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Mindy Diamond on Independence: A Podcast for Financial Advisors Considering Change
With Constantine Hatzivassiliou—Partner, Certuity Golf taught Constantine Hatzivassiliou how to perform under pressure. Building a nearly $5B multi-family office taught him that the best advisors become the first call when life, not just the markets, gets complicated. In Summary Many advisors spend years mastering investments, but for affluent families, portfolio management is often just the starting point. Jason Diamond welcomes Constantine Hatzivassiliou, Partner at Certuity, to discuss how his journey from aspiring professional golfer to leader of a nearly $5B multi-family office shaped his approach to client service. Their conversation explores why trust is earned long before a crisis, how family office services evolve naturally from client needs, and why the advisor's role increasingly resembles that of a quarterback coordinating every aspect of a family's financial life. The discussion also examines organic growth, referrals, fiduciary advice, private equity's impact on the RIA landscape, and the qualities that allow advisors to become indispensable over decades—not just market cycles. The Storyline Many advisors spend years perfecting investment management. But as clients become more successful, the job changes. The questions become bigger than portfolio construction. A business is being sold. A family dynamic shifts. A tax issue emerges. An estate plan needs updating. Suddenly, the advisor isn't simply managing assets—they're coordinating decisions, relationships, and emotions. For Constantine, that broader role was shaped long before he entered wealth management. As an aspiring professional golfer, he learned lessons about discipline, preparation, and performing under pressure that continue to influence how he serves clients today. Jason and Constantine explore how Certuity grew from approximately $210 million in assets to nearly $5B, not through acquisitions but through referrals and a service model built on becoming indispensable to the families they advise. Constantine explains why he believes the best advisors function more like quarterbacks than portfolio managers, orchestrating the many moving pieces that come with significant wealth. The conversation also examines the evolution of the multi-family office model, the role of fiduciary advice, the impact of private equity on the advisory landscape, and why experience, judgment, and trust remain the qualities clients value most. Ultimately, this episode is about what it takes to become the first call when life – not just the markets – becomes complicated. Topics Covered Lessons from professional golf that translate to wealth management Building Certuity from $210mm to nearly $5B in assets What distinguishes a multi-family office from a traditional RIA Why referrals fuel long-term organic growth Becoming the “first call” for affluent families Fiduciary advice and the evolution of the advisory profession Family office services beyond investment management Private equity and M&A in the RIA space Developing the next generation of advisors Trust, relationships, and lifetime client service > Download a transcript of this episode… Listen and Learn Highlights for Advisors How did professional golf prepare Constantine for advising wealthy families? (3:45) Constantine explains why competing under pressure taught him discipline, emotional control, and process—qualities that now guide every client relationship. How did Certuity grow from $210 million to nearly $5 billion? (8:00) He shares why nearly all of the firm's growth has come organically through client referrals rather than acquisitions or aggressive recruiting. What separates a multi-family office from a traditional advisory firm? (11:45) The conversation explores how expanding into trust, estate, tax, and family office services became a response to client needs—not a business strategy. Why should advisors think of themselves as quarterbacks? (20:00) Constantine recounts a client business sale that fell apart at the closing table and explains why advisors often become the person holding everything together. How does Certuity view private equity and acquisitions? (36:20) Jason and Constantine discuss when outside capital can make sense—and why Certuity has chosen a different path centered on client alignment. Why do wisdom and experience still matter in an AI-driven world? (29:30) Despite advances in technology, Constantine argues that judgment, trust, and perspective remain the qualities affluent families value most. Key Takeaways High-net-worth clients increasingly value coordination, judgment, and perspective over investment selection alone. Family office services often evolve naturally as advisors respond to increasingly complex client needs. Sustainable organic growth is rooted in trust, which explains why referrals account for the overwhelming majority of Certuity's new business. Golf and wealth management share the same disciplines: preparation, emotional control, patience, and executing under pressure. The most valuable advisors become trusted partners during life's defining moments—not simply portfolio managers. Technology continues to reshape wealth management, but experience and wisdom remain difficult to replicate. Building a lasting advisory business requires investing in culture, succession, and the next generation of talent. https://youtu.be/m72Hq6bMTo4 Quotable Moments “The best advisors aren't simply managing portfolios. They're the first person clients call when life gets complicated.” “A bad shot in golf is the equivalent of a bad day in the market. You can't let one dictate everything that comes next.” “More often than not, we're not just financial advisors—we're financial therapists.” “Growth gets the headlines. Trust is what makes it possible.” FAQs What is a multi-family office? A multi-family office delivers integrated services beyond investment management, often coordinating tax, estate planning, philanthropy, business planning, and other complex financial matters for affluent families. Why has Certuity grown primarily through referrals? Constantine attributes the firm's growth to deep client relationships, a collaborative service model, and becoming the trusted advisor clients recommend to others. How does golf relate to wealth management? Golf reinforces discipline, emotional control, preparation, and performing under pressure—all qualities Constantine believes are essential for effective advisors. What is Constantine's perspective on private equity in wealth management? While he understands why many firms pursue private equity, he believes every strategic decision should ultimately be measured against what best serves clients. What qualities distinguish exceptional advisors today? According to Constantine, exceptional advisors become trusted coordinators of a client's financial life—bringing together specialists, solving problems, and providing perspective during life's most important moments. A multi-family office delivers integrated services beyond investment management, often coordinating tax, estate planning, philanthropy, business planning, and other complex financial matters for affluent families. Constantine attributes the firm's growth to deep client relationships, a collaborative service model, and becoming the trusted advisor clients recommend to others. Golf reinforces discipline, emotional control, preparation, and performing under pressure—all qualities Constantine believes are essential for effective advisors. While he understands why many firms pursue private equity, he believes every strategic decision should ultimately be measured against what best serves clients. According to Constantine, exceptional advisors become trusted coordinators of a client's financial life—bringing together specialists, solving problems, and providing perspective during life's most important moments. Related Resources Emotional Intelligence: The “Untouchable” Differentiator in an AI World Intentional Growth: How Top Advisors Build Businesses That Last The 10 Characteristics of the Most Successful Teams Constantine HatzivassiliouPartner Constantine Hatzivassiliou is a Partner at Certuity, a nationally recognized multi-family office serving affluent families, entrepreneurs, executives, foundations, and endowments. He advises clients on the complex financial, tax, estate, and business planning decisions that accompany significant wealth, helping families coordinate all aspects of their financial lives through a comprehensive family office approach. Drawing on more than two decades of experience, Constantine works closely with successful business owners, corporate executives, and multi-generational families to simplify financial complexity and align investment management, tax planning, estate planning, philanthropy, and family governance strategies. As a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®), he frequently assists entrepreneurs in preparing for liquidity events, business transitions, and the long-term stewardship of family wealth. His clients often view him as a trusted advisor and strategic sounding board, helping them navigate important financial decisions with the perspective of both a family office professional and a coach. Prior to joining Certuity, Constantine held advisory and banking positions with The Bank of New York Mellon, Bernstein Global Wealth Management, and Pacific Mercantile Bank. Before entering the financial services industry, he was a Golf Professional and member of the PGA of America, experiences that continue to shape his disciplined, competitive, and relationship-focused approach to advising clients. Outside of his professional responsibilities, Constantine is passionate about mentoring young athletes and strengthening the communities in which he lives and works. He serves as a Board Member of Coerfontaine Football Club (CFC), a premier youth soccer organization focused on developing young athletes and helping them pursue collegiate and professional opportunities while fostering leadership, discipline, and character. He also serves as Chair of the Safety and Security Committee for Parkland, where he works alongside community leadership to enhance resident safety, security, and quality of life. In addition, Constantine is a Founding Board Member of The Boardroom, a private membership organization focused on fostering meaningful relationships among business leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals through networking, education, and philanthropy. Born in Greece, Constantine spent his childhood in Montreal before relocating to South Florida. He attended the University of Florida before earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Florida Atlantic University, where he graduated with honors. He holds the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) designation. A lifelong student of the game, Constantine remains active in golf and is a member of Muirfield Village Golf Club, founded by his longtime hero and mentor, Jack Nicklaus, as well as Parkland Golf & Country Club. Constantine resides in Parkland, Florida, with his wife, Stephanie, and their two children, Nicholas and Olivia. NOTE: The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Diamond Consultants. Neither Diamond Consultants nor the guests on this podcast are compensated in any way for their participation. Episode Transcript Lessons from the Links: From Golf Pro to $5B Family Office Partner A conversation with Jason Diamond and Constantine Hatzivassiliou, Partner at Certuity. Jason Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is Lessons from the Links: From Golf Pro to $5B Family Office Partner. It’s a conversation with Constantine Hatzivassiliou, partner at Certuity. I’m Jason Diamond and this is the Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned and, each year, one in four advisors managing $1 billion or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education-driven and based on building relationships starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at (908) 879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual advisor transition report, it’s the award-winning data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions, download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Jason Diamond: Golf is a way of exposing who you really are, there are no teammates to blame, no clock to run out and no hiding from a bad decision. Every shot demands discipline, patience and the ability to stay focused when the pressure is highest, my guest today knows that firsthand. Before becoming a partner at Certuity, a multifamily office approaching five billion in assets, Constantine Hatzivassiliou was pursuing a career as a professional golfer. An injury ultimately redirected his path towards wealth management but many of the lessons he learned on the course still shaped the way he serves clients today. Certuity has grown from roughly 210 million in assets to nearly five billion, that’s impressive on its own but the more interesting story is how they’ve done it. The firm has grown largely through referrals built around a multifamily office model and focused on becoming far more than an investment advisor to the families it serves. In Constantine’s view, the best advisors aren’t simply managing portfolios, they’re the first person clients call when a business is being sold, a family issue becomes complicated or a major decision carries consequences well beyond the balance sheet. Constantine and I discuss the lessons golf teaches about handling pressure then we dive into the evolution from the traditional wealth management world to the multifamily office model, why referrals drive nearly all of Certuity’s growth, how he thinks about private equity’s influence on the advisory business and what it takes to become the first call for the wealthy families they serve and perhaps, most importantly, why the same qualities that help someone succeed on a golf course may be surprisingly relevant to building trust over a lifetime. It’s a great conversation so let’s dive in. Constantine, thank you so much for joining, thrilled to have you here. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Thank you for having me, excited to be here. Jason Diamond: Yeah, absolutely. So, you had an unconventional path to wealth management, you started as a professional golfer, I think that’s a first for us on this show, before ultimately transitioning into this world. Can you tell us a little bit about the journey and what brought you here? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Yeah, I never thought I’d be here, my parents were certainly shocked that I got here path wise. Growing up, immigrants from Greece, you settle into Florida the traditional way where you either go down the diner route or the gas station route in mechanics which my father was the latter and school and education was never priority, it was always about supporting the family needs. So, next thing you know, sports are a critical part of any good household, that’s how I was raised and I played everything but golf. I grew up on a golf course because my parents believed that a location of a property was critical to long-term financial success. We lived on a golf course, it was in our backyard, we’d stare at it and we’d use it to play football or baseball or anything but actual golf. And my freshman year at the University of Florida, I started dating a girl on the golf team and she got me hooked to the point where, after four years of hitting balls with the women’s and men’s golf team at the University of Florida for six hours a day, we finished school and realized I’m actually pretty good at the game and, while I have a finance and economics background and degree, let’s try and pursue this for a living and I was blessed. I had a sponsor who helped me succeed at golf on a small scale, it was a humbling experience to say the least. I was competing and playing with Sean O’Hair, Ken Duke, guys who made it out on tour for a very long time, we had the same sponsor so we functioned as a team, it was a collegiate team effectively trying to make it out on tour. And, unfortunately, my second year of competing, I blew out my back doing heavy deadlifts which set me aside for 18 months. While I was recovering, my primary sponsor was in financial services and says, “Hey, you have a background in this, it’s killing you not being able to be on the golf course, why don’t you come work for me while you’re rehabbing so that, when you get back to playing golf, it’s easier for you to talk about our business as a sponsor to try and develop business to throw it to the financial services side?” And Jason, the reality is, after 18 months working there, I fell in love with it. I made way more money working in that environment than I ever would’ve made playing golf because, again, I came to the game late. I was decent but I was nowhere near the caliber of players that are succeeding now out on tour. So, I pivoted after having met my wife and decided to settle down into the wealth management space and, what is it now, 26 years later, going strong. So, it’s been a fun transition from golf into wealth management to say the least. Jason Diamond: Probably my favorite background … I watch a lot of golf, I should caveat that, probably my favorite origin story we’ve had, I’ll give you the Wanamaker trophy or whatever you get, first place. Let’s talk about the business now, so Certuity. For our audience who may not be familiar, tell us a little bit about the firm, what types of clients do you serve and any context you can provide on size as well. We’ll talk about how your firm got there but just give us where we are today to start with. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: So, goal by the end of the year is to have $5 billion in AUM, we’re just shy of that now. We currently service 428 families across the country. So, we’re boutiquey and nimble, we’re based in South Florida, we have offices in New York, San Fran and LA. I’m fortunate to be one of four partners at the firm supporting the growth and the direction of the company and it’s a fun endeavor in the sense that, when we first started, I was employee number four 16 years ago and, with 210 million in AUM at the time to grow it to where we are today, to learn all the things that we have over the years, the curve balls that were thrown at us because all of us came from massive institutional wealth management firms. So, we transitioned from the Bernsteins of the world, the BNY Mellons of the world into an RIA in the South Florida market, there was absolutely an entrepreneurial learning curve involved. Jason Diamond: I bet. And on follow-up question, 16 years ago, did you have a book of business, client business and do you still maintain a book of business today? