Debbie McWhinney Is Back

After almost precisely a year of absence from the RIA community she knows–and loves–so well, former Schwab Institutional head Debbie McWhinney has resurfaced, landing a high-profile position in that advisor community. On May 8, Focus Financial Group, the rollup firm founded and headed by Rudy Adolf that has acquired 15 “partner firms” in two years, announced that McWhinney had joined its now five-member board of directors. Ever the optimist for the RIA industry, in an interview McWhinney noted that “this industry is on fire,” and that she chose to affiliate with Focus Financial because it “comes closest” to offering to the industry “what I like to call 2+2=6.” That’s the Focus formula, she suggested, to “take the best of the RIA industry, leverage it with shared knowledge and good expertise at the company level, and create a growth opportunity for the industry, particularly for the players within Focus.” McWhinney noted that Focus is “all about making it easier” for firms to grow and find succession plans.