1. Beyond the Numbers: What Clients Really Want From Their Financial Advisor
When I first started as a financial advisor, I thought I’d be doing one main thing: helping people manage their money. I pictured myself sitting with clients, discussing savings, investments, and retirement. I knew we'd always be dealing with “dollar sign” decisions on behalf of clients. But as I evolved in this career, I realized I was more than just a “money person.” Clients turned to me for guidance in many areas of their lives, not just their finances. — Jeff Thorsteinson
2. Tone Over Technique: What Really Builds Connection
When it comes to building genuine connection, it’s not about mastering the perfect technique. It’s about the tone you bring into the conversation. Here’s the thing. You can have all the right questions, the perfect script, and a polished delivery. — Ari Galper
3. What the Dot-Com Era Got Wrong—and What AI Is Getting Right
While some caution is warranted, we think the better question is not whether today's deals resemble the dot-com era, but whether the underlying fundamentals do. In recent weeks, investors have seen a pickup in large partnership announcements across AI model developers, hyperscalers and chip companies. These deals are expected to deploy capital over a number of years, with contingencies tied to the continued execution and leadership of the firms. Yet they also signal urgency—a race to meet exploding demand for compute. AI leaders are coordinating across the value chain in an attempt to ensure that supply keeps up with the speed of innovation. — Stephanie Aliaga
4. What Really Makes Clients Say “Yes” to You
Clients don’t choose advisors based on charts, returns, or complex planning software. They choose advisors who make them feel understood. Behavioral science tells us that people make emotional decisions first – then justify them logically. So if your marketing focuses only on facts and features, you’re missing what actually drives trust. — Maribeth Kuzmeski
5. Your Funnel Isn’t Broken — Your Focus Is: Rethinking Growth in Financial Marketing
Let’s be honest: marketing in financial services often feels like trying to win a game of darts blindfolded, in a wind tunnel, while someone reads compliance disclosures in your ear. You throw campaigns out there; some land, most don’t, and then you call it “brand awareness.” But what if we stopped treating growth like a game of chance and started treating it like a game of chess? Strategic, iterative, and yes, occasionally frustrating but ultimately winnable. — Yelena Melamed
6. The Real Barrier to Financial Wellness Isn’t Money — It’s Connection
I’ve spent a large portion of my career in financial services. I understand how this world works — the products, the planning, the acronyms. Full disclosure: my husband and I don’t use a financial advisor. We’ve never needed to. He has a pension and a successful business exit. I’ve always contributed to a 401(k) for the match, invested wisely, and learned enough from two decades in corporate to manage things well. — Molly McClure
7. AI Isn’t Killing Financial Advisors—It’s Exposing the Ones Who Add No Real Value
Let’s be honest: AI is already doing what many financial advisors claim to do—only faster, cheaper, and without the awkward small talk. Input your financial data. Get personalized investment recommendations. No high fees. No waiting. No pressure to “build rapport” over a lukewarm coffee. Just clarity, instantly From Wealthfront to Zeno, investors today have access to AI platforms that deliver personalized financial planning, goal-based investing, and instant recommendations—without the friction. Tools like Magnifi and Facet are making it easier than ever to get tailored advice, compare strategies, and simulate outcomes in real time. — Lisa Hinz
8. Before We Become Ghosts: The Life Lessons Hidden in Halloween and Día de Los Muertos
Many of us love Halloween. Half of adults who celebrate Halloween dress up. Half of those in costume plan to host or attend a party, while 54% will decorate their homes and yards. One-third plan to dress up their pets. And 45% of adults who buy costumes do it in September, showing they really put some planning into it. (No wonder so many Spirit Halloween stores sprout up every year.) — Tom West
9. What’s Going on in “Debasement?”
Here is how I think about the debasement trade…several nations – including the US – are heavily indebted and generating only modest economic growth while burdened by aging populations and social programs that are unsustainable but untouchable politically. So, instead of cutting spending or raising taxes to deal with their deficits and debt, these countries will continue to live beyond their means and issue more bills, notes and bonds, and print more Pounds, Yen and Dollars, which will drive down the value of – or debase – their currencies and drive-up inflation, which will leave their citizens poorer on an inflation adjusted basis but lower their countries respective debt-to-GDP ratios and make their debt burdens more manageable. — Tim Holland
10. Fixed Income Clarity in an Uncertain Fed Cycle with Kevin Flanagan
Kevin Flanagan, Head of Fixed Income Strategy at WisdomTree, joins us to discuss how advisors can navigate uncertainty as the Fed manages policy in a “flying blind” environment. He explains why Treasury Floating Rate Notes remain a cornerstone even in a rate-cut cycle, how defining the true neutral rate will shape future decisions, and why concerns around Fed leadership changes may be overblown. — Power Your Advice
11. The $2.4 Trillion Blind Spot: Why Investors Still Miss the Opportunity in Women’s Health
The numbers don't lie, but they do reveal an uncomfortable truth about who gets backed, and why. I've learned the hard way not to overlook the need to understanding mums and babies. After all, happy and content mums and babies make for a better world! Let's explore how prioritising their well-being benefits us all. Enjoy a light-hearted moment with this joke: Why don't babies tell jokes? They're always too busy laughing at us! — Āndrew Boyton
