John O’Connell Featured in Rethinking65:Expanding AI Usage? Start in the Back Office

John O’Connell wrote this piece for Rethinking65 on why advisors expanding their AI use should start in the back office, not with clients. According to J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Financial Advisor Satisfaction Study, 35% of advisors identified AI as the top technology their firms should invest in, and satisfaction scores were measurably higher among advisors already using AI tools. The highest-value starting point, John says, is annual review prep: using AI to calculate RMDs, model Social Security claiming ages, and flag Roth conversion windows so advisor time goes toward recommendations. It also builds the audit trail regulators want. A well-governed AI workflow produces a timestamped record of every meeting, a documentation trail showing how a recommendation took shape, and a supervisory review flag on every client communication before it goes out, which is the human-in-the-loop evidence the SEC’s 2026 exam priorities call for. Client-facing AI carries governance risks most practices aren’t ready for yet, so John’s advice is to build the habit internally first.