Latest news with #JohnO'Connell
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Only the sharp-eyed will spot the one difference in these deceptively similar pictures
Many Instagram users enjoy spot-the-difference challenges. These puzzles show two very similar images with small differences, and the challenge is to spot what's different. These challenges are not only fun but also help improve concentration, attention to detail, and visual memory. Think you have sharp eyes? Can you find the one difference in these two pictures?(@spot_the_difference_007/Instagram) Here's such a spot-the-difference brainteaser posted on Instagram by @spot_the_difference_007, which challenges viewers to compare two flight scenes that look quite similar. The images show a flight attendant serving champagne. There's only one subtle difference between the pictures, and spotting it can be tricky at first glance. 'Can you spot the difference between these two first-class flight scenes?' the caption of the post reads. Check out the brain teaser here: The brain teaser: This brain teaser is a 'spot the difference' challenge. Two nearly identical images are shown side by side. The goal is simple: find the single detail that is different between them. While it may look easy at first, spotting the change tests your observation skills, focus, and attention to detail. Here's how people reacted to this brain teaser Instagram users tried the challenge and shared their guesses about the one difference. One user, John O'Connell, commented, 'The right shoe heel drops just below the chair bottom in the top picture.' A second user, Sebastián Delgado, commented, 'The heel of the woman's right shoe is longer in the image above and shorter in the image below. It's barely noticeable, but it's there.' Another user, Drè Davis, commented, 'The Suit at the top is slightly darker than the suit at the bottom.' Many users said it was harder than they thought, as even a small change can be tricky to spot.
Irish Examiner
21-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
North Cork farm fetches around €13k/acre at auction
In the week leading up to the All-Ireland hurling final, GVM Auctioneers were delighted to announce the successful auction of farms in Cork and Limerick. The Golden Vale farms specialists had a 38-acre Cork farm up for sale on Thursday, July 17, at the Springfort Hall Hotel in Mallow, with online bids also coming via the LSL platform. The farm was at Mount Nagle, approximately 7km from Mallow and 6km from New Twopothouse, with auctioneer (and Tipperary man) Tom Crosse describing it as a superb holding with medium quality land and an old derelict house. There were four bidders participating in a lively auction. The bidding opened at €350,000, and after a quick series of bids, the property was placed on the market once it reached a figure of €475,000. A final bid of €480,000 won the day. The buyers were described as local professionals who intend on redeveloping the house. The underbidders were local farmers. The previous day, a 33-acre farm at Moig West, Pallaskenry, went under the hammer at GVM's Limerick City auction rooms. The farm consisted of rough grazing, so it was a strong result that saw it sell for a combined figure of €350,000. It was sold in two lots, with Lot 1 consisting of a residence on 0.5 acres with two sheds – something which helped push up its overall value. At €10,600/acre, auctioneer John O'Connell was delighted with the result, stating that he had disappointed underbidders seeking good quality holding all over Co Limerick.
Business Wire
15-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Advisor360° Achieves 'Summiteer' Recognition in The Oasis Group's Peaks for Wealth Platforms Report
NEEDHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Advisor360° has been recognized as a Summiteer in a new research report from The Oasis Group, a leading consultancy for the wealth management industry. The Summiteer designation is reserved for the highest-performing WealthTech platforms—those with comprehensive and flexible product offerings that meet the needs of a broad cross-section of wealth managers. 'We're honored to be recognized by The Oasis Group for our work enabling firms to offer more efficient, advisor-friendly experiences,' said Darren Tedesco, President of Advisor360°. The Peaks Research for Wealth Platforms evaluates how the industry's top technology platforms empower wealth management firms to better serve clients, analyzing ideal customer personas, strengths, areas for improvement, and overall market positioning. The 10 platforms featured in the report represent more than $25 trillion in tracked assets. 'Advisor360 ° scored very well in The Oasis Group Peaks for Wealth Platforms study. Its unified wealth management infrastructure with a single data model eliminates the need to manage multiple third-party vendors for integrations. This sets the firm apart from the other enterprise platforms that grew through acquisitions,' said John O'Connell, founder and CEO of The Oasis Group. 'We expect Advisor360 ° 's recent acquisition of Parrot AI to quickly increase its platform's AI capabilities, providing a competitive edge in the enterprise wealth platform market.' The report notes that the Advisor360 ° platform is a standout in the following areas: Unified Wealth Management Infrastructure Enterprise-Grade Scalability and Control Advanced Digital Account Opening Workflow Single Data Model Across the Platform Embedded Compliance and Oversight Tools Client Portal and Digital Collaboration Tools 'Without the right tools, advisors can't provide the service that clients expect—so outdated technology is more than an inconvenience, it's a barrier to business growth,' said Darren Tedesco, President of Advisor360 °. 