WealthTech on Deck

LifeYield
  • 4.8 (17)
  • Investing
  • Updated Weekly

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. 12h ago

    Scaling an Independent RIA Without Losing Your Culture with Randy Morris and Seamus O’Brien

    This week, Jack Sharry talks with Summit Wealth Group Founder & CEO Randy Morris and Head of Advisor Success Seamus O’Brien. After leading the firm’s successful transition to independence, Randy and Seamus are now focused on building an advisor-first organization designed for long-term growth. Randy brings more than four decades of industry leadership, while Seamus draws on more than 25 years of experience helping advisory firms scale through advisor development, client experience, and strategic growth initiatives. Randy and Seamus reflect on Summit’s first year as an independent RIA, discussing what it took to transition thousands of client accounts without losing a single team member. They explain why organic growth extends far beyond client acquisition, how a strong data foundation is essential for putting AI to work, and why building an intentional culture becomes even more important as firms scale. They also challenge common misconceptions about growth and share what comes next for Summit. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (02:30) - Recapping Summit Wealth Group's launch as an RIA (04:00) - SEI's role in Summit's transition   (05:40) - Seamus's journey from SEI to Summit Wealth (06:47) - How Summit defines organic growth  (09:21) - What a scalable advisor success platform looks like (10:26) - What Summit looks for in an advisor (12:15)- How Summit has enhanced its client solutions and capabilities  (14:33) - How Summit preserved its culture while scaling rapidly (17:01) - Building an intentional advisor community  (17:57) - What firms misunderstand about growth   (22:10) - What's next for Summit Wealth Group (24:20) - Randy and Seamus' interests outside of work Quotes "Organic growth is the hardest kind of growth. It is the number one driver of valuation and success once you get past that cultural alignment conversation." ~ Seamus O'Brien  "There's no real silver bullet for growth. What works for some might not for others. So we have to be adaptable, and not be afraid to take some calculated risks and make some mistakes." ~ Seamus O'Brien "In a growing company, if you're not intentional with pulling everybody together, you're going to end up with silos. Those silos create fractures in the organization's health." ~ Randy Morris "Intentional pulling together of advisors and their teams in our local communities is paramount to really accomplishing the growth objectives the company is trying to achieve." ~ Randy Morris Links  Randy Morris on LinkedIn Seamus O'Brien on LinkedIn Summit Wealth Group Chelsea Ganey  Carmelle Nemechek Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

  2. Jul 14

    Driving Growth Through Operational Scale with Jack Hannah

    This week, Jack Sharry talks with Jack Hannah, President & Chief Operating Officer at GeoWealth. Jack oversees the firm's operations, service, and both digital and investment product divisions. He is also fully dedicated to GeoWealth's strategic business initiatives, ensuring that the platform's capabilities evolve in line with their clients' unique needs.  Jack talks about what enables firms to grow and what holds them back. He discusses how operational efficiency can boost RIA growth without breaking their back office and how modern platforms are reshaping investment management. Jack also shares the importance of partnerships and how GeoWealth is pushing the boundaries of what a single client account can deliver. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:09) - Jack's early career in RIA operations  (04:30) - Jack's transition from an RIA environment to GeoWealth  (05:35) - How GeoWealth helps advisors (07:02) - GeoWealth's value proposition and modern TAMP model  (08:44) - GeoWealth's platform capabilities and integrations  (10:42) - Why investors choose GeoWealth  (12:24) - What partnerships look like at GeoWealth  (15:51) - How GeoWealth expands its investment capabilities (19:11) - Jack's interests outside of work Quotes "We want to provide scale to an advisor's practice, no matter what shape or size they might be." ~ Jack Hannah "We want to meet these advisors or these firms right where they are. I know that's overused, but we really mean that." — Jack Hannah  "The investment management world is rapidly changing. We are on the cutting edge of what a UMA is and how it should actually work in a client account." ~ Jack Hannah Links  Jack Hannah on LinkedIn GeoWealth Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

