Many of the best and brightest ideas in wealth management over the last decade have stemmed from someone in the industry who saw a gap and filled it.
Such is the case with Matt Brown, who envisioned using technology to make alternative investments more accessible to the masses.
Once limited to institutional and ultra-sophisticated investors, these “unconventional” alternative investments, or alts, have become popular vehicles for many advisors looking to serve clients and expand their portfolios.
Matt first recognized the white space when it came to advisors’ access to alts while he was a financial advisor at Shearson Lehman Brothers and Smith Barney.
So he founded CAIS in 2009 with a vision of democratizing alts investing and opening up access to firms of all sizes. And that it did: Platforms like CAIS have leveled the playing field for independent firms by giving these advisors everything they need to compete with the biggest names in the business.
CAIS has realized extraordinary success, doubling in network assets from $3 trillion to $6 trillion in the last 12 months alone.
As Matt shares, the firm’s growth is indicative of a changing environment among investors moving beyond the traditional 60/40 portfolio to one that looks more like a 50/30/20 model based on stocks, bonds, and alts.
In this special episode with Louis Diamond, Matt offers a glimpse into how his vision became a model for success in the industry, including:
- “The Great Reallocation of capital into alternative strategies,” as Matt calls it—and the impact of this evolution on the private wealth channel.
- Alts as an extraordinary growth engine—and Matt’s advice for advisors who are looking to add new avenues of opportunity for their clients and businesses.
- Key considerations for advisors thinking about changing firms or models—and how to best replicate or improve upon what they currently offer their clients.
- Plus, Matt shares his keen perspective of what’s on the horizon—and much more!
Also in this episode, we launch a new segment called Founder’s Blueprint. It’s an idea that was born out of listener comments for more backstories from some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the industry. Our goal is to share each founder’s unique “why” and “how” to help spark ideas and eliminate the fear that comes with the unknown.
We’re gathering each entrepreneur’s journey for a special digest episode at the end of the year. So be sure to listen in to get a quick download from Matt on what it took to get from A to B – and beyond.