Tag Archives: Advisor Websites

FPPad Bits and Bytes for January 10

Posted on January 10, 2014 by in Bits & Bytes

On today’s broadcast, how a business model pivot by a rising wealth management software provider will affect your technology spending, technology experts chime in on the trends that are sure to affect all advisory businesses, new integrations provide marketing resources to grow your online audience, and more.

So get ready, FPPad Bits and Bytes begins now!

(Watch FPPad Bits and Bytes on YouTube)

This week’s episode of Bits and Bytes is brought to you by Total Rebalance Expert, the industry’s largest, privately owned portfolio rebalancing software provider.

Total Rebalance Expert

Fresh off its acquisition of PowerAdvisor, TRX offers advisors tax-efficient rebalancing, an easy to use interface, and more, all at an affordable price. Learn how you can gain a half a million dollar return on your technology investment by downloading their latest white paper at fppad.com/trx

Here are this week’s top stories:

inStream abandons free plan, introduces subscription pricing from FPPad.com

[This week’s lead story comes from inStream Solutions, which just announced that the company is no longer offering a free subscription plan to financial advisors. inStream first received attention in 2011 by introducing the free financial planning software tool for advisors, with hopes of monetizing advisor participation through an online product marketplace.

But just like many well-known startups including Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat and more seek ways to monetize their platform, inStream shares the challenge of figuring out how to build a sustainable revenue model for its innovative platform.

So the free plan is going away, replaced by a $2,400 annual subscription. Existing users do have the option to subscribe for $1,000 in the first year, and any advisor who signs up by this summer will receive 50% off their first year subscription.

More details about inStream’s pivot as well as the release of a new Safe Savings Rate tool are in this week’s show notes.] Financial planning software startup inStream Solutions drops its free pricing plan, switches to annual subscription model

Technology for Planners: Trends, Spending, and the Rise of Robo Advisers from the Journal of Financial Planning

[Next up is a peek into the minds of technology experts in financial services. The cover story of this month’s issue of the Journal of Financial Planning is all about technology for planners; the trends, spending patterns, and rising concern of online “robo-adviser” services.

I had the privilege of joining tech experts Joel Bruckenstein, Jennifer Goldman, and JP Nicols in this roundtable discussion moderated by none other than the venerable Michael Kitces. Be sure you read the roundtable transcript and think about what changes you need to make in your business for 2014 and beyond.] Technology is essential to operating a successful and profitable planning practice. Whether it’s software integration, mobile devices, cloud computing, or the latest on so-called robo advisers, you’ve got questions. The Journal’s practitioner editor, Michael Kitces, uncovers the answers in this roundtable discussion with tech experts Joel Bruckenstein, CFP®, Jennifer Goldman, CFP®, JP Nicols, CFP®, and Bill Winterberg, CFP®

Bill Good Marketing Integrates Gorilla with Redtail CRM

[Now one of the takeaways from the roundtable cover story is that advisors don’t have the budget or venture capital funding to deploy a nationwide marketing blitz. So how can you build your brand and online audience in the face of this competition?

One way is to use content marketing libraries that integrate with your current technology. New this week is the integration of the Bill Good Marketing library into Redtail CRM, giving over 75,000 Redtail users access to compliance-approved marketing material from Bill Good.] CRM systems Gorilla and Redtail Technology collaborate to address major trends affecting Financial Advisors

Exclusive new content & videos from Advisor Websites

[And another offering comes from Advisor Websites, which now offers its “Hall of Famer” users the ability to embed written as well as video content on their website through a partnership with FogLifter.

For more information on the marketing integrations and to view some of the sample content, go to Video 1: Tax & Income Planning http://www.viddler.com/v/1c97c093 and Video 2: Fiduciary Difference http://www.viddler.com/v/479dfc19 .] It’s a new year and big things are happening at Advisor Websites! We are thrilled to announce the addition of new content for all Advisor Websites users!

