I’m on a much-delayed flight headed west for the weekend, catching up with friends. In my headphones is the brand-new Thrice album that dropped overnight, while my girls are texting me about the midnight Taylor Swift release.

Even in these ordinary moments, my mind drifts back to brand—how it shapes me, how it colors my worldview, and why it matters so much in the world we’re building.

Brand lives in the tension between honesty and ambition, grit and grace, reality and culture.

This week, I’m zeroing in on what brand should mean for wealth management firms.

Track three is on. Wheels up.

Here’s this week’s Rising Tide.

1. What the Best Financial Brands Know That Most Don’t

2. Next Mile: The Playbook Behind the Fastest-Growing RIA in History 🎧

3. Revenue Optimization Recap

4. Release Notes: Milemarker’s Build Your Own Adventure Release

5. Milemarker On the Road ✈️

What the Best Financial Brands Know That Most Don’t

Today’s October 3rd. Nothing special. Just another Friday.

Unless you’re a Taylor Swift fan.

Because 10 + 3 = 13. Her number. Her inside language. A brand detail so small, yet millions notice. Even her fiancé’s jersey number—87—adds up with hers to make a perfect 100.

Taylor’s obsession with numbers, her craft, her art—it’s the reason her brand isn’t just a brand. It’s a cultural phenomenon. And it’s why the best businesses, pound for pound, never stop pouring into brand. Here are 13 reasons why brand matters most:

1. Obsession Beats ROI

The best brands don’t start with spreadsheets — they start with obsession. ROI comes later.

2. Inside Language Creates Belonging

Taylor’s “13” isn’t just a number. It’s a secret handshake for millions. Brands with an inside language create movements.

3. Details Become Legends

Friendship bracelets. Champagne in Tiffany boxes. Whole bottles of cognac left at your table. Details outlive campaigns and create shared moments.

4. Reputation Compounds 

Every little thing you do adds up to the story people tell about you when you’re not in the room.

In wealth management, my favorite work has always been brand. Not logos, not campaigns—brand. Reputation. The way people feel about you when they walk away.

5. Experience Is the Brand 

Your checkout process, your client call, your office vibe — it all tells the story.

6. Utility Is Forgettable 

A soulless, utilitarian business fades into the background. Obsession creates memory.

7. Emotion Scales Faster Than Ads 

A feeling is more viral than a Facebook or LinkedIn campaign can ever be.

8. Consistency Breeds Trust

Obsession repeated daily turns into reliability.

At Eleven Madison Park, instead of dropping off a check, they drop shots of cognac—and leave the whole bottle. Instead of pouring champagne for an engagement, they deliver it in Tiffany boxes, flutes and all.

Those moments live forever because someone obsessed over them.

9. Surprise Sparks Loyalty 

Exceed expectations in moments that matter. Your clients never forget.

10. Culture Mirrors Brand

When your team obsesses over little things, clients feel it everywhere.

11. Brand Is the Moat 

Products can be copied. Experiences cannot. Too many firms obsess in pockets—over a client here, an advisor there. Rarely does the obsession bleed across the whole company. That’s the opportunity: make brand everyone’s job.

Because the worst thing you can be is boring.

12. Boring Never Wins 

Life’s too short to run a brand people forget.

Tonight two of my girls will watch Taylor’s newest film at our local cinema. They’ll wear friendship bracelets, relive Eras tour memories, and feel part of something bigger.

Taylor created that because she cares about her fans. Because she obsesses. Because she builds experiences that aren’t just remarkable, even when they’re corporate, even when they’re global—they’re personal.

13. Love Is Strategy 

At the end of the day, brand is about caring deeply for the people you serve.

Where are you creating remarkable experiences? For your clients? For your team? For the people who trust you?

All of it matters. The more we obsess over brand, the more we love people through what we build.

Have a great week,

Jud

______________________

On the Pod: The Playbook Behind the Fastest-Growing RIA in History

Episode 112: On this week’s episode, Kyle Van Pelt sits down with Jason Wenk, Founder and CEO of Altruist. Over the last 20 years, Jason has lived and breathed the financial services industry as a financial advisor, investment systems developer, analyst, and founder.

He shares his journey from humble beginnings to building some of the fastest-growing RIAs. From his early days at Morgan Stanley to pioneering digital marketing for his own RIAs, Jason discusses the innovations that led to the founding of Altruist. He also explores the power of content and why social media platforms are today's hub for advisor growth.

(00:00) - Intro

(01:46) - Ian's money moment

(02:44) - Jason's money moment

(05:21) - From intern to industry disruptor: Jason’s path to building two RIAs

(13:56) - Jason's digital marketing playbook

(17:38) - Where attention is won: YouTube, TikTok, referrals, and more

(25:02) - Why offline marketing still crushes in 2025

(28:05) - The pain points that led Jason to create Altruist

(34:12) - How Altruist is using AI to transform advisor workflows

(43:06) - Jason's Milemarker Minute

⚡️Bookmarks

Revenue Optimization Recap

Thank you to my colleague Jessica Perez from Milemarker , along with Lacey Shrum, Founder & CEO of Smart Kx, for joining me in a powerful discussion on how RIAs can use data and automation to optimize revenue.

We explored why inconsistent processes cost firms measurable revenue, how data silos block growth, and the practical steps firms can take to align their billing and revenue with their goals.

If you missed it, you can catch the full conversation here:

Milemarker’s Build Your Own Adventure Release Notes

We just rolled out our latest Milemarker update—“Build Your Own Adventure.” It gives you more control and flexibility over your workflows, letting you customize your path through the platform like never before. Think smarter decision-trees, tailored logic, and fine-tuned configuration to match how you work.

Stay tuned—this one is a game-changer.

Read the release notes here:

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

1. October 3-8 - Salt Lake City, UT

2. October 28-29 - Boston, MA

3. October 30-Nov 1 - Lincoln, NE

4. November 2-7 - Denver, CO

5. November 13 - Baltimore, MD

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