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RIA Edge: Thrivent Advisor Network's Carolyn Armitage on True Drivers of Growth in the RIA SpaceRIA Edge: Thrivent Advisor Network's Carolyn Armitage on True Drivers of Growth in the RIA Space

The head of Thrivent Advisor Network discusses the key findings of the RIA Edge study.

Mark Bruno, Managing Director, Wealth Management

April 19, 2022

 

schwab-advisor-services-ria-edge-logo.pngSponsored by Schwab Advisor Services

 

When it comes to business growth within the M&A space, you must be strategic in development while acquiring companies that fit your business model.

In this episode, Mark Bruno, managing director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Carolyn Armitage, CFP, CIMA, head of Thrivent Advisor Network, about the key findings from the RIA Edge study, focusing on developments within the M&A industry and how financial advisors’ vision for the future impacts their strategies for business growth through M&As.

Mark and Carolyn discuss:

  • The RIA edge study and historical growth rates and growth expectations for RIA firms over the next several years; 

  • Talent acquisition and the role that human capital can play in driving growth; 

  • What steps are necessary to solve wealth management’s widespread succession problem and the differences between an internal transaction versus an external sale;

  • What is the role of TAN as a buyer in today’s marketplace and how are they a differentiator for financial advisors in the industry; and

  • The qualitative versus quantitative fit when looking at Advisors to enhance the Thrivent Advisor Network business.

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.