Employer Side

Background: When we are doing cold marketing emails to firms in search of new contracts, we will typically include a short description of one or two exceptional candidates we are working to place, followed by a blurb about our firm in general. The following is the short teaser about our firm that I created for use in those emails.

No other financial recruiting firm offers the industry knowledge and connections that RIA Growth has. With nearly 50 years of combined experience in the financial industry, we have performed, supervised, and trained professionals in the roles you are looking for. We know what it takes to succeed. Let us pair you with the best talent in the industry.

Candidate Side

Background: Occasionally we reach out to potential job seekers (aka passive candidates) about the prospect of working with RIA Growth, with no specific opportunity in mind for them. The following is a short teaser I wrote for subject lines and connection requests, and a longer follow-up message if they accept our connection. 

Short:

My recruiting firm works with RIAs and multi-family offices around the country to place the best talent in competitive roles. With nearly 50 years of combined experience in the industry, we can help you find a professional home where you will thrive. 

Longer:  

Hello [name]; thanks for connecting. As I mentioned in my note, I am one half of an independent recruiting firm that contracts with RIAs and multi-family offices—especially SAN and WAS network firms—around the country to fill high-level positions. My business partner and I both had extensive careers in finance before turning to recruiting, so we're well connected in the industry and have a reputation for understanding what firms are looking for.  

When we present you as a candidate for a role, we advocate for you with the firm and even negotiate salary and terms on your behalf. Our commission is based on your starting salary, so it's in our interest as well to get you the best possible terms.  

If you'd just like to explore what opportunities are out there right now, I would be happy to have a quick conversation—confidentially, of course—to learn a little more about your goals and background and discuss what openings we have that might be a fit.  

If you're interested, let's have a quick chat by phone and see what we can do for you. You can reach me here or at [phone number]. 

Candidate Writeups

Background: Each candidate that RIA Growth submits for a role gets a resume review (by me) and a writeup–essentially a cover letter, from us as gatekeepers–that gives the employer an overview of the candidate’s experience and lets them know why we think they should consider them. Here are a few examples of candidate writeups I’ve done, with the names changed or redacted.

TC

TC, CFP®, AIF, is an outstanding proven sales performer and leader. For the past ten years, TC has served as Managing Director of Business Development for Mariner, where he is currently #1 in sales, closing over $1.5B in new assets in 2022 alone. In his role there, TC is responsible for managing both a sales team and an operational team, and is currently tasked with building out a 1099 network. TC  is a leader in his team, cross-selling Investment Banking, Paraplanning, Virtual Administration, Portfolio Consulting, Mariner SAAS technology, and more. He has hired and trained sales development representatives routinely conducting ~1000 cold calls per month.

TC began his career at LPL Financial where, as a High Net Worth Consultant, he partnered with advisors to close clients at or above $2MM. In his tenure there, TC closed over $1B, exceeding sales goals every year, and developed an end-to-end RFP process to help close institutional business for foundations and endowments, leading to over $200MM in sales. In 2013, LPL was acquired by Mariner.

TC is a passive candidate who is open to exploring opportunities. He feels he has accomplished what he set out to do at Mariner, and he is looking for somewhere he can continue to grow. He would love to be in production again, especially for a firm that offers opportunities for advancement. This year, TC is on track to make $500K

Lisa Y

Lisa Y has her CFA and over 5 years of experience in financial services. She is currently a Senior Financial Analyst for HDH Advisors. For the last 3 years, she has specialized in valuation of private companies and closely held businesses; she is also fluent in Mandarin. 

Lisa is seeking to transition to a portfolio manager position. She would enjoy a role with some client-facing relationship management responsibility. Lisa is looking for a fully remote position, and she is willing to start at the lower end of the compensation range (~$120K).

Jeff A

Jeff A, CFA, is an experienced hedge fund and portfolio manager looking to make a career transition. Jeff began his career with the Kellogg family office (Kellogg Capital Group); this eventually led to a position with Ancora, where he spent more than a decade as a hedge fund manager. 

Most recently, Jeff served as Chief Investment Officer and portfolio manager for Presidio Capital Management, where he was responsible for introducing an alternative investment platform to the firm’s offerings. His investment recommendations and leadership supported managers to close $50MM in new business. 

Since relocating to San Diego, Jeff has become interested in moving into a wealth management role. He has a strong background in investments, including alternatives, and he is interested in building his own book with CIBC.

Robert C 

Robert C, CFP®, CPWA®, is a proven sales performer with extensive WAS familiarity and an excellent retention rate. Robert has spent the past 7 years with Edelman, where he has built a book of $110MM over approximately 200 clients; of this, he conservatively expects at least $70MM will follow him. Robert has been a year-end high performer for Edelman in 2020, 2021, and 2022, and he has a client retention rate over 98%. 

Robert began his career as an advisor with Merrill Lynch, then Smith Barney, in Honolulu. Following that, he spent almost 10 years at Fidelity in San Jose, where he was a top performer for many years running. He is intimately familiar with the WAS platform and still has many contacts within Fidelity. 

Robert is thinking of leaving Edelman due to changes following their merger with Financial Engines; since then, leads have been throttled for advisors with over 110MM, who are expected to continue building their practice on their own. Robert is interested in joining a firm with better lead flow, and which offers services his clients will find attractive. In 2022, Robert’s compensation was around $380K.

Candidate T

Candidate T is a talented advisor and strategist who knows how to close business. His formidable business development skill was honed during his time at Fisher, and more recently with Goldman Sachs. For the past 5 years, working the SAN and WAS channels for Goldman, he has routinely been in the top 10 if not *the* top producer nationally. Halfway through 2023, he is their number one producer in the country, with over $50 MM closed YTD. His latest closes included a $3 MM lead from FIDO and a $15 MM lead from their digital marketing platform.

At Goldman, T has gained a reputation for turning territories around. He first revived Austin/Houston, becoming the top producer in the nation there. Because he lives in OC, however, he eventually switched to the SD, AZ, and Nevada territory, where he has once again become the top producer in the nation. He maintains many relationships across the branches, in both Fidelity and Schwab. 

T is a passive candidate who is intrigued by the comp structure at CIBC as well as the increase in capacity that working with a support team would allow him.

Candidate C

C has her CFP® and CRPC® designations and over two decades of financial services experience. She has a deep background in building complex financial plans and thoroughly enjoys mentoring junior team members. She has successfully worked the channels for Creative Planning (2017-2021), bringing in $120 MM during her time there. Her non-compete is now up and she is confident that a significant amount of these assets will follow her (conservatively, $40 MM)––confident enough that her current plan is to start her own firm. We spoke to her about the growth RM role and the benefits of building her practice with the resources of CIBC behind her. She is intrigued enough to have a conversation to discuss further. 

C still has many relationships at Schwab, especially in greater LA, OC, Irvine, Mission Viejo, and Palm Springs. She is confident in her ability to produce and grow her business via the channels, referrals, and COIs, and sees the benefit of the additional lead flow and resources available to her with CIBC. She is leaning towards starting her own firm, however, and will need to be wooed over and sold on the benefits of building out her practice at CIBC. 

C left Creative for Towneley Capital Management. She was promised a certain track that would end in her taking over the firm, but this has not come to fruition, which has led her to strike out on her own.