Between Now and Success

Duncan MacPherson on How Advisors Can Thrive in the AI Era

May 22, 2026

To borrow a phrase from recent podcast guest Alan Smith, financial advisors are facing "a Spotify moment." Just as streaming upended the traditional music business of selling records and put a premium on the live concert experience, AI is commoditizing traditional money management and raising the value of ... Well, what exactly? What is the financial advisor's equivalent of a live concert? What is that high-end experience that your prospects and clients will want to keep paying for? And how c...

John Scianna on Building an Authentic Enterprise-Grade RIA Brand

May 07, 2026

In the early 1980s, Al Ries and Jack Trout published the seminal marketing book Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind. They argued that marketing wasn't simply about products or services; it was about capturing a specific space in the consumer's mind. Think of Volvo and you immediately think of "safety." Think of Walmart and you think, "Low prices." If you want "fast food" you'll probably start looking for the nearest McDonald's. These principles of brand positioning still endure. For most pe...

"Both/And" Thinking: Kelly Lewis on Navigating Polarities to Deepen Client Conversations

April 23, 2026

Are you sure? And, perhaps more importantly, are your clients? In an increasingly polarized world, folks are becoming more and more dug-in about what they believe to be true. But an "either/or" mentality can lock out important data when we're weighing complex, real-life challenges. And when we value being "right" above all else, we may fail to recognize that not every challenge is a problem we can solve. Often, what we're really confronting are polarities: a pair of opposing, interdependent v...