Registration is now open for M&A+ Summit
October 8-10, 2025 in Chicago at the Ritz-Carlton!

agenda highlights

Format and Overview

  • Rich content in multiple formats: keynotes, general sessions, and panels.

  • Networking times during coffee breaks, receptions and dinners

  • Day One: Arrivals and Evening Welcome Reception

  • Day Two: Full-day conference programming & Summit Dinner

  • Day Three: Half-day conference programming

Topics

  • Current State and Outlook for RIA M&A

  • State of the RIA Industry

  • Lessons from Seasoned Acquirers for Prospective Sellers

  • Transition Stories from Your Peers

  • Your Topics: One-on-Ones Meetings with Industry Experts

  • And more!

2025 Speakers

More speakers to come!

Michael is a highly respected and experienced leader in the wealth management industry. As Chief Executive Officer, he plays a pivotal role in driving organizational change and spearheading a range of firm-wide initiatives. He is relentlessly dedicated to bringing meaning and joy to the lives of clients, his team, and throughout the Focus Partnership, by fostering a culture that values lifelong learning, cultivates innovation, and offers opportunities to live lives full of passion and purpose.

Michael’s passion is reflected in the recognition he has received, having been selected ten times by Barron’s magazine as one of the top 100 independent financial advisors in the nation, included in Worth magazine’s list of the country’s top 250 wealth advisors and recognized as one of ThinkAdvisor’s 2022 LUMINARIES winners for Executive Leadership. He also was selected six times as a “Super Lawyer,” as published in Massachusetts Super Lawyers. During his tenure as Chief Executive Officer and Chair of The Colony Group, he is most proud of the firm being named one of 50 firms as a Best Place To Work for Financial Advisors by InvestmentNews.

As a lifelong learner, he is committed to sharing his knowledge and experience with clients, colleagues, and the next generation of industry leaders and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences. He also has served on the Fidelity Clearing and Custody Solutions Advisor Council and the Schwab Advisor Services Advisory Board. Previously, he served on the Board of Advisors for Boston University’s Program for Financial Planners and as Co-Chairman of the Boston Bar Association.

Michael Nathanson

CEO
Focus Financial Partners
-Keynote Speaker-

A successful financial advisor as well as a lawyer, Peter has received wide acclaim for his work in the world of wealth management. He is a sought-after thought leader on financial topics and a New York Times bestselling author. Since 2004, Peter has led Creative Planning and its family of companies to provide comprehensive wealth management services to clients in all 50 states and abroad, including investment management, financial planning, tax planning, retirement plan consulting, estate planning services and charitable planning.

Peter Mallouk

President & CEO
Creative Planning
-Keynote Speaker-

Rohit Mahna is head of Client Growth at Institutional Wealth Management Services, which offers wealth management professionals and firms access to the investment, technology, and platform solutions they need to serve their investor clients and grow their businesses. Institutional Wealth Management Services is a part of Fidelity Investments, a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing, and other financial products and services to institutions, financial intermediaries, and individuals.

In this role, Mr. Mahna leads the sales and relationship management teams that are responsible for building and maintaining relationships with wealth management firms and institutions, understanding their business objectives, and delivering the best of Fidelity to help them grow their businesses.

Before joining Fidelity, Mr. Mahna spent more than 10 years at Salesforce, where he was most recently senior vice president and general manager of Global Financial Services and was responsible for product, marketing, partners, industry expertise, and overall go-to-market strategy. Mr. Mahna was instrumental in the vision and development of Salesforce’s Financial Services Cloud, the company’s first industry-specific application.

Mr. Mahna has over 20 years of experience in financial services, previously leading global development of IBM’s financial services industry solutions for business analytics and overseeing the industry marketing team. He got his start in financial services at TD Waterhouse.

Mr. Mahna earned his bachelor of science degree in business and economics from Lehigh University.

Rohit Mahna

Head of Client Growth
Fidelity Investments
-Keynote Speaker-

Ben Harrison is a Managing Director and leads the client facing businesses for BNY Pershing. He is the Co-Chair of BNY’s Wealth Community Practice which aligns professionals serving the wealth industry across the BNY enterprise. Additionally, Ben serves as President & board member for BNY Mellon, N.A. Ben is a member of BNY’s Senior Advisory Council, a group of senior managing director working closely with BNY’s Office of the CEO and the Executive Committee on the bank’s strategic initiatives.

