Author: trtnetwork
What college football teaches the wealth management industry about momentum
Episode 125: In this special New Year’s 2025 episode, Kyle Van Pelt brings together four standout voices to explore why wealth technology still feels broken—and what actually fixes it. Jeremy Nelson explains how rising client complexity demands centralized planning and operational tech that can truly scale. Art Ambarik shares how fragmented data and poor transitions create bottlenecks that distract advisors from clients. Kylie Felker shows how efficient systems make room for unreasonable hospitality and deeply human service. And Terry Parham Jr outlines how impact, efficiency, and effectiveness improve when firms own and streamline their data. Together, these conversations reveal how better integration—not more tools—is the path forward.
In this episode:
(00:00) – Intro
(00:30) – Jeremy Nelson on rising client complexity and why centralized tech is essential for scale
(03:25) – Art Ambarik on data bottlenecks, advisor transitions, and removing operational friction
(08:30) – Kylie Felker on using efficient systems to create unreasonable hospitality for clients
(15:30) – Terry Parham Jr on evaluating wealth tech through impact, efficiency, and effectiveness
Links
Jeremy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-my-element-wealth/
Element Wealth: https://myelementwealth.com/
Art Ambarik on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-ambarik-cfp%C2%AE-75359457/
Perigon Wealth Management: https://www.perigonwealth.com/
Kylie Felker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyliekotowskifelker/
Foster Victor Wealth Advisors: https://fostervictor.com/
Terry Parham Jr on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tepjr/
Innovative Wealth Building: https://innovativewealthbuilding.com/
Connect with our hosts
Milemarker.co
Kyle on LinkedIn
Jud on LinkedIn
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Turncast helps your company grow by producing top-quality content and fostering transformative conversations. We specialize in content generation, podcasting, digital strategy, and audience growth for fintech and financial services companies. Learn more at Turncast.com.
Why wealth management still can’t do what Domino’s figured out in 2008—and why 2026 changes everything
Episode 124: In this special Christmas 2025 episode, Kyle Van Pelt brings together four standout voices to explore what it takes to identify, attract, develop, and retain the next generation of talent. Daniel Spurgeon shares how firms can spot potential early and create intentional career pathways instead of reactive hires. Kristen Oziemkowski explains what today’s young professionals are really looking for—and how purpose, culture, and clarity drive attraction. Eric Kittner highlights the power of mentorship, in-person learning, and real responsibility in developing talent. And Matt Matrisian makes the case that long-term growth, trust, and investment are essential to retention. Together, these conversations offer a practical roadmap for building teams that thrive well into the future.
In this episode:
(00:00) – Intro
(00:54) – Daniel Spurgeon on identifying potential early and building intentional career pathways
(07:32) – Kristen Oziemkowski on attracting young professionals through purpose, culture, and clarity
(16:53) – Eric Kittner on developing the next generation through mentorship and real responsibility
(24:52) – Matt Matrisian on retaining talent by investing in growth, trust, and long-term vision
Links
Daniel Spurgeon on LinkedIn
Commonwealth Financial Services
Kristen Oziemkowski on LinkedIn
The Mather Group
Eric Kittner on LinkedIn
Moneta Group
Matt Matrisian on LinkedIn
Signature Estate & Investment Advisors
Connect with our hosts
Milemarker.co
Kyle on LinkedIn
Jud on LinkedIn
Subscribe and stay in touch
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Produce game-changing content with Turncast
Turncast helps your company grow by producing top-quality content and fostering transformative conversations. We specialize in content generation, podcasting, digital strategy, and audience growth for fintech and financial services companies. Learn more at Turncast.com.
Elevation Point Chooses Milemarker, Badgley Phelps Wealth on the Pod and More
Episode 123: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Tim Thomas, Chief Investment Officer and Wealth Manager at Badgley Phelps Wealth Managers. Tim joined Badgley Phelps in 2008 and brings more than two decades of experience in financial planning and portfolio management. He specialized in security analysis and selection, portfolio construction, asset allocation, and alternative investments.
Tim shares with Kyle about the mechanics of modern portfolio construction. He discusses why the financial plan must be the north star for investment strategy, how to navigate the noisy and rapidly democratizing world of alternative investments, and how AI is changing the backend of advisory work without replacing the human connection.
In this episode:
(00:00) – Intro
(01:33) – Tim’s money moment
(02:57) – Marrying financial planning with investment strategy
(03:56) – How investing has changed over time
(06:18) – The rise in alternative investments
(09:55) – Understanding alts as more than one asset class
(16:24) – How Badgley Phelps helps clients navigate the nuances of alts
(18:27) – Managing M&A and the acquisition of Marshall & Sullivan
(21:45) – How Badgley Phelps approaches holistic planning
(23:40) – Tim’s thoughts about the future of the industry
(27:25) – Tim’s Milemarker Minute
Key Takeaways
Planning is a strategy. Investments are implementation. The most effective portfolios are built after the cash flow model is complete. By understanding the client’s lifestyle needs and success rates first, you can determine the specific hurdle rate required to achieve their goals.
Democratization of alts is exciting, but operational risk is real. Alternative investments are booming, but they shouldn’t be added to a portfolio just because they are trendy or accessible.
Customization beats cookie-cutter strategies. Whether it’s equities, fixed income, or alts, thoughtful leaders build client portfolios around client-specific needs — income, growth, risk tolerance, or liquidity — instead of defaulting to one-size-fits-all recommendations.
