Advisor Tech Talk (Week of 9/17/24)

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While we still have a few days in astronomical summer to sort through, for all intents and purposes, summer is over and the busy days in wealth management and fintech news are here. 

So of course we have a huge week in wealthtech news for you with a long list of financial advisor technology headlines. While nothing jumps out as an earth-shattering story, sometimes volume makes up for the lack of a leading headline. 

We would have even more little items to report to you if we included the many headlines from companies honored in Wealth Management’s recent award announcements, but as a rough rule we try to steer clear of industry and media awards and superlatives, as well as milestone announcements like the signing of a hundredth customer or the passing of $10 billion AUM. 

Not that the publications handing out such awards and superlatives are untrustworthy—we find Wealth Management’s coverage of the financial advisor space to be among the best in the world—but when there’s often so much going on, it seems like a waste of readers’ time to discuss other publications’ points of view on wealthtech. 

However, other seemingly small items, like the rebranding of Betterment for Advisors (the robo-advisor’s custodian services) to Betterment Advisor Solutions, we would deem important enough to make our weekly roundup. As wealthtech becomes bigger and busier, we need all the help available to keep up with the ever-changing names of the companies in the sector. 

We’ll also continue to publish items about partnerships between wealthtechs and wealth management firms, because it helps give our readers an idea of who their peers are working with. 

This week’s wealthtech news includes items from industry stalwarts and newcomers, from the very largest wealthtech providers like Orion, Envestnet and Broadridge, to the very small and less well-known, and even an item or two from the consumer-/client-facing universe. 

Let’s go ahead and get to the extra-large helping of advisor technology news. 


Asset-Map 

Asset-Map Holdings Inc. (“Asset-Map”), the premier modern financial planning tool for financial professionals, today announced a strategic relationship with LPL Financial, a leading investment advisory firm and the nation’s largest independent broker-dealer* supporting financial advisors. 

LPL supports financial advisors, including independent business owners and those within RIA firms and financial institutions, to provide investment solutions, technology platforms, resources, and services to fit their unique business model. Now, those advisors will be able to further tailor their client offerings with the customizable tools of Asset-Map, designed to make the meetings between advisors and their clients more seamless while still providing a more holistic planning experience. 

The relationship was announced in August at LPL Financial’s annual flagship conference, Focus 2024. The event is one of the largest in-person gatherings of financial advisors and industry influencers, bringing together curated content from leading wealth management professionals, fintech partners and investment services providers. 

Betterment Advisor Solutions 

Betterment, the largest independent digital financial advisor, today announced that Betterment for Advisors, its RIA custody division, has changed its name to Betterment Advisor Solutions to better reflect the breadth of products and services it offers. Betterment Advisor Solutions now includes expanded portfolio management capabilities, high-yield cash offerings, and an open architecture bundled retirement plan product. The brand refresh accompanies the release of an independent RIA survey that reveals industry trends including how technology is powering improved outcomes for clients of the next generation of financial advisors. 

The first annual Betterment Advisor Solutions Survey focuses specifically on the rising generation of RIAs. The survey, which tracked data from 500 independent U.S. advisors with $10 million to $250 million in AUM, found that advisors are optimistic about the future, with AUM increasing, tech solutions giving them time with clients, and new offerings in the retirement space providing them multiple revenue opportunities. 

BetaNXT 

GlobeTax, the world’s leading provider of tax recovery solutions, and BetaNXT, a provider of wealth management technology and data capabilities, have joined forces to strengthen tax recovery services for more financial institutions. As part of the strategic collaboration, GlobeTax’s cross-border tax reclamation capability has been directly integrated into BetaNXT’s comprehensive back-office and wealth management platform. 

The partnership allows broker-dealers and financial institutions on the BetaNXT platform to easily provide their clients with comprehensive relief at source, post-payable, and expedient refund solutions. As part of the integration, BetaNXT clients can opt to leverage GlobeTax’s expertise in either withholding the proper amount on payment date or reclaiming over-withheld funds, helping investors maximize returns on their dividend and interest income. 