Prior to his current role, Ben led Wealth Solutions serving wealth intermediaries, the RIA custody business as well as business development and relationship management for the advisory marketplace at BNY Pershing. In those roles, he spearheaded key strategic initiatives and built successful partnerships with clients focused on powering their growth. Ben was a 2010 Chairman’s Circle Honoree, recognized for his outstanding performance and contribution to BNY. Before BNY Pershing, Ben worked at TD Ameritrade Institutional where he focused on the RIA business.

Ben earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics Management from Ohio Wesleyan University. He has also completed the Securities Industry Institute® program, sponsored by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Ben is a former Chair for the Foundation for Financial Planning and a current trustee. He also serves on the Board of The Woodstock Academy Foundation.

Jason Gordo is a co-founder and president at Modern Wealth Management. Gordo is an accomplished wealth management executive with a diverse background in business strategy, execution, and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining the founding team at Modern Wealth, Gordo was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management where he was Head of Advisor Growth.

Gordo was part of the team that scaled and sold United Capital, a $25B RIA with 90 locations, to Goldman Sachs for $750M. While at United Capital he held various positions, including Head of Office and Head of FinLife Partners. Gordo was also a member of the United Capital executive team where he worked to help drive the firm’s growth and success.

Before joining United Capital, Gordo co-founded Valley Wealth, Inc., a wealth management firm that served high-net-worth clients, endowments, foundations, and corporate retirement plans. Under his leadership, the firm was named to Forbes Magazine’s list of fastest-growing RIAs.

Gordo graduated from Gonzaga University, earning a master’s degree in organizational leadership. He also holds industry credentials from the College for Financial Planning and the Center for Fiduciary Studies.

Martine is responsible for driving the growth and expansion of the organization through strategic mergers and acquisitions of other RIAs. Based on her more than two decades of experience in the independent wealth management space, she leads like-minded firms in their transition decisions, including assessment of fit, due diligence, financial analysis, talent mapping, and deal negotiations.

Martine previously served as Chief Talent Officer (a role she held since joining Mercer Advisors in 2020), with a focus on developing and growing the organization’s talent. She is also a Member of the Executive Leadership Team.Prior to Mercer Advisors, she served as Principal, COO and CCO at Sullivan, Bruyette, Speros & Blayney. She also served on the Technology, Operations & Service Advisory Board of one of the largest RIA custodians, and has been involved as a writer and instructor for CFP™ exam review courses.

Education: MBA, Georgetown University; B.S., Mathematics, Duke University

Credentials: Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner™

David DeVoe founded DeVoe & Company in 2011 to help wealth management companies optimize their business decisions. The company has supported hundreds of firms in consulting, investment banking and valuation engagements since launch. David has been a thought leader on RIA practice management for 18 years and was named the 'RIA M&A Guru' by Barron's magazine.

Previously, he served as Managing Director of Strategic Business Development at Charles Schwab Advisor Services. In this role, he developed and led Schwab’s Transition Planning platform, which provides comprehensive M&A and succession planning services to registered investment advisors. During this eight-year period, he provided strategic counsel to over 500 advisors. Previously, David worked in the Business Strategy group at American Express.

David holds a BA degree from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Ben Harrison

