Two major players in the wealth industry have announced they're doubling down on technology to support advisor growth – but their strategies reveal sharply different philosophies about how to get there.
Summit Financial, a fast-growing RIA platform with more than 150 advisors and $23 billion in assets, has taken a modular approach.
The firm announced Wednesday that it has expanded its advisor technology ecosystem with a raft of third-party tools, including AI-driven lead generation, digital marketing automation, and M&A analytics.
The additions are part of a broader effort to help advisors accelerate growth, streamline operations, and deliver family office services at scale to high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients .
“The staggering pace of AI innovation in wealth management is accelerating, so it’s critical that advisors adopt technology today to compete and win,” Stan Gregor, chairman and chief executive of Summit Financial, said Wednesday.
He added that AI-enhanced technology can help advisors “deepen client relationships, enhance and scale operational efficiencies, uncover new growth opportunities, and gain a clear competitive edge without replacing the human expertise at the heart of great financial advice” .
Summit’s platform now features tools such as Wealthfeed for AI-driven prospecting, FINTRX for private wealth intelligence, and Microsoft Teams Premium for AI-powered meeting notes.
The firm also has integrations with Absolute Capital for self-directed 401(k) management; FinLink to scout M&A and recruiting opportunities; Move Health to support healthcare insurance planning; Retirement Plan Advisor Group for reporting on qualified plans; and Wealth.com for AI-powered estate planning.
The firm’s technology roadmap is guided by two advisory councils – one composed of executives, the other of practicing advisors – to ensure new solutions align with real-world needs. This advisor-first approach is reflected in Summit’s recent acquisition strategy as well, which has seen the firm take minority stakes in RIAs across the country, including Alabama-based Parsons Broach Financial Services in May and last month's quadruple-deal announcement adding more than $1 billion in assets.
By contrast, MassMutual is betting on a unified, purpose-built platform. The company has partnered with Orion to launch an all-in-one wealthtech solution for its network of more than 6,500 affiliated financial professionals.
The new Wealth Management Solutions-Orion platform, offered to affiliates of its subsidiary MML Investors Services, brings together financial planning, portfolio management, and risk intelligence into a single interface, aiming to reduce complexity and boost productivity for advisors .
“At MassMutual, we’re committed to meeting financial professionals where they are in their client service and growth journey and equipping them with the tools and support they need so they and their clients thrive,” Vaughn Bowman, head of wealth management with MassMutual, said on Wednesday.
He described the new platform as “a flexible, integrated solution that aligns with how our advisors do business today and how they want to grow tomorrow” .
The Orion partnership is the latest expansion to MassMutual's menagerie of tech partners aimed at centralizing and streamlining advisor technology. In the past year alone, the company has expanded its alternatives shelf through partnerships with CAIS, iCapital, and SUBSCRIBE, giving advisors access to a broader range of private market products and integrated reporting tools.
While Summit Financial’s model gives advisors the flexibility to choose from a suite of best-in-class tools, MassMutual’s strategy is to provide a tightly integrated, proprietary platform. Both approaches reflect a broader industry trend: as technology becomes central to advisor growth, firms are seeking new ways to balance customization, efficiency, and support.
For advisors, the choice may come down to which model best fits their business – and their clients’ needs.
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