In|Vest Insights

Watch this next year: Digital startups like Blooom may make interesting inroads into the DC space.

Software and apps can engage clients and make an advisor’s job easier.

Robos can give ETF providers brand new channels to distribute products and access new investors, says Dodd Kittsley, head of ETF strategy and national accounts at Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management.

The biggest challenge with new digital tools is getting people to adopt them and do things differently, says the vice president of technology at Cleary Gull, a Milwaukee-based wealth manager.

Fidelity has a new digital plan to work with advisors and is also developing a direct-to-consumer robo platform.

Chief executives from BofA and PNC raised concerns about the conduct of data aggregators and particularly how well they protect customer data.

The New York Department of Financial Services' letter indicating potential cyber rules are prompting concerns that the state's plans could lead to more stringent measures throughout the industry.

The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, which has advanced far on Capitol Hill, promises to help businesses and government thwart cybercriminal attacks. But privacy advocates say the bill would make misuse of consumer data even easier.

Robos don't have to be based on ETFs, says Naureen Hassan, head of Schwab's Intelligent Portfolios. "It can be mutual funds, individual securities -- whatever we want it to be, because it is a technology platform."

Advisors using digital advice tools must implement compliance best practices to help mitigate areas of risk that technology — like a double-edged sword — can both cause and combat.