Between Meetings with Matt Heine

In this episode of Between Meetings, Matt Heine sits down with Victoria Hicks, Founder & CEO of Melo Advisory - a UK consultancy that helps financial advice firms grow, improve business value and prepare for succession or sale - to unpack the lessons Australian advice firms can take from the UK's M&A wave. They discuss why international capital was drawn to advice businesses, how buy-and-build models evolved, and why the right buyer is not always the highest bidder. Victoria Hicks explains the importance of optionality, sale readiness and stakeholder alignment, and shares practical insight on internal succession, equity participation and the risks of poorly structured deals. The conversation also looks ahead to AI, and how new advice models could broaden access while raising expectations of what human advisers need to deliver.

In this episode of Between Meetings, Matt Heine is joined by Jacksons Wealth Management CEO Pete Matthew. Pete is a UK-based chartered financial planner, podcaster and YouTuber, who has built a successful advice business by combining traditional planning with long-term content creation. Pete shares how his YouTube and podcast channels grew into a key source of qualified client demand, and why transparency and depth in content naturally filters for the right clients. They also discuss structural challenges in the advice industry, including the ongoing advice gap, declining adviser numbers, and increasing reliance on technology and AI. Pete outlines his approach to client selection, scaling engagement through digital channels, and embedding a four-day working week without reducing performance; offering practical insights for advisers looking to evolve their model. Explore more from Pete at Meaningful Money and Jacksons.

Slipstream Group founder & CEO Sharon McClafferty joins Matt Heine to unpack what "good" really looks like inside advice businesses. Drawing on years of hands‑on work with practices of varying size, Sharon explains the three systems she sees consistently in high‑performing firms: clarity on ideal clients, the ability to articulate and price value, and effective delegation of work. The discussion also covers adviser burnout, margin expectations, succession challenges and how AI and offshoring are changing the way work gets done. A practical conversation for advisers and practice owners thinking about profitability, scale and long‑term sustainability.

In this episode of Between Meetings, Matt Heine welcomes Professor Lauren Cohen, specialised in behavioural finance and innovation at Harvard Business School. They explore the rise of family offices, the intersection of technology and advice, and how generational shifts are reshaping wealth management. Lauren offers practical advice for advisers and institutions navigating change, and shares stories from his research and work with leading global families and fintechs.

To kick off the new year, this special roundup episode reflects on themes shaping the advice profession as we enter 2026. Drawing on key conversations from 2025, it revisits ideas that resonated most, including AI, client engagement, firm culture, simplicity, growth and more. It offers a concise year-in-review and a forward-looking view on what advice firms should consider in the year ahead; also provides a thought-provoking snapshot of the profession's direction and what it takes to stay ahead.