The Advisors Edge Podcast

Most advisors talk about holistic planning.
Daniel Friedman built the system to deliver it.

In this episode of The Advisors Edge Podcast, hosts Chad Ramberg and Rob Jacomen sit down with Daniel J. Friedman, CEO & Founding Partner of WMGNA — one of the earliest pioneers of subscription-based planning, tax-integrated financial advice, and multi-generational client service.

Daniel drops some of the most important insights the RIA world needs right now:

👉 Why tax-first planning is the new advisory advantage
👉 Why “holistic” has become an empty buzzword (and how to fix it)
👉 How advisors can stop losing the next generation
👉 Why most RIAs miss the biggest driver of client trust
👉 How subscription planning transforms access, value, and differentiation
👉 And what it takes to truly “wow” clients in a crowded advisory landscape

This episode is a masterclass for advisors who want to build deeper trust, deliver real clarity, and evolve beyond outdated AUM-only models.

If you advise clients, lead an RIA, or serve in a financial planning or compliance role—you need this episode.

👇 Connect with Our Guest:
Daniel J. Friedman, CEO & Founding Partner of WMGNA
Website:  https://wmgna.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjfriedman/

👇 Follow Us:
📲 Advisors Edge Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-advisors-edge-podcast/

🔗 Connect with the Hosts:
Rob Jacomen, Founder, Alchemy Content Lab and MGA Distribution Growth Engine™ OS
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-jacomen/

Chad Ramberg, President, Box Professional Insurance
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-ramberg-71278533/
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🛡️ Special thanks to Box Professional Insurance for sponsoring our show—because great leaders have a backup plan they can depend on.

Box Professional specializes in helping RIAs protect their businesses with tailored coverage, so you can focus on growth while they handle the risk.

🔗 Learn more at: https://www.boxproinsurance.com
Box Professional Insurance — Build boldly.  We’ll protect what matters.

📞 Book a RIAview™ Risk Strategy Call:  https://calendly.com/d/z3t-b6h-xt5

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⏱ Timestamps

(Fully aligned with the transcript)

00:00 – Welcome to the Advisors Edge Podcast
00:20 – Meet Daniel Friedman, CEO & Founding Partner of WMGNA
01:05 – The origin of WMGNA & early days of financial advice
03:00 – Daniel’s start in insurance & financial services
05:15 – When life insurance drove everything—but planning didn’t
08:00 – How Daniel and Brian built their own firm from scratch
09:45 – Media, press, and showing up as a thought leader
11:50 – The clients WMGNA serves & what makes them ideal
13:45 – Why taxes, not investments, are the real differentiator
15:50 – The truth about proactive vs. reactive tax planning
16:20 – The birth of the subscription model (before anyone else did it)
17:50 – Why subscription + tax integration builds instant credibility
18:45 – CPAs vs. RIAs: who clients really trust
20:10 – Multi-generational planning: how to keep the kids
22:00 – Engaging the next generation before the money moves
23:25 – The WOW Guarantee — risk reversal in financial planning
24:50 – Why 64% of clients consider leaving their advisor
26:00 – The meaning behind “restylement” and redefining retirement
29:00 – Creating a subscriber-based community inside an advisory firm
30:00 – Subscription-in-a-box and the future of financial planning
32:00 – Thoughts on XYPN, AUM, and the next evolution of the RIA space
33:45 – Final thoughts: servant leadership, clarity, and client-first mindset
35:00 – How to reach Daniel + Closing

Every advisor wants to be seen as a trusted guide — but most are missing the easiest way to build that trust.

In this episode of The Advisors Edge Podcast, host Chad Ramberg sits down with Erinn Andrews, founder of GiveTeam, to reveal how financial advisors can turn charitable planning into a growth engine for their firms.

Advisors are managing over $200B in donor-advised-fund assets sitting idle — and clients are looking for guidance.  The opportunity?  To lead with purpose, not products… and become the advisor clients call first when they want to make an impact.

Here’s what you’ll discover inside:

✅ The simple 3-step framework to help clients move from intention to action in charitable giving.
✅ Why “human advice beats portals” — and how to build relationships that algorithms can’t replace.
✅ How local giving data and vetted nonprofits help you build instant credibility with clients.
✅ Real examples of advisors who used this approach to deepen trust and grow assets under management.
✅ How to talk about donor-advised funds confidently — even if you’re not a philanthropy expert.
✅ The new national survey on advisor best practices for DAFs — and how you can be part of shaping the future of charitable advice.

If you want to grow your firm by building deeper relationships and delivering clarity, confidence, and measurable impact — this episode will show you how.

