Episodes

The post Ep. 296: From Chaos to Cohesion: Inside Cerity Partners’ Tech-Driven M&A Playbook with Stefan Ludlow appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. Cerity Partners isn’t just acquiring firms — it’s building one. In this episode, we sit down with Stefan Ludlow, Chief Technology Officer of Cerity Partners, for a deep dive into the infrastructure, strategy, and operational discipline behind one of the fastest-growing RIAs in the country. They unpack what it really takes to scale wit...

The post Ep. 295: From Bain to Benchmarks: Measuring the Success of Envestnet’s AI Strategy with Blake Wood appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. Eight months after Bain Capital’s acquisition of Envestnet, the wealth management technology giant is emerging with a clearer vision of how artificial intelligence will reshape the advisor experience. In this episode, Blake Wood, Envestnet’s Head of Platform Strategy, reveals how the company is moving beyond the typical “AI washing” to ...

The post Ep. 294: The $500 Billion Question: Why Throwing Tech at Advisors Doesn’t Work, with Garrett Beam, Cetera appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. In an industry where technology adoption can make or break an advisory practice, Cetera’s head of digital solutions reveals how the firm is navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of wealth tech. From AI-powered note-taking to data aggregation challenges, this conversation unpacks the strategic decisions that affect over 12,000...

The post Ep. 293: The Compatibility Quotient: How AI is Transforming RIA M&A Deals, with Allen Darby, Alaris appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. The traditional M&A process in wealth management has a fundamental flaw: it prioritizes financial metrics over the one thing both buyers and sellers say matters most—cultural fit. Allen Darby, CEO of Alaris Acquisitions, has built an AI-powered solution that’s turning this approach on its head. In this episode of WealthTech Today, Darb...

The post Ep. 292: No More Swivel Chairs: LPL’s AI-Driven Push to Streamline Advisor Workflows with Kristie Edling-Day appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. AI is quickly moving from buzzword to business priority in wealth management. But how do you introduce AI tools into an enterprise platform that already serves 30,000 advisors—without breaking workflows or compliance guardrails? In this episode with Kristie Edling-Day, CIO for Advisor Technology at LPL Financial, we discuss th...

The post Ep. 291: June WealthTech News appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. In this June News episode of WealthTech Today, we cover the latest industry developments shaking up the WealthTech landscape, including several significant acquisitions and strategic partnerships that signal major changes in the advisor technology ecosystem. Featured News Stories: LPL Acquires Commonwealth: The Last Domino Falls Schwab Invests in Wealth.com to Elevate Estate Planning Josh Brown […] The ...

The post Ep. 290: Reimagining the Advisor Desktop: Inside Vestmark’s AI Assistant with Leo Schrantz appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. What happens when a portfolio management platform with 25 years of history bets big on AI? In this episode, Leo Schrantz shares how Vestmark is weaving AI into every layer of their platform—from proposal generation to advisor copilots to operational automation. If you’re a tech-savvy executive wondering how AI can deliver measurable ROI without...

The post Ep. 289: Tax Planning is the Painkiller Every Client Wants with David Snider, Harness Wealth appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. In this episode, we speak with David Snider, Founder and CEO of Harness Wealth, about his journey from Bain Capital to launching a tax-focused wealth management platform. Snider reveals how his costly equity compensation mistakes led to creating a service that helps individuals navigate complex financial decisions before liquidity events occu...

The post Ep. 288: If ChatGPT and Zapier Had a Baby: AI Productivity Tools That Feel Like Magic appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. Financial executives are facing unprecedented demands on their time. In this episode, Craig Iskowitz sits down with Eden Ovadia (CEO of FINNY AI) and Ritik Malhotra (CEO of Savvy Wealth) to explore the AI productivity tools that are helping them reclaim hours from their day. From email automation to smart scheduling, these busy CEOs reveal […] The ...

The post Ep. 287: Your Calendar Just Got Smarter: The Rise of AI Meeting Management for Advisors with Arnulf Hsu, GReminders appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. Arnulf Hsu, founder and CEO of GReminders, talks about how their AI-powered meeting management platform is transforming workflows for financial advisors with host Craig Iskowitz. GReminders has seen remarkable growth, expanding to serve over 2,000 advisors and 450 RIAs by focusing on the entire meeting lifecycle rather ...

The post Ep. 286: The Million-Dollar Domain: A Journey to Redefine Estate Planning with Rafael Loureiro, Wealth.com appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. Rafael Loureiro, CEO and co-founder of Wealth.com shares how a frustrating personal experience with estate planning led him to create a company that secured $30 million in Series A funding from Google Ventures. Their discussion reveals how outdated processes in AI-powered estate planning technology for financial advisors created...

The post Ep. 285: From Clunky to Confident: Why RIAs Are Rethinking Proposal Generation Tools in 2025 with James Rockwood, CapIntel appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. James Rockwood, founder and CEO of CapIntel, discusses how trust outranks performance in client retention for financial advisors. He describes how technology can enable a personalized approach to proposals which builds stronger client relationships. CapIntel is approaching 20,000 advisors globally with strong bus...

The post Ep. 284: Creating Better Outcomes: How Technology is Solving Complexities in Alternative Investments with Lawrence Calcano, iCapital appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. Alternative investments have traditionally been difficult to scale due to fragmented processes and limited infrastructure. In this episode, iCapital CEO Lawrence Calcano shares how their platform is tackling these challenges head-on—using automation technology to connect the entire alternative investmen...

The post Ep. 283: Don’t Hire the Wrong Consultant: A Buyer’s Guide for RIAs appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. In this special episode of the WealthTech Today podcast, host Craig Iskowitz sits down with Marcus Grimm, fractional CMO and B2B marketing veteran, to discuss the importance of structured decision-making when RIAs select wealth management consultants. The conversation explores why firms often make the wrong technology choices despite good intentions, and how proper bu...

The post Ep. 282: The Unexpected Alliance: How Robinhood’s $300M TradePMR Acquisition Will Reshape Custody with Robb Baldwin appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. Robinhood’s $300M acquisition of TradePMR marks a strategic pivot into the RIA space that few saw coming. In this exclusive interview, TradePMR founder and CEO Robb Baldwin sits down with Craig Iskowitz just one day after closing the deal to share the inside story of how this unexpected partnership came together. Baldwi...

The post Ep. 281: March WealthTech News appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. In this March News episode of WealthTech Today, we cover the latest industry developments shaking up the WealthTech landscape, including several significant acquisitions and strategic partnerships that signal major changes in the advisor technology ecosystem. Featured News Stories: Morningstar Office is Shutting Down CircleBlack to Acquire AssetBook Betterment acquires robo-advisor business from Elleves...

The post Ep. 280: APIs, Alts, and the End of the Swivel Chair: Modernizing RIA Custody with Bill Capuzzi, Apex Fintech appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. Bill Capuzzi, CEO of Apex FinTech Solutions, explains how his company is revolutionizing the investment technology landscape with real-time, cloud-native solutions that are democratizing access for retail investors. While traditional custodians remain mired in batch processing and fragmented workflows, Apex is building a comp...

The post Ep. 279: Delivering 7x Growth: The Advantage of Smart Marketing Tech with Robert Sofia, Snappy Kraken appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. Robert Sofia, founder and CEO of Snappy Kraken, breaks down how financial advisors can dramatically improve their marketing effectiveness in a digital-first world. While many wealth management firms struggle with outdated approaches or cobbled-together tech stacks, Sofia outlines a unified framework that’s helping Snappy Kraken’s cli...

The post Ep. 278: Tech-tonic Shifts: When Platforms Crumble and Opportunities Rise with Joel Bruckenstein, T3 Conferences appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. Morningstar’s exit from the wealth platform business signals a shift in the industry, leaving advisors scrambling for alternatives. In this episode, Craig Iskowitz sits down with Joel Bruckenstein, president of Technology Tools for Today, to discuss the implications of Morningstar Office’s shutdown and what advisors can ex...

The post Ep. 277: Snowflake It Till You Make It: The Benefits of a Cloud Agnostic Vision with Adam Palmer, Orion appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. Data management in wealth management is undergoing a fundamental shift, with firms spending up to 40% of their data budget on management alone. Discover how Snowflake is transforming financial services data management through cloud-agnostic solutions and AI implementation. Join VP Adam Palmer for insights on the future of financial...

The post Ep. 275: Build, Buy, or Boomerang: The Great RIA Platform Race with Lori Hardwick appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. In this episode, industry veteran Lori Hardwick discusses a transformative trend shaping wealth management in 2025: traditional broker-dealers launching independent RIA channels. She provides unique insights into how this shift is affecting both established players and emerging companies in the space. Key Takeaways Broker-dealers are launching independe...

The post Ep. 276: Scaling Private Markets: Industrializing Alternative Investments Technology with Jeff Yabuki, InvestCloud appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. InvestCloud CEO Jeff Yabuki discusses the company’s ambitious plans to revolutionize alternative investments through their new Private Markets Account (PMA) network. After taking the helm during a period of transition, Yabuki shares his vision for industrializing innovation and scaling implementation processes at one of ...

The post Ep. 274: January News Roundup appeared first on and was written by Elana Iskowitz. Come on in. Sit back and relax. You’re listening to episode 274 of the Wealth Tech Today podcast. I’m your host Craig Iskowitz, founder of Ezra Group Consulting. This podcast features interviews, news, and analysis on the trends and best practices all around wealth management technology. This is our January news roundup, chock full of […] The post Ep. 274: January News Roundup appeared first on and was ...

The post Ep 273: From Chaos to Zen: Streamlining Wealth Management Data with Bob Santella, BetaNXT appeared first on and was written by Craig Iskowitz. In this episode of WealthTech Today, host Craig Iskowitz sits down with Bob Santella, CEO of BetaNXT, to discuss the company’s innovative approach to data modernization and their vision for the future of connected wealth. Episode Highlights Bob Santella brings over three decades of experience in financial and capital markets to his role as the [...