Advisor Tech Talk: 12/7/21

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By: Gerelyn Terzo 

The Thanksgiving holiday may be over, but there is a feast happening in the advisor tech space. Financial advisors have access to a new crypto index for retail investors. Retirements are up and so are client incomes. AI is powering more wealth management support functions. And firms are making acquisitions right up to the end of the year.  

  • Cetera Financial Group: “Cetera Financial Group, one of America’s largest networks of financial professionals, today announced that its investor acquisition program is expanding to all Cetera-affiliated financial professionals and that participants are eligible for reimbursement of their investment into the program. LeadEngine, which is powered by SmartAsset…is Cetera’s exclusive investor acquisition program that connects financial professionals directly with highly qualified prospects who are actively seeking a financial professional.” 
  • CogniCor: “CogniCor, the leading provider of AI-powered digital assistants for highly regulated industries, announced the launch of a highly customizable and scalable knowledge graph designed for wealth management firms employing AI-powered digital assistants to streamline their user-support functions. The new knowledge graph gives AI-enabled digital assistants crucial context and background information to support RIAs and IBDs, enabling them to learn quickly and integrate seamlessly into firms’ operations.” 
  • Hirtle Callaghan: “Hirtle Callaghan & Co., a leading investment institution, has revamped its rebalancing and trading operations in partnership with intelliflo, allowing the firm to more efficiently customize model portfolios at scale. With intelliflo, rebalancing can now be completed in one day or less, compared to weeks, allowing Hirtle Callaghan to respond to client and wealth manager needs more quickly — and with greater confidence.” 
  • LifeYield: “As retirements swelled in 2021, financial advisors using LifeYield Social Security+ have uncovered more than $10 billion in additional, unanticipated income for their clients, or an average of $151,129 per client household over their benefit lifetimes. Financial advisors accelerated their use of Social Security+ in 2021 to help clients maximize retirement income. The number of client evaluations advisors generated using Social Security+ increased by 10% when compared with the same period in 2020.” 
  • Ritholtz Wealth Management: “Ritholtz Wealth Management (RWM) and WisdomTree announced the launch of the RWM WisdomTree Crypto Index designed to provide retail investors, via a financial advisor, access and diversified exposure to crypto assets. The Index has been licensed to Onramp Invest and is available for financial advisors using the Onramp technology platform to manage separate accounts of clients. The RWM WisdomTree Crypto Index…is made up of 36% BTC, 20% ETH and 4% each of 11 other crypto assets.”  
  • STP Investment Services: “STP Investment Services, a global, end-to-end investment operations service provider, has acquired third-party fund administrator Tower Fund Services. The deal substantially increases STP’s alternative fund administration value proposition for its clients, while simultaneously delivering Tower clients an enhanced service experience and future-ready financial technology.” 
  • TIFIN: “TIFIN, a fintech platform using AI for wealth and asset management, announced the expansion of capabilities within its WealthTech division across private markets, philanthropy and planning. The firm announced an investment in and an agreement to acquire Qualis Capital subject to regulatory approvals. It also announced the launch of Louise to enable personalized giving experiences for families; and PlanIQ to simplify financial planning through conversational AI.” 
  • YieldX: “YieldX, a fintech company reimagining fixed income, today announced it will work with Pipe to manage its yield-targeted portfolio. Pipe…has built the world’s first trading platform for recurring revenue, enabling companies with recurring revenue streams to access up-front capital, instantly. Pipe will leverage YieldX’s Income Portfolio as a Service (InPaaS) solution to identify ongoing liquidity management opportunities.”