2025 Emerging Leaders Share Optimism for Industry

From making a difference in retirement plan participants’ lives to integrating artificial intelligence in their workflows and new products into defined contribution plans, early-career plan advisers are feeling positive about their prospects.

Last year’s cohort of PLANADVISER Emerging Leaders, who have been in the industry for three to 15 years, shared the trends they have been recently following and what makes them optimistic for the future of the industry.

Back to Basics: Client Relationships, Outcomes

Asked about a promising trend in the industry, John Bartlett, director of retirement services at CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC, points to the increased emphasis on client guidance.

“I’ve had a lot more in-depth conversations regarding retirement, where I think my skill set lends well,” Bartlett says. “Plan sponsors in the past were reluctant to have their adviser provide more guidance or more hand-holding, but you’re not seeing that as much.”

Bartlett adds that this increased openness has led his clients to discuss a wider range of topics, such as retirement income products.

Gregory Fortier, a financial adviser on the Boston Bay Advisors team of Centinel Financial Group LLC, also says increased participant engagement gives him an “opportunity to really make a difference in folks’ lives.” He finds there is a growing need for personalized solutions, as participants navigate complex financial decisions.

“I think we’re living in a time where there’s almost too much information out there. So how can you really make that message impactful? We’re still trying to figure that out,” Fortier says. “We’re still trying to figure out [whether] managed accounts [have] come along far enough where [they’re] … impactful in making a decision, versus just increased fees.”

Rebekah Curran, a partner in and senior retirement plan consultant at Everhart Advisors, previously told PLANADVISER that to improve participant outcomes, advisers need to improve their clients’ financial literacy.

“Personalized advice provided through one-on-one meetings with a certified financial planner is one of the most powerful ways to improve retirement outcomes,” she said.

Technology and Products

Emerging leaders also see technology already playing a transformative role in their industry. For example, Grace Bennett, director of operations and relationship manager of employer financial services at Lebel & Harriman Retirement Advisors, told PLANADVISER in a previous interview that digital tools can make retirement planning “more accessible, engaging and efficient.” However, she cautioned that technology alone cannot replace advisers.

“At Lebel & Harriman, we embrace emerging technology without losing sight of the personal, community-based relationships that define our approach,” Bennett said.

Patrick Donnelly, investment director of defined contribution and wealth management at CBiz Investment Advisory Services LLC, says he has seen the industry move toward a more “outcomes-based analysis,” directing clients toward focusing more on saving.

“Everyone used to get hung up on fees. But I’m happy to see the conversation’s turning from, ‘How can we trim a basis point here? How can we save a little here?’ To … getting back to what the plans are actually designed to do—help people accumulate assets,” Donnelly says.

He also finds that accumulating assets can come in many forms.

“Maybe we can use alternatives, maybe we can enhance return. Maybe we can start to use technology to add these lifetime income solutions in plan,” he says. “The recordkeeper resources or what’s available for free on platform or in-plan, I think has gotten a lot more robust.”

Working With AI

Curtis Fugate, an account executive at Newfront Retirement Services Inc., saw major changes in his workplace when it was acquired by WTW in January.

“We’re moving from a small company to [a] larger company, and that really opens up [a] depth of resources that I didn’t really have access to before,” Fugate says.

With WTW’s resources on hand, Fugate has been able to evaluate how AI can take care of routine tasks and free up his time for more important matters.

“[I] use it to automate a lot of those retirement workflows that you don’t really want to do, but you have to do it,” he says.

Fugate says AI increasingly allows advisers to focus on higher-value work.

“Instead of saying, ‘Build me a slide,’ it’s ‘Build me a deck.’ Instead of saying, ‘Write me an email,’ it’s, ‘Look at my emails and draft me emails to the top five most priority-level items,’” he says.

Fugate says while AI is “stacking” its capabilities—both improving and expanding its databases and functions—advisers are still needed for editorial and ethical judgment.

“We’re just seeing it build on itself so much faster, while also holding on to those security principles to make sure that things aren’t going awry,” he says.