RIAs

Separating Myth From Reality When Joining an OSJ

2025-05-14T19:43:03-04:00

Separating Myth From Reality When Joining an OSJ by Jeff Nash, Founder & CEO, BridgeMark Strategies Published May 7 on AdvisorHub The Office of Supervisory Jurisdiction, or OSJ, has been a staple of the broker-dealer community for decades. In an industry where advisors constantly weigh the responsibilities and freedoms accompanying independence, the OSJ model strikes a Goldilocks-like balance between the two that many advisors consider “just right.” However, like an extra layer of clothing in winter, it can both protect and constrain advisors who have chosen to operate within the model. Originally established to fulfill a supervisory function, OSJs – like the wealth management space itself – have evolved over time and now can provide a wide array of support to advisors (above and beyond what’s offered by the broker-dealer), starting with a sense of community and including technology, marketing, education, practice management and more. For advisors looking to alleviate [...]

Separating Myth From Reality When Joining an OSJ2025-05-14T19:43:03-04:00

AI in 2025: Revolution, Evolution or Disillusion?

2025-05-14T19:40:00-04:00

AI in 2025: Revolution, Evolution or Disillusion? by Jeff Nash, Founder & CEO, BridgeMark Strategies Published April 1 on AdvisorHub When it comes to AI, the future is now. Tech visionaries (not to mention a wealth management industry that’s facing a 100,000 financial advisor shortfall) are placing heavy bets on AI and its potentially transformative ability to enhance productivity. There’s good reason for it. AI is already driving efficiency gains, with its algorithms helping financial advisors get more done more quickly in areas including marketing, risk management, data analysis, and model portfolio creation. Studies show that current generative AI and other technologies have the potential to automate work activities that currently occupy 60 to 70 percent of employees’ time and that half of today’s work activities could be automated between 2030 and 2060. Should these forecasts come to pass, the impact on a relationship-centric industry such as wealth management cannot [...]

AI in 2025: Revolution, Evolution or Disillusion?2025-05-14T19:40:00-04:00

Is Wealth Management Counting its AI Eggs Before They’ve Hatched?

2025-05-14T19:33:40-04:00

Is Wealth Management Counting its AI Eggs Before They’ve Hatched? by Jeff Nash, Founder & CEO, BridgeMark Strategies Published March 4 on AdvisorHub Like all industries, wealth management has its challenges. One that has been looming large for years concerns demographics: there is a stark – and demonstrable – decline in the number of financial advisors: the industry currently has more advisors age 80 and above than under age 30. A recent McKinsey study has verified what such long-known demographic trends have forecast: the industry is on the cusp of a profound financial advisor shortage. This, combined with the expected growth in demand for financial guidance spurred by The Great Wealth Transfer, is set to create a concerning imbalance in the industry. It’s a conundrum that when put against a backdrop of heightened client expectations for custom support, will have financial professionals scrambling to deliver optimal service to their clients.......Read [...]

Is Wealth Management Counting its AI Eggs Before They’ve Hatched?2025-05-14T19:33:40-04:00

What RIA Consolidators Will Be Looking For in 2025

2025-02-06T15:36:05-05:00

What RIA Consolidators Will Be Looking For in 2025Bigger is better only when growth is good. by Jeff Nash, Founder & CEO, Bridgemark Strategies Published February 4 on wealthmanagement.com This year is poised to usher in a number of changes within the wealth management industry – some inconsequential, others impactful, most somewhere in between. For example, industry-wide concerns, including the demographics-driven shortage of advisors and increased demand for advice resulting from the Great Wealth Transfer, will give rise to innovative solutions that deliver personalization at scale. Many things will remain the same, such as the outsized role private equity continues to play within the RIA M&A space (within a strong macroeconomic ecosystem, it could surpass last year’s impressive numbers). However, I do anticipate a shift in PE’s approach to dealmaking. The nature of consolidation in our industry is changing.......Read More

What RIA Consolidators Will Be Looking For in 20252025-02-06T15:36:05-05:00

AI in 2025: The Known Unknown

2025-01-09T14:54:13-05:00

AI in 2025: The Known Unknown by Jeff Nash, Founder & CEO, BridgeMark Strategies Published January 5 on AdvisorHub Ah, the possibilities! Excitement about the potential that comes with the dawn of a new year is common – and sometimes that potential turns out to be exaggerated. But I believe those looking forward to all that 2025 will bring may actually be onto something … particularly in the wealth management space. I expect 2025 will be remarkable for our industry in a number of ways. We’ve got a new, business-friendly power base in Washington D.C. The Republicans in charge of both the executive and legislative branches are expected to take a look at regulatory restrictions in place and loosen the reins. Whether this is a positive or negative depends on your vantage point and time horizon. We’re in the early stages of the great wealth transfer that is already transforming [...]

