January 2026 Piper

THE PIPER | JANUARY 2026

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The Bionic Advisor: Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Your Advisor? First, let me say that I haven’t been this excited about being a financial planner since 1999, when my Merrill

provide empathy during major life transitions like divorce or the death of a spouse. This doesn’t mean you don’t need a highly competent advisor overseeing the process and double-checking AI outputs. Ultimately, I believe AI will lower costs while improving the quality of the client experience and outcomes. As an advisor, the most rewarding part of my work is being face-to-face with clients, having deep and meaningful conversations about the things they care about most, or helping them navigate significant financial issues. I can't tell you how many times I have sat down with a couple who couldn’t see the forest for the trees— who were so caught up in the emotion of a situation that they couldn’t rationalize their way out of it. Or those who believed their finances were holding them back from their dreams when, in reality, they already had everything they needed. I personally don’t see AI replacing those types of conversations any time soon. So, I guess my answer is: AI won’t replace advisors, but advisors who use AI will replace those who don’t. AI is truly amazing and is improving at light speed. If you haven’t explored AI yet, I can’t encourage you enough to do so. You can start simply by picking a topic and having a discussion. If you want to take a deeper dive, there are plenty of free resources. Many universities have free online classes for beginners, and many of the tech giants will let you audit their certificate programs. If you simply search for something like, “beginner friendly AI courses,” you will be shocked at the options. I can’t wait to see where AI is next year at this time.

Lynch manager, Bob Moossy, handed me a phone book and said, “It’s time to pay the piper.” It was finally “Go time”! I get it; not everyone is on board yet. Recent surveys show only about 20% of clients are comfortable receiving financial advice from AI. Another study shows only about 46% of advisors are using AI, and most of them are just scratching the surface. But let's not forget that critics thought the telephone was going to “tear apart the fabric of society” by eliminating the need for face-to-face meetings. Light switches were once so terrifying that President Benjamin Harrison had White House staff operate them for him to avoid touching the "dangerous" current. More recently, people would get disconnected trying to use AOL to access the internet and think, "This will never amount to anything." My excitement centers on AI as a force multiplier for time-consuming back-office tasks. AI is exceptional at analytical intelligence—tasks like crunching numbers, tax-loss harvesting, or portfolio rebalancing. However, it lacks wisdom and emotional intelligence, such as navigating complex family dynamics or helping a client stay the course during market volatility. AI cannot act as a fiduciary with legal and ethical obligations to a client’s specific best interests, nor can it Chris Wendland

Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC