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Schwab Institutional Webcast: Portfolio Rebalancer Enhancements

Posted on November 17, 2008 by in Efficiency, Software

Schwab RebalancerOn my radar this week is a Schwab Institutional Webcast on the recent enhancements to their Portfolio Rebalancer utility.  After viewing an excellent demo of Tamarac on Day 2 of the NAPFA Technology Conferencein Las Vegas, I’m interested in seeing what Schwab is doing to position their own rebalancing and trading tools to streamline trading operations in independent adviser offices.

The webcast will be held this Thursday, November 20 at 4:00PM EST/1:00PST.  Unfortunately our company has an all-day offsite staff retreat scheduled for Thursday, so I’m not able to attend the webcast.  I’ll look for a link to the webcast archive and post it here if one is available.

It features Heath Batz, senior manager of online trading tools at Schwab Institutional, and Michael Granger, Vice President of Implementation and Client Management at Advisor Software, Inc. 

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Another ByAllAccounts “Under the Hood” Session

Posted on October 27, 2008 by in Efficiency, Technology

ByAllAccounts, the account aggregation service provider, is holding another “under the hood” session in November.  I blogged about their first session in September, but I missed it due to a scheduling conflict.

I signed up for the next session to be held on:

November 5, 2008
2:00 – 3:00 Eastern Time

Visit my previous post to read more or simply go to the ByAllAccounts website to register.

Has Laborious Client Data Entry Met Its Match?

Posted on September 18, 2008 by in Efficiency, Software

PreciseFPI recently ran across a new practice management tool on PRWeb of all places.  The tool is called PreciseFP and is available through Spectrum Input, LLC, a software service company based in Alpharetta, Georgia.  Spectrum Input, LLC was founded by Don Whalen, CFP® and Sebastian Skwarek, a specialist in Adobe technology solutions.

Click here to read the PreciseFP press release on PRWeb.

What PreciseFP aims to do is simplify the data gathering and entry process advisers face when bringing a new client into the firm.  I don’t quite make the connection with the phrase “precise financial planning (FP)” to data gathering, but still, the application has promise in streamlining the potential volumes of data gathered by advisers and their staff.  PreciseID is a cooler name, but it’s already taken by Experian.

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Look Under the Hood of ByAllAccounts

Posted on September 12, 2008 by in Efficiency, Technology

Hot Rod

In February 2008, I adopted the use of the ByAllAccounts WebPortfolio and Custodial Integrator data aggregation service.  I blogged a little bit about it here and here, and am working on a more comprehensive review of the service addressing how I’ve successfully integrated it into our operations process.

But until then, I wanted to point out an invitation from the folks at ByAllAccounts to take a “look under hood” of the service.

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Stop Sending “Dear Valued Client” Emails

Posted on August 12, 2008 by in Efficiency, Software

emailI wanted to address a recent article by David Drucker in August’s Financial Advisor Magazine titled Keeping the Lines Open. Here’s the important section (my emphasis added):

Also basic but often overlooked are commonly accepted rules for an effective client e-mail. Says Gregory, you maximize its effectiveness by making sure your e-mail has a compelling subject line, is tightly written and edited, is addressed and targeted to one client at a time and is designed with a lot of white space, which makes the e-mails easier to read by allowing you to compose them in a noncluttered, eye-inviting manner.

“But Bill,” you might say, “I’d love to send out personalized and targeted emails to all of my clients, but with 250 clients, it would take many hours or even a full day.” Instead, I can imagine what “targeted” emails advisers might be sending now:

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Quickly Change Managed Accounts in dbCAMS

Posted on August 5, 2008 by in Efficiency, Portfolio Management Software

CAMS Command Window ThumbThe portfolio management software (PMS) currently used in my firm is dbCAMS+.  While many advisers and back-office support staff that I talk to feel dbCAMS+ lacks powerful features, I find that there are hidden gems in the software if you know where to find them.

dbCAMS Command Window

For example, I discovered the Command Window buried in dbCAMS’ Tools menu not too long ago.  The Command Window allows scripts, both basic and complex, to be executed in order to modify database information.  One example where the Command Window has proved to be very powerful is when I need to change non-managed assets of a client to managed assets as they increase their level of service with the firm.

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Expand Outlook Efficiency with Switch Options

Posted on June 19, 2008 by in Efficiency, Software

Command LinePreviously I wrote about creating a desktop shortcut icon to open an Outlook email window to avoid opening the entire Outlook program.  My instructions included a switch option ( /c ipm.note ) to invoke the message window.

The /c switch is just one of many command line options when running Outlook.  I found a nice concise list of the various command line switch options to perform specific tasks using Outlook. 

While most are not nearly as useful as the new message window switch, I like having a reference to this kind of information just in case I need it in the future.

Click here for the list of Outlook command line switch options (opens in new window)

Create a New Message Shortcut for Outlook

Posted on June 17, 2008 by in Efficiency, Software

Outlook ShortcutIn my previous post today I blogged about only accessing Outlook three times during my day to reduce distractions.  Then I realized that even though I want to keep the program closed, I want to be able to send messages to clients and coworkers.

On a side note, let me say that I try to keep the messages I send to others concise and relevant for the recipients.  Nevertheless, my role and responsibilities require that I send out confirmations and notifications on internal matters such as security transactions, fund receipts and disbursements, and the occasional status update.

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