Episodes

The wealth management community has been talking about the need to make the industry more diverse to reflect the broader population for years now—and has made strides to reposition the profession as a welcoming opportunity for women, people of color and individuals with more diverse backgrounds. Still, by the numbers, little progress has been made—making diversity, equity and inclusion a top priority for all stakeholders in the industry. Join us for an engaging panel discussion with industry tho...

COVID-19 had a profound impact on the retirement plans of many Americans. Due to the financial and lifestyle upheavals caused by the pandemic, some people are retiring earlier than they originally planned while others are delaying their retirement and working longer. These developments—along with concerns over high inflation and interest rates—will require advisors to recalibrate expectations as well as client portfolios. Listen in as our panel of experts share their approaches to wealth accumul...

SRI has been attracting considerable interest in recent years—particularly among Millennials and younger investors who are more inclined to make money while feeling good about doing it. In addition to being guardians of the planet, socially responsible businesses are expected to treat their employees well, create products and services that are beneficial to society and steer clear of unethical business practices. But not all SRI factors are easily quantifiable and may not directly translate into...

Financial advisors are navigating increasingly complex waters when it comes to regulatory compliance thanks in large part to the digital revolution that has made compliance issues more numerous and complicated than ever. Compliance priorities have taken on a broader risk mandate to include ESG, cybersecurity, cloud computing and the potential theft of clients’ digital assets or personal information. And the SEC’s new rule governing advertising and marketing will have a major impact on oversight,...

Fundamental to the delivery of wealth management services is a strong technology infrastructure that can manage the prospect to client journey in an elegant and digital approach. In order to do so, advisors need the latest tools that are helping firms deliver personalization at scale to differentiate their firms, increase capacity and drive business momentum. Listen to our panel of experts from the leading platforms innovating on these critical technologies so you can enhance your service delive...

One of the most talked about advisor technology innovations lately is in workflow automation so that advisors can finally begin to scale for wealth management. The key to success in this approach is all about data management and integrated applications. Learn from these experts on how you can streamline your infrastructure for fast growth with the latest enhancements in workflow technology. Our Panelists: David Everson, Sr. Director of Solutions Marketing, Laserfiche Marc Butler, COO, Skience A...

The potential for leveraging artificial intelligence in wealth management has been discussed and debated for years. Is it really just artificial and not intelligent? Or are there real use cases for deploying this advanced and still emerging technology to better work with clients and gain operational leverage? Join our esteemed group of experts building out these AI applications as they discuss how you can run a better business, delight clients and streamline your operations. Our Panelists: Andr...

The wild swings in the crypto markets make headlines daily, causing many advisors to fear this emerging asset class when working with clients. Yet there is strong demand from them to gain exposure to the upside potential that digital assets can potentially deliver. Ben Cruikshank, president of Flourish Financial, discusses this trend—how many advisors “do not know what their clients have going on” with crypto, which means it’s harder to give holistic advice. Listen in to learn more about how you...

The pendulum continues to swing back and forth for the optimal way to create an efficient tech stack: All-in-one vs. best-in-breed. Both approaches involve tradeoffs in terms of features and functionality in exchange for efficiencies and a unified experience. But can advisors obtain the best of both worlds? Listen to our panel of technology experts on the latest developments in integrated technology and optimal ways to streamline your front and back office. Our Panelists: Donna Bristow, Chief P...

The pandemic caused an accelerator effect across the industry especially as it relates to digital marketing. New players are joining the digital wealth management ecosystem from every direction. From purely digital onboarding to personalized pre-emptive ESG recommendations to automated creation of highly personalized client videos full of portfolio data, financial plan progress and goal achievement—client engagement has moved light years ahead of where it was just a few years ago. The result? Ef...

Despite excellent top-line revenues across the wealth management space these past few years, without the tailwinds of market gains, the truth is many advisory firms are not growing at the rates they previously were. This has left many firms looking for new ways to turbo-charge their marketing strategies to regain momentum. Listen in as Brian Nelson, managing director at Atria Wealth Solutions, reveals the top methods and approaches successful advisors are using to accelerate growth: tapping into...

There’s a debate around fee-only RIAs who offer insurance and annuities in addition to planning and asset management: Can advisors working on behalf of an insurance company still be considered a true fiduciary? Then again in cases where planning reveals a need for insurance, isn’t it in the client’s best interest to provide them with a holistic approach and solutions that meet their broader financial goals? Listen in as our panel of industry experts examines the issues—and explores when and why ...

