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Social CRM for financial advisers: How activity streams will enhance client relationships

Posted on February 13, 2014 by in Social Media, Technology

Wealthbox CRM wants to deliver "Social CRM" to financial advisers

Wealthbox CRM wants to deliver “Social CRM” to financial advisers

Social CRM for financial advisers ushers in a new paradigm in managing client relationships

Your day begins with quick glance at your mobile device. Open an app and you see that six of your clients are traveling for business, two of them overseas. Another client just revealed that her daughter’s volleyball team won a regional championship.

At first it sounds like you’re checking your Facebook feed. Or perhaps you’re swiping through lists on Twitter.

But in fact, you’re checking your social CRM.

Social CRM for Financial Advisers

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and more attract billions of users month after month by aggregating updates from your professional, personal, and social connections.

So why not build the same functionality into CRM software, the technology advisers use the most day after day?

Wealthbox CRM

One startup doing so is New York City-based Gotham Tech Labs with the introduction of Wealthbox CRM.

I reviewed the final beta version of Wealthbox CRM prior to its general release announced at this week’s 2014 T3 Conference and provided my impressions in this month’s Morningstar Advisor column.

So go visit Morningstar Advisor and find out how a social CRM might open up new opportunities in your business.

Image credit: Wealthbox.com

T3 2014: MoneyGuidePro to integrate Yodlee for account aggregation

Posted on February 11, 2014 by in Conferences, Technology

Bob Curtis, President and CEO of MoneyGuidePro (right) forecasting the future of financial planning with Harold Evensky (left)

Bob Curtis, President and CEO of MoneyGuidePro (right) forecasting the future of financial planning with Harold Evensky (left)

Popular MoneyGuidePro financial planning software to aggregate held away accounts through a new Yodlee integration

Ask most technology consultants and financial advisers about their account aggregation options, and you’ll likely hear just a few common names.

ByAllAccounts, Fiserv’s CashEdge, and perhaps Intuit.

But Yodlee?

That solution almost never gets mentioned.

Until now.

MoneyGuidePro Integrates Yodlee

In a packed general session at the 2014 Technology Tools for Today (T3) conference, Bob Curtis, President and CEO of MoneyGuidePro announced that the popular financial planning software program will soon integrate account aggregation functionality using services from Yodlee.

One of the reasons I believe Yodlee hasn’t gained traction among financial services technology solutions is price. Yodlee is a rather expensive solution relative to its counterparts in the marketplace.

But MoneyGuidePro is breaking down the potential barrier of cost with very aggressive pricing.

Yodlee For $1 a Day

In his general session, Curtis announced that MoneyGuidePro will offer the Yodlee integration at an introductory cost of $365 annually. That’s right, just $1 per day.

And as to when the Yodlee integration will be available, Curtis told advisers that the account aggregation functionality is anticipated to be rolled out in Q2 of 2014.

For more information on the Yodlee integration with MoneyGuidePro, read the full press release at BusinessWire.

T3 2014: SEI enters the integration arms race through strategic partnerships with Redtail Technology, MoneyGuidePro, and ActiFi

Posted on February 11, 2014 by in Conferences, Technology

left to right: Redtail Technology CEO Brian McLaughlin, ActiFi CEO Spenser Segal, PIETech CIO Tony Leal, SEI Advisor Network Director of Research and Validation Raef Lee

left to right: Redtail Technology CEO Brian McLaughlin, ActiFi CEO Spenser Segal, PIETech CIO Tony Leal, SEI Advisor Network Director of Research and Validation Raef Lee

SEI announces strategic partnerships and enters the integration arms race dominated by four leading custodians

When you think of custodians that make headlines for technology integration initiatives, four institutions likely come to mind.

The “Big Four” Integrated Custodians

In no particular order, Schwab Advisor Services, Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services, TD Ameritrade Institutional, and Pershing LLC are the custodians most advisers observe as each tries to one-up the other in the technology integration arms race.

On a side note, emerging advisers with small but growing businesses are paying attention to developments at TradePMR, Scottrade, and Shareholders Service Group.

SEI Enters The Integration Arms Race

But another custodian looking to enter the arms race of integration is SEI, the Oaks, Penn.-based company providing outsourced services to financial advisers for more than 20 years. SEI serves over 5,700 advisors who collectively manage over $41 billion in assets under management.

