Solving the RIA Puzzle: Leadership, Platforms, and the Missing Layer with Brian Shenson
Episode 099: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Brian Shenson, Managing Partner and COO at Rise Growth Partners. With more than two decades of experience working with financial professionals, Brian has developed a deep understanding of the business fundamentals and operational aspects of wealth management services. He applies this deep industry expertise and his passion for technology and innovation to help firms extend the reach, impact, and resiliency of their digital solutions.
Kyle and Brian explore the evolving landscape of advisor tech and the power of intentional growth. Shenson shares lessons from his journey through Schwab, consulting, and BCG, diving into the challenges firms face with tech sprawl, data integration, and delivering personalized client experiences. They discuss how Rise is helping mid-market RIAs scale with purpose, leverage data more effectively, and build modern platforms that prioritize human connection and operational clarity
In this episode:
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(00:00) - Intro
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(02:09) - Brian's money moment
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(05:35) - Brian’s journey from Schwab to Rise
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(09:57) - What captive firms can learn from independents (and vice versa)
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(13:43) - Why most RIAs don’t build their own platforms
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(19:19) - What it really takes to build great fintech
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(20:54) - The vision behind Rise Growth Partners
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(23:54) - Accelerating growth with strategy and tech
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(27:11) - Who Rise is built for
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(33:20) - Bridging the gap between advice creation and advice execution
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(38:35) - The power behind platforms
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(40:46) - Brian's thoughts on AI, data, and the future of advice
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(46:20) - Brian's Milemarker Minute
Key Takeaways
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To build advisor platforms that can evolve with changing client and advisor needs, firms must separate the experience layer, business functionality, and data. This foundational architecture is key to long-term flexibility and scalability.
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As firms grow—especially through M&A—they face a tangled web of tools and data. Middleware isn’t just a tech buzzword; it’s the critical infrastructure that transforms fragmented platforms into cohesive, advisor-friendly experiences.
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Many firms delay tough integration work in favor of short-term growth. But without intentional platform decisions and cultural alignment, that tech debt builds silently, eventually stalling progress and creating friction at scale.
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The best firms are redesigning workflows to let advisors spend more time in front of clients and less time in back-office systems. Separating advice creation from advice execution—with the right tools and teams—is a game changer.
Quotes
"There's a desire to learn and copy the innovations in the independent space because the independents are moving very fast. They're trying things, they're breaking things." ~ Brian Shenson
"With Rise, and because of our strategy and attention to getting it right, we're thinking as much about culture fit and platform fit. Those things matter almost as much, if not more than just the math." ~ Brian Shenson
"What Rise is trying to do is back great entrepreneurs who have great businesses that want to have a meaningful impact on the industry. We want to provide them with the capital they need to get there, the expertise to support their journey, and to create an ecosystem of support around them." ~ Brian Shenson
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