Beyond the Buzz: Navigating the Fintech Frontier with Joel Bruckenstein & Bob Veres

They discuss the current state of fintech for financial advisors, the explosive growth of software categories, how AI is transforming the profession, what the T3/Inside Information technology survey reveals about advisor adoption trends, the emerging importance of data warehouses, and how advisors should prepare for a rapidly changing technology landscape.

What You’ll Learn

• Why advisor technology is more interesting now than ever before — the expansion from a handful of software categories to over 40, and what that tells us about how advisory services are evolving
• How AI is already changing the profession — from back-office automation and user interface improvements to having software do actual analysis and thinking on behalf of advisors
• What the T3/Inside Information tech survey reveals — which categories have the most momentum (estate planning, tax planning, distribution planning) and which may be stagnating
• The emerging concept of data warehouses for advisory firms — what they are, why owning your own data matters for AI and integration, and at what firm size they become practical
• Which software categories and emerging companies to watch — including workflow tools, client communication automation, custom direct indexing platforms, and balance sheet management
• How to future-proof your practice — practical advice from two industry veterans on staying ahead of accelerating technology change

Chapters

Click a timestamp to jump to that section of the webinar.

1. 0:04 — Welcome & Introductions — Andrew Altfest, Bob Veres, Joel Bruckenstein
2. 3:34 — The Origin Story: T3 Conference & the T3/Inside Information Tech Survey
3. 8:10 — Why Advisor Technology Is More Interesting Now Than Ever
4. 13:39 — AI in Financial Planning — What It’s Doing Today and Where It’s Headed
5. 22:45 — T3 Tech Survey Insights — Categories With Momentum and Stagnation
6. 29:03 — Software All-Stars & FP Alpha’s Survey Performance
7. 30:48 — Emerging Companies & Categories to Watch
8. 35:56 — Data Warehouses — Why Owning Your Data Matters
9. 43:49 — Future-Proofing Your Practice — Advice for Advisors
10. 47:47 — Audience Q&A — AI Trust, Soft Skills, and Compliance

Key Takeaways

The Definition of Financial Planning Keeps Expanding — And Software Is Following

Bob and Joel now track over 40 distinct software categories in the T3/Inside Information survey, up from just a handful a decade ago. This explosion reflects a profession that is becoming more nuanced and specialised. Advisors are increasingly combining a mainstream planning tool with one or more focused solutions (e.g., a comprehensive planner plus a dedicated estate planning tool plus an elements-style budgeting tool for younger clients). The net result is broader, deeper advice for clients and more tech-enabled workflows for advisors.

AI Will Transform Everything — But the Back Office Comes First

Joel predicts AI will revolutionise back-office and middle-office operations before the front office, partly because these areas face less regulatory scrutiny. Most current AI implementations focus on improving user interfaces, making existing features easier to find and use. However, a small number of tools (FP Alpha, Conquest, and a few others) are already using AI to do actual analysis: reading documents, parsing data, and generating recommendations. Joel and Bob expect the gap between UI-focused AI and analysis-focused AI to close rapidly over the next few years.

Estate Planning and Tax Planning Are the Hottest Growth Categories

Both speakers identified estate planning, tax planning, retirement distribution analysis, and Social Security planning as the categories with the best runway for growth. Joel noted that tax rates will almost certainly change when current legislation sunsets, and estate tax exclusion amounts are likely to shift, making these areas immediately actionable for advisors. On the other end of the spectrum, document management is at risk of stagnation, and investment data/portfolio management adoption has plateaued as more firms outsource investment decisions.

Owning Your Data Will Become a Competitive Advantage

Joel made a strong case for advisory firms building their own data warehouses. The logic: if you want to leverage AI with your own intellectual property, you need to own and control your data. A data warehouse (structured data) lets you run custom reports, achieve true interoperability between systems, and layer AI and business intelligence on top of your client data. Currently practical for firms around $2.5B+ in AUM, but costs are dropping. For smaller firms, all-in-one platforms like Advyzon offer a similar concept without the infrastructure build.

AI Is a Draft, Not a Decision — The Advisor Remains the Final Check

All three panellists agreed: AI should be treated like an assistant producing a first draft, not a replacement for professional judgement. Andrew emphasised the importance of explainability — every recommendation from FP Alpha can be traced back to its source in the original document. Bob framed it plainly: if you’re blindly trusting AI output, the problem isn’t with AI, it’s with you. The key is using AI within constrained, vetted datasets (like FP Alpha’s planning engine) rather than open internet queries with client data.

About the Speakers

Tips & Best Practices from This Webinar

Companies & Tools Mentioned

A quick reference of the companies and categories discussed during the webinar.