Barron's Advisor Robert Crossley: AI Agents Are Coming for Your Clients' Cash Flow
Mar 3, 2026
Robert Crossley, Franklin Templeton’s head of industry advisory services who led research on retirement shifts, discusses how tech, demographics, and investor habits are reshaping retirement planning. He covers limits of legacy systems and why change is urgent. Conversations touch on wallets replacing accounts, AI agents automating financial choices, stablecoins and payments, and how advisors must personalize to stay relevant.
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Retirement System Built For A Different Economy
- The retirement system is designed for stable employer-based careers and can't serve a workforce with shorter, gig-based careers.
- Robert Crossley cites shrinking job tenure (boomers 8+ years vs Gen X ~2 years) and tripling healthcare costs as systemic stressors.
Younger Investors Prioritize Income And Alternatives
- Younger generations prioritize income and alternatives over public equity accumulation.
- Crossley notes under-43s buy far fewer equities and prefer real estate, crypto, and private equity instead of traditional stocks.
Trust Moves From Advisors To Digital Communities
- Trust is shifting from product experts to digital ecosystems and communities.
- Crossley highlights social media and Fintok: 90% of Gen Z get financial info from social media and one-third of Gen Z watch Fintoks and act on them.
