CEO - Integrated Financial Group
Land Bridgers
Back in 2013, I was working as a wholesaler. This meant I spent my days inside hundreds of advisory practices across the country, sitting across the table from financial advisors and watching how they really ran their businesses. Not the polished version. The real one. I saw what worked, what didn't, and what quietly held great people back. That's the vantage point this whole story starts from.
What the launchpad
looks like at IFG
From day one, you have access to a dedicated support team handling compliance, marketing, HR, and operations — so you can focus on your clients. That infrastructure sits underneath every IFG member, without limiting how you run your practice.
LAND BRIDGERS ORIGIN STORY
How It All Started
I watched it happen over and over: talented advisors, doing great work, hitting invisible ceilings inside corporate wirehouses. Some of them left, chasing the independence they’d been promised would fix everything. And then I watched what happened next, too. A lot of them found independence, alright. They also found themselves alone, suddenly responsible for building an entire back office from scratch, far from the clients and the craft that made them want to be in this business in the first place.
That contradiction stuck with me. Somewhere along the way, I started believing there had to be a version of independence that didn’t require sacrificing support to get it. That search is what eventually led me to Integrated Financial Group.
Why I Joined the Brain Trust
in LAND BRIDGERS own words
What is the Brain Trust?
If you browse other financial firm websites, you’ll see words like turnkey solutions or holistic strategies. Let’s strip the marketing fluff away.
Picture this: a room full of independent financial planners running their own businesses. Actively sharing knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned from their mistakes and successes. And having fun while doing it.
— Land Bridgers, CEO · Integrated Financial Group
A Culture of Care and Share
No Reinventing the Wheel:
If you’re looking to scale or navigate a complex client scenario, someone who has been in this business for 15, 20, or 30 years ahead of you is ready to share exactly how they solved it.
Iron Sharpens Iron:
We learn from each other’s wins and failures. When Type-A independent business owners collaborate instead of compete, everybody gets better.
The Ultimate Winner:
Your clients. They get the unfiltered dedication of an independent advocate, backed by the collective intelligence of an entire peer ecosystem.
We protect the culture of the Brain Trust fiercely.
Land Bridgers: We Turn Down 95% of the Advisors We Talk To. Here’s Why
Because of that, we operate on a strict mutual selection process. We want to make absolutely sure we are the right fit for your practice, and that you are the right fit for our community.
We do this upfront because our goal is simple: We never want you to have to transition your practice ever again. Let’s get it right from the beginning.
Our Ultimate Filter: Humility Over Ego
When peers ask me what immediately eliminates an advisor from joining us, the answer is easy: a lack of humility.
But an advisor with humility is open to looking at what else is out there, seeing if there is a better way to operate, and passing their own successes along to the peers around them.
Who This Is For...
- The Open-Minded Builder
You are highly successful, but you’re still asking: “Is there a better way to do what I’m doing?”
- The Collaborative Peer
You are secure enough in your success to give and receive support — you’re okay getting the assist, as long as the team scores.
- The Growth-Minded Entrepreneur
You want to protect your independence but value the leverage of an elite peer network.
This is not for you if...
- The Closed-Lens Advisor
You believe your way is the only way, the best way, and you have zero intention of sharing your insights with anyone else.
- The Solo Aggregator
You want a hands-off vendor relationship with zero community connection.
- The Complacent Practice
You are looking for a place to coast rather than pushing the boundaries of your full potential.
If you see yourself in the first column
The next step is a conversation. Our mutual selection process is designed to make sure we are the right fit for your practice — and that you are the right fit for our community. We do this upfront because our goal is simple: we never want you to have to transition your practice ever again.
Protecting What You’ve Built
From a Time-Bound Practice to a Perpetual Entity
Many financial planners view independence as a solo sprint. But a solo practice comes with massive, unhedged mortality risk.
Consider the industry reality: If a solo financial advisor passes away unexpectedly, statistics show that within 90 days, nearly 100% of those client relationships are gone. Decades of hard work can vanish overnight, leaving clients stranded.
Peer-to-Peer Succession Planning
Because our advisors share a common operational language and cultural alignment, these transitions see virtually zero client attrition. When it’s time to step back or pass the baton to the next generation, you aren’t selling to a stranger. You’re selecting a trusted peer from the Brain Trust who already understands your standard of care.
Overcoming the Multi-Generational Talent Gap
With over 100,000 advisors industry-wide facing retirement over the next decade, finding and retaining the next bench of talent is the defining challenge for independent businesses.
Because we do not operate a corporate W2 model, we never compete with our advisors for talent. Instead, we act as specialized business consultants and coaches. We teach you how to identify, hire, and retain high-potential advisors; especially younger professionals who bring the right characteristics and traits.
We provide the written pathways, clear metrics, and mentorship infrastructure needed to guide a new advisor from a servicing role to a partner, ensuring your firm is structured to thrive 100+ years from now.
$11 Billion+
Combined assets
IFG Succession Support
IFG’s Advisor Development team works with you to identify, hire, and retain high-potential advisors — especially younger professionals who bring the right characteristics. We provide the structure. You retain the ownership.
Thinking about independence?
We help advisors design and execute bulletproof internal succession plans. In the last 24 months alone, we have facilitated five internal transitions within IFG.
Book a confidential 15-minute call. This isn’t a high-pressure sales pitch — it’s a mutual evaluation to see if your vision aligns with ours.
What Our Advisors Say
About Land and the Culture He Built
"
After many years in the industry, and with LPL in particular, I felt like a tadpole in a big ocean. Finding this incredible group has afforded me the opportunity to grow my practice at a rate I know would not have been possible on my own. From my study group, the IFG Retreats, and business coaching, I truly have been given a new lease on life. This isn’t an exaggeration. I have a larger, more manageable practice, more time for the people I love and more joy from interactions with my clients. I am so grateful for IFG's support - it allows me to be the best advisor I can be. My passion is to do more good for more people and for my community.
"
Being independent doesn’t mean being alone. As a Consortium Member, you’ve got a team of colleagues available or working for you when you need it."
Let's Talk Strategy. Peer-to-Peer
If the idea of the Brain Trust resonates with you, and you’re ready to explore what your practice could look like when you retain your independence without sacrificing a collaborative culture, let’s have an unfiltered conversation.
This isn’t a high-pressure sales pitch. It’s a mutual evaluation to see if your vision aligns with ours.
You’ve read my story. Let’s talk about yours.
Get in touch with Cooper Welch, our Business Development Associate at Integrated Financial Group
