Podcast
RIA+
Hosted by Mark Bruno · EN
RIA+ is a podcast for leaders of large, enterprise Registered Investment Advisory firms. Specifically, RIA+ provides insights into how some of the most successful RIAs are creating, maintaining and accelerating growth - while also ensuring their firms are appropriately developing talent and creating businesses that are culturally set up for long-term success.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
From Data to Decisions: Building an AI-Ready RIA
3w ago00:39:32Tap to summarizeEvery wealth management firm is talking about AI - yet only a few are truly prepared to capitalize on it. Emigrant's Mark Bruno sits down with Addepar's Janeen France in this episode of RIA+ to discuss the foundational work required before AI can deliver meaningful value. Their conversation covers data strategy, operational readiness, leadership, and the cultural shifts that separate firms experimenting with AI from those building sustainable competitive advantages through smarter technology and better organizational execution.
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Ray Sclafani's 10% Rule: Turbocharging Your Organic Growth (Part 2)
Jun 1500:35:58Tap to summarizeIt's been well-documented and researched: While valuations in the RIA industry have skyrocketed over the last decade, the large majority of firms are not proactively growing. Organic growth rates remain anemic when the opportunity to acquire new clients has arguably never been greater. In this episode of RIA+, Ray Sclafani, the Founder and CEO of Clientwise, comes back to the podcast for a deeper dive into his "10% Rule." Ray argues that RIAs should be targeting 10% increase in net new assets or revenues each year - an aggressive, but achievable goal with the right strategy, structure and growth architecture.
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Reinventing the Model: Jim Dickson on the Future of Partnership
May 500:31:58Tap to summarizeWhat if today’s RIA partnership models aren’t solving the right problems? In this episode of RIA+, Jim Dickson explains to Emigrant's Mark Bruno why he launched Elevation Point in 2024 and the structural gaps he believes exist across the advisory landscape. He outlines the specific challenges advisors face around growth, alignment, and support after they go independent —and why traditional aggregators and PE-backed models often fall short. Jim and Mark also touch on the exceptional growth Elevation Point has shared since partnering with Emigrant in May 2025, what success looks like for partner firms, and how leaders should think about capital, control, and scalability in a rapidly evolving wealth management environment.
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The “Dangerous Middle” — And How RIAs Can Scale Through It
Mar 2300:56:39Tap to summarizeEmigrant Partners' Mark Bruno sits down with Andrew Leonard, founder of Geometric, to explore what true specialization looks like in the RIA space. By focusing exclusively on partners at the top management consulting firms, Geometric has built a differentiated, fast-growing firm rooted in expertise and discipline. Andrew discusses organic growth, navigating the “dangerous middle,” hiring ahead of scale, and why clarity of client—and saying no—are the real drivers of success.
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Differentiation by Design: One-on-one with Abacus Wealth Partners' Neela Hummel
Feb 1200:44:52Tap to summarizeWhile there are thousands of RIAs, only a small portion have truly differentiated their businesses and their "why" in a way that allows them to create a unique brand identity. Abacus Wealth Partners, led by CEO Neela Hummel, has grown to over $3 billion in AUM by ensuring the firm - no matter how large it becomes - stays true to its core values and identity. Abacus was the first certified B-Corp in financial services, and Neela shares with Emigrant's Mark Bruno how this has allowed the firm to speak directly to a targeted segment of investors - and employees - and "differentiate by design."
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The Big Picture: How AI Will Re-Shape the Business of Wealth Management
Dec 1600:53:30Tap to summarizeThis episode of RIA+ provides a macro view of how artificial intelligence is likely to transform the business of the wealth management business. Neil Abromovage and Abbe Galvez Cordon from TD Securities sat down with Mark Bruno to share their big picture perspective on how AI will change the profitability of wealth management firms, influence valuations and M&A activity - and provide deeper access to investment opportunities across the wealth and asset management ecosystems.
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An RIA Marketing Playbook: How Three Top RIAs are Re-Writing the Rules of Advisor Marketing
Oct 1500:55:18Tap to summarizeIn this episode of RIA+, Emigrant's Mark Bruno interviews three of the top marketers in the RIA industry: Michelle Panzera, Director of Marketing at Evensky & Katz | Foldes; Tyler Resh, Chief Growth Officer at SteelPeak Wealth Management; and Michele Welsh, Chief Marketing Officer at Verdence Capital Advisors. This wide-ranging episode covers their personal journeys into their current roles, while also exploring their unique approaches to brand marketing - and individual advisor marketing - within their respective firms. Michele, Tyler and Michelle also shared their top marketing priorities of 2025, while previewing what will be in focus for 2026. This episode is a must-listen for any RIA trying to figure out how to 'crack the code' and drive consistent, high-quality organic growth across their organization.
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The 10% Rule: The New Rule of Organic Growth (Part 1)
Aug 13, 202500:32:51Tap to summarizeRay Sclafani, Founder & CEO of Clientwise, joins Emigrant Partners' Mark Bruno on this episode of RIA+ for some "real talk" about organic growth. More specifically, Ray and Mark discuss what meaningful organic growth targets should look like, how firms should be approaching growth from new and existing clients - and what technology is needed to supported consistent growth.
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How Artificial Intelligence is Re-Shaping the Business of Wealth Management
Jul 17, 202500:42:29Tap to summarizeIncreasingly, RIAs are embracing Artificial Intelligence as more firms look for ways to improve their productivity and efficiency - and particularly as more purpose-built tools enter the RIA marketplace. In this episode of RIA+, Emigrant's Mark Bruno sits down with Parker Ence, CEO of Jump, to discuss how firms have been leveraging the technology company's AI note-taking and virtual assistant capabilities. In addition, they discuss how AI is also being used to improved data collection, client communication - and referrals - and what lies ahead for Jump as it continues to make significant investments in its technology and team.
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Pure Financial Advisors: Aligning an Organic Growth Machine with Strategic M&A
Jun 26, 202500:26:47Tap to summarizePure Financial Advisors is widely recognized across the RIA industry as an organic growth machine. But the firm also closed two significant acquisitions in the first several months of 2025, and has now completed six deals in its history. In this episode, CEO Joe Anderson and CFO Jason Carver talked with Emigrant's Mark Bruno about Pure's M&A strategy, what they look for when evaluating alignment and fit - and ultimately, how Pure is taking a unique approach to blending organic and inorganic growth strategies.
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