I recently met with a young advisor who’s just starting out and building his first client base. When I asked him, “What are your clients buying when they buy your services?” we ended up diving deep into value propositions.
This question isn’t a trick—it’s an essential reflection on whether what we think we’re selling aligns with what clients are actually buying. It reminded me of the excellent book Competing Against Luck by Clayton Christensen, which introduces the “Jobs to Be Done” theory.
So, what’s the “job” clients hire a financial advisor for?
Is it the unique ability to pick investments?
Is it the technical skill to program a financial plan?
Or is it something deeper?
At the core, I believe the value financial advisors deliver comes down to three broad categories:
1️⃣ Investment Management
2️⃣ Financial Planning
3️⃣ Financial Guidance
Not every client derives equal or consistent value from all three.
Here’s where it gets interesting:
Functional value (the nuts and bolts of managing money or planning) inevitably leads to higher-level value—things like:
Peace of mind
Confidence in outcomes
Trust that someone is guiding them toward their goals
With this being the context, how do we feel about AI replacing the advisor in delivering these outcomes? What is it that makes the advisor unique, and are we soon to be replaced by more capable digital versions of ourselves?
This question reminds me of an event in 1997 when world chess champion Garry Kasparov faced off against IBM’s Deep Blue. Until then, it was inconceivable that a computer could beat the best human players. Kasparov had never lost a match before—but he lost this one, marking the end of human supremacy in chess.
So, did humans stop playing chess? Quite the opposite. Today, chess is more popular than ever, and while the best human player, Magnus Carlsen, could never hope to beat the top computer, he and all top players use computers to hone their skills and elevate their game.
The takeaway? Instead of competing against technology, we should embrace it to enhance our capabilities and deliver greater value.
That’s where WealthTeamWork (WTW) comes in.
WTW gives advisors the tools to elevate their services, creating:
A dynamic, engaging, and accessible platform that connects clients to their most important advisors.
A secure and compliant solution to simplify the management of complex financial lives.
A seamless experience that empowers advisors to deliver peace of mind, confidence, and trust more effectively than ever before.
By leveraging technology, advisors can amplify their unique value and deliver outcomes that truly matter to their clients. WTW offers advisors innovative tools to elevate their services and remain indispensable in an increasingly digital world.
So, I ask you: How are you using technology to amplify your unique value?
