The COO Roundtable

Hosted by Coldstream Wealth Managment

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Latest episode

Oct 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Join host Matt Sonnen and a panel of COOs, as they share an open discussion about operational and technology best practices for the RIA industry, and shed a light on the tremendously important work COOs perform on a day-to-day basis.

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60 recent

October 14, 202651 min

Episode 91: Claire O'Keefe

With Episode 91, Matt sits down with Claire O'Keefe, Partner and Head of Partner Development at Cerity Partners, for a solo conversation that breaks from the show's usual two-guest format. Founded in 2009, Cerity Partners is a national RIA with approximately 1,800 team members managing roughly $1.4 trillion in client assets. Claire sits on the firm's Executive and Operating Committees and leads its M&A conversations with potential partners, giving her a rare vantage point into hundreds of RIAs across the country. Claire and Matt dig into what it takes to manage and evaluate an RIA at scale, touching on: Claire's career path from teaching elementary school in Ireland into RIA operations in the U.S. and eventually into her current role at Cerity Partners How her operational background shapes what she looks at when evaluating a potential partner, going beyond the numbers to focus primarily on the client experience Cerity Partners' intentional approach to building and maintaining culture across thousands of employees spread across the country The importance of consistency of process when serving clients, both as a regulatory requirement and an efficiency driver Keeping autonomous, entrepreneurial advisors rowing in the same direction after a partnership, without losing what made them successful in the first place How Cerity approaches training when new teams are constantly joining and the organization itself keeps evolving Practical steps RIA owners can take today to become a more attractive partner in five years Where AI is gaining operational traction across the industry right now Claire's approach to managing her day-to-day responsibilities, and how she relies on her team to keep her sane and productive The views and opinions expressed by guests on The COO Roundtable are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Coldstream Wealth Management. Guest statements regarding their firms, including assets under management and business performance, have not been independently verified by Coldstream.

September 2, 202649 min

Episode 90: Giselle Crout & Brent Lee

With Episode 90, Matt welcomes Giselle Crout, COO at Corvus Wealth Advisors, and Brent Lee, Partner and COO at Dodds Wealth. Corvus Wealth Advisors is headquartered in San Luis Obispo, with a second office in Templeton, CA. The firm manages approximately $1 billion in client assets and has 20 employees. Dodds Wealth, an LPL-affiliated firm, has offices in Denver and Colorado Springs, CO, manages approximately $800 million for clients, and employs 15 team members. Giselle, Brent, and Matt dig into what it takes to manage an RIA through that critical growth stretch around $1 billion in AUM, touching on: Both guests' career paths leading up to their current COO roles The three-person study group Giselle and Brent belong to alongside Chris Pelch ( Episode 47 ), and how the group has supported their development as operations professionals The process changes both firms have made at the enterprise level to support growth beyond a single office and a headcount that used to allow for institutional knowledge to reside in everyone's head How Corvus and Dodds Wealth are tracking advisor capacity to ensure their teams aren’t maxed out How both firms are navigating the RIA technology industry’s shift from an open-architecture, best-of-breed approach to an all-in-one value proposition What both guests have built into their summer internship programs to make sure interns leave with real industry experience and (hopefully!) want to return as full-time employees upon graduation The views and opinions expressed by guests on The COO Roundtable are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Coldstream Wealth Management. Guest statements regarding their firms, including assets under management and business performance, have not been independently verified by Coldstream.

August 5, 202643 min

Episode 89: Livia Ramirez & Stephen de Man

While Episode 89 clocks in at 43 minutes, you are going to want to allocate 86 minutes so you can listen to it twice! Livia Ramirez and Stephen de Man offer actionable advice that can be incorporated at your firm today . Both Regional Directors and Vice Presidents in Dimensional Fund Advisors’ practice management division, Livia and Stephen have a front-row seat to what’s working, and not working, at RIAs today. They work closely with RIAs of all sizes to make their firms more efficient and profitable. Livia, Stephen, and Matt dive into: Both guests' fascinating career paths: Stephen's journey from Teach for America to hosting a practice management podcast, and Livia's impressive operations career including two stints at Alliance Bernstein and time in the RIA COO seat How DFA supports RIA firms through practice management consulting, peer-to-peer study groups, and benchmarking research, and what participants love so much about them What separates firms that execute against their strategic plan from those that write a great plan and let it collect dust all year How high-performing firms think differently about running their business, and what the data reveals about what the most intentional firms do differently than their peers The most common workflow and process breakdowns and where to start when it comes to policy & procedure documentation (and why it's so hard to get right) An honest take on AI adoption across the industry – are firms actually moving the needle, or are those claims of saving advisors 8 hours a week too good to be true? How to think about AI intentionally rather than reactively, and where AI should show up first in an advisory firm's operations The single biggest lever an RIA can pull to grow more effectively, efficiently, and profitably A few articles Matt has written about topics discussed during this episode: Do Your Team a Favor, Learn to Delegate How I’ve (Casually) Used Time Blocking to Boost Creative Output Why is an Ops & Tech Consultant Writing About Client Segmentation? We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify . The views and opinions expressed by guests on The COO Roundtable are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Coldstream Wealth Management. Guest statements regarding their firms, including assets under management and business performance, have not been independently verified by Coldstream. Dimensional Fund Advisors is among the asset managers whose funds Coldstream may recommend or utilize in client portfolios. Coldstream employees attend educational events and may use practice management resources offered by Dimensional and other asset managers, in some cases including sponsor coverage of travel-related expenses. Neither Coldstream nor its guests received compensation in connection with this episode.

July 8, 202650 min

Episode 88: Bryant Hicks and Timothy Feeney

With Episode 88, Matt welcomes Bryant Hicks, Partner and Director of Operations at JFG Family Office, and Tim Feeney, FPQP ® , Operations Manager at Bridgewater Advisors. JFG Family Office is headquartered in Denver, CO, with additional offices in Washington, DC, and Dallas, TX. The firm manages approximately $5 billion in client assets and has 62 employees, 22 of whom have joined in the past 18 months. Bridgewater Advisors is located in New York City, manages approximately $2.8 billion for clients, and employs 25 team members. Bryant, Tim, and Matt pull back the curtain on what it really takes to scale an RIA, touching on: Both guests' career paths that led them to their current operations roles, including Tim’s time as a manager and member of a rock band after college and Bryant’s 6 years serving in the Air Force How upward mobility on the operations track is built by raising your hand rather than following a defined career ladder How both firms are leveraging technology to drive scale and efficiency The impact of centralizing tasks such as trading and how taking those tasks off advisors’ plates frees them to focus on client-facing work Why documented processes are a non-negotiable for growing firms, and how written workflows support training and day-to-day consistency Tips to protect and maintain firm culture as you grow―and how to manage the inevitable pushback from employees who resist change Lessons learned from shepherding a firm through growth, and the most important advice both guests would give to listeners. The views and opinions expressed by guests on The COO Roundtable are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Coldstream Wealth Management. Guest statements regarding their firms, including assets under management and business performance, have not been independently verified by Coldstream. *The Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional™ and FPQP ® are trademarks or registered service marks of the College for Financial Planning in the United States and/or other countries.

June 3, 202638 min

Episode 87: Grace Balestrieri and Vince Nauheimer

In this episode, Matt welcomes two dynamic operations leaders: Grace Balestrieri, Senior Director of Client Experience Operations at Brighton Jones, and Vince Nauheimer, Chief Operating Officer of OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners. Brighton Jones, headquartered in Seattle, WA, was founded in 1999 and recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Today, the firm manages approximately $30 billion in client assets across 22 offices nationwide. OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners traces its roots to the mid-1980s, when it was focused on insurance. The firm launched its RIA in 2015 with approximately $3 billion in client assets and has since grown to nearly $16 billion across 20 offices nationwide. Grace, Vince, and Matt enjoy a wide-ranging conversation that includes: Both guests' professional backgrounds, including Grace's recent pivot from the tech industry How they intentionally maintain an "outsider's perspective" to drive innovative solutions at their organizations Tips for leading change successfully within large, complex firms How to "scale with soul" and maintain a culture you're proud of as you grow and expand How both firms are approaching AI and the tools they've already implemented Why "consistent and repeatable" tasks are the safest to centralize when driving scale and efficiency The views and opinions expressed by guests on The COO Roundtable are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Coldstream Wealth Management. Guest statements regarding their firms, including assets under management and business performance, have not been independently verified by Coldstream.

May 6, 202637 min

Episode 86: Dawn Claussen and Michael Young

In this episode, Matt is joined by Dawn Claussen, Chief Operating Officer at Mutual Group, and Michael Young, President and Managing Partner at Integrated Advisors Network. Mutual Group specializes in providing operational, strategic, and advisory support to financial service firms. Their goal is to help organizations optimize their processes, scale efficiently, and focus on what they do best―serving clients. Integrated Advisors Network is a collaborative platform for independent financial advisors. They provide resources, technology, and support to help advisors grow their businesses while maintaining their independence and delivering exceptional service to their clients. Dawn and Michael share expertise in helping firms define their growth strategies, identifying their ideal clients, and serving those clients more effectively. The conversation dives deep into essential topics for growing and scaling businesses, including: The importance of documented processes, both for their own businesses as well as for the firms they support How their firms have navigated remote vs. in-office work, and the pros and cons of each approach The longstanding tension between Sales and Operations, and how fostering collaboration between these departments can drive businesses forward Whether RIAs should focus on building their own AI tools or rely on the AI advancements from tech vendors Real-world examples of how firms are leveraging AI in today’s business environment The views and opinions expressed by guests on The COO Roundtable are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Coldstream Wealth Management. Guest statements regarding their firms, including assets under management and business performance, have not been independently verified by Coldstream.

