WealthTech on Deck

This week, Jack Sharry talks with Scott Smith, Senior Director of Advice Relationships at Cerulli Associates. Scott leads research on financial advisor trends, client engagement, and the evolving wealth management landscape. In his role, Scott works closely with wealth management firms across the industry, helping them understand advisor behavior, emerging technology adoption, and the strategic forces shaping the future of advice.

Scott talks with Jack about the trends that actually drive growth in wealth management: organic growth, tax optimization, alternatives, AI, and Unified Managed Households (UMH). He also discusses the factors that affect clients' financial decisions and why the secret to winning the next decade is not about having the flashiest tech, but about creating the path of least resistance for advisors and clients alike. 

In this episode:

(00:00) - Intro

(01:51) - Key trends and challenges shaping wealth management today

(06:11) - Why tax optimization and organic growth drive better outcomes

(08:37) - The reality of technology adoption in advisory firms

(11:15) - Understanding Unified Managed Household and its core capabilities

(15:06) - What investors actually prioritize when working with advisors

(20:27) - Scott's key takeaways

(21:39) - Scott's interests outside of work

Quotes

"People definitely want improved outcomes. When we ask affluent investors what is important to them? It's reducing their tax bill and simplifying their financial life." ~ Scott Smith

"AI does a great job solving logic and algorithms. But in wealth management, clients are almost 90% emotionally based. It's all about how they feel about money and their goals. People are not going to share their emotions with a machine." ~ Scott Smith

"The more you act like a fiduciary in spirit as well as the law, the better off you're going to be long term." ~ Scott Smith

Links 

Scott Smith on LinkedIn

Cerulli Associates

Steve Craver

Altruist

Holistiplan

Rob Pettman

LPL Financial

TIFIN

The Psychology of Money

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LifeYield

Jack Sharry on LinkedIn

Jack Sharry on Twitter

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This week, Jack Sharry talks with John Yackel, Executive Vice President and Head of Wealth Management at Janney Montgomery Scott. With more than three decades of experience across wealth management, financial services, and fintech, John has built a career focused on helping firms modernize their technology, scale advisor platforms, and deliver comprehensive advice to clients.

John joins Jack to discuss how long-established wealth firms can innovate while preserving the culture that defines them. He explores how Janney is investing in technology modernization, advisor productivity, and strategic expansion while maintaining its ownership-driven culture. John also shares how the firm’s “supported independence” model helps advisors grow their practices, unlock capacity, and build sustainable businesses for the future.

In this episode:

(00:00) - Intro

(01:13) - John’s career path across wealth management and fintech

(05:30) - How Janney’s ownership model shapes modernization and advisor focus

(08:01) - Expansion strategy: balancing growth, infrastructure, and culture

(10:16) - The “supported independence” model for financial advisors

(13:59) - Unlocking advisor capacity through practice management and succession planning

(17:49) - Janney’s service model for recruiting, integrating, and supporting advisors

(20:23) - John's interests outside of work

Quotes

"You need to make it easy for the advisor to do business, and you have to meet the advisor where they do that business." ~ John Yackel

"When we go out recruiting and speak with financial advisors, it's harder and harder to continue competing just by always articulating what product, service, or platform we have. The playing field needs to be leveled every day. You have to be innovative." ~ John Yackel

"If you lead with organic growth and help existing advisors in your network become more productive, provide them with greater capacity, and support their lead generation and business development programs, you will start to have organic growth within your current business model." ~ John Yackel

Links 

John Yackel on LinkedIn

Janney Montgomery Scott

Envestnet

SEI

LPL Financial

Prudential Financial

Veterans Multi-Service Center

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LifeYield

Jack Sharry on LinkedIn

Jack Sharry on Twitter

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This week, Jack Sharry talks with Amy Young, Founder of Advice Architects. Amy Young is a longtime wealth-management strategist and former Microsoft managing director who has spent three decades at the intersection of capital markets, consulting, and technology partnerships. After working with major financial institutions on data and generative-AI initiatives, she founded Advice Architects, a consulting practice helping firms design the technology, workflows, and skills needed to deliver more effective, scalable financial advice.

Amy talks with Jack about how generative AI has evolved from a simple chat interface into a powerful, governed ecosystem capable of executing tasks, surfacing insights, and enabling mass personalization at scale. She discusses how wealth management firms can leverage these advancements to help advisors bridge the AI skill gap and move beyond portfolio talk into high-value, holistic advice.

