To support growth and meet evolving client needs, recruiting and developing talent are top priorities. With 73% of RIA practices planning to hire in 2024 according to Schwab’s 2024 RIA Compensation Report, the need for intentional, strategic recruiting has never been more urgent.
Yet many practices still take a reactive approach to hiring — filling gaps rather than building a team designed for long-term success. If that sounds familiar, it may be time to rethink your strategy. This lesson will help you clarify exactly who you need, where to find them and how to integrate them into your practice in a way that strengthens your culture and supports your vision.
“I think the firms that are kind of doing better than the others and better than the average are always recruiting. They're on the lookout, they're at restaurants, they're at the bank, they're at the local lunch spot and they're like, This person is great. I wonder how I could bring them into my business?”
— Lisa Crafford, Managing Director and Head of Advisory at Constellation Wealth Capital, LLC
Effective recruiting starts with defining the attributes that align with your practice’s mission, your ideal client and your long-term goals. From there, you can build a consistent process to attract, assess and onboard candidates who can thrive in your environment.
Use the tools in this lesson to create a more intentional hiring process, including:
- Ideal candidate profile and attraction strategy builder
- New hire onboarding success map
The content in this lesson will help you confidently recruit talent that fits your culture, supports your clients and strengthens your team over time.
INSIGHTS
Investing in talent acquisition
In this video, Arthur Ambarik shares his approach to talent acquisition and discusses why upfront investment in strategic recruitment and onboarding makes for long-term success.
Arthur Ambarik
CEO and Financial Advisor at Perigon Wealth Management, LLC
4MINVIDEO
INSIGHTS
Generational hiring
In this video, Lisa Crafford shares her experience with generational gaps within her practice — and how age differences informed her strategic approach to talent acquisition.
Lisa Crafford
Managing Director and Head of Advisory at Constellation Wealth Capital, LLC
3MINVIDEO
Primer
Shift your hiring mindset
In today’s fast-paced world, recruiting often happens on the fly — job posts go up when a team member leaves or workload spikes and interviews follow without a clear process. The goal is to close the gap quickly. This approach, while common, often leads to mismatches that hinder growth and disrupt team cohesion.
In today’s competitive market, that level of intentionality is no longer optional. The financial advice industry is evolving — client demographics are shifting, expectations are rising and the demand for skilled, service-oriented professionals far exceeds supply.
Successful talent acquisition starts with a mindset shift — from “who can we get right now” to “who do we need for the future we’re building?”
That shift begins with clarity: getting specific about who you need, why you need them and how you’ll set them up to thrive. Start by envisioning the kind of team member who will truly move your business forward. What capabilities and characteristics align with your growth strategy and client expectations? From there, consider how you’ll stand out to the right candidates. What makes your practice a compelling place to build a career and how will you communicate that to people who may not be actively looking?
Once you’ve found someone promising, how will you help them succeed, not just in the first few weeks, but over the long term? A thoughtful onboarding experience can be the difference between short-term help and lasting impact.
This lesson includes a guided tool that helps you clarify your approach to talent acquisition. You’ll define your ideal candidate profile, map a recruiting strategy that reflects your practice’s values and aspirations and design an onboarding plan that supports early wins and long-term retention.