WealthTech on Deck

LifeYield

WealthTech on Deck is a show featuring meaningful conversations with financial services leaders. Our host, Jack Sharry, engages financial services executives that are solving specific challenges around fintech ecosystems and household wealth technology.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Key Findings from the 2025 MMI Investment Advisory Pulse Survey with Tim Kresl and Ashley Wood

    This week, Jack Sharry talks with Tim Kresl, Managing Principal & Head of US Client Success, and Ashley Wood, Managing Principal in Data & Analytics at Broadridge. Tim specializes in market strategy and quantitative analysis, while Ashley brings a strong background in client engagement and innovative financial solutions.  Tim and Ashley team up to help asset managers create more data-driven distribution strategies.  Tim and Ashley talk with Jack about the key findings of the 2025 MMI Investment Advisory Pulse Survey. They discuss the alignment and gaps between asset managers and wealth managers and the rising demand for tax-optimized portfolios. Tim and Ashley also share insights on how technology is redefining the advisor value proposition and how AI is shifting from experimental curiosity to a core business priority. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:38) - Tim’s and Ashley's roles at Broadridge (05:25) - Tim on the gaps and alignments between asset and wealth managers (08:19) - Ashley's takeaway from the 2025 MMI Investment Advisory Pulse Survey (11:12) - The shifting value proposition of financial advisors (15:00) - Why tax optimization is a priority for wealth managers (20:11) - The role of technology in managing multiple accounts efficiently (21:54) - What it takes to manage multi-account, unified managed households (25:05) - Ashley's key takeaways (28:59) - Tim's key takeaways (31:19) - Ashley's interests outside of work (32:17) - Tim's interest outside of work Quotes "From a product perspective, we're actually seeing some alignment in the core needs that asset and wealth managers are expressing. And those really revolve around a couple of key themes: lower-cost solutions and tax-optimized solutions." ~ Ashley Wood "Financial advisors are shifting from what was once a very investment management-heavy value proposition to being much more holistic financial planning. And holistic financial planning encompasses far more than just portfolio management and investment selection." ~ Tim Kresl "The primary way that we've seen firms really managing portfolios from a tax-optimized perspective is obviously asset location and more dynamic tax optimization strategies like tax loss harvesting." ~ Tim Kresl "Wealth managers are increasingly looking to do more with fewer asset manager partners. So, it's about leveraging technology to manage decreasing margins while providing increased customization and scale." ~ Ashley Wood Links  Tim Kresl on LinkedIn Ashley Wood on LinkedIn Money Management Institute Broadridge Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

    35 min
  2. 3 FEB

    Why the Future of Financial Advice Is Human-Led and AI-Enabled with Michael Liersch

    This week, Jack Sharry talks with Michael Liersch, Chief Planning Officer at Edelman Financial Engines. Michael acts as the production arm at Edelman. He leads the firm's strategic agenda around the convergence of financial planning, advice, technology, operations, investment solutions, and user experience. With a distinguished career spanning academia and financial services, Michael is also known for integrating behavioral insights into financial strategy. Michael talks with Jack about how artificial intelligence and automation are reshaping financial advice, not as a replacement for humans, but as a force multiplier for listening, building trust, and improving outcomes. He also discusses the phases of AI integration, the risks of "over-AI-ing" the client experience, and his vision for a future in which advice itself, rather than products, is the industry's core value proposition. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (02:18) - Michael's role at Edelman Financial Engine (04:04) - Michael's psychological perspective on AI (08:51) - Edelman's practical application of AI (15:55) - How Edelman uses AI at scale (21:49) - Protecting clients from “over-AI-ing” (25:30) - Michael's outlook on the future of AI in financial services (29:54) - Michael's goal for the financial industry (34:37) - Michael's interests outside of work Quotes "We are in a truly new and unique era, recognizing that machines, you can call that AI, and humans can complement each other." ~ Michael Liersch "What's interesting about the machine is that it doesn't really have any of its own feelings. But it really does a great job of giving itself entirely to the human and achieving a level of precision that humans find challenging." ~ Michael Liersch "I really want to move the financial industry toward having advice be the actual product." ~ Michael Liersch Links  Michael Liersch on LinkedIn Edelman Financial Engines Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

