Episodes

Wealthcare Capital Management’s evolution from a software pioneer to a national advisory platform reveals the power of strategic reinvention. In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong speaks with Matt Regan, president and CEO of Wealthcare Capital Management, about Wealthcare’s journey from its roots in Richmond, Va., to its sale to Sammons Financial. Matt shares how the firm is blending technology, M&A strategy and advisor support to create growth opportunities for independe...

In this episode of the RIA Edge podcast, host David Armstrong speaks with Kay Lynn Mayhue, president of Merit Financial, about the firm’s approach to growth as it reaches $24 billion in assets under management and celebrates its 50th acquisition. Mayhue discusses Merit’s recent capital partnership with Constellation Wealth and how the firm balances aggressive M&A activity with organic growth initiatives. Mayhue explains Merit’s three partnership models—succession, leadership, and growth—and how ...

Is true independence possible at scale? In this episode of the RIA Edge podcast, host David Armstrong talks with Concurrent CEO Nate Lenz about how his fast-growing RIA platform is helping advisors stay independent while accessing the scale, capital and talent needed to grow. From multi-custodial flexibility to a unique minority partnership model, Lenz shares what is energizing younger advisors looking to remain independent, even as pressures to scale drive business strategy and soaring RIA valu...

Scaling growth isn’t just about getting bigger; it’s about vision, discipline and striking the right balance between legacy and innovation. So how does a $30 billion-plus RIA navigate the complexities of rapid acquisitions, evolving culture and the disruptive promise of AI? In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong sits down with John Bunch, CEO of Allworth Financial, to unpack how he’s guiding a founder-led firm into a professionally managed enterprise. From people and strat...

Explosive growth doesn’t happen by accident. It’s fueled by intentional partnerships, strategic resources, and cultural alignment. In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong sits down with Stan Gregor, CEO of Summit Financial, who shares how his firm has grown from $3 billion to nearly $25 billion in assets since 2020. He reveals the minority investment model that prioritizes partnership over control, the resources Summit provides to help advisors grow organically and through ...

James Bogart, founder of Bogart Wealth, has created an organic growth machine, going from $526 million to $3 billion in assets in less than 10 years—client by client, no M&A. His story shows the benefits of putting in place a strategic, repeatable and intentional growth program (especially for smaller entrepreneurial advisors) and focusing on a distinct niche where those efforts are more easily amplified. But at $3 billion, and with 40 employees, the growth path starts to look a little different...

It’s not surprising that tech-native firms see the wealth management industry’s high margins and sticky revenue, even with its notoriously disjointed and sometimes subpar tech stacks, and think, “Good business. But it could be better.” At the recent WealthManagement EDGE conference in Boca Raton, Fla., David Armstrong, director of editorial strategy and operations for the Wealth Management Group at Informa Connect, spoke with Taylor Matthews, co-founder and CEO of Farther, to explore how the fir...

Join host David Armstrong, fresh off the Wealth Management Edge Conference in Boca Raton, Fla., as he interviews Michael Henley, founder and chief executive officer of Brandywine Oak Private Wealth. Michael talks about the firm’s rapid growth since leaving Merrill Lynch in 2018 with the help of Dynasty Financial Partners and the focus that helped the firm double its AUM to $1.5 billion since breaking away. Like many serving HNW and UHNW clients, Henley’s firm takes a tax-centric approach to plan...

Economic uncertainty, heightened volatility and on-again, off-again trade policies are challenging for investors. But similar to the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, fiduciary advisors can use this opportunity to assert their value and give clients confidence that their broader financial plans aren’t as negatively impacted as they may think, given the daily doom-and-gloom market headlines. Some RIAs can turn volatility into a growth engine. In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, Jalina Kerr of ...

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, join host David Armstrong for an insightful conversation with Susie Cranston, president and COO of Cresset, as they explore how the firm rapidly scaled to $65 billion. David and Susie discuss: How Cresset grew out of a family office for the founders, and how the firm defines “family office” services. How the firm made the decision to source and offer clients private market investments via affiliate Cresset Capital Partners. How Cranston views the tension...

How can a firm truly put families first in wealth management? Join host David Armstrong as he interviews Chris Erblich, co-founder of TFO Family Office Partners. Chris shares the origin story and evolution of TFO’s three distinct but interconnected entities: a full-service multifamily office in Phoenix, a wealth management firm in Ohio and a South Dakota-based public trust company. He explains how each was built in response to real client needs rather than a grand business plan. It all started w...

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong chats with Andrew Leonard, founder and partner at Geometric Wealth Advisors, about how the firm has rapidly grown to over $1 billion in AUM since Leonard founded it by catering to a specific client niche: executives working inside large consulting firms like McKinsey, Bain, and BCG. In fact, many of its advisors, as well as the firm’s chief operating officer, come from those same firms. Geometric Wealth’s advantage is a deep understan...

