Marketing Matchup

Recorded live at the RIA Edge conference in Nashville, host Joe Anthony sits down with Michelle Winkles, Partner and Chief Marketing Officer at Mission Wealth, Darcy O’Brien, Chief Marketing Officer at Simon Quick Advisors, and Kayla Kennelly, Chief Growth Officer at Opal Wealth Advisors to break down how marketers use AI as part of their strategy to create leverage and consistent growth.From building repeatable systems that move firms beyond founder-led growth to rethinking how advisors show up in an environment shaped by AI search and digital validation, this conversation gets into the day-to-day reality of what marketing leaders are being asked to deliver today.

To close out Season 2 of Marketing Matchup, Justin Barish of Lido Advisors, Tara Ryan of Cerity Partners, Meghan McCartan of Composition Wealth, and Jack Casady of Beck Bode return for a wide-ranging conversation about the growing role of marketing inside RIA firms. They share what they’ve learned in 2026 as they have built out their teams, integrated acquisitions, and helped advisors truly connect with prospects.

Tobias Salinger, Chief Correspondent at Financial Planning, and Ian Wenik, Editor of Citywire RIA, turn the tables on Marketing Matchup in a conversation about how advisor growth stories land with independent observers. From client acquisition costs to ongoing scrutiny of organic growth, Tobias and Ian explain what signals make a firm’s marketing credible and what raises red flags.

Jack Casady of Beck Bode and Greg Banasz of Steward Partners join Marketing Matchup to talk about where growth really comes from once referrals alone stop carrying the load. With the right approach, reviews, education, advisory boards, and everyday interactions all turn clients into active participants in growth.

Corey Kupfer, founder of Kupfer., PLLC, and Jessica Polito, founder of Turkey Hill Management, explore the ways in which organic growth, earnouts, and growth stories hinge on repeatable, fully integrated marketing efforts. Corey and Jessica explain where growth narratives break down, how marketing leaders increasingly enter the deal process, and what advisors misunderstand about preparing for a future transaction.

Samantha Allen, Executive Vice President of Marketing at Merit Financial Advisors, and Tyler Resh, Chief Growth Officer at SteelPeak Wealth, join Marketing Matchup for a deep conversation about linking marketing to growth. Samantha and Tyler explore the ways in which marketing teams can support the advisor as a local source of education and client empowerment, and how those efforts feed back into organic growth.

Tara Ryan, Partner and Chief Marketing Officer at Cerity Partners, and Rob Stella, Head of Marketing at Compound Planning, compare the efforts of two fast-growing RIAs building modern marketing engines. From scaling content across niche audiences to enabling advisors with repeatable systems to rethinking how prospects discover RIAs in an age of AI search, Tara and Rob break down what it really takes to support growth at velocity.

Meghan McCartan and Monique Kellerman, both free agents and accomplished marketing leaders in financial services, bring an unfiltered viewpoint to the gap between the growth goals of RIAs, and the resources aligned with the marketing teams responsible for quarterbacking that growth.

Daniel Gilmartin, Chief Marketing Officer of Catchlight, and Andrew Johnson, Co-Founder & CEO of Testimonial iQ, offer a wealthtech perspective on the journey from prospect to client, and how modern advisors are professionalizing their sales funnels.

Recorded live at the RIA Edge conference in Los Angeles, Justin Barish, CMO of Lido Advisors, Michelle Winkles, Partner and CMO of Mission Wealth, Michele Welsh, CMO of Verdence Capital Advisors, and Daniel Gilmartin, CMO of Catchlight explore the role that AI plays in reshaping marketing in the RIA landscape.

Justin Barish, Chief Marketing & Digital Officer at Lido Advisors, and Mindy Mackey, Marketing Manager at Carnegie Investment Counsel join us in the first episode of our new season of Marketing Matchup. Together they draw a solid line between RIA business growth and ambitious, long-term marketing strategies that speak to prospects’ actual lives and needs.

