Integrated Wealth Strategy, delivered through a documented fiduciary process
Protocol Wealth helps complex families, founders, business owners, executives, and entities connect planning, investments, liquidity, private assets, family coordination, digital assets where relevant, and human judgment.
The process coordinates investments, liquidity, tax and estate coordination, custody/access, entity decisions, and risk across the traditional and digital landscape. It is systematic, documented, and reviewable — not reactive, and not based on forecasts.
How we think about this
The question we keep coming back to is what an advisor is for in an era when analytical tools are nearly free. Our answer: the advisor is the human who validates the analysis, carries the regulatory accountability, and stays present for the client when the framework's signal and the client's situation don't agree. The tools should be inspectable. The judgment should be human. Both should be documented.
A new firm, not a new practice
Protocol Wealth is an SEC-registered investment adviser (CRD #335298) and a newer firm structure, but it is not starting from scratch. The firm brings together specialist backgrounds across fiduciary advice, RIA operations, investment management, buy-side trading, digital assets, technology, compliance, and planning-led wealth management.
The team biographies below summarize public registration history and professional background: Jason Leupold registered since February 2000, Adam Blumberg registered since May 2009, and Nick Rygiel registered since December 2011 and founded Ironclad Financial in 2022. Protocol Wealth was formed to bring those specialist backgrounds into one fiduciary platform. Public registration information can be reviewed through FINRA BrokerCheck and the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure database — direct links on each card below.
Managing Partner, Chief Compliance Officer
Leads compliance review and helps connect technology-native execution with fiduciary obligations.
FINRA/SEC-registered since May 2009. Broker and investment adviser at MML Investors Services (May 2009 – Nov 2015, Houston TX), then registered with both Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. (broker, CRD #39543) and Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc. (IA, CRD #134139) from Nov 2015 – Sep 2017 (Bellaire TX), then investment adviser at Chart Wealth Management, LLC (Sep 2017 – Dec 2020, Houston TX). Founded Interaxis in 2019 to teach digital-asset literacy to other advisors and co-founded PlannerDAO. Registered with Protocol Wealth (CO IA) since April 12, 2025. Serves as CCO, accountable for every Marketing Rule review and the firm's compliance posture across traditional and digital assets.
"Concentrated positions require documented diversification, liquidity, and risk review. The same discipline applies to protocol treasuries."
Industry-registered since 2009
CRD #5656102 · BrokerCheck · SEC IAPD
Managing Partner, CTO & CISO
Leads technology, security architecture, and systems that make research, documentation, and review workflows more consistent.
FINRA-registered since December 2011 (registered as an investment adviser since January 2012). Surface Warfare Officer aboard USS Porter (DDG-78), then Deloitte (PKI identity management), then over a decade as a Merrill Lynch VP and Senior Financial Advisor (Oct 2011 – Jul 2022, Bala Cynwyd PA). Founded Ironclad Financial (CRD #321831, Havertown PA) on July 25, 2022 as a multi-asset RIA covering both traditional portfolios and digital assets, with a brief overlap registration at Origin Financial (CRD #305353, Bryn Mawr PA, Dec 2022 – May 2023) during the platform transition. Registered with Protocol Wealth (CO IA) since July 9, 2025; Registered Representative of Finalis Securities LLC since June 9, 2026. Built the firm's technology stack and serves as CTO and CISO.
"The durable investment isn't the innovation; it's the infrastructure layer underneath it."
Industry-registered since 2011
CRD #5996576 · BrokerCheck · SEC IAPD
Managing Partner, Chief Investment Officer
Leads investment strategy and translates research frameworks into documented portfolio review.
FINRA-registered since February 4, 2000 (CRD #4124810). A career spanning Morgan Stanley DW (broker, Feb 2000 – May 2001, Purchase NY), then six years on the buy-side at Crabel Capital running the Asian Trade Desk and the FX Desk (2003 – 2009, prop trading not requiring FINRA registration), then registered roles at Robert W. Baird & Co. (broker + IA, Jul 2010 – Mar 2012, Milwaukee WI), Fintrust Brokerage Services (broker, Jan 2014 – Dec 2015, Greenville SC) and Fintrust Investment Advisory Services (IA, Jan 2014 – Apr 2016, Denver CO), IMST Distributors (broker, Aug 2016 – Jun 2020, Denver CO), and Fidelity Brokerage Services (broker, Apr 2021 – May 2022) and Fidelity Personal & Workplace Advisors (IA, May 2021 – May 2022). Registered with Protocol Wealth (CO IA) since May 27, 2025; Registered Representative of Finalis Securities LLC since April 14, 2026.
"Systematic rules create discipline around portfolio review. Execution quality matters as much as the thesis."
Industry-registered since 2000
CRD #4124810 · BrokerCheck · SEC IAPD
Team of Teams Coverage: Every client relationship is covered by at least two advisors. We operate under a signed advisory agreement and a fiduciary standard that is legally enforceable — not just a marketing claim.
Integrated Wealth Strategy starts with three client questions
These are not market questions first. They are client questions. Portfolio management tools — including regime classification, durability analysis, and the 8-check score — sit inside implementation after we understand what the wealth is supposed to accomplish.
