First this week I want to highlight our next Investment Forum on Tuesday 23rd November at 11am. The discussion will centre around advances in technology being used to deliver investment services:
- What are the leading innovations?
- What would advisers most like to see?
We are still finalising the agenda but will be joined by Robert Kirk founder and CEO of InterGen Data, a cash flow and planning service that increases exponentially the level of analysis and insights advisers can deliver to their clients.
If you haven’t seen the InterGen service, which won the Best in Show award at our 2020 Empowering Advice Through Technology event, you really want to be at this session and even if you have it’s worth joining to understand their latest developments.
Advisers can register for a complimentary ticket to attend the event via this link.
While for obvious reasons we didn’t hold our Empowering Advice Through Technology show in 2021, it will be returning on 27th January next year. If you want to know about all the leading edge advice technology in the market and more arriving soon be sure to put that date in your diary now. More details to follow.
On Adviser Software.com we started the week exploring the portfolio rebalancing functionality available through Defaqto Engage. Defaqto have a very significant market share in some areas, and it is really interesting to see how they are building out more and more areas towards delivering an end-to-end process for advisers. Firms may want to think about if their added functionality can replace other services they buy elsewhere or if the individual components have advantages over the add-ons. This is a growing issue across too many technology providers. We hope our summary will help inform thinking for Defaqto users.
On Tuesday we investigated Advisorstream’s automated marketing platform. This is a real favourite of mine; the service is very popular in both the USA and Canada and the company are now making a concerted push into the UK. Their ability to enable adviser’s clients to read top end media commentary without having to cope with paywalls could be a valuable tool to compliment an advisers marketing activity.
We turned our attention to IressXplan’s private wealth management functionality on Wednesday. The Private Wealth market has been both a key focus and the source of some success for Iress, so I think it is well worth understanding what they are delivering.
Thursday’s insight focussed on Selectapension’s retirement income strategies tool. All the above studies have been created by my colleague Adam Flowers and I don’t know as much about this one myself, but Adam tells me it is well worth a look.
In case you missed anything on advisersoftware.com in the week of 18th to 22nd October you can find it here on what we thought about Advice objects, Voyant’s Adviser Go, Synaptic’s Risk Explorer and Adviser Cloud’s Wealth Practice Management system.
Over on Protection Guru the week began with a summary of the Protection Guru Awards which took place on Friday 22 October, recapping the winners in each category. More detailed analysis on why each firm won will be appearing soon together with the video highlights.
In our regular content Rob Harvey started with an insight looking at the advance life insurance payments offered by insurers when an estate is going through probate. On Tuesday we examined the joint life insurance separation options offered by insurers.
Wednesday brought a study that has been really popular on the site looking at Vitality Optimiser and how it works. We have received some great feedback on this, with Steve Berry, Protection Development Manager at The Openwork Partnership mailing Rob: “Just wanted to say this is a fantastic insight. Optimiser has always been marmite to many advisers and this really does demystify it. I know many advisers who avoid it because of its perceived complexity but it’s clear to see that with just moderate exercise Vitality could be a good option that many clients might be missing out on.”
Thursday’s insight investigated the return to work career support services that are offered by income protection providers.
Finally, on Friday we published a roundup of four insights you should read on how critical illness plans cover ovarian and cervical cancer, and how breast cancer is underwritten on protection plans.
Our next Protection Forum meeting will be held on Tuesday 9th November at 11am. The agenda will focus on:
- How should insurers best share information on protection products with consumers and prepare for both the Department for Business Industry and Strategy’s Smart Data initiative and the FCA’s requirements on Open Finance?
- Recovering from COVID, when can the industry expect to return to pre-COVID new business methods?
- Which previous processes will return?
- Have some things changed permanently?
- Are some COVID inspired changes worth keeping, if so what?
Advisers can register to attend the event free of charge via this link.
I’d also like to highlight that registration is now open for the AMI Protection Viewpoint 2021 – here is the sign up link.
It’s on Wednesday 17th Nov, 9am for 9.15am start (finished by 9.45am). It’s open to all – you don’t have to be an AMI member.
In this 30-minute virtual event they will look at key findings from their recent consumer and adviser market research (conducted September 2021), how views have changed over the last 12 months and share industry opinion and insight on what this means for the mortgage protection industry.
Last year’s Protection Viewpoint provided some great insight to the industry on both consumer and adviser views and was discussed widely by many. I would highly recommend anyone interested in understanding how to more effectively market protection to borrowers watches the event.
On Benefits Guru the first of our insights this week focused on understanding personalised financial education.
While On Thursday, Kat Mitchell investigated what valuation data is supplied to advisers, and how this is provided.
Have a great all Hallows Eve everyone, enjoy your trick or treating and doubtless many parties.
