The COO Roundtable

With Episode 91, Matt sits down with Claire O'Keefe, Partner and Head of Partner Development at Cerity Partners, for a solo conversation that breaks from the show's usual two-guest format. Founded in 2009, Cerity Partners is a national RIA with approximately 1,800 team members managing roughly $1.4 trillion in client assets. Claire sits on the firm's Executive and Operating Committees and leads its M&A conversations with potential partners, giving her a rare vantage point into hundreds of RIAs across the country. Claire and Matt dig into what it takes to manage and evaluate an RIA at scale, touching on:

The views and opinions expressed by guests on The COO Roundtable are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Coldstream Wealth Management. Guest statements regarding their firms, including assets under management and business performance, have not been independently verified by Coldstream.

With Episode 90, Matt welcomes Giselle Crout, COO at Corvus Wealth Advisors, and Brent Lee, Partner and COO at Dodds Wealth. Corvus Wealth Advisors is headquartered in San Luis Obispo, with a second office in Templeton, CA. The firm manages approximately $1 billion in client assets and has 20 employees. Dodds Wealth, an LPL-affiliated firm, has offices in Denver and Colorado Springs, CO, manages approximately $800 million for clients, and employs 15 team members. Giselle, Brent, and Matt dig into what it takes to manage an RIA through that critical growth stretch around $1 billion in AUM, touching on:

The views and opinions expressed by guests on The COO Roundtable are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Coldstream Wealth Management. Guest statements regarding their firms, including assets under management and business performance, have not been independently verified by Coldstream.

While Episode 89 clocks in at 43 minutes, you are going to want to allocate 86 minutes so you can listen to it twice! Livia Ramirez and Stephen de Man offer actionable advice that can be incorporated at your firm today. Both Regional Directors and Vice Presidents in Dimensional Fund Advisors’ practice management division, Livia and Stephen have a front-row seat to what’s working, and not working, at RIAs today.  They work closely with RIAs of all sizes to make their firms more efficient and profitable.  Livia, Stephen, and Matt dive into:

A few articles Matt has written about topics discussed during this episode:

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The views and opinions expressed by guests on The COO Roundtable are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Coldstream Wealth Management. Guest statements regarding their firms, including assets under management and business performance, have not been independently verified by Coldstream. Dimensional Fund Advisors is among the asset managers whose funds Coldstream may recommend or utilize in client portfolios. Coldstream employees attend educational events and may use practice management resources offered by Dimensional and other asset managers, in some cases including sponsor coverage of travel-related expenses. Neither Coldstream nor its guests received compensation in connection with this episode.

With Episode 88, Matt welcomes Bryant Hicks, Partner and Director of Operations at JFG Family Office, and Tim Feeney, FPQP®, Operations Manager at Bridgewater Advisors. JFG Family Office is headquartered in Denver, CO, with additional offices in Washington, DC, and Dallas, TX. The firm manages approximately $5 billion in client assets and has 62 employees, 22 of whom have joined in the past 18 months. Bridgewater Advisors is located in New York City, manages approximately $2.8 billion for clients, and employs 25 team members. Bryant, Tim, and Matt pull back the curtain on what it really takes to scale an RIA, touching on:

The views and opinions expressed by guests on The COO Roundtable are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Coldstream Wealth Management. Guest statements regarding their firms, including assets under management and business performance, have not been independently verified by Coldstream.

*The Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional™ and FPQP® are trademarks or registered service marks of the College for Financial Planning in the United States and/or other countries.

In this episode, Matt welcomes two dynamic operations leaders: Grace Balestrieri, Senior Director of Client Experience Operations at Brighton Jones, and Vince Nauheimer, Chief Operating Officer of OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners. Brighton Jones, headquartered in Seattle, WA, was founded in 1999 and recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Today, the firm manages approximately $30 billion in client assets across 22 offices nationwide. OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners traces its roots to the mid-1980s, when it was focused on insurance. The firm launched its RIA in 2015 with approximately $3 billion in client assets and has since grown to nearly $16 billion across 20 offices nationwide. Grace, Vince, and Matt enjoy a wide-ranging conversation that includes:

The views and opinions expressed by guests on The COO Roundtable are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Coldstream Wealth Management. Guest statements regarding their firms, including assets under management and business performance, have not been independently verified by Coldstream.

In this episode, Matt is joined by Dawn Claussen, Chief Operating Officer at Mutual Group, and Michael Young, President and Managing Partner at Integrated Advisors Network. Mutual Group specializes in providing operational, strategic, and advisory support to financial service firms. Their goal is to help organizations optimize their processes, scale efficiently, and focus on what they do best―serving clients. Integrated Advisors Network is a collaborative platform for independent financial advisors. They provide resources, technology, and support to help advisors grow their businesses while maintaining their independence and delivering exceptional service to their clients. Dawn and Michael share expertise in helping firms define their growth strategies, identifying their ideal clients, and serving those clients more effectively.  The conversation dives deep into essential topics for growing and scaling businesses, including:

The views and opinions expressed by guests on The COO Roundtable are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Coldstream Wealth Management. Guest statements regarding their firms, including assets under management and business performance, have not been independently verified by Coldstream.

Matt welcomes Josh Brier, Chief Operating Officer of Connecticut Wealth Management, and Aldo Tarantini, Managing Director and former Director of Operations at Family Management Corporation. Connecticut Wealth Management, founded in 2010 out of an accounting business, recently celebrated its 15th anniversary. Today, the firm manages approximately $5 billion of client assets with a team of 70 employees. Family Management Corporation, based in New York City, began in 1989 as a family office for the two founders. Since then, it has grown to manage approximately $5 billion in client assets with a lean team of 23 professionals. After sharing their professional journeys and backgrounds, Josh, Aldo, and Matt explore a range of impactful topics, including:

The views and opinions expressed by guests on The COO Roundtable are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Coldstream Wealth Management. Guest statements regarding their firms, including assets under management and business performance, have not been independently verified by Coldstream.

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: