Nines ’s Post

Guests are still signing up for our event, even if it ended last week! 😉 So, we’ve decided to keep the replays available until Thanksgiving (link in comments) It’s a chance to catch up on your favorite sessions and check out all the cool tech tools in the booths. Big thanks to our awesome speakers (see below) for bringing your time, insights, and humor and to Phil Strassler our key collaborator. Thanks also to our workshop leaders Jennifer Richardson Asya Nagdimova, MBA, MS, Danielle Klimek & Charmaine Tang and of course and to our fantastic host Nicholas Boole for keeping things moving with style and wit. Happy holidays, everyone!  🎉 Available Replays: Navigating the AI Revolution Responsibly Don’t miss Randima Fernando's inspiring talk from the Center for Humane Tech. Register for an in-depth follow up with Randy here https://lnkd.in/d8JKPBnR How Should Family Offices Approach AI? A must-watch panel featuring Dr. Tania Neild, Dr. Yoni Malchi, and three trailblazing family offices discussing early adoption strategies: Amy Freidinger Timothy C. Macherone and Neil D'Anniballe, MBA Choosing Your Tech Stack Michael G Perez hosts a discussion packed with decision-making tips from three innovative outsourced providers Sophia L. Patty Esslinger and Neil Shapiro Streamlining Private Investments With Technology Danielle Roseman and her panel explore some promising solutions to this massive family office headache. With Joseph Larizza, Paul Williams, CFA and John Jennings Corporate Transparency Act: Key Issues and Open Questions Stephen Liss provides expert advice on how family offices should navigate this complex regulation. Slides available & Stephen's 50-page outline available on request at info@fotechhub.com Cybersecurity Essentials Christian Scott, leading ethical hacker, joins Tony Gebely in this unique presentation that offers practical tools for protecting HNW individuals from ID theft and fraud. Slides available. Trends and Insights from the Road - Catch Brian Broadway at Forge as he breaks down the hottest trends and insights from his cross-country meetups with single-family offices this Fall. Integrating Systems: Optimizing Performance Reporting Without Compromising Accounting Theresa Clarkson and three SFO leaders offer generous insights on how they're solving this ongoing challenge. With Brad Sacks, Danielle Klimek & Jake Beinecke Leveraging Non-Financial Tech for a More Efficient Office Rebecca Cowley and a panel of SFO leaders + consultant explore tools to streamline operations beyond accounting and investments, with Jessica Lawrence Quinn, SPHR, CFRE Jeffrey Konen, Kathlyn Mead & Kelli Kotowski Staying Ahead of Future IRS Audits with Technology Ben Berger, Charles Rettig - former IRS Commissioner, and his advisor Tom Cullinan share invaluable perspectives on preparing for upcoming administrative changes.

Excel has been a go-to tool for managing assets and reporting in family offices, but as these organizations professionalize, its limitations are becoming more apparent. Replacing Excel can lead to improved efficiency, data security, and reporting capabilities, positioning family offices for long-term success. For more insights, check out the full article and send me a note if you want to learn more about how a transition from Excel could be beneficial. #FamilyOffices #WealthManagement #DigitalTransformation #DataSecurity #ChangeManagement

Here’s how family offices can make the most of tech benefits while keeping risks low. Read more here. https://ow.ly/9MCT30sFavN #EYCanada #BetterWorkingWorld

Recap of some recent content from asora's "Family Office Roundup #39." Sign up for our newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/eJPbmbD9 First up is Deloitte's Family Office Cyber Security Report. I am glad to see Deloitte narrow its focus to possibly one of the most important topics, Cybersecurity. The report overviews the current state of threats that we face, then highlights how cyber planning has become a top priority of family offices. They also share some helpful yet scary insights that many of the security measures being put in place simply are not enough. Link to the report: https://lnkd.in/e2qRNetj Next is Francois's latest Forbes piece, that we impatiently wait all year for. "The 2024 Family Office Software Roundup." It is like getting an early Christmas present. We all know that asora is the best platform on the list. Joking aside, Francois provides a comprehensive list of the latest and greatest tech solutions available to family offices. This annual report has become a vital resource for anyone keeping a pulse on the ecosystem. Glad to see our tech partners Arch, Sage, and SumIt Software on the list. Link to the article: https://lnkd.in/e-ibY9fc Another Forbes article made the short list, "How The AI Boom Minted A New Breed Of Billion-Dollar Cloud Companies." The write-up highlights how the AI boom has spurred billion-dollar cloud companies specializing in AI infrastructure to meet rising demand from businesses adopting AI. These companies have drawn major investments, highlighting AI infrastructure's growing role in tech. Link to the article: https://lnkd.in/erMRnVns I have a confession, I am a big fan of Shaun Parkin. His candid and genuine approach to sharing his insights resonates with me. I have enjoyed his podcast channel and highly recommend them to anyone wanting high caliber family office content. His latest episode, "The Challenges of Private Markets Reporting" is worth a listen. Here is a link to the episode: https://lnkd.in/eiBYRspp Lastly is a more investment focused piece, "Five reasons wealthy families are investing in real estate overseas" from Canadian Family Offices. This article examines why families are increasingly investing in overseas real estate to connect with heritage, diversify portfolios, and hedge against domestic market volatility. These investments often align with personal interests and lifestyle goals while expanding international presence and financial resilience. Cross-border investments, however, require careful attention to local laws, taxes, and market conditions. Here is a link: https://lnkd.in/etNBet77 Enjoy!

