Hello FINTECHTALKERS!
In this episode, I sat down with Sharon Rodriguez, CEO of HighPeak AI and venture partner at 1843 Capital, to explore how data, AI, and deep insurance insight are transforming long-term care planning. Backed by Prudential and built on three decades of claims and underwriting data, HighPeak is rethinking how Americans plan for healthcare, retirement, and the silver economy. Sharon shares her journey from MetLife’s global IT strategy to startup success, and how HighPeak is creating tools that deliver hyper-personalized financial forecasting and remove the anxiety from aging.
We talk a lot about wealth creation, but what about wealth preservation?
Sharon Rodriguez joins us on FINTECHTALK to unpack the massive opportunity—and the growing anxiety—around healthcare and long-term care costs in the U.S., especially for aging Americans. HighPeak AI is addressing this challenge with a solution that blends predictive analytics, Monte Carlo simulations, and 30 years of claims data to deliver personalized insights to financial advisors, insurance agents, and broker-dealers.
Key takeaways from the episode:
The $80 trillion silver economy is grossly underserved
90% of people feel lost when it comes to long-term care planning
HighPeak's platform enables advisors to give clients a customized, data-driven picture of health and care costs over time
The AI models factor in demographics, health, lifestyle, and even geographic choices (like retiring in Georgia vs. New York)
Advisors are equipped not just to plan, but to explain, bridging the trust gap in an emotionally complex space
Future insurance and wealth products will be shaped by consumer expectations for personalization and transparency
We also discuss how AI will evolve the advisor’s role, not eliminate it, and how the future of wealth management will be hybrid, empathetic, and insight-led.
Listen now and discover how Sharon and her team at HighPeak are reframing longevity, not as a liability, but as a solvable planning challenge.
Timestamp Table
0:00 – 1:15 – Welcome + Meet Sharon Rodriguez
From MetLife to HighPeak: Sharon’s journey across IT, insurance, and investing.
1:16 – 6:00 – Why Long-Term Care Is the Elephant in the Room
$80 trillion in retirement wealth at risk—yet most Americans avoid planning for care.
6:01 – 11:30 – How HighPeak Works: Monte Carlo + AI + Real Claims Data
Three decades of data and stochastic modeling fuel the platform’s deeply personalized planning tools.
11:31 – 15:00 – What Advisors Actually Need
Tools that explain—not just compute—complex financial futures, in plain language clients understand.
15:01 – 19:45 – The Future of Wealth and Insurance Products
Expect hybrid models, emotional intelligence, and full transparency as table stakes.
19:46 – 24:00 – Use Cases and Partnerships
Working with broker-dealers, insurers, and advisors to embed AI without replacing the human connection.
24:01 – 28:00 – Shaping the Next Generation of Fintech Leaders
Advice for fintech builders entering regulated, emotionally complex markets.
28:01 – 30:00 – What’s Next for HighPeak
Product expansion, broader partnerships, and continuing to empower advisors to lead conversations about aging.
FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and Crypto and was recently ranked in the Best 100 Future Tech Podcasts by Million Podcasts.
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Enjoy and always be in the know,
Paddy Ramanathan
Founder of iValley and Host of the FINTECHTALK™ Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)
Interested in sponsorship opportunities and be associated with sculpting the future? Please reach out to fintechtalk@substack.com.
Thanks to ChatGPT for suggestions.
(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)
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