Tag Archives: Atom Align

FPPad Bits and Bytes for November 22

Posted on November 22, 2013 by in Bits & Bytes

On this week’s broadcast, learn about new technology offerings from two of the top institutional custodians, a bold new workflow platform launches with the potential to revolutionize the way you use technology, and a new app is introduced to fill your prospecting funnel with qualified leads.

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:

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

[This week’s top story comes from Schwab Advisor Services, who unveiled several technology initiatives at their annual Schwab IMPACT conference last week. Capitalizing on four technology trends of Big Data, Mobile, Cloud and Integration, Schwab’s Neesha Hathi announced the company is working on Project PM2, a completely new, cloud-based portfolio management software solution.

Hathi also said Schwab is piloting mobile app development for advisors called OpenView Mobile, giving advisors a white-labeled app in the popular app stores that clients can use to view their account information.

Project PM2 and OpenView Mobile just scratch the surface of all of the announcements made at IMPACT, so be sure to read the main story for all the details.] 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.

Pershing Enhances NetX360® Platform with Additional Third-Party Technology Integrations from PRNewswire

[Another custodian that just introduced new technology integrations is Pershing, who announced that its NetX360 platform now connects with portfolio rebalancing software from Blaze Portfolio and portfolio management software from Portfolio Pathway.

These new integrations will streamline the data import and export process between NetX360, which should increase the popularity of these programs among advisors who custody assets through Pershing.

In addition, Pershing’s account opening process should get a little bit smoother through the addition of Laser App form filling software, and advisors using SmartOffice CRM from Ebix will enjoy single sign-on access from their NetX360 dashboard.] Pershing LLC, a BNY Mellon company, today announced several enhancements to NetX360®, its technology platform for advisors. NetX360 now offers additional integrations with two popular portfolio management and rebalancing solutions – Blaze Portfolio and Portfolio Pathway. Also, as part of its client onboarding solution, NetX360 now provides Laser App® forms management and configuration tools. In addition to these integrations, users of the NetX360 can now directly access Ebix Smart Office customer relationship management (CRM) software via a single sign-on process.

Fox Financial Planning Network Unveils Industry-Disruptive Technology for Financial Services Sector with Intelligent Automation and Integration™ Software from PRNewswire

[Next up comes a development in workflow systems for financial advisors. For years I’ve struggled to answer the question of where an advisor’s workflow system should ultimately live. Should it be a part of CRM software, or perhaps a sophisticated document management program? Well the folks at the Fox Financial Planning Network believe the answer is neither.

Instead, they recently announced the introduction of a new middleware application called Genesis Smartware, a workflow solution that operates in the background of the key programs advisors use every day. Genesis Smartware does not replace CRM or document management workflow, but rather it complements the capabilities of existing systems by leveraging APIs and integrations to step through a series of complex workflow steps.

I believe the potential for this approach to workflow is huge, but look for Fox Financial Planning Network to take a measured approach to rolling out this platform to advisors because until now, you’ve never seen anything like it.] Fox Financial Planning Network (FFPN) announced today the availability of a revolutionary new middleware software application, Genesis Smartware™, which will facilitate sophisticated integrations between industry technology providers, streamline and automate many of the daily tasks involved in providing financial advisory services, and serve as an integration translator between older legacy and newer platforms for financial institutions.

Orion Advisor Services, LLC Releases New Discover App For Creating Customizable Online Client Questionnaires from PRNewswire

[And finally, in an effort to boost advisors’ online lead generation capabilities, Orion Advisor Services just released a new interactive app called Discover. The portfolio accounting service bureau and past sponsor of Bits and Bytes is branching out to help advisors cultivate leads and capture prospect information online. Discover is an online questionnaire that can be completely customized by advisors, and prospects who complete the questionnaire can receive insightful portfolio reports and scorecards through an integration with AdvisoryWorld.

Prospect contact information is routed automatically to Salesforce, with other CRM integrations coming soon, giving advisors better control and visibility into lead generation and management of their prospecting funnel. The Discover app is free for Orion’s existing customers, and pricing for all other advisors is still to be determined.] Orion Advisor Services, LLC, a premier portfolio accounting service provider, announced the release of Discover, an interactive app that allows RIAs to design their own unique online client questionnaires to capture and connect with prospects prior to their initial meetings.

 

Watch FPPad Bits and Bytes for November 22, 2013

Watch FPPad Bits and Bytes for November 22, 2013

FPPad Bits and Bytes for August 2

Posted on August 2, 2013 by in Bits & Bytes

It’s here! Bits and Bytes has gone video.

