EP 142: DEMYSTIFYING AI AND THE FUTURE OF ADVICE WITH HELENA WARDLE FOUNDER MONEY MEANS

In this episode of Dave and Dharm Demystify, the 2 D's sit down with Helena Wardle, a Chartered Financial Planner and founder of the fintech Money Means, to explore how technology is transforming financial advice. Helena explains her motivation for building AIDA, an AI-powered digital advisor designed to make quality financial guidance accessible to people who traditionally couldn’t afford it. She discusses the challenges of creating technology that isn’t just functional but genuinely supportive, conversational, and capable of replicating the empathy and understanding that clients expect from a human advisor. The discussion covers some of the hottest topics in financial services today: Why expert-trained AI models can handle not just processes and compliance, but also the relational side of advice. How regulation, liability, and accreditation will need to evolve as AI steps into roles once reserved for humans. The emotional side of money and why understanding client behaviour is as important as the numbers. The potential for AI to support collaboration across professions, from solicitors to accountants, creating a joined-up “team of digital advisors” around the customer. Helena also shares her belief that service industries, just like retail before them, are on the cusp of massive disruption, and why the firms that embrace AI will be best placed to thrive. With AIDA launching soon, this conversation offers a first look at how AI could democratise access to financial planning and reshape the advisor–client relationship forever. Chapters: 00:00 Meet Helena Wardle: Chartered Financial Planner 01:32 The Birth of Money Means: A FinTech Solution 02:36 Creating AIDA: The AI Digital Advisor 04:01 AI in Financial Advice: Challenges and Opportunities 06:40 Expert Trained Models: The Future of AI 08:23 The Disruption of Service Industries by AI 13:57 Training AI for Financial Exams 16:29 Regulation and Liability in AI Financial Advice 19:45 The Ethical Considerations of AI 21:13 Emotional Banking: Understanding Money's Emotional Impact 22:25 Incorporating Emotional Intelligence in Financial Planning 25:25 Personalising Financial Advice with AI 30:20 The Future of Financial Advice: AI vs Human Advisors 34:27 The Role of AI in Comprehensive Financial Planning 37:08 Launching AIDA: The AI Digital Advisor 39:02 Conclusion and Final Thoughts