'We're honored to be recognized by The Oasis Group for our work enabling firms to offer more efficient, advisor-friendly experiences.' About Peaks Research for Wealth Platforms The third report in The Oasis Group's Peaks Research series, Peaks Research for Wealth Platforms offers a review of leading wealth management platforms for the purpose of educating buyers at Registered Investment Advisor, Broker-Dealer, and Family Office firms. The study compares 10 platforms based on their observable capabilities across 11 focus areas and scores each platform using a standard scoring method. This in-depth and fact-based analysis provides wealth management firms with a comprehensive view of each platform's capabilities. To learn more, visit About Advisor360° Advisor360° builds, integrates, and delivers technology for wealth management firms. The company's award-winning, integrated, and open architecture SaaS platform brings a connected digital wealth experience to financial advisors, their clients, and the home office. Powered by AI-driven insights, Advisor360° streamlines portfolio and performance reporting, financial planning, insurance, proposal generation, trading and model management, document management, analytics, and compliance. The company's proprietary Unified Data Fabric® (UDF) ensures seamless integration with existing tech stacks. Today, three million households with $1 trillion in assets benefit from the connected Advisor360° experience. To learn more, visit
Business Wire
09-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
The Oasis Group Releases Research Report Analyzing Wealth Platforms
FORT MILL, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Oasis Group, a leading consultancy for the wealth management industry, recently released a new research report on Wealth Platforms serving the wealth management industry. The comprehensive study evaluates the role of wealth technology platforms in how wealth management firms serve clients and examines 10 of the top platforms serving the wealth management community: Addepar, Advisor360°, AdvisorEngine, Advyzon, d1g1t, Envestnet, Masttro, Orion, Private Wealth Systems, and SS&C Black Diamond. Collectively, these platforms represent over $25 trillion in assets under administration. The wealth platforms that serve wealth management firms are integral to the smooth functioning of investment operations, offering services ranging from account opening, trading, rebalancing, fee billing, unified web-based and mobile app client experience. Share 'Wealth management firms play a crucial role in the investment management landscape, providing tailored financial advice to clients,' said John O'Connell, founder and CEO of The Oasis Group. 'The wealth platforms that serve these wealth management firms are integral to the smooth functioning of investment operations, offering services ranging from digital account opening, trading, rebalancing, fee billing, to a unified web-based and mobile app client experience.' The goal of the Peaks Research for Wealth Platforms, which is the third research report in The Oasis Group's Peaks Research series, is to review the leading wealth management platforms based on The Oasis Group's experience working with Registered Investment Advisor, Broker Dealer, and Family Office firms, with the intent being to educate the wealth management buyer. The study compares each platform based on their observable capabilities across 11 focus areas and scores each platform using a standard scoring method. This in-depth and fact-based analysis provides wealth management firms with a comprehensive analysis of each platform's capabilities that cannot be found elsewhere. Wealth management firms reviewing wealth platform options in the marketplace can use this research to create a short list of providers based on their requirements. In addition to providing in-depth reports on each of the 10 providers, The Oasis Group created a Peaks Perspective Chart, similar to the firm's Peaks Research for Custodian Platforms and Peaks Research for AI Note Takers. The Peaks Perspective Chart for wealth platforms can only be found within the full Peaks Research for Wealth Platforms report. The Peaks Perspective Chart positions each of the 10 wealthtech providers on a scale of Current Product Offering vs. Ability to Execute. The Oasis Group compiled the service provider's self-reported scores to create the Current Product Offering axis. The Ability to Execute axis leveraged a variety of data, including the leadership team's experience in the wealth management industry, the firm's funding, the application's integrations with other applications in the wealth management ecosystem, and the application's ease of use in demonstrations. In addition, each service provider is categorized as a Summiteer, representing the leading firms in the space that other market participants are pursuing, a Mountaineer, which have solid solutions that may lack some of the features of the market leaders, or a Climber, which offer solid products but lack the breadth of features to compete effectively for the business of large or enterprise firms. Full research methodology – including inclusion and exclusion criteria, approach to collecting data, demonstration process, customer reference validation, and evaluation criteria – can be found within the report. The third entry into The Oasis Group's Peaks Research series comes on the heels of the Peaks Research for AI Note Takers, released in April 2025, which evaluates the role of AI Note Takers in the wealth management sector – specifically analyzing their impact on financial advisors and their teams – and provides an in-depth analysis on six leading AI Note Takers serving the wealth management industry. To learn more about the Peaks Research series, please click