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Financial Advisor Success

Financial Advisor Success

Michael Kitces 491 Episodes Jul 21, 2026

The Financial Advisor Success podcast features real success stories and insights from top financial advisors and industry consultants. It offers a behind-the-scenes look at building a successful advisory business, covering the highs and lows of growing a firm. The show aims to help new and experienced advisors break through barriers and achieve their desired level of success. Additional resources are available at the Nerd's Eye View blog on Kitces.com.

Episodes

Ep 499: 4Xing To $200M AUM In 4 Years While Staying Lean By Leveraging AI, Technology, And Outsourcing All You Can Let Go Of with Ryan Townsley
Ep 499: 4Xing To $200M AUM In 4 Years While Staying Lean By Leveraging AI, Technology, And Outsourcing All You Can Let Go Of with Ryan Townsley Jul 21, 2026 01:30:07 Scaling a financial advisory practice often forces a choice between capping growth or building a large, people-heavy infrastructure. Today's guest challenges that conventional wisdom, pulling back the curtain on how he scaled his firm to nearly $2 million in revenue with only one recent full-time hire. Ryan Townsley is the owner of Town Capital, an RIA based in Bel Air, Maryland, that oversees app
Ep 498: Hiring A COO And Creating Partnership Paths Early To Drive Enterprise Value On The Path To $3B AUM with Christine DeMao
Ep 498: Hiring A COO And Creating Partnership Paths Early To Drive Enterprise Value On The Path To $3B AUM with Christine DeMao Jul 14, 2026 01:29:56 Passing the torch to next-gen leaders requires more than paperwork; it demands deep cultural investment, transparent career pathing, and a training ground for collective decision-making. Today's guest highlights the profound personal and corporate transformations that happen when a firm commits to cultivating sustainable human capital. Christine DeMao is the COO of Gibson Capital, a $3B national R
Ep 497: Growing From Solo To Siloed Partnership To A $3.3B Enterprise Ensemble (Without Taking Outside Capital) with Shane Morrow
Ep 497: Growing From Solo To Siloed Partnership To A $3.3B Enterprise Ensemble (Without Taking Outside Capital) with Shane Morrow Jul 7, 2026 01:29:57 Evolving a financial advisory practice is less about individual client ownership and more about aligning multiple practices under a unified corporate mission. Today's guest pulls back the curtain on the operational, cultural, and logistical realities of transforming a decentralized partnership into a centralized enterprise ensemble. Shane Morrow is the CEO of Iron Bridge Wealth Counsel, a hybrid
Ep 496: Lessons Learned From Building A $60B Advisory Enterprise with Shannon Eusey
Ep 496: Lessons Learned From Building A $60B Advisory Enterprise with Shannon Eusey Jun 30, 2026 01:29:57 Scaling a financial advisory firm from a startup with no clients into a national enterprise managing tens of billions of dollars: Today's guest offers practical insights into scaling, whether you're building an advisory firm or leading a growing organization, without losing sight of people, purpose, and client service. Shannon Eusey is the Chairman and Co-Founder of Beacon Pointe Advisors, one o
Ep 495: Scaling To $3.5M Of (Flat-Fee) Revenue by Leaning into A Unique Retirement Income Approach with Bradley Clark
Ep 495: Scaling To $3.5M Of (Flat-Fee) Revenue by Leaning into A Unique Retirement Income Approach with Bradley Clark Jun 23, 2026 01:39:56 What does it take to build a successful advisory firm using a flat-fee model instead of charging based on assets under management? And how can advisors scale effectively while still delivering highly personalized retirement income planning and maintaining strong client relationships?  Bradley Clark is the founder of Clark Asset Management, a remote RIA overseeing $1.6 billion in assets under ma
Ep 494: Training Next-Gen Advisors In Business Development By Getting Really Clear About Who They Serve And How They Help with Kristin Harad
