How He Went From $0 AUM to $200M+

"I was the only advisor now at a firm with $300M in assets..." 😳

What do you do when your boss gets suspended by the SEC and you just started financial advising?

I talked to Adam Harding, founder of Harding Wealth, who got his start in the financial advising industry from a Craigslist ad.

It was 2008. Phoenix housing market was collapsing. And Adam was making twelve bucks an hour shredding documents.

Two years in, the SEC walks through the door.

They find violations tied to the firm’s owner—things Adam had nothing to do with but the owner got barred from the industry.

And just like that, Adam at 27 years old, $3,000 in the bank, was the only registered advisor left at a $300M firm.

He got thrown into the deep end immediately.

Fast forward to 2016. Adam launches Harding Wealth. No suits. No salesy nonsense. Just real conversations with real people.

Now he runs a thriving RIA built on transparency, coaching, and walking clients through the actual process, not just the polished outcome.

We covered:

> How a $0 internship led to running a $300M book

> Why authentic conversations attract real clients

> The content strategy that took off by accident

> His secret to scaling without losing himself

> What the industry gets wrong about “being professional”

If you’re building a firm or trying to grow your brand, Adam’s story is proof that you don’t need a suit, a script, or a perfect background.

You just need guts, clarity, and a way to connect.

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Advisor Freedom is the podcast for financial advisors who want to learn what it really takes to build a thriving advisory career & what wealthy clients are actually doing with their money.

Hosted by Conner Young, who launched his own independent RIA firm in 2021, the show shares real stories from advisors who’ve broken away, built their books from scratch, and refined their client service models through experience.

Each episode dives into how advisors got started, how they attracted their first clients, the systems they use today, and the best practices that help them grow.

We also open the doors to the other side of the table: interviewing high-net-worth investors, family offices, and entrepreneurs about the investments they love, the strategies they use, and the legacy they’re trying to build.

Whether you're just launching your RIA, growing your practice, or exploring new ways to create generational impact, Advisor Freedom is your behind-the-scenes guide to building a business and a life of lasting value.