Another week, another big wave of AI news for the wealth management industry.

Anthropic, the creator of the generative AI platform Claude, debuted new wealth management industry plug-ins Tuesday that allow advisory firms to build private programs using its technology. Peter Nolan, head of asset and wealth management at Anthropic, wrote in a LinkedIn post that the plug-ins are “building blocks” that enterprise and independent firms can use to develop their own AI tools. They’re also customized to the firms’ advisors, use their own data, and are controlled by their compliance teams. “They own what they build,” Nolan wrote.

The San Francisco-based giant also announced integrations with LPL Financial and Orion. It comes in the wake of Altruist’s market-moving AI launch and April’s intro of an AI-powered tax planning platform. It’s a lot, but the AI party’s just getting started.

“Our focus is on technology that enhances advisors’ expertise and strengthens client relationships through truly personalized advice,” an LPL spokesperson said, adding that the tech will ultimately complement advisors, not replace them. “We know that our advisors’ clients want a person they trust, someone who understands their goals, fears and values.”

Could Anything Slow AI Adoption?

The wave of AI news in 2026 has been more about bringing AI into the financial planning and client service process, and that’s raised both great interest and skepticism, according to a new report from Cerulli Associates.

“There seems to be little doubt that AI has the potential to make the financial services industry significantly more efficient,” wrote John McKenna, senior analyst at Cerulli. “Currently, the emphasis is on non-value-added tasks, such as client meeting setup, notetaking, and document review. However, broader adoption across the advisor-client relationship may be in the works.”

Disclosure Before Exposure. The problem is that clients have long been skeptical of technological developments that could weaken the personal connection they share with their advisor, McKenna warned. The report also found:

• Just 38% of affluent investors are at least somewhat comfortable with AI technology, lower than the 39% who said the same in 2024.
• More than 60% of investors under age 50 are comfortable, but support drops sharply among those in their 50s (42%) and 70s (16%).

“If AI is to play a role in their business operations,” McKenna argued, “advisors would do well to disclose where it is used, how clients’ sensitive information will be protected, and how it enhances, rather than detracts from, the advisor-client relationship.”

We’re guessing Team USA’s Connor Hellebuyck would be a big fan of this one.

Ritholtz Wealth Management, an advisory firm with more than $7.6 billion in assets under management, has filed for its first ever exchange-traded fund: the Goaltender ETF (GTND). The actively managed 351 exchange fund would follow a strategy developed by Ritholtz that seeks to adjust exposure to US equity markets based on price trends over various periods, typically ranging from six to 10 months, according to the prospectus. The fund would maintain equity exposure during sustained market runs, and become more defensive during downtrends, taking signals from the Solactive GBS United States 500 and the Solactive United States Technology 100 indices. The fund would be advised by Alpha Architect’s Empowered Funds and sub-advised by Ritholtz Wealth.

The firm declined to comment, but co-founder and CIO Barry Ritholtz previously detailed the firm’s tactical Goaltender portfolio in blog posts, saying it helps clients avoid the mistake of making emotionally driven investments.

Everybody’s Doing It

The move marks the latest ETF filing from an RIA, a growing strategy used to increase firm value, capitalize on tax advantages and expand client bases. Firms that have recently launched funds, include:

• The Birmingham, Alabama-based RFG Advisory, which introduced nine ETFs last year, tracking both equity and fixed-income markets.
• Nicholas Wealth Management has its XFunds, most recently adding the Nicholas Gold Income ETF (GLDN) and the Nicholas Silver Income ETF (SLVX) to the suite.

There are some hurdles that come with ETFs, though. The funds don’t run themselves, and in an already crowded market, they often need at least $100 million in assets to be sustainable. Plus, there are also just a lot more eyes on a firm when it starts offering products. “It takes courage because you’re putting your holdings, strategies and performance out there for everybody to see,” said Eric Balchunas, senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. He believes Ritholtz has a good head start with its fund because the firm is already a well-known brand with plenty of clients who are probably willing to move into the ETF. “It helps if you have that platform,” he told Advisor Upside.

When the Red Hot Chili Peppers sang “give it away now,” who knew they were talking about assets? They were talking about assets, right?

Estate planning is a common service for clients, but a growing segment of Americans are choosing to give a portion of their wealth away during their lifetimes, according to a survey from Wealth.com and Ritholtz Wealth’s Compound Insights. On average, advisors report that 46% of clients who plan to pass on assets intend to do so while alive, and among clients with more than $25 million, that number climbs to 55%. Planning strategies for the transfer of assets, values and goals both before and after death are no longer exclusive to the ultra-wealthy, and advisors are viewing it as a growth engine, particularly as children often switch advisors after receiving inheritances.

“We are in the middle of a historic $124 trillion wealth transfer, and families are thinking differently about what wealth is for,” said Rafael Loureiro, Wealth.com CEO. “Advisors who engage both partners or multiple family members report greater confidence in keeping the next generation as clients.”

Giving While Living

Leaving behind an inheritance is great, but as with giving someone a birthday gift, a lot of clients want to see the look on the recipient’s face when they open the present. “The legacy conversation is happening with all of our clients regardless of age,” said Marcos Segrera, a CFP with Evensky & Katz Wealth Management. “The idea of gifting during one’s lifetime is very attractive. Getting to see your kids enjoy the fruits is meaningful.” The report also found:

• The most common giving vehicles are 529 plan contributions and college fund donations, followed by trust structures and gift amounts that fall below the level at which a client would have to report them on their taxes.
• Some 43% of advisors encourage clients to pass down values and stories as part of their legacy, while 41% promote shared family philanthropy.

Let’s Talk. The trick is finding a way to start conversations about legacy giving, which can be, well, tricky. Just under 40% of advisors hesitate because clients haven’t explicitly asked about it. Loureiro recommends raising the topic during discovery meetings, asking questions like, “What impact do you want your wealth to have during your lifetime?” and “Are there family members you want to involve in future planning conversations?’”

Normalizing these discussions reduces discomfort, he told Advisor Upside. “Firms that build a repeatable framework around these conversations appear to see the strongest outcomes.”