As was the case this year, President Donald Trump is poised to shape many of the priorities for wealth management and the broader financial system in 2026.
His administration is signaling shifts on several fronts, from ending quarterly earnings reporting and expanding presidential authority over the Federal Reserve and other agencies to giving investors greater access to private equity and credit.
But Trump is far from the only figure who will wield influence.
Leaders throughout wealth management — policy makers, regulators, academics, product architects, tech innovators and more — will also play a big part in setting the trends for 2026.
That includes people like Rick Wurster, the new Schwab CEO with big shoes to fill at the retail juggernaut; Jason Wenk, who is building a custodial challenger aimed squarely at Schwab’s dominance; Kimberly Watkins, the Ph.D. preparing the next generation of financial planners; and Frank Bisignano, a Trump appointee now wearing the unusual double hat of CEO of the IRS and commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
Here are 20 people (21, technically) we believe will make their presence felt in the industry next year. To learn more about them, read on. (For last year’s list of change makers, click here.)
