In this episode, Jack Sharry talks with John Thiel, former Head of Wealth Management at Merrill Lynch and longtime advocate for comprehensive advising.

John began his career in public accounting where he realized the impact of tax law on financial planning and decision-making. He was eventually recruited into the insurance business and, while it wasn’t popular at the time, John became an advocate for financial advising as he rose through the ranks at Merrill Lynch. 

While the industry has made and continues to make great progress, advisors still have a ways to go when it comes to implementing a goals-based approach and finding synergy between technology and the advisor-client relationship. 

John and Jack discuss creating efficiencies for the client as well as the advisor, how advisors can address a rapidly retiring demographic, the impact of COVID-19, and why human advisors are always irreplaceable. 

“We really need to have a decumulation strategy that is simple, direct, consumable, and that people can execute in a relatively easy way. And it’s gotta be transparent, so people understand this isn’t some black box. Here’s where the returns were coming from, here’s where we’re pulling it from, here’s the decisions that were made to make the recommendation of where you would draw from. And then literally, maybe, send them a paycheck if that’s what they want. Give those retirees or those people in that stage of life the option to choose a preference on how they want to receive income when they stop receiving a normal paycheck.” ~ John Thiel

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In this episode, Jack Sharry talks with Samantha Russell, Chief Evangelist at FMG Suite, and Matt Nollman, VP of Marketing at LifeYield. The two share their expertise on all things digital communication. 

Six years ago, Samantha’s husband stumbled upon a problem with seemingly no solution. Every advisor at a firm had an identical web presence. So he created Twenty Over Ten, an easy-to-use website platform for financial advisors. Sam hopped on board to lead sales and marketing and when Twenty Over Ten sold to FMG Suite, Sam shifted to Chief Evangelist, or, as she likes to think of it, Chief Educator.

Matt began his career in tech startups before joining LifeYield and working to expand the company’s digital reach and online presence. Matt also aligned LifeYield’s marketing and sales with its strongest revenue stream and spearheaded LifeYield’s shift into enterprise. Both Samantha and Matt understand the importance of reaching people through effective communication and taking digital risks. 

Samantha, Matt, and Jack discuss why advisors should become educators, why marketing can no longer be an afterthought, and the most impactful (and surprising) marketing strategy for firms, advisors, and beyond.

"Digital marketing no longer should be a line item that kind of gets whatever is leftover in your budget. If you want to grow and grow intentionally and find the clients that will be the best fit for your business, you need to put your money where your mouth is. We see a lot of financial advisory firms, the average is spending 1 to 2 percent of revenue per year on their marketing budget. But the growth firms, the firms that are actually adding new clients more than they’re losing them, they’re spending about 5 to 10 percent.” ~ Samantha Russell 

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In this episode, Jack Sharry talks with Eric Clarke, CEO of Orion Advisors. Eric is committed to improving client outcomes through strategic acquisitions and smart technology.

Straight out of grad school, Eric began his career as an asset management wholesaler. The company he worked for was experiencing operational challenges and, eventually, Eric realized the fiduciary IRA business needed stronger technology. At the time, available tech was only built for the brokerage business rather than advisory firms. Seeing an opportunity from necessity, Eric developed a business plan and founded Orion. 

As Eric puts it, what’s current today is incredibly dated tomorrow. Orion provides technology services to advisory firms while keeping a pulse on what’s current and pivoting as needed.  

Jack and Eric discuss the art of acquisition, how to instill proactivity in advisors, and why behavioral psychology is the backbone of strong and effective advising.

“What’s fascinating to me is that our industry is dominated by finance and accounting degrees, myself included. And as we look forward, I think we’re going to see a lot more emphasis inside of the industry on having degrees potentially dominated around behavioral psychology. And hopefully, we get to a point where we’re really understanding the investors that we’re serving in ways that we can drive and create value back in very meaningful ways.” ~ Eric Clarke

In this episode, Jack talks with Lori Hardwick, Chairman of Riskalyze and Board Member at firms like Orion Advisor Tech and Cetera Financial Group.

Lori began climbing the financial services ladder working as a wholesaler. In 1997 she had her first baby and realized the wholesaler lifestyle didn’t mesh with motherhood. So she pitched an idea to her senior executive team about starting an RIA program back when RIAs were still relatively new to the industry. She then left to start her own firm, Envestnet. 

After decades as a leader in the industry, Lori describes the successes and failures that sometimes unfold when old tech meshes with emerging tech, and why culture determines the success of that merger. She also describes why financial tech is in direct competition with giants like Amazon and Google, and why our technology must allow clients to engage and interact in a way that’s personalized.

Jack and Lori discuss the importance of showing clients quantifiable benefits, why advisors should take inventory of the software at their fingertips, and the necessity of hyper-personalization. 

"We need to make sure we’re not just allowing for transparency to the data, but also the ability to interact with it. The one thing I truly believe is that transparency and the ability to interact digitally will build trust with that advisor. The more they can see, the more they trust their advisor, and that is critical to building those long-term relationships and keeping those clients happy.” ~ Lori Hardwick

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In this episode, Jack Sharry talks with Mary Beth Franklin, a columnist and contributing editor at Investment News, specializing in social security, medicare, and retirement income. 

We’re living in a time where traditional retirement rules no longer apply, in part because of COVID-19’s dramatic impact on money in motion. As a result, helping clients navigate retirement is more complex than ever before. Having spent her career covering retirement from all angles – from policies on Capitol Hill to life inside private firms – Mary Beth has a unique understanding of where we’ve been and, more importantly, what retirement now calls for.