In this episode:

(00:00) - Intro

(01:51) - Amy’s path into wealth tech and behavioral finance

(04:10) - Why Amy left Microsoft to start Advice Architects

(06:13) - How generative AI has evolved beyond chatbots

(08:54) - Building AI tools without being a developer

(12:07) - Why agents may define the next phase of AI

(19:15) - Turning financial advice into real-life problem solving

(24:47) - Amy's key takeaways

(27:22) - Amy's interests outside of work

Quotes

"The biggest challenge impairing the wealth industry's adoption of AI is that leaders have a skill gap. They have a huge learning curve to scale on AI. And maturing AI, like building a whole stack, a strategy, and a roadmap, really requires those leaders to upskill." ~ Amy Young

"Advice is absolutely central, but how we architect our stack is a critical success factor for the delivery of that advice." ~ Amy Young

"If advisors can't differentiate from what a consumer can get from ChatGPT, the industry is going to have a problem." ~ Amy Young

Links 

Amy Young on LinkedIn

Microsoft

Jump AI

Never Eat Alone

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LifeYield

Jack Sharry on LinkedIn

Jack Sharry on Twitter

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In this year-in-review episode, Matt Nollman, Head of Product Marketing at SEI LifeYield and Producer of WealthTech on Deck, steps into the host chair and interviews Jack Sharry on the five defining WealthTech themes of 2025. From household-level tax optimization and AI-powered advisor capacity to the industry’s struggle with organic growth, the mainstreaming of alternatives, and the rise of human-centered advice, Jack connects the dots across 44 conversations and 80,000 downloads. Together, they explore how wealth-as-a-service operating models, integrated platforms, and scalable personalization are reshaping financial advice—offering a clear, practical blueprint for firms seeking sustainable growth in 2026 and beyond.

In this episode:

(00:00) - Intro

(01:48) - The five defining WealthTech themes of 2025

(03:58) - From accounts to households: the push for unified, tax-smart advice

(07:00) - AI as an amplifier: scaling personalized advice without replacing advisors

(09:51) - The organic growth dilemma facing the industry

(15:22) - Building a true growth engine: wealth as a service in action

(18:22) - Alternatives go mainstream: opportunity, risk, and execution challenges

(22:28) - Human-centered advice: longevity, purpose, and the next generation

(26:18) - Jack's key takeaways

(30:01) - Jack's interests outside of work

Quotes

"Better financial outcomes can be achieved for clients, advisors, and firms through household-level tax smart advice at scale." ~ Jack Sharry

"Organic growth is not achieved as a function of better salespeople or better sales tactics. Successful organic growth is achieved through a combination and coordination of highly competitive investment products, state-of-the-art, fully integrated technology and platforms, seamless coordinated digital operations, and savvy digital marketing." ~ Jack Sharry

"Human-centered advice conversations consistently reinforce that the endgame is about better human outcomes, with tech products, alts, and platforms as enablers." ~ Jack Sharry

Links 

Jack Sharry on LinkedIn

Matt Nollman on LinkedIn

Scott Smith

Cerulli Associates

Justin Singer

EY

Parker Ence

Jump AI

Arnulf Hsu

GReminders

Ritik Malhotra

Savvy

Alicia Rich

Broadridge

Colleen Bell

Cambridge Investment Research

Connor Coughlin

Apex Fintech Solutions

Arthur Worthington

Morgan Stanley

J.P. Morgan

Fidelity Investments

John Amore

Kestra Financial

Mike Capelle

Modern Wealth Management

Randy Morris

Summit Wealth Group

Doug Fritz

F2 Strategy

Randy Lambert

Rafael Couto

Jeffrey Levi

Deloitte

Neil Bathon

Fuse Research Network

Tony Davidow

Franklin Templeton

Ryan Eisenman

Arch

Ryan VanGorder

Opto Investments

David Goldman 

Pontera

Ken Dychtwald

Age Wave

Suzanne Schmitt

Next Chapter

Lacy Garcia

Trust Willow

Adam Holt

Asset-Map

Steve Chen

Boldin

Steven Miyao

Jamie Hopkins

WSFS Bank

Brooke Elliott

Hale Education

Westport River Watershed Alliance

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LifeYield

Matt Nollman on LinkedIn

Jack Sharry on Twitter

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This week, Jack Sharry talks with Sneha Shah, Executive Vice President and Head of New Business Ventures at SEI. Sneha brings more than 25 years of global leadership experience across data, technology, and human-centered innovation. 

