Billion Dollar Backstory 2024

Fund managers, buckle up! In Part 4 of 'The Scientist and The Storyteller' series, Dr. Daniel Crosby, a behavioral psychologist is back and ready to tell you the cold hard truth about why your brain might be sabotaging your storytelling game. 

Listen in as he and Stacy discuss: 

• Why our brains cling to conformity, killing our chances of standing out 
• Why linear stories put people to sleep and how mastering the ‘peak-end’ rule will help 
• A sniff test that’ll help you determine if your story is snooze-worthy
• A roadmap for spicing up your narrative, even when your brain screams 'No!' 

..and so much more. 

About Dr. Daniel Crosby:

Dr. Daniel Crosby is a psychologist, behavioral finance expert, and New York Times bestselling author who helps organizations understand the intersection of mind and markets. 

He is also a father of 3, a fanatical follower of the St. Louis Cardinals, an explorer of the American South, and an amateur hot sauce chef. 

Success as a founder is about more than impressive AUM. It’s about maintaining autonomy and connection. It’s about taking pride in what you do, the team you’ve built, and most importantly having fun along the way.
Take it from today’s guest, Greg Dean, founder of global small-cap specialist firm Langdon Partners.
In this episode, he and Stacy discuss:

Greg's backstory:
o From Fidelity Investments to co-founding a $27B investment firm
o How his passion for connecting people and numbers drove him into small-cap investing
o His big leap from the shallow end of co-foundership to founding his own firm

• Why AUM isn't the only measure of success in small-cap investing
• Strategies for maximizing return on time in small-cap investing
• The challenges of climbing the ranks in the fund world
• Key advice for fund managers considering leaping into entrepreneurship

About Greg Dean:

Greg founded Langdon Equity Partners, a firm that believes in making investment excellence through smaller company investing available to all clients.  He is the Chief Executive and lead investor for their smaller companies strategies.
 

Previously, Greg was a Partner and Portfolio Manager at Cambridge Global Asset Management, where he was the joint recipient of the prestigious Morningstar Breakout Fund Manager of the Year in 2015. His funds also won numerous industry awards.

Greg has a degree in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor's of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University. He is also a CFA charterholder.

He considers himself more of a thermostat than a thermometer, is a father of 2, can find the best coffee in any city, and a life-long Raptors fan.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Song: 22 Two's – JAY-Z  

Books: Same as Ever by Morgan Housel, Start-Up Nation by Dan Senor

Fund managers, it’s time to ditch the pitch deck of doom. It’s not helping you differentiate. It’s putting allocators to sleep. 

Take it from Lucy Walker, Founder of data platform AM Insights, who spent the bulk of her career as a manager of managers allocating over $1B at specialist firm Sarasin Partners in the UK.

She knows this business inside and out, and Today she’s sharing her wisdom on up-leveling your meeting game so you can land more investments. 

Listen in as she and Stacy discuss: 

• Her Backstory – from corporate allocation to launching her company 
• Inside the mind of a fund-buyer: what makes a fund manager stand out to her
• Why you should dig into data but not use it as a crutch in meetings 
• The competitor bashing Achilles heel – how to show your differences to the peer group tastefully 

About Lucy Walker:

Lucy Walker is founder, chair, board director and advisor in investment management, technology and not-for-profit.

In 2020 she founded AM Insights, a fast and intuitive tool for the fund industry. She is Chair of the Aurora Investment Trust, and Senior Independent Director of Henderson International Income Trust. She is a former head of fund research and fund manager at Sarasin & Partners, advising on over £1.2 billion of assets for charities and high net worth individuals, and before that was at HSBC Global Asset Management. 

Lucy has been regularly featured in publications including the FT and The Telegraph, and was shortlisted for Fund Manager of the Year at the Women in Investment awards. She holds BSc Economics and is a CFA charterholder.

Alfonso Peccatiello built a following of 500,000 on social media by doing something radical – by being a real, authentic human in the fund world. 

