While the first day of the In|Vest 2015 Conference was devoted to startups and their potential to disrupt the traditional financial services landscape, day two turned the tables and gave the too-big-to-fail banks and other large wealth management firms a chance to show off their digital mojo and explain why they won’t be the ones to become disrupted.
After you finish here, check out my summary from the first day of the conference.
Digital Transformation Of The Wealth Management Experience
- Kim Dellarocca, Managing Director, Pershing, a BNY Mellon Company
- Ram Nagappan, Chief Information Officer, Pershing, a BNY Mellon Company
At #InVest2015 morning keynote, Ram Nagappan CIO @Pershing says firms have a MAXIMUM OF 24 MONTHS to get digitized to remain competitive.
— Deborah Fox (@DeborahSFox) June 19, 2015
I think this is good advice. I expect a lot of smaller advisors, the ones who primarily offer investment management services that consist of a basket of ETF’s that are rebalanced annually, to be out of business in 2-4 years. Investors will migrate to lower cost robo-advisors or hybrid services. Pershing has been making a lot of announcement about their plans to offer digital wealth management services to advisors. (See Pershing Plans a Robo-Advisor White Label Product)
Ric Edelman has an even gloomier outlook on the impact of robos on traditional advisors. During a debate with Adam Nash, CEO of Wealthfront he said, “most advisors have as their value proposition price and performance. If that’s your value proposition, you will get crushed by this guy.”
After hearing @Pershing panel on digital transformation, audience member says, "The one or two man shop is kind of gone." #InVest2015
— Ann Marsh (@Ann_Marsh) June 19, 2015
Ditto.
Disruption And Emotion In Digital World
- Devon McConnell, Managing Director, Head of Digital, Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC
The perfect storm: client’s digital expectations are increasing along w/ gov't regulations #Invest2015 @wellsfargo pic.twitter.com/0qhkwjSAsJ
— Craig Iskowitz (@craigiskowitz) June 19, 2015
Wirehouses like Wells Fargo will be the ones who are squeezed the most by these countervailing forces.
"Millennial's saying that close personal connection with their FA is vital in the next 5-10 years" – @WellsFargo Deven McConnell #Invest2015
— ConnorCrown (@ConnorCrown) June 19, 2015
Wishful thinking. They said the same thing about independent booksellers and the stereo salesmen at Best Buy.
"there is nothing more personal or emotional than money," says @DevonLMcConnell, head of digital at @WFAdvisors. #InVest2015
— Ann Marsh (@Ann_Marsh) June 19, 2015
This didn’t seem like all that big of a revelation to me. But it was tweeted and retweeted a lot, so it must have resonated with the audience.
The Intersection Of Brokerage And Commerce
- Dan Schatt, Chief Commercial Officer, Stockpile
Back in the day, when my friends and I were having our first children, I liked to give them shares of stock as a gift. The process was a major pain in the ass! First I had to buy the stock in my DLJ Direct account (another blast from the past), then I needed the newborn’s social security number to be able to transfer the shares into their name. Then I faxed a letter to the broker to perform the share transfer and mail the physical stock certificate to me, so I could frame it (yes, I did that) and finally give it to my friend.
Well, Dan Schatt came up with an easier way to do this.
Stockpile is a startup that wants to enable consumers to directly purchase individual equities in dollar amounts without a brokerage account. They envision people buying gift cards for $50 of AAPL or using credit card points to invest in some GOOG.
This is a brilliant way to capitalize on consumers love of gift cards and make direct investing in equities easier. In the US alone, $124 billion was loaded onto pre-paid cards. A large percentage of these purchases are being made online and via mobile, so Stockpile is well-positioned to jump onto this bandwagon.
Stockpile is still in their beta-hype-pre-launch-drive-demand-with-scarcity phase of their business model, so you have to put your name on a waiting list to get access. But you’ll have to wait in line behind me.
86% of Americans have never directly owned a stock #Invest2015 @dschatt pic.twitter.com/9AXQlIsLgv
— Craig Iskowitz (@craigiskowitz) June 19, 2015
I didn’t know that. But it makes sense since most people just own mutual funds or ETF’s. Now, I’m wonder if the Stockpile gift cards be traded?
@dschatt: Close to 50% of online brokerage accounts opened in the US are never funded. #InVest2015
— Navid B (@navid_b) June 19, 2015
What does this mean for robo-advisors who target self-directed investors?
Here’s an interesting statistic from Financial Advisor IQ:
According to a recent report by Cerulli Associates, nearly 30% of high-net-worth investors — defined as those with $5 million or more to invest — think of themselves as managing their own money.
Dan Schatt from StockPile predicts the ‘consumerization' of direct equity investing #Invest2015 @dschatt pic.twitter.com/5ys3ePMBVV
— Craig Iskowitz (@craigiskowitz) June 19, 2015
Great use of a noun as a verb. More financial services products should be consumerized. (now I have to add this word to my MacBook dictionary to get rid of the red, squiggly lines)
Enterprise Technology Panel
More of the big boys talking about their digital plans and doing a little robo-bashing while they’re at it.
