Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors

Chris Griffith and Henry Wheelwright, rising stars in the wirehouse world, share their growth story and motivations to leave Morgan Stanley and launch their own independent firm on the Goldman Sachs custody platform.

Bryan Sweet of Sweet Financial Partners shares the ultimate independent business growth story, starting with 32 years under the Raymond James BD umbrella, then as an RIA, and most recently selling to Carson Wealth.

What drives the industry’s top advisors and teams? This special episode with Jason and Mindy Diamond explores the traits that drive their success, as well as the challenges they face.

Gerry Spitzer of Questar Capital Partners discusses leaving the wirehouse world after 30 years to launch an independent firm, sharing a perspective of building a business at Merrill and, more recently, UBS, and why focused, niche businesses may be better served in the independent space.

Michael Nathanson shares his vision for Focus, offering a unique insider’s perspective on the firm’s evolution and differentiators, and how that plays into the future of independence. Plus, he offers thoughts on his own transition to CEO and advice for advisors and business leaders.

Tony Smith of Stonegate Investment Group discusses transitioning from UBS after 14 years and $4.4B in AUM to independence and building the business to $6B, including the motivations to make a change at this stage of his career, how they achieved such extraordinary growth in a short time, and much more.

A compendium of advice extracted from 48 episodes of the 2024 season of the Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors, including the importance of your “Why,” the most compelling reasons for change, being a “true” fiduciary, unique value propositions, and more.

A free session on accelerating growth via marketing with one of the leading firms in the wealth management industry. They offer advice on the value of content, the referral process, building strategic partnerships, CRMs and technology, and much more.

Mindy and Louis Diamond’s annual review is designed to provide guidance on the most impactful wealth management industry trends anticipated for 2025 including transitions, deals, comp, private equity, the wirehouse recruiting race, and more.

Mike Quin, a former Market Manager at Wells Fargo, left the wirehouse world to launch DayMark Wealth Partners. Mike offers a candid perspective on his experience and how it motivated him and his team to build an independent firm that is focused on their clients, the strategies behind their extraordinary growth from $1B to $4B, and other valuable lessons for employee advisors and business owners alike.

Steve Brennan, Managing Director and Head of Private Wealth Solutions from one of the leading private markets firms offers a unique perspective on the space, including how democratized access has helped foster growth beyond the wirehouses, the impact on an advisor’s business, innovations and trends, and much more.

Louis Diamond offers a perspective for UBS advisors on the firm’s compensation plan changes announced on November 21. It’s an episode for advisors who are curious about the updates and how they can use this knowledge to make informed decisions.

Jason and Louis Diamond explore strategies for maximizing enterprise value, whether or not an advisor plans to move. Learn actionable insights, key business practices, short-term vs. long-term tactics, and real-world examples.

Allan Boomer, the CIO of Momentum Advisors, shares his journey from a working-class background to an internship at Merrill and later landing at Goldman. In this episode, he discusses leaving Goldman to gain the ability to act as a true fiduciary in independence, the role of diversity as his “superpower,” his vision for a “100-year business,” his focus on long-term growth, and more.

Susan McKenna, CEO of eMoney, explores the fintech firm’s evolution, competitive edge, and the role of technology in wealth management. She discusses how eMoney’s tools foster client conversations and enhance experiences, shares insights on the future, and more.

Dylan O’Shea offers a unique perspective from a growing advisor with a long runway who could have easily opted for a transition check but instead chose independence. He discusses why he joined Quorum Private Wealth, the value of their shared vision, infrastructure, and more.

Advisors often face the fear of the unknown, feeling dissatisfied but stuck in “what ifs.” Erin Rocchio, coach and Managing Partner at Evolution, joins Mindy Diamond to share strategies that help advisors break free of this inertia, acknowledge fear, and open their minds to transformational change.

Many advisors are drawn to independence for the control and equity-building potential it offers, yet find themselves wondering if monetization in the short term might be the better way to go. Jason Diamond and Mindy Diamond provide insights and guidelines to help advisors navigate these choices with strategies to assess factors like growth, profitability, succession planning, and short- vs. long-term goals.

Realizing common behavior gaps led Carl Richards to explore ways to simplify financial concepts and processes for clients. As a result, he’s become an industry thought leader who offers a unique perspective on the true value of an advisor and how to access that to better serve clients and foster growth.

Nate Harris recognized that the firm he first built his business at no longer aligned with what he deemed as his North Star. After extensive soul searching and due diligence, he decided to leave his team at Merrill and opted for the independent broker dealer model, which he felt would allow him to achieve all he desired and then some.

Justin Berman shows that change is constant. After leaving Goldman Sachs in 2010 and growing his business from $1B to $5B in 10 years, he sought greater impact. He merged with Cresset Asset Management, boosting revenue from $17M to $27M in just 3 years.

Three Merrill breakaways offer unique perspectives on the process of considering change, life outside the wirehouse, and filling the gaps that one might experience when leaving a big brand name behind to become an independent business owner.

Jason Diamond turns the tables on Mindy who offers a first-hand glimpse into her book, Should I Stay or Should I Go?, created specifically for financial advisors who are looking to optimize their businesses or thinking through the biggest decision of their lives.

Gordon “Gordy” Abel from Dynasty Financial Partners offers perspectives on why marketing matters, how to create and leverage a brand, the key aspects of an effective value proposition, and more for employees of an established firm or someone just launching a new independent entity.

The “affiliation channel slide” has become a common path for many employee advisors seeking independence. Jason Andrews and Ross Bauer of Merritt Point Wealth Advisors share a story demonstrating how their transition from Wells Fargo PCG to FiNet resulted in tremendous growth opportunities.

