Tech It Up

Karen Barr, President and CEO of the Investment Adviser Association, discusses SEC regulations, compliance challenges, and trends in investment management. Topics include T+1, outsourcing due diligence, custody rule, and the benefits of the fiduciary advice model. The podcast also covers the SEC's proposal on outsourcing services, the upcoming change in settlement cycle for securities trading, and the use of technology in navigating SEC regulations.

The podcast discusses the recent SEC marketing rules for investment management firms, including changes to hypothetical performance. It emphasizes the importance of disclosing risks and assumptions, presenting both gross and net performance, and avoiding misleading language. Best practices for marketing hypothetical performance and case studies are also provided.

During this podcast episode, Ted Denbow, Vice President & Head of sales at RightCapital, Ross McGoodwin, Regional VP of Member Success from DPL Financial Partners, and Kyle Fleming, Senior Manager of Product Development at SS&C Black Diamond, discuss insights into their integrated collaboration. They also provide expert advice on how having the right technology in place for scaling financial planning and insurance and annuities helps advisors create a holistic wealth management experience for their clients.

Just as technology solutions must evolve to meet the changing needs of investment managers, so too must their developers. It’s imperative that firms find technology partners who understand the evolving financial industry, and who are well positioned to embrace this next wave of innovation. As a new generation of developers comes online, they are driving substantial digital growth across financial services and will serve as the foundation for investment managers’ success. SS&C Advent's development team takes a pragmatic approach to innovation, developing solutions with creativity and curiosity while applying lessons learned through rigorous testing and organic evolution. With a long tradition of deep resources, vast networks, strong partnerships, and open mindsets, we apply our experience to identify and solve real problems. Alison Dooher, Head of Digital Advisor Services at Schwab, and Rita Chiu, VP of Product Management at SS&C Advent, discuss the culture, diversity, partnerships, and deep domain knowledge that’s behind the product development foundation of the digital transformation era.

Hosts Trent Berry and Jasmin Connor, are joined by SVP and Co-General Managers, Karen Geiger and Steve Leivent, in the latest Tech It Up podcast episode. They converse on everything from personal career paths, building and maintaining a strong culture, and what SS&C Advent is doing to respond to the growing demand for cloud-based technology and managed services. Karen and Steve discuss the challenges they foresee firms facing in 2023 and how we plan to solve those challenges with purpose-driven innovation.

In this episode, Mira Vasani, Global Wealth Technology Practice Lead at Morningstar Sustainalytics, and Tim Duffy, Solutions Manager at SS&C Advent, discuss the evolution of ESG factors, bridging the generational gap with conscious investing, and how firms are using the right technology to stay competitive through transparent performance analytics.

Al Castillo, Senior Director, AOS Solutions Management, and Glenn Warden, CIO from Bahl & Gaynor discuss the evolving trends of outsourcing and co-sourcing operational tasks in the FinTech industry. They explore the impact of the pandemic, trends in outsourcing for investment firms, and the importance of a flexible service provider in successful system implementation.

Technology evolution and innovation is having a transformative impact across all facets and segments of wealth management. Indeed, the advisor technology industry is becoming more and more nuanced, with specialized solutions and purpose-built functionality that may not apply to all market segments. In fact, according to advisor, consultant, blogger, and today’s guest Michael Kitces, there are now more than 300 separate wealth management advisor technology applications—an astronomical growth rate for what was once just a tiny sliver in the technology universe. The good news is that with continued investment and evolution from top wealth tech providers, the technology for a universal wealth management platform is here today. On this episode, Trent, Michelle, and Michael discuss the expanding wealth tech universe and explore the concept of a universal wealth management platform and why most firms should be considering one for their core tech stack.

It’s no secret the new generation of investors are focused on investing in their interests, such as ESG, and finding firms that represent those interests. One would assume the new generation of advisors are interested in the same ideas when looking for a job. Join us as Trent and Sarah take a closer look with Stephanie Wemusa, Director of Equity and Inclusion from Mindbody at the advantages of a firm investing time and resources into diversifying their workplace. So far, we’ve learned it’s not only a benefit when attracting new employees, it’s a benefit to the bottom line.

Much like the switch from mutual funds to ETFs, the market has evolved to offer commission-free insurance products that benefit the client instead of the broker. So how did we get there? David Lau, founder and CEO of DPL Financial Partners, is here to tell us that it didn’t happen overnight. On today’s episode, Trent and Sarah take a deeper dive into the history of buying and selling insurance annuities, and the recent change in market direction.