The benefits of the integration are available immediately to all DTCC participants that rely on BetaNXT.   

BNY 

The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (“BNY”) (NYSE: BK), a global financial services company, has today announced Alts BridgeSM (“Alts Bridge”), a comprehensive data, software, and services solution built to meet the growing demand from wealth intermediaries looking to access alternative and private market investment products, through a simplified end-to-end investment experience. 

Designed to deeply integrate into intermediaries’ existing desktops, beginning with BNY Pershing X’s Wove advisory platform and NetX360+, with cutting-edge AI and analytics tools that are designed to reduce manual processing and error rates, Alts Bridge creates a powerful solution for investors, advisors, and the home office. The platform will provide access to a curated, comprehensive suite of leading alternative and private market asset managers from around the world, a selection including 26 North, AB CarVal, Alternatives by Franklin Templeton, Apollo, Atalaya, Aviva Investors, Blue Owl Capital, Carlyle, CIFC, Coller Capital, Crescent Capital, Eisler Capital, Generali, GoldenTree, Goldman Sachs, Hunter Point Capital, Invesco, KKR, Lexington Partners a Franklin Templeton Company, Lunate, Marathon Asset Management, Partners Group, Polen Capital, RCP Advisors, and Stormfield Capital. 

The platform will offer features across the pre-, at- and post-trade processes, including an advisor education and fund discovery center, home office and asset manager tools, product overviews, automated document preparation, simplified order entry, and integrated reporting and investment management capabilities.  

Broadridge Financial Solutions 

Global fintech leader Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) announces the securities-based lending (SBL) tools in its Wealth Lending Network (WLN) marketplace are now integrated in Morningstar Advisor Workstation. Extending beyond Workstation’s core research, investment planning, and portfolio analysis capabilities, independent advisors now have seamless access to lending solutions that help them support broader client financial goals. 

The integration offers financial advisors the ability to determine their clients’ SBL borrowing potential and connect with WLN partner banks to support their clients’ lending needs. Advisor Workstation’s U.S. footprint of more than 150,000 advisors will now be offered the opportunity to seamlessly connect to SBL services from Broadridge through their single sign on, as well as to access Broadridge’s advanced predictive prospecting, sales and educational capabilities via the Wealth Lending Network platform. 

The WLN enables wealth managers of all sizes to offer SBL services to their clients using Broadridge’s end-to-end, fully digitized SBL technology platform. It extends current lending models, enabling financial institutions to offer SBL to clients on a turnkey basis. Serving RIAs, independent broker-dealers, non-bank affiliated broker dealers, and wealth management firms, the WLN will allow advisors using the Morningstar Advisor Workstation to retain AUM when client liquidity needs arise, reduce competitive risk from wire houses and banks, and offer holistic advice to their clients. 

Broadridge Financial Solutions 

To redefine the financial industry’s conventional approach to asset servicing (the range of administrative and operational functions that support the management and maintenance of investment assets), global Fintech leader Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc. (NYSE: BR) is introducing a ground-breaking integration of several asset servicing functions into a single, real-time, multi-currency platform across capital markets, wealth management, asset management and global custody. This innovation transforms traditionally fragmented activities and extends well beyond existing industry asset servicing solutions to include tax and performance reporting, cost basis, proxy, class actions, reclaims and a truly global custody platform. The streamlined solution enhances automation, drives straight-through processing benefits, leverages a common data ontology to optimize AI utilization and improves operational accuracy, speed and risk mitigation. 

Broadridge Global Asset Servicing combines over 18 components to deliver unprecedented functionality and a “single gateway” data integration approach. It streamlines the management and maintenance of financial assets, facilitating their safekeeping, accurate transaction processing, and compliance with regulations. 

The platform is powered by real-time advisor and customer event notifications with a full omnichannel communications system that minimizes decision-making time and reduces risk. Its seamless interoperability transforms asset servicing operations, eliminates workarounds, and reduces risk. The modular design allows organizations to select the components needed today and effortlessly deploy additional capabilities as requirements evolve.  

