In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, David Armstrong, editorial director for Informa Connect’s Wealth Management Group, talks with Craig Robson, founder of Regent Peak Wealth Advisors, about why, after 25 years at Merrill Lynch, he ventured into independent practice where, over the past five years, he’s built a growing practice catering to wealth creators by simply paying deeper attention and surrounding their families with advice. 

Specifically, David and Craig discuss:

• The specific situations that drove him to leave Merrill Lynch after 25 years to start his own RIA. 
  
• Training his advisors to uncover useful insights into a family’s values and motivators through one-on-one interviews, family meetings and an exercise in philanthropic giving. 
  
• Deliberately structuring his practice to have a higher employee-to-client ratio than most other firms, ensuring clients are never out of contact with a known advisor. 
  
• Managing a high rate of organic growth without asking clients for referrals. 
  
• How clients often bring investment opportunities that can be shared with other Regent Peak families, and why he invests his own wealth in the same portfolios.
  
•  The strategy behind keeping a referral network for ancillary services, like estate planning, instead of bringing those in-house. Hint: It’s less conflicted and a competitive differentiator. 
  

Resources:

• RIA Edge Podcast
  

Connect With David Armstrong:

• WealthManagement.com
  
• LinkedIn: WealthManagment.com
  
• LinkedIn: David Armstrong 
  
• Twitter/X: @djamesarmstrong
  
• LinkedIn: Informa
  

Connect With Craig Robson:

• LinkedIn: Craig Robson
  
• Regent Peak Wealth Advisors
  

About Our Guest: 

Craig is the founder of Regent Peak Wealth Advisors. During his 25 years at Merrill Lynch, Craig became the Founder and Managing Director of Robson & Associates, a high-net-worth wealth advisory practice within the firm. At Regent Peak, he serves as Managing Director and sets the firm’s overall vision and strategy. The creation of Regent Peak Wealth Advisors, an independent advisory firm, is a direct result of Craig’s desire to provide all relationships with objective advice free from the conflicts of interest that might come from large institutions.

Craig has been recognized for his investment acuity and was recognized by Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list in 2019. Craig holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER certification awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., the Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) designation and he is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® professional. Craig holds all the relevant general securities registrations and insurance licenses.