Good morning — I hope your week was full of wins and that you’re heading into a well-earned, relaxing weekend.

This past week was packed. So much happened, it’s hard to capture it all — and change is moving at exactly the pace all the hype artists promised. Depending on your perspective, that’s either exciting…or a little overwhelming.

For me, it’s a reminder that there’s a lot of opportunity in front of us.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about versioning — the updates we run on in life. We see it everywhere: our phones, our cars, our software. But the more I think about it, the more I realize versioning has just as much to teach us about how we think about ourselves and our businesses.

That’s the focus this week.

Welcome to The Rising Tide — here we go.

1. Version 5.0 (And Beyond) — For You and Your Firm

2. Next Mile: The Four Pillars of Generational Wealth Planning 🎧

3. Bookmarks

   1. Automate Your RIA: Why Growing RIAs Need AI & Automation

4. Milemarker On the Road ✈️

Version 5.0 (And Beyond) — For You and Your Firm

The whole world is buzzing about the latest AI updates — ChatGPT 5.0, GPT-5, or whatever you want to call it. Every time these models evolve, they get a little better, a little sharper, a little more capable.

But this isn’t about ChatGPT.

It’s not about Claude, Anthropic, or any of the other AI tools out there.

This is about versioning ourselves.

Versioning our firms.

If you’re anything like me, you’re working on yourself. You’re working on your business. You’re working to become a better version of you — every single day.

From how we show up…

To how we lead…

To how we create better outcomes for our customers…

Every day is a chance to release a “new version” of ourselves. Not to be something we aren’t. Not to live in some future fantasy. But to be fully present — knowing this is a day we’ll never get back — and to use it to make tomorrow better.

That’s the drumbeat of progress. The rhythm of success.

In our businesses, it’s the same story.

We have to ask ourselves:

And here’s the key: give yourself — and your team — permission to admit that the earlier versions weren’t as good. That’s the point. The next best version is on it’s way.

We all have our favorite “release notes” in life — the moments where something clicked, where we made a leap forward. And we’ve all shipped a few buggy versions of ourselves, too. That’s part of the process.

The important thing is to keep building.

Keep progressing.

Keep moving toward better.

Here’s to you — and to continually making the next release the best one yet.

______________________

On the Pod: The Four Pillars of Generational Wealth Planning

Episode 104: On this week’s episode, Kyle Van Pelt sits down with Steve Reder, Partner & Head of Wealth Management at RWA Wealth Partners. Steve leads a team of wealth advisors and shapes the advice, guidance, and support clients receive. He also works directly with clients, solving complex financial planning problems and helping to integrate personal financial plans with investment, tax, and estate planning.

Kyle and Steve talk about the four pillars of generational wealth planning. They discuss how RWA Wealth Partners is a boutique firm of consequence, what that means in practice, and how Steve and his team help clients create lasting legacies through financial planning, investment strategy, tax planning, and estate planning. Steve also shares thoughtful advice on building generational relationships and delivering high-touch, in-house services in a scalable way.

(00:00) - Intro

(01:51) - Steve's money moment

(05:23) - What it means to be a boutique firm of consequence

(06:18) - The four pillars of generational wealth planning

(09:05) - Strategies for engaging kids in family planning meetings

(11:07) - In-house tax and estate planning

(13:32) - Why RWA rebranded

(15:43) - RWA's future model: Recruitment and strategic acquisitions

(18:36) - RWA's AUM-based model

(23:20) - The indispensable role of human advisors in the age of AI and technology

(28:07) - How advisors help successful people navigate the guilt of success

(32:03) - RWA's tech stack

(36:30) - Steve's thoughts about the future of the industry

(38:21) - Roadblocks to full integration and seamless advisor experience

(40:50) - What makes a great advisory platform

(42:10) - Steve's Milemarker Minute

⚡️Bookmarks

Why Growing RIAs Need AI & Automation

Most RIAs are buried in spreadsheets and siloed data. The fastest-growing firms? They’re using AI and automation to scale smarter—with less chaos.

Join us and Beemo on August 21 at 1:30 PM ET to see how top RIAs are doing it. No fluff—just real strategies you can use now.

Register here!

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

1. August 17-20 - Lincoln, NE

2. September 3-4 - New York, NY

3. September 7-10 - Los Angeles, CA

4. September 10-12 - San Diego, CA

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