How AI Automation Builds Deeper Client Relationships - A 2025 Framework from Major RIAs from the Advisor Lab Podcast

Our co-founder and president Gabe Rissman recently sat down with Derek Schwartz on The Advisor Lab podcast by CION to explore the intersection of technology and client relationships in wealth management. In this episode, Gabe shared his experience of how automation helps advisors spend less time on administrative tasks and more time deepening client connections.

Throughout their conversation, they explored several themes that are top of mind for advisors: the limitations of one-size-fits-all ESG approaches, the challenges of managing multiple technology solutions that don't integrate well, and how AI is transforming everything from document processing to client communication. 

The discussion revealed a crucial point about successful technology adoption for firms of al sizes:

"People aren't really doing something as they think it'll be helpful. It's always solving a direct burning pain point right now." 

This perspective has guided YourStake’s development of solutions that address advisors' most pressing challenges, from automating proposal generation to delivering personalized portfolios easily.

As the wealth management industry continues to evolve, one thing remains clear - technology should enhance, not replace, the human elements of financial advice. 

Below are the top questions and answers from the podcast.

Q: How can advisors effectively leverage AI in wealth management?

A: Gabe: I use what I call the "CCC NDA" framework, this is how we built the Financial Advisor AI Tech Map, and it helps look at specific use cases where AI can provide immediate relief on manual and time-intensive tasks:

• Content: Advisors use AI to draft blog posts, newsletters, and market updates
• Customer Segmentation: AI helps prioritize leads and optimize client targeting
• Compliance: Automated review of social media posts and new regulations
• Notes: AI transcribes meetings, generates summaries, and syncs with CRM
• Document extraction: AI pulls key information from statements, tax forms, and estate plans
• Analysis: AI-powered portfolio analysis and document processing

Now let’s dig into each section to get a sense of the use cases and benefits of each section.

The first "C" is Content, which is the easiest entry point for most advisors. Whether you need to draft blog posts about emerging markets, create client newsletters during tax season, or develop market updates, AI can generate the initial content. This frees advisors to be editors rather than content creators, dramatically reducing the time spent on communications while maintaining their voice and expertise.

The second "C" is Customer segmentation and lead optimization. Tools are helping advisors maximize customer value and focus their time on the right prospects. Instead of treating every lead equally, AI analyzes various data points about potential clients to help advisors prioritize their efforts and customize their approach. This extends beyond basic segmentation to include discovery, ensuring conversations are relevant and meaningful from the first interaction.

The third "C" is Compliance, which has become a major pain point for many firms. Compliance departments are overwhelmed with requests - "Can I post this on LinkedIn?" "Does this marketing material meet regulations?" AI tools now operate on two levels: first, summarizing new regulations and their business implications, and second, reviewing hundreds of social media posts or marketing materials to flag potential compliance issues before they become problems.

"N" stands for Notes and CRM integration. This has been one of the fastest-adopted AI applications because it solves an immediate pain point. The technology can take your meeting recordings, create detailed summaries, generate follow-up emails, and sync key information directly to your CRM. What makes industry-specific solutions particularly effective is their understanding of financial terminology and advisor-client relationships - they're far more accurate than general-purpose AI tools.

"D" is Document extraction, which is transforming how advisors handle client paperwork. We recently had an advisor upload 29 different documents from a single prospect - insurance policies, estate plans, brokerage statements, and more. Our system automatically extracted and organized all the relevant information. For brokerage statements specifically, we can automatically construct portfolios and generate side-by-side proposals, turning hours of manual data entry into an automated process.

Finally, "A" represents Analysis assistant. This allows advisors to actually chat with their data - asking questions about portfolios, getting instant insights about holdings, and analyzing specific metrics like expense ratios. By feeding AI the relevant, appropriate information, we avoid hallucinations while providing quick, accurate answers to advisor questions.

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Q: How are firms actually implementing these AI solutions today? 

A: Gabe: Major enterprises aren't implementing AI just because it's trendy or future-focused. We're serving hundreds of advisors, including SEI, Broadridge, and some of the top 10 RIAs including Mercer and Journey Strategic Wealth, and in every case, adoption starts with solving a specific, burning pain point.

