howe he trained it, and the questions he learned were the best way to facilitate the right conversation. Mark covers:His journey of experience design & implementation of values based advice at United Capital. The 3 rules who used to set the tone for the values cards conversationWhat follow up question to use when a client is dodging the "why is it important to you" question. How practice managers can overcome the objection "my client won't want to do that".To learn more about how Lumiant can help you embed values based advice into your business click hereMore of a visual person? You can watch the episode on our youtube channel here.

- Zunächst geht es um die "Luhze", die unabhängige Hochschulzeitung Leipzig, die in ihrer letzten Ausgabe von 2021 über die Geschäftspraktiken eines Immobilienunternehmens namens "United Capital" berichtete. Eben jene wollten die Luhze nun vor Gericht bringen und die weitere Verbreitung des Artikels untersagen. Natürlich setzte aber vielmehr der bekannte "Barbara-Streisand-Effekt" ein; - Und danach über noch ein Verfahren, diesmal am Bundesverwaltungsgericht in Leipzig. Mehrere kurdische Verlage sind 2019 von IM Seehofer verboten wurden und wird nun in Leipzig vor Gericht verhandelt.

Im Dezember berichtete die Hochschulzeitung Luhze über ein Mietshaus der ImmobilienfIrma United Capital in Leipzig. Daraufhin wollte United Capital gerichtlich gegen die Luhze vorgehen. Kurzfristig vor dem Prozess zog die Immobilienfirma ihre Klage jedoch wieder zurück. Worum es bei dem Rechtsstreit ging und wieso die Kundgebung der Hochschulzeitung dennoch stattgefunden, ist Thema unserer heutigen Folge. Website: https://radiomephisto.de/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mephisto976 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mephisto976/

This episode welcomes David Robbie and David Kennedy, leaders of The McDougall Group, who recently sold their 40 year old facilities management business to United Capital's group company, McGill. The David's discuss the speed at which the deal was done, and why after the first meeting with the team at McGill, they knew it would work. Theirs is a story of trusting your gut, and going for it.

This week we meet the buyer, as The Selling Sessions welcomes Leanne Carling to the podcast. Leanne is the Mergers and Acquisitions Director at United Capital, and co-owner of one of Scotland's largest residential landlords Carling Property Group. Leanne is a hugely experienced dealmaker, having worked on both the buy and sell side of many transactions over the years. In her role with United Capital, Leanne manages an acquisition deal pipeline with a value of over £1bn, and over the years as co-owner of Carling Property Group has been involved in over 1000 property acquisition deals with a combined value of over £200m. In this episode Leanne offers an insight into what she looks for in a deal, why not every deal works, and the value of walking away. This is an episode packed full of great insight from one of the most active M&A leaders in the country. We hope you enjoy.

Fraser Kirk – Marketing & Communications Director, United CapitalFraser is an experienced and expert communicator who has developed and delivered marketing and PR strategies for businesses across Scotland for over 10 years. From start-up businesses to legacy family firms, Fraser utilizes a unique blend of marketing expertise and business management experience to drive rapid growth.In addition to his position on the board, Fraser leads United Capital's in-house marketing agency, BlueLime Marketing, which delivers a full range of marketing services to all group companies. LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/fraserkirk/Paul McGillvery – Legal & Commercial Officer, United CapitalPaul serves on United Capital's board as Legal and Commercial Officer and Company Secretary. He is also Managing Director of Affinity Business Centres.Paul has a legal career spanning more than 15 years, and in that time has acted as in-house counsel advising businesses and charities involved in high-value projects providing all types of legal advice on key commercial and charitable activities. Paul specializes in M&A and corporate governance and advises on strategic legal, compliance, operational and commercial group issues.LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-mcgillvery-45b903192/

As majority shareholder and CEO, Graeme leads United Capital and brings significant expertise in acquisitions and delivering growth. Graeme specialises in consolidating fragmented markets and maximising value from corporate assets.Graeme acquired McGill from KPMG after it entered administration in 2019. Since then Graeme and his senior McGill Scotland team have re-built the business, won several significant public sector contracts, and expect turnover to continue increasing year on year.Graeme has successfully secured financial investment from UK and overseas family offices, HNW individuals, and significant bank debt funding. With an ability to identify investment opportunities, he has become one of Scotland's notable entrepreneurs and built a strong reputation for growing value in companies.Amongst Graeme's other business interests are one of Scotland's largest private residential landlord, Carling Property Group and various other investment companies. Over the last 13 years, Graeme and his wife Leanne have been involved in over 1,000 property transactions, either buying or facilitating with a value of circa £200million.https://www.linkedin.com/in/graeme-carling-68542416/

In this episode, Jack Sharry talks with Heather Kelly, the Senior Vice President of Advisory and Strategic Accounts at Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. Heather has been in the industry for over 25 years. However, if she was asked at the beginning of her career what wealth tech means, and what it would mean after decades, she would brush it off and continue doing what the mentors before her told her to do. Heather has been in different roles in different big insurance companies, including United Capital and Allianz. Throughout those years, she offered her expertise and led the conversations about risk management, insurance, retirement planning, and now, fintech innovation and integration. Heather was also the first recipient of The Young Professional Honor for her advocacy in helping women excel in their profession. Heather and Jack discuss the future of distribution, continuous innovation in the industry, and advocating for increased knowledge of technology. “Continuing to innovate, continuing to think what the next iteration is going to be, what's going to make the client experience and the advisor experience even better—that's something we should talk about in the industry often.” ~ Heather Kelly  Main takeaways  The most important part of a retirement plan is achieving financial well-being. It's not about the income, it's about prioritizing the behavioral aspects of it. Advisors have to stay current with technology. Educating yourself about innovative tools, and knowing how to integrate them, keep you from being left behind. There are so many fintech tools available, but firms don't know what to choose and how to adapt to them for the highest ROI. Emerging technologies like AI and Machine Learning can change the course of the financial planning and advice industry. As financial advisors, we must be attentive to changes and be easily adaptable. Continuing to educate yourself is the key to staying on top. Links Heather on LinkedIn About Heather Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America United Capital Modern Wealth: The Roadmap to Improved Investor and Advisor Outcomes Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

