In honor of Independence Day this week, InvestmentNews is reaching out to a number of financial advisors to learn their personal “independence stories.” Of course, wealth managers leaving an investment bank or wirehouse to operate on their own is a different type of risk than the mortal dangers faced by America’s Continental Army when they split off from King George III. Nevertheless, the entrepreneurial spirit is very much part of the essence of America and what makes the country - and its financial system - the envy of the world!
Hampton: We launched Moment Partners in November 2024 with around $1.1 billion in AUM. From day one, we made a conscious decision not to follow the traditional RIA playbook of fast growth and asset grabs.
Instead, we asked a more foundational question: “What does the future of wealth management actually require and how do we build for it?”
That meant slowing down before speeding up. We knew that the market ahead won’t look like the market behind us and that today’s technologies will reshape how we serve clients tomorrow. So we built systems. We defined the client experience with intention. We hired with discipline. And we clarified the kind of firm we wanted to become and what we were willing to say 'no' to in order to stay true to that vision.
Wealth today is harder to build, protect, and manage than ever before. Complexity has gone up across taxes, estate planning, private markets, and liquidity while expectations, driven by AI and digital access, continue to rise. Most legacy platforms haven’t kept up. That’s exactly why we built Moment.
Hampton: The most effective strategy for us has been clarity: knowing exactly who we are and who we’re not. We’re not trying to replicate the wirehouse. We’re building something modern, aligned, partner-led and designed for the next generation of wealth builders.
And with strong advisor interest and meaningful growth in our pipeline, we expect to close out our first year close to $1.4 billion in AUM.
Hampton: At the wirehouse, business development was driven by brand visibility and volume. Since launching Moment, our approach has become more intentional and more personal.
It’s not about chasing growth. It’s about aligning with the right people: clients who are actively building wealth, creating value, and seeking real partnership - not just portfolio management. Many of the people we serve are founders, operators, and professionals navigating complexity. They want more than performance updates, they want access, clarity, and judgment. They want advice that reflects the full balance sheet and a relationship that helps them make better decisions across every part of their financial lives.
That starts with how we show up. At Moment, we emphasize clarity, health, and mindset as foundational to great advice. We believe clients feel that and it’s shaped not just how we grow, but who we grow with.
The same applies to advisor growth. We’re not acquiring books, we’re building partnerships with people who want to do the best work of their careers inside a platform designed for purpose, not pressure. These are professionals who care about how they live, not just what they earn: people who want to grow, contribute, and lead inside a firm that reflects their values.
AI and automation have raised the bar for what clients expect which has created space for what matters most: human interpretation, long-term strategy, and authentic partnership. That’s where we believe the best work will happen and that’s the future we’re building for.
Hampton: Our biggest challenge, and ultimately our biggest advantage, was having the discipline to slow down before we sped up.
It’s tempting, especially after a breakaway, to chase momentum. But we knew from the beginning that we weren’t just launching a firm, we were laying the foundation for something meant to last. That meant making hard choices: prioritizing process over promotion, infrastructure over immediacy, and clarity over short-term wins.
We were building everything from scratch like client experience workflows, reporting infrastructure, planning systems all while actively serving a full book of relationships. We didn’t have the luxury of ramp-up time, so we had to be intentional about how we spent our energy and where we focused our attention.
Our clients stayed with us, but the transition tested our promise to deliver something better. Clunky custodial systems and a disrupted digital experience created friction early on. We responded by investing in communication, onboarding, and proactive review structures showing up with urgency, transparency, and humility.
Culturally, we kept the team focused on the long game. We reminded ourselves this wasn’t just about solving problems, it was about building trust through action and creating a firm where both clients and teammates could thrive.
We also embraced our youth as a strength. We’re not building for the next three years, we’re building for the next 30. That gives us permission to be methodical now, so we can scale with integrity later.
And we learned a core truth that still guides us: Speed without structure doesn’t scale properly but discipline, trust, and clarity do.
Hampton: Don’t just leave the wirehouse - leave the wirehouse mindset.
Independence isn’t about a better payout. It’s about building something better for your clients, your team, and yourself. That begins with clarity: clarity about the kind of advisor you want to be, the kind of firm you want to build, and the kind of people you want to surround yourself with.
The clients we work with are building wealth but they’re also building businesses, families, and lives that move fast. They don’t want layers. They want access, insight, and answers. They want confidence, not complexity. And they want to feel like they’re making the most of what they’ve built not just in terms of dollars, but across time, health, and purpose.
AI may automate the outputs but the inputs still matter. Trust. Judgment. Partnership. That’s where great advisors will thrive.
Our advice? Be honest about what excites you to build and what doesn’t. Find partners who fill your gaps. And treat your early team with care, they are the foundation of everything to come.
Whether you’re building something of your own or joining a firm that pushes you to grow, aim for alignment not just scale. Because when you walk into a business that reflects your values, and you see your team and your clients thriving inside of it: that’s the kind of success that lasts.
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