0:00
/
0:00

🎥 SageSpring Private Wealth's Winston Justice - from protecting star quarterbacks to protecting families' wealth

Ep. 136 with Winston Justice, CEO, SageSpring Private Wealth

Welcome back to the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast.

Today’s podcast is with an elite performer on and off the field who has gone from protecting quarterbacks to protecting families’ wealth.

We sit down with former NFL and USC star Winston Justice, whose entrepreneurial spirit that was stoked while he was still playing in the NFL has led to a successful and impactful career in wealth management.

He was recently named CEO at SageSpring Private Wealth, a $7B independent wealth management firm, as they look to grow organically and inorganically and expand their offerings in private markets for their clients.


Listen on Apple Podcasts



Listen on Transistor


A former NFL offensive lineman, Winston played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, and Denver Broncos from 2006 to 2015. He also co-founded an early stage investment vehicle, MJC Capital, and Elixr, a gourmet café and coffee roastery, while he was playing. He also won 2010 Walter Payton Philadelphia Man of the Year Award for his community service.

He transitioned into financial services and wealth management post-career, starting at Wells Fargo Securities, where he specialized in institutional and family office advisory. He then was a portfolio manager at PIA’s Alternative Investment Group, and then an investment Manager at AllianceBernstein.

Winston and I had a fascinating conversation. We discussed:

  • The parallels between sports and finance.

  • How Winston navigated the transition from professional athlete to a finance professional.

  • What stoked his entrepreneurial spirit.

  • Why wealth management is so critical to people’s lives.

  • Why culture fit is so important when integrating advisors into wealth management platforms through acquisition.

  • How private markets can add to an advisor’s practice.

Thanks Winston for coming on the show to share your story, wisdom, and expertise.

Thanks for reading Alt Goes Mainstream! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.


Clip #1: Fear and purpose: how and why I prepared for life after the NFL.


Clip #2: People will talk about anything … but when it comes to their finances, they are very guarded.


Clip #3: What’s the wealth channel’s perspective on working with alternative asset managers?


A word from AGM podcast sponsor, Juniper Square

When was the last time things were easy for GPs?

Fundraising remains challenging, providing liquidity to investors is even harder—and broadly speaking, most GPs are underwater operationally.

It’s not about to get easier, either. Especially for managers vying for capital from the wealth channel. Sure, there’s increased demand from HNW and UNHW investors to gain private markets exposure…but managing their expectations for the investing experience is a whole different ballgame.

Reams of paper and a new KYC process every single time they subscribe to a fund? Brutal.

But what if committing capital to private equity, venture, and real estate funds was digital and seamless for investors — and scalable to manage for GPs?

Meet Juniper Square, the fund operations partner to over 2,000 private markets GPs worldwide.

Juniper Square gives GPs the connected software, data, and fund administration services needed for modern private markets. No matter how ambitious your next raise is, how many investors you manage, and how complex your investment vehicles are, Juniper Square empowers GPs to raise capital faster, reduce operational risk, and deliver a world-class investor experience.

And with JunieAI, Juniper Square's enterprise-grade AI built for private markets, GPs can truly and finally unlock the power of AI to work smarter, move faster, and focus on relationships and returns.

Scale your business, not your operational burdens and costs. Visit junipersquare.com/agm today to learn more.

Learn more about Juniper Square


Show Notes

00:00 Introduction to Alt Goes Mainstream Podcast

00:04 Our Sponsor, Juniper Square: Revolutionizing Fund Management

00:30 Empowering GPS with Juniper Square

00:38 Juniper Square's AI Innovation

00:55 Visit Juniper Square

01:37 Welcome to the Podcast

01:41 Introducing Winston Justice

03:29 Winston's Background and Education

03:52 Starting in Business and Finance

04:24 Transition from NFL to Finance

04:57 Early Career in Financial Services

06:54 The Importance of Wealth Management

07:44 Planning for the Future

07:58 Private Markets and Retirement Solutions

08:13 Building SageSpring

08:32 The Sacredness of Finances

09:28 Managing Assets and Relationships

12:13 Mentoring Advisors at SageSpring

12:51 Client-Focused Advisors

13:56 Balancing Growth and Client Service

18:55 The Role of a True Fiduciary

20:30 Educating Clients on Fiduciary Duty

20:46 Trust in Financial Services

33:02 The Future of Wealth Management

36:13 Winston's Favorite Private Market Investments

38:20 Conclusion and Final Thoughts


Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.


Join over 12,100 Substack subscribers & followers who are thought leaders and executives from top private markets firms and wealth management like Blackstone, Apollo, Ares, KKR, EQT, Carlyle, Blue Owl, CVC, TPG, Brookfield Oaktree, Vista, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, BlackRock, Fidelity, iCapital, Franklin Templeton, Nuveen, Hg, Permira, General Atlantic, Stonepeak, Hightower, Focus Financial, Cerity Partners, and more.