Tag Archives: Open Access

FPPad Bits and Bytes for May 6, 2016

Posted on May 6, 2016 by in Bits & Bytes

On today’s broadcast, Wealthbox CRM releases 5 new integrations, Orion sends portfolio information to clients via text message, Morningstar ByAllAccounts introduces a new client portal, and more.

So get ready, FPPad Bits and Bytes begins now!

Here are the links to this week’s top stories:

5 New Integrations: Zapier, TD Ameritrade, Riskalyze, Orion, Microsoft Office 365 from Wealthbox.com

[This week’s top story comes from Wealthbox CRM, as the company took advantage of a Cinco de Mayo theme to announce five new integrations on 5/5. The new integrations include TD Ameritrade Institutional’s Veo Open Access, Riskalyze, Orion Advisor Services, Microsoft Office 365, and Zapier. If Zapier sounds familiar, that’s because you heard about it in last week’s episode, unless you missed it, which means you should take a few minutes to watch it and get caught up.

This is great news from Wealthbox CRM, as many advisors I know were discouraged from using it in the past because it lacked integrations with many core technology solutions. With that objection out of the way, you should update your due diligence matrix to see which CRM is the best fit for your business objectives over the next few years.] Today we’re happy to announce five new Wealthbox CRM integrations with leading technology partners.

Orion Advisor Services Launches Text Alert Platform for Advisors from MarketWired

[Next up is news from Orion Advisor Services, as this week the portfolio accounting service provider announced a new app called Notifications. Once clients register their mobile number using the Orion client portal, Notifications uses text messages to provide updates like your clients’ portfolio balance, performance information, or even RMDs. Oh, and for you compliance officers watching, all of the messaging are automated, meaning there is no personal communication between the client and the advisor.

Ever since I saw the Penny App at last year’s FinCon event, I’ve been waiting for an advisor fintech provider to roll out text messaging for updates to clients, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure Orion is the first provider to do it.

Now one drawback I see is that clients need to learn special keywords like BAL, PERF, ADV to get information, so my challenge Brad and his team, you remember Brad, the potato chip guy from one of my vlogs, is to add in support for natural language processing so I can just ask the app, “What is my portfolio balance?”
Sorry Brad!] Orion Advisor Services, LLC (“Orion”), a premier portfolio accounting service provider for financial advisors, is announcing the launch of the Notifications app, which allows advisors to communicate with clients more directly by sending portfolio updates and scheduling meetings all via a text alert platform.

Morningstar Launches ByAllAccounts Personal Financial Management Portal for Advisors, Aggregates Investor Accounts with Daily Updates for a More Holistic View of Total Wealth from Morningstar

[And finally, news from Morningstar wraps up this week’s broadcast as the company’s aggregation service, ByAllAccounts, released a personal financial management portal for advisors and clients.

The new portal is available as a complete solution with customized branding for your firm, or if you already use a portal or online dashboard from other providers, you can choose from a number of the ByAllAccounts portal elements to use as stand-alone tools. For this reason, pricing is going to depend based on your needs for a solution, but whatever you pay, account aggregation from ByAllAccounts is included for an unlimited number of clients and accounts.

But there are some caveats you should know: First, the aggregation data is not intended for data reconciliation, so it’s not suitable for detailed portfolio performance information. Reconciliation-ready data is part of the the traditional ByAllAccounts aggregation service.

Second, a minimum number of licenses are required to use the portal, so today, this solution targeted for the mid- to large RIAs and broker-dealers, yet I’m optimistic that over time ByAllAccounts can offer pricing and functionality that is attractive to advisors of all sizes.] Morningstar, Inc., a leading provider of independent investment research, today launched a new personal financial management portal in the firm’s account aggregation service, Morningstar® ByAllAccounts.

Here are the stories that didn’t make this week’s broadcast:

Periscope mimics FB Live by letting you permanently #Save replays from TechCrunch

You can now permanently save replays of your broadcasts by including #Save in their title.

Pershing platform expands robo offerings with Vanare, Jemstep and SigFig partnerships from Financial Planning

Demonstrating the intensifying race to dominate adviser technology, Pershing broadened the scope of its B2B digital advice offerings, announcing on Wednesday it was bringing startups SigFig, Vanare and Invesco’s Jemstep Advisor Pro onto its platform that also includes the still-developing robo Marstone.

Cloak is now part of StackPath from GetCloak.com

Peter, Nick, and I are excited to announce that Cloak is now part of StackPath, a still-stealthy startup based in Dallas, Texas that has bold plans for online security.