In Angela Giombetti, Chief Marketing Officer at Wealthspire Advisors, Terra McBride, Chief Marketing Officer at Prime Capital Investment Advisors, Darcy O’Brien, Chief Marketing Officer at Simon Quick Advisors, and Michele Welsh, Chief Marketing Officer at Verdence Capital Advisors continue their capstone discussion in part two of the season finale. After a brief detour into songs of the summer, they spotlight the growing role of AI and the possibilities of agents as drivers of growth in their marketing campaigns. Songs of The Summer playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5o9zDIZIcudkk6TYKFWLNb?si=b04424d8e0254a60

In the first part of Marketing Matchup’s season finale, Angela Giombetti, Chief Marketing Officer at Wealthspire Advisors, Terra McBride, Chief Marketing Officer at Prime Capital Investment Advisors, Darcy O’Brien, Chief Marketing Officer at Simon Quick Advisors, and Michele Welsh, Chief Marketing Officer at Verdence Capital Advisors return to share how they’re tackling brand visibility, advisor support, and the never-ending pressure to do more with less.

Marketing technology to advisors is difficult. Everyone is vying for the attention of an advisor who is already strapped for time. Abby Domine, CMO of Flourish Financial, and Emily Tran, VP of Marketing at Vanilla, see a path through the noise: Show advisors tools that bring actual value to their practice. Abby and Emily share their strategies for true differentiation in a crowded field marketing to a relatively small audience.

Erica Rodrigues, Director of Advisory at Constellation Wealth Capital, and Amy Rizzo, Chief Growth Officer at Arax Investment Partners, approach RIA marketing from the viewpoint of platform builders. From their vantage, they talk about how they help portfolio firms build repeatable marketing engines… without breaking what made them successful in the first place.

Less than 10% of billion-dollar RIA firms have a chief marketing officer… But half of the top 100 fastest-growing firms do. Joanna Irwin of Homrich Berg and Michele Welsh of Verdence Capital share what happens when firm leadership gives full support to their CMOs, how they’ve balanced growth through acquisition and brand-building, and the real-world ROI of PR.

There are no soft launches in the ETF space. Erica Allaby, Chief Marketing Officer, EMQQ Global, and Claire du Plessis, Chief Marketing Officer, Tidal Financial Group, compare notes on product launches when investor attention is at a premium. How much does it matter to have a catchy ticker? What do advisors need to hear from issuers? How should marketing and distribution sync with each other? Together, Erica and Claire lay out what it really takes to make ETF marketing work.

It takes time to build a successful, scalable marketing function within an RIA. Alli Warner, CMO of Beacon Pointe Advisors, and Michael Mignosi, Director of Organic Growth at Perigon Wealth, discuss major milestones on the long-term journey of creating growth engines at their firms, why success takes time, and how to stay focused and patient as your marketing plans come to fruition.

Terra McBride, Chief Marketing Officer of Prime Capital Financial, and Crystal Mathis, Chief Marketing Officer and Partner at SignatureFD, have each built marketing campaigns fully integrated with the personalities and brands of their firms. They show Gregory FCA how they incorporate the human heart of their work into measurable, repeatable marketing campaigns that drive organic growth.

The professionalization of financial advice has led to a growing cadre of marketing leaders who are already building a community of storytellers and growth catalysts within the industry. Michelle Panzera, Director of Marketing at Evensky & Katz / Foldes Wealth Management, and Michelle Winkles, MBA, Partner and Chief Marketing Officer, Mission Wealth Management, share what they have learned on their individual journeys and with the recently established CMO Collective.

How do you measure success? Darcy O’Brien, CMO at Simon Quick Advisors, and Jim Mocci, CMO at EP Wealth Advisors, go off-script with Gregory FCA about the way branding and data can make or break a marketing strategy for financial advisors. Why are referrals still the best way for advisors to grow? How do sales and marketing tag-team to make leads into clients?

Angela Giombetti, CMO of Wealthspire Advisors, and Jason Gordo, Co-Founder and President of Modern Wealth, join Joe Anthony, President of Gregory FCA to offer their unscripted takes on the tools, tactics, and lessons of marketing as a driver of business growth. How did marketing become a full-funnel, client experience strategy, and how do the top growers allocate resources to their outreach campaigns?

Marketing Matchup is a bold new podcast hosted by Joe Anthony, President and Owner of Gregory—one of the nation’s top 10 financial PR and marketing agencies. Each episode brings together two senior marketing leaders—CMOs, heads of growth, and other top executives from RIAs, asset managers, wealthtech firms, and beyond—for an unfiltered discussion on the strategies and challenges shaping their businesses. The catch? Guests won’t know who they’re paired with until the recording begins, sparking authentic, unscripted conversations that reveal fresh insights and real-world perspectives. Tune in for candid debates, expert takes, and a front-row seat to the conversations driving the future of financial services marketing.