1. Is AI Search Sending Clients to Your Competitors? Here’s How To Change That
Millions of people are using AI tools for daily searches. In fact, ChatGPT reports over 100 million weekly active users – about one out of every eight people on the planet. Advisors cannot ignore this shift. Samantha Russell highlighted at Future Proof that 15% of advisors already report leads from AI search. The question is no longer “if” but “how” it will impact client acquisition. — FMG
2. 5 Critical Drivers Shaping Wealth Management in 2025
It’s a new dawn. It’s a new day. It’s a new… whatever you want to call it for the wealth management industry. This new era is characterized by demographic shifts, digital transformation, and evolving investor expectations; advisory firms are facing mounting pressure to modernize, differentiate, and scale effectively. — Ryan George
3. Stop Buying Leads, Start Building Your Brand: Why Lead Vendors Are Killing Your Advisory Firm
Alex argues that advisors spending $1M+ annually on marketing are throwing money away by enriching lead vendors instead of investing in their own brand equity. He breaks down how firms can cut acquisition costs by 60-80% through Facebook and Instagram advertising, explains why every dollar spent on lead vendors in 2020 provides zero value today (while brand investments compound), and reveals the complex variables behind successful Facebook campaigns—from bidding strategies to video formats to platform-specific messaging that most advisors get wrong. — Alex Khassa
4. Are We in an AI Bubble? What History’s Biggest Booms Can Teach Us Now
Markets closed the third quarter grappling with two competing forces: Jerome Powell’s warning that equities are “fairly highly valued,” and the uncertainty of a government shutdown that began over the weekend. The shutdown halts most economic data releases from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, including this week’s jobs report, leaving investors without the usual anchors. Historically, markets have looked through shutdowns as political theater, and so far, that has been the case this time. As shown in the table below, the markets are higher about 85% of the time. — Lance Roberts
5. The Great Market Illusion: Why Stocks Keep Rising—and Why That Might Be a Problem
In December 1996, Alan Greenspan used the words "irrational exuberance" to describe the stock market at the time, and those words not only became the title of Robert Shiller's cautionary book on market bubbles, but also the beginnings of the belief that central bankers had the wisdom to be market timers and the power to bend the economy to their views. I think that Greenspan's words seem prophetic, only with the benefit of hindsight, and I believe that central bankers have neither the power nor the tools to move the economy in significant ways. I was reminded of that episode when I read that Jerome Powell, the current Fed chair, had described the market as "fairly highly valued". In market strategy speak, these are words that are at war with each other, since markets can either be “fairly valued” or “highly valued”, but not both, but I don't blame Powell for being evasive. For much of this year, and especially since April, the question that market observers and investors have faced is whether stocks, especially in the United States, are pushing into “bubble” territory and headed for a correction. As someone who buys into the notion that market timing is the impossible dream, you may find it surprising that I think that Powell is right in his assessment that stocks are richly priced, but that said, I will try to explain why making the leap into concluding that stocks are in a bubble, and acting on that conclusion are much more difficult to do. — Aswath Damodaran
6. How Do You Answer “What Size Accounts Do You Handle?
When was the last time someone asked “What’s your minimum?” If you are a financial planner selling professional advice on an hourly basis, this isn’t an issue. If your business model assumes the client will also invest through you, they want to know what you are expecting in assets to be transferred in or funds to be deposited. How do you answer? — Bryce Sanders
7. Markets Wobble as AI Soars and Fears Return
Stocks reached fresh all-time highs on AI optimism before retreating to their flatlines as concerns of a prolonged government shutdown hampered sentiment. OpenAI completed a $6.6 billion offering with the company valued at $500 billion, earning it the top spot amongst the most valuable startups. The deal is strengthening faith that we remain in the early innings of the revolution. But Capitol Hill worries resurfaced after President Trump pulled back $18 billion in infrastructure dollars for the Big Apple’s Hudson Tunnel Project and the Second Avenue Subway Line. Meanwhile, the commander in chief appears committed to permanently laying off thousands of federal workers in a downsizing effort. — Jose Torres
8. Markets Rally in the Dark: Why Investors Shrugged off the Government Shutdown
The U.S. government officially shut down last week after lawmakers failed to reach a funding agreement. About 750,000 federal workers are furloughed, nonessential services are paused, and most importantly for markets, critical economic data like jobs and inflation reports are frozen until funding resumes. Think of it as driving at night with the headlights off…the road is still there, but you have to lean forward and focus to try to get a hazy sense of what is around you. — Stephen Kates
9. 5 Proven Ways Financial Advisors Win New Clients—Without Asking for Referrals
Yes it’s true that most advisors gain their new business from referrals. But what if referrals slowed down… or stopped? Or, what if you wanted to control more of the new business that comes your way? — Maribeth Kuzmeski
10. Maximizing Charitable Impact Through Donor-Advised Funds with Fred Kaynor
Fred highlights the trends shaping philanthropy today, from year-round giving and surging disaster relief support to the rise of socially responsible investment strategies inside DAF accounts. He also underscores the growing role of financial advisors, with nearly 80% of DAFgiving360 accounts now advisor-led, as clients look for guidance on how charitable planning fits into their broader wealth strategy. — Power Your Advice
11. Segmentation Is the New Personalization: The Next Big Advantage for Modern Advisors
Many advisors think they’re already doing this because they set minimums on the amount of client assets they’ll take on $250,000, $500,000, $1 million and so on. That makes sense when considering the fee-based model many RIA practices run on and there’s certainly something to be said for catering to high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients. After all, a substantial stable of those type of clients can propel top line growth while making for a more efficient, potentially more profitable practice. — Todd Shriber
