AI can Amplify Advice
I recently completed the first Financial Advice NZ ‘AI in Financial Advice’. I was privileged to be asked by course creator and facilitator Panos Leledakis, Founder and CEO of the IFA (International Financial Architects) Academy to contribute to his session today at the Financial Advice NZ National Conference. Panos is originally from Greece and is now based in Miami.
Panos and his team — with the support of Cecilia Farrow and Financial Advice NZ — have created something quite remarkable. Panos brings rare depth and clarity to the subject, and his passion and commitment to raising professional standards are evident throughout the programme. What I particularly valued is that it doesn't simply introduce AI tools. It curates the rapidly expanding world of AI, helping advisers understand which tools are most useful, how they can be applied in practice, and how to use them responsibly in a professional environment.
The learning design has also been excellent. As someone who has been involved in creating and teaching financial advice education programmes — including the early CFP curriculum — I have a real appreciation for how well this programme has been structured. Each session builds practical capability, and that's rare.
This wasn't a passive lecture series. From the very first session, we were creating and applying — and the results speak for themselves. Above is a video testimonial for the course created from my iPhone and a teleprompter! Panos played this in the conference session.
Below shows an image of the chatbot created for our website, which Panos also showed. It is able to answer common enquiries, explain our services, and guide prospective investors to relevant resources. It provides responses outside normal business hours and reduces time spent on routine questions
I produced a professionally formatted e-book as part of the course homework. The image below shows the cover of the guide - one of many content assets I created to help communicate the purpose and practices of ethical investing more effectively to clients and prospective investors.
Panos is a world leader, unique in his ability to identify what genuinely works and explain how to apply it in practice - in ways that benefit both advisers and their clients. His work has been recognised by institutions including MIT in Boston, where he has presented on applying their innovations to elevate financial advice globally.
AI is clearly reshaping aspects of financial advice. This course offers a valuable opportunity to engage with it thoughtfully and to use it to enhance the value we deliver, while strengthening the human relationships at the heart of what we do.
The AI in Financial Advice course delivered a strong return on investment of both time and cost - quickly. I was able to create high-quality AI prompts, launch a website chatbot, produce a well-structured eBook, and explore best-practice compliance tools and much more. All of this expands what I can offer clients, without diminishing the judgement, care, and trust that defines this profession.
"Will artificial intelligence replace financial advisers? After completing the AI in Advice programme, my answer is very clear. AI does not replace the financial adviser. It amplifies the financial adviser."