Episodes

On this episode of Talking Wealth, Ben Carlson is joined by Joseph Wang, co-founder and CRO of SyntheticFi, a company that helps clients borrow against their portfolios for lower financing rates using box spread loans. They cover how box spreads work, how to use the options market to borrow at more competitive rates, box spread loan use cases, how SyntheticFi works with financial advisors and more. This episode is sponsored by WisdomTree. Visit https://www.wisdomtree.com/portfolioconsultations ...

Last week, Anthropic’s Claude announced integrations with Orion and LPL — not as a demo, not as a side tool, but embedded directly into the advisor workflow. That’s a big deal. When AI plugs into the plumbing of wealth management, it stops being optional. What happens when your custodian has a brain? When reporting, research, client communications, compliance workflows, and portfolio analysis are handled at machine speed? Is this a productivity unlock… or the beginning of advisor displacement? ...

For years, private credit investors were told they could have it all — higher yields, low volatility, and relatively little risk. Semiliquid funds became the bridge between Wall Street’s private deals and Main Street’s capital. Smooth returns. Quarterly liquidity. No drama. Until there was. When redemption requests surged at a major private credit fund managed by Blue Owl Capital, the illusion cracked. Gates went up. Liquidity tightened. And a product designed to feel stable suddenly reminded i...

On this episode of Ben with Benefits, Ben Carlson sat down with Eric Finnigan, Vice President of Demographics Research at John Burns to break down why demographics are destiny in the housing market and what that means going forward. They discuss: How today’s young people are different from past generations. Where people are moving to find more affordable housing. How trillions of dollars in home equity will be used in the years ahead. When the Silver Tsunami will hit. The impact of inherite...

On this episode of Talking Wealth, Michael Batnick sits down with Matt Middleton, the founder and CEO of Future Proof, the fastest-growing and now largest event in wealth management. What started as an ambitious idea — to reimagine what an industry conference could look and feel like — has quickly become the most talked-about gathering in financial advice. With thousands of advisors, asset managers, fintech companies, and allocators descending on Huntington Beach, and Miami, Future Proof i...

Secondaries used to be a niche corner of private markets — a way for institutions to quietly offload old fund positions. Today, they’re becoming a core feature of modern finance. In this conversation, Marc Rubinstein and Michael Batnick dig into the rapid rise of secondaries: why private assets are staying private for longer, how liquidity is being engineered rather than waited for, and what this shift means for valuations, incentives, and risk. We explore who wins, who loses, and whether second...

On this episode of Ben With Benefits, Ben Carlson is joined by Mike Piper, creator of the Oblivious Investor blog and author of a number of books including Social Security Made Simple. They discuss Social Security from every angle. Is the trust fund going bankrupt? When should you file for benefits? What are the pros and cons of filing early? What are the most important variables in determining when to claim? They also discuss why Social Security might be the most important retirement plan ever ...

On this episode of Talking Wealth, Josh Brown sits down with Kevin Thompson, Founder of 9i Capital Group, to unpack the biggest issues facing financial advisors and investors today. They break down Wealthfront’s rocky IPO and cash-heavy business model, and debate private market exposure in 401(k)s as BlackRock pushes forward. Plus, why retirement assets just hit a record $48.1 trillion and why some advisors choose full independence even when high payouts already exist. This episode is sponsored...

Investment management has become strangely polarizing in the advisory industry. On one end, many “planning-led” firms treat portfolios as a commodity—something clients can DIY or outsource entirely because “markets are efficient anyway.” On the other, some firms still rely on outdated investment storytelling: credentials, access, and vague promises of outperformance. On this episode of Talking Wealth, Michael Batnick sits down with Zach Conway to argue for a rational middle ground. We talk abou...

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 interests in their firms, what investors actually get exposure to when they buy GP stakes, and how this strategy differs from traditional private equity. Todd explains the economics of management fees vs. carry, the durability of cash flows, and why GP stakes have become s...

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 solve the retirement spending puzzle of how to both avoid outliving one’s assets while simultaneously avoiding chronic underspending. We discuss the trade-offs involved in a variable spending plan, how TIPS can help you in retirement planning, crafting the right asset allocatio...

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 exploded in popularity, promising access to private markets with smoother returns and less volatility. But as recent events around BlueRock have made painfully clear, the structure matters just as much as the strategy. My guest today is Leyla Kunimoto, co-founder of Accre...

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 funding round with some of the smartest venture capitalists in the space. Josh is an investor and an advisor to the company. This episode is brought to you by VanEck. Learn more about the VanEck Semiconductor ETF: ⁠http://vaneck.com/SMHCompound For more from Talking Wealth...

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 profession. Our latest publication — The RIA Real Deal: What We’ve Learned from a Golden Era of Deal-Making — is one of the first true retrospective analyses of RIA M&A outcomes over the past decade. To break down the findings, we’re joined by Mark Bruno, Managing Director and ...

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, which is the leading study in the industry, with 1,288 firms representing over $2.4 trillion in AUM. The study reveals actionable insights into what’s fueling growth across the industry. Michael and Lisa will examine how the most successful firms are delivering organic growth...

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 structures, advisors are increasingly building portfolios around steady cash flow rather than pure total return. Jeffrey Ptak, managing director at Morningstar, joins Michael Batnick to break down why this trend has accelerated, what problems these products are trying to solve, and...

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. From referral fatigue to valuation pressure to PE firms discovering the limits of financial engineering, this is a candid look at why multi-billion-dollar platforms suddenly can’t find an exit — and what comes next for the firms caught in the middle. This episode is sponsore...

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, why he turned his client portfolios into ETFs, the process that goes into starting an ETF, the challenges facing advisors when it comes to reaching client goals and more. This episode is sponsored by RBC Clearing & Custody. To find out more visit https://www.rbcclearingandcust...

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 retiring clients from the full court press, and more. This episode is sponsored by RBC Clearing & Custody. To find out more visit https://www.rbcclearingandcustody.com/ For more from Talking Wealth sign up at: ⁠https://talkingwealthpod.com/⁠ Participants include employees of ...

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. With roots at Microsoft and multiple startups, John brings deep enterprise SaaS experience to the advisor space. We’ll explore how Focal is moving beyond note-taking to orchestration of advisor workflows, the security and compliance imperatives in wealthtech, and what’s next a...

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 manage private investments. We’re going to discuss how Opto does this, their new AI tool for private market due diligence, and more. If you're a financial advisor and interested in going deeper, subscribe to the Talking Wealth email blast for wealth management professionals here...

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 referred clients to its advisor network. Josh and Kevin discuss this and more. If you're a financial advisor and interested in going deeper, subscribe to the Talking Wealth email blast for wealth management professionals here: https://talkingwealthpod.com/subscribe This episode...

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-scenes look at today’s red-hot RIA M&A landscape, where deal volume and valuations are at all-time highs, but buyers are more selective than ever. We explore what’s driving record multiples, how the most successful firms are differentiating themselves in a crowded market, and w...

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 clients. Fred is the founder and CEO of The Plan Sponsor University, which offers online and live workplace retirement plan education for business owners, benefits specialists and financial advisors to help grow their business. This episode is sponsored by Wealthbox®, a CRM pl...