IAN WENIK
iwenik@citywireusa.com
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I’m not going to lie. Writing this column scares me a little.
A small portion of that comes from worrying that I’ll sound cringy or awkward writing in the first person – which I really don’t do much anymore. But the vast majority of my stress stems from one thing: not ‘breaking the chain’.
50 Growers Across America has been an annual staple at Citywire RIA, but it’s not my brainchild: I inherited it from former editor Alex Rosenberg. It was his pride and joy. I view it as my responsibility to not mess it up.
We’ve had more people working on this issue than ever before, which, one could argue, is a testament to our growth (if I do say so myself). Two reporters who are no longer with Citywire helped interview growers and write copy; their replacements helped proofread the final product.
The benefit of having a big team is that it helps us fan out around the country and meet more advisors we wouldn’t frequently get to write about. Yes, you’ll see quotes and color from prominent names like Peter Mallouk, Scott Hanson and Kurt Miscinski. But you’ll also get to learn about the ex-Motley Fool publisher who started an RIA after having a crisis of faith in his own work, the Texas practice that hired one of Joe Torre’s favorite relief pitchers, and the shop in northern Nevada led by an advisor who puts out wildfires on the side.
What makes 50 Growers ultimately so fun is that it’s a cross-section of the industry and, by extension, our country. There’s no one way to run an RIA or win clients, as you’ll soon see.
Now, a moment on methodology. We look at historical Form ADV data provided to us by Discovery Data and use a series of filters and screens to a) remove firms that don’t do financial planning and/or are controlled by banks or broker-dealers and b) zero in on firms that are growing in terms of both assets and employees. It takes a lot of work and a big Excel file, but it’s worth it.
And, before you turn your attention away, let me take a few seconds to thank some important contributors. They are: the aforementioned Discovery Data, for providing us with the raw material we needed; my colleagues Andrew Foerch and Sam Bojarski – who contributed a ton of reporting – as well as ex-colleagues Payton Guion and Jake Indursky; our sister site’s editor, James King, for providing a big lift with the editing; and new reporters Alec Rich and Lilly Riddle for their proofing assistance.
This project also wouldn't happen without our audience development team, our sub-editors and our top designer, Jim McIntyre.
Lastly – and maybe most importantly – I’d like to thank you for hearing me out and for reading.
A SLICE OF AMERICA
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