And that authentic social presence helped him close investment deals for his new hedge fund, Palinuro Capital. 

Alfonso’s story is proof that it pays to challenge the status quo and to put people (and connections) first – even in a numbers-obsessed industry. 

Want the full story? Join Alfonso and Stacy as they discuss:

• Alfonso’s backstory: How a car accident sparked his obsession with creating success on his own terms 
• Why he’s never afraid to repel the wrong investor 
• How his willingness to repel, both on social media and in meetings, has helped him attract more of the right investors 
• The lesson he learned as a $20B bond manager that has served him most as an entrepreneur (spoiler alert, it wasn’t an investing technique) 

More About Alfonso Peccatiello

Alfonso (Alf) Peccatiello is the CIO of the global macro hedge fund Palinuro Capital. Alf was born in Southern Italy, roughly 1,000 km away from the closest financial center, yet his dream was to run his own hedge fund. To get there, he had an idea: share macro analysis and frameworks with the world through his research firm, The Macro Compass, first, establish relationships, and only after spinning out his macro hedge fund. After scoring the largest asset managers in the world as clients of his research, here we are: his global macro hedge fund, Palinuro Capital, is ready to launch in January 2025. As a proper Southern Italian, Alf stands by three culinary rules: no cappuccino unless it's breakfast, no pineapple on pizza, and never break pasta in pieces!

Want More Help With Storytelling? 

 +  Subscribe to my newsletter to get a weekly email that helps you use your words to power your growth: https://www.stacyhavener.com/subscribe  

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Make The Boutique Investment Collective part of your Billion Dollar Backstory. Gain access to invaluable resources, expert coaches, and a supportive community of other boutique founders, fund managers, and investment pros. Join Havener Capital’s exclusive membership

Ever wondered how the giants in financial advisory scale? Today, join Stacy and Scott Colangelo, Chairman and Managing Partner of Prime Capital Investment, a $30B powerhouse, for an exclusive look behind the scenes.

Listen in as they discuss: 

• His backstory – what he learned about from watching his dad succeed in financial management after starting from ground zero 
• How your ego can stifle your boutique's success 
• Collaboration strategies that could 10X your RIA’s potential. 
• The role of products in organic growth 

…and so much more.

About Scott Colangelo:

Scott Colangelo is the Chairman and Managing Partner of Prime Capital Investment Advisors (PCIA), and the creator of Qualified Plan Advisors (QPA). Forward-thinking in the financial business, Scott is responsible for the strategy and growth of these companies.

When Scott’s not working hard for his clients and team, he is spending time traveling with his family. “The concept of work-life balance, unfortunately, doesn’t happen often enough in our business. But our team approach provides a support system that allows us time to be with our families.”

Scott holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance with a minor in marketing from Kansas State University, as well as FINRA Series 7, 63, and 66 registrations. In his own words, his two hobbies are basketball and golf, “although I’m not very good at either.”

If you're tired of the same old business strategies (that don’t even work for boutiques) and want to carve a path to uncommon success, it's time to challenge the status quo. 

Not sure how? You’re in luck with this episode. Matt Blocki and Jamison Smith from Equilibrium Wealth Advisors are coming on the show to share their rebel playbook for success.

Listen in as they discuss: 

●      The danger of not using EOS 

●      How over tracking marketing analytics can be harmful

●      How specializing supercharged their success

●      A fresh client acquisition playbook that skips the usual pestering for referrals strategy 

Ready to break the mold so you can take your boutique to new heights? This episode has all the insights you need to make it happen. 

About Matthew Blocki:

Matthew Blocki is the founder and CEO of Equilibrium Wealth Advisors, an SEC-Registered Investment Advisory Firm. He has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Accounting. He also holds several designations as a financial advisor: CFP® ChFC® and RICP®. 

