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Never surprised to see the Family Phone Call resources requested after a First Trust meeting! “The Family Phone Call is a growth strategy and a retention strategy in one” — RIA at our Phoenix meeting last week Their success story: Met their client’s two daughters a few years ago (98 at the time) via the Family Phone Call The “kids” were in their 70’s Each daughter had about ~ $3 mill sitting in a vanguard account, no advisor (from their perspective) Their client recently passed and the wealth transfer could not have gone smoother because everyone was on the same page, with the same team The FPC is not a family meeting, it’s the step before Brilliant and why it was one of my first case studies when I joined the Asvisor Consulting Group 10-15 mins to introduce yourself. Put faces with names of clients’ loved ones and they get to put faces/names with you and your team The reason for the call? To be a resource Not because they’re going to inherit the money one day, but how you’re here to help them now Depending on who those loved ones are, the resource could be a “20 min Ask Anything Session” or a financial plan gap and overlap analysis Are there only success stories coming from elite advisors implementing the FPC? No way— we’re talking about humans and family dynamics Sometimes a family phone call that doesn’t go according to plan can be a blessing because you may determine that there are loved ones you don’t want to work with BUT U/HNWI’s are expecting more Being able to serve their multigenerational family is often one of those things We cover a lot at our Sales Insight Forums because we believe in giving you the data. You decide what to do from there. As our CEO Jim Bowen says, “we respect your minds” Thanks to all who came to Nashville and Phoenix these last couple weeks! 3 meetings, over 400 future-focused advisors gathering together! Jim Bowen, David McGarel, Brian Wesbury , Angie Cummins , Kate Mittenthal , William Housey, CFA , Jonathon D. , Chris Jeppesen , Brian Gallary , Rob Biddinger , Robert Stein, CFA , Erik W. Heavey , Steve Ritter , Daniel Affetto ,

16 years ago we hosted our first Financial Forum in St.Louis with a few dozen advisors attending. Yesterday we had over 400 advisors from Missouri & Sourhern IL. Each year the content is un matched. Thank you Tom Kotcher for great job moderating this excellent group of presenters once again! Thank you Brian Wesbury , CEO Jim Bowen, CIO Dave McGarel. joel donley Jim Dougherty Noah Helm Keith Litavsky Daniel Radosevich First Trust

2025: 25 attendees in Red Bank 2026: 57 in the same market Proof of concept and consistency This is why we created the First Trust Strategic Growth Forum To bring this education into the field The solutions from our Custom Wealth Group (now a force of 60 people!) are innovative, needed, and give elite professionals an even greater edge ⚡️The edge: - Professional contrast when so much is being commoditized - Practice management, like bringing assets under management or outsourcing to create efficiencies - Customization that can also be scaled. Customization is what U/HNWI’s expect - Tax planning strategies, also what U/HNWI’s expect - Really being all things to some people, more solutions to do more, deepening conversations (and solutions) that are holistic like legacy and values 🎯The solutions: - Custom Options - Direct indexing - Long-short direct indexing - Synthetic borrow - SMAs (muni’s, small caps, structured products) We’re embracing democratization and so are future-focused advisors Being able to deliver solutions to more clients that used to be reserved for the few Last week we visited Red Bank, Morristown, NYC and Philly Thank you to all who joined! Great to see so many of the professionals we get to work with and some of the best wholesalers in the biz! PS— Curious to see what we’ve got cooking? Let us know if you want to learn more! Jonathon D. , John Lynch, Michael J. Egan CFP® CIMA® , Hayley Gardner, Max King, Taylor Gerard

How many of us could have used an “Adulting 101” webinar coming out of college? 🙋🏻♀️ This is exactly what a team in Chicago hosts every year during graduation season For anyone moving from student to “real world” They market it on LinkedIn, to employers, universities, and to/through their clients Every year, they bring in one new household because parents appreciate the focus this team has on next gen education! To connect with the next gen, you need to meet them where they’re at For younger demographics— clients’ next gens and prospects— relevancy is key Topics Surprise & delight Showing them you know them 🧑🎓College or trade school graduation/post gap year is a major life event And it’s an annual opportunity that elite financial professionals don’t miss An opportunity to connect with grads entering the “real world” via education or gifts Interview prep Or new hire educational lunch & learn on the employee retirement plan Young professionals networking event 🤩It’s also a chance to connect with the loved ones who poured into that graduate, often emotionally and financially In the latest Insights & Innovations blog 💡I break down exactly how forward-looking professionals are solidifying their multi-generational relationships during graduation season Meaningful communication and experiences don’t have to be time consuming or expensive… but they must show someone you know them Ask your friends at First Trust for all the ideas to use this graduation season No matter how traditional or untraditional the education path may have looked

“$20.1 trillion (in ETF assets) at the end of March 2026...82nd consecutive month of positive net inflows." For perspective...ETF Assets totaled $2.935 trillion in March 2016… a ~21% CAGR over the past decade. Step back… this isn’t just growth… it’s a complete transformation in how markets are accessed. Shoutout to the Peter Leonteos and the First Trust Research team for consistently highlighting the trends behind the numbers.

“More referrals, more problems” … said no one ever… WHEN they have a process for fostering, refining and managing this channel of organic growth Clients who are advocates are the result of an elite practice Clients who are strategic advocates are the result of a practice that is all things to some people 🎯It’s clear who they should be referring, when and why Last week’s Insights & Innovations blog 💡broke down: 4️⃣ step process to activating and managing referrals As always, it’s actionable: - Scripts - Referral Guide - Referral Matrix - Welcome to the Family Experience 🔑At a MINIMUM, they always close the loop and let clients know that they’ve contacted the individual or household who was referred Special edition blog collaboration with Chris Jeppesen and Robert Montella If you didn’t get last week’s blog, ask your friends at First Trust Want weekly practice management and growth ideas and resources? The First Trust Advisor Consulting Group has you covered with our blog that goes out to 10,000 plus financial professionals Even better, ask them to get signed up! ✈️Another week in the field, let’s go!

Sometimes bigger is better, sometimes bigger is just bigger 🎯I’ve been working with a handful of teams who are focused on small, intimate events Two effective structures: 1. Events built around one person/couple/family They feel extra special, pick the activity/location, select the attendees Could be for their retirement, anniversary, a thank you for referrals, family fun For example, a cooking class with clients and their 3 daughters Or a wine tasting to celebrate your clients’ new business venture 2. Events that bring together a select group Entrepreneurs, women in tech, people new to a city, next gen professionals, those who share an interest or hobby Ideally clients + a guest or two in an environment that fosters connection, sharing and time for the advisors to get to know everyone 💡This week in Minneapolis, we did the same Select one on ones with teams & three intimate educational events - Rooms set up for people to meet others - Topics to spark sharing of what’s working Loved all the questions and conversations! Thank you to all who joined us and gave us the opportunity to spend time with you this week! First Trust Tyler Peters Ross Neuman