From Breakaway to Forbes Top 100: Transformational Advisory
Group’s Journey to $830M AUM
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About Transformational Advisory Group:
Founded in 2019 by Wes Burns, Transformational Advisory Group is an independent wealth management firm built on the belief that clients deserve clarity, alignment, and collaboration in every financial conversation. The firm combines thoughtful planning and disciplined portfolio research with a consistent, client-focused approach that keeps every discussion transparent and goal-oriented.
Summary
After years advising within the broker-dealer environment, Wes launched his own practice to build a firm that operates with complete autonomy and delivers a consistent, data-driven experience across clients and advisors. Having relied on YCharts since the early stages of his career, he made it part of his foundation from day one.
“We started at about ninety-five million in assets when I left. Today, we are at eight hundred and thirty million. That is an eight-times increase in six years and YCharts is my most-used platform by far.”
- Wes Burns, Founder & Principal Wealth Advisor
Today, Transformational Advisory Group oversees more than $830 million in AUM with a 15-person team. Wes has been named a Forbes Top 100 Next-Gen Advisor in 2023 and again in 2025, a reflection of both the firm’s rapid growth and its human-centered approach to wealth management.
The Challenge
Within the broker-dealer environment, operational limits and compliance bottlenecks made it difficult to scale. Client engagement was time-consuming, and portfolio evaluation relied on manual, fragmented workflows.
“Once you reach critical mass, the risk of going independent changes. It becomes about control, alignment, and building the firm on your terms.”
Independence brought new opportunities, and new challenges:
- Maintaining consistency across clients and staff
- Delivering insights in real time
- Clearly articulating differentiation
To grow beyond a solo practice, Wes needed a scalable research and communication process that every advisor could use confidently.
"Going independent gave me the ability to design the firm
how I want, when I want, where I want."
The Solution
Within the broker-dealer environment, operational limits and compliance bottlenecks made it difficult to scale. Client engagement was time-consuming, and portfolio evaluation relied on manual, fragmented workflows.
The team customized YCharts to support both organic growth and M&A expansion:
- Built dashboards tracking Fed policy, economic data, and model portfolios
- Integrated with Orion for instant access to client holdings
- Monitored equity, option-writing, and crypto strategies
- Created client-ready visuals that made performance clear and accessible
YCharts became the firm’s shared language of investment communication, ensuring every client interaction delivered clarity and confidence.
“In client meetings, I’m pulling up dashboards in real time. We’re looking at data together and analyzing portfolios on the spot.”
The Results
By leveraging YCharts through its breakaway, launch, and rapid-growth phases, Transformational Advisory Group scaled faster and more efficiently while maintaining a premium client experience.
- 8x AUM growth: $95M to $830M
- Team expansion: 15 employees while maintaining high service standards
- Industry-leading client satisfaction: NPS scores in the 90s for organic clients
- National recognition: Forbes Top 100 Next-Gen Advisor for Founder and CEO Wes Burns
YCharts also played a pivotal role in the firm’s M&A strategy, helping Wes differentiate in a competitive landscape.
“What separates me from other advisors doing M&A is our tech stack. YCharts is a huge part of it. I use it in meetings, pulling things up in real time—the dashboards, the Orion sync, the analysis. I can’t even quantify the time it saves.”
Since launching, Wes has completed three M&A deals, crediting the firm’s efficiency and credibility to its YCharts-driven process.
“We built something that’s not only growing but sustainable. The trajectory now looks completely different from what I ever expected early in my career.”
With continued expansion and additional acquisitions on the horizon, Transformational Advisory Group is on pace to surpass $1 billion in AUM, backed by the tools and resources to make it happen.
Join independent firms like Transformational Advisory Group that use YCharts to build scalable, repeatable investment processes that foster consistency, confidence, and stronger client relationships.
Wes and his team rely on YCharts to evaluate portfolios in real time, standardize communication across advisors, and lead client conversations with clarity and purpose. They’ve trusted YCharts before, during, and after their journey to independence because the platform is built to support advisors through every stage of their career.
1. Real-time dashboards and visuals that turn data into clear client conversations
2. Consistent, firm-wide analysis for a unified research and proposal process
3. A credible, tech-enabled workflow that supports organic growth and M&A success