The French Revolution may not be the first analogy that comes to mind when thinking about the evolution of financial advisory firms, but perhaps it should be. At its heart, that historic movement wasn't just about overthrowing a monarchy. It was about resetting power, rethinking structure, and redefining what leadership looked like. In many ways, the same dynamic is playing out inside financial advisory firms right now.
Today, we’re seeing more and more founders who once led from the front starting to be challenged – sometimes quietly, sometimes loudly – by the next generation asking, is it our turn yet. It’s a time marked by:
Recently, I sat down with Matt Barthel, Editorial Director at Barron’s, to explore a few of the biggest shifts that are currently reshaping the best in our business. Together, we unpacked five themes that are quietly (and sometimes loudly) redefining what it means to grow with purpose.
‘Value proposition’ may be industry shorthand, but don’t let the jargon dull its significance. As Matt rightly points out, your team’s value isn’t something you tack on once everything else is built. It’s the starting point.
We’re seeing two powerful trends here. First, teams are dramatically expanding services to become more holistic—shifting toward a model that helps clients navigate and simplify complexity across tax, estate, planning, and more. More and more, wealthy clients are seeking a quasi-multi-family-office service model to meet their expectations. Otherwise, they’ll simply go elsewhere in search of it.
Second, the best teams are becoming more laser-focused on developing niche expertise. They’re doing a great job of knowing what separates them from the sea of sameness out there – the qualities that truly differentiate them. Whether it’s managing concentrated stock positions for aerospace executives, liquidity event planning for law firm partners, or comprehensive planning for suddenly single women, highly-targeted specialization is becoming its own referral engine.
For too long, fee-based growth in a rising market has masked the true picture of firm performance. With roughly 70% of RIA growth tied to capital market returns, many advisors are gradually discovering that they haven’t actually grown organically – instead, they’ve simply grown with the market. Most of the remaining growth is either generated through M&A, or the result of owners retiring and selling their practices to other advisors.
The simple truth is that it's becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate one advisory firm from another and get your message heard in the marketplace given so much competitive noise. But Matt and I both see a select group of elite advisors bucking this trend.
Among Barron’s top 50 private wealth teams, AUM grew from $328 billion in 2020 to $1.1 trillion in 2025 (a more than 300% increase). That’s not just scale – it’s strategy. These teams aren’t just acquiring, they’re activating:
They are the firms that are investing now in order to meet the future head-on. Rather than merely growing for growth sake, they’re growing with purpose – seeking to build something that will be better for their clients while also affording them an opportunity to break new ground.
True scale is more than headcount or a bigger book. It’s about infrastructure that supports your best work and creates leverage for what matters most. And it starts with a ‘client first’ approach based on first figuring out who it is you want to serve in the future (their ideal client) and then backfilling how you scale your services, team, workflow, processes and value proposition to meet the specific needs of those future clients.
You’ll also need to focus on building smarter, better aligned compensation structures, more well-defined roles and career paths, seamless workflows, and start thinking like a CEO – even if you never set out to be one. It also means creating space for the next generation to step up—not someday, but today.
As Matt notes, too many firms fall into the trap of legacy leadership: advisors who built great businesses but time and again balk at every opportunity to start offloading decision-making and handing over the reins. Meanwhile, their next generation talent is asking a very fair question: When will it be our turn?
At ClientWise, we’re seeing the best in the business investing far more on the future (3-5 years out), knowing that the great wealth transfer will largely be inherited by women who will require an expansion of services and facilitation. These teams are starting to build scale and sharpen their talent toolbox – attracting the right kind of young advisors who want to serve these planning-focused women clients as well as being able to strengthen ties with next generation inheritors.
Transition isn’t a transaction – it’s a transformation. The best succession stories don’t happen overnight; they unfold intentionally over years.
Whether it’s sharing the P&L, giving client-facing responsibilities to up-and-coming advisors, or involving rising talent in firm strategy, the most enduring founders are those who understand: you don’t need to vanish to empower others. You simply need to make room.
And yes, there’s emotion tied to letting go. Your firm is your life’s work. But if you’ve attracted the right people, if you truly care about the clients you serve, then building a path for future leadership is the greatest legacy you can possibly leave.
We’re all hearing about AI, automation, and efficiency – and there’s no doubt that these will all serve to reshape advisory work. But technology isn’t your primary differentiator. Your humanity is the thing that will truly set you apart.
When clients call your office, they don’t want a decision tree. They want a person who listens, who cares, who remembers, and who helps them make sense of uncertainty. They want a team that will make their life easier and give them continued confidence in the future.
That’s why emotional intelligence, active listening, and collaborative decision-making are quickly becoming core leadership skills. And the teams that imbue those values in every role (e.g., advisory, operations, service, etc.) will be the ones that not only win, but keep the trust of clients across generations.
Now is the time to evolve with purpose. The firms that end up shaping the next decade of our industry aren’t necessarily the biggest today – but they are the most intentional. They know who they serve. They build teams that reflect the future. And they never forget that at the heart of this business is a human relationship, not just a financial one.
So, whether you’re a founder wondering what to let go of, or a rising leader preparing to step in—this is your moment. Let’s scale smart. Let’s lead human. And let’s get on the winning side of the revolution that’s underway.
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