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Every advisor eventually faces the question: stay put, make a move, or build something of your own. Most wait until an acquisition, pay cut, or custodian change forces the decision for them. In this episode, host Jay Coulter sits down with Shelby Nicholl — founder of Muriel Consulting and host of Advisors Off Script — to break down how to take control of that decision before an outside event makes it first. Shelby shares the real numbers and client data advisors need before evaluating any move, how to build a "filter" for comparing firms (functionality, financials, leadership, and personality), and why the biggest upfront check isn't always the best deal. They also dig into the differences between joining an existing RIA, joining an RIA platform, and launching your own — plus the red flags to watch for in recruiting pitches, private equity-backed firms, and "vaporware" tech promises. Whether you're completely happy where you are or quietly wondering if it's time for a change, this episode gives you a practical framework for deciding on your own terms. In this episode: Why most advisors wait for an external event to force a decision The real numbers to know before you start shopping firms How to build a decision "filter" instead of endless due diligence Evaluating upfront transition money vs. long-term fit Stay, Move, or Build: a breakdown of each path What to ask PE-backed firms and firms requiring equity sales Common recruiting red flags and tech "vaporware" What breaks first in the 90 days after launching an RIA Learn more about Shelby Nicholl and Muriel Consulting, including research reports and the "Is Your Business RIA Ready?" quiz, in the show notes.

Every advisor knows what a financial plan costs — not in dollars, but in hours. Data gathering, drafting, review: most of a workweek before you ever sit down with the client. On August 31, Altruist shipped a tool that claims to compress that first stretch into minutes. It's called the Hazel financial planning agent, and my guest helped build it. Fernando San Martin Jorquera of Altruist walks through a fast start: connecting a CRM, building a client profile, generating a complete plan, and checking the math behind every number in it. Hazel covers six planning disciplines in one workflow — retirement, investment optimization, cash flow, estate, tax, and insurance and risk. Every figure in the output is produced by dedicated calculation programs rather than the language model, which matters if you're the one signing off on the plan. What we cover: • Getting set up and generating a first plan without a long onboarding • Connecting your CRM and what data Hazel pulls in • Building the client profile and what it needs from you • Generating a complete plan across the six disciplines • Verifying the math and tracing where each number came from • Real-time scenario modeling in front of a client • Where the tool fits in a practice — and where it doesn't Guest: Fernando San Martin, Altruist linkedin.com/in/fsanmartinjorquera Resources: Hazel financial planning agent — hazel.ai/financial-planning Hazel pricing and trial — hazel.ai/pricing Altruist — altruist.com Sponsored by the Titleist Advisor Network — titleistadvisornetwork.com © Resilient Advisor. All Rights Reserved. Titleist Asset Management, LLC ("TAM") is an SEC Registered Investment Adviser. Registration with the SEC does not imply a certain level of skill or expertise. Information regarding TAM can be found at adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/323567. Its affiliate, Titleist Capital, LLC ("TC"), is a Broker-Dealer and Member of FINRA-SIPC. Information regarding TC can be found at brokercheck.finra.org/firm/summary/126136.