Kirsten Ly, Chief Marketing Officer at Modera Wealth, and Danielle Onesto, Director of Marketing at Abacus Wealth Partners, both arrived in wealth management through unconventional paths, and both independently built branded advisor marketing programs designed to move their firms from reactive, referral-dependent growth to something more systematic and scalable.

Kirsten and Danielle share the marketing playbook they’re writing in real time and the results they have already earned in transforming their roles into core growth functions of their firms.

Recorded live at the RIA Edge conference in Nashville, host Joe Anthony sits down with Michelle Winkles, Partner and Chief Marketing Officer at Mission Wealth, Darcy O’Brien, Chief Marketing Officer at Simon Quick Advisors, and Kayla Kennelly, Chief Growth Officer at Opal Wealth Advisors to break down how marketers use AI as part of their strategy to create leverage and consistent growth.

From building repeatable systems that move firms beyond founder-led growth to rethinking how advisors show up in an environment shaped by AI search and digital validation, this conversation gets into the day-to-day reality of what marketing leaders are being asked to deliver today.

To close out Season 2 of Marketing Matchup, Justin Barish of Lido Advisors, Tara Ryan of Cerity Partners, Meghan McCartan of Composition Wealth, and Jack Casady of Beck Bode return for a wide-ranging conversation about the growing role of marketing inside RIA firms. They share what they’ve learned in 2026 as they have built out their teams, integrated acquisitions, and helped advisors truly connect with prospects.

Tobias Salinger, Chief Correspondent at Financial Planning, and Ian Wenik, Editor of Citywire RIA, turn the tables on Marketing Matchup in a conversation about how advisor growth stories land with independent observers. From client acquisition costs to ongoing scrutiny of organic growth, Tobias and Ian explain what signals make a firm’s marketing credible and what raises red flags.

Jack Casady of Beck Bode and Greg Banasz of Steward Partners join Marketing Matchup to talk about where growth really comes from once referrals alone stop carrying the load. With the right approach, reviews, education, advisory boards, and everyday interactions all turn clients into active participants in growth.

Corey Kupfer, founder of Kupfer., PLLC, and Jessica Polito, founder of Turkey Hill Management, explore the ways in which organic growth, earnouts, and growth stories hinge on repeatable, fully integrated marketing efforts. Corey and Jessica explain where growth narratives break down, how marketing leaders increasingly enter the deal process, and what advisors misunderstand about preparing for a future transaction.

Samantha Allen, Executive Vice President of Marketing at Merit Financial Advisors, and Tyler Resh, Chief Growth Officer at SteelPeak Wealth, join Marketing Matchup for a deep conversation about linking marketing to growth. Samantha and Tyler explore the ways in which marketing teams can support the advisor as a local source of education and client empowerment, and how those efforts feed back into organic growth.

Tara Ryan, Partner and Chief Marketing Officer at Cerity Partners, and Rob Stella, Head of Marketing at Compound Planning, compare the efforts of two fast-growing RIAs building modern marketing engines. From scaling content across niche audiences to enabling advisors with repeatable systems to rethinking how prospects discover RIAs in an age of AI search, Tara and Rob break down what it really takes to support growth at velocity.

Meghan McCartan and Monique Kellerman, both free agents and accomplished marketing leaders in financial services, bring an unfiltered viewpoint to the gap between the growth goals of RIAs, and the resources aligned with the marketing teams responsible for quarterbacking that growth.

Daniel Gilmartin, Chief Marketing Officer of Catchlight, and Andrew Johnson, Co-Founder & CEO of Testimonial iQ, offer a wealthtech perspective on the journey from prospect to client, and how modern advisors are professionalizing their sales funnels.