Category: Education
Driving Growth with Authentic Marketing and AI with Robert Sofia (Ep. 6)

Driving Growth with Authentic Marketing and AI with Robert Sofia (Ep. 6)

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Marketing in wealth management is evolving faster than ever, with new technology, client expectations, and competitive pressures reshaping how firms grow.

In this episode of Beacon 1% Better Every Day, Chip Kispert speaks with Robert Sofia, CEO of Snappy Kraken, about the state of marketing in wealth management and how firms can accelerate growth. Robert shares insights on authentic client engagement, systematic nurturing, and the role of AI in speeding up and personalizing marketing strategies.

Key takeaways:

  • The increasing competition from private equity-backed firms and the challenges advisors face in standing out
  • Why authentic, quality messaging is harder to find and more important than ever
  • How nurturing leads systematically can increase conversion rates by 200–300%
  • The balance between referrals, digital channels, and social media for sustainable growth
  • How AI is transforming speed, precision, and personalization in advisor marketing strategies
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Chip Kispert

Connect with Robert Sofia:

About Our Guest:

Robert Sofia is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Snappy Kraken, a digital marketing strategy company built specifically “for financial advisers who care about meaningful connections.” Over the years, Snappy Kraken has earned awards such as Best Overall Content Marketing Company from Martech Breakthrough Awards and has been recognized five times as an honoree of the Inc 500/5000. Over the past decade, Robert has supported thousands of companies across the financial services spectrum, including solo advisers, ensembles, family offices, broker-dealers, custodians, TAMPs, insurance firms, and more.

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Bringing AI Safely into Finance with Geoff Moore (Ep. 7)

Bringing AI Safely into Finance with Geoff Moore (Ep. 7)

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Artificial intelligence is shaking up wealth management, but how do you separate hype from what’s actually useful? 

In this episode, Chip Kispert sits down with Geoff Moore, Chief Information Officer at ValMark Securities, to talk about how his firm is weaving AI into real processes without losing sight of what matters most: people. 

From early wins with AI-powered document extraction to advisors reclaiming hours of family time and personal time thanks to AI note-taking tools, Geoff shares both the breakthroughs and the challenges of moving from proof of concept to production.

What to expect:

  • Early wins and cautionary lessons with AI adoption
  • How Compliance leaders can embrace, not fear, new tech
  • Why context management is the next big frontier
  • Real stories of efficiency translating into quality of life
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Chip Kispert

Connect with Geoff Moore:

About Our Guests:

Geoff Moore is the Chief Information Officer at Valmark Financial Group, where he leads technology strategy and innovation across the firm’s RIA, insurance, and broker-dealer businesses. With a focus on practical, people-first AI adoption, Geoff has guided Valmark through early wins in automation and data management, earning recognition as Box.com’s Small Business AI Disruptor Award winner. He serves on the CIO Inspire Chapter Board in Northeast Ohio and shares his insights as a panelist at industry events like the Advise AI Conference. Geoff is passionate about using technology to enhance both efficiency and advisor quality of life, helping professionals spend less time on manual work and more time with clients and family.

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How Better and More Complete Data and AI Help Advisors Get 1% Better Every Day (Ep. 6)

How Better and More Complete Data and AI Help Advisors Get 1% Better Every Day (Ep. 6)

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What happens when IRS tax data meets AI in the middle of an advisor shortage?

In this episode of Beacon: 1% Better Every Day, host Chip Kispert sits down with Kevin Knull, CFP®, and Browning Mank of TaxStatus to explore how their platform is reshaping advisor growth strategies and client service models.

Kevin shares his journey from the U.S. Coast Guard to fintech leadership, highlighting how solving big problems with technology and helping people has always been part of his DNA. Browning offers an unexpected but relatable story about dating that ties directly into why having better data leads to better outcomes.

Together, they reveal how TaxStatus helps advisors uncover held-away assets, prepare for wealth transfer, and scale fiduciary advice in a future where both financial advisors and CPAs will be in short supply.