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

[And finally, many of you have asked me what equipment I use to produce each episode of FPPad Bits and Bytes. Well just a few weeks ago, I received my new Mac Pro from Apple and have transferred all of my video editing over to this powerhouse of a machine.

I filmed the unboxing of my Mac Pro and uploaded my review to my YouTube channel this week, so if you’re interested in building your multimedia production capabilities, I suggest you watch the review to see if a Mac Pro purchase makes sense for you. And in case you don’t know, everyone who subscribes to the FPPad newsletter gets my complimentary guide to creating awesome videos. Sign up at fppad.com/subscribe to get your copy today.] 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 FPPad Bits and Bytes for January 10, 2014 on YouTube

Watch FPPad Bits and Bytes for January 10, 2014 on YouTube

FPPad Bits and Bytes for January 3

Posted on January 3, 2014 by in Bits & Bytes

On today’s broadcast, hackers make headlines targeting high-profile companies, so how can you avoid a security breach in your business? Electronic signature technology gains momentum, find out which providers you should add to your processes. Big data is coming. Who’s harnessing all the data you gather in your business, and how will these tools help you make better decisions in 2014 and beyond? All this and more.

So get ready, FPPad Bits and Bytes begins now!

(Click to watch on YouTube)

Today’s episode is brought to you by New Planner Recruiting, which specializes in the sourcing, screening and integration of entry level financial planners within financial planning firms nationwide.

NewPlannerRecruiting620

Whether you’re a firm looking to hire or an aspiring planner establishing your career path, sign up for the free newsletter full of valuable resources and information by visiting fppad.com/npr

Here are this week’s links of interest:

Financial Adviser Technology Trends in 2014

Financial advisor technology news moved at a snail’s pace over the holidays, so today’s episode is going to cover the most important technology trends I see coming in 2014. These trends break down into four main categories:

  • Security
  • Electronic signature
  • Big data, and
  • Enhancing your online presence

Security

Security news has received a lot of attention recently, headlined by the recent data breach at Target of over 40 million credit and debit card accounts, and quickly followed up by the release of over 4 million usernames and phone numbers from users of Snapchat, the private mobile messaging service.

While these are big companies with a potential bounty of user information, don’t think that your business is immune to attacks from hackers seeking personal and financial information.

This year, you should make it a priority to strengthen the defenses of your computers, mobile devices, and your network. Also, social engineering will likely be the primary method hackers will use to exploit people in your organization, so periodically test how susceptible your organization is to well-designed social engineering attacks.

Vendors that can help with your security include Mimic Technologies, Right Size Solutions, True North Networks, Envision Consulting, and many more, and you can use simulated phishing applications from Wombat Security Technologies, TraceSecurity, ThreatSim and more.

Electronic Signature

Next up is the increased adoption of electronic signature by financial institutions. You heard about e-signature several times in last years’ broadcasts as TD Ameritrade Institutional, Fidelity, Pershing, LPL and others support some form of the technology in their existing account processes.

But you can also deploy e-signature for the contracts and agreements you have for your internal documentation. So it’s worth exploring your options from providers such as RightSignature, Adobe® EchoSign®, DocuSign, and more to streamline your signature-gathering process, all while satisfying compliance, of course!

Big Data

The third trend I see ramping up big time for advisors in 2014 is Big Data. More technology providers are developing big data capabilities to help you analyze your data more effectively so you can make informed decisions about your client needs and business opportunities.

Look to adopt one or more of the business analytics tools available from Redtail Data Cloud, AssetMark, Orion Advisor Services, Envestnet|Tamarac and more.

Enhancing Your Online Presence

Finally, 2014 should be the year you make a serious effort to enhance your online presence. This is about more than just creating a Twitter account, posting a few tweets, and calling it a day.

