WealthTech on Deck

This week, Jack Sharry talks with Tom Lewandowski, Principal and Leader of the High-Net-Worth (HNW) Segment at Edward Jones. Tom leads the development and execution of strategies to better serve HNW households, including defining a unique value proposition for clients and branch teams, product and service strategy, pricing, compensation, operations and infrastructure, integration, and internal and external communication. Tom talks with Jack about how Edward Jones leverages its deep-rooted culture of trust to serve the HNW market. Tom explains how the firm's Generations Program provides branch teams with access to specialized expertise in estate planning, tax strategy, and business transitions, ensuring that complex client needs are met with the same personalized touch the firm is known for. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:10) - Tom's role at Edward Jones (02:10) - Tom's journey in the wealth management industry (03:42) - Why Edward Jones leaned into high-net-worth clients (05:53) - The genesis of the Edward Jones Generations Program (07:56) - How Edward Jones' home-office specialists support local branch teams (11:43) - Latest updates on Edward Jones Generations Program (15:25) - Helping families move from uncertainty to clarity (17:10) - Edward Jones' future goals (20:21) - Tom's key takeaways (21:09) - Tom's interests outside of work Quotes "Trust is that gateway to the conversations that matter." ~ Tom Lewandowski "We strongly believe that family conversations are the most important. If you want to remove that burden or turn it into something positive in terms of how that comprehensive plan can impact your family, we'd love you to consider an Edward Jones financial advisor, because we're the best in the business of driving those." ~ Tom Lewandowski "If you can marry the best of both worlds—great advice, solid products and services—into a comprehensive financial planning conversation, that's what clients are really looking for." ~ Tom Lewandowski Links  Tom Lewandowski on LinkedIn Edward Jones EY Husch Blackwell Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

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 Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

John Yackel, EVP and Head of Wealth Management at Janney with 30+ years in wealth and fintech, shares how legacy firms modernize while keeping culture intact. He talks tech modernization, the “supported independence” model for advisors, scaling advisor platforms, boosting advisor productivity, and strategic expansion. Short, practical conversations about making it easier for advisors to run and grow their practices.

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 Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Jack Sharry, creator of WealthTech on Deck and experienced wealth-management executive, breaks down 2025’s top WealthTech shifts. He covers household-level tax-smart advice, AI as a capacity amplifier for advisors, the organic growth challenge, wealth-as-a-service operational models, and the mainstreaming of alternatives. Short, forward-looking conversation with practical themes for firms planning 2026.

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 Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

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 Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

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 Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

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 Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

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 Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook