Legacy systems weren’t built for billion-dollar firms or the pace of today’s markets. Yet too many enterprise RIAs are still trying to scale outdated infrastructure and losing time, talent, and client opportunities in the process.
Top RIAs have taken a different path. They’ve embraced trading infrastructure that doesn’t just keep up; it sets them apart.
The Scalability Wake-Up Call
As AUM grows and advisor expectations rise, patchwork tech becomes a liability. Mariner Wealth Advisors, a nationally recognized wealth management firm, experienced this firsthand. Their in-house system for managing option strategies had supported them for years, but with scale came risk.
From system reliability to talent bottlenecks, their proprietary platform couldn’t evolve fast enough. “We wanted to pivot back to say, let’s partner with Flyer and we can really enhance our system that we use,” said Brett Kunshek, Head of Options and Structured Notes at Mariner.
Flyer’s Co-Pilot platform offered the composability and independence Mariner needed without forcing a rip-and-replace transition. Its API-driven architecture allowed them to retain what worked well while gaining performance, scale, and peace of mind. The result? “The best decision we’ve made to get to the next 10 years.”
Why Top RIAs Are Making the Switch
Modern trading desks need more than OMS/PMS alphabet soup. They need tech that aligns with growth ambitions: multi-custodial capabilities, fractional share support, tax-aware rebalancing, and automation baked into every workflow.
Rusty Sommer, host of In The Money, recently captured this shift: “Operational precision is no longer a luxury. It’s a lifeline.” In volatile markets with complex client demands, execution infrastructure becomes a firm’s most strategic advantage. (Listen to the full episode here.)
That’s why today’s elite RIAs, meaning those in the Top 100 by AUM, aren’t just upgrading for speed. They’re investing in composable platforms that integrate seamlessly with existing systems, empowering advisors while avoiding the disruption of a full tech overhaul.
Integration Over Interruption
When Kartik Srinivasan, President of Advyzon Institutional joined Rusty’s podcast, he explained how the rising popularity of alternative investments has complicated the tech landscape. “Alts are coming down-market,” he noted, “and that accessibility introduces massive complexity.”
Firms balancing taxable and non-taxable sleeves, multiple custodians, and rep-as-PM models are faced with embedded complexity. Systems like Co-Pilot are built for this. They reduce cognitive load for advisors, automate low-value tasks, and allow CTOs and CIOs to lead strategically, not just maintain.
Make the Smart Choice, Not the Risky One
Too often, firms assume upgrading tech is disruptive or risky. But as Joel Bruckenstein, founder of the T3 Conference, puts it: “A lot of advisors are still working with tech stacks that they haven’t updated in 3–5 years. And that’s unacceptable.”
The real risk? Doing nothing.
Flyer is already powering a significant portion of the Top 100 RIAs. With real-time execution, flexible integrations, and intuitive workflows, Co-Pilot enables firms like Mariner to scale efficiently, reduce risk, and focus on delivering exceptional client outcomes.
Want to hear directly from the architects behind these decisions? Check out the latest In The Money episodes, or schedule a conversation to see how Co-Pilot fits into your future.
