Built By and For
The Founders Financial Built By and For podcast is created by and for independent financial advisors to empower them with knowledge and insights across a range of relevant topics.
Episodes
15 episodes
EP15 - The impact of AI on technology
Artificial intelligence is moving faster than any technology our industry has seen — and the temptation is to race ahead. This conversation makes the case for the opposite.In this episode, Steven Watts sits down with Founders Financial C...
EP14 - What a real firm transition looks like
The fear of moving firms is rarely about the paperwork. It's about the unknown — and the worry that the clients won't come. In this episode, Steven Watts sits down with Christine Walsh, Head of Transitions, and Philip Dubay, Direct...
EP13 - Sell the firm, or hand it down?
Two doors on succession. M&A — sell to a roll-up, take the check, walk away. Or apprenticeship — bring someone alongside you and hand the relationships forward.In this episode, Steven Watts and Founders Financial CEO Brad Shepherd un...
EP12 - Fall in love again, or pass the torch
Every independent advisor reaches a moment where they have to ask one of two questions. Either fall in love with the business again, or honestly start thinking about who comes next.In this episode, Steven Watts and Founders Financial Pre...
EP11 - Legacy is not a monetization event
Most advisors do beautiful legacy work for their clients. Almost none do it for themselves.In this episode, Steven Watts sits down with Founders Financial President and CIO Peter Murphy and CEO Brad Shepherd to reframe what legacy and su...
EP10 - What is peacefulness worth?
There's a question every advisor eventually wrestles with: do I manage investments myself, or do I outsource to a TAMP? In this episode, we look at the decision through a different lens — not performance, not cost, but peace.Steven Watts...
EP09 - Cybersecurity as a moat, not a cost
Bridges don't break at their strong points. They break at the weak ones. In our industry, the weak point is usually the advisor — and the actual target is usually the client. In this episode, Steven Watts sits down with Justin Neria...
EP08 - Serve, protect, defend
For many independent advisors, "compliance" falls somewhere between necessary and adversarial. It doesn't have to.In this episode, Steven Watts sits down with Joe Krcma, Chief Compliance Officer, and Jane Maccubbin, Senior Compliance Off...
EP07 - A tech stack that actually stacks up
Massive innovation, massive choice, and massive confusion. That's the tech landscape for an independent advisor in 2026.In this episode, Steven Watts sits down with Founders Financial CEO Brad Shepherd and CTO Justin Neria to unpack how ...
EP06 - How mature is your practice?
You can't lead what you haven't honestly diagnosed. And most advisors don't pause long enough to do it.In this episode, Steven Watts and Founders Financial CEO Brad Shepherd walk through the maturity model Founders uses with Member Partn...
EP05 - When the business runs you
There's a moment in the life of a growing practice where the advisor realizes the business is running them, not the other way around.In this episode, Steven Watts and Founders Financial President and CIO Peter Murphy explore why so many ...
EP04 - Is your next firm a partner, or a paycheck?
Nearly one in ten financial advisors moved firms last year — roughly double the historical average. So what's actually changing, and how should an advisor think about choosing a partner firm in 2026?In this episode, Steven Watts sits dow...
EP03 - The golden age of boutique
The independent channel is bifurcating. Mega utility firms on one end, boutique relationship firms on the other, and the middle is quietly disappearing.In this episode, Steven Watts sits down with Founders Financial CEO Brad Shepherd and...
EP02 - The myth of independence
"Independent" is one of the most used and least examined words in our industry. Most advisors who call themselves independent are quietly very dependent.In this episode, Steven Watts sits down with Founders Financial CEO Brad Shepherd an...
EP01 - Would you hire yourself as CEO?
Most independent advisors hit a wall — and it's rarely a market wall. It's a complexity wall. The work of running the business slowly crowds out the work of serving clients.In this episode, Steven Watts and Founders Financial CEO Brad Sh...