Tag Archives: AppCrown

FPPad Bits and Bytes for February 22

Posted on February 22, 2013 by in Bits & Bytes

The Mobile Adviser, debuting at FPA Business Solutions 2013, March 7-9, Chicago

The Mobile Adviser, debuting at FPA Business Solutions 2013, March 7-9, Chicago

My latest slide deck is finally complete. It’s titled The Mobile Adviser: Everything financial advisers need to know to be safe, connected, and productive in the Mobile Age.

I’m debuting The Mobile Adviser at FPA Business Solutions 2013 in Chicago on March 7-9, so register for the conference here to be among the first to see it.

Here are this week’s stories of interest:

HiddenLevers Launches Portfolio Stress Testing App to Help Advisors Generate Leads from MarketWire.com

[Highlighted in my update from T3 (see: T3 2013: Top technology to put on your radar), HiddenLevers officially announced their lead generation add-on component to portfolio stress testing. Check out http://rca-online.com/ and click the button on the right-hand column to see this in action. I think it's a great feature.] HiddenLevers, the portfolio stress testing toolkit of choice for RIAs, Private Wealth and Family Offices, launches a lead-gen application to help Advisors promote their portfolio stress testing capabilities.

Which Portfolio Rebalancing Software is Right for You? from WMToday

[Craig Iskowitz, Managing Director and founder of Ezra Group, has been a part of the financial planning technology blogosphere since February 2009, but I only just encountered his content. If you're not following Craig (@CraigIskowitz on Twitter) or subscribing to his content, consider doing so. Craig also attended T3 last week and provides a great two-part recap of the rebalancing software panel discussion. If you're in the market for rebalancing software or want to see how yours compares with new entrants in the market, Craig's coverage is a must read.] This is a summary of panel discussion from the Tools and Technology Today (T3) Conference that took place February 11-13, 2013 in Miami, FL.

Your Tweets Are More Important Than Your Résumé from BusinessInsider.com

[I'm branching out a bit here with an interesting take on the résumé of the future. Here's a company that isn't taking traditional résumés for a job opening (granted, they're hiring a "six-figure senior social media position"), but rather considering social metrics like Klout score, active Twitter followers, and more. If you're hiring, do you take social influence into account? And what if your top candidate has significant social influence, do you think that's actually a risk to your organization?] By now, many employers think that who you are online is more revealing of your character than a résumé. Some companies have decided to stop accepting paper résumés altogether.

Portfolio Pathway and Redtail Technology announce integration from PortfolioPathway.com

[Portfolio Pathway is now in my watch list as another web-based portfolio reporting solution. Their straightforward pricing on top of the typical account aggregation, client portal, and custom report features should be attractive to up-and-coming RIAs as well as breakaway brokers looking for a light footprint when they start out on their own. This announcement of a Redtail CRM integration is also a good sign of collaboration with the industry's leading software providers.] Portfolio Pathway, the web-based portfolio management system, announced today they have completed integration development with Redtail Technology’s innovative web-based Client Relationship Management (CRM) solution. Advisors using Redtail will be able to view all account data from Portfolio Pathway.

RedBlack Integration with Scottrade® Advisor Services from RedBlackSoftware.com

[Increasing integrations is the best way for any financial services technology provider to gain wider adoption. Here, growing rebalancing software provider RedBlack now connects with Scottrade to retrieve account information from the no-minimum-assets-required custodian. According to RedBlack Chief Software Architect Roel Vlemmings, this marks the company's 22nd integration with a 3rd party provider.] RedBlack Software today announced the successful integration with Scottrade® Advisor Services. Registered Investment Advisors that custody with Scottrade® Advisory Services can now seamlessly import their portfolio data into RedBlack, use the RedBlack platform to rebalance and trade client accounts and households, and submit trades to Scottrade® for execution.

1st Global Announces New Partnership with AppCrown LLC from 1stGlobal.com

[Very interesting! Having lived in Dallas for three years, 1st Global had a good footprint with regional (and national, too) CPAs and wealth management firms seeking technology solutions from an affinity partner. Now, AppCrown's Salesforce ISV platform (see: Salesforce for financial advisers solicits bipolar reactions; AppCrown attempts to resolve disjointed CRM) will be rolled out to all of 1st Global's 400 affiliated firms by the end of the year.] 1st Global, a research and consulting partner of select CPA and wealth management firms, and AppCrown LLC announce a strategic partnership to deploy a cloud-based solution that delivers client relationship management, straight-through processing and business cycle management for wealth management clients.

Preview files in Google Drive from GoogleDrive

[You have dozens of choices among cloud file storage services, including Google Drive. Subtle features differentiate the services, and since you're trying to be as efficient and productive as possible, you shouldn't waste time trying to preview documents stored in the cloud. In a race to match file preview features present in other services, Google Drive now offers preview for roughly 30 file types.] It may sound obvious, but sometimes the best way to find something is to start looking. Beginning today, Google Drive will let you quickly preview more than 30 file types and quickly flip between files until you find the one you want.

Salesforce for financial advisers solicits bipolar reactions; AppCrown attempts to resolve disjointed CRM

Posted on October 29, 2012 by in Software

Salesforce.com is like black licorice among financial advisers; they either love it or they hate it.

Just 5% of all advisers who responded to the 2011 Financial Planning Magazine tech survey said they use Salesforce as their CRM. For a CRM widely used in other verticals, financial services just hasn’t warmed up to the program.

So along comes a company called AppCrown (you may remember them as E*Assist back in the 00s) with the hopes of successfully implementing the AppCrown variant of Salesforce in wealth management firms.

Here’s a short interview with AppCrown COO Franklin Tsung on why he believes the adoption of Salesforce.com will grow among financial advisers and how the company’s “pure play” integrations will contribute to its success in the market.

(click to view on YouTube)

FPPad Bits and Bytes for March 2

Posted on March 2, 2012 by in Bits & Bytes

I spent several days in Washington D.C. this week presenting to advisors on new technology that can enhance personal and professional productivity. If you’re interested in booking me for any of my presentations, see my Speaking page for details.

First up this week is my column for the FPA NorCal Planner March newsletter titled When FPA NorCal and Twitter Collide highlighting the “back channel” discussions going on at advisor conferences.

Now on to this week’s stories of interest:

How AppCrown got a big RIA footprint overnight by handling Salesforce implementations from RIABiz.com

[This is an interesting development. Vendors and custodians are gravitating towards AppCrown, a Salesforce overlay and customization provider. Is it because they excel in supporting advisers, or are they simply the only reasonable option among weak competition? I'm not ready to make a decision one way or the other.] AppCrown LLC has come bursting out of the bulrushes to make itself a go-to technology company for hundreds of RIAs who want to use Salesforce customer relationship management software but who also know that they need help — big-time assistance — in making sure that the conversion and connective tissues are there.

Junxure Announces Agreement With Advisor Group to Provide CRM Integration from PRNewswire

[This is yet another integration Junxure supports with a proprietary system, this time being the Advisor Group's (formerly AIG Advisor Group) VISION2020 portal. Advisor Group has over 4,600 independent financial advisers.] Junxure, a practice improvement firm that integrates technology, consulting, and training, announced that it has signed an agreement with Advisor Group to provide an integration offering financial advisors the ability to synchronize client data between Junxure and VISION2020 Advisor Portal (Advisor Portal), Advisor Group’s proprietary account tracking system. The integration is included as part of the Royal Alliance, FSC and SagePoint Financial advisor technology offerings.

