InvestmentNews’ James Burton reports from Boston at Schwab IMPACT 2026, one of the biggest wealth management events of the year. He previews three days of coverage with industry professionals and experts, including a first-time attendee’s reaction from Derek Irwin, portfolio manager on the emerging markets team at Allspring Global. Follow all of our conference coverage at investmentnews.com
[00:14] James Burton: Hello everyone. My name is James Burton, from InvestmentNews. I’m speaking to you from the fabulous city of Boston. Boston is famous for many things: its sports teams, Harvard, lobster rolls, Cheers, Good Will Hunting. But we’re here, of course, for one of the biggest events in wealth management of the year, Schwab IMPACT 2026.
We’ll be hearing soon from CEO Rick Wurster on the latest of what’s happening in the industry. Meanwhile, everyone at InvestmentNews will be spending the next three days speaking to dozens of industry professionals and experts about what’s rocking their world or keeping them up at night. You can stay up to date with all our coverage at investmentnews.com. In the meantime, I’m going to go and find the best lobster roll in the city.
[01:00] James Burton: I’m delighted to be joined by Derrick Irwin, portfolio manager on the Wells Fargo Global Emerging Markets team. I believe, Derrick, this is your first time at IMPACT. Tell me your initial thoughts as you walk onto this convention hall floor.
[01:14] Derrick Irwin: It’s just incredible: the size, the scale and the excitement. There’s a real palpable energy in this huge room that’s really exciting. People are here to do some work, meet some folks, get out on the floor and talk to people. So it’s been really exciting.
[01:30] James Burton: What do you hope to get out of it? What are the hot topics you expect to be talking to people about during the conference?
[01:34] Derrick Irwin: I think the number one topic has got to be AI. What is the investment opportunity? How are we using it in our business? And what’s the future of AI? I’m going to be listening for that in particular. And of course, as an emerging markets specialist, I want to hear what people are thinking about emerging markets and how they want to access that incredible investment opportunity. Those are probably the two things I’m most focused on.
[01:58] James Burton: And what about it being held in the fabulous city of Boston? Obviously, you’re no stranger to Boston. What can attendees expect from having it hosted in this city?
[02:10] Derrick Irwin: Well, first of all, they’ve picked the perfect day for it. It’s a pristine fall day in Boston, and anybody coming to visit is really getting the best of the city. Visitors should also recognize that Boston is really a centre of investment in the United States. A lot of the people you’re going to talk to here are sitting at the heart of some of the big investment firms and the big investment ideas and trends that are happening. So they’ve really come to the right place to learn about their business.
[02:41] James Burton: And maybe grab a lobster roll too.
[02:43] Derrick Irwin: I recommend it. I recommend it, and some chowder.
[02:45] James Burton: Yeah, right. Well, thanks, Derrick. Appreciate it. Have a great conference. We’ll see you next time on InvestmentNews.
