Managing minerals, royalties, and other unique assets requires a level of precision that many traditional wealth management platforms were never designed to support. As these assets become a larger part of holistic wealth management, companies need purpose-built solutions that improve visibility, streamline operations, and provide confidence in the data behind every decision.

We sat down with Sam Katigan, Vice President of SS&C MineralWare, to discuss his journey from land analyst to product leader, the challenges of managing unique assets, and the role of technology.

You began as a land analyst at SS&C MineralWare and now develop unique asset solutions within wealth and trust services. How has this experience influenced your current product strategy?

As a land analyst, I learned the day-to-day realities of mineral management. Working closely with clients helped me understand not only their needs, but also the challenges they face when managing complex portfolios.

This experience continues to inform our product roadmap. Much of what we have built is driven by direct client feedback and practical challenges we have seen firsthand.

Many wealth and trust organizations still manage minerals, royalties, and other unique assets manually. Why do these assets continue to present operational challenges?

Mineral assets are constantly changing as new permits are filed, rigs are deployed, ownership interests shift, and royalty payments fluctuate. Without a centralized system, it is easy for mistakes, like an incorrect decimal, to go unnoticed.

Technology brings clarity to these moving pieces by helping to monitor changes, identify discrepancies, as well as to provide a better understanding of what’s happening across an entire portfolio.

When balancing client engagement, operations, and product development, how do you prioritize immediate client needs versus long-term platform innovation?

We work with clients who bring deep industry expertise and valuable perspectives. Their feedback plays a significant role in how we prioritize development.

Instead of building isolated features for individual requests, we identify common themes in client feedback. This approach allows us to build broader capabilities and workflows that solve multiple challenges and empower companies to complete management tasks more efficiently.

Based on your experience with clients, what is the most common misconception organizations have about managing minerals, royalties, and non-operated working interests?

One of the biggest misconceptions is that what appears on the surface tells the whole story.

MineralWare provides clients with a balanced perspective and understanding of their holdings. By mapping ownership interests, breaking down revenue, auditing production volumes, tracking changing decimals, comparing costs, and ensuring every well and payment is accounted for, the platform supports more responsible asset management.

What role will technology play in enabling trust companies and wealth managers to better serve clients with complex asset holdings over the next five to ten years?

Technology will continue to transform how organizations manage unique assets. While mineral portfolios have traditionally been managed through manual processes, technology provides companies with greater visibility into ownership, production activity, and portfolio performance.

As these capabilities advance, wealth managers and trust companies will be better equipped to proactively monitor changing asset values, improve reporting accuracy, and deliver more informed guidance to clients.

As organizations look to provide more comprehensive wealth management services, unique assets can no longer be treated as an afterthought. Managing minerals, royalties, and other complex holdings requires greater visibility, accuracy, and operational efficiency than manual processes can offer. As Sam’s insights show, purpose-built technology brings greater clarity to these assets, streamlines management, and delivers a fuller picture of client wealth.

To learn more about how SS&C MineralWare simplifies mineral management, call (817) 735-8195 or email info@sscmineralware.com.