When he was 20 years old, Joe Duran came to the United States with $200 to his name. He graduated from college, took a minimum wage job at a financial services firm, grew its value from $30 million to several billion, and sold his first business at the age of 34. He then found himself feeling profoundly lost. In the years that followed, he interviewed entrepreneurs who had sold their businesses and discovered that many people lose their sense of purpose and identity after exiting their business. He's now a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management, and in both his practice and his forthcoming book, The Thin Line, he explores why the difference between misery and happiness - or success and failure - is whether life happens to you or for you. Today, Joe joins the podcast to share stories from his own life, as well as his experience in financial services, about why it's so important to live life in alignment with your priorities. If you're trying to shape a financial plan - and a retirement - that gives you satisfaction, as opposed to merely helping you survive, this episode is a must-listen. In this podcast interview, you'll learn: How Joe's eye-opening education and youth in the country now known as Zimbabwe ultimately led him into the world of American finance. Why you don't need to know everything in order to succeed in business or in life - and why investing in experts saves you time, money, and energy. Why so many financial plans fail to reflect reality or a family's shared values and how to fix this. How Joe's work helps provide the kind of treatment typically given to ultra-high net worth individuals to everyone. Why Joe sold his current company, United Capital, to Goldman Sachs - and how he now helps people make great financial decisions without sacrificing his personal life, his marriage, or his relationships with his children.  Get Today's Show Notes To get a full recap of today's conversation, including the biggest takeaways, transcripts, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit GuidedRetirementShow.com/27 Learn More about Retirement Planning Find out more about retirement planning and Barber Financial Group, by visiting BarberFinancialGroup.com

In the sixth episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt was excited to welcome the first CEO to the Roundtable discussion! Jeff Concepcion, Nancy Andrefsky, and Lou Camacho from Stratos Wealth Partners joined Matt for an easy going, yet extremely insightful interview. Stratos Wealth Partners has 287 advisors in 87 offices across 24 states and serves more than 13,000 clients with over $13 billion in assets under management. Jeff is Founder and CEO of the firm while Nancy, who has worked with Jeff since the firm’s inception, holds the COO and CFO titles and Lou heads Stratos Wealth Alliance as its President. In this episode, Matt, discussed with Jeff, Nancy, and Lou how they each play a vital role in sustaining such a large, acquisition-focused enterprise and much more, including: The Stratos Wealth Partners model and how they differentiate themselves in the marketplace Nancy and Lou’s respective backgrounds and how those experiences influence their current roles at the firm How Nancy balances the plethora of responsibilities that come with being COO and CFO Jeff’s take on the importance of professional management in the RIA space Nancy’s thoughts on the age-old profit vs. growth debate How Lou leverages Stratos’ technology platform in the sales process with advisors Jeff’s opinion on the recent large liquidity events of RIA aggregators (Focus Financial Partners, Hightower Advisors, and the recent sale of United Capital to Goldman Sachs) We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! To subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, click here or to subscribe on Google Play, click here. We are increasing the frequency of our own RIA practice management articles – to sign up to be notified of new content, click here.

In the sixth episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt was excited to welcome the first CEO to the Roundtable discussion! Jeff Concepcion, Nancy Andrefsky, and Lou Camacho from Stratos Wealth Partners joined Matt for an easy going, yet extremely insightful interview. Stratos Wealth Partners has 287 advisors in 87 offices across 24 states and serves more than 13,000 clients with over $13 billion in assets under management. Jeff is Founder and CEO of the firm while Nancy, who has worked with Jeff since the firm’s inception, holds the COO and CFO titles and Lou heads Stratos Wealth Alliance as its President. In this episode, Matt, discussed with Jeff, Nancy, and Lou how they each play a vital role in sustaining such a large, acquisition-focused enterprise and much more, including: The Stratos Wealth Partners model and how they differentiate themselves in the marketplace Nancy and Lou’s respective backgrounds and how those experiences influence their current roles at the firm How Nancy balances the plethora of responsibilities that come with being COO and CFO Jeff’s take on the importance of professional management in the RIA space Nancy’s thoughts on the age-old profit vs. growth debate How Lou leverages Stratos’ technology platform in the sales process with advisors Jeff’s opinion on the recent large liquidity events of RIA aggregators (Focus Financial Partners, Hightower Advisors, and the recent sale of United Capital to Goldman Sachs) We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! To subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, click here or to subscribe on Google Play, click here. We are increasing the frequency of our own RIA practice management articles – to sign up to be notified of new content, click here.

Welcome to United Capital Unfiltered with Duran and Kitces. We'll explore innovative ideas in financial services that enable advisors to grow their practices and help clients address the challenges impacting their financial lives. On this episode, Joe Duran, Founder and CEO of United Capital, and Michael Kitces, financial planner and industry thought-leader, answer the question: "Are you the bottleneck in your business?" They'll discuss the difficulties many advisors face as leaders while their firms evolve from startups to successful enterprises.

Unfiltered: Duran + Kitces | Episode 1: The Innovation & Success Paradox by United Capital

