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 Consortium for Wealth Management, as essential elements of its identity, and most important, talent retention.

Key takeaways from this episode include:

- Rawdin’s belief that net organic growth starts with client retention, and how the firm achieves its high numbers with multi-generational clients.
- Beyond retention, the other activities that help the firm create “rivers of referrals,” the core of Wescott’s growth engine.
- The firm’s commitment to social justice and positive community involvement, including what its coveted “B-Corp” designation means, and why it became a founding member of the Net Positive - Coalition for Wealth Management, a growing group of RIAs committed to sustainability.
- The mindful approach he takes to acquisitions, and the importance of integrating the right talented professionals into the firm culture to the benefit of employees and clients.
- What data Rawdin follows to make growth-oriented business decisions and track ROI
- The firm’s unique inclusion of an organizational psychologist to support clients and staff through transitions

Resources:
 
RIA Edge Podcast: http://bit.ly/3YVhfof 
 
Connect With David Armstrong:
 
WealthManagement.com: http://bit.ly/3RKHvyY 
LinkedIn: WealthManagment.com: https://bit.ly/3YkoRAv 
LinkedIn: David Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djamesarmstrong/ 
Twitter: David Armstrong: https://twitter.com/djamesarmstrong 
LinkedIn: Informa: https://bit.ly/3leEF9g 

Connect With Grant Rawdin:

Website: Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC - https://wescott.com/ 
LinkedIn: Grant Rawdin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/grant-rawdin-a37a7911 
LinkedIn: Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wescott-financial-advisory-group/ 
Facebook: Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC - https://www.facebook.com/WescottFin/ 

About Our Guest:

Grant Rawdin is the founder and CEO of Wescott.  Wescott grew from the tax, business and estate services he provided to clients at Duane Morris LLP, a venerable AMLaw 100 law firm; Wescott was founded in 1987.  Grant is an attorney, an accountant and a Certified Financial Planner® professional and has served as advisor to many businesses and families.  He is admitted to both the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bars.

Grant is a graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law and Temple University, where he received his B.A. in English Literature.  He is the very proud father of four children and resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with his wife, Laura Rawdin.



RIA Edge Podcast: Wescott’s Commitment to Community, Client Retention with Grant Rawdin

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 chips at “an attractive valuation.” 

Now, 75% of firm ownership is in the hands of managers and employees. Mooney sees the pivot away from outside capital as something to celebrate, particularly as more competitors run toward private equity.  

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong talks with Mooney about the recent changes at Snowden Lane and how his firm is navigating the shifting dynamics in wealth management. 

Rob shares insights on:

- Why the wirehouses are still Snowden Lane’s best hunting grounds for talent, though he is starting to see serious opportunities to recruit from other RIAs; the firm recently added Charles Schwab as a custodian alongside its traditional partner Pershing.
- A new proprietary retirement transition plan that offers advisors eyeing the exits an early payout.
- The growing role of alternative investments, where the demand is coming from and how advisors are integrating them.
- Why firm executives are bringing more practicing advisors from the field offices into managing director roles to help with strategic growth decisions.
- The sustainability of current RIA valuations and what firms might be getting wrong. 
- The firm’s recent recapitalization and the benefits of broadening ownership in the firm to advisors and home-office employees. 

Resources:
 
RIA Edge Podcast: http://bit.ly/3YVhfof 
 
Connect With David Armstrong:
 
WealthManagement.com: http://bit.ly/3RKHvyY 
LinkedIn: WealthManagment.com: https://bit.ly/3YkoRAv 
LinkedIn: David Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djamesarmstrong/ 
Twitter: David Armstrong: https://twitter.com/djamesarmstrong 
LinkedIn: Informa: https://bit.ly/3leEF9g 

Connect With Rob Mooney:

Snowden Lane Partners: https://snowdenlane.com/ 
LinkedIn: Snowden Lane Partners: https://www.linkedin.com/company/snowden-lane-partners/ 
LinkedIn: Rob Mooney: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertjmooney/ 

About Our Guest:

Rob is the Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Snowden Lane. Rob spent 22 years at Merrill Lynch, in New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, and London. He was General Counsel and Chief Business Risk Officer of Global Wealth Management and a member of the GWM Executive and Operating Committees. He previously held senior executive positions in International Private Client and the Asia Pacific Region. Rob started at Merrill Lynch in London (Europe, Middle East, and Africa Region) and before that worked at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He has a BA from Franklin and Marshall College and a JD from George Washington University. He is Chairman of the Board of Centurion, the oldest organization in the U.S. dedicated to freeing the wrongly convicted, and a founding Board member of the Christina Seix Academy, a residential school for underprivileged inner-city children. He is a former Board Chairman and Board member of the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey.


