With Episode 84, Matt welcomes Ben Littman, Founding Member and Head of Corporate Development at Pure Financial Advisors, and Henry Lao, Vice President of Investments at Mercer Advisors. Pure Financial Advisors manages approximately $11 billion of client assets with a team of nearly 200 dedicated professionals. Mercer Advisors operates from over 100 offices nationwide, employing nearly 1,500 people, and oversees around $90 billion of client assets. Ben and Henry share how their professional friendship has enriched their careers and offer deep insights into the operational strategies behind their firms’ impressive growth. In this episode, you’ll discover:

*The CFA Institute owns the certification marks CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst®. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP® and Certified Financial Planner™ in the U.S.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. References to third-party firms are based on self-reported information and are not verified by Coldstream.

In this episode, Matt is joined by Alli Jordan, President at LibertyFi, and Emily Wilcox, COO at Practifi, for a discussion on how leading RIAs are using innovative technology, operational excellence, and smart leadership to drive scalable growth. LibertyFi empowers growth-oriented RIAs to drive revenue and scale with the Envestnet platform, enabling seamless outsourcing of reporting, billing, and trading. Using technology and defined processes in their own business, LibertyFi currently supports 23 RIAs managing approximately $21 billion in assets with just eight employees. Practifi offers a unified workspace for financial advisory firms, blending CRM, practice management, compliance, and marketing features to streamline workflows and deepen client relationships. Alli and Emily aren’t just consultants to RIAs navigating change; they are practitioners at the forefront of their own firms’ growth stories. Together, they join Matt to explore how RIAs can grow profitably and efficiently. Other key topics covered include:

In Episode 82, Matt sits down with two well-accomplished RIA operators: Hannah Koch, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Chicago-based Altair Advisers, and Joe Walker, COO of Bradley, Foster & Sargent (BFS), headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut, with nine total office locations. Altair Advisers serves individuals, families, foundations, and endowments, offering investment management, financial planning, and client education. BFS provides investment management services to individuals, families, entrepreneurs, professionals, non-profits, and institutions.

This episode dives deep into the real-world challenges and opportunities of RIA technology. Matt, Hannah, and Joe share candid insights on why successful tech implementation hinges as much on people and process as it does on the tools themselves. The conversation also covers:

Matt is joined by industry veterans Jason Mirabella and Randy Lambert for Episode 81. Jason returns for his second appearance, having first joined Episode 37 nearly four years ago. Randy, the former COO of Orion, brings decades of experience after spending 30 years building and scaling one of the industry's leading organizations. Now, Jason and Randy have teamed up at Intention.ly to launch a new operational consulting arm, specifically designed to tackle the unique operational and growth challenges faced by RIAs and the fintechs that serve them. Together, Matt, Jason, and Randy dive into topics including:

In this episode, Matt sits down with Linda Bready, a renowned operations consultant to RIAs and author of the new book, The Exit Equation – M&A Strategies, Tools, and Insights for Financial Advisors.  What started as a guide for sellers preparing for mergers or acquisitions, Linda’s book reveals itself as a comprehensive blueprint for operational readiness. It’s packed with practical strategies that empower firms to run more profitably and efficiently, whether or not a sale is on the horizon. As Linda writes, “a well-run firm isn’t just easier to sell, it’s easier to grow, scale, and live with.” 

Linda’s expertise is extensive. She was a trailblazer in the field of RIA performance reporting during her 17 years running B-Ready Outsourcing Solutions, which she led until its acquisition by Envestnet in 2010. After serving in a leadership role at Envestnet for six years, Linda became Executive Vice President of Operations & Client Service at FolioDynamix―until, in a twist of fate, Envestnet acquired FolioDynamix in 2018. Today, Linda is back in the consulting sphere as the founder of CleverX Consulting, where she delivers fractional executive support and board-level insight to financial services firms and fintech innovators. 

During this far-reaching conversation, Matt and Linda discuss her new book and a wide range of RIA operations and technology topics, including:

To learn more about how Linda works with advisors and operations professionals, please visit https://www.cleverxconsulting.com/

To purchase Linda’s amazing book, click here.

In Episode 79, Matt welcomes two long-time friends and industry experts: Lisa Crafford and Morgan Bell of Constellation Wealth Capital (“CWC”). CWC is a Chicago-based private equity firm founded in 2023 that specializes in making minority investments in growth-oriented wealth management firms across the United States. Lisa and Morgan first met at BNY Mellon Pershing, while consulting for RIAs. Today, Lisa serves as Managing Director, Head of Advisory, and Morgan leads technology consulting at CWC. Matt has long considered both Morgan and Lisa fellow “operations nerds,” and has enjoyed collaborating with them on content aimed at helping operations professionals run better firms. After sharing their career stories, the conversation dives into:

The article, “The Importance of Strategy and How a COO Can Help” can be found here.

Episode 78 dives deep into a challenge many COOs contend with on a daily basis: mastering M&A integration. Matt hosts a dynamic discussion with two former COOs who have recently stepped into groundbreaking roles focused exclusively on business integration: Eric Stephenson and Shelly Kapoor. 

Eric is Managing Director of Integration and Optimization at Pathstone, a firm spanning 22 office locations, 800 employees, and managing over $100 billion of assets for clients.  Shelly is a colleague of Matt’s at Coldstream, where she has taken on the new role of Manager of Business Integration. Coldstream now has approximately $13 billion of AUA, eight office locations, and more than 200 employees. Eric and Shelly explain how they leverage their varied experiences as COOs in their integration work, as well as:

The article, “Growing RIAs Must Focus on Process, Not Technology” can be found here.

Episode 77 finds Matt interviewing two seasoned RIA operators: Brad Cox and Michael Walliser, for an insightful conversation on growth, technology, and collaboration in the wealth management industry. Brad is COO, CCO, and Partner at Diversified Portfolios, Inc., based in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.  The firm was founded in 1993 and has grown to approximately $1.8 billion of client assets, with a team of 19 employees. Michael serves as President and CCO at Condor Capital Wealth Management in Martinsville, New Jersey. Established in 1988, Condor Capital oversees about $2 billion for clients and employs 28 professionals. In this episode, Brad and Michael discuss their 32-year-old study group, the Council of Independent Financial Advisors (“CIFA”), as well as:

To learn more about the Council of Independent Financial Advisors (“CIFA”), please visit: https://www.katiecalaguiconsulting.com/council-of-independent-financial-advisors

We are excited to return to our traditional interview format for Episode 76, but this time with a twist! For the first time, we are interviewing an RIA who is actively searching for a Chief Operating Officer. In this episode, we delve into the responsibilities they envision for their new COO, once hired.

Sage Mountain Advisors, founded in 2018 out of Goldman Sachs, has experienced remarkable growth. Starting with just six employees, the firm has expanded to 25 employees, managing approximately $5.5 billion for their clients. To date, the COO role has been filled by Whitney Imeraj, IACCP®, who also serves as the CCO and Partner of the firm. Whitney has shared many operational duties with Tony Cox, Co-Founder, President, and Chief Investment Officer.

In this episode, Whitney, Tony, and Matt discuss why Sage Mountain believes it is the right time to bring in a new COO, as well as:

To apply for this role and/or to see what a comprehensive COO job description looks like, please see Sage Mountain Advisors’ job posting here.

You can read Matt’s recent article, Smart Hiring for RIAs: Aligning Talent with Team Needs

In the midst of volatile markets and a bustling tax season, Matt faced a unique challenge for Episode 75: he was unable to secure guests for the show. Rather than skipping an episode, he opted for a second monologue in a row, a format he typically reserves for special occasions. While he prefers to spotlight those leading operations at their firms, he chose a topic that resonates deeply with our listeners: leveraging technology to enhance the experiences of both teammates and clients.

Drawing on insights from his recent panel at the RIA Edge Nashville conference, titled Crafting a Memorable Client Experience With WealthTech, and his latest article, Why AI Isn’t Your RIA’s Top Technology Priority, Matt delves into the current landscape of RIA technology. He provides a thoughtful analysis on how to construct a tech strategy that underscores your firm’s value proposition for your ideal clients. Additionally, he discusses Matt Beecher’s compelling article, The Tech You Use Doesn’t Matter, along with several of his own writings on RIA technology.

Key Takeaways from the Episode:

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