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.

One factor prodding firms into quick adoption of Apple Watch apps is the fear of missing out on the latest technology.

Financial advisors of all stripes have to adapt to evolving technology and increasing competition from online brokerages and other investment firms. Automation tools can help.

Striking a balance between the emerging and traditional realms of investing is where Motif Investing sees its niche, says its co-founder and CEO Hardeep Walia.

Russell Investments' new app joins the growing crowd of firms offering financial advisors digital tools to explain investment concepts to their clients.

The billions firms spend on technology are weighted too heavily toward infrastructure, Aite Group says, and not enough on client-facing upgrades instead.

Soon after launching, personal finance celebrity Dave Ramsey's EveryDollar budgeting app skyrocketed into the Apple App Store’s top 5 financial apps. But is it because the app is well-designed or because of his celebrity status?

More acquisitions are expected in the digital wealth management space as firms look to quickly add tech platforms and services.

During the planning process for a digital platform strategy, Fidelity says its partners and brokers asked why it couldn't just go buy eMoney Advisor instead.

Dream Forward Financial wants to take a bite out of the customer base of traditional plan providers like Fidelity by offering what it says is transparent and cheaper service.

Vanguard says assets in its Personal Advisor Services start up, still in the pilot phase with no paid advertising support, rose from $755 million in 2013 to $10.1 billion at the end of last year.