I posted back in October that FINRA scheduled a webinar to discuss guidelines when using social networking websites. The webinar was scheduled for December 16, 2009.
I learned today via AdvisorTweets on Twitter that the webinar has been postponed for three months. It now is scheduled for March 17, 2010. One thing that hasn’t changed is the $50 member/$100 non-member registration fee required to attend the event.
Click the image below to connect to FINRA’s website and get the new details.
Over the weekend I received an invitation to Google Wave and have finished setting up access with my account.
What’s Google Wave?
My favorite description so far of Google Wave is that it’s the Play Doh of communication: there are no obvious instructions, but you can pretty much do anything with it.
So if you’re on Google Wave, connect with me and let’s see what we can make. (Sorry, I’m out of invitations!)
My address is billwinterberg@googlewave.com.
I also created a public wave specifically for financial planning. Search for with:public “financial planning” to find it.
Marion Asnes, editor in Chief of Financial Planning magazine, is tweeting live from this week’s Financial Behavior in Retirement Summit in Philadelphia, PA.
If you’re like me, you had no clue this summit was underway this week. This is a shame, as judging from Marion’s tweets and the agenda for the remainder of the summit, Financial Behavior in Retirement looks to be an outstanding conference. Just take a glance at a short list of who is presenting:
So here’s a quick peek at the tweets sent over the course of Monday’s sessions. Most have been tagged with #FBR2009 (I’ve edited them for legibility):
Here’s a quick integration of Twitter and Wordle on how the services can be combined to gain insight on a topic very quickly. I’ve written about Wordle before; it’s a web-based tool to create word clouds from text.
Earlier today, technology columnist David Pogue asked the following question on Twitter:
Lots of replies came in, so it’s difficult to determine which apps are the most recommended among those that replied.
Last week I wrote about how the Dropbox service prevented minor embarrassment when my presentation slides weren’t loaded on the presentation laptop.
I finally got around to reading the October edition of Forbes magazine and saw Lee Gomes’ Digital Tools column.
Click here to read Forget Disruption. Dive Deep Instead on Forbes.com.
The point of the column is how Dropbox programmers worked extremely hard to tackle some very difficult code, yet the result is a simple and elegant program that just works. Once you “get” the concept of Dropbox and start using it, you wonder how you ever lived without it.
ByAllAccounts, one of the leading asset aggregation providers in the independent investment adviser space, just announced two incentives for advisers using the Schwab Performance Technologies® PortfolioCenter® portfolio management system.
Here are the details:
If you’re a current PortfolioCenter® user, you can earn a $500 credit for each referral that signs up for the aggregation service by December 31, 2009.
I just returned from presenting at the SRI in the Rockies 2009 pre-conference event hosted for members of the First Affirmative Financial Network. I presented two breakout sessions for the group, one on using CRM systems to enhance relationship continuity with clients and one on increasing adviser productivity.
One of the tools I recommend in my productivity presentation is a service from Dropbox. Dropbox is a utility that synchronizes all files stored in the Dropbox folder on a computer with any of your other computers where the software is installed. It also has a web interface to browse, view, and download the files stored in the folder. The first 2GB of data stored on Dropbox is free; additional storage is available for a nominal fee.
Like them or not, FINRA is getting the jump on the SEC over issuing guidelines to registered representatives regarding the use of social networking.
FINRA is offering a compliance webinar on December 16, 2009 to cover “compliance and regulatory considerations when using social networking sites to communicate firm business.”
Why FINRA decided to charge $50 for members and $100 for non-members is beyond me. I would think they would want to make this information free to increase compliance with the guidelines set by FINRA. I digress.
So I’m reviewing my messages in GMail this evening and happened to glance over at the Google AdWords. In the top spot is an ad for Junxure CRM and boasts how “Version 7 Rocks!” (the mixed use of upper and lower case is interesting, too)
Isn’t Junxure on version 8 now?
ProTracker Software Inc., the makers of ProTracker Advantage, announced an update to its resident CRM system (i.e. not SaaS or cloud service) as well as a new version of its Compliance Manual.
Full coverage of the releases is provided by Davis Janowski at Investment News.
ProTracker Advantage is a CRM system originally developed by Warren J. Mackensen, a fee-only planner in Hampton, N.H., for use in financial planning and wealth management firms.
In my opinion, ProTracker is a suitable CRM solution for advisers who seek a system with a lower learning curve than competitors and one that is not hosted over the Internet (and subject to service interruptions and less-than-realtime performance). Although one drawback of locally-installed programs is that someone must perform the update to the latest version!
