In this episode of dakota live, host Robert Morier sits down with Stephanie Szymanski, Chief Investment Officer of Lakeview Capital Management, for a wide-ranging, practitioner-level conversation on how single-family offices actually invest.

Stephanie pulls back the curtain on what it means to run portfolio construction inside a single-family office, covering how family office CIOs think differently from endowments and foundations when it comes to asset allocation, manager selection, liquidity, and after-tax outcomes.

This episode is essential viewing for:
• Asset managers seeking to work with single-family offices
• Emerging managers navigating early allocations
• Allocators and CIOs comparing family office vs institutional models
• Students and analysts interested in family office careers

Topics covered include:
• How single family offices structure multi-asset portfolios across public and private markets
• The role of hedge funds as diversifiers, return enhancers, and risk reducers
• Why many family offices invest earlier than institutions—and how they assess manager risk
• Active vs passive decision-making in global equities
• How family offices evaluate emerging market and ex-US equity managers
• The realities of private equity pacing, distributions, and capacity constraints
• Why many family offices do not focus on direct investing
• Manager due diligence, triangulation, and relationship-driven underwriting
• What asset managers misunderstand most about family offices
• Career advice for analysts and investors interested in allocator roles

Stephanie also shares practical insight into:
• Running a lean investment team
• Hiring and developing junior analysts
• Building conviction without rigid RFP processes
• Why focus and strategy discipline matter more than scale

If you want a real-world look at how single family offices make investment decisions, this conversation delivers clarity, nuance, and uncommon transparency.

In this episode of dakota live!, host Robert Morier sits down with Aaron Dirlam, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Springtide Partners, for a wide-ranging conversation on building conviction in uncertain markets—and why humility remains one of the most underappreciated edges in investing.

Founded in 2017, Springtide Partners has grown into a trusted investment partner for RIAs, family offices, and financial institutions, advising on over $80 billion in client assets. In this discussion, Aaron shares how Springtide’s mean reversion framework, disciplined research process, and client-first mindset have been refined through multiple market cycles—from pre-COVID volatility to today’s rapidly shifting macro environment.

Key topics include:
・How Springtide approaches manager research and due diligence, with a heavy emphasis on qualitative judgment, succession, and culture
・Why mean reversion remains central to portfolio construction—and where the opportunity set looks most compelling today
・The evolution of the OCIO model, rising client service expectations, and what RIAs truly need from outsourced partners
・Springtide’s framework for private markets, including secondaries, venture capital, private credit, and niche real assets
・The role of humility—in founders, portfolio managers, and investment teams—and how it shows up in long-term performance

Aaron also reflects on nearly two decades of partnership with his co-founder, the lessons learned building a boutique investment firm, and how Springtide balances conviction with risk control in an increasingly competitive landscape.

This episode is a must-listen for CIOs, manager research professionals, RIAs, and allocators seeking a clearer lens on conviction-driven investing—and what it truly means to earn a seat at the table.

We’re kicking off 2026 the same way many investors are setting their New Year’s resolutions: by going straight to the source.
In our first episode of the new year, Dakota Live goes on site to SEI’s headquarters in Oaks, Pennsylvania to sit down with Ryan Hicke, CEO of SEI Investments (NASDAQ: SEIC).
These on-location CEO episodes consistently generate the strongest engagement across our audience of allocators, asset managers, advisors, and institutional sales professionals—and this one delivers on every front.
What This Episode Covers (and Why It Matters in 2026)
As a publicly traded, global financial services firm operating at the intersection of asset management, technology, operations, and advice, SEI offers a unique lens on where the industry is headed. In this wide-ranging conversation, Ryan Hicke and his colleagues Michael Lane, Head of Asset Management and Sean Lawlor, Head of Strategic Growth Initiatives share how SEI is thinking about:

• Growth vs. Risk: Why SEI focuses on accelerating good outcomes rather than merely avoiding bad ones
  
  
• Culture as Strategy: How SEI’s open, meritocratic culture drives innovation and accountability
  
  
• Private Markets & Alternatives: What the future portfolio really looks like beyond the traditional 60/40
  
  
• Tokenization, AI, and Technology: Why SEI wants a “courtside seat” to emerging technologies instead of watching from the sidelines
  
  
• Stratos Wealth Acquisition: How integrating advice reshapes SEI’s long-term strategy across administration, asset management, and client outcomes
  
  
• Public Company Discipline: Balancing quarterly earnings pressure with long-term shareholder value creation
  
  
• Leadership in a Changing Market: What it actually means to lead through complexity, regulation, and rapid industry change
  
  

This is not a headline-driven discussion. It’s a candid look at how a public company CEO thinks about decision-making, capital allocation, talent, and culture when the stakes are real and the time horizon matters.
A New Year Perspective from the C-Suite
We close the episode with a New Year reflection—professional and personal—on leadership, judgment, balance, and what it means to build durable organizations in a world that rewards speed but punishes shortsightedness.
If your 2026 resolution includes:

• Understanding how publicly traded investment firms think strategically
  
  
• Gaining insight into where asset management, alternatives, and advice are converging
  
  
• Learning how CEOs actually weigh growth, risk, and culture behind closed doors
  
  

This episode is for you.