GROWTH CONSULTING FOR WEALTH MANAGEMENT FIRMS
Your Legacy, Your Partner.
We're the transformational partner wealth management firms rely on to become generational firms. Measured not by the advice we give, but by the outcomes we create: faster growth, smarter operations, and lasting enterprise value.
Built for advisory firm owners building enterprise value — not just AUM.
HOW WE WORK
A structured partnership, not a project or a retainer.
Each month, we help you understand the numbers and make better decisions. Each quarter, we tackle a focused initiative to strengthen the firm and build long-term enterprise value.
Standing Financial Leadership
Ongoing financial leadership that turns your numbers into action; monthly P&L review with written analysis and quarterly guidance on hiring, pricing, capacity, and growth.
The Transformation Arc
Each quarter, we focus on a strategic priority tailored to your firm’s needs building momentum, strengthening the business, and creating lasting value.
Partner Equity & Transition Planning
Build an ownership structure that retains key talent, develops future partners, supports succession, and facilitates partner transitions grounded in your firm’s actual economics.
Enterprise Value and M&A
Build a more valuable firm by understanding what drives enterprise value, strengthening those drivers, and preparing for opportunities to buy, sell, or transition when the time is right.
THE GAP BETWEEN KNOWING AND DOING
Strategy without execution is just expensive optimism.
Many advisory firms have built successful, profitable businesses but the next stage of growth requires something different. Lasting enterprise value comes from turning strategy into action, building the right structure, and growing on purpose.
26%
average operating margin, firms under $250M AUM
Charles Schwab RIA Benchmarking Study
3.7%
organic growth — a ten-year low
The Ensemble Practice / Financial Advisor Magazine, 2026 Growth & Profitability Survey
11.6x
median EBITDA multiple, 2025 deals
Advisor Growth Strategies, 2026 RIA Deal Room
RESULTS
What Clients Say
"Rich has been an integral part of Next Phase Advisory Group's financial affairs. Rich did a thorough analysis of the valuation of the firm and articulated to each partner how the values were determined and illustrated projected cash flows accurately."
Kevin Olson
Founding Partner, Next Phase Advisory Group
"Rich has been an invaluable asset throughout the ensemble process. He has the ability to see businesses from both sides while advocating for all parties fairly. Rich's experience within the HO and his exposure with non-NM M&A transactions has allowed him to develop a unique vantage point."
Mike Lankford
Top 20 Insurance Producer, Northwestern Mutual
"Rich is an invaluable resource to our team. His insights, experience, and dedication have continually helped us navigate an uncertain landscape and leave us in a better place."
John Klich
Partner, LiveWell Capital
"I genuinely don't believe our ensemble would have achieved the level of success we have without Rich's insight and leadership. He has been an exceptional pseudo–COO and CFO for our team, providing steady guidance and strategic direction at every stage of our growth."
Vincent Spinosa
Founder, Spinosa Financial Group LLC
"Strategic, frank, and doesn't waste time. I consider Rich one of my most valuable business advisors and a friend."
Marty Cappelle
Founder, Cappelle Wealth Management
"Rich was a fantastic guide as I purchased my employee benefit operation from my managing partner — from the valuation process to facilitating negotiations. He helped make my vision of ownership and becoming an entrepreneur a reality."
David Sokol
President, Wilshire Benefits
MEET RICH
A strategic partner, a steady hand, and a builder at heart.
EXPERIENCE. PERSPECTIVE. EXECUTION.
ALL FOCUSED ON YOUR LEGACY.
With 25 years in investment management and financial services, Rich Horner helps owners and leadership teams make confident decisions, navigate complexity, and create long-term value.
His background spans financial leadership, growth strategy, valuation, M&A, risk management, and operational excellence. Most recently, he served as Chief Growth Officer in NM Chicagoland, partnering with 74 veteran advisors (including 12 ensembles) on strategy, succession, and valuation, helping firms grow assets by 44% since 2021.
Today, as founder of CNMA Solutions, Rich brings CFO level insight and a hands-on approach to every engagement, helping financial services firms move from where they are today to where they want to be tomorrow.
Discipline in business. Endurance in life.
WHY CLIENTS TRUST RICH
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25 years of experience in investment management and financial services
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Deep expertise in growth strategy, valuation, and M&A
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Strategic thinking with execution-focused follow-through
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A long-term partner committed to your legacy and future value
BEYOND THE OFFICE
Outside of work, Rich is all about balance; working on his home and cars, staying active, and firing up the smoker for family and friends.
Life is full with his wife Angela, their four kids, and Sugar the dog. He recently completed a half Ironman, a reminder that discipline, consistency, and showing up every day make a difference.
Family is also at the heart of CNMA. The firm was named after Rich’s kids, his reason for wanting to build something that lasts. Today, CNMA also represents how the firm serves its clients: clarity, navigation, momentum, and achievement, helping wealth advisors grow on purpose with focus and structure.
"Family is my why. Everything else is a bonus."
MISSION & VALUES
We help wealth advisory firms grow on purpose. Bringing focus, structure, and hands-on execution to the decisions that shape their future.
TRUST
We earn access to the most sensitive decisions a firm faces, and protect it absolutely.
HUMILITY
The best answers come from listening, not from our playbook.
TEAMWORK
We work shoulder-to-shoulder with leadership, as partners in the room.
EXECUTION
We don't stop at advice. We stay until the change takes hold.
TEAM
Rich Horner, MBA, CM&AA
Founder
25+ years in financial services, advisory firm management, and M&A. As a Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor, Rich has structured equity transactions and executed 70+ M&A transactions representing over $400M in enterprise value. He holds a BBA from UW–Milwaukee and an MBA in Finance from UW–Madison.
Lisa Trychta, PHR
Fractional HR Consultant
Senior HR leader with 16 years directing Human Resources and Network Office Operations at Northwestern Mutual Chicagoland. PHR-certified, resolving complex HR matters for C-level executives, financial advisors, and their staff with a practical, no-nonsense approach to compliance, people strategy, and organizational growth.
Gavin Plonczynski
Analyst
Data analyst with a background in financial and marketing analytics, bringing SQL, Python, and dashboard-driven insight to every engagement. Gavin builds valuation reports and product-performance tracking that ground CNMA's recommendations in the numbers. M.S., Advanced Marketing Analytics, Illinois State University.