Growth can mean very different things depending on how a firm is built and who it is built for.

What does it really take to evolve from a small advisory practice into a professionally managed firm without losing culture, client focus or identity?

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong speaks with Tom Orecchio, CFA, CFP, ChFC, AIF, chief executive officer, wealth manager and principal at Modera Wealth Management, about building an employee-owned RIA designed for long-term growth. He shares how leadership, ownership alignment and disciplined M&A shape Modera’s growth approach.

Tom also explains how service expansion, technology investments and organic growth planning support advisors while keeping clients at the center.

Key takeaways:

• Identifying the growth trajectory inflection point where advisor principals need to become, or hire, professional managers
• His firm’s experience with employee equity ownership
• What Modera looks for in acquisition partners (beyond location or size)
• Why a technology revamp set the firm up to support future growth, retain operational consistency and the client experience
• His firm’s approach to organic growth

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 Tom Orecchio:

• LinkedIn: Tom Orecchio
• LinkedIn: Modera Wealth Management
• Website: Modera Wealth Management

About Our Guest:

Tom’s career began at Heritage Financial where he worked as a financial planner. In 1995, he joined the firm Greenbaum and Associates where he later became a partner. His role as a principal and wealth manager continued as the firm grew and evolved into Greenbaum and Orecchio and then into its current entity, Modera Wealth Management, LLC.

Tom received his B.A. in government and law from Lafayette College and went on to earn some of the most recognized credentials in the industry. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professional. He is also a Chartered Financial Consultant, a Chartered Life Underwriter® and an Accredited Investment Fiduciary.

Tom is a National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) registered financial advisor. He has demonstrated his leadership and commitment to fiduciary standards in the industry by serving as NAPFA Chairman (2007-08) and as a national board member (2004-08). In 2013, Tom was the recipient of the NAFPA Robert J. Underwood Distinguished Service Award. He is an active member of the CFA® Institute, the National CEO Study Group, and the 20/20 National Study Group.

Tom is actively involved in the community as director of the Modera Wealth Management Scholarship Fund and is on the board of directors for the Modera Charitable Foundation. He also sits on the Northeast Advisory Board for Lafayette College. Tom has served as a board member of the finance committee for the Cathedral of Saint John the Theologian and also Northvale PAL, Inc. In addition, he has served as NV Eagles Youth Football president, Bergen County Junior Football League treasurer, and has sat on the board of directors for the youth baseball league in his town. Tom loves spending time with his family and three sons and often can be found on the football or baseball field coaching his sons’ teams.

How do advisory firms continue growing once scale introduces complexity? What does it take to build a structure that supports independence, client experience, and long-term flexibility?

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong speaks with Jordan Raniszeski, CFP, CPA,  senior managing partner at Carnegie Private Wealth, about the strategic decisions behind the firm’s rapid growth after its transition to independence.

He talks about early investments in human capital and junior advisors, an evolving executive management structure, and how flexible marketing strategies all resulted in expanded capacity and growth, and prepared the firm for its next phase.

Key takeaways:

• The decision to leave a bank model in order to build brand control and internal flexibility
• How associate advisors expanded capacity without sacrificing client experience
• Why early investments in people created momentum for organic growth
• The role of management structure in supporting long-term scale
• How marketing, referrals, and community presence contributed to new client flow

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/X: David Armstrong
• LinkedIn: Informa

Connect With Jordan Raniszeski:

• LinkedIn: Jordan Raniszeski
• LinkedIn: Carnegie Private Wealth
• Website: Carnegie Private Wealth

About Our Guest:

Jordan Raniszeski is a leader in the Wealth Management industry and Senior Managing Partner at Carnegie Private Wealth where he’s helped build a team of well-regarded and experienced advisors. The advisors of Carnegie Private Wealth collectively serve more than 519 households with over $2,000,000,000 in brokerage assets as of August 29, 2025.

In his more than 20 years of experience as an advisor working with high-net-worth individuals and families, Jordan developed expertise in helping corporate executives, professionals and business owners. As a business owner and organizational leader himself, Jordan intimately understands the time constraints and complexities facing these clients and helps them build a plan to pursue their goals while balancing many different priorities.

Jordan’s career path showcases his leadership and commitment to client service. He began at Deloitte’s individual tax practice, honing his skills in tax and estate planning strategies. Later, at Wachovia Bank (now Wells Fargo), Jordan helped build the Executive Financial Planning practice. Partnering with Angie Ostendarp, he then grew one of Wells Fargo Advisors’ largest brokerage practices. Throughout his journey, Jordan has remained a devoted student of the industry, constantly seeking innovative ways to serve clients.

Leadership has been a constant theme in Jordan’s life. From roles in student government and charitable organizations to positions on sports teams, he has consistently stepped up to guide others. Jordan’s experience made him a natural fit to lead Carnegie’s formation. He now guides the Carnegie team, focusing on a shared vision for wealth management’s future.

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong speaks with Arthur Ambarik, CEO of Perigon Wealth Management, about the firm’s growth from a small Bay Area RIA into a multi-state, $12 billion firm with a partnership-driven model and large ambitions for the future.

Ambarik shares how cultural alignment shapes mergers, why specialization within firms is becoming a critical growth driver and how long-term thinking around talent and capital structure is redefining the future of wealth management firms.

Key takeaways:

• How Ambarik has led Perigon’s journey toward becoming a national RIA, starting with $150 million in assets when he joined the firm, to a $12 billion enterprise today, supporting teams across 16 states
• How intentional growth plans and a partnership-driven model have fueled the success
• How Perigon’s first equity-based acquisition in 2020 became a springboard for the future
• How he sees the role of the niche advisor driving future growth
• How the influx of private equity has impacted firms and the larger industry
• How Perigon sees technology as a tool for better segmenting client accounts profitably
• How he envisions RIAs becoming the go-to career choice for young talent, with firms driving talent generation and mentorship

Resources:

• Listen to the RIA Edge Podcast on WealthManagement.com
• 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:

• WealthManagement.com
• LinkedIn: WealthManagement.com
• LinkedIn: David Armstrong
• Twitter: David Armstrong
• LinkedIn: Informa

Connect With Arthur Ambarik:

• Company: Perigon Wealth Management
• LinkedIn: Perigon Wealth Management
• LinkedIn: Arthur Ambarik

About Our Guest:

Arthur Ambarik, CFP, is Chief Executive Officer of Perigon Wealth Management. Under his leadership, Perigon has grown to over $10.2 billion* in assets under management and expanded its national footprint through strategic acquisitions and organic growth.

Named CEO of the Year in 2024 by WealthManagement.com, Arthur has played a pivotal role in Perigon’s rapid ascent in the industry. He was also recognized on the Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors 2024 list for California.

Thanks to his leadership, Perigon has earned national recognition, including:

• Forbes America’s Top RIA Firms
• Newsweek America’s Top Financial Advisory Firms
• USA Today Best Financial Advisory Firms
• Financial Advisor Magazine’s:
• Fastest-Growing RIAs
• Top RIAs
• RIA Discretionary and Non-Discretionary AUM Rankings
• San Francisco Business Times: Bay Area’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies

Arthur brings more than 20 years of experience to the role, with a career spanning advisory and operational leadership at Ameriprise and LPL. He is also a member of the Financial Advisor IQ Leadership Council.

Arthur holds a B.A. in Economics from Williams College.