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Charting Growth with Insights From Wealth Enhancement Group's Jeff Dekko
“The merry-go-round of M&A, in every industry, it stops. Eventually it stops. And then you really find out which firms are real firms. My passion is to develop a great company. And I believe that starts by building a company that can sustain its growth over time.”
Wealthspire’s Mike LaMena on Building a Firm Clients 'Will Never Outgrow
“When I think about a client's decision to engage an advisor, we say we want to become the trusted first call for you. I mean, that's a big ask, and the only way you get there is if that client feels like you're the right advisor for them. Individually. You know them. It's not enough to just say, I'm a fiduciary. Fee only, comprehensive financial planning advisor, blah, blah, blah. You need to make that client feel like you're the right person for them individually, uniquely because you know them.”
What Custodial Competition Means for the Industry with Thomas Moore of Betterment for Advisors
Hear from Thomas Moore about how Betterment is empowering smaller RIAs to scale with ease, the impact of custodial competition and what the future holds for robo-advisors, AI, and advisor growth strategies.
“We've really transitioned Betterment from a robo into what we call a digital wealth management platform. That's now not only servicing retail investors, but also advisors and small businesses through our record-keeping platform. And I think that's a reflection of the shift in investor demands and the importance of an intuitive, mobile-first client experience.”
Why Estate Planning is The Next Frontier of Wealth Management with Gene Farrell
Gene Farrell, CEO of Vanilla, explores why estate planning is emerging as a game-changer for advisors. From navigating the great wealth transfer to leveraging AI-powered tools, learn how addressing legacy planning and asset protection can set your practice apart.
“Estate planning has historically been an artisanal practice—lawyers, Word documents and Excel spreadsheets. We saw the opportunity to create an end-to-end platform to support estate advisory, helping advisors move from basic planning conversations to execution and ongoing maintenance. Technology isn’t just a tool; it's a bridge to deeper client relationships and a differentiated value proposition.”
Top Tactics for High-Growth Firms with Sara Baker
Sara Baker, president of Triad Wealth Partners, discusses how innovative service models and tailored client experiences are helping high-growth firms stand out in a crowded market. Discover the key tactics that drive sustainable growth and the critical role technology plays in scaling success.
“Technology is one of the legs on the bar stool. If you aren’t investing in technology and turning it into a seamless client experience, there’s nothing to sit on. You may be good now, but there’s no way your growth will stay on the trajectory you want without being thoughtful about your tech stack.”
Using Life Planning to Turn Inward With George Kinder
“When you go into nature, don't go into it to just do a task. Don't go into it to just walk the beach and ruminate. Just think all the time. Go into it as if it were, as if it were your mother, as if it were a great being that you were communicating with, that you wanted to listen to, like you want to listen to your clients. Listen to every sensation that occurs and be aware. That's an incredible experience. And if you do that every day, even if you do it for 10 minutes every day, there's a lot happening, that's really pretty cool.”
The Year of Health with Tina Powell
“I felt a responsibility to change the narrative around lung cancer. I was shocked, Diana, that this happened to me and immediately I went on Instagram and all of a sudden I discovered so many people around—not only in the United States, around the world that have this type of diagnosis, and there are people that you see every day. There are people who look fine, there are people who are smiling, everyday people and lung cancer has gotten such a bad rap. It's such a shameful type of cancer for people. … I wanted to change the perception of that, and I wanted to just wake everybody up the way that I needed to wake up, call and say hello. If this happened to me, this could happen to you.”
From Near-Death to New Purpose With Martine Lellis
“You can choose to walk through life and view things as obstacles, or you can choose to view things as opportunities. And when you have that lens and you see something that's maybe in your way as an opportunity, of learning from it, of conquering it, of asking people to help you work through it, then I think that's just such a more powerful way to walk through life than of seeing something as an obstacle. And I could have chosen to see my near-death experience as something that was an obstacle or something that harmed me. But I really chose to look at it as an opportunity to go live this second chance on life that I had, as an opportunity to live a life in gratitude and abundance.”
Private Market Insights with Blackstone’s Joan Solotar
“These were just not even available to most individuals. And today they are. The assessment is that you probably don't need to access all of your investment dollars … every single day. And so why not get the benefits of diversification and higher returns and lower volatility in the same way that institutions have been able to?”
Wealth Enhancement Group’s Approach to Private Investments
“The early products that were made available weren't always in the best alignment with what they were doing at their higher end. Fast forward. A lot of these asset managers view the the wealth management channel as a big area of growth. It's an untapped potential, whereas a lot of the institutional money, asset managers know where that is.”
—Doug Huber, vice president of investment strategy at Wealth Enhancement Group
The National Football League and Lessons on Family Dynamics and Governance
“The NFL is more than just a very successful family business, but a collective of family businesses. I find it more akin to a family that has multiple branches along generations… And those branches are aging—the average age of an NFL owner is 72.”
—Alvina Lo, chief wealth strategist at Wilmington Trust
Jim Thorpe, Native Americans, and the Land Back Movement
“Just as with any other charitable giving, there may be a number of groups working in that space that it would behoove you to form a relationship with, and that’s before factoring in that two or three tribes may have legitimate claim to the land in question. You want to get to know them so you feel confident that the gift is going to the right place.”
—Alma Soongi Beck, counsel at Lathrop GPM, and Professor Jo Carillo, University of California Hastings College of Law.
The Gilded Age and Psychological Implications of Inherited Wealth
“Why do people want to accumulate billions upon billions of dollars? It seems so excessive. Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos could never possibly spend the money they’ve accumulated, it’s just too much. So why do it?”
—Eric Schoenberg, professor of psychology at Columbia University and managing director of Holly Glen Partners, an investment partnership.
Shannon Eusey on Why Scale is Critical
Is bigger really better? In this episode, Beacon Pointe CEO Shannon Eusey shares why scale is key to success in the future.
Stacy Francis on Growing 100% Organically
Organic growth is the new black in wealth management! Hear how RIA owner Stacy Francis has doubled down on a niche practice model, resulting in significant organic growth.
Andrew Altfest on AI
Why evolving your value proposition and embracing technology is key to serving future clients more effectively.