RIA Edge Podcast: CEO Rob Mooney On Snowden Lane’s Pivot to a ‘New Chapter’ in 2025

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 more deal making in the RIA space. 

David and Mark discuss:

- The transformation of Simon Quick Advisors from an early focus as a family office, to advising a few institutions, to becoming a full-service wealth management firm for HNW and UHNW clients.  
- How broadening the number of next-gen employee owners has aligned the team around the firm’s goals and incentives, and the impact that decision has had on the firm’s growth trajectory. 
- Why the firm decided to bring estate planning intelligence in-house.
- The firm’s first three M&A deals, and how Mark and his partner believed in the mission to the point where they made personal guarantees to the bank to raise the capital to pursue a deal. 

Resources:
 
RIA Edge Podcast: http://bit.ly/3YVhfof 
 
Connect With David Armstrong:
 
WealthManagement.com: http://bit.ly/3RKHvyY 
LinkedIn: WealthManagment.com: https://bit.ly/3YkoRAv 
LinkedIn: David Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djamesarmstrong/ 
Twitter: David Armstrong: https://twitter.com/djamesarmstrong 
LinkedIn: Informa: https://bit.ly/3leEF9g 

Connect With Mark DeLotto:

Simon Quick Advisors: https://simonquickadvisors.com/
LinkedIn: Simon Quick Advisors: https://www.linkedin.com/company/simonquickadvisors/
LinkedIn: Mark DeLotto: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-delotto-2a42044/
Facebook: Simon Quick Advisors: https://www.facebook.com/Simonquickadvisors/
Twitter: Simon Quick Advisors: https://www.twitter.com/SimonQuickAdvrs

About Our Guest:

Mr. DeLotto joined Simon Quick in April 2007 and currently serves as the Partner and Corporate Development Officer, with primary responsibility over the areas of finance and operations. He also oversees human resources, legal, compliance, technology, and infrastructure, and, as a member of the Management Committee, contributes to the firm’s strategic direction, business development, and business planning. He also sits on the firm's Operating Committee. In early 2013, Mr. DeLotto became an equity partner of Simon Quick.

Mr. DeLotto began his career with Fleet/Quick & Reilly as a Financial Advisor. At the Bank of America Investment Services, he managed and serviced client assets. He earned Series 7, Series 66, and New Jersey Life and Health Insurance Producer Licenses and was selected to partner with a successful team of advisors in 2005.

Prior to joining Simon Quick, Mr. DeLotto supervised, mentored, and coached over forty financial advisors and sales assistants as a licensed market principal at Bank of America Investment Services, Inc.

Mr. DeLotto has a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Villanova University School of Business. He is an active member in the Morris/Somerset Chapter of the Villanova Alumni Association and was an active member of The Villanova School of Business and served as a mentor in the Commerce and Finance Counselor program. A graduate of the Delbarton School in Morristown, NJ, he currently serves on the Board of the Alumni Association and is the Co-Chair of the school’s annual fundraising effort. Mark currently sits on the Technology Advisory Board for both Pershing LLC (an affiliate of BNY Mellon) and Fortigent LLC (an affiliate of LPL Financial). Mark sits on the Board of Directors for the ARC of Morris County, an organization dedicated to people affected by intellectual and related developmental disabilities and their families in Morris County.

RIA Edge Podcast: Building Wealth Firms That Last with Mark DeLotto

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 understanding of the internal resources, career paths and investment plans available to its clients, as well as the professional trajectories and personalities of those who work there. By focusing on such a narrow pool of prospects, the firm ironically brings in twice as many referrals as it can onboard annually—a capacity problem, not a growth problem. 

Leonard talks about how the niche focus drives most strategic decisions at the firm. That includes a commitment to 100% remote work, the firm’s business development strategy (and how “marketing” looks very different when focusing on a specific niche) and the commitment to remaining an employee-owned partnership with no outside investor taking ownership.

