Company Spotlight: Beacon Pointe Advisors

Ivy Exec recently interviewed Alli Hillgren, Vice President, Head of Marketing and Communications for Beacon Pointe Advisors.

Beacon Pointe Advisors is an RIA that was founded upon the principle that by always acting in the best interests of clients, success is imminent. We sat down with Alli to learn more about the company and their growth plans for the coming year.

Ivy Exec – In which area of your company do you expect the most growth over the next 12 to 18 months?

Alli Hillgren – The emphasis will be reinvestment back into our business – technological improvements, talent management, etc. Our firm is also primed for non-organic growth: partnerships/mergers and acquisitions of other (usually smaller) RIA firms looking to grow quickly, or looking for a long-term succession plan and exit strategy. As partner firms that are focused on growth join Beacon Pointe throughout the country, we support them in all things marketing, compliance, operations, etc. and help them find and attract the best talent in the industry to join their teams for the purpose of focusing on better serving clients, and more of them. Scale and technological efficiencies allow our partner offices and their teams the capability to grow their organic, local businesses.  For those partners looking to uphold their fiduciary duty to their clients and simultaneously plan their retirement exit strategy, Beacon Pointe is their partner in developing the next generation of talent and taking care of their clients on a go-forward basis.

IE – What changes and challenges do you think your company and industry will see in the next 5 years?

AH – Technology is a blessing and curse in our industry due to its constant state of flux.  We foresee the robo-advisor space transforming a bit in the years to come which makes it challenging to navigate now, but we will absolutely put the technology to work within the next few years to more efficiently serve our clients.  The general marketplace is also changing as generational wealth transfers continue to occur – the way in which existing clients and next-gen clients want to receive their information, communicate with their wealth advisor, etc. is changing, too.  The challenge, or opportunity as we see it, is to modify our ways in which to continually develop personal relationships with our clients and figure out how best to implement/adopt these ever-changing technologies.

IE – What attracted you to Beacon Pointe?

AH – I started as an intern with Beacon Pointe almost 6 years ago while earning my Master’s degree.  At that time, I didn’t foresee that internship growing into running one of the firm’s eight major departments.  In general, six years ago I was not all that enthused about a career within the financial services industry, but Beacon Pointe changed that completely.  I witnessed how our team changed lives for the better – Beacon Pointe takes a holistic approach to every client’s wealth.  To us, wealth management is more than just a percentage return on a portfolio – it’s about empowering our clients and setting up their portfolio and financial plan to give them the very best opportunity to reach their life and legacy goals. This, and the people that make up Beacon Pointe are what made me understand how working in the RIA industry was a viable career path for me. You spend more hours with your “work family” than anyone else, so it was (and still is) of paramount importance that my personal goals and the way I approached life aligned with the culture of the firm.  I truly admire, respect and enjoy the company of my colleagues. They’re family to me – this type of loyalty and duty of care extends throughout our entire team and absolutely to our clients.

IE – What four words/phrases best describe your culture?

AH – Entrepreneurial, high-energy, healthy-competition, collaborative.

IE – What are the best perks that employees get at your company?

AH – Schedule flexibility and an additional day of PTO for a day of (community) service.

IE – Which leadership qualities best ensure success at Beacon Pointe?

AH – We have a lot of past/retired collegiate and professional athletes among our team (including myself). This is not a coincidence (however being an ex-athlete is not a requirement to work at Beacon Pointe by any means), but there are many qualities that derive from these past athletic and leadership experiences that lend well to success at Beacon Pointe.  Being a team player is a must – finding a mentor within the firm and paying it forward by mentoring someone else is key.  Self-motivation with a healthy mindset around competition is equally important.  You must also be a self-starter to appreciate and leverage the unique, flexible and entrepreneurial atmosphere of Beacon Pointe.

IE – What gets you excited about going to work each day?

AH – My colleagues, first and foremost.  I genuinely enjoy their company, and their ability to challenge me, our processes, our creativity and our current status quo to always be better.  Healthy, dynamic discussions occur every day – I am constantly stimulated and challenged.