Episode summary
Ep 511: Outsourcing And Managing Client Headcount To Stay Lean As A Two-Founder, $150M Firm with ...
Financial Advisor Success (Kitces)
· · 1 hr 30 min · Hosts: Michael Kitces · Guests: Ashlee deSteiger
Summary
Ashlee deSteiger describes building Gunder Wealth Management as a deliberately lean, two-founder firm that has reached about 100 client households, roughly $150 million in AUM, and about $1.1 million in annualized revenue without in-house staff. The core operating choice has been outsourcing instead of hiring: first a virtual assistant platform, then a separate paraplanning service, so the firm can stay responsive without creating a management layer she and her husband Joe do not want to run.
She says the decision to outsource came as client count climbed into the 50s and 60s and before a custodial transition from TD to Schwab added complexity. The VA arrangement started at 20 hours a month and has grown to 60 hours, with work centered on Schwab paperwork, trade support, compliance tasks, and client requests when the founders are away. Ashlee says the service is licensed, onshore, secure, and integrated into their workflows, which makes it feel like an extension of the firm rather than a temporary contractor.
The episode also covers how the firm has become more selective. After bringing on a coach in late 2024 and early 2025, Ashlee says they paused new client onboarding for nine months, built more granular KPIs, and began scoring households on revenue and engagement. Each year they review the lowest-scoring relationships and let about 5% go, usually by shifting them to hourly work or ending the AUM relationship. She says clients are generally relieved, and that the process keeps the firm focused on households that actually implement advice.
Finally, Ashlee explains that Instagram has become an important source of new clients. By posting twice-weekly infographics aimed at the mid-career families she wants to serve, she says Gunder stays top of mind with former classmates, colleagues, and other old connections, leading to a meaningful share of new business when life events prompt them to seek advice.
Key takeaways
- Ashlee deSteiger says Gunder Wealth Management runs at about 100 households, $150 million in AUM, and roughly $1.1 million in annualized revenue without in-house staff.
- She says the firm’s VA support grew from 20 hours a month to 60 hours a month as client activity expanded and Schwab-related operational work increased.
- Ashlee says outsourcing is worth the cost because the provider is licensed, onshore, secure, and able to cover client needs even when she and Joe are out of office.
- The firm now scores clients on revenue and engagement and lets about 5% of households go each year when the relationship no longer justifies the effort.
- Ashlee says twice-weekly Instagram infographics keep her top of mind and have become a major source of inbound referrals from old professional and personal connections.
Notable quotes
“I think the combination of all of those things, um, just having the extra support, um, I wanted to bring that on just to just to lighten our load, just to make sure we could focus on growing the business”
“We're paying our service provider around 75,000 a year”
“they've had turnover on their side, but we've never had a break in service”
How the episode opens
Welcome to the Financial Advisor Success Podcast, where you go behind the scenes with financial planner, speaker, and consultant Michael Kitsus to hear stories of how leading financial adviserss navigated the inevitable challenges that arise on the path to success and get insight from leading industry consultants about how to break through to the next level in your advisory business. And now, here's your host, Michael Kitsus.
Welcome everyone. Welcome to the 511th episode of the Financial Advisor Success Podcast. My guest on today's podcast is Ashley Destiger.
Ashley is the co-owner of Gunder Wealth Management, an RAIA based in Birmingham, Michigan that oversees approximately $150 million in assets under management for 100 client households. What's unique about Ashley though is how she made the decision to use an outsourcing platform for back office services and later paraplanning support to support her goals of growing her client base while maintaining her desired lifestyle. In this episode, we talk in depth about how Ashley decided to seek out a virtual assistant platform after reaching approximately 50 clients to be able to better focus on client growth and service while freeing up mental capacity and time for higher value tasks.
why Ashley sought a provider that not only could take on administrative tasks such as processing account paperwork, but also could handle client requests such as cash transfers when she's out of office, and why Ashley has decided to stick with her virtual assistant service, which she uses for 60 hours per month, rather than hire a full-time staff member for a similar cost. We also talk about how Ashley decided to pause new client onboarding for 9 months in order to get a better handle on her firm's key performance metrics. how engaging in this exercise led Ashley to move on from 5% of her client relationships each year, selecting clients based on both the revenue they generate and their engagement level with the firm, and how Ashley adjusted her approach to producing and charging for one-time plans based on the findings of this exercise.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- outsourcing
- client headcount management
- staying lean
- virtual assistants
- client growth
Companies and tickers mentioned
- Gunder Wealth Management
Watch the episode
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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Financial Advisor Success (Kitces), this episode and its artwork belong to Michael Kitces. Octagon is not affiliated with the show; this page is an independent summary.
