About Gladstone — https://gstoneinc.com/

About Allworth Financial – https://allworthfinancial.com/

Steven Clark sits down with Sara Baker, Executive Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions at Allworth Financial, for an unfiltered conversation. Allworth just crossed $40 billion in AUM across 43 offices and 50 partnerships, and Baker screens every opportunity that comes through the door. Her first look is not at margins or growth rate. It's the depth of the team.

She tells owners at smaller firms to put their next dollar into an associate advisor rather than a platform. She also explains what a buyer hears when a founder brags about high margins–it’s not always good. High margins often mean under-investment? For an owner weighing timing, succession, or a key hire, it is a direct look at how one of the fastest-growing buyers in the industry decides which firms are worth a second conversation.

[10:40] $40 Billion, 43 Offices, 50 Partnerships: Allworth by the Numbers

[12:45] Allworth Didn't Grow on Custodial Referrals, and That Changed the Culture

[15:15] What Makes an Acquisition Opportunity Worth a Second Conversation

[17:15] Firms That Call Themselves Holistic When 90% of It Is the Investment Piece

[18:15] Hiring the Unicorn: Hire Slow, Fire Fast, Look Outside the Industry

[21:15] COOs Are the New Rock Stars and Chief Growth Officer Is Next

[22:45] Everyone Has the Same Ideas, So Only Execution Separates Firms

[26:00] The Sandwich Generation and Delivering Advice to Your Clients' Kids

[27:45] What a Buyer Hears When You Brag About Your Margins

[30:45] The Advisor Shortage, and Why Women Still Aren't Going Into M&A

[34:40] The Capacity Ceiling Nobody in Wealth Is Being Honest About

[37:45] Is the Vanguard-Altruist Deal a Shot Across the Bow?

The Hunter Podcast is hosted by Steven Clark, Senior Managing Director and President of Search at Gladstone Group, and features conversations with executives and leaders driving change across asset management, wealth management, insurance, and fintech. New episodes are released regularly as part of Gladstone's ongoing content series.

Sara Baker is Executive Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions at Allworth Financial, where she leads the firm's partnership strategy. She previously served as president of Triad Wealth, and before that held senior roles at Edelman Financial Engines, most recently as VP of Advanced Planning, and at Mariner Wealth Advisors as Senior Vice President, Wealth Management and Strategy Counsel. She holds a Master of Laws in taxation from Washington University in St. Louis, a JD from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, and a bachelor's degree from Wichita State University, where she played Division I volleyball. WealthManagement.com named her to its Ten to Watch in 2026 list.

Enjoyed this conversation? Gladstone Group brings nearly four decades of relationships and pattern recognition to RIAs and wealth management firms navigating M&A, executive search, and valuation decisions. Visit gstoneinc.com to learn more about our services or to get in touch with our team.

Looking for your next search or considering what your firm is worth? Reach out through gstoneinc.com to start the conversation.

Subscribe to The Hunter Podcast to catch every episode, and follow Gladstone Group on LinkedIn for the latest insights on M&A, talent, and growth in the wealth management industry.

About Gladstone — https://gstoneinc.com/

About Orion – https://orion.com/

Steven Clark sits down with Natalie Wolfsen, CEO of Orion, for an unfiltered conversation. Orion's AI-native wealthtech platform powers financial advisors, servicing $6.6 trillion in assets under administration.

Wolfsen shares her take on the questions advisors and RIA owners are asking most right now, from how far AI can actually go in closing the advisor capacity gap to whether the wealth tech ecosystem is due for a wave of consolidation.

For an owner trying to figure out where technology, growth, and talent intersect, it's a direct look behind the curtain from someone building one of the industry's biggest platforms.

CHAPTERS

[08:00] $6.6 Trillion and Growing: Orion's Platform by the Numbers

[12:00] The Decisions That Built Orion, According to the Woman Running It Now

[17:00] Why Wolfsen Bet Big on AI Before It Was Trendy

[21:00] Guarding Against Rogue AI: Inside Orion's ISO 42001 Certification

[26:00] Organic vs. Inorganic Growth for Advisors

[29:00] Is the Wealth Tech Ecosystem About to Consolidate?

[44:00] AI Is the Real Fix for the Advisor Shortage

[46:00] Bold Prediction: AI Will Look Nothing Like This by December

ABOUT THE HUNTER

The Hunter Podcast is hosted by Steven Clark, Senior Managing Director and President of Search at Gladstone Group, and features conversations with executives and leaders driving change across asset management, wealth management, insurance, and fintech. New episodes are released regularly as part of Gladstone's ongoing content series.

Enjoyed this conversation? Gladstone Group brings nearly four decades of relationships and pattern recognition to RIAs and wealth management firms navigating M&A, executive search, and valuation decisions. Visit gstoneinc.com to learn more about our services or to get in touch with our team.

Looking for your next search or considering what your firm is worth? Reach out through gstoneinc.com to start the conversation.

Subscribe to The Hunter Podcast to catch every episode, and follow Gladstone Group on LinkedIn for the latest insights on M&A, talent, and growth in the wealth management industry

About Gladstone — https://gstoneinc.com/

About Modern Wealth Management – https://www.modwm.com/

Steven Clark sits down with Jason Gordo, President and Co-Founder of Modern Wealth Management, for an unfiltered conversation.

Modern is one of the fastest-growing aggregators in the industry, now over $15 billion in AUM in just 40 months. Gordo answers the questions Gladstone hears constantly from RIA owners considering a sale, from what private equity has really done to the industry to how a buyer actually separates true growers from lifestyle businesses looking for an exit.

For an owner weighing timing or wondering how buyers really evaluate a firm, it's a direct look behind the curtain from someone building one of them.

[09:00] What United Capital and Goldman Sachs Taught Him About Building It Right

[26:00] What Do Aggregators Think About Exiting Founders?

[29:00] Is PE a net good or a net bad for the industry? — Gordo's Unfiltered Take

[33:00] Why Revenue Quality Matters More Than Scale

[37:00] What Inning Are RIA Valuations In?

[39:00] Is the Advisor Shortage Overblown?

[44:00] Bold Prediction: Q4 2026 Will Be the Biggest Consolidation Quarter Ever

The Hunter Podcast is hosted by Steven Clark, Senior Managing Director and President of Search at Gladstone Group, and features conversations with executives and leaders driving change across asset management, wealth management, insurance, and fintech. New episodes are released regularly as part of Gladstone's ongoing content series.

Enjoyed this conversation? Gladstone Group brings nearly four decades of relationships and pattern recognition to RIAs and wealth management firms navigating M&A, executive search, and valuation decisions. Visit gstoneinc.com to learn more about our services or to get in touch with our team.

Looking for your next search or considering what your firm is worth? Reach out through gstoneinc.com to start the conversation.

Subscribe to The Hunter Podcast to catch every episode, and follow Gladstone Group on LinkedIn for the latest insights on M&A, talent, and growth in the wealth management industry.

Chapters
About The Hunter Podcast