In this episode of The WealthTech Insider, Danni Le Grande and Peter Worn unpack a deceptively simple question that opens a much bigger conversation: why do so many AI tools have human — and overwhelmingly female — names?

What starts as a light observation quickly turns into a deeper discussion about trust, subconscious design choices, and the risks of anthropomorphising technology in professional environments. From “Sophie the assistant” to “Colin from compliance”, Danni and Pete explore how naming AI shapes behaviour, lowers scepticism, and may lead us to over-trust systems that are still fallible — particularly in regulated industries like financial advice.

This isn’t a culture-war debate or an anti-AI rant. It’s a grounded conversation about awareness: how AI is being designed, why familiarity matters, and what professionals need to keep front-of-mind as human-like software becomes embedded in daily workflows.

#finuragroup #technology #ai #dannilegrande #peterworn

Most Australians have critically low financial literacy, yet the advice industry is sitting on a golden opportunity to change that—and unlock billions in advice demand. Marcus Field from Iris sheds light on groundbreaking research that reveals the true scale of Australia's financial capability crisis and how a strategic shift in education, regulation, and advice delivery can turn unmet needs into national productivity.This episode exposes why financial literacy has declined despite access to more information than ever—and how societal, educational, and industry blind spots are exacerbating the problem. You’ll discover the seven mega-trends transforming advice by 2030, including the demand for lighter, scalable guidance that reaches millions more Australians. Marcus shares concrete frameworks for redefining guidance versus advice, tackling the persistent money taboo, and embedding financial well-being into workplaces and schools.We break down the critical role advisors and employers can play in closing the financial literacy gap—especially for women, pre-retirees, and the next generation. This episode reveals how agencies and fintechs can leverage trust, education, and targeted digital solutions to turn financial capability into a sustainable, scalable revenue stream.Perfect for advice professionals, fintech innovators, and industry leaders committed to societal impact and growth—this is your blueprint to help millions get financially savvy while transforming your business. The opportunity to shape Australia’s financial future—and profit from it—is here. Will you take it?Download IRESS's full research report a thttps://info.iress.com/thebiglift and learn how redefining guidance could be the game-changer your firm needs now. Don’t miss this vital conversation on a national challenge with a profitable solution in sight.https://info.iress.com/thebiglift

In this special episode of The WealthTech Insider, Danni Le Grande and Peter Worn unpack Finura’s official 2026 WealthTech Predictions and discuss what these trends actually mean for Advice businesses on the ground.

From the coming AI governance reckoning and the real risks Advisers are underestimating, to the rise of platform oligopolies, shifting Licensee and Managed Account dynamics, and the technology pricing reset, this episode explores where capital, power and risk are concentrating in the advice ecosystem.

They also examine why digital advice isn’t for everyone, how global AI players are eyeing Australia, what happens when personal AI collides with compliance-heavy workplaces, and why Claude may emerge as the enterprise AI of choice in 2026.

This conversation is practical, candid, and grounded in what Finura is seeing every day with Advice firms — designed to help Teams make better decisions in an increasingly complex tech landscape.

#technology #predictions

What does a successful Tech Transformation actually look like inside a growing Advice firm?

In this episode of The WealthTech Insider, Danni Le Grande speaks with Simon Backman, CEO of Wahlstrom Financial Services, about the reality behind modernising Advice delivery — from early resistance and change fatigue to measurable time savings and a better client experience.

Simon reflects on why Tech should amplify people, not replace them; how disciplined rollout and ownership drove adoption; and why clients feel the outcomes of good tech long before they notice the tools themselves.

An honest, grounded discussion for Leaders who want progress without hype — and transformation that actually sticks.

#finuragroup #technology #wealthtech #dannilegrande

Featuring a new Finura Client: Verse Wealth

What happens when you throw out the traditional financial advice playbook — but keep the discipline, compliance and rigour that actually protects clients?

In this episode of WealthTech Insider, Peter Worn sits down with Corey Wastle, founder of Verse Wealth, one of Australia’s most quietly radical advice firms. Corey didn’t come up through the usual financial-planning ranks. He came from marketing, brand and customer experience — and he used that lens to design Verse from a blank page.

Together they unpack how Verse was built differently from day one:

• How technology isn’t used to automate advice — but to deepen human connection

• Why organic growth beats aggressive scaling in a trust-based business

• And how Verse created a new role — the Client Experience Manager (CXM) — to bridge the gap between compliance, advisers and clients

This isn’t a story about disruption for disruption’s sake.

It’s about what modern financial advice looks like when it’s designed properly — from culture and technology to client experience and long-term trust.

If you’re building, running or investing in an advice business, this episode is a glimpse into what the next generation of firms will look like.

A short, informal welcome back to 2026.

