Let’s face it – the Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) community is still a small world. Even with rapid consolidation, breakaway activity, and the rise of AI-powered firms, most of us feel like we know everyone in the neighborhood. Change is constant, and much of it has been for the better.
One of the most encouraging shifts is the move toward intentional, transparent data-sharing. This openness isn’t just refreshing – it’s becoming a competitive advantage, helping firms elevate brands, inform technology adoption, and strengthen industry connectivity.
That belief in the power of collaboration is one of the reasons Wealthspire became a founding member of the Net Positive Consortium in Wealth Management (NPC). At its core, the NPC is built on a simple premise: knowledge hoarded is opportunity lost. By sharing best practices, firms accelerate innovation, elevate standards, and widen access to quality advice for clients and communities alike. Today, that vision is unfolding in real time, particularly in the areas of marketing and technology – two functions undergoing profound transformation.
Ten years ago, many RIAs didn’t have a chief marketing officer. Marketing was often a partner’s side responsibility, with the focus on brochures, client events, and newsletters. Fast forward to today, and marketing has become a strategic engine for growth. Sophisticated content strategies, data-driven campaigns, and brand differentiation are now just as vital as investment performance.
Meanwhile, the discipline of marketing itself has been transformed. SEO is now joined by GEO (geographic optimization), AEO (algorithmic engagement optimization), and a dizzying array of tools to measure and refine campaigns. And of course, artificial intelligence is reshaping everything from content creation to analytics.
In this environment, the question isn’t whether to invest in marketing – it’s how to do so wisely, track ROI meaningfully, and ensure strategies drive both business development and client trust.
As marketing advanced, so did the volume of data. Click-through rates, conversion percentages, time-on-page, cost-per-lead – every campaign produced a flood of metrics. CMOs needed not just tools, but perspective.
That’s when collaboration emerged. Marketing leaders began openly exchanging ideas, tools, and even results – bypassing common pitfalls and accelerating collective learning. When I stepped into a CMO role, this camaraderie was both surprising and empowering. We shared a belief that clients deserved to find the right fit, and that there was room for all of us to succeed.
This spirit is now formalizing through initiatives like the CMO Collective, launched earlier this year by Michelle Winkels, CMO at Mission Wealth, in collaboration with Intention.ly. The inaugural gathering at Future Proof was described as “energizing” and “game-changing.” Its rapid expansion – with around 150 participants at this fall’s Future Proof Festival – underscores the appetite for community among RIA marketing leaders. As Michelle put it, “The CMO Collective isn’t just a group; it’s a community where we share what’s working, challenge each other, and stay ahead of the curve.”
Marketing isn’t the only function benefitting from this transparency. Technology leaders are also breaking down silos. Across CTO forums and peer groups, executives are candidly discussing integration challenges, cybersecurity, data architecture, and AI adoption strategies.
This type of cross-firm dialogue would have been almost unthinkable a decade ago. Today, it’s seen as essential to avoiding missteps and accelerating progress. In many ways, it echoes early efforts like MySilverBullet, launched by Junxure CRM founders Ken Golding and Greg Friedman, who recognized that collaboration could streamline technology for advisors across platforms. The difference now is scale and urgency: with AI and complex integrations, firms know they can’t afford to reinvent the wheel alone.
The collaborative mindset extends well beyond functional silos. Think tanks and peer groups across the RIA space are bringing leaders together to tackle challenges such as talent recruitment, financial literacy, and client engagement. At events like the Focused on the Future Think Tanks hosted at WealthManagement.com’s Wealthies, participants set competition aside to focus on collective progress. These conversations don’t just spark ideas—they build new networks, shared resources, and a sense of contributing to something bigger.
That commitment to contributing is central to Wealthspire’s involvement in the Net Positive Consortium. For us, it’s not just about gaining insights – it’s about helping raise the tide for the entire profession.
The acceleration of AI, marketing, and technology will only amplify the value of data-sharing. The gap between those who use these tools effectively and those who don’t will widen. Collectives like the NPC – and the CMO and CTO communities forming around it – help close that gap by democratizing access to knowledge and shortening learning curves.
What’s emerging is a new norm: an expectation that leaders will show up ready to teach and to learn. This isn’t about giving away competitive secrets – it’s about recognizing that many of our toughest challenges (talent pipelines, regulatory shifts, cybersecurity, client engagement) are industry-wide. Solving them together benefits everyone.
The Net Positive Consortium isn’t about incremental improvement – it’s about transformative collaboration. By embracing openness and shared problem-solving, members commit to creating value not just for their firms, but for their teams, clients, and communities.
Marketing and technology offer compelling examples of how this shift is already reshaping our profession. Firms are tracking ROI more effectively, implementing technology more confidently, and refining client engagement strategies with precision. The winners in the next era of wealth management won’t simply be those who compete best internally, but those who contribute meaningfully to the collective progress of the industry.
Because in the end, collaboration isn’t just good for business – it’s a net positive for everyone.
Angela Giombetti is the chief marketing officer at Wealthspire Advisors, an independent fiduciary RIA firm. Giombetti has dedicated her 20+-year career to the financial services industry, having served in communications, change management, public relations, and marketing roles in banking, fintech, and RIA firms across the country.
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