Tag: Financial Services
Balancing Operational Efficiency with a Strong Brand Story for Growth with Randy Lambert and Joe Steuter (Ep. 28)

Balancing Operational Efficiency with a Strong Brand Story for Growth with Randy Lambert and Joe Steuter (Ep. 28)

By |

Are you struggling to articulate your brand’s story or connect with clients in a meaningful way? Discover the art and science behind building a powerhouse brand that supports growth and client trust.

In this episode, Rusty Sommer speaks with Randy Lambert and Joe Steuter from Intention.ly about transforming growth through strategic brand messaging. They explore the map to supercharge growth and build a cohesive brand narrative in the ever-evolving financial industry. The conversation highlights practical insights from decades of industry experience, emphasizing the balance between operational efficiency and compelling storytelling. Learn how understanding customer needs, simplifying your brand message, and maintaining internal alignment can differentiate your firm in a competitive landscape.

Randy and Joe discuss: 

  • (03:09) The importance of building strong customer relationships and uncovering their pain points
  • (04:34) Why simplified storytelling boosts engagement and growth
  • (07:55) Navigating brand messaging and organizational alignment during mergers and acquisitions
  • (10:36) The role of core values in managing growth and cultural alignment
  • (18:23) How brand impacts the recruitment and retention of advisors
  • (20:39) Tactics for building a strong internal brand that drives external growth

We unravel the elements that make a brand powerful and trustworthy, both inside and out. Tune in and refine your own brand strategy!

Connect with Randy Lambert:

Connect with Joe Steuter:

Connect with Rusty Sommer:

About our Guests: 

Randy Lambert is Intention.ly’s EVP and Head of RIA Solutions. With three decades in the Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and FinTech space, Randy Lambert has a proven track record of scaling operational processes to manage elite-level growth. By comprehensively understanding the RIA operational process, Randy can enhance processes and provide value that creates a great client and employee experience. His passion is leading a talented team that supports our mission to help every client maximize their Orion experience. Their team does this by championing a proven process that empowers advisors to focus on their top priorities with the highest impact for the advisory firm.

In business and in life, the art of the message matters most when building a connection. As the Chief of Communications at Intention.ly, Joe Steuter brings 20 years of brand consulting experience in message development, brand building, and communications strategy to inform, engage, and inspire action. Throughout the past two decades, his work has impacted financial services in varying degrees, from helping independent financial advisors mold their personal stories to building brands at the firm level and playing a central role in articulating brand messages for one of the country’s fastest-growing RIAs in the country.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS | More
AI and Financial Advisors: Why 2025 Will Be a Turning Point with John O’Connell (Ep. 26)

AI and Financial Advisors: Why 2025 Will Be a Turning Point with John O’Connell (Ep. 26)

By |

How is Artificial Intelligence reshaping the wealth management industry?

In this episode, Rusty Sommer sits down with John O’Connell, CEO and Founder of The OASIS Group, at the bustling Market Council Summit in Las Vegas. Together, they explore how AI is rapidly transforming the way advisors serve clients, from streamlining workflows to enhancing personalization at scale. Their conversation highlights both the opportunities and challenges of integrating AI into financial services, while emphasizing the continued importance of human expertise in the process.

Rusty and John discuss:

  • (01:56) The rise of AI and its prevalence in conferences today 
  • (03:34) How note-taking tech is gaining traction in wealth management 
  • (04:40) The evolving AI wealth tech map with over 80 firms and growing 
  • (07:57)Enhancing the client experience with AI and the importance of having humans in the loop 
  • (14:13) The future of financial advice aided by AI and its potential to increase productivity 

Connect with John O’Connell:

Connect with Rusty Sommer:

About our Guest: 

John O’Connell has more than 30 years of leadership experience in both emerging businesses and mature, established organizations. He started his career designing and developing financial applications at Merrill Lynch and KPMG Peat Marwick. He was a member of the team for an IPO, sale of a firm, and packaging 2 other firms for sale. He held North American leadership positions at Oracle for over 8 years. He was the president of a FinTech firm and held C-level customer-facing roles at two global, publicly traded companies.

