Building the Wealth Management Firm of the Future

Welcome to The Private Markets Playbook, a podcast for wealth advisors and CIOs navigating portfolios beyond the traditional 60/40. Hosted by Samir Kaji, Co-Founder and CEO of Allocate, the show features candid conversations with allocators, asset managers, and industry leaders on building modern, programmatic portfolios, spanning private markets, portfolio construction, and the systems required to manage complexity at scale. In this episode, Samir sits down with Christine Leong Connors, Co-Founder and CEO of Verita Strategic Wealth Partners and former J.P. Morgan and EPIQ Capital Group executive, to discuss how she’s building an AI-enabled, client-first wealth management firm from scratch. Christine shares lessons from scaling large institutions, why she and her partner leaned into “last-mover advantage” to avoid legacy tech debt, and how modern clients are demanding clarity, strategy, and simplicity across their entire balance sheet—not just better investment performance. They also touch on antiquated custodial infrastructure, the pros and cons of private equity capital, and how to use private markets thoughtfully by sizing and integrating illiquids so they fit each client’s overall plan. Topics in this conversation include: 00:00 — Introduction 02:18 — Christine’s background and building J.P. Morgan Northern California 04:27 — Leaving J.P. Morgan, joining EPIQ, and experiencing true independence 09:01 — Founding Verita, last-mover advantage, and a clean tech stack 13:21 — Evolving client demands: clarity, hassle factor, and a whole-balance-sheet view 18:00 — Using technology so a small team can be more human and proactive 22:14 — AI orchestration, agents, and security/compliance considerations 30:28 — Culture, private equity capital, and avoiding a pure aggregator model 34:02 — Alternatives adoption, overcomplication, and portfolio fit of privates 38:21 — Intelligence across systems and proactive advice using data and AI 42:38 — Access, diligence, and balancing brand name 49:28 — Lessons from 20+ years advising clients and final thoughts Learn more about Allocate: https://allocate.co This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation. Past performance is not indicative of future results.