Attending the Future Proof Festival is always one of the highlights of our year, and last week in Huntington Beach was no exception. Rich and I had a great time connecting with so many folks in the wealth management ecosystem during a few days of high-impact networking, fresh perspectives on industry trends, and plenty of fun.

The energy on the boardwalk was palpable. From old-school asset managers to emerging startups like Atomic, the variety of organizations represented made for incredibly engaging conversations. As we continue building Atomic Insights, these exchanges are invaluable — not just for growing our network, but for shaping our vision and ensuring we stay ahead of where the industry is heading.

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What We Heard on the Ground

Conferences like Future Proof are a chance to step back from day-to-day execution and really listen to what advisors and operations leaders are focused on. A few themes came through loud and clear:

• Comprehensive Bill Pay & Cash Management — Advisors of all sizes are actively seeking better solutions to manage client bill pay and cash workflows. The consensus? Current tools are either stitched together or not scalable, leaving a clear opportunity for innovation.

• Custodian Dynamics — Schwab and Fidelity continue to dominate mindshare. Firms want partners who can help them navigate both efficiently while reducing swivel-chair data entry and manual processes.

• Efficiency Through Automation — From recurring bill pay to cash sweeps, there’s a growing appetite for technology that can reduce friction and free up teams to focus on higher-value work.

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Looking Ahead

We came back from Huntington Beach energized. The conversations, the connections, and the shared sense of where WealthTech is headed underscored that the work we’re doing at Atomic is not just timely, but necessary. The honest feedback and enthusiasm we heard reinforced that we’re tackling the right problems — and that the opportunity in front of us is real.

Special thanks to the organizers and everyone who stopped by to meet, share feedback, or just say hello. One of the best parts of this industry is building it together.

If we didn’t get a chance to connect last week, we’d still love to continue the conversation. You can find us here: atomicinsights.io. We look forward to working with all of our partners, old and new, as we drive innovation in WealthTech.