    40 min
  3. 20 JAN

    Five Trends Reshaping the Future of Wealth Management with Chip Roame

    This week, Jack Sharry talks with Chip Roame, Founder & Managing Partner of Tiburon Strategic Advisors & Tiburon CEO Summits. Chip is a leading strategic advisor to 700+ Tiburon corporate member firms and other clients, primarily advising CEOs, senior executives, and boards of directors of wealth and investment management firms. He is responsible for all of Tiburon's research and advisory activities, keeping him at the leading edge of strategic initiatives in the industry's fastest-growing businesses. Jack and Chip break down the real forces shaping wealth management today. Chip shares insights from the latest Tiburon CEO Summit in Boston, covering shifting client segments, asset flows across channels, the dominance of ETFs and private credit, and why scale continues to win. They discuss lead generation as a defining competitive advantage, the accelerating pace of consolidation, and how AI may drive efficiency and personalization without replacing advisors. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:26) - Five major themes from the Tiburon CEO Summit (02:38) – How investors are changing—and why the generational wealth transfer is overstated (05:39) – Where the money is really flowing across wealth management channels (08:37) – Cheap beta vs. private markets: the widening product divide (11:05) – Why scale keeps winning and the biggest firms keep getting bigger (13:07) – Business strategy today: lead generation, advisors, and growth models (15:03) – What real organic growth looks like—and why it matters (19:47) – Industry structure: consolidation, M&A, and what’s coming next (22:10) – AI in wealth management: efficiency, personalization, and realistic timelines (24:39) - Chip's key takeaways (26:43) - Chip's interests outside of work Quotes "Private equity firms or the stock market value organic growth much higher than inorganic growth. And certainly, your cost to acquire a client will always be lowest in digital marketing, in social media, where you self-create the lead." ~ Chip Roame "Don't get caught up in all the news that gets reported every day. Focus on which firms are actually gathering the most money because they're the ones that are doing something right." ~ Chip Roame "Lead gen is a big deal right now, and I think those who figure it out are going to win. So if I were a wealth firm, I would be figuring out lead gen for my advisors at the home level." ~ Chip Roame Links  Chip Roame on LinkedIn Tiburon Strategic Advisors Tiburon CEO Summits Morgan Stanley Merrill Lynch Wells Fargo UBS Edward Jones Ameriprise Financial J.P. Morgan Charles Schwab Fidelity Investments BlackRock Forge Global Vanguard iShares Franklin Templeton Investments Jenny Johnson Envestnet Orion Advisor Solutions Addepar Tiburon Impact Adventures Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

    31 min
  4. 13 JAN

    Why Tax-Smart Infrastructure Is the Future of Wealth Management with Arthur Worthington

    This week, Jack Sharry talks with Arthur Worthington, Managing Director of Strategic Business Development & Integration at SEI. With more than a decade of experience working directly with financial advisors, Arthur brings a rare blend of investment, technology, operations, and distribution expertise. In his current role, he leads the integration of major acquisitions—including LifeYield and Stratos—focused on helping wealth management firms scale, improve after-tax outcomes, and move from account-level to household-level implementation. Jack and Arthur examine why organic growth remains elusive for most wealth management firms—even amid the largest wealth transfer in history. Arthur explains how household-level investing, asset location, and tax-aware withdrawals can unlock meaningful after-tax value for clients while driving retention, consolidation, and enterprise growth for firms. They explore the rising complexity of advice, the shrinking supply of advisors, and why scalable infrastructure—not just AI—will define the next generation of successful advisory businesses. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (02:03) - Arthur's role at SEI and building the platform of the future (03:22) - Why organic growth is so hard for most advisory firms (08:28) – The rising complexity of advice and what the future demands (10:33) – Turning tax management into a true competitive advantage (13:34) – How tax-smart investing can dramatically increase retirement income (15:48) – Using asset location to drive consolidation and organic growth (17:31) – Creating billions in enterprise value through smarter withdrawals (22:58) – Scaling advisory businesses without forcing a one-size-fits-all model (26:18) - Arthur's key takeaways (28:11) - Arthur's interests outside of work Quotes "Today, firms create and build technology infrastructure and then integrate those pieces one-to-one. The future is creating a unified data structure where organic agentic workflows that dynamically move data create real scale." ~ Arthur Worthington "Investing in the future is about creating outcomes at three different levels: how do we create a better experience for the investor with a better after-tax return, how do we create more scaled solutions, and how can we create more enterprise value." ~ Arthur Worthington "Financial planning is a huge part of the industry. Leaning into tax management as a differentiator is a durable way to differentiate their service in the market." ~ Arthur Worthington Links  Arthur Worthington on LinkedIn SEI Stratos Wealth Vanguard Amy Young Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

