The 2025 Future Proof Festival took place September 7 through 10 on the shorelines of iconic Huntington Beach, California, where there was much to see, do, and learn. Slingshot Financial Founder, Garrett Brookes, attended the festival and spent time catching up with old friends, making new connections, and noticing the acceleration and evolution of the industry and its alignment with Slingshot’s founding tenets.
What It Was Like to Experience the Future Proof Festival
Launched in 2022, Future Proof is the world’s largest wealth festival, bringing together financial advisors, asset managers, fintech leaders, and investors in a festival-like setting designed to spark connections, showcase innovation, and explore the future of finance.
Set entirely outdoors on the Boardwalk, more than 5,000 attendees experienced presentations from the industry’s finest, participated in carefully coordinated meetings with a seriously well-organized table numbering system, and closed the day with refreshments and live concerts featuring Bush and Blues Traveler, all framed by a stunning sunset over the Pacific.
Is Wholesaling Dead?
Taking in the truly impressive event, one thought kept resurfacing for Garrett: Wholesaling is not dead.
Despite becoming oddly fashionable to say this in some circles, a glance at the festival grounds quickly dispelled any myth, ensuring that wholesaling is very much alive and well. Big bucks were spent on booth setups featuring lux-beachside cabana decor, two-story setups with rooftop decks to enjoy the beach view and sea breeze, a pickleball court, live podcasts, and even puppy adoptions!
These are some of the largest asset management companies in the world, clearly making big investments into their wholesale distribution efforts. “On one hand, it can be a little staggering to think, ‘Wow, this is what we’re up against…’” shared Garrett. “On the other, it underscores that a dedicated, ongoing, proactive effort is imperative if you want any mindshare whatsoever with financial advisors.”
Wholesaling isn’t dead or even fading; rather, it is evolving alongside the industry itself. While some firms may still need the massive, road-warrior sales team, it’s not the answer for everyone. Many firms benefit instead from a more intentional, relationship-driven approach that values quality engagement over total reach. Slingshot helps managers stay nimble, efficient, and effective, keeping efforts aligned with a firm’s true growth objectives.
Finding the Right Products in a Crowded Market
A highlight of the Future Proof program was a presentation by Dave Nadig, President & Director of Research of ETF.com, titled “ETFs 2025: Cheap. Fat. Starving for Attention.”
Among his great nuggets of wisdom on how to make smarter investment decisions in a deluge of new products, Mr. Nadig’s key message to advisors was, “With so much new and interesting product coming to market, how do you know which to use?”
For Garrett, the answer to that question really resonated. “His point was that advisors should start with product sponsors with representatives that you trust.” As is the reality of investing, there will be times when things go wrong, and you need a knowledgeable person that you trust to explain what is going on. Slingshot was founded on this same idea: the importance of dedicated representation in the advisor community by someone who understands your strategy, can speak your language, and can be trusted to share your story.
How Technology is Driving Distribution
Breakthru Meetings at the Future Proof Festival provide an opportunity for attendees to make meaningful connections one-on-one, an introduction for conversations and collaborations to continue outside the Festival setting.
Garrett had the good fortune to talk with numerous smaller asset managers in various phases of bringing new products and services to the advisor market. He was impressed with the level of specialization and the practicality of their funds, strategies, and services. Most were supported by a traditional wealth management firm and branching into the advisor market.
“Through my conversations, it became clear that although the firms were relatively new to the market, the product and strategy design was very good and practical, as they were simply scaling something that worked well in their own wealth practice,” Garrett observed.
Additionally, technologies and service platforms continue to evolve and improve, making the addition of new distribution pipelines a much smoother transition than in the past. Managers seeking to enter the financial intermediary market with their strategies have more options available to them when it comes to “wrapper” and delivery mechanisms.
“The TAMP platforms continue to improve and expand their distribution capabilities, while a number of Service providers have streamlined the fund and ETF formation and launch processes,” he continued, “After talking with key people at a variety of these companies, I am eager to watch how they evolve, and I’ll be keeping a close eye on what’s coming down the pipeline!”
What are Emerging Trends in Investment Product Development?
In bringing together so many leaders in finance and wealth advisory, trends for the market are undoubtedly going to be a top point of conversation. While there were many new products and strategies for today’s evolving industry, Garrett noticed a common theme of products that practically address investor objectives and constraints.
Traditionally, most investment products were designed to simply provide exposures. Whether it be sections of the stock or bond markets, styles, or company characteristics. The latest generation of products incorporates added features that seek to achieve different planning objectives. The best, most glaring example is the proliferation of options-based ETFs coming to market and quickly amassing massive amounts of capital.
In addition to market exposures, these funds attempt to provide investors with additional alternative sources of income, precisely defined risk/return outcomes, etc. “Many of the next generation of product designers from large and small firms are thinking about ways to solve some of the nagging challenges advisors face related to income planning, taxes, liquidity, and duration, to name a few. I think there is a tremendous opportunity for new specialized products and strategies that incorporate a more wholeistic view of wealth management while simultaneously providing investors with asset exposures,” commented Garrett.
Future Proof Your Strategy With Slingshot
The Future Proof Festival emphasized key shifts shaping the wealth management industry, from evolving marketing strategies to technology-enabled distribution and innovative investment products. Seeing these trends in action reinforced that Slingshot’s approach, focused on specialized strategies, meaningful advisor relationships, and practical execution, is well aligned with where the market is headed.
As new products and platforms continue to emerge, Slingshot is positioned to help managers navigate these changes efficiently and effectively. If you are looking to bring your strategy to advisors with impact, Slingshot is ready to partner with you to turn these trends into tangible results.