In this episode of The Ascent features Sam McGee interviewing Hannah Perry, COO and equity partner at Crestmont Private Wealth, about the behind-the-scenes operations that support client service. Hannah explains her role overseeing trading, billing, onboarding, and internal operations, using the "pit crew" analogy to describe how her team executes on financial plans set by advisors. She details the digital workflow that has replaced paper applications, how the firm handles mistakes and process improvement, and the extensive checks involved in servicing multi-generational family accounts — including beneficiary reviews and required minimum distribution (RMD) audits with multiple safeguards. The conversation closes on relationship-building from an operations perspective, client communication preferences, and Crestmont's focus on financial literacy and personalized service for high-net-worth families.

Timeline

Time     Topic

0:00     Intro & welcome back Hannah Perry

1:02     Hannah's role as COO at Crestmont

2:11     The "pit crew" analogy for operations

3:19     How the team executes advisor decisions

4:15     Evolution from paper to digital workflows

5:24     Handling and learning from mistakes

6:19     Servicing multi-generational family accounts

6:57     Beneficiary reviews & touch points

8:11     Required minimum distributions (RMDs) deep dive

9:46     10 years of relationships & client trust

10:35  Building relationships from an operations seat

11:56  Client communication preferences

13:10  Financial literacy & who Crestmont serves

14:11  Closing & contact info