I really appreciate Joel and what he's been able to do over the years.
At the end of the day, we can talk about conferences and meetings and people and it really comes down to the leadership of the person. The thing I appreciate and love about Joel is, one, he really keeps up on what's going on, and two, he's not afraid to give his opinion. You've heard me say I'm the world's authority on my opinion, and I think Joel really represents that – he owns it, and he's got a big heart. Great leaders like Joel really show up; they connect so people feel welcome at a conference. Another thing I appreciate about Joel is he’s a founder. He lives it, he breathes it every day. T3 is his baby, and he's going to curate the best people and the best ideas possible. So invest your time and go to T3. On the flip side of that, Joel was very active in speaking at some of our Excel conferences over the years. He always delivered a lot of value and always took time to hang around and connect with our members.
20 years ago, we were talking about AI, but it was like a Sci-Fi, and some thought would never come to pass. I was just in Austin at a Conscious Capitalism conference where I got to hear a panel talk about what's coming and some of that blew me away. These are people that live every day in the AI world. They said those sitting there should try to be mentally be prepared for the change that's going to come and impact society. So I think we sit on the eve of one of the most exciting or terrifying, depending upon how you want to view it, times in human history.
How do I expect technology and AI to reshape this business for advisors maybe over the next five to ten years? Here’s an example: I've got a doctor in Omaha, I got one in LA, and I got one in Costa Rica. And every one of them sold me on the idea that they would be the quarterback and they would facilitate and be proactive about my health and not one of them does it – not one of them lives up to their promise. And I know even in financial services, we promise this quarterbacking idea. AI is going to allow us to create ‘alpha opportunities’ for our clients through technology. I'm very bullish on the advisor. We have growing demand and lessening capacity, but we're going to be able to supplement that with technology. The winners are going to be able to delight and surprise their clients with even more opportunities. For instance, the fact that they looked at something, didn't take an action, but when the advisor is proactive, the client goes, ‘man, someone's really paying attention to my stuff.’ That, I believe, is where the major winners of tomorrow are going to live and the proactiveness of what technology and AI can provide to all of us.