Broadridge Financial Solutions 

Expanding its network across the global repo market, Global Fintech leader Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR), today announced that a Tier-1 Canadian Bank has implemented its Distributed Ledger Repo (DLR) platform for High-Quality Liquid Asset (HQLA) treasury securities management. This collaboration marks a significant milestone as the bank becomes the first to go live with this groundbreaking HQLA use case through DLR, showcasing the potential of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in transforming financial operations. 

As the industry continues to evolve, firms are increasingly turning to digital strategies that incorporate DLT to unlock significant operational and cost benefits. Broadridge remains at the forefront of this transformation, helping clients navigate the complexities of the digital era and achieve long-term operational efficiencies. 

The global expansion of the DLR platform across sell-side and buy-side firms is generating a network effect, amplifying benefits and supporting a wider variety of transaction types. Broadridge continues to lead the way in utilizing distributed ledger technology to reshape the global repo market with a monthly volume reaching $1 trillion. 

CAIS 

CAIS, the leading alternative investment platform for independent financial advisors, announced today an expanded relationship with Focus Financial Partners Inc. (“Focus”), a leading partnership of fiduciary wealth management firms that collectively oversee more than $400B in client assets. This expanded relationship makes CAIS the preferred provider to consolidate Focus’ alternative investment offerings, processes, and data management onto a single operating system. 

The expanded partnership, led by Focus’ newly created Focus Investment Partners program, leverages CAIS’ one-platform solution to power Focus’ access to third-party funds, launch proprietary Focus investment offerings, and consolidate existing funds and historical positions. CAIS will streamline the alternative investment lifecycle—across the pre-trade, trade, and post-trade stages—through automated processes, comprehensive reporting, and streamlined data integration. 

Cashmere 

Cashmere, an AI-powered client acquisition platform for wealth management firms, has successfully completed a $3.6 million seed funding round. The investment will drive rapid product development and strategic hiring – including a newly-appointed Head of Machine Learning. 

Co-founded by Farbod Nowzad and Eshan Govil, Cashmere leverages the state-of-the-art in AI to automate the discovery, research, and engagement of prospective clients for wealth management firms at scale. 

Its launch coincides with the ongoing ‘Great Wealth Transfer’ globally. Despite this unprecedented ‘inheritocracy’ and over $60 trillion assets under management already today, the wealth management sector has a major client acquisition problem. From small, independent firms to behemoths like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, the industry lacks reliable systems to build and nurture high-net-worth sales funnels. 

Conquest Planning 

Raymond James Ltd., the Canadian arm of North American investment dealer Raymond James Financial Inc., and Conquest Planning Inc. (“Conquest”), a technology platform modernizing financial planning with customized and convenient advice, today announced a partnership to improve the client planning experience for Raymond James-affiliated advisors. This partnership will help advisors personalize the advice experience in alignment with Raymond James’ aim to deliver a holistic approach to managing wealth, addressing various aspects of clients’ financial lives through a combination of strategic planning, investment strategies and tailored solutions. 

By integrating Conquest’s artificial intelligence (AI)-powered financial planning platform, Raymond James advisors can develop hyper-personalized strategies for clients. This collaboration enables precise scenario analysis, goal-based planning and real-time adjustments, enhancing the overall client experience. Partnering with Conquest supports Raymond James’ commitment to comprehensive wealth management by providing deeper insights, improved client engagement and more tailored financial advice. 

With access to Conquest’s AI-powered platform, specifically its Strategic Advice Manager (SAM), Raymond James’ corporate planning and advisory teams, along with associated wealth planners, can help clients better understand how their decisions impact their overall financial plans. SAM’s proprietary algorithm uses client-specific data to propose and rank strategies based on the client’s unique financial situation and provide a more dynamic planning experience. Further enhancing interactivity, SAM offers clear recommendations that show the potential impact of each decision on individual goals and the broader financial plan. 

d1g1t 

d1g1t, announced today that Burkett Asset Management Limited (“Burkett”), a Victoria-based firm managing more than $300 million in institutional and private client assets across a number of diversified strategies, has implemented its enterprise wealth management platform to streamline the wealth management lifecycle and elevate client engagement with a modern client portal and engaging native mobile apps (iOS, Android). 

