RightSignature Archives

FPPad Bits and Bytes for January 3

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Bill Winterberg in Bits & Bytes

On today’s broadcast, hackers make headlines targeting high-profile companies, so how can you avoid a security breach in your business? Electronic signature technology gains momentum, find out which providers you should add to your processes. Big data is coming. Who’s harnessing all the data you gather in your business, and how will these tools help you make better decisions in 2014 and beyond? All this and more.

So get ready, FPPad Bits and Bytes begins now!

(Click to watch on YouTube)

Today’s episode is brought to you by New Planner Recruiting, which specializes in the sourcing, screening and integration of entry level financial planners within financial planning firms nationwide.

Whether you’re a firm looking to hire or an aspiring planner establishing your career path, sign up for the free newsletter full of valuable resources and information by visiting fppad.com/npr

Here are this week’s links of interest:

Financial Adviser Technology Trends in 2014

Financial advisor technology news moved at a snail’s pace over the holidays, so today’s episode is going to cover the most important technology trends I see coming in 2014. These trends break down into four main categories:

Security
Electronic signature
Big data, and
Enhancing your online presence

Security

Security news has received a lot of attention recently, headlined by the recent data breach at Target of over 40 million credit and debit card accounts, and quickly followed up by the release of over 4 million usernames and phone numbers from users of Snapchat, the private mobile messaging service.

While these are big companies with a potential bounty of user information, don’t think that your business is immune to attacks from hackers seeking personal and financial information.

This year, you should make it a priority to strengthen the defenses of your computers, mobile devices, and your network. Also, social engineering will likely be the primary method hackers will use to exploit people in your organization, so periodically test how susceptible your organization is to well-designed social engineering attacks.

Vendors that can help with your security include Mimic Technologies, Right Size Solutions, True North Networks, Envision Consulting, and many more, and you can use simulated phishing applications from Wombat Security Technologies, TraceSecurity, ThreatSim and more.

Electronic Signature

Next up is the increased adoption of electronic signature by financial institutions. You heard about e-signature several times in last years’ broadcasts as TD Ameritrade Institutional, Fidelity, Pershing, LPL and others support some form of the technology in their existing account processes.

But you can also deploy e-signature for the contracts and agreements you have for your internal documentation. So it’s worth exploring your options from providers such as RightSignature, Adobe® EchoSign®, DocuSign, and more to streamline your signature-gathering process, all while satisfying compliance, of course!

Big Data

The third trend I see ramping up big time for advisors in 2014 is Big Data. More technology providers are developing big data capabilities to help you analyze your data more effectively so you can make informed decisions about your client needs and business opportunities.

Look to adopt one or more of the business analytics tools available from Redtail Data Cloud, AssetMark, Orion Advisor Services, Envestnet|Tamarac and more.

Enhancing Your Online Presence

Finally, 2014 should be the year you make a serious effort to enhance your online presence. This is about more than just creating a Twitter account, posting a few tweets, and calling it a day.

More and more prospects are looking for financial advice and evaluating financial advisors online, long before they pick up the phone to schedule an initial meeting. And some prospects don’t even care that your office be in the same city where they live; they want an advisor who is an expert regarding their specific needs and circumstances, without imposing some arbitrary geographic requirement.

That said, does your website have what it takes to attract this generation of web-savvy prospects? Does your social media activity reinforce your value proposition to potential clients? And does your technology live up to the expectations of individuals born in the digital age?

Boost your online presence with services from providers like Advisor Websites, Wealth Management Marketing, Vestorly, Advisor Studios, Wired Advisor, and more.

So there you have it!

You’ve heard what I think the most important technology trends of 2014 will be, and I’ve given you a head start with a number of vendors and providers that can help you get the new year off to a fantastic start.

Watch FPPad Bits and Bytes for January 3, 2014

FPPad Bits and Bytes for September 13

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Bill Winterberg in Bits & Bytes

On this week’s broadcast, what the new iPhone means to the future of your business, mobile check deposit comes to one of the top custodians, another document collaboration and e-signature partnership, and more. So get ready, Bits and Bytes begins now.

(Watch 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.

