Time. It’s the one thing advisors need more of, and fortunately, Catchlight is on a mission to save advisors time and help them reach their top leads quicker.
In this episode, Shannon Rosic, Director of WealthStack Content and Solutions, speaks with Yelena Melamed, Head of Product and Co-Founder, Catchlight Insights LLC, about how financial advisors can scale and grow organically through the use of powerful data, unique insights, and pre-scripted actions all driven by proprietary AI models.
Shannon and Yelena discuss:
How AI is being used as a tool to support the human work of financial advice
Why data is key to driving efficiency in an advisor’s prospecting efforts
How advisors can understand their prospects at scale
Use cases around using data to drive personalized engagement
Financial advisors are struggling to meet client demands in a post-pandemic, virtual world. Research shows that investors want more virtual services, and a one-size-fits-all service model does not work anymore.
In this episode, Shannon Rosic, Director of WealthStack Content and Solutions, speaks with Rob Roquitte, Founder and CEO of eCIO, which is powered by eVestech, a virtual communication hub for financial professionals.
Shannon and Rob discuss:
Why technology proliferation is leading to a terrible client experience
How advisors can service clients profitably by using technology
What the great wealth transfer will mean for advisor and the implications
The importance of providing client-centered service
Rob has 30 years of investment experience serving in business development, client servicing, portfolio management, and department oversight roles. At eVestech, he leads our team of talented investment and technology professionals delivering state-of the art solutions to institutional investors and other financial services firms. Rob serves as an Investment Advisor to our clients, developing investment strategy, overseeing portfolios, and communicating with investors. He also chairs our investment committee.
Rob has held senior level positions with large money management organizations, where he has sought out entrepreneurial roles including establishing new products and markets, opening new office locations, and maintaining P&L responsibilities. Prior to launching eVestech, Rob established the Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) practice for Madison Investments focused on serving larger non-profit organizations. He was also a founder and lead portfolio manager of the small cap portfolio management team at Allegiant Asset Management, which was later acquired by PNC Bank. In Rob’s first entrepreneurial role, he established and built a regional pension consulting office in Chicago which was later acquired by Empower Retirement.
Rob is actively involved in his community serving on two institutional investment committees for nonprofit organizations (including chairing the endowment/finance committee). He received a BSBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Denver and his MBA in Finance and Economics from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. Rob also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
To help practices monitor, measure, protect and grow their business, FP Transitions provides a valuation driven by customized benchmarks against 50 to 60 key performance indicators. The end result is enabling wealth managers to achieve their goals for mergers and acquisitions, enterprise development, valuation, and growth.
In this episode, Shannon Rosic, director of WealthStack Content and Solutions, speaks with Scott Leak, Director of Business Development at FP Transitions, on how to distill all the data they provide and to make it actionable at the firm level.
Shannon and Scott discuss:
What kind of data should advisors be looking at especially when it comes to major decisions or transitions
The importance of advanced planning
Examples of advisors who have taken action with their data and the end results
How FP Transitions takes a different approach to benchmarking
Scott started at TD Ameritrade just before the turn of the century and spent the last decade helping them build their Advisor Services division. He was one of the first employees dedicated to launch that effort, and he helped them scale all the way up. In fact, Scott was so dedicated to serving advisors to the best of his ability that he earned his CFP® designation in 2010, helping him gain a deeper understanding the unique challenges advisors face.
While at TD Ameritrade, Scott wore a variety of hats. For example, he spent a decade serving as their Director of Sales and Relationship Management and led a nationwide team supporting emerging registered investment advisor (RIA) practices. Prior to his leadership roles, he was also named as his team’s salesperson of the year three times, which attributes to his consultive approach with his advisors.
What drives Scott is the opportunity to sit across the table from the partners of an advisory practice, helping them shape —and then achieve —the vision for their business. Scott says, “I want to do what I can to elevate the public understanding of, and trust in, the independent model.” He believes that helping advisors create enduring, transferable businesses plays a huge role in that effort.
Scott chose to join FP Transitions because he sees us as a pioneer in supporting independent advisors. As a Senior Consultant here, he can tap into his extensive expertise to help advisors grow and protect their business. He sees particular value in leveraging our Equity Management Solutions™ to help advisors compare their practice valuations to industry peers and to identify opportunities to maximize that valuation.
Scott is also a seasoned and talented golfer who has played in the Nebraska Mid-Amateur Golf Championship twice. If you need recommendations for a dinner pairing, ask Scott. He’s earned the Level 1 and Level 2 awards in wines from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET).