    31 min
  5. 09/12/2025

    Building the Bridge to a Better Retirement with David Goldman

    This week, Jack Sharry talks with David Goldman, Chief Business Officer at Pontera. At Pontera, David leads strategy, partnerships, and the company’s mission to help Americans retire with greater security by giving financial advisors secure access to their clients’ held-away retirement accounts. Jack and Dave discuss how Pantera is transforming the retirement landscape by empowering investors and their advisors to securely manage 401(k) assets. Dave discusses the firm’s public clash with Fidelity, the broader consumer-choice issues at stake, and why secure advisor access is essential for better outcomes. He also highlights Pantera’s new partnerships with major recordkeepers like John Hancock, the growing need for coordinated and tax-optimized household management, and how AI will enhance—not replace—human advice.  In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:28) - Security, consumer rights, and the Fidelity dispute (04:52) - How Pontera enables advisors to manage held-away 401(k)s (08:40) - David’s path from Google to fintech and financial literacy (11:19) - Scaling Pontera: integrations, partnerships, and evolving client needs (15:01) - The holy grail of unified, tax-optimized household management (18:49) - How AI serves as a force multiplier for advisors (21:29) - David's key takeaways (23:59) - David's interests outside of work Quotes "The holy grail of wealth management is  being able to collectively manage the entirety of a client's assets based on their risk profile, their preferences, and their needs on a personalized basis. You need one quarterback for that. You can't have siloed accounts with different managers and pull that off effectively." ~ David Goldman "The convergence is no longer coming. It's here. The plan advisors are more and more helping their clients with wealth. The wealth advisors are more and more helping clients with their 401(k) plans. And we just needed somebody to build a bridge to connect them all." ~ David Goldman "If you're a financial advisor and you're not offering holistic wealth solutions, including managing the 401(k), you're likely being left behind. You're disadvantaged as an advisor, and you're disadvantaging your clients." ~ David Goldman Links  David Goldman on LinkedIn Pontera Morgan Stanley Orion Advisor Solutions Addepar Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

    27 min
  6. 02/12/2025

    Empowering Advisors: Technology and Financial Psychology in Action with Morgan Bell

    This week, Jack Sharry talks with Morgan Bell, Managing Director of Advisory at Constellation Wealth Capital.  Morgan leads the firm's technology consulting efforts and focuses on helping advisors and firms optimize technology for efficiency and growth. As a CFP® with an MBA in financial psychology and behavioral finance, Morgan offers a distinctive perspective that merges technological expertise with a deep grasp of human behavior and the advisor-client relationship. Jack and Morgan discuss the intersection of technology, AI, and financial psychology in wealth management. Morgan shares how technology can be used to drive organic growth, how to cut through the noise of endless vendor options, and why financial psychology remains at the heart of wealth management. From tech roadmaps and data integration to AI strategies and client relationships, Morgan brings her perfect mix of advisor experience, tech expertise, and behavioral finance insights to the conversation. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:42) - What Constellation Wealth Capital does and who they serve (04:49) - How Morgan helps firms optimize technology (07:56) - Bridging the gap between "tech geeks" and "business geeks" (09:28) - How technology connects to organic growth strategies (12:04) - How AI plays a role in wealth management (14:03) - Morgan's career journey (15:34) - The role of financial psychology in client relationships and tech adoption (18:59) - Constellation's future and long-term goals (22:47) - Morgan's key takeaways (24:22) - Morgan's interests outside of work Quotes "The more clarity and understanding firms have around how they should be using a system and why they're using it, and the value it provides to them and the firm, the better adoption they have of the technology overall." ~ Morgan Bell  "The vast majority of the decisions that are being made related to technology tie back to either the client or the advisor experience. That's what fuels organic growth." ~ Morgan Bell  "Firms should strive to use AI to complement, not compete. AI is a skill, so results can certainly be improved based on human knowledge of AI." ~ Morgan Bell Links  Morgan Bell on LinkedIn Constellation Wealth Capital Pershing Creighton University Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

