AGENDA
Monday, February 2, 2026
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Registration Check-In and Badge Pick Up
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Networking Reception
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
7:00 AM – 8:15 AM
Badge Pick Up and Networking Breakfast
8:30 AM - 8:45 AM
Welcome and Opening Remarks
8:45 AM – 10:00 AM
KEYNOTE
ZAP The Generational Gap! Transforming, Recruiting, Retaining and Engaging Multi-Generational Teams
Meagan Johnson
Having a Generational Misunderstanding is nothing new. Many of us have walked away from a multi-generational interaction with less than stellar results. We are left scratching our heads, thinking, “is this a generational issue or a personality problem?” Combined with conflicting generational information and blatant generational stereotypes, it can be a challenge to forge a new path with the multi-generational people in our lives.
The truth is, the workforce, and possibly your household, spans across five generations. On one end of the spectrum, the younger generations in the workforce are beginning their careers during one of the largest global upheavals the world has experienced. On the other end, an entire generation, on the precipice of retirement, is learning how to conduct business in an increasingly digital environment. It can be a struggle to find the right balance between the sometimes-conflicting needs of each generation.
10:15 AM – 11:15 AM
Breaking the Organic Growth Plateau: How Elite Firms Are Leveraging Marketing to Scale Past $1 Billion
Megan Carpenter
As firms approach and surpass $1 billion in AUM, organic growth becomes exponentially harder; maintaining even modest percentage growth means onboarding significantly more new clients each year as your denominator grows. This inflection point forces a critical shift: marketing can no longer be an afterthought or a collection of ad-hoc tactics. Elite firms achieving 12.2% organic growth—2.5x the industry median of 4.9%—have professionalized their marketing function and built repeatable, scalable growth engines that work at $1B, $3B, and beyond.
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM
ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION
Let’s Talk: Real Conversations on Organic Growth – Roundtable Discussions
No slides or formalities—just an open, unfiltered conversation about organic growth in large organizations. No panelists, no pitches, just peers talking honestly about what’s working, what’s not, and what keeps us up at night.
This roundtable is a safe space to share experiences, swap ideas, and explore techniques that can help overcome stalled initiatives—or help a colleague avoid the same pitfalls. Whether you’re leading a growth strategy or simply trying to spark momentum, you’ll find candid stories and fresh perspectives from others who get it.
Bring your curiosity, your challenges, and your sense of humor. We’ll go wherever the conversation takes us—because sometimes the best insights come from the most unexpected places.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Networking Lunch
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
Leveraging the Advisor Voice to Drive a Process Mindset
Susan Green
Growth is now the norm in the financial advisory industry, whether organic or through M&A. This growth necessitates scalability in hiring, performance management, and the day-to-day workings of a firm, but how do we ensure the success of these technological initiatives? In this session, we will explore how best to identify and minimize friction points and leverage the advisor voice to ensure that technology and processes are used effectively. Through real-world case studies, we will illustrate the importance of connecting operationally driven scalability with advisor and client experiences to cultivate a firm culture of continuous improvement.
2:30 PM – 3:45 PM
PANEL DISCUSSION
Beyond the Build: Succession Strategies that Preserve Value and Legacy
Panelists: Tom Orecchio, Michael Joyce, and Cheryl Holland
Moderator: Michael Gibney
Building a successful firm is one challenge – ensuring its continuity and maximizing its value through a well-executed succession plan is another entirely. As large firm owners face increasing complexity around regulatory requirements, valuation considerations, and talent retention, having a clear succession strategy has never been more critical.
This candid discussion with experienced firm owners will share hard-won insights on navigating one of the most consequential decisions of your career and explore the unique challenges facing large practices, from identifying and developing internal successors to evaluating external opportunities, structuring deals that align with your values and client service standards, and managing the emotional and practical realities of transition.
Key discussion topics include:
- Timeline considerations: When to start planning and key milestones along the way
- Internal vs. external succession: Evaluating your options and hybrid approaches
- Valuation methods and deal structures
- Tax and legal considerations for ownership transfers
- Maintaining client relationships and team stability through transition
- Lessons learned: What panelists wish they'd known sooner
3:45 PM – 4:00 PM
Networking Break
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
M&A Perspectives
Nicole Madosik
M&A is reshaping the future of RIA's. This session will explore key M&A perspectives, from understanding market headlines to defining your “why” (and “why not”) when pursuing a deal. We’ll unpack how to identify cultural fit, maximize enterprise value through organic growth and internal succession, and future-proof your mental framework in a world where every firm is, ultimately, a potential seller. Attendees will leave with practical insights and frameworks to approach RIA M&A with clarity, confidence, and long-term vision.