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: I do. The four of us at the firm share in all of the clients, we work together. Being in the Southeast, I’m responsible for, let’s call it, the Southeast demographics of the US which is a large portion of Certuity’s book. I have a partner in Tennessee, I have a partner in LA and San Francisco and we divide and conquer across the country. But, yes, we came over with a small book, we’ve all grown it organically since then. So, we’ve been very effective in how we’ve grown. Jason Diamond: Just from adding new client money? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Strictly through new clients referred to us by existing clients. Jason Diamond: Wow. I want to talk more about the growth because that’s remarkable. But before I do, can we double click on the service model? So, I would say the most typical we hear, I think more of our guests typically come from the wirehouse world where it’s I have my book, you have your book. What does your service model look like? So, is it truly, if it’s working well from the end client perspective, you should be interchangeable with your partners and it’s a true team approach? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: How we engage our clients, the theory should be I can get hit by a bus tomorrow and outside of the client not being able to speak to me directly, they will not have a hiccup in any way, shape or form. And when we’re dealing with families across multiple generations, the way we’ve built our platform, that continuity is critical in the engagement process for the clients hiring us to help them through all of the challenges that they face. Jason Diamond: What’s your sweet spot in terms of client size? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Our average client size today has just shy of eight million AUM with us. We have some clients who have $1 million certainly but they’re strategic in that their friends, their family, they could be centers of influence who help send business our way because they value what it is that we do and there’s a strategic partnership because we might need them for their trust and estate services or their accounting work and they have clients who have a need and we’re on the short list of people they refer to. Jason Diamond: That they trust. Yeah, makes sense. So, I’ve seen this in the news and also even on your own internal materials, I’ve seen you described as both a modern multifamily office, you’ll also obviously hear the term RIA as well. Does that distinction matter at all? And maybe my second part of that question would be what is the distinction between that space, whatever you call it, and the more traditional firm world from a client service perspective? You mentioned that all of your partners from that world. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: I started in this industry truly at an institutional level at Bernstein in New York and, for anyone who knows Bernstein, they really do brainwash you on the fiduciary model and the values affiliated with that philosophy has translated through my career at BNY Mellon which has a very similar feel as Bernstein. And then, when we came here, we instilled that same core value principle of fiduciary responsibility for our clients so we are very different than a traditional wirehouse or brokerage house, it is why we’ve grown so successfully. I would never, one, work for an institution that did bide by those standards and, secondarily, I wished Congress and Senate would turn around and actually implement a mandatory fiduciary liability for all financial advisors because, far too often, we see prospective clients or families get taken advantage of because the individual sitting across from them giving them financial advice is not necessarily aligned with their goals and objectives. Jason Diamond: So, I take it you are fee only. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: We are fee only. Jason Diamond: Yeah. I don’t want to lose the thread on the first part of my question. Do you think there is a distinction between a multifamily office and an RIA? I don’t want to lead you here but to me it implies a different level or different caliber of service model that probably includes more of the ancillary trust and estate and CPA type stuff that higher network clients need but curious what your thoughts are. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Our first seven years at the firm, we were strictly an RIA, we functioned as an advisory service provider to our clients. What attracted me and my partners to Certuity was the nimbleness of the firm. So, for instance, at BNY Mellon, we often deemed a change necessary as moving an aircraft carrier across the world but it was an impossible task to accomplish. But when you’re small and nimble and clients come to you with a need and you’re in the service, ultimately, first and foremost, it made sense for us to start building out family office services for our clients because they had a need and we found it as a way to centralize everything because, far too often, when the communication standards break down between all the individual parts, one, it’s more expensive for the clients and, two, the process isn’t efficient, things get missed. So, we tried, largely due to our growth, to bring everything in house and our clients appreciate that for it. Jason Diamond: So, this is not a chicken and egg situation, this is very much we had large clients, we were attracting large clients and, in order to service them optimally, here’s what we felt we needed to build. Is that fair? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: 100%. Jason Diamond: Let’s shift gears, I need to go deeper on the professional golf thread a little bit. I promise I won’t make the whole interview about your golf background. I’m curious if you feel like that experience or that, I don’t know, upbringing or, I guess, background laid any foundation for the way you engage with clients today or the way you operate as a business leader today. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: So, there’s a couple parts to that. The golf side, certainly, just from an engaging client perspective, 90% of our clients are golfers. Jason Diamond: It’s very true. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Right. It just helps because of our background and certainly with some of the clients and partners that we have at the firm, golf is a critical thread in what we do. However, when it comes to golf, what I learned playing golf at a high level directly translates to how we manage money for clients and I’ll express it this way. There’s generally two types of golfers, there’s the artist, the Sergios of the world who don’t fundamentally function off of specific points in their swing or a very structured platform, they see something, their mind becomes creative and they execute on it. I was never that way, I am a numbers person, I think everything analytically, I break everything down to the minute, everything is strategized and organized, I was taught to practice that way by Coach Alexander at the University of Florida and that foundational element seemed easy, it worked. If you practice properly, you’ve succeeded. Under pressure, all those hours and hours of repetition translated to success more often than not. In our industry, it’s process-driven, it has to be unemotional. A bad shot in golf is the equivalent of a bad day in the market, you can’t let one bad day in the market influence everything you do for the next year. Same way on the golf course playing in a tournament, you can’t allow one golf shot to affect the rest of the round. We kid with our clients oftentimes that, while we are fundamentally their financial advisor, more often than not, we’re their financial therapist. We have to control their emotions and make sure they’re not making an irrational decision. For instance, a couple days ago we were out with a client the day that Iran shot down one of the US military helicopters and we’re sitting down at lunch and, all of a sudden, his phone starts blowing up because he’s getting all these Google alerts to the market heading in the wrong direction and he had to go do a life insurance test later on that afternoon. So, all week, he had prepped and he was calm and he was relaxed, he was really excited, he’s, “My wife is setting me up with a new insurance policy and I know it’s for her benefit but all my numbers look good, I’m going to ace this and my premiums will be really low because of it,” it was a $25 million policy. And as he’s looking at his phone and he sees the market collapsing in his mind, his blood pressure rose to no end, you could see that his anxiety level went through the roof and, had I not been there with him at the time to hold his hand through that process, his afternoon would’ve been shot. I would’ve got a phone call saying, “What are we doing to prevent 2% loss in my portfolio,” because that’s how he thinks and, in that moment, I was the therapist to talk him off a ledge. It’s so hard for individuals to manage the stress of the markets, that golfer mentality of, okay, just breathe, relax, let’s see what’s going on, let’s make an educated, confirmed decision, let’s circle back with our caddy if we’re on tour and competing and make a unified decision for the long-term success of the goal that we’re trying to achieve. And what we do every day is the same thing with our clients. Jason Diamond: It’s an incredibly thoughtful answer, I expected a version of the latter part of your answer. I appreciate that you added the part about just most clients like golf, enjoy talking about golf, enjoy playing golf and it’s an effective business development tool, there’s no question. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: So, I have two kids, a 12-year-old and an eight-year-old, my son who’s 12 who’s an exceptional soccer player and wants to, aspires to play professionally one day has now fallen in love with golf which I’m ecstatic about. I think golf and tennis, from a business development perspective- Jason Diamond: Yeah, lifelong sports. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: And I look at it now and my mentor when I started in the business was absolutely right. The fact that I could get a CEO of a Fortune 100 company to want to actively spend four hours with me where we could dive into the weeds about their personal life, their financial situation, their business, you could never get that time otherwise. I urge everyone who’s coming out of college or is going into college who wants to aspire to be in any type of sales related role, golf is a great venue to make long-term relationships. Jason Diamond: And importantly, tennis is not as good on the knees long-term or the back long-term. So, you stick to golf, you get a little more longevity out of it. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: It does help, yes. You’re right. Jason Diamond: My thought always goes to people call it the 15th club in golf, just this mental element of the game and to me it’s the clear moment in golf that always comes to mind for me is the 72nd hole. I don’t know if you just watched the US Women’s Open but Nelly Korda standing over a two-foot putt that I really thought she missed, is there an equivalent of that moment? Are you ever able to recreate that pressure in your current role or is that something that you miss? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Jason, we have those moments weekly, countless stories. Here’s where I love my job. I’ve transitioned from being the guy behind the screen who is just trading accounts, that’s where we all start and you have to have that foundational perspective of what’s involved in trading an account on a daily basis. Not that we ever picked stocks to an extensive level, we were generally managing ETFs, mutual funds and strategies but I’ll give you an example. So, just last week, we had a family and this is where the family office side comes in more so than the financial advisory services come in. We had spent four months in helping a family sell their business, it was a life altering moment, the dad started the business, the dad had been independently successful, net worth of well into eight figures, was happy and content, brought his son into the business, son was brilliant, saw an opportunity within the business and grew the business by 4,000%. Jason Diamond: Literally? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Yup. All because of this, the son saw a different direction and pivoted the business and grew it out and here he is, getting ready to have their first child and he gets approached by a firm to acquire his business. They’re ecstatic, the number was perfect, I thought it was overvalued, I was telling them that there’s no way they could turn it down because the number was too significant. Had they gone to the market, they would probably never achieve that level of return. And literally, the day of closing, as we’re expecting the wire to come through, the deal gets pulled. So, here you have the father who’s crushed because he was trying to provide something for his son, the son who’s just devastated because he now was preparing for the second stage of his life and you go through at that stage the classic stages of grief, it’s the cycle that goes through it. I was holding their hand through the three-month process up to there, every day, hourly calls, strategizing, building everything out, organizing the accounting team, organizing the attorneys, getting it all to work out. And here I am, father and son, unbelievably stressed, you have the wives in the background who can’t quite comprehend what’s going on, you have employees beneath them who are now confused as to there was a transition getting ready to take place and the only person who can step in under that critical moment to bring everybody back together was me. So, here I am thinking, 20 years ago, I’ll just pick stocks and bonds for individuals but now I’m in the middle of deal flow trying to help a family solve the issues that arise. So, those are hugely critical- Jason Diamond: Yeah, that’s right. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: …moments where, because our clients are our friends and family, we care for them like they’re our own, you become emotionally attached. And the same pressure that I felt when I won my first mini tour event after college, when I had to get up and down from the impossible bunker shot and I hit it to six feet and I made the crucial put to win my first $23,000 check which I thought was unbelievable, they gave you those big old-fashioned- Jason Diamond: The Happy Gilmore checks. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Exactly, right? It was the greatest day at that time. The stress of being in that bunker trying to hit that shot is the same stress I felt having two phones ringing, one the father, one the son where we have to keep that situation separate. So, you’re diving into unbelievably stressful situations and the best part is, when we get it all solved and literally yesterday we solved the entire dynamic of the business, I get a text from the son saying that this was the most incredible rollercoaster experience he’s ever experienced, that he’s incredibly grateful for all that I did and our team did for him and that, for the rest of his life, we will always be the first person he calls to solve any of his problems. So, for us, that’s the recreation of that stressful moment and then the victory on the back end. Twenty-five years ago, I got the big Happy Gilmore check. Yesterday, I got that text which I’ve printed out and framed and have it in my office as a constant memory of why it is we do what we do. Jason Diamond: And I would bet that’s more impactful than the $23,000. It’s an incredible story and I’ll tell you why, you said it but it’s as far away from stocks and bonds as you could possibly get. But I think, most advisors, a story like that resonates much more. It leads into my next question. You intentionally choose to service a high net worth segment of the market and I would assume that number’s probably creeping up, not down over time in terms of who you service. My thought is that’s a very competitive segment of the market as well. Is this how you differentiate is just you make it about those types of human examples or is there more to it? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: I’m envious of the advisor who could walk into a room of 200 people and they become the central focal point of the room where they can walk up to every single person and fearlessly ask them incredibly personal information, I’m not wired that way. For me, I’m very much the individual that I will find the one person that I have common ground with, I will deepen that relationship and I will add value and, because of the value that I create, I become a critical component of that individual’s success. And that’s how we’ve grown our business holistically at the firm largely buy that extra layer of service. We’re a commodity business. Being in South Florida, the clubs that I belong to, 10 to 15% of the members feel like they’re financial advisors. You could throw a rock anywhere and find a financial advisor so how do I differentiate myself? The only way I can truly differentiate myself and my firm is the level of service we provide, to go that extra step. To where, when we’re calling a client, they know I’m calling them to support their needs not because I’m seeking something for any ulterior motive. Jason Diamond: But you don’t mention financial planning or investment management or asset custody. Is that because I assume just that’s table stakes? Of course we do that but … Okay, yeah. Makes sense. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: That’s the easy part, right? That’s foundationally … And to your earlier point, you were asking the RIA model. One of the biggest challenges that we had down here in South Florida was the RIA model is new. If you were in the northeast, RIAs are very common, out west, incredibly common. Down here in South Florida, I just finished dealing with Bernie Madoff. Jason Diamond: You were fighting the good education fight a little bit. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: At Bernstein, 108 of our clients had assets with Bernie Madoff. Jason Diamond: Yeah. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: So, when you leave, one of our biggest growing curves as an RIA in South Florida was, when you leave the power of BNY Mellon or Bernstein and you’re some random little shop called Certuity, no one knows who you are. So, there was a big part of our education in the business was learning how to educate clients and prospective clients on the value of the RIA model and the fiduciary model in particular. Jason Diamond: Could you give me the 30-second answer to that if somebody says who are you, your prospect? I’ll tell you why I ask. Forget just Bernstein’s and BNYs of the world, a Morgan Stanley advisor or Merrill advisor has the exact same fear. I’m leaving Merrill to go launch Jason Diamond Wealth Management, my client’s going to say, “Well, who is that?” So, give me the quick pitch. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Your typical broker, let’s say, you’re not really hiring JP Morgan, you’re not really hiring Wells Fargo, you’re not hiring Goldman Sachs, you’re hiring the advisor who works for that institution. Now, yes, that advisor has the Rolodex of data and information available at the firm level but, ultimately, you’re entrusting that individual to make your decisions for you. The broker who leaves the brokerage model to open up their own brick and mortar operation has to then decide are they continuing down the wirehouse brokerage model where they’re transactional in nature, the economics behind that, far more profitable. The revenue streams affiliated with a brokerage house drastically blows us out of the water. But then you have to also look at yourself in the mirror so how are you running your book of business, how are you running your practice. So, to answer your 30-second question, the RIA model, in my opinion, is truly the only way any family of wealth should proceed with an advisory firm because you want an individual who is aligned in your goals and objectives. Our clients know that I’m their chief financial officer, I work for them. They task us with building out a financial strategy that is customized to their individual needs and they never have to worry do I have an ulterior motive as to why I’m presenting an option in that strategy. And, because of that, the fiduciary model, I think, is critical for our success as a firm and, again, as I mentioned earlier, I wish it’s something that was industry well and not the vast minority. Jason Diamond: Yeah. No, that’s a great answer. So, do you think then that, as time has gone on, this has gotten easier? I assume the answer is yes either because more clients are aware of your brand and/or more aware of the space as a whole. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: The first thing that helped the most was some gray hair. When I started at Bernstein, I attempted to solicit new clients very much the same way I do today. But when I was 26 years old and I’m sitting in front of a family worth and the dad was in the 70s and he lived his life and I’m younger than his kids, he would look at me and say, “What do you really know? What experience do you have?” So, doing this now for as long as I have, the number one thing that has helped me the most in growth is just wisdom and time. Without that, yes, you can be a rockstar stock picker. We have so many kids coming out of college today with the advent of AI and technology that have algorithms that could run unbelievable portfolios and there is a segment of the market who wants to hire and engage those individuals but, generally speaking, the families that we service, that is 10th or 12th on the list of importance. Jason Diamond: No, I think that’s spot on. I think most high net worth clients counterintuitively agree with that, that alpha, for lack of a better term, is really not the name of the game or not in the top five reasons why you would engage with a financial advisor. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Agreed. The biggest thing that we’ve been doing to educate clients especially in today’s environment, I had a call yesterday with an individual, a client who lives in New Jersey who works out of New York for a hedge fund, he knows our space incredibly well. He’s one of those kids, 28 years old, brilliant, as smart as you’ll ever be but his tax bracket is atrocious. He is paying so much of his W-2 income in taxes and building out a strategy that can reduce his tax liability by several hundred thousand dollars a year far exceeds any alpha I can generate by picking a top decile performer. Jason Diamond: What was the strategy? Move to Florida? I’m just kidding. Don’t answer that. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: We offered that but, unfortunately, he has to be physically in the office in New York City but yes. Jason Diamond: I think that will resonate, by the way, your gray hair comment. I appreciate the humility and the modesty in that because, the reality is, one of the questions I was going to ask you about was next-gen talent cultivation. In my opinion, this is a hard game for younger folks for that reason. People sit across from other people with a lot of money and they say, “Why am I going to entrust you with my life’s work when you just don’t have that degree of experience?” I was asking more even about your firm success and your firm story, have you felt like that’s caught on more? Do you have more brand awareness, if you will, now when you go to a prospect meeting or do you think you’re still constantly fighting that education fight? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: So, first part, brands, it’s improved in our immediate network. In our little bubble of the world, yes, it’s known. Let’s call it, in South Florida the influential attorneys, the accountants, the divorce attorneys know who we are because, having been down here long enough, we’ve had opportunities to work together. Our network of friends, certainly, the word spreads. But in the grand scheme of things, we are so small in the South Florida landscape or the LA landscape or the New York landscape so any incremental gain that we pick up is meaningful. And then, as it relates to young talent, our success is completely, long-term, derived by the young talent that we bring in to nurture them to help them grow. I look at our success, two of our critical mentors and board members of our firm are in their 80s, their children and grandchildren, nepotism aside, whether it was interning while in college or coming to work for us after school, they’re our best employees. And our goal as a firm, just like how I was offered the opportunity to become a partner and own a piece of the business, our goal long term will be to transition the business to this younger generation that we’re developing. I look at, again, those two board members who are in their 80s, the advice they’ve given me is don’t ever stop working, you have to be doing something. And I turn to them and say, “I don’t work every day.” I put in 20 hour days, well, not quite 20, 18 hour days but it’s never work because, what I do every day, I don’t deem it work, I love what I do, I don’t ever see myself stopping. Because they’ll tell me all of their friends that have stopped working or sold their business, invariably, the men die within six months because boredom and we always joke around that you’ll continue to work forever. So, I would hope that one day I transition into that advisory board member role where I step aside day-to-day activity where I’m now a mentor to our younger generation that we’re promoting into partners because we’ve made promises to our clients that we will forever be their family office. So, we have to, as part of our growth model, have those transitions in place because we’re servicing many families that have 85-year-old clients and two-year-old clients and we’re tasked with the two-year-olds as well as the 85-year-old. Jason Diamond: I also feel like there’s a little bit of younger generations I think have been reluctant to some degree to get it, you can disagree with this, to get into this space because there’s a more appeal to things like investment banking and sales and trading to some degree. The other problem obviously you alluded to is asset gathering. Your model speaks so clearly to success because you don’t say I own the client, that’s my relationship. To me, you plant the seeds of being able to handle succession much better than somebody who does the mine is mine and yours is yours approach. Is that fair? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: That’s completely accurate. And I think there’s two types of people that serve in the financial advisory space. You have the individual who is analytics driven, who likes being behind the bank of monitors trading account and there’s a critical part of our firm and our success is driven by the team in the office that aren’t necessarily client facing that do all the heavy lifting every day because they’re really doing the heavy work. Myself, my partners, the select few, while talented and able to do that, realize the value that we present is quarterbacking the relationship and helping understand all the components. We kid around that we’ve all stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night, we’ve become experts in tax, we’ve become experts at trust and estate planning, we’ve become experts at divorce, we’ve become experts at the medical field. It’s shocking how it’s 2:00 in the morning and you get a phone call, panic attack by a client saying they need a doctor for X, Y and Z, can you connect me. So, the younger generation, yes, the sexy space is investment banking and that is really hard work. I could not do what my friends at Goldman do who are at these private mid-market funds, that’s just not me. I’ve been fortunate that I stumbled into an avenue in financial services that I think perfectly fits my personality and my want and desire to help others because that’s what we’re driven by and we try and hire people with that same mindset. The hardest thing as an RIA especially in South Florida is finding and retaining talent that is like-minded and that could function well within our family. Jason Diamond: If you build a firm predicated on culture and client service, I understand, certainly, the importance of that. I want to shift gears, I don’t want to lose this thought. You mentioned organic growth, it’s incredible. You have not mentioned inorganic growth at all and maybe because you haven’t had to but give me your thoughts on M&A, private equity in this space, do you have plans to sell the business, take on a capital partner, buy other RIAs? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Yeah. So, I understand why private equity in the last 10 years has come into the market. For years, they bought up insurance practices, that recurring revenue, sticky assets, it makes sense. Personally, I’m not a fan of them being in our markets, I think they’re motivated at the end of the day by AUM growth, revenue growth and the second transaction which, for most of our clients, would not make sense because, again, that then questions why it is that we’re motivated to do something. Am I taking extra risk in the portfolio because I want to grow the AUM because I’m looking to sell in a year? Am I bringing in a strategy that has a higher fee? For us, it doesn’t work. In the brokerage model, it makes perfect sense. Now, there are some RIAs who leave the wirehouses, open up an RIA shop, do really well for their clients but don’t have the long-term aspirations of making the institution a legacy to where they’re passing it off. I hope my kids one day want to come work for dad and follow in his steps, that’d be amazing. Just like our younger generation working at the firm, our goal is we’ve already targeted the three or four guys that will be partner one day and we’ll transition the business over to them. But it’s okay if there’s an RIA out there who doesn’t have that transition product or isn’t motivated by that and is looking at it as a vehicle that I’ve built a really good successful book of business and I want to now retire and spend time with my family and kids and travel, et cetera, and that’s where PE steps in and offers an attractive number and the person makes their move. So, I can’t fault the individual for wanting that and I’m not saying that they’re not doing well by their clients, it’s just, for us, I’m not a fan of it because, again, I’m first critically and always focused on what’s best for the client. Jason Diamond: Fair. And I largely agree with some of what you said around private equity in this space but private equity enables … Obviously, it’s capital so which enables acquisitions which is why a lot of firms take on private equity. So, what about the idea of potentially buying businesses to start up inorganic growth? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: We have gone down the road of acquiring other institutions potentially. The challenge is, because we manage money so uniquely and our approach is so different, I’m not going to bring on an institution or bring in a new partner to the firm or a new book of business that we’ve acquired if the methodology and the life of that book doesn’t mirror ours. So, yes, there is opportunities to grow through acquisition, it’s not something that we are leaning on heavily. However, for the right institution that’s available that is aligned with our thinking, whose clients would value and appreciate how we do things or, if that institution is doing something truly unique that we would want to bolt onto our platform, all day long because, again, for the benefit of the client, it makes sense. So, yes, there are opportunities for that. Too often we find that, when a book is available for acquisition, the highest bidder tends to win out and we don’t have the deep enough pockets to write a multiple that we don’t deem to be, let’s call it, market neutral. Jason Diamond: Yeah, market prudent. I understand the premise and I think that’s fair. I also think you have the luxury, because of your organic growth, you can be super, super picky about inorganic and I love how you bring it all back to the lens of the client. Can this improve the client experience in some way? And, if so, yes, we’ll take a look. I got time for one more question, I can’t believe time has flown. You’ve had a remarkable journey, professional golf now partner at a $4 billion plus on the way to $5 billion RIA multifamily office. What are you most proud of when you reflect on your career journey? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: What am I most proud of? To see what Rich, myself and Mark and Jayson built over these years from where we were sitting in a small conference room, struggling to figure out how do we find a way to hire a trust and estate attorney to help with that component, which CPAs do we bring on board in-house because clients have a need. So, the entrepreneurial spirit involved in growing the business, the late nights, the struggles, the banter back and forth, to put so much blood, sweat and tears into this and now to look at all that we’ve accomplished, being in four separate states with offices, having so many wonderful employees that have come to us from all over the world, Germany, from China, from Tokyo, bringing people in to the US and building out something that, when we leave at the end of the day, are incredibly proud of. My father’s no longer with us, for 50 years, I always strived to make him proud because he never told me that he was proud of me, he was the classic Greek old-fashioned dad. I think he looks down on his now for everything that we’ve built and would say that he’s proud of us so, for me, that’s the best. Jason Diamond: Yeah. That’s an incredible place to end. Thank you for sharing that, it’s a touching place to end and I appreciate you being open. Thank you. This has been one of my favorite episodes, your journey, your humility, your honesty, your transparency, it’s no wonder you’ve built a business you’ve built. So, thanks for joining us, Constantine. I look forward to having you back on to talk about the next chapter. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Thank you. Next time we’ll do it from the golf course. Jason Diamond: Oh, absolutely. Mindy Diamond: As a financial advisor, you hold yourself to the highest standards of integrity, honesty and credibility. You are successful because you take your professional responsibility seriously and are dedicated to your clients. But are you living your best business life? Are your goals aligned with your firms or could a better option exist? Should I Stay or Should I Go? Is a book written with you in mind? It’s a self-guided journey that walks you through the key steps that we take with our advisor clients. This strategic thought process and roadmap to professional self-discovery is designed to help you ask the right questions and think critically and objectively whether you’re considering change or not. Learn how to get your copy at diamond-consultants.com/thebook. Lessons from the Links: From Golf Pro to $5B Family Office Partner A conversation with Jason Diamond and Constantine Hatzivassiliou, Partner at Certuity. Jason Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is Lessons from the Links: From Golf Pro to $5B Family Office Partner. It’s a conversation with Constantine Hatzivassiliou, partner at Certuity. I’m Jason Diamond and this is the Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned and, each year, one in four advisors managing $1 billion or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education-driven and based on building relationships starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at (908) 879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual advisor transition report, it’s the award-winning data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions, download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Jason Diamond: Golf is a way of exposing who you really are, there are no teammates to blame, no clock to run out and no hiding from a bad decision. Every shot demands discipline, patience and the ability to stay focused when the pressure is highest, my guest today knows that firsthand. Before becoming a partner at Certuity, a multifamily office approaching five billion in assets, Constantine Hatzivassiliou was pursuing a career as a professional golfer. An injury ultimately redirected his path towards wealth management but many of the lessons he learned on the course still shaped the way he serves clients today. Certuity has grown from roughly 210 million in assets to nearly five billion, that’s impressive on its own but the more interesting story is how they’ve done it. The firm has grown largely through referrals built around a multifamily office model and focused on becoming far more than an investment advisor to the families it serves. In Constantine’s view, the best advisors aren’t simply managing portfolios, they’re the first person clients call when a business is being sold, a family issue becomes complicated or a major decision carries consequences well beyond the balance sheet. Constantine and I discuss the lessons golf teaches about handling pressure then we dive into the evolution from the traditional wealth management world to the multifamily office model, why referrals drive nearly all of Certuity’s growth, how he thinks about private equity’s influence on the advisory business and what it takes to become the first call for the wealthy families they serve and perhaps, most importantly, why the same qualities that help someone succeed on a golf course may be surprisingly relevant to building trust over a lifetime. It’s a great conversation so let’s dive in. Constantine, thank you so much for joining, thrilled to have you here. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Thank you for having me, excited to be here. Jason Diamond: Yeah, absolutely. So, you had an unconventional path to wealth management, you started as a professional golfer, I think that’s a first for us on this show, before ultimately transitioning into this world. Can you tell us a little bit about the journey and what brought you here? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Yeah, I never thought I’d be here, my parents were certainly shocked that I got here path wise. Growing up, immigrants from Greece, you settle into Florida the traditional way where you either go down the diner route or the gas station route in mechanics which my father was the latter and school and education was never priority, it was always about supporting the family needs. So, next thing you know, sports are a critical part of any good household, that’s how I was raised and I played everything but golf. I grew up on a golf course because my parents believed that a location of a property was critical to long-term financial success. We lived on a golf course, it was in our backyard, we’d stare at it and we’d use it to play football or baseball or anything but actual golf. And my freshman year at the University of Florida, I started dating a girl on the golf team and she got me hooked to the point where, after four years of hitting balls with the women’s and men’s golf team at the University of Florida for six hours a day, we finished school and realized I’m actually pretty good at the game and, while I have a finance and economics background and degree, let’s try and pursue this for a living and I was blessed. I had a sponsor who helped me succeed at golf on a small scale, it was a humbling experience to say the least. I was competing and playing with Sean O’Hair, Ken Duke, guys who made it out on tour for a very long time, we had the same sponsor so we functioned as a team, it was a collegiate team effectively trying to make it out on tour. And, unfortunately, my second year of competing, I blew out my back doing heavy deadlifts which set me aside for 18 months. While I was recovering, my primary sponsor was in financial services and says, “Hey, you have a background in this, it’s killing you not being able to be on the golf course, why don’t you come work for me while you’re rehabbing so that, when you get back to playing golf, it’s easier for you to talk about our business as a sponsor to try and develop business to throw it to the financial services side?” And Jason, the reality is, after 18 months working there, I fell in love with it. I made way more money working in that environment than I ever would’ve made playing golf because, again, I came to the game late. I was decent but I was nowhere near the caliber of players that are succeeding now out on tour. So, I pivoted after having met my wife and decided to settle down into the wealth management space and, what is it now, 26 years later, going strong. So, it’s been a fun transition from golf into wealth management to say the least. Jason Diamond: Probably my favorite background … I watch a lot of golf, I should caveat that, probably my favorite origin story we’ve had, I’ll give you the Wanamaker trophy or whatever you get, first place. Let’s talk about the business now, so Certuity. For our audience who may not be familiar, tell us a little bit about the firm, what types of clients do you serve and any context you can provide on size as well. We’ll talk about how your firm got there but just give us where we are today to start with. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: So, goal by the end of the year is to have $5 billion in AUM, we’re just shy of that now. We currently service 428 families across the country. So, we’re boutiquey and nimble, we’re based in South Florida, we have offices in New York, San Fran and LA. I’m fortunate to be one of four partners at the firm supporting the growth and the direction of the company and it’s a fun endeavor in the sense that, when we first started, I was employee number four 16 years ago and, with 210 million in AUM at the time to grow it to where we are today, to learn all the things that we have over the years, the curve balls that were thrown at us because all of us came from massive institutional wealth management firms. So, we transitioned from the Bernsteins of the world, the BNY Mellons of the world into an RIA in the South Florida market, there was absolutely an entrepreneurial learning curve involved. Jason Diamond: I bet. And on follow-up question, 16 years ago, did you have a book of business, client business and do you still maintain a book of business today? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: I do. The four of us at the firm share in all of the clients, we work together. Being in the Southeast, I’m responsible for, let’s call it, the Southeast demographics of the US which is a large portion of Certuity’s book. I have a partner in Tennessee, I have a partner in LA and San Francisco and we divide and conquer across the country. But, yes, we came over with a small book, we’ve all grown it organically since then. So, we’ve been very effective in how we’ve grown. Jason Diamond: Just from adding new client money? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Strictly through new clients referred to us by existing clients. Jason Diamond: Wow. I
In der heutigen Folge sprechen die Finanzjournalisten Nando Sommerfeldt und Holger Zschäpitz über den Dürre-Krisen-Indikator und machen einen Wall-Street-Banken-Exkurs. Außerdem geht es um Lucid, HCA Healthcare, Pentair, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, SpaceX, Uber, Evotec, Delivery Hero, ASML, BlackRock, BNY Mellon, Morgan Stanley, Johnson & Johnson, United Airlines, J.B. Hunt, Rio Tinto, Richemont, BASF, Covestro, Shell, Thyssenkrupp, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Evonik, Lanxess, Wacker Chemie, K+S, Nvidia, JPMorgan Global Equity Plus (ISIN: LU3351089811). Wir freuen uns an Feedback über aaa@welt.de. Noch mehr "Alles auf Aktien" findet Ihr bei WELTplus und Apple Podcasts – inklusive aller Artikel der Hosts. Hier bei WELT: https://www.welt.de/podcasts/alles-auf-aktien/plus247399208/Boersen-Podcast-AAA-Bonus-Folgen-Jede-Woche-noch-mehr-Antworten-auf-Eure-Boersen-Fragen.html. Hier könnt ihr den AAA-Newsletter abonnieren: https://www.welt.de/newsletter/article232797673/Alles-auf-Aktien-Der-taegliche-Boersen-Newsletter-fuer-WELTplus-Abonnenten.html Und – ganz neu: AAA gibt es jetzt auch auf Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alles_auf_aktien/ Disclaimer: Die im Podcast besprochenen Aktien und Fonds stellen keine spezifischen Kauf- oder Anlage-Empfehlungen dar. Die Moderatoren und der Verlag haften nicht für etwaige Verluste, die aufgrund der Umsetzung der Gedanken oder Ideen entstehen. Hörtipps: Für alle, die noch mehr wissen wollen: Holger Zschäpitz können Sie jede Woche im Finanz- und Wirtschaftspodcast "Deffner&Zschäpitz" hören. +++ Werbung +++ Du möchtest mehr über unsere Werbepartner erfahren? Hier findest du alle Infos & Rabatte! https://linktr.ee/alles_auf_aktien *Anzeige: Eight Sleep: Der Pod 5 reguliert die Temperatur im Bett automatisch, trackt Schlaf- und Gesundheitswerte ohne Wearable und kann so zu besserem Schlaf beitragen. Mit dem Code ALLESAUFAKTIEN erhaltet ihr auf https://www.eightsleep.com/allesaufaktien bis zu 350 Euro Rabatt.* Impressum: https://www.welt.de/services/article7893735/Impressum.html Datenschutz: https://www.welt.de/services/article157550705/Datenschutzerklaerung-WELT-DIGITAL.html
US struck Iran overnight, Trump said they will do so again on Wednesday night. Adding, they will hit power plants and bridges next week unless Iran negotiates.IRGC targeted weapons/storage in Bahrain and Kuwait, US positions in Jordan and the Fifth Fleet Command HQ. Iran said it is a mistake to think military action will force them to talk.Brent +0.8% on the above, USD failed to benefit with CPI continuing to weigh, USTs rangebound though Bunds came under modest pressure.APAC stocks were firmer as the US CPI read-across outweighed fresh US-Iran strikes, to the continued benefit of US futures, though Europe points lower, Euro Stoxx 50 -0.2%.GBP and EUR led on the softer USD, USD/JPY briefly moved below 162.00Looking ahead, highlights include Swedish CPIF Final (Jun), Spanish CPI Final (Jun), EZ Industrial Production (May), US PPI (Jun), BoC Policy Announcement (Jul), Fed Beige Book (Jul), Speakers including Fed's Williams, Musalem, Warsh & Cook, BoC Governor Macklem, BoE's Pill, ECB's Nagel, Supply from Germany, Earnings from United Airlines, BlackRock, Elevance Health, Johnson & Johnson, Morgan Stanley, PNC Financial Services, BNY Mellon.Click for the Newsquawk Week Ahead.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
US struck Iran overnight, Trump said they will do so again on Wednesday night. Adding, they will hit power plants and bridges next week unless Iran negotiates.IRGC targeted weapons/storage in Bahrain and Kuwait, US positions in Jordan and the Fifth Fleet Command HQ. Iran said it is a mistake to think military action will force them to talk.ASML (+3.7%) reported Q2 earnings that beat estimates while raising its FY guidance above analyst expectations. Additionally, the Co. announced a partnership with Intel (INTC) for high-volume production of Intel 18A logic products using High NA EUV.US equity futures are firmer across the board, with NQ supported by ASML and SK Hynix upside overnight.DXY and Fixed Income rangebound ahead of a busy speaker slate.Crude benchmarks eke out mild gains, with another round of US strikes tonight.Looking ahead, highlights include US PPI (Jun), BoC Policy Announcement (Jul), Fed Beige Book (Jul), Speakers including Fed's Williams, Musalem, Warsh & Cook, BoC Governor Macklem, BoE's Pill, Earnings from United Airlines, Johnson & Johnson, Morgan Stanley, PNC Financial Services, BNY Mellon.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
The Trump administration's plan to create a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve has been complicated by two government departments vying to run it, alongside questions about which has the legal authority to do so. ~This episode is sponsored by Uphold~ Uphold Staking ➜ https://bit.ly/UpholdStakingPB 00:10 Sponsor: Uphold Staking 01:00 Bitcoin reserve confirmed? 01:30 Legal Roadblock 02:00 Not “if” but how 03:40 Scott Melker: no BTC in Trump accounts 05:00 Schwab: Trump account narrative 07:00 Clarity dead signal? 08:10 SEC to step in 08:45 Crypto is not fringe 09:50 BNY Mellon partnering w/US Treasury? 10:50 Vanguard new hire 11:30 HOOD chain metrics 12:00 Samsung 1800% jump 12:45 Hormuz overhang: Second ships hit 13:20 Minutes meeting tomorrow 14:30 Rate Hike Odds 15:10 Charts (BTC, SOL, UNI, JUP) #bitcoin #crypto #Ethereum ~Bitcoin Strategic Reserve Coming?
There is a commandment that says thou shalt not steal. Governments around the world have found a way around it. They don't take your money. They just make it worth less. And they call it monetary policy.This episode makes a moral argument about the financial system most people were born into, saved into and trusted their futures to and why the mechanism at its centre has been quietly transferring wealth from the people who have least to the people who have most for a very long time.In this episode:Why printing money is theft explained through a simple analogy about a village well and why the people who get the new money first always win at the expense of the people who don'tThe hard numbers behind who inflation actually hurts UK food prices up 30.6% in three years, 3.1 million food bank users in 2023, and why the poorest households always pay the highest price for monetary expansionWhy ESG investing, the so-called ethical alternative, is largely a label change rather than a system change from H&M's Conscious Collection lawsuit to Goldman Sachs and BNY Mellon's SEC investigations to the Royal Bank of Canada quietly abandoning its $500 billion sustainability commitment in 2025Why Bitcoin is not just a better investment but a structurally different one the only financial instrument whose supply cannot be expanded by any government, committee or central bank regardless of what they decideProverbs 11:1 says a dishonest scale is an abomination. The commandment against stealing does not have an exemption for central banks.I built a free calculator that shows exactly what consistent monthly Bitcoin investing could do to your wealth over 5, 10 or 20 years. It's called the Steady Stack Calculator — punch in what you can afford to put in each month and see what the numbers actually look like at the other end. Most people are genuinely surprised. You can also download the 10 Bitcoin Mistakes to Avoid document completely free at the same link.Steady Stack Calculator and 10 Bitcoin Mistakes Document — click here to grab both for freeHit follow, so you never miss the latest insights on money, finance, invest and build wealth - plus clear guidance on cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, and Bit Coin for today's serious investors.
Charlie Durkin is Principal Solutions Lead at Chainlink Labs, where he works with the world's largest banks, asset managers, and market infrastructures on bringing capital markets onchain. A decade at Citigroup – five years in investment banking and debt capital markets, then five more in product management building the actual rails – gives him a grounded view of the gap between TradFi reality and crypto's promises, and what it will take to close it. Why you should listen Charlie's path from Citi's product team to Chainlink is the perfect frame for this conversation. He's lived inside the legacy plumbing of capital markets and now spends his days helping institutions migrate workflows to blockchain rails without throwing out the existing infrastructure they're built on. His explanation of Chainlink itself is refreshingly concrete: not a competing L1, but the middleware connecting blockchains to each other and to the offchain world – an oracle network at its core, expanded into a full orchestration layer via the Chainlink Runtime Environment (CRE). The "give us an API and we'll connect you securely to the blockchain ecosystem" framing is exactly how Chainlink keeps showing up in the headlines alongside DTCC, Swift, UBS, Euroclear, JPMorgan, BNY Mellon and Franklin Templeton. The tokenization discussion is where Charlie shines. The popular narrative is "tokenize everything"; his lived experience is that the interesting frontier is tokenizing cash. Stablecoins are becoming foundational market infrastructure because instant settlement is too compelling to ignore, but they don't work on a bank's balance sheet – under GENIUS Act rules, stablecoins must be backed one-for-one with HQLA, meaning banks lose the benefit of fractionalized reserves. That's why tokenized deposits are now the hottest conversation in institutional finance: same rails, same settlement story, but compatible with how banks actually run their balance sheets. Charlie also pushes back on the tokenized equities hype, arguing that "mirror tokenization" of stocks bolts complexity onto an already complex system (corporate actions, final settlement, CSD reconciliation), and that the real unlock comes only after cash is natively onchain. At that point native equity and debt issuance starts to make sense on its own terms. Andy and Charlie dig into the harder questions: where the institutional friction actually lives (legal, compliance, security, operational integration – not the business case, which everyone now buys), how procurement teams trained on on-prem-to-cloud transitions are now having to wrap their heads around decentralized infrastructure, and why Chainlink's defense-in-depth architecture – independent node operators, cryptographic consensus, geographic redundancy – is what lets GSIBs sign off on production deployments. Charlie pulls in the standards-and-scale argument with sharp historical analogies: rail gauges for industrialisation, standardised shipping containers for global trade, US GAAP for capital allocation, TCP/IP for the internet. Financial markets need standards before they can scale, and no institution wants to integrate ten different blockchains ten different ways. The hot take round delivers a multi-chain opportunist stance, a contrarian view on tokenised equity headlines, a 10-year vision in which blockchain rails disappear entirely from the user experience, and a callout to the recent DTCC Collateral AppChain announcement – built on Chainlink's CRE, slated for Q4 2026 – as the first glimpse of an onchain capital markets future that's already arriving. Supporting links Stabull Finance Chainlink Chainlink on Twitter Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin If you enjoyed the show please subscribe to the Crypto Conversation and give us a 5-star rating and a positive review in whatever podcast app you are using.
Today, we're back on Wall Street and dining at Harry's, a trusted Wall Street institution for over 50 years. Joining us is Liz Thomas, Chief Market Strategist at SoFi. Her origin story starts in Wisconsin, but she's made a name for herself in New York as a trusted market and investment guru. Prior to joining SoFi, Liz was the Director of Market Strategy at BNY Mellon, a Portfolio Analyst at Baird, and a Research Analyst at BMO Global Asset Management. Timecodes 00:00 — “Edgy Broads” 00:21 — Welcome to Standing Table at Harry's on Wall Street 01:24 — Meet SoFi's Head of Investment Strategy, Liz Thomas 02:24 — From Wisconsin to Wall Street: Liz's Journey Begins 04:54 — The Mentor Who Changed Liz's Career Path 06:14 — Guy & Dan Tell the Early Fast Money Origin Story 09:35 — Liz Opens Up About Leaving Everything Behind for NYC 12:31 — Becoming a CNBC Personality & Inspiring Young Women 16:18 — Why Liz Took the Leap from BNY Mellon to SoFi 20:49 — Marriage, Motherhood & Being the Breadwinner 22:21 — Liz's Mission Supporting Women Through Grace Outreach 23:37 — Liz's Career Advice: Don't Wait to Be Noticed Standing Table is made possible through our continued partnership with Apex Fintech Solutions. Apex Fintech Solutions provides the tools and services that enable hundreds of clients to launch, scale, and support digital investing for tens of millions of end investors. The company provides essential infrastructure and a comprehensive ecosystem of cloud-based products to enable and streamline trading, wealth management, cost basis, tax reporting, and, through its subsidiary Apex Clearing™, custody and clearing. For more information, visit the Apex Fintech Solutions website: https://apexfintechsolutions.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/apex-fintech/ —FOLLOW USYouTube: @RiskReversalMediaInstagram: @riskreversalmediaTwitter: @RiskReversalLinkedIn: RiskReversal Media
In this episode of The Rainmaker Podcast, Gui Costin sits down with Dan Amir, Managing Director of Investor Coverage at Crow Holdings, for a wide-ranging conversation on building a wealth distribution team, applying institutional rigor to the wealth channel, and leading a sales organization through a difficult fundraising environment.Dan grew up in New Jersey, spent the first 13 years of his career in New York at BNY Mellon and Morgan Stanley in relationship and distribution roles, and made the pilgrimage to Dallas in 2017 — pre-COVID, before it was cool to go south. He joined Crow Holdings, the Dallas-based real estate investment and development firm founded by Trammell Crow, which today operates a development platform across multifamily and industrial sectors in 20 offices nationwide and an investment management business spanning industrial, multifamily, manufactured housing, self-storage, retail, and student housing.Crow Holdings Capital started its partnership journey in the institutional world — foundations and endowments first, then pensions and sovereign wealth. Over the last six years, the trajectory of growth in private real estate has shifted decisively toward the individual wealth community, which is why Dan was hired to lead a dedicated wealth coverage effort. His team of four (going to five) is structured geographically rather than channelized, with deliberate diversity of backgrounds — RIA, wirehouse, and non-linear distribution paths — to create overlap with how RIAs, wirehouses, and private banks actually behave in a market.Dan and Gui dug deep into the discipline of communication: starting every year with a written business plan, measuring weekly against benchmarks, and once a quarter looking back at the original plan. Communication up to leadership is succinct by design — pull data from Salesforce, summarize the position on each strategy, and engage the executive team only on genuinely strategic decisions. Dan emphasized the judgment of knowing when you need executive input.The CRM is the backbone of the operation, and AI sits on top of it. Dan ranked the CRM as indispensable for activity tracking, goal measurement, meeting note memorialization, and populating pre-meeting briefs across the broader client engagement team. Gui shared Dakota's pro tip for using Claude to dictate call notes in the lobby immediately after a meeting — eliminating the typing friction that has historically been the biggest barrier to capturing IP. Both agreed that AI is only as good as the data going in, and that picking one source of truth and training the team on it is now a strategic business decision, not a data decision.The conversation closed on leadership, trust, and culture. Dan's philosophy centers on understanding individual motivations, holding everyone accountable consistently, and trusting the team to do their jobs without micromanaging. In a difficult fundraising environment, maintaining team motivation comes from giving people the room to build durable, non-transactional relationships. Dan credited Crow Holdings' top-down culture as the reason he has never felt more like himself professionally — and the reason the team can apply institutional rigor to the wealth channel without losing the human element.Tired of chasing outdated leads? Book a demo to see how Dakota Marketplace simplifies your fundraising process with accurate, up-to-date investor data.
As a leader, you often spend so much time on the strategies and tactics that keep your brand growing that it's difficult to keep up with what's going on in the background with the platforms and the companies behind them.That's why I'm always glad to talk with our guest today, who is both focused on the business of CX as well as the business behind CX and the SaaS platforms driving so many customer experiences. I'm excited to talk again with our Resident Expert on the CX and MarTech platform landscape. We talked right at the beginning of 2026 as a look back at last year. Now that we've had a quarter behind us in 2026, it's time to talk about how this year is shaping up and what we can expect in the months ahead.To help me discuss these topics, I'd like to welcome, Bill Staikos, Founder at Be Customer Led. About Bill Staikos Bill Staikos is a senior customer experience executive with over 20 years of leadership across financial services, consulting, and technology. He has held senior roles at American Express, Freddie Mac, JP Morgan, and BNY Mellon, where he led global initiatives to transform client and employee experiences. A former SVP at Medallia, Bill helped organizations turn insights into measurable outcomes.Recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice and one of the Top 50 Global CX Influencers, Bill is also the founder of the Be Customer-Led podcast and is now preparing to launch The Multimodal Experience. Known for his pragmatic, impact-driven approach, Bill advises leading brands, including Apple, Bank of America, Marriott, and T-Mobile, on connecting customer experience to business growth. Bill Staikos on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billstaikos/ Resources Be Customer Led: https://becustomerled.com/ The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703 Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://aglbrnd.co/r/d15ec37a537c0d74 We're proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873fDon't miss We Make Future - the International Festival of Innovation in AI, Tech, and Digital Marketing, June 24-26 in Bologna. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/c80991afff416bb2The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1 Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As a leader, you often spend so much time on the strategies and tactics that keep your brand growing that it's difficult to keep up with what's going on in the background with the platforms and the companies behind them. That's why I'm always glad to talk with our guest today, who is both focused on the business of CX as well as the business behind CX and the SaaS platforms driving so many customer experiences. I'm excited to talk again with our Resident Expert on the CX and MarTech platform landscape. We talked right at the beginning of 2026 as a look back at last year. Now that we've had a quarter behind us in 2026, it's time to talk about how this year is shaping up and what we can expect in the months ahead. To help me discuss these topics, I'd like to welcome, Bill Staikos, Founder at Be Customer Led. About Bill Staikos Bill Staikos is a senior customer experience executive with over 20 years of leadership across financial services, consulting, and technology. He has held senior roles at American Express, Freddie Mac, JP Morgan, and BNY Mellon, where he led global initiatives to transform client and employee experiences. A former SVP at Medallia, Bill helped organizations turn insights into measurable outcomes. Recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice and one of the Top 50 Global CX Influencers, Bill is also the founder of the Be Customer-Led podcast and is now preparing to launch The Multimodal Experience. Known for his pragmatic, impact-driven approach, Bill advises leading brands, including Apple, Bank of America, Marriott, and T-Mobile, on connecting customer experience to business growth. Bill Staikos on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billstaikos/ Resources Be Customer Led: https://becustomerled.com/ The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703 Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://aglbrnd.co/r/d15ec37a537c0d74 We're proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658 Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f Don't miss We Make Future - the International Festival of Innovation in AI, Tech, and Digital Marketing, June 24-26 in Bologna. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/c80991afff416bb2 The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1 Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
As a leader, you often spend so much time on the strategies and tactics that keep your brand growing that it's difficult to keep up with what's going on in the background with the platforms and the companies behind them.That's why I'm always glad to talk with our guest today, who is both focused on the business of CX as well as the business behind CX and the SaaS platforms driving so many customer experiences. I'm excited to talk again with our Resident Expert on the CX and MarTech platform landscape. We talked right at the beginning of 2026 as a look back at last year. Now that we've had a quarter behind us in 2026, it's time to talk about how this year is shaping up and what we can expect in the months ahead.To help me discuss these topics, I'd like to welcome, Bill Staikos, Founder at Be Customer Led. About Bill Staikos Bill Staikos is a senior customer experience executive with over 20 years of leadership across financial services, consulting, and technology. He has held senior roles at American Express, Freddie Mac, JP Morgan, and BNY Mellon, where he led global initiatives to transform client and employee experiences. A former SVP at Medallia, Bill helped organizations turn insights into measurable outcomes.Recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice and one of the Top 50 Global CX Influencers, Bill is also the founder of the Be Customer-Led podcast and is now preparing to launch The Multimodal Experience. Known for his pragmatic, impact-driven approach, Bill advises leading brands, including Apple, Bank of America, Marriott, and T-Mobile, on connecting customer experience to business growth. Bill Staikos on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billstaikos/ Resources Be Customer Led: https://becustomerled.com/ The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703 Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://aglbrnd.co/r/d15ec37a537c0d74 We're proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873fDon't miss We Make Future - the International Festival of Innovation in AI, Tech, and Digital Marketing, June 24-26 in Bologna. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/c80991afff416bb2The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1 Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Connect with Early Riders // Connect with OnrampPresented collaboratively by Early Riders & Onramp Media…Final Settlement is a weekly podcast covering capital markets, dealmaking, early-stage venture, bitcoin applications and protocol development.This week Liam, Brian, and Michael cover Coinbase's recent earnings report, the degradation of their competitive moat, the American Banking Association's panic due to the Clarity act, the implications of Circle's new token, and the significant moves made by institutions like BNY Mellon and Kraken.Chapters00:00 - Coinbase's Earnings & Layoffs02:59 - Market Position & Competition06:11 - The Future of Coinbase & Leadership Challenges09:03 - Circle's New Token & Coinbase Relationship12:10 - The Clarity Act & Stablecoin Regulations14:53 - The Role of Traditional Banks in Crypto18:11 - Tokenized Securities & Market Innovations33:17 - Tokenization & Financial Evolution39:35 - Institutional Moves in Crypto Custody42:50 - Kraken's Strategic Acquisition47:54 - The Future of Crypto Funds51:09 - Emerging Financial Products & AI IntegrationIf you found this valuable, please subscribe to Early Riders Insights for access to the best content in the ecosystem weekly.Keep up with Michael:https://x.com/MTangumahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mtanguma/Keep up with Liam:https://x.com/Lnelson_21https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-nelson1/Keep up with Brian:https://x.com/BackslashBTChttps://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-cubellis-00b1a660/
From Wall Street to Main Street, the latest on the markets and what it means for your money. Updated regularly on weekdays, featuring CNBC expert analysis and sound from top business newsmakers. Anchored by CNBC's Jill Schneider. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
En el episodio de hoy de VG Daily, Andre Dos Santos y Juan Manuel de los Reyes abren con la paradoja que define la semana, el conflicto entre EE.UU., Israel e Irán sigue activo, y el S&P 500 cerró en un nuevo récord histórico.El bloqueo naval del Estrecho de Hormuz está operativo, en paralelo, JD Vance encabeza una potencial segunda ronda de negociaciones con Irán. Los hosts analizan por qué el mercado decidió ignorar la guerra y mirar los reportes corporativos, con el Nasdaq completando su mejor racha de once días consecutivos en toda su historia.En el bloque corporativo, TSMC reportó un trimestre que superó todas las líneas de su guidance y elevó su outlook para el año completo, con HPC e inteligencia artificial representando el 61% del revenue; PepsiCo entregó crecimiento orgánico en aceleración, expansión de márgenes y confirmó su guidance para 2026; BNY Mellon registró el mejor trimestre de su historia con un EPS que superó ampliamente las estimaciones y anunció un nuevo programa de recompra de acciones; Charles Schwab reportó en línea con el consenso, con mejora en el net interest margin y crecimiento fuerte en su negocio de advisory.