John is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer for The Oasis Group. A firm specializing in helping wealth management and technology firms to solve their most complex challenges. The Oasis Group helps firms with technology selection and implementation, sales processes and strategy, and processes to attract, sell, propose, onboard, and service new clients.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS | More
The Winning Shot: Sports Wisdom in Wealth Tech (Ep. 13)

The Winning Shot: Sports Wisdom in Wealth Tech (Ep. 13)

By |

How does the high-stakes world of sports mirror the world of financial technology and asset management? 

Discover this and more in the latest episode of ‘In the Money,’ sponsored by Flyer Financial Technologies. Host Rusty Sommer welcomes Steve Lewczyk, the esteemed Managing Director for Business Development at Flyer. With an impressive three-decade career in financial technology and services, Steve discusses leveraging technology for competitive advantage and innovating for the future of finance.

Key Highlights:

  • From Veteran to Visionary: Steve shares his journey in finance, emphasizing his diverse experience and innovative tech approach
  • Parallel Playbooks: Explore the similarities between sports, particularly basketball, and finance, highlighting teamwork and strategy
  • Tech-Driven Transformation: Discover how technology, like Advent Software’s early solutions, revolutionized asset management
  • Overcoming Market Hurdles: Learn how adapting sports strategies can inform financial market navigation
  • AI: Uncover AI’s impactful role in finance, its applications, and the need for reliable data
  • Revolutionizing Trading: See how a unified tech system can boost trader efficiency
  • Embracing Change: Understand the necessity of adaptability and innovation in finance, with lessons from asset management and sports strategy
  • Plus, many more insights!

 

Connect with Steve Lewczyk:

Connect with Rusty Sommer:

 

About Steve Lewczyk: 

Steve is a leader in buy side technology, wealth management systems, trading platforms, and data management solutions. With over 25 years experience at leading fin tech and securities firms, Steve has worked at Fidelity Investments, Advent Software (SSNC), Envestnet and co-founded Nirvana Solutions. Steve’s expertise is in building and scaling successful sales organizations.

In his role at Flyer, Steve is focused on buy side asset managers that require solutions that allow for integration, ease, scale and future proofing operations.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS | More
The Future of TAMPs with Morningstar’s Daniel Needham (Ep. 7)

The Future of TAMPs with Morningstar’s Daniel Needham (Ep. 7)

By |

From giving time back to advisors, to reaping the benefits of outsourcing, there’s no denying the advantages of a TAMP. As the industry’s gold standard for data and research, not to mention 2022’s top TAMP of the year, the team at Morningstar’s Wealth Management Solutions knows a thing or two about building a wealth management platform.

In this week’s episode, Daniel Needham, president of Wealth Management Solutions, joins Shannon Rosic to discuss TAMP trends. Daniel shares some of Morningstar’s data, research, and insights with listeners so they can build investment solutions for their clients.

Daniel discusses:

  • The biggest threats to the TAMP industry 
  • The latest trends in TAMPs and wealth management platforms 
  • Why Morningstar chose to invest in the Wealth Management Solutions group
  • Rolling out Morningstar Direct Indexing 
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with Daniel Needham:

Connect with Shannon Rosic:

About our Guest: 

Daniel Needham, CFA, is the president of Morningstar’s Wealth Management Solutions. After the recent acquisition, he also oversees the U.K. and international business of Praemium and their core products, which were re-branded to Morningstar Wealth Platform and Wealthcraft, a Morningstar company.

Prior to his current role, Needham served as president and global chief investment officer since 2015 for Morningstar’s Investment Management group. In 2013, Needham stepped into the global chief investment officer role for the Investment Management group, and he also assumed responsibility for Morningstar’s investment management operations in Europe. Previously, Needham was chief investment officer and managing director for Investment Management in Asia-Pacific.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS | More