Why Patience Wins: Banríon’s Perspective on Helping RIAs Navigate Alternative Investment Adoption

The surge of advisor interest in alternatives has led many asset managers to accelerate their RIA distribution efforts. Yet, selling private credit, private equity, hedge-fund strategies, and interval funds to RIAs is rarely a fast-moving transaction. Deals close when the relationship is built on trust, alignment of goals, and communication, while remaining patient through the diligence, operations, compliance processes.

Put another way: speed rarely wins in the RIA channel. What wins is support, transparency, consistent communication, and above all else   patience.

Our goal isn’t just to strategically connect advisors with compelling managers—it's to coach asset managers on how to truly partner with RIAs, so advisors can make confident, well-documented decisions and build portfolios that reflect their business goals and fiduciary duty.

To understand why patience and alignment matter, it helps to walk through the steps RIAs must complete before a single dollar flows into an alternative strategy.

What RIAs Must Do Before Allocating to Alternatives

The process from initial introduction to client allocation typically takes three to twelve months, as illustrated in Banríon’s Advisory Sales Process framework.

To asset managers eager for inflows, this feels slow. But to RIAs operating under strict fiduciary care standards, this timeline is necessary. Here's a breakdown of the process:

1. Initial Meeting: Advisors gather a high-level understanding of the investment’s thesis and risks to determine whether it’s worth pursuing further.

2. In-Depth Due Diligence (Up to 9 Months): Full operational reviews precede strategy analysis. A formal diligence package is created to support internal review and regulatory documentation. Banrion works hand-in-hand with its partners to build this out. Per the SEC, RIAs must demonstrate a reasonable basis for recommendations, including documented understanding of risks, fees, liquidity, tax effects, and alternatives that may better meet client goals.

3. Client Inventory & Suitability Match: Advisors must identify which clients qualify and whether enough of them exist to justify the operational lift of onboarding a new investment.

4. Investment Committee Review: Depending on the RIA model, the manager may need to present to a centralized committee or research team before approval. This step can differ dramatically depending on whether the firm is a pure aggregator, integrator, or hybrid model.

5. Operational & Compliance Integration: Advisors must integrate the investment into workflows, reporting systems, risk profiles, suitability documentation, and liquidity budgets. This includes verifying valuation policies, administrators, audits, and fee structures—requirements that go beyond performance due diligence.

6. Allocation: Only after all of the above can the advisor begin to implement the investment in portfolios.

Where Banríon Helps: Coaching Managers to Support Advisors

Banríon sits at the intersection of advisor demand and manager distribution. Our primary role is to:

• Help RIAs efficiently evaluate, document, and onboard alternative strategies.

• Coach asset managers on how to work with advisors, not just sell to them.

• Build partnerships where both sides understand each other’s business goals and constraints.

Banríon’s mission is not to push products.

We support advisors by building relationships with managers who are committed to working with RIAs—not around them, not above them, and not just to sell them.

Why Patience Builds Better Advisor–Manager Partnerships

In the RIA channel, the question isn’t: How fast can we close the allocation?The question is: Does this partnership support the advisor’s ability to serve clients well, repeatedly, and at scale? When managers understand and appreciate the advisor’s process, they:

• Build credibility with research and compliance teams and develop lasting relationships

• Win long-term platform access and increase both awareness and visibility

• Become recurring partners in model design and portfolio construction

• Earn deeper wallet share over time

  
  

Rushing jeopardizes trust. Supporting the advisor’s fiduciary process builds it.

The Takeaway: Quality Over Speed Wins Every Time

Alternative investing isn’t a transaction. It’s a carefully constructed relationship.

Our job is to defend advisors’ time, support due diligence transparency, and connect them with managers who respect their role as fiduciaries. Managers who embrace that approach don’t just win allocations—they earn advisor partnership, which is far more enduring.