The quarterback model vs. the generalist. There is a massive industry push to bring tax, legal, and estate planning in-house. Sometimes, building a bespoke team of external experts serves the client better than a one-size-fits-all internal department.
Quotes
“Planning has really come to the forefront, and the investments are critically important because that is the implementation of the plan. But the planning has definitely risen in prominence, and it has a much bigger role than it used to.” ~ Tim Thomas
“It’s just incredible to see how fast alts have grown in prominence and how big an allocation they’re getting in portfolios these days. We’re missing out on some opportunities by not having them.” ~ Tim Thomas
“When you think about technology, computers are really good at crunching a lot of data, sorting, and solving a lot of different things at the same time. What they can’t replace is that conversation with a client.” ~ Tim Thomas
Links
Tim Thomas on LinkedIn
Badgley Phelps Wealth Managers
Vanguard
iCapital
CAIS
Focus Financial Partners
Marshall & Sullivan, Inc.
Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology
Boom: Bubbles and the End of Stagnation
Connect with our hosts
Milemarker.co
Kyle on LinkedIn
Jud on LinkedIn
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Produce game-changing content with Turncast
Turncast helps your company grow by producing top-quality content and fostering transformative conversations. We specialize in content generation, podcasting, digital strategy, and audience growth for fintech and financial services companies. Learn more at Turncast.com.
Behind the Scenes at FINNY & Navigator Launch Replay
Episode 122: This week, Kyle Van Pelt talks with Eden Ovadia, Co-Founder of FINNY. Before FINNY, Eden worked on the private equity team at Boston Consulting Group, where she advised on major M&A deals across the wealth management space. Driven by her background in AI and engineering, and inspired by the wealthtech industry’s shifting dynamics, Eden co-founded FINNY to help advisors build predictable, personalized, and tech-enabled organic growth engines.
Eden discusses why the wealth management industry is ripe for innovation and disruption. She also shares why referrals are no longer enough to drive organic growth, and how FINNY rewrites the marketing playbook using machine learning to create hyper-personalized, high-propensity matches between advisors and prospects.
In this episode:
(00:00) – Intro
(02:18) – Eden’s money moment
(04:12) – Innovation in wealth management
(07:28) – Why referrals are no longer enough to grow organically
(09:25) – How FINNEY rewrites the traditional marketing playbook
(16:16) – The power of niching and segmentation in organic growth
(18:14) – Introducing the F-score: FINNY’s proprietary machine learning algorithm
(22:56) – What it takes to build an advisor-first tech stack
(24:18) – FINNY’s future goals
(25:39) – FINNY’s outlook on the future of the wealth management industry
(28:51) – Eden’s Milemarker Minute
Key Takeaways
Referrals are great. But they’re no longer enough to grow organically. Referrals are a linear expansion tied to an advisor’s personal time and energy. True scalability requires building an engine that works in the background for you.
Consumer behavior has changed. Your growth strategy should, too. The next generation of clients shops for everything digitally, including financial guidance. They expect personalized, tech-enabled experiences.
Niche and segment. The firms breaking out from the pack are the ones that define exactly who they serve. Not “retirees,” but “retirees selling a dental practice.” Not “business owners,” but “HVAC operators with succession on their minds.” Precision builds trust, and trust accelerates conversion.
Organic growth must become intentional and operationalized. The fastest-growing firms don’t stumble into growth. They measure it, build systems for it, and treat it with the same seriousness as investing or planning. Growth becomes predictable when it becomes part of your operating rhythm.
Quotes
“Referrals will always be king. The problem with referrals is that they grow with every advisor’s time, energy, and resources. It doesn’t scale exponentially. It scales with your time and money” ~ Eden Ovadia
“If you’re an advisor who wants to build a generational business, you need to start building and investing effort in creating a growth engine, because referrals will decline year over year.” ~ Eden Ovadia
“If you believe that there’s going to be a lack of a hundred thousand advisors in the near future, we view FINNY as the tool that can serve as the optimization layer between the supply of financial advisors and the demand for financial advice.” ~ Eden Ovadia
Links
Eden Ovadia on LinkedIn
FINNY
Brian Chesky
Y Combinator
Boston Consulting Group
JUMP AI
Zocks
Outliers
Never Split the Differences
Connect with our hosts
Milemarker.co
Kyle on LinkedIn
Jud on LinkedIn
Subscribe and stay in touch
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube
Produce game-changing content with Turncast
Turncast helps your company grow by producing top-quality content and fostering transformative conversations. We specialize in content generation, podcasting, digital strategy, and audience growth for fintech and financial services companies. Learn more at Turncast.com.
This week, Jack Sharry talks with David Goldman, Chief Business Officer at Pontera. At Pontera, David leads strategy, partnerships, and the company’s mission to help Americans retire with greater security by giving financial advisors secure access to their clients’ held-away retirement accounts. Jack and Dave discuss how Pantera is transforming the retirement landscape by empowering investors and their advisors to securely manage 401(k) assets. Dave discusses the firm’s public clash with Fidelity, the broader consumer-choice issues at stake, and why secure advisor access is essential for better outcomes. He also highlights Pantera’s new partnerships with major recordkeepers like John Hancock,…
Milemarker Navigator Launches, KVP and Kailash Win Awards and more