What makes a financial advisory firm truly sustainable in the competitive world of wealth management? Join David Armstrong as he engages with Mark DeLotto, partner and corporate development officer at Simon Quick Advisors, on the firm’s distinctive growth journey and his roadmap for future growth. Mark offers insights into cultivating a culture of broad ownership, team collaboration, and strategies for organic growth driven by deep expertise in trusts and estate planning, and his ambition for mo...

Snowden Lane entered 2025 on a high note. The firm had an active recruiting year, expanding its national footprint and posting record profitability and revenue with approximately $12 billion in AUM. Yet the highlight for CEO Robert Mooney was the decision to buy back a significant portion of the firm’s equity from its original financial backer, Estancia Capital. The firm also broadened ownership to more employees and managers while letting longer-tenured advisor partners cash in some vested chip...

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong interviews Grant Rawdin, founder and CEO of Wescott Financial Advisory Group, which manages $4 billion in AUM. Grant shares the story of founding his firm in 1987 as an offshoot of a law firm, his passion for client advocacy, and how the firm grew through strategic networking and a commitment to professional management. He emphasizes Wescott’s unique culture, including its B-Corp certification and involvement in the Net Positive Conso...

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong interviews David Hefty, founder and CEO of $3.4 billion AUM Credent Wealth Management. Hefty narrowly escaped pursuing a career trading commodities on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade, and instead started an independent wealth management firm shortly after college. But it wasn’t until the past few years that he and his team implemented an aggressive growth strategy, doing over a dozen deals in short order and uniquely being fue...

David Armstrong talks with Jim Gold, CEO of Steward Partners, about the firm’s growth trajectory. Steward Partners, originally founded by wirehouse breakaways, has cultivated a unique approach by tapping experienced advisors with the independence of RIAs. With over $40 billion in assets, Jim shares insights into their robust M&A strategy and the importance of succession planning in an aging industry. The main takeaways include: Steward Partners’ M&A philosophy and its pivotal role in addressing...

In this episode, host David Armstrong, managing director of editorial and content strategies for the Wealth Management Group at Informa, sits down with Michael Nathanson, CEO of Focus Financial Partners, to discuss Focus’ pulling out of the public markets in favor of private equity partners, their recent rebranding and the team’s hub consolidation strategy. Michael reveals how Focus is evolving its approach from a consortium of 90 independent firms into efforts to bring at least some of them tog...

Live at the recent MarketCounsell Summit in Las Vegas, David Armstrong chats with Andree Mohr, president of Integrated Partners, a unique advisory platform assisting entrepreneurial advisors in scaling their businesses through strategic CPA partnerships. Mohr covers Integrated’s origin story and the dynamics of integrating wealth management services into accounting firms. The discussion highlights the importance of putting the client’s needs first in the business partnerships Integrated pursues ...

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, editorial director at Informa Connect’s Wealth Management Group, speaks with Jennifer des Groseilliers, CEO of The Mather Group. The conversation took place live during Schwab’s recent IMPACT Conference in San Francisco. Jennifer was recently appointed head of the $14 billion AUM firm, though she is a veteran in financial services, having worked across advisory channels, first at Ameriprise and later at MetLife and MassMutual. She came to...

Recorded live at the Schwab Impact Conference in San Francisco, David Armstrong, editorial director at Informa Connect’s Wealth Management Group, sits down with Michael Goodman, founder, and leader of RIA Wealthstream Advisors, an RIA Edge 100 firm, to explore how he thinks about sustainable growth and client service in wealth management. They delve into Goodman’s philosophy and approach behind managing a successful wealth advisory firm and serving clients with meaningful wealth and complex fina...

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, editorial director at Informa Connect’s Wealth Management Group, sits down with Dick Pfister, founder of AlphaCore Wealth Advisory, to explore his firm’s investment approach that places alternatives at the core of the service offering. Dick discusses his early days bringing alternatives to advisors with his firm Altegris, the origins of AlphaCore, the organic growth journey of the firm, and how the sometimes cumbersome alt-investment proc...

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, editorial director at Informa Connect’s Wealth Management Group, sits down with Jalina Kerr, managing director of client experience for Schwab Advisor Services. Jalina talks about Schwab’s approach to enhancing the advisor experience, including the group’s work on technology integrations, changes made in the wake of the TDAI integration, and how the firm is trying to follow advisors’ lead when it comes to prioritizing the custodian’s appr...

Ken Stern’s journey with Lido Advisors started almost a decade ago with a chance meeting at a family office conference. His initial connection with Lido’s founders quickly evolved into a shared vision of providing unmatched client service and scaling a national brand. In some ways, the Lido story is a bit different among RIAs—instead of a firm starting with retail clients and moving upstream to high and ultra-high net worth, Lido started in the family office space and under Stern’s operational g...