Next Mile

27:27

Scaling with Soul: Growing an Advisory Firm Without...

Next Mile ·

2026/10/06

Episode 165: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Grace Balestrieri, Senior Director of Client Experience Operations at Brighton Jones. Grace began her career in software, where her work spanned implementation, customer experience, and operations. She now brings that playbook to wealth management, building the systems, processes, and technology that let advisors focus on clients.Kyle and Grace discuss what "scaling with soul" means in practice and why growth can't come from simply adding people,

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39:30

Why Expertise Alone Isn't Enough for...

Next Mile ·

2026/09/29

Episode 164: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Kristina Baron, Co-Managing Partner and Managing Director at Oxford Financial Group. Kristina started in the industry as a high school intern in a financial advisor's office and later worked at Goldman Sachs before joining Oxford. Today she helps lead a team that serves roughly 700 families across the country.Kyle and Kristina explore what it takes to coordinate advice for families whose needs span investments, estate planning, taxes, trusts,

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44:42

Why Referrals Are Only the Beginning with Megan...

Next Mile ·

2026/09/22

Episode 163: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Megan Carpenter, CEO and Co-Founder at Ficomm Partners. Megan entered the industry through a college internship and started her own marketing consultancy at 29 before co-founding Ficomm with Jason Lahita. She has since refocused the firm exclusively on RIAs, working as an embedded growth partner that pairs marketing strategy with advisor coaching.Kyle and Megan explore what Ficomm's research reveals about the path from referral to hired advisor

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35:09

Preparing Your Firm for Its Next Stage of Growth with...

Next Mile ·

2026/09/15

Episode 162: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Brian Fernandez, President at Krilogy. Brian brings more than 20 years of experience working with complex family office needs and continues to serve clients as an advisor. As the firm’s integrator, he pairs that client perspective with a focus on operational excellence, helping translate its founder’s vision into execution.Kyle and Brian explore how investing ahead of demand prepares an advisory firm for its next stage of growth. Brian explains how

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35:04

Building a Business Worth Buying with Scott Hanson

Next Mile ·

2026/09/08

Episode 161: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Scott Hanson, Cofounder at Allworth Financial. Scott helped build the firm and led it through acquisitions, private equity ownership, and recapitalization before stepping aside as CEO. Drawing on experience as both a buyer and seller, he wrote The Private Equity Advantage to help business owners approach succession with greater clarity and intention.Kyle and Scott explore what separates a successful transaction from simply getting a deal done. Scott

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45:25

The Growth Engine Behind Highly Successful Advisory...

Next Mile ·

2026/09/01

Episode 160: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Joe Schmitz Jr, Founder and CEO at Peak Retirement Planning. Joe built the firm around a tax-focused, 5 Pillar Approach that helps Midwestern millionaires nationwide grow and protect their wealth. A Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA®), Joe also helps clients approach retirement with purpose and steward their wealth in alignment with their values.Joe talks with Kyle about the marketing and talent engine of fast-growing RIAs. He shares why Peak focuses

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34:18

How to Turn Client Conversations into Better...

Next Mile ·

2026/08/25

Episode 159: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Melissa Caro, Founder at My Retirement Network. For the past decade, Melissa has studied real advisor conversations to understand what communication behaviors build stronger client relationships. Today, she helps advisory firms close the client language gap through digital learning, live coaching, conversation analysis, and AI-powered insights that turn real client meetings into learning opportunities.Melissa talks with Kyle about why the best

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37:46

Navigating the Next Era of Advisor Technology with...

Next Mile ·

2026/08/18

Episode 158: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Michael Batnick, Managing Partner at Ritholtz Wealth Management. Michael began his career in sales at a life insurance company. Today, he focuses on helping clients navigate the challenges of long-term investing and achieve their financial goals.Michael talks with Kyle about how AI is disrupting the wealth management industry. He discusses the realities of rising technology spend, the limits of AI-driven efficiency in human relationships, and how

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27:18

The Power of Radical Hospitality in Financial Advice...

Next Mile ·

2026/08/11

Episode 157: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Libby Buckley, Director of WealthAdministration & Marketing at Parable Wealth Partners. Libby leads the firm's client experience and team culture, bridges connections between clients, partner businesses, and non-profits, and creates experiences that help people rethink their wealth's potential to create change. Libby talks with Kyle about how radical hospitality translates into the wealth management space. She discusses how firms can preserve

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36:06

What the Fastest-Growing RIAs Are Doing Differently...

Next Mile ·

2026/08/04

Episode 156: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Ian Wenik, Editor at Citywire. Ian covers the independent wealth management industry with a focus on RIAs, mergers and acquisitions, advisor technology, and the business forces reshaping financial advice. Through his reporting and conversations with industry leaders, he has developed a front-row view of the trends driving growth across the advisory landscape.Kyle and Ian explore what separates today's fastest-growing RIAs from the rest of the

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31:50

How Behavioral Data Creates Better Client...

