How can financial advisors use AI to improve the client experience without creating more administrative work?
As AI continues to reshape wealth management, many advisory firms are asking where technology can create meaningful value and where the human element still matters most. In this episode of Beacon 1% Better Every Day, Chip Kispert welcomes Steven Latow, Chief Strategy Officer at Zocks, to explore how clean client data, connected workflows, and AI-powered tools can help advisors spend less time on manual processes and more time building stronger client relationships. They also discuss why the firms that prepare their data today may be better positioned to adapt as AI continues to evolve.
What to expect:
Why clean, structured client data is becoming the foundation for successful AI adoption in wealth management.
How AI meeting assistants are evolving beyond note-taking to improve advisor workflows and client records.
Why disconnected CRM systems and manual processes create friction for advisors and clients alike.
And more!
Whether you’re leading an RIA, broker-dealer, or independent advisory firm, this conversation offers practical insights into how AI, better data, and stronger operational processes can help your team deliver a more efficient and connected client experiencewhile growing your business.
Explore more conversations from Beacon 1% Better Every Day for practical ideas on advisor growth, operational excellence, technology, leadership, and the future of wealth management.
Steven Latow is the Chief Strategy Officer at Zocks, where he helps shape AI solutions designed specifically for financial advisors. In this conversation, he shares insights on client data, advisor workflows, AI adoption, and how technology can enhance, rather than replace, the human side of financial advice.
Technology is changing how financial professionals work, but not every AI solution is built on the same foundation.
What separates tools that create real efficiency from those that simply add another layer of complexity? And how can firms prepare for a future where AI handles more of the administrative workload?
In this episode, Chip Kispert speaks with Darren Tedesco, President of Advisor360°, and Scott Freeland, VP of Product Management for the Enterprise Suite at Advisor360°, about the future of AI, data strategy, and workflow automation in wealth management. They explore why unified data is becoming the foundation for agentic AI, how firms are approaching technology consolidation, and what operational challenges stand in the way of broader AI adoption. The conversation also examines workflow automation, advisor productivity, and the infrastructure needed to support long-term innovation.
Key takeaways:
Why unified and trusted data is becoming the foundation for meaningful AI adoption in wealth firms
How technology consolidation can reduce operational friction across advisors, clients, and home offices
What separates note-taking AI tools from systems capable of executing workflows and actions
Why agentic AI may shift advisors away from administration and toward client-facing activities
How end-to-end workflow automation could reshape onboarding, reporting, and portfolio management
Darren Tedesco is President of Advisor360°. Darren is responsible for strategic relationships at the executive level and leads business development activities for complex enterprise relationships. He represents Advisor360° externally as an industry leader, elevating the brand through conferences, councils, and thought leadership on the intersection between technology and wealth management. Internally, Darren provides market intelligence and competitive insights into the company and advises on account growth opportunities. Prior to Advisor360°, Darren spent most of his career at Commonwealth Financial Network, where he was the Managing Principal of Innovation & Strategy, overseeing all aspects of technology and designing the platform that would eventually become Advisor360°.
An accomplished senior leader with over 30 years of experience in driving value creation, growth, and profitability across global financial services and FinTech, Scott Freeland has a proven track record of launching and leading industry-leading wealth management businesses, financial products, digital solutions, and enterprise integration. A transformational leader with strong communication, organizational, and strategic skills, he has successfully led teams in high-stakes environments, delivering exceptional results in the areas of wealth management, banking, product and digital innovation, and investment research and analytics.
With a deep expertise in global financial markets, product and technology development, M&A, and strategic partnerships, Scott has played a pivotal role in the growth of organizations like London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) / Refinitiv, Scivantage, and Bank of America / Merrill Lynch. His leadership has been instrumental in driving multi-year strategic plans, reshaping business models, and creating new digital experiences, positioning companies for long-term success in an increasingly competitive and tech-driven financial landscape.
In his most recent role as Global Head of Business Strategy for Investment & Wealth Solutions at LSEG, a global business providing investment research, market data, analytics, and digital solutions to wealth and asset management markets, Scott was responsible for leading strategy and the execution of strategic programs. Scott successfully executed a comprehensive multi-year strategy to transform the business through targeted market expansion, strategy-aligned product development, and strategic investments with corporate development, and restructured market strategy to regain competitive advantage and focused growth. With the successful transformation of the business, in 2023 Scott took on expanded responsibility serving as Global Head of Wealth Solutions.
Progress often starts with a hard look at what is actually working, not what looks good on a vendor slide. Wealth firms keep buying more technology, yet advisors still juggle too many logins, duplicate data entry, and workflows held together by workarounds.
In this episode, Chip Kispert sits down with Ryan George, CMO of Docupace, to unpack the tech stack myth in wealth management. They talk about why tech sprawl is creating friction instead of freedom, how AI can support operations and compliance without putting client data at risk, and why unstructured data has become a hidden liability that can hurt valuation, regulatory readiness, and M&A outcomes. Ryan also shares why the industry is closer to the “wealth transfer wave” than most people think, and what advisory firms may need to rethink as servicing models evolve.
Ryan discusses:
Why does more software rarely fix a broken process, and how simplification becomes a real competitive advantage
How AI is shifting from standalone tools to embedded capability, and why many firms are still hesitant to adopt
What “data health” looks like in practice, and how unstructured archives can create real compliance and operational risk
Why poor data hygiene can drag M&A timelines and impact valuation, and what acquirers are starting to pay for
How the advisor role may change as automation reduces admin work, and why human connection becomes even more valuable
Why marketing works best when it connects emotionally, not when it adds more noise to the inbox
Ryan George is the Chief Marketing Officer at Docupace, a firm that supports broker-dealers, RIAs, and hybrid firms with workflow, operations, and compliance technology. He brings a sharp, practical perspective on how firms can reduce friction, improve data quality, and build systems that support both advisors and enterprise leaders. Ryan is known for his candid take on industry trends and his focus on what actually moves the business forward.
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
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.
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
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.
