The COO Roundtable

With M&A activity at an all-time high and no sign of stopping anytime soon, we take a break from our usual interview format here in Episode 14 and Matt speaks directly to our listeners about the ever-important topic of Buyer Preparation.  For any firm to be a successful buyer in this ultra-competitive M&A market, we believe they first need a strong COO and well-defined back-office systems and workflows, as these are what Sellers are looking for when comparing their options of who to partner with and entrust with their client assets.  With the goal of highlighting the importance of having the proper infrastructure in place before jumping into the M&A game, Matt draws inspiration from Christina Townsend’s recent InvestmentNews article “RIAs: Shopping for M&A Deals?: Better Get Your House in Order First…” Chris Voss’s Never Spit the Difference, and even sprinkles in a little humor with an Old School reference when discussing “capacity, people, and technology.” Matt’s “rant” includes:  

  We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe!   You can listen and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio or Stitcher.   In this episode, Matt discusses many of the previous articles we have written on our blog -- sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.    

In the 13th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Kristi de Grys of Merriman Wealth Management and Larry Miles of AdvicePeriod.  After spending almost two decades in the aerospace industry, Kristi de Grys brings an outside (and strongly analytical) perspective and occupies a role not yet seen on The COO Roundtable—that of the Chief Investment Officer/COO.  Similarly, Larry brings the perspective of a “recovering history and English major” to his role of providing strategic leadership for growth and profitability.  With the goal of highlighting the importance of values & culture when it comes to the  management of a firm, Matt, Kristi, & Larry sit down to discuss how a COO can make the firm’s values the basis for its processes, how to build the right culture for your firm, and more, including:  

  Check out Larry’s book, It’s That Simple: How to Build the Professional Service Firm of the Future, here.   We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe!   You can listen and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio or Stitcher.   Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.  

In the 12th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Mark Tibergien and Karen Novak of BNY Mellon Pershing.*  Mark, CEO, Advisor Solutions, BNY Mellon Pershing is a monumental figure in the RIA space and a true champion of professional management in the RIA industry.  Similarly, Karen has contributed thirty years to the financial services industry, twenty-three of which have been at Pershing, where she serves as Chief Operating Officer, Advisor Solutions, BNY Mellon Pershing.  With the goal of highlighting the importance of professional management when it comes to the COO role, Matt, Mark, and Karen sit down to discuss what key metrics a COO should consider when seeking to execute the vision for the firm and much more, including:  

  We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe!   You can listen and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio or Stitcher.   Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.   *This interview was conducted on November 18th, prior to the Schwab-TD Ameritrade merger announcement on November 21st.

In the eleventh episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Kelli Cruz, CEO of Cruz Consulting and Jim Regitz, Founding Partner and Senior Advisor at Newport Advisory Financial Counsel.  The three professionals discuss the importance of the COO role at growing RIAs, and what led Jim to realize he needed to hire professional management at his firm 2 years ago.  Kelli is a well-known consultant to the wealth management space -- her firm specializes in human resource sourcing and human capital development.  Based in Newport Beach, California, Newport Advisory is an independent wealth management firm that has more than tripled its AUM in the past few years, to over $700 million today.  With the goal of highlighting the importance of the human capital element when it comes to the COO role, Matt, Kelli, and Jim sit down to discuss what characteristics make for a good COO and much more, including:  

  We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe!   You can listen and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio or Stitcher.   Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the tenth episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt takes some time to reflect on some of the highlights and biggest takeaways from the nine content-packed episodes we’ve produced so far and he even finds time to squeeze in a Princess Bride reference!  By focusing on all the unique perspectives that our guests bring to the table—including a number of COOs and operations professionals, as well as CEOs and service providers—we can see how the COO role is multifaceted and can encapsulate so many different responsibilities depending upon the needs of the firm.  Listen in to learn how a COO can be an instrumental part of an RIA’s C-suite through:

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