Powered by an institutional-grade performance and risk analytics engine, the interactive platform also enables advisors to analyze clients’ portfolios in real-time.  

Burkett is focused on delivering excellence across tax and investment management to leading business families across Canada. To support these complex portfolios, Burkett is utilizing four modules of d1g1t’s enterprise wealth management platform to enhance client-experience and back-office operations. 

Envestnet 

Time, arguably an advisor’s most valuable resource, is often in critically short supply, insufficient for what they would ideally like to spend with clients. According to Envestnet’s 2024 Advisor Perspectives Survey1, nearly 40% of advisors are spending their time on investment management and administrative activities, with 30% saying they are not able to spend enough of their time with clients. 

This survey also shows nearly two-thirds of advisors assemble their tech stack with several point solutions, yet almost half would prefer to use an all-in-one platform, which reinforces the importance of integrated practice workflows. In fact, when asked what would cause an RIA to switch technology partners, their top answer is to find a more seamless workflow among their tech stack components. 

That’s why Envestnet is launching new features and capabilities for RIAs on its wealth management platform, to help streamline business workflows and free up advisor time to do what they do best – serve the financial needs of their clients and enable better financial outcomes.   

FP Alpha 

FP Alpha, a leading innovator in AI-assisted wealthtech solutions, has unveiled significant enhancements to its popular Estate Lab offering, a key component of its comprehensive Estate Planning Module. These updates mark a major advancement in estate planning capabilities for financial advisors, further solidifying FP Alpha’s position as a trailblazer in the industry. 

The Estate Lab, known for its ability to visualize potential changes and quantify estate tax implications, now includes powerful new features designed to enhance advisor-client engagement. Among the most notable additions is the Asset Projection functionality. This new tool allows users to input custom growth rates per asset and project balances over time, providing clients with a clear picture of how asset growth could impact estate tax liabilities, and the amount of wealth passed to heirs.  

In addition, the Automation for Joint Cases has been integrated into the Estate Snapshot Feature, complementing the existing automations for Simple Cases (revocable trusts, wills, POAs, and healthcare directives) and A/B use cases launched earlier this year. These enhancements streamline the process, enabling advisors to deliver more precise and tailored estate planning solutions to their entire client base, not just the ultra high net worth. 

iCapital 

Advisors Asset Management (AAM), a leading investment solutions provider, and iCapital1, the global fintech platform driving the world’s alternative investment marketplace for the wealth management industry, announced today that the Avenue Sports Opportunities Fund (Avenue Sports Fund), managed by Avenue Capital Group (Avenue), is available on iCapital Marketplace. 

The Avenue Sports Fund seeks to produce attractive, risk-adjusted returns by providing capital solutions to a wide variety of sports teams, owners and leagues predominantly in North America and Europe. It also will provide growth capital to emerging sports with significant growth potential, as well as invest in equity and debt opportunities within women’s sports. 

The core areas of investment focus within the Avenue Sports Fund include debt and preferred equity, minority stakes in established leagues and sports businesses, and control ownership opportunities in emerging leagues, in women’s sports and in other sports properties. Some of the investments the Avenue Sports Fund has made to date include an investment in SailGP’s Team USA; the acquisition of San Francisco-based The Bay Golf Club in TGL, a new golf league formed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy with backing from the PGA Tour; the acquisition of the New York Mavericks of the Professional Bull Riders Team Series league; a significant minority stake in Trackhouse Entertainment Group, a motor sports business that owns a NASCAR Cup Series team and a MotoGP team; debt and equity investments in Cosm, an immersive technology, media and entertainment company, which includes key partners in Sports; debt and equity investments in Ipswich Town Football Club, which competes in the English Premier League; and an investment in PGA Tour Enterprises, the for-profit commercial arm of the PGA Tour. 

iCapital 

AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kestra Financial, a leading wealth management platform, today announced the improvement of its alternative investment offerings through an expansion of its strategic partnership with iCapital1, the global fintech platform powering the world’s alternative investment marketplace. This collaboration will deliver greater value to Kestra Financial advisors and their clients as they access alternative investments through iCapital’s technology platform. 