Since 2013 Quiet Light's average transaction size has grown up to ten times. Back in those days, there were no private equity firms poking around the e-commerce space for these listings. Today it is a completely different story and more often than not we're seeing private equity firms come into the buyer spectrum. In fact, once a business reaches a certain size, it is more likely than not that a seller's potential buyer is going to be in the private equity space of the buyer pool. Today we are going to dissect the PE process a bit further. We'll delve into the process, the advantages and disadvantages, and give a general education on the subject for those who are curious about it how it works. Today's guest, Brian Rassel, is Vice President of Private Equity with Huron Capital. He's responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and analyzing investments made by his firm. Brian delves into ways he finds that e-commerce has entered into almost sector of investment that his group is involved in these days. Prior to joining Huron Capital, Brian was an Associate at Prophet, a global growth strategy consulting firm. Prior to Prophet, Brian was a consultant with New England Consulting Group where he led project management in their private equity practice for buy-side clients. Brian is sharing his wealth of private equity experience and how PE is entering more and more into the e-commerce space. Episode Highlights: How Brian defines private equity. How PE funds traditionally start up and get solidified. The difference between small, medium and large equity funds. The holding periods that private equity funds usually need to secure capital. Is PE all about acquiring to grow and sell or is there a category for buy and hold? Do evergreen funds exist? The difference between platform and bolt-on investments. Three things funds do to generate deal flow and types of business spaces they favor. The behind-the-scenes processes of putting a deal together. How many people are involved in the deal on the PE side. The backend investors committee and if that hinders the deal for the seller. Why time commitment is actually a good thing. How many deals Brian's PE firm evaluates per year. The defined process that gets them through the numbers. The growth potential for e-commerce – multiple appreciations and the role of private equity. Brian frames an ideal acquisition structure based on the general private equity model. Why the buyer/seller fit really matters. How private equity can work for sellers who want to get their business to the next stage. Transcription: Joe: Back in 2013 Mark I closed 23 transactions. It was a busy year for me. Do you have any idea what the average transaction size was? Mark: I … what do I guess? Well, it's you so I'm going to say like seven million dollars. Joe: I love putting you on the spot because you do it to me all the time. The average transaction size— Mark: You got to be like 250. Joe: It was 125. Mark: Holy cow. Joe: 125; very small. Mark: Okay. Joe: And at that time there were no Private Equity Firms poking around the e-commerce space for these smaller listings. Today it's a completely different story and my average transaction size was 10 times that last year. And a lot of buyers or a lot of sellers, the question I get asked all the time are who are your buyers? And it's a mix of everyone but more often than not now we're seeing Private Equity Firms come into this space. And I understand you had an expert in that area on the podcast. Mark: Yeah private equity is a topic that's coming up more and more frequently with sellers especially on the higher end of that revenue spectrum that we really work with. And it makes sense because once you get to a certain size of business your buyer is more likely than not going to be at least somewhat in the private equity place … area of the buyer pool. In addition, we've talked before … I had Ryan Tansom on and we talked about selling to a strategic buyer versus a marketplace buyer. And obviously, people always look at this especially at the higher ends and say I kind of want to have a strategic buyer. Well, one thing to keep in mind here is that this is kind of a spectrum right? It's not binary; you're either strategic or marketplace. But when you get into that private equity world, private equity is almost always going to be something of a strategic play. So I thought … look this private equity world is something that people keep asking about let's actually start to dissect it a little bit. So Brian and I talked and we spent probably about half of this interview just kind of going over what is private equity. How does that work? What is the definition of this? What are the sizes of it? And really just trying to ask some of those silly questions that maybe you kind of wonder about but don't want to ask because you don't want to sound like you don't know what you're talking about. And so we went over a bunch of those questions but then we also went over what does the process looked like. What does it look like to sell to a private equity firm? What are the drawbacks to it and what are the benefits of it as well? And really it's kind of a general education podcast but I think also … and maybe more importantly for those of you out there who are thinking about selling down the road and you're looking and trying to peg the different values that you want to get from an exit and maybe you think well I want a 10 million dollar exit or a 15 million dollar exit, if you get to that point what's it going to look like to sell to a private equity and what do you need to do to really make yourself appealing for a Private Equity Firm? And how does the deal change when you're signed to private equity as well. So we really covered a lot of ground in about 30 minutes. Brian is super knowledgeable obviously. He works in this space. And I really appreciated him coming on the podcast because … again I just downloaded a ton of information. Joe: Well let's get right to it. Mark: All right Brian thanks for joining me on the podcast. I really appreciate you coming on. Brian: Yeah I know. It's great to be here. Thanks for hosting. Mark: All right so I don't expect people to listen … my guests to have listened to the podcast in advance and I know … I don't know if Joe's been doing this, he records like 9 out of 10 episodes and I don't know if he's continued on the tradition but we like to have our guests introduce themselves mainly because you know your story better than I know your story and I figure it's a little bit easier. So why don't you give just kind of a quick 30 second to one minute rundown on who you are? Brian: Yeah I'm Brian Rassel. I'm a vice president with Huron Capital Partners which is a middle market private equity firm based at Detroit Michigan. The firm is 20 years old and has invested in … we're typically enthralled buyout investors where we'll buy a majority of a business and have done that through five successive fawns starting back in 1999. And the industries that we play in are business services, consumer, and specialty manufacturing. You know it'd kind of be interesting how I got to know you Mark for those listening is that believe it or not all of those basins are being affected by e-commerce or different kind of SaaS business models that are internet based. And I'm taking it upon myself to maybe be the person of the firm who is trying to understand those influences on all of our companies and make sure that we're in a position to incorporate those changes that are going on out and new coming at large number and being done by a lot of people who probably listen to your podcast and make sure that we're bringing more of the [inaudible 00:05:51.4] in the businesses we own so that they can be successful today and be well into the 21st century. Mark: All right, well I got a lot of questions for you because this world of private equity is encroaching or coming into the internet business acquisition world more and more. And whether it's because at Quiet Light our deal value is moving up or private equity is starting to look at different price ranges and maybe this convergence of these worlds and also private equity looking more in the online space is just becoming an increasing topic that we're seeing more and more of. We're also seeing individuals that have started up on their own raising funds to do large acquisitions or to string acquisitions together. Brian: Yeah. Mark: So what I'd like to do and I already kind of told you this in our conversation before I hit record, I'd like to go over some of the basics here of the private equity world and how it looks in the Internet space as well. And then know a little bit more about your fund and some of the things that you guys are doing over there and all that. So a quick shout out to Chris from Centurica and Rhodium I know that we've talked about him so much that it's almost as if he's a sponsor. He's not. But this is again how we got introduced. You spoke at the Rhodium and then you and I had a chance to speak after that and a good conversation. So thanks Chris for the introduction again. So let's start out really really basic here. How do you define private equity? Brian: Private equity is capital … private capital being put to work in private businesses. And so I like to name [inaudible 00:07:22.6] for folks who really don't know much about it a little quick stat just kind of on the US economy. There are half as many publicly listed companies as there were in 1996 or 1994 something like that. So even if the value of the public markets is larger the amount of places you can park that capital in the public markets is small in the total number of listed names. Private equity is a big part of either big institutionally managed money. Whether that's from insurance companies, [inaudible 