Raef Lee, Director of Research and Validation. SEI Advisor Network

Raef Lee, Director of Research and Validation. SEI Advisor Network

In a pre-conference meeting at T3 2014, Raef Lee, Director of Research and Validation for the SEI Advisor Network, revealed that the company is entering into a strategic partnership with leading technology and consulting providers Redtail Technology, MoneyGuidePro, and ActiFi.

In development for the last 18 months, and actively under construction for the last nine, SEI plans to rollout the complete solution to advisers by the end of 2014.

Cross Application Workflow Automation

“The partnership will provide the first true cross application workflow automation platform for end-to-end processing orchestrated across multiple applications,” said Spenser Segal, founder and CEO of ActiFi.

In other words, advisers using SEI’s new integrated solution will be able to initiate workflows in Redtail that then execute actions on the custodial side without ever leaving the Redtail environment. It’s the “without ever leaving Redtail” that makes this solution unique.

From Financial Plans to Proposals

Another key differentiator of SEI’s proposed solution is the ability to generate investor proposals using information previously created in MoneyGuidePro financial plans.

“There’s never been a good integration with a proposal system, so having this new integration to seamlessly pass account and client information is the most exciting thing about this solution,” said Tony Leal, CIO and partner at PieTech, the providers of MoneyGuidePro financial planning software.

No Cost Integration

SEI also announced that the new integrated solution will be offered at no cost to advisers who affiliate with SEI.

Advisers will need to purchase standard subscriptions to Redtail CRM and MoneyGuidePro, which combined cost less than $2,000 per year. However, activating and using the SEI solution is free.

For all the details on the upcoming SEI integrated solution, read the press release at MarketWire.com.

Unboxing the 2013 Mac Pro: The ultimate desktop for financial advisers

Posted on January 8, 2014 by in Technology

The all-new Mac Pro is a powerhouse loaded with processors and memory, but it might (just might) be a little bit overkill for financial advisers

(Watch the Mac Pro Unboxing on YouTube)

In December 2013, I was lucky enough to receive my order of the all-new Apple Mac Pro.

You see, videos have become an important part of content and material on FPPad, and the 2009 iMac I was using was beginning to show its age.

It didn’t help that I recently stepped up to weekly production of FPPad Bits and Bytes episodes, meaning that I was quickly taxing the limited memory and hard drive space of the iMac.

Speed, and then some

So why did I buy the Mac Pro?

In a word, speed.

Each episode of FPPad Bits and Bytes requires several hours of editing in post production. My editing software of choice is Apple’s Final Cut Pro X.

Episodes feature a lot of cut-away video, pop-up images, jammin’ music, and four boxes of simultaneous video in the credits. All of that resulted in final video rendering times of 45 to 60 minutes on the old computer.

How long does it take the Mac Pro to render an episode?

Three.

Yes, three minutes!

Mac Pro Configuration

Here is the complete configuration of my Mac Pro and its accessories shown in the video above.

Mac Pro, 6-Core and Dual GPU with 3.5GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon E5 processor: http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/mac-pro

PROMISE Pegasus2 R4 8TB (4 by 2TB) Thunderbolt 2 RAID System: http://store.apple.com/us/product/HE151VC/A/promise-pegasus2-r4-8tb-4-by-2tb-thunderbolt-2-raid-system?fnode=5f

Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch): http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC914LL/B/apple-thunderbolt-display-27-inch?fnode=53

KRK RP5G3-NA Rokit 5 Generation 3 Powered Studio Monitor

Not For Everyone

Should every financial adviser own a Mac Pro? Probably not.

If you’re considering publishing audio and video content in the future, or you are already doing it now, then yes, you likely will want to upgrade to a Mac Pro.

The Mac Pro is designed to work with processor-intensive programs like Final Cut Pro, Aperture, Garage Band, and more.

If you use your computer primarily for web browsing, accessing cloud-based programs, and composing documents with Microsoft Office applications, the Mac Pro is overkill for those applications.

But for me, the Mac Pro is exactly what I’ve needed, and I’m very glad it is sitting on my desk.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to delete the 500 GB of video files hogging up the old iMac’s hard drive.

 

Watch the Mac Pro unboxing on YouTube

Watch the Mac Pro unboxing on YouTube

inStream abandons free plan, introduces subscription pricing

Posted on January 8, 2014 by in Software, Technology

Financial planning software startup inStream Solutions drops its free pricing plan, switches to annual subscription model

inStream Solutions made a splash in late 2011 with the introduction of its free financial planning software tool for financial advisers (watch Video Spotlight: inStream Solutions CEO Alex Murguia on achieving proactive financial planning).

