While most of the industry is chasing the next flashy AI feature, a smaller group of innovators is taking a different path, going deep instead of wide.
Impruve is one of them. Positioned between wealthtech vendors and large advisory enterprises, the company acts as an embedded AI partner, helping firms translate strategy into systems that fit the realities of their data, teams, and clients. Its model isn’t built around scale for its own sake, but around depth, precision, and long-term adaptability.
That philosophy is led by Mike Shannon, a repeat founder who’s built and scaled companies at the intersection of data and technology, and Danny Shannon, a systems engineer focused on translating complex AI into intuitive tools that fit how advisors actually work. It’s also what drew in Michael Tanney, Senior Managing Director at $2B NY-based RIA Magnus Financial Group, a veteran advisor who’s spent two decades helping clients navigate markets and build meaningful financial plans.
Together, they’re proving that the future of AI in wealth management won’t necessarily come from mass-market tools, but from designing intelligence around the workflows that matter most.
Building AI Stewardship, Not AI Software
Mike and Danny’s approach to AI is an interesting one. They’re not just building another note taker or “AI overlay.” They’re creating what they call AI stewardship, a partnership model where each firm gets custom-built solutions tied directly to its workflows, culture, and goals.
Instead of treating AI as a static product, they view it as an evolving collaboration. In bi-weekly strategy sessions with partners like Magnus Financial Group, they revisit priorities, explore new ideas, and test what’s next. Mike described their process as iterative by design, every engagement opens new opportunities to tailor-fit AI more precisely to how each firm operates. It’s an approach that values adaptability over completion, ensuring that every solution grows with the business, not ahead of it.
“That’s why we’re sitting in an RIA’s office,” said Mike. “We hear all kinds of things just being here. And that brings us deeper down the jobs to be done in the workflow.”
It’s a methodology grounded in depth, context, and collaboration, and it’s becoming another model that showcases how to partner with organizations for AI transformation in wealth management.
When AI Meets EQ
Michael Tanney’s perspective brought this to life. He sees AI as both a lever for efficiency and a tool for enhancing human connection.
“I have two roles,” he told me. “The priority role is to do what’s best for my clients, which is trust-based, execution-based, performance-based…But the second part is, I’m a business owner, I’m an operator, and I need to run a profitable, efficient business. And they don’t need to be mutually exclusive.”
That balance, he said, is where AI becomes a bridge rather than a barrier. By optimizing workflows, reducing redundancy, and minimizing errors, advisors can shift their focus from managing processes to managing experiences.
“You have this intersection of IQ, EQ, AI,” he said. “That’s what’s happening here. And those of us who can see it, see how big the opportunity is. And I’ll caution that a lot of people can’t see it because it’s so big. And historically the biggest opportunities are the ones that people miss.”
Tanney sees AI as a catalyst for sharper judgment. By removing noise from the system, advisors can focus on the parts of the relationship that can’t be automated, such as the nuance, the context and the ability to see around corners for clients.
“AI helps us get there faster and with more clarity.”
From Data Chaos to Workflow Clarity
As Danny explained, most firms don’t know where to start with AI, not because they lack interest, but because they’re buried under legacy processes and scattered data.
“The most common pain point,” he said, “is that firms don’t even know what their pain point is.”
That’s why Impruve starts by mapping workflows, not building technology. They trace every process step, from client onboarding to compliance review, to see where data gets stuck and where automation can make the biggest difference.
Once that foundation is set, the AI layer becomes intuitive, a series of small, visible wins that build momentum and literacy across the firm.
Going “Off Menu”
One of the most interesting things about Impruve’s work with Magnus is their focus on what Mike calls “off-menu” projects, the creative use cases that big vendors aren’t thinking about yet.
They’re building AI systems that automate client value demonstration reports, analyze books of business from M&A deals, and even generate AI-assisted rapport catalogs, tools that remind advisors of meaningful client details (favorite sports teams, hobbies, life events) and nudge them to personalize their outreach.
For Magnus, it’s not about replacing the advisor; it’s about anticipating moments of connection.
“AI won’t eliminate the need for human advisors,” Mike said. “It’ll scale them.”
The Human Element Still Wins
When I challenged Michael on whether an AI avatar could one day replace the human advisor, he laughed, and then offered an analogy that resonated with me.
“When things don’t go right, or there’s a curveball or an unexpected pitch,” he said, “they want the same thing as all of us, which is someone to look them in the eye, tap them on the shoulder, which technology can’t do, and tell them it’s going to be all right.”
That’s the essence of what he calls hospitality in advice, the combination of trust, empathy, and presence that no model can replicate.
AI will make advisors faster, smarter, and more efficient. But it’s the human touch, the steady voice during a storm, that clients value most today.
The Future of Partnership in AI
As the conversation wrapped, one insight stood out to me. Mike said, “The firms getting the best results with AI aren’t waiting for vendors to tell them what to do. They’re building in partnership.”
That mindset, collaboration over consumption, is what defines this next phase of the industry.
This is the essence of our Build with AI theme at Future Proof Citywide 2026, bringing together the technologists, advisors, and operators who are using AI to build what comes next.
It’s about embedding it directly into the fabric of how firms operate, communicate, and grow.
At Future Proof Citywide 2026, this idea comes to life inside our AI Playground, a 21,000-square-foot pavilion built to make innovation real and tangible. It’s where attendees can see what applied AI actually looks like through live demos, startup showcases, hands-on learning zones, and peer-to-peer discussions focused on how AI is changing the way firms operate and serve clients.
Inside the AI Playground, there are three core spaces:
- The Show & Tell Stage, where wealth management executives, tech leaders, and advisors walk through live examples of how they’re using AI in their daily work, no slides, just real tools in action.
- The AI Sandbox, an intimate peer-to-peer environment for candid discussions about what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next.
- The Level Up Area, where professionals sharpen both their technical and human skills, from prompt writing to leadership communication and integration frameworks.
These spaces reflect the same spirit that defines partnerships, real people, solving real problems, building with AI in real time.
You don’t have to know every step. You just have to take the first one.
Don’t wait to build an AI strategy and position your firm for the decade ahead. Register now to join the largest AI-native community in finance Future Proof Citywide in Miami Beach, FL March 8-11, 2026.
Author
Matt Middleton
Founder & CEO, Future Proof
Matt Middleton is the founder and CEO of Future Proof, the company behind the world’s largest AI-native finance event, Future Proof Citywide. He leads the vision for building community-driven experiences that connect the most forward-thinking investors, advisors, technologists, and creators redefining financial services.
Disclaimer: This article was written by me … with the help of AI (ChatGPT 5 to be specific). If we’re building an event about how AI is transforming finance, we’d be hypocrites not to use it ourselves. At Future Proof, we’re testing and deploying AI at every stage of the business: from how we research and write, to how we design, plan, and deliver events. Consider this both an experiment and a preview of what’s to come.
