It’s ironic that we write about technology, as we’re kind of a luddite.
Welcome to a big Advisor Tech Talk—not big in the sense of a lot of news in general to report for the week, but the news we are covering for you below comes in a little weightier than usual. The drumstick looks smaller, but there’s more quality meat on the bone.
Anyway, we wanted to point out that we are fascinated by technology, we love talking about it and studying it. But at the end of the day we prefer to be unplugged, almost as much as possible. We like to write with pencil and paper best. We like to listen to analog music—and play acoustic instruments. We’re not watching television at all right now. It’s been years since we‘ve been to the movies. We read books printed on honest-to-God paper. We’ve dropped the habit of wearing headphones, we don’t even listen to music at the gym anymore. We cook on a gas range, with a gas oven, usually in cast iron, and we prep and chop everything from whole with our own hands.
We like technology, we’re not in love with it. We want to limit its role in our life.
You guys want to know who apparently loves technology and wants more of it in their lives?
Financial advisors, according to a recent joint study from Broadridge and The Financial Services Institute. Most financial advisors, 76%, said that better technology would aid them in acquiring new clients, however, 68% were not confident that their firm’s current technology supports their growth goals. Broadridge and FSI spun these topline numbers to say advisors want more tech—which we’ll gladly run with for a moment.
But let’s dig deeper.
Interestingly, 82% of the survey (of over 400 FSI members) said that better training and awareness on their firm’s existing tools would help drive growth.
That number had me thinking about Michael Kitces’ research from last fall, where he found that advisors seemed to have access to more technology than ever, but weren’t really anymore satisfied with their technology stacks than they were before adopting new tools.
Broadridge suggests the missing piece between having more (and new) technology and feeling good about it is enablement—driving “integration, education and awareness” to make sure advisors are using the new tools available to them in a correct manner and having the intended user experience.
That seems like a no-brainer to those of us who still insist on playing with our toys before reading the instructions.
Anyway, it turns out that advisors are finding that their clients want more technology, too.
In what seems like another no-brainer, we have some evidence from Northern Trust that people who seek out wealth management services really do want the kind of personalization that only wealthtech can bring. Vast majorities of financial advisors surveyed—it was kind of a small sample of 300-400—told Northern Trust’s pollsters that direct indexing led directly to better client engagement and retention, and a larger share of wallet from existing clients.
Of course we want more personalized services, because we’re already getting that kind of personalization from our technology—and it’s not just because values-based investing really resonates with a large subset of wealthy families. It’s not because our money is us—it’s because it’s ours. It’s because our wealth—our family’s fortune, our nest-egg, our slice of the pie—is ours and shouldn’t be treated as if it were generic money.
Beyond values, our wealth is likely imbued with work, luck, patience, history, memory, love, risk, regret—all things that also pull at our emotions and our reason when we’re making money decisions. We don’t want our money and our financial decisions to always look like a generic algorithm (even though that might be best for us), we want them to look like us.
Today’s technology can help us craft plans and portfolios that reflect all of those facets of wealth, of course advisors should use it.
Let’s get to our headlines…
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Apex Fintech Solutions
Apex Fintech Solutions, Inc. (“Apex”), an innovation launchpad for the global investing ecosystem, today announced the upcoming launch of Apex Prediction Markets, a turnkey solution that will enable qualifying firms to offer their clients access to Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)-regulated event contract trading (also known as “cleared swaps”) and prediction markets without the time consuming process of building Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) infrastructure.
A recent study found more than 75% of proprietary US trading firms are either actively trading on the prediction market or evaluating it. With its new solution, Apex is opening the door for companies to participate in the growing prediction market landscape, while offering an accelerated onboarding process for those ready to lead the way.
As one of the first vendor-agnostic connection to leading prediction markets, Apex Prediction Markets will provide clients with a variety of choice and flexibility in their event contract offerings. The solution empowers firms to offer their investors access to event contract trading on real-world outcomes — such as sports, political events, weather patterns, economic indicators, and cultural events — directly through dedicated accounts that keep event contracts separate from traditional investments like stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds.
BizEquity
BizEquity, the leading WealthTech platform for on-demand business valuation and business owner planning, today announced the launch of a comprehensive platform update alongside a new brand identity. Together, the enhanced platform and refreshed brand reflect a single, focused purpose: giving advisors a reliable, clear way to guide business owners through every major planning decision.
This platform update delivers a faster, cleaner, and deeper experience that supports valuation, risk, insurance, exit planning, and growth strategy within a single platform. The new brand identity reinforces BizEquity’s role as the business owner planning software advisors can rely on to anchor more meaningful conversations, more often.
