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Could inStream be the Next Big Thing in RIA technology?

Alex Murguia is assembling a minor Dream Team of RIA execs including Zohar Swaine, but the revenue model is causing some consternation

Author Lisa Shidler January 7, 2013 at 4:20 AM
Admin:
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Zohar Swaine: InStream does not intend to limit an advisor's choice of which financial provider to use -- this key point may have been misreported or not understood by others.

Stephen Winks

Stephen Winks

January 7, 2013 — 9:08 PM

A no cost advisory platform is indeed unique and commoditizes a base point value proposition to which consumers can expect. It can also avoid comflicts of interest with a trading desk—the principle inhibitor to fiduciary standing. But, the question is whether this no cost model is self sustaining?

If it is a window to refinancing mortgages at the most opportune time that is considerable value added. If it triggered the automatic evaluation of annuities and variable life, that would be significant value added. If it automatically triggered investment strategy shifts, that would add significant shifts. If it mathmatically weighted 50 plus client investment considerations so custom expert client portfolios were possible, that would be significant value added. If it aggregiated all the client’s holdings, that would be significant value added. If it ranked the probasbility of sucess in achieving objectives, that would be sigtnificant.

But then, what does the advisor do?

The virtues of technology are terrific, advancing technical competencies beyond the grasp of the individual advisor. Is this the first step at rendering the advisor obsolete?

SCW

Brooke Southall

Brooke Southall

January 7, 2013 — 9:41 PM

Steve,

Good supplemental information and bigger questions.

thanks,

Brooke

Maurice

Maurice

January 8, 2013 — 4:03 AM

This sounds like a wonderful tool, but there will never be a true substitute for human intuiton and reasoning. Remember the old saying about data and computing — GIGO, “garbage in garbage out”.

Alex Murguia

Alex Murguia

January 8, 2013 — 6:53 PM

Absolutely. The whole genesis of this initiative for me was to make advisors the center of it all! That is the only way it works. best//alex

T. Ambrico

T. Ambrico

January 11, 2013 — 12:01 AM

Good Idea…of course it sounds very similar to emoney advisor, which has been around for about 12 years and offers a client web page, total aggregation of client data and updates the data daily, allowing for up to the minute planning. It also alerts the advisor if positions or account values drop, etc. Just sayin’

Alex

Alex

January 11, 2013 — 1:41 AM

Yes, I think it is a great program- with Donald Sutherland to boot! I am a fan of any platform that strengthens an advisor’s value proposition as a wealth manager. best//alex

Maurice

Maurice

January 11, 2013 — 12:53 PM

On a personal note: tools that innovate and streamline the management of client accounts and aid my decision making process give me immense satisfaction and help me sleep better at night.

Stephen Winks

Stephen Winks

January 11, 2013 — 3:02 PM

T. Ambrico

Stephen Winks

Stephen Winks

January 11, 2013 — 3:07 PM

T. Ambrico,

Good points, incremental solutions have traditionally been very expensive and have limited applications, but free access changes the equation. Of course planning software as we know it today is an assemblage on desparate calculators with no overarching simplifying prudent process which speaks to fiduciary duty and professional standing.

SCW

T. Ambrico

T. Ambrico

January 11, 2013 — 5:05 PM

SCW,

I see what you mean if you are talking about programs like emoney, in their infancy, but in 12 years they have come a long way, just like Apple, Microsoft, Intuit, and every other software and hardware company out there. Additionally, they aren’t really talking about free access. It seems that for the money model to work, the advisor has to make specific vendor recommendations to the client. Those recommendations would be based on paid advertising, no matter how you word it. That smells like a conflict of interest. Mint, which I have used and appreciated, doesn’t have a compliance regulated advisor in between their recommendations and the client and so isn’t facing the same issue. Incidentally, while I have been a loyal and happy user of Mint, I haven’t used the vendors, because I know they are paid advertising and thus I find the recommendations suspect. Independent research has proven me right on a number of occasions. If the money model can’t work because of compliance issues, Insight will have to charge for services just like the companies already well established in this arena. They may or may not come up with a great product and I wish them well, I just found it odd that this piece wasn’t balanced by accurate comparisons to the big players already offering these services to advisors, albeit, at a price.

T

Mike Byrnes

Mike Byrnes

January 20, 2013 — 6:02 PM

Zohar Swaine is a top-notch leader and I am confident he will help make InStream a significant player in the industry in the years to come – Mike Byrnes, President of Byrnes Consulting, LLC, www.byrnesconsulting.com
Tweeted this article out at @ByrnesConsultin

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Mentioned in this article:

inStream Solutions
Financial Planning Software
Top Executive: Alex Murguia

Portfolio Pathway LLC
Portfolio Management System, Trading/Rebalancing
Top Executive: Dave Miller



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