Before founding EWA as an independent RIA, Matthew started off his financial advisor career with a fortune 100 company, where in his 2nd year he achieved several qualifications that put him in the segment of the top 1% of financial advisors in the USA (based on quality and production metrics). He has maintained this every year since

He is a Pittsburgh native, and enjoys spending time and traveling with his daughter, Aurora (who is almost 5), and his girlfriend (Beth). They also have 2 golden retrievers (Sammie and Chloe) and a Frenchie (named Tito).

About Jamison Smith: 

Jamison has dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Accountancy and Business Administration with a concentration in Personal Financial Planning. He began in the financial planning industry as a college intern a large broker dealer, where he met Matt, and later joined EWA shortly after the RIA was launched in 2020. Jamison is now a Lead Advisor and Partner at EWA, where he spends much of his time working with some of the firm’s top clients.

After spending 2 years inside of a fortune 100 broker-dealer crafted his belief that there was a lack of training and awareness of sound financial planning and advice in the industry where much of the training offered is product centric. That’s why In 2022, Matt and Jamison founded Wealth Advisor Training, LLC.

Outside of business, Jamison resides in Pittsburgh where he spends much of his free time with his dog Chance, on the golf course, or traveling to new places.

The impressively bold mindset that drove Chad Willardson to leave behind a million-dollar salary and a top 1% client base to build his own firm from scratch is the same mindset that grew his firm to $1.5B AUM and earned him the status of 5X bestselling author.

In fact, Chad’s story is proof that thinking like an entrepreneur can take you far in the fund world–and beyond. But can this mindset be learned and developed? Find out in today’s episode.

Plus, hear Chad’s full backstory and learn: 

• Why advisors who think like entrepreneurs stand out to high-net-worth clients 
• The hidden benefit of his LinkedIn presence: how he’s able to pass off sales meetings to his team almost entirely thanks to the strong trust he’s built on social 
• His tips and tricks for balancing entrepreneurship and family life 

About Chad Willardson:

Chad Willardson is the President and Founder of Platinum Elevated, an exclusive coaching program where he helps entrepreneurs enjoy increased lifestyle and financial freedom by removing their stress about money, increasing their cash flow, and freeing up a ton of their time.

In 2011, Chad founded Pacific Capital, a family office specializing in wealth management for high-net-worth entrepreneurs. Chad's currently responsible for investing $1.5 billion dollars as a fiduciary. Before founding Pacific Capital, he spent nine years at Merrill Lynch, ranking in the top 2% of over 16,000 advisors nationwide.

Chad is a 5X best-selling author and Co-Host of The Smart Money Parenting Show, a podcast ranking in at #2 Apple for Parenting, Kids & Family. He is a Certified Financial Fiduciary® and Accredited Wealth Manager who also writes for Entrepreneur and Forbes. Chad earned his degree in Economics from Brigham Young University

Resources Mentioned in This Episode: 

Books: Wealth Wired Differently by Chad Willardson,10x Is Easier than 2x: by Dan Sullivan, Dr. Benjamin Hardy, et al.

Songs: Imagine Dragons - Thunder, Guns N' Roses - Paradise City

The second generation in wealthy families could choose a safe path within the family business. But today's guest, Khaled Said, dared to pave his own way, co-founding Capital Generation Partners, a $4B London-based family office.

While his choice to take the leap paid off, he didn’t gain success overnight. His backstory is filled with twists and turns and valuable lessons for any boutique founder.  

Listen in as Khaled and Stacy discuss: 

●     His backstory — from searching for the perfect-fit firm to manage his family’s assets in Europe to coming up short and filling the gap by setting up his own shop 

●     What nobody tells you about the slow burn of starting up in asset management 

●     His tried-and-true litmus test for keeping integrity at the forefront of client service at CapGen

●     CapGen’s differentiation playbook: how they’re writing a new narrative in serving ultra-high net worth families

About Khaled Said: 

Khaled is Managing Partner of Capital Generation Partners, a wealth management business based in London.  Khaled is the voice of the client within CapGen setting the standards he believes clients deserve. 

