Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.
At our recent Refinery on the Future of Financial & Retirement Advice, leaders across the retirement industry, fintech, policy, and research gathered to grapple with a fundamental question: What would it take to ensure that everyone has access to high-quality, personalized, holistic financial and retirement advice that is affordable and accessible?
One thing became clear: This is not a single innovation challenge—it is a system design challenge.
To build advice solutions that work across the full spectrum of household needs, participants converged on a layered approach:
Policy infrastructure—a regulatory framework that enables secure, seamless data portability controlled by the retirement saver
The technology interface—AI-enabled tools that translate data into usable guidance
The delivery model—a broadly accessible “public option” for advice, ideally incorporating both digital and human elements
To learn more about each of these layers, read the brief.
We are grateful to Pontera for their generous support of this brief and the Refinery. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this brief—as well as any errors—are Aspen FSP’s alone and do not necessarily represent the views of its funders.
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