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1. What $10 Million in RIA Ad Spend Reveals About Winning More Clients
In this podcast episode on client acquisition for financial advisors, Alex Khassa joins host Ben to break down what actually works — and what doesn't — when RIAs try to grow through paid digital marketing and Meta ads. Drawing on $10M+ in Facebook and Instagram ad spend and 30,000+ booked appointments, Alex walks through the video-first lead generation funnel his firm uses: a 90-second advisor-led Facebook ad, a 10-minute educational VSL, and a booked consultation. — Alex Khassa
2. How AI Is Making Financial Advisors More Valuable Than Ever
Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving at a breakneck pace and that rapid evolution has this disruptive technology permeating a slew of industries, including wealth management. On that note, it’s safe to say advisors’ relationship with AI is also evolving. There was a time, actually just a few years ago, when advisors fretted that AI would displace them. However, AI has actually worked in advisors’ favor on that front because with the technology so prevalent in other walks of life, clients increasingly want and demand the human touch. — Todd Shriber
3. A One-Year-Old Is Grabbing Income Seekers’ Attention
By looking under the hood at CAIE’s investment approach, advisors and investors can better appreciate how the fund accomplished so much in such a short time. CAIE seeks exposure to a portfolio of autocallables in the MerQube US Large Cap Vol Advantage Autocallable Index, an income-oriented index that references US equities and is designed to use volatility to its advantage. — Calamos
4. What History Says About Stocks After Midterm Years
The second half of midterm years has often been choppy. Roughly a third of instances since 1950 were negative, and the worst six-month stretch fell more than 20% (1974). Twelve months out (July through the following June), the picture has improved. Returns in midterm years averaged more than double a typical year, and all but one instance was positive (-1.5% from July 2002 – June 2003). In fact, even 1974, the midterm year with the worst second half, still finished the 12-month period from July of that year through June of the following year with a gain of more than 10%. — Lincoln Financial
5. Why the Fed Isn’t Panicking About Inflation (And Neither Is Wall Street)
When I think Great Expectations, I think of the Charles Dickens classic (and I think of Cheers, and Fraser trying to interest the bar in A Tale of Two Cities…if you need a laugh, I highly recommend the episode, it is brilliant). When I think Not So Great Expectations, I think of Wall Street’s expectations for what inflation will average over the five-year period beginning five years from now (which, not surprisingly, are not so great, which is a good thing). — Tim Holland
6. 10 Ways to Balance Your Attention Portfolio
Last week I wrote about what I called the fourth retirement risk: identity. I argued that as the identities of successful men shrink when their careers end, the algorithm fills the vacuum. This week, I want to focus on another target of the algorithm: our attention. I am convinced that attention is one of our most valuable assets in retirement and in life. Yet it’s one of our least protected. Imagine you met with a financial advisor who refused to tell you what they were investing in, how they got paid, what risks they were taking, or why they were recommending one investment over another. Or a physician who started prescribing medications before asking about your symptoms, your age, your medical history, your current prescriptions, or other critical health questions. Or an attorney who urged you to sign a stack of legal documents without explaining what you were signing, what rights you were waiving, or what the long-term consequences might be. You’d be out the door in every one of these cases. You need transparency before commitment. — Tom West
7. Tripling Your Lead Flow Starts With Getting Out of Your Own Way
Here's something you might not like to hear, but you need to hear it: The reason you're not as successful or effective as you want isn't because of the market, the economy, or any other external factor. The reason is you. Take, for instance, the fact every listener of this show knows enough to get started. And yet, the vast majority will let that information die in the deep recesses of their mind instead of taking swift action on it. The biggest difference between the most successful and most mediocre advisors isn't a skill gap. The successful ones aren't naturally better at marketing than you are. — James Pollard
8. AI Is Starting To Replace Financial Advisors for Some Investors
A growing share of American investors are making investment decisions without the ongoing help of a financial advisor. Among Americans who currently hold investments such as stocks, mutual funds or ETFs, retirement accounts, or annuities, YouGov data shows that only 32% currently use a financial planner or advisor service. Another 14% have used one in the past but no longer do. — Rishad Dsouza
9. Are You Invisible To AI? Run This Audit To Find Out
Prospects are no longer just Googling for financial advisors – they're opening ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity and asking for recommendations by name, niche, and location. If you're not showing up, you're losing high-intent prospects before they ever find you. — FMG
10. Improving RIA Client Engagement With AI
Wealth advisors are a busy group. Trying to stay on top of market trends and clients’ portfolios can leave little time for direct client interactions. Surprisingly, it looks like technology, in the form of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, may help to provide a solution. Read on to learn about use cases and caveats for AI in wealth management, as well as tips for choosing appropriate AI tools. — Rick Dennen
11. AI Is Replacing Search: Will Your Advisory Firm Be Part of the Answer?
For years, firms have invested in SEO to earn visibility when prospects search for answers. Now, those answers are increasingly being summarized, filtered, and recommended before a prospect ever reaches a website. — Joel Crampton