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RIA Edge Podcast: DFA’s Catherine Williams on 2023 RIA M&A GamechangersRIA Edge Podcast: DFA’s Catherine Williams on 2023 RIA M&A Gamechangers

Uncover the latest trends shaping the M&A sphere in 2023, driving strategic decisions and future success.

Mark Bruno, Managing Director, Wealth Management

September 5, 2023

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In this RIA Edge episode, Mark Bruno, managing director of the wealth management group at Informa, talks with Catherine Williams, head of practice management at Dimensional Fund Advisors, about the changes in the M&A landscape and the noticeable shifts compared to previous years due to market challenges, changing talent dynamics and client demands. Notably, deal valuations remain strong, but deal structures are becoming more flexible to help sellers rebound from market disruptions.

Specifically, Mark and Catherine discuss:

  • Changes in deal-making and deal structures—and how they are impacting buyers and sellers.

  • M&A as a tool to drive growth and regional expansion.

  • Talent-focused deals where acquiring talent is a priority, addressing demographic shifts and ensuring sustainable growth.

  • The pace and outlook for RIA M&A deal activity in 2024 and beyond.

Resources:

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About Our Guest:

Catherine Williams is Head of Practice Management at Dimensional. Based in the Charlotte office, Catherine delivers benchmarking and practice management insights to advisors. Prior to joining Dimensional, she spent more than 20 years in the investment industry, including serving as chief operating officer for a large RIA. Most recently, Catherine offered strategic and executive coaching to investment advisors as an executive business coach with the Carson Group and as vice president of practice management and consulting with Fidelity Investments.

Catherine studied broadcast journalism and has focused her professional learning on leadership development, which includes coursework through Babson Executive Education. She has served as an advisory board member for the Center for Investment and Wealth Management at the UCI Paul Merage School of Business, and as a coach/mentor for the G2 Leadership Institute. Catherine hosts the Dimensional podcast series Managing Your Practice, which was created to provide insights that help advisors with all aspects of their businesses.

 

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About the Author

Mark Bruno

Managing Director, Wealth Management, Informa Connect

Mark Bruno is Managing Director, Wealth Management at Informa Connect. In his role, Mr. Bruno leads the company’s Wealth Management media and event properties, which currently consists of WealthManagement.com, Inside ETFs and Inside WealthStack. He is also charged with driving several innovative new community and advisor-based initiatives, including the launch of the new RIA Edge podcast, event and webcast series.

In addition, Mr. Bruno is overseeing strategic partnerships and acquisitions to accelerate Informa’s growth within the financial advisor and wealth management communities. Mr. Bruno brings over 20 years of experience in the wealth management and asset management industries to Informa, including prominent leadership roles in industry media, research, and consulting organizations.

Before joining Informa Connect, Mr. Bruno was a Managing Director at ECHELON Partners, where he provided investment banking, consulting and valuation services to wealth managers. Mr. Bruno specialized in helping RIAs with a range of strategic initiatives, and his areas of expertise include organizational design and assessments, compensation consulting and succession and continuity solutions.

Prior to joining ECHELON, Mr. Bruno was the Managing Director and Associate Publisher at InvestmentNews, where he was responsible for overseeing a wide range of businesses, including IN’s research, content strategy, digital, custom publishing and sales groups. Mr. Bruno was with InvestmentNews for 12 years and helped establish the company as the leading B2B media brand in the wealth management industry. He played an integral role in the sale of InvestmentNews from Crain Communication to Bonhill Plc in 2018.

Mr. Bruno is an award-winning journalist, author and researcher who has written and edited for a number of financial publications over the past two decades, including InvestmentNews, Financial Week, Pensions & Investments and U.S. Banker. Mr. Bruno has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Chicago Tribune for his expertise in wealth and investment management. Mr. Bruno has received numerous accolades for his writing and reporting, including the American Business Media's prestigious Jesse H. Neal Award, and for his breaking news coverage and analysis of the financial services industry by The Society of American Business Editors and Writers. Mr. Bruno is the author of Save Now or Die Trying: Achieving Long-Term Wealth In Your 20s and 30s, one of the top-selling retirement planning books of 2007.