Next Mile ·

2026/07/28

Episode 155: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Julie Littlechild, Founder and CEO at Absolute Engagement. Julie is a recognized leader in client engagement, investor behavior, and referral growth. Through years of advisor and investor research, she has helped firms better understand the emotional drivers behind client decisions and build stronger, more personalized advisory relationships.Kyle and Julie explore why understanding how clients feel is just as important as understanding their

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38:48

Why Insurance Is the Most Overlooked Growth Strategy...

Next Mile ·

2026/07/21

Episode 154: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Jason Borek, Chief Growth Officer at The Pinnacle Group. Jason has extensive experience in the financial services industry, with a focus on distribution and sales. At The Pinnacle Group, he is responsible for implementing the firm's enterprise-level business strategies.Jason talks with Kyle about why insurance remains dramatically underutilized in wealth management, why advisors struggle to implement it, and what needs to change for it to become a

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35:54

How to Build a Thriving Independent Wealth Management...

Next Mile ·

2026/07/14

Episode 153: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Brett Bernstein, CEO & Co-founder at XML Financial Group. Brett is an active financial advisor assisting clients with his holistic approach to goal-setting and problem-solving. Before co-founding XML in 2004, he was a Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch. He is also a serial entrepreneur, actively investing in many startups, and has led his firm through three acquisitions. Brett talks with Kyle about why advisors are going

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21:29

The Human Side of Scaling Great Advisory Firms

Next Mile ·

2026/07/07

Episode 152: In this special compilation episode, Kyle Van Pelt and Jessica Perez revisit four conversations centered on one of the biggest challenges facing advisory firms today: scaling while maintaining exceptional client service. Anne McPhail shares why intentional leadership and culture create lasting organizations. Michael Vedders explains how thoughtful planning and advisor development lead to stronger firms. Tim Gavin explores the operational mindset required to build sustainable growth. And

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41:40

How Independent Advisors Can Thrive in A World of...

Next Mile ·

2026/06/30

Episode 151: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Eric Amar, Founder & CEO of Accelerated Wealth Partners, about the shifting dynamics between massive corporate firms and independent boutique RIAs. He discusses the balance between scale and personalization, the rise of mega RIAs, and the trade-offs advisors face when choosing independence. From his front-row seat at Focus Financial Partners during its explosive growth to launching his own firm, Eric shares his unfiltered perspective on what's really

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29:29

From Big Firms to RIA Success: Lessons in Leadership,...

Next Mile ·

2026/06/23

Episode 150: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Kathy Longo, President & Founder at Flourish Wealth Management. Kathy has a remarkable talent for distilling complex financial concepts into simple, easily digestible concepts. She built Flourish Wealth Management out of a passion for making financial management more enjoyable. Kathy talks with Kyle about how building a strong operational foundation early paves the way for sustainable growth. She shares how her early experiences at large firms

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38:42

How Content Drives Growth, Trust, and Client...

Next Mile ·

2026/06/16

Episode 149: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Ben Carlson, Director of Institutional Asset Management at Ritholtz Wealth Management. Ben is the author of five books on investing, including his newest, Risk and Reward. He's the creator of the blog A Wealth of Common Sense and co-host of the Animal Spirits podcast.Ben talks with Kyle about how content has become a powerful engine for growth, clarity, credibility, and connection. He discusses the value of consistency, how to structure content for

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35:19

How to Build a Scalable Firm Without Tech Overload...

Next Mile ·

2026/06/09

Episode 148: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Dan Johnson, Senior Managing Director and Head of Wealth Management Practice at F2 Strategy. Dan is an industry leader in portfolio management systems implementation, investment performance conversions, centralized portfolio management, and integrations with advisor-driven toolsets. Dan talks with Kyle about scaling the wealth and asset management business without technology overload. From the pitfalls of shiny object syndrome in tech to the

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46:18

The Hidden Economics Behind High-Growth Advisory...

Next Mile ·

2026/06/02

Episode 147: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Patrick Kelly, Co-Founder and CEO of Signal Advisors. Patrick started his career as a financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual before becoming an independent advisor. Before Signal, Patrick founded RepPro, the first electronic application platform for fixed and fixed index annuities in the IMO business. Patrick talks with Kyle about the hidden economics behind high-growth advisory firms. He discusses why some of the fastest-growing advisors integrate

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35:42

How Modern RIAs Can Scale Fast with Vib Arya and Sean...

Next Mile ·

2026/05/26

Episode 146: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Vib Arya and Sean Meighan of Envestnet. As Head of Strategic Relationship Management, Vib is a seasoned wealth and investment management leader with more than 25 years of experience driving innovation and efficiency across RIA, institutional, wirehouse, and fintech channels. As Head of RIA Distribution, Sean has spent his career helping advisory firms navigate growth, technology adoption, and operational strategy within the evolving RIA

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