For over five years, the Kestra and iCapital partnership has served as a valuable customized technology offering for Kestra Financial advisors seeking access to alternative investment products. Now, with the integration of advanced capabilities from iCapital, Kestra Financial advisors can expect a more seamless experience. 

These enhanced product offerings will streamline subscription and simplify administrative tasks, resulting in fewer operational challenges and increased efficiency when dealing with alternatives. With this, Kestra Financial advisors will be able to extend their investment offerings while spending less time on back-end processes and more time with their clients. 

IRALOGIX 

IRALOGIX, a leading retirement industry fintech provider, today announced the appointment of Keith Haas as Chief Financial Officer. Haas assumed his new position September 3 and reports to Peter de Silva, Chief Executive Officer. 

Most recently, Haas served as CFO for FutureView Systems, a leading provider of solutions that empower financial transformation of management and accounting processes through innovative technology. 

Previously, Haas held CFO positions at LeaseAccelerator, an enterprise SaaS company; Bridgestreet, a travel-tech platform; and Snagajob, a hiring and talent management solution for employers. 

Luma Financial Technologies 

Arete Wealth, a full-service Broker-Dealer (BD) and Registered Investment Advisory Firm (RIA), has announced a new partnership with Luma Financial Technologies (“Luma”), an award-winning global independent alternative investment platform. 

Through this collaboration, Arete Wealth will leverage Luma’s award-winning platform to streamline the process of buying and managing structured products and annuities for their clients. 

Luma’s open architecture technology platform emerged in 2018 to serve the structured product market and extended into the annuity industry in February 2021. Luma has since developed additional tools for the platform, including Luma’s “Lifecyle Manager” which enables financial professionals to transform their structured product and annuity business, providing them with the tools to monitor performance, risk, and exposure across their clients’ entire portfolios. 

Orion 

Orion, the premier provider of transformative wealthtech solutions for fiduciary advisors, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Mayo as its Chief Financial Officer, effective Sept. 9. In this role, Mark will have responsibility for strengthening Orion’s financial infrastructure, overseeing financial strategy, and advancing the company’s strategic roadmap as it continues to grow. 

Mark most recently served as CFO for DISA Global Solutions, a leading consortium drug testing provider. In his eight years with the private-equity-owned company, Mark was instrumental in significantly growing revenue and profitability through a combination of strategic acquisitions, organic growth, and enhanced operational efficiency. Mark’s extensive financial leadership experience also includes CFO roles at Connect America, HireRight and several divisions of General Electric. 

During his 13-year career with General Electric, Mark became a Six Sigma Master Black Belt. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. 

Powerlytics 

Powerlytics, the only data and predictive analytics provider that offers a complete tax return picture for every U.S. household and business has announced the completion of its latest funding round led by Curql Collective, a collaborative ecosystem of progressive credit unions that offers entities innovative and transformative technology. Other companies that were part of the 2024 fundraising round include Tribeca Early Stage Partners and existing investor Brewer Lane Ventures. 

With these new investments, Powerlytics will advance its product offerings and scale sales and marketing efforts to help financial services companies drive growth and optimize risk management.  

Powerlytics’ current customer base includes top banks, alternative lenders and wealth management firms as well as leading partners who serve the bank, credit union and wealth sectors. The strategic partnership with Curql Collective enables Powerlytics to further scale its offerings for the credit union sector.  

