Articles by Douglas Heikkinen
- Opinion
11 Most Read Articles of the Week
- Opinion
11 Most Read Articles of the Week
The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the middle and back office is rapidly evolving from experimental innovation to embedded infrastructure.
- Future of Advice
The New Wealth Management Advantage Is Integration
The best advisors are not simply managing assets anymore. They are helping coordinate the many moving parts that surround wealth, family, and identity.
- Opinion
11 Most Read Articles of the Week
Despite the market uncertainty and geopolitical noise of 2026, earnings expectations have remained strong.
- Research
What Advisors Should Really Understand About the AI Super Cycle
Feagans is not approaching AI as a single-stock story nor treating it like a magic label that can be slapped onto any company with a press release
- Opinion
11 Most Read Articles of the Week
There millions of women in the U.S. that are likely balancing family and work while entering the most financially crucial period of their lives.
- Future of Advice
Independence Is No Longer the Finish Line: What Advisors Build Next
The real opportunity is in helping advisors build stronger businesses, not just freer ones.
- Opinion
11 Most Read Articles of the Week
Forgive the casual term, but advisors and clients alike are to be forgiven if they characterize 2026 market action as downright weird.
- Opinion
11 Most Read Articles of the Week
Acquiring a financial advisory practice isn’t just a deal—it’s a defining move that can launch your growth or ...
- Future of Advice
Why the Next Advantage in Advice May Be Simpler Than You Think
The biggest lesson from the conversation is that future-proofing an advice business is not about chasing every new tool.
- Future of Advice
Slant’s Client Tree Points to the Future of Advisor CRM
Slant’s Client Tree is an early look at that future. It does not pretend the advisor can be replaced. It suggests something better.
- Opinion
11 Most Read Articles of the Week
Heightened bouts of volatility feels urgent in real time. Clients don’t experience markets as smooth, long-term compounding machines
- Practice Growth
What Advisors Can Learn From Bonnie Treichel’s Retirement Sketchbook Approach
One of the most memorable parts of the conversation came when Treichel discussed people who do not want to retire in the traditional sense.
- Practice Growth
How Smartria Is Turning AI Into a Practical Compliance Tool for RIAs
Better compliance systems can support stronger execution, more consistent communication, and less operational drag across the business.
- Opinion
11 Most Read Articles of the Week
Given the numbers, it is prudent to prepare for a retirement that could last 30 years or more.
- Future of Advice
Why Pebble Finance Could Change How Advisors Explain Portfolios
Pebble Finance is building that bridge by turning market complexity into plain-English insight and portfolio experiences that feel more human.
- Future of Advice
Envestnet’s Sean Meighan on the Future of RIA Growth, Tech, and Personalization
For financial advisors, the key takeaway from Meighan’s interview is that the future of the business will reward clarity.
- Opinion
11 Most Read Articles of the Week
There are 10 letters in the word “volatility,” but in investing circles, it’s often seen as a four-letter “dirty” word.
- Research
TCW’s Jeff Katz on AI, Discipline, and Where Fixed Income Still Creates Opportunity
TCW has long been known for its research-driven fixed income expertise, and Katz made it clear that the firm is not abandoning that identity
- Practice Growth
Why Tax Is Becoming the New Foundation of Wealth Management
At a time when clients expect more integration and more relevance from their advisors, that is a compelling proposition.
- Future of Advice
Democratizing Advice: Cetera’s Plan to Reach the Next Million American Investors
This is still a people business—but the firms that win will be those that put powerful technology behind the human relationship.
- Opinion
11 Most Read Articles of the Week
Geopolitical risk has moved from a background concern to a central portfolio variable.
- ETF
The New Income Engine: Calamos’ Autocallable ETFs and Structured Protection for a Choppy Market Era
Rather than treating volatility as something to fear, CAIE is designed to harvest it as a systematic source of income.
- Future of Advice
How Zocks Uses AI to Make Advisors More Human
Connecting AI-driven structured data directly into custodial workflows could remove one of the last major bottlenecks in the client experience.
- ETF
From All Weather to Gold: Inside State Street’s Playbook for Today’s Uncertain Markets
Mazza urges advisors to be tactical and intentional about what’s actually in client portfolios.
- Opinion
11 Most Read Articles of the Week
The S&P 500 extended its losing streak to three consecutive weeks, the first such run in roughly a year.
- Future of Advice
From Data to Judgment: How Envestnet’s AI Is Redefining Advisor Alpha
AI in wealth management is maturing fast, but most of the conversation is still stuck on surface-level applications like meeting notetakers.
- Research
American Beacon’s Answer to the Scale Problem in Modern Advice
In a world obsessed with ETFs, Stumm is quick to point out that structure still matters — and sometimes the old‑school option is the right one.
- Opinion
11 Most Read Articles of the Week
There’s an angle in the Women and Wealth discussion that keeps getting overlooked, and it is one I believe holds real opportunity.
- Opinion
11 Most Read Articles of the Week
In a world where markets move faster, headlines hit harder, and investor sentiment whipsaws between fear and euphoria
- Opinion
11 Most Read Articles of the Week
Many advisors are always attempting to generate more business from the ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) segment
- Market Intelligence
High Issuance, High Opportunity: How Advisors Can Navigate The 2026 Municipal Bond Landscape
Howard sees supply as the defining storyline for both 2025 and 2026. Issuance has been elevated for two consecutive years
- Opinion
From Chaos to Clarity: How Rise Growth Partners Is Redefining Disciplined RIA M&A
That balance—between growth, culture, and client experience—is the foundation of Rise’s approach to disciplined M&A.
- Practice Growth
Financial Advisors Helping Clients Give More Impactfully: Inside DAFgiving360’s Mission and Momentum
Her mission—to make charitable giving simple, tax-smart, and more impactful than ever—resonates with advisors and investors alike.
- Practice Growth
Stop Waiting for the Rollover: Turning Held-Away 401(k)s into Your Next Growth Engine
How Absolute Capital helps RIAs finally bring these held-away 401(k), 403(b), and 457 assets into the core of the planning relationship.
- Research
The Next Frontier in Personalization: How Allspring’s Custom SMA Platform Is Redefining the Advisor’s Toolkit
By combining active and passive exposures inside a single customizable SMA, advisors can better align client goals with investment structure
