The Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors: SKYON Capital
For many advisors, success at a wirehouse is relatively easy to measure by assets, production, and growth.
But what happens when those metrics don’t reflect what should come by way of success—that is, a sense of feeling fulfilled?
This episode dives into the moment when two successful Merrill advisors realized that growth alone wasn’t the true measure of their success: it was delivering on their vision of providing real peace of mind to their clients. And that required a broader toolkit than the traditional model allowed.
So, Todd Stankiewicz and Joe Castiglie decided to launch their own RIA, SYKON Capital, and build a firm grounded in full control from investment philosophy to client experience to culture.
With Jason Diamond, Todd and Joe unpack their story, including:
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The turning point in their conversations—and when it shifted from “We’re building something successful here,” to “We might want to build something of our own.”
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Their definition of success—and how it evolved over time.
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Their introduction to the independent community—and why it changed their perspective.
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Their unique combination of institutional-caliber investment management and behavioral insight—and why they felt they could only achieve it in an independent model.
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The operational and leadership perspective—and what they found to be the biggest and most surprising challenges in launching an independent firm.
For advisors who are successful where they are — but quietly wondering if there’s more on the other side — this conversation will challenge how you define control, growth, and impact.