At Future Proof 2025, Dave Nadig chatted with Tidal's co-founder and CEO, Guillermo Trias. The two discussed the growing trend of asset managers, wealth managers, and advisors bringing ETFs to market and Tidal's role in that process. 

Guillermo Trias & Dave Nadig Conversation - Full Transcript

Opening: The ETF Package

Trias: If you are an advisor and you are not thinking about embracing the ETF structure and its efficiencies, I don't think you are doing your fiduciary job the right way.

Nadig: Well, but let me push back on that.

If I'm an advisor, I've got 25 CFPs that are working for me. I'm running my own strategies. How much energy and time is it going to take me to get into the packaged product business?

Trias: Listen, this is exactly what we do.

An Entire Industry Oriented Towards ETFs

Nadig: I'm here with Guillermo Trias, the CEO of Tidal Financial Group. Guillermo, so much going on in the space, but the intersection between individual investors, RIAs, everybody launching product. You guys are right in the maelstrom, helping all sorts of people launch their own ETFs. How is that business going and how's it changing?

Trias: I think that you hit the nail on the head. This huge transformation of the industry where wealth managers are becoming asset managers, where self-directed individual investors are themselves institutionalizing themselves and acting as wealth professionals. We are in the middle of enabling – whether it's the direct individual or the RIA, the wealth manager – into their next step. Into their elevation, into a different level of professionalism with launching, growing, managing, or trading their own ETFs.

Nadig: So, how realistic is it for a financial advisor who may be running their own strategy, maybe it's a stock selection strategy, maybe it's an asset allocation strategy, how realistic is it for them to take that, package it up with a firm like yours into an ETF, and expect to get real traction and success? Do they have to bring all of their own audience to bear? Can performance take them over the top? Or is there some other secret sauce?

Trias: It's ultimately depending on the story, on the background, and the capabilities, and uniqueness of each advisor. But the clear answer is, absolutely. If you believe in it, if you commit to it, if you are truly building value for the investor community. If you are bringing to market products that make sense, that they are delivering on the promise, that they are delivering outcomes, it's absolutely possible, and not possible – it's advisable! If you are an advisor and you are not thinking about embracing the ETF structure and its efficiencies, I don't think you are doing your fiduciary job the right way.

Nadig: Well, but let me push back on that. If I'm an advisor, I've got 25 CFPs that are working for me, I'm running my own strategies. How much energy and time is it going to take me to get into the packaged product business? I'm used to just running some SMAs for my clients. Now I’ve got to deal with idiots like me.

Trias: Well, never an idiot, genius. Listen, this is exactly what we do. We offer a turnkey solution to anything that is required to launch, manage, trade, or operate an ETF. We will do all of that in the backstage while you focus on those activities where you shine. Meaning you may want to do the portfolio management, and you may want to do the, call it, evangelism – the education, and the marketing, and the brand generation of the ETF. But it's seamless. That's what we are in business; that's what Tidal does. Making it seamless so you can focus on what you are good at, while you are embracing – on behalf of your clients – tax efficiency, operational efficiency, and ultimately a better investment wrapper.

Deciding If Launching an ETF Is Right For You

Nadig: All right, I'm going to ask you one more question. I'm going to answer the first part because I know what you're going to say already, and then you can tell me the real part. If an advisor is thinking about this, “ah, I run a couple billion dollars, I'm really smart over here, I've got a track record”. I know the first answer is, they should call you. But after they do that, what should they actually be doing internally to get themselves ready for that conversation, to do the soul-searching about whether they really want to enter in this crazy game?

Trias: Great question. I think they have to go to etf.com and look for all the products out there. But after that, I think it's important that they do – together we will drive them through this – they do an assessment of the opportunity. Meaning, “Who are we? What are my strengths as an advisor, what am I trying to accomplish? What are my clients and what do they need, and is the ETF structure appropriate for them?”.

My biased opinion is that ultimately that tax efficiency, operational efficiency will drive them into launching their own ETF. But again, to answer your question directly, I think doing an assessment of, “what are the goals, what are we trying to accomplish, what do my clients ultimately need”, is the first thing that we will help them with. It's a process of two weeks where we will kind of ask the right questions, they will provide answers. And together we will arrive to a plan that then we’ll execute on their behalf on the backstage, while they focus on the client, and on their strategies, and their brand.

Nadig: Well, great. I think you've given advisors something to think about. Thanks, Guillermo.

Trias: Thank you so much.

Nadig: Cheers.