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RIA Edge Podcast: Abacus Wealth’s Neela Hummel on Strategically Building a $4.4B RIARIA Edge Podcast: Abacus Wealth’s Neela Hummel on Strategically Building a $4.4B RIA

Neela Hummel shares how Abacus has embraced diversity, creating a culture of inclusivity that has helped power the RIA's growth and expansion.

Mark Bruno, Managing Director, Wealth Management

February 9, 2022

 

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Not many CEOs of multi-billion-dollar RIAs started out as an intern at the firm they are now running. Even fewer have followed that career path to the top of a $4.4 billion RIA that boasts over 70 employers. 

That’s the story of Neela Hummel, co-CEO of Abacus Wealth Partners, who recently took over atop the firm alongside Mary Beth Storjohann. In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, Mark Bruno, managing director of the Wealth Management Group at Informa, talks with Neela about her path and new position at Abacus. Neela also shares how Abacus has embraced diversity within the company, creating a culture of inclusivity that has helped power Abacus’ growth and expansion. 

Mark and Neela discuss:

  • How Abacus has recruited a high percentage of female advisors and how it aligns with the clients that they serve today;

  • The evolution of roles within the company as it has grown;

  • How Abacus has approached M&A and assessed cultural fits; and

  • How the advisor-client dynamic has changed in recent years and where it will go in the near future.

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.

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