Matt Kilgroe, CEO, Cyndeo Wealth Partners

July 2026 — In an interview with Invest:, Matt Kilgroe, CEO of Cyndeo Wealth Partners, discussed the firm’s growth strategy, talent development, and the evolving needs of wealth management clients. “Tampa Bay’s growth has been a major tailwind for us,” Kilgroe said.

What changes over the past year impacted your firm, and in what ways?

The biggest change for us has been internal. Back in March, we brought on a minority investor, Rise Growth. We launched Cyndeo in 2020 after leaving UBS, and since then we have easily tripled the firm. Today, we manage more than $3.5 billion in assets.

Bringing on Rise served several purposes. It allowed the founding shareholders to recognize some of the value that had been created, but more importantly, it positioned us for future growth. We see significant opportunities beyond St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay, and we wanted a partner that could provide both capital and expertise as we scale.

Our focus now is a combination of organic and inorganic growth. We intend to continue adding advisors and evaluating acquisition opportunities. Tampa Bay’s growth has been a major tailwind for us. The region continues attracting retirees and new residents, creating opportunities for firms like ours to grow alongside the market.

How would you describe the firm’s approach to wealth management, and what differentiates it in this increasingly competitive market?

What defines us starts with our name. Cyndeo is the Greek word for connect. Connecting with clients and connecting with the community is a big part of what distinguishes us from other wealth management firms.

Everything at Cyndeo starts with a relationship with the client. We have advisors and relationship managers whose primary responsibility is building and maintaining those relationships.

Of course, we manage money and provide financial planning, and we believe we do those things very well. But ultimately, our business is about relationships. We want clients to have the kind of connection they value and trust.

A major part of that is convenience. We are living in a time when people value simplicity. Our goal is to make clients’ financial lives easier by providing guidance through a trusted relationship.

How is your firm attracting and retaining top advisors?

The average age of a financial advisor today is just over 60. Experience is valuable, but the industry is also facing a generational transition. There are talented younger advisors entering the profession, but not enough of them.

Part of our recruiting strategy is attracting advisors who are looking for a fiduciary platform. In the independent RIA space, we operate as fiduciaries, meaning we are obligated to put clients’ interests first. That model continues attracting both advisors and clients.

We are also focused on developing talent internally. We have several younger advisors at the firm who are growing within the organization, and we have a relatively young workforce overall.

Younger professionals want to understand what their career path looks like. They want opportunities for advancement and growth. One thing we work hard to do is promote from within and help employees build long-term careers.

We are also seeing interest from experienced advisors who are thinking about succession. Many are looking for a platform that can serve both their clients and the next generation of advisors who may eventually take over their practices. We believe the independent fiduciary model is increasingly attractive in that environment.

How is the firm positioning itself to serve needs around retirement planning and wealth transfer to the next generation?

We serve several different client segments, each with distinct needs.

One group is ultra-high-net-worth clients, generally those with $25 million or more in assets. Many are former executives or business owners. For them, estate planning and tax-efficient wealth transfer are major priorities. They want to preserve what they have built and pass it to the next generation effectively.

Education is another important part of that process. Many clients want help preparing their children to manage inherited wealth responsibly. We often assist with those conversations and eventually work with the next generation as clients.

Another segment includes clients who have accumulated between roughly $3 million and $10 million in assets through years of saving and investing. These individuals are often focused on retirement planning, lifestyle goals, and major financial decisions. They want confidence that someone understands all aspects of their financial lives and can help coordinate those moving pieces.

Planning is a significant part of what we do for those clients. We help them understand what their resources can support and how to make informed decisions about their future.

A third area of focus is sports and entertainment. We work with professional athletes across several major sports.

Athletes often earn substantial income during a relatively short career. In many cases, they are compressing what might be a 30- or 40-year earning period into five or 10 years. Because of that, planning becomes especially important.

Our role is to help them stay focused on their profession while we manage the financial side of the equation. We also help evaluate opportunities that come their way, whether investment opportunities or business ventures, and provide objective guidance.

For some athletes, careers can end unexpectedly because of injury or other circumstances. Planning for those possibilities is an important part of the work we do, including insurance and other risk-management strategies.

What are your key goals and strategic priorities for the next three to five years?

When I think about success five years from now, I think about both growth and execution.

Today, we are a $3 billion firm. Over the next three to five years, we would like to grow into a $15 billion to $20 billion firm.

The foundation of that growth will continue to be serving clients exceptionally well. If we maintain strong relationships and deliver excellent service, we believe organic growth will follow.

We also expect growth through the addition of advisors and other strategic opportunities. We believe more advisors will continue seeking fiduciary platforms, and we want Cyndeo to be a destination for those professionals.

Geographically, Florida remains a major priority. We are already well established in St. Petersburg and the broader Tampa Bay region, and we recently opened an office in Lake Mary in the Orlando area. We see opportunities for continued expansion throughout Florida and potentially across the Southeast.

What excites me most is what that growth means for our people. As the firm expands, it creates more opportunities for younger employees to develop their careers and advance within the organization. Creating those opportunities is one of the most rewarding aspects of building the business.