00:07:52.4], pension funds, universities, those kinds of things. This is their way to go participate in the forces of economy that are still private companies that they can't get access to otherwise unless folks like me help them get access to it. It also includes folks that can kind of go into different flavors of private equity but depending on the size from the bing capitals of the world down to very very small funds that are more entrepreneurial. There's sort of every flavor under design in certain family offices and other things like that. That would be private equity, pooled private capital going into private businesses. Mark: Well how did these funds start-up traditionally? And I imagine that there's a lot of ways that they can start up. You've listed a number of sources of money and I think sometimes we forget just how much money there is in some of these places. So yeah [crosstalk 00:08:46.6]. Brian: For sure I mean there's just [crosstalk 00:08:49.4] I'm going to get this off, I'll be wrong by a hundred billion dollars. But I think something like 600 billion dollars flowed into private equity firms last year. So these … and the source of a fund or the way a fund works is that a fund manager like the folks I work for here where I'm a part of, they go out and they make their pitch about how talented their professionals are and what their track record is and the fact that they can get access to great deal flow and great opportunities, places to put private capital where it will go earn a reasonable return. And they raise this money from these other institutional or independent investors. It could be high in net worth individuals or anybody like that but … so they get started that way. They'll hold this farm estate back to the 1960s and there are new ones being created all the time. And frankly, as hedge funds have declined I believe in a large way in popularity just because of the efficiency of public markets there's been more and more money directed towards these private pools of capital and the private equity market. And when I say private equity I mean both kind of traditional buy-out funds for more mature businesses that have healthy positive cash flows on the one hand and on the other hand I mean venture capital is the son segment of private equity. And that might be for really really high growth businesses like the next dewberry of the world or whatever it might be. Mark: Right, absolutely. Okay, that makes a lot of sense. And as far as the breakdown as to sizes what would you consider to be a small private equity firm and what are we talking about in terms of their capitalization rates when they start up? What would be the difference between the small, medium, large type of firms? We can get an idea for how much money we're actually dealing with? Brian: So I would say just kind of from my understanding again all this caviada being dead this is sort of Brian Rassell's take on private equity and my interpretation and may not really be the opinions of United Capital, I can only speak for myself as an individual but they have a dedicated fund. And when I say dedicated fund these are groups of people that other folks, other investors have made a promise and a pledge that is legally binding and written their name at the bottom that that dedicated fund, the small one might be 50 million dollars. That'd be very small. Folks who are trying to invest less than that, generally speaking, have something more akin to a pledge fund. They have a number of people that they can pass the hat with to raise money in a deal by deal basis versus having committed capital to go invest in five, six, 10, 12 companies in that particular fawn. So just kind of … back at the envelope type map that you can think of is every firm should have plus or minus roughly 10 investments that have enough diversification in it. So a 50 million dollar fund is looking to put five million dollars to work in the 10 different companies. And that would be the equity capital going to those companies. There's oftentimes a mix of equity and debt coming into those companies and we could talk about that later. And then a midsize fund might be three or four hundred million up and pawn up to the 2KR's of the world or Apollo or the very big managers who are doing 15 billion dollar funds and so all different world. Mark: Very. Brian: They're taking hotels private or something like that. Mark: I was going to say they're buying something completely different than your Amazon business. Brian: Yeah that's right. It's a whole different world. Mark: All right you talked about you have successive funds. In my understanding again is that we go through these rounds of investment that coming up. We had Andy Jones from PrivateEquityInfo.com on and he talked a lot about the holding periods that private equity looks for. Can you just again quickly touch on that? We're kind of doing private equity 101 here. Brian: Yeah. I didn't hear Andy's remarks but just as it relates to a whole period I would think of it just to be linear about it that a private equity firm once our capital is raised [inaudible 00:13:01.9] the time that it takes to raise that money they committed capital or even the past they had capital they're going to take that money and let's just use this fictional 50 million dollar fund. And they'll take something like four years to deploy the first 80% of it. And the goal would be you take 20% of that money and get it into a new platform company. Companies they had no money in before. In the first year or the next year next 20%, next year next 20%, next year next 20% thus 80%. The point at that point you can't do necessarily new investments you're reserving that last 20% for either a company that's struggling that you need to give more money to to keep it going or to do an add on investment to buy something else and add it on to something that's in the portfolio. That might take four or five years to really deploy the majority of it and then another four to five … you know an investment from year one that you only … you're exiting that investment three to seven years later and let's just use five as kind of a round middle of the road number there. So an investment from year one is maybe gone in year six so it's being harvested. It could be sooner, it could be later. And the investment that was your last platform investment from year four might be heading out the door in year eight or nine. So fund life is something like eight to ten years. It can be longer. And a traditional as you kind of draw it up on the whiteboard like I have behind me here is sort of a five year hold. Now there's … I've seen many that are much much shorter and many that are much much longer but those are the fat parts of the [inaudible 00:14:36.2] if you want. Mark: Sure. So is private equity … is the goal of all private equity companies to grow and sell? So acquire, grow, sell, or are there other strategies? Buy it and hold for long periods of time? Brian: There are certainly evergreen funds out there. They're much more … when I say evergreen they have the ability to hold and recycle the capital. They may be designed to have heard of a number that has committed capital from particularly family offices that never want to do the tax consequences of becoming liquid in an investment and actually realizing the gains so they're structured to reinvest the money that they make. Or if they sell something to quickly find someone else new for it to go into. Now that would be a more unique situation. And then certainly family offices there's a number out there that looks for longer hold periods and there are certain funds that are designed for a longer hold period. Mark: All right so this is going to be again another basic question but I want to make sure our terms are all well-defined here. We hear these terms of platform versus bolt on or add on investments. Just real quick the difference between a platform investment versus a bolt on. Brian: Yeah I'll just keep it simple. I'll say anything that is a brand new business, new industry for that firm to go into. They don't currently own something in that space. Whether that's a tiny initial acquisition or a big one that would be the platform investment. So let's just say with a … I don't know Internet broker pencils, I'm just making this up, all right? And they don't have any other investments in the internet broker pencils space and they invest in a company in that space that would be the platform [inaudible 00:16:17.1] that. And maybe there are 10 companies that make … that do internet broker pencils and they buy two other ones of their competitors and they make it bigger or somebody [inaudible 00:16:25.3] and now they're putting it all together those might be add-ons to that original entity that they purchased or recapitalized. That's what we mean. It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with size which can be confusing. Sometimes you start with something small and you get the opportunity and do an add-on that's much bigger than the original investment. So it's more just where is the starting point in you can do a space or an industry. Mark: And if we think about the terms it makes sense right? Brian: Yeah. Mark: You build on top of the platform and you add-on top of the platform. So it makes … that makes complete sense. Brian: Or bolt-on, yup that's where the nomenclature comes from. Mark: Or bolt-on, absolutely. It's amazing when you dig in to definitions it's like the terms actually have a meaning and it makes sense. Brian: They do. Generally, they come from somewhere. Mark: They come from somewhere. There's logic to this stuff. I love it. All right so now I'll get into questions that I'm starting to be genuinely interested in and that is how does a fund develop a thesis or an entire direction to go after a particular