The SEC’s new marketing rule resulted in sweeping changes to how firms can market themselves and interact with investors. Fortunately, modernization of archaic regulations has seen digital platforms take the lead to meet compliance demands.
In this episode, Shannon Rosic, director of WealthStack content and solutions, speaks with Brian Thorp, Founder and CEO of Wealthtender, aka, the “Yelp” for financial advisors.
Shannon and Brian discuss:
What the latest SEC marketing rule means for advisors
How advisors can leverage online reviews to grow their practice
Why online reviews can have a significant impact on SEO
How Wealthtender’s Certified Advisor Reviews™ are designed to comply with the new SEC rule
Brian Thorp is the CEO and founder of Wealthtender. He and his wife live in Texas, enjoying the diversity of Houston and the vibrancy of Austin.
With over 25 years in the financial services industry, Brian is applying his experience and passion at Wealthtender to help more people enjoy life with less money stress.
Over the last year, the wealth management industry has faced extraordinary market conditions and macro-economic challenges, causing many firms to reconsider their operational strategies. New technology options and investment opportunities are all disrupting the status quo, so it’s critical to pay attention to the subtle yet dramatic changes happening in the independent wealth space that will shape the industry going forward.
In this episode, Shannon Rosic, director of WealthStack Content and Solutions, speaks with Tim Welsh, President of Nexus Strategy, on the five trends that will shape wealth management in 2023 and beyond.
Shannon and Tim discuss:
How technology acts as a deflationary force in an inflationary economy
The role of AI in financial planning and investment management processes
Why marketing automation and technology integration will be significant drivers of change
Why wealth managers are investing in private equity, and why private equity firms are investing in wealth managers
Timothy D. Welsh, CFP® is President, CEO and founder of Nexus Strategy, LLC, a leading consulting firm to the wealth management industry.
Prior to founding Nexus Strategy, Tim was Director of Business Consulting Services for Schwab Advisor Services where he led the development and marketing of practice management resources for independent advisors. While at Schwab, Tim also held senior roles in Strategy, Marketing, Advertising, PR and Industry Content development.
Prior to joining Schwab, Tim was vice president at Merrill Lynch where he was responsible for marketing, product development and financial advisor training for the financial planning group. Tim is frequently quoted in the wealth management media on a wide range of business management and industry topics. He is the author of a number of industry white papers, a guest columnist for RIABiz, Investment News and wealthmanagement.com, and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events. Tim earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA in Finance from the University of Colorado.
Tim holds the Certified Financial Planner, CFP® designation and is an active member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA), serving in a leadership role on a number of task forces, committees and as a past elected member of the National Board of Directors.
Financial advisors have a plethora of options when it comes to building their tech stack. But, how can they ultimately leverage new technology to deliver a meaningful client experience?
In this episode, Shannon Rosic, Director of WealthStack Content and Solutions, speaks with Jason Pereira, an award-winning financial planner, entrepreneur, and fintech expert, on how every part of the client experience and business management can be enhanced and made more efficient through digitization and automation.
Shannon and Jason discuss:
How advisors can demonstrate value to clients through technology
What it means to digitize your practice from end-to-end
How technology is following the market to meet the needs of clients
Why niche marketing could be the key to helping drive growth rates
JASON PEREIRA, R.F.P. is a Financial Planner, Entrepreneur, Writer, Broadcaster, Podcaster and Professor. He is Partner Senior Financial Consultant at Woodgate Financial Partners as well as a Part-time Professor at the Schulich School of Business.
Jason is the Founder of two technology start-ups and Host of the Fintech Impact podcast.
He holds 2 degrees and 7 designations, is a three-time winner of the Global Financial Planning Award and finalist/winner of 28 other industry awards.
Many firms are sitting on a plethora of data, but have struggled to unlock the true value of it all. Integration enables (often disparate) systems to communicate with each other, and data integration is key to delivering high-quality client and advisor experiences. By centralizing all of the data, firms can gain a holistic view and understanding of their clients and portfolios, which ultimately leads to happier clients.
In this episode, Shannon Rosic, Director of WealthStack Content and Solutions, speaks with Kyle Van Pelt, CEO of Milemarker, s how advisors can avoid technological mistakes and create a seamless experience.
Shannon and Kyle discuss:
What challenges surround technology integration and how Milemarker provides integration as a serviceWhere tech is adding value to an advisor’s practice
How advisors can avoid becoming “accidental CTOs”
Three things early-stage data companies must get right when building a scalable business
Kyle Van Pelt started working in professional sports, then into software, then he and his wife started and ran a coffee shop, then back to software and into finance. Kyle has tried a bunch of different things and built a diverse set of experiences.
What’s in a name? Acting as a “bridge” to better retirement, Pontera enables retirement savers to get help managing their 401(k) from their trusted advisor.
In this episode, Shannon Rosic, Director of WealthStack Content and Solutions, is joined by Nicole Zheng, CMO of Pontera, to talk about how their secure and seamless platform allows advisors to monitor and trade 401(k), 403(b), and other held away accounts to ensure they are meeting their clients’ needs.
Shannon and Nicole discuss:
Why it’s important for clients to have the option to have their 401(k) managed by a trusted advisor as part of their comprehensive financial plan
What demographics are receptive to 401(k) management
How advisors should approach the concept of holistic advice, especially surrounding retirement planning
Who Pontera integrates with and where will they expand in the future
Nicole Zheng has been a startup founder and marketing executive in smart home, heath tech, unified communications, internet infrastructure, and now fintech. She is passionate about cultivating inclusive company cultures, advancing women in tech, and designing effective go-to-market strategies.
The ultimate objective to create an end-to-end, holistic wealth management experience seems simple in theory, but it continues to be difficult for the wealth management industry to execute on. Fortunately, BetaNXT is hyper-focused on solving customers’ most demanding integration challenges with flexible, efficient, connected solutions that anticipate their changing needs.
In this episode, Shannon Rosic, director of WealthStack Content and Solutions, speaks with Stephen Daffron, CEO of BetaNXT, on creating a “frictionless” wealth management experience and what it means for advisors, financial services and wealthtech firms that serve them.
Shannon and Stephen discuss:
Why BetaNXT is championing the next wave in wealth management technology and outsourcing solutions
The importance of advisors utilizing real-time data
Why BetaNXT is focused on solving customers most demanding integration challenges
What the acquisition of Mediant Communication means for BetaNXT
Stephen is a Co-Founder and Industry Partner at Motive Partners since 2016, a specialist private equity firm focused on financial technology businesses and currently serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BetaNXT, a Motive Partners portfolio company and an industry-leading provider of wealth management technology and outsourcing solutions. Dr. Daffron also recently served as the President of Dun & Bradstreet, a position he held from 2019 to 2021, also a Motive Partners portfolio company. Dr. Daffron has served on the Board of Motive Capital Corp II since 2021. Prior to joining Motive Partners, Dr. Daffron served from 2013 to 2015 as the Chief Executive Officer of Interactive Data. Prior to Interactive Data, Dr. Daffron was the Global Head of Technology, Operations, and Data at Morgan Stanley from 2008 to 2013. Before returning to the sell-side, Dr. Daffron was Chief Operating Officer at Renaissance Technologies. Prior to this, Dr. Daffron worked for Goldman Sachs from 1993 to 2003, initiated the re-engineering of operations and technology functions across payments, derivative processing, credit risk/collateral control, and investment management. Dr. Daffron earned a B.S. from the United States Military Academy, and an MBA, MA, M.Ph. and Ph.D. from Yale.
Bento Engine said it best: Even the best advice, delivered at the wrong time, can fall flat. Financial advice delivered too early – or worse, too late – can have the opposite effect of its intention. In order to truly help their clients, and therefore improve engagement, loyalty and retention, advisors need to offer advice when it actually matters.
In this episode, Shannon Rosic, Director of WealthStack Content and Solutions, speaks with Philipp Hecker, co-founder and CEO of Bento Engine, on how they’re helping advisors connect with their clients on a deeper level by combining powerful SaaS technology with impactful content and timing expertise.
Shannon and Philipp discuss:
The power of holistic advice
How Bento Engine is encouraging all family members to participate in the financial planning process
How the timing of advice encourages action towards financial goals
How advisors can help fill the gaps in client financial literacy
Why updating technology is as essential as staying up to date on financial news
Global business strategist (J.P. Morgan, DB, BCG), passionate about advice beyond investing.
Previously Head of Wealth Planning & Advice, and Global Head of Strategy at J.P. Morgan Wealth Management Focused on tech-driven advisor-enablement for the benefit of clients, their families, and their communities
