Rob Burgess

Noblesville, Wabash

Reporter at Financial Planning

33-time award-winning journalist. Very low-key on the profile.

Articles

AI-powered search is re-writing SEO rules, and advisors must adjust

1 week ago | financial-planning.com | Rob Burgess

Google introduced AI Overviews in May 2024 and saw the effect on his website traffic right away. His firm, in Washington, D.C., saw visits plummet from 31,800 in April 2024 to 16,500 in May 2024. In the past, Carlos said he followed a classic playbook: keyword research, creating blog posts answering common financial questions and earning back links from credible websites. That used to work well, he said. "Some of our blog posts would rank for years," he said.
Envestnet partners with asset managers to provide alts access in model portfolios

1 week ago | financial-planning.com | Rob Burgess

Envestnet took a major step toward providing advisors and their clients with greater access to alternative investments and private markets on Wednesday. Via partnership with asset managers BlackRock, Fidelity Investments, Franklin Templeton and State Street, professionally managed model portfolios with semi-liquid alternative allocations and alternative ETFs are now available in Envestnet's unified managed account (UMA) platform.
How switching broker-dealers led to a tech rethink: Show Me Your Stack

1 week ago | financial-planning.com | Rob Burgess

Welcome to a series from Financial Planning in which we interview those who deliver financial advice to learn what tools they rely on to make it happen. Rising client expectations are driving the need for more powerful tech tools, and we're digging deep to find out why advisors prefer certain solutions. For Ryan Salah, a change to a new broker-dealer meant a chance to reevaluate his RIA's technology stack.
New tools for donor-advised funds tap the social aspect of giving

1 week ago | financial-planning.com | Rob Burgess

Users of the charitable giving platform Daffy can now replicate existing campaigns instead of having to create their own from scratch. The "Create a Campaign Like This" feature is now live on the existing Daffy Campaigns feature, which now also templates, AI-powered personalization and suggested campaigns. "One of our core beliefs at Daffy is that by removing friction we can dramatically increase the amount of charitable giving," , told Financial Planning.
CFP Board taking deeper dive on AI guidance in financial planning

2 weeks ago | financial-planning.com | Rob Burgess

The CFP Board has convened a new AI Working Group to address the technology's place in the financial planning industry. The group first met Tuesday and Wednesday at the organization's headquarters in Washington, D.C. The roster includes including Andrew Altfest, founder and CEO of FP Alpha, and Joel Bruckenstein, president of T3 Technology, among others.
CFP Board Taking Deeper Dive on AI Guidance in Financial Planning

2 weeks ago | cfp.net | Rob Burgess

Financial Planning CFP Board has launched a new AI Working Group, convening industry leaders June 10-11 in Washington, D.C., to assess how AI is impacting financial planning. The group is tasked with developing ethical, regulatory and practical guidelines to ensure that AI enhances the human-centric nature of financial advice, building on its earlier Generative AI Ethics Guide. Financial PlanningRob BurgessJune 13, 2025
Using AI to write that client email? Think twice.

2 weeks ago | financial-planning.com | Rob Burgess

Advisors are increasingly taking advantage of generative artificial intelligence. And not just in the back-office, but for , as well. While clients might not care, and may even expect its use in marketing campaigns, direct emails are another matter entirely. Many say they can tell right away when a robot and not their human advisor is talking to them. And when they do figure it out, the amount they're willing to pay for the advisor who outsources their relationship in this way is severely hampered.
FPA's new online tool aims to help advisors boost behavioral skills

2 weeks ago | financial-planning.com | Rob Burgess

The qualities that make someone a great financial planner go far beyond simple technical knowledge. Reflecting that, the launched a new behavior-based " " on Wednesday. The digital self-assessment and learning tool is designed for financial planning professionals of all backgrounds. It is meant to help advisors develop their skills across six critical areas — interpersonal impact, client communication and care, critical thinking, leadership, professionalism and advancing the profession.
Advisor offices in residences doubled, with never again 9-5 attitude rising

2 weeks ago | financial-planning.com | Rob Burgess

When COVID-19 changed the world, Zoom spread the familiarity of virtual meetings. Now, the meaning of the word "office" has forever changed for many advisors and clients . More SEC-registered advisers than ever are reporting offices located in private residences. The latest Investment Adviser Association found the percentages more than doubled in the past few years, rising from 8% in 2018 to 17.3% in 2024.
Financial advisors more comfortable using AI at home than work

2 weeks ago | financial-planning.com | Rob Burgess

Most financial advisors use generative artificial intelligence at least occasionally, but they generally feel more comfortable using it in their personal lives than at work. That was among the findings of Financial Planning's June , a survey of financial advisors and planners that measures confidence in the economy and other factors. At work, 9% of advisors said they used generative AI very frequently, 16% said frequently, 33% said occasionally, 21% said rarely and 21% said never.