In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong speaks with Oliver Cross, founding partner, senior advisor and head of growth at Verum Partners, about the firm’s path from a breakaway team to a rapidly growing independent RIA managing over $1 billion.

He shares how early growth was driven by focusing on a core group of founding clients, building a strong internal structure through systems like EOS and creating a team-based client service model. Oliver also explains how hiring, technology decisions and a long-term ownership mindset continue to shape the firm’s direction as it scales.

Key takeaways:

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Oliver Cross:

About Our Guest:

Oliver is a Founding Partner of Verum where he currently serves as a Senior Adviser and Head of Growth while also playing an active role in both the investment and financial planning committees. His penchant for prudent financial decision-making dates back to his early childhood lessons from his grandfather who often reminded him “a penny saved is a penny earned.” Oliver took this to heart and it became hardwired into his DNA, ultimately leading to career in wealth management.

As an adviser, Oliver caters to families who understand the importance of patience and discipline in building wealth and value the benefits of an independent firm structure that centers around problem-solving, thoughtful financial planning, tax-efficient and sophisticated investment solutions, and team-based client service. He and Verum promote the importance of alignment of interests which continue to plague the industry.

Prior to Verum, Oliver was an Investment Consultant and Director of Research at Carolinas Investment Consulting where he worked for nine years. Before pursuing his MBA in investment management at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, Oliver was a Vice President at Trusco Capital Management in Atlanta for six years, where he served as an Investment Manager for endowments, foundations, and retirement plans across the Southeast.

Oliver is a native of Winston-Salem where he attended R.J. Reynolds high school before heading to Davidson College where he was a member of the golf team. While still an avid golfer, Oliver spends most of his free time with his wife and two children finding any way to keep active outdoors. With a passion for mentoring youth, Oliver coaches basketball through the YMCA and soccer through Charlotte Junior soccer and taught Sunday School with his wife at Myers Park United Methodist Church.

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong speaks with Stephen Rigali, executive managing director at Kayne Anderson Rudnick, about the firm’s evolution from a family office into a $55 billion platform and how it has approached growth with intention over four decades.

He shares how the firm prioritizes organic expansion, structured advisor development and long-term client relationships, along with how it balances high-touch service with scalability, uses specialized partners to extend capabilities, and evaluates the role of AI in improving efficiency without replacing human decision-making.

Key takeaways:

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Stephen Rigali:

About Our Guest:

Stephen Rigali is the Executive Managing Director and a member of the Executive Management Committee at Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management, a Los Angeles–based investment and wealth management firm founded in 1984. He oversees business development across the firm’s institutional, retail, and wealth management platforms and works closely with the firm’s Chief Investment Officer and Chief Operating Officer to help shape the firm’s long-term investment and business strategy. He also serves on the firm’s Risk and Compliance Committee, ESG Steering Committee, and the Investment Committee for the Wealth Advisory division.

Stephen has more than four decades of experience in the investment management industry and has been with Kayne Anderson Rudnick since 1991, playing a key role in the firm’s growth and evolution. Earlier in his career, he was a Vice President at Shearson Lehman Brothers. Stephen holds a B.S. in Business and Economics from Loyola Marymount University and is a CFA charterholder.

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong interviews Peter Mallouk, president and CEO of Creative Planning, about his journey from leading a small company with 30 clients to becoming one of the largest independent wealth management firms in the United States. 

He talks about how that growth was fueled by a focus on consistent, repeatable workplace processes, turning clients into vocal advocates for the firm, and how his acquisition strategy is largely guided by where he sees unmet demand for fiduciary advice growing quickly. 

Peter, who will be a keynote speaker at Wealth Management EDGE in June, also explores his unique leadership decisions, what he has learned from hosting his own podcast interviewing financial service executives, and how developments in artificial intelligence will “rattle our space in a way that I don’t think anybody’s ready for, including us.”

