Here we are in the middle of October — that stretch of the year filled with competing priorities, events, and activities pulling us in every direction. We’ll blink, and it’ll be Halloween. Turn the corner, and there’s Thanksgiving. Before long, the holiday parties arrive and the year is suddenly behind us.

In the midst of all that motion, I’ve been thinking about this season — not just the busyness, but the moments and causes that give it meaning. October always brings reminders of the fight against breast cancer — a cause that touches so many of us in some way. The walks, the fundraisers, the stories — they remind us what it means to stand with those fighting something bigger than themselves.

This morning, I’m writing about why I think everyone needs a broken chair.

Here’s this week’s Rising Tide.

Here we go.

1. Everyone Needs a Broken Chair

2. Next Mile: Turning Complexity into Opportunities: Inside Holistiplan's Tax Planning Program 🎧

3. Advisorpedia: Milemarker Looks Ahead

4. Release Notes: Milemarker Layers

5. Milemarker On the Road ✈️

Everyone Needs a Broken Chair

Keys to Sharing Causes that Matter to You and Your Clients

I can’t help myself — I’m a Nebraska football fan. It’s in my blood. I can’t shake it.

It’s really the only sport I focus on, the only one I spend time (and, frankly, plenty of money) on. Now that my son is an undergrad at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, I’ve been pulled even closer into the day-to-day drama, joy, and heartbreak of Nebraska football.

Years ago, we had a polarizing coach named Bo Pelini.

Bo was pure Youngstown, Ohio — tough, fiery, and unfiltered. He’d explode on the sidelines, and the cameras loved it.

And then, as if the football minds wanted to add some comic relief, an attorney in Chicago created Faux Pelini, a parody Twitter account that captured everything absurd, lovable, and maddening about Nebraska football. Faux Pelini — complete with a glamour-shot photo of “Bo” holding a cat — became a cult hero. If you know the real Bo, you know he’s the last person who would ever be on Twitter. But Faux Pelini somehow became the voice that carried Nebraska fans through years of mediocrity and post-Pelini uncertainty.

Out of that chaos came something special: the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy.

It started as a joke — a mock rivalry trophy between Nebraska and Minnesota where the Gopher mascot and Faux Pelini wagered $5 or breaking a chair — that evolved into a fundraiser for the Team Jack Foundation, which supports pediatric brain cancer research.

So far this year, this ridiculous trophy has raised 200k as of Friday morning, October 17.

The roots of Team Jack go back to one of Nebraska’s most powerful football moments. During a spring game, Bo and the Huskers invited a young boy named Jack Hoffman, who was battling brain cancer, to run a 69-yard touchdown. The crowd erupted. It was pure joy — a moment when sports became something bigger than sports.

Jack’s story sparked a movement, and his family’s foundation continues to make a difference for kids like him today. Jack graduated from high school in May of 2024. He attended college for one semester, made the Dean’s List and then learned that his tumor was growing again. Jack passed away in January of this year after fighting brain cancer for 14 years.

Over those years, The Broken Chair Trophy came to be a quirky symbol of something deeply meaningful. Each year, both fanbases — Nebraska and Minnesota — raise money for Team Jack leading up to their game.

On Friday night, the Cornhuskers take the field against the Golden Gophers in Minneapolis. And while the game matters, I can’t stop thinking about the chair.

Because here’s the thing — everyone needs their Broken Chair.

Something that’s unique, kind of fun and meaningful. Something that gets everyone aligned around a shared cause.

When I worked at Carson, we had the Dreamweaver Foundation, which helped grant end-of-life wishes for seniors. It was beautiful. It connected our team, our clients, and our community around something that truly mattered.

That’s what the Broken Chair is — a symbol of unity wrapped in a bit of humor and heart.

So here’s my question to you:

👉️ What’s your Broken Chair?

What’s the tradition, initiative, or cause in your company that’s fun, personal and meaningful — something you and your clients can rally around, year after year?

It doesn’t have to be grand or perfect. It just has to be yours. Something that reminds everyone why you show up, beyond the spreadsheets and dashboards.

Because when you find your Broken Chair, it becomes more than a fundraiser or event — it becomes part of your firm’s story.

I’ll be cheering for the Big Red tonight, but I’ll also be thinking about Jack’s legacy and that chair — a little wobbly, a little quirky, and a reminder to enjoy every mile, especially in the middle of hard stuff.

What’s your Broken Chair?

Shoot me a note — I’d love to hear about it.

— Jud

______________________

On the Pod: Turning Complexity into Opportunities: Inside Holistiplan's Tax Planning Program

Episode 114: On this week’s episode, Kyle Van Pelt sits down with Torie Happe, Head of Partnerships at Holistiplan. Torie began her career at LPL Financial, where she managed new accounts, led RIA conversions, and developed new operational procedures. In 2016, Torie transitioned into fintech at Riskalyze. She later held leadership roles at FIX Flyer and Onramp Invest before joining Holistiplan in 2022 as Head of Partnerships.

Kyle and Torie discuss how Holistiplan enables advisors to turn complex tax returns into clear, actionable plans. Torie also discusses the difference between tax planning and tax advice, how firms can bridge that gap, and where Holistiplan seamlessly integrates into an advisor's tech stack. Torie also talks about Holistiplan's academic program, which provides hundreds of students with free access to the firm's award-winning software and a certification course to enrich their curriculum and credentials.

(00:00) - Intro

(02:18) - Torie's money moment

(06:16) - How Holistiplan has gone viral in the fintech space

(08:04) - Making taxes simple and meaningful for clients

(10:03) - The difference between tax planning and tax advice

(11:40) - How advisors use Holistiplan alongside other tools

(15:55) - Holistiplan's academic program

(19:49) - Torie's outlook on the future of the industry

(22:09) - Torie's Milemarker Minute

⚡️Bookmarks

Advisorpedia: Milemarker Empowers Advisors with Unified Data, Actionable Insights, and New-Tech Accountability

Thank you to the team over at Advisorpedia, who sat down with me to walk through Milemarker. I hope you find this piece interesting as you consider where your team should be focused in the year ahead.

Milemarker on the Road
Catch my team on the road at the following events or cities:

1. October 28-29 - Boston, MA

2. October 29-30 - New York, NY

3. October 30-November 1 - Lincoln, NE

4. November 2-7 - Denver, CO

5. November 13 - Baltimore, MD

6. November 17-18 - New York, NY

If you’re in any of those cities and would like to arrange a meeting time, please reply to this email, and we’ll schedule something on the calendar.

Jud Mackrill