SoapBox Podcast
Altor’s Matt Pitcher will be appearing fortnightly on the SoapBox Podcast. You can catch up with the latest episodes featuring Matt and Altor Wealth below, or visit the SoapBox playlist on our YouTube Channel here.
SoapBox Ep.1 – Flatlining Revenue & the Quiet Culling of Low-Value Clients
FCA Advice Data on How Consumer Duty is Reshaping Advice Economics In this first SoapBox session, Abraham sits down with two industry voices to explore the figures behind adviser decline, the realities of client disengagement, the influence of consumer duty, and what the latest FCA data reveals about firms, revenue and capacity.
Watch on our YouTube Channel here >>
SoapBox Ep.1 – Bad Adviser Revenue in 2025
Explore why revenue per financial advisor isn’t matching market returns, the impact of client disengagement, and the potential for technology to scale advisory businesses effectively.
SoapBox Ep.1 – Comparing Financial Planners to Personal Trainers and Online GP’s
Discover why understanding the role of financial advice is crucial, how referrals drive engagement, and why scalable, tech-enabled solutions are key for the mass market.
SoapBox Ep.1 – The Declining Number of Financial Advisers
Explore the decline in mid-sized financial advisory firms, the shrinking advisor workforce, and how evolving client demographics may shape the future of advisory services.
SoapBox Ep.1 – Matt’s Thoughts on His Ego
Matt explores why now is a prime opportunity for skilled financial advisers and how younger advisors are building trust and delivering value to clients in today’s market.
SoapBox Ep.2 – Budget Theatre, FCA Hype-Type Revealer & AI Delusions and Write-Offs
In the episode of Adviser 3.0 The Podcast the returning SoapBox pair sit down with a new guest who brings a fresh and unfiltered take on the state of the profession. Together they dive into the FCA’s hype type tool, the noise around the budget and the confusion created by rumour driven headlines.
Watch on our YouTube Channel here >>
SoapBox Ep.2 – Abraham’s Thoughts on The Hype Type Revealer App
In this episode, we explore the FCA’s “Hype Type Revealer,” a gamified tool on social media designed to educate investors and prevent scams. Our experts discuss its effectiveness, target audience, and how gamification can make financial literacy more engaging.
SoapBox Ep.2 – Failed AI Projects and The Corporate World
In this episode, we discuss the £900K AI project write-down at FOS and why 95% of corporate AI pilots fail. Helena shares insights on realistic AI use cases, limitations, and how businesses can integrate AI effectively without overspending.
SoapBox Ep.2 – Rachel Reeves, The VCT Market, and Pensions
In this episode, we break down Rachel Reeves’s latest UK budget, exploring its impact on businesses, pensions, VCTs, and market reactions, while unpacking the pre-budget hype, media speculation, and challenges facing the Chancellor. Join us as we discuss what really matters for investors and financial advisers.
SoapBox Ep 02 – What Has Helena Built With AIDA?
AI like AIDA is bridging the advice gap, guiding people who lack access to human financial advisors. Experts discuss how conversational AI, proprietary knowledge, and tech-driven tools help users build wealth while lowering costs—but what happens when complexity grows and human advice is needed?
SoapBox Ep.3 – Passive Investing Didn’t Break Markets, It Exposed Active Management
In this episode of SoapBox, hosts Abraham and Matt are joined by Carla Brown, President of the Personal Finance Society, for a frank discussion about investor behaviour, market narratives and the pressures facing the advice profession.
Watch on our YouTube Channel here >>
SoapBox Ep.3 – British Investors and The Stock Market Crash in 2025
In 2025, UK investors withdrew £6.7 billion from equities despite record market gains. Experts explain how emotional decisions, information overload, and lack of advice drive this trend—and why behavioural coaching matters for long-term investment success.
SoapBox Ep.3 – Matt Hates on HMRC for The Christmas Work They Gave to Advisers
Caught off guard by last-minute HMRC rules? Discover how new discretionary trust registration requirements impacted accountants, financial advisers, and law firms over the holidays—and what you need to know to stay compliant.
SoapBox Ep.3 – Matt’s Thoughts on Poor Government
In this discussion, Matt explores why government rules can’t “force” people to invest, the importance of positive financial messaging, and the challenges active fund managers face in a world of passive investing. Learn why confidence, education, and long-term thinking matter more than blunt regulation.