Given her unique expertise on all things social security, Mary Beth emphasizes the importance of software in achieving increased personalization and how advisors can help clients answer the ultimate retirement question – what’s the optimal sequence for withdrawing retirement income? 

Mary Beth and Jack discuss what a changing landscape means for both client and advisor, how COVID-19 changed the financial industry for the better, and what most people miss when planning for retirement. 

“People grew up with a couple myths: that you’re going to put as much money as possible into your qualified retirement plans to lower today’s taxes and your taxes were going to go down in retirement. Well, that may not be true going forward. And advisors and software providers need to understand that this is a very fluid situation and the best thing they can do is stay on top of these changing environments and pivot where they can and help their clients make the best decision for them.” ~ Mary Beth Franklin

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In this episode, Jack Sharry talks with longtime colleague Steve Gresham, CEO of The Execution Project, a consulting firm that works with advisors and their firms to help advisors better serve the needs of retiring clientele.

For many of us, the questions, stressors, and concerns of our clients are changing. As Baby Boomers hit retirement age, it’s our responsibility as advisors to help them afford healthcare and alleviate concerns about outliving their money. 

A believer in innovation, Gresham advocates for the use of tools and training when it comes to helping advisors meet the needs of their ever-evolving clientele. 

Jack and Steve talk about segmenting clients, the role of technology in the financial industry, and dealing with disruption head-on.

“The markets have been ripping ahead but the clients have been slowing down. So we see them taking money out, we see them thinking about alternatives, and we need to turn that around. But if they don’t know where they stand, they cannot plan for anything better. So giving very solid answers to somewhat amorphous but critical questions is part of our job. Help them understand exactly where they are and what’s realistic for them to be able to do from there.” ~ @thegreshamco

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In this episode, Jack Sharry talks with Chairman and CEO of LifeYield Mark Hoffman. In addition to leading the company, Mark is responsible for pulling resources and customers together to construct Unified Managed Households. 

Early in Mark’s career, a colleague’s father broached the idea of combining household assets to achieve client goals, particularly as advisors help clients prepare for retirement. Fast forward more than 30 years later, and that concept has taken shape at LifeYield.

In the years that led Mark to LifeYield and his success building money-saving technology, he’s learned a few things about helping large firms achieve complex goals, the importance of quantifying benefit, and developing a software system that sticks. 

Jack and Mark discuss where the financial industry is headed next, how to provide optimal client value, and the three biggest lessons Mark has learned building LifeYield from the ground up.

“The most important feature that you need to ensure advisor adoption is the ability to quantify the benefit of the advice being given to the customer. What is in it for them and why? ” ~ Mark Hoffman

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In this episode, Jack Sharry talks with Cheryl Nash, CEO of the Financial Supermarkets Division at InvestCloud. Cheryl unpacks her acquisition-filled journey to CEO and everything that makes InvestCloud an industry standout.

Cheryl began her career as a data entrant at Security APL before automation was as widespread as it is today. Security APL was ultimately acquired by Fiserv which recently sold a 60% stake to Motion Partners. Cheryl was then appointed CEO of the newly branded Tegra118. Several weeks before Tegra118’s first anniversary, they merged with InvestCloud and Finantix. 

A true industry leader, Cheryl chats with Jack about planning for retirement, how COVID has shaped consumers, and the future of wealthtech.

“Technology is an essential enabler. Use technology for the tasks where speed, efficiency, automation, and precision are needed, while always remembering that we’re in a people business. Relationships matter and trust matters, but technology really becomes an essential enabler.” ~ @cherylnash2

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In this episode, Jack Sharry talks with Michael Liersch, Head of Advice & Planning at Wells Fargo. They dive into Michael’s transformative approach to financial decision-making and what drives his desire to improve financial opportunities for future generations.

With a background in academia, Michael took a somewhat unusual path to the financial industry. Growing up in a household where money wasn’t always well-handled, he became fascinated with his own financial psychology and knew his career path would involve helping others.

So he began teaching at NYU before transitioning into the corporate sector where he could help clients directly and in real-time. Now at Wells Fargo, Michael breaks down his industry-first approach to helping clients make better financial decisions.

“I think a key piece is to always speak in data and fact around the mission of the organization and the transformation exercise. And the data and facts that I always love talking about are around real human beings. What are the jobs that real humans want to be done with their money? And that has really inspired people intrinsically to say, ‘Yes! This is a purpose-driven organization!’ In that way, it becomes a very exciting mission.” ~ Michael Liersch

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In this episode, Jack Sharry talks with Dani Fava, Head of Strategic Development at Envestnet. Envestnet’s mission is to make financial wellness widely accessible. 

Having entered the financial tech world in a non-traditional way, Dani encourages others to embrace what makes them unique. After unintentionally impressing a firm with her technical abilities, Dani found herself catapulted into the world of wealth technology, eventually landing at TD Ameritrade where she launched a web-based rebalancing platform. In the process, she realized advisors could use tech to better serve their clients. 

Today, Dani lives on the pulse of consumer behavior, following the latest tech trends and predicting how they’ll ultimately impact what clients need from their advisors. Her long-term vision is to develop a connected intelligent system that seamlessly manages a client’s current and future financial wellbeing.

Jack and Dani talk about the importance of experimentation, user experience, and why technological advancements will only help advisors stay indispensable.

“Everything that we do, everything that we’re automating, everything that we’re building, everything that we’re bringing together, is intended to power the human advisor and is intended to give the human advisor more freedom and time to be that coach for their clients. In my view, the advisor space is becoming more irreplaceable because of the use of technology.” ~ @danielle_fava

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