Managing Director, Head of Client Business Services
BNY Pershing

Jason Gordo

President and Co-Founder
Modern Wealth Management

Martine Lellis

Principal, M&A Partner Development
Mercer Advisors

David DeVoe

Founder and CEO
DeVoe & Company

Matt is a founding partner of Beacon Pointe Advisors and oversees the firm’s strategic plan focused on mergers and acquisitions, creating synergistic partnerships between Beacon Pointe and other wealth managers across the country. Matt has been featured in Financial Planning Magazine, Barron’s, InvestmentNews, Citywire, Financial Advisor IQ, and Forbes, among other publications. He also regularly speaks on a host of wealth management and industry-related topics across various national conferences. Matt has a passion for continuous lifetime learning with a focus on the wealth management and financial life management industries. At a time when the RIA industry is changing more rapidly than any other point in history, his focus is on building the best possible business to serve clients and to assist other wealth advisors in meeting their lifetime goals. Matt graduated from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business with a BS in Finance and Business Economics. While at USC, Matt served as President for the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. He remains a supporter of both the University and the National Fraternity. Matt has served on the Advisory Committee of Serving People in Need (SPIN), is past President of Newport Mesa National Junior Basketball, past President of the Andersen Elementary School Foundation (DEANS), is a member of Legatus International, and also served on the Investment Committee of The Orange Catholic Foundation. He lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife and has three sons. Matt enjoys traveling, running and exercise, and spending time with his family.

Matt Cooper

Partner and President
Beacon Pointe Advisors

Michael is responsible for leading the external M&A strategy for Carson Group. Prior to joining Carson, Michael spent more than 17 years with one of the nation's leading independent broker/dealers as a business development executive and consultant. He is a proud graduate of Creighton University.

Michael Belluomini

SVP, Mergers & Acquisitions
Carson Group

Jim Cahn holds the role of Chair of the Investment Committee & Chief Strategy Officer. Jim has been with Wealth Enhancement since 2012 and has been instrumental in the firm’s success as it has evolved from a regional player to establishing a strong national foothold. His contributions to growing the firm’s investment platform and executing its inorganic growth initiatives have helped to shape Wealth Enhancement into a leading investment advisory platform.

Prior to joining Wealth Enhancement, Jim served as Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager at the Vestian Group, where he oversaw investment programs, launched a hedge fund-of-funds, and consulted with clients.

A frequent contributor to financial media, Jim has appeared in CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg among other prominent outlets.

Jim Cahn

Chair of the Investment Committee & Chief Strategy Officer
Wealth Enhancement

Doug joined DeVoe & Company in 2021 as a Managing Director and works with our clients on consulting and investment banking projects.

Doug has more than 20 years of senior-level RIA management experience as COO/CCO and consultant. Most recently, he served as COO/CCO at Parcion Private Wealth (~$2B) in Seattle. He oversaw an 80% AUM growth trajectory in the first 12 months of his tenure there. Prior to Parcion, Doug spent six years at The Ensemble Practice, where he supported RIAs and broker-dealers with business consulting and strategic planning. Doug also served in leadership positions at Columbia Pacific Capital Management and Lakeside Capital Management, among other firms.

Doug earned an MBA from Thunderbird School of Management/ASU and a BA from University of California Los Angeles.

Doug Johnson

Managing Director
DeVoe & Company

Denitsa Balunis is the Head of Corporate Strategy and Corporate Development for Edelman Financial Engines and responsible for the development and implementation of EFE’s enterprise strategy and planning, as well as mergers & acquisitions. She also serves as the Chief of Staff to EFE’s CEO driving cross-functional efforts at the CEO and business unit leadership levels.

With 20 years of strategy, finance and operations experience, Denitsa has spent her career helping companies build their long-term strategies and optimize financial performance while growing and scaling their businesses. Since joining EFE, Denitsa has held several key leadership roles at the company, including oversight of the diligence and integration of the deal that combined Edelman Financial Services and Financial Engines under Hellman & Friedman’s ownership in 2018 and the minority investment by Warburg Pincus in 2021. Since spearheading the EFE M&A function in 2020, Denitsa and her team have acquired seven RIA firms with over $5B in AUM. Denitsa’s team handles all parts of the deal process including opportunity sourcing, diligence, modeling/valuation, contract term setting, negotiation, deal closing and integration.

Before joining Edelman Financial Engines in 2018, Denitsa spent over a decade in progressively responsible strategic roles in the Financial Services and Technology industries - as a consultant and in industry, leading engagements focused on strategy formulation and execution, process improvement, new market entry and growth, M&A diligence and integration, and IPO Preparedness – both domestically and internationally.

Denitsa holds a B.A., Summa Cum Laude, in Economics with a concentration in Financial Markets from Colby College and an M.B.A. in Strategy from Duke University.