The Link to Erinn's GiveTeam survey (open through Thanksgiving 2025) -

 https://iu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bDH5fQzbKpPPrM2

👇 Connect with Our Guest:
Erinn Andrews, Founder and CEO at GiveTeam
Website:  http://www.thegiveteam.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinn-andrews/

👇 Follow Us:
📲 Advisors Edge Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-advisors-edge-podcast/

🔗 Connect with the Hosts:
Rob Jacomen, Founder, Alchemy Content Lab and Niche Insurance Agency OS
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-jacomen/

Chad Ramberg, President, Box Professional Insurance
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-ramberg-71278533/

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🛡️ Special thanks to Box Professional Insurance for sponsoring our show—because great leaders have a backup plan they can depend on.

Box Professional specializes in helping RIAs protect their businesses with tailored coverage, so you can focus on growth while they handle the risk.

🔗 Learn more at: https://www.boxproinsurance.com
Box Professional Insurance — Build boldly.  We’ll protect what matters.

📞 Book a RIAview™ Risk Strategy Call:  https://calendly.com/d/z3t-b6h-xt5

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The holy grail of finance is here — instantaneous settlement, regulatory clarity, and fiduciary trust.  Prometheum’s Aaron Kaplan reveals how blockchain is quietly reshaping Wall Street’s infrastructure forever.

In this episode of The Advisors Edge Podcast, host Rob Jacomen and Chad Ramberg sit down with Aaron Kaplan, Founder & Co-CEO of Prometheum, to unpack the revolutionary shift happening in the financial markets — the movement of securities on-chain.

If you’re an RIA, compliance executive, or fintech leader, this conversation will redefine how you think about custody, compliance, and innovation.

Aaron breaks down how Prometheum became the first federally licensed blockchain custodian under SEC oversight — giving RIAs and financial advisors a clear, compliant path into the digital asset ecosystem for the first time.

This isn’t about crypto hype — it’s about the modernization of market infrastructure.

The same regulatory rigor.  The same fiduciary duty.  Now, with instantaneous settlement, cost efficiency, and built-in transparency.

What You’ll Learn:
✅ The holy grail of finance: how blockchain enables instantaneous settlement and removes friction in securities trading.
✅ Why custody clarity has been the biggest bottleneck for advisors entering digital assets — and how it’s now solved.
✅ How Prometheum’s federal license changes the game for fiduciary compliance and investor protection.
✅ The truth about state vs. federal custodians — and how to protect client assets under SEC Rule 15c3-3.
✅ What capital efficiency really means for RIAs and broker-dealers in the new era of blockchain-based finance.
✅ How innovation can align with regulation — not fight against it.

👇 Connect with Our Guest:
Aaron Kaplan, Founder and Co-CEO at Prometheum
Website:  https://www.prometheum.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-kaplan-prometheum/

👇 Follow Us:
📲 Advisors Edge Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-advisors-edge-podcast/

🔗 Connect with the Hosts:
Rob Jacomen, Founder, Alchemy Content Lab and Niche Insurance Agency OS
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-jacomen/

Chad Ramberg, President, Box Professional Insurance
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-ramberg-71278533/

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🛡️ Special thanks to Box Professional Insurance for sponsoring our show—because great leaders have a backup plan they can depend on.

Box Professional specializes in helping RIAs protect their businesses with tailored coverage, so you can focus on growth while they handle the risk.

🔗 Learn more at: https://www.boxproinsurance.com
Box Professional Insurance — Build boldly.  We’ll protect what matters.

📞 Book a RIAview™ Risk Strategy Call:  https://calendly.com/d/z3t-b6h-xt5

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Who This Episode Is For:
Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs)
Broker-Dealers & Compliance Officers
Custodians and Operations Leaders
Financial Technology Innovators
Regulators and Institutional Leaders

Most RIAs are paying for risk twice... and still left exposed.

You outsource trading/portfolio management to a specialist, but your policy still charges you like you carry that risk.  Result: wasted premium on “phantom” exposure while client-facing, compliance, EPLI, and cyber risks aren’t right-sized.

In this live, on-the-floor conversation at NAPFA (Washington, D.C.), Chad Ramberg and Rob Jacomen meet Brent Burns (CEO, Asset Dedication) to show how to rebuild coverage around the risk you actually retain:

What you’ll learn:

✅ Right-sizing 101: If a specialist holds trade-error risk, adjust your policy and premiums accordingly.
✅ Reallocating limits: Shift protection to where claims really happen for RIAs (relationships, compliance, EPLI, cyber).
✅ Why AI/automation reduce losses: Controls + documentation improve underwriting and outcomes.
✅ “It’s all about the words.” How policy language determines whether a claim pays.
✅ The mission lens: Serve clients first (the “Grandma Betty” story) while cutting renewal chaos.

