AGENDA
8:00 – 8:50 am
Registration & Networking Breakfast
Connect with fellow advisors, industry leaders, and partners before the day's discussions begin. Build new relationships, exchange ideas, and start conversations that will continue throughout the event.
8:50 – 9:00 am
Welcome Remarks from Chairperson
9:00 – 9:30 am
Opening Keynote: The Future of Advice: What Changes Next—and What Doesn't
A historic wealth transfer, evolving client expectations, and rapid technological change are reshaping the advisory profession. Yet the most successful firms continue to be built on the same fundamentals: trust, relationships, and meaningful advice. In this opening keynote, a leading industry executive shares their perspective on where wealth management is headed and the opportunities available to advisors who are prepared to adapt and lead.
- The forces reshaping wealth management today
- How client expectations are evolving
- What will differentiate successful firms over the next decade
- Where advisors should focus their time, energy, and investment
- What won't change, even as everything else does
Racquel Oden
US Head of Wealth, Premier and Global Private Banking, HSBC
9:35 – 10:10 am
Panel: Winning the New Majority
Women are controlling more wealth than ever before and influencing financial decisions across generations. At the same time, changing family structures, longer life expectancies, caregiving responsibilities, and a historic wealth transfer are reshaping how financial decisions are made. Advisors who understand these shifts—and adapt their approach accordingly—will be better positioned to build trust, deepen relationships, and grow their businesses. This discussion explores how leading advisors are engaging women clients, navigating family dynamics, and preparing for the next era of wealth management.
- Building stronger relationships with women clients
- Navigating intergenerational wealth transfer
- Engaging spouses, heirs, and next-generation decision-makers
- Understanding the unique financial priorities of women investors
- Navigating aging, caregiving, and family dynamics during wealth transitions
- Opportunities to win and retain women investors in a competitive market
Arvette Reid
Healthcare Planning Strategist, Signature Estate & Investment Advisors (SEIA), Signature Estate & Investment Advisors (SEIA)
Lisa Roberts
Head of Wealth Management, Wilmington Trust
10:10 – 10:40 am
Networking Break
10:40 – 11:10 am
Discussion Tables: The Conversations You Actually Want to Be In
Choose a topic, join a table, and exchange ideas with advisors facing many of the same opportunities and challenges.
- AI in Your Practice: What's Worth Using?
- Winning the Wealth Transfer
- Building a Referral Engine
- Marketing That Moves the Needle
- Building a Personal Brand That Opens Doors
- Scaling Beyond Yourself
- Career Moves That Changed Everything
- Perimenopause, Leadership & Longevity
11:15 – 11:45 am
Fireside Chat: Building a Business That Doesn't Need You
Many advisory firms struggle to grow because too much knowledge, decision-making, and client responsibility rests with one person. This conversation explores how leaders create scalable businesses through operational excellence, delegation, systems, and strategic growth—so the firm can thrive beyond any individual advisor. Learn how successful firms create capacity, strengthen client experiences, and position themselves for sustainable growth over the long term.
- Creating systems and processes that support sustainable growth
- Building a growth engine that doesn't depend on one rainmaker
- Developing centers of influence and referral networks
- Delegating effectively while maintaining client experience
- Creating capacity to serve more clients without sacrificing quality
Cecilia Williams
Chief Operating Officer, Halbert Hargrove
11:50 – 12:15 pm
Case Study: What We Automated—and What We Never Will
AI is quickly becoming part of the advisor toolkit, but the firms seeing the greatest success are using technology strategically rather than blindly. Hear how leading advisors are integrating AI into their businesses while preserving the human connections clients value most.
- AI tools advisors are actually using today
- Practical automation opportunities across the client journey
- Improving efficiency without sacrificing personalization
- Compliance, privacy, and risk considerations
- AI tools helping advisors reclaim time at work and at home
- What clients still want from a human advisor
12:15 – 1:15 pm
Networking Lunch
1:15 – 1:50 pm
Featured Coversation: Ask Carolyn Anything – When Life Doesn't Go According to Plan
Life doesn't always follow the financial plan. Aging, cognitive decline, healthcare decisions, family dynamics, and unexpected life events can quickly become some of the most challenging conversations an advisor faces. Drawing on her unique perspective as both a practicing physician and CFP® professional, Carolyn McClanahan will share practical strategies for helping clients navigate life's toughest moments before opening the floor for an interactive Q&A where no question is off limits.
- Recognizing cognitive decline and supporting vulnerable clients
- Planning for healthcare and long-term care
- Navigating difficult family conversations
- Preparing clients before a crisis
- Audience Q&A: Ask Carolyn Anything
Carolyn McClanahan
Founder, Life Planning Partners, Inc.
1:55 – 2:25 pm
Advisor Playbook: Steal these Ideas
Not every great business improvement requires a major investment or complete overhaul. In this fast-paced session, successful advisors share practical ideas, processes, and strategies that have improved client experience, increased efficiency, strengthened relationships, or accelerated growth. Expect actionable takeaways you can implement immediately.
- Client experience ideas worth borrowing
- Communication strategies that strengthen relationships
- Small operational changes with outsized impact
- Marketing and referral approaches that actually work
- The best idea panelists implemented in the past year
Denise Sprung
Chief Marketing Officer, Mitlin Financial
2:25 – 2:50 pm
Networking Break
2:50 – 3:25 pm
Panel Discussion: The Talent Equation: Who Comes Next?
In a relationship-driven business, people remain the ultimate differentiator. Whether you're building a team, developing future leaders, or charting your own path to leadership, mentorship, sponsorship, and succession planning play a critical role in long-term success. As firms prepare for generational transitions and compete for top talent, creating opportunities for advisors to grow, advance, and thrive has become a strategic priority. This discussion explores how leading firms are developing talent, strengthening leadership pipelines, and building businesses positioned for long-term success.
- The difference between mentorship and sponsorship—and how each accelerates careers
- Creating pathways to leadership, partnership, and ownership
- Positioning yourself for leadership and advancement opportunities
- Preparing the next generation of advisors before succession becomes urgent
- Retaining top talent through culture, opportunity, and development
Stacy Francis
President and CEO, Francis Financial
Sarah Mouser
Executive Vice President, Financial Planning, Merit Financial Advisors
Laurie Vitali
Chief People Officer, Principal, Modera Wealth Management
3:30 – 4:00 pm
Closing Fireside Chat: The Long Game
Success in wealth management is rarely built overnight. In this candid closing conversation, respected industry leaders reflect on the decisions, relationships, setbacks, and lessons that shaped their careers. From navigating change and managing competing priorities to defining moments of growth, they'll share what they've learned about leadership, resilience, and building a meaningful career over the long term.
- Leadership lessons learned through challenges and change
- Sustaining success through different seasons of life and career
- Managing ambition, family, and competing priorities over time
- Mistakes and setbacks that became defining growth opportunities
- The decisions that had the greatest impact on long-term success
Cathy Curtis
Founder and Wealth Advisor, Curtis Financial Planning
4:00 pm