I’m now delivering the week’s best technology bits for financial advisers in a video broadcast you can bite into anytime you like (oh yes, I just did that).

This week’s edition of Bits and Bytes is brought to you by Redtail Technology, providers of cloud-based CRM for financial professionals since 2003.

Redtail Technology

Check out their popular advisor solutions and sign up for a 30-day free trial. Visit fppad.com/redtail for more information.

(Watch on YouTube). But still, those with short attention spans or aficionados of the written word can get this week’s stories of interest in their full-text glory below.

Like it? Hate it? Let me know!

Like the new format? Hate it? Don’t care for it? Be honest, and let me know by contacting me.

Tech reporter Davis Janowski leaving InvestmentNews to become editor for WealthFront, via Davis’ Twitter feed

[In this week’s lead story, venerable technology reporter Davis Janowski announced this week that he will be leaving his position as tech reporter at InvestmentNews to assume the editor role over at WealthFront. Most of you should recognize WealthFront from a number of past articles about online financial advice platforms and so called “robo-adviser” platforms. For as long as I can remember, Davis has been a solid journalist covering technology for financial advisers and inspired me to launch FPPad back in the day. So Davis, thanks for all your work and passion, and I look forward to what you have in store for advisers with your new role at WealthFront.]

 

USB flash drives masquerading as keyboards mean more BYOD security headaches from ZDNet.com

[In my Defending Against Phishing, Hacking, and Spoofing Attacks presentation, this is one of the attacks I talk about under social engineering. See, hackers drop these little USB flash drives in business parking lots, labeled with enticing messages like “personal and confidential” or “2012 tax returns.” They hope than an unsuspecting employee will pick it up and plug it in to their corporate computer, which unbeknownst to the employee unleashes all kinds of malware and spyware inside the corporate firewall. The best defense against this tactic: train everyone in your organization not to use USB drives from unknown sources. The risk of stumbling on a rogue device is just too great.] You should be already aware of the data theft risks that USB flash drives pose to your company – even a seemingly lowly 2GB drive can hold a lot of precious data – but a new threat has emerged which makes them even more dangerous.

inStream Hires Professor Dr. Wade Pfau to lead Financial Planning Research from inStreamWealth.com

[inStream, the provider of free web-based financial planning, strike that, practice management software, just beefed up its chops in the retirement planning area by hiring Dr. Wade Pfau to lead its Financial Planning Research division. Pfau is the Professor of Retirement Income for the American College and has authored a number of influential papers on retirement research. Clearly, advisers looking to serve the needs of their retiring clients want access to the leading research on retirement planning, and Pfau’s connection with inStream will likely raise the company’s profile on most advisers’ radar. A final note: inStream is an advertiser on FPPad and helps support content production just like this.] inStream Solutions (“inStream”) announced today that American College Professor of Retirement Income Dr. Wade Pfau has joined the firm to lead Financial Planning Research.

Orion Advisor Services Enhances Integrated Performance Reporting Capabilities from MarketWatch.com

[Orion Advisor Services is well-known for its hosted portfolio management software and reconciliation service bureau. One issue with many of these services is that the reports themselves might not be exactly what advisers are looking for and want to present to their clients. Some advisers turn to third-party providers like MorningStar or AdvisoryWorld for more attractive reports that better convey information advisers want to put in front of clients. Well this week, Orion announced that its Report Builder solution now integrates with AdvisoryWorld, so advisers can pull in components like risk analytics, Modern Portfolio Theory statistics, and diversification and overlap analysis directly from AdvisoryWorld, but be able to match the font size and look and feel of standard Orion reports. If you’re one of the hundreds of Orion users, check out the updated Report Builder and see how you can enhance your reports with the latest AdvisoryWorld integration.] Orion Advisor Services, LLC, a premier portfolio accounting service provider, is delivering more robust performance reporting capabilities to its advisor clients through expanded integrations with AdvisoryWorld, a leading provider of customizable portfolio analytics and investment planning applications to the financial services market and PIEtech’s MoneyGuidePro, the leading goal-based financial planning software for financial advisors.