Jack and Sneha explore how innovation actually takes root inside large financial services organizations. Sneha shares how SEI is incubating new ideas, empowering employees, and turning emerging technologies like AI and tokenization into real-world impact. The conversation spans mindset shifts, the role of community, generational and gender-based wealth transfer, and why partnerships—not ownership—will determine who wins in the next era of wealth management.

In this episode:

(00:00) - Intro

(01:35) - Sneha's global career journey and her role at SEI

(04:47) - How SEI sources ideas and turns them into new ventures

(07:39) - From idea to impact: real examples of innovation getting funded

(09:45) - How employees are responding to SEI’s innovation culture

(10:40) - Why personalized communication is key to leading organizational change

(14:46) - Sneha's outlook on the future of the financial services industry

(19:18) - Why partnerships matter more than ever in times of rapid change

(21:05) - Sneha's key takeaways

(22:08) - Sneha's interests outside of work

Quotes

"The largest obstacle to the emerging technologies is not the technology itself—it's often the mindset that will allow that technology to take root." ~ Sneha Shah

"Innovation cannot be impactful unless you actually bring people along. And I see that with AI and tokenization. The use, adoption, and scaling of it really depend on the human being feeling like it's something that's going to help transform that job." ~ Sneha Shah

"The failure of our ability to take advantage of technology is not going to be technology. It's going to be our lack of imagination. And so the more that you can excite people's imagination and get them to engage, the further you can really take these technologies." ~ Sneha Shah

Links 

Sneha Shah on LinkedIn

SEI

SEI Next

Thomson Reuters

Education Development Center

African Leadership Academy

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LifeYield

Jack Sharry on LinkedIn

Jack Sharry on Twitter

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This week, Jack Sharry talks with Garrett Beam, Head of Digital Solutions at Cetera Financial Group. Garrett drives the product vision, strategy, experience, design, and execution across various platforms and products to support Cetera's overarching strategic plan. He collaborates closely with the users and internal teams, including development and engineering, quality assurance, marketing, training, sales, and other groups, to deliver impactful solutions, go-to-market activities, adoption initiatives, and ongoing enhancements.

Garrett talks with Jack about how the asset and wealth management industry is moving toward the great convergence, where technology, operations, and investment solutions seamlessly blend to meet rising consumer expectations. He shares how firms can shift from siloed processes to integrated, user-centric experiences, and how AI enables these platforms and digital solutions to be simple, intuitive, and empowering. 

In this episode:

(00:00) - Intro

(01:47) - Garrett's role at Cetera Financial Group

(04:45) - How the industry has evolved over the past 15 years

(08:50) - What the great convergence is all about

(12:40) - The own vs. rent strategy in fintech development

(14:30) - The role of human consultation and training in a digital-first world

(19:04) - Why client-service platforms should be intuitive

(22:23) - The power of AI in transforming financial services

(26:45) - Garrett's key takeaways

(29:15) - Garrett's interests outside of work

Quotes

"The need to respond to end consumers' expectations is why we, as businesses, exist. Without the end customer and the delivery of value, you don't have a viable business." ~ Garrett Beam

"Tech and AI are going to transform businesses, period. Wealth management and wealthtech are no different. Advisors and providers of capabilities must embrace tech and AI to better serve their clients and scale their businesses." ~ Garrett Beam

"From an industry and profession perspective, we have an opportunity to dramatically broaden access to high-quality financial advice. And that requires change. It requires being bold and innovative." ~ Garrett Beam

Links 

Garrett Beam on LinkedIn

Cetera Financial Group

BNY

Charles Schwab

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LifeYield

Jack Sharry on LinkedIn

Jack Sharry on Twitter

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This week, Jack Sharry talks with Tim Kresl, Managing Principal & Head of US Client Success, and Ashley Wood, Managing Principal in Data & Analytics at Broadridge. Tim specializes in market strategy and quantitative analysis, while Ashley brings a strong background in client engagement and innovative financial solutions.  Tim and Ashley team up to help asset managers create more data-driven distribution strategies. 