Key takeaways:

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Peter Mallouk:

About Our Guest:

Peter Mallouk is the President of Creative Planning and its affiliated companies. Peter’s companies provide comprehensive wealth management services to their clients, including investment management, financial planning, charitable planning, retirement plan consulting, tax planning and estate planning services. 

Peter graduated from the University of Kansas in 1993 with four majors, including degrees in business administration and economics. He went on to earn a law degree and a Master of Business Administration degree in 1996, also at the University of Kansas. Peter is a recipient of the University of Kansas School of Business Distinguished Alumni Award, becoming the second-youngest recipient to receive the award. 

Peter is the founder, a current executive board member and a former five-year Chairman of KC CAN!, an organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the quality of life for children in Kansas City. He’s also the founder and a current executive board member of Pathway Financial Education, an organization dedicated to providing teenagers, adults and business owners in under-resourced communities with actionable financial education. 

Peter and his wife Veronica, are recipients of the Giving the Basics Human Dignity Award for their contributions toward helping those less fortunate meet basic needs. They’re also recipients of the Variety Presidential Citation Award for their work supporting those with special needs. The Mallouks funded the Kansas chapter of Give Back, a program that identifies high-achieving high school students who have faced challenges and provides them with not only college tuition but also coaching, counseling and volunteer mentors. To date, 300 Kansas students have been awarded scholarships. Peter and Veronica have three children — Michael, JP, and Gabby.

What does it really take to grow an advisory firm without losing control of culture or client experience?

Growth can look attractive from the outside, but building something sustainable requires discipline, structure and long-term thinking.

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong interviews JC Abusaid, president and CEO of Halbert Hargrove, about building a $4.2 billion RIA through disciplined organic growth. He shares how centralized operations, a well-structured internship pipeline and flexible minimums fuel sustainable expansion. JC also explains his employee-ownership model, his perspective on private equity pressure and how AI and technology investments are shaping the firm’s next phase.

Key takeaways:

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With JC Abusaid:

About Our Guest:

JC Abusaid is the CEO and President of Halbert Hargrove, a wealth advisory firm founded in 1989. JC earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Finance emphasis from the Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Administracion in Bogota, Colombia, and his MBA from the University of Redlands School of Business. He was awarded the ACCREDITED INVESTMENT FIDUCIARY designation by the University of Pittsburgh-affiliated Center for Fiduciary Studies. In 2016, JC earned a LEAD Certificate in Corporate Innovation from Stanford Graduate School of Business, and in 2021, he took part in BlackRock’s first Emerging Leader Lab.

Modern advisory firms are being reshaped by technology, changing client expectations and the need for deeper personalization.

How do firms scale while keeping the advisor-client relationship at the center? What role does technology really play in growth without replacing the human element?

In this episode, host David Armstrong speaks with Alex Farman-Farmaian, CEO of Compound Planning, about building an all-digital, integrated RIA—with human advisors at the center—that provides clients with a unified experience across multiple service offerings—including tax preparation. 

Alex explains how AI-powered workflows and integrations enable advisors to serve clients more efficiently as the human touchpoint, while providing a better experience for clients. He also shares how Compound recruits next-generation advisors, integrates tax services and drives growth by focusing on equity- and option-compensated executives of fast-growing tech firms approaching liquidity events.

Key takeaways:

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Alex Farman-Farmaian:

About Our Guest:

Alex Farman-Farmaian is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Compound Planning, responsible for growing the firm to 50+ advisors and over $4 billion in AUM since 2022, and guiding the strategic direction of the firm’s robust wealth management technology and advisory service offerings. Previously, Alex was the 20th employee at Carta, where he built numerous sales teams across the country as Carta scaled to 1,000 employees and a $7B+ valuation from Silver Lake. Alex is an expert in equity compensation and is passionate about tax-efficient equity strategies.

Growth can mean very different things depending on how a firm is built and who it is built for.

What does it really take to evolve from a small advisory practice into a professionally managed firm without losing culture, client focus or identity?

