Expert insight
Janel Jackson: Why advice still needs the human element
March 05, 2026
As AI reframes nearly every aspect of wealth management, the advisor’s real edge may still be the human connection. Janel Jackson, head of bank and institutional in Vanguard Financial Advisor Services, recently joined AdvisorHub’s The Tony Sirianni Podcast to discuss how advisors are navigating a landscape defined by generational shifts, a rapid expansion of investment options, and clients’ rising expectations for both efficiency and empathy.
In the episode, Jackson explores key themes reshaping the advice industry:
- A “tale of two advisors”: Jackson describes a generational split emerging in the advice profession. Newer advisors tend to focus on technology and differentiation, while more tenured advisors navigate generational wealth transfer and changing client expectations. The most successful practices, she notes, bridge both perspectives and combine experience with modern tools and approaches.
- AI is amplifying the human side of advice: AI works best as a support tool that handles research and analysis so advisors can focus on building trust, behavioral coaching, and maintaining client relationships. “Humanity is the differentiator,” Jackson says, especially in an industry where portfolio construction has become a baseline expectation.
- ETF complexity requires deeper analysis: With thousands of ETFs now available, Jackson cautions that fund names don’t always reflect underlying exposures. Advisors must look beyond labels and use portfolio analytics and AI tools to better understand how investments fit into a client’s overall strategy.
Notes:
Visit vanguard.com to obtain a Vanguard fund or Vanguard ETF prospectus, or, if available, a summary prospectus, which contains investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other information; read and consider carefully before investing.
Vanguard ETF Shares are not redeemable with the issuing Fund other than in very large aggregations worth millions of dollars. Instead, investors must buy and sell Vanguard ETF Shares in the secondary market and hold those shares in a brokerage account. In doing so, the investor may incur brokerage commissions and may pay more than net asset value when buying and receive less than net asset value when selling.
All investing is subject to risk, including possible loss of principal.
Bond funds are subject to the risk that an issuer will fail to make payments on time, and that bond prices will decline because of rising interest rates or negative perceptions of an issuer's ability to make payments.