Founder
Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals
Ric Edelman founded the nation’s largest financial planning firm, which manages $300 billion for 1.4 million families across the U.S. He was ranked three times as the nation’s #1 Independent Financial Advisor by Barron’s, is in two industry Halls of Fame and received three lifetime achievement awards (IARFC, InvestmentNews, Tiburon CEO Summit). He holds two patents for financial product innovation, appeared on Oprah five times and was once the answer to 21 Across in a New York Times crossword puzzle.
Edelman is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of 14 books on personal finance, with more than 1.2 million copies sold in eight languages worldwide. His newest book, The Truth About College, debuted December 2025. Ric’s radio show aired for 32 years with more than one million weekly listeners. His daily podcast was ranked in the top 1% of all podcasts, and Rowan University’s Ric Edelman College of Communication, Humanities and Social Sciences is named in his honor.
Ric and his wife Jean and their dogs spend most of their time in Virginia, Arizona and New York.
As digital assets gain broader adoption, advisors are reassessing whether cryptocurrencies should still be classified as alternative investments or viewed as an emerging portfolio sleeve alongside traditional markets. This session explores how advisors can model crypto’s risk-return profile, evaluate volatility, correlation, liquidity, custody, and regulatory considerations, and determine appropriate allocation frameworks within diversified portfolios. This session will examine whether widespread usage diminishes crypto’s “alt” status or whether its structural risks and market behavior warrant continued caution, while also discussing portfolio construction best practices, client education strategies, and what the future of digital asset markets may look like as institutional adoption, regulation, and product innovation continue to evolve.