Moderator: Alois Pirker, Research Director, Aite Group
Panel:
- Riley Etheridge, Jr., Managing Director, Merrill Lynch
- Doug Fritz, Chief Technology Officer, First Republic Private Wealth Management
- Indy Reddy, Head of Global Operations & Technology, Citi Private Bank, Citi Wealth Management
The competition isn't another Advisor but the digital experience our clients expect…banks. #InVest2015
— Loren Brockhouse (@BrockhouseLoren) June 19, 2015
Everyone will be an advisor soon. Even the robos are all RIA’s.
How do we bring #digital #advice up to a higher level of touch? -Etheridge #Invest2015 @MerrillLynch pic.twitter.com/g75Gu35D5c
— Craig Iskowitz (@craigiskowitz) June 19, 2015
Vanguard and Personal Capital are already doing this. Apparently, a lot of HNW investors are satisfied with the current level of digital touch being offered.
Indy Reddy doesn’t think #roboadvisors will take fiduciary responsibility. Really? Aren’t they also RIA’s? #Invest2015 @Citi
— Craig Iskowitz (@craigiskowitz) June 19, 2015
This was a head-scratcher comment. I guess Reddy isn’t on Twitter because he never responded. Probably because he’s a Baby Boomer.
#Invest2015 @firstrepublic is looking for a #roboadvisor partner -DougFritz pic.twitter.com/ik8jZ41Bys
— Craig Iskowitz (@craigiskowitz) June 19, 2015
Any takers? I imagine that the big robos are racking up frequent flier miles visiting every IBD in the country who is kicking their tires on a partnership deal. Betterment looks like the winner here, scoring the Fidelity brand name to attach to their wagon.
Serving The HNW Client Base Today And Tomorrow
- Harsh Kumar, Global Chief Operating Officer, Citi Private Bank
- David Satler, Chief Operating Officer, Barclays Wealth and Investment Management
- Phil Sieg, Head of Ultra High Net Worth Client Segment & Strategy, Merrill Lynch
- Gauthier Vincent, US Wealth Management Practice Lead, Deloitte Consulting
65% of UHNW clients are tech-savvy says Phil Sieg @MerrillLynch #InVest2015
— Paolo Sironi (@thepsironi) June 19, 2015
So they are prime robo prospects! But one study of HNW says that 85% of them don’t know much about robos, according to InvestmentNews:
On a scale of 1 to 100 (1 being low and 100 being high), wealthy investors rated their knowledge of robo-advisers at 15.47, according to a new Spectrem study. Meanwhile, only 6% said they have ever used a robo-advisor.
BusinessInsider reported that among millionaires, robo-advisors are most popular outside the US and Europe, according to the annual Capgemini and RBC Wealth Management World Wealth Report.
David Satter COO Citi Private Bank at #InVest2015:1/3 of advisors are very tech savvy, 1/3 on their way, 1/3 have assistants run their tech.
— Deborah Fox (@DeborahSFox) June 19, 2015
I’d wager that the last third of advisors will be retiring soon…
Is there value in using advisor’s network to connect HNW clients w/ each other? #Invest2015 @GauthierVincent pic.twitter.com/IxHUTLKL2F
— Craig Iskowitz (@craigiskowitz) June 19, 2015
This was an interesting comment. Should advisors leverage their network to offer a social media-like experience to their clients and allow them to connect with each other? The answer from the panel was no, mainly due to compliance issues. But there’s nothing stopping them from doing it on their own. Is anyone setting up a Facebook page for Merrill Lynch clients to post comments about their advisor?
Technology is tremendous tool to deliver Goal Based Investing – says Phil Sieg @MerrillLynch #InVest2015 @IBMRisk #Fintech
— Paolo Sironi (@thepsironi) June 19, 2015
See my post Orchestrating Advice through Goals-Based Wealth Management.
Who Will Win the Robo Game?
- Steffen Binder, Research Director and Co-founder, MyPrivateBanking Research
Robos will have $1.2T AUM by 2020 predicts Steffen Binder @MPB_Research #invest2015
— Samantha Allen (@sallendigital) June 19, 2015
Binder’s projection is 40% lower than what the A.T. Kearney guys think. An $800 billion difference is not insignificant! But a $1 trillion is still a lot of money. And Barry Ritholz thinks Vanguard will have 10% of that market share!
Huge growth in robos, but established firms will surpass and double market within 5 years. #InVest2015 pic.twitter.com/SEWYKgyfz5
— Ryan W. Neal (@ryanWneal) June 19, 2015
Does this include established firms that partner with robos?
All robos do investments and rebalancing, but big difference in other services offered. #InVest2015 pic.twitter.com/cS6Z21EZcW
— Ryan W. Neal (@ryanWneal) June 19, 2015
You need to differentiate yourself in a crowded market. My belief is that all the cloud-based RIA’s (see how I didn’t use the term robos?) will have to expand their services to include most of these additional offerings:
- Account Aggregation
- Financial Planning
- Tax Optimization
- Integration with CRM
Most global banks will enter automated advice space within 36 months says Steffen Binder @InVest_2015 #invest2015 pic.twitter.com/Irxz0K3W32
— Gavin Spitzner (@gspitzner) June 19, 2015
I would file this prediction (facetiously) under “Going Out On A Limb”.
https://twitter.com/wcpattison/status/611955766166163456
I sometimes walk my strategy clients through a hypothetical situation where Google enters the wealth management space as a TAMP and offers everything for free. How would they respond? Could they match the price and make money in other ways besides the traditional AUM fee?