What you’ll learn:

  • Why incomplete data puts advisors at risk of giving partial advice
  • How firms can discover hidden assets and unlock organic growth
  • The staggering advisor and CPA shortage ahead, and the opportunity it creates
  • Real-world use cases of how tax data transforms client reviews and prospecting

Resources:

Connect with Chip Kispert

Connect with Kevin Knull

Connect with Browning Mank

About Our Guests:

Kevin Knull is the Chief Executive Officer at Tax Status, where he is focused on building strong teams and creating innovative strategies that drive growth and performance in the fintech and financial services industries. Over the course of his career, Kevin has led teams and driven transformation at leading firms including MoneyGuide Pro, PIEtech (MoneyGuide’s Truth platform), YCharts, and Symetra Investment Management. With a background that began at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and included three tours of duty, Kevin brings a service-first mindset to every role. His passion lies in solving big problems, leveraging technology, and helping advisors deliver better outcomes for their clients.

Browning Mank is the Senior Vice President and Enterprise Account Executive at Tax Status. She brings decades of experience across wealth management, insurance, and asset management, with a career that spans corporate, entrepreneurial, RIA, CPA, and fintech sectors. Browning spent 18 years in leadership roles at Fidelity Investments, where she oversaw sales strategy and execution across retail branches, regional centers, and institutional RIA/Broker-Dealer channels. Following her time at Fidelity, she founded a successful executive recruiting and consulting firm, and later held strategic roles with Ackerman Capital Management, ForwardLane Inc., and other prominent RIAs and fintechs. She joined Tax Status in 2024, where she focuses on helping wealth firms harness IRS data to improve client outcomes and drive organic growth. Known for her collaborative approach and creative problem-solving, Browning is dedicated to elevating client and employee experiences and unlocking new opportunities for the professionals she serves.

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Rebuilding Trust in Wealth: How Couplr AI Is Transforming Lead Generation with Human Connection (Ep. 5)

Rebuilding Trust in Wealth: How Couplr AI Is Transforming Lead Generation with Human Connection (Ep. 5)

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When Derek Notman, CFP®, launched Couplr AI, it wasn’t just about building a better lead gen platform; it was about bringing human connection back to the center of financial advice.

In this episode, Chip Kispert talks with Derek, a former top-producing advisor turned fintech founder, about what’s broken in traditional lead generation and how his team is reimagining it through the lens of empathy, personalization, and behavioral science.

Drawing on experience from both the advisor seat and startup trenches, Derek explains how cold outreach erodes trust and why flipping the script to empower consumers, not chase them, could transform advisor growth. The conversation also explores orphan accounts, ethical leadership, and Derek’s unexpected path to masterminding with Richard Branson.

What to expect:

  • Why legacy lead gen misses the mark on human connection
  • How Couplr uses behavioral data to match clients and advisors
  • The orphan account crisis no one wants to talk about
  • What Richard Branson taught Derek about fatherhood and business

Resources:

Connect with Chip Kispert

Connect with Derek Notman

About Our Guest:

Derek Notman, CFP®, is the founder of Couplr AI and a former financial advisor with over 20 years of experience. After building a successful advisor practice and RIA, Derek turned his focus to solving one of the industry’s biggest friction points: helping clients find the right advisor at the right time. Couplr blends behavioral psychology, AI, and a dating app-like experience to deliver more meaningful advisor-client human connections. Derek is also the creator of the Dadpreneur experience, a leadership mastermind hosted on Richard Branson’s Necker Island.

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Building Championship Teams in WealthTech (Ep. 4)

Building Championship Teams in WealthTech (Ep. 4)

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When Dave Goes made the leap from Morningstar to Advyzon, it wasn’t just about technology. It was about joining a winning team.

In this episode, Chip Kispert sits down with Dave, President of Enterprise Solutions at Advyzon, to explore what makes  winning teams and great platforms in today’s wealth management space.

With nearly three decades of experience, Dave shares why Advyzon’s single-source-code platform and culture of execution stands out to him, and how the firm is redefining enterprise partnerships. It’s not about selling solutions; it’s about solving real enterprise challenges. Dave also opens up about his leadership philosophy, his love for baseball, and why servant leadership and follow-through are at the heart of real client success.