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong speaks with Tom Orecchio, CFA, CFP, ChFC, AIF, chief executive officer, wealth manager and principal at Modera Wealth Management, about building an employee-owned RIA designed for long-term growth. He shares how leadership, ownership alignment and disciplined M&A shape Modera’s growth approach. 

Tom also explains how service expansion, technology investments and organic growth planning support advisors while keeping clients at the center.

Key takeaways:

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Tom Orecchio:

About Our Guest:

Tom’s career began at Heritage Financial where he worked as a financial planner. In 1995, he joined the firm Greenbaum and Associates where he later became a partner. His role as a principal and wealth manager continued as the firm grew and evolved into Greenbaum and Orecchio and then into its current entity, Modera Wealth Management, LLC.

Tom received his B.A. in government and law from Lafayette College and went on to earn some of the most recognized credentials in the industry. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professional. He is also a Chartered Financial Consultant, a Chartered Life Underwriter® and an Accredited Investment Fiduciary.

Tom is a National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) registered financial advisor. He has demonstrated his leadership and commitment to fiduciary standards in the industry by serving as NAPFA Chairman (2007-08) and as a national board member (2004-08). In 2013, Tom was the recipient of the NAFPA Robert J. Underwood Distinguished Service Award. He is an active member of the CFA® Institute, the National CEO Study Group, and the 20/20 National Study Group.

Tom is actively involved in the community as director of the Modera Wealth Management Scholarship Fund and is on the board of directors for the Modera Charitable Foundation. He also sits on the Northeast Advisory Board for Lafayette College. Tom has served as a board member of the finance committee for the Cathedral of Saint John the Theologian and also Northvale PAL, Inc. In addition, he has served as NV Eagles Youth Football president, Bergen County Junior Football League treasurer, and has sat on the board of directors for the youth baseball league in his town. Tom loves spending time with his family and three sons and often can be found on the football or baseball field coaching his sons’ teams.

How do advisory firms continue growing once scale introduces complexity? What does it take to build a structure that supports independence, client experience, and long-term flexibility?

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong speaks with Jordan Raniszeski, CFP, CPA,  senior managing partner at Carnegie Private Wealth, about the strategic decisions behind the firm’s rapid growth after its transition to independence.

He talks about early investments in human capital and junior advisors, an evolving executive management structure, and how flexible marketing strategies all resulted in expanded capacity and growth, and prepared the firm for its next phase.

Key takeaways:

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Jordan Raniszeski:

About Our Guest:

Jordan Raniszeski is a leader in the Wealth Management industry and Senior Managing Partner at Carnegie Private Wealth where he’s helped build a team of well-regarded and experienced advisors. The advisors of Carnegie Private Wealth collectively serve more than 519 households with over $2,000,000,000 in brokerage assets as of August 29, 2025.

In his more than 20 years of experience as an advisor working with high-net-worth individuals and families, Jordan developed expertise in helping corporate executives, professionals and business owners. As a business owner and organizational leader himself, Jordan intimately understands the time constraints and complexities facing these clients and helps them build a plan to pursue their goals while balancing many different priorities.

Jordan’s career path showcases his leadership and commitment to client service. He began at Deloitte’s individual tax practice, honing his skills in tax and estate planning strategies. Later, at Wachovia Bank (now Wells Fargo), Jordan helped build the Executive Financial Planning practice. Partnering with Angie Ostendarp, he then grew one of Wells Fargo Advisors’ largest brokerage practices. Throughout his journey, Jordan has remained a devoted student of the industry, constantly seeking innovative ways to serve clients.

Leadership has been a constant theme in Jordan’s life. From roles in student government and charitable organizations to positions on sports teams, he has consistently stepped up to guide others. Jordan’s experience made him a natural fit to lead Carnegie’s formation. He now guides the Carnegie team, focusing on a shared vision for wealth management’s future.

