Recording on location at the Steward Symposium, host Ryan Nauman welcomes Scott Danner (Chief Growth Officer) and Valerie Rivera (Chief Operating Officer) of Steward Partners to discuss growth in wealth management, where organic expansion has become harder and M&A has become a major driver. Danner shares his background building Freedom Street Partners and joining Steward in 2023, noting Steward’s growth from about $30B to over $50B in AUM largely through acquisitions. They explain why Steward frames the function as “strategic growth” rather than recruiting, emphasizing attraction, culture, and relationship over transaction. Rivera highlights advisors’ priorities beyond payout—clients, employees, legacy, and transition support—while outlining due diligence, integration, communication, and repeatable operational processes. Danner addresses misconceptions, the importance of scalable, team-based practices, and Steward’s long-term goal of becoming a $100B firm.

Learn more about Zephyr here.

Learn more about Steward Partners here.

00:00 Welcome and Disclosures

00:41 Symposium Setup and Growth Theme

01:30 Meet Scott and Val

01:54 Scott Career and Steward Growth

03:26 Val Background and Partnership

04:24 Why Steward Calls It Growth

06:32 North Star Relationship First

08:34 Val Perspective on Transitions

12:18 When Advisors Truly Fit

15:35 Due Diligence Beyond Numbers

16:46 Scaling Operations for Growth

18:28 Cutting Through M&A Noise

20:56 Misconceptions and Practice Value

25:35 How Scott and Val Complement

26:53 Future Vision and Closing

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