Tag Archives: Arkovi

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.

FinovateSpring 2012 highlights for independent financial advisers: Day 1

Posted on May 8, 2012 by in Conferences

I’m attending FinovateSpring 2012 today and tomorrow. When I have a chance, I’ll update FPPad with items independent financial advisers will want to add to their radar.

(updated 3:34PM PDT – final update of the day)

Smart Expense™ from Concur simplifies travel expense reporting with TripIt integration from FPPad.com

[Again, here’s another option to facilitate expense report generation, especially if you are an existing TripIt user, Smart Expense from Concur. The disadvantage is there’s a monthly fee for TripIt Pro, but people on Twitter swear by it, so appears worthwhile. SmartExpense from Concur is free.] While you’re traveling, Concur’s mobile travel & expense app helps you stay on the ball. Need to change a flight, book a hotel or rental car, or even hail and pay for a taxi? Concur’s mobile app puts the ability to do all this in the palm of your hand.

(updated 2:41PM PDT)

SaveUp Helps Banks Gamify Consumer Saving from Finovate.com

[Do you have clients that just aren’t meeting their savings goals? Maybe they need to make savings a game. SaveUp takes the basic human desire for positive reward reinforcement by allocating special credits for doing the right things, then those credits can be redeemed for prizes and contest drawings.] First on stage in today’s final session, SaveUp demonstrated how financial institutions can use its platform to instill positive saving habits in members.

(updated 11:34AM PDT)

iQuantifi helps clients optimize and prioritize financial goals in real time from FPPad.com

[Unbeknownst to me prior to today, iQuantifi is an online goal-planning and illustration tool built by Franklin, Tenn.-based financial planner Tom White. Its goal is to “help people identify, prioritize, and achieve their financial goals.” It has a very appealing goals-based interface with an interactive timeline users can use to click and drag goals and see what happens to goal planning in real time. The product is in a private alpha, but you can sign up for their enewsletter to stay informed of product updates. Here’s the Finovate blog entry.]

(updated 11:05AM PDT)

Actiance Helps Financial Institutions and Advisors Track Social Media Activity from Finovate.com

[FPPad readers should be well aware of Actiance and their social media archiving services (among others) for advisers. They presented at FinovateSpring 2012 to gain more exposure in regulated industries. Socialware, Arkovi, Erado, et. al., are you listening?] Wrapping up the first session, Actiance showed how financial institutions can encourage consumer engagement without compromising their brand.

Personal Capital announces iPhone app, Universal Checkbook from tuaw.com

[Personal Capital is known for its free iPad app offered directly to consumers. At FinovateSpring 2012, the company announced the release of an iPhone app and also Universal Checkbook, a way to link a checking account to Personal Capital and use it to send payments to almost anyone. How’s that for integration?] Personal Capital also announced a new feature in the iPhone app that is not part of their iPad app — the Universal Checkbook.

Expensify Trips Aims to Make Travelling Easier from FinovateSpring.com

[Travel a lot to adviser conferences? Expensify might save you tons of time by linking photos of your receipts while traveling with your trip itinerary, generating an expense report in real time.] Expensify showed how its Trips platform makes travelling easier by helping you get a head start on processing travel receipts:

 

Maximize Your Technology Spending in 2012

Posted on January 4, 2012 by in Efficiency, Software, Technology

My contribution schedule to the Journal of Financial Planning has changed for 2012. Instead of columns in the May and November editions, look for my articles in this year’s January and July editions.

To kick off 2012, I highlight 13 products and services you can purchase in 2012 that are sure to increase your firm’s growth and your personal productivity.

And you don’t need to spend big bucks to benefit from these ideas. There’s something for everyone with budgets ranging from as little as $100 up to $5,000.

So read January’s column at the Journal of Financial Planning now, Maximize Your Technology Spending in 2012.

