In this episode of The Trusted Adviser, host Rob Pyne speaks to Nick Downey (Direct Wealth), Patrick Gardner (Advice Intelligence), Stephen Bell (Finura Group), and Glenn Elliott (Meldus) to explore how leading advice firms are harnessing AI, automation, and data to improve efficiency, client experience, and adviser performance.
From streamlining SOA creation to using AI-driven assistants like Meeting Ally, the conversation dives deep into how technology is reshaping advice delivery — without losing the human touch. The group also shares personal metrics that guide their performance, from tracking “time to submission” to maintaining creativity and connection in a remote world.
If you’ve ever wondered how the next generation of advice tech will help firms operate smarter, faster, and more profitably, this episode is a must-listen.
LISTEN
SHOW NOTES
Topics Discussed
- How AI tools like Meeting Ally are reducing adviser workloads and rework
- Streamlining the statement of advice (SOA) process with automation
- The importance of tracking “time to submission” as a performance metric
- Improving the quality of advice outputs while cutting processing time
- Using data and metrics to guide team decisions and identify bottlenecks
- The role of context and prompt templates in improving AI accuracy
- Building “learned knowledge bases” for scalable, brand-consistent outputs
Maintaining creativity, connection, and collaboration in remote work - Measuring qualitative success and adviser energy, not just data points
Episode Highlights
(Timestamps are approximate)
- [00:03:00] – Nick Downey explains how Direct Wealth is reducing SOA submission time and improving adviser effectiveness through AI integration.
- [00:08:20] – Patrick Gardner discusses prompt design, context, and improving first-shot accuracy in AI-driven document generation.
- [00:12:45] – Glenn Elliott shares how his firm uses AI to build controlled, repeatable proposal frameworks that maintain brand consistency.
- [00:18:00] – The panel reflects on how qualitative success — connection, energy, and creativity — can be as important as quantitative data.
- [00:22:10] – Stephen Bell highlights activity tracking as the key to improving adviser productivity and understanding real workflow data.
- [00:26:40] – Rob wraps up with reflections on measurement, mindset, and how AI can enhance (not replace) the adviser’s value.
Quotes
- “If no P&L is static, why would we have a static pricing framework that doesn’t ebb and flow with changing conditions?” – Rob Jones
- “Our North Star metric is the time from client engagement to SOA submission — it tells us how effective both the adviser and the process are.” – Nick Downey
- “You can’t improve what you don’t know. Most practices have no idea what their team is doing day to day — that’s where activity tracking comes in.” – Stephen Bell
- “If I see someone taking notes in a meeting, that’s success for me. When both sides walk away with value, that’s time well spent.” – Glenn Elliott
- “It’s all about prompt context. The goal is to get over 90% of AI outputs right on the first shot.” – Patrick Gardner
- “Good conversations give you energy. If we could measure that, it would be the best metric of all.” – Rob Pyne
Resources & Links
- Direct Wealth: https://www.directwealth.com.au
- Advice Intelligence: https://www.adviceintelligence.com
- Finura Group: https://finura.com.au
- Meldus: https://www.meldus.com
- Realise Coaching: https://www.realisecoaching.com
- The Trusted Adviser Podcast: https://thetrustedadviser.com.au
- Connect with Rob Pyne on LinkedIn
- Follow The Trusted Adviser Podcast for more conversations with leaders in financial planning
Key Takeaways
- AI as an enabler, not a replacement: Automation tools like Meeting Ally reduce workload and errors, freeing advisers to focus on strategy and client connection.
- Data-informed efficiency: Tracking key metrics like time-to-submission and rework rates offers clear visibility into process improvements.
- Prompt design matters: High-quality AI results depend on context, templates, and training the system with firm-specific knowledge.
- Balance human creativity with digital tools: Staying connected and engaged fuels innovation and prevents tunnel vision in remote work.
Measure what matters: Beyond numbers, qualitative experiences and energy are indicators of genuine progress and firm health.
Show notes and transcript
For the full show notes and transcript from this episode, head to the episode page on The Trusted Adviser Website here.