John O’Connell Featured in Advisorpedia: The Advisor Shortage Is a Design Problem. Treat It Like One.

John O’Connell was recently featured in Advisorpedia arguing that firms misdiagnose the advisor shortage. 37% of advisors are planning to retire within a decade and demand is outpacing the talent pipeline, yet most firms treat it as an HR problem when it’s  an operational design problem. John’s prescription is to stop competing for experienced advisors on the open market and build a pipeline through university partnerships and structured internships, since a small RIA can give an intern genuinely meaningful work a wirehouse can’t. He also makes the case for separate tracks in planning, operations, and technology rather than forcing everyone toward a client-facing book, treating your tech stack and AI tools as a recruiting signal younger candidates ask about, and connecting succession and development by pairing a junior advisor with a senior one transitioning out. The firms that build serious programs now will have a material advantage over those that keep treating next-gen talent as something to address later.