TD Ameritrade inches closer to enabling in-vehicle trading

TD Ameritrade's new voice-activated investing technology brings investors one step closer to trading while driving. The financial services company is launching an in-vehicle offering that enables account holders to check their portfolio or receive a quote on a security via voice command. Drivers using Alphabet Inc. unit Google's Android Auto or Amazon.com Inc.'s Echo Auto can use voice commands to unlock market performance summaries and sector updates, hear real-time quotes and check account balances and portfolio performance. "One day we hope to add a transactional layer where you can make trades on the go," Sunayna Tuteja, head of strategic partnerships and emerging technologies at TD Ameritrade Holding Corp., said in an interview. Ms. Tuteja called this offering an initial phase toward the implementation of in-vehicle trading, saying TD Ameritrade aims to first demonstrate the safety and security of these more limited services on the road. While the voice-enabled technology is exclusively offered through Android Auto and Echo Auto, drivers with Apple Inc.'s CarPlay can stream a new app from TD Ameritrade Network called TDAN Radio. Launched in 2017, it has drawn more than 2 million unique visitors across platforms so far in 2019, according to a company representative. (More: Now you can use Apple Pay to transfer money into TD Ameritrade brokerage accounts)