FPPad Bits and Bytes for November 11

Posted on November 11, 2011 by in Bits & Bytes

I’ve been back in Dallas for a week, but I still have yet to review and edit my notes from Schwab IMPACT 2011. Soon I hope to have two or three new updates on my feedback from conference breakout sessions, but consulting, new content development, and family obligations take precedence. Still, I’ve kept my pulse on the wires this week for the best in technology stories for financial advisers.

First, if you have a website, but are wondering what you can do to take it to the next level and convert visitors to clients, read this month’s column on Morningstar Advisor, How Marketing Automation Can Accelerate Client Growth.

All the major media outlets were on site at Schwab IMPACT 2011, so there were a number of stories released this week regarding related announcements. Most of them were good, but in this case, video content did a better job of addressing what the custodian is doing with its technology platform for advisers than print.

Here are two video updates from Schwab IMPACT worth viewing, one from InvestmentNews’s Davis Janowski interviewing Neesha Hathi and a second from James J. Green’s AdvisorOne, also interviewing Neesha Hathi.

Advisor Tested: Arkovi expands and archives a firm’s online footprint from RIABiz.com

[As an adviser in a regulated industry, you can’t tweet, post to Facebook, or interact on LinkedIn if it’s related to your business unless you archive and supervise your records. One tool that facilitates your compliance obligations is Arkovi, and Judy Messina gives a good rundown in this RIABiz Advisor Tested story.] As registered investment advisors flock to Twitter, Facebook and other social-media sites to establish themselves as thought leaders and connect with customers and other investment professionals, storing and keeping track of tweets, posts and other content for compliance purposes can seem like an exercise in herding cats.

And in related news, I think you might care a little bit about what might happen with the future of regulatory examinations for investment advisers.

Let RIAs Foot Their Own Examination Bill, Report Says from FA-Mag.com

[In a report commissioned by TD Ameritrade Institutional, Georgetown University finance professor James J. Angel proposed that RIAs should pay for their own periodic compliance examinations conducted by an outside third party. There’s merit to this idea, as RIAs who take custody of client assets today must subject themselves to (and pay for) a surprise audit by an independent public accountant that is registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).] Instead of the Securities And Exchange Commission (SEC) or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (Finra) examining RIA firms, the firms themselves should foot the bill for their own periodic compliance examination by using an outside body.

 

FPPad Bits and Bytes for October 7

Posted on October 7, 2011 by in Bits & Bytes

Thank you, Steve.

. . .

I’ve had a relatively quiet week this week before I hit the conference circuit once again. Over the next several weeks, I’ll be presenting at CabinetNG Collaborate 2011, NAPFA Practice Management & Investments, and Schwab IMPACT 2011. See all the details on my speaking page.

Now on to this week’s stories of interest:

I missed last week’s post for Morningstar Advisor, Fast-Track Your CRM Selection. If you custody with TD Ameritrade, you might find this CRM screening tool highly useful.

Fidelity launches new salvo in custodian technology “war” from InvestmentNews.com

[I had the privilege of presenting at Fidelity’s Technology In Practice event last week at the custodian’s headquarters in Boston. Davis Janowski attended and provides a great review of the takeaways advisors learned from the event.] Last Tuesday, Fidelity brought out the big guns at its Technology in Practice day held at the company’s hands-on research think tank in Boston.

Is Financial Planning A “Set It And Forget It” Process? from Blueleaf.com

[My latest contribution for Blueleaf highlights the increasing options advisors have for account aggregation, but once client data is consolidated, do advisors do anything useful with it?] Creating an initial plan is essential to identify things your clients can do to best meet their goals and objectives right now. But what many advisors fail to do is proactively review the plan according to new data collected as time goes on.

Also, the folks over at Arkovi launched a brand new resource center with terrific information for advisors looking to add social media to their toolkit. Click here to visit the Arkovi Resource Center (free account registration required).

