Artificial intelligence is moving faster than any technology our industry has seen — and the temptation is to race ahead. This conversation makes the case for the opposite.

In this episode, Steven Watts sits down with Founders Financial CEO Brad Shepherd and Senior Compliance Officer Jane Maccubbin to separate the hype from the practical reality of AI in an independent practice. They explore what it means to truly employ AI rather than simply have it, why a computer can never be a fiduciary, and where the real, defensible use cases live for advisors today. The throughline is a caution worth heeding: in a moment of AI gold rush, the firms that slow down, stay curious, and put the right guardrails in place are the ones that win.

A partner-to-partner conversation about using AI with intention — and keeping the human relationship at the center. 

More from Founders Financial: 

TRU Enterprise OS: https://foundersfinancial.com/tru-enterprise-os/

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/founders-financial

© 2014-2026 Founders Financial. Member FINRA/SIPC and Registered Investment Adviser. All Rights Reserved.

The fear of moving firms is rarely about the paperwork. It's about the unknown — and the worry that the clients won't come.  

In this episode, Steven Watts sits down with Christine Walsh, Head of Transitions, and Philip Dubay, Director of Integrations at Founders Financial, to pull back the curtain on what a real, supported transition actually looks like. They walk through the 192-item checklist, the human side of the work, and what makes the difference between figuring it out alone and walking through it with a partner. The closing word for advisors who sense it's time is as direct as it is warm: if you're thinking about it, you're probably ready. 

More from Founders Financial: 

Our Difference: https://foundersfinancial.com/our-difference/

TRU Enterprise OS: https://foundersfinancial.com/tru-enterprise-os/

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/founders-financial

© 2014-2026 Founders Financial. Member FINRA/SIPC and Registered Investment Adviser. All Rights Reserved.

Two doors on succession. M&A — sell to a roll-up, take the check, walk away. Or apprenticeship — bring someone alongside you and hand the relationships forward.

In this episode, Steven Watts and Founders Financial CEO Brad Shepherd unpack the two dominant paths advisors face when planning succession. They explore the operational, financial, and emotional risks at stake, the difference between exit planning and legacy planning, and why a gradual, proactive approach almost always beats a reactive one. The conversation lands on a central question every advisor must answer for themselves: is this about maximum economic value, or continuity of care for the clients you've served for decades? Brad closes by sharing how Founders blends the strengths of both models through its Strategic Enterprise Program.

More from Founders Financial: 

Strategic Enterprise Program: (the apprenticeship pathway): https://foundersfinancial.com/strategic-enterprise-program/

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/founders-financial

© 2014-2026 Founders Financial. Member FINRA/SIPC and Registered Investment Adviser. All Rights Reserved.

Every independent advisor reaches a moment where they have to ask one of two questions. Either fall in love with the business again, or honestly start thinking about who comes next.

In this episode, Steven Watts and Founders Financial President and CIO Peter Murphy explore the deeply personal decision every advisor eventually faces — and how to tell which path you're actually on. They reframe succession not as a transaction but as a legacy decision rooted in passion, continuity of care, and what you want clients to say about you when the work is done. The conversation closes with the most useful piece of advice in the entire episode: build the plan the same way you build a client's, starting with the destination in mind.

More from Founders Financial: 

Strategic Enterprise Program: (succession and apprenticeship pathway): https://foundersfinancial.com/strategic-enterprise-program/

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/founders-financial

© 2014-2026 Founders Financial. Member FINRA/SIPC and Registered Investment Adviser. All Rights Reserved.

Most advisors do beautiful legacy work for their clients. Almost none do it for themselves.

In this episode, Steven Watts sits down with Founders Financial President and CIO Peter Murphy and CEO Brad Shepherd to reframe what legacy and succession should actually mean for an independent advisor. They unpack why most advisors aren't actively planning, what's at stake for clients and team members when planning gets pushed off, and the real differences between selling to an external roll-up and building internal succession. The conversation distinguishes the practitioner from the enterpriser, the clients from the relationships, and closes with rapid-fire prompts on first steps and common mistakes. 

More from Founders Financial: 

Strategic Enterprise Program: (the development pathway behind internal succession): https://foundersfinancial.com/strategic-enterprise-program/

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/founders-financial

© 2014-2026 Founders Financial. Member FINRA/SIPC and Registered Investment Adviser. All Rights Reserved.

There's a question every advisor eventually wrestles with: do I manage investments myself, or do I outsource to a TAMP? In this episode, we look at the decision through a different lens — not performance, not cost, but peace.