More and more prospects are looking for financial advice and evaluating financial advisors online, long before they pick up the phone to schedule an initial meeting. And some prospects don’t even care that your office be in the same city where they live; they want an advisor who is an expert regarding their specific needs and circumstances, without imposing some arbitrary geographic requirement.

That said, does your website have what it takes to attract this generation of web-savvy prospects? Does your social media activity reinforce your value proposition to potential clients? And does your technology live up to the expectations of individuals born in the digital age?

Boost your online presence with services from providers like Advisor Websites, Wealth Management Marketing, Vestorly, Advisor Studios, Wired Advisor, and more.

So there you have it!

You’ve heard what I think the most important technology trends of 2014 will be, and I’ve given you a head start with a number of vendors and providers that can help you get the new year off to a fantastic start.

Watch FPPad Bits and Bytes for January 3, 2014

Watch FPPad Bits and Bytes for January 3, 2014

FPPad Bits and Bytes for August 16

Posted on August 16, 2013 by in Bits & Bytes

On this week’s broadcast, Fidelity shows what Google Glass might do to change wealth management, a startup looks to tame the onslaught of digital statements, controversy over GMail’s privacy policy, and more.

(Watch on YouTube) This week’s edition of Bits and Bytes is brought to you by Orion Advisor Services, the nation’s largest privately held portfolio accounting service bureau.

Orion Advisor Services

Providing full-service data reconciliation, advisory fee billing, Salesforce integration, mobile apps and more, Orion believes it’s time for you to enjoy your business again.

Visit fppad.com/orion for more information.

Fidelity Market Monitor for Glass from Fidelity Labs

[First up this week is news from Fidelity Labs which just developed, oh wait, I just got a stock alert from my glasses. Right! Fidelity Labs developed an app for Google Glass, Google’s entry into the wearable computing market. Using the app, anyone donning Google’s controversial glasses can log in to their Fidelity account with voice authentication, get real time quotes by taking a picture of a company logo, and receive trading alerts. While the app is a glimpse of the not-too-distant future of mobile computing, I would not be surprised to see many of the quote and news-related updates provided by default in the Google Glass operating system. Still, the ability to perform account-related functions without having to hold a device in your hand can prove to be very popular, especially as wearable computing devices mature and become more socially acceptable.] Fidelity Labs is participating in a Google early developer program, and is working with a prototype of Google Glass to better understand the technology and how it may benefit our customers.

FileThis Fetch iPhone app available from FileThis

[Next up is news from a start-up in California called FileThis, which is new to my radar. Many of you are slowly making the transition to a paperless office, but you also should recognize how you can help clients make the transition to a paperless home. Nearly all of the major financial institutions provide statements we can download, but with ten or twenty accounts spread across banks, credit cards, and investments, it can easily take hours on the weekend to download and organize everything. This is where FileThis comes in. This week, FileThis released a free app for iPhone and iPad called FileThis Fetch. Within a few minutes of creating a free account, users connect their financial accounts and FileThis will automatically Fetch electronic statements and PDF files, and then route them to the user’s destination of choice, including Evernote, Dropbox, Personal, and Google Drive. Six connections are available for free, and users can purchase up to 30 connections for just $5 a month.] FileThis, a Marin, California-based startup, today announced the availability of an iPhone app for its award-winning FileThis Fetch service that lets consumers go paperless

No, Google did not say that there is no privacy in Gmail from TheNextWeb.com

[In online privacy news, Google’s GMail service made headlines this week as the company’s lawyers cited case law where, now I’m summarizing here, users of web-based email services cannot have a legitimate expectation of privacy when voluntarily turning over information to third parties. Websites like Consumer Watchdog and Gizmodo crafted pretty sensational headlines this week, making it sound as if Google had all but given up on protecting users’ privacy when they use the company’s free GMail service. But that’s not entirely true. Josh Ong at The Next Web helped clarify what Google’s lawyers actually said, and pointed out how their quote was taken out of context and blown out of proportion. But as an advisor, you should be concerned about how much information you volunteer to third party services, and would be well served by using business-class providers that have clear and explicit privacy policies. This means using email from Google Apps for Business, Redtail Email, Smarsh, and many more.] Earlier on Tuesday, Google was quoted by Consumer Watchdog, RT.com (Russia Today) and Gizmodo as having argued in a legal motion that customers have “no legitimate expectation of privacy”, but the quote has been taken out of context.

