Kwanti, a portfolio analytics solution aiding financial advisors and investment managers with prospect conversion, client retention, model management, and more, was named the winner of the ‘Portfolio Analytics’ award in the Technology Providers category of the 2024 WealthManagement.com Industry Awards – an annual competition and industry-leading awards program often referred to as ‘The Wealthies’.

​The firm was recognized at the tenth annual Industry Awards ceremony and gala, held on September 5th, 2024, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City, with Gauthron attending the ceremony and accepting the award.

Advyzon Investment Management (AIM), a turnkey asset management program (TAMP) under the umbrella of comprehensive technology platform Advyzon, was named the winner of the ‘Model Marketplaces’ award in the TAMPs category of the 2024 WealthManagement.com Industry Awards – an annual competition and industry-leading awards program often referred to as ‘The Wealthies’.

​The firm was recognized at the tenth annual Industry Awards ceremony and gala, held on September 5th, 2024, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City.

​The Institute for the Fiduciary Standard (Institute) announced the line-up for Fiduciary September 2024. This year, Fiduciary September, the largest annual conversation of investment advisors, financial planners, attorneys and experts focused on why fiduciary advice matters, builds on the press briefing held on July 24, 2024, during which a panel of experts assessed the state of the SEC’s Reg BI five years after its release June 5, 2019.

​The schedule of events for Fiduciary September 2024 includes seven panels and 21 speakers who will continue the discussion, dissecting DOL and SEC rules and shining a light on explosive fiduciary breaches alleged against TIAA. Financial planning practitioners will talk about fees and whether organizations should celebrate sales production and, in practical terms, what “fiduciary” truly means.

Financial advisor marketing is going through a pivotal transformation – and Alex Khassa, Founder and CEO of Clients Blackbox, a marketing partner to some of the fastest growing financial advisory and retirement planning firms in the USA, is on a mission to help them move beyond webinars and seminars to a social media advertising and virtual sales process that can catapult success.

“Traditional methods, like webinars and seminars, once popular for generating leads, are being reevaluated due to the changing preferences and behaviors of potential clients,” Khassa said. “The truth is, in today's fast-paced digital environment, the most interested and ready-to-act leads aren't willing to wait several days for a webinar. They're looking for immediate solutions and interactions. This shift necessitates a fresh look at how financial advisors can more effectively connect with and convert their target audience.”

C. Marie Swift has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

​Ms. Swift works in PR and marketing communications, leveraging 35 years of expertise to support her role as the president and chief executive officer of Impact Communications Inc., where she has been instrumental for over three decades. Serving the financial services industry since 1993, her company delivers quality services to wealthtech companies and financial services firms – including independent advisory firms and entrepreneurial advisors, custodians, independent broker/dealers, and allied others. Managing a team of 15 professionals, Ms. Swift’s goal is to ensure the delivery of strategic execution to clients. Her leadership has driven the company’s success and fostered a culture of innovation and proactive problem-solving.

The Oasis Group, a leading consultancy for the wealth management industry, recently launched a new research series called Vantage Point Peaks, which provides in-depth reports and competitive analysis on a range of service providers in the wealth management industry. The reports are designed to help wealth management firms become more informed buyers when breaking away or looking for new wealthtech solutions.

​“We’re so excited to bring our new research series to the marketplace,” said John O’Connell, founder and CEO of The Oasis Group.“ Vantage Point Peaks will give wealth management firms a leg up when determining which service providers are the right fit for their firm. This research will save firms significant time when generating their short list of custodian providers.”

Advyzon announced that Samantha Schwimmer has joined the team as Chief Marketing Officer. With nearly 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, Schwimmer brings her marketing expertise to the award-winning all-in-one wealthtech platform.

​Schwimmer has been tasked with helping Advyzon enhance its market presence, better demonstrate its value, and move into new market segments – namely on the enterprise, institutional, and investment management sides of the business – in addition to providing continued support to Advyzon’s exceptional core technology solutions.

Crux Wealth Advisors (Crux) announced their official launch as a hybrid Registered Investment Adviser and full service wealth management firm. After two years of due diligence and preparation, the now fully autonomous firm launched with its first tranche of $1 billion in client assets under management (AUM) in a planned multi-phase transition strategy in order to minimize client and business disruption while allowing for equally as efficient transitions in the coming months.

Innovayte and Advyzon announced the launch of their groundbreaking, state-of-the-art platform and model marketplace. ​For Innovayte, Advyzon has created its first and only custodial back-end platform.

​The technology offers advisors a unique solution combining a separately managed account (SMA) and model marketplace with access to third-party asset managers – offered by Advyzon Investment Management (AIM), the turnkey asset management program under the Advyzon umbrella – all built from a unified managed account (UMA) framework.