  3. Jul 7

    Institutionalizing Organic Growth with Rick Kent & Kay Lynn Mayhue

    This week, Jack Sharry talks with Merit Financial Advisors' CEO & Founder, Rick Kent, and President, Kay Lynn Mayhue. Rick is an entrepreneur and visionary leader who founded Merit on a servant-leadership philosophy and a commitment to helping individuals reach their financial goals while supporting fellow advisors and entrepreneurs in meeting their professional goals. Kay Lynn has played many roles in the financial advisory industry: as a successor, partner, seller, and buyer. This unique and diverse background allows her to relate to advisors at all career stages and across the M&A lifecycle.  Rick and Kay Lynn talk with Jack about how they've built one of the fastest-growing RIAs in the country without losing sight of culture, leadership, and long-term value creation. They discuss what it really takes to scale intentionally, from balancing disciplined M&A with true organic growth to building a leadership model rooted in servant leadership, humility, and accountability. Rick and Kay Lynn also share Merit's institutionalized approach to business development and explain why partnerships, technology integration, and adaptability in the age of AI will define the future of wealth management. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:13) - Rick on Merit's origin story (03:06) - Rick and Kay Lynn's partnership and leadership dynamics (04:59) - The core principles of Merit Financial Advisors (09:14) - How Merit has maintained its culture through 60+ acquisitions  (12:41) - How Merit generates organic growth (16:56) - Inside Merit's business development engine and growth tracks  (20:30) - Rick and Kay Lynn's outlook on the future of wealth management (26:16) - Rick and Kay Lynn's interests outside of work Quotes "You can have all of the principles and core values at the top. But if you don't bring on the right people, you are not going to succeed at having that in your culture. And so it starts with the people, it ends with the people." ~ Kay Lynn Mayhue "People are underestimating the power of finding the right partnerships. The right partnership is going to make your future." ~ Kay Lynn Mayhue "The marketing to bring in clients should be an enterprise operation. It really should be institutionalized, where we figure out how to connect with clients and then provide those opportunities to our advisors to let them do what they do best." ~ Rick Kent "When you think about the real value of a firm, if you have money, you can make acquisitions. But really valuable firms are going to prove that they are growing their market share through organic growth." ~ Rick Kent Links  Rick Kent on LinkedIn Kay Lynn Mayhue on LinkedIn Merit Financial Advisors Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

  4. Jun 24

    Beyond the Hype: How AI Makes a Difference in Wealth Management with Rob Pettman

    This week, Jack Sharry talks with Rob Pettman, President and Chief Revenue Officer at TIFIN. Rob brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across wealth management, investment platforms, and financial technology. Before joining TIFIN, he spent 19 years at LPL Financial, most recently as Executive Vice President of Wealth Management Solutions. Rob talks with Jack about the hype surrounding artificial intelligence in wealth management. He discusses how firms across the industry deploy AI, what delivers real outcomes, and what top-performing firms are doing differently. Rob also shares the three major themes driving AI adoption today, as well as how AI reshapes workflows, accelerates advisor transitions, and unlocks new growth opportunities. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:29) - The current state of AI adoption in wealth management (02:57) - The three core themes of AI value creation (07:12) - Why outcome matters more than solving the data problem  (08:36) - What advisors actually want from AI tools  (11:48) - What change management means for AI adoption (13:10) - How companies can succeed with AI integration  (15:28) - The difference between AI at the operating level vs. AI as a tool  (17:19) - How AI-driven personalization works in wealth management (20:19) - Point solutions vs. platforms: Why flexibility still matters  (21:32) - Rob's thoughts on the future of AI in wealth management  (23:34) - The biggest misconception about AI in wealth management (25:35) - Rob's interests outside of work Quotes "The firms that are most successful have a very strong initiative and leadership presence coming from the C-suite. It's not just about putting a flag in the ground and saying, "We're going to do AI." It's actually them leaning in and pushing through some of the structural issues within their organization that may prevent AI from being successful." ~ Rob Pettman  "When you view AI as a tool versus a change in your operating model, technology doesn't understand your business. So, it really does have to be the culture around business-led technology-enabled versus business-deferred to technology." ~ Rob Pettman "The real power, the maximum commercial impact you get with AI, is when cost savings meets growth meets scale, and you put all three of those together." ~ Rob Pettman Links  Rob Pettman on LinkedIn TIFIN  Cetera Financial Group Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

  5. Jun 9

    Advisor Shortage, AI, and the Next Growth Model with Vlad Golyk

    This week, Jack Sharry talks with Vlad Golyk, Partner and Leader of McKinsey's North America Wealth Management Practice. Vlad works closely with wealth and asset managers, focusing on growth, transformation, and the evolution of operating models. He is a co-author and lead contributor to two recently released reports, The Looming Advisor Shortage in US Wealth Management and US Wealth Management in 2035: A Transformative Decade Begins.  Vlad talks with Jack about the forces that will shape wealth management over the next decade. He highlights significant challenges, particularly advisor capacity, which is becoming one of the industry's most critical concerns as demand for financial advice continues to rise while the advisor workforce ages and declines. Vlad also explains how advisory firms can build an operating model that delivers holistic advice while addressing advisor shortages. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:40) - Why growth, productivity, advisor models, and AI are interconnected (04:53) - The looming advisor shortage in wealth management (10:12) - The power of AI in the modern advisory world (18:15) - Monetizing AI: AI-powered guidance and new revenue opportunities (22:08) - What makes a successful wealth management operating model (26:14) - Vlad's interests outside of work Quotes "If you're only building for today's clients who want the human advisor enhanced by technology, you might be optimizing a model that the next wave of accumulators will never opt into." ~ Vlad Golyk "Investors are clear about the role they want AI to play today. They want it as a guidance layer, not an autonomous agent." ~ Vlad Golyk "Build a blended experience where AI handles analytical throughput and the human shows up at moments of highest emotional and financial stakes. Investors want that, they pay for it, and they want it from the advisor." ~ Vlad Golyk Links  Vlad Golyk on LinkedIn 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

