The financial services industry is undergoing a huge amount of change as it adjusts to demographic, technological and other shifts. As a result, advisors and firms need new and innovative thinking on how the industry can best adopt and thrive.
This is the broad take on thought leadership from the judges of this year's inaugural ThinkAdvisor LUMINARIES, a groundbreaking program that recognizes the individuals, firms and programs working to move the industry forward in thought leadership and three other areas (diversity and inclusion, executive leadership and deal-making/growth).
"Why are we doing what we're doing? Why are we doing it that way? How can we be doing it better? What are we not doing that we need to do? What is — or what might be — coming, and what must we do to prepare?" asked Ric Edelman, founder of Edelman Financial Engines.
"It's essential we focus on these and related questions so we can make sure the advice we give our clients is the advice they need for the future," explained Edelman, who also founded the Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals. "And we must then make sure all advisors are asking — and answering — these questions and altering their practices accordingly, for the benefit of all investors everywhere."
The Right Mix
Thought leadership is "a combination of three attributes — expertise, vision and courage," according to Charles Schwab Chief Digital Officer Neesha Hathi. "During times of transformation like the period of change our industry is experiencing right now, thought leadership is particularly critical."
Why is it so important? "It helps us consider new perspectives, keep our eye on the potential that the future holds and inspire important conversations on what we, as an industry, need to do to innovate and steer our companies and our marketplace toward a better future for those we serve," Hathi explained.
To Mark Tibergien, the former head of BNY Mellon's Pershing Advisor Solutions, thought leadership is about people in positions of influence sharing "ideas, observations and insights that cause a community or industry to contemplate the implications for them and their businesses, and to take action to drive a better outcome."
Other judges agree, such as Aneri Jambusaria, LPL Financial's head of strategy, new ventures and analytics. Since financial advice is "a relatively new discipline, where the rules are changing constantly as customer needs, institutions and regulations evolve, thought leadership is critical to driving better outcomes for clients by enabling advisors and companies to harness the latest thinking," she explained.
