Among the most influential people in the industry are the researchers, economists and consultants whose work shapes the way advisors do business these days. Whether shattering long-held beliefs like the 4% withdrawal rule or breaking new ground with behavioral finance and the next generation of advisors, the people featured here are supporting advisors with vital research to improve their practices.
Others, like Elliot Weissbluth and Mohamed El-Erian, are leading firms with unique business models and that interpret behavioral finance to understand how it applies to investment strategy and client relationships.
The Alliance for Registered Investment AdvisorsClockwise from top left: John Furey, principal, Advisor Growth Strategies; John Burns, principal, Exencial Wealth Management; Jeff Concepcion, CEO, Stratos Wealth Partners; Ron Carson, CEO, Carson Wealth Management Group; Brent Brodeski, CEO, Savant Capital; Neal Simon, CEO of Highline Wealth Management; Matt Cooper, president, Beacon Pointe Wealth Advisors
Individually, the names that make up the Alliance for Registered Investment Advisors (aRIA) are impressive; together they form a powerhouse of industry thinkers bringing valuable practice management research to independent and wirehouse advisors.
"As an industry, we don't talk enough about who's doing transactions and deals," Furey, aRIA's managing member, told Investment Advisor. "Our group is doing deals, and then we're sharing our knowledge for free with the industry. We're walking our talk because transactions are happening, and we're proud of that."
Read more about aRIA here.
Angie HerbersFounder, Angie Herbers, Inc.
When she started her company 12 years ago, Angie Herbers envisioned a research firm that provided some consultative work. Today, it's a prominent consulting firm with a distinct research division that supports the solutions developed by Herbers and her team at Angie Herbers Inc.
One of those solutions is to a problem Herbers has been describing for some time. "I have been talking about a coming talent shortage in the industry for years," she told Investment Advisor. "Now, we are at a serious crisis stage of the talent shortage. In order for any advisory firm to keep their growth momentum, they absolutely have to be able to attract talent to serve the clients they add."
Read more about Angie Herbers here.
Elliot WeissbluthCo-Founder/CEO, HighTower Advisors
HighTower Advisors' unique business model is just one aspect of what sets the firm apart. Elliot Weissbluth, the firm's co-founder and CEO, compared the future prospects of wirehouse firms and independent firms like his. "Do the incumbent firms servicing the majority of investors have the prescience and the commitment to invest and change their businesses" to meet the needs of the next generation of investors? "No," he told Investment Advisor, because the independent firms "are significantly ahead in innovative technology and solutions, and the big firms are playing catch-up and may never catch up."
Read more about Elliot Weissbluth here.
Mark Tibergien
Michael Finke
Mohamed El-Erian
Olivia Mellan
