As advisory firms begin setting technology budgets for 2027, three product and operations leaders in wealth management technology say the clearest returns from agentic AI aren't coming from the advice conversation itself — they're coming from the operational work that surrounds it: meeting prep, client follow-up, and the connective tissue linking a firm's CRM, custodial data, and planning tools.

Every advisor I talk to has a partnership story. A sponsorship they wrote a check for. A charity gala table they bought. A "community initiative" they signed onto because a client asked, or because it felt like the right thing to do, or because a competitor was doing something similar.

In an environment where competition is rising and organic growth is increasingly difficult to achieve, referrals remain one of the most powerful ways for financial advisors to expand their reach. But while most advisors agree referrals are essential, few have a structured, intentional strategy for earning them – especially from centers of influence (COIs).

With the avalanche of AI hype, product launches and announcements I’m constantly buried by, it is refreshing to receive analysis and data that reflects actual usage and grounds me back into some semblance of reality

Altruist, the tech-based custodian founded and run by Jason Wenk, has entered into an agreement to be acquired by financial services and investment giant Vanguard.

‘’What does a woman want?’’ Freud pondered in what has been called “a quintessentially male question.’’ In matters of financial management, women advisors cleared up the mystery.