People Moves Related to "Determined to out-Joe-Duran Duran's United Capital, Dave Welling moves his $12B roll-up's HQ to Denver"
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Media magnet Kimberly Foss sells her RIA to Mercer Global and declares cultural fit 'extemely high,' citing shared DFA ties and a woman's touch
The Empyrion owner will now work under the $48-billion, Denver and Santa Barbara RIA rollup, which keeps finding women in wealth who believe it transcends 'pale, male and stale'
January 11, 2023 at 3:28 AM
Dave Welling's rollup hits $39 billion of AUM and hires a 37- year-old breakaway from BlackRock to turn internal five-click shopping into a 'single conversation'
The Mercer Advisors CEO in Denver now has a 'president' reporting to him from the Big Apple to take on the specific mission of wiring a national RIA, rather than day-to-day operations at a rollup.
October 21, 2022 at 5:48 PM
Orion Advisor Solutions calls 6% staff reduction a 'final action,' after ballooning headcount 40-plus percent since 2020 by gorging on Brinker, Redtail and five other companies
The Omaha, Neb., administrator of $3.6 trillion will cut 'duplicative' back office jobs to reduce staff to 1,320 from about 1,400.
September 30, 2023 at 2:31 AM
A week after he became chairman of Eric Clarke's board, Charles Goldman is heading the search to replace Clarke as Orion CEO-- at Eric's direction
Eric Clarke founded Orion in 1999 and built it to a $3.6 trillion AUA juggernaut, but he believes both he and the company are ready for a big change
May 22, 2023 at 5:13 PM
Noreen Beaman steps down as president of Orion Advisor Solutions after Brinker migrates to Orion software and enterprise deals 'prove out'
The former Brinker CEO oversaw an 18-month transition of her then $26-billion TAMP and will remain as vice chair of the company after 'mutual' decision on role changes.
February 10, 2022 at 2:22 AM
Brad Shepard unexpectedly resigns from Orion Advisor Services after 10 months, and his chief strategy officer position will remain vacant, the company says
The Nashville, Tenn. executive came aboard to create a 'go-to-marketing strategy' for Brinker, HiddenLevers and legacy units but gave his notice this week.
January 7, 2022 at 11:40 PM
Mercer is hiring ex-Schwabbies like crazy after five-year AUM jumps from $9B to $56B -- with a big bump in the past 12 months -- using 100 IARs who only sell the RIA as chum for M&A
The Denver RIA poached high-level McKinsey talent as CFO and a smattering of Schwab, Fidelity, TD Ameritrade, LPL, and RBC talent to keep up with growth and ambition of late bloomers.
February 27, 2024 at 2:50 AM
Joe Duran's second RIA act is rocking with eight staff, four co-founders and a conspicuously anti-United Capital concept that will flip RIA stakes 'eventually' as a minority investor
The United Capital founder paradoxically promises to 'passively' buy minority stakes as a backdrop for going hyper-active with quick-strike capability to apply super-consulting and technology to create explosive growth as a prelude to a sale.
November 29, 2023 at 3:23 AM
Orion rescinds RTO order after its staff rebels by hijacking company email list, distributing petition and tipping off RIA media
CEO Natalie Wolfsen suffers first setback and rescinds a return-to-office (RTO) policy after week of protest to work on a more collaborative agreement on a post-COVID new normal
November 23, 2023 at 12:20 AM
Orion names 'left-brained' Natalie Wolfsen as CEO to replace Eric Clarke, and AssetMark, which synchronized its announcement, hires Michael Kim as her replacement
Orion Chairman Charles Goldman again lures his protege to self-replace, while Michael Kim was 'integral to AssetMark’s record financial performance over the past several years'
September 8, 2023 at 11:58 PM
Seven 'RIA' chief executives are stepping aside for CEO 'operators' as PE backers get 'trigger' happy in adverse market; here are their stories
Whether it's Edelman Financial Engines, SMArtX, Allworth or InvestCloud, the re-CEO-ing process follows a fat 2020 capital raise and thinner results in stormy financial markets.
September 7, 2023 at 9:46 PM
Cetera hiring Mike Durbin as CEO -- overseeing its existing 'CEO' -- completes Genstar's stellar HR week after it put Charles Goldman atop Orion's board -- with 'exponential' growth in mind for the 'middle market' companies
The Los Angeles broker-dealer nabbed the Fidelity legend to take its $118-billion AUM and 8,000 advisors higher, just as Orion -- also majority owned by Genstar -- makes a similar move.
May 18, 2023 at 1:46 AM
Joe Duran will co-develop Goldman Sachs unit aimed at outsourcing to non-Goldman RIAs after 'magic' never materialized for direct-to-consumer RIA
The Newport Beach, Calif. RIA legend plans to shift from B2C to B2B to fix Goldman's disconnect with RIAs and play to the strengths for him and the bank
February 8, 2023 at 3:03 AM
RIA Quick Takes: Orion deepens DFA embrace by using it as portfolio manager-inside-ETF ~ Hardship withdrawals surge at Vanguard and Fidelity ~ Schwab hires 400 ~ Fidelity flips six funds into ETFs ~ Kitces makes list before Christmas ~ Amit Dogra has $1 billion of good news from his new Portland gig
Americans are struggling, though jobs are plentiful; Larry Fink's ESG zeal costs BlackRock another client, just as the Vatican issues ESG guidance; UBS says we didn't like you anyway to mass affluent and Michael Kitces and Craig Iskowitz join forces.
December 3, 2022 at 3:16 AM
Fresh off buying No. 9 and No. 10 women-led firms, Dave Welling now has Mercer's AUM up 220% in four years in part by addressing a women 'problem'
Both Genstar and Mercer female staff are singing the CEO's praises after he took a sleepy $10 billion AUM firm to $32-billion AUM, where 40% of client-facing staff and 33% of leaders are women.
October 13, 2021 at 1:10 AM
AssetMark suddenly parts ways with president/CEO Charles Goldman; protégé Natalie Wolfsen named CEO; Michael Kim president
AssetMark chairwoman Xiaoning Jiao provided no details, faint praise for Goldman amid his unexpected departure, but was effusive over Wolfsen appointment.
February 24, 2021 at 3:31 AM
Advizr founder Hussain Zaidi parts ways with Orion but mission accomplished: Orion's AUA leapt 50% in his 19 months
MoneyGuidePro and eMoney still dominate, but RIAs and IBDs in droves are willing to choose Orion's planning on the terms offered -- zero license fees.
January 9, 2021 at 2:06 AM
Jeff Mello is latest to join eMoney's talent exodus but CEO Ed O'Brien says it's healthy renewal at a firm that added several hundred people since Fidelity bought it
The ex-Goldman Sachs director of strategy and planning at eMoney joins a growing list of departures exacerbated, sources say, by Fidelity putting a wobbly performance reporting software project -- and staff -- on its plate
February 28, 2020 at 11:09 PM
Marc Spilker adds Matt Brinker as chess piece -- and partner -- in what he calls a 'very selective' talent add to build platform-for-RIA platforms outside Wall Street
Merchant Investment Management's executive chairman wants good people good at their job and Brinker likes having a breakaway Goldman partner rather than one captive to the Wall Street giant.
January 15, 2020 at 2:42 AM
Goldman Sachs & Co. appoints Rachel Schnoll to yank off United Capital band-aid that Joe Duran didn't -- making FinLife work with non-UC applications
The New York-based investment bank has the cash and people to do the combinations -- especially Goldman software -- that the roll-up's founder couldn't afford or didn't want to advantage
November 8, 2019 at 4:52 AM
Goldman Sachs closes United Capital deal and Matt Brinker, Joe Duran's wingman, exits with social media swan song on same day
The M&A chief's departure from the Newport Beach, Calif. roll-up may signal that its rolling-up days are over
July 18, 2019 at 6:13 PM
Pete Giza and Damon Deru go for Holy Grail of portfolio rebalancing with software that shuffles stocks, bonds... and asset classes; Believe it?
The RedBlack and TradeWarrior executives see old systems as 'archaic' yet know that the Black Diamonds, Morningstars, Orions and Tamaracs see rebalancing as a loss leader
June 11, 2019 at 9:49 PM
RIA in a Box gunning for top-notch staff as it readies for Aquiline-fueled roll-up binge, targeting old-school, mom-and-pop compliance competitors
With Ascensus also in its portfolio, Aquiline is showing a penchant for taking dull, fragmented, unloved wealth-management niche businesses and rolling them up into sexier firms
November 29, 2018 at 11:54 PM
Ron Carson ends national search for chief marketing officer by doing a local M&A deal using his favorite HR broker -- Eric Clarke
When Eric Clarke decided he'd play matchmaker, the hyperactive Carson Group CEO snapped up Mineral Interactive and made a creative deal