BlazePortfolio Completes Integration with Black Diamond from BlazePortfolio.com

[For rebalancing software, advisers are pretty familiar with Envestnet|Tamarac, TD Ameritrade Institutional’s iRebal, and Total Rebalance Expert. One of the programs not on most advisers’ radar is Atom Align from Blaze Portfolio. This week, the folks at Blaze Portfolio announced that their solution, Atom Align, is now integrated with Advent’s Black Diamond portfolio management software. So if you’re a Black Diamond user and don’t have rebalancing software, you have one more option to consider to increase your efficiency when rebalancing client accounts.] BlazePortfolio is excited to complete its integration with Black Diamond.  The BlazePortfolio and Black Diamond integrated solution offers Investment Advisors the opportunity to utilize both platforms for their back office systems.

LinkedIn Company Pages Add Analytics from Mashable.com

[If you’re like me, you work hard to build your brand and build your profile through a number of social media websites. So a big part of measuring your success for the time you spend on social media is the ability to get metrics and real data behind your social media activity. Mashable reported on Wednesday that LinkedIn is now offering analytics for Company Pages set up on the site, so if your firm has a Company Page, go sign in and look for the new analytics tab in your menu.] LinkedIn added analytic support to Company Pages Wednesday, giving businesses the opportunity to track how content shared on LinkedIn performs.

And if you want to read the best material in financial planning knowledge and information over the weekend, click or tap the button below to head over to Michael Kitces’ Nerd’s Eye View blog and see the latest in Weekend Reading.

Click to view Weekend Reading at Kitces.com

FPPad Bits and Bytes for June 22

Posted on June 22, 2012 by in Bits & Bytes

Woah, who turned on the firehose of releases this week? Maybe everyone wants to get all their news out to the world before taking off for summer vacations.

So I don’t interfere with your vacation plans, let’s move right into week’s stories of interest:

Schwab Performance Technologies Announces Development of Hosted Version of PortfolioCenter from MarketWire

[My Twitter followers found out Monday morning of Schwab’s latest plans to offer a hosted version of PortfolioCenter to advisers. Getting portfolio management software off of your local server is one of the last hurdles to cross in transitioning your business into one that can operate completely in the cloud.] Schwab Performance Technologies® (SPT), a subsidiary of The Charles Schwab Corporation and a leading provider of technology solutions for independent investment advisors, announced today that the company is building a hosted version of its flagship portfolio management software for independent investment advisors.

Schwab Announces Availability of 28 New Workflows for Independent Investment Advisors from MarketWire

[My vision for workflows is an online exchange advisers can upload and download workflow scripts for specific CRMs. Well, that assumes CRMs can import and export workflow scripts, which most can’t do, not even Salesforce, if I remember correctly. Until then, advisers will have to settle for “pseudo-code,” i.e. a high-level description, of what steps to follow in a workflow, delivered in a PDF or Word document. And that’s exactly what Schwab Intelligent Technologies is delivering.] In order to help advisors gain greater efficiency in their business practices, Charles Schwab announced today that a full library of 28 universal workflows are now available in the Schwab OpenView Workflow Library(TM) (Workflow Library) through Schwab Intelligent Technologies.

Cloud version of Junxure on the way from InvestmentNews

[Junxure Essentials is coming, well, soon, and we don’t yet know how much it will cost. Last year, August 24, 2011 to be exact, I relayed the company’s plans to release a cloud-based version of Junxure in Q4 2012. According to CRM Software’s Greg Friedman, now plans are to launch a beta version in the fall with general availability in 2013. Building this is not easy, and Junxure’s only going to get one chance, in my opinion, to get this right. Oh, and if you made it this far, Junxure posted a sneak peek of Joel Bruckenstein’s review from the Technology Tools for Today newsletter.] Junxure, a CRM application popular among registered investment advisers, is heading to the clouds.

Smarsh Acquires AdvisorSquare from Symantec from MarketWatch

[If you archive websites (see Smarsh releases Web Archiving, an automated solution to archive adviser websites), you might as well support the creation of them in the first place. Here Smarsh announces the acquisition of AdvisorSquare and their website support for “thousands of investment professionals nationwide.” I stopped recommending AdvisorSquare to my clients back in 2009. Will Smarsh’s investment reverse my opinion of their product and service?] Smarsh(R), the managed service leader in secure, innovative and reliable email archiving and compliance solutions, today announced the acquisition of AdvisorSquare from Symantec.

Junxure Launches Blog for Financial Industry from PRNewswire

[Junxure, a top-three CRM in use by advisers, now has a public blog. I contacted Junxure president Greg Friedman and asked that he set up an RSS feed with Feedburner to offer a few more flexible options for visitors to subscribe.] Junxure, an industry-leading CRM practice improvement firm that integrates technology, consulting, and training, has launched its Company blog at www.junxure.com/blog. The new Junxure blog will primarily focus on topics related to the financial industry, from technology trends to industry best practices. In addition, the Junxure blog will report important news and updates about its products and services.