Savvy Advisors 

Savvy Advisors Inc. (herein “Savvy” or “Savvy Advisors” or “the firm”), a registered investment advisor (RIA) affiliated with Savvy Wealth, Inc. (“Savvy Wealth”), today announced the hiring of experienced financial advisors Drew Martino and Daniel Moore, CFP. Martino and Moore have brought their respective practices to Savvy to gain access to Savvy Wealth’s proprietary, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered technology platform. Savvy Wealth’s all-in-one, integrated technology and internal support team empowers its advisors to offload middle and back-office tasks, enabling them to spend more time serving clients and building their businesses. 

Martino comes to Savvy from Corebridge Financial, where he specialized in retirement planning with a focus on 403(b) plan guidance for individuals employed by schools, hospitals, municipalities, government entities and other tax-exempt organizations. With over 20 years of experience, the Los Angeles-based Martino is experienced in helping clients navigate tax-advantaged retirement savings plans. He has held positions at Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and other independent wealth managers. 

Moore joins Savvy from TIAA, where he managed approximately $800 million in client assets. Based in the Chicagoland area, Moore brings extensive retirement planning experience from similar roles at Fidelity Investments, PNC and AXA Advisors. He specializes in serving higher education professionals and physicians, helping them optimize their after-tax returns and create personalized estate planning documents, in addition to traditional financial planning and investment management. Moore obtained his Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) certification in 2023, and recently earned his Master of Business Administration from the Quantic School of Business and Technology. 

SEI 

SEI (NASDAQ:SEIC) today announced that investment vehicles from KKR, a leading global investment firm, will be available on SEI’s platform that provides registered investment advisors, broker-dealers, and their clients access to private markets investments. SEI’s e-subscription technology is designed to provide increased access to alternative investments, greater processing efficiency, and an improved advisor and client experience. 

With investments in alternative assets projected to grow by $1.2 trillion over the next four years,1 85% of wealth managers expect to increase allocations to one or more alternative asset classes within the next year.2  However, 55% of managers identified operational challenges such as paperwork or administrative tasks as impediments to adopting alternatives across their practice.2   

The platform’s technology workflow combines electronic subscription documents, proprietary firm paperwork, custodian forms, and e-signature capabilities to help ensure fast and accurate alternative investment transaction processing. 

SMArtX Advisory Solutions 

SMArtX Advisory Solutions (“SMArtX”), a leading innovator in managed accounts technology, has announced the addition of 12 new strategies from seven leading asset management firms to its Manager Marketplace. SMArtX’s continuously growing platform now offers 1,514 strategies from 315 distinguished asset management firms. 

Newcomers Clinton Investment Management, Macquarie, Pictet Asset Management, Rockefeller Asset Management, and Verity Investment Management respectively added municipal, large cap growth, global environmental, US equity, and income growth strategies to the platform. Existing managers ARS Investment Partners and Thompson Capital Management have also expanded their offerings to include small cap and tactical large cap growth. 

SS&C Technologies 

SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSNC) today announced that BT, a leading Australian wealth management business, has signed a long-term agreement with SS&C Global Investor and Distribution Solutions (GIDS) for unit registry services. SS&C’s Managed Fund Administration team will provide unit registry services to 88 BT-managed funds, including investor servicing and unit registry websites for digital account access and transactions. 

BT previously managed the unit registry and investor servicing for these managed funds in-house. SS&C will focus on helping BT deliver improved digital access to investor information and automating processes to improve efficiency. 

SS&C GIDS is the world’s largest transfer agent and unit registry. The division services more than 1,000 clients globally, processing more than 200 million transactions a year. SS&C services the full investor lifecycle with end-to-end solutions. Learn how SS&C GIDS can help you streamline operations, boost product diversification, deliver state-of-the-art digital interactions and more here. 

TIFIN 

TIFIN AG, a leading provider of AI and machine learning solutions for the wealth management industry, is excited to announce a strategic partnership with Sowell Management, a registered investment advisor (RIA) based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Sowell Management is committed to driving growth through innovative client acquisition strategies. By prioritizing this goal, Sowell Management is eager to leverage TIFIN AG’s AI-powered wealth management platform and data science expertise to identify new growth opportunities. 