The wealth industry has a succession planning problem that is coming to fruition as a majority of financial advisors still do not have a formal succession plan in place. This lack of planning is creating issues as many advisors are nearing retirement and need to create an orderly transition of their business employees and clients. Listen to this panel discussion where industry leaders discuss the trends, opportunities and concerns for the future of the industry, including how new regulations and...

More and more financial advisors are outsourcing various aspects of their business, from compliance and HR to asset management and back office work. Finding an ethical company that can provide all this without taking over your brand can be a great option for growth. In this episode, Davis Janowski is joined by Carolyn Armitage, head of Thrivent Advisor Network. Thrivent has been named one of the world’s most ethical companies 10 years in a row by the Ethisphere Institute. Thrivent provides finan...

The needs and demands of younger generations of clients are changing dramatically, and advisors are going to have to change and evolve with them. And adapting to prospect and client expectations will change how financial advisors market their services as well. In this episode, Davis Janowski, senior technology editor at WealthManagement.com is joined by Amanda Robinson, director of model portfolios business development and Bill Spera, director of market research at Fidelity Investments. They dis...

As we approach the new year, many firms are both taking a look back and leaning into the future and setting plans for 2022. In this episode, Davis Janowski, senior technology editor at WealthManagement.com is joined by John Pierce, head of business development at Cetera Financial Group to talk about what his firm is doing on many fronts to both help advisors grow and assist them in their work with clients to establish the best version of their own financial wellbeing. In this episode, you will l...

A financial advisor’s toolkit should consist of two parts: the tools to build a client’s optimal financial plan and the empathy to relate to the client’s wishes, both in and outside of the office. In this episode, David Armstrong is joined by Kristi Rodriguez, SVP of Nationwide Retirement Institute and John Carter, president of Nationwide Financial. Kristi and John discuss how advisors can provide additional value to their clients through diverse markets and with a sense of empathy for their nee...

The past year and a half has taught us that virtual platforms need to be available for advisors to stay in contact with their clients. How can advisors leverage new technology to create the optimal client experience? In this episode, David Armstrong is joined by Shannon Spotswood, president of RFG Advisory, a two-time finalists for the non-custodial RIA support platform at the Wealth Management Industry Awards. Shannon discusses how technology changed the way advisors interact with clients and t...

There are approximately 390,000 businesses in the U.S. with under $100 million in enterprise value, and some 65% of those closely held firms are expected to change hands in the next ten years, passing from baby boomer owners and entrepreneurs to the next generation of owners. In this episode, David Armstrong is joined by Jeffrey Getty, an advisor for Key Banks Family Wealth Consulting Team and 2021 Industry Award winner for their business advisory services initiative at family offices. In this e...

Personalization and artificial intelligence are buzzwords advisors are hearing all the time these days but few have real access to either. In this episode, Wealth Management Senior Technology Editor Davis Janowski is joined by Jack Swift, senior partner and president of The TIFIN Group. Jack dives into financial technology and artificial intelligence, detailing how the nine business units in the group use machine learning, natural language processing, semantic search and other technologies to pr...

Lon Dolber is the CEO of American Portfolios, an independent broker/dealer and RIA with some 800 affiliated advisors and $40 billion in assets, and the winner of the Wealthmanagement.com award for CEO of the year for small broker/dealers (less than 1,000 affiliated representatives). Dolber launched American Portfolios on Sept. 10, 2001 – and kept the nascent firm going in the terrible weeks following. He’s grown the business with a laser focus on service for his affiliated advisors, a shared own...

In this episode, David Armstrong is joined by Marc Butler, COO and president of Skience, to talk about the directions the firm has taken since he was appointed in August of 2020—in the midst of the pandemic. Skience, a digital-first client onboarding platform, was recognized in the 2021 Wealthmanagement.com Industry Awards in the technology providers category for business support systems – workflow automation. In this episode, you will learn: How COVID has changed the way advisors engage with c...

In this episode, David Armstrong speaks with Aaron Klein, co-founder and CEO at Riskalyze about the initiatives, platforms and strategies that helped them take their place as finalists in multiple categories at the 2021 WealthManagement.com Industry Awards. In this episode, they discuss: Riskalyze’s business trajectory and current investor HG Capital How Riskalyze’s trading platform widens the service the company offers advisors Riskalyze’s partner store’s aim to deliver real investment researc...

Alternative asset manager Hamilton Lane’s acquisition of investment platform 361 Capital earlier this year brings the $550 billion, 30-year-old global investment shop a step closer to U.S.-based registered investment advisors and their HNW clients. Hamilton Lane’s goal is to bring easier access to private market investments, and was recognized at the 2021 Wealthmanagement.com Industry Awards in the category of Asset Managers – New Product Development for their Global Private Assets Fund. In this...