Apple Inc. today unveiled its long-rumored tablet, the iPad. Chief executive Steve Jobs, addressing a packed crowd of technology journalists and bloggers. referred to the device as something in the “middle” — residing in a “third category,” between high-powered personal computers and smart phones.
For months, a task force for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. has been reviewing some of the major issues surrounding the professional use of social media in the financial services community – and now the self-regulatory organization has finally issued an overview of their guidelines.
Advisers have the opportunity, until Nov. 20, to make their voices heard on the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc.'s broad proposal to change how it regulates financial advisory firms' communications with the public — a proposal that could address advisers' use of social media.
No doubt about it, social networking is one hot topic right now. Financial advisers, though, have been relatively slow to embrace sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter.
WealthTouch Inc., which offers a consolidated investment-reporting platform on the web for the wealth management industry, today announced that it has raised $11 million in private money to allow it to expand in Europe.
The Financial Planning Association is expected today to unveil a major research study on customer relationship management. ActiFi Inc., a financial services technology consulting firm, partnered with FPA in completing the 85 page comparative analysis of CRM packages available to the advisory market.
BrightScope Inc., a provider of 401(k) plan ratings, last week introduced an online tool that provides investors and financial advisers with personalized data about how much they are paying in fees in retirement plans.
Version 2.2 of the popular financial-planning software was introduced in November. The application has several new features, including an internal Roth IRA conversion feature as well as a stand-alone Roth IRA conversion calculator that can be used by financial advisers who need to create financial plans for clients and prospects.
Fidelity Investments introduced a free online Roth IRA conversion calculator last month to both its independent registered investment advisers and the broker-dealer clients that clear through National Financial Services LLC.
Earlier in the year I asked a regular source of mine, H. Jude Boudreaux, director of financial planning at Bellingrath Wealth Management, to “test drive” four different free calculators available on the Internet.
Technology providers and product companies have been rolling out Roth IRA conversion calculators in a bid to meet the expected needs of advisers and their clients ahead of some significant changes in conversion rules for next year.
New versions of Profiles Professional and Profiles Forecaster are available from Emerging Information Systems Inc.
Most financial advisers with whom I speak say that they look forward to generating quarterly reports and client presentations about as much as they do to an SEC audit.
Advisers should always kick the tires and look under the hood of any software they buy for their practice.
Sheila M. Chesney likes it when clients look at reports detailing how their portfolios have performed, and tell her that they really understand what they are looking at.
Many advisers feel stymied when it comes to adopting social media. But for independent registered investment advisers whose main hurdle has been lack of a low-cost archiving, help is on its way.