Danni and Pete catch up after the break and run through what’s coming up on The WealthTech Insider this year.

#finuragroup #wealthtech #technology #peterworn #dannilegrande

Most Australians have critically low financial literacy, yet the advice industry is sitting on a golden opportunity to change that—and unlock billions in advice demand. Marcus Field from Iris sheds light on groundbreaking research that reveals the true scale of Australia's financial capability crisis and how a strategic shift in education, regulation, and advice delivery can turn unmet needs into national productivity.This episode exposes why financial literacy has declined despite access to more information than ever—and how societal, educational, and industry blind spots are exacerbating the problem. You’ll discover the seven mega-trends transforming advice by 2030, including the demand for lighter, scalable guidance that reaches millions more Australians. Marcus shares concrete frameworks for redefining guidance versus advice, tackling the persistent money taboo, and embedding financial well-being into workplaces and schools.We break down the critical role advisors and employers can play in closing the financial literacy gap—especially for women, pre-retirees, and the next generation. This episode reveals how agencies and fintechs can leverage trust, education, and targeted digital solutions to turn financial capability into a sustainable, scalable revenue stream.Perfect for advice professionals, fintech innovators, and industry leaders committed to societal impact and growth—this is your blueprint to help millions get financially savvy while transforming your business. The opportunity to shape Australia’s financial future—and profit from it—is here. Will you take it?Download IRESS's full research report a thttps://info.iress.com/thebiglift and learn how redefining guidance could be the game-changer your firm needs now. Don’t miss this vital conversation on a national challenge with a profitable solution in sight.https://info.iress.com/thebiglift

Most Australians have critically low financial literacy, yet the advice industry is sitting on a golden opportunity to change that—and unlock billions in advice demand. Marcus Field from Iris sheds light on groundbreaking research that reveals the true scale of Australia's financial capability crisis and how a strategic shift in education, regulation, and advice delivery can turn unmet needs into national productivity.This episode exposes why financial literacy has declined despite access to more information than ever—and how societal, educational, and industry blind spots are exacerbating the problem. You’ll discover the seven mega-trends transforming advice by 2030, including the demand for lighter, scalable guidance that reaches millions more Australians. Marcus shares concrete frameworks for redefining guidance versus advice, tackling the persistent money taboo, and embedding financial well-being into workplaces and schools.We break down the critical role advisors and employers can play in closing the financial literacy gap—especially for women, pre-retirees, and the next generation. This episode reveals how agencies and fintechs can leverage trust, education, and targeted digital solutions to turn financial capability into a sustainable, scalable revenue stream.Perfect for advice professionals, fintech innovators, and industry leaders committed to societal impact and growth—this is your blueprint to help millions get financially savvy while transforming your business. The opportunity to shape Australia’s financial future—and profit from it—is here. Will you take it?Download IRESS's full research report a thttps://info.iress.com/thebiglift and learn how redefining guidance could be the game-changer your firm needs now. Don’t miss this vital conversation on a national challenge with a profitable solution in sight.https://info.iress.com/thebiglift

In this final episode for 2025, Danni and Pete cut through the noise to review the trends that actually mattered. We look back at our 2025 Predictions with a critical eye—discussing why the AI hype has cooled into "AI fatigue" and why the industry is finally embracing Platform Monogamy.

We also explore the rise of "Boring by Design" AI agents , the concept of keeping a "human on the hook" for compliance , and why the best tech strategy for many firms might just be simplification.

In this episode:

• The Prediction Scorecard: Assessing our calls on advice tech R&D, PE entry and Industry Super insourcing.

• The AI Reality: Why we’re seeing a shift from flashy tools to practical, ring-fenced agents for file notes and workflows.

• Tech Breakups: Why firms are realising that moving CRMs is rarely the silver bullet they hope for.

• Gadget Geek-Out: From the Mac Mini win to the disastrous Humane AI pin, plus the weird world of AI pet translators.

Diary of a CEO Episode with Steven Bartlett and Tristan Harris:-

https://doac-perks.com/r/GhRQ03uolQ?e=BFU1OCkhBwo

#stevenbartlett #doac #tristanharris

Take the Technology Healthcheck here:-

https://technologyhealth.scoreapp.com/

#peterworn #dannilegrande #finuragroup

Harvey AI has gone from newborn startup to an $8 billion juggernaut in just 31 months. But behind the headlines sit harder questions: opaque pricing, patchy adoption, defensive founders, and a conservative profession wrestling with risk.
Danni and Pete cut through the noise to explore what this means for financial advice firms — from realistic ROI to cautious experimentation and the increasing need for human oversight. Less hype, more sense-checking, and a reminder that AI is useful… but it’s not magic.

#technology #peterworn #dannilegrande #finuragroup