Video Creation 101 for Advisors – Join the Webinar! from Advisor Websites

[And finally, if this is the first Bits and Bytes broadcast you’ve watched, or you caught all three, you might be inspired to start your own broadcast to raise your own online profile or communicate with clients in new ways. If so, you’re in luck, because I’m teaming up with Advisor Websites to broadcast a free webinar about Video 101 for Financial Advisors. So clear your calendar for Tuesday, August 27th at 2pm Eastern, 11am Pacific, and sign up for this free webinar.] Advisor Websites is thrilled to announce that we’ll be presenting a brand new, action-packed webinar with our friend and trusted financial technology expert, Bill Winterberg! Join us as we present a comprehensive and simplified explanation designed to help you begin creating and sharing video content online.

Lead generation for advisers: how to grow a prospect list and increase website ROI

Posted on March 19, 2013 by in Technology

Lead generation means rolling out the welcome mat for website visitors

Lead generation means rolling out the welcome mat for website visitors

Mention lead generation at a financial adviser conference, and you’ll likely be greeted with blank stares.

Since the inception of the financial planning profession, adviser growth has been dominated by referral-based practices.

The problem is that today more and more consumers (and future clients) are visiting websites and social media sites first to learn what they can about financial advisers.

These website visitors may or may not receive specific referrals from friends and colleagues, but they’re still going online to learn as much as possible about advisers and services before they reach out to schedule an initial appointment.

Lead Generation 101

Advisers can spend considerable time and money building an attractive and informative site, but if visitors only read information and never return, the investment fails to pay off.

Lead generation is the mechanism advisers can implement to cultivate a stronger relationship with website visitors by capturing names and email addresses to use for future correspondence.

This month’s column for Morningstar Advisor discusses lead generation techniques financial advisers can follow to realize a higher ROI on their website development.

Follow this link to read Increase Your Website ROI at Morningstar.com.

FPPad Bits and Bytes for February 15

Posted on February 15, 2013 by in Bits & Bytes

Before I kick off this week’s top stories, here’s a quick and easy resource to use to see how strong your password is against a brute-force attack. Click the image to visit http://howsecureismypassword.net/

Note: You should probably avoid typing your real password into this program. Instead, use a close approximation!

Rate your password's strength at howsecureismypassword.net

Rate your password’s strength at howsecureismypassword.net

Here are this week’s stories of interest:

Social Media Minute Podcast by RegEd: LinkedIn Skill Endorsements from RegEd.com

[In this seven-minute podcast, RegEd’s Blane Warrene addresses issues with LinkedIn Recommendations and Endorsements. It’s a good overview for those dipping a toe in LinkedIn and a good refresher for social media pros.] A rapidly trending topic continues to be LinkedIn Skills Endorsements. They are a much more gray area than Recommendations as it pertains to being classified as testimonials under SEC guidelines for the financial services industry.

Microsoft Eyes “Advisor in a Box” Solution for Windows 8 from Financial-Planning.com

[Why am I such a skeptic when it comes to Microsoft products these days? Who knows more about meeting the specific needs and demands of today’s financial planning and wealth management client? You, or Redmond’s Mister Softee? However, I’m more optimistic of a partnership like the ones identified with Envestnet|Tamarac, because they do know a thing or two about what advisers need.] Thomas E. Feher, the financial services industry director for Microsoft’s U.S. Dynamics Industry Team, said Microsoft has already partnered with several “industry partners,” including Envestnet|Tamarac and Salientia to provide CRM solutions to advisors through the Windows 8 platform. But, he said, the next step is a preloaded package of tools and services specifically tailored for each advisor on the Windows 8 platform.

