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FEATURE ARTICLES
WORK SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH TOP-TIER
INSTITUTIONAL MONEY MANAGERS
THE SCALE FACTOR: WHEN INFRASTRUCTURE MEETS INDEPENDENCE
PARTNER VOICES
TESTIMONIAL: BUILDING TOGETHER
TESTIMONIAL: THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP
INVESTMENT INSIGHTS
THANE’S THEORIES: THE DIVERSIFICATION PARADOX
by Ron Robertson
When we founded Equity Partners, we had a simple belief: independent advisors deserve institutional capabilities without sacrificing their independence.
Ten years later, that belief has evolved into something more profound. We’ve discovered that when you combine the entrepreneurial spirit of independent advisors with the infrastructure of institutional money management, something magical happens. Growth accelerates. Clients notice. Valuations multiply.
But perhaps most importantly, advisors rediscover why they entered this profession in the first place—to serve clients at the highest level.
In this inaugural issue of SCALE & SUCCEED, we’re exploring what institutional partnership really means. Not the buzzword version that gets thrown around at conferences, but the real, practical transformation that happens when advisors gain access to the tools, strategies, and support that were once reserved for the largest firms.
Our industry stands at an inflection point. The gap between the “haves” and “have-nots” in terms of technology, capabilities, and resources has never been wider. Yet the opportunity for independent advisors to bridge that gap has never been more accessible.
At Equity Partners, we’re not just observers of this transformation—we’re architects of it. Every day, we work alongside advisors who are redefining what’s possible. They’re proving that with the right partner, you don’t have to choose between independence and excellence.
Welcome to the future of advisory. Welcome to institutional excellence.
RON ROBERTSON CEO, Equity Partners
For years, independent advisors have been promised freedom—but often left without a path to scale.
You went independent to serve clients on your terms. To build something meaningful. To create real wealth—for your clients and yourself.
But here’s what nobody told you: Independence often means isolation.
Instead of building an empire, you’re drowning in:
• Portfolio construction that eats your evenings
• Compliance demands that steal your weekends
• Tech headaches that drain your budget
• Marketing guesswork that yields inconsistent results
You became the CEO, CIO, COO, CCO, and CMO—overnight.
At Equity Partners, we believe it’s time to redefine what independence means.
We’re not just another TAMP. We’re not a loose affiliation of professionals hoping to share expenses.
We are an elite institutional money manager and advisory growth engine—engineered to help ambitious advisors:
• Double their AUM
• Quadruple their exit value
• Reclaim their time
This isn’t theory. This is proven methodology, delivered at scale.
The Problem: Your high-net-worth clients expect more than off-the-shelf solutions. They compare you to Goldman Sachs, not the advisor down the street.
Our Solution: Access to deeply researched, institutionally managed portfolios that command respect:
✓ Multi-strategy portfolio design with downside protection engineered in
✓ Tactical flexibility built on quantitative signals, not gut feelings
✓ Disciplined investment process anchored in academic research
✓ Quarterly performance reviews that showcase true institutional rigor
Our CIO team operates with the diligence typically reserved for multi-billion dollar institutions—but with your client relationships at the center.
Result: You don’t just outsource portfolio management. You elevate your entire value proposition.
The Problem: Most advisors hit a growth ceiling—not from lack of clients, but from lack of systems.
Our Solution: Complete operational transformation:
Before After Equity Partners Equity Partners
• 3 hours daily on rebalancing
• Manual billing errors
• Compliance anxiety
• Scattered tech stack
• Automated in minutes
• Zero-touch invoicing
• Peace of mind protocols
• Unified command center
Our proprietary technology wasn’t built to impress—it was built to perform. Every feature answers one question: How do we help advisors grow faster with less friction?
Result: You reclaim 15+ hours per week to focus on what matters: relationships and growth.
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The Problem: When you walk into a prospect meeting alone, you’re competing on personality. When institutions walk in, they compete on capability.
Our Solution: The full weight of our brand behind every interaction:
What Prospects See:
• A credible, research-backed platform with institutional pedigree
• A bench of investment professionals with decades of experience
• A repeatable process that’s survived multiple market cycles
• Third-party validation from industry leaders
What You Experience:
• Shortened sales cycles
• Elevated average client size
• Immediate credibility in competitive pitches
• Marketing materials that actually work
Result: You stop losing to wirehouses and start winning their best clients.
The Problem: You’re managing a book of business. But books don’t sell for multiples— enterprises do.
Our Solution: Comprehensive business transformation:
Strategic Planning
• Quarterly business reviews with growth experts
• Custom roadmaps for your specific market
• KPI tracking that predicts success Team Building
• Hiring frameworks that eliminate costly mistakes
• Training programs that create leverage
• Compensation models that drive performance Exit Optimization
• Business structuring for maximum value
• Buyer introductions when you’re ready
• Valuation increases of 3-4X industry average
Result: You build an asset, not just an income stream.