April 1, 202653 min

Episode 85: Josh Brier & Aldo Tarantini

Matt welcomes Josh Brier, Chief Operating Officer of Connecticut Wealth Management, and Aldo Tarantini, Managing Director and former Director of Operations at Family Management Corporation. Connecticut Wealth Management, founded in 2010 out of an accounting business, recently celebrated its 15 th anniversary. Today, the firm manages approximately $5 billion of client assets with a team of 70 employees. Family Management Corporation, based in New York City, began in 1989 as a family office for the two founders. Since then, it has grown to manage approximately $5 billion in client assets with a lean team of 23 professionals. After sharing their professional journeys and backgrounds, Josh, Aldo, and Matt explore a range of impactful topics, including: How a great COO can eliminate friction for advisors, enabling them to better serve clients The role Operations plays in shaping the client experience and driving firm success Leveraging technology to create efficiencies and improve workflows Lessons learned from mid-project pivots and how to adapt when things don’t go as planned The future of the RIA industry and how Operations teams can harness the current growth trends to increase their stature The views and opinions expressed by guests on The COO Roundtable are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Coldstream Wealth Management. Guest statements regarding their firms, including assets under management and business performance, have not been independently verified by Coldstream.

March 4, 202638 min

Episode 84: Henry Lao & Ben Littman

With Episode 84, Matt welcomes Ben Littman, Founding Member and Head of Corporate Development at Pure Financial Advisors, and Henry Lao, Vice President of Investments at Mercer Advisors. Pure Financial Advisors manages approximately $11 billion of client assets with a team of nearly 200 dedicated professionals. Mercer Advisors operates from over 100 offices nationwide, employing nearly 1,500 people, and oversees around $90 billion of client assets. Ben and Henry share how their professional friendship has enriched their careers and offer deep insights into the operational strategies behind their firms’ impressive growth. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why operational strength is critical in every M&A conversation How each firm decides which services to centralize and which to delegate to advisory teams The advantages of owning your data, and how a robust data warehouse empowers RIAs to connect and leverage their tech stack Strategies for aligning investment professionals with operations teams to ensure seamless implementation in client portfolios How operations teams directly shape and elevate the client experience * The CFA Institute owns the certification marks CFA ® and Chartered Financial Analyst ® . Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP® and Certified Financial Planner™ in the U.S. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. References to third-party firms are based on self-reported information and are not verified by Coldstream.

February 3, 202644 min

Episode 83: Alli Jordan & Emily Wilcox

In this episode, Matt is joined by Alli Jordan, President at LibertyFi, and Emily Wilcox, COO at Practifi, for a discussion on how leading RIAs are using innovative technology, operational excellence, and smart leadership to drive scalable growth. LibertyFi empowers growth-oriented RIAs to drive revenue and scale with the Envestnet platform, enabling seamless outsourcing of reporting, billing, and trading. Using technology and defined processes in their own business, LibertyFi currently supports 23 RIAs managing approximately $21 billion in assets with just eight employees. Practifi offers a unified workspace for financial advisory firms, blending CRM, practice management, compliance, and marketing features to streamline workflows and deepen client relationships. Alli and Emily aren’t just consultants to RIAs navigating change; they are practitioners at the forefront of their own firms’ growth stories. Together, they join Matt to explore how RIAs can grow profitably and efficiently. Other key topics covered include: The importance of treating the components of your tech stack as an operational strategy, not just a technology choice Dos and Don’ts for creating a tech stack designed to fuel growth in 2026 How to lead successful change across your firm by focusing on your team’s “hearts and minds” Time management tips and how to escape the daily grind and focus on strategic growth The top attributes of an effective RIA COO

January 14, 202641 min

Episode 82: Hannah Koch & Joe Walker

In Episode 82, Matt sits down with two well-accomplished RIA operators: Hannah Koch, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Chicago-based Altair Advisers, and Joe Walker, COO of Bradley, Foster & Sargent (BFS), headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut, with nine total office locations. Altair Advisers serves individuals, families, foundations, and endowments, offering investment management, financial planning, and client education. BFS provides investment management services to individuals, families, entrepreneurs, professionals, non-profits, and institutions. This episode dives deep into the real-world challenges and opportunities of RIA technology. Matt, Hannah, and Joe share candid insights on why successful tech implementation hinges as much on people and process as it does on the tools themselves. The conversation also covers: Why defining a specific business problem must come before choosing any technology solution The critical role of data governance and training before introducing AI across your firm Tips for approaching change management and setting your team up for long-term success The importance of seamless integration and data flow when designing your firm’s tech stack How focusing solely on the fiduciary duty can sometimes overshadow your people, and ways to become an employer of choice