AI in 2025: The Known Unknown2025-01-09T14:54:13-05:00

FINTECH VIEWS: 2024 – The Year of AI Escalation

2024-12-02T21:02:39-05:00

FINTECH VIEWS: 2024 – The Year of AI Escalation by Jeff Nash, Founder & CEO, BridgeMark Strategies Published November 24 on Digital Wealth News As we prepare to close the book on 2024, many of us will reflect upon what happened during the year, why it mattered and what it may portend. I’m one of those people. However, for me, this exercise is always more forward-looking than nostalgic. 2024 has had a number of noteworthy events – from a pivotal U.S. election, to the 33rd Olympiad in Paris, to geopolitical unrest. What among them will your descendants still be talking about in 50 or 75 years? That’s a tough question to answer, and also a fun one to consider as 2025 beckons. I find myself categorizing items into two distinct silos: events so impactful, they served as a line in the sand, effectively demarcating what came before and what came [...]

FINTECH VIEWS: 2024 – The Year of AI Escalation2024-12-02T21:02:39-05:00

The Takeaway on TAMPs

2024-11-14T00:22:02-05:00

The Takeaway on TAMPs by Jeff Nash, Founder & CEO, BridgeMark Strategies Published November 6 on AdvisorHub.com In today’s increasingly complex wealth management arena, independent financial advisors are tasked with delivering a top-tier client service experience and navigating an evolving industry ecosystem, all while building a practice they can be proud of. Since there are still only 24 hours in a day, how can advisors deliver optimally on all fronts? For many advisors, leveraging the services of a TAMP (turnkey asset management program) is a viable option for meeting their myriad obligations efficiently and cost-effectively......Read More

The Takeaway on TAMPs2024-11-14T00:22:02-05:00

Switch to a New Firm or Sell the One I Have?

2024-11-14T00:16:39-05:00

Switch to a New Firm or Sell the One I Have? by Jeff Nash, Founder & CEO, BridgeMark Strategies Published October 10 on AdvisorHub.com The Eternal Conundrum for Financial Advisors Gets More Complex Every Day Should I stay or should I go? The Clash didn’t have financial advisors in mind when they posed this question in song, but it has been resonating in the RIA space, where one of the most popular questions I receive from advisors is, “Should I sell my business or just change firms?” I have had the opportunity to work with thousands of advisors over the last 25+ years. In earlier generations, advisors typically were set in their thinking and took the traditional route of selling their businesses when the time came – and these were primarily advisors who planned to retire within one or two years. Today, the decision has become more muddied as enterprises [...]

Switch to a New Firm or Sell the One I Have?2024-11-14T00:16:39-05:00

A Graceful Exit Begins With A Well-Constructed Plan

2024-11-14T00:07:32-05:00

A Graceful Exit Begins With A Well-Constructed Plan by Jeff Nash, Founder & CEO, BridgeMark Strategies Published September 30 on Wealth Solutions Report Industry Veterans From Sowell, Cambridge And AmeriFlex Explain Timelines And Elements Of Succession Plans, And How Advisors Late To The Timeline Catch Up For business owners in any industry, a successful exit is an integral part of the business lifecycle, as it is the vehicle by which these entrepreneurs monetize their years of hard work and ensure their business – and its clients – are in good hands. In wealth management, demographic trends have put this strategic planning element in the spotlight. However, upwards of 25% of financial advisors – some studies put the number higher – do not have a succession plan in place. Our industry is looking at an overall decrease in total advisors. It’s forecasted that tens of thousands of advisors are retiring each [...]

A Graceful Exit Begins With A Well-Constructed Plan2024-11-14T00:07:32-05:00

Recruiting Deals: Not What They May Appear to Be

2024-11-13T23:59:20-05:00

Recruiting Deals: Not What They May Appear to Be by Jeff Nash, Founder & CEO, BridgeMark Strategies Published September 4 on AdvisorHub.com Industries, like people, respond to the environment in which they operate. The resultant cycles and trends offer businesses, and the people operating within them, the opportunity to adapt in order to thrive within evolving ecosystems. Darwin was onto something. With this as a backdrop, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at how the recruiting function in wealth management has transformed over time and what is driving the changes we are seeing. I’ve been fortunate in that I have been recruiting and consulting with financial advisors for over 25 years. And while I’ve seen a lot of change, there’s been one consistent trend for financial advisors over time: the dollars being tossed around in recruiting deals have gone up, and by a substantial degree.....Read More [...]

Recruiting Deals: Not What They May Appear to Be2024-11-13T23:59:20-05:00
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