What to expect:

  • How to spot and build championship-caliber teams
  • Advyzon’s tech edge in a crowded platform market
  • The leadership mindset that drives enterprise growth
  • Why partnership is more than a buzzword

Resources:

Connect with Chip Kispert

Connect with Dave Goes:

About Our Guest:

Dave Goes is President of Enterprise Sales at Advyzon, and is instrumental in expanding the company’s reach into larger-scale wealth enterprises, including regional broker-dealers, banks, and insurance BDs. Dave’s expertise is pivotal to Advyzon’s mission to provide exceptional technology and unmatched service in the financial advisory sector.

Dave is a seasoned executive with over 28 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Advyzon, Dave held several transformational senior leadership roles at Morningstar, where he significantly contributed to the growth of the firm’s large enterprise client base.

Dave earned a BS in Psychology from St Joseph’s. In his spare time, Dave enjoys spending time with his three teenage children, working out, playing baseball, and traveling.

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Solving Tech Fatigue in Wealth Management: Building Smarter Systems and Better Experiences

Solving Tech Fatigue in Wealth Management: Building Smarter Systems and Better Experiences

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The explosion of wealth tech tools has left many advisory firms buried under layers of disconnected systems, and the resulting tech fatigue is real.

In this episode, Chip Kispert sits down with Mike Overdorf, President of The Sycamore Company, to discuss how firms can regain control over their data and tech stacks. From legacy system challenges to the next evolution in AI-powered reporting, Mike shares what firms need to know to stay competitive and deliver better advisor and client experiences.

What to expect in this episode:

  • Why data silos and legacy systems are holding wealth firms back and how to fix them
  • How to build a data-first foundation before adding new tools
  • Real-world examples of where firms gain traction (comp, reporting, and account opening)
  • A look at how AI may change advisor technology over the next 3 years

If technology frustration is keeping you up at night or if you’re ready to build a more responsive and integrated tech stack, this conversation is for you.

Connect with Chip Kispert

Connect with Mike Overdorf:

About Our Guest:

Mike Overdorf is the President of The Sycamore Company, dedicated to providing a best practices solutions philosophy to the financial services industry. They are committed to the current Web technology environment using “cloud computing” to offer clients on-demand, integrated, state of the art software applications. The Sycamore product line has been designed as an easy to use application that can manage the day to day needs of both the front and back offices of Broker Dealers, OSJs, RIAs or the Independent Advisor.

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From Translator to Trusted Partner: How Beacon Strategies Bridges the Wealth Tech Divide

From Translator to Trusted Partner: How Beacon Strategies Bridges the Wealth Tech Divide

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What if the secret to long-term success wasn’t disruption, but translation?

In this episode of Beacon: 1% Better Every Day, Chip Kispert takes us behind the scenes of Beacon Strategies, sharing the story of why he built a consultancy that prioritizes listening, independence, and deep partnership with wealth firms and providers. Chip reflects on 19 years of running Beacon Strategies, the power of independence, and what it really means to help a client, sometimes by walking away, and sometimes by diving back in. This isn’t about selling services. It’s about solving problems.

What to expect:

  • Why translating between wealth firms and providers still matters
  • How culture shapes every client engagement
  • Lessons from Beacon’s early wins—and quiet exits
  • The hidden cost of tech fatigue and how Beacon helps firms cut through the noise

Connect with Chip Kispert

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Building Trust, Breaking Norms: How Chip Kispert Is Reshaping Wealth Management

Building Trust, Breaking Norms: How Chip Kispert Is Reshaping Wealth Management

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Some people build firms. Others build trust. Chip Kispert does both, and in doing so, he’s changing how wealth firms and fintechs grow together.

In this episode, Chip shares how early lessons from a Lehman Brothers mentor, a love for problem-solving, and an obsession with listening shaped both his leadership and the Beacon Strategies business he’s built. You’ll also hear how Chip reimagined industry events through his Beacon Roundtables, creating a space where competitors become collaborators and ideas flow like family dinner conversations.

What to expect:

  • The story behind Beacon Strategies (founding) mission and values
  • How Chip’s background shaped his leadership mindset
  • Why curiosity and listening fuel innovation
  • What the Beacon Roundtables are really like — and (why they matter) the impact they have on all that attend

Listen in to meet the heart behind Beacon Strategies and the mission to help wealth firms and providers get 1% better every day.

Connect with Chip Kispert

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