    26 min
  7. 18/11/2025

    Enabling Advisors to Serve Aging Clients and Multigenerational Families with Suzanne Schmitt

    This week, Jack Sharry talks with Suzanne Schmitt, Managing Director at Next Chapter. Suzanne brings a wealth of knowledge from her extensive career at firms such as Fidelity Investments, New York Life Insurance, Prudential Financial, and Lincoln Financial. At Next Chapter, Suzanne reframed and realigned needs to outcomes that benefited advisors and three generations of clients and their families. Today, she leads the NextGen engagement and growth strategies.  Suzanne talks with Jack about the implications of aging and its impact on consumers, advisors, and the industry as a whole. She shares key findings from Next Chapter's advisor study, which highlights the industry's need to better prepare advisors to navigate complex family dynamics, health events, caregiving challenges, and solo aging. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:49) - Suzanne's career background (04:04) - Next Chapter's advisor study  (05:44) - Key findings from Next Chapter's advisor study  (08:54) - How Next Chapter addresses the aging population issue (12:50) - Helping advisors connect with families during moments that matter (18:11) - Age and gender weighted revenue (21:57) - Highlights from the Next Chapter's white paper (24:28) - Suzanne's key takeaways (25:05) - Suzanne's interests outside of work Quotes "The industry is not adequately prepared to help advisors engage families on health and non-financial matters. The industry is also not adequately prepared to help advisors detect cognitive change in their clients." ~ Suzanne Schmitt "Knowing the percentage of the current revenue in your book held by women is incredibly important, and engaging them on issues of caregiving is an absolute home run." ~ Suzanne Schmitt "A lot of advisors don't start because they don't know where to start. Getting used to asking simply 'what has changed with your health since we last talked' is one of the best questions you can work into your repertoire." ~ Suzanne Schmitt Links  Suzanne Schmitt on LinkedIn NextChapter Steve Gresham Fidelity Investments New York Life Insurance Prudential Financial Lincoln Financial LPL Financial McKinsey Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

    28 min
  8. 11/11/2025

    From Wirehouse to Independence: Developing Complete Wealth Managers with John Amore

    This week, Jack Sharry talks with John Amore, President of Kestra Financial. John is committed to building out capabilities that empower advisors and support the financial independence of their clients. He focuses on creating a thriving community of complete wealth managers. Before becoming President, John led Kestra's Wealth Management division, where he drew on his global leadership experience to drive growth, innovation, and advisor success. John shares with Jack why he made the leap from wirehouse to the independent space, how Kestra is building out a holistic ecosystem for advisors, and what the firm is learning about one of the most critical issues facing the industry today—succession planning. John also discusses the recent industry study on succession planning and why it's a necessary and often deeply personal issue for financial advisors. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:25) - John's career journey (05:10) - Lessons learned as president of Kestra (06:27) - Kestra's ecosystem and wealth management capabilities (10:03) - Why succession planning is important at Kestra (13:46) - The personal side of business and relationships (16:29) - How John operationalizes succession planning (18:29) - Kestra's new ventures (19:38) - John's key takeaways (20:20) - John's interests outside of work Quotes "It's always been my goal to make sure that our advisors can be complete wealth managers, and that means meeting all the needs of their clients." ~ John Amore "It's one thing to have the expertise. It's another thing to have it built into the platform so that it's easier for our advisors to use." ~ John Amore "It's interesting to learn that only 6% of the advisors surveyed have a written succession plan, which is fascinating for an industry that gets paid to give financial planning advice." ~ John Amore "Anyone who has been successful in this business, chances are they started because they were good or appreciate the power of relationships." ~ John Amore Links  John Amore on LinkedIn Kestra Financial UBS Stephen Langlois Kestra Holdings James Poer Kestra Investment Management Kara Murphy CBS Brokerage Bluespring Wealth Partners LPL Financial Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

    23 min

Trailers

About

WealthTech on Deck is a show featuring meaningful conversations with financial services leaders. Our host, Jack Sharry, engages financial services executives that are solving specific challenges around fintech ecosystems and household wealth technology.

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