Talking Wealth

On this episode of Talking Wealth, Ben Carlson is joined by Will Bergen from Canvas to discuss the Canvas Managed Options program to break down how advisors can use managed options strategies to address real-world client needs—from generating incremental cash flow and managing downside risk to navigating concentrated stock positions. We explore how covered-call and hedged-equity strategies work, what investors are giving up in exchange for income or protection, and why an options overlay can off

On this episode of Talking Wealth, Michael Batnick sits down with Robb Baldwin, CEO of TradePMR, to discuss the evolution of the RIA custody business and what comes next now that TradePMR is part of Robinhood. Robb shares the story behind founding TradePMR, the types of independent advisors the platform was built to serve, and how Robinhood’s entrance into wealth management changes the competitive landscape. They dig into the opportunities to challenge incumbents like Schwab and Fidelity, the c

On this episode of Talking Wealth, Joseph Moore, author of How to Get Rich in American History, joins Ben Carlson to discuss 300 years of financial advice. What works, what doesn’t, and how our ideas about building wealth have changed over time. They also discuss real estate as a wealth-building tool, when it makes sense to sell versus hold, how real estate compares with stocks, and why your personality should play a role in how you invest. This episode is sponsored by Betterment Advisor Solut

How much money do you actually need to start an RIA? On this episode of Talking Wealth, Michael Batnick asked Tobias Salinger, Chief Correspondent at Financial Planning, who has probably talked to more first year firm owners than anyone alive. He wrote a 30 part series on the whole thing, from launch to exit. They covered the stuff nobody tells you before you leave. What it costs on day one. How long until the business pays you anything. Compliance, tech, custodians, and everything in between. I

Is the traditional 60/40 portfolio too conservative for retirement? On this episode of Ben with Benefits, Ben Carlson sits down with Bob Pozen, Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan, former executive at Fidelity and MFS, and bestselling author of Extreme Productivity, to discuss his controversial 90/10 retirement portfolio framework. They debate how much risk retirees really need to take, sequence-of-returns risk, whether today's higher bond yields change the equation, and why many investors may be holdi

ETFs have completely transformed how we invest for our clients. Cheaper, more tax-efficient, more transparent — it's been one of the great wins for investors over the last twenty-five years. But folks, we are not in Kansas anymore. The same wrapper that gave us three basis point index funds is now giving us double-levered single stocks, funds that hold literal sports bets — there's a filing right now for an ETF that would hold 40 to 80 event contracts on NFL and NBA games. Not the sportsbook st

On this episode of Talking Wealth, Ben Carlson sits down with Brian Portnoy, founder and CEO of Shaping Wealth and author of The Geometry of Wealth, to discuss the psychology behind great financial advice. They explore how advisors can improve their own decision-making, coach clients through uncertainty, and use behavioral finance to build stronger relationships. They also dive into AI's growing role in wealth management, Brian's new AI platform Lydia, what the future of the advisor-client rela

On this episode of Talking Wealth, Josh Brown sits down with Onur Erzan, President of AllianceBernstein, to discuss what it really takes to serve America's ultra-high-net-worth families. They explore how wealth management changes at the $200 million level, why investment performance alone isn't enough, the growing importance of succession planning, governance, and multi-generational wealth transfer, how alternatives fit into ultra-wealthy portfolios, and why human advisors remain indispensable

Jon Stein founded Betterment — one of the first companies to deliver real financial advice to the mass affluent at scale. Now he's back with a new company, Warmer, a platform for helping people find the right human financial advisor. It's a fascinating moment to build it, with AI increasingly able to deliver quality advice to that same mass affluent client. So where do human advisors fit in — and what does Warmer get right that so many advisor-matching platforms have gotten wrong? Michael Batnic