platform investment? I mean if you're selling blue widgets and also if somebody comes and says no you don't need widgets what you really need are sprockets, if you don't do anything with sprockets at all how does that enter into a fund's psyche at all? Brian: There's really three things that we're doing here to generate the sort of deal flow and the ideas and spaces we want to go into. So here I'll speak more from Huron Capital. There are other firms who follow a similar philosophy potentially. So the first is businesses we didn't know about but are being represented by a broker or an investment banker like yourself Mark who … those are opportunities that are coming to us. They are being listed. They're being actively shopped around. We may have never thought of the sprocket industry before or we didn't know too much about it or we read materials on it and we say it has a lot of characteristics and things we like; great cash flow, seems very resilient, seems countercyclical, if the economy goes down it'll still do well, it's a leader on its space, any of those kinds of things. Those are opportunities that come to us and that is more of a passive thing. And then we get active once we realize that it fits a lot of criteria and we believe we could be successful with it. And that sets into motion a whole chain of things where we kind of prove out of the pieces that we might like this business and we try to get educated. The second that we spend a lot of time on is networking with executives from a broad, broad variety of industries. Those people know where there are spaces that are changing. And generally speaking, change creates opportunities. Change creates winners on one side and losers on the other side. And less be to the losers but you need that kind of disruption to create any sort of sort interesting investment outcome. The study ID is probably the market's sufficient enough that the study ID is not going to return the greatest returns. So we've spent a lot of time with executives unless I knew them about spaces that could be interesting and trying to listen to areas they know about and start to build some [inaudible 00:19:37.4]. And then even more proactively than that there's a lot of opportunities where we meet the executive who has a view of one particular thing they want to do here at Huron it's got a registered trademark or the like of the firm. We call that an exact factor investment where we will actually flip the process and say we really believe in the sprocket industry. We met Phil who is going to be our perspective CEO in the space and he has this vision that is going to totally turn the industry [inaudible 00:20:11.5]. To do that we need to go find the platform, we call that like getting fuel behind the wheel. We need to find a car to fulfill the drive. We believe he's the best driver in that industry. And we will do all the work, we'll go write a hundred page white paper on it to prove to our investment committee why it's such a fabulous opportunity and Phil is the greatest operator in this space. And then we will commit dollars into going and finding businesses in that space and find Phil the car he can drive and we'll get off to the races that way. So it starts with a commitment from our farms for a certain amount of money behind Phil to go do an acquisition more and more in this space. So it … I guess ranges from that passive we find things and then we get educated too. We educate ourselves as much as possible and align ourselves with an executive who can execute and work the process the other way. Mark: Cool. All right that [inaudible 00:21:04.07]. So let's talk a little bit about the process that goes on behind the scenes when you are evaluating an opportunity. And I think for a lot of potential sellers this sort of conversation is going to be really insightful. So let's say we have somebody that they have an e-com business, 30 million in revenue, eight, nine million in earnings on an annual basis and they've got a couple of private equity firms looking at their business. Where does that start and what is the process going through? And you can talk about maybe Huron's process and then if there are variations that you know as well. The number of people that are going to look and touch that deal as it goes through the steps. Brian: Yeah. Mark: What are some of those behind the scenes looks? Brian: Yeah so once you've got that moment where there's a couple of firms interested there's going to be an incredible amount of information about the business across insurance, benefits, compliance with laws and regulatory statutes, information about the market; anything the business can possibly produce about itself, fairly every file that's off the shelf that they have, every non-disclosure agreement they have with somebody that they on boarded or employment agreement, every contract they have with a customer, or maybe it's an industry where you don't have a lot of contracts with customers but you have a lot of contracts with suppliers. All that information needs to be made available for these perspective buyers to digest. And the more they can be made available, the more that that's organized into different pockets of legal, employee, insurance, benefits, all of that, the better. It's going to save the company a lot of time from serving requests versus being proactive by getting that stuff out there. And you know well everything here all the buyers be under a non-disclosure agreement and that's just a very kind of well-oiled machine around making that information available to give your last few buyers down to the one you would like to choose and have them under a Letter of Intent. And that starts to be an exclusive relationship where the buyer is going to spend a lot of money in due diligence and in exchange for spending that money, they would like the exclusive right to [inaudible 00:23:19.3] business for a period of time. 60 days … 90 days where they engage and here is where it starts to get to be a lot more kind of in your trousers and really analyzing your business but they're going to engage in quality of earnings earned to go and understand did you actually produce the amount of revenue, if you put it in the right time periods, if you really counted for every cost etcetera. They're going to engage legal professionals who are going first to sort of just again a full work up of registration, compliance, [inaudible 00:23:51.9] and then those folks are going to work on the actual transaction documents as well as a host of other advisors. And that would be like again a 60 to 90 day process. It could be 30 days on the short end. There are firms who can do it in that time particularly if you're a smaller business and an add-on to a much larger or a very simple business. Mark: So how many people are we talking about there that are going to be involved in the process? Outside of the consultants like a Q of E … a quality of earnings report that's going to be an outside accounting firm right? Brian: Yeah. Mark: So we're not going to— Brian: Okay so from the acquiring firm? Mark: Mm-hmm. And we can start at the beginning. We can start at your interns that are digesting deals. That's going to be part one. Brian: Sure call it four and they're going to be answering to the remainder of their firm particularly their investment committee. Ideally, it's a tighter team and there's four and if it's an add-on expect more. So you'll have the management team of that kind of platform investment as well. So four to eight and then when you get to the advisor well now you're talking 20 something more. Mark: Right, getting all those outside advisers. Now one of the things I know people get worried about during this process is you start out again with that guy who's that in deals up front and he sees some he passes it on to the team and they end up liking it so now you're dealing with a handful of people that are asking the questions digging deep in that due diligence right? Pages and pages of collecting information possibly even submitting an offer because on the surface things look okay. Brian: Yup. Mark: There seems to be these back end investors committee as well which can also kind of wash the deal far in the process. What would you say to people that get kind of frustrated when they hear that and they think do I really want to work with private equity because there are so many people that could potentially disrupt this deal? Brian: So I would think about the time investment to it. So the private equity firm is in no way interested in wasting any of their time. Huron looks at something like little over a thousand deals a year. That takes a lot of time and we're very thoughtful about moving things to the funnel and connecting our firm's resources to evaluating an opportunity. So if somebody is spending the time I would tell the listeners that they are encouraged. If everything checks out the way I told to them so far or they've written so far about that business then there are absolutely no issues. The firm, an organized and real firm is going to be thoughtful and time is kind of their most valuable resource and they're set up to be able to make a number of staged gates kind of we're interested and we're not interested. We're interested subject to confirm affirmation I want two and three. And you can have a very quick conversation like you and I are having now to say is this the case is this not the case? Here's a big concern we have, should we be worried? And they will both take your answer and that gives them that kind of gumption to proceed. And they'll probably have to go validate that as well later. And that validation just has to support what's been told to them. But they are also making a big commitment with their time in the same way that the seller is and I would take it as genuine on their