Tag Archives: Fidelity

Fidelity WealthCentral Mobile now available for iPad

Posted on December 19, 2011 by in Technology

In February this year, Fidelity released its WealthCentral Mobile app for iPhone and iPod touch. Ever since, advisers have been eager for an iPad app that fully utilizes the larger screen of the popular tablet.

Today, the Fidelity WealthCentral app is now available for iPad.

Click here to view the app in the Apple app store.

You can view several screenshots of the app’s features in the store listing.

FPPad Bits and Bytes for December 16

Posted on December 16, 2011 by in Bits & Bytes

I’m on an extended holiday break now through the end of the year, but I’ll be sure to keep you up to date with the best stories in financial planning technology.

So here are this week’s stories of interest:

How Orion won the account of a $2-billion RIA from Advent after two very long drives across the prairie from RIABiz.com

[I have to hand it to Brooke, he managed to weave in an appealing story about driving across the Midwestern plains into a feature of Orion Advisor Services.] Orion’s announcement last week that it has supplanted Advent Software for the private client assets of Mariner Wealth Advisors, a firm that manages about $10 billion of assets, was four years, and two multi-state car rides, in the making.

InvestmentNews Technology Directory to make its debut this week from InvestmentNews.com

[This could be a promising new resource for advisers seeking information on the various technology vendors out there.] After a great deal of effort and teamwork, the InvestmentNews Technology Directory was introduced online Wednesday. The directory features detailed profiles of products designed for the advisory community. It already has more than 100 listed.

SROIIA Launches State Web Tool in Anticipation of ‘Switch’ from AdvisorOne.com

[SROIIA’s web tool is a nice way to quickly check the disorganized state registration requirements for investment advisers.] The Self-Regulatory Organization for Independent Investment Advisers, which was founded by two University of Mississippi School of Law students last March, announced Wednesday that it had created a web tool to help advisors wade through the registration requirements for each state.

Fidelity’s New Benchmarking Dashboards Help RIAs See How They Stack Up from Financial-Planning.com

[If you’re familiar with the dashboard reports from Quantuvis Consulting (Stephanie Bogan’s firm), you’ll recognize the data in Fidelity’s new tool.] Here’s one way RIA firms can measure their firms’ success: they can see everything from where their revenue is coming from to total assets under management —benchmarked to other firms — the same way you’d look at dials on a car dashboard.

 

 

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 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 16

Posted on September 16, 2011 by in Bits & Bytes

Summer is “officially” over. How do I know (besides the snow blower inventory in Wisconsin, thank you Nathan Gehring)? Temperatures have finally dipped below 100 degrees here in Dallas, and the floodgates have opened on technology news for financial advisers. Most guilty this week is RIABiz with multiple contributions.

Here are this week’s stories of interest:

If you work hard but feel like you’re not making any progress, view my latest update for Blueleaf, Was Otis Redding Singing About Your Advisory Practice?

Salesforce.com is more than a CRM app from InvestmentNews.com

[Again, Salesforce continues to dominate technology talk for financial advisers. Here Davis Janowski highlights how the Salesforce platform does much more beyond the basic CRM functions.] When thinking about Salesforce, advisers shouldn’t view it as stand-alone, dedicated CRM software.

AdventConnect Report: Black Diamond will sell rebalancing software and better reporting on alternative investments from RIABiz.com

By the start of 2012, Black Diamond Performance Reporting, now part of Advent, intends to provide rebalancing software as part of its capabilities and to vastly improve its ability to report on alternative assets.

Fidelity jumps into the game of providing technology for picking RIA technology from RIABiz.com

[I noted Fidelity’s new spreadsheet tool in last week’s Bits & Bytes, so thankfully Lisa Shidler dipped in for more research on the tool for RIABiz.] Before RIAs rush out and spend tens of thousands of dollars on new technology, Fidelity Investments executives want them to look at its new tool for determining the economic impact of costly technology purchases.

As advisors flunk social media 101, CRM makers are starting to pick up the slack from RIABiz.com

[In this article, Nevin Freeman points out Pivotal CRM’s social features. I’ve been spoiled by social aggregators that integrate with email programs like Gmail and Outlook and I share those tools in my presentations to advisers.] Customer relationship management suites like Salesforce.com are beginning to put more emphasis on interacting with online social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter – and it may answer a prayer or two for RIAs who are tired of asking their 14 year-olds for advice.

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?

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 6

Posted on May 6, 2011 by in Bits & Bytes

Today is the final day of FPA Retreat 2011, and Bill will soon be flying to Baltimore for a short weekend visit before returning to Dallas next Monday. As the events at Retreat unfolded, we’ve taken brief breaks to cover the best of technology news for advisers this week.

Here are this week’s stories of interest:

TechCheck: Archiving for QuickBooks gets quicker from InvestmentNews.com

This InvestmentNews update covers a new Quickbooks integration in eFileCabinet Inc., a free social media policy resource, and news of the partnership between Trust Company of America and Black Diamond Performance Reporting.

TradeWarrior and TradePMR Announce Integrated Partnership from MarketWire.com

TradeWarrior and TradePMR announced today an integration between the two firms. The partnership provides TradePMR advisors with the ability to seamlessly export their client data files into TradeWarrior’s powerful rebalancing and trading system. The affiliation marks the first time TradePMR has made rebalancing software available to their advisors.

Lean on Me at FA-Mag.com

The major custodians are taking a leaf from the page of the independent broker-dealers who, in the best of cases, look beyond their advisors’ need for trade execution to the entire area of practice management.

Dropping Out of the Tech Arms Race at RegisteredRep.com

But even while confidence has slowly crept back among advisors, as the market has cooperated as well, many are still holding tight to the lessons of the past few years — spending on technology, but with a new kind of financial savvy and discretion.

Read Bill’s column for the May issue of the Journal of Financial Planning, Five Misconceptions About Document Management

Financial planners have benefited tremendously from new technologies introduced in the digital age by being able to conduct much of their business while on the go. However, one area of the digital movement that financial planners have been slow to adopt is document management technology.

The Tech Needs of Advisors on Advisor TV at Financial-Planning.com

At the Tiburon CEO Summit, Stuart DePina, CEO of software provider, Tamarac Corp., discusses what firms need to do with technology to service clients more effectively.

FPPad Bits and Bytes for March 25

Posted on March 25, 2011 by in Bits & Bytes

This is the final week to prepare our Cultivating Clients in a Connected World presentation for FPA Retreat 2011. We’ve been busy refining slides and notes to deliver a message we feel advisers need to hear about how technology is changing the way they work with clients.

In the meantime, we’ve collected the best technology-oriented articles from around the financial planning community. Here are this week’s stories of interest:

Fidelity slips in ahead of Pershing on Google phones with WealthCentral for Android from RIABiz.com

Fidelity announced yesterday that it has released WealthCentral Mobile for the Android platform, making it the first custodian to hit the Android Market with an RIA-centric app

Junxure moving to the cloud amid market pressures from RIABiz.com

Greg Friedman, president of San Rafael, Calif.,-based CRM Software, is announcing that his company’s industry-leading customer relationship management product, Junxure, will have a cloud-based version of its software come January 2012.

Choosing Software That Works for Your Advisory Firm-Part 2: Assess from AdvisorOne.com

The second 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.

And finally, this week’s blog post at MorningstarAdvisor.com, Create an iPad Icon for Your Website.