DST Market Services has gotten app-savvier.
The Kansas City, Mo.-based broker-dealer announced today its plans to launch TreeSwing, a new mobile brokerage service targeted toward "the millions of Americans who aren't currently investing," according to design and product manager for the app Brian Smith in a press release.
"I believe we've built something that will lower the financial, behavioral, and emotional barriers to the investment process," Smith said.
Investors can use TreeSwing to select and contribute to a range of big-name professional managed mutual funds. The app "[keeps] the marketplace purposefully small," and uses "plain language" and independent data from Morningstar to draw novice investors and help them make informed decisions.
Another attraction for new investors? The app requires no brokerage fees, minimum balances nor monthly investments.
TreeSwing also allows interactivity with social media. Optional connection to an investor's foursquare account allows for location-based push notifications to provide personalized assistance to users regarding their investment and keep users on track with regular, and not occasional, investing habits.
TreeSwing will become available April 8 as a free download from the Mac App Store for iPhones, a DST spokesman said. An Android version will launch "around a month" after the iPhone launch, he added.