Leonard also discusses:

- The benefit of hiring career-changers from the same consulting firms where they prospect for clients, and the advantages that brings in terms of subject-matter expertise and new client referrals. 
- Why he made the decision five years ago, as a much smaller firm, to bring not just tax planning, but tax preparation in-house and the difference that has made for his clients (many with unique tax situations that come with the partnership arrangements of the consulting firms).

Resources:
 
RIA Edge Podcast: http://bit.ly/3YVhfof 
 
Connect With David Armstrong:
 
WealthManagement.com: http://bit.ly/3RKHvyY 
LinkedIn: WealthManagment.com: https://bit.ly/3YkoRAv 
LinkedIn: David Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djamesarmstrong/ 
Twitter: David Armstrong: https://twitter.com/djamesarmstrong 
LinkedIn: Informa: https://bit.ly/3leEF9g 

Connect With Andrew Leonard:

Geometric Wealth Advisors - https://geometricadvisors.com/ 
LinkedIn: Geometric Wealth Advisors: https://www.linkedin.com/company/geometric-wealth-advisors/
LinkedIn: Andrew Leonard: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewscottleonard/ 

About Our Guest:

Andrew founded Geometric Wealth Advisors in 2015.  He spent the prior eight years as a Partner with Classic Capital, where he served as a Wealth Advisor for high net worth families and individuals.  He sold his stake in Classic to build a firm devoted entirely to serving his peers. Andrew lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Shelley, and daughters, Eve and Brooke.

RIA Edge Podcast: The Power of Specialization with Andrew Leonard

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 with a family office sparked by a gap in legal-client relationships, expanded into wealth management and ultimately the firm formed a trust company to address trustee challenges for ultra-high-net-worth families. Throughout the conversation, Chris emphasizes TFO’s purpose-driven mission: to help families, however and wherever they need it.

David and Chris discuss:

- What prompted estate attorney Elbrich to first convince his law firm to back an in-house multi-family office, and why he and his partners eventually bought it outright.
- How an opportunistic meeting with a Genspring advisor looking for a new home led him to build a separate MFO in Phoenix.
- The firm’s approach to client services, tax preparation and estate planning.
- Building an in-house South Dakota Trust company that was, at first, seen as an accommodation, but soon became a profitable business service highly valued by clients. 
- Elbrich’s mission statement and the one question that helps him decide where to focus his efforts growing the business. 
- Future growth plans, and how he feels about mergers and acquisitions in the RIA space. 

Resources:

Listen to the RIA Edge Podcast on WealthManagement.com: https://bit.ly/3YVhfof 
Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3RFXCPn 
Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Spotify: https://bit.ly/44Cbwd5 
 
Connect With David Armstrong:
 
WealthManagement.com: http://bit.ly/3RKHvyY 
LinkedIn: WealthManagment.com: https://bit.ly/3YkoRAv 
LinkedIn: David Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djamesarmstrong/ 
Twitter: David Armstrong: https://twitter.com/djamesarmstrong 
LinkedIn: Informa: https://bit.ly/3leEF9g 

Connect With Chris Erblich:

TFO Wealth Partners https://tfowealth.com/
TFO Family Office Partners https://tfofamilyoffice.com/
LinkedIn: Chris Erblich https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriserblich/
LinkedIn: TFO Wealth Partners https://www.linkedin.com/company/tfowealth/
LinkedIn: TFO Family Office Partners https://www.linkedin.com/company/tfofamilyoffice/
Husch Blackwell https://www.huschblackwell.com/

About Our Guest:

Chris is a nationally recognized estate planning attorney, business owner, and speaker focusing on helping individuals and families connect their wealth and purpose. His clients are those who have truly lived the American dream, and Chris values the opportunity to work with and learn from them. In addition to Chris' role as Partner at Husch Blackwell, Chris is the CEO and Chairman of TFO Family Office Partners (based in Phoenix, Arizona), CEO of TFO Wealth Partners (based in Maumee, Ohio), and President and Director of TFO Trust Company (based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota). Chris also has multiple real estate investments. It is this experience that enables him to understand firsthand the challenges and complexities of managing both companies and properties, and he readily identifies with clients' goals and desires for their own businesses. In addition to the services he provides to clients, Chris is a highly sought-after speaker in the world of high-net-worth estate planning and has delivered more than 200 presentations nationwide to attorneys, accountants, financial service professionals, and business owners.


