Month: July 2024
Liz Nesvold: M&A is not a Business Strategy

Liz Nesvold: M&A is not a Business Strategy

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Join us on this episode of Focused on the Future as host Suzanne Siracuse sits down with Liz Nesvold, Chair of Emigrant Partners. Liz highlights the three critical areas that firms need to focus on to ensure future success, discusses the key levers that contribute to obtaining a high firm valuation, and the profound impact her mother had on her leadership style.  

Key discussion points include:

  • The subconscious influences that shaped her career path
  • The story behind her current role at Emigrant Partners 
  • The importance of nurturing and retaining top talent
  • How next gen talent plays into your firm’s valuation
  • Why reinvestment into your business is key for future growth
  • Her advice for buyers and sellers’ post-deal. 
  • The essential question every firm must consider before deciding to buy or sell
  • Why business evolution cannot exist without business continuity and succession planning 

Join Suzanne and Liz for an insightful episode filled with career reflections, industry expertise, and practical advice that can help elevate your firm’s success. Whether you’re an industry veteran or just starting your journey in wealth management, this episode offers valuable perspectives on leadership, growth, and strategic decision-making.

Connect With Suzanne Siracuse:

Connect with Liz Nesvold:

About Our Guest:

Liz serves as Chair of Emigrant Partners and Vice Chair of Emigrant Bank. In her dual roles, Liz works closely with all units of the bank that provide solutions to the wealth management industry, including Emigrant Partners, New York Private Trust, Sarasota Private Trust, Cleveland Private Trust, Summitas and Personal Risk Management Solutions. Liz has 30 years of experience as a passionate advisor, investment banker, and executive. Over her career, she has specialized in mergers and acquisitions, capital planning and fundraising, succession and liquidity planning, strategic advisory, compensation structuring, deep-dive financial and businessanalysis, and organic growth consulting. Liz began her investment banking career providing M&A and strategic advisory services to asset managers and securities firms in 1991 at Berkshire Capital. She cofounded the industry’s first-ever specialist M&A practice serving wealth management firms in 1996. In 2007, Liz launched Silver Lane, a boutique investment bank that routinely ranked as the #1 or #2 most active M&A advisor to the industry. Liz and her partners sold Silver Lane to a Fortune 500 company in 2019, and she transitioned from investment banking four years later to joining the wealth management industry. A proud advocate and mentor for women in financial services, Liz was named 2024 Finance Executive of the Year on behalf of WSR Pathfinder Awards. She was honored with the prestigious M&A Advisor’s Leadership Award in 2021, and was inducted into the M&A Hall of Fame. In 2019, Liz was recognized as a Woman to Watch by InvestmentNews.

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Stacy Francis: Driving Firm Growth, 100% Organically

Stacy Francis: Driving Firm Growth, 100% Organically

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Join us on this installment of “Focused on the Future” as Suzanne Siracuse sits down with Stacy Francis, the Founder and CEO of Francis Financial, and the nonprofit, Savvy Ladies™. Stacy shares the heartbreaking story of her grandmother’s life, and how it impacted her becoming a financial advisor working with women in transition such as divorce or widowhood. Stacy also discusses her firm’s growth strategy focused solely on organic growth and why every advisor should start a succession plan earlier than they think.

Key discussion points include:

  • The story of Stacy’s grandmother and its impact on her career
  • Opportunities for advisors to get involved with Savvy Ladies™ through pro bono work
  • Discovering her “superpower” through adversity
  • The benefits of early succession planning
  • The power of a niche practice focused on divorced women
  • Her role as an expert witness in divorce cases
  • Her firm’s thoughtful approach to nurturing COI’s

Resources:

Don’t miss this compelling episode filled with inspiration and practical insights from Stacy’s journey. Get inspired and informed on “Focused on the Future.”

Connect With Suzanne Siracuse:

Connect With Stacy Francis:

About Stacy Francis:

Stacy is the President and CEO of Francis Financial, a fee-only boutique wealth management, financial planning, and divorce financial planning firm dedicated to providing ongoing comprehensive advice for successful individuals, couples, and women in transition such as divorce or widowhood. She is a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA®), and Certified Estate and Trust Specialist (CES™) with over 20 years of experience in the financial industry. Stacy is also the founder of the non-profit, Savvy Ladies™, host of the Financially Ever After podcast, and the author of the white paper, Unveiling the Unspoken Truth: The Financial Challenges Women Face During and After Divorce and Financial Help for Widows – A Complete Resource Guide.

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