Crewe Advisors, an independent registered investment advisor (RIA) headquartered in Salt Lake City, has appointed Ryan Schlappi as a partner, the company said.

Schlappi previously managed more than $1 billion in client assets as part of a team at J.P. Morgan Private Bank. He will work out of the firm’s Scottsdale, Ariz., office, which opened in September 2021.

“During our first meeting, it was clear that Ryan would be a great asset to our team,” Ryan Halliday, managing partner at Crewe, said in a news release announcing the appointment. “We see eye to eye, he understands what we’re trying to do and build, and he wants to grow with us.”

An industry veteran, Schlappi joined J.P. Morgan in 2008, after graduating from Brigham Young University with a major in finance. While at J.P. Morgan, he worked primarily with high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, as well as nonprofit institutions, located in Arizona, Nevada and Utah. 

In his new role as partner, Schlappi will help Crewe continue to expand, and will serve client needs ranging from financial planning and estate planning to business planning, the company said. In addition to being a partner with ownership in the firm, he will also be a voting member of the investment committee. Originally from Utah, Schlappi now lives in Arizona with his wife and nine children.

“I am excited to be in the independent space to truly be a fiduciary to clients,” Schlappi said in a news release. “Ryan and the team quickly showed me the vision for Crewe and I felt I could seamlessly fit into the culture. I knew from our very first conversation, I was ready to make the move based on the team, resources and potential for long-term growth at the firm.”

In an email, Schlappi discussed the difference between a good advisor and a great one.

“A key difference between a good advisor and a great advisor is that great advisors have clarity and conviction about what their clients’ best interest is, with respect to all aspects of their financial life,” he said. 

Asked Schlappi what he knows and understands about the financial needs of clients living in his native Utah and adopted state of Arizona that has helped him develop a following in both markets, he said, “Many clients in the Arizona and Utah markets are small business owners whose companies span a range of different sectors and industries. ... They’re mostly young, first-generational wealth, all looking for someone to help them transition to the next phase of their financial lives. My clients have found value in Crewe’s offerings of trust and estate planning services, and financial planning, not just traditional investment advice.”

Schlappi said that by partnering with Crewe, he was augmenting a formula for growth, not trying to change it.

“Our business is growing because we have a first-class investment offering unlike many others in the market, such as Crewe Capital’s investment banking services and charitable giving through the Crewe Foundation,” he said. “And we’re continuing to expand our services in these markets through our growth and the addition of new partners, such as myself, who know and understand them.”

Founded in Salt Lake City in 2015, Crewe Advisors is a multi-family office operating as a fee-based independent SEC registered investment advisor with over $1 billion in client assets.