Steven Watts and Founders Financial President and CIO Pete Murphy unpack the trade-offs of self-managed and outsourced portfolio management — control versus capacity, scale versus story, brand versus generic experience. They introduce the concept of second-party investment management (the model behind Founders' Freedom Capital Management Strategies, or FCMS) and land on the question that decides everything: what are you convicted in, and why?

More from Founders Financial: 

Freedom Capital Management Strategies (FCMS): https://foundersfinancial.com/tru-enterprise-os/investment-management/outsourced-investment-management/

TRU Enterprise OS: https://foundersfinancial.com/tru-enterprise-os/

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/founders-financial

© 2014-2026 Founders Financial. Member FINRA/SIPC and Registered Investment Adviser. All Rights Reserved.

Bridges don't break at their strong points. They break at the weak ones. In our industry, the weak point is usually the advisor — and the actual target is usually the client. 

In this episode, Steven Watts sits down with Justin Neria, Chief Technology Officer at Founders Financial, and Jane Maccubbin, Senior Compliance Officer, to unpack why cybersecurity has become the defining infrastructure question for independent advisors. They explore why post-COVID networks demand a zero-trust architecture, why most advisors radically underestimate the threat (6,000+ attempted attacks per user, per day), and how Reg SP is raising the regulatory bar. The closing thesis: when cyber is built into the platform, it stops being a cost center and becomes a quiet growth enabler.

More from Founders Financial: 

TRU Enterprise OS: (cybersecurity is built into the platform): https://foundersfinancial.com/tru-enterprise-os/

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/founders-financial

© 2014-2026 Founders Financial. Member FINRA/SIPC and Registered Investment Adviser. All Rights Reserved.

For many independent advisors, "compliance" falls somewhere between necessary and adversarial. It doesn't have to.

In this episode, Steven Watts sits down with Joe Krcma, Chief Compliance Officer, and Jane Maccubbin, Senior Compliance Officer at Founders Financial, to explore what a relationship-driven compliance team actually looks like — and how that approach can serve, protect, and defend an advisor differently than a rules-only "no department." They dig into where regulators are honing in right now (cyber and AI), why "clarity through enforcement" forces firms to read the tea leaves, and the well-intentioned mistakes that trip advisors up. The conversation closes with concrete habits — current U4s, disciplined notes — that meaningfully reduce risk.

More from Founders Financial: 

TRU Enterprise OS (compliance is part of the integrated platform): https://foundersfinancial.com/tru-enterprise-os/

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/founders-financial

© 2014-2026 Founders Financial. Member FINRA/SIPC and Registered Investment Adviser. All Rights Reserved.

Massive innovation, massive choice, and massive confusion. That's the tech landscape for an independent advisor in 2026.

In this episode, Steven Watts sits down with Founders Financial CEO Brad Shepherd and CTO Justin Neria to unpack how the technology landscape for independent advisors has shifted — from years-long, capital-heavy builds to a fast-moving, AI-accelerated marketplace of best-of-breed tools. They explore the strategic decision every firm faces (build versus partner), why most advisors use only a fraction of the tools they already pay for, and what to ask of a firm partner in 2026. The closing thesis: revolutionary in human history, evolutionary inside a well-run practice.

More from Founders Financial: 

TRU Enterprise OS: (the integrated tech platform discussed): https://foundersfinancial.com/tru-enterprise-os/

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/founders-financial

© 2014-2026 Founders Financial. Member FINRA/SIPC and Registered Investment Adviser. All Rights Reserved.

You can't lead what you haven't honestly diagnosed. And most advisors don't pause long enough to do it.

In this episode, Steven Watts and Founders Financial CEO Brad Shepherd walk through the maturity model Founders uses with Member Partners — five common areas, fifty-three principles, and five stages: limited, developmental, functional, performing, and optimal. They discuss why most advisors are accidental business owners, the trap of chasing GDC and AUM at all costs, and the shift from people-dependent to process-dependent that defines a sustainable, transferable enterprise. The closing argument: leadership is the single biggest driver of every outcome that follows.

More from Founders Financial: 

Our Difference: https://foundersfinancial.com/our-difference/

Strategic Enterprise Program: https://foundersfinancial.com/strategic-enterprise-program/

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/founders-financial

© 2014-2026 Founders Financial. Member FINRA/SIPC and Registered Investment Adviser. All Rights Reserved.