Motors and Motives – What’s Driving the Future of Wealth Management at Large

This week, I had the chance to spend some time—virtually—with my friend Jamie Hopkins, as our team at Milemarker helped highlight the importance of the FinServ Foundation and its role in shaping the future of our industry.

Along the way, we rolled out several new software enhancements at Milemarker and welcomed a wave of new advisors onto our platform.

It’s an exciting moment to be building in wealth management—especially in wealthtech. There’s so much good that can be done when your processes, systems, and people are aligned.

This week, I’m writing about the motors and motives that drive us: why we build, how we move, and what alignment really means in this business.

Hope it helps you think differently about your own journey forward.

Here we go.

1. Motors and Motives – What’s Driving the Future of Wealth Management At Large

2. Next Mile: How SEIA Empowers Advisors to Succeed 🎧

3. ThinkAdvisor: How Top Advisors Build Momentum

4. Shaping the Next Generation of Financial Services Replay

5. Milemarker On the Road ✈️

Imagine the drone’s eye view above an interstate. There are vehicles of all sorts making their way east or west, north or south. They might appear to be moving as one long snake, making progress toward their intended destinations. At least, that’s what it looks like from a distance.

But zoom in and you’ll see:

• Some are racing toward a destination with abandon.

• Some are just hopping into a group, letting the traffic regulate their speed and lane changes.

• Some are barely paying attention, tailgating whoever is in front of them.

I think that’s a pretty good description for wealth management right now, too.

A sea of advisors moving—some with purpose, some just by inertia.

Everyone has a reason for getting into this industry. Maybe it’s freedom. Maybe it’s scale. Maybe it’s the chance to make as much as quickly as you can to retire early and spend your days doing something else. Maybe it’s been the only business in your family for generations or it’s the decision you made to never be where your family was.

Whatever the ‘why’ is, it serves as the foundation under every decision—from broker-dealer to RIA, from independence to integration, from “my name on the door” to “our name on the glass tower.”

But too often, we give our thoughts and energy to the tyranny of the urgent alone. We think about strategy decks and synergy slides and figure out how to motivate our teams without tying it back to the reason our companies exist at all.

Action Item #1: Write down your firm’s purpose/motive/why.

Action Item #2: Write down your personal purpose/motive/why.

Motives don’t move without motors. The motor is your energy, your drive, your daily commitment. It’s not what you believe—it’s what you do every day to move it forward. It’s your how. 

It’s not hard to look around and find people and firms with a five-star motive and a one-star motor. They care a lot about why they’re doing something, without doing the behaviors necessary to move them toward the end result they really want to see. It’s not enough to care about something, we have to commit to the daily, monthly, quarterly, annual behaviors that help us achieve our desired outcomes.

We don’t want to just be dreamers about an innovative, free, prosperous future. We want to spend our time doing the things that move us toward that dream, even when that means we have to change.

If your dream is to make it to the Pacific Ocean and you’re currently driving south in Missouri, you’re going to need to get on a different path. If you’re hoping to see the Great Lakes and you’re in Phoenix heading east, you’re generally moving in the right direction, but you’re going to need to orient your vehicle north at some point. Change is going to be necessary no matter what route you’re on now because there will always be unforeseen moments, traffic jams or construction to consider and for which you’ll need to adjust.

Action Step #3: Check your motor. Is your tank full? Do you need more oil to keep the machine moving smoothly? Is your battery recharging or draining?

Action Step #4: What about at the firm level? How’s your team’s capacity? Do they need to rest or are you good to keep driving? Need to check the map again? Should you give them a heads up about the next exit?

When your motive is clear and your motor is tuned, you’ll be ready for whatever comes next. Hesitation and distraction won’t be able to keep up with you.

Motives define direction.

Motors define motion.

Together, they’ll define our destiny.

We owe it to ourselves—and the people counting on us—to tune both.

Because the best firms move with meaning.

______________________

Episode 115: On this week’s episode, Kyle Van Pelt sits down with Matt Matrisian, President of Signature Estate & Investment Advisors (SEIA). Matt is a pioneer in transforming the delivery of financial advice. His career has focused on simplifying the financial services industry, supporting its evolution, and enhancing the value to advisors. He believes the best investment outcomes begin with advisor-centric tools and capabilities that wrap around investors’ needs.

Kyle and Matt discuss how SEIA builds a platform that enables advisors to thrive. From transitioning independent contractors to equity partners to driving double-digit organic growth, Matt reveals how the firm empowers advisors with infrastructure, flexibility, and support. Matt also talks about the race for talent in the industry and how firms should develop the next generation of advisors to sustain future growth.

(00:00) – Intro

(02:14) – Matt’s money moment

(04:08) – SEIA’s founding and growth trajectory

(08:17) – Making the move from 1099 to W-2 advisors seamless

(12:18) – Understanding the advisor lifecycle

(14:04) – The role of Signature Investment Advisors (SIA) in the industry

(15:51) – Should larger firms become their own TAMPs or asset management arms?

(19:43) – How outsourcing can accelerate growth

(25:19) – Delivering value that justifies the cost

(27:15) – The race for talent: The importance of developing G2 and G3 talent

(31:29) – How SEIA leverages technology

(34:17) – How SEIA utilizes the power of AI

(36:38) – Matt’s outlook on the future of the industry

(39:29) – Matt’s Milemarker Minute

Thank you to the ThinkAdvisor team for featuring my latest article — How Top Advisors Build Momentum. I hope it inspires you to reflect on the moments that truly move your practice forward in the year ahead.

The next generation of advisors will shape the future of financial services—but only if we remove the barriers holding them back. In this live discussion, Milemarker and Finserv dive into the challenges of access, inclusion, and retention that define the profession today—and how leading firms can create real pathways for new talent to thrive.

You’ll learn how to build mentorship programs that work, attract more diverse candidates, and implement retention strategies that keep young professionals growing inside your firm.

Missed the live session? Watch the full replay here:

1. October 28-29 – Boston, MA

2. October 29-30 – New York, NY

3. October 30-November 1 – Lincoln, NE

4. November 2-7 – Denver, CO

5. November 13 – Baltimore, MD

6. November 17-18 – New York, NY

If you’re in any of those cities and would like to arrange a meeting time, please reply to this email, and we’ll schedule something on the calendar.

Jud Mackrill