RIA Edge Podcast: Chris Erblich on TFO’s Response to Client Needs

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 between growth via acquisitions and maintaining the integrity of the service model. “When you have to integrate multiple systems, when you have to be the one building those integrations, it really, really slows down your ability to grow and scale.”
- How crossing the $40B mark in AUM brings benefits to the firm and the clients by opening up “industrial scale” options for tech and service: “That is a real advantage when you can cross there because then you don't have to change out your infrastructure, you can just scale on what you have.”
- Insights on evolving advisory models and the future of the RIA. 

Resources:

Listen to the RIA Edge Podcast on WealthManagement.com: https://bit.ly/3YVhfof 
Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3RFXCPn 
Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Spotify: https://bit.ly/44Cbwd5 
 
Connect With David Armstrong:
 
WealthManagement.com: http://bit.ly/3RKHvyY 
LinkedIn: WealthManagment.com: https://bit.ly/3YkoRAv 
LinkedIn: David Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djamesarmstrong/ 
Twitter: David Armstrong: https://twitter.com/djamesarmstrong 
LinkedIn: Informa: https://bit.ly/3leEF9g 

Connect With Susie Cranston:

Cresset: https://cressetcapital.com/ 
LinkedIn: Cresset: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cresset-capital/ 
LinkedIn: Susie Cresset: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susiecranston/ 

About Our Guest:

Susie Cranston is President and Chief Operating Officer of Cresset, an award-winning multi-family office and private investment firm. In this role, Susie oversees Cresset’s Wealth Advisors, Client Service, Operations, and Compliance.

Susie most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer at First Republic Bank, where she was responsible for the sales, client service, operations, strategic planning, and administrative management of the First Republic Investment Management business. After the firm’s acquisition by JP Morgan Chase, Susie served as the COO and Head of Integration.

Susie originally joined First Republic in 2013 as EVP of Private Wealth Management, moving on to build one of the most successful wealth management businesses in the industry. She started her career at McKinsey & Company, where she spent 12 years consulting in various roles of increasing seniority and focused on strategy, risk management, and transformational change for financial services companies.

Active in the San Francisco business community, Susie is a “Forever Influential” honoree and three-time recipient of the San Francisco Business Times “Most Influential Women in Business” designation and a member of C200. Susie is also a board member of the Commonwealth Club. She has authored several published articles and a book on women and leadership, “How Remarkable Women Lead.”

Susie earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering and an MBA in business from Stanford University.

RIA Edge Podcast: Cresset’s Susie Cranston on How an ‘Industrial Scale’ RIA Benefits Clients, the Firm

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 Charles Schwab shares how the most adaptive firms are expanding beyond portfolio management, into areas like estate and tax planning, which have far more profound impacts on client outcomes than marginal tweaks to an allocation model or changes in asset managers and investment funds. Top-tier RIAs are also using technology to scale more personalized client experiences, communicating to clients that their personal plans remain resilient, despite the daily ups and downs in the markets.

Kerr discusses:

- The resilience of RIAs during down markets and how bear markets can be an opportunity for growth
- The increasing demand for comprehensive wealth management beyond portfolio construction, including estate and tax planning
- Integration of technology to deliver personalization at scale and the benefits of all-in-one platforms
- The rising interest in alternative investments and how they’re being integrated into many RIAs practices
- If the wealth management industry is any closer to solving the talent shortage, and how RIAs are doing in forging career development tracks within firms.

Resources:

Listen to the RIA Edge Podcast on WealthManagement.com: https://bit.ly/3YVhfof 
Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3RFXCPn 
Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Spotify: https://bit.ly/44Cbwd5 
 
Connect With David Armstrong:
 
WealthManagement.com: http://bit.ly/3RKHvyY 
LinkedIn: WealthManagment.com: https://bit.ly/3YkoRAv 
LinkedIn: David Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djamesarmstrong/ 
Twitter: David Armstrong: https://twitter.com/djamesarmstrong 
LinkedIn: Informa: https://bit.ly/3leEF9g 

Connect With Jalina Kerr:

Charles Schwab: https://www.aboutschwab.com/
LinkedIn: Jalina Kerr: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jalina-kerr-cs/

About Our Guest:

Jalina Kerr is the Managing Director, Head of Advisor Experience for Schwab Advisor Services. Kerr’s team shapes the constantly evolving client experience with progressive technical and human resources designed to support the custody needs of a diverse advisor base.

Kerr began her career at Schwab in 1994 on the Advisor Services trading desk. During her tenure at Schwab, Kerr has held roles in client service delivery, operations, advisors in transition, strategy, and technology.

In 2016, AZ Business Magazine recognized Kerr as one of Arizona’s Most Influential Women. Kerr also serves on the Board of the Arizona Women’s Leadership Forum. Kerr holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and her Series 7, 9, 10, 24, and 63 registrations.

RIA Edge Podcast: Schwab’s Jalina Kerr on How Resilient RIAs Can Turn Market Volatility Into Growth Engines

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 planning; unlike many similarly sized firms, Brandywine has brought tax preparation in-house, a service enthusiastically embraced by their clients. Henley talks about the conference panel he saw that led him and his firm to dive deep into crypto, educating clients on the technology and, for those who want it, adding a small sleeve to their portfolios. 

A culturally young firm of advisors mostly in their 30s and 40s, Henley and his team believe growing the business is important not just for the principals, but for the clients, arguing scale is needed to bring HNW and UHNW families the range of services they will come to expect. The team is grappling with the best way to make that happen and whether or not to look for a partner or a source of capital to fuel their next chapter. 

David and Michael discuss:

- Why he and his team left the wirehouse, and how opening their own firm unlocked an ability to serve clients with fewer conflicts and more opportunities.
- How the firm is “obsessed” with taxes, arguing proper tax planning moves the needle for HNW and UHNW clients like few other strategies.
- Why bringing tax preparation in-house (unique for a firm of their size) ensures advisors maintain control of the financial plan’s implementation.
- How the barriers have fallen around alternatives and structured products, and the role illiquid investments can play for clients.
- The decision to add a sleeve of cryptocurrency to their portfolios, and how clients reacted.

Resources:

Listen to the RIA Edge Podcast on WealthManagement.com: https://bit.ly/3YVhfof 
Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3RFXCPn 
Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Spotify: https://bit.ly/44Cbwd5 

Connect With David Armstrong:
 
WealthManagement.com: http://bit.ly/3RKHvyY 
LinkedIn: WealthManagment.com: https://bit.ly/3YkoRAv 
LinkedIn: David Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djamesarmstrong/ 
Twitter: David Armstrong: https://twitter.com/djamesarmstrong 
LinkedIn: Informa: https://bit.ly/3leEF9g 

Connect With Michael Henley:

Brandywine Oak Private Wealth - https://brandywineoak.com/ 
LinkedIn: Brandywine Oak Private Wealth: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brandywine-oak-private-wealth 
LinkedIn: Michael Henley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljameshenley 

About Our Guest:

Michael Henley is the Founder and CEO of Brandywine Oak Private Wealth, a distinguished private wealth management firm headquartered in Kennett Square, Pa. Over the course of his 20-year career, Michael has partnered with wealthy individuals and families to help streamline the complexity associated with significant wealth. Michael built his team with a singular purpose: to provide a preeminent private wealth management experience to executives, retirees, and their family members, founded on exceptional service, transparency, and consistency. A skilled leader, he surrounds each client with a dedicated team of credentialed professionals who are sensitive to that family’s unique needs, values, and goals. Michael resides in Chadds Ford, PA, with his two children and their dogs. He holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM certification, the Certified Private Wealth Advisor® (CPWA®) designation, the Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM (CRPC®) designation, and the Retirement Management Advisor® (RMA®) designation.

RIA Edge: Building a Future-Ready Firm with Brandywine Oak CEO Michael Henley

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 firm is seeking to improve the advisor experience and increase the operational efficiency of wealth management firms with home-built technology. 

Backed by a handful of well-known venture capitalists, Farther is a “tech-forward” RIA where the user experience improvements are as much for the advisor’s benefit as it is for the client: The goal was to create workflow efficiencies for advisors that translate into increased time spent with more clients than is found at a typical RIA. 

Taylor outlines how Farther also supports advisors with built-in marketing, lead generation and operational support. The conversation touches on the firm’s philosophy, use of AI, Taylor’s thoughts on the business investment environment for RIAs, and what the future may hold for his team’s firm.

David and Taylor discuss:

- How Farther’s technology was built from the ground up to solve daily inefficiencies that advisors face with disconnected tech stacks
- Why returning time to advisors is central to Farther’s strategy, enabling them to focus more on client work and growth
- The four-part growth engine at Farther, including done-for-you marketing and lead generation
- How Farther's internal teams support advisors in areas like estate planning, tax consulting and financial planning
- The firm’s long-term approach to growth without the constraints of private equity and why consolidation is reshaping the industry.

Resources:

Listen to the RIA Edge Podcast on WealthManagement.com: https://bit.ly/3YVhfof 
Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3RFXCPn 
Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Spotify: https://bit.ly/44Cbwd5 
 
Connect With David Armstrong:
 
WealthManagement.com: http://bit.ly/3RKHvyY 
LinkedIn: WealthManagment.com: https://bit.ly/3YkoRAv 
LinkedIn: David Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djamesarmstrong/ 
Twitter: David Armstrong: https://twitter.com/djamesarmstrong 
LinkedIn: Informa: https://bit.ly/3leEF9g 

Connect With Taylor Matthews:

Website: Farther Finance: http://www.farther.com 
LinkedIn: Farther Finance: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fartherfinance 
LinkedIn: Taylor Matthews: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylormatthews 

About Our Guest:

Taylor leads Farther’s executive team and shapes the overarching strategy for the firm. Prior to founding Farther, Taylor was a member of the leadership team at ForUsAll, where he helped build the fintech retirement advisory firm from $25 million in assets under management to just under $1 billion in his two years there.

Taylor previously co-founded Essmart, a social enterprise distributing tech-for-development products in India, and was an investment banker and management consultant in his early career. He graduated from MIT Sloan with an MBA and Yale with degrees in philosophy and political science.

Taylor lives in San Francisco with his wife, three children, and a very excitable dog. As Victor Hugo wrote, “There is nothing like a dream to create the future.”

RIA Edge Podcast: How Taylor Matthews Built Farther to Boost Advisor Efficiency by Removing Platform Friction

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. 

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, James describes to host David Armstrong what he is doing now to continue the trajectory—from letting go of some operational oversight to a trusted management executive, to building internal training programs and tapping institutional funding to support the business—all while eyeing his first acquisition.

James and David discuss: 

- His early start as a new advisor focused on ExxonMobil executives, hosting education-only retirement planning lunches and dinners—and the metrics he tracked to fine-tune the strategy.
- How COVID-inspired digital seminars dramatically accelerated the firm’s growth
- When, and how, he started to adapt the organization, including departmentalization and multi-point client servicing models. 
- Solving the human capital problem with home-grown internal training programs 
- The decision to hire Jeffrey Fuhrman, formerly head of Focus Financial firm Coastal Bridge Advisors, as president
- Taking on outside capital for the first time with Constellation Partners
- Why he’s beginning to eye M&A for the first time to continue the growth trajectory. 

Resources:

Listen to the RIA Edge Podcast on WealthManagement.com: https://bit.ly/3YVhfof 
Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3RFXCPn 
Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Spotify: https://bit.ly/44Cbwd5 
 
Connect With David Armstrong:
 
WealthManagement.com: http://bit.ly/3RKHvyY 
LinkedIn: WealthManagment.com: https://bit.ly/3YkoRAv 
LinkedIn: David Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djamesarmstrong/ 
Twitter: David Armstrong: https://twitter.com/djamesarmstrong 
LinkedIn: Informa: https://bit.ly/3leEF9g 

Connect With James Bogart:

Website: Bogart Wealth - https://bogartwealth.com/ 
LinkedIn: Bogart Wealth - https://www.linkedin.com/company/bogart-wealth 
LinkedIn: James Bogart - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bogart-cfp%C2%AE-chfc-5663576/

About Our Guest:

As CEO of Bogart Wealth, James Bogart focuses on maintaining the highest level of customer service possible and seeking to deliver the most effective technology, reporting tools, and analysis to every Bogart Wealth client. A charismatic visionary and next-gen founder with seemingly endless energy, he surrounds himself with people who complement his skills. James promotes a collaborative environment, leading by example and always exemplifying Bogart Wealth’s core values. He sets a high bar for himself and his employees, encouraging everyone to acquire designations that will help them advance their careers and better serve clients. 

A seasoned wealth advisor and visionary leader, James takes personal pride in assisting executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals in pursuing their dreams through highly customized financial planning strategies. James’s practice spans wealth plan design, investment management, estate planning, family legacy planning, business succession, charitable giving, asset protection, and retirement concerns, with a special insight and focus on multi-generational strategies. He regularly addresses audiences of industry professionals and senior corporate executives on new and upcoming developments in this field.

Educated at the University of Virginia and Georgetown University, James is an Investment Adviser Representative, a Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®), and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®).

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