In the first episode of RIA Unpacked, SoftPak's Shah Anas sits down with CMO Erica Landry to debrief on a recent RIA Edge conference in Nashville — and the conversation quickly moves past small talk into the pressures actually shaping the RIA industry in 2026.
They cover:
- Why AI dominated conference hallway conversations, and the "love-wariness" advisors feel toward it
- How the right technology can shift client meetings from report-first to advisory-first
- The looming shift in custodian referral programs — and why the pipeline advisors have relied on for years may be drying up
- A framework Erica introduced in a recent keynote — Product, Packaging, Pricing — for how mid-market RIAs can differentiate in a market where every firm's website says the same thing
- The case for (and against) flat-fee pricing models over traditional AUM-based fees
This is a conversation about business strategy, not a product pitch — Shah and Erica are explicit that they're not here to sell Urebal. If you're an advisor or firm owner trying to figure out where to spend limited time and budget next, this one's for you.
Note: Editorial disclosure — SoftPak builds rebalancing software for RIAs. Rebalancing comes up as one example among several; it is not the focus of the episode.
Show Notes / Chapters
[00:00] Intro — Shah and Erica introduce RIA Unpacked and SoftPak.
[~02:00] Setting the scene — The episode is built around takeaways from a recent RIA Edge conference (Informa) in Nashville.
[~05:00] The four themes from the conference floor Erica breaks down what she heard repeatedly in conversations with attendees:
- AI and its impact on business growth and client relations
- New technology tools (increasingly AI-embedded)
- Talent acquisition and M&A as growth levers
- Compliance and the legal complexity of running an advisory practice
[~10:00] The AI push-pull Erica and Shah discuss the tension advisors feel between efficiency (what clients now expect) and the personal, trust-based relationships that have historically defined the industry.
[~13:00] From "report-first" to "advisory-first" meetings Shah's take: as tech absorbs reporting and portfolio-performance visibility, client meetings can shift from "here's what your portfolio is doing" to genuine advisory conversations — fewer meetings, but higher-value ones.
[~19:00] Why this makes advisors "more human, not less" The case that automating operational work doesn't replace advisors — it gives them back time for the relationship-building work that's actually differentiating.
[~24:00] Where to start: prioritizing tech investment Erica's practical framework for mid-market firms deciding where to spend limited technology budget first — starting with core, time-consuming workflows (she names rebalancing and client billing as two common bottlenecks) before layering in analytics/AI tools.
[~31:00] Two ways to scale: hiring vs. capacity-per-advisor Shah introduces a framing SoftPak uses internally — growth can come from adding advisors, or from increasing the number of accounts each advisor can effectively service through technology.
[~34:00] The differentiation problem Shah and Erica dig into why most RIA websites and pitches sound identical, using Nike's "you don't have to be an athlete" positioning as a contrast case, and discuss niching down (e.g., a retirement-focused firm) as a path to standing out.
[~40:00] The custodian referral shift — why this matters now Shah lays out a coming change: several custodians are raising AUM minimums for their referral/advisory networks (expected to take effect within the next several months), shifting referrals toward ultra-high-net-worth clients only and bringing more business in-house. The practical implication: RIAs that have relied on custodian referrals for new client acquisition will need their own pipeline and differentiation strategy sooner than they may think.
[~46:00] Introducing the 3 P's: Product, Packaging, Pricing Erica unpacks the framework from her recent keynote:
- Product — What capabilities does your firm actually offer? (Rebalancing, performance analytics, tax-efficient optimization, etc.)
- Packaging — Bundling those capabilities into offers tailored to specific client profiles (the new investor, the soon-to-be retiree, the ultra-high-net-worth client)
- Pricing — Structuring cost in a way that matches the value and expectations of each segment
[~52:00] Cultural resistance to a "subscription-model" mindset Why packaging/productizing services can feel foreign to an industry built on personal, one-off relationships — and how firm leaders can bring their teams along.
[~57:00] Flat fee vs. AUM: is it a real differentiator or a gimmick? The case for flat-fee and hybrid pricing models — predictability for clients, accessibility for smaller investors, and a genuine point of differentiation in a market where AUM pricing is the unquestioned default.
[~65:00] Recap and closing thought Erica's takeaway: the RIA industry is at an inflection point, and firms should pick one workflow or practice to change per quarter rather than trying to overhaul everything at once. "The worst thing you can do is do nothing."