RMB Capital Management Selects Black Diamond and Advent Portfolio Exchange Platforms to Support $2B Wealth Advisory Practice from Marketwire

[Not to be overshadowed by Orion Advisor Services' announcement of partnering with a $3 billion RIA, Advent is publicizing its deal to migrate one $2 billion RIA's portfolio data off of Advent Axys to Black Diamond. It doesn't seem like a tremendous victory to me. After all, I believe Advent purchased Black Diamond to do exactly this: migrate customers on a legacy system to Black Diamond rather than lose them to the competition like Orion and Tamarac. Update: RIABiz published coverage of this today.] RMB Capital Management and Advent Software, Inc. announced today that they will broaden their strategic relationship by migrating RMB Capital Management’s approximately $2B in assets under management (AUM) from Advent’s Axys® to Black Diamond Performance Reporting, LLC’s platform and the Advent Portfolio Exchange® (APX) platform.

FPPad Bits and Bytes for October 28

Posted on October 28, 2011 by in Bits & Bytes

I just came back from Brooklyn where the NAPFA Practice Management and Investments conference was held. While away, I kept an eye on new tech stories for advisers and wrapped them in one nice convenient package for you here:

TD Ameritrade Institutional Veo® Integration with Salesforce CRM Helps Financial Advisors Manage Important Client Relationships from amtd.com

[My Bits and Bytes post for September 9 listed TD Ameritrade's announcement of an impending release of Salesforce CRM for its advisers. Yesterday, TD formally announced its release, which includes pre-defined workflow sequences advisers can use to get up and running quickly.] TD Ameritrade Institutional today introduced a Veo advisor platform integration with Salesforce CRM and other third party systems. The customized CRM app offers advisors flexibility, automated workflows and easier access to client data to help improve efficiency and client service.

Pershing Expands Anytime, Anywhere Account Access for Investment Professionals and Advisors With the Launch of Web-based NetX360.com from PRNewswire.com

[You knew lots of announcements were coming now, just days before Schwab IMPACT next week. Here's an update from Pershing, which is in the final testing phase of rolling out a 100% web-based solution for its NetX360 platform. Notably, the platform supports multiple browsers, including Chrome and Safari, which I feel is a very wise decision.] Pershing LLC, a BNY Mellon company, announced today that it has expanded its leadership of anytime, anywhere account access with the introduction of a browser-based version of its innovative, open-architecture NetX360® technology platform.

Turning planning on its head from InvestmentNews.com

[Davis Janowski covers a new entrant into the financial planning software space. Free, web-based inStream from inStream Solutions, headed up by McLean Asset Management's Alex Murguia, looks to be a streamlined challenger to the established, high-maintenance software applications traditionally used by advisers.] Planning tools that predict a client’s future needs, advanced financial calculators and an integrated contact management system make inStream a robust, cloud-based product.

EISI strikes a deal to cash out its shareholders from RIABiz.com

[A property and casualty insurance software provider bought the maker of NaviPlan. Add this to the Financeware patent-infringement issues from a few months back, and you have some "what's next?" thoughts with respect to the future of financial planning software.] Faced with an innovation challenge and increased competition, Emerging Information Systems Inc., North America’s biggest financial planning software company, responsible for NaviPlan and Profiles financial planning software, announced yesterday that its shareholders have reached a deal to sell EISI.

FPPad Bits and Bytes for September 30

Posted on September 30, 2011 by in Bits & Bytes

I’ve been on the road Monday through Thursday, sharing information on how advisors can use transformative technology in their businesses today. Despite my travel, I am still keeping you informed on the top stories in tech this week.

Here are this week’s stories of interest:

Orion Updates Advisor Desktop for RIAs from AdvisorOne.com

[Orion is in the news again, this time announcing updates to its rebalancing tool to provide household-level management.] Orion Advisor Services unveiled the latest release for it Advisor Desktop portfolio management suite for RIAs on Monday with new features designed to make it easier for advisors using the primary database management tool to rebalance their clients’ portfolios and create tax efficient strategies at the household level.