This is the first time I heard the term “GAFAA”. Hopefully, I’m not the only one.
Democratizing Investing: Bringing High-Powered Products And Services To The Masses
Moderator: Tanay Jaipuria, Business Analyst, McKinsey & Company
Panel:
- Mike Kane, CEO, Hedgeable
- Gerard Michael, President, Smartleaf, Inc.
Day Two was not only the day of the 800-pound wealth management gorillas, but also the 800-pound consulting firms. Deloitte, Bain, A.T. Kearney and now McKinsey all paid to get someone on stage at this conference.
#Roboadvisor software cannot change investor behavior -GerryMichael @Smartleaf #Invest2015 pic.twitter.com/sYgme3zBJI
— Craig Iskowitz (@craigiskowitz) June 19, 2015
No, but they can mitigate it by enforcing investing and wealth management best practices.
.@Hedgeable has more female investors than avg #roboadvisor -MikeKane #Invest2015 pic.twitter.com/vx7lWsYwMA
— Craig Iskowitz (@craigiskowitz) June 19, 2015
Kane didn’t elaborate on this. I’d like to know the average percentage of female investors at robos. I don’t what it is about his company’s service that attracts more women. I couldn’t find any statistics on this in my usual five minute Google search.
I posed a question to Kane about the hedging that his firm does to reduce clients’ downside risk. His response was that they don’t actually hedge anything! They are more like a tactical manager and de-risk asset classes or sectors that they believe are overbought. (See Should RIAs Use Tactical ETF Managers?)
Where Wearables Intersect With Wealth
Moderator: Penny Crosman, Editor in Chief, Bank Technology News
Panel:
- Liensa Rouse, Sr. Manager, Mobile Product Management, E*TRADE
- Andres Wolberg-Stok , Global Consumer Banking’s Global Head of Emerging Platforms and Services, Citi
1/3 of investors said in a survey they were interested in a wearable device. Need to dig a little deeper. #invest2015
— Iain Montgomery (@iain_monty) June 19, 2015
BusinessInsider projects 148 million units of wearable technology to be shipped globally in 2019 versus 33 million this year. I think the 1/3 of investors estimate is in the ballpark.
"To gain favor, info from wearables has to be financially intimate, important and immediate." #Citi's Andres Wolberg-Stok at #Invest2015
— Citi (@Citi) June 19, 2015
I don’t know what the term “financially intimate” means exactly. Would the percentage change of the S&P500 versus the prior days close not qualify? I might want to know that sometimes as opposed to just my own portfolio performance.
The Last Word: Sigfig And Bank Of The West
Moderator: Lee Conrad, Editor-in-Chief, Bank Investment Consultant
Panel:
- John Bahnken, Senior Executive VP, Bank of the West
- Mike Sha, Co-Founder and CEO, SigFig
I’m of two minds on the In|Vest decision to go with two member panels. 1) I think three people is the optimal number to have the best discussion and exchange of ideas; four is too large and doesn’t give everyone an equal opportunity to speak, but two is too few and doesn’t provide enough variety, in my humble opinion. 2) Maybe two panelists were ok considering the that sessions were shorter than other conferences. Too short for my liking. It hardly seemed as though we got settled into our seats before the moderator was wrapping things up!
Many people feel that networking is the main reason to go to a conference and the sessions are secondary. But I feel that they should at least be given equal weight. To that end, the sessions should be at least 45 minutes to provide enough time to go in depth on the topic.
In 5 years, the majority of #roboadvisor assets will be owned by retail banks -MikeSha @SigFig #Invest2015 pic.twitter.com/rEENIrWGMT
— Craig Iskowitz (@craigiskowitz) June 19, 2015
But will we still be using the term ‘robo-advisor” in five years? Will anyone care about differentiating robo-advised assets from hybrid from fully human-managed?
5 million US households have >$1 million assets -JohnBahnken @BankoftheWest #Invest2015
— Craig Iskowitz (@craigiskowitz) June 19, 2015
Is anyone surprised that John Bahnken works for a bank? (sorry, I couldn’t resist that one!)
I’ve seen reports that China is now #2 behind the US in the number of millionaires after they created over a million new ones in 2014 alone.
Trend: Banks will auto-open 3 accounts for every customer: checking, saving & investment -MikeSha @SigFig #Invest2015 pic.twitter.com/rUeRRLJgts
— Craig Iskowitz (@craigiskowitz) June 19, 2015
Sha proposed that banks take the opt-out approach to investing. Just open an investment account for every customer, unless they request to opt-out. Most may never use it, but the number that do will be much, much higher than the current system.
InVest 2015 Conference
Now that you’ve finished here, check out my summary from the first day of the conference.
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