In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong speaks with Jim Kaufman, managing partner and senior wealth management advisor at OpenArc Corporate Advisory, about leading one of the largest breakaways in the wealth management industry and what the future looks like for the independent firm..

He shares how years of due diligence, a deeply rooted client-first culture, and a strong internal leadership structure helped OpenArc transition nearly 130 associates and 70 advisors. Jim also discusses how independence has expanded the firm’s planning capabilities, including estate planning, tax services, AI adoption, advisor development, and its long-term strategy for organic growth and future acquisitions.

Jim discusses:

• What drove OpenArc to leave Merrill and create an independent firm
• How 130 associates and nearly 70 advisors made the transition in the largest wirehouse-to-independent breakaway yet.
• What services are clients now looking for that are easier to facilitate in an independent RIA
• How OpenArc finds and trains new wealth advisors
• Where he sees the future growth path for OpenArc

Resources:

• Listen to the RIA Edge Podcast on Wealth Management
• Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Apple Podcasts
• Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Spotify

Connect With David Armstrong:

• Wealth Management
• LinkedIn: Wealth Management
• LinkedIn: David Armstrong
• Twitter: David Armstrong
• LinkedIn: Informa

Connect With James Kaufman:

• LinkedIn: James Kaufman
• LinkedIn: OpenArc Corporate Advisory
• Website: OpenArc Corporate Advisory

About Our Guest:

Jim Kaufman is managing partner, senior wealth management advisor, and a founding Board Member of OpenArc Corporate Advisory. With more than two decades of experience advising corporate executives, high-net-worth individuals, and families, Jim brings a strategic and personalized approach to wealth management.

Prior to OpenArc, Jim was a senior leader on the Global Corporate and Institutional Advisory Services (GCIAS) team at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. Over the course of his tenure, he played a key role in building the team’s structure and business model, overseeing more than $10 billion in assets and serving some of the firm’s most strategic relationships.

Jim specializes in concentrated stock management, estate planning services, retirement planning, and custom financial strategies tailored to the needs of corporate executives and ultra-high-net-worth clients.

Originally from Warwick, Rhode Island, Jim attended Portsmouth Abbey School and earned his degree in Economics from Colby College in Waterville, Maine. He lives in the Atlanta area with his wife and five children. Jim is actively involved in several nonprofit organizations, including serving on the board and executive committee of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, volunteering with the Atlanta Children’s Shelter, and coaching youth sports teams throughout the community.

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong speaks with Andrea Broughton, CEO and founder of WealthCrossing, about the firm’s growth from an Ernst & Young spinout to a $1.5 billion RIA. Andrea shares how the firm grew through client referrals, built tax planning into its client experience, and recently expanded its growth strategy through branding and digital marketing.

The conversation explores WealthCrossing’s approach to financial planning and tax strategy, its recent rebrand, talent development, growth initiatives, estate planning and its evaluation of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, while maintaining a strong focus on client service.

Key takeaways:

• How WealthCrossing spun out of Ernst & Young 21 years ago in response to Sarbanes-Oxley regulations, and grew to $1.5 billion in assets without relying on acquisitions.
• How the firm’s tax-centric approach to financial planning plays out in its hiring decisions and its team-based approach to each client.
• What drove the firm’s decision to outsource tax preparation eight years ago, and then bring it back in-house five years later.
• Why after operating for 19 years without one, WealthCrossing partnered with a marketing firm, rebranded as “SBK Financial” and created a surprisingly high percentage of new client leads through digital channels.
• Why Broughton and her team are taking a more cautious stance than many peers regarding AI integration into their technology stack, even while she personally uses AI tools for administrative tasks and individual productivity.
  

Resources:

• Listen to the RIA Edge Podcast on Wealth Management
• Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Apple Podcasts
• Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Spotify

Connect With David Armstrong:

• Wealth Management
• LinkedIn: Wealth Management
• LinkedIn: David Armstrong
• Twitter: David Armstrong
• LinkedIn: Informa

Connect With Andrea Broughton:

• WealthCrossing
• LinkedIn: WealthCrossing
• LinkedIn: Andrea Broughton

About Our Guest:

As CEO and founder of WealthCrossing, Andrea leads the strategic vision and operational oversight of the firm. She specializes in delivering integrated financial services, including investment advisory, tax strategy, retirement, estate, and other financial planning services tailored to high-net-worth individuals and executives. Andrea is known for her client-focused approach, providing services that align with each individual’s goals and aspirations.

Prior to forming WealthCrossing, Andrea worked in the financial counseling practice at Ernst & Young, spending more than 10 years in Ernst & Young’s Boston and Richmond offices. Early in her Ernst & Young career, Andrea audited a number of Fortune 500 companies and mutual funds. She believes her prior work as an auditor has been invaluable, allowing her to look behind the numbers in evaluating investment and business opportunities for the clients’ benefit.

A magna cum laude graduate of Babson College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Andrea is also a Certified Public Accountant. She is deeply engaged in her Richmond community, serving as a current Board Member and former President of the Brookfield Foundation.

Outside of work Andrea enjoys playing tennis and spending time with her family.

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong sits down with Marty Bicknell, president and CEO of Mariner Wealth Advisors, to discuss how the firm has grown into one of the biggest RIAs in the country.

Marty shares how Mariner approaches acquisitions with a strong focus on culture, builds in-house capabilities across tax, trust and insurance services, and structures business development to support advisor growth. He also explains how artificial intelligence and operational systems may reshape advisor capacity, scalability and the future direction of wealth management firms.

Key takeaways:

• What’s driving Mariner’s current acquisition strategy
• How Bicknell thinks about bringing client services like tax, trust, insurance and estate planning into the Mariner ecosystem
• Why Mariner bought a small boutique M&A firm
• Why niche markets like dentists, athletes and first responders are a key part of Mariner’s future growth focus
• How he sees AI tools impacting advisor capacity and the firm’s operations

Resources:

• Listen to the RIA Edge Podcast on Wealth Management
• Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Apple Podcasts
• Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Spotify

Connect With David Armstrong:

• Wealth Management
• LinkedIn: Wealth Management
• LinkedIn: David Armstrong
• Twitter: David Armstrong
• LinkedIn: Informa

Connect With Marty Bicknell:

• LinkedIn: Marty Bicknell
• LinkedIn: Mariner Wealth Advisors
• Website: Mariner Wealth Advisors

About Our Guest:

As the CEO and president of Mariner, Marty drives the strategic direction for the firm. As a recognized leader in wealth management, he devises innovative solutions to help meet the needs of our clients. He has extensive personal and professional experience with closely held family businesses and their unique complexities. He often mentors other successful entrepreneurs.

Marty, along with seven others, founded Mariner in 2006 with a goal of keeping the client at the center of all we do. He wanted to build a firm that could simplify our clients’ lives by having all the resources they need under one roof. The day the doors opened, Marty made the promise to put the clients’ interests before anything else…a promise he still holds dear to this day.

Marty has a bachelor’s degree from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kan