WealthTech on Deck

This time of year often calls for reflection. As we look back on 2021 and to the year ahead, we’re flipping the script and handing LifeYield’s VP of Marketing Matt Nollman the reins. Today, Matt interviews our regular host Jack Sharry as well as guest Mark Hoffman, CEO and Founder of LifeYield. 

Due to the pandemic and a rapidly shifting demographic, firms have had to react quickly to meet new and rising client demands. At the forefront of those rising demands, LifeYield has learned quite a bit about navigating the new financial ecosystem and adding value where it counts.

In this episode, Matt talks with Jack and Mark about the three themes of 2021 that touched every conversation and initiative at LifeYield, the approach they’ve taken to address those key demands, and the technology LifeYield has leveraged and developed to push client firms over the finish line. From an unprecedented retirement boom to excitement over client engagement and the ever-popular UMH, here’s a look back at 2021 and a sneak peek at LifeYield’s ambitious goals for 2022. 

Key Takeaways

Quotes

[14:47] “Saying things and then doing them are two different things. I’m very proud that LifeYield has worked hard to build a firm culture that cares about helping investors and advisors get better outcomes.” - Mark Hoffman

[15:19] “That our client firms achieve tangible success using LifeYield software and service, is equally as important as the integrity of the answers our algorithms produce.” - Mark Hoffman

[16:23] “The universally managed household concept that Jack has been espousing for  years, is universal for all client demographics, as are being worried about taxes. We’re very proud to be serving such a wide swath of industry participants on these features. Our clients and partners include the largest wirehouses, banks, asset managers,  insurance companies, custodians, and financial technology firms, and the point is that LifeYield capabilities are relevant and necessary to the full spectrum of industry players.” - Mark Hoffman

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In this episode, Jack talks with Brian Ross, CEO of Flyer Financial Technologies.

Brian started as an engineer with JPL and NASA, but has always been interested in fintech. At BlackRock he helped build a software company that specialized in commercial mortgage-backed securities and commercial loans. Now, with Flyer, Brian is focused on building trading technology that brings together major custodians and brokers through APIs. 

Brian talks with Jack about the three essential approaches to smart trading and how integrating APIs can create powerful trading platforms.

“Tech, tech, tech… use it for strategic advantage to help your clients. This can include everything—from the cloud to APIs to personalization. If you’re not doing these things, you will be missing the next train to Clarksville.” ~ @bwilsonross

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In this episode, Jack and co-host Steve Zuschin talk with Rose Palazzo, Group Head at Envestnet | MoneyGuide. 

As the former Head of Financial Planning at Morgan Stanley, Rose helped develop the leading technology required to make UMH a reality for RIAs and larger firms alike. Her approach to knowing when to buy or build technology and evaluating partners allowed for rapid and effective development. With more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, Rose has seen the need for these tools firsthand and has been instrumental in bringing them to fruition. 

Rose talks with Jack and Steve about executing client objectives through integrations, overcoming challenges associated with UMH, and what she’s looking forward to in her new role at Envestnet | MoneyGuide.

“You can evaluate potential partnerships based on the technology or on their capacity to engage in a partnership. But their expertise goes beyond the technology. It goes to, ‘What hurdles did you hit when you tried to get people to use this? And do clients understand it when you put it in front of them?'” ~ Rose Palazzo

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In this episode, Jack talks with Tricia Haskins, head of technology and platform consulting at Fidelity Investments.

Tricia is an influential and thought-provoking leader in the wealth management industry. Her passion to help businesses innovate, scale, and better engage with clients goes beyond the walls of Fidelity. As a keynote speaker, Tricia is well-known for always bringing the industry up to speed on the future of financial services and wealth management.

Tricia talks with Jack about the pathway to digital empowerment, how technology can deepen our relationships, and how to grow your business through scale and efficiency.

“Firms see where they can add value because the time that was once taken up, the paperwork, and so forth, are now being addressed in a different way and a faster way. They’ll start to see an increase in their client satisfaction, bringing in the next generation of investors. There’s a ton of opportunity for the firms that are focused on integration and digital empowerment.” ~ Tricia Haskins

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In this episode, Jack talks with Steve Zuschin,  Executive Vice President at LifeYield.

From years of experience in sales and finance management, Steve has mastered the art of client engagement and has a deep understanding of client needs and wants. Through technology and tools, he and his team at LifeYield create statistics that can help provide the best solutions for clients.

