By Curtis C. Brown, Jr.
With AI dominating headlines and reshaping industries, I wanted to cut through the buzz and ask the questions most financial advisors are quietly thinking: Is this real? Is it relevant? And can it actually help me grow my practice without losing my mind or my clients?
So, I did something different. I interviewed AI directly!
What follows is a candid conversation between me and a powerful AI model trained on millions of data points across financial services, behavioral science, and productivity. My goal? To find out whether AI is a gimmick—or a game-changer.
Curtis: Let’s start with the elephant in the room. Advisors are exhausted. Too many clients, too many touch points, not enough time. Can AI really give them their time back?
AI: Absolutely. Most advisors spend 30–50% of their week on repeatable, administrative tasks that can be streamlined or fully automated. From preparing review agendas to generating follow-ups and tracking plan implementation, AI serves as a digital chief of staff. It doesn’t replace judgment—it amplifies it.
Curtis: But doesn’t automation kill the human touch? This is still a relationship business.
AI: Great question. Done right, AI actually enhances the human touch. It frees the advisor to focus on what clients value most—trust, communication, and strategic thinking. AI can surface key dates, client preferences, life milestones, and portfolio drift so the advisor is always one step ahead. It’s personalization at scale.
Curtis: Let’s talk about implementation. Advisors build strong financial plans, but follow-through is often lacking. How can AI help?
AI: AI can convert a financial plan into an actionable, trackable checklist with deadlines, automated reminders, and task owners. It can also flag gaps in execution and prompt the team to take action. Advisors get back the control they often lose once the plan leaves the table.
Curtis: What about scenario modeling? Clients ask, “what if I retire early?” or “what if rates stay high?” Can AI make that easier?
AI: Yes. AI can quickly generate “what-if” analyses based on inputs like retirement age, inflation assumptions, or asset allocation changes. It can summarize the impact in plain language: “Delaying retirement by 3 years could reduce your drawdown risk by 18% and increase lifetime income by $220,000.” It’s about speed and clarity.
Curtis: One of the biggest missed opportunities is intergenerational wealth. Advisors often lose the relationship once the client passes. Can AI help retain heirs?
AI: Definitely. AI can help advisors identify, track, and engage family members long before wealth transfers. It automates birthday notes, graduation messages, and next-gen education campaigns. It can also prompt legacy planning conversations with both clients and their heirs. The result? Stickier relationships and stronger retention.
Curtis: This all sounds promising, but what’s the actual ROI?
AI: Based on Tier1’s advisor research, the ROI is significant:
- 15–25 hours/month saved per advisor
- 10–30% more plan execution
- $100K–$300K in annual revenue lift (from better retention, higher capacity, improved prospect conversion)
- Break-even in under 3 months for most practices
Advisors can reallocate time to deepen client relationships, pursue COIs, or expand into niches.
Curtis: Let’s bring this home. If you were an advisor starting today, what are three AI-powered moves you’d make immediately?
AI:
- Automate Client Communications: Use AI to draft and send personalized monthly updates, review reminders, and milestone messages.
- Implement Plan Tracking Tools: Convert each client’s plan into a live checklist with automated task flows and alerts.
- Leverage Voice AI for Meetings: Use transcription tools to generate summaries, to-dos, and CRM entries from client calls.
These three alone could transform a team’s capacity within weeks.
Curtis: Final word: Is AI coming for advisors?
AI: No—it’s coming for their inefficiencies. Advisors who embrace it will thrive. Those who ignore it may find themselves outpaced, not by technology, but by better-prepared peers.
Curtis (closing): I’ve spent four decades in this industry. I’ve seen revolutions in products, platforms, and planning. But this moment feels different. AI isn’t a gimmick. It’s a partner. It’s time to train it, trust it, and put it to work.
Let’s go build something better.
