Between Meetings with Matt Heine

Hear Marcus Price, CEO and Managing Director, Iress as he shares his background in banking to building PEXA and what drew him to the investment side of financial services with Iress. Marcus discusses the industry step change he accelerated with data and automation in banking decisions as well as bringing the digitisation of property settlements through PEXA (Property Exchange Australia) to fruition. He expands on the hallmarks of change management, his eye-opening first few days at Iress and the inspiration he draws from other companies. Marcus chats through the applications for AI as a tool to provide actionable insights and the need for tech toolkits for people in financial services.  He finally shares his concerns over cybersecurity with old tech stacks, the role of communities, and where he sees Iress heading in the next few years.

Hear Sarah Abood share her journey into financial services and how she headed the merger of the FPA and AFA to become the CEO of the newly formed FAAA. Sarah discusses how she brought two longstanding organisations together and chats through the process of creating the FAAA brand to represent a united voice for the profession. Sarah relates the FAAA’s involvement with QAR and their focus on the key issues facing consumers and advisers. She mentions the FAAA’s continued support of video SOAs and how technology and data standards will play a key role in the path to the future. Finally, Sarah outlines the strategic priorities of the FAAA relating to policy, its members and consumers.

Listen to Blake Briggs as he shares his diverse career journey through industrial advocacy, superannuation policy and finally to financial services and the FSC. Blake relays the skills, governance processes and overarching consumer lens that assist in creating a unified strong voice for the financial industry through the FSC. He explains how the FSC is engaging a cross-section of licensees, advisers and associations to achieve successful regulatory frameworks and create a healthy sector. Blake outlines that diversity of product options to aid retirement planning will be a big focus for the FSC over the next 12 months and how removing red tape could enable the introduction of overseas technology solutions to deliver advice in new and innovative ways.  Lastly, Blake explains the issues around moving clients from old legacy systems to new products and foreshadows a groundswell of consumer concern around failed products in the coming months for advisers to be aware of.

Hear Dr. Micheal Kollo as he discusses his journey from a PhD in finance to becoming a quantitative manager, using algorithms to forecast markets. Michael uncovers how AI now translates complex financial data into intuitive client reports. He takes a deep dive into the intricacies of tools like ChatGPT and how financial advisers can harness its potential without compromising sensitive data. Kollo throws light on groundbreaking plugins, their pros, pitfalls, and the steps for crafting effective AI prompts. Finally, he presents a glimpse into the future of SOAs and ROAs, where automation meets human intuition and shares his vision on how AI adoption could redefine and personalise financial education. You might also be interested in Netwealth's 2023 AdviceTech report - Humans and Machines: How AI and adjacent AdviceTech can supercharge advice practices.

In this episode, Matt jumps into the hot seat to be interviewed by Peita Diamantidis on the Ensombl AdviceTech podcast. They discuss how advisers are using technology to differentiate their offering and build their client value proposition. Matt shares the efficiencies of managed accounts during turbulent markets, integrating ESG into the offering, cyber-security considerations for firms, and how Artificial Intelligence is being used to provide insights, manage back-office administration and deepen client relationships. He also chats through the continuously evolving client expectations of technology and how Netwealth is providing technology and services to help advisers meet these expectations. You might also be interested in Netwealth's 2023 AdviceTech report - Humans and Machines: How AI and adjacent AdviceTech can supercharge advice practices.

Picking up from episode 35, Kendall Flutey, Co-Founder and CEO of Banqer, now shares how experiential learning with Banqer Primary has expanded to high school children, giving them the chance to increase their financial literacy and capability that translates into real life. She describes how Banqer has helped to uplift the financial capability of parents, teachers and kids by engaging them on the financial education journey of their children, and relates how the principles of financial literacy amongst children can be expanded to adults. Kendall discusses the exciting potential for AI to lend itself to personalised learning pathways and what Banqer is doing to help prepare students for their careers and financial future in an uncertain world ahead. Finally, she chats through the challenges and key learnings along their growth trajectory and the healthy tension between profit and purpose on their journey to becoming a social enterprise for-profit. To learn more and refer a teacher, visit Banqer.co/netwealth

Listen to Matt Brinker, Managing Partner of Merchant Investment Management, share how he built United Capital, a platform to help advisers scale their businesses, into a $25bn behemoth before its acquisition by Goldman Sachs. Matt reveals why he then changed focus from uniformity and scale to celebrating diversity in business structures and individuals with Merchant. Brinker delves into his observations of the success factors of firms that have been able to scale, how digital tools can bridge the client experience gap, the growth of alternative investments in the US, and exciting developments in global markets. He also provides insightful commentary on investment strategy, capital duration, and the importance of building long-lasting, sustainable businesses.

Hear Brent Brodeski, CEO & Founder, Savant Wealth Management discuss his journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur and leader in the financial industry. Brent shares his personal experiences and how he overcame challenges, made tough decisions, and developed a strong vision for the future of his company. From his early days as a stockbroker to founding Savant Wealth Management, Brodeski shares valuable insights on building a culture of growth, selecting the right partners and staying true to core values. Learn how one of the most respected figures in the financial industry cultivated leadership skills and implemented effective strategies for managing teams and driving innovation and growth.

Listen to Jennifer Risher, Author, Speaker and Co-founder of #HalfMyDAF, as she shares her wealth journey from early days at Microsoft and Amazon. Jennifer explains the emotional and sensitive side of money with real life examples of what she terms as 'the embarrassment of riches', a title she almost used for her book, and the isolation that wealth can bring. She unpacks the vital support role her adviser played and why she penned the book, “We need to talk“. Jennifer reveals how peer networks helped her learn more about investing and her power to create change. This led her to philanthropy and co-founding an organisation to encourage Americans to donate half their donor advised fund, awarding millions to non-profits. www.halfmydaf.com www.JenniferRisher.com

Listen to Nathan Fradley, Director of Ethos ESG Australia and Senior Adviser at Tribeca Financial, as he recounts his career journey into ethical advice and why he brought an ESG data and software tool for advisers (Ethos) to Australia. Nathan unpacks the micro and macro impact of financial advisers on society and the economy, and the need to enhance the reputation of the industry for clients and the next generation of advisers. He identifies opportunities in the client experience from a platform perspective and in the delivery of advice with technology, particularly with the Statement of Advice (SOA). Nathans explains how Ethos is solving the challenges of providing advice to clients on ESG investing in a personalised and transparent manner.