Third-party vendors vouch for TD Ameritrade's API at first general session

I have to concur with the vendor sentiments above.

We are still in the testing phase, but so far we believe that the API that’s been released could be a real game-changer for the hundreds of independent advisors that custody assets with TDAI & use Morningstar Office.

Importing and reconciling client data is a pretty simple task with Morningstar Office—because we have comprehensive security and index data included—but having real-time access to client data could dramatically improve a firm’s ability to focus on clients, instead of the back-office.

The ability to log into Morningstar Office and have instant access to clients accounts at TDAI, plus all of Morningstar’s research, data and reports—like the Portfolio Snapshot Report and the Client Return Summary, etc should be a huge win for advisors.

Michael Wilson
Morningstar Advisor Solutions
<a href="http://goo.gl/W6ChB" rel="nofollow">Morningstar Office</a>

I share the same sentiment of Jeff Geygan. Real-time data access looks great on a feature list, but for the <a href="http://www.behaviorgap.com/secret-society-of-real-financial-planners/" rel="nofollow">secret society of REAL financial planners</a> it’s just not necessary. Clients benefit the most from life-long engagements with advisors who align financial strategies with client goals. Access to intra-day pricing does little to advance that type of relationship.

Advisors seek strong and clean integrations between software programs they feel best server their clients. That’s echoed in the desire to reduce manual entry, particularly for the same pieces of information.

If TD AMERITRADE Institutional already has a client’s name, address, phone number, account numbers, and beneficiary designations, then just get all of it via the proposed API and populate CRM, FP software, and portfolio management software with it. There should be no need to manually enter this data into 3rd party applications.

Lastly, I wouldn’t compare Veo’s API to the Apple App Store. The API is much like the <a href="http://developer.apple.com/devcenter/ios/index.action" rel="nofollow">SDK Apple provides</a> to 3rd party developers. The SDK standardizes all the function calls apps make to retrieve and process data, much like what vendors like Orion and MoneyGuidePro will do with data stored in Veo.

So Orion and MoneyGuidePro are the developers working directly with the API, and their products and services represent the “apps” available to make advisors’ lives easier.

Bill @ <a href="http://fppad.com" rel="nofollow">FPPad.com</a>

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