From Anchorage Digital to BitGo and Morgan Stanley, a growing cast of financial firms are reaping big fees riding the tidal wave of corporate bitcoin buying. A record number of public companies are shoveling crypto onto their balance sheets—ostensibly to diversify their holdings, hedge against inflation and attract new investors. The unstated reason, of course, is management’s desire to boost their stock price. In recent months, just announcing a so-called “crypto treasury” strategy has been enough to add premiums to trading prices. The real bonanza however, is flowing to the picks-and-shovels merchants of this latest gold rush: custodians, brokers, asset…

Name: Joshua Waite Firm: Waite Financial Group / Northwestern Mutual Location: Peoria, IL Total Value of Policies: $1.1 billion Background: Joshua Waite grew up in a small farming town outside Peoria, Illinois—just a mile from the family farm where his grandfather, one of his childhood heroes, helped shape his values of hard work, humility, and integrity. After earning a finance degree from nearby Bradley University, he joined Northwestern Mutual in 2003, where his father had long been a policyholder. Although he describes himself as a natural introvert, Waite found success in sales by asking thoughtful questions and listening carefully—traits that…