Orion Mail is Live from OrionAdvisor.com

[You heard about Orion Mail from both Eric Clarke (see: Salesforce, powered by Orion Connect, gets phone system integration and smarter email reports) and Jon Reiners (see: TD Ameritrade’s open technology helps push Orion Advisor Services over the $100 billion in platform assets mark). Now the feature is live for Orion’s 300 clients and was being demoed on the floor of T3 this past week. Orion’s blog has a 90-second sneak peek video of the new feature.] Orion Mail enables advisors to create custom email templates that communicate account information to clients quickly and easily.

Bill Winterberg’s Technology Planning Tips for Financial Advisors from AdvisorWebsites.com

[Advisor Websites contacted me a few weeks ago to capture some of my best technology ideas for new gadgets, video content, and software integration.] Recently we were lucky enough to sit down with Bill Winterberg and pick his brain about the changing industry and what he expects will be key, vital factors when it comes to technology for financial professionals in 2013.

How Blueleaf sees itself taming the RIA’s two betes noire — and how it is being challenged on that from RIABiz.com

[You’ve known about Blueleaf since mid-2011, right (see: FPPad and Blueleaf Partner to Deliver Adviser Technology Content)? And plus, I interviewed Blueleaf founder John Prendergast in February 2012 (see: Video Spotlight: John Prendergast of Blueleaf discusses experimentation and challenging assumptions). Here, RIABiz covers the “dead simple” portfolio reporting provider (important distinction: it’s NOT portfolio management!) in a well-balanced article.] Blueleaf founder, John Prendergast, comes by this start-up honestly in the sense that it arose out of a need he heard expressed by friends. He exudes a teflon confidence that is a much a part of this article as anything else.

FPPad Bits and Bytes for January 11

Posted on January 11, 2013 by in Bits & Bytes

This week’s guest on FPPad On Air is Peter Giza, former CTO at RedBlack Software, LLC, to talk about emerging technology trends that have the potential to change the financial advisory industry for the better.

Note that today’s broadcast begins around 1:15pm ET instead of 4:15pm, so check the FPPad On Air page this afternoon for the link to watch.

Here are this week’s stories of interest:

Laserfiche 9 Unites ECM and BPM from MarketWatch.com

[I just returned from Laserfiche’s Empower 2013 conference, and I must say there is a lot of excitement surrounding the new business process management (BPM) capabilities in the latest version of the company’s software, Laserfiche 9. I bet most advisers have no way to execute automated workflow in their business, let alone implement BPM. But with a large number of potential document management customers, financial advisers may soon warm up to the possibilities available by using software such as this.] Today, Laserfiche announced the immediate availability of Laserfiche 9 at its annual Empower 2013 conference. The new release unites enterprise content management (ECM) and business process management (BPM) functionality across the Laserfiche product line.

NetDocuments Launches 13.1 Release with Secure Document Delivery from MarketWatch.com

[Another document management provider, NetDocuments, released some very useful features in version 13.1 this week, including the ability to share documents with users outside of your organization using secure URLs, avoiding the need to force those users to create a NetDocuments account. It’s very similar to the way Dropbox (and others) allow users to create a unique URL that enables access to documents and folders without the need to have a Dropbox account. There are a number of other new features also described in the press release.] NetDocuments today announced the 13.1 release of its leading cloud-computing content management and collaboration service. This latest release contains more than 20 new and updated features, including document delivery via a secure link and a new search engine.

Adding a contact’s Social Media profile addresses to their record from Redtail Technology

[Social is the name of the game these days, so any way you can connect to the social stream coming from clients, the better. Here’s a new feature from Redtail CRM that at least helps you consolidate links to clients’ social profiles. While not as robust as social aggregation solutions like Newsle and Rapportive, advisers can see what clients are posting in one easy click.] You can add a contact’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest or MySpace addresses to their contact records, in order that you might quickly access information that is currently relevant to them.

6 ideas you can implement today from Advisor Websites

[This is a notice for an upcoming webinar hosted by Advisor Websites, Mobile Assistant, and Redtail. All of the vendors will cover tips on getting the most form your mobile devices, how to capture lead information online, and better engage clients through technology.] When? Tue, Jan 29, 2013, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM PST. Who should attend? Reps or their marketing/administrative staff.

FPPad On Air with Advisor Websites CEO Bart Wisniowski

Posted on November 2, 2012 by in On Air

Today I connected with Bart Wisniowski on a Google+ Hangouts On Air to talk about opportunities to improve financial advisors’ websites (duh!), new integrations and partnerships formed by the company, and lead generation tips.

I want to make this a weekly broadcast for your benefit. Have suggestions on future guests, topics, or time slots? Contact me!

Watch the replay on YouTube.

Watch my live Google+ Hangout with Bart Wisniowski this Friday November 2 at 4:15PM Eastern

Posted on October 31, 2012 by in Video Spotlight

I continue to try and add to the ways you can learn new things about technology in financial services and wealth management.

This year, I launched both a YouTube channel and an iTunes Podcast featuring a variety of content, interviews, and screencasts on topics ranging from apps to workflow. With nearly 8,000 YouTube views and over 1,000 podcast downloads, you clearly are engaging this content and are likely sharing it with your colleagues.

Now I’m going to try another new way to deliver content to you.

Live Google+ Hangouts

Google+ Hangout with John Schobel and Blane Warrene of RegEd

Starting this Friday, November 2, I’m going to interview vendors and thought leaders live on Google+ Hangouts On Air.

Tune in this Friday at 4:15pm Eastern, 1:15pm Pacific, for my interview with Advisor Websites co-founder Bart Wisniowski. My agenda includes the one thing advisers are missing on their website and details of recent partnership announcements.

How to Watch

To watch Friday’s Hangout, you’ll need a free Google account. When logged in, simply visit my public Google+ profile, and at the top, you should see a button to join the Hangout On Air. That’s it!

And if you’re so inclined, feel free to submit your questions for Bart Wisniowski in the comments below, or you can tweet them to me at @BillWinterberg during the live broadcast.

 

 

Smarsh releases Web Archiving, an automated solution to archive adviser websites

Posted on May 16, 2012 by in Compliance

New automated tool will help registered professionals eliminate tedious manual processes to meet FINRA and SEC requirements.

In a press release today, Smarsh, Inc., the Portland, Ore.-based company best known for email archiving, announced a new solution to help satisfy archiving and record-keeping requirements when it comes to adviser websites.

Web Archiving is the new solution, and Smarsh created a short explainer video to describe what it does, embedded below for your convenience.

(click to view on YouTube)

Web Archiving is designed to automatically crawl and capture the contents of an adviser’s website. In addition to archiving the full text of all website pages, Web Archiving also captures embedded media such as video, social media feeds, slideshows, and more.

According to the solution feature list, archived pages are rendered in their original format, preserving the “look and feel” of the website page as it originally appeared on the adviser’s site.

“Today’s Web is not static text, but rather an immersive multi-sensory experience. This complicates the critical need for organizations of all kinds to keep an accurate, uncompromised record of what has been published to the world via the Web,” said Stephen Marsh, Smarsh founder and CEO, in the release.

Without an automated tool, advisers may be forced to print individual website pages to PDF files and save them in a compliance file. This is a tedious, time-consuming process at best, and it doesn’t address media like embedded video or slideshows.

Website archiving is not very crowded with vendors. Alternate solutions can be found within the Advisor Websites platform (though an adviser’s website will need to be hosted with the company), Advisor Products (again, website hosting required), Arkovi, and a few others.