Equita Financial Network (Equita) announced three new member firms have joined its signature platform bringing the number of signature firms to ten. Mountain Wealth Planning, led by Amy Hamasaki, CFP®; Equila Financial, led by Ann J. Shubert, CFP®; and Your Story Financial, led by Shehara Wooten, CFP®, have all been added to the Equita community in recent months. All three firms are full-service fiduciary financial advisory firms.

Travis Alexander, Founder and CEO of Crux Wealth Advisors, was named on June 20, 2024 to the 2024 AdvisorHub 150 Advisors to Watch over $1B – ranking #50 on the list. According to the publisher, all who made the lists represent sophisticated practices that achieved scale without compromising their level of service and maintain a commitment to professionalism.

The 2024 AdvisorHub 150 Advisors to Watch over $1B ranking is based on an algorithm of criteria, focused on three key areas: Quality of practice, year-over-year growth, and professionalism and character. The rankings weigh the scores in quality and growth more heavily than other areas.

The Institute for the Fiduciary Standard will hold an important briefing to assess the state of the SEC’s Reg BI five years after its release June 5, 2019. The 90-minute briefing will be held virtually on July 24, 2024, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm ET.

Robert J. Jackson Jr will share his thoughts on Reg BI going forward. Commissioner Jackson will be joined by Joseph Peiffer (PIABA), Benjamin Schiffrin (Better Markets), and Knut Rostad (Institute for the Fiduciary Standard). Phyllis Borzi, Assistant Secretary for Employee Benefits Security, Department of Labor, who served from 2009-2017 in this role, will moderate the panel. ​

The Oasis Group released their AI WealthTech Map, a resource that financial advisors and wealth management firms can use to discover leading artificial intelligence solutions and AI-focused firms serving the wealth management industry.

​The Oasis Group identified 55 leading technology firms that specifically serve the financial services industry for inclusion in the map. The firms are not existing wealthtech solutions that are developing AI capabilities – these firms are AI first and were built to support the wealth management industry.

Softlab360 announced the participation of Henry Zelikovsky, Chief Executive Officer, in the upcoming Ezra Group webinar, “Moneyball for AI: How Wealth Management Firms Can Get The Most Bang for Their AI Bucks” happening Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). Zelikovsky will showcase his thirty plus years of experience in software development as a panelist for the upcoming webinar. 

The virtually-assembled panel will focus on artificial intelligence (AI) in wealth management. This webinar will equip attendees with the knowledge and tools necessary to leverage AI in their financial institutions and wealth management firms. The panelists will delve into the various ways AI is revolutionizing the world of financial services. From enhancing investment decision-making to delivering personalized services to clients, the potential applications are vast and transformative.

Advyzon Investment Management (AIM) announced a partnership with FINIAT that enables financial advisors to provide turnkey trading for their client’s portfolios. The partnership takes FINIAT’s powerful solutions to the next level by integrating them with Advyzon’s trading and portfolio management capabilities.

​With Advyzon’s innovative technology, FINIAT’s solutions will be automated, allowing advisors to effortlessly maintain optimal portfolios – with dynamic adjustments to reflect changing market conditions and client goals. Advisors can prioritize high-value activities such as client relationships and business development while the platform handles the intricacies of portfolio management.

Advyzon released “What’s Going On With Assets in 2024?”, Advyzon’s third annual asset allocation study that reveals new trends in how financial advisors are investing client funds.

​With deep dives into the subtle shifts around asset allocation, the paper looks at how the more than 1,500 advisory firms that use Advyzon for portfolio reporting allocated client funds at the close of 2023.

Advyzon announced the dates and location of the second annual Advyzon Conference, which will take place February 12-14, 2025 at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida.

The inaugural Advyzon Conference took place earlier this year, held February 20-22, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona, and combined storytelling, immersive programming, and unrivaled technology. The event was not just a user forum, but an influential industry event with not only clients of Advyzon in attendance, but industry thought leaders, influencers, consultants, media, integration partners, and financial advisors and financial services firms of all kinds.

​The Alliance of Comprehensive Planners (ACP) shared additional details of their upcoming 2024 ACP Annual Conference, which will take place October 8th -11th, 2024 at Hyatt Regency’s Riverfront Hotel in Savannah, Georgia.

The ACP expects over 100 members to attend this year’s conference – in addition to other advisors, partners, sponsors, vendors, and journalists – which will feature a handful of keynote speakers, a plethora of breakout sessions, multiple preconference workshops, a robust exhibit hall, video, podcast, and other media opportunities, social events and receptions, networking, and more. In addition, the ACP will present two awards to ACP members: The Bert Whitehead Visionary Award, created in honor of the founder of the ACP, and the Stewart Farnell Award for Excellence in Mentoring.