  6. Jun 2

    Why Advisor Capacity Is the Future of Growth with Steve Gresham

    This week, Jack Sharry talks with Steve Gresham, Founder and Managing Principal at NextChapter. With more than 40 years in asset and wealth management, Steve has spent his career working on growth issues as an executive and as an advisor to executives. He has also played a key role in developing major industry innovations, including managed accounts, target-date funds, wealth strategies, and practice management. Steve talks with Jack about why advisor capacity is becoming the defining driver of enterprise value. He discusses how firms can build their enterprise value through four key levers—headquarters-led capabilities, hybrid tech and human delivery, retention, and client acquisition. Steve further explores why advisory capacity is the new growth currency in wealth management and how AI accelerates this shift. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:54) - Defining organic growth, enterprise value, and advisor capacity (05:03) - The next chapter of organic growth (08:53) - How advisor capacity is a driver of enterprise value (11:28)- How AI is linked to enterprise value (14:57) - The four levers to build enterprise value (20:45) - Applying the four levers framework to real firms (25:42) - Steve's key takeaways (27:46) - Steve's interests outside of work Quotes "You have to be able to tie AI into what is already an ongoing digital and information revolution. AI is riding on those same rails. It is accelerating the speed of the train, but it's still primarily leading to a human-led advice industry." ~ Steve Gresham "Newer, younger advisors have a much more open mind about the role of technology. It makes them more efficient. And if it's used correctly, it makes them more successful." ~ Steve Gresham "End treating organic growth as a hero metric and start managing for enterprise value. And that means defining the advisor or the organization's capacity to engage as a KPI." ~ Steve Gresham Links  Steve Gresham on LinkedIn NextChapter SEI Fidelity Investments Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

  7. May 19

    Operationalizing AI: Turning Technology into Sustainable Organic Growth with Alois Pirker

    This week, Jack Sharry talks with Alois Pirker, Founder & CEO of Pirker Partners. For 25 years, Alois has worked with many leading wealth management firms and providers globally. Today, he advises firms, vendors, and investors on where the industry is headed, grounded in real conversation, real data, and real-world execution. Alois talks with Jack about how firms navigate the convergence of AI, operations, and business model transformation. They discuss the gap between AI hype and practical implementation, why data management is the key to successful AI implementation, and how firms are moving from siloed, product-focused models toward holistic advice.  In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (03:35) - What makes AI different this time (06:00) - The challenge of organizing data across firms (10:26) - Why AI can't fix broken infrastructures (13:17) - The truth about organic growth (18:04) - How the vendor landscape has evolved over time (21:41) - Alois' interests outside of work Quotes "Using AI is very expensive. So, marrying traditional methods with AI methods, that's where the secret sauce is." ~ Alois Pirker "Organic growth starts with trust. It starts with the trust the advisor or the firm has earned with the client or prospect. And that cannot be manufactured through technology." ~ Alois Pirker "Smart vendors know their position in the value chain. They know where they are strong." ~ Alois Pirker Links  Alois Pirker on LinkedIn Pirker Partners Range.com FINNY Morgan Stanley Jed Finn Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

  8. Apr 28

    The Convergence Era: Advancing Advisor Technology and Client Experience with Bradley Kellum

    This week, Jack Sharry talks with Bradley Kellum, Partner and Head of Wealth Management for North America at Oliver Wyman. Brad is a leader in wealth management technology focused on improving how advisors leverage systems to deliver better client outcomes. With deep experience across advisory platforms and digital transformation, Bradley brings a strategic perspective on how technology can unlock scale, efficiency, and more personalized client engagement. Jack and Bradley explore the challenges firms face with fragmented systems and how integration is becoming essential to delivering a unified client experience. They discuss the shift toward more holistic advice, the role of data in driving better decisions, and how firms can position themselves for the next wave of innovation in wealth management. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:50) - Bradley's role at Oliver Wyman (03:08) - What convergence means in the financial services industry (05:53) - The target operating model: Data, technology architecture, and people (07:33) - A customer-first approach to executing goals-based wealth management (11:50) - Public and private investments: demand vs. operational reality (16:24) - The role of AI in empowering advisors (22:27) - How firms can navigate the convergence in financial services (24:47) - Bradley's interests outside of work Quotes "The right product at the right time is a solution." ~ Bradley Kellum "All things financial are expensive propositions to build and maintain. So, to feed that engine, you need primacy in a client's life." ~ Bradley Kellum "If you're everything to everybody, that's a recipe for mediocrity. The winners will really serve the clients that they've chosen to go after better than others." — Bradley Kellum Links  Bradley Kellum on LinkedIn Oliver Wyman Morgan Stanley Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

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4.8
out of 5
17 Ratings

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.

Information

  • Creator
    LifeYield
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    248
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright LifeYield, LLC
  • Show Website
    WealthTech on Deck

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