Dustin Mangone

Managing Partner & Director of Investment Advisor Services
PPC LOAN

Russ Larsen is responsible for managing Wintrust’s middle market banking efforts in the northwest suburbs, Wintrust’s Investment Advisor Banking practice, and also serves as CEO of Village Bank & Trust. Russ has spent the last 30 years working with middle market companies in the greater Chicagoland area. He is passionate about establishing highly personalized relationships with an emphasis on strategic discussions about growth and succession planning.

Russ has a bachelor’s degree in finance with an emphasis in accounting from Northern Illinois University and an MBA in marketing with an emphasis in finance from DePaul University. He serves on the Board of Executive Advisors of the Northern Illinois University College of Business and as a board member for the American Cancer Society.

Russ Larsen

Group Executive Vice President
Wintrust

Rick Dennen is the founder and CEO of Oak Street Funding, a First Financial Bank company. Founded in 2003, Oak Street Funding provides customized loan products and services for specialty lines of business including certified public accountants, registered investment advisors, BHPH dealerships, and insurance agents nationwide.

A CPA and former Senior Manager at Deloitte, Rick holds a BS in Accounting and an MBA from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. He has served as an adjunct professor at Kelley, teaching venture capital and entrepreneurial finance, and is a sought-after speaker on startups, capital options, and succession planning.

Rick Dennan

Founder and CEO
Oak Street Funding

Brad joined DeVoe & Company in 2018. He brings 30+ years of financial services experience in wealth management, asset management, and banking.

Brad has led several multi-billion dollar AUM RIAs and banks that own RIAs, many of which he helped grow through acquisition. His roles included President of PSBT’s Wealth Management Group, Managing Director of Manarin Investment Counsel, President of Carson Wealth Management Group, and President and CEO of BancWest Investment Services. Earlier in his career, he held senior positions at Citigroup, Kemper Financial Institution Group, and consulted with Farmers Financial Services.

Brad earned his undergraduate degree in Economics from Loyola University Chicago.

Brad Grubb

Managing Director
DeVoe & Company

James Hughes is the Head of Investment Advisory Lending at Live Oak Bank. In his role, James leads the sales team and oversees the lending process from the initial call to loan servicing. Since joining Live Oak in 2013, he has helped hundreds of businesses achieve their goals through financing. James has served in several roles at Live Oak, including as a sales trader, relationship manager, underwriter and loan officer. Before joining the bank, James worked at one of the leading investment banks in the world, where he managed a group of derivative trading assistants and several client service teams. Through this unique experience, James has gained an understanding of business owners' challenges. James' dedication is to assisting small business owners in the Investment Advisory industry to attain success and continue to thrive with Live Oak Bank’s products and services James has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Bucknell University.

James Hughes

Managing Director - Small Business Lending Division
Live Oak Bank

Adam returned to DeVoe & Company in 2022 after previously working with the company in 2014-2015. Adam is focused on delivering our valuation services to RIA clients. He is an experienced CFO and financial analyst.

He has held positions across multiple industries, including financial services, technology, and other professional services verticals. Most recently, he was the CFO at Talent, Inc a technology-enabled career services provider. Prior to that, he was the CFO at Helix Education, a technology-based enrollment platform for colleges and universities. Earlier in his career, Adam co-founded Deer Creek Capital Partners, a long/short alternative investment fund with $20MM in assets. He was also a Senior Equity Analyst at Invesco Funds Group.

Adam has a BA in English from the University of Michigan and a MBA in Finance from Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Adam Levy

Managing Director
DeVoe & Company

 
 
 
 
 

Event Location

The Ritz-Carlton Chicago

The Ritz-Carlton Chicago
160 E Pearson St, Chicago, IL 60611

Hotel reservations at the Ritz-Carlton, Chicago can be made on the hotel website here , or you may call the hotel directly at (312) 266-1000.

There is also a room block available at the Hilton Magnificent Mile, which is a short 0.2-mile walk from the Ritz-Carlton. Hotel reservations at the Hilton can be made on the hotel website here.

The room blocks are limited and close on September 16, 2025, or when sold out, so be sure to book as soon as possible.

 

If you would like to learn more about becoming a partner, please email us at events@devoe-co.com.

Please enjoy a few scenes from previous events.