Episodes
Jan. 7, 2026
Be the GP: How to Invest in the 2 & 20
On this episode of Talking Wealth, Michael Batnick sits down with Todd Owens, Managing Partner at Cantilever to break down the rapidly growing world of GP stakes investing. They discuss why asset managers are selling minority...
Dec. 22, 2025
How to Beat the 4% Retirement Spending Rule | Ben with Benefits
On this episode of Ben with Benefits, Ben Carlson is joined by Stefan Sharkansky, author of the new research paper “The Only Other Spending Rule Article You Will Ever Need.” Millions of retirees and advisors are trying to sol...
Dec. 19, 2025
When Alts Go Bad: The BlueRock Blowup and a Liquidity Wake-Up Call
On this episode of Talking Wealth, we’re diving into one of the most misunderstood—and increasingly controversial—corners of investing: alternatives. Over the past few years, interval funds and other semi-liquid vehicles have...
Dec. 18, 2025
FINNY Reveals New $150 Million Valuation!
On this episode of Talking Wealth, Josh Brown is joined by Eden Ovadia and Victoria Toli, two of the three founders of FINNY AI. FINNY AI is one of the hottest startups in the wealth management industry fresh off a major new ...
Dec. 10, 2025
BOMBSHELL - 90 Percent of RIAs are Actually Shrinking!
On this episode of Talking Wealth, we’re doing something special as part of the Compound Insights Research Program, our initiative to bring original data, white papers, and strategic intelligence to the wealth management prof...
Dec. 3, 2025
Here’s What Your Competitors Are Doing. A Deep Dive Into Schwab’s 2025 RIA Benchmarking Study
On this episode of Talking Wealth, Michael Batnick is joined by Lisa Salvi, Managing Director of Business Consulting and Education at Charles Schwab Advisor Services. We’re diving deep into Schwab’s RIA Benchmarking Study, wh...
Nov. 26, 2025
The Yield Mania: Why Investors Are All in On Income
On this episode of Talking Wealth, we’re diving into one of the biggest shifts in the advisory world: the surge in income-oriented products. From covered-call ETFs and bond ladders to private-credit funds and interval structu...
Nov. 19, 2025
The Age of Easy AUM Is Over
On this episode of Talking Wealth, Michael Batnick and Ian Wenik go deep on the RIA industry’s two biggest stress fractures: the organic growth slowdown and the unraveling of some of private equity’s largest wealth rollups. F...
Nov. 12, 2025
How to Start Your Own ETF
On this episode of Talking Wealth, Ben Carlson is joined by Cullen Roche , founder and CIO of Discipline Funds. They'll explore how Cullen turned his blog, Pragmatic Capitalism, into a funnel for wealth management clients, wh...
Nov. 5, 2025
The Kyle Busch Insurance Scam Explained
Josh Brown and Kevin Thompson are back for an all new edition of Talking Wealth. They'll discuss the Kyle Busch IUL scam, ChatGPT bans “tailored financial advice”, CFP & being young, what does everyone do to inoculate retirin...
Oct. 29, 2025
This AI Tool Is Changing How Advisors Work
On this episode of Talking Wealth, Michael Batnick sits down with John Connell , Co-Founder and CEO of Focal, the AI-powered productivity platform transforming how advisory firms document, automate and scale client service. W...
Oct. 22, 2025
How AI Can Help Advisors Get Bigger Clients
On this episode of Talking Wealth, Ben Carlson sits down with Nick Downer, Head of Advisory Services at Opto Investments. Opto Investments is a tech-driven platform that helps financial advisors and family offices better mana...
Oct. 16, 2025
Your Custodian Just Drank Your Milkshake
Josh Brown and Kevin Thompson are back for an all new edition of Talking Wealth. Charles Schwab is reportedly raising its referral minimum from $500,000 to $2,000,000 which will significantly shrink the pool of potential refe...
Oct. 3, 2025
RIAs Sell for Record Amounts in Orgy of Consolidation - Brandon Kawal
On this episode of Talking Wealth, Michael Batnick is joined by Brandon Kawal, Partner at Advisor Growth Strategies, to break down the findings of their highly anticipated RIA Deal Room report. Brandon shares a behind-the-sce...
Oct. 3, 2025
The Advisor Cheat Code for Massive Client Growth | Ben with Benefits - Fred Barstein
On this episode of The Unlock, Ben Carlson is joined by Fred Barstein to discuss the growing importance of defined contribution retirement plans for financial advisors and how you can better position yourself to gain more cli...
Oct. 3, 2025
Advisors Face an $80 Trillion Tidal Wave as 10,000 Clients Retire Every Day | Ben with Benefits - Christine Benz
On the latest episode of Ben with Benefits, Ben Carlson spoke with Morningstar’s Director of Personal Finance and Retirement Planning, Christine Benz. Christine is also the author of the new book How to Retire. Ben and Christ...
Oct. 3, 2025
Eight Marketing Moves Advisors Can Make Today | Sam Russell
On this episode of The Unlock, Downtown Josh Brown is joined by Samantha Russell, to discuss the eight marketing moves advisors can make today. Samantha is the Chief Evangelist at FMG Suite, an all-in-one financial advisor ma...
Oct. 3, 2025
Building the Best Advisor Tech Stack | Jason Pereira
On this episode of The Unlock, Downtown Josh Brown and Michael Batnick are joined by financial planner and fintech expert Jason Pereira to discuss the current state of technology in the wealth management industry. Jason expla...
Oct. 3, 2025
A $12 Trillion Opportunity For Financial Advisors | Ben with Benefits - Shawn O'Brien
Welcome to the first episode of The Unlock's new show, Ben with Benefits! Ben Carlson is joined by Shawn O'Brien, Director of Retirement at Cerulli Associates, to discuss the massive opportunities for financial advisors to gr...
Oct. 3, 2025
Financial Advisors Cannot Blow This Decision | Alec Crawford
On this episode of The Unlock, Downtown Josh Brown and Michael Batnick are joined by Alec Crawford to discuss the future of financial advice, how AI will be used by most advisors, and the critical role of AI cybersecurity in ...
Oct. 3, 2025
Stop Saving - Give Your Kids the Money Now! | Ben With Benefits - Nick Maggiulli
On this episode of Ben with Benefits, Nick Maggiulli joins Ben Carlson to discuss their thoughts on the timing of an inheritance, the psychology behind spending & giving in retirement, how advisors can help bridge the generat...
Oct. 3, 2025
Your Clients’ Biggest Risk is Spending Too Little | Ben with Benefits - Scott Rick
On this episode of Ben with Benefits, Ben Carlson speaks with Scott Rick, author of Tightwads & Spendthrifts, to explore the psychology of spending. They discuss why most financial advice ignores the emotional side of money, ...
Oct. 3, 2025
The One Thing Everyone Gets Wrong About the 4% Rule | Ben with Benefits - Bill Bengen
On this episode of Ben with Benefits, Ben Carlson speaks with Bill Bengen, creator of the famed “4% rule,” to revisit the groundbreaking research he published over 30 years ago and answer the question on every retired client’...
Oct. 3, 2025
Will AI Replace Your Financial Advisor? Michael Batnick and Dave Nadig on the Future of Wealth
Welcome back to Talking Wealth. Today, we’re going to be talking about the future of AI and financial advice. I won’t bury the lede. Artificial intelligence has the potential to do to financial advisors what the comet did to ...