here. To purchase the full Peaks Research for Wealth Platforms report, please click here. THE OASIS GROUP RELEASES NEW EXPANDED EDITION OF AI WEALTHTECH MAP In 2024, The Oasis Group launched their AI WealthTech Map, an industry-leading resource that financial advisors and wealth management firms can use to find leading artificial intelligence solutions and AI-focused firms serving the financial services industry. As the list expands with every edition, the June 2025 map features a new multipage workbook format that follows the sales cycle of a wealth manager, identifying and categorizing 83 leading firms into three overarching categories: 1. Lead Generation/Sales (prospecting, writing assistants, note takers, proposal generation); 2. Practice Management (AI assistants/co-pilots, next best action, video communication, portfolio creation, investment management and research); and 3. Financial Planning (specialty planning, philanthropy), Back Office (compliance solutions, data aggregation), and Firm Growth (M&A). To access the latest edition of the interactive AI WealthTech Map, please click here. In the 2025 Industry Awards, often referred to as the Wealthies, The Oasis Group CEO John O'Connell was named a finalist for Professional Services Firms CEO of the Year, and The Oasis Group was named a finalist for Industry Research Providers – thanks to the Peaks Research series and AI WealthTech Map. An industry leading awards program, the Wealthies honor the best companies, people, and organizations supporting financial advisor success. A record-breaking number of nominations were submitted for the 11 th Annual Industry Awards – 1,209 entries from more than 400 companies. Nearly 300 organizations were selected as finalists in one or more of the firm or individual categories in this year's awards program, and only 120 companies distinguished themselves with multiple finalist submissions – including The Oasis Group. Winners will be selected by an independent panel of industry judges and announced at the Wealthies Awards Ceremony, which will be held at the Cipriani 42 nd Street in New York City on September 4 th. To learn more and see the full list of finalists, please click here. ABOUT THE OASIS GROUP The Oasis Group is a leading consultancy in the wealth management industry, helping wealth management and financial technology firms create and focus on their unique value proposition to attract advisors and clients, and ultimately generate higher revenue. The Oasis Group offers award-winning consulting services, industry-leading research, and compelling on-demand training for wealth management firms and the service providers who serve the wealth management industry. With extensive leadership experience in both emerging businesses and mature, established organizations, founder John O'Connell and his team are passionate about helping financial services and technology firms solve their most complex technology and sales challenges, helping clients stay focused on their growth, generate more revenue through great sales processes, build fantastic products by understanding the market and competition, and provide amazing service to their customers and clients. To learn more about The Oasis Group, visit
RTÉ News
26-06-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Widespread concerns among bank staff over AI
There is widespread concern among staff in the financial services sector over the possible effects of artificial intelligence (AI), according to a new survey. The research was conducted by the Financial Services Union (FSU) and the think tank TASC. It shows that job displacement, lack of reskilling opportunities and bias in decision-making are among the top concerns for workers. The report examined both the opportunities and challenges posed by AI and found that 88% of respondents believe AI will lead to job displacement, while 60% report feeling less secure in their roles than they did five years ago. Over 61% of respondents expressed unease about AI being used in hiring, firing, and promotion decisions. More than half of workers said they are concerned about increased managerial oversight and surveillance through AI systems, fearing a loss of privacy and greater performance monitoring. Despite these concerns, some workers recognised AI's positive impacts. Around 45% of respondents said they feel AI may lead to less time spent on administrative tasks and 30% feel it may improve data analytics. "The use of artificial intelligence is expanding at an alarming rate across the financial services sector, and it is incumbent on all key stakeholders to ensure AI is used for the benefit of workers and consumers," said FSU General Secretary John O'Connell. "The FSU has successfully concluded an AI agreement with Bank of Ireland which commits the bank to collectively bargain any changes that may occur due to the expansion of AI," Mr O'Connell added. Molly Newell, researcher at TASC, said that without clear commitments to equity, inclusion, and transparency, the widespread adoption of AI in financial services risks deepening existing inequalities. "We must ensure this technology serves the common good - strengthening, rather than undermining, social and economic cohesion," Ms Newell said. The Financial Services Union surveyed 604 employees, 602 of whom were FSU members. On Monday, the Chief Executive of AIB Colin Hunt took part in a panel discussion at a Bloomberg event in Dublin. Asked what impact AI will have on staffing numbers at the bank over the next five years, Mr Hunt said it may lead to a small reduction in net headcount. "I do think that there are certain manual processes that we do now that will be done by AI in the future, and probably net headcount will be broadly stable with a slight downward bias maybe," Mr Hunt said.