 AssetBook and BlazePortfolio Announce Strategic Partnership to Deliver End-to-End Back Office Solution for Investment Advisors from BlazePortfolio

[Managing portfolios for your clients means more than just downloading and reconciling account positions. You also need a tool that scales your ability to place trades. Here’s a good development between trade order management provider BlazePortfolio and  online portfolio service bureau Assetbook (see AssetBook CEO Rob Major discusses advantages of hiring an outsourced portfolio service bureau.] BlazePortfolio Systems  and AssetBook today announced an integration partnership between software platforms which would provide AssetBook users access to BlazePortfolio’s real-time trade order management system, Atom Align.  The combined offering will provide enhanced flexibility for registered investment advisors who are seeking a best of breed approach to manage their portfolio management systems.

YouTube Integration Reflects Growing Use of Video as Social Tool for Business from Arkovi.com

[You no doubt have noticed the addition of video content here at FPPad. You’re likely considering making videos of your own (if not already) to feature your business. But any video you post is marketing material, and is therefore subject to the same capture and archive requirements in FINRA and SEC regulations. So how do you archive videos you post to popular hosting sites like YouTube? One option is Arkovi’s extended solution.]  Arkovi announced today at the Morningstar Investment Conference a new integration with YouTube, continuing a series of major releases on its social media archiving, compliance and monitoring platform. The YouTube integration includes a number of key features including publishing, compliance and supervision, reporting and search features.

Black Diamond’s Clientele Swells After Advent Merger from WealthManagement.com

[A little more than a year after being acquired by Advent for $73 million, Black Diamond continues its healthy growth. What I’d like to know from you is what has (or has not) changed with respect to the customer service you receive.] Not every advisor was pleased in May 2011 when Advent Software announced it was buying its smaller, younger rival, Black Diamond Performance Reporting.

See, I told you there were a ton of new updates this week!

Kitces: Eleven blogs for all financial advisers to follow from InvestmentNews

[It’s a privilege to have FPPad included among excellent blogs you should follow. I hope you continue to enjoy the Video Spotlight and Bits & Bytes content produced for you.] While there are many lists of blogs out there, financial planning’s own social media “power tweeter” Michael Kitces, partner and director of research for Pinnacle Advisory Group and publisher of The Kitces Report and his own blog, Nerd’s Eye View, maintains a list of blogs specifically relevant for financial advisors.

FPPad Bits and Bytes for June 24

Posted on June 24, 2011 by in Bits & Bytes

I’ve been in 100% focus mode this week, working on new products and services for FPPad’s consulting business. eBooks are a part of that development, too, so if there’s a hot topic in which you’re interested (e.g. iPad for advisers, social media compliance, etc.), please let me know.

Here are this week’s stories of interest.

Advisers: How do you know when it’s time for an upgrade from InvesetmentNews.com

Financial advisers, whether solo practitioners or members of a multiperson firm, need to think regularly about whether their technology is keeping pace with their business needs. Experienced advisers and technology experts have plenty of advice and experiences to share.

Portfolio management, reporting spawning new players, products from InvestmentNews.com

[Davis Janowski had a busy week this week!] Advisers seeking portfolio management software have choices beyond venerable offerings such as Advent Axys and Schwab PortfolioCenter. Take, for example, the demonstrations of two portfolio management and reporting systems that I received last week: PowerAdvisor and Atom Align Cloud Service.

Review: How Redtail got hot fast among RIAs and how it plans to leapfrog itself from RIABiz.com

[I reviewed Redtail’s upcoming Project Leapfrog release in May’s Morningstar Advisor column, A Popular CRM Gets an Upgrade] Fondly named after CEO Brian McLaughlin’s red-tailed golden retriever (not the hawk or the beer), Redtail is a Sacramento-based company living the American dream.

LPL Financial Provides Advisor Access to Social Media from FA-Mag.com

[If you read this month’s Morningstar Advisor column, How to Make Social Media Compliance Automatic, then you already knew Erado was on LPL’s preferred vendor list. Now the deal is official.] LPL Financial becomes the latest independent broker-dealer to allow its advisors to use social media, signing a multiyear deal with Erado Message Control Solutions that will provide monitoring that meets Financial Industry Regulatory Authority requirements for review of online marketing, officials said Wednesday.