But like many startups, inStream just made a pivot in its business model that eliminates the free plan altogether for some 2,000 users.

inStream No Longer Free

This week, inStream announced that it is switching to an annual subscription model, with retail pricing set at $2,400 per user.


inStream Solutions CEO Alex Murguia introduces the startup at FinovateSpring 2012 (watch on YouTube)

Volume discounts will be available for large firms, and existing users of the free plan will be offered the chance to subscribe for just $1,000. Also, as an incentive to new users, inStream is offering 50% off the retail subscription fee to any new adviser who signs up prior to June 30, 2014.

Not only that, inStream is also changing its positioning in the market by calling the solution a “wealth management platform” in favor of its former financial planning software heading.

More than Financial Planning Software

inStream replaces the financial planning software terminology in favor of a wealth management tool

inStream replaces the financial planning software terminology in favor of a wealth management tool

In an interview with Financial Advisor magazine tech editor Joel Bruckenstein, Alex Murguia, founder and CEO of inStream, said, “We are not trying to create financial planning software; we’re creating a wealth management platform that financial planners can use to run their businesses.”

To its credit, inStream has recently added features that transcend beyond traditional financial planning to increase the value and utility of the solution.

In recent months, inStream brought on Dr. Wade Pfau, Professor of Retirement Income for the American College, to lead its new Financial Planning Research division (watch FPPad Bits and Bytes for August 2nd for more details on Pfau’s involvement).

Out of this partnership, inStream will soon release what it calls the industry’s first “Safe Saving Rate” planning tool developed under the guidance of Pfau.

Existing Updates, Too

inStream is also upgrading many of its existing functions, which include mind map plugins, proactive alerts, and custom reports for financial plans.

For more information on the new pricing plans, as well as feature enhancements, visit inStream online at www.instreamwealth.com

How to install the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 on OS X Mavericks (and Yosemite)

Posted on December 29, 2013 by in Efficiency, Technology

Installing the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 on Mac requires a few good Google searches

Installing the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 on Mac requires a few good Google searches

UPDATE OCTOBER 2016: OS X Sierra created several compatibility issues with the ScanSnap application, so several patches are being released by Fujitsu. Read their official update regarding ScanSnap compatibility for the popular iX500 and S1500 models.

One of my favorite home office devices is my Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 scanner. I purchased it in 2009 and have used it consistently, although Fujitsu recently replaced the S1500 with the updated ScanSnap iX500 model.

Because the S1500 is no longer available for retail purchase, I had a challenging time trying to figure out how to install the S1500 on my Mac Pro with OS X Mavericks.

Google searches turned up a variety of discussion boards and posts from Fujitsu, but it took a half-dozen searches to finally find the exact file I needed.

ScanSnap Manager for Mac

So for anyone looking to install an existing Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 on their new Mac with OS X Mavericks, here is the page from Fujitsu you need to visit to download the .dmg installer.

http://www.fujitsu.com/global/support/computing/peripheral/scanners/software/s1500m-setup.html

If you prefer to link directly to the .dmg file, here it is (433MB): http://www.fujitsu.com/downloads/IMAGE/driver/ss/mgr/m-s1500/ScanSnap.dmg

Unidentified Developer

One quick note about the installation process: if you click on the .dmg file to begin installation, Mavericks will complain that it “can’t be opened because it is from an unidentified developer.”

This message comes from the Gatekeeper security feature added in OS X 10.8 and higher. So to successfully open the file, either right click the file or press Control and click the file, then select Open from the context menu. Next, click Open in the warning dialog box and installation will continue.

Let me know if these links expire, and I will update them accordingly to make the installation process as smooth as possible for you.

The best financial adviser technology of 2013

Posted on December 12, 2013 by in Technology

Best financial adviser technology of 2013

The best technology of 2013 for financial advisers facilitates check deposits, client risk assessment, and custodian efficiency

I have the privilege (and the pressure!) of assessing the prior year’s technology for financial advisers to determine what I consider to be the best of the best.

2013 proved to be an interesting year, as there were few industry-changing technology introductions overall. Many tech announcements this year consisted of updates to existing technology, such as the expansion of mobile device support or more granular control over trading.

But every year, I select award winners in the following categories: Best Back-Office Technology, Best Client-Facing Technology, and Innovation of the Year.

