Financial Planning Magazine Archives

2015 Tech Survey Results! FPPad Bits and Bytes for December 4

Posted on December 4, 2015 by Bill Winterberg in Bits & Bytes

On today’s broadcast, it’s survey time. Find out about this year’s winners and losers in the annual Financial Planning Magazine technology survey.

So get ready, FPPad Bits and Bytes begins now.

Ok, this week’s coverage is all about the 2015 Financial Planning Magazine technology survey, analyzed every year by tech expert Joel Bruckenstein. This year’s survey consisted of just 600 responses, of which roughly 200 were from firms that identify themselves as independent RIAs.

Now I have to admit, this sample size is a lot lower then the peak back in 2011 when the survey collected over 3200 responses, but Financial Planning Magazine changed its survey methodology to prevent ballot stuffing, and insists that the current data is still statistically significant. So, now that we have that out of the way, you can draw your own conclusions from this year’s survey results.

Technology Spending

First up: technology spending. Survey says: Over 90% of advisors spent the same or more on technology this year. But honestly, I don’t see how spending on technology guarantees your firm will be any better in the long run, it just means you spend lots of money on technology.

I care whether you’re gaining efficiency and scalability from the technology you do purchase, which leads us to the next item. CRM software.

Top CRM Software

So what’s the top CRM in use? Survey says! None.

Seriously, none?!? Yeah. Among independent RIAs, 22.9% say they don’t use a formal CRM. Oh wait, I know what CRM they use: Cranium Relationship Management, because It’s All Right Here. Ugh.

But for those of you who DO use a CRM, top survey responses include Salesforce, Junxure, and Redtail, with Wealthbox doing a respectable job closing the gap with the top three.

Top Financial Planning Software

So what about financial planning software: Survey says! MoneyGuidePro takes the top spot, with eMoney in the runner up position for the sixth straight year. Eight other providers battle it out for the remaining solutions, with Advizr being one to watch with its quality showing after just one year in the marketplace.

Top Portfolio Management Software

And moving on, the next category is portfolio management software, with the top provider being, oh that’s right, survey says! PortfolioCenter.

Morningstar, Albridge, Envestnet and Orion round out the top five, as their numbers are fairly consistent with the tech surveys over the last few years. But, I’m fairly sure Envestnet and Orion are a lot closer to one another in marketshare than this survey shows, with Envestnet probably commanding a slight lead, so remember what I said earlier about statistical significance and sample size.

Top Client Portal

And finally, I’m wrapping up with the top client portal, so, survey says! Broker-dealer or custodian provided. Ugh. That’s not a portal, that’s online account access! Anyone with an account has that! Seriously.

At least with eMoney, which claimed third place, clients can securely upload documents, see all their financial assets using account aggregation, and more. If all you offer is read-only account access to client, you are not leveraging the potential of a real client portal.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a little depressed after digesting this year’s tech survey. There is a lot of work left to be done.

But here’s the silver lining: this survey covers the technology that some advisors are using up until today, but it’s not indicative of the cutting-edge solutions that have the potential to grow your business in the near future.

For that, you’re going to have to watch next week’s episode on my picks for the Best Technology of 2015.

Watch FPPad Bits and Bytes for December 4, 2015

FPPad Among the 10 Influential Blogs for Financial Advisors

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Bill Winterberg in General

FPPad.com was just recognized by Financial Planning magazine as one of the 10 Influential Blogs for Financial Advisors.

I’m honored to be among Financial Planning magazine’s 10 Influential Blogs for Financial Advisors!

It is a privilege to be listed among such excellent sites full of rich information and resources for the financial adviser community.

It is also equally rewarding knowing that the adviser community (that means you!) values the technology information available on FPPad, including my recent expansion of video, podcast, and On Air broadcast content.

Go read the article on Financial-Planning.com to find out who else made the top 10 list.

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

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Bill Winterberg 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 December 2

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Bill Winterberg in Bits & Bytes

It was a slow week in financial planning technology news, but thankfully, December marks the release of the annual Financial Planning Technology Survey. Joel Bruckenstein’s review of what tools and technology advisers are using dominates this weeks update. Otherwise, companies must be entering that post-Thanksgiving quiet period in advance of the December holiday season.

Here are this week’s stories of interest:

Tech Survey from Financial-Planning.com

[Redtail leaps ahead of CRMs, advisors flock to iPads, and firms still operate without any form of real document management. Read this and other insights in Bruckenstein’s annual review.] From iPads to Androids to cloud providers, technology evolves oh-so-fast, and FP’s annual tech survey reveals that advisor technology usage is changing rapidly too.

Advisor Tech Survey: Tablets Are What’s Hot Now from Financial-Planning.com

[When I spoke to a room full of advisers at NAPFA Connections in Dallas last month, over 80% of them raised their hands when asked if they owned an iPad. How much more proof does one need?] For financial advisors, the introduction of iPad over the past year has changed everything. Notoriously resistant to new technologies, advisers have become envious of the remarkable advancements taking place in the consumer tech market.

