12-05-2018 WealthTech 2018: Artistry or Machinery?

Ah, WealthTech – that subset of Financial Technology that screams: “New, Innovative, and will solve ALL of your problems, Ms. and Mr. Wealth Manager”. But is that really so, or must we ever hone our operational processes, must we work at our craft daily, must we bend the curve of technology to our will - riding it onward to a wave of favorable client outcomes? Come join our star-studded panel as they debate the Art of Wealth Technology as we round out 2018! 

Deborah Fox | Deborah Fox is CEO and Founder of Fox Financial Planning Network(FFPN), a company nationally known for providing innovative solutions for advisors, and the institutions that serve them, by providing the systems, tools, templates, workflows and consulting to work more efficiently and systematize, yet still be able to personalize, the delivery of financial advice. Fox has been a practicing financial advisor in her own firm for 30 years and is known nationally for her unique approach to holistic financial planning and wealth management services, as well as her specialty planning company, Fox College Funding.

Deborah was one of the earliest adopters of moving her business into the cloud and incorporating detailed workflows, processes and web-based technology to work more efficiently, profitably which enabled her firm to be able to offer a higher level of service to her clients without working harder.

Deborah has also been providing consulting services to financial advisors, institutions and technology companies for over 20 years. Fox developed systems to create a process for a firm to unite the four major components of their practice – systems, technology, human capital and practice management. She sought out to solve the industry problem concerning the lack of advisor adoption and implementation of available information, tools and technology.

Deborah has been recognized by the industry by being placed on the cover of Financial Planning magazine and is regularly interviewed and quoted by publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, BusinessWeek, Newsweek, Forbes, Money, Fox News, Kiplinger’s, Financial Advisor, Investment News, Financial Planning Magazine and other industry publications. Deborah is regularly asked to present at national and local conferences such as FPA, AICPA, T3 Technology, TD Ameritrade and other industry conferences. Back To Top ^^

Kristen Schmidt | As Founder of RIA Oasis, a Tech Strategy & Implementation Consulting Firm, Kristen Schmidt sees the real-time hurdles firms face when it comes to technology, integrations & workflow building. As a Technology Strategist & Speaker, Kristen works directly with advisors and planners to assess, research, & implement technology platforms. Her passion is uncovering business solutions by marrying tech with best practice initiatives.

Kristen’s career spans over 15 years in financial services, specializing in operational efficiencies related to technology & business infrastructure. Kristen was the Operations Manager and COO of a now billion dollar+ RIA based in the Midwest where she spearheaded & implemented a proprietary tech platform while leading a full operations team in the process. As a prior member of the TD Ameritrade Institutional Operations Panel, Kristen has had the unique opportunity to uncover the ever-changing tech landscape by being boots on the ground with a variety of influencers. She is now as an agnostic, strategic partner to tech vendors, RIA firms, Hybrid model firms, Financial Planning firms, Consultants & Custodians throughout the industry.

Most recently, Kristen was invited to speak at seven Fidelity Institutional Operations Summits and is an author on IRIS.yxz and other publications. Kristen lives in Wisconsin with her two teenage sons where she enjoys professional sports, long distance walking and traveling.  Back To Top ^^

Min Zhang, CFA | Min Zhang is Head of Investment Technology at United Capital, an RIA with $22B under management. Previously, Min was founder and CEO of Totum Risk, which measures investors’ risk capacity given their unique life situation. She also served as Director of Investment Risk Management at Pacific Life and VP in Asset Allocation Product Management at PIMCO, where she helped the distribution team create model portfolios and business strategies. Min worked at Causeway Capital to create quantitative equity strategies and at Nutmeg.com to build robo-advisor algorithms.

Min is the creator of In Min We Trust, a video channel on personal finance, and a regular contributor to wealth management  and personal finance publications. Min earned an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Economics with Honors from Dartmouth College.  Back To Top ^^

Yves-Marc Courtines, CFA, will serve as Moderator for this First Wednesdays: Wealth Management Excellence Series event on the State of the Art in WealthTech. In addition to serving as Chair of the series, Yves-Marc brings over 20 years of financial industry experience and curiosity to the moderator role. More importantly for a tech event, he is routinely called on for the Wi-Fi router password within home and business environments. Yves-Marc and the entire First Wednesdays Advisory Council hope to see you this December 5th and encourage you to reserve your online spot for the 2019 series as well.