Digital Employees are Already Here: Alex Schlesinger @ SS&C

Digital Employees are Already Here: Alex Schlesinger @ SS&C

AI is moving from hype into infrastructure. In this episode of AI for Advisors, Mark and James sit down with Alex Schlesinger of Advent to discuss what it actually looks like to build AI inside a large enterprise WealthTech organization — and why most firms are still approaching AI the wrong way. The conversation explores the tension between innovation and legacy systems, how large firms think about AI adoption, and why the future may belong to flexible AI platforms instead of one-size-fits-all solutions. What we cover: • Building AI inside large WealthTech enterprises • Why “AI-first” thinking often fails • AI infrastructure vs AI products • MCP, orchestration, and digital employees • Operational efficiency in wealth management • The future of advisor technology stacks Chapters: 00:00 – Dogs, tracking tech, and digital employees 07:00 – OpenClaw, AI agents, and orchestration 24:00 – Alex’s background and Advent journey 31:00 – Building AI inside large organizations 45:00 – Why most AI implementations fail 57:00 – The future of AI platforms in wealth management About AI for Advisors: Conversations exploring how artificial intelligence is transforming wealth management, advisor workflows, and the future of financial services.

Advisors Are Missing the Biggest Asset with Jason Early, Founder & CEO of RISR

Most advisors want to serve business owners — but many still lack the tools, data, and confidence to advise them well. In this episode of AI for Advisors, Mark Heynen and James Cantwell talk with Jason Early, Founder & CEO of RISR, about why business owners remain one of the biggest missed opportunities in wealth management. They discuss how advisors can move beyond rough business valuations, use better data to create deeper planning conversations, and help owners think through succession, exit planning, risk, and long-term goals. They also explore how AI is changing the advisor’s role, why relationship-building still matters, and why technology should support trust — not replace it. Featuring Jason Early, Founder & CEO of RISR.

Your Messaging is Broken: Allen Darby from Alaris Acquisitions

In this episode of AI for Advisors, Mark and James sit down with Allen Darby, Founder and CEO of Alaris Acquisitions, to discuss how AI is beginning to reshape the future of RIAs, M&A, and wealth management operations. Allen shares insights from years of advising RIA transactions, including how buyers evaluate firms, why cultural fit matters more than price alone, and how AI could eventually impact valuations, staffing, growth, and advisor-client relationships. The conversation also explores the rise of AI note takers, automation in advisory workflows, and whether AI-powered firms could eventually command a premium in the market. What we cover: • The state of RIA M&A today • Why younger advisors are selling earlier • How Alaris uses AI for buyer-seller matching • The role of culture and compatibility in acquisitions • AI’s impact on advisor operations and staffing • Whether AI-ready firms could command higher valuations • The future of advisor-client relationships in an AI world Learn more about Alaris Acquisitions: https://www.alarisacquisitions.com [https://www.alarisacquisitions.com/]

Growth Without Losing Trust: Eden Ovadia from Finny

Most AI conversations in wealth management focus on efficiency. This one is about something harder: growth without breaking trust. In this episode of AI for Advisors, Eden Ovadia, founder of FINNY, shares how he’s building a modern, AI-native experience for financial advice — while staying grounded in the reality that trust is still the product. The conversation explores why most AI growth strategies feel inauthentic, how younger users actually want to engage with financial advice, and why the next generation of advisor experiences may look completely different from today’s model. If you’re thinking about AI purely as a productivity tool, you may be missing the bigger shift. Key Takeaways: • AI doesn’t replace trust — it amplifies it (or destroys it) • Growth in financial services is shifting from distribution → experience • Younger users expect real-time, contextual engagement • Most advisor tech is built for firms — not end clients • The winners will balance scale + authenticity Chapters: 00:00 – Intro & Eden’s background 04:12 – What FINNY is building 09:30 – Why most AI in finance feels inauthentic 15:05 – The real role of trust in AI-powered advice 21:40 – How younger users want to engage 28:10 – Scale vs personalization 35:25 – Why advisor tech misses the end user 42:50 – What good AI experiences feel like 50:15 – The future of financial advice 57:30 – Closing thoughts Learn more about FINNY: https://finny.ai [https://finny.ai/]

Advisor Tech is Solving the Wrong Problem: Churni Bhattacharya @ Amplify

Most advisor technology isn’t broken because it lacks features. It’s broken because it’s solving the wrong problem. In this episode of AI for Advisors, Mark Heynen and James Cantwell sit down with Churni Bhattacharya, Chief Product Officer at Amplify, to unpack why so much wealthtech fails to deliver real impact—and how AI is forcing a rethink of how advisor platforms should actually be built. Instead of chasing more tools, Churni makes the case for experience-first design, where the goal isn’t adding functionality, but removing friction across the advisor workflow. The conversation goes deep on: * why advisors default to tools instead of outcomes * how growth creates hidden operational complexity * why “all-in-one” platforms often fail in practice * and why AI will only work if the underlying system is designed correctly If you’re evaluating your tech stack—or thinking about how AI fits into your firm—this episode will challenge your assumptions. Takeaways: * Most wealthtech is feature-driven, not outcome-driven Firms adopt tools to solve narrow problems, but end up increasing complexity across the system. * Growth breaks systems faster than technology can fix them As firms scale, hidden inefficiencies compound—AI can’t fix broken workflows. * “All-in-one” platforms often fail because they ignore real user behavior Advisors don’t operate in clean, linear workflows—platforms need to reflect reality. * AI is not a solution—it’s an amplifier If your process is good, AI makes it better. If it’s broken, AI makes it worse faster. * The future is experience-first, not tool-first Winning platforms will design around how advisors actually work—not how software is structured. Chapters: 00:00 — Intro & setup Mark and James introduce Churni and frame the core problem in advisor tech. 04:30 — Why advisor tech feels fragmented How the industry ended up with tool sprawl instead of cohesive systems. 10:15 — The “wrong problem” in wealthtech Why most platforms optimize for features instead of outcomes. 17:40 — Growth creates operational chaos What actually breaks inside firms as they scale. 24:10 — The myth of the all-in-one platform Why consolidation doesn’t always solve complexity. 31:30 — Where AI fits (and where it doesn’t) Why AI won’t fix bad systems—and what it can do. 38:20 — Designing for real advisor workflows What an experience-first platform actually looks like. 45:00 — Final thoughts & future outlook Where wealthtech and AI are headed next.