AI

AI in 2025: Revolution, Evolution or Disillusion? by Jeff Nash, Founder & CEO, BridgeMark Strategies Published April 1 on AdvisorHub When it comes to AI, the future is now. Tech visionaries (not to mention a wealth management industry that’s facing a 100,000 financial advisor shortfall) are placing heavy bets on AI and its potentially transformative ability to enhance productivity. There’s good reason for it. AI is already driving efficiency gains, with its algorithms helping financial advisors get more done more quickly in areas including marketing, risk management, data analysis, and model portfolio creation. Studies show that current generative AI and other technologies have the potential to automate work activities that currently occupy 60 to 70 percent of employees’ time and that half of today’s work activities could be automated between 2030 and 2060. Should these forecasts come to pass, the impact on a relationship-centric industry such as wealth management cannot [...]

Is Wealth Management Counting its AI Eggs Before They’ve Hatched? by Jeff Nash, Founder & CEO, BridgeMark Strategies Published March 4 on AdvisorHub Like all industries, wealth management has its challenges. One that has been looming large for years concerns demographics: there is a stark – and demonstrable – decline in the number of financial advisors: the industry currently has more advisors age 80 and above than under age 30. A recent McKinsey study has verified what such long-known demographic trends have forecast: the industry is on the cusp of a profound financial advisor shortage. This, combined with the expected growth in demand for financial guidance spurred by The Great Wealth Transfer, is set to create a concerning imbalance in the industry. It’s a conundrum that when put against a backdrop of heightened client expectations for custom support, will have financial professionals scrambling to deliver optimal service to their clients.......Read [...]

What RIA Consolidators Will Be Looking For in 2025Bigger is better only when growth is good. by Jeff Nash, Founder & CEO, Bridgemark Strategies Published February 4 on wealthmanagement.com This year is poised to usher in a number of changes within the wealth management industry – some inconsequential, others impactful, most somewhere in between. For example, industry-wide concerns, including the demographics-driven shortage of advisors and increased demand for advice resulting from the Great Wealth Transfer, will give rise to innovative solutions that deliver personalization at scale. Many things will remain the same, such as the outsized role private equity continues to play within the RIA M&A space (within a strong macroeconomic ecosystem, it could surpass last year’s impressive numbers). However, I do anticipate a shift in PE’s approach to dealmaking. The nature of consolidation in our industry is changing.......Read More

AI in 2025: The Known Unknown by Jeff Nash, Founder & CEO, BridgeMark Strategies Published January 5 on AdvisorHub Ah, the possibilities! Excitement about the potential that comes with the dawn of a new year is common – and sometimes that potential turns out to be exaggerated. But I believe those looking forward to all that 2025 will bring may actually be onto something … particularly in the wealth management space. I expect 2025 will be remarkable for our industry in a number of ways. We’ve got a new, business-friendly power base in Washington D.C. The Republicans in charge of both the executive and legislative branches are expected to take a look at regulatory restrictions in place and loosen the reins. Whether this is a positive or negative depends on your vantage point and time horizon. We’re in the early stages of the great wealth transfer that is already transforming [...]

FINTECH VIEWS: 2024 – The Year of AI Escalation by Jeff Nash, Founder & CEO, BridgeMark Strategies Published November 24 on Digital Wealth News As we prepare to close the book on 2024, many of us will reflect upon what happened during the year, why it mattered and what it may portend. I’m one of those people. However, for me, this exercise is always more forward-looking than nostalgic. 2024 has had a number of noteworthy events – from a pivotal U.S. election, to the 33rd Olympiad in Paris, to geopolitical unrest. What among them will your descendants still be talking about in 50 or 75 years? That’s a tough question to answer, and also a fun one to consider as 2025 beckons. I find myself categorizing items into two distinct silos: events so impactful, they served as a line in the sand, effectively demarcating what came before and what came [...]