# Aaron Brodt, CIMA®

> Aaron Paul Brodt, CIMA®, is a Scottsdale-based financial-services founder and operator who turned an early career in oil trading and portfolio management into two connected ventures: Ashton Thomas Private Wealth, the registered investment adviser he founded in 2010, and Amplify Technology, the wealth-management platform he co-founded after his own firm's fragmented software began obstructing growth. His public story is less about investment predictions than institutional design - culture, advisor capacity, connected data, and the unglamorous infrastructure that lets advice scale.

- **Role:** Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Ashton Thomas Private Wealth; Co-Founder of Amplify Technology
- **Organizations:** Ashton Thomas Private Wealth, Amplify Technology, GFA Wealth Design, New Mexico State University, Tosco
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts in Finance; minor in Management, New Mexico State University, Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) designation program, Investments & Wealth Institute / The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Founded Ashton Thomas Private Wealth in 2010., Co-founded Amplify Technology and developed it from an internal operating solution into a standalone wealth-management platform., Earned the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) designation.

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Worked as an oil trader for Tosco, later part of ConocoPhillips.
- **Before 2010** — Worked as a financial advisor and portfolio manager for a multifamily office.
- **2005** — Began his publicly reported affiliation with GFA Wealth Design as owner and advisor.
- **2010** — Founded Ashton Thomas Private Wealth in Scottsdale and registered with the firm as an investment adviser representative.
- **2020** — Co-founded Amplify Technology; demand from other RIAs led the internal technology effort to spin out as a standalone platform.
- **2023** — Ashton Thomas agreed to join Arax Investment Partners, with Brodt continuing as CEO.
- **2026** — Continued leading Ashton Thomas and serving as co-founder of Amplify as both businesses expanded their scale and leadership teams.

## Achievements

- Founded Ashton Thomas Private Wealth in 2010.
- Co-founded Amplify Technology and developed it from an internal operating solution into a standalone wealth-management platform.
- Earned the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) designation.
- Played NCAA collegiate basketball for the New Mexico State Aggies.
- Received a 2015 Five Star Wealth Manager award in the Phoenix market.
- Led Ashton Thomas when it was named to Citywire's 50 Growers Across America in 2021 and 2022 and recognized by USA Today/Statista in 2023.
- Continued as Ashton Thomas CEO after the firm's 2023 transaction with Arax Investment Partners.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Amplify's public materials described Ashton Thomas as a roughly $12 billion RIA and positioned connected, governed data as the foundation for advisor scale.
- **2026-03** — Amplify appointed Jason Rowley president and Kimberly Hill chief revenue officer; Brodt said the platform was being built for where the RIA market is going.
- **2026-03** — Brodt joined Amplify CTO David Hatfield on the WealthTech Today podcast to discuss multi-custodial infrastructure, microservices, data architecture, and AI readiness.
- **2025-05** — Amplify hired its first chief operations officer, with Brodt emphasizing better tools and client outcomes.
- **2025-02** — Amplify reported surpassing $18 billion in platform assets under management after doubling headcount during the prior year.
- **2023-09** — Ashton Thomas announced that it would join Arax Investment Partners; Brodt remained chief executive.

## Links

- Website: https://ashtonthomaspw.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-brodt-cima
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ashtonthomaspw
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashtonthomaspw/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshtonThomasPrivateWealth/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/aaron-cima
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-26