Advisor Logistics Announces New Ownership & Leadership Team

Advisor Logistics is entering an exciting new chapter. We’re thrilled to announce a strategic ownership transition and the expansion of our executive leadership team, changes that will strengthen our ability to serve the RIA community with innovative trading solutions and institutional-level portfolio management services.

How Does Damon Deru’s Experience Building AdvisorPeak Benefit RIA Clients?

Damon Deru’s track record founding trade rebalancing leaders AdvisorPeak (acquired by Addepar) and TradeWarrior provides Advisor Logistics with unique technological advantages. His product vision drives our proprietary trade execution architecture, enabling seamless multi-custodian order routing, tax-loss harvesting, and model administration without burdening advisors with expensive third-party software licensing fees.

Independent wealth managers often struggle to reconcile disjointed technology stacks. By applying the product design principles that made AdvisorPeak an industry favorite, our clients gain access to automated trading workflows, rigorous data validation, and simplified trade submission without spending tens of thousands of dollars on enterprise software contracts.

What Milestones Has Advisor Logistics Achieved Across 30,000+ Client Accounts?

Since founding in 2018, Advisor Logistics has expanded from a boutique trading desk to an institutional operations partner managing over 30,000 client accounts and $8+ billion in client assets. Our trading desk supports independent RIAs across Charles Schwab, Fidelity, Pershing, and Raymond James with zero client repapering.

By serving advisory practices ranging from $50 million breakaways to multi-billion-dollar institutions, our trade team has logged tens of thousands of trade executions, systematic rebalances, and tax-loss harvesting sweeps while maintaining an impeccable standard of execution accuracy.

Why Are Independent RIAs Transitioning to Outsourced Trading Desks?

Independent wealth managers face rising operational complexity and wage inflation, with senior trader salaries exceeding $125,000 to $150,000 plus software costs. Partnering with an institutional outsourced trading desk like Advisor Logistics eliminates key-person risk, reclaims an average of 9+ hours weekly per advisor, and scales firm capacity without increasing fixed payroll.

Rather than surrendering investment discretion to expensive Turnkey Asset Management Programs (TAMPs) that charge 20 to 50 basis points, forward-thinking RIAs partner with Advisor Logistics to retain 100% control of their investment philosophy while offloading operational mechanics.

New Ownership Structure Drives Growth Strategy

Entrepreneurs Damon Deru and Eric Martz have acquired a controlling interest in Advisor Logistics. Founder Brett Wheeler remains both an equity holder and CEO, ensuring continuity in our client-first approach while bringing fresh expertise to accelerate our growth trajectory.

This ownership structure combines the best of both worlds: Brett’s deep understanding of RIA operational needs with Damon and Eric’s proven track record of scaling fintech companies and developing advisor-focused solutions.

Meet Our Expanded Leadership Team

Brett Wheeler – CEO & Board Member

Brett continues to lead Advisor Logistics with the same passion that drove him to found the company in 2018. His firsthand experience growing an RIA from a solo practice to managing over $150 million in assets gives him unique insight into the challenges independent advisors face daily. As Chief Compliance Officer, Brett ensures our execution protocols maintain rigorous adherence to SEC and regulatory standards.

Damon Deru – Managing Partner & Board Member

Damon brings exceptional product innovation expertise to Advisor Logistics. As the founder of AdvisorPeak (acquired by Addepar in 2021) and TradeWarrior (acquired by Oranj/SEI), he has a proven track record of building practical, scalable trading solutions that address the complex needs of independent advisors. His focus is on advancing our product roadmap and driving innovation in our service offerings.

Eric Martz – Managing Partner & Board Member

A serial entrepreneur and angel investor who has founded over ten companies with two successful exits, Eric focuses on scaling operations and enhancing advisor-facing services. His experience building and growing multiple successful organizations positions him perfectly to help Advisor Logistics reach more RIAs who need institutional-level trading support.

Jupiter Bridge – Head of Growth

Jupiter brings over two decades of financial industry experience to his role leading growth initiatives. With a deep understanding of wealth manager challenges and a U.S. patent for natural language processing applications in data capture, Jupiter is committed to helping advisors maximize the value they deliver to their clients through operational efficiency.

Jess Pohto – VP of Technical Product

Jess brings more than 20 years of product management and technology leadership experience from roles at Addepar, AdvisorPeak, and other fintech leaders. Her passion for using technology to streamline RIA operations aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver intuitive, transparent execution.

Why This Matters for RIAs

This strategic evolution reflects a fundamental shift happening across the advisory landscape. As competition intensifies and operational complexity increases, more RIAs are discovering that outsourced trading isn’t just a convenience; it’s a strategic advantage.

“Our mission is to take the headache of trading off an RIA’s plate entirely,” Eric Martz explained. “We implement, administer, and trade the investment strategies and portfolios that our RIA partners design for their clients with the efficiency and effectiveness of an institutional-level trade desk, without their having to build one themselves.”

The benefits are clear: improved profit margins, reduced compliance risk, and the ability to operate efficiently with leaner teams. Rather than investing in expensive technology and hiring specialized staff, RIAs can access institutional-grade trade execution while keeping their teams focused on client relationships and business development.

The Strategic Advantage of Outsourced Trading

Damon Deru noted the broader industry trend: “In today’s increasingly competitive advisory landscape, more RIAs are turning to outsourced trading as a strategic lever to boost margins, reduce compliance risk, and operate more efficiently with leaner teams.”

This approach allows independent advisors to:

• Reduce operational burden: Eliminate the daily demands of portfolio rebalancing, trade execution, and administrative tasks across 30,000+ accounts.
• Access institutional expertise: Avoid the high overhead of building an in-house trading desk or paying $105,000 to $150,000+ in annual salaries.
• Scale efficiently: Support rising household counts and asset complexity without expanding back-office headcount.
• Focus on high-value activities: Dedicate 100% of executive time to client acquisition, relationship management, and comprehensive financial planning.
• Maintain complete flexibility: Deploy customized allocation models, unified managed accounts (UMA), and direct indexing that adapt to each firm’s unique investment philosophy.

Looking Ahead

Brett Wheeler shared his vision for this next phase:

“It is now time to take the company to the next level and to bring awareness to this proven, yet often overlooked, service for the broader RIA market, and we’re excited to have found the right partners, who share our company’s vision, to help us achieve this. Since our founding in 2018, we’ve been dedicated to providing RIAs with personalized outsourced trading and portfolio administration services. This ownership transition and leadership expansion gives us the resources, expertise, and strategic direction to serve even more independent advisors who want to compete at an institutional level without institutional constraints.”

What This Means for Our Clients

If you’re already working with Advisor Logistics, you can expect the same white-glove service you’ve come to rely on, enhanced by increased innovation, expanded capabilities, and continued investment in the technology and processes that make your practice more efficient.

If you’re exploring outsourced trading solutions for the first time, there’s never been a better moment to discover how Advisor Logistics can transform your operations and free you to focus on what matters most: your clients and their financial success.

To learn more about our experienced team and track record, read our About page or review what growth-oriented RIAs should look for in an outsourced trading partner.

Ready to learn more about how outsourced trading can transform your practice? Schedule a discovery call with our team today to discuss how Advisor Logistics can support your firm’s growth with institutional-level trading expertise.

Originally announced in Financial Advisor Magazine. Read the full coverage here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the new managing partners joining Advisor Logistics?

Fintech entrepreneurs Damon Deru and Eric Martz have joined Advisor Logistics as Managing Partners alongside Founder and CEO Brett Wheeler, CFP®. Deru previously founded AdvisorPeak (acquired by Addepar) and TradeWarrior (acquired by Oranj/SEI), bringing decades of trading software innovation to the firm.

How does Damon Deru’s experience building AdvisorPeak benefit RIA clients?

Deru’s background founding and scaling premier rebalancing platforms enables Advisor Logistics to engineer proprietary operational workflows and deep API integrations. His expertise ensures that RIA clients benefit from institutional-grade trade automation, faster order execution, and error-free multi-custodian rebalancing without requiring expensive software licenses.

What milestones has Advisor Logistics achieved across its client base?

Since its founding in 2018, Advisor Logistics has scaled to oversee more than 30,000 client accounts and over $8 billion in assets under administration. The firm supports independent RIAs nationwide across Charles Schwab, Fidelity, Pershing, and Raymond James with a trader team averaging 10+ years of experience.

Will Brett Wheeler remain involved in leadership and daily operations?

Yes. Founder Brett Wheeler, CFP®, remains an active equity owner, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer. Wheeler continues to lead firm strategy, regulatory compliance, and client partnerships, ensuring continuity in the firm’s white-glove, advisor-first consulting and execution culture.

What new capabilities does the expanded leadership team bring to RIAs?

The expanded executive team accelerates product enhancements to the ALX trading portal, deepens multi-custodian FIX connectivity, and expands institutional capabilities in unified managed accounts (UMA), custom direct indexing, and automated tax-loss harvesting for growing wealth management practices.