Talking Wealth

Investment management has become strangely polarizing in the advisory industry. On one end, many “planning-led” firms treat portfolios as a commodity—something clients can DIY or outsource entirely because “markets are efficient anyway.” On the other, some firms still rely on outdated investment storytelling: credentials, access, and vague promises of outperformance. On this episode of Talking Wea...

On this episode of Talking Wealth, Michael Batnick sits down with Todd Owens, Managing Partner at Cantilever to break down the rapidly growing world of GP stakes investing. They discuss why asset managers are selling minority interests in their firms, what investors actually get exposure to when they buy GP stakes, and how this strategy differs from traditional private equity. Todd explains the ec...

On this episode of Ben with Benefits, Ben Carlson is joined by Stefan Sharkansky, author of the new research paper “The Only Other Spending Rule Article You Will Ever Need.” Millions of retirees and advisors are trying to solve the retirement spending puzzle of how to both avoid outliving one’s assets while simultaneously avoiding chronic underspending. We discuss the trade-offs involved in a vari...

On this episode of Talking Wealth, we’re diving into one of the most misunderstood—and increasingly controversial—corners of investing: alternatives. Over the past few years, interval funds and other semi-liquid vehicles have exploded in popularity, promising access to private markets with smoother returns and less volatility. But as recent events around BlueRock have made painfully clear, the str...

On this episode of Talking Wealth, Josh Brown is joined by Eden Ovadia and Victoria Toli, two of the three founders of FINNY AI. FINNY AI is one of the hottest startups in the wealth management industry fresh off a major new funding round with some of the smartest venture capitalists in the space. Josh is an investor and an advisor to the company. This episode is brought to you by VanEck. Learn mo...

On this episode of Talking Wealth, we’re doing something special as part of the Compound Insights Research Program, our initiative to bring original data, white papers, and strategic intelligence to the wealth management profession. Our latest publication — The RIA Real Deal: What We’ve Learned from a Golden Era of Deal-Making — is one of the first true retrospective analyses of RIA M&A outcomes o...

On this episode of Talking Wealth, Michael Batnick is joined by Lisa Salvi, Managing Director of Business Consulting and Education at Charles Schwab Advisor Services. We’re diving deep into Schwab’s RIA Benchmarking Study, which is the leading study in the industry, with 1,288 firms representing over $2.4 trillion in AUM. The study reveals actionable insights into what’s fueling growth across the...

On this episode of Talking Wealth, we’re diving into one of the biggest shifts in the advisory world: the surge in income-oriented products. From covered-call ETFs and bond ladders to private-credit funds and interval structures, advisors are increasingly building portfolios around steady cash flow rather than pure total return. Jeffrey Ptak, managing director at Morningstar, joins Michael Batnick...

On this episode of Talking Wealth, Michael Batnick and Ian Wenik go deep on the RIA industry’s two biggest stress fractures: the organic growth slowdown and the unraveling of some of private equity’s largest wealth rollups. From referral fatigue to valuation pressure to PE firms discovering the limits of financial engineering, this is a candid look at why multi-billion-dollar platforms suddenly ca...

On this episode of Talking Wealth, Ben Carlson is joined by Cullen Roche, founder and CIO of Discipline Funds. They'll explore how Cullen turned his blog, Pragmatic Capitalism, into a funnel for wealth management clients, why he turned his client portfolios into ETFs, the process that goes into starting an ETF, the challenges facing advisors when it comes to reaching client goals and more. This ep...

Josh Brown and Kevin Thompson are back for an all new edition of Talking Wealth. They'll discuss the Kyle Busch IUL scam, ChatGPT bans “tailored financial advice”, CFP & being young, what does everyone do to inoculate retiring clients from the full court press, and more. This episode is sponsored by RBC Clearing & Custody. To find out more visit https://www.rbcclearingandcustody.com/ For more from...

On this episode of Talking Wealth, Michael Batnick sits down with John Connell, Co-Founder and CEO of Focal, the AI-powered productivity platform transforming how advisory firms document, automate and scale client service. With roots at Microsoft and multiple startups, John brings deep enterprise SaaS experience to the advisor space. We’ll explore how Focal is moving beyond note-taking to orchestr...