part that they're not looking for it to fall apart. It's just things do. Certain deals fall apart because new information becomes available. I've seen that happen a number of times where the seller learns things about their business or thinks about their business in a way they hadn't before and can agree that that's a genuine risk and may be something they want to work out within a course of another year and then they might be back to market. Mark: Yeah, that happens often. We see that all the time even in the amount of work that we put a seller through upfront it pales in comparison to what you guys are going to be doing in your actual dig deep due diligence. And the number of times that we have people come back and tell us that was a lot of work but that was really useful. Brian: Yeah. Mark: I have learned a lot about my own business, right? Brian: Yeah a great advisor like somebody like you and using a broker who's been through and understands the questions that are going to be asked is going to save a tremendous amount of time. And we call folks like you Mark a river guide we're using on our side and we love them. Sellers use them too because they're that much more prepared for the process. Mark: Yeah. And I can tell you like the one thing that … I'm going to play both sides here, I would say the one thing that can be difficult with working with private equity is because there are so many people that can come in with a dissenting viewpoint. You're not trying to … convince is a bad word but show the opportunity to one person and have them agree to it; you're having to show a number of people. But the great thing and I love working with private equity on is that it's completely unemotional throughout the process. Brian: Yeah. Mark: I mean it really is does this check the boxes we needed to check and if it doesn't we're going to find out as quick as we can. You said something, I was going to ask this question, you guys evaluate you said about a thousand deals per year? Brian: Yeah the pipeline you think about now it's working its way down at the top of the funnel and so we're a thousand and then that's working its way down to 250 that real solid time is being spent on and then 75 that we're spending real tons of resources and traveling around to visit them … maybe 80. Now I'll get these numbers wrong this is kind of directional and then down to the 30 or so that are getting a Letter Of Intention and we'll close 22 transactions a year. Mark: Yeah so that's an amazing amount of data to be pulling in. And you guys have criteria at every stage I assume that you're looking for up front? Brian: That's right. Mark: Okay. All right that makes sense. Do you publish those criteria? I know we get a lot of just the very broad stuff sent to us. Brian: We don't only because it's just so bespoke for every company. There are so many things that really are as you just said that are check the box and we're highly confident that we will go confirm later. We're highly confident that's not an issue and we are trying to get to it very, very quickly. The three or four things we want to make sure are the reasons we're most excited and confirm that that is factual and that was going to continue. Whatever that might be; on the customer relationship or the recurring purchasing or … whatever it might be. And then at the same time the three or four things that are kind of we're concerned that could be deal killers. We believe we're spending the time because we think that's going to turn out to be true or we need to get to a yes no about is this a real problem very, very quickly. And so you know it's just they're different for every business. Mark: Yeah I know a lot of people listening right now you guys are buyers that are out there looking to acquire. So technically Brian you guys are somewhat of competitors although I think that you operate at a range that a lot of our buyers wouldn't. But I think one thing interesting that they should hear is this idea of having this defined process number one and then number two the amount of deal flow that you have to look at. I've talked to buyers that been out there looking for a year, year and a half but then you find out the number of deals that they're actually looking at doesn't really … this is a numbers game. I mean it's purely a numbers game. Brian: It is and one thing I want to say on that numbers game for us and it may be different for some of your buyers or not is that we're looking for situations that are great for us and we're also looking for situations where the seller in some ways choosing us. Now I don't want to overstate that but I do want to say that there has to be a great fit in every piece and why we're a better owner than someone else for that business. Some angle that we have, some affinity we have for what they do, or some prior experience or something. Otherwise and it could be a little different for particularly small businesses. Maybe it's a little bit less like that and it doesn't need as much of the chemistry but that's a big part of what we're looking for, for sure. Mark: And we talk about that a lot on these pockets. I know you guys are probably tired of hearing Joe and I talk about the need for a buyer being a good fit. And we talked a lot about this general concept of being likable because sellers do eventually choose and for most of these sellers they do have a choice. I mean right now it's a seller's market. They do have a choice of who they're going to work with. I want to talk about the exciting stuff. Let's talk about the actual deals; the money. Brian: Sure. Mark: Why is selling to a private equity something that people should be excited about? Brian: I think I spoke a little bit about this at Rhodium but I just … I see then the difference in multiples that are paid for businesses that are exclusively e-commerce or SaaS based businesses. Those multiples are so much lower than what private equity firms are paying for more traditional businesses out in the economy. And I believe that those worlds will come together. And I believe that businesses that are a hybrid of both or have excellence in both and are flipping both worlds are going to be extremely, extremely valuable. Because on the one hand, they have the relevance for the future, it's coming from kind of the types of businesses that you represent. And also they have that anchor of the traditional business that makes them more under writable and it makes them more predictable because it's a less dynamic place that they're out in. And so that's where I think private equity firms in the coming two, three, four, five years are number one going to become much more comfortable with standalone e-commerce business models that are exclusive that and there are going to be people participating from the much more kind of like formal private equity world participating in your markets. And then I think there's going to be a convergence where a lot of more traditional business models are going to look for the influence and the DNA as well as the revenue and the profits but the influence and the DNA and the growth that comes from the types of businesses you work with Joe. And I think that means that the market that you're playing in, the multiples will rise there. For every dollar of earnings they'll be more valuable in the future and I believe that's for now in a very significant way in 2018. Mark: Yeah and we talked about this this idea of multiple appreciation that we see. And a lot of it reaches over to the fact that this is where private equity starts to play right? So we often talk if your EBIDTA is less than a million dollars per year the … just again for the sake of a multiple, it's going to vary for each business but maybe 3 … maybe 3.5 would be the multiple on that EBIDTA depending on the type of business that you have. But once you start getting up into two, three, four million dollars of EBIDTA now we start seeing the multiples jump up in the different ranges. And the reason for this again is that we're no longer playing as much with an individual investor who really has a much higher risk profile because they don't necessarily have the entire team behind them or a portfolio behind them to be able to take some of that risk but also get the staff in the background and all the resources in private equity. Brian: Yeah. Mark: So let's talk … I am not going to pin you down because it would be a really bad idea for you to say hey we generally paid 25x on earnings which I know you don't. What does a deal structure often look like? Because I know these deals structures do change as well when we're talking about a private equity acquiring a small company. What does an ideal acquisition look like for you in terms of its structure of cash that the owner is going to be getting, maybe equity or debt that you would hope that they stay around and I'd also like to address the idea that a lot of private equity likes to have or prefers to have an owner stay on board with the new company and why that's a good thing also for that owner to think about that. So that's a lot; the general structure, the ideals for a structure. Brian: Okay so let's keep this out of your space and let's just talk about the general PE model. When deals were cheaper a couple of years ago you might get a higher ratio of debt than equity in a deal but for this sake, I'm just going to make it 50-50. I think that more reflects the market today in terms of underwriting. But let's take a deal where a private equity firm is paying at least eight times. That's still a relatively rich multiple. I could have said six but let's use eight times. So we're paying four times the earnings in their own cash that they're talking and they are going and putting the company on the hook or raising four times and they do it. Private equity firm does it but on behalf of the company of debt for the business to take on. So let's say it's a business with 10 million dollars of EBIDTA. So it's an 80 million dollar transaction and a firm like Huron is putting 40 million of equity and raising 40 million of debt in that transaction. And that 40 million of equity can come either from Huron or some portion of it could be rolled over from the seller. If that seller has no debt on the business today, no capital leases or anything else that could be thought of as indebtedness over the normal trade payables. And in your day to day you've got cash coming in and cash going out; that thing that keeps the shop running. And they have no debt on the business theoretically on the day of closing they're getting a check for 80 million dollars. If they choose to roll over some of that … let's just say 10% of the purchase price, eight million of it I would argue that a private equity firm or somebody like me would take that as them stating a high degree of confidence in the future of the business that they want to continue participating and have a relatively [inaudible 00:37:34.7] portion of their net worth tied up in that outcome. Or that they see the opportunity to turn that eight million into 16 or whatever it might be that there is a great opportunity to continue driving growth and equity value in that business. They'll … I start there that the rollover investments are very useful because if you're saying you want to do no roll over whatsoever and you just want to walk away from the business it's not conveying a lot of confidence in the future of the business. There are certainly reasons to do that but it's not conveying a lot of confidence in the future of the business. And where somebody might have been agreeing to pay you eight if you were rolling over and giving that kind of tacit support for the business going over, they might kind of say this is we're not so sure. It makes them a little more nervous and it might be a seven times deal. So you may actually be shooting yourself in the foot in terms of the total proceeds you perceive. Again so it's an 80 million dollar deal, 40 million of debt, the seller is choosing to roll over. They got their 80 million dollar check, it doesn't work like this you're actually [inaudible 00:28:28.9] but they got their 80 million dollar check and maybe we wrote one back for eight and so Huron holds 32 million of the equity and that seller holds eight million of it. So Huron owns 80% of the business and they own 20% and we've got some obligations to pay. That would be kind of the middle of the road structure. There's certainly a lot more that happens as it relates to creating incentives for management teams and that's a very, very big part of what we do to make sure that if we do well they do well and vice versa so that we're all talking in terms of growing the underlying equity value of the business. And that can often be very different for a business that didn't have that before. And it was just solely kind of the founder driving it or minding the growth of equity value. We believe in creating a broad base of ownership so that we're all on the same page. Mark: Yeah. Brian: Our management team is on incentives exclusively through their salary or bonus or both. Mark: Right so one of the things that I've talked a lot in the past especially on like the main street sort of deals is this almost dichotomy and it really shouldn't be set up as a dichotomy of a marketplace based sale where you only have an investor looking to acquire business in a strategic sale where you have a company that it would effectively be like an add-on acquisition in your world right? They already have the sort of strategic advantage to acquiring that company. Within your world, it seems like so much of what you do is going to be the strategy based type of acquisition anyways. Brian: Right. Mark: So it's like you're not going to do an acquisition unless you think that you have a strategic advantage. And when we … you and I talked out in Las Vegas back last October one thing that you talked about quite a bit was we want to pour gasoline on the fire that's already existing. So whatever that might be and so as a seller who's out there thinking about this and saying man I've been growing my business like crazy but I'm investing all this cash back into acquiring more inventory and expanding the product line and I'd like to take money off the table and then keep growing it. This is that perfect sort of handoff to a private equity because you can say you know what you [inaudible 00:40:54.0] your income statement rich in cash flow pour. Brian: Yup. Mark: We got cash. We'll help you out there. You're going to get some cash on the table and then let's grow this from a 30 million dollar business to a hundred million dollar business. Brian: Right. Mark: And so there's an incentive there for that owner to double dip that [inaudible 00:41:11.7]. Brian: Absolutely. Particularly in situations … we see this all the time where additional capital is going to be an accelerant to growth. So capital is what we have and we're trying to find a smart place to put it work and if that means we can buy a business and continue and support that business with more dollars and we believe in the strategy and what's going on in the way it's being operated there's nothing … that's the easiest dollar for us to put out versus the whole re-under writing process of a new investment. And then for that seller to have all their eggs in one basket … I don't care what their life situation is they could be in their 30's and just want to diversify or they could be somebody who's looking at kids who are about to go to college and it just doesn't make sense to have 100% of their net worth or close to it tied up in their business. And if they could diversify a little bit or generate a little bit of cash but their vision hasn't changed at all that's a great situation to bring on a strategic partner like a private equity firm. And that's where that [inaudible 00:42:11.9] fit it really matters and the chemistry between the seller. For the most part, you're not going to sell it to a private equity firm, they don't want to be in the business or definitely not in the business of operating these companies. So round the business and investing in them helping to bring the right resources to it and bring the right capital solutions or capital availability all that. Helping them set strategy and all the other things but the actual day to day operations. So it's not going to be for your sellers or for buyers [inaudible 00:42:45.1] sellers who are looking to exit the business and hand it off somebody else private equity is not going to be the right solution. But for those companies that they either want to go to be a division of something larger and they think they can be a great cross selling opportunity or the way they've built their mousetrap if just they had more to sell in the same way, and I'll say like let's say you're the number one muffler seller online and you also want to do transmissions and drive cams and stuff but you don't have the capital and you don't have the ability to go source and expand that way, going and selling to a larger entity and being that e-commerce division is a very powerful idea. Or just continue and do your own business and double down … accelerate the organic growth, private equity firm could be a great partner. Mark: Yeah, we're just about out of time in fact we've gone a bit long but one thing I wanted to emphasize here, you said that capital obviously is the resource you guys have and are able to invest and I know a lot of people that I talk to say look I don't really need money from this, the business is making money and I feel good about this. But what I find when I actually start to dig in with these guys is I say well what would it take to move to that next level. Oh well, I would have to hire out this other division or create this other division and you know okay but what's the obstacle to that? I don't want to invest in it. It often comes up. Okay, that's the area where a firm like yours can also come in and say well look we have the capital to be able to invest in this. You know what you need; do you want to invest in it to get to that next stage? And even if that means bringing in someone and you can help with that let's do it. Exactly we can do that and we could— Brian: Not to mention that I think we find that often business owners are willing to do one out of their five ideas that are like that and were willing to do all five knowing that three won't work but two should work out beautifully and we're willing to go [inaudible 00:44:39.4] the bodies of the business and the capital and have the appetite to take two steps backward to take four forward and understand that they're not going to all work. And where maybe an independent owner would do those sequentially, try idea one it wasn't really working, didn't feel pleased with making that investment and losing that cash flow, fired that new sales person who was supposed to do something else. We're willing to go do things faster and make sure that that doesn't hover around in the business and the core of what we're interested in the first place. And so we'll work through that with the business owner by giving them that support and the dollars needed to make that happen. Mark: Brian, I really appreciate you taking the time here [inaudible 00:45:19.8] some of the small questions I had but really good to get those things— Brian: No it's my pleasure. It's fine. Mark: So thanks again and maybe we'll have you back again in the future at some point. Brian: That sounds great. Yeah, I enjoyed it. Thanks, Mark. Links and Resources: https://www.huroncapital.com/member/brian-rassel/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianrassel

Catherine Plano is here today with Cary Carbonaro aka “The Money Queen”TM she is a Certified Financial Planner with an MBA in finance, and has over 25 years of experience in financial services. In 2014, she was named an Ambassador for the CFP® Board, one of only 50 in the United States. Cary's latest book “The Money Queen's Guide: For Women Who Want Build Wealth and Banish Fear” (Morgan James, October 2015) is an Amazon #1 Best Seller in several countries. She is Vice President of the Long Island chapter of Ellevate (formerly 85 Broads) a women's professional networking organization, and President of the South Lake (Florida) Community Foundation, Women's Giving Circle, which provides community based philanthropic support. Cary has also been a CFP® instructor at Fordham University in New York. Cary is currently a Managing Director with United Capital and divides her time between New York and Florida where she is a yoga instructor in her free time. Cary loves helping people! Especially during difficult parts of their lives, divorce, widowed etc. In this conversation we talk about: What's the best part of her job? Her greatest lesson in life. She also shares the best piece of advice she has ever been given. Cary shares her own personal advice to her younger self. And so much more! Find Out More About Cary @carycarbonaro The Money Queen - Facebook The Money Queen - Instagram The Money Queen Listen to the conversation now... Interviewed by: Catherine Plano Subscribe: iTunes | RSS

33voices interviews Joe John Duran, founding partner of United Capital.