Why big RIAs are taking a risk on Wealthfront
KaChing changes its name, gains 10-fold jump in assets and intrigues the industry with its strategy to reach mass affluent
TJ Gilsenan
I think this model has potential with investors of many sizes. Rather than appealing to just the mass affluent, I suspect the digitally literate investor will be attracted as well. As long as we’re talking about straight portfolio management, rather than complex planning issues, there is no reason why someone with a $1mm portfolio wouldn’t chose this platform. If the manager information is accurate, timely, and unbiased an investor of any size, comfortable making his own decisions, could benefit.
It also gives the managers involved an additional presence on the web. Depending on how aggressively Wealthfront markets its services, managers may enjoy some increased web visibility via the Wealthfront site. Savvy managers might consider tracking the clicks to their website from their Wealthfront profile page to get a sense of the traffic.
Related Moves
Wealthfront cedes to four years of investors clamoring for crypto by taking on expensive third-party vendor that Betterment rules out
The Redwood City, Calif., robo-advisor turned a hard 'no' into a soft 'yes' by dealing with Grayscale and its 200 basis-point-plus fees, which its robo rival in NYC -- also without a crypto path -- finds ludicrous.
August 14, 2021 at 2:20 AM
Wealthfront's unlikely tapping of Sheila Bair and Tom Curry signals likely push to gain a bank charter, analysts say
The Redwood City robo-advisor's addition of two renowned former chief banking regulators brings legitimacy and guidance that could lead to a margin-fattening bank charter and help solve the robo-advisor's problem of high client acquisition costs.
December 31, 2020 at 4:37 AM
Oisín's Bits: Wealthfront drops old mission statement, declares war on institutions and emphasizes banking future • Seeking Utah charter, Edward Jones may become largest bank in US by branch count • After Advent chief leaves, Black Diamond head steps up
Andy Rachleff cans the old 'democratizing' mission statement at his robo; The 14,200 one-man Ed Jones branches may become branch banks; Steve Leivent consolidates power at SS&C.
July 3, 2020 at 1:12 AM
Wealthfront
Portfolio Management System
Top Executive: Andy Rachleff
