Company Details
The Retirement Planning Group (TRPG) was founded in 2004 with the goal of building the premier RIA in the industry. Their mission is to help clients achieve the financial well-being and confidence needed to live their best lives. Their vision is to be the easiest firm to work with on the planet. Over the years, TRPG has primarily grown organically, increasing from zero to over $2.5 billion in assets under management (AUM). The first acquisition took place in 2009, when they brought on an advisory team that left UBS. In 2010, they acquired a local RIA firm in Kansas City. In 2013, the founders of TRPG launched a separate robo-advisor RIA, which they ultimately sold to Morgan Stanley in 2022. The lessons learned from that venture were integrated into TRPG, enhancing a client experience that balances personal interaction with technology. In 2018, TRPG expanded by purchasing a tax firm, bringing tax advice and preparation in-house for their wealth management clients. This included personal and corporate returns, as well as bookkeeping and payroll services. In 2021, they acquired another RIA firm based in Colorado. In 2023, TRPG merged with Cetera, becoming the dedicated RIA firm under their umbrella while maintaining their 100% fiduciary status as a standalone entity. Since then, TRPG has acquired six additional RIA firms.
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Company Videos
Acquisition Model
Max Cash: 100%
Max Equity: 50%
Mandatory Points of Alignment
Advisors must fully adopt TRPG's tech stack and centralize operations.
Partners have total control of their calendars.
TRPG maintains a centralized P&L.
TRPG has a client experience that advisors are required to adopt.
TRPG has practice management support that advisors are encouraged to utilize.
Partners are asked to divest to a central investment management team.
Advisor Value Proposition
Many of the firms that find TRPG to be a great fit usually find themselves in a position where they are currently wearing “19 hats”. Meaning, they are responsible for clients, technology, compliance, paperwork, trading, model management, billing, payroll, books and records, marketing and managing staff. Or they have built out a staff to spread some of those “hats” around but still find themselves worn out “only” wearing 12 hats. At TRPG, they take those hats away and allow the founding advisor to focus on what they typically love the most (and why they probably got in the business in the first place) - helping clients. TRPG gives them the most valuable resource of all - time. It allows them to enjoy the economics they’ve earned post-transaction, lean into their family life, or go on an stress-free vacation knowing someone else is shouldering the responsibility while they are out of the office! And if they so choose, focus on winning new business and reengaging with clients on a deeper level with their newfound resource of time. In short, with their departmental infrastructure, TRPG reduces the number of hats worn by the selling advisor. And with TRPG's expanded service offering, they make it easy to keep and win new business.
TRPG makes sure their Wealth Management team has the best tech tools available and training to tackle any client or prospective client situation. They do this through on-going education and collaborative sessions between all of the Wealth Managers and by building a team around the client that in addition to the Wealth Manager consists of CPA, Client Relationship Manger and a member of the trading team. To minimize the time and effort spent on data updates, TRPG's Operations Team sets up each client plan to be updated daily with balances for all accounts under management. Furthermore, TRPG uses AI to take notes during all client meetings. Those notes are summarized by AI and a list of recommendations are generated for the client. Each Wealth Manager has a TRPG Client Relationship Manager assigned to them to execute on follow up activities. This allows the Wealth Manager to stay highly focused on relationship building and strategy for the clients - not getting bogged down in administrative responsibilities.
Many firms that join TRPG are bogged down in operational tasks. TRPG has a dedicated Operations Team. Their Internal Stated Mission: “Improve internal processes and systems to empower employees to better serve clients.” The Operations Team stitches all the technology together to create a seamless client on-boarding journey. They update TRPG's tech stack and build out efficiency by managing billing, exploring and implementing new technology offerings, CRM updates, performance portal improvements, and collaborate with marketing. This allows Wealth Managers to focus more intently on their clients knowing a team is being them taking care of all the intricacies of running a Wealth Management firm.
TRPG provides a full suite of in-office tax services, including personal and corporate tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll. Additionally, TRPG plans to expand its offerings in defined contribution services. Over the next six months, they aim to introduce in-house estate planning, document drafting, and diagramming to enhance their service portfolio.
Shortly after close, TRPG's in-house marketing team fuels organic growth by executing strategies that seamlessly support advisors and align with their wealth management goals. For starters TRPG sets up a digital net over the newly acquired office locations and surrounding cities that is designed to attract and capture prospective clients in search of financial help. In addition, TRPG implements pay per click strategies as well as digital retargeting. TRPG manages all client and lead communications, oversees the firm's website, creates content, and curates educational content, including market updates from their CIO, Chris Bouffard, CFA. TRPG's team also ensures consistency across social media, branding, and graphic design. Advisors benefit from automated lead generation, with a key focus on immediate, automated text and email communications triggered as soon as a lead is assigned. These communications are designed to schedule a meeting with the Wealth Manager before they even make their first call, streamlining the outreach process and enhancing timeliness. Ideally, the Wealth Manager can focus on current clients while the marketing team is working to get new leads booked for a meeting directly on the Wealth Managers calendar!
TRPG offers practice management support by helping partners define roles and responsibilities, conducting employee reviews and performance evaluations, recommending effective workweek structures, and identifying and implementing strategic growth initiatives. Additionally Chris Bouffard, CIO, hosts an internal webinar for advisors once a month covering markets and the macroeconomic landscape, investment performance, and practice management or industry topics.
AUM Growth
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