Should You Go RIA? With Chuck Failla
11 December 2025

Should You Go RIA? With Chuck Failla

Advisor Talk with Frank LaRosa

About

Together, they explore practical decision points advisors should consider:

• The real implications of the $100M AUM threshold and the trade-offs between state and SEC registration

• When it may make sense to stay with an independent broker-dealer - especially if more than 20% of your revenue is still commission-based

• Why some RIAs are now “breaking away again” and rolling into larger platforms or supported-independence models

• The emotional and operational realities of dropping a Series 7, and how that can change your flexibility with media, branding, and marketing

Chuck also opens up about Sovereign’s “three doors” approach - including “Sovereign as a Service” - and how advisors can use incubation-style models to learn the RIA world before fully standing up their own firm. Frank underscores a central theme: there’s no universally “right” answer, only informed vs. uninformed decisions.

Resources:

Chuck’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/charlesfailla  

Chuck’s Websites: www.sovereignadvisorsolutions.com | www.goria.com  

Elite Consulting Partners | Financial Advisor Transitions: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com

Elite Marketing Concepts | Marketing Services for Financial Advisors: https://elitemarketingconcepts.com

Elite Advisor Successions | Advisor Mergers and Acquisitions: https://eliteadvisorsuccessions.com

JEDI Database Solutions | Data Intelligence for Advisors: https://jedidatabasesolutions.com

Listen to more Advisor Talk episodes: https://eliteconsultingpartners.com/podcasts/

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/eliteconsultingpartners