The definitive guide to scaling an RIA to $1Billion AUM

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1. Overview

Build to a Billion™ is a flagship editorial and content franchise from Modern American Advisor, dedicated to one of the most important growth milestones in the advisory profession:

Scaling a Registered Investment Advisor to $1 Billion in Assets Under Management.

Across the United States, thousands of RIAs are currently operating in the $100M–$800M range, where the next stage of growth becomes both exciting and complex.

Reaching $1B AUM requires:

  • better practice management
  • stronger client acquisition strategies
  • scalable technology
  • investment discipline
  • operational infrastructure
  • and leadership evolution.

Build to a Billion™ will become the definitive media destination for RIAs who want to reach that milestone.

Through articles, podcasts, video interviews, data insights, and practical playbooks, the series will bring together the people, firms, and solutions helping advisory businesses scale successfully.

2. Why This Matters

The RIA industry is undergoing massive growth and consolidation.

Key dynamics driving the opportunity:

  • Thousands of advisory firms are actively targeting $1B+ scale
  • Operational complexity increases dramatically between $300M and $1B AUM
  • Advisors require trusted partners, tools, and capital to scale
  • Firms reaching $1B AUM often unlock higher enterprise valuation multiples

Modern American Advisor sits directly at the intersection of this growth journey.

Build to a Billion™ becomes the roadmap.

For advisors:
 A trusted resource.
For partners and sponsors: 
A direct gateway into the fastest-growing segment of the RIA market.

3. Core Content Piullars

The Build to a Billion franchise will focus on the key drivers required to scale an advisory business.

Practice Management & Operations

  • Hiring and building advisory teams
  • Creating scalable operating systems
  • Delegation and leadership evolution
  • COO and operational structures
  • Compliance frameworks

Client Acquisition & Growth

  • Marketing strategies for RIAs
  • Referral programs
  • Centers of influence
  • Digital marketing and thought leadership
  • High-net-worth client acquisition

Investment Strategy

  • Portfolio construction at scale
  • Model portfolios
  • Due diligence frameworks
  • Alternative investments
  • Outsourced CIO solutions

Technology & Infrastructure

  • CRM platforms
  • Portfolio management systems
  • Client reporting
  • AI and automation tools
  • Workflow technology

Capital & M&A

  • Funding growth
  • Strategic partnerships
  • Minority investments
  • Acquisitions and tuck-ins
  • Succession planning

Leadership & Culture

  • Building a leadership team
  • Compensation structures
  • Equity incentives
  • Firm culture and retention
  • Next-generation leadership

Signature Editorial Formats

The series will feature multiple formats across the Modern American Advisor ecosystem.

“How I Built My Billion”

Long-form interviews with founders who scaled their firms past $1B AUM.

Topics include:

  • turning points in their growth
  • mistakes and lessons learned
  • investment philosophy
  • team structure
  • future plans.

These become evergreen leadership profiles.

Build to a Billion Playbooks

Practical guides such as:

  • How to Scale From $250M to $500M AUM
  • Hiring Your First COO
  • Building a $1B Investment Platform
  • Designing a Client Referral Engine
  • These articles provide practical and actionable frameworks.

Build to a Billion Podcast Series

Hosted on the Modern American Advisor Podcast Network (with Sam’s involvement).

Episode themes include:

  • interviews with billion-dollar advisors
  • scaling strategies
  • technology enabling growth
  • partner solutions supporting RIAs.
  • Podcast episodes will also be distributed across:
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Spotify
  • YouTube
  • Modern American Advisor website.

Video & Event Interviews

Short video features including:

“Billion Builder Insights”

Recorded at:

  • industry conferences
  • FutureProof
  • advisor summits
  • partner events.

These become highly shareable digital content.

2. Interactive Website Hub

The Build to a Billion™ hub will live on the Modern American Advisor website as a dedicated content destination.

Features will include:

  • curated articles
  • podcast episodes
  • advisor interviews

  • practical growth frameworks
  • recommended technology tools
  • partner insights

The goal is to create a long-term knowledge library for scaling RIAs.

6. Audience

Modern American Advisor reaches a highly targeted professional audience:

  • Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs)
  • Wealth management executives
  • Financial planners
  • portfolio managers
  • advisory firm founders
  • next-generation advisors

Primary target segment:

Growth-focused RIAs managing $100M – $800M AUM

These firms represent the largest opportunity to scale to $1B+.

7. Sponsorship Opportunities

Build to a Billion offers partners the opportunity to position themselves as trusted enablers of RIA growth.

Sponsors will align their brand with the strategies, tools, and expertise required to scale advisory businesses.

Founding Partner

Limited category exclusivity.

Includes:

  • category leadership positioning
  • co-branding on the Build to a Billion hub
  • podcast interview features
  • editorial partner articles
  • conference interview opportunities
  • newsletter promotion
  • social amplification

This partner becomes the leading supporter of the initiative.

Strategic Sponsors

Ideal for:

  • asset managers
  • technology providers
  • platform providers
  • custodians
  • compliance platforms
  • M&A advisory firms.
  • Includes:
  • sponsored content articles
  • podcast interviews
  • expert insights features
  • brand presence on the hub.

Content Partnerships

Partners may contribute:

  • expert commentary
  • research insights
  • industry frameworks
  • case studies
  • thought leadership.

All content is produced in collaboration with the Modern American Advisor editorial team to maintain quality and credibility.

8. Distribution

Content from the Build to a Billion franchise will be distributed through the full Modern American Advisor media ecosystem:

  • website features
  • newsletter distribution
  • social media amplification
  • podcast platforms

  • video channels
  • industry event interviews

  • partner co-marketing.

This creates multiple touchpoints for advisors engaging with the series.

9. Why Partners Join

Sponsors benefit from:

Direct engagement with growth-focused RIAs

Thought leadership positioning

Brand association with business success

Multi-channel exposure across media formats

Evergreen content that continues to attract advisors over time

10. The Long-Term Vision

Build to a Billion™ will grow into one of the most recognizable editorial franchises in wealth management.

Future expansion may include:

  • Build to a Billion events
  • advisor roundtables
  • benchmarking research
  • growth awards
  • industry reports.

The goal is simple:

To become the definitive media platform helping advisory firms scale to $1B and beyond.

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