The AI-Native Advisor Podcast by Impruve

What does it actually look like to run a thriving RIA as a one-person firm in 2025? Alan Rhode, Founder & CEO of Modern Wealth, has been doing it since 2019, and AI has changed everything. In this episode of The AI-Native Advisor, Mike Shannon sits down with Alan to unpack how he built a solo practice serving small business owners approaching a liquidity event, and how his tech stack lets him...

On this episode of The AI Native Advisor, Mike Shannon sits down with Brett Wysopal, Founder and CEO of Wysopal Wealth Planning, for a candid conversation about where AI is actually delivering value in financial advice, and where it’s still falling short. Brett works with equity-compensated tech professionals navigating complex stock options, tax decisions, and liquidity events. In an industry flo...

On this episode of The AI Native Advisor, Mike sits down with Joel Miller, Founder and Senior Financial Planner at Flames Financial Planning, for a conversation that gets to the heart of how AI is reshaping the economics and the human side of modern financial advice. Joel shares his journey from working inside traditional advisory models to launching a flat-fee planning firm designed to serve clie...

In this episode of The AI Native Advisor , Mike Shannon sits down with Aditi Kapadia, Founder & CEO of Wealth IQ , to explore how AI is reshaping the future of financial advice. Aditi shares her unconventional journey from wealth advisor to AI builder — teaching herself to code and developing a proprietary “money mindset” assessment tool to better understand how clients think about financial d...

The conversation delves into the intersection of music and finance, the writing process and concept of 'Hip Hop Times Finance', the educational impact of the book, content strategy and client growth, AI integration in content creation, and content creation habits and routine. The discussion also highlights the use of AI in content creation and the challenges of integrating AI into the content stra...

On this episode of The AI Native Advisor , Mike sits down with Nisiar Smith, founder and CEO of Courtside Wealth, for a conversation that speaks directly to what every founder-led RIA is grappling with: how to build trust at scale, serve a high-profile client base, and design a tech-enabled firm without losing the human edge. Nisiar shares his journey from the traditional banking world to launchin...

On this episode of The AI Native Advisor, Mike sits down with David Rath, Partner and CIO at Continuum Wealth Advisors, for a conversation that hits right at the center of what every growing RIA is wrestling with right now: scale, succession, and the real role of AI in the next chapter of firm building. David shares his path from Northwestern Mutual and Goldman to joining Continuum as the long-ter...

In this episode, Mike and Danny dig into what it really means to scale relationships in the age of AI. For decades, the advisor’s edge has come from trust. The ability to remember the details that matter most: a client’s dog’s name, a birthday, a question asked three months ago. But with books of 400 or 500 relationships, keeping that personal touch has become harder than ever. That’s where Relati...

Advisors have always worn the hat of educator -- sharing insights, breaking down complex topics, and guiding clients through change. But in an AI-saturated world, how do you separate genuine thought leadership from content noise? In this episode, Mike and Danny unpack the tension between authentic creativity and AI-generated writing. The conversation explores how advisors can use AI to compound co...

Mike sits down with Danny to dig into one of the most requested workflows from advisors right now: making email actually work. They walk through how an AI-native operating system ties into Gmail and Outlook, listens in real time, and pulls the right signals out of the noise so nothing slips. From detecting money-movement requests to spotting “I’ll send the invite” promises, they show how an agent...

Everyone’s talking about AI note-takers. But the real question is what happens next. In this episode, Mike and Danny pull back the curtain on integrations, the quiet but critical infrastructure that makes an AI operating system actually work for advisors. From APIs that act like drawers you can only open if you’ve earned trust, to security audits with Google and Zoom, to the “rat’s nest” of data i...

Every advisor has heard the buzz about AI notetakers. Game-changing at first, but quickly on their way to being just another commodity. The real question for advisors isn’t “who’s taking my notes?” It’s “how do I turn every client interaction into context that compounds over time?” In this episode, Mike Shannon (CEO) and Danny Shannon (CTO) break down: Why the AI notetaker is today’s “light bulb”...