How do you bring AI into your advice firm the right way?Not by bolting it onto broken processes, but by rethinking how your business could run using the latest technology.In this live conversation, Melo's Chief Innovation Officer, Ben Wright, sits down with Tom Hind of Saturn AI and Head of Progress at Melo, Kath Harvey, to explore how AI is reshaping financial planning.You’ll learn:💡 Where AI adds real efficiency (and where it doesn’t)⚙️ Why process design must come before tech🧠 How to build firm-wide adoption that actually sticks🚀 What an “AI-empowered paraplanner” could look like📊 How the best firms are using AI to create more human advice experiencesIf you’re a leader or operations head in financial planning and want to use AI to make your firm run better, this one’s for you.00:00 – Show intro01:00 – Why “make shift happen”05:40 – What AI is (and isn’t) for advice firms13:10 – Process before tech: the non-negotiable21:30 – Note-taking & data quality wins30:45 – Report writing reality check39:20 – The AI-empowered paraplanner48:10 – Getting client consent to record meetings54:00 – Hiring, roadmaps & picking providers58:30 – Final takeaways & next steps👉 Listen now, take notes, and get ready to make shift happen.📥 Download our free guide: “Approaching AI in Financial Planning”🌐 Learn more at https://melo.co.uk/events-ai-financial-planning/📧 Or get in touch at hello@melo.co.uk#FinancialPlanning #ArtificialIntelligence #AIForAdvisers #WealthManagement #FinTech #FinancialAdvice #Melo #SaturnAI #BusinessEfficiency #AIImplementation #AdviceFirms #FinancialServices #FutureOfFinance

Consumer Duty has raised the bar (and the cost) of running financial planning businesses. In this practical session, and with the help of 8AM Global, we unpack advisory vs discretionary models, demystify co-manufacturing/insourcing, and show how to reduce burden without losing control of your proposition.Who it’s for: financial planning firms using advisory or discretionary model portfolios, and providers working with advisers who want to be able to have smarter conversations about investment management.You’ll learn:* What “manufacturer” means under PROD & Consumer Duty* How responsibilities, reporting, and liability differ across advisory, outsourced MPS, and co-manufactured solutions* How much control you keep with co-manufacturing—and how to evidence value* Migration, comms, and positioning with clients (without losing trust)* Objective MPS comparisons * Asset levels needed to launch a fundSpeakersBen Wright (Melo), Paul Hogg & Ash Weston (8AM Global)

Here's what we talked about:

00:46 – Introduction
05:31 – Jargon buster: advisory vs discretionary vs MPS vs co-manufacturing (what’s what?)
09:18 – Who’s responsible for what under each model? (permissions & duties)
10:36 – If we run advisory model portfolios, are we a “manufacturer”?
11:05 – How do reporting and evidence requirements differ across models?
15:32 – Considering co-manufacturing: how much control do we keep?
24:43 – If we gain discretionary permissions later, can we take over the models?
29:14 – What’s the easiest way to migrate clients from advisory to an insourced/co-manufactured solution?
32:37 – How do we reposition with clients without “losing face”?
38:15 – Value chain: where (and how) can firms fairly take value for investment work?
42:49 – “Aren’t model portfolios just fancy multi-asset funds?”
46:54 – If we blend several multi-asset funds, are we co-manufacturing?
48:46 – We currently use 3 multi-asset funds per risk level—what’s the smarter next step?
49:28 – One multi-asset fund vs moving to an MPS provider—how to choose?
51:30 – What about blending outsourced MPS ranges—smart or messy (and are we manufacturers)?
54:14 – Quick-fire: best way to compare MPS propositions objectively
56:00 – Quick-fire: how much AUM do you need to start a fund?

To find out more or get in touch visit https://melo.co.uk.#ConsumerDuty #FinancialPlanning #FinancialPlanner #AdvisoryVsDiscretionary #ModelPortfolios #CoManufacturing #Insourcing #Outsourcing #MPS #WealthManagement #BuildingBetterBusinesses #Melo

Hey everyone - it's been a while, but we're back with the new show name of Growing or Going.

Every financial planning firm is unique, but most face similar challenges. In this live, unscripted Q&A session, we tackled real questions from owners and leadership teams, getting to the root cause, sharing fixes that work and giving ideas you can apply in your financial planning firm.

Here’s what we talked about:

00:05 Introduction

01:25 Start

06:20 Advice on selling to local firms or consolidators

11:33 When should owners step back from giving advice?

17:38 How to get your staff to step up and deal with underperformance23:59 The main factors that determine sale value33:35 What’s EBITDA?37:16 What’s a good profit margin?38:57 Do you need to segment your clients?41:27 Top 3 tips to make a business more effective49:48 How to tell your team you’re selling56:50 What’s the average ongoing service fee?57:36 Closing remarks

For more useful ideas visit our website at www.melo.co.uk. If you’d like to talk either GROWING or GOING from your financial planning firm, get in touch by emailing hello@melo.co.uk or calling 0113 4656 111.