👇 Connect with Our Guest:
Brent Burns, CEO, Asset Dedication
Website:  http://www.assetdedication.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbrentburns/

👇 Follow Us:
📲 Advisors Edge Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-advisors-edge-podcast/

🔗 Connect with the Hosts:
Rob Jacomen, Founder, Alchemy Content Lab and Niche Insurance Agency OS
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-jacomen/

Chad Ramberg, President, Box Professional Insurance
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-ramberg-71278533/

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🛡️ Special thanks to Box Professional Insurance for sponsoring our show—because great leaders have a backup plan they can depend on.

Box Professional specializes in helping RIAs protect their businesses with tailored coverage, so you can focus on growth while they handle the risk.

🔗 Learn more at: https://www.boxproinsurance.com
Box Professional Insurance — Build boldly.  We’ll protect what matters.

📞 Book a RIAview™ Risk Strategy Call:  https://calendly.com/d/z3t-b6h-xt5

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Next step...

👉 Book a RIAview™ Policy & Risk Review to identify where you’re over-paying, under-protected, or misaligned — before renewal.

About the show:
The Advisors Edge Podcast gives RIA leaders clarity-first, fiduciary-minded guidance on insurance, cyber, and operational risk—built to reduce total cost of risk while strengthening trust.

Most firms fight fires.  The best firms fix the system.

In this powerful episode, John Sweigart breaks down why most RIAs, advisory leaders, and insurance teams are trapped in renewal chaos and legacy thinking — and how to break free.

John brings decades of operational excellence and Kaizen philosophy to the conversation, showing leaders how to:

✅ Stop fixing symptoms and start fixing systems
✅ Apply Kaizen to financial advisory firms — small daily improvements that compound into scale
✅ Shift focus from outcomes you can’t control to inputs you can
✅ Break free from copy-cat strategies that worked 10 years ago but fail today
✅ Build the future: compliance, culture, and technology working together

💥 Power Quote from John:

“The firm that gets 1% better every day will dominate the one that waits for a big leap.”

If you’re an RIA founder, COO, or compliance leader serious about scaling with clarity and control — this is the blueprint.

👇 Connect with Our Guest:
John Sweigart, CEO of 3E Ventures
Website:  https://www.3-e-ventures.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-sweigart-47018614/

👇 Follow Us:
📲 Advisors Edge Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-advisors-edge-podcast/

🔗 Connect with the Hosts:
Rob Jacomen, Founder, Alchemy Content Lab and Niche Insurance Agency OS
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-jacomen/

Chad Ramberg, President, Box Professional Insurance
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-ramberg-71278533/

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🛡️ Special thanks to Box Professional Insurance for sponsoring our show—because great leaders have a backup plan they can depend on.

Box Professional specializes in helping RIAs protect their businesses with tailored coverage, so you can focus on growth while they handle the risk.

🔗 Learn more at: https://www.boxproinsurance.com
Box Professional Insurance — Build boldly.  We’ll protect what matters.

📞 Book a RIAview™ Risk Strategy Call:  https://calendly.com/d/z3t-b6h-xt5

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Why RIAs Can’t Ignore Insurance Costs (ft. Sean Kevelighan, CEO of the Insurance Information Institute)

If your clients don’t have enough insurance, they don’t have enough to invest.

That’s the wake-up call Sean Kevelighan, CEO of the Insurance Information Institute, shared on this episode of the Advisors Edge Podcast.

This isn’t about insurance fine print.
It’s about protecting client portfolios, preserving AUM, and building trust that lasts.

Inside this episode:
✅ Why underinsurance is a hidden fiduciary risk
✅ The real drivers behind today’s hard insurance market
✅ How legal system abuse is inflating liability costs
✅ The industry shift from “repair after” to “predict and prevent”
✅ What advisors must understand about AI, cyber, and silent risks

Advisors who ignore these realities are putting their firms and their clients at risk.

👇 Connect with Our Guest:
Sean Kevelighan, CEO of the Insurance Information Institute
Website: https://www.iii.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-kevelighan-032a568/

👇 Follow Us:
📲 Advisors Edge Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-advisors-edge-podcast/

🔗 Connect with the Hosts:
Rob Jacomen, Founder, Alchemy Content Lab and Niche Insurance Agency OS
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-jacomen/

Chad Ramberg, President, Box Professional Insurance
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-ramberg-71278533/

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🛡️ Special thanks to Box Professional Insurance for sponsoring our show—because great leaders have a backup plan they can depend on.

Box Professional specializes in helping RIAs protect their businesses with tailored coverage, so you can focus on growth while they handle the risk.

🔗 Learn more at: https://www.boxproinsurance.com
Box Professional Insurance — Build boldly.  We’ll protect what matters.

📞 Book a RIAview™ Risk Strategy Call:  https://calendly.com/d/z3t-b6h-xt5

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📌 Timestamps:
00:00 Intro & why insurance matters for advisors
11:15 Why underinsurance shrinks portfolios
13:20 The hard market: inflation, replacement costs, premiums
17:00 Legal system abuse and nuclear verdicts
31:30 Predict & prevent vs. repair & replace
44:00 Silent AI risks and the next insurance frontier
51:00 Sean’s legacy: reimagining insurance perception

🎧 Full episode available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

In this episode of the Advisors Edge Podcast, Chad Ramberg sitd down with Ralph Ujano to explore what really drives success in the RIA and wealth management industry.

👉 Forget the noise about tech and shiny tools. Ralph brings it back to the fundamentals — building a business (and a legacy) around service, trust, and helping clients in ways that can’t be automated away.

You’ll discover:

✅ Why “helping hands” is the real edge in client relationships.
✅ How the most successful RIAs scale trust before they scale technology.
✅ Where AI and automation actually fit — and where they never will.
✅ The cultural mindset that separates thriving firms from the rest.
✅ Ralph’s personal journey, lessons learned, and the one principle he never compromises on.

If you’re a financial advisor, RIA leader, or firm owner who’s serious about building for the next decade, this is an episode you can’t afford to miss.

⚡ Don’t miss Ralph’s timeless reminder:
"We don’t just manage money. We serve people. And that’s where the future will always be won."

👇 Connect with Our Guest:
Ralph Ujano Jr, CPA, CFP®, MS
Founder & CEO
The Ujano Advisory Group LLC
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralphujano/

Helping Hands for Single Moms:  https://helpinghandsforsinglemoms.org/

👇 Follow Us:
📲 Advisors Edge Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-advisors-edge-podcast/

🔗 Connect with the Hosts:
Rob Jacomen, Founder, Niche Growth OS & Niche Mastery Academy
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-jacomen/

Chad Ramberg, President, Box Professional Insurance
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-ramberg-71278533/

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🛡️ Special thanks to Box Professional Insurance for sponsoring our show—because great leaders have a backup plan they can depend on.

Box Professional specializes in helping RIAs protect their businesses with tailored coverage, so you can focus on growth while they handle the risk.

🔗 Learn more at: https://www.boxproinsurance.com
Box Professional Insurance — Build boldly.  We’ll protect what matters.

📞 Book a RIAview™ Risk Strategy Call:  https://calendly.com/d/z3t-b6h-xt5

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Most CRMs weren’t built for financial advisors.
They were built for sales reps.

But Adrian Johnstone saw a better way—and built Practifi to prove it.

In this episode, Chad Ramberg sits down with Adrian to break down:

✅ Why generic CRMs like Salesforce and Microsoft crush operational efficiency
✅ How structured + unstructured data are the key to unlocking powerful AI tools
✅ Why CRMs must be built for the entire RIA team—not just advisors
✅ The real reason advisory firms fail at adoption (and how to fix it)
✅ What the best RIAs are doing to scale smarter with tech + trust

This one’s for every firm leader who’s tired of wasting time, money, and team energy on tools that don’t fit your business.

This episode will change how you think about CRM—and why the right one becomes your growth engine.

💬 Drop a comment:
How are you using your CRM today—and what would it look like if it actually worked for your entire team?

👇 Connect with Our Guest:
Adrian Johnstone, CEO of Practifi
Website: https://www.practifi.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianjohnstone/

👇 Follow Us:
📲 Advisors Edge Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-advisors-edge-podcast/

🔗 Connect with the Hosts:
Rob Jacomen, Founder, Niche Growth OS & Niche Mastery Academy
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-jacomen/

Chad Ramberg, President, Box Professional Insurance
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-ramberg-71278533/

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🛡️ Special thanks to Box Professional Insurance for sponsoring our show—because great leaders have a backup plan they can depend on.

Box Professional specializes in helping RIAs protect their businesses with tailored coverage, so you can focus on growth while they handle the risk.

🔗 Learn more at: https://www.boxproinsurance.com
Box Professional Insurance — Build boldly.  We’ll protect what matters.

