Our core belief is this: the right people—developed, nurtured and rewarded in ways that fit their unique talents and your business—will deliver a consistently compelling experience to your clients.

And that’s what building a truly remarkable (not to mention highly profitable) firm is all about. And we should know—we’ve been at this for nearly twenty years each and have had a hand in literally hundreds of success stories.

Stories that have talent at their core. Like fast-tracking your business strategy. Paying the right incentives to grow strategically. Creating base-line systems so you can hire, assess and develop your talent with confidence.

We speak talent—let us help you build yours.

Meet Kelli Cruz: Financial Talent Expert. Entrepreneur. Sports Fanatic.

I was a track star in middle school and I guess I just never slowed down (ask me about my last race).

At Wells Fargo, I led a human resources team of 30, serving over 5,000 national team members. Later, I developed strategic initiatives and investment products (and became one of the very few who worked in both the institutional and private investment groups). I straddled developing investment products with creating sales incentive plans for those who sold them.

I moved to Charles Schwab to pioneer the industry’s first human capital practice consulting program for RIA advisory firms (which has since become the industry gold standard). Think organization strategy and design, recruiting, pay and rewards, talent management and succession planning. Once I discovered consulting was in my DNA, I never looked back.

I earned my research stripes at InvestmentNews, where I directed consulting services and developed and ran the Moss Adams benchmark studies on financial performance and compensation/staffing for advisory firms.

It was also the birth of my outside speaking career, which at last count numbered over 100 keynotes and workshops. I continue to write for the industry and am a regular columnist for Financial Planning.

And then in 2013, I embraced the entrepreneurial life and started Cruz Consulting Group. My singular focus (which I’m proud to say has come to life): creating a collaborative team that guides financial firms to build their most powerful asset—their talent wealth.

Call me a fast-moving touchstone of fresh talent strategies and practical business ideas, wrapped in genuine warmth and insight.

When I’m not working, you’ll find me running trails on Mount Tamalpais, watching the SF Giants win at AT&T Park, cooking up a storm or outdoor adventuring with my husband.

Cruz Consulting Group’s structure and follow-through is outstanding. They drill down to a real plan and give you excellent tools so that you can run with it. Trust me; they will make your business better.”

 – Wallace Williams, Chief Financial Officer, Trust Company of the South