Sponsored By

Powering the business IQ of the RIA industry.

RIA Edge Podcast: Halbert Hargrove’s JC Abusaid on Building the ‘RIA of Choice’RIA Edge Podcast: Halbert Hargrove’s JC Abusaid on Building the ‘RIA of Choice’

JC Abusaid provides a roadmap for other RIA firms to learn from and follow as they look to expand their talent base.

Mark Bruno, Managing Director, Wealth Management

July 11, 2023

Sponsored by

schwab-advisor-services-ria-edge-logo.png

Building an RIA firm that can successfully attract, retain and develop top talent—and ultimately become the “RIA of choice” in a specific market—is no easy feat. But one firm, Halbert Hargrove, for years has been building bridges from G1 to G2 and even G3 talent. In the process the firm’s experiences has created a bit of a roadmap for other RIA firms to learn from and follow as they look to expand their talent base. 

In this episode of the RIA Edge podcast, JC Abusaid, the president and CEO of Halbert Hargrove, talks with Mark Bruno, managing director, wealth management at Informa Connect, about the key lessons learned from the firm’s organic growth and human capital growth. Specifically, Mark and JC discuss:

  •  The importance of internships and structured programs to develop talent

  •  Designing a firm that is structured to grow organically—with consistency—across the organization

  •  The importance of advanced succession planning

  •  How firms can successfully expand their networks and attract new talent

Resources:

 RIA Edge Podcast

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With GUEST:

About Our Guest:

As CEO and President of Halbert Hargrove, JC is guiding the firm confidently into the future. Execution and operational excellence are his bywords; we consider him our glue. He formally took the helm of CEO in December 2021. For many years, working alongside Chairman and HH founder Russ Hill, JC has had the privilege to be involved in most facets of the firm, and has enjoyed being part of HH’s growth and success.

JC enjoys the dynamic nature of his role: “I like solving big challenges,” he says. He joined HH as Operations Manager in 1996 and was named President and Chief Operating Officer in 2010.

JC earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Finance emphasis from the Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Administracion in Bogota, Colombia, and his MBA from University of Redlands School of Business. He was awarded the ACCREDITED INVESTMENT FIDUCIARY™ designation by the University of Pittsburgh-affiliated Center for Fiduciary Studies.

In 2016, JC was part of Stanford University’s pioneer cohort in earning a LEAD Certificate in Corporate Innovation from Stanford Graduate School of Business. In 2021, he was again part of an inaugural class, this time in taking part in BlackRock’s first Emerging Leader Lab.

 

Listen to the RIA Edge Podcast

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.