NAPFA Large Firm Forum 2025

Keynote Sessions

Investing in Life: The Promise of Longevity Technology and Its Implications for Investment Horizons

Tuesday, February 11, 2025 | 8:30 AM

Humans are poised at the threshold of remarkable changes in their relationship with time, sparked by extraordinary scientific discoveries demonstrating that the progression of aging can be dramatically slowed and even reversed. These research advances have led to interventions in aging that are currently being tested in humans and that, in coming years, may dramatically extend the normal arc of human healthy lifespan. Dr. Joel Rothman, Director of the Center for Aging and Longevity Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, will discuss the startling recent discoveries in longevity science and technology that hold hope for advancing human health by slowing and even reversing aging. He will also prompt participants to consider the impact of extending human lifespan on society, the economy, investment, and financial planning.

You will leave with:

• A clear understanding of cutting-edge longevity technologies and their potential to extend healthy lifespans and combat age-related diseases.
• Insight into the personal, societal, and ethical implications of increased healthspan and lifespan, helping you navigate future demographic and workforce shifts with confidence.
• Strategies to evaluate and integrate longevity advancements into client financial planning, from investment opportunities to adjustments in retirement and estate planning.

About the Presenter

Dr. Joel Rothman is Distinguished Professor, founding Director of the Center for Aging and Longevity Studies, and holder of the Wilcox Family Chair in Biotechnology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Professor Rothman has served as Chair of the Department of MCD Biology and Director of the Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program at UCSB and as a professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and the University of Auckland. Prior to receiving his doctorate, he was the head winemaker at Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma, California and a classical music radio program announcer.

For over three decades Dr. Rothman's laboratory has investigated aging, longevity, and regenerative medicine, supported by many research grants from the National Institute on Aging and other public and private funding agencies. He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

7 Non-Obvious Trends Shaping the Future Normal

Wednesday, February 12, 2025 | 8:30 AM

What does it take to identify world-changing trends that will actually last? For the past decade, Rohit Bhargava and Henry Coutinho-Mason have been on the front lines of the future—going into cutting-edge labs, private testing facilities, and invite-only showcases around the world. Now for the first time ever, this exclusive talk will reveal the most powerful stories and instigators that are already shaping humanity’s next decade. From biophilic skyscrapers to generative AI to haptic interfaces, this keynote will offer a clear-eyed overview of not only the technology changing our world but also explore the deeply human questions all this advancement will raise. Rather than offering “futurist theater” with obvious forgettable examples, this talk is updated with new stories (sometimes pulled from that morning’s news!), a charismatic delivery style, and interactive exercises to deliver a memorable experience for any size audience. This is not a boring academic talk. Instead, it's a pull-no-punches, always entertaining, constantly surprising, highly actionable (and deeply non-obvious!) glimpse into what the future will look like ... and how each of us can train ourselves to anticipate big shifts before they happen.

This program will help leaders and teams:

• Create a strategy to take their organization into the future and navigate significant change or disruption either through industry shifts, restructures, pandemic effects and/or new leadership.
• Gain exposure to cutting-edge ideas and technologies (as well as the innovators behind them) that can help inform new initiatives and products.

You will leave with:

• A greater understanding of the fundamental forces of disruption that are shifting consumer behavior and beliefs across industries and what this means for them.
• A roadmap of relevant innovations and advances that can help to shape strategic planning and current efforts around building products and services for existing and future potential customers.

About the Presenter

Rohit Bhargava is on a mission to inspire more non-obvious thinking in the world. He is the 3-time Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of ten books and is widely considered one of the most entertaining and original speakers on trends, innovation and marketing in the world. Rohit has been invited to deliver “non-boring” keynotes and workshops in 32 countries around the world to change the way teams and leaders think at the World Bank, NASA, Intel, LinkedIn, MetLife, Under Armour, Univision, Disney and hundreds of other well-known organizations.

Prior to becoming an entrepreneur and founding the Non-Obvious Company and Ideapress Publishing, he spent 15 years leading marketing strategy at Ogilvy and Leo Burnett where he advised global brands on human behavior, marketing and storytelling. Outside his speaking and consulting, Rohit has taught persuasive speaking and global marketing as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, is frequently quoted in the global media and writes a monthly column on non-obvious ideas for Inc magazine. Rohit lives in the Washington DC area with his wife and is a proud dad of two boys. He loves the Olympics (he’s been to five!) and actively hates cauliflower.