On this episode of Talking Wealth, Ben Carlson sits down with Nick Downer, Head of Advisory Services at Opto Investments. Opto Investments is a tech-driven platform that helps financial advisors and family offices better manage private investments. We’re going to discuss how Opto does this, their new AI tool for private market due diligence, and more. If you're a financial advisor and interested i...

Josh Brown and Kevin Thompson are back for an all new edition of Talking Wealth. Charles Schwab is reportedly raising its referral minimum from $500,000 to $2,000,000 which will significantly shrink the pool of potential referred clients to its advisor network. Josh and Kevin discuss this and more. If you're a financial advisor and interested in going deeper, subscribe to the Talking Wealth email...

On this episode of Talking Wealth, Michael Batnick is joined by Brandon Kawal, Partner at Advisor Growth Strategies, to break down the findings of their highly anticipated RIA Deal Room report. Brandon shares a behind-the-scenes look at today’s red-hot RIA M&A landscape, where deal volume and valuations are at all-time highs, but buyers are more selective than ever. We explore what’s driving recor...

On this episode of The Unlock, Ben Carlson is joined by Fred Barstein to discuss the growing importance of defined contribution retirement plans for financial advisors and how you can better position yourself to gain more clients. Fred is the founder and CEO of The Plan Sponsor University, which offers online and live workplace retirement plan education for business owners, benefits specialists an...

On the latest episode of Ben with Benefits, Ben Carlson spoke with Morningstar’s Director of Personal Finance and Retirement Planning, Christine Benz. Christine is also the author of the new book How to Retire. Ben and Christine discuss some of the biggest challenges and opportunities for financial advisors with the tidal wave of baby boomer assets that need to be managed in retirement. They dive...

On this episode of The Unlock, Downtown Josh Brown is joined by Samantha Russell, to discuss the eight marketing moves advisors can make today. Samantha is the Chief Evangelist at FMG Suite, an all-in-one financial advisor marketing platform that provides marketing tools and custom websites for advisors to grow their business. For more from The Unlock, sign up at: https://www.advisorunlock.com/ Th...

On this episode of The Unlock, Downtown Josh Brown and Michael Batnick are joined by financial planner and fintech expert Jason Pereira to discuss the current state of technology in the wealth management industry. Jason explains what he looks for in a technology provider, how advisors are using software and what's happening in the wealth tech startup space. For more from The Unlock, sign up at: ht...

Welcome to the first episode of The Unlock's new show, Ben with Benefits! Ben Carlson is joined by Shawn O'Brien, Director of Retirement at Cerulli Associates, to discuss the massive opportunities for financial advisors to grow their business in the defined contribution retirement plan space. Thanks to YCharts for sponsoring this episode. Follow the link to unlock exclusive access to downloadable...

On this episode of The Unlock, Downtown Josh Brown and Michael Batnick are joined by Alec Crawford to discuss the future of financial advice, how AI will be used by most advisors, and the critical role of AI cybersecurity in the financial industry. For more from The Unlock, sign up at: https://www.advisorunlock.com/ This episode is sponsored by Wealthbox®, a CRM platform for financial advisors. In...

On this episode of Ben with Benefits, Nick Maggiulli joins Ben Carlson to discuss their thoughts on the timing of an inheritance, the psychology behind spending & giving in retirement, how advisors can help bridge the generational gap, the best giving strategies, how to think about the inheritance puzzle and more! This episode is sponsored by Betterment Advisor Solutions. Grow your RIA, your way b...

On this episode of Ben with Benefits, Ben Carlson speaks with Bill Bengen, creator of the famed “4% rule,” to revisit the groundbreaking research he published over 30 years ago and answer the question on every retired client’s mind: Does the 4% rule still hold up today? They share insights about misconceptions about the 4% rule, what a “safe” withdrawal rate actually means, why so many retirees st...

On this episode of Ben with Benefits, Ben Carlson speaks with Scott Rick, author of Tightwads & Spendthrifts, to explore the psychology of spending. They discuss why most financial advice ignores the emotional side of money, how your spending habits are shaped, and why helping clients actually spend their wealth is one of the biggest challenges for financial advisors today. This episode is sponsor...

Welcome back to Talking Wealth. Today, we’re going to be talking about the future of AI and financial advice. I won’t bury the lede. Artificial intelligence has the potential to do to financial advisors what the comet did to dinosaurs. The financial advice my children get won’t be delivered by human beings the same way it is today. I couldn’t think of a better person to have on than my friend Dave...