Plus: Israel says it hit a key Iranian energy site. And the Treasury Department has tapped BNY Mellon and Robinhood to help run Trump accounts for children. Imani Moise hosts. Sign up for WSJ's free What's News newsletter. An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The newly filed lawsuits against major banks like Bank of America and BNY Mellon allege that these institutions knowingly enabled Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking operations by providing him with banking services, ignoring red flags, and failing to file required Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs). For example, one complaint claims that Bank of America routed payments through an account opened at Epstein's direction, and that BNY processed around $378 million in payments linked to women trafficked by Epstein. These suits open a path for court-ordered disclosure of internal bank documents — account records, wire transfers, risk-compliance memos — which are likely to reveal the depth of financial institutions' awareness and involvement in Epstein's network.Beyond illuminating the financial mechanics of Epstein's operation, the lawsuits could map the broader institutional infrastructure: how Epstein's wealth and connections were supported by legacy banks, investment vehicles, and private banking units; how high-net-worth clients were managed even amid serious criminal allegations; and how oversight failures enabled illicit flows tied to trafficking. If discovery proceeds, it may force banks to produce internal logs showing when they flagged (or ignored) Epstein-linked activity, when they escalated concerns (or didn't), and whether senior executives were alerted. This could shift the narrative from one of Epstein acting alone to one where the financial sector played a structural role — in effect uncovering the shadow-architecture behind his empire.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Lawsuits against banks with Epstein ties may shed new light on financier's crimes | Jeffrey Epstein | The GuardianBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
The newly filed lawsuits against major banks like Bank of America and BNY Mellon allege that these institutions knowingly enabled Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking operations by providing him with banking services, ignoring red flags, and failing to file required Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs). For example, one complaint claims that Bank of America routed payments through an account opened at Epstein's direction, and that BNY processed around $378 million in payments linked to women trafficked by Epstein. These suits open a path for court-ordered disclosure of internal bank documents — account records, wire transfers, risk-compliance memos — which are likely to reveal the depth of financial institutions' awareness and involvement in Epstein's network.Beyond illuminating the financial mechanics of Epstein's operation, the lawsuits could map the broader institutional infrastructure: how Epstein's wealth and connections were supported by legacy banks, investment vehicles, and private banking units; how high-net-worth clients were managed even amid serious criminal allegations; and how oversight failures enabled illicit flows tied to trafficking. If discovery proceeds, it may force banks to produce internal logs showing when they flagged (or ignored) Epstein-linked activity, when they escalated concerns (or didn't), and whether senior executives were alerted. This could shift the narrative from one of Epstein acting alone to one where the financial sector played a structural role — in effect uncovering the shadow-architecture behind his empire.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Lawsuits against banks with Epstein ties may shed new light on financier's crimes | Jeffrey Epstein | The Guardian
Joseph Ng, Chief Strategy Officer of GeneGenius and author of The Hybrid Mind, discusses how institutions must redesign decision architectures as humans and intelligent machines operate together. His vision for the "hybrid mind" is one with supervised intelligence where humans set mission, values, and boundaries while AI participates in operational decisions. He also discusses his work at GeneGenius to transform raw genetic data into "biological intelligence" that can support precision medicine, early disease detection, and personalized treatments. Key Takeaways: His work in AI-driven genomics systems and data for early detection and better prediction in medical systems How governance—when designed correctly—can accelerate adoption rather than slowing innovation Why the biggest risk in AI isn't technical failure, but a lack of institutional readiness to govern it How human judgment is evolving in an AI-driven world, shifting from execution to supervision and interpretation Guest Bio: Joseph X Ng is a technology executive, AI governance strategist, and Adjunct Assistant Professor at New York University. He is the author of The Hybrid Mind, which argues that institutions must redesign their decision architectures as humans and intelligent machines begin operating together. A former enterprise AI leader at BNY Mellon, Joseph now works on frontier applications of AI, including genomic intelligence through initiatives like GeneGenius. His work focuses on building trustworthy AI systems by embedding governance, transparency, and human supervision directly into the architecture of intelligent systems. And, for the record, he is a human from New York. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About this Show: The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all! Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together. The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API. Music by: Ari Dvorin Produced by: Sam Laliberte
Crypto News: Kraken exchange wins Kansas City Fed approval for limited master account. Morgan Stanley taps Coinbase and BNY Mellon for custody in proposed Bitcoin ETF. Western Union teams with Crossmint to support USDPT stablecoin on Solana. Brought to you by
In this episode, Lex chats with Yoshi Yokokawa, CEO of Alpaca — a brokerage infrastructure company that provides API-based trading and custody services to fintechs and developers globally. The conversation begins with their shared experience at Lehman Brothers during the 2008 financial crisis, where Yoshi worked in fixed income securitization and learned that even when market participants sense a bubble, they keep dancing because timing the exit is impossible. After Lehman's collapse, Yoshi pursued entrepreneurship, building a computer vision AI company acquired by Kyocera before founding Alpaca in 2017. Initially inspired by Robinhood, Yoshi pivoted after experiencing firsthand the friction of accessing brokerage infrastructure—realizing the deeper opportunity was building API-first brokerage rails for developers. Today Alpaca powers 9 million accounts through 300+ partners across 45 countries, recently raising $150 million at a unicorn valuation. The discussion explores how Alpaca follows Robinhood's product roadmap to anticipate partner demand, the challenges of adding crypto, and Yoshi's thesis that finance is undergoing a generational shift from digital to on-chain operations. Lex shares examples of legacy infrastructure dysfunction—from faxing PDFs to TD Ameritrade in 2012 to the Synapse collapse caused by manual CSV uploads—illustrating why Alpaca built its own custody and ledger systems as a path to competing in the $350 trillion global securities custody market. NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS: Alpaca's biggest breakthrough was not a better investing app idea, but recognizing that the real bottleneck was brokerage infrastructure. Yokokawa and team initially explored B2C product concepts, but pivoted once they experienced firsthand how painful broker-dealer setup, custody, and clearing integrations were. For readers building fintech, this is a huge lesson: the highest-value opportunity is often the “invisible” infrastructure pain, not the user-facing feature set. They found product-market fit by starting with a narrow wedge (API for automated traders) and only then expanding into a broader platform (Broker API for fintech apps). Alpaca did not begin by serving large fintechs; it first attracted power users who urgently needed programmable execution, then used inbound demand (“can I build my own Robinhood?”) as proof to build account opening, reporting, and full brokerage APIs. This is a valuable go-to-market pattern for infrastructure startups: win with a sharp use case, then expand into the system of record. Yokokawa's core strategic edge is full-stack control of licenses, memberships, and ledger technology rather than relying on legacy vendors. He explicitly ties this to lessons from historical fintech fragility (manual workflows, broken reconciliations, middleware failures) and argues that owning the custody/clearing layer is what makes Alpaca defensible long term. For readers, this is the key takeaway on moat-building in financial services: if you don't control the ledger and operational core, your product may scale faster at first but remains structurally fragile. TOPICS Alpaca, Lehman Brothers, Barclays, Nomura, Neuberger Berman, Blackrock, Robinhood, Interactive Brokers, TD Ameritrade, BNY Mellon, Brokerage infrastructure, API, trading, tokenization, embedded finance, fintech, crypto, web3 ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT
Robin Vince, CEO of BNY Mellon, discusses the status and future of US assets with Bloomberg's Jonathan Ferro, Lisa Abramowicz and Annmarie Hordern on the sidelines of the 2026 World Economic Forum.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, Bryce Paul interviews Yuval Rooz, co-founder and CEO of Digital Asset, discussing the transformative potential of digital assets and the Canton Network. They explore how institutional players are integrating blockchain technology into mainstream finance, aiming to revolutionize asset management, settlement, and regulatory clarity. The conversation highlights the friction in today's financial markets due to settlement delays and reconciliation, and how the Canton Network's architecture is designed to bring capital markets on chain. Additionally, they discuss the role of major institutions like BNY Mellon and NASDAQ in using Canton for settlement and custody.Check out Webroot: https://webroot.com/CRYPTO101Check out Gemini Exchange: https://gemini.comCheck out Quince: https://quince.com/CRYPTO101Get my #1 altcoin pick for this month.Get immediate access to my entire crypto portfolio for just $1.00 today! Get your FREE copy of "Crypto Revolution" and start making big profits from buying, selling,Get immediate access to my entire crypto portfolio.. just $1.00 today! Go here to get access: https://www.crypto101insider.com/cryptnation-directm6pypcy1?utm_source=Internal&utm_medium=YouTube&utm_content=Podcast&utm_term=20250916Get your FREE copy of "Crypto Revolution: Your Guide To The Future of Money". In this book, I reveal how to make (and keep) a fortune during this crypto bull run! http://www.cryptorevolution.com/free?utm_source=Internal&utm_medium=YouTube&utm_content=Podcast&utm_term=2025091600:00 - Introduction and guest overview01:20 - Yuval Rooz's background and journey into crypto02:20 - The thesis that all assets will become digital and live on-chain05:00 - The inefficiencies and settlement delays in traditional markets10:08 - The architecture and naming inspiration behind Canton Network15:04 - How institutions are leveraging Canton for settlement, custody, and tokenized assetsMERCH STOREhttps://cryptorevolutionmerch.com/Subscribe to YouTube for Exclusive Content:https://www.youtube.com/@crypto101podcast?sub_confirmation=1Follow us on social media for leading-edge crypto updates and trade alerts:https://twitter.com/Crypto101Podhttps://instagram.com/crypto_101*This is NOT financial, tax, or legal advice*Boardwalk Flock LLC. All Rights Reserved ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬Fog by DIZARO https://soundcloud.com/dizarofrCreative Commons — Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported — CC BY-ND 3.0 Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/Fog-DIZAROMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/lAfbjt_rmE8▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬Our Sponsors:* Check out Gemini Exchange: https://gemini.com* Check out Mars Men: https://mengotomars.com* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/CRYPTO101* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/CRYPTO101* Check out Webroot: https://www.webroot.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
In a bombshell new letter, Sen. Wyden demands that BNY Mellon hand over information tied to 20,000 suspicious $1 million transfers Epstein made between January to September 2007, during the time Epstein was negotiating his non-prosecution agreement period. Dina Doll reacts. iRestore: Unlock your best hair & skin with @iRestorelaser and HUGE savings on the iRESTORE Elite + Illumina Face Mask Bundle with code MISSTRIAL at https://irestore.com/misstrial #irestorepod Visit https://meidasplus.com for more! Support the MeidasTouch Network: https://patreon.com/meidastouch Add the MeidasTouch Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-meidastouch-podcast/id1510240831 Buy MeidasTouch Merch: https://store.meidastouch.com Follow MeidasTouch on Twitter: https://twitter.com/meidastouch Follow MeidasTouch on Facebook: https://facebook.com/meidastouch Follow MeidasTouch on Instagram: https://instagram.com/meidastouch Follow MeidasTouch on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@meidastouch
They Tried to Kill Crypto — Now They Need It | BNY & Ripple Change Everything Traditional finance spent years trying to shut crypto out. Now they're quietly moving on-chain. One of the world's oldest banks, BNY Mellon, has launched tokenized deposit services, bringing programmable, on-chain cash directly into the core of the banking system — with Ripple and Ripple Prime positioned as early adopters. This isn't hype. This is infrastructure. At the same time: Ripple secures UK FCA approval with an EMI license and cryptoasset registration Banks that once debanked crypto are now lobbying Congress to ban stablecoin rewards The UK debates banning X, triggering backlash over free speech and censorship Geopolitical tensions escalate — from Trump's Greenland comments to border enforcement showdowns and media meltdowns This episode connects the dots between: ✔️ On-chain banking ✔️ Regulatory clarity vs institutional panic ✔️ Tokenized deposits vs stablecoins ✔️ Free speech, capital flight, and geopolitical pressure Nothing happening right now is accidental. This is a power transition — and the old system didn't win.
Send us a textOn this episode of the Get Ready Before Life Happens Podcast, I spoke with Joseph Pach—author of Building The Investors Edge and Chief Investment Officer of Corcovado Investment Advisors—about building stronger financial decision-making frameworks by understanding risk, opportunity cost, and human behavior.
Topics we're pulling from the 401k rags:
today's Cloud Wars Minute, I unpack how tech and mindset together will decide the winners in the 2026 AI economy.Highlights00:31 — Google Cloud, has just had a pretty interesting engagement with BNY Mellon. BNY used to be called Bank of New York, merged with Mellon — a massive financial services organization — and they've got what I think is a brilliant AI strategy. It's simply: “AI for everyone, everywhere, everything."01:24 — BNY has chosen to take Gemini Enterprise and adapt it into BNY's own sort of home-built AI platform called Eliza. And again, as I noted here, a big part of BNY's mindset on this — their approach to it — is to say: everybody in the organization now has access to the Eliza platform, and now with Gemini Enterprise as well.02:40 — Now, this is something that Google Cloud CTO Will Grannis and I recently discussed on a podcast episode. Fascinating comments from Will — we've got a lot of that covered in a detailed article that will be posted later this morning on this whole BNY–Google Cloud collaboration.03:19 — Will said, look: you can make two lists. On one side, there's a list of companies that succeeded with AI in spite of their culture. He said the other list is companies that succeeded with AI because of their culture. And he said one of those lists will be empty. Guess which one that'll be?04:07 — I think that's going to be one of the big issues and stories going into 2026. The companies that are going to win in the AI economy are going to be ones that are able to master that duality of both the technology and the culture/mindset thing. It has been a fun year here in the Cloud Wars, and we've got more coming up tomorrow — a special Christmas episode of Cloud Wars Minute. Visit Cloud Wars for more.
The lawsuit filed by Jeffrey Epstein survivors against Bank of America and BNY Mellon has gotten off to a procedurally rocky but far from fatal start, after Judge Jed Rakoff expressed skepticism about the complaint's reliance on broad, conclusory language. Rakoff made clear that while the allegations may be serious, they must be pleaded with greater factual specificity to meet federal standards, particularly given the scale and power of the defendants. Rather than dismissing the case, he gave plaintiffs' attorneys Brad Edwards and David Boies two weeks to amend the complaint and add more substance, signaling that the court wants clearer details, stronger connections, and more concrete allegations. This move reflects judicial discipline rather than hostility, and mirrors Rakoff's approach in prior Epstein-related litigation involving Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan, where he demanded rigor but ultimately presided over the cases in a fair and methodical manner.While the early hearing underscores the difficulty of holding major financial institutions accountable, it does not indicate that the case is in jeopardy. Lawsuits of this magnitude routinely face early challenges as judges force plaintiffs to sharpen their claims before allowing litigation to proceed. Rakoff's insistence on “meat on the bone” suggests he is willing to let the case move forward if properly pleaded, not that he is inclined to protect the banks. That said, the reality remains that the financial sector holds immense leverage, and history suggests banks often resolve such cases through settlements rather than public reckonings. Even so, the litigation is still in its infancy, and the amended complaint will be the true test of whether the case advances. For now, the survivors remain in the race, the court has not closed the door, and the outcome is very much undecided.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Epstein Victim Lawsuits Against BoA and BNY Mellon Draws Skepticism - Business Insider
The lawsuit filed by Jeffrey Epstein survivors against Bank of America and BNY Mellon has gotten off to a procedurally rocky but far from fatal start, after Judge Jed Rakoff expressed skepticism about the complaint's reliance on broad, conclusory language. Rakoff made clear that while the allegations may be serious, they must be pleaded with greater factual specificity to meet federal standards, particularly given the scale and power of the defendants. Rather than dismissing the case, he gave plaintiffs' attorneys Brad Edwards and David Boies two weeks to amend the complaint and add more substance, signaling that the court wants clearer details, stronger connections, and more concrete allegations. This move reflects judicial discipline rather than hostility, and mirrors Rakoff's approach in prior Epstein-related litigation involving Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan, where he demanded rigor but ultimately presided over the cases in a fair and methodical manner.While the early hearing underscores the difficulty of holding major financial institutions accountable, it does not indicate that the case is in jeopardy. Lawsuits of this magnitude routinely face early challenges as judges force plaintiffs to sharpen their claims before allowing litigation to proceed. Rakoff's insistence on “meat on the bone” suggests he is willing to let the case move forward if properly pleaded, not that he is inclined to protect the banks. That said, the reality remains that the financial sector holds immense leverage, and history suggests banks often resolve such cases through settlements rather than public reckonings. Even so, the litigation is still in its infancy, and the amended complaint will be the true test of whether the case advances. For now, the survivors remain in the race, the court has not closed the door, and the outcome is very much undecided.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Epstein Victim Lawsuits Against BoA and BNY Mellon Draws Skepticism - Business InsiderBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.
The lawsuit filed by Jeffrey Epstein survivors against Bank of America and BNY Mellon has gotten off to a procedurally rocky but far from fatal start, after Judge Jed Rakoff expressed skepticism about the complaint's reliance on broad, conclusory language. Rakoff made clear that while the allegations may be serious, they must be pleaded with greater factual specificity to meet federal standards, particularly given the scale and power of the defendants. Rather than dismissing the case, he gave plaintiffs' attorneys Brad Edwards and David Boies two weeks to amend the complaint and add more substance, signaling that the court wants clearer details, stronger connections, and more concrete allegations. This move reflects judicial discipline rather than hostility, and mirrors Rakoff's approach in prior Epstein-related litigation involving Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan, where he demanded rigor but ultimately presided over the cases in a fair and methodical manner.While the early hearing underscores the difficulty of holding major financial institutions accountable, it does not indicate that the case is in jeopardy. Lawsuits of this magnitude routinely face early challenges as judges force plaintiffs to sharpen their claims before allowing litigation to proceed. Rakoff's insistence on “meat on the bone” suggests he is willing to let the case move forward if properly pleaded, not that he is inclined to protect the banks. That said, the reality remains that the financial sector holds immense leverage, and history suggests banks often resolve such cases through settlements rather than public reckonings. Even so, the litigation is still in its infancy, and the amended complaint will be the true test of whether the case advances. For now, the survivors remain in the race, the court has not closed the door, and the outcome is very much undecided.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Epstein Victim Lawsuits Against BoA and BNY Mellon Draws Skepticism - Business InsiderBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
Send us a textChanging the way we think (and talk) about money—by connecting parenting, patience, and lifelong learning.
Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Brian Weiner and Lisa Castro of Family Office Growth Partners. Brian is the firm's Founder & CEO, and for nearly 25 years, he has served as a trusted advisor to successful entrepreneurs and family enterprises in the areas of investment, tax, governance, and philanthropy. Brian began his career in 1996 as the Deputy Trade Commissioner for the Government of Israel, where he facilitated joint ventures/strategic partnerships on behalf of U.S. and Israeli companies. Brian is a serial entrepreneur and a trailblazer in the family office space, with diverse experience at firms including Smith Barney, Allied Advisors, BNY Mellon. Lisa is President of Family Office Services at Family Office Growth Partners. She brings over 30 years of experience serving high-net-worth families, C-suite executives, and influential leaders. Throughout her career, she has had the privilege of working with distinguished families to establish independent family offices, supporting CEOs and former government officials in her role as a proactive Chief of Staff. Lisa played a key role in the founding and conceptual development of The Paulson Institute, established by former U.S. Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson. Brian and Lisa, and their firm Family Office Resource Group, are Advisor members of FOX and we are privileged to have their expertise within our membership community. Outsourcing is a big, and increasingly relevant, topic in our space. Brian and Lisa share their perspectives on outsourcing by families and family offices and highlight some of the prevailing practices in the sector. One of the most common and evergreen questions in this realm is what to outsource and what to build and operate in house. Brian and Lisa shine a light on this question and describe some of the frameworks and criteria family offices and their principles should apply when trying to make this crucial decision. Once the decision to outsource has been made, the key challenge is to figure out how to vet and select the providers who will take over the critical functions for the family office. Brian and Lisa offer practical tips for family office leaders and wealth owners who are in this important early stage of their outsourcing journey. They also provide suggestions for family offices on the ongoing management of their outsourcing relationships, explaining how they should optimally oversee, coordinate, evaluate, and renegotiate these vendor relationships to achieve the best results for the family and the family office operation. Don't miss this highly insightful conversation with two of the most experienced, recognized, and well-connected thought leaders and practitioners in the family office outsourcing space.
Welcome to the Cloud Wars Minute — your daily cloud news and commentary show. Each episode provides insights and perspectives around the “reimagination machine” that is the cloud.In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I discuss why culture, mindset, and leadership matter just as much as technology in driving AI transformation, based off my conversation with Will Grannis, CTO, Google Cloud. Highlights00:30 — Will has been the Chief Technology Officer at Google Cloud, one of the world's most advanced technology companies, for almost a decade. So Will's perspectives on things are pretty powerful, especially in this notion of how corporations unlock the power of AI to drive great outcomes for those companies and their customers or their patients or their stakeholders.01:10 — One of the first things that Will talked about is the big AI unlock. He said you've got to start with thinking about putting the customer at the center of everything, and then build back, build out from there. So reverse-engineer what has to change inside the organization to ensure that the customer outcomes, the customer experience, the customer value, are at the center.AI Agent & Copilot Summit is an AI-first event to define opportunities, impact, and outcomes with Microsoft Copilot and agents. Building on its 2025 success, the 2026 event takes place March 17-19 in San Diego. Get more details. 02:27 — He talked a lot about the mindset. One customer example was recently BNY Mellon. BNY Mellon has added Gemini Enterprise for its Eliza AI platform, and that is being used now. The Chief Data and AI Officer at BNY Mellon said our AI strategy in the company is simple. He said it's AI for everyone, AI everywhere, and AI for everything.03:19 — He said this is something that's enabled them now to do more things for their customers. It allows their internal people to be much more productive, be more expansive in their analysis, so that they can provide greater value to their customers. Will said it's been a huge change at the company.04:06 — So again, I hope you have a chance to check out the whole interview with Will Grannis, the Chief Technology Officer at Google Cloud. You can see it in the links here. Will's a terrific guy. One of the things you'll see here is he offers some pretty honest and candid assessments about challenges he himself has faced as the CTO at Google Cloud, and very candidly explains how he got around those. Visit Cloud Wars for more.
Here are the headlines for Tuesday, December 9, 2025:Jack Maller's ‘Twenty One' Goes Public Today on the New York Stock Exchange With 43,500 Bitcoin in HoldingsKalshi Passes $20 Billion in Lifetime Volume as Prediction Markets Keep GrowingInstitutional Rotation Deepens: Harvard Boosts BTC Exposure as ETP Inflows Hit $716MStablecoin Lending Tightens as OnChain Rates Rise Into FOMC WeekLiquid Restaking Surges as LRTs Outperform Broader DeFiLITTLE BITZBig conferences this week in the Emirates. Binance Blockchain Week. Abu Dhabi Blockchain Week. Plus we've got Art Basel attracting a variety of NFT artists and creators to Miami. Solana Breakpoint also about to kick-off later this week.Michael Saylor says the following US banks are now issuing credit against Bitcoin: Citi, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, BNY Mellon , Charles Schwab & Bank of AmericaPNC Bank launched direct spot bitcoin trading for eligible PNC Private Bank clients on December 9, 2025, powered by Coinbase's Crypto-as-a-Service (CaaS) platform, marking the first such offering among major U.S. banks.WHERE TO FIND DCNdailycryptonews.nethttps://twitter.com/DCNDailyCryptoEMAIL or FOLLOW the HostsQuileEmail: kyle@dailycryptonews.netX: @CryptoQuile——————————————————————***NOT FINANCIAL, LEGAL, OR TAX ADVICE! JUST OPINION! WE ARE NOT EXPERTS! WE DO NOT GUARANTEE A PARTICULAR OUTCOME. WE HAVE NO INSIDE KNOWLEDGE! YOU NEED TO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS! THIS IS JUST EDUCATION & ENTERTAINMENT! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Kevin Shea is a Director/Senior Equity Strategist at BNY Mellon, where he focuses on individual security analysis, market structure, and emerging technologies—most notably artificial intelligence. Raised in a blue-collar household in Boston, Kevin learned the value of investing early and carried that discipline through Penn State University and into his professional life. He earned the CFA charter while beginning his career at Merrill Lynch Investment Management, eventually joining BNY Mellon's Equity Advisory Group, a team dedicated to helping wealth clients navigate complex equity markets and fast-moving innovation cycles. In this episode, Kevin joins Steve Curley and co-host Dan Fasciano to break down the state of AI, technology leadership, and the increasing concentration within U.S. equity markets. He explains why today's mega-cap technology firms continue to dominate—highlighting advantages in data scale, free-cash-flow margins, and unparalleled AI investment. The discussion explores whether we are in an "AI bubble," how current valuations compare to the late-1990s dot-com era, and the unprecedented capital-expenditure supercycle underway as companies race to build data-center infrastructure. Kevin also offers a global lens—comparing U.S. and Chinese capabilities, semiconductor constraints, and the geopolitical factors shaping the AI race. The conversation then pivots to how AI is transforming the investment-research process itself. Kevin walks through the tools BNY Mellon and industry analysts increasingly rely on—from ChatGPT and internal models like "Eliza" to AlphaSense, Sentieo, and Claude—and how these systems enable teams to process far more information than ever before. He also discusses how AI-driven productivity may help address demographic and inflation challenges over the long run. The episode closes with a memorable perspective on work ethic, drawing parallels between success in investing and Kobe Bryant's "Mamba mentality," emphasizing that excellence is built on consistent, behind-the-scenes effort. Today's hosts are Steve Curley, CFA (Co-Managing Principal at 55 North Private Wealth) & co-host Dan Fasciano, CFA (Principal at GW&K Investment Management) Please enjoy the episode. You can follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn or at investorsfirstpodcast.com
[31:36] What does it take to build a thriving Corporate Toastmasters club within a business—and turn it into a catalyst for professional growth and company culture? In this episode, Greg Gazin chats with Lance Kotler, a Vice President at BNY Mellon and Vice President of Membership for the BNY Mellon Toastmasters Club in New York City. Lance, one of five members featured in a recent Toastmaster magazine article, shares his experiences in how his club helped organize a global open house that drew more than 2,000 attendees—including the company’s CEO. He shares how his CEO embraces Toastmasters and how he spoke openly about his vulnerability on his public speaking journey.Lance also discusses how gaining executive awareness and sponsorship can transform a club’s visibility and impact, and how Toastmasters continues to bring people together across all levels of an organization.He further opens up about his own personal journey—how joining Toastmasters soon after starting at BNY Mellon helped him grow as a communicator, connect with leaders across the company, and develop skills that directly benefit his career.Listen now and discover:What makes corporate clubs unique—and how they differ from community clubsHow executive support can elevate a club’s visibility and successWays to grow and sustain membership in a busy workplaceHow Toastmasters builds collaboration, connection, and confidence at workThe personal and professional lessons Lance has gained from his Toastmasters experienceRead more in “Corporate Clubs Get Creative – Gaining Executive Support Is a Key to Success,” by Emily Sachs, DTM, in the October 2025 issue of Toastmaster magazine.About Lance KotlerLance Kotler is a Vice President at BNY Mellon in the Treasury Services group, working with some of the company’s largest energy and utility clients in payments, cash management, and trade finance. He’s been with the organization for three and a half years and a Toastmaster since joining the bank, serving as Vice President of Membership for the past two and a half years.A graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Lance earned majors in International Studies, Economics, and Political Science, with minors in Financial Economics, Spanish, and History.He lives in New York City, NY and can be reached at lkot1004 at gmail.com.Additional Resources:You can also read in the same issue another article by Emily Sachs where she features corporate club expert PIP Pat Johnson where she offers a wealth of insights on corp clubsWait there’s more…You can listen to Pat Johnson on The Toastmasters Podcast episode 148 in an extended interview where she deep dives into…the topic and shares about her book, Handbook for Building & Sustaining Vibrant Toastmaster Programs in Corporations.
[31:36] What does it take to build a thriving Corporate Toastmasters club within a business—and turn it into a catalyst for professional growth and company culture? In this episode, Greg Gazin chats with Lance Kotler, a Vice President at BNY Mellon and Vice President of Membership for the BNY Mellon Toastmasters Club in New York City.
Circle just solved one of crypto's biggest UX problems: paying gas fees with the tokens you're already using.In this episode, we sit down with Rachel Mayer to discuss why they built Arc as an L1 instead of L2, how stablecoin-as-gas unlocks instant settlement, and why bringing $8 trillion/day FX markets onchain changes everything.We discuss:- Why Circle Built Arc as an L1 vs L2- Stablecoin-as-Gas: The Silent Unlock- Instant Settlement & Privacy Features- 100+ Launch Partners (Apollo, BNY Mellon, Visa, Mastercard & More)- Bringing $8 Trillion/Day FX Markets Onchain- Multi-Currency Stablecoin Strategy- USDC's Evolution & Global Liquidity Hub VisionTimestamps00:00 Intro00:53 From TradFi to Crypto: Rachel's Journey06:17 Why Circle Built Arc as L1 Instead of L209:51 The Dollar Fungibility Illusion11:14 Enso Ad, Relay Ad11:50 Stablecoin Proliferation: Why More Is Better14:09 Upstream vs Downstream Money Infrastructure16:55 The Fragmentation Problem Circle Is Solving19:00 How Circle's USD Actually Works Under the Hood21:28 Bridge Partnership: The Technical Architecture26:00 Talus Ad, Alvara Ad, Hibachi Ad26:29 Will Users Actually Notice Blockchain Rails?28:37 Second-Order Effects When Trillions Move Onchain30:34 The Next Major Circle Launch Coming32:28 Hyperliquid's Stablecoin War: Circle's Take34:19 Developer-Friendly Issuance: Lowering Barriers34:42 Closing ThoughtsWebsite: https://therollup.co/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P6ZeYd...Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcastFollow us on X: https://www.x.com/therollupcoFollow Rob on X: https://www.x.com/robbie_rollupFollow Andy on X: https://www.x.com/ayyyeandyJoin our TG group: https://t.me/+TsM1CRpWFgk1NGZhThe Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl
The newly filed lawsuits against major banks like Bank of America and BNY Mellon allege that these institutions knowingly enabled Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking operations by providing him with banking services, ignoring red flags, and failing to file required Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs). For example, one complaint claims that Bank of America routed payments through an account opened at Epstein's direction, and that BNY processed around $378 million in payments linked to women trafficked by Epstein. These suits open a path for court-ordered disclosure of internal bank documents — account records, wire transfers, risk-compliance memos — which are likely to reveal the depth of financial institutions' awareness and involvement in Epstein's network.Beyond illuminating the financial mechanics of Epstein's operation, the lawsuits could map the broader institutional infrastructure: how Epstein's wealth and connections were supported by legacy banks, investment vehicles, and private banking units; how high-net-worth clients were managed even amid serious criminal allegations; and how oversight failures enabled illicit flows tied to trafficking. If discovery proceeds, it may force banks to produce internal logs showing when they flagged (or ignored) Epstein-linked activity, when they escalated concerns (or didn't), and whether senior executives were alerted. This could shift the narrative from one of Epstein acting alone to one where the financial sector played a structural role — in effect uncovering the shadow-architecture behind his empire.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Lawsuits against banks with Epstein ties may shed new light on financier's crimes | Jeffrey Epstein | The Guardian
The newly filed lawsuits against major banks like Bank of America and BNY Mellon allege that these institutions knowingly enabled Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking operations by providing him with banking services, ignoring red flags, and failing to file required Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs). For example, one complaint claims that Bank of America routed payments through an account opened at Epstein's direction, and that BNY processed around $378 million in payments linked to women trafficked by Epstein. These suits open a path for court-ordered disclosure of internal bank documents — account records, wire transfers, risk-compliance memos — which are likely to reveal the depth of financial institutions' awareness and involvement in Epstein's network.Beyond illuminating the financial mechanics of Epstein's operation, the lawsuits could map the broader institutional infrastructure: how Epstein's wealth and connections were supported by legacy banks, investment vehicles, and private banking units; how high-net-worth clients were managed even amid serious criminal allegations; and how oversight failures enabled illicit flows tied to trafficking. If discovery proceeds, it may force banks to produce internal logs showing when they flagged (or ignored) Epstein-linked activity, when they escalated concerns (or didn't), and whether senior executives were alerted. This could shift the narrative from one of Epstein acting alone to one where the financial sector played a structural role — in effect uncovering the shadow-architecture behind his empire.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Lawsuits against banks with Epstein ties may shed new light on financier's crimes | Jeffrey Epstein | The GuardianBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
The newly filed lawsuits against major banks like Bank of America and BNY Mellon allege that these institutions knowingly enabled Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking operations by providing him with banking services, ignoring red flags, and failing to file required Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs). For example, one complaint claims that Bank of America routed payments through an account opened at Epstein's direction, and that BNY processed around $378 million in payments linked to women trafficked by Epstein. These suits open a path for court-ordered disclosure of internal bank documents — account records, wire transfers, risk-compliance memos — which are likely to reveal the depth of financial institutions' awareness and involvement in Epstein's network.Beyond illuminating the financial mechanics of Epstein's operation, the lawsuits could map the broader institutional infrastructure: how Epstein's wealth and connections were supported by legacy banks, investment vehicles, and private banking units; how high-net-worth clients were managed even amid serious criminal allegations; and how oversight failures enabled illicit flows tied to trafficking. If discovery proceeds, it may force banks to produce internal logs showing when they flagged (or ignored) Epstein-linked activity, when they escalated concerns (or didn't), and whether senior executives were alerted. This could shift the narrative from one of Epstein acting alone to one where the financial sector played a structural role — in effect uncovering the shadow-architecture behind his empire.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Lawsuits against banks with Epstein ties may shed new light on financier's crimes | Jeffrey Epstein | The GuardianBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.
A woman, filing under the pseudonym Jane Doe, has sued Bank of America and Bank of New York Mellon in Manhattan federal court, accusing them of playing a financial role in enabling Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking operation. She alleges that Epstein and his associates used her Bank of America account—opened at the direction of Epstein's accountant—as a conduit for rent payments, payroll for a “sham company,” and other transfers. The complaint claims the banks ignored obvious red flags, failed to file required Suspicious Activity Reports in a timely fashion, and thereby breached their duty to report illicit financial flows.In the case against BNY Mellon, the lawsuit claims the bank processed as much as $378 million in transactions linked to a modeling agency (MC2) allegedly used by Epstein and his associates in trafficking operations. The complaint contends that BNY Mellon either turned a blind eye to or actively facilitated these flows, benefiting from them financially while violating anti-trafficking and anti–money laundering norms. The plaintiff seeks unspecified damages and class-action status, arguing that the banks “knowingly benefited” from Epstein's scheme and should be held accountable.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Bank of America, BNY sued over alleged ties to Jeffrey EpsteinBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
En este episodio de VG Daily, Eugenio Garibay y Andre Dos Santos arrancan con el frente geopolítico: el endurecimiento entre Estados Unidos y China, que Donald Trump ya califica abiertamente como guerra comercial, y el segundo foco de tensión con Venezuela, tras la autorización de Donald Trump a la Agencia Central de Inteligencia (CIA) para operar dentro del país. Luego pasan al terreno corporativo con los resultados de TSMC, BNY Mellon y Charles Schwab, desmenuzando sorpresas, márgenes y lectura de demanda hacia adelante. Cierran con el cierre de gobierno en Estados Unidos y sus implicaciones para la economía. Un episodio que conecta geopolítica, ganancias empresariales y política fiscal para entender el mapa de riesgos y oportunidades en las próximas semanas.
The parent company of the New York Stock Exchange just made a $2 billion investment in Polymarket, valuing the prediction-market platform at $9 billion and signaling a huge shift toward crypto-native financial infrastructure. NLW breaks down what the deal means for institutional adoption, how it compares to ICE's previous crypto efforts, and why this could mark a new phase for decentralized finance. Plus: Bitcoin's brief pullback, S&P Global's new crypto index, BNY Mellon's tokenized deposits, and Christine Lagarde's latest anti-Bitcoin comments. Enjoying this content? SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast: https://pod.link/1438693620 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBreakdownBW Subscribe to the newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/thebreakdown Join the discussion: https://discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8 Follow on Twitter: NLW: https://twitter.com/nlw Breakdown: https://twitter.com/BreakdownBW
Exit Rich Beyond Money with Peter CulverIn a dynamic episode of the Daily Mastermind, host George Wright III sits down with Peter Culver to discuss comprehensive approaches to wealth creation and management. Peter, a former senior wealth director and current host of the Thrive Talk podcast, shares his extensive expertise on how entrepreneurs can strategically build and maintain wealth. He emphasizes the importance of tax strategies in wealth accumulation and discusses the significance of life planning beyond financial success. Peter also delves into preparing for business exits, ensuring a balanced and fulfilling life post-sale, and the essential shift from being an operator to an owner of a business.00:30 Peter Culver's Background and Expertise02:31 Wealth Creation and Tax Strategies06:13 Holistic Wealth and Quality of Life09:51 Preparing for Business Exit12:10 Life After Business Exit22:47 Final Thoughts and Contact InformationYou have GREATNESS inside you. I BELIEVE in You. Let's Make Today the Day You Unleash Your Potential!George Wright IIICEO, The Daily Mastermind | Evolution X_________________________________________________________P.S. Whenever you're ready, here are ways I can help you…Get to know me:1. Subscribe to The Daily Mastermind Podcast- daily inspiration, motivation, education2. Follow me on social media Facebook | Instagram | Linkedin | TikTok | Youtube3. Get the Prosperity Pillars Poster I Developed over 20 years from my Mentors.Work with me:My mission is to help you Master Your Mind, Money, & Business, and I firmly believe:It's Never Too Late to Create the Life You Were Meant to Live…a LIFESTYLE of Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Here are ways I've been able to help thousands of people over the past 20 years… About Guest:Peter Culver is a wealth strategist, author, and advisor with over 40 years of experience helping entrepreneurs and families thrive both financially and personally. A Yale graduate and former Senior Wealth Director at BNY Mellon, Peter managed portfolios exceeding $2 billion and was recognized as the #1 Client Advisor for eight consecutive years. His accolades include membership in BNY Mellon's prestigious Platinum Circle and Chairman's Council.Peter is the author of Exit Rich Beyond Money and host of the Thrive Talk podcast, where he shares insights on wealth, wellness, and legacy. His approach blends exit strategy, tax minimization, and holistic life planning to empower clients with financial clarity, freedom, and long-term success. Trusted by celebrities, artists, and business owners worldwide, Peter emphasizes that wealth is about more than money—it's about creating a fulfilling life and lasting legacyGuest Resources:Website: wealthrive.com/team/peter-f-culver-j-dBook: Exit Rich Beyond Money (Amazon)Podcast: Thrive TalkInstagram: @peter_culverLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pculver
Leadership growth doesn't happen by accident—it happens when you shift from doing the work to empowering others, building trust, and leading with heart. In this episode, Emily Portney shares lessons from her 30-year career in financial services—from starting as a rotational analyst at J.P. Morgan to becoming CFO of Barclays International, CFO of BNY Mellon, and now Global Head of Asset Servicing at BNY. Emily opens up about how she learned to delegate, lead through uncertainty, and create safe spaces for bold conversations. She shares why curiosity is her leadership superpower, how building trusted teams fuels growth, and why giving yourself grace is just as important as driving results. Tune in to discover how to lead with influence, build resilience in the face of change, and become the kind of leader people trust and follow. Visit our website where you will find show notes and links to all the resources in this episode, including the best way to get in touch with our special guest. The key moments in this episode are: [00:00] Introduction to Beyond Barriers Podcast [00:27] Building Effective Teams [01:17] Introducing Emily Portney [02:14] Emily's Career Journey [03:40] Leadership Lessons and Styles [09:39] Navigating Change and Adaptability [15:20] Personal Branding and Authenticity [18:18] Building Confidence and Resilience [24:32] Navigating Unaskable Questions [26:02] Making Difficult Decisions [27:37] Managing a Dynamic Schedule [32:55] Building Strong Relationships [35:36] Mentorship and Sponsorship [39:03] Lightning Round and Final Thoughts
Crypto News: The crypto market cools down as Altcoins hit the overbought zone. The President's Working Group on Digital Assets has completed the 180-day report. It will be released publicly on July 30th. Goldman Sachs, BNY to offer tokenized money market funds for clients.Show Sponsor -
Crypto News: Bitcoin pumps past $112K with XRP and Altcoins waking up. Ripple chooses BNY Mellon to custody RLUSD stablecoin reserves. Securitize highlights tokenization market hits $25 billion.Show Sponsor -