Next up for Morgan Stanley’s tech rollout: New advisor dashboard

Morgan Stanley rolled out a new dashboard for its 15,000-plus advisors, the latest in a series of technology investments that the brokerage has made.

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The dashboard, dubbed WealthDesk, is intended to make it easier for advisors to manage client relationships. It will also better integrate the digital tools that Morgan Stanley has introduced in recent years, including BlackRock’s Aladdin.

The firm is billing it as a “huge step” for its advisors, who gained access to it this week.

WealthDesk brings together more than 10 applications, such as the firm’s goals planning system and Next Best Action, a client communication tool that uses predictive analytics. The dashboard was developed in-house and replaces several other platforms that advisors previously relied on.

Morgan Stanley agreed to sell a business that administers its alternative investment feeder funds to iCapital, a financial-technology firm run by a former Goldman Sachs banker.
Morgan Stanley signage is displayed on the exterior of the company's headquarters in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, July 12, 2016. Morgan Stanley is scheduled to release earnings figures on July 20. Photographer: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg
Eric Thayer/Bloomberg

Morgan Stanley has typically chosen to work with a third party on digital products that executives view as unique or easily commoditized. But when it comes to core client experiences, the wirehouse says it prefers to build technology in-house.

Ciao-Wei Chen is an associate professor of accountancy at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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Ciao-Wei Chen of the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Max Perkins is head of insurance solutions and COO for Spektrum Labs, an AI-first cyber resilience company that provides agents and tools to reduce the time, cost, and complexity of maintaining provable and effective security and insurability. Spektrum unifies the disconnected domains of cybersecurity, backup, and insurance into one continuous, automated system. By fusing these traditionally disconnected areas, Spektrum enables businesses to prove and maintain continuous resilience—from preventing cyber threats, to instant recovery, to securing financial coverage—all in one place. Spektrum unlocks resilience, automating and verifying the connection between security and insurance, so businesses can recover faster and protect their future. 
 
Prior to joining Spektrum, Max's professional career had been focused on insurance and risk management with particular expertise in intangible boardroom risks such as cyber, privacy, and intellectual property, and the overall impact of technology on business.  Max was head of Strategy & Innovation for AXIS Capital's Cyber & Technology underwriting division, where his responsibilities included risk capital management and leadership in launching the world's first securitized 144a Cyber Cat Bond. Prior to joining AXIS in April 2020, he was an insurance broker at Lockton Companies and an underwriter at AIG, CHUBB and Beazley – operating both in the US and London markets. 

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Max Perkins

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Morgan Stanley’s fintech investments are intended to produce greater efficiency, attract new assets and bolster the bottom line, executives say. It’s also a theme that firm leaders have emphasized during earnings calls with analysts.

Indeed, Morgan Stanley’s efforts often go beyond writing new software. The company is revamping office space to make it more tech-friendly, emphasizing its digital prowess with external recruiters and putting a digital spin on its advisor training program. And in perhaps the clearest sign to brokers about the company’s commitment to technology, the brokerage put incentives to adopt new tools in its 2019 compensation plan for advisors.

Of course, Morgan Stanley isn’t alone in pushing the digital frontier. A number of firms are doubling down on fintech in order to bolster and expand their businesses. For example, UBS is working with Broadridge Financial to revamp its platform and with SigFig on its robo advisor. AssetMark, a turnkey asset management provider, recently added a new wealth management and planning platform to its network of advisors. Startups such as d1g1t, a wealth management tech provider, are also attracting new funding; d1g1t recently raised $6.8 million.

--With additional reporting from Sean Allocca.

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Technology Investment technology Fintech Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
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