Ep 494: Training Next-Gen Advisors In Business Development By Getting Really Clear About Who They Serve And How They Help with Kristin Harad Jun 16, 2026 01:29:20 What does it take for next-generation advisors to become confident in business development without feeling overly sales-focused? And how can they build stronger relationships, have more authentic conversations, and generate warmer leads over time? Kristin Harad is the founder of Full Advisor Coaching, a marketing and coaching firm for financial advisors that teaches all of that and more. In this
Ep 493: Growing To $350M AUM By Putting Client Cash Flow At The Center Of The Planning Process with David Mozeika
Ep 493: Growing To $350M AUM By Putting Client Cash Flow At The Center Of The Planning Process with David Mozeika Jun 9, 2026 01:29:40 Budgeting – less about rigid restrictions, more about changing mindsets on using income effectively. Today's guest shares a different approach to financial planning: one that focuses less on restricting spending and more on creating intentional systems that help clients save automatically and use their income more effectively. David Mozeika is the founder of TOMORO, an RIA based in Red Bank, N
Ep 492: Getting Your (Virtual) Team's Best Work Through Steward Leadership On The Growth Path To $500M with Mary Chapman
Ep 492: Getting Your (Virtual) Team's Best Work Through Steward Leadership On The Growth Path To $500M with Mary Chapman Jun 2, 2026 01:30:21 It takes intentionality to build a thriving hybrid workplace without losing accountability, culture, or client experience. In this FASuccess, Mary shares how she has successfully blended remote flexibility with high standards by applying the principles of steward leadership.  Mary Chapman is the chief operating officer of Cummings Wealth Management Group, a hybrid advisory firm based in Charlest
Ep 491: Earning Premium Planning Fees By Demonstrating Hard-Dollar Tax Savings For Business Owner Clients with Patrick Lonergan
Ep 491: Earning Premium Planning Fees By Demonstrating Hard-Dollar Tax Savings For Business Owner Clients with Patrick Lonergan May 26, 2026 01:30:00 What would it take for a client to happily pay you $70,000+ per year… and feel like they're getting a bargain? In the case of today's guest, it's building a high-value advisory firm by helping business owners unlock significant tax savings, often in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Patrick Lonergan is the founder of Vital Wealth, an RIA based in Clinton, Iowa, that generates $2.5 million
Ep 490: Attracting And Retaining HNW Clients By Being More Available For Their Multigenerational Family Needs with Liz Miller
Ep 490: Attracting And Retaining HNW Clients By Being More Available For Their Multigenerational Family Needs with Liz Miller May 19, 2026 01:30:00 For high-net-worth clients, financial planning is often not just about managing their money during their lifetimes, but also a matter of preparing the next generation to inherit family wealth. Which suggests that meeting with clients' children can both offer value for current clients and also begin a relationship with the next generation that could last for decades to come. Liz Miller is the fo
Ep 489: Winning More Clients By Talking Less And Reducing Friction For Prospects with Sara Grillo
Ep 489: Winning More Clients By Talking Less And Reducing Friction For Prospects with Sara Grillo May 12, 2026 01:30:00 For financial advisors, it might seem intuitive to spend time with prospects explaining the value they can offer. However, doing most of the talking can leave prospects unsure whether the advisor truly understands their needs, potentially discouraging them from becoming a client. In this episode, we welcome Sara Grillo, a marketing specialist for financial advisors, to discuss how focusing less
Ep 488: Bringing Hiring In-House To Support Rapid Growth After Doubling AUM To $600M In One Year with Joe Schmitz Jr.
Ep 488: Bringing Hiring In-House To Support Rapid Growth After Doubling AUM To $600M In One Year with Joe Schmitz Jr. May 5, 2026 01:30:00 How do you scale a financial advisory firm to 40+ staff and $630M AUM in just a few years without breaking your hiring, culture, or client experience? In this episode, you'll hear about the hiring and marketing strategies fueling this kind of growth and how being open about a firm's values can lead to greater retention of both clients and team members.  Joe Schmitz Jr. is the founder of Peak Reti

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