Laserfiche 10.1 at the Forefront of ECM and Business Process Automation from Laserfiche

Laserfiche today announced the availability of Laserfiche 10.1. The latest enterprise content management (ECM) offering builds on the features and resources of Laserfiche 10, released in January 2016, further enhancing teamwork and collaboration, refining case management capabilities and extending business analytics.

Watch FPPad Bits and Bytes for May 6, 2016

Watch FPPad Bits and Bytes for May 6, 2016

Veo One preview from the National LINC 2015 Conference

Posted on January 31, 2015 by in Conferences

I just returned from TD Ameritrade Institutional National LINC 2015 Conference in San Diego where I produced a couple of videos covering the technology updates from the event.

Veo® Vendor Village

First, you can get a glimpse of the “vendor village” TD Ameritrade Institutional configures for the technology providers that are integrated with the open access capabilities of the Veo® platform.

Nearly 40 of the 85+ integrated providers were on site providing demos of their technology to the thousands of advisors in attendance.

With over 85 integrated vendors, you may see several new companies that you haven’t heard of before, including Advizr, Vanare, and Upside.

Veo One™

Next up is a preview of Veo One™, TD Ameritrade Institutional’s updated online dashboard designed to be a single source for an advisor’s daily workflow.

Veo One is currently in a private testing period with select advisers, and the official rollout is anticipated in late summer or early fall of 2015.

The first five Veo One integrations will include DocuSign® and Laser App Anywhere for account opening, financial planning software from MoneyGuidePro™, Orion Advisor Services for portfolio management, and Redtail Technologies for CRM.

Advisers want help identifying software integration; look for the logo, says TD Ameritrade Institutional

Posted on July 23, 2013 by in Efficiency, Software

TD Ameritrade Institutional will help advisers identify software integration with a new “Veo Integrated” logo

Financial advisers all want one thing: more integration of the software tools they use.

But finding out if one software program integrates with another, let alone the quality of the integration, is difficult at best.

The ‘Veo Integrated’ logo recognizes the innovation, collaboration and commitment to RIAs shown by firms that have contributed to the success of the Veo open access initiative.

TD Ameritrade Institutional believes it has an answer to advisers’ integration dilemma: a logo.

Want integration between your software tools? Look for the logo says TD Ameritrade Institutional

Want integration between your software tools? Look for the “Veo Integrated” logo, says TD Ameritrade Institutional

In a press release issued today, TD Ameritrade Institutional is launching a new “Veo Integrated” logo to raise awareness of the company’s relationships with third-party solution providers through the Veo open access initiative.

Recognize Innovation

“TD Ameritrade Institutional is working with a growing network of technology providers to improve the technology experience for RIAs by integrating common advisor applications with our Veo system,” said Jon Patullo, managing director of technology, TD Ameritrade Institutional, in the press release.

“The ‘Veo Integrated’ logo recognizes the innovation, collaboration and commitment to RIAs shown by firms that have contributed to the success of the Veo open access initiative,” added Patullo.

Veo Integration Analyzer

TD Ameritrade Institutional also reiterated the presence of the Veo Integration Analyzer™, a web-based tool available to advisers who custody assets with the company. Veo Integration Analyzer is designed to highlight levels of integration between advisers’ existing applications or applications they may be considering for purchase.

Last year I stopped by TD Ameritrade Institutional’s headquarters in Ft. Worth to get a demo of the Veo Integration Analyzer from Chris Valleley, Director of Technology Solutions for TD Ameritrade Institutional. See the demo below (or click here to watch on YouTube).

goalgamiPro adds cash flow illustrations to its quick financial planning framework

Posted on February 7, 2013 by in Video Spotlight

A popular quick financial planning tool gets even faster with Open Access integration and cash flow illustrations

While attending the TD Ameritrade Institutional 2013 National Conference last week, I connected with Neal Ringquist, president of Advisor Software.

You’ve seen Ringquist before as Advisor Software announced the introduction of goalgamiPro, the quick financial planning software tool (See: Yes, you can create financial plans in eight minutes).

Now, goalgamiPro leverages Veo® Open Access from TD Ameritrade Institutional, streamlining the process of entering household asset information into the software.

“We’re fully integrated with Veo,” said Ringquist, “[allowing] advisors to bring accounts and holdings data into the application, which eliminates all that time and makes quick planning even quicker.”

goalgamiPro has also added a new data sheet with cash flow illustrations, further enhancing the conversations advisers can have with clients about planning opportunities.

“There are two ways to look at the viability of goal planning: one is through the balance sheet, but it doesn’t address ‘financeability,’ when cash will be available to meet goals,” added Ringquist. “So we’ve provided that cash flow report [which is] another way to evaluate the client’s goal plan.”