SoapBox Ep.3 – Mentoring, Paid Internships, and Career Changers
Discover how we’re reinvigorating financial services careers. From apprenticeships and internships to mentoring, we’re opening doors for young people and career changers alike. Join us as we discuss how we’re informing future financial planners about the impact they can make every day.
SoapBox Ep.4 – Financial Advice at the AI Crossroads: Empathy, Expertise, and Human Touch in the Agentic Era
In this episode of Soapbox, Matt and Abraham are joined by Philippa Hann to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping financial services and what it means for the future of advice. They explore whether the long-held empathy advantage of human advisers is genuinely under threat, or whether AI is being overstated in industry debate. The conversation moves beyond headlines to address practical implications, including the risk to entry-level roles, the responsibility to protect new advisers from scams, and the case for maintaining high professional standards.
Watch on our YouTube Channel here >>
SoapBox Ep.4 – The Empathy Advantage Over AI
AI isn’t coming for financial services “someday” — it’s already reshaping it. In this discussion, we explore why large language models may not be the biggest concern. The real shift begins when AI starts building its own code — and when human engineers can’t keep up.
SoapBox Ep.4 – The Average Adviser is Not Good Enough
Some argue advisers will become high-end financial coaches, working deeply with just 50 clients. Others believe AI will handle the admin, compliance, and analysis — enabling advisers to serve 1,000 clients efficiently. We unpack the maths, the feasibility, and what this means for revenue, relationships, and scalability.
SoapBox Ep.4 – Mentoring to Protect New Entrants From The Bad Guys
If AI reshapes entry-level roles in financial services, how do we protect the next generation of advisers? In this conversation, we explore the role professional bodies can play — and why independent mentoring may be one of the most scalable safeguards for new entrants to the profession.
SoapBox Ep.4 – Is The FCA Reducing Standards?
As the industry tackles the advice gap, a controversial proposal has emerged. The Financial Conduct Authority is considering whether simplified “targeted advice” could be delivered with a Level 2 qualification, well below the current Level 4 minimum.
SoapBox Ep.4 – Active Management is Just Marketing
Every cycle brings a new version of the same story: markets are too concentrated, risks are too high, disaster is looming. But is this genuine concern or commercial positioning? In this discussion, we challenge the narrative around US dominance and mega-cap concentration, exploring how fear-based messaging can be used to justify higher-cost solutions.
SoapBox Ep.5 – £2.2 Trillion Idle, Mag Seven Panic & the Behavioural Wrecking Ball
Matt Pitcher and Abraham Okusanya are back on the Soapbox with no guest, no filter, just two advisers getting into the numbers that matter. In this episode they dig into the Dimson, Marsh & Staunton Global Investment Returns Yearbook 2026 and the Bessembinder paper, and the findings are uncomfortable. In 1900, railroads made up 63% of the US market. Today, less than 1%. Yet they still outperformed. 59% of individual stocks lose money over their lifetime. The median stock return is negative. And yet the market has created $91 trillion of wealth. The case for buying the haystack has never been stronger or more ignored. Then Matt takes on the great wealth destroyers: active managers quietly costing clients half a million pounds, lifestyling in pension schemes that should have died with the annuity era, risk profiling nudging clients into less equity than they need, and the £2.2 trillion sitting dead in UK bank accounts shrinking in real terms. Blunt, data-heavy, and genuinely useful for any adviser who wants the arguments and the evidence in one place.
Watch on our YouTube Channel here >>
SoapBox Ep.5 – Matt Dissects Market Marketing Myths
In a world full of market noise, how do you stay grounded as an investor? This video explores why long-term research—like the DMS studies—offers a powerful antidote to the constant stream of headlines, opinions, and marketing narratives.
SoapBox Ep.5 – Stock Market Wealth Creation Surpasses Expectations
Most stocks fail. So how does the market keep winning?In this video, we explore one of the most surprising truths in investing: around 59% of companies lose money over their lifetime—yet the stock market has created an extraordinary $91 trillion in wealth.
SoapBox Ep.5 – Active Management Fails – Cityfirms Zero Return
What does active management really cost investors? In this video, we break down a striking real-world example of a well-known investment firm that delivered 0% returns over five years—during a period when markets were rising.
SoapBox Ep.5 – Factor Investing – Worth the Wait
In this video, we explore why investors need to be willing to wait—sometimes decades—to fully realise the benefits of factor-based strategies. While simply holding the market is already a strong approach, factor investing introduces the potential for outperformance over time…but not without periods of underperformance.