📞 Book a RIAview™ Risk Strategy Call:  https://calendly.com/d/z3t-b6h-xt5

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🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

Subscribe. Comment. And share with a firm leader who knows their tech stack needs a serious upgrade.

If you want to grow your RIA—but feel like you’re stuck in a cycle of complexity, inefficiency, or burnout—this episode might change everything.

Chad Ramberg, President of Box Professional Insurance, joins co-host Rob Jacomen for a special behind-the-scenes episode that unpacks how top-performing firms scale through process, not just hustle.

Chad shares how he’s applying Kaizen (continuous improvement) and lean startup systems—not just to insurance, but to team building, client service, and long-term growth.

You’ll hear firsthand how Box Pro went from reactive workflows to a precise, repeatable “improvement engine” that empowers their team, reduces burnout, and delivers a world-class experience to clients.

This isn’t theory. It’s a practical blueprint built in the trenches.

You’ll Discover:

✅ Why most firms confuse growth with grind—and how to break that pattern
✅ What Kaizen really means (and how to use it to optimize every part of your business)
✅ The power of daily inputs and how BPI built a two-hour rhythm to drive consistent execution
✅ Why "waiting" can be a form of value—and when it's just waste
✅ How to think like an operations designer (even if you’re a visionary)

Follow Us:

📲 Advisors Edge Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-advisors-edge-podcast

🧠 Connect with the Hosts:

• Rob Jacomen:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-jacomen
  Founder, Alchemy Content Lab & Niche Mastery Academy
• Chad Ramberg:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-ramberg-71278533
  President, Box Professional Insurance

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Box Professional Insurance isn’t just a sponsor.

They’re the growth partner behind some of the top-performing RIA firms in the country.

If your current insurance broker just sells you policies—but doesn’t help you build a risk strategy that protects your growth, it’s time to upgrade.

✅ Built-for-RIA coverage
✅ Strategic risk reviews
✅ No gaps. No surprises.

Learn more:  https://www.boxproinsurance.com
Book a RIAview™ Risk Strategy Session:  https://calendly.com/d/z3t-b6h-xt5
Box Professional Insurance — Be protected.  Feel empowered.

 🎧 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.  Subscribe and share if you’re building a leaner, smarter, more scalable RIA firm. 

How to Build, Scale, and Lead a High-Performance RIA Team — with Scott Gill of Synergy & Chad Ramberg of BPI.

Most advisors talk about growth.

Very few actually build a business that scales without breaking them—or their team.

In this powerhouse episode of the Advisors Edge Podcast, host Rob Jacomen sits down with two firm builders—Scott Gill, founder of Synergy, and Chad Ramberg, President of Box Professional Insurance—for an unfiltered conversation on what it really takes to go from solo hustle… to sustainable scale.

You’ll learn the systems, leadership mindsets, and operational frameworks that separate high-performing RIAs from the ones that stay stuck at the same level year after year.

They don’t hold back.

Whether you’re launching your firm or hitting growing pains at $100M+, this is your roadmap to build the team, vision, and infrastructure your business deserves.

What You'll Discover:
✅ Why most founders stay stuck (and how to break the “founder bottleneck”)
✅ The real reason your team isn’t scaling with you—and how to fix it
✅ How to build culture, clarity, and accountability in a remote-first firm
✅ When to let go of control—and how to train someone to replace you
✅ Why process without purpose kills momentum (and how to fix it with Kaizen)

💬 Comment below:  What’s been your biggest challenge when trying to grow your firm beyond yourself?

🔗 Connect with our guest:
Scott P. Gill, MBA, IACCP®, Founder & CEO, Synergy RIA Compliance Solutions
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottpgill/
Website:  http://www.synergyriacompliance.com/

👇 Follow Us:
📲 Advisors Edge Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-advisors-edge-podcast/

🔗 Connect with the Hosts:
Rob Jacomen, Founder, Niche Growth OS & Niche Mastery Academy
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-jacomen/

Chad Ramberg, President, Box Professional Insurance
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-ramberg-71278533/

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🛡️ Special thanks to Box Professional Insurance for sponsoring our show—because great leaders have a protection strategy, not just a policy.

Box Professional helps RIAs safeguard their firms with tailored risk programs, so you can grow without the blind spots.

✅ Real partners.
✅ Built-for-RIA strategies.
✅ No gaps. No surprises.

🔗 Learn more: https://www.boxproinsurance.com/

Box Professional Insurance — Build boldly. We'll protect what matters.

To Book a Call with Us: https://calendly.com/d/z3t-b6h-xt5
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🎧 Listen on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.
Subscribe and share if you’re serious about building a firm that scales with purpose.