Steve talks with Jack about using tools to optimize asset allocation, engaging with clients efficiently for smooth coordination on assets, and getting better social security benefits

“Financial wellness is all about creating workflows. It's about leading people down a path, providing the level of information that's appropriate at the time, so you can almost think of it as leaving a trail of breadcrumbs where, maybe I can offer you some value to help you make a better decision or be more informed about when and how you file for social security. And at the same time, if you choose to, you can take it, go implement it and do that on your own.’” ~ Steve Zuschin

In this episode, Jack talks with returning guest, Steve Gresham. Steve is the CEO of The Executive Project, a consulting firm that provides tools and training for financial advisors. 

As an industry leader, Steve has spent time in many different roles. Outside the office, he is an ardent advocate for rethinking, reimagining, and restructuring the concept of retirement. Steve has been a long-time proponent of shaking up the industry and inviting more channel collaboration across teams. 

Steve talks with Jack about lead generation, the importance of taking the next step, best practices for better engagement with clients, and the benefits of using the right tools.

“Tool sets allow you to not only provide clients with a more consistent experience—which also drives referrals because they'll say, ‘Well, here's what you can expect and it's painless…’—but it also allows them to have the progression in lead generation and next best action. Those have to be facilitated with tools that are driving off of your database because you'll never be able to do that with Post-it notes and Excel spreadsheets.” ~ @thegreshamco

In this episode, Jack talks with Nicole Casperson, FinTech reporter for InvestmentNews.

Nicole is well-known for covering innovation and wealth tech trends in finance. Recently, she has been developing strategic innovations in UMH. Prior to her experience in fintech, Nicole wrote for trade publications in the housing and mortgage industry. 

Jack and Nicole talk about the importance of cyber security in finance, the impact of personalization, and the future of UMH.

“UMH needs to evolve beyond a platform or a service we provide. Within five years it will become mainstream. It will become table stakes that technology is connected, that data is connected, that accounts are integrated, so they can talk to each other and then work together to create different outcomes.” ~ @nicolecasperson

In this episode, Jack talks with Noreen Beaman, President of Orion Advisor Solutions.

It’s been a year since the Brinker and Orion merger and Noreen is already harvesting the fruits of her efforts. The open-architecture experience she’s bringing to the table is creating an exciting ecosystem for engaging with advisors. She's thrilled to be at the forefront of advisor empowerment and wants to advocate more for the human component of portfolio management.

Noreen talks with Jack about creating personalized engagement for investors, mastering the art of listening as financial leaders, and using a well-connected tech ecosystem for advisor empowerment.

“I think as we look towards the future, we need to create a frictionless experience for our end investors. The companies we run look like the clients that we have. As women become a larger part of how we buy, do we want to buy the old traditional ways? Do we want to engage in ways that make us feel comfortable? That’s why having the tools and multimedia, and knowing how our next-gen want to buy we have to stay focused on the consumer and investor, and help those financial advisors drive that experience.” ~ Noreen Beaman

In this episode, Jack talks with Executive Vice President of Product Development at LifeYield, Martin Cowley.

Martin is one of the pioneers in building UMH solutions in the industry. Through technology, he's been developing the most efficient and effective ways to improve outcomes for clients. 

Martin and Jack discuss the benefits of UMH implementation on asset allocation, tax drag minimization, and operational improvement.

“There's a lot of listening involved. A lot of time is spent understanding existing workflows and existing systems. The challenge with putting a UMH in place is that everybody's situation is different. All of our clients have different systems in place. They look at the investment process in slightly different ways. Even the definition of UNMH may be different in terms of what people mean.” ~ Martin Cowley

In this episode, Jack talks with Dana D’Auria, Co-Chief Investment Officer at Envestnet, Inc.

Dana is an all-around leader at Envestnet, overseeing investors' capabilities, due diligence platform research, overlay services, non-traditional assets, and many more areas. With such scope, her chief responsibility is to connect the dots, identify what fits in the puzzle, and offer a simplified solution to achieve better outcomes for advisors. Before joining Envestnet, Dana worked for Symmetry for 14 years, where she managed the onboarding of asset managers.

Dana and Jack discuss optimization using algorithms, personalization in configuring solutions, and increasing client engagement using tech.

“Solutions, by and large, were always there. They’re just more readily accessible now because of technology. They’re more evident now. Our job is to help the advisor to navigate the ecosystem better which should lead to better outcomes for clients in the end. ” ~ Dana D’Auria