Tim and Ashley talk with Jack about the key findings of the 2025 MMI Investment Advisory Pulse Survey. They discuss the alignment and gaps between asset managers and wealth managers and the rising demand for tax-optimized portfolios. Tim and Ashley also share insights on how technology is redefining the advisor value proposition and how AI is shifting from experimental curiosity to a core business priority.

In this episode:

(00:00) - Intro

(01:38) - Tim’s and Ashley's roles at Broadridge

(05:25) - Tim on the gaps and alignments between asset and wealth managers

(08:19) - Ashley's takeaway from the 2025 MMI Investment Advisory Pulse Survey

(11:12) - The shifting value proposition of financial advisors

(15:00) - Why tax optimization is a priority for wealth managers

(20:11) - The role of technology in managing multiple accounts efficiently

(21:54) - What it takes to manage multi-account, unified managed households

(25:05) - Ashley's key takeaways

(28:59) - Tim's key takeaways

(31:19) - Ashley's interests outside of work

(32:17) - Tim's interest outside of work

Quotes

"From a product perspective, we're actually seeing some alignment in the core needs that asset and wealth managers are expressing. And those really revolve around a couple of key themes: lower-cost solutions and tax-optimized solutions." ~ Ashley Wood

"Financial advisors are shifting from what was once a very investment management-heavy value proposition to being much more holistic financial planning. And holistic financial planning encompasses far more than just portfolio management and investment selection." ~ Tim Kresl

"The primary way that we've seen firms really managing portfolios from a tax-optimized perspective is obviously asset location and more dynamic tax optimization strategies like tax loss harvesting." ~ Tim Kresl

"Wealth managers are increasingly looking to do more with fewer asset manager partners. So, it's about leveraging technology to manage decreasing margins while providing increased customization and scale." ~ Ashley Wood

Links 

Tim Kresl on LinkedIn

Ashley Wood on LinkedIn

Money Management Institute

Broadridge

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LifeYield

Jack Sharry on LinkedIn

Jack Sharry on Twitter

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This week, Jack Sharry talks with Michael Liersch, Chief Planning Officer at Edelman Financial Engines. Michael acts as the production arm at Edelman. He leads the firm's strategic agenda around the convergence of financial planning, advice, technology, operations, investment solutions, and user experience. With a distinguished career spanning academia and financial services, Michael is also known for integrating behavioral insights into financial strategy.

Michael talks with Jack about how artificial intelligence and automation are reshaping financial advice, not as a replacement for humans, but as a force multiplier for listening, building trust, and improving outcomes. He also discusses the phases of AI integration, the risks of "over-AI-ing" the client experience, and his vision for a future in which advice itself, rather than products, is the industry's core value proposition.

In this episode:

(00:00) - Intro

(02:18) - Michael's role at Edelman Financial Engine

(04:04) - Michael's psychological perspective on AI

(08:51) - Edelman's practical application of AI

(15:55) - How Edelman uses AI at scale

(21:49) - Protecting clients from “over-AI-ing”

(25:30) - Michael's outlook on the future of AI in financial services

(29:54) - Michael's goal for the financial industry

(34:37) - Michael's interests outside of work

Quotes

"We are in a truly new and unique era, recognizing that machines, you can call that AI, and humans can complement each other." ~ Michael Liersch

"What's interesting about the machine is that it doesn't really have any of its own feelings. But it really does a great job of giving itself entirely to the human and achieving a level of precision that humans find challenging." ~ Michael Liersch

"I really want to move the financial industry toward having advice be the actual product." ~ Michael Liersch

Links 

Michael Liersch on LinkedIn

Edelman Financial Engines

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LifeYield

Jack Sharry on LinkedIn

Jack Sharry on Twitter

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This week, Jack Sharry talks with Chip Roame, Founder & Managing Partner of Tiburon Strategic Advisors & Tiburon CEO Summits. Chip is a leading strategic advisor to 700+ Tiburon corporate member firms and other clients, primarily advising CEOs, senior executives, and boards of directors of wealth and investment management firms. He is responsible for all of Tiburon's research and advisory activities, keeping him at the leading edge of strategic initiatives in the industry's fastest-growing businesses.

