Orion Ascent 2025: Key Takeaways on Wealth Management from the Conference

The Orion Ascent Conference 2025 brought together industry experts and professionals to delve into the latest trends shaping the wealth management landscape. The conference underscored the pivotal role of personalization, the resurgence of fixed income allocations, the transformative power of technology, the significance of integrated platforms, and industry-wide shifts impacting advisors.

IMTC had three team members representing, including Blake Lynch, Patrick Duffner, and Dave Antonelli. They spoke with many firms about modernizing their fixed income tech stack to automate manual, time-consuming workflows and to customize bond accounts at scale.

Key takeaway #1: Personalization at scale

The “All In” theme of the conference emphasizes the importance of prioritizing client relationships and delivering personalized service, especially in uncertain market conditions. Amidst changing market demands, the ability to tailor strategies to individual needs stands out as a key differentiator for advisors. Many clients seek tax-advantaged strategies or unique investments, and as a result, 84% of advisors plan to focus on providing personalized financial advice tailored to clients’ unique needs and goals.

Customization not only enhances client satisfaction but also fosters long-term loyalty. Advisors are increasingly transitioning to goal-based investing, aligning financial strategies with client objectives for more robust outcomes. IMTC is an industry-leading technology platform that enables bond managers to customize taxable and non-taxable accounts at scale. This is achieved through embedded compliance and investment rules, a proprietary optimization engine, equitable allocation across accounts, and more tools to manage accounts proactively and with precision.

Key takeaway #2: Continued focus on fixed income allocations

The conference highlighted the continued emphasis on fixed income investments as yields remain high. With market uncertainties, fixed income presents opportunities for investors to lock in higher returns in the long run. Advisors are exploring avenues like characteristic-based model portfolios and custom indexing for bond portfolios, incorporating flexibility and tailored solutions to meet diverse client requirements.

Key takeaway #3: AI will empower advisors

It’s no surprise that AI and advanced technologies are a game-changers. A majority of advisors surveyed believe AI will be the most disruptive technology in wealth management over the next few years, with a focus on utilizing it to improve client interactions and streamline processes. 68% of advisors currently use AI-powered tools with 43% of those advisors planning increased AI investments in 2025. The integration of AI and sophisticated tools is streamlining workflows, so advisors are able to reduce the amount of time spent on manual or repetitive tasks and instead, concentrate on building client relationships.

Key takeaway #4: Necessity of integrated technology

The push for integrated technology platforms that unify data and functionalities was a prominent discussion point. Seamless integration is seen as essential for advisors to enhance decision-making, streamline processes, and deliver superior service. Advisors identified disconnected solutions as their primary technology-related pain point for the second year in a row. 42% of firms are planning to invest more in integrated technology workflows in 2025. With a significant portion of advisors investing in integrated workflows, the industry is witnessing a shift towards cohesive tech solutions that optimize advisor workflows and client service.

At IMTC, we wholeheartedly believe that all technologies need to be fully interconnected. This is one of the core capabilities of our platform, ensuring our portfolio and order management system integrates with custodians, trading and execution platforms, 3rd party and proprietary data sources, compliance engines, CRMs and more.

Key takeaway #5: Industry trends shaping wealth management

The wealth industry has many challenges over the next few years, including the following shifts:

• The imminent $84 trillion wealth transfer indicates a significant shift in client demographics and needs, as well as the potential for a change in advisors as this transfer takes place.
• The impending retirement of a third of advisors within the next five years underscores the importance of succession planning and talent development.

To navigate these trends successfully, advisors are doubling down on the competitive advantages discussed above including personalized advice, increasing tech investments, and prioritizing tax efficiency in their strategies.

The Orion Ascent Conference 2025 underscored the evolving dynamics of the wealth management industry, urging advisors to embrace personalization, leverage technology, and adapt to changing client expectations. With a focus on aligning financial strategies with client goals, the conference emphasized the need for advisors to stay agile, tech-savvy, and client-centric in an ever-evolving landscape.

Want to learn more about how IMTC can streamline your fixed income management? Schedule a demo today.

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