Beyond the algorithm: when AI says sell, who tells you no?

Eight out of ten Singaporeans are already using AI for personal finance. Robo-advisors are mainstream, portfolio construction takes seconds and basic financial planning has never been more accessible. So what exactly are you still paying a human wealth manager for? That is the question this episode sits with, and the answer is more interesting than you might expect.

In this episode of Money Hacks, a podcast by The Business Times, Howie Lim speaks with Polka Mishra, partner at Javelin Wealth Management, about where AI genuinely helps, where it quietly fails and why the most important moments in wealth planning are precisely the ones an algorithm cannot handle.

Why listen

• Why AI agrees with you 47 per cent of the time and why that is a serious problem Tell it you want to panic-sell during a market crash and it will give you five well-researched reasons why you are right. Mishra demonstrates this live and the implications for investor discipline are sobering.

• The gym trainer analogy that reframes what a wealth manager actually does It is not about the workout plan. It is about who is waiting for you at the gym. Mishra uses this to explain accountability in a way that sticks.

• Why client confidentiality is the biggest brake on AI adoption in financial services One accidental data input and you do not know where your client’s information has gone. Mishra is frank about why smaller firms are especially exposed.

• What the coming generational wealth transfer means for human advisors The next generation asks harder questions, trusts brands less and can verify everything. Mishra explains why reactive advisors will not survive it.

The most valuable thing a wealth manager does may have nothing to do with numbers. This episode makes that case persuasively. Listen now.

Money Hacks is the flagship personal finance podcast from The Business Times. Catch past episodes at bt.sg/podcasts. Have a burning question or episode idea? Email the team at btpodcasts@sph.com.sg.

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Written and hosted by: Howie Lim (howielim@sph.com.sg)

With Polka Mishra, partner, Javelin Wealth Management

Edited by: Howie Lim & Claressa Monteiro

Produced by: Howie Lim & Chai Pei Chieh

A podcast by BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media

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