UBS Gets Serious About Mobile With iPad App Test Drive from Financial-Planning.com

[Financial advisers affiliated with UBS Wealth Management Americas will soon have access to the UBS FA Mobile app for iPad. Perhaps the intro sentence would be better if the hope was to create more effective engagements with clients. AUM growth is just a side effect of that.] Some 60 UBS Wealth Management Americas financial advisors will kickoff a three-month test drive this week of an iPad application designed to make it easier to interact with clients and access research reports — all in the hope of generating more assets under management.

The Mitigator from Financial-Planning.com

[How do you manage $300+ million AUM with just a staff of three? Get Tamarac Advisor X and leverage ByAllAccounts.] When a Midwestern regional bank bought the independent firm financial planner Marc Henn worked for in 2002, his clients questioned where their interests ranked on the firm’s list of priorities. “My clients encouraged me to start my own firm,” Henn says. In 2008, he did, founding Harvest Financial Advisors of West Chester, Ohio.

Read the Financial Planning 2011 Technology Survey

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Bill Winterberg in Technology

The Financial Planning 2011 Technology Survey is now available to view online. As in past years, I’ll provide my summary of the survey statistics, so look for that update soon. In the meantime…

Click here to view Financial Planning’s 2011 Technology Survey.

FPPad Bits and Bytes for December 3

Posted on December 3, 2010 by Bill Winterberg in Bits & Bytes

Bits and Bytes was on break last week for the Thanksgiving holiday, so this week you’re getting two week’s worth of technology updates in one.

Here are the stories of interest from the last two weeks:

Technology Survey 2010 from Financial Planning Magazine

This year marks our fourth anniversary, and there is plenty to be excited about. With our growing sample size and a historical record to draw upon, we think we are better positioned than ever to offer readers an analysis of the state of technology within our industry.

Envestnet Launches Industry’s First Advisory Platform to Deliver Comprehensive Support for ‘Unified Managed Household’ at PRNewswire.com

Envestnet today announced the next generation of its industry-leading wealth management platform for advisors, the industry’s first advisory platform with truly integrated analysis, guidance and reporting for the emerging “unified managed household” (UMH) advice model. Advisors employing the UMH model seek to address the client’s entire financial situation through focus on effective deployment of all of the client’s investment assets, not just those managed by the advisor.

eFileCabinet rolls out latest version of SecureDrawer from InvesetmentNews.com

eFileCabinet, Inc., a content management provider (which includes document management), announced availability of version two of its SecureDrawer web-based client portal service.

NetDocuments Gets a Makeover at the NetDocuments SaaS Blog

In the spring of 2011, NetDocuments users will get a new user experience. Without sacrificing any of our industry leading functionality and reliability, we have redesigned the user interface to improve navigation and simplify the management of documents in the cloud.

Shorter Links, Greater Impact at MorningstarAdvisor.com

As you scour the Internet for information on financial planning and wealth management, you often find articles and websites you want to share with clients and colleagues. When you post links to the information on your website, blog, or social network of choice, how do you know how much traffic those links generate?

EISI Upgrades Entire Product Line at FA-Mag.com

EISI, North America’s leading supplier of financial planning software to financial professionals, has announced upgrades to all three of its software packages: NaviPlan Select, Profiles Professional, and Profiles Forecaster.

The Financial Planning 2010 Technology Survey

Posted on November 26, 2010 by Bill Winterberg in Technology

The Financial Planning 2010 Technology Survey (formerly known as the Software Survey) is now available. As in past years, we’re going to provide our summary of the survey statistics. We’re on a break to end the week, so that post will come soon. In the meantime…

Click here to view Financial Planning’s 2010 Technology Survey.

Rebalancing Software Update in Financial Planning Magazine

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Bill Winterberg in Compliance, Software

Yes, FPPad has been very quiet for the month of July. We’re working hard behind the scenes managing consulting projects for clients, caring for my 16-month-old son, and authoring contributions to trade magazines and journals.

On the authoring front, I want to share a column I wrote for the August issue of Financial Planning magazine. Titled Better Balance, I highlight the trend of increased use of rebalancing software programs, but also address how these programs help with a firm’s fiduciary obligation to treat all clients fairly and equitably.

Click here to read Better Balance at Financial-Planning.com.

I hope you enjoy the column, and feel free to leave feedback in the comments below.

Get the Financial Planning 2009 Software Survey

Posted on November 24, 2009 by Bill Winterberg in Technology

It’s that time of year again when Financial Planning magazine publishes its annual survey of technology in use by financial planners and advisers. This is the third year for the survey, and again Joel P. Bruckenstein tallied up the responses (from over 1,500 individuals!) and reviewed the results.

Click here to view Bruckenstein’s review of Financial Planning’s 2009 Software Survey.

Just as I did last year, I’m posting my 30-second summary of the review. I’m listing each comment along side those of 2008 for easy comparison. Read More…

FPPad.com in Financial Planning’s NexGen Coverage

Posted on August 4, 2008 by Bill Winterberg in General

During the FPA NexGen conference, I had the privilege of meeting Gabrielle Whelan from SourceMedia, Inc. Stacy Schultz of Financial Planning Magazine also attended the conference, but I didn’t have the opportunity to speak with her.

Gabrielle recently posted her review of the FPA NexGen conference on Financial Planning’s website. Click here to read her article titled Notes on NexGen. I’m very thankful that she included a link to FPPad.com in her review.

FPPad