The Problem: Independent doesn’t have to mean alone. But most “communities” are just vendor pitches disguised as connection.
Our Solution: A carefully curated ecosystem of peak performers:
Exclusive Access:
• Monthly Mastermind Calls with successful advisors
• Quarterly Growth Summits (not conferences—working sessions)
• Direct Partner Access for real-time problem solving
• Shared Intelligence on what’s actually working now
Selection Criteria:
• Growth mindset required
• Integrity non-negotiable
• Commitment to excellence expected
• Ego left at the door
Result: You gain the unfair advantage of collective wisdom.
Equity Partners isn’t for everyone. We’re building something special, which means we’re selective.
You’re a Perfect Fit If:
You manage $50M+ and want to reach $200M+ You value excellence over independence for its own sake
You’re willing to adopt proven systems
You want a true partner, not just a platform
• You’re satisfied with lifestyle practice management
• You prefer building everything from scratch
• You’re looking for the cheapest solution
• You’re not serious about aggressive growth
Your current trajectory has a ceiling. You feel it. Your clients sense it. Your family lives with the consequences of it.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Let’s have a confidential conversation about where you are—and where you could be.
Because your best clients deserve institutional excellence.
And so do you.
Every independent advisor faces the same paradox: the very independence that attracted them to the business becomes the barrier to scaling it.
Consider the math:
Average advisor spends 60% of time on nonrevenue activities
Technology costs increase 3X when cobbled together vs. integrated
Compliance complexity doubles every 5 years
Client expectations for institutional capabilities grow exponentially
The result? A ceiling that feels impossible to break through.
When advisors partner with institutional money managers, something fundamental shifts. It’s not just about outsourcing—it’s about transformation.
Time Reclaimed Advisors report gaining back 15-20 hours per week when institutional infrastructure handles:
• Portfolio construction and rebalancing
• Performance reporting and billing
• Compliance documentation
• Technology integration
Credibility Amplified Institutional backing changes the conversation:
• Prospects see stability and sophistication
• Centers of influence take you seriously
• Larger clients become accessible
• Referrals increase naturally
Growth Accelerated With infrastructure handled, advisors can focus on what they do best:
• Building deeper client relationships
• Pursuing strategic partnerships
• Developing niche expertise
• Scaling their teams
The real magic happens when multiple advisors share institutional infrastructure. Costs decrease while capabilities increase. Best practices spread naturally. Innovation accelerates.
This isn’t about giving up independence— it’s about gaining the freedom to focus on what matters most: serving clients at the highest level while building a valuable, scalable enterprise.
For advisors ready to break through their ceiling, the path is clear:
1. Acknowledge the limitations of going it alone
2. Evaluate institutional partners carefully
3. Choose a partner aligned with your values
4. Commit to the transformation process
5. Focus relentlessly on growth
The advisors who make this leap don’t just grow—they transform. They move from owner-operators to CEOs. From practitioners to entrepreneurs. From books of business to valuable enterprises.
The question isn’t whether to partner with an institutional money manager. The question is when—and with whom.
By Thane Stenner, Chief Investment Officer
Here’s a paradox I’ve observed over 30 years in institutional money management: The more you try to diversify, the less diversified you become.
Most advisors build portfolios like they’re checking boxes. Large cap? Check. Small cap? Check. International? Check. Bonds? Check. Alternatives? Check.
But here’s what happens: You end up with 15 different holdings that all do essentially the same thing—move with the market. You’ve achieved complexity without diversification.
Early in my career at a major institutional firm, I watched our CIO build a portfolio for a $10 billion pension fund. Instead of spreading money across every possible asset class, he concentrated on five core strategies:
1. Quality equity - Companies with sustainable competitive advantages
2. Absolute return - Strategies uncorrelated to markets
3. Real assets - Inflation protection through property and commodities
4. Private credit - Yield without interest rate sensitivity
5. Tactical overlay - Dynamic risk management
That’s it. Five strategies, each serving a specific purpose, each truly different from the others.
During the 2008 crisis, I watched two types of portfolios:
Type A: 30+ holdings, every box checked, down 38% 30+ holdings
Type B: 5-7 concentrated strategies, down 12% 5-7 strategies
The difference? Type B portfolios were built on a theory of true diversification—finding strategies that actually behave differently, not just have different names.
Today at Equity Partners, we apply this institutional thinking to every portfolio:
• Fewer, better strategies rather than more for the sake of more
• Clear purpose for every holding—if you can’t explain why it’s there, it shouldn’t be
• True correlation analysis beyond surfacelevel categorization
• Concentration with conviction in strategies we deeply understand
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Advisors often ask why our portfolios look different. It’s because we’ve learned what institutions have known for decades: True diversification isn’t about how many things you own—it’s about owning things that actually provide different outcomes in different environments.
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Next month, we’ll explore another paradox: Why the best time to take risk is when everyone else is running scared.
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Thane Stenner is Chief Investment Officer at Equity Partners, bringing three decades of institutional investment experience to independent advisors.
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