Wait! I’m going to highlight each award winner in tomorrow’s FPPad Bits and Bytes broadcast, so subscribe for free to get the broadcast emailed to you.

Without further ado, head over to Morningstar Advisor right now to see my selections for the Best Tech for Advisers, 2013 edition!

The 5 Best Podcasts of 2013 for Financial Advisers

Posted on November 25, 2013 by in Podcast, Social Media, Technology

Subscribe and listen to the five best podcasts for financial advisers

Subscribe and listen to the five best podcasts for financial advisers

Note for September 2014: Like technology, podcasts change and get updated. Look for a new article covering the Best Podcasts of 2014 for Financial Advisers!

Here are the five best podcasts of 2013 featuring content specific for financial advisers

Few will argue that the amount of content online for financial advisers is exploding.

There are dozens of websites from traditional print publications that run digital editions of their magazines as well as online-only content.

Then there are several dozen more blogs and niche sites covering a wide range of topics relevant to financial advisers (with the top site being Michael Kitces’ Nerd’s Eye View blog*)

Podcasts for Financial Advisers are Rare

But one media format with just a handful of “publishers” is the podcast.

Sure, there are many podcasts with consumer-oriented content, featuring personal finance advice on how to pay down debt, reduce fees on investments, diversify a portfolio, and more. Many of these podcasts are excellent, but they don’t include content that addresses the issues concerning financial advisers and operating an advisory business.

The number of podcasts being created with content exclusive for the financial adviser audience is extremely small. Like less than ten.

Five Best Podcasts for Financial Advisers

With so few podcasts being created for financial advisers, how will you discover those with content applicable to your needs?

The answer is in my list of the five best podcasts for financial advisers!

But wait, why just five? Because that is exactly the number of active podcasts (with activity over the past year) to which I subscribe that I know produce content specifically for the financial adviser audience.

So here is my personally curated list of the five best podcasts for financial advisers, free and clear of irritating pageview-increasing slideshow gimmicks! (You can thank me by sharing this list with your friends.)

Pre-List Bonus: FPPad Technology Podcast

FPPad Podcast

First, let me first start off with a pre-list bonus, because I have a horse in this race, too. If you don’t already know, audio and video content from FPPad is available as a podcast on iTunes.

So if you’re not yet subscribed, subscribe now!

But why subscribe on iTunes if you can get the content on FPPad.com?

Because in the Podcasts app on your iOS device, you can download content for listening or viewing when you’re offline or away from a strong broadband connection. Also, the Podcasts app lets you increase the playback speed of content, so you can get your five-minute weekly technology update finished in just over three-and-a-half minutes! Now that’s an instant productivity boost of 33%!

1. Social Media Minute Podcast by RegEd

Social Media Minute by RegEd podcast

The Social Media Minute Podcast by RegEd is the best podcast for advisers seeking information on all things related to social media. Blane Warrene is host and producer of the Social Media Minute Podcast and does an excellent job addressing the timely issues surrounding the social media landscape.

As Senior Vice President of Customer Communications at RegEd, Warrene knows his stuff on social media. Sure, the content helps build awareness of RegEd’s social media compliance and content products, and that’s partly the point. But know that this podcast is all about deepening the conversation around financial advisers and social media and is NOT a blatant product promotion.

2. AdvisorToday.com’s Building a More Successful Practice by NAIFA

advisor today podcast

NAIFA, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, publishes a new podcast once every two months with a variety of content centered around practice management and business building ideas.

Occasionally the content addresses issues in the insurance marketplace, such as disability income policy sales and long-term-care insurance updates, but many of the podcasts feature interviews with advisers and insurance agents discussing strategies they have implemented to grow their business and enhance client service.

Subscribe to the AdvisorToday.com podcast now as six episodes per year will not fill up your “to-be-listened-to” playlist, and your odds of learning a good business-building idea are pretty good.

3. Journal of Financial Planning Podcasts

Journal of Financial Planning podcasts

The award-winning Journal of Financial Planning has been in print for over 30 years, and just over three years ago the publication started creating podcast content around many of its featured articles and authors.

The Journal of Financial Planning Podcast Page is somewhat of a best-kept-secret, since there is one simple icon on the navigation menu of the website home page, but each print article featuring additional podcast content directs readers to the website to listen to more information.

Journal of Financial Planning Podcasts are centered around the “10 Questions” interview features, giving readers a chance to hear from authors, financial planners, and thought leaders in the industry (self-promotion warning: I was interviewed in February 2013).

While not directly available as an iTunes podcast, you can still manually download and then drag and drop audio files to your media player of choice to listen offline, at the gym, or during your commute.

4. AdvisorPod Practice Builders by Securities America, Inc.

Advisorpod podcasts

Securities America, Inc. is a broker-dealer that walks-the-walk on practice management advice. Not only does the company urge its reps to be more active with client outreach and marketing initiatives, Securities America publishes these podcasts for advisers to back up what they say.

Led by Kirk Hulett, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Practice Management, AdvisorPod releases monthly updates on a wide range of practice management tips, including outreach to CPAs and other COI individuals, retaining relationships through family transitions, mobile app reviews and more.

5. Build Online Influence with Stephanie Sammons
Build Online Influence podcasts

Build Online Influence is a podcast from Stephanie Sammons, founder and CEO of Wired Advisor. Wired Advisor is a professional blogging platform for financial advisers and business professionals.

In Build Online Influence, Sammons reviews techniques financial advisers can use to increase their profile and brand recognition through the use of social media. Several of her podcasts include interviews with financial advisers who have created a large audience of people interested in financial planning (i.e. prospective clients) through their social media activity. Build Online Influence attempts to reveal what strategies work (and those that don’t) to help advisers compete in a social marketplace that is getting more crowded each day.

While Build Online Influence hasn’t been updated since January 2013, I know that Sammons is still active in her work with advisers, so I trust that a listing here in my top five podcasts for financial advisers will be enough motivation for her to pick up where she left off! Perhaps a tweet or two to Sammons wouldn’t hurt, either!

Who Would You Include?

There you have it! My top five podcasts of content created just for you, the successful financial adviser.

Inevitably, I likely missed a handful of other podcasts out there publishing outstanding content for the financial adviser audience. Tell me which ones I missed in the comments below, and hopefully with enough submissions, I can double the list to include the ten best podcasts for financial advisers.

But first, I want podcasts with business building ideas, technology coverage, practice management ideas and so on. Podcasts with economic commentary, stock picking ideas, or investment-centric content can be curated by someone else!

So tell me what podcasts I missed in the comments below, send me a tweet, or email me offline.

Audience Additions

Here are some of the podcasts recommended by readers since this article was posted on November 25, 2013.

*2013 top blogs according to the Zywave 2013 Top News and Blog Sites for Advisors Survey.

“Big Data” for financial advisers is becoming a reality with two new solutions

Posted on November 19, 2013 by in Technology

Big Data for Financial Advisers

Two new big data tools for financial advisers will help make sense of massive collections of information.

If I had to choose a financial adviser technology buzzword for 2013, I would make the easy choice of “Big Data.”

Big data is the vague description of an enormous collection of information that traditional tools cannot efficiently manage, sort, and process to reveal meaningful insight.

Spreadsheets Won’t Cut It

Consider a recent example from an SEC-registered RIA that was ordered to go back through nearly eight years of fee and billing data to identify clients who were double-billed on their C-share mutual funds. That is a HUGE challenge to tackle with basic spreadsheet programs!

A more sophisticated solution, perhaps a purpose-built database and custom algorithm, would be able to make quick and, more importantly, accurate work of such a challenge.

Enter Big Data

Tools to take advantage of big data for financial advisers have slowly become available. Examples include business intelligence reports from Orion Advisor Services and Envestnet|Tamarac and trend analytics from inStream Solutions.

Those tools work well with the data that is maintained inside their ecosystem, but they generally do not collect or process data from external third party programs to deliver intelligence and actionable insight.

Two new solutions soon to be released for financial advisers aim to remove this current limitation.

To find out more, go read Two Big Data Solutions for Financial Enterprises at Morningstar Advisor and learn how these new solutions might change the way you leverage your data.

 

Note: At the time of publication, inStream Solutions was an advertiser on FPPad. No promotional consideration was received for inclusion in this article.

Schwab IMPACT 2013 Report: All the technology trends advisors can’t miss

Posted on November 12, 2013 by in Conferences, Technology

Bernie Clark, executive vice president of Schwab Advisor Services, kicks off IMPACT 2013 in Washington, D.C.

Bernie Clark, executive vice president of Schwab Advisor Services, kicks off IMPACT 2013 in Washington, D.C.

Schwab IMPACT 2013 kicked off its pinnacle event in Washington, D.C. this year with a big focus on the technology trends sure to change the financial services industry in the foreseeable future.

