Last week the Keen Wealth leadership team took a trip to Chicago for the Charles Schwab IMPACT® Conference. One of the biggest gatherings in the financial services industry, it is designed to educate attendees on new technologies, trends, and navigating hot-button issues. There were dozens of sessions, hundreds of vendors, and vast opportunities to learn.

And Schwab put together an incredible lineup of speakers this year: former UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Washington insider (and Keen On Retirement podcast guest) Greg Valliere, Not Impossible Labs Founder and CEO Mick Ebeling, and best-selling author Michael Lewis (Moneyball, The Big Short), just to name a few.

It’s inspiring to hear people who are at the top of their professions give their perspectives on big issues in business, politics, science, and culture. And it’s fun and a privilege to be surrounded by industry peers at invitation-only events like this and like the Barron’s Top Advisors Summit each year. But even more, I believe attendance is an important professional obligation. Our clients at Keen Wealth trust us to help them make the most informed decisions possible about their long-term financial futures. To do that, my team has to stay current on the important trends that are shaping fiscal policy, technology, economic trends and the wider world.

On today’s show, I’m joined by Keen Wealth’s Matt Wilson and Sarah Tipping as we reflect on the key big picture trends we saw emerging from this year’s Schwab IMPACT® Conference, and how those trends might impact your financial planning in 2018 and beyond.