Month: September 2025
EP 21 – Building Growth Through Trust and Education with Sophie Benander

EP 21 – Building Growth Through Trust and Education with Sophie Benander

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Growth does not come from pushing harder. It comes from creating trust, education, and genuine partnership.

What happens when a firm shifts from chasing transactions to scaling relationships? How does language shape culture and outcomes in financial services?

In this episode, Dan Gilmartin speaks with Sophie Benander, SVP of Growth and Partnerships at SageView, about reframing growth as an outcome of trust. She shares how education, alignment across business lines, and intentional partnerships deepen client relationships and create lasting value.

Key points:

  • How SageView grew from a retirement-focused firm into one that integrates wealth, financial wellness, and participant engagement while scaling trust rather than chasing scale
  • Why education is at the center of every growth initiative, empowering people to make informed financial decisions with confidence
  • How shifting from “cross-sell” to “cross-company partnerships” changed internal culture and strengthened client relationships
  • The role of steering committees, retirement consultants, and wealth advisors in creating aligned, client-centered experiences
  • How data integration, CRM triggers, and personalized outreach connect education to timely action and meaningful client journeys
  • And more!

Connect with Dan Gilmartin: 

Connect with Sophie Benander: 

About Our Guest: 

Sophie is an experienced leader with deep expertise at the intersection of Wealth Management and Institutional Retirement Planning. As Senior Vice President of Growth & Partnerships at SageView, she leads the firm’s business development, growth marketing, and strategic partnership efforts, working to expand access to personalized financial guidance and enhance the financial well-being of plan participants.

Passionate about financial empowerment, Sophie is committed to helping individuals and their families achieve long-term financial security, both within their retirement plans and beyond. She develops and oversees integrated marketing strategies, lead generation initiatives, and financial wellness campaigns that align SageView’s institutional services with participant needs.

Prior to joining SageView, Sophie served as Assistant Director of Wealth Management at RWA Wealth Partners, where she led a team of advisors and coordinated strategic initiatives across the firm. With over 17 years of experience in the financial services industry, she has achieved notable success in mutual funds custody, 401(k) business line development, and strategic planning for wealth management services.

Sophie’s academic qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida and a Master’s in Business Administration from Quinnipiac University. She holds the Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist℠ (CRPS®) designation. Her strategic vision and commitment to client success continue to drive meaningful outcomes across SageView’s national platform.

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EP 20 – Don’t Skip these Steps! How to Build a Scalable Marketing Machine with John Wernz

EP 20 – Don’t Skip these Steps! How to Build a Scalable Marketing Machine with John Wernz

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Organic growth in wealth management requires more than just good marketing.

It demands alignment, testing, and a process-driven funnel.

In this episode, Dan Gilmartin interviews John Wernz, Partner and Strategic Advisor at Mission Wealth, who shares lessons from helping firms scale from billions to tens of billions in AUM. John breaks down the stages of marketing maturity, the importance of ICP, and why sales alignment is the critical piece many overlook.

John discusses: 

  • Building marketing teams from generalists to specialists and scaling from 4 to 50 people
  • The three-step growth process: foundation, voice, and paid channels
  • The importance of defining and targeting the ideal client profile (ICP)
  • How to measure ROI on marketing campaigns and paid leads effectively
  • Aligning sales and marketing to avoid wasted spend and maximize conversion
  • And more!

Connect with Dan Gilmartin: 

Connect with John Wernz: 

About our Guest: 

John Wernz is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Great Hill Partners and serves as a strategic advisor to growing FinTech companies. He champions the power of scalable and measurable organic growth programs, believing they enable financial services firms to make a greater impact. For over a decade, John led organic growth at Wealth Enhancement Group, one of the nation’s top RIA firms, where he helped drive asset growth from under $2 billion to more than $50 billion. Today, he applies that deep expertise and practical insight to support financial services firms and early-stage FinTechs, helping them achieve faster, more sustainable growth than they thought possible.

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