Inside RFG Advisory: Meet the Leaders Building the RIA of the Future

Many qualities set Bobby White, Executive Chairman of RFG Advisory, apart from his peers. For Bobby, it is his ability and willingness to adapt to change and face it head-on. RFG was built from the ground up, torn down, and built again. In 2003, he founded RFG to better serve clients as an advisor and to empower independent advisors to be the CEO of their practice. In 2015, RFG had a significant innovation and digital transformation motivated by Bobby’s commitment to get 1% better every day and determination to be an asset to his team, clients, family, and community.

With over two decades of experience in the wealth management industry, now as Executive Chairman, formally as a Founder and CEO, and a Financial Advisor, Bobby has built a successful, multi-faceted career. Stemming from his ability to get comfortable being uncomfortable, Bobby firmly believes the very thing that sets RFG Advisory apart is how we adapt to change. “I’d rather be a disruptor than be disrupted,” says Bobby. More than just words, his leadership style reflects the bold, decisive moves that have allowed his company to adapt while staying one step ahead of the competition.

Recognized for Bold Leadership in the Wealth Management Industry

Under Bobby’s leadership, RFG Advisory has achieved accelerated growth and notable industry recognition in the wealth management industry. In 2021, RFC received two ThinkAdvisor LUMINARY Awards in Thought-Leadership and Education. It was also named Best Places to Work for Financial Advisors in 2021 and a Finalist for the InvestmentNews Innovation Awards 2021. For two years, the firm has been named a finalist in the wealthmanagement.com Industry Awards in 2021 and 2020 for noncustodial support platforms and a Top 300 RIA by Financial Times in 2020. 
Furthermore, Bobby was named to Industry Era’s Top Ten Most Successful Chief Executive Officers for 2021 and recognized by Birmingham Business Journal for several years. His most recent work is published in WealthManagement.com’s 2021 Mid-Year Outlook.

Bobby is a proud graduate of Auburn University, having earned a B.S. in Business Administration and Management. He enjoys traveling with his family, hunting big game, fishing, wing shooting, and trains as a civilian with former Navy Seals.

Shannon Spotswood is a 25+ year industry veteran in financial services with an outstanding reputation built on leadership roles in professional management, investment banking, hedge fund management and business development. At RFG Advisory, Shannon oversees all aspects of RFG 2.0, a fully integrated platform designed for independent financial advisors and the implementation of strategic initiatives contributing to advisor success. Joining RFG Advisory in 2015, Shannon recognized the opportunity to combine her entrepreneurial experience with her passion to build an innovative, advisor-focused RIA of the future.

RECOGNIZED FOR BOLD LEADERSHIP IN THE WEALTH MANAGEMENT INDUSTRY

Under Shannon’s leadership, RFG Advisory was named Best Places to Work for Financial Advisors in 2021 and 2022, and a Finalist for the InvestmentNews Innovation Awards 2021 and WealthManagement.com Non-Custodial RIA Support Platform in 2020 and 2021. In 2021, RFG Advisory also received two ThinkAdvisor LUMINARY Awards in Thought-Leadership and Education. Financial Times named RFG Advisory a Top 300 RIA out of 13,000 firms in 2020. Shannon was named 2020 Women to Watch Honoree by InvestmentNews and received industry-wide recognition for StrongHer Money, a turnkey education and advisor referral platform focused on empowering women to live financially fearless. She was also a Finalist for Advocate of the Year by Women in Asset Management in 2021.

In an industry marked by accelerated change and disruption, Shannon is a standout. She is a frequent speaker at conferences, podcasts and industry events on strategic execution, operational excellence, technology and best practices on leading, recruiting, and mentoring next-gen talent and financial Advisors. Shannon is also the host of RFG’s War Room Huddle Podcast, the Masterclass for Advisors learning series and co-host of the award-winning Become a Warrior Advisor Podcast. She also has experience talking about start-ups, having built a luxury children’s clothing brand Busy Bees from the ground floor up. With her partner, Busy Bees grew from a trunk-show business based in a garage to a successful brand featured in Vogue and carried in more than 150 stores and online.

Shannon’s career is characterized by a blend of leadership, vision and grit. Before joining RFG Advisory, Spotswood served 20 years in San Francisco, working as an Investment Banker, Hedge Fund Portfolio Manager and Entrepreneur. For 10 years Shannon worked at Symphony Asset Management, an $18 billion hedge fund acquired by Nuveen Investments in 2001 where she spent six years as the Portfolio Manager of a long-short equity hedge fund. Before that, she worked as a Research Analyst/Trader at EGM Capital and an Investment Banking Analyst and Associate in M&A at Volpe, Brown Whelan & Co, a technology-focused investment bank.

Shannon earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from the University of Arizona. She currently serves as the Chairman for the Birmingham Education Foundation and serves on the Advisory Board of Alabama Futures Fund, an early-stage VC fund. She enjoys spending time with her three teenagers and husband, entertaining, outdoor sports and daily rides on her Peloton.

CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER

Rick Wedell joined RFG Advisory as Partner and Chief Investment Officer (CIO) in 2016. As CIO and leader of RFG’s Investment Team, Rick manages multi-asset portfolios and provides strategic insights on asset allocation and portfolio construction. Rick also leads the design and enhancements of RFG’s custom-built, institutional-caliber, client-focused investment platform known as “Bluemonte,” currently managing over $3 billion of assets under management.

Rick’s guiding principle is simple, straightforward analysis coupled with a consistent, rigorous investment process. Recognizing that foundations and family offices often enjoy a significantly higher level of access and sophistication around portfolio management, Rick designed an innovative investment experience focused on bringing that level of service and direct accessibility to financial Advisors at RFG Advisory.

VETERAN INVESTOR/MARKET-TESTED LEADER

Before joining RFG, Rick spent 12 years at Bain Capital Credit, where he rose through the ranks to become Executive Vice President, Head of Fixed Income Consumer Investments, and Assistant Portfolio Manager. Rick played an instrumental role in helping Bain grow to become a global investment powerhouse, serving client assets in excess of $30 billion.

Managing portfolios through the volatile markets of 2001 and 2008, Rick experienced firsthand the importance of portfolio diversification and the trade-offs between risk and portfolio return. He applies those same lessons today to managing client and institutional portfolios at RFG Advisory.

2021 THINKADVISORY LUMINARY

Recently named a 2021 LUMINARY by ThinkAdvisor for Thought-Leadership & Education, Rick conducts client events, seminars, and workshops around the country and a bi-weekly series called Market Commentary with Rick Wedell on YouTube. From customized asset allocation recommendations to detailed investment analysis, he also works one-on-one with our Advisors and their clients to construct customized portfolios that help meet their defined goals.

Under Rick’s leadership, RFG Advisory was named Best Places to Work for Financial Advisors in 2021 and 2022, and a Finalist for the InvestmentNews Innovation Awards 2021 and WealthManagement.com Non-Custodial RIA Support Platform in 2020 and 2021. In 2021, RFG Advisory also received two ThinkAdvisor LUMINARY Awards in Thought-Leadership and Education. Financial Times named RFG Advisory a Top 300 RIA out of 13,000 firms in 2020.

Rick has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was awarded the Henry Ford II Scholar. He earned a B.A. in Applied Mathematics & Economics from Harvard University, Magna Cum Laude.

A dynamic and seasoned leader in the financial services sector, Ed brings over 25 years of industry experience in building and scaling enterprise relationships, sales, relationship management teams, and product delivery.

As the Executive Vice President and President of RIA Solutions at Osaic, Ed was dedicated to fostering an advisor-centric environment by aligning his industry expertise with the organization’s mission to revolutionize the Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) solutions channel. Osaic powered over 11,000 financial advisors, and half of those advisors (approximately $250B in assets) were considered fee-centric/advisory RIAs.

Prior to his role at Osaic, Ed was the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Dynasty Financial Partners, a premier integrated platform services provider for independent financial advisors. During his nearly 14-year tenure, Ed and his partners took the firm from $0 assets to over $60B. Ed played a pivotal role in building the company into a leading force in the independent wealth management space. Dynasty Financial Partners is known for its open-architecture platform, commitment to independence, product platform, and culture of client advocacy prompted early by Ed and his co-founder.

Dynasty is also known for setting up wirehouse advisors in independent RIA businesses. That process, honed by its transition team over a decade, became known as one of the best options in the space for wirehouse breakaway advisors looking to launch their firms—and, in fact, launched multiple $1B+ firms from 2016 to the present.

Earlier in his career, Ed served as a Portfolio Manager at Legg Mason, where he was responsible for trading, research, new product development, and distribution. He also held the position of Vice President at Citigroup Global Markets, overseeing the firm’s managed money platform and building key relationships with third-party managers and distribution channels. At Citigroup, he managed a trading desk with $30 billion in assets under management (AUM) within Smith Barney.

Abby Salameh serves as RFG Advisory’s Chief Growth Officer, where she heads the firm’s growth activities spanning Marketing, Recruiting, Onboarding and Transitions. With over 25 years spearheading growth support and services for independent advisors, Ms. Salameh has demonstrated excellence across multiple disciplines. Most recently, she served in multiple C-Suite roles at CAIS, including CMO, Managing Director of CAIS IQ, and Head of Strategic Partnerships.

Prior to that, Ms. Salameh held a variety of leadership positions at multiple billion-dollar-plus RIA firms like Hightower Advisors, Private Advisor Network, and Fusion Advisor Network (now Kestra). She was awarded CMO of the year in 2023, and in 2020 won Thought Leader of the Year.

Ms. Salameh serves on the Board of Invest in Others, a non-profit organization that celebrates the charitable work of financial Advisors, has led the FSI Growth & Marketing Council, is a vetted industry speaker and a regular volunteer at her local animal shelter. She holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Hofstra University. Abby resides in New Jersey with her husband, Mark, and their three adult children.