For more information, visit Advisor Software’s goalgamiPro product page at http://www.advisorsoftware.com/products/goalgamipro.asp

(click to watch on YouTube)

TD Ameritrade’s open technology helps push Orion Advisor Services over the $100 billion in platform assets mark

Posted on February 4, 2013 by in Technology, Video Spotlight

Orion Advisor Services is the beneficiary of a one-two combination of innovative technology

While attending the TD Ameritrade Institutional 2013 National Conference last week, I connected with Jon Reiners, director of institutional business development for Orion Advisor Services.

In our conversation, Reiners announced that the leading portfolio service bureau recently surpassed $100 billion in total assets administered under its platform.

“Of that $100 billion in assets we have,” said Reiners, “$35 billion is collectively here with TD Ameritrade.”

Also, Reiners detailed one new feature to be released in the next few weeks called Orion Mail, where statements suitable for email are automatically generated using custom Orion report data.

For more information about Orion, visit them online at http://www.orionadvisor.com/

(click to watch on YouTube)

FPPad Bits and Bytes for February 1

Posted on February 1, 2013 by in Bits & Bytes

With the TD Ameritrade Institutional 2013 National Conference wrapping up today, I got a late start on aggregating the best tech news from around the industry this week.

Nevertheless, you still have Saturday and Sunday to review this week’s stories of interest:

On Guard: Stopping Data Thieves from Financial-Planning.com

[This is a video filmed at the TD Ameritrade conference right after I presented about hacking and spoofing attacks targeted at financial advisers. I cover some of the popular schemes out there and a few clever ways to authenticate the identity of your clients.] Tech consultant Bill Winterberg recommends steps to help protect clients from hacking, phishing and spoofing.

TD Ameritrade adds iRebal to the cloud and offers it for free to affiliated advisers from FPPad.com

[The big tech news out of TD Ameritrade’s conference was the announcement that iRebal will soon be free for advisers who custody with TD Ameritrade, and the software will be delivered over the cloud.] TD Ameritrade’s rebalancing software will soon be available online via the cloud and at no additional cost to affiliated advisers.

RedBlack Software Announces First Third-Party Rebalance Solution and Trading Integration with TD Ameritrade Institutional’s Veo® Platform from PRWeb.com

[Yes, TD will soon offer iRebal for free to advisers, but that doesn’t mean all advisers are going to use it. There are still other rebalancing solutions out there are a variety of price points with different functionality. So here’s a move from RedBlack to get onboard with Veo Open Access and streamline trading for advisers using a multi-custodial rebalancing system.] RedBlack Software, LLC, the largest independent provider of portfolio rebalancing software for the investment management industry, today announced the successful integration with TD Ameritrade Institutional through their Veo® platform.

TD Ameritrade Institutional Veo® open access now offers seven integrations with popular CRM software

Posted on December 20, 2012 by in Technology

Pareto Platform, Tamarac Advisor CRM, Junxure CRM and Advisors Assistant are now integrated with the custodian’s Veo® open access platform

In a press release today, TD Ameritrade Institutional announced that it has added four new integrations of CRM software to its Veo® open access platform, bringing the number of CRM integrations supported up to a total of seven.

Click to view the press release (at MarketWatch.com)

Existing CRM software integrations included Salesforce, Ebix and Redtail, where advisers can customize a dashboard to view total client holdings with data provided via TD Ameritrade Institutional Veo® open access connections.

In the press release, Jon Patullo, managing director of technology product management, TD Ameritrade Institutional, said, “Technology that helps an advisor manage a better client experience is becoming increasingly important. By integrating data between Veo and CRM systems, advisors are now armed with a more robust CRM system that can help boost productivity, improve client service, and streamline numerous tasks so advisors can spend their time on what matters most – their clients.” (see: TD Ameritrade Institutional’s Veo® Open Access to enhance trading, fee billing, and client on-boarding processes)

Since its launch in July 2010, Veo® open access now offers integrations with over 60 technology vendors spanning advisers’ critical systems including CRM, portfolio management, financial planning, and document management software. For more information about Veo® open access, visit TD Ameritrade Institutional online at http://www.tdainstitutional.com/

FPPad Bits and Bytes for December 14

Posted on December 14, 2012 by in Bits & Bytes

Matt Abar, CEO of FinFolio

Watch today’s FPPad On Air broadcast at 4:15pm ET, as my guest will be Matt Abar, CEO of FinFolio.

Visit my Twitter profile page around 4:00pm ET for the broadcast link.

