The wealth management industry will get its own sort of “South by Southwest (SXSW)” experience at the inaugural Future Proof Festival this September in Southern California.
Expected to be one of the largest wealth and fintech events ever, Future Proof Festival today unveiled the initial four-day agenda for the first-of-its-kind in-person festival on the future of wealth. The agenda highlights an impressive speaker lineup and roster of entertainers booked for the largely outdoor citywide event, taking place Sept. 11-14, 2022, in Huntington Beach.
“Think of it as a SXSW-like experience for the wealth industry,” said Matt Middleton, CEO of Advisor Circle and Co-Creator of Future Proof, upon first announcing the birth of the event back in October 2021. “There is a fundamental transformation occurring. The lines between wealth, culture, technology and impact are blurring. Our goal for Future Proof is to connect and inspire a diverse community building a vision of wealth that is more exciting, inclusive, tech-enabled and forward-thinking.”
Future Proof distinguishes itself from traditional wealth management conferences by connecting the worlds of money, technology, culture, and impact within a completely outdoor setting, alongside Huntington Beach’s coastline. Future Proof challenges the financial events status quo as it leverages four hotel properties and a half-mile-long outdoor festival area to bring to life a modern approach to live industry event experiences.
In addition to industry-focused content, Future Proof will connect attendees through shared cultural experiences in art, music, and entertainment, including a live music festival and podcast recording sessions, an NFT art gallery, and street art commissioned from local artists.
Future Proof’s music festival will feature a variety of performers including Big Boi, the legendary hip hop artist and one half of the supergroup, Outkast; Fitz and The Tantrums, the American indie pop band; DJ MICK, who regularly spins private parties for celebrities, athletes, venture capitalists, and other prolific investors, as well as, Hi-Fidelity and Stella Blue’s Band, featuring Fidelity Institutional’s David Canter and CNBC’s Steve Leisman, respectively. More musical acts will be announced at a later date.
Attendees will also have the unique experience of sitting in and watching live podcast recordings by several of the most popular shows in the world, including Invest Like the Best, Bloomberg’s Masters in Business, Earn Your Leisure’s Market Mondays, The Compound and Friends, Animal Spirits, On The Tape, The Meb Faber Show, and Pop Culture Mondays. Organizers say additional live podcast recording sessions will be added.
“The launch of Future Proof symbolizes the beginning of a new era of investing and finance where we redesign traditional models while using modern techniques. It’s our industry’s Renaissance moment”
Matt Middleton
“There’s a cultural rebirth underway in wealth management. The launch of Future Proof symbolizes the beginning of a new era of investing and finance where we redesign traditional models while using modern techniques. It’s our industry’s Renaissance moment,” Middleton said.
“This s*** is going to be insane. If you’re working in wealth management, financial planning, the investment business or fintech and you’re not at Future Proof, do you even exist?” added Downtown Josh Brown, CEO of Ritholtz Wealth Management and Co-Creator of Future Proof.
Future Proof has surpassed 1,000 registered attendees, including over 700 financial advisors and institutional investors, collectively managing more than $654 billion in assets. The festival creators aim to have 3,000 attendees registered by September.
The networking opportunity promises to cover the technology and trends that are fundamentally reshaping wealth management. The agenda features keynotes, panel discussions and interactive conversations that connect an entirely new community of financial advisors, institutional investors, asset management, fintech executives, financial creators, athletes, artists, and other key stakeholders including:
• Annie Jean-Baptiste, Head of Product Inclusion, Google, and Founder, Equity Army
• Dani Fava, Head of Strategic Development, Envestnet
• Ric Edelman, Founder, Edelman Financial Services, and Founder, DACFP
• Kamila Elliott, CFP Board Chair and CEO and Founder, Collective Wealth Partners
• Christine Benz, Director of Personal Finance, Morningstar
• Michelle Feinstein, GM, Global Wealth & Asset Management Solutions & Strategy, Salesforce
• Barry Ritholtz, Chairman and CIO, Ritholtz Wealth Management
• Matthew Hougan, CIO, Bitwise Asset Management
• Dave Welling, CEO, Mercer Advisors
• David Canter, EVP, Head of RIA Segment, Fidelity Institutional
The full list of confirmed speakers can be found on the event’s speakers page.
Over 150 sponsor companies are expected at the inaugural event, including (of interest to 401k advisors) Envestnet, Fidelity Investments, Franklin Templeton, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, John Hancock Investment Management, Riskalyze, State Street Global Advisors, and Vanguard.
For more information about the event, visit FutureProofFest.com.
Veteran financial services industry journalist Brian Anderson joined 401(k) Specialist as Managing Editor in January 2019. He has led editorial content for a variety of well-known properties including Insurance Forums, Life Insurance Selling, National Underwriter Life & Health, and Senior Market Advisor. He has always maintained a focus on providing readers with timely, useful information intended to help them build their business.