Finally, if you’re interested in attending the T3 Conference being held in our backyard in Dallas, registration is now open. The conference runs from February 16 to 18 and discounted early bird registration ($275) ends October 31. Click to register: http://t32012.eventbrite.com/

FPPad Bits and Bytes for August 12

Posted on August 12, 2011 by in Bits & Bytes

Enjoyed the wild ride this week? The market must be captivating everyone’s attention, as there’s been a distinct lull this week of tech-related news worth sharing. And I’m in New Orleans to round out this week strategizing on where FPPad is headed over the next few years. So stay tuned.

Now on to this week’s stories of interest:

Did you send a blast e-mail (or several?) to clients this week? Then you should read my column this month at Morningstar Advisor, Tools to Manage Your E-Mail Newsletter.

Automate & Integrate Arkovi Reports with Evernote, Box.net & more from Arkovi.com

[Arkovi continues to expands its capabilities, a very good sign that they’re proactive in support of new social media platforms.] We are pleased to announce today that Arkovi customers can easily automate the distribution, via email, of their Arkovi archives to any email destination. Most compelling, this includes integration with Evernote, Box.net and Zoho Docs along with any cloud storage platform or digital storage destination that provides an email address for adding files.

Bulletproof Your Practice Using Mobile Dictation from Mobile Assistant

[Corey Westphal, President of Mobile Assistant and a good friend, talks about two important features advisers should seek in their dictation solution.] Increased client documentation combined with time savings is hard for most advisors to imagine, but mobile dictation accomplishes both.

Legal analysis: The chances that Wealthcare beats UBS or upends the financial planning community at RIABiz.com

[You use financial planning software. Say MoneyGuidePro. Well then you need to read Ron Rhoades’ contribution regarding Wealthcare vs. UBS at RIABiz] Wealthcare Capital Management (i.e. Financeware, Inc.) alleges that UBS, by providing “financial advice and reports” to clients “utilizing computerized financial advising software and systems, including, for example, MoneyGuidePro” has infringed two patents.

 

FPPad Bits and Bytes for July 15

Posted on July 15, 2011 by in Bits & Bytes

I’m flying with the family to Portland, Oregon tomorrow for business and pleasure. I’ll be speaking to the FPA of Oregon & SW Washington on Wednesday and visiting with a technology provider on Thursday. Outside of those commitments we’ll be touring the natural wonders of Oregon and relishing in the temperate summer weather (in contrast to 14 days of 100+ degree temperatures we’ve experienced here in Dallas!).

[Photo used under Creative Commons from camknows]

Now on to this week’s stories of interest:

Interactive Advisory Software joins the horse race with VC funding, a new look, and new CEO from RIABiz.com

[You’ve probably never heard of IAS unless you’re a user. They ranked far below competing platforms in the 2010 Financial Planning Technology Survey, so will their refresh and new marketing initiatives result in larger adoption by RIAs?] Based out of Atlanta, Ga., Interactive Advisory Software is stepping out of its “hidden gem” history with new investment, a new CEO, and a brand new look.

Fidelity adds trading to WealthCentral Mobile from InvestmentNews.com

[I suspect advisers are not too inclined to submit trades in client accounts from mobile devices. But from a marketing perspective, saying your app supports mobile trading is a nice checkbox in the functionality matrix] Financial advisers on the WealthCentral platform can now add trading to the list of things they can do from their iPhones and later model Android smart phones.

Social Media Archiving Meets the Back Office – a Cloud Computing Solution for Registered Investment Advisors from Arkovi.com

[Anyone heard of WinWeb? It’s new to me, and I have no clue how well they serve the adviser marketplace.] Arkovi and WinWeb Announce Integrated Partnership Bringing CRM, Social Media Archiving and Operations into One Solution for Registered Investments Advisors.

Orion Welcomes Advance Capital from PRNewswire.com

[Orion, the popular web-based portfolio accounting and service bureau, keeps gaining users and assets reconciled through their platform] Orion Advisor Services, LLC, a comprehensive portfolio accounting service bureau, is pleased to welcome new client Advance Capital Management, Inc., a Broker-Dealer and Registered Investment Advisor with almost $2 billion in assets under management including its own proprietary funds. Advance Capital Management joins a rapidly expanding roster of premier investment firms to utilize Orion’s innovative back-office solutions.