We start with the client's life, obligations, liquidity needs, family priorities, entity constraints, tax and estate coordination, and the outcomes the plan is meant to support. The first question is not which portfolio to use. It is what the wealth is responsible for.
The plan turns objectives into implementation: portfolio management, diversification, liquidity buckets, custody and access, entity or treasury policy, estate documentation, and decision records. Regime classification, durability analysis, and the 8-check quality score live here as portfolio-management tools, not as the whole advisory process.
We monitor the facts that can change the plan: markets, concentration, liquidity, life events, entity needs, custody/access issues, tax and estate updates, and risk limits. When facts change, documented review determines whether to hold, reduce, rebalance, diversify, or revisit the plan. AI assists the workflow; human fiduciaries decide.
What Makes Integrated Wealth Strategy Different
Client problem first, fiduciary process second, technology as proof. Digital assets are one capability we cover competently — not the whole firm.
Most advisory work becomes reactive when there is no shared process. A concentrated position moves, a liquidity need appears, a family or entity changes, or a custody issue surfaces, and everyone starts from scratch. We built a process that starts with goals, turns them into implementation, and creates a review discipline before pressure forces a decision.
The portfolio tools still matter. Regime detection, durability classification, and quality scoring help with investment implementation. But the job is bigger than investing: liquidity, tax coordination, estate coordination, custody/access, family goals, entity policy, and risk monitoring all need to fit inside the same documented fiduciary process.
Outcome-Based Planning
The process starts with what the wealth needs to accomplish: liquidity, family goals, business or entity needs, tax and estate coordination, risk limits, and the tradeoffs the client is willing to make.
Documented Implementation
Portfolio management, liquidity planning, custody/access, entity policy, and outside tax or legal coordination are tied to a written process instead of scattered one-off decisions.
Risk Monitoring & Adjustments
Markets, concentration, liquidity, family events, entity needs, and custody/access risks are monitored against the plan. Changes create review points, not automatic client-facing advice.
Human Judgment, Recorded
Technology helps us research, monitor, and document. Human fiduciaries remain accountable for client-facing advice, and the reasoning is recorded for future review.
Treasury policy for entities with complex assets
Companies, family entities, nonprofits, and protocol treasuries need documented rules for runway, liquidity, reserves, governance, concentration, and stakeholder communication.
Without a documented treasury policy, entities can drift into reactive cash decisions, excessive concentration, inconsistent governance, unclear liquidity targets, and weak documentation for boards, stakeholders, or auditors.
Protocol, DAO, and Web3 treasuries are a specialized version of this problem: token concentration, on-chain liquidity, market-making coordination, and reserve policy need to fit inside the same fiduciary review process.
Protocol Wealth does not act as custodian. Treasury assets remain with independent custodians or in client-controlled infrastructure while the firm provides advisory, monitoring, documentation, and execution-management support where appropriate.
Liquidity management, reserve policy, concentration review, stakeholder reporting, and digital-asset treasury workflows where relevant — all under documented fiduciary oversight.
Technology Infrastructure
Purpose-built systems for regime classification, asset scoring, and portfolio management across traditional and digital assets.
PW Nexus is our research engine — the analytical brain that advisors and Claude both query. It runs over 200 analytical tools covering regime detection, asset scoring, portfolio construction, and market intelligence, accessible through Anthropic's MCP standard for real-time research.
A human adviser reviews and is accountable for every client-facing decision.
Digital asset custody may use qualified custodians and client-controlled wallet infrastructure where appropriate. Protocol Wealth does not act as custodian and does not receive client private keys.
Client-controlled wallet workflows are documented, limited, and reviewed for suitability within the broader fiduciary process.
Partners & Ecosystem
You don't have to be an AUM client to work with us
Most clients pick the structure that matches the work, not the asset balance. Discretionary management is fee-on-AUM. Advisory and consulting are flat-rate retainers. Project work is scoped and milestone-billed. All fees are disclosed in our Form ADV Part 2A.
From $500/mo
Monthly retainer for financial planning, portfolio review, and ongoing advisory. Scoped to goals and complexity. Complimentary introductory meeting before any engagement.
From $5,000/mo
Treasury strategy, digital-asset policy, custody architecture, board reporting, and regulatory coordination. Typical range $5K – $15K+/month based on complexity.
0.50% – 2.00%
Discretionary AUM-based fees for traditional wealth management. Digital-asset and onchain mandates priced separately. Custody at qualified third parties — never with us.
Protocol Wealth, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser (CRD #335298). Registration does not imply a particular level of skill or training. Advisory services are provided only under a signed advisory agreement.
All investments involve risk, including the potential loss of principal. Digital assets are highly speculative and volatile. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
The Protocol Wealth Asset Framework (PWAF), built on the Entropic Macro Framework (EMF) methodology, including the 7-layer durability model, 8-check scoring system, and all other analytical methodologies, are systematic frameworks — not predictive models and not investment advice. Framework scores, tiers, and classifications reflect historical and current quantitative metrics only; they do not constitute buy, sell, or hold recommendations for any specific security.
What's Your Investor Profile?
Take our 7-minute diagnostic to understand your investor archetype, or explore the investment framework that drives our process.