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong speaks with Arthur Ambarik, CEO of Perigon Wealth Management, about the firm’s growth from a small Bay Area RIA into a multi-state, $12 billion firm with a partnership-driven model and large ambitions for the future.

Ambarik shares how cultural alignment shapes mergers, why specialization within firms is becoming a critical growth driver and how long-term thinking around talent and capital structure is redefining the future of wealth management firms.

Key takeaways:

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Arthur Ambarik:

About Our Guest:

Arthur Ambarik, CFP, is Chief Executive Officer of Perigon Wealth Management. Under his leadership, Perigon has grown to over $10.2 billion* in assets under management and expanded its national footprint through strategic acquisitions and organic growth.

Named CEO of the Year in 2024 by WealthManagement.com, Arthur has played a pivotal role in Perigon’s rapid ascent in the industry. He was also recognized on the Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors 2024 list for California.

Thanks to his leadership, Perigon has earned national recognition, including:

Arthur brings more than 20 years of experience to the role, with a career spanning advisory and operational leadership at Ameriprise and LPL. He is also a member of the Financial Advisor IQ Leadership Council.

Arthur holds a B.A. in Economics from Williams College.

How do leaders of wealth management firms balance advisor independence with the need for centralized efficiency? What does it take to build a platform that serves both traditional RIAs and advisors seeking a more integrated model?

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong interviews Larry Restieri, CEO of Hightower Advisors, about Hightower’s evolution from a wirehouse lift-out platform to a comprehensive wealth management firm managing over $300 billion in assets. 

He discusses the launch of Hightower Signature Wealth, a new direct-to-consumer offering designed to leverage the Hightower brand while maintaining support for independent advisory practices.

Key Points:

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong: 

Connect With Larry Restieri:

About Our Guest:

Larry Restieri is Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors at Hightower, a national wealth management firm that empowers financial advisors to deliver sophisticated investment and financial services to clients. He joined the firm in June 2025, bringing with him decades of experience in wealth management and a history of scaling businesses and driving growth.

Prior to Hightower, Larry was a partner at Goldman Sachs and served as CEO of its AYCO business, which specializes in workplace financial planning and private wealth advisory services. During his tenure, he led efforts to modernize AYCO’s operations, deepen client relationships, and accelerate business expansion.

Larry spent 25 years at Goldman Sachs in a variety of leadership roles across its wealth and asset management divisions. Before joining Goldman Sachs in 2000, he practiced law at Finn Dixon & Herling LLP in Stamford, Connecticut, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York City.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a Juris Doctor degree from Fordham University School of Law, where he served as an editor of the Fordham Law Review.

Outside of work, Larry is a lifelong musician and plays lead guitar in a classic rock cover band.

Cresset’s rise from a family-led vision to one of the nation’s leading multifamily offices shows how purpose and culture can shape enduring organizations.

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong speaks with Eric Becker, co-founder and co-chairman of Cresset, about the firm’s mission to build a 100-year wealth management business focused on families, not just finances. Eric shares how Cresset was designed by clients, for clients, to combine investment excellence with family governance, education and community.

David and Eric explore how RIA principals and executives can avoid short-term thinking, especially amid the frenzy of day-to-day operational planning and the quest for the elusive “personalization with scale” client service model. Eric suggests lessons other RIA leaders can learn from his study of the world’s longest-surviving companies, which he captured in his recently published book The Long Game: A Playbook of the World’s Most Enduring Companies. 

David and Eric discuss:

Resources:

Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Eric Becker:

About Our Guest:

Eric Becker is the Founder and Co-Chairman of Cresset, an award-winning multi-family office with more than $70 billion in assets under management. Alongside Founder and Co-Chairman, Avy Stein, Eric was one of Cresset’s first two clients. He and his team designed the firm to meet a specific need, and also for growth and sustainability; His desire to build a “100-year-old” firm led him to study some of the longest-running companies across different industries, and recently published The Long Game: A Playbook of the World’s Most Enduring Companies, which captures his observations on what they all have in common.