 

Now on to this week’s stories of interest:

Greg Friedman is set to finally bring Junxure to the cloud and beat back the Salesforce-ification of the industry from RIABiz.com

[Over 10+ years, Junxure desktop has attracted 10,000 users across 1,500 firms. It’s a great accomplishment for a niche CRM provider, but the momentum and innovation in cloud services, including cloud CRM, is challenging Junxure’s raison d’être. Will they be able to successfully pull off a transition of some or all of their users to the cloud?] As Greg Friedman takes Junxure to the cloud, he’s taking the gloves off with Salesforce — bolstered by new technology and a sense that the CRM giant is leaving much on the table in functionality and quality of service.

Surface to Air: Is Surface Going to be a Player in Financial Services? from WealthManagement.com

[Microsoft’s surface has a huge gap to close if it wants to be a contending tablet. Apple’s iPad has sold over 100 million units worldwide, and Microsoft chooses not to disclose early numbers of its Surface RT. Will the introduction of the $900 Surface Pro change anything? I doubt it.] Along with Windows 8 tablets for sale this year is Surface, a Windows 8 tablet that is meant to bully the iPad into submission. The likelihood of that in the near future? Slim, says financial services experts.

Total Rebalance Expert Integrates With Morningstar Office(SM) from MarketWatch

[Isn’t Morningstar Office supposed to be rebuilding their internal rebalancer? I’ll need to check with them once again, but for now, advisers using TRX’s rebalancer (see: Total Rebalance Expert CEO Sheryl Rowling on how rebalancing software saves advisers $325,000 per year) don’t have to wait for Morningstar anymore in the wake of this latest integration.] Total Rebalance Expert (TRX) today announced a data integration agreement with Morningstar, Inc., a leading provider of independent investment research. Now, advisors can automatically import their portfolio data from Morningstar Office(SM), a global practice and portfolio management platform for independent financial advisors, into TRX’s software platform to streamline and simplify the rebalancing process.

Half-financed by RIAs, AssetBook rolls out ‘Radar’ to put big RIAs in its range from RIABiz.com

 [You’re likely aware you have alternatives in portfolio management software to the heavyweight products from Advent, Schwab, and Albridge. AssetBook, born from descendants of dbCAMS, is a very good and low-cost solution with many of the same features offered by those mentioned earlier. It’s also a service bureau, meaning you don’t need to spend each morning reconciling transactions and new positions that come in your overnight data feeds. So for less than $30/account/year, AssetBook is one to consider for advisers looking to move to the cloud and to benefit from the experience and service of a portfolio services bureau.] AssetBook Inc. has long been a niche choice for smaller RIAs looking for an affordable platform. But, with a new portfolio-reporting platform full of bells and whistles expected to roll out in the first quarter of 2013, the McHenry, Md.-based software company is luring larger firms away from more established competitors.

TD Ameritrade Institutional Earns Top Marks for Advisor Satisfaction in Financial Planning Magazine’s 2012 Tech Survey from MarketWatch

[Let’s cut to the chase: TDAI’s Veo® Open Access now has over 60 vendor integrations, received the most “very satisfied” ratings in this year’s Financial Planning Tech Survey, and services thousands of TDAI’s 4,500 RIAs. If you had to start over today and choose a new custodian, who would you choose?] TD Ameritrade Institutional’s Veo(R) open access initiative, an industry wide-effort to deliver quality technology integrations to advisors, has helped the custodian secure top scores for advisor satisfaction in this year’s Financial Planning Tech Survey.

FPPad Bits and Bytes for October 26

Posted on October 26, 2012 by in Bits & Bytes

Here are this week’s stories of interest:

Fidelity to play midwife to RIAs-in-the-making now that WealthCentral is firmly on its feet from RIABiz.com

[What does a custodian do once they have their “technology part (largely) finished?” According to Mike Durbin, Bob Oros, and David Canter of Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services, the custodian continues to bolt on value-add components to its adviser toolkit, with a nod to expanded practice management, marketing, and valuation and M&A resources.] With nearly all its advisors finally transitioned onto its ambitious new technology platform, WealthCentral, Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services is feeling confident in the foundation it’s provided for advisors, especially the breakaways that have been its bread and butter. Now, the second-largest custodian is ready to offer consulting style services — marketing consultations, strategic planning sessions and M&A facilitating — to help create new RIAs, not just attract breakaways.