TIFIN AG uses artificial intelligence and advanced machine learning to study data, identify trends, and deliver organic growth insights to wealth enterprises. Through personalized intelligence, advisors are empowered to make data-driven decisions to retain and grow existing clients and identify and pursue new ones. 

Firms, like Sowell Management, that partner with TIFIN AG receive ongoing personalized support that is customized to their goals and objectives. Each firm can choose from a variety of models to drive their organic growth efforts, expand their footprint in the marketplace, and enhance the financial advice they deliver. 

Titan 

Titan, the next-generation members-only wealth management platform, today announced the launch of its new membership plan and services designed specifically for the ambitious, growth-oriented modern professionals navigating newfound financial independence. With a commitment to providing access to wealth management expertise, and a lifestyle concierge service, Titan aims to be the last wealth platform this generation will ever need. 

Titan was built to be the Wall Street firm of the future, merging the sophistication and credibility of traditional financial institutions with cutting-edge technology. By combining proprietary investment strategies with an intuitive digital platform, Titan delivers a modern wealth management experience that is both forward-thinking and deeply rooted in institutional-grade expertise. 

Now, with the introduction of its membership plan and exclusive access benefits, Titan is redefining how today’s investors have the opportunity to not only grow their wealth, but also participate in its fruits. 

TradingBlock 

TradingBlock, a provider of custom trading technology solutions for institutions, individuals and Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs), today announced the appointment of Michael Martin as Vice President of Market Strategy. 

Martin brings more than 18 years of financial services industry experience to the new role, where he will lead TradingBlock’s marketing, content development and investor education initiatives across the company’s three business lines. 

Over the course of his career, Martin has evolved from a licensed options broker to a leader in content strategy. Before joining TradingBlock, he was the Head of Content for tastytrade’s Digital Assets division, where he spearheaded initiatives that boosted brand visibility and engagement on platforms like tastylive, tastycrypto, DailyFX and Luckbox Magazine. 

VRGL 

VRGL, a Client Acquisition and Investment Proposal Management solution, today announced the release of its new Tax Transition feature. This powerful addition enables advisors to transition client portfolios from their current state to a targeted investment strategy, optimizing for specific tax budgets. 

The Tax Transition feature is designed to automate and optimize the structuring of a bespoke portfolio recommendation while adhering to restrictions on tax budgets. Whether recommending a strategy change, liquidating underperforming investments, or adjusting asset allocations, VRGL’s new feature equips advisors with integrated tools they need to execute these changes with tax ramifications top of mind. 

Wealth Access 

Wealth Access, a leading technology provider in wealth data, offering unified insights to help banks unlock growth, boost deposits, and enhance digital banking service, announced today that industry veteran Drew DiMarino has been appointed Chief Revenue Officer. DiMarino, with almost 30 years of experience in financial services, will be responsible for overseeing all revenue-generating activities within Wealth Access to maximize growth while continuing to maintain profitability. 

DiMarino joins Wealth Access having worked with many prominent companies in the financial and wealth industries including Riskalyze, now Nitrogen Wealth, Chief Growth officer where he led revenue efforts driving the company to serve thousands of customers. DiMarino also held executive positions at Apiture as EVP of Sales and Marketing, and eMoney Advisor as EVP of Sales where he was instrumental in helping with the subsequent acquisition by Fidelity. 

YCharts 

Carson Group, a leading financial services firm, and YCharts, a trusted investment research and proposal generation platform, are excited to announce a new enterprise-wide partnership that will provide Carson Group advisors with full access to YCharts’ comprehensive suite of tools and analytics. 

This strategic partnership is designed to significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of Carson Group’s investment research, portfolio analysis, and model delivery processes across teams, enabling advisors to spend less time on routine tasks and more time focusing on strengthening client engagement, winning new business, and driving AUM growth. 

As part of this partnership, Carson Group has made an enterprise-wide purchase of YCharts, providing its advisors access to YCharts’ powerful investment analytics and client communications platform.