Two fintech firms have announced new partnerships aimed at equipping financial advisors with additional tools to meet growing client demands in estate and retirement planning.
Wealth.com, a digital estate planning platform used by more than 700 advisory firms, has partnered with Cetera Financial Group. The arrangement will give over 12,000 advisors across Cetera’s network access to Wealth.com’s estate planning software and resources. According to the companies, the goal is to simplify legacy planning and support holistic wealth strategies for clients.
The partnership comes at a time when an estimated $124 trillion is expected to change hands across generations over the next two decades. That shift, Wealth.com said, underscores the importance of integrating estate planning into broader advisory conversations.
“Financial advisors today are expected to provide more comprehensive guidance than ever before, and estate planning is a critical component of that responsibility,” Tim White, co-founder and chief growth officer of Wealth.com, said in a statement Wednesday.
Cetera oversees more than 545 billion dollars in assets under administration and 235 billion dollars in assets under management. The firm said the Wealth.com integration aligns with its ongoing effort to offer tools that support advisor-driven, client-centric planning.
Meanwhile, 401GO has entered into a strategic partnership with Mesirow to enhance its retirement plan platform. Under the agreement, Mesirow will serve as a 3(38) fiduciary investment manager for plans administered through 401GO, which currently partners with more than 1,400 financial advisors.
“Adding Mesirow’s services to our platform greatly expands our retirement plan offering, to the benefit of our many financial advisor partners and plan sponsor clients,” Stan Smith, chief growth officer at 401GO, said in a separate release.
Mesirow’s services will be available directly within the 401GO platform, allowing advisors to access fiduciary oversight on investment selection and monitoring. Additional capabilities are expected to follow, including custom default options and expanded reporting tools.
According to 401GO, advisors will retain flexibility in how they engage with the platform. They may opt to use 401GO’s own fiduciary solution via sister company GOInvest, construct their own investment menus using the platform’s open architecture, or partner with other investment firms.
In September, 401GO inked another strategic partnership with Pontera, the fintech firm known for its focus on retirement account management, allowing plan participants to have more options for personalized advice in managing their retirement savings.
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