Dan Butcher

Suggesting that the financial advice industry has evolved into robos, says former SEC Commissioner Steve Wallman, "is like saying the oceans have evolved into swimming pools."

By simplifying investments as much as possible, Acorns appeals to millennials who want to invest.

People just want to spend their money. Show them how to do it better without making it feel like accounting. That's all consumers really want out of PFM, says the president of mobile banking service Moven.

Wealthfront CEO Adam Nash says “Silicon Valley optimism” will help reimagine and redefine financial services.

Self-directed investors gave a thumbs up to Charles Schwab, Vanguard, Fidelity and T. Rowe Price in a satisfaction survey of investment firms by J.D. Power. Some firms didn’t fare as well.

With a strategy to directly target institutional investors, Trizic, a digital wealth management technology startup, has attracted $3 million in seed funding.

By acquiring fintech companies Upside and Finance Logix, financial advisor platform and service provider Envestnet is betting that the best wealth management model combines human advisor-client relationships with the latest technology.

There is an opportunity for the industry to learn from technology and get better, said Merrill Lynch Wealth Management head John Thiel.

Competitors from traditional and digital sectors of wealth management weighed in on the debate over industry disruption at the LinkedIn FinanceConnect conference in New York.

Openfolio has quickly grown into a community of more than 25,000 investors, all drawn to the idea of seeing what various members are investing in and comparing portfolios to measure how they are doing.