You need to watch “Mr. Bates vs the Post Office”. If you’re in the US, it’s on PBS. If you’re in the UK, you’ve already seen it.  It’s a gut-wrenching depiction of what happens when an organization fetishizes “innovation” at the expense of the lives of actual living humans. It’s based on an actual scandal that has been unfolding for decades (and is ongoing as I type this):  the Post Office (which had been semi-privatized a couple of decades ago) wrongfully prosecuted thousands of “sub-postmasters” – basically folks who ran corner shops around the UK acting as deputized postmasters -- due to flaws in an accounting software system developed by Fujitsu. Despite being innocent, over 900 sub-postmasters were convicted of theft and fraud between 1999 and 2015, leading to imprisonments, loss of livelihoods, financial ruin, and immense personal suffering, including at least four suicides. IT IS ENRAGING. What I find compelling about it is has a lot to say about the flabby rhetoric around “innovation” and how it’s replacing quality as a motivation for organizations. I mean, REAL innovation is powerful. And when you pair quality with innovation… are you kidding? How can you not win? But there’s innovation, and there’s “innovation” – the rhetorical feint of talking about innovation, as opposed to doing the hard work of being truly innovative. “Innovation” is a tempting fix for organizations who are lost. As I write this on my couch with my cat staring at me, I can think of two reasons an organization would want to sign up for an insincere innovation narrative. 1)   Ersatz innovation can be bought off the shelf. Borrowed interest is an age-old short cut.  2)   Innovation culture begets jive. Accretions of buzzwords and concepts that can be plugged in the any number of formations. It’s easy. It’s comforting. It’s the neoliberal version of Soviet journalism. The point of the narrative is the vocabulary, not a representation of reality. The scandal is my new hobby. I’ve been watching a lot of the actual inquiry testimony and what’s most grotesque about it is how much the senior management of the Post Office was determined to believe and defend the promise of the crappy Fujitsu software that had a 20-year history of failure, over the ordinary folks who just wanted to run their businesses and serve their village. The Post Office gave up a commitment to quality and their own integrity to defend “innovation”. Innovation gibberish is sexy, obfuscating, and looks like a kind of effortless DOING. Quality makes demands on your process and sets expectations in the market. It’s challenging. It takes imagination and discipline. It burns calories. It’s also better than lying, laziness, and entrenched incompetence.

Recap of some recent content from our "Family Office Roundup #38" (Sorry for missing #37, I've been traveling a lot.) sign up for our newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/eJPbmbD9 Simple's Family Office Software & Technology Report 2024 - This one is sentimental for me, as I have been reading the reports that Francois and his team put together for years. I used to read them as a family office professional trying to better understand the rapidly evolving technology landscape. The landscape is now evolving at an even faster rate, making these reports an essential resource. Exciting to see my firm, asora, mentioned a few times. Here is a link to the report: https://lnkd.in/eDhqbGEp UBS has upped their game with their quarterly Family Office publication. They do a phenomenal job diving into the latest themes. It's not just a survey result like some of the other banks produce. This Q4 2024 release covers a lot of ground, topics include: Investment Outlook & Election Watch 2024 | Multigenerational Success & Communication | Ethical Wills | Operational Excellence | Compliance for Private Foundations. Shoutout to Mark Tepsich & the UBS Team for all of the work that goes into this. Here is a link to download the report: https://lnkd.in/ed9pgm-z Edward Marshall's latest whitepaper on "Combating Insider Threats in Family Offices." Eddie and his firm, Presage Global, cover the topics that no one likes to think about, but are easily some of the most important. Like the title states, the whitepaper discusses the unique challenges family offices face regarding insider threats, particularly from trusted individuals like employees, vendors, and even family members. The article provides a framework to assess risks, design a strategy, train staff, monitor activities, and regularly adapt the program to evolving threats. Here is a link to the whitepaper: https://lnkd.in/et8sP7iw SS&C Technologies published the key findings of its recent LP Survey. Key takeaways include: PE outperformed other strategies over the last 12 months | LPs continue to favor the North America Markets | LPs want a better digital experience from their GPs | LPs seek a unified platform to monitor their portfolios across all asset classes | Deal activity is expected to rebound in the next 12 months | Geopolitical uncertainty and valuations are primary concerns. Here is a link to the report: https://lnkd.in/eB4rcRpv Lastly, Family Business Magazine's Margaret Steen examines some of the unique challenges that Family Offices are encountering when it comes to hiring. 40% of family offices are focusing on hiring to help expand their operations. Many of them are having difficulty finding candidates who both have the skillset and fit in with the firm's culture. Traditionally, family offices tend to pull from other segments within financial services, but those talent pools are shrinking. Here is a link to the article: https://lnkd.in/eJcydspz

In Peachtree City's ever-changing business scene, being adept at incorporating technology is crucial for success. Managed IT Services offer a crucial advantage, helping businesses tackle digital challenges effectively. #PeachtreeCity #BusinessSuccess #TechnologyIntegration #ManagedITServices #AffinityTechnology

🙏 From the over 80 financial advice professionals who tuned into Aptium Assist's webinar, "The Advice Assembly" last Thursday, a massive THANK YOU to the 13 generous panelists/moderators (including 7 CEO's), who delivered a concentrated dose of practical and valuable insights: Julian Place CFP® (AMP), Andrew Rocks (Ensombl), Rebecca Engel (Microsoft), Peter Worn (Finura Group), Mark Zaglas (Encore Advisory Group), CATE AMERICANO (Inspiration Cafe Pty Ltd), Emily Jenkins (Ensombl), Paul Barrett (AZ NGA), David Haintz AM (Merchant), Cameron Forbes CFP® (Forbes Fava Financial Planning), Duncan McPherson, Adrian Stewart (Allianz Retire+), and Kelly Power (Colonial First State). 📰 Thanks also to Professional Planner for covering the event and sharing some of the key insights with your audience. 🆘 As I mentioned in the webinar, at Aptium Assist we believe that paraplanning and administration support are just one tool we use to help #financialadvisers see more clients and grow faster. If you'd like to learn more, just reach out. 🆓 The full 2-hour recording is freely available here: https://lnkd.in/g7s_Fw3h ⏲ Timestamps 6:02     Panel session 1/ Technology: Distinguishing the hype from the helpful 40:30   Panel session 2/ Business efficiency: The future of efficiency (and how to get there). 1:11:05 Panel session 3/ Business growth: The many ways to bake an M&A cake 1:40:08 Panel session 4/ Industry growth: Is industry meeting Australia's growing retirement needs?

It may sound counterintuitive, but advisers and business owners can be the biggest root causes of inefficiency, according to a panel discussion. However, there are different solutions that can help boost effectiveness of both these crucial parts of the business.  Mark Zaglas Peter Worn Rebecca Engel #adviceassembly #ai #technology #cybersecurity #cyberrisk #microsoft #financialadvisers #financialplanning #financialservices

Days like these are gold! This week Jerry Kalogeropoulos got together a bunch of people from around the industry to share stories to help us all be better - as practitioners and owners. No one is perfect, myself especially. But we can always strive to be better. Days like these, people sharing and helping each other, are gold. I learnt a lot. The Advice Assembly was created from a standing start to some 80 people tuning for 2 punchy hours on 4 topics that are being discussed in most board rooms today. Thanks to Professional Planner for the article covering the Business Efficiency session. There is more, much more, across the 4 topics. For those that missed it I've provided a link Jerry has shared to the recording. 1) Technology: Distinguishing the hype from the helpful 2) Business efficiency: The future of efficiency (and how to get there). 3) Business growth: The many ways to bake an M&A cake 4) Industry growth: Is industry meeting Australia's growing retirement needs? Link to the full 2 hours webinar below: https://lnkd.in/g7s_Fw3h Love to know what you think, comment below 👇 😀 Lastly, thanks to Emily Jenkins and CATE AMERICANO for joining me for session 2 on #businessefficiency - these two absolutely know their stuff and I would encourage anyone looking for help or advice to seek them out! Aptium Assist Peter Worn Rebecca Engel #adviceassembly #financialplanning #businessefficiency #financialadvice #professionalplanner