Senior product manager recognized for bringing behavioral finance and AI into the tools advisors use every day
Orion's own Senior Product Manager Cade DeNazario Akers has been named to the InvestmentNews Rising Stars 2026 list, which recognizes exceptional wealth management professionals aged 40 and under across America who are making significant contributions to the industry.
Akers contributes to three core Orion products: Orion Planning, a retirement and financial modeling platform used by broker-dealers, banks, advisors and insurance firms; Orion's CRM; and Orion's Risk Intelligence platform. He has been the primary product leader behind Orion's suite of behavioral finance tools, known as the BeFi suite. Most recently, he led product development for Pulse Check, one of the newest additions to the BeFi suite, which helps advisors better understand clients' emotional states and financial behaviors so they can start more effective conversations.
Akers' path to wealth technology began in the classroom. He taught internationally in South Korea, Colombia and Ecuador before spending seven years at Charles Schwab & Co., where he advanced from service and business roles to vice president and financial consultant and earned his CFP® certification in 2018. He joined Orion in 2021, when the firm sought someone with an advisor background to help shape product development from the inside.
Akers also plays a meaningful role in developing new AI capabilities within Orion's CRM, designed to help advisors streamline workflows so they can spend more time on client relationships. Beyond his day-to-day role, he and his team support the Foundation for Financial Planning, which brings pro bono financial planning to underserved communities, by providing technology access, corporate sponsorship and behavioral finance expertise.