Here are the most important technology announcements provided by various members of the executive team inside Schwab Advisor Services.

Project PM2 Coming

Likely the most intriguing announcement from Neesha Hathi, SVP of Advisor Technology Solutions is the preview of a new portfolio management software platform called Project PM2 (“PM Squared”).

Neesha Hathi, senior vice president of Advisor Technology Solutions, shares the latest on Schwab’s technology offerings at IMPACT 2013.

Neesha Hathi, senior vice president of Advisor Technology Solutions, shares the latest on Schwab’s technology offerings at IMPACT 2013.

From a video shown at Schwab IMPACT, the preview of PM2 featured a tile-like interface reminiscent of Windows 8. Project PM2 will offer proactive alerts for events like new account funding, trading reports, and revenue metrics.

PM2 will be a cloud-based solution offering direct integration to Schwab data feeds. Reports and presentations offer dynamic capabilities and will support one-step publishing to a variety of client delivery mechanisms.

PM2 to be Multi-Custodial

In a later interview with Brian Shenson, vice president of Advisor Technology solutions, he said the roadmap for PM2 includes multi-custodial data support as well as the potential integration of account aggregation software.

Shenson added that Schwab Advisor Services already has long-standing relationships with providers like ByAllAccounts and CashEdge from FiServ.

Details on pricing and availability for PM2 were not announced at IMPACT.

Schwab OpenView Mobile

Hathi also announced a current pilot program underway to provide affiliated advisors with a branded mobile app that clients can use to interface with their advisor.

Schwab OpenView Mobile is the official program, and Hathi explained that clients can use the branded app to view real-time account data and review their advisor’s contact information.

Schwab OpenView Mobile will be available for a nominal fee which was not disclosed during the Schwab IMPACT breakout session.

Reinvented Wire Requests; DocuSign Integration in Schwab Alliance

Naureen Hassan, senior vice president, Client Experience, shares the latest on Schwab’s technology offerings at IMPACT 2013.

Naureen Hassan, senior vice president, Client Experience, shares the latest on Schwab’s technology offerings at IMPACT 2013.

Naureen Hassan, SVP of Client Experience revealed that in an average quarter, Schwab manually verifies over 240,000 signatures across a variety of forms. Clearly Schwab recognizes the ability to increase operational efficiency here with the adoption of electronic signature support.

Hassan announced two pending initiatives. First, wire requests will be “completely reinvented,” as advisors can initiate wire requests via Schwab Advisor Center. Upon submission, clients will actually receive alerts on their mobile phone, and then they can log in to a Schwab app and approve the wire request on the spot.

This overhauled wire request process is aimed to combat fraud and theft in the industry due to a significant rise in client spoofing (see: Client spoofing strikes again, RIA loses $290,000 of client funds)

Second, Hassan announced that DocuSign is currently in a pilot program and will soon be completely integrated in the Schwab Alliance system. Details on when DocuSign will be formally introduced for all Schwab advisors were not disclosed.

MoneyGuidePro Now Part of Integrated Office

Brian Shenson, vice president, Advisor Technology Solutions, shares the latest on Schwab’s technology offerings at IMPACT 2013.

Brian Shenson, vice president, Advisor Technology Solutions, shares the latest on Schwab’s technology offerings at IMPACT 2013.

Brian Shenson, VP of Advisor Technology Solutions was the next to take the stage and provide updates on the suite of Schwab OpenView solutions: Gateway, Integrated Office, Workflow Library, and MarketSquare.

Of most relevance is the addition of financial planning software integrations to Schwab OpenView Integrated Office™ platform. The first integration is with PIEtech to integrate MoneyGuide Pro financial planning software. NaviPlan from Zywave was also mentioned as an integration coming soon to Integrated Office.

MarketSquare Update

If you recall last year, Schwab announced the introduction of Schwab OpenView MarketSqaure, a review website consisting of advisor-submitted feedback on technology vendors and providers.

At this year’s IMPACT conference, Hathi said that over 70 providers have the potential to be listed in OpenView MarketSquare, but only 34 of them have a sufficient number of reviews to be publicly listed in the resource.

Hathi urged advisors in the audience to continue to submit their reviews of tools and services they use so MarketSquare can increase the number of providers present in the website.
34 have reviews.

All photos by Billy Cole/Orange Photography for Charles Schwab. Used with permission.