This is one outlet's own report from CoinDesk — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
In today’s newsletter, Joyce Lai explores why, with more clients integrating crypto into their estate plans, traditional advisors risk losing relevance by ignoring this growing, long-term asset class.
Then, in “Ask an Expert,” Bryan Courchesne , CEO of DAiM, answers questions about market sentiment and investment trends.
Crypto is already in your clients' estate plans. Are you managing it?
As digital assets and blockchain technology become part of the backbone of traditional finance, more individuals view crypto as something to hold for the long term, long enough to pass to their children as part of an estate plan. Despite that, a gap remains between what clients already own and what traditional advisors will touch. And in a world where an advisor's value is not only investment advice but the ability to make clients' lives easier — whether by reducing the number of accounts, amount of paperwork, or number of people to call to get things done — that gap is a touch point where advisory relationships will be won or lost.
I recently ran an informal survey of crypto-holding individuals in the Real Mamas of Crypto community, a global network of more than 220 senior professionals in tech who are also mothers. Every member is crypto-native and a decision maker in her household finances. She also has a front-row seat to what her children want next. The pattern in the responses is unambiguous, and traditional wealth advisors should take note.
Chart: Does your current financial advisor know about or manage your crypto holdings?
These are long-term allocators. Nearly every respondent described bitcoin, ether or solana as a core long-term position. Asked what they do when capital rotates into AI stocks or IPOs, the dominant answer was, “I notice but hold.” This is not the crypto-bro day trading portrayed in mainstream media. It is buy-and-hold behavior applied to a new asset class.
The crypto is already in the plan. Roughly half of respondents said crypto is part of their estate or inheritance planning, and many have considered gifting it to their children. The asset has entered the family balance sheet whether or not an advisor participates.
Nearly no one is using their wealth advisor to manage their crypto. Exactly one respondent said an advisor manages their crypto. The rest split between “they know but won't touch it,” “they don't know,” and no advisor at all. When asked what it would take to trust an advisor with these assets, respondents were specific: demonstrated industry expertise, understanding of privacy concerns, demonstrated tax and custody competence, security and credibility. One wrote that an advisor would need to be “crypto native, not a Trad-Fi advisor who read a whitepaper.”
What her children want is not what advisors are selling. In a companion informal poll of individuals aged 18 to 23, almost none would default to an advisor for money advice. They named AI tools and parents first, citing cost, trust and accessibility. Asked what a genuinely good advisor looks like, the recurring answer was collaboration: someone “doing it with me,” not explaining at them.
So how does an advisor earn attention here? The survey answers write the playbook.
One more signal worth noting: within this same community, several members who have held through multiple market cycles are now building advisory practices aimed at exactly this underserved segment. The market is not waiting.
- Joyce Lai, founder, Real Mamas Community and New Territories LLC
Q. Why are more investors seeking professional management for digital assets instead of handling everything themselves?
As digital assets mature, investors are increasingly distinguishing between speculation and wealth building. We're seeing more products that offer tradable exposure to assets — from bitcoin ETFs to pre-IPO companies — but exposure and ownership are not always the same thing.
Many investors want direct ownership of their assets without the operational risks of self-custody. As portfolios grow, they begin thinking about custody, estate planning, reporting, and long-term financial goals rather than simply making the next trade.
Historically, speculation tends to create more losers than winners. Wealth is more often built through disciplined ownership, proper planning, and a long-term investment approach. That's why many investors are looking for professional guidance that helps integrate digital assets into a broader financial plan.
There were negative headlines in March 2020. There were negative headlines during the market capitulation of late 2022. Through both periods, bitcoin experienced significant volatility, but the underlying network continued to operate exactly as designed.
That's an important distinction for advisors and investors. Headlines often reflect short-term sentiment, while long-term investment outcomes are typically driven by fundamentals.
Bitcoin was not broken then, and it is not broken now. In fact, periods of peak pessimism have historically coincided with some of the most attractive opportunities for long-term investors. While past performance is never a guarantee of future results, investors should recognize that negative news and sharp pullbacks have been recurring features of bitcoin's market cycle since its inception.
The key is to focus on why you own the asset in the first place. If the investment thesis remains intact, temporary market volatility and negative headlines should be viewed in context rather than in isolation.
Q. What should advisors be telling their clients about crypto now?
Some of the best opportunities in bitcoin have emerged when investor sentiment was at its weakest. Today, several market indicators are approaching levels that have historically coincided with periods of extreme pessimism, including March 2020 and late 2022.
History never repeats perfectly, but it often rhymes. Advisors should help clients distinguish between short-term fear and long-term fundamentals. Fo...
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.