Junxure CRM Announces Integration with TD Ameritrade Institutional’s Veo from Junxure.com

[TD Ameritrade Institutional’s Veo® Open Access has been available to third-party vendors since January 2011 (see: TD Ameritrade Institutional’s Veo® Open Access to enhance trading, fee billing, and client on-boarding processes), and currently has over 60 vendors integrated in one from or another. Finally, Junxure CRM is integrated with Veo® Open Access to access client account data held at TD Ameritrade Institutional inside Junxure and manage alerts along with Junxure workflow.] Continuing its reputation as a leader in technology integration for financial advisors, Junxure is excited to offer CRM integration with Veo® Open Access from TD Ameritrade Institutional.

Schwab Performance Technologies Announces Improvements from FA-Mag.com

[Schwab’s OpenView Integrated Office™ offering (say that three times fast!) will now integrate with web-based document management software NetDocuments. It’s a fairly straightforward pairing, as NetDocuments has been closely tied to Salesforce CRM for a number of years now, and because Integrated Office is a Salesforce overlay, dropping in NetDocuments is a no-brainer. According to sources inside Schwab, access to the program is included in the cost of Integrated Office. My last pricing quote from Schwab was $10,000 per year for two seat licenses and up to 150 accounts, which Brian Shenson announced at the T3 Conference earlier this year.

Oh, and PortfolioCenter ™ gets an update on securities management and fee billing modules, plus the PortfolioCenter Hosted product will be rolled out “soon” at a cost of roughly $48/account/year. And I don’t think that price includes any outsource reconciliation services a-la BOSS.] A Charles Schwab & Co. subsidiary that offers technology services for independent financial advisors announced changes today that improve document and portfolio management systems.

Cambridge Launches eSignature Program and New Website for Independent Financial Advisors and Their Clients from HearldOnline.com

[Woah, Cambridge just laid the smack-down on most major custodians. For the longest time, custodians have alluded to the use of esignature technology like DocuSign to facilitate a truly end-to-end paperless process for most forms. Evidently, Cambridge is now offering just that to its reps, all free of charge (or at least, rolled up in Cambridge’s cut of GDC).] Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. (Cambridge) announced it is launching a new eSignature program for use with clients by its independent financial advisors. Partnering with DocuSign, Cambridge is rolling out an electronic signature option compatible with most desktop and mobile devices used by rep-advisors and their clients.

Invesco Unveils Mobile Access to Investment Insights, Product Information and Business Building Ideas with New App for iPad from Invesco.com

[In a trend among investment managers, Invesco now offers an iPad app advisers and investors can use to access news, commentary, product information, and videos. You could access all that from Invesco’s website, but why would you want to when you can curl up on the sofa and browse the app in your downtime? By the way, this app is very well executed. No fluff here. See the demo video below.] Invesco, a leading investment manager, announced today the launch of a free iPad® app, available from the App Store(SM), that will provide on-the-go access for financial intermediaries and investors to essential investing resources.

FPPad Bits and Bytes for August 17

Posted on August 17, 2012 by in Bits & Bytes

Here’s a thought; move your stuff 800 miles, update the address on all your cars, credit cards, investment accounts, etc., then prep for a two week vacation! That’s been my summer in a nutshell, stepping away only a few times to prepare the best news in financial planning technology just for you.

Here are this week’s stories of interest:

LearnVest’s Mission to Wrangle Your Personal Finances from Mashable.com

[“Weight Watchers meets personal finance” is how LearnVest founder Alexa von Tobel describes her company. Having grown to over 65 people, von Tobel describes in the video below how her goal is to help everyone sleep better at night and enrich their lives through sound financial advice.]

TD Ameritrade showcases what API can do with slick Veo-iRebal harmonization from RIABiz

[TD Ameritrade Institutional continues to expand the capabilities of its Veo® Open Access platform (see TD Ameritrade Institutional’s Veo® Open Access to enhance trading, fee billing, and client on-boarding processes). This time the custodian couples its iRebal rebalancing software with Veo’s API to streamline trade order processing and reduce manual entry errors.] TD Ameritrade Institutional has linked two of the jewels in its software crown and the combination may be a multi-carat combination — at least for the relatively small cadre of RIAs who use iRebal.

SEC Audit: Getting data out of PortfolioCenter from Krisan’s BackOffice, Inc.

[Krisan’s BackOffice, Inc. is an outsource provider for Schwab Performance Technologies® PortfolioCenter®. In this post, limited scope examination criteria from the SEC is broken down into the various fields and reports that can be used to satisfy auditors. It’s a helpful overview of how extensive even a “limited scope” request can be, and an eye-opener for advisers who insist on managing portfolio accounting software on their own.] When the SEC auditors come knocking, they usually require lengthy, detailed information about your business. Fortunately, PortfolioCenter can help — assuming you keep your PortfolioCenter database complete and accurate, and you have the right Smart Sets.