Jack and Chip break down the real forces shaping wealth management today. Chip shares insights from the latest Tiburon CEO Summit in Boston, covering shifting client segments, asset flows across channels, the dominance of ETFs and private credit, and why scale continues to win. They discuss lead generation as a defining competitive advantage, the accelerating pace of consolidation, and how AI may drive efficiency and personalization without replacing advisors.

In this episode:

(00:00) - Intro

(01:26) - Five major themes from the Tiburon CEO Summit

(02:38) – How investors are changing—and why the generational wealth transfer is overstated

(05:39) – Where the money is really flowing across wealth management channels

(08:37) – Cheap beta vs. private markets: the widening product divide

(11:05) – Why scale keeps winning and the biggest firms keep getting bigger

(13:07) – Business strategy today: lead generation, advisors, and growth models

(15:03) – What real organic growth looks like—and why it matters

(19:47) – Industry structure: consolidation, M&A, and what’s coming next

(22:10) – AI in wealth management: efficiency, personalization, and realistic timelines

(24:39) - Chip's key takeaways

(26:43) - Chip's interests outside of work

Quotes

"Private equity firms or the stock market value organic growth much higher than inorganic growth. And certainly, your cost to acquire a client will always be lowest in digital marketing, in social media, where you self-create the lead." ~ Chip Roame

"Don't get caught up in all the news that gets reported every day. Focus on which firms are actually gathering the most money because they're the ones that are doing something right." ~ Chip Roame

"Lead gen is a big deal right now, and I think those who figure it out are going to win. So if I were a wealth firm, I would be figuring out lead gen for my advisors at the home level." ~ Chip Roame

Links 

Chip Roame on LinkedIn

Tiburon Strategic Advisors

Tiburon CEO Summits

Morgan Stanley

Merrill Lynch

Wells Fargo

UBS

Edward Jones

Ameriprise Financial

J.P. Morgan

Charles Schwab

Fidelity Investments

BlackRock

Forge Global

Vanguard

iShares

Franklin Templeton Investments

Jenny Johnson

Envestnet

Orion Advisor Solutions

Addepar

Tiburon Impact Adventures

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LifeYield

Jack Sharry on LinkedIn

Jack Sharry on Twitter

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This week, Jack Sharry talks with Arthur Worthington, Managing Director of Strategic Business Development & Integration at SEI. With more than a decade of experience working directly with financial advisors, Arthur brings a rare blend of investment, technology, operations, and distribution expertise. In his current role, he leads the integration of major acquisitions—including LifeYield and Stratos—focused on helping wealth management firms scale, improve after-tax outcomes, and move from account-level to household-level implementation.

Jack and Arthur examine why organic growth remains elusive for most wealth management firms—even amid the largest wealth transfer in history. Arthur explains how household-level investing, asset location, and tax-aware withdrawals can unlock meaningful after-tax value for clients while driving retention, consolidation, and enterprise growth for firms. They explore the rising complexity of advice, the shrinking supply of advisors, and why scalable infrastructure—not just AI—will define the next generation of successful advisory businesses.

In this episode:

(00:00) - Intro

(02:03) - Arthur's role at SEI and building the platform of the future

(03:22) - Why organic growth is so hard for most advisory firms

(08:28) – The rising complexity of advice and what the future demands

(10:33) – Turning tax management into a true competitive advantage

(13:34) – How tax-smart investing can dramatically increase retirement income

(15:48) – Using asset location to drive consolidation and organic growth

(17:31) – Creating billions in enterprise value through smarter withdrawals

(22:58) – Scaling advisory businesses without forcing a one-size-fits-all model

(26:18) - Arthur's key takeaways

(28:11) - Arthur's interests outside of work

Quotes

"Today, firms create and build technology infrastructure and then integrate those pieces one-to-one. The future is creating a unified data structure where organic agentic workflows that dynamically move data create real scale." ~ Arthur Worthington

"Investing in the future is about creating outcomes at three different levels: how do we create a better experience for the investor with a better after-tax return, how do we create more scaled solutions, and how can we create more enterprise value." ~ Arthur Worthington

"Financial planning is a huge part of the industry. Leaning into tax management as a differentiator is a durable way to differentiate their service in the market." ~ Arthur Worthington

Links 

Arthur Worthington on LinkedIn

SEI

Stratos Wealth

Vanguard

Amy Young

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LifeYield

Jack Sharry on LinkedIn

Jack Sharry on Twitter

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