Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming industries around the globe, and financial services is no exception. While the headlines often focus on AI for market timing or investment selection, our approach is grounded in something different: leveraging AI to enhance how we serve our clients, not to replace sound investment judgment.
At our firm, we believe in using AI not as a decision-maker for market movements or portfolio rebalancing — areas that don’t align with our long-term, disciplined investment philosophy — but as a powerful tool that helps us operate smarter, faster, and more insightfully.
How We’re Using AI Today
On the investment side, AI plays a supporting role in enhancing our research capabilities and streamlining portfolio analysis. It also strengthens how we monitor and report on client investments, ensuring we’re providing clear, timely, and meaningful updates.
But the impact of AI extends well beyond investments. We’re applying AI and advanced analytics in several key areas:
- Financial Planning: Modeling complex planning scenarios more efficiently and consistently.
- Tax Planning: Running simulations that help us optimize strategies for each client’s unique situation.
- Operational Workflows: Automating time-consuming processes so our team can focus on higher-value work.
- Data Analytics: Identifying patterns, trends, and opportunities that might otherwise go unnoticed.
These capabilities enable us to deliver a higher level of service, provide more tailored advice, and operate with greater efficiency across the board.
Dedicated Resources for Innovation
We’ve taken a proactive approach to integrating AI into our operations. Last year, we brought on a full-time operations team member dedicated solely to identifying and implementing AI and analytics-driven improvements. James Fletcher, who began with us as an intern, demonstrated strong analytical and technical skills during his internship, leading to his full-time role. James is now building private, secure AI models tailored specifically to our firm’s needs, helping us implement meaningful improvements on a near-monthly basis.
In addition to James’s work, we also established a 10–12-person Innovation Team dedicated to exploring new technologies and answering questions that begin with, “Wouldn’t it be great if…?” This group ensures we remain forward-thinking and continuously focused on ways to improve both our internal operations and our client experience.
Looking Ahead
We view AI as a valuable tool — not a silver bullet — that supports our mission to serve clients with excellence. By thoughtfully integrating AI where it adds the most value, we expect to build a more efficient, insightful, and client-centric organization.
As we continue to explore the evolving capabilities of AI, we remain committed to using it responsibly, securely, and always in alignment with our core principles.
We maintain strict data privacy and cybersecurity standards. All client data used in AI systems is handled in accordance with our privacy policy and applicable regulations, and no client information is shared externally without authorization. Our AI initiatives are subject to oversight by our compliance and risk management teams to ensure all applications align with our fiduciary responsibilities and regulatory requirements. We regularly assess our AI systems for accuracy, bias, and compliance to ensure they continue to meet our standards. All AI output is, and always will be, reviewed and verified by someone at RTD.
DISCLOSURE: This communication is for informational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice or a guarantee of future performance. Any references to technology or tools are illustrative of process enhancements and not indicative of investment outcomes.