The Future for Riverwalk Wealth Management

As Lorena Scaloni sat in her office at Riverwalk Wealth Management, she was starting to get just a little nervous. The end of the week marked the day when she would be standing before a room filled with her peers and investment professionals, ready to present her vision for the future of Riverwalk’s financial advisory practice. The audience had no qualms about challenging her ideas or casting doubt if her vision lacked persuasiveness or her action plan failed to convince them.<br><br>As one of the three partners at Riverwalk, Scaloni had a reasonable understanding of the challenges confronting both the industry and her firm. Although not entirely clear, she knew that the financial advice industry was undergoing a significant reckoning. Scaloni identified her vision to ensure a thriving future for Riverwalk. Now she had to present that vision to her peers.

This case is suitable for courses on investment management, strategy, systems thinking, and decision-making, and change leadership at the undergraduate or graduate levels. In both undergraduate and graduate level courses, the case is beneficial as part of a sequence that either introduces the foundations of wealth management in the financial advice industry or that advances strategic thinking in times of ambiguity and complexity. The key objective of this case study is to analyze responses and build a set of strategic actions for a wealth management company faced with tidal forces and disruptions in the sector. By the end of the case discussions, students will be able to accomplish the following objectives:<br><br><ul><li>Analyze the wealth marketplace in Canada to develop a general understanding of the sector and its structural features.</li><li>Recognize the importance of financial advice and examine how value is generated by advisors.</li><li>Examine the relationship between individual advisors, wealth management firms, banks, and other key players in the sector.</li><li>Assess dimensions of competition or differentiation among wealth management companies.</li><li>Apply principles of strategic response to disruptions and adaptability to navigate changing business environments effectively.</li></ul>

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