I hope you finished the week strong. Wild to think we’re already sliding into the holidays—pretty much a week from now, the whole world will loose the focus we currently have as we add in parties and gifts, concerts and special meals to our calendars.

At my house, we’re counting down to having our college freshman home. Can’t wait.

Earlier this week, Kim and I flew to New York. The return flight was delayed (par for the course this week), but the delay ended up being a gift. I sat across the aisle from an 85-year-old man who lives twenty minutes from us in Charleston. He’d just come back from Ireland, visiting the town where he was born.

It was Veterans Day.

He was a USAF veteran of over 30 years.

During the flight, he told me story after story from his life of service.

It was one of those rare conversations that re-centers you. A reminder that service—real service—is sacred. And that in a world obsessed with speed, spotlight, and self-promotion, it’s the quiet work that shapes a life and builds a legacy.

So this week, Rising Tide is about service. Why it matters. Why it lasts. And why we can’t let it get drowned out.

Here’s this week’s edition.

1. The Not So Secret Formula for Winning Wealth Management Businesses

2. Next Mile: Bringing Humanity Back into Retirement Planning 🎧

3. RSVP: Milemarker Navigator - AI on All Your Data

4. Milemarker On the Road ✈️

Keeping Service Sacred in Wealth Management

Earlier this week, I took a quick day trip on Veterans Day. My flight home was delayed—thanks to the government shutdown—and as I finally settled into my seat, the gentleman across the aisle struck up a conversation. He was coming home from Ireland. Long day, long travel. But the kind of man whose presence immediately feels steady.

Over the next hour, I got the privilege of hearing his story:

30 years enlisted in the U.S. Air Force.

Retired as a Chief Master Sergeant.

Played athletics for the Air Force.

Stationed all over the world.

His 84 years marked by discipline, purpose, and service.

He talked about his time with a kind of joy that’s rare. Not nostalgia. Not ego. Joy. Like he understood something about life the rest of us skim over.

And it struck me—especially on Veterans Day—how different that culture is from the culture that dominates headlines today.

On one side: people who build their lives around service to something bigger than themselves.

On the other: the tech-celebrity treadmill we all know—what Sam Altman ate for breakfast, what Palmer Luckey turned into a weapon, what the next unicorn founder tweeted at 2 a.m.

One culture is built on service.

The other is built on spotlight.

And business culture is often guilty of worshiping the spotlight.

The Venn Diagram I Draw on Whiteboards Everywhere

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you know I’m on the road constantly—meeting with teams, borrowing conference room whiteboards, drawing versions of the same simple Venn diagram. I think it defines the identity of every modern company, especially in wealth management:

1. You must be a technology company.

   Because without leveraged tools, you can’t scale.

2. You must be a media company.

   Because without stories, the market can’t see you.

3. You must be a service company.

   Because without service, you don’t matter.

It’s that third circle—the service circle—that too often gets overshadowed.

But it’s in many ways the most sacred one.

Service Is the Differentiator

In an age where everyone wants to automate relationship—and the next generation thinks being a YouTuber is the ultimate career—it’s worth slowing down to appreciate the honor of serving people well.

Service is the foundation of trust.

Service is how you learn what your clients actually need.

Service is what makes technology meaningful—not the other way around.

Ritz-Carlton gets a lot of airtime as the gold standard, and for good reason. They’ve institutionalized “above and beyond.” But the truth is, examples are everywhere. In your firms. On your teams. In moments no one tweets about.

Celebrate those moments.

Make them visible.

Add them to your playbook.

Because while the world obsesses over speed—“how fast can we ship this?”—the real mark of excellence is dedication. The willingness to see something through. The patience to walk with someone from point A to point Z, especially when Z takes time.

That’s honorable work.

Why This Matters for Wealth Management

Anyone can build a portfolio.

Anyone can assemble a tech stack.

Almost anyone can follow a process.

But not everyone can create a truly transformative client experience—the kind that uses tech to help people see, hear, guide, and care for others.

That’s service.

That’s the work that cant be commoditized.

That’s what separates the firms that grow from the firms that fade.

And if you’re building a technology company (or partnering with one), remember this:

the product isn’t the software—

the product is the service people experience through the software.

Everything else is just a fancy widget.

Your Turn

I’d love to hear your stories—moments of service that have transformed a client relationship or reshaped the way you run your business.

Enjoy your Saturday, and here’s to honoring the sacred work of serving others.

—Jud

______________________

On the Pod: Bringing Humanity Back into Retirement Planning

Episode 118: On this week’s episode, Kyle Van Pelt sits down with Jason Weaver, Managing Partner of Weaver Consulting Group. With nearly three decades of experience in the financial services industry, Jason leads with a people-first philosophy rooted in mentorship, emotional intelligence, and community. 

Kyle and Jason unpack why financial planning today requires more than performance charts and retirement projections. Jason describes his mentorship-first approach to helping young people break free from the instant gratification of sports gambling and develop healthier, long-term investing habits. By fostering in-person community, accountability partnerships, and meaningful client events, he’s building trust and transformation that lasts beyond market cycles. Their conversation highlights how true advisory work is ultimately about alignment—connecting money with personal values, emotional well-being, and the relationships that support growth across a lifetime.

(00:00) - Intro

(00:50) - Jason's money moment

(04:11) - The rise of sports gambling and its impact on young investors

(08:03) - How Jason helps teens shift from gambling to investing through mentorship

(12:32) - Jason’s five core beliefs and how they shape behavior and financial decisions

(17:10) - Why in-person community is essential for trust and transformation

(19:24) - Bringing humanity back into retirement planning

(21:52) - Balancing tech and touch: using digital tools to deepen relationships

(24:08) - Inside the Weaver Consulting Group tech stack

(27:39) - Jason’s outlook on the future of the financial services industry

(30:04) - Jason's Milemarker Minute

⚡️Bookmarks

RSVP to Milemarker’s AI Launch: How to Implement AI Securely Across All of Your Firm’s Data

Save your seat for Milemarker Navigator’s Launch workshop. We will break down how you can leverage agents on top of any or all of your data without your data risking exposure to anything outside of your Data Engine. This workshop will be educational and help you gain a clear understanding for how you can safely leverage AI in 2026.

Save your seat here.

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

1. November 11 - New York, NY

2. November 13 - Baltimore, MD

3. 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