Fidelity is set to add Envestnet, Redtail, Morningstar, AppCrown and Salesforce to WealthCentral from RIABiz.com

[If you're a major custodian, you have technology news to share leading up to November. Case in point: Fidelity announces key integrations for its advisors.] As part of an accelerating arms race among RIA custodians, Fidelity Investments has more than doubled — to 11 from five — the number of vendors it plans to invest in integrating as part of its WealthCentral platform.

Trust Company of America is giving RIAs more weapons for free-wheeling from RIABiz.com

[Trust Co. of America announced its Liberty mobile platform two weeks ago. Hear from affiliated advisors on the benefits they see in the system.] Advisors currently using the product say that it takes the use of a mobile platform to a new level because everything that can be seen on a PC can be seen on a smart phone or tablet in the exact same configuration.

Advisor Software Debuts goalGetter App for iPad from Financial-Planning.com

[Today, if you don't have a solution for mobile devices, iPad in particular, you might as well go back to the drawing board with your strategy. Here's another iPad app for advisers from Advisor Software.] Advisor Software, a provider of wealth management applications for financial advisors, announced that its goalGetter financial planning application for the iPad is now available for free download from Apple’s App Store.

FPPad Bits and Bytes for September 9

Posted on September 9, 2011 by in Bits & Bytes

Originally I hadn’t planned on posting a Bits and Bytes update today. I was on vacation until today and there were no relevant stories that came across my feeds. Then yesterday afternoon came.

While on my return flight to Dallas, my feeds and screens peppered me with updates from many of the major custodians including Schwab, TD Ameritrade, and Fidelity.

Say Goodbye to Paper-Based Compliance Practices

But first, my September column for Morningstar Advisor covers a technology product aimed at reducing the manual data-gathering process associated with compliance activities, namely trading supervision and pre-clearance approval. Go read it! Say Goodbye to Paper-Based Compliance Practices.

Now on to this week’s stories of interest:

 TD Ameritrade to release customized version of Salesforce from FA-Mag.com

[So if you're Schwab and announce a partnership with Salesforce in October 2010, then take a year to roll something out to advisers, someone might steal your thunder. That's just what TD Ameritrade did this week as it announced the rollout of a customized version of Salesforce at about a 40% discount to advisers. I'm going to view the demo this afternoon and hope to report shortly thereafter.] TD Ameritrade Institutional (TDA) is putting final touches on a customized version of Salesforce that it will release in October.

Fidelity Rolls Out ‘Technology Investment Evaluator’ for Advisors from Financial Planning

[Not to be left out, Fidelity is providing its internal consultants with an Excel-based spreadsheet that helps rank the various tools available to advisers by how well the tool might meet advisers' needs.] Fidelity Investments’ RIA custodian business has announced a new tool, Technology Investment Evaluator, to help advisors run their businesses more efficiently.

And on Monday, I posted that Schwab revealed its new Intelligent Integration website and formed a new subsidiary called Schwab Intelligent Technologies to support the effort.

For my thoughts on Salesforce, read Is Salesforce the future of adviser CRM?

Orion announces integration with Salesforce/AppCrown CRM

Posted on August 30, 2011 by in Portfolio Management Software

In his State of the Company address to Orion Advisor Forum attendees, Orion president Eric Clarke announced that the company will be releasing an integration with Salesforce/AppCrown CRM by December of this year.

Orion president Eric Clarke

Orion president Eric Clarke

The announcement wrapped up a series of highlights how Orion is investing in its own business and in the business of its advisor clients.

New for Orion this year is a hardened server facility in Nebraska, an eProfile system designed to streamline the account creation paperwork process, and an Advisor Voice feature on the web, where advisors can submit their votes on top desired features they’d like to see released in the future.

At the conclusion of his address, Clarke described Orion’s vision to fully integrate the Advisor Desktop platform into the Salesforce/AppCrown platform by January 2013. This, according to Clarke, will allow advisors to manage major components of their business, including CRM, portfolio management, billing, and trading, all from within the CRM environment.