Read this month’s column for Morningstar Advisor, Save Time, Reduce Errors with Text Expanders. You might benefit tremendously from using tools like TextExpander and PhraseExpress.

And if you’re convinced your clients aren’t texting, you need to read my post this week for Blueleaf, Your Clients Are Leaving You In The Dust.

FPPad Bits and Bytes for May 20

Posted on May 20, 2011 by in Bits & Bytes

Bill is attending NAPFA National 2011’s final day today after appearing as a panelist for Thursday’s session on adviser technology. As always, look for the live tweets from this conference which can be found under the #NAPFA11 hashtag.

Here are this week’s stories of interest:

Behind the scenes in social media at InvestmentNews.com

As regulators take their own sweet time coming up with guidelines for social media, the marketplace is coming up with its own solutions for financial advisers.

A blessing from Charles Goldman helped seal the Advent-Black Diamond deal from RIABiz.com

It was a big deal for the RIA business. Yet the planned combination of Advent Software and Black Diamond was not so large that investment bankers got called in to finance or advise on the transaction. What sufficed in place of Goldman Sachs, it turns out, was Charles Goldman.

Tweets That Mean Business from Financial Advisor Magazine

Advisors are finding that social media is more helpful than just sharing silly things like what you ate for dinner last night.

 

 

Arkovi and MarketeRIA® Partner to Facilitate Adviser Use of Social Media

Posted on April 14, 2011 by in Compliance, Practice Management

Arkovi, a social media archiving provider, today announced a partnership with TripleStop, LLC, a marketing agency that offers a social media and web marketing solution to advisers called MarketeRIA®. The partnership will allow advisers to consolidate their website, content management, and social networking activities into one web-based dashboard that features archiving to satisfy regulatory requirements.

Click here to view the press release. (opens at Arkovi.com)

Regular FPPad readers will recognize Arkovi from our regular mentions of companies that provide social media archiving solutions to financial advisers.

Back in January of this year, we introduced TripleStop and its marketing platform in this post, MarketeRIA® Offers Advisors Social Media and Web Marketing Solution.

Adviser adoption rates of social media continue to rise, but one of the challenges advisers face is maintaining profiles spread across multiple networks and managing a consistent message and presence. Add to that the regulatory burden of capturing and archiving messages sent out through various networks, from short 140 character tweets on Twitter to ten minute videos posted to YouTube.

While we have yet to review the Arkovi-MarketeRIA integration, we are hopeful that it will provide a streamlined, consolidated platform advisers can use to efficiently manage their content and better connect with clients and prospects.

FPPad Bits and Bytes for April 8

Posted on April 8, 2011 by in Bits & Bytes

Last week we were finalizing preparation for FPA Retreat 2011. This week’s focus has been preparations for FPA NorCal 2011. As such, the pace of new posts to FPPad has slowed somewhat, but expect them to pick up in the weeks to come.

Here are this week’s stories of interest:

Keep Calm and Carry On from Financial-Planning.com

Coral Gables, Fla.-based Evensky & Katz Wealth Management survived a three-week long audit from the SEC. Here’s what the Chief Compliance Officer would tell other advisory firms that are preparing for when the auditors come knocking.

Social-media archiving, compliance solutions in focus from InvestmentNews.com

Financial advisers and broker-dealers apparently aren’t sitting on the sidelines waiting for Finra and the SEC to figure out how the financial advisory industry should use social networking.

Choosing Software That Works for Your Advisory Firm-Part 3: Envision from AdvisorOne.com

The third update in a six-part series by Spenser Segal of ActiFi designed to present best practices to advisors on how to choose, implement and monitor new technology for an advisory firm.

Where’s the Beef? from Financial-Planning.com

Inside Information’s Bob Veres solicits advisers on their most and least valuable activities when it comes to the use of portfolio management software.

And part two of an interview AdvisorWebsites.com conducted with Bill on financial adviser technology: Bill Winterberg Talks Technology: Part 2