WealthTech on Deck

Holistic Solutions, Intelligent Automation, and the Future of Asset Management with Yaqub Ahmed and Harshendu Bindal


Listen Later

In this episode, Jack Sharry talks with Yaqub Ahmed and Harshendu Bindal of Franklin Templeton. Yaqub is Head of the U.S. Investment-Only Division while Harshendu leads  Digital Strategy and Wealth Management.

While his parents wanted Yaqub to pursue medicine, Yaqub fell in love with financial services and began his career as a record keeper in an asset management organization. Having spent the last 11 years at Franklin Templeton, today Yaqub focuses on the U.S. retirement insurance sub-advisory and Franklin Templeton’s 529 businesses. 

For Harshendu, his journey in financial services began 27 years ago. He studied engineering in college and stumbled into the industry following graduation. With 24 years of experience at Franklin Templeton under his belt, Harshendu is now responsible for establishing strategic partnerships with global financial institutions and other distribution partners on the retail side of the business. 

Jack, Yaqub, and Harshendu discuss the role of technology in establishing strategic partnerships and providing holistic solutions for clients, why intelligent automation helps advisors thrive, and what the future holds for asset managers. 

“Advisors are not going away, they’re just evolving. And we see them be more and more financial life coaches to their clients. And as an asset management industry, I think we need to understand and pave for that transition.” ~ Harshendu Bindal


Main takeaways 
  • Cultural fit is the number one determining factor of whether a merger will be successful. 
  • Technology plays a crucial role in providing better outcomes and holistic solutions for clients. And great technology allows us to embed solutions into advisors’ existing workflow. 
  • As the role of financial advisors continues to evolve, we need to start encouraging advisors to intelligently automate what needs to be automated. 
  • Over the next few years, there will be several big shifts within the asset management industry. Financial personalization will be commonplace, US workers will increasingly seek out financial wellness and advice from their employers, and collaboration within the industry will increase.
  • Advisors should consider outsourcing the parts of their business that they either don’t have expertise in or don’t have the passion for. Sometimes it’s best to let technology run those aspects of the business. 
  • Advisors must leverage capabilities that are delivering personalization. 

  • Links
    • Yaqub on LinkedIn
    • Harshendu on LinkedIn
    • Franklin Templeton
    • AdvisorEngine
    • Wealth Tech On Deck Episode 001: Personalization, Scaling Efficiently, and Serving the Underserved with Ed Murphy
    • Empower Retirement

    • Connect with our hosts
      • LifeYield
      • Jack Sharry on LinkedIn
      • Jack Sharry on Twitter

      • Subscribe and stay in touch
        • Apple Podcasts
        • Spotify
        • LinkedIn
        • Twitter
        • Facebook

        • ...more
          View all episodesView all episodes
          Download on the App Store

          WealthTech on DeckBy LifeYield

          • 4.8
          • 4.8
          • 4.8
          • 4.8
          • 4.8

          4.8

          17 ratings


          More shows like WealthTech on Deck

          View all
          Planet Money by NPR

          Planet Money

          30,951 Listeners

          Notes on the Week Ahead by Dr. David Kelly

          Notes on the Week Ahead

          189 Listeners

          a16z Podcast by Andreessen Horowitz

          a16z Podcast

          1,019 Listeners

          We Study Billionaires - The Investor’s Podcast Network by The Investor's Podcast Network

          We Study Billionaires - The Investor’s Podcast Network

          3,364 Listeners

          Capital Ideas Podcast by Capital Group

          Capital Ideas Podcast

          279 Listeners

          Capital Allocators – Inside the Institutional Investment Industry by Ted Seides – Allocator and Asset Management Expert

          Capital Allocators – Inside the Institutional Investment Industry

          799 Listeners

          Masters of Scale by WaitWhat

          Masters of Scale

          3,978 Listeners

          WealthTech Today by Craig Iskowitz

          WealthTech Today

          14 Listeners

          The Compound and Friends by The Compound

          The Compound and Friends

          2,048 Listeners

          The Long View by Morningstar

          The Long View

          883 Listeners

          Kitces and Carl - Real Talk for Real Financial Advisors by Michael Kitces, MSFS, MTAX, CFP and Carl Richards, CFP

          Kitces and Carl - Real Talk for Real Financial Advisors

          239 Listeners

          All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

          All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

          8,905 Listeners

          Barron's Streetwise by Barron's

          Barron's Streetwise

          1,537 Listeners

          ACQ2 by Acquired by Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal

          ACQ2 by Acquired

          209 Listeners

          BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley by BG2Pod

          BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley

          453 Listeners