5:00 PM – 5:10 PM
Closing Remarks & Wrap Up
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Reception
8:15 PM – 9:30 PM
Networking Dinner
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
7:15 AM - 8:30 AM
Networking Breakfast
8:45 AM – 9:00 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
PANEL DISCUSSION
Building a Financially Resilient RIA: Financial Strategies for Sustainable RIA Growth
Panelists: Michael Chasnoff, Michael Goodman, Cheryl Holland, and Mark Willoughby
Moderator: David Flores-Wilson
Growing a registered investment advisory firm from startup to a multi-million-dollar enterprise requires more than investment expertise – it demands strategic financial decision-making, disciplined resource allocation, and the resilience to weather market volatility. While many RIA owners excel at managing client portfolios, managing the financial health of their own firms often presents unexpected challenges and critical inflection points.
Join us for this panel of successful RIA owners who have navigated the journey from startup to significant scale as they share candid insights on the financial decisions that shaped their firms' trajectories. This engaging discussion will explore best practices for building a financially sound RIA, from preparing for market downturns and making strategic technology investments to developing talent and allocating resources wisely across the firm's lifecycle.
Key discussion topics include:
- Building reserves and managing cash flow
- Investing in people: Hiring strategies, compensation models, and building bench strength
- Course corrections: What panelists would do differently with hindsight
- Metrics that matter: KPIs beyond AUM for measuring firm financial health
- Balancing growth investments with profitability and owner compensation
10:30 AM – 10:40 AM
Networking Break
10:45 AM – 11:45 AM
Surveying of Large Firms
Catherine Williams
Full description coming soon.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Lunch
1:15 PM – 2:15 PM
AI-Proof Your Business: Human Connection That Cultivates Grounded & Disciplined Clients
Jay Mooreland
In an age where AI can analyze portfolios faster than ever, the one skill it can’t replicate is human influence. This session helps advisors strengthen the one competitive edge algorithms will never match: the ability to guide human behavior. Attendees will explore how emotions, not data, drive most investment decisions, and how mastering behavioral coaching protects both clients and your business from reactionary mistakes.
You’ll walk away with actionable tools to help clients stay rational, confident, and invested—no matter what markets or headlines say.
2:15 PM – 3:15 PM
Real Talk on AI: A Candid Conversation on AI Adoption
ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how leading firms operate, serve clients, and scale. In this interactive roundtable, firm leaders will have the opportunity to share how AI is being integrated into their organizations; what’s working, what remains experimental, and what’s next. Participants will explore their early fears and how they overcame them, swap lessons learned and common misconceptions, and gain a clearer, more grounded understanding of what AI can truly deliver for their businesses.
This discussion offers a valuable forum for large-firm leaders to exchange insights and experiences on:
- Identifying and prioritizing high-impact AI use cases across the enterprise
- Embedding AI into workflows spanning research, client engagement, marketing, and operations
- Balancing innovation with governance, compliance, and data security
- Fostering a culture of responsible AI adoption through leadership, education, and transparency
- Preparing teams and technology stacks for the next wave of transformation
Designed as a peer-driven, conversational session rather than a formal presentation, this roundtable invites open dialogue, shared experiences, and collective exploration of how AI is shaping the next chapter for large advisory firms.
3:15 PM – 3:40 PM
Networking Break
3:45 PM – 4:45 PM
The 7 Pillars of a Prepared Firm: Building Value, Clarity, and Readiness for What’s Next
Linda Bready
Every firm says they want to grow or prepare for succession — but few take the time to build the foundation that makes either one work.
Drawing from the book The Exit Equation, this session gives firm principals a framework for evaluating and maximizing that foundation: defining goals, financial clarity, leadership and team stability, operational scalability, client retention risks, technology and data readiness, and compliance and risk management — the seven pillars of a prepared firm.
Advisors will learn how to assess readiness across each pillar, spot the warning signs that reduce value in a deal or transition, and apply practical steps to strengthen firm structure and performance. The focus is on preparation that protects founders’ options — because great exits, like great firms, aren’t accidental.
4:45 PM – 5:00 PM
Closing Remarks
6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Reception & Closing Dinner