Broadridge Financial Solutions
Global Fintech leader Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR), today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire CQG, a leading provider of futures and options trading, execution management, and market connectivity. CQG will add complementary execution management, algorithmic trading, and analytics capabilities to Broadridge’s order management and client connectivity solutions, creating an end-to-end trading suite for global futures and options markets.
The expanded offering is designed to better support the evolving needs of clients across a broad spectrum of segments, including FCMs, institutional investors, retail brokers, proprietary trading firms, CTAs, and hedge funds. Clients will benefit from flexible, scalable solutions designed to support their growth objectives, accelerate speed to market, and deliver a powerful, fully integrated trading experience for both institutional and professional retail market participants.
The acquisition also accelerates Broadridge’s ongoing innovation strategy across asset classes, spanning futures and options, FX, and digital assets. Aligning CQG’s agile development approach with Broadridge’s global scale will enable the delivery of new functionality faster, while driving continuous value creation for clients worldwide.
Datalign Advisory
Datalign Advisory today announced an expansion of GEOsAI, its AI-powered geographic expansion engine, with new capabilities designed to help financial advisors identify exactly where to open new office locations. The expansion pinpoints communities where underserved consumers are actively seeking financial guidance but lack access to qualified local advisors—transforming GEOsAI from a market intelligence tool into a complete site selection engine for organic growth.
Following its launch in June 2025, an advisor who expanded their geographic coverage with GEOsAI input saw an 11.4% increase in scheduled appointments at a 15% lower cost per lead.
Advisors across the Datalign network are using GEOsAI to inform their growth strategies. Built on Datalign’s proprietary knowledge graph of over 200 million Americans, GEOsAI synthesizes over a decade of behavioral, financial and demographic data to reveal where genuine demand exists.
Dynasty Financial Partners
Dynasty Financial Partners today announced the successful closure of a minority capital raise supported by its community of stakeholders including its employees, clients, and resource partners, as well as several of its long-standing investors and members of its Board of Directors. Investors include The Charles Schwab Corporation, BlackRock, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Abry Partners, Glick Family Office and Dynasty Chairman Harvey Golub, as well as various clients. Fortress Investment Group LLC participated as a new investor. Today’s announcement marks the sixth capital raise since Dynasty’s founding in 2010.
Proceeds from the investment round will be used to bolster support for Dynasty’s network of partner firms, enabling them to better serve their clients. Notably, it will fuel continued growth in talent and cutting-edge AI-driven technology, facilitating the integration of Dynasty Desktop and Core Services; enhance the firm’s investment platform with a focus on private investments and its comprehensive Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) services: provide more growth capital to drive network M&A; expand Dynasty Investment Bank; and strengthen Dynasty’s fortress balance sheet, positioning the firm to proactively seize future opportunities.
Dynasty’s network consists primarily of clients who own and operate independent registered investment advisors (RIAs). These RIAs typically own the majority of their equity, own their economics, own their own ADVs, and have the freedom to control their client experience model. These clients leverage Dynasty’s integrated technology, services, robust turnkey asset management program (TAMP), digital lead generation services, capital solutions, and investment bank. This integrated RIA platform model provides synthetic scale, allowing Dynasty-powered RIAs to be Independent But Not Alone®. Currently, Dynasty has 58 Network Partner firms representing over 500 advisors with over $125 billion in platform assets.
Empower
Empower, a leading workplace solutions and wealth management provider, today announced a new benefit to help associates’ families take an early step toward long-term financial security. The company will provide a $1,000 benefit to match the Treasury Department’s contribution for every Empower associate whose children qualify for a deposit under the recently established Trump Accounts program.
Trump Accounts were created to encourage early participation in investing by providing eligible children with an initial account deposit, giving families a starting point for long-term savings and growth. Designed to introduce investing at an early age, the accounts reflect a broader effort to expand access to the financial system and promote lifelong financial engagement.
Empower’s new benefit builds on that foundation and aligns with the company’s long-standing focus on financial wellness, inclusion, and the value of compounding over time.
Envestnet
Envestnet, the Adaptive WealthTech company, today announced the appointment of Jonathan Linstra as Chief Growth Officer (CGO). This newly created role marks the next phase of a strategic evolution as the company advances a dual growth leadership model that pairs scalable distribution with enterprise and RIA relationship management leadership to drive long-term value creation.
The wealthtech industry is entering a new phase driven by rising client complexity, increasing demand for personalization at scale, and the need for tightly integrated platforms that enable advisors to deliver comprehensive, outcomes-driven advice.
Against this backdrop, Envestnet has spent the past year sharpening its strategic focus – expanding managed accounts capabilities across broker-dealers and RIAs; advancing its award-winning[1] UMA platform with advisor-traded sleeves, flexible householding, alternatives, and enhanced portfolio management; and delivering trading, reporting, and managed accounts solutions purpose-built for today’s advisory firms. Together, these efforts add up to a single ambition: to work toward delivering the industry’s leading wealthtech platform, one that empowers financial advisors to stand out in an increasingly competitive landscape, and equips firms with the tools, insights, and guidance they need to meet the demands of modern wealth management.
FLX Networks
FLX Networks, the innovative, award-winning network transforming how asset and wealth management firms connect and scale, today announced the appointment of Kevin Barresi as Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
In this role, Barresi will lead FLX’s technology strategy and execution, overseeing platform architecture, product engineering, data infrastructure, and security. He will play a central role in advancing FLX’s proprietary network as the company expands its enterprise footprint and scale its multi-sided marketplace.
Barresi brings deep expertise in building highly performant, secure, and scalable technology platforms. He is widely recognized for his innovative work in data analytics and data visualization and is the recipient of an Edison Patent Award for technological innovation.
FMG Testimonials
FMG, the leading all-in-one marketing platform for wealth management enterprises, financial advisors and insurance professionals, today announced it has acquired Testimonial iQ, an online reputation management platform built specifically for the wealth management industry.
The newly acquired firm will be rebranded as FMG Testimonials to reflect FMG’s growing commitment to expanding its platform value and capabilities. The acquisition brings Testimonial iQ’s award-winning compliant testimonials, reviews, referrals and client feedback tools directly onto FMG’s marketing platform, making it easier for advisors to appear in local and Large Language Model (LLM) online search results and convert that visibility into organic growth. Testimonial iQ helps advisors collect and manage both client survey-driven testimonials and Google Reviews and seamlessly feature them on their websites with the required disclosures and built-in compliance oversight.
By combining Testimonial iQ with FMG’s SEO tools and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) functionality – which strengthens content visibility by AI-powered models – firms and advisors will be able to centralize reviews, testimonials and AEO-optimized content on a single platform designed for the next era of AI and answer engine search.
Opto Investments
Opto Investments (“Opto”), a platform that streamlines the entire private markets lifecycle to enable wealth managers and institutions to build, fundraise for, and manage programs at scale, today announced that Warren Seubel has joined the company as VP of Sales and Revenue. In this role, Seubel will lead the firm’s commercialization efforts across RIAs, family offices and institutional investors, helping clients diligence, design and deploy bespoke private markets programs.
Opto’s comprehensive technology platform empowers chief investment officers (CIOs) and wealth managers serving high-net-worth clients and institutional investors to build and scale durable private markets programs. Seubel joins a team of technologists, private markets investors and operational specialists that supports firms at every stage of their private markets journey. Opto’s platform enables investment teams to efficiently source, analyze and build custom private markets exposures, combining automation with expert insights to streamline the full investment and fund lifecycle.
As part of his remit, Seubel will oversee the rollout and adoption of Opto’s end-to-end alternative investment platform, including Opto’s Diligence AI, a solution designed to streamline how investment teams conduct private markets research and analysis. The tool automates key steps—extracting data from documents, benchmarking fund and manager performance and generating investment committee memos and diligence process artifacts—so analysts can focus on higher conviction decisions without adding headcount. Diligence AI is currently used by endowments, family offices and wealth managers.
Pasito
Pasito, the AI-native workspace for group health, life, and retirement benefits, today announced it has raised $21 million in Series A funding. The round was led by global software investor Insight Partners, with participation from Y Combinator and insurance-focused MTech Capital.
Pasito is building agentic AI infrastructure that powers the next generation of benefits operations. Its workspace converts unstructured plan and employee census data into a unified data layer, replacing manual plan building and enabling end-to-end automation across sales, quoting, marketing, enrollment, support, and claims.
Pasito’s core AI agents deliver 98% accuracy in plan construction, compared to an industry average of 74%, according to LIMRA, eliminating hundreds of hours of manual work per group. Built on this core agentic layer, Pasito offers pre-configured engagement agents that generate benefits guides, microsites, highlight sheets, personalized recommendations, plan comparisons, sales materials, customer support answers, translations, and omnichannel communications—turning weeks of work into minutes.
RISR
RISR, a leading business owner engagement platform for financial advisors, today announced a strategic partnership with Allworth Financial (“Allworth”), a national, full-service registered investment advisory (RIA) firm with approximately $34 billion in assets under management (AUM). Through the collaboration, Allworth advisors will leverage RISR’s business owner planning technology through a unified dashboard, enabling them to guide entrepreneurs through every stage of the business lifecycle—from growth and valuation to succession and exit.
By integrating RISR into its advisory platform, Allworth strengthens its ability to deliver highly coordinated financial, tax and business planning—hallmarks of the firm’s differentiated approach. The partnership supports Allworth’s focus on serving business owners in communities across the country, bringing institutional-level, sophisticated planning to entrepreneurs who value personalized, local guidance.
Business transitions are accelerating nationwide as owners approach retirement, increasing demand for coordinated valuation, tax-aware succession and exit planning. Through RISR, Allworth advisors can seamlessly integrate business insights into broader financial plans, ensuring business, personal and tax strategies remain aligned as owners navigate liquidity events and long-term planning decisions.
SS&C Technologies
SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSNC) today announced a long-term agreement with Saltus, a leading U.K. wealth management firm, to streamline its technology and operating model as the business continues to scale. Following a competitive tender process, Saltus selected SS&C Hubwise to deliver a single, integrated wealth management platform supporting its growing adviser and client base. Saltus currently manages more than £9 billion in assets, which will be serviced on the new platform.
Designed to easily scale and adapt with Saltus, the platform leverages SS&C’s proprietary automation tools to enhance efficiency and improving client reporting and data management. SS&C Hubwise enables straight-through processing, simplifying portfolio management and providing faster account servicing. Additionally, SS&C Hubwise’s integrated retirement and investment proposition centralizes account access and management to offer an improved user experience.
The move reflects a broader shift across the U.K. wealth management industry toward consolidation of technology stacks to create more agile, data-driven operating models. By migrating to a single, integrated platform, Saltus aims to strengthen operational resilience, establish a more scalable cost base, and give advisers real-time access to the data and tools required to deliver consistent, high-quality outcomes for clients.
TaxStatus
TaxStatus, a secure, personalized data solution for verified financials used by financial professionals and their clients, today announced their integration in Jump, a leading provider of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for financial advisors and other financial services providers. Through the integration, Jump users will be able to access IRS-verified financials in their advisor platform, marking the first time that IRS-verified financials have been integrated into an AI advisor platform.
TaxStatus connects directly to the IRS to pull verified financial information, analyzing over 3,000 data points per taxpayer to uncover held-away assets, business ownership, real estate holdings, retirement accounts, and other financial details that advisors typically spend hours trying to collect. The platform then monitors clients’ IRS accounts in real-time for three years, alerting advisors to tax liabilities, refunds, audits, or filing discrepancies before clients receive official notices from the IRS.
Through the integration, Jump users will have IRS-verified financials seamlessly incorporated into their pre-meeting briefs, saving advisors time by removing the need for manual data collection and entry, increasing accuracy and allowing advisors to find new opportunities for their clients.
WealthReach
WealthReach, a prospecting and intent data platform purpose-built for registered investment advisors (RIAs) and wealth management firms, today announced the launch of InsuranceReach, a new lead generation solution for insurance professionals that proactively identifies ready-to-engage prospects. Designed for insurance professionals, including life and property & casualty (P&C) agents, producers, independent marketing organizations (IMOs) and field marketing organizations (FMOs), InsuranceReach helps teams uncover and engage prospects who are actively researching insurance solutions to reduce time spent chasing unqualified leads and drive new business.
Co-founded by CEO Michael Barrasso, alongside client acquisition and marketing expert David DeCelle, InsuranceReach brings intent-driven prospecting to an industry long reliant on cold calling, purchased lists and personal networks. Combining website visitor identification, off-site intent data and AI-generated outreach sequences, InsuranceReach enables insurance professionals to focus on engaging with warmer, more relevant prospects at the right time.
InsuranceReach leverages the same core AI and intent-data technology that powers WealthReach, now optimized for insurance firms. The platform identifies up to 40 percent of previously anonymous website visitors, enriches each profile with professional and behavioral insights and tracks off-site research behavior related to the types of insurance most relevant to each agent’s focus. Each prospect is scored based on intent signals and ideal customer criteria, allowing teams to prioritize outreach where interest is strongest.
Zocks
Zocks, the privacy-first AI assistant for financial advisors, and Wealth.com, the modern planning platform for wealth management firms, today announced a new partnership that uses AI to make it easier and faster for advisors to help clients complete estate plans.
With the new two-way integration, Zocks captures key details from client conversations and automatically syncs client and estate planning details directly to Wealth.com. What used to take hours of manual data entry and days of client follow-ups to accurately update records and process estate planning documents can now be done in minutes with AI, immediately after a client meeting.
The integration also automatically pulls data from Wealth.com – such as quiz responses, document progress, existing documents, and recommendations – into Zocks for meeting preparation, follow-ups, email replies, and more. Advisors know exactly where clients stand in the process before, during, and after client conversations, without switching systems.
