Advisorpedia – Milemarker Empowers Advisors with Unified Data, Actionable Insights, and New-Tech Accountability

In the fast-evolving landscape of wealth management, advisory firms have long struggled with piecing together fragmented systems, siloed data, and cumbersome workflows. At the 2025 Future Proof Festival, Jud Mackrill, Co-Founder of Milemarker, opened up about his journey from renowned fintech leadership roles to building a company that’s reimagining how advisors transform data into true business value. His insights have major implications for the future of advice delivery—and for investors and financial advisors seeking an edge in today’s digital world.

From Industry Insider to Visionary Builder

Jud Mackrill’s path reads like a who’s-who of fintech: stints at Orion as Chief Marketing Officer, later as co-founder and CEO of Mineral Interactive (acquired by Carson), and leading marketing at Carson Group made him intimately familiar with both the opportunities and the pitfalls of advisor technology. “The big thing that we saw that wasn’t happening in our industry is the unification of what advisors really needed to manage their business,” Jud said, reflecting on his inspiration for launching Milemarker. “I realized that the ability to connect and transform the data that’s part of your firm and then deliver that into an experience that’s actually representative of your business is what everyone is looking for, but they didn’t have the right partner to do that.”

For Mackrill, this wasn’t just about plugging gaps. It was about building a new kind of partner—one with a fiduciary approach and deep accountability. “We’re proud to run Milemarker and make that happen for this industry and get to serve some amazing firms,” he remarked.

Pulling It Together: What Makes Milemarker Different?

At its core, Milemarker addresses a persistent industry headache: disconnected technology and “messy” data. Their solution? A platform that is agnostic of the underlying systems, capable of integrating an advisory firm’s entire data universe for actionable reporting and business intelligence.

“We help you put all that data that’s represented your firm in one place so you can report on all of it and then you can take action on all of it. To have in one place, to view it, to report on it, to analyze it, to calculate on it, but then to act on it—that’s really that trifecta that firms need and that’s what we’re proud to deliver,” Jud explained. Rather than being wedded to a single tech stack, Milemarker partners with leading platforms and focuses on giving firms real ownership of their data, which is essential for both compliance and growth.

Simplifying Complexity: Why This Matters Now

Advisory firms today face a barrage of unique workflows, business models, and legacy tech—often making even basic analysis and reporting feel Herculean. “We streamline by getting to the facts. Like, what is actually the representative truth in your firm today? And often you’re doing deep work. You’re probably doing it in Excel, you might be doing in some BI tool, but if you’re not cascading in a scalable fashion…” Jud pointed out. With Milemarker, data isn’t just integrated, it’s automated and transformed—unlocking time for skilled team members to focus on what matters most: client relationships and strategic growth.

“Firms are getting success not just in months or years—in days and weeks they’re able to experience all this for the first time and start to build upon it,” he noted.

Custom Data Models, Real Business Impact

No two advisory firms look alike, and Milemarker’s open data model acknowledges that reality. “The beauty of the way that we’ve done this is that no two advisory firms are the same… fundamentally your data model when you work with Milemarker,” Mackrill said. Whether it’s a firm with multiple planning systems, cross-functional teams, or complex acquisition histories, Milemarker brings disparate tools and data under one user ID experience, providing a complete profile view and enabling workflows that adjust to the firm—not the other way around.

The impact is tangible. As Mackrill shared: “We’re able to give that firm a single layer so that advisors can have a very guided experience day to day, and they’re not wasting their time using a CRM that they’re not going to use… We make all of that happen in a very empathetic, simple, and expedient way with really well-fed workflow.”

Defining Values to Drive Results

Milemarker’s success isn’t just due to great tech—it’s guided by core cultural values. “Drivers, not passengers, number one value. We want to be a driver for our clients. We’re going to get you to where you want to go, but we realize you might not know the road. So we’re going to be that GPS for you,” Jud explained.

Other key values include “Never let them guess”—taking away uncertainty in what can be a confusing landscape—and a rigorous standard of accountability to ensure implementations actually succeed. “We’re not going to let you guess through it. We have really trained people that care deeply about the customers we serve and then care about the process and the results you get. And then accountability is really key to making sure that this happens, because a lot of people try this on their own and they fail. For a myriad of reasons, and we want this to be very successful. We got a really, really great batting average on this,” Mackrill said.

Client Stories: Transforming Operations and Giving Back Time

Milemarker’s results show up in real-world settings for firms of all sizes. Whether working with a multidisciplinary group spanning insurance and investments, or a large corporate RIA needing to untangle complex team and compensation structures, the goal remains the same: create a single, guided layer for advisor workflows and free time for strategic work. “We simplify and automate really complex things so that you can start your week, start your day with truth about your capacity as a firm, the cost of advice, segmentation, profitability, the long-term impact to your advice system… we make that happen,” Jud shared. By enabling better use of both data and skilled people, advisors and firm leaders can devote more energy to decision-making and growth.

Looking to the Future: AI as a Feature, Not the Feature

So what’s next? Mackrill believes the next frontier is a smarter, more embedded AI—not as the star attraction, but as a consistent feature powering better decisions and business clarity. “I think it’s really putting AI as the feature it is. Like, I think a lot of times, AI is on this weird island and adoption’s really low if everyone’s being honest. But I think it’s going to become more of like a core feature, but it’s not going to be the feature, if that makes sense. I think your business becomes the feature because you’re able to really express yourself in a better way. It becomes the whole show, really,” he explained.

Why Milemarker Matters for Advisors and Investors

For financial advisors and investment leaders, the Milemarker story is a playbook for actionable data unification, efficient tech adoption, and service rooted in accountability and partnership. In an era of constant technology change, firms that take control of their data and workflows—and partner with firms invested in their long-term success—will have a clear advantage.

As Mackrill and his team see it, every advisory firm has a unique journey, but no advisory team has to travel it alone or guess at the map. With Milemarker, advisors can expect both the right tools and the right guide to turn messy data into meaningful growth.

Learn more about Milemarker on their website.