For example, consider the document processing challenge. We recently had a client upload 29 different documents from a new prospect - everything from insurance policies and estate documents to brokerage statements. 

This is a typical scenario advisors face: a prospective client sends over a stack of documents, and traditionally, someone would have to manually extract and input all that information into various systems. It's time-consuming, prone to errors, and pulls advisors away from valuable client interactions.

Our system automatically extracted the key information and organized it. For brokerage statements specifically, we can automatically construct portfolios and generate side-by-side proposals. 

What used to take hours of manual data entry now happens almost instantly. This isn't just about saving time - it's about enabling advisors to provide faster, more professional service to their clients.

The enterprises we work with typically come to us with a combination of needs. They want to help their clients express their values through their portfolios, but they're also drowning in administrative tasks. When they see how our technology can extract data from documents, sync with their existing systems, and generate client-ready deliverables, they recognize the immediate impact on their business.

What's particularly interesting is that adoption often starts with one specific pain point - maybe it's document processing, maybe it’s values alignment - but then expands as firms realize the broader possibilities of the technology. 

They're not implementing AI for AI's sake; they're solving real problems that directly impact their ability to serve clients effectively.

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Q: Why do wealth management-specific AI solutions dramatically outperform general-purpose tools?

A: Gabe: The difference comes down to context and understanding of wealth management relationships. We've found this distinction to be crucial across every type of AI implementation. Take the top use case for AI for most Financial Advisors, AI Note Takers and Meeting Assistants. 

As an example. General-purpose AI tools like Otter or Fireflies approach every meeting the same way - they transcribe the conversation and try to extract key points. 

But when you tell the AI specifically that it's analyzing a meeting between a financial advisor and their client, everything changes. 

The AI understands industry terminology, recognizes the relationship dynamic, and knows what information is most relevant to extract. It's such a simple change in instruction - "this is a financial advisor-client meeting" versus just "this is a meeting" - but it leads to dramatically better results, as we’ve seen it while building out our note taker solution.

This principle extends beyond just meeting transcription. We've seen firms struggle with general-purpose AI for tasks like document processing or portfolio analysis, only to find much greater success with industry-specific solutions. 

The reason is simple: these specialized tools understand the context of wealth management. They know what to look for in a brokerage statement, how to interpret client risk preferences, and what information needs to be logged in a CRM. Better yet, they also get smarter and reliable over time with continued training and usage. 

Another critical factor is integration with existing advisor workflows. Many advisors are already overwhelmed with too many disconnected systems. When our system processes a client meeting, it doesn't just create a transcript - it can generate follow-up emails, update the CRM, and flag important action items, all within the advisor's existing technology ecosystem. This level of integration is only possible because the AI understands the specific needs and workflows of wealth management firms and working with a singular vendor can lead to major efficiencies versus trying to connect multiple systems.

The firms that get the most value from AI are those that recognize this difference. They understand that while general-purpose AI tools might seem adequate, industry-specific solutions deliver far more immediate, practical value because they truly understand the business of wealth management.

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Q: How does AI intersect with values-based investing? 

A: Gabe: The ESG landscape has undergone a significant shift. Until late 2022, there was tremendous growth in ESG offerings, but then we saw major pushback - and much of it was warranted. 

The fundamental problem was that ESG was being marketed as a one-size-fits-all solution for values alignment when it was originally designed for risk management.

For example, ESG might focus on water stress or climate change risks, which are valid financial considerations. But when it comes to personal values, clients care about different things. 

Some prioritize faith-based investing, others are gun owners, and many don't want to sacrifice one value (like avoiding child labor) for another (like clean energy). 

ESG was being sold as a universal solution for whatever values clients held, which led to disconnects and disappointment.

Instead of forcing predetermined values, our system takes a more personalized approach. We provide surveys for advisors to understand exactly what their clients care about, then use AI to map those specific values to portfolio holdings, and produce reports that highlight those individual values mapped to their investments to make it personal, connected, and clear.

While many enterprises have pulled back from ESG due to these challenges, the fundamental desire for values alignment hasn't disappeared - in fact, it's growing stronger. 

The key is moving away from standardized ESG metrics toward truly personalized solutions that reflect each client's unique priorities and beliefs.

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Q: What major technology shifts should advisors prepare for in 2025?

A: Gabe: We're about to witness a fundamental shift in how advisors use technology AI enhanced or not. 

After years of adding more and more point solutions - separate tools for portfolio analysis, CRM, document management, and so on - we're going to see a dramatic move toward consolidation.

This shift is happening because advisors are currently overwhelmed. While they love having best-in-class tools for every function, managing multiple systems that don't integrate well has become a major pain point. Each new solution, despite its individual benefits, adds another layer of complexity to their technology stack.

Two factors are accelerating this consolidation in 2025. 

1. AI is dramatically speeding up software development. Every engineer on our team now uses AI as a coding assistant, allowing us to build new features faster and with higher quality than ever before. 
2. AI embedded directly in products enables single platforms to do more with less setup time. Features that once required separate specialized tools can now be integrated into comprehensive solutions.

For advisors, this means getting more capabilities from fewer vendors. Instead of piecing together a dozen different solutions, they'll have access to consolidated platforms that can handle everything from document processing to portfolio analysis to client communication. 

This isn't just about convenience - it's about creating a more cohesive, efficient workflow that allows advisors to focus on what they do best: serving their clients.

The enterprises we work with are particularly excited about this shift. They see the potential to streamline their technology stack while actually expanding their capabilities. It's not about reducing functionality - it's about delivering more value through integrated, AI-powered solutions that understand the full context of wealth management.

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Q: What will determine success for AI-powered advisors in 2025?

A: Gabe: The most important thing to understand is that AI isn't replacing advisors - it's supercharging them. I haven't seen any AI that comes close to replicating the real value advisors provide: client conversations, relationship building, and trust, and I sincerely believe AI will not take that human element away. 

What AI can and will do is eliminate the manual, repetitive tasks that prevent advisors from focusing on these crucial aspects of their practice. 

Think about what currently slows you down: 

• Manual data entry from client documents
• Time spent formatting and generating proposals
• Hours writing market commentary, emails, and so on
• Compliance reviews and documentation
• Note taking, follow-up emails, task generation for your team
• CRM synchronization and data updating
• The list goes on and on…

These are the tasks that AI will increasingly handle in 2025. Our experience with hundreds of advisors, including some of the top 10 RIAs, shows that removing these administrative burdens allows them to serve more clients more effectively.

However, success won't come from simply adopting AI for AI's sake. The advisors who will thrive are those who approach technology adoption strategically, starting with their specific pain points. Whether it's document processing, portfolio analysis, or client communication, there are solutions available now that directly address these challenges directly.

The real transformation will happen when advisors can completely shift their focus to the human elements of financial advice. Imagine walking into every client meeting fully prepared, with AI having analyzed all relevant documents, summarized key points, and identified potential talking points. Imagine generating comprehensive, personalized proposals in minutes rather than hours. This is the reality that leading firms are already beginning to experience.

For advisors wondering how to prepare, my advice is simple: think about what frustrates you in your practice today. What manual, repetitive tasks slow you down? What prevents you from spending more time with clients? 

These are the areas where AI will have the biggest impact in 2025, and identifying them now will help you make the most of these emerging solutions.

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Key Takeaways:

The wealth management industry is at a pivotal moment. While AI and automation are transforming how advisors work, the goal isn't to replace human advisors but to enhance their capabilities and deepen client relationships. 

Through our conversations with hundreds of advisors and major enterprises like SEI and Broadridge, several critical insights emerge:

1. Industry-specific solutions dramatically outperform general-purpose AI tools because they understand the unique context of wealth management relationships.
2. The explosion of point solutions is reversing toward consolidation, driven by AI's ability to power more comprehensive, integrated platforms.
3. Success with AI isn't about adopting technology for technology's sake - it's about identifying specific pain points in your practice and finding solutions that directly address these challenges.
4. Values-based investing is evolving beyond one-size-fits-all ESG approaches toward truly personalized solutions that reflect each client's unique priorities.

Looking ahead to 2025, advisors who thrive will be those who embrace AI not as a replacement for human judgment, but as a tool to eliminate administrative burdens and focus on what matters most: understanding and serving their clients.

Listen to the full episode of The Advisor Lab Podcast to hear more insights from Gabe Rissman about how leading firms are implementing these solutions today.