Having managed his own family money, Khaled is an experienced investor and has particular insight into the problems families face when trying to get the best from the investment management industry. Clients benefit hugely from Khaled’s principled and commercial approach to investing and his commitment to ensuring that client portfolios are managed by people who think like principals not agents. 

Khaled chairs the Client Portfolio Committee which is tasked with making the final decisions on the content of client portfolios and sits on the Asset Allocation, Investment and Risk Committees. Khaled started his career as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company where he specialised in private equity. Khaled is involved with various charities: he sits on the Boards of Saïd Foundation and Turquoise Mountain.  He has a degree in Law from Oxford University, a Masters in History from Harvard and an MBA (Dean’s List) from INSEAD.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode: 

Songs: Eye Of The Tiger - Survivor, Billy Joel – Piano Man

Books: Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know Kindle Edition by Malcolm Gladwell 

Can classic value investing and AI coexist? Today, Jim Falbe is coming on the show to share his playbook for blending timeless strategies with AI WITHOUT losing the personal touch allocators love. 

In this episode, Jim and Stacy cover:  

 
His backstory:
  o How losing his mom at 13 sparked his passion for financial management 
  o Why he left an investment giant to follow his dream of building his own firm 

• Why AI isn’t just a trend: What he’s learned from 10 years in the data science game
• The secret sauce to building a company culture that’s built to last through challenging seasons 

Grab your popcorn and your Kleenex because Jim isn’t holding back in this episode. He’s sharing the raw emotion involved in foundership, and As you listen, you’ll feel like you’re talking to a friend that’s not afraid to dive into the real talk about life. From navigating grief to leading the charge in modernizing value investing – this episode will solidify one thing for you – you’re not alone in the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and life.

About Jim Falbe:

Jim is passionate about mentorship and investing. As the Founder of Saguaro Capital Management, he lives these passions daily.

Jim was previously a Principal and Portfolio Manager at Vulcan Value Partners. With the Senior Investment Team, he was responsible for portfolio management, coverage of both portfolio and watch list names, and seeking out new investment opportunities. 

Before Equity Research, Jim was a humanitarian worker in the Middle East/North Africa region. Starting as an English teacher in Jordan, he taught over 800 students and finished by helping run a training center that educated over 1,500 students per year. His team of fourteen was on the ground during the Arab Spring and helped build a network for international aid efforts in Egypt and Libya.

Jim is a CFA® Charterholder and earned his MBA in Investments from the University of Notre Dame. He also holds an MDiv in Theology and a BA as a University Scholar from Baylor University.

Married with four energetic kids, Jim loves science fiction, history, long walks, chess, and Baylor Football.

Get a glimpse inside the mind of an allocator in part 1 of our Ask an Allocator series. Today, you’ll hear from Bill Harding, CIO of Jackson National, with $29.8B directly managed fund-of-fund assets. 

Listen in as Bill and Stacy discuss:

• Bill’s Backstory - from a financial analyst at a cheese manufacturer to CIO at Jackson National
• What it takes for a fund manager to win his nod of approval when pitching a partnership
• Why past performance isn't the whole story when allocators are on the hunt
• The hard-hitting questions you can expect fund buyers to ask (spoiler alert: it’s not quantitative!).

About Bill Harding:

Bill joined JNAM as Head of Investment Management in October 2012, and

oversees the asset allocation and portfolio construction process, sub-adviser monitoring, and manager research.

He was previously Head of Manager Research for Morningstar Inc.’s Investment Management division and has more than 20 years of experience in portfolio management, asset allocation, and manager research while working at JNAM, Morningstar and Leprino Foods Company.

Bill graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business. He holds an MBA from Loyola University Chicago and is a CFA charterholder.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode: 

Songs: Enter Sandman - Metallica

Books: On Fire by John O’Leary