Industry coach John Bowen demonstrates how building and fostering the development of your “Dream Team” can be the game changer your business is waiting for. It’s an episode that serves as a free coaching session with actionable advice for employee advisors and business owners alike.

Using the Diamond Consultants trademark data-driven analysis and insights on recruiting and deals, Louis and Jason Diamond share a “state of the recruiting industry” report for the first half of 2024, with perspectives on what to expect for the rest of the year. 

Matt Brown discusses the founding of CAIS and his vision to democratize alternatives (alts) investing and open up access to firms of all sizes. He shares how technology helped transform the independent space and provides an extraordinary growth engine for firms. Plus, he offers his thoughts in the inaugural Founder’s Blueprint segment.

The first breakaway team to join Beacon Pointe Advisors offers a perspective on change at the wirehouses, the value of being a true fiduciary, the responsibility to a client and advisor’s business on serving an expanding list of client needs, taking a long-term look at the business, and much more.

Succession and monetization are hot topics for advisors in every model. LPL Financial’s Liquidity and Succession program representatives discuss what advisors, independent business owners, and next gens need to consider as they grow their businesses and explore long-term and short-term options, plus best practices to prepare for a transition and maximize business value.

Jeff Brown wore many hats in his career as he transitioned his book of business from the wirehouses to independence. Yet a nagging “what if” feeling inspired him to conduct strategic due diligence, leading him first to sell a minority stake in his business and later a majority stake. Now, as President of Stratos Private Wealth, he shares a unique journey.

Duncan MacPherson from Pareto Systems offers actionable advice for financial advisors looking to unlock greater value in all that they do to build their business. It’s like having a free session on growth with one of the best coaches in the business.

Dustin Cali and Daniel Ventura of Praetego Private Wealth broke away to: Build a business designed for the future, poised for growth and scale, with the freedom to serve clients’ unique needs.

Expert industry attorney Corey Kupfer offers advice to all advisors, whether considering change or not, including perspectives on contractual obligations and potential landmines one might encounter in a move, plus how to prepare your business for change, with actionable best practices to adopt today.

In a world managed to the lowest common denominator and driven by heavy-handed compliance, every employee advisor is vulnerable. In this episode, Mindy and Louis break it all down, share warning signs all advisors should pay attention to and proactive steps an advisor can take to protect themselves.

Building a firm from $120mm in assets to over $7.5B in just 6 years is an incredible feat. Mike Dolberg describes how he and the team at Apollon recognized the value of culture, partnership, and the freedom to serve clients—and how that realization ultimately drove their astounding success.

After a dozen years in the wirehouse world, Reza Zamani began to recognize the limitations inherent to the model. So in 2012, he left to launch SteelPeak Wealth with $250mm in AUM. Today, they manage $3B and have 20 advisors on their team. Reza discusses how the decision to break away led to tremendous growth.

Since his last visit on the show 5 years ago, Rob Nelson’s NorthRock Partners has grown exponentially, serving a high net worth client base of professional athletes, entrepreneurs, and corporate executives. Rob offers valuable lessons derived from finding the “clearest path to excellence” for his clients and the NorthRock team.

The Director of Business Development and Growth, Ed Friedman, shares the secret sauce driving Summit’s growth surge. It’s a perspective on the evolved independent space, with actionable advice on culture, outsourcing, the value of minority investors, and other essential insights for advisors and business owners.

Attorney Matt Baum breaks down the facts on the latest FTC Noncompete Rule, the potential impact on an advisor’s business, current agreements, the ability to transition, and more.

In building a $1B business at Wells, Angie Ostendarp and Jordan Raniszeski realized they had outgrown the model, which limited their ability to serve their clients and continue their growth trajectory. They share why supported independence was the right fit and how it’s changed their path toward the future.

In looking for “better ways” to foster growth and solve for other long-term goals, advisors need to weigh the value of pain vs. gain when it comes to a transition. In this special episode, Mindy and Louis Diamond share a process for answering the seminal question: Is change really worth it?

Brent and Brad Chappell share unique perspectives as next gens of a business conceived by their father decades ago at Merrill. They offer insightful thoughts about family dynamics and succession, the value of mentors and education, what it takes to build a $1B wealth management business, and more.

Listen in for an insightful and revealing look into advisors’ minds and what really makes them happy, based on data from the latest Kitces survey. Learn the motivations and drivers that lead not only to success but to a better quality of life.

In a more competitive and commoditized world, it’s critical to leverage any advantage available to be more intentional and thoughtful in managing and growing your business. This episode takes a deep dive into John Bowen’s latest report to identify action items to help advisors get started on a new path to thinking about delivering exactly what clients want.

What motivated the founders of Holistic Planning to leave Edward Jones, a firm their family built a business at over more than four decades? They discuss their thought process, the transition, and the growth opportunities they are now experiencing.

Dan Seivert of ECHELON Partners offers perspective to help advisors better understand their business’s value drivers and how to maximize each, even if you aren’t interested in going independent or selling your business.

In the Advisor Transition Report’s companion podcast episode, Louis and Jason Diamond explore the key takeaways and their anticipated influence on activity during 2024 and beyond.

Brett Bernstein realized that he could not achieve his vision and goals within the wirehouse world. So he set out to build his own practice. When he outgrew that, he built a firm. Now, he’s building an enterprise.

A breakdown of the steps advisors can take to prepare for change and enhance business processes, equally effective for those at the curiosity stage or even deep into due diligence, and whether you ultimately make a move or not.