Articles

Essays from the publisher on the RIA market and the business of prospecting data.

A paper map of the United States on a desk with colored pins clustered on the coasts — where the mid-sized advisers actually sit.

August 4, 2026 · By Karilyn Colegrove, Publisher

RIA Firms by State: Where the $100M–$500M Advisers Actually Are

A state-by-state count of every US RIA in the $100M–$500M band, straight from the July 2026 SEC Form ADV extract. Where the firms cluster, where they don’t, and why a list sorted by state is worth more than one sorted alphabetically.

An overhead grid of small identical office-building models on a gray surface — a large but countable population of firms.

August 4, 2026 · By Karilyn Colegrove, Publisher

How Many RIAs Are There in 2026?

14,690 US investment advisers report regulatory AUM to the SEC in 2026, and 6,389 sit in the $100M–$500M band. Which count actually matters when you’re prospecting, and where every one of these numbers comes from.

A laptop showing a dense, messy grid of raw government data columns beside a cold cup of coffee — the free file, opened.

August 4, 2026 · By Karilyn Colegrove, Publisher

How to Download SEC Form ADV Data (and What It Actually Costs You)

A plain guide to downloading the SEC’s free monthly Form ADV data file — where it lives, which columns matter, what it does not contain (no emails), and the honest accounting of what the do-it-yourself route costs a salesperson every month.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission headquarters under a gray sky — home of the public record and its memorable file formats.

July 30, 2026 · By Karilyn Colegrove, Publisher

How to Lose Your Mind at the SEC

Anyone can download the SEC's monthly Form ADV files for free. The distance between “available” and “ready to use this week” is where the difficulty lives — and why the do-it-yourself list has a talent for consuming the time it claims to save.

Three young professionals in dark suits striding down a city sidewalk — the fast crowd, mid-decision and moving.

July 30, 2026 · By Karilyn Colegrove, Publisher

This Is the Fast Crowd

Mid-sized RIAs are the ambitious twenty-somethings of the advisory world: not yet locked into decades of relationships, still making a cluster of important choices. Treat them like careful old institutions and you will miss them.

A lush pot of fresh basil in a terracotta planter — the fresh kind, with its short period of real vitality.

July 31, 2026 · By Karilyn Colegrove, Publisher

Canned or Fresh Pesto Sauce?

Static prospect lists are sold as shelf-stable goods, but in the $100M–$500M RIA band the market keeps moving while the file stands politely still. The case for a living list — and why anyone who has tasted both stops pretending they are equivalent.

A framed vintage photograph of a business meeting, sitting on a desk — a still picture of a market that kept moving.

July 30, 2026 · By Karilyn Colegrove, Publisher

The Quiet Fiction About RIA Lists

Why static RIA prospect lists decay faster than anyone selling them likes to admit, and why the $100M–$500M band in particular refuses to hold still.

A close-up of a steel wristwatch with a plain silver dial — the quiet instrument of a window that opens and closes without announcement.

July 30, 2026 · By Karilyn Colegrove, Publisher

The Unfashionable Matter of Timing

New and expanding RIAs make their vendor decisions in a compressed window of roughly ninety days. After that, they are mostly defending. Why timing is the underweighted variable in selling to advisers.

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