Designed by well-known CPA Sheryl Rowling, TRX features tax-efficient rebalancing, an easy to use interface, and more, all at an affordable price. To learn how you can gain a half a million dollar return on your technology investment, download the latest white paper by visiting fppad.com/trx

Apple Unveils iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S from the Wall Street Journal

[No technology broadcast would be complete without mentioning this week’s announcements from Apple on the new iPhone 5S and 5C. Nearly one out of every two advisors already use the iPhone for personal and business activity, and few will argue that the capabilities of all smart phones, even Android, Windows Phone, and Blackberry, can really boost an advisor’s efficiency.
So if you’re considering an upgrade to your iPhone, or even a switch from the other manufacturers, here are the three most important updates you need to know.

First, the iPhone 5S features a new Touch ID sensor to unlock your phone using only your fingerprint, further enhancing the device’s security to prevent unauthorized access.

Second, the iPhone 5S comes with iOS 7, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system with hundreds of new features. Of most relevance to you is the new AirDrop feature, allowing you to share photos, contacts, and most importantly documents, directly over WiFi using a secure connection. Now AirDrop only works with iPhone 5, and the latest versions of the iPad and iPod Touch, so you may need a backup plan when you want to share documents with clients who have older Apple devices.

And third, any new purchase of an iOS device comes with the iWork apps for free, including Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and iMovie, saving you roughly $40, but also giving you native apps to edit the office documents that you use every day.

But no matter what phone you currently use today, manufactures keep trying to one-up each other with new software and hardware features, and Apple is no different than the rest of the competition. One downside to all this innovation: it does put pressure on your technology budget when trying to keep up with all the new options out there.] Apple Inc. introduced a pair of new iPhones Tuesday with upgraded features, but didn’t stray far from its usual playbook to address concerns about intensifying competition from rivals such as Samsung Electronics Co.

Fidelity adds remote check deposit feature to the WealthCentral Mobile app from FPPad.com

[And in other mobile device news, mobile check deposit is now coming to one of the top institutional custodians to independent advisers. In Bits and Bytes for August 30th, you learned that LPL Financial rolled out remote check deposit to their iOS and Android apps. Not to be outdone, Fidelity announced this week that it, too, will allow advisers to deposit client checks into their accounts using the company’s WealthCentral Mobile app.

Now advisors can’t just download the latest version of the app and start deposits right away, as there is an enrollment process that Fidelity requires. Read the related story to get all the details of the process.] Weeks after LPL introduced remote check deposit in its app, Fidelity becomes the first custodian to offer the functionality to its advisers.

ShareFile + RightSignature: Empowering professionals with e-signatures from ShareFile from ShareFile.com

[Next up is news on a new partnership between leading providers of document collaboration and e-signature software. This week, ShareFile, part of the Citrix family of collaboration tools, announced that it completed an integration with RightSignature, another contender in the e-signature space. I bet you were expecting DocuSign, weren’t you, since I’ve mentioned them in almost every Bits and Bytes episode to date!

But advisors using ShareFile now have the ability to route documents stored in ShareFile directly to RightSignature to obtain client signatures. But not all financial institutions accept e-signatures from RightSignature, so if you’re a ShareFile user, you might need to challenge your custodian to pursue a relationship with RightSignature so you have options when it comes to obtaining electronic signatures from your clients.

There’s a video walkthrough available of the ShareFile/RightSignature integration, so to watch it, just visit the story linked above.] We’re excited to announce our new partnership with RightSignature, a leading provider of secure electronic signature services, to bring you a fast, easy and secure way to obtain electronic signatures on important documents, right from your Citrix ShareFile account.

Fate or Destiny? from TheReformedBroker.com

[Finally, you should know what Josh Brown is up to. Josh who, you might ask? He’s the former broker turned fee-only advisor and author of Backstage Wall Street, which Brown says is “the book [air quote]they[air quote] don’t want you to read.”

So what does Josh Brown have to do with technology?

He’s a prime example of how social media and transparency through technology can literally throw gasoline on a smoldering fire and ultimately transform your business into a enviable growth engine.

On his website this week, Josh announced that he has to go away for a while to work on a handful of major projects, but with his social media presence and visibility as a fee-only advisor, it’s worth your time to put Josh on your radar if you haven’t done so already.] I suppose I don’t believe in fate but I do believe in destiny.

Watch Bits and Bytes for September 13, 2013

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