Last year, real estate crowdfunding worldwide crossed the $1 billion mark. That amount is expected to rise by 150% this year to $2.57 billion.

Recent moves by Google to create high-quality searches for mobile devices mean advisors need to upgrade websites that haven't kept up with the latest technology.

Hybrid robo Autopilot provides clients with a 24/7 asset management call service, while Market Movement Strategies connects advisors with top strategists.

Analysis: Instead of the big financial monolith dictating your financial life, the power is shifting to the client -- the emerging platform is one truly built from the ground up around one simple concept: "Me."

Advisors should always be on the lookout for performance-boosting tools that will help grow their business. Here are five you should know about.

Customers continue to be underwhelmed by banks’ customer service. Even worse, young customers see very little difference in services from one bank to another.

Wealthy millennials are downloading apps more than other age groups, but for many categories it's boomers and Gen Xers who are the key users.

Business development and investment management are the most difficult positions to fill, a new Schwab study found.

A third of 1,000 online investors surveyed by E-Trade Financial would like to monitor their investments on wearable apps.

Branded digital apps continue to roll out as firms attempt to connect with a wired clientele.

Schwab must convince the 7,000 advisors who custody with the firm that its new Institutional Intelligent Portfolios automated investment management service is worth implementing.

The new digital platform will cost 10 basis points for advisors who have less than $100 million in AUM under custody with Schwab, but advisors who have more under custody won't be charged a fee.

Harvesting data can ensure that accounts you manage are meeting their objectives and can offer marketing opportunities.

Silicon Valley firms like Apple and Lending Club are happy to partner with banks — so long as they get to be the face of customer interactions. But banks may not easily give up that ground.

Don't despair, industry leaders say. Even wealthy and digitally minded millennials will still want personalized advice.

Robo startups are expected to reach $452 billion in AUM in five years, but incumbent firms will possess over $1 trillion in assets in the digital automated advice space.

Robo advisors are gaining traction, especially among millennial investors, who are very sensitive to competitive pricing. Extensive automation will be needed to defend against them.

The 150 to 200 basis points that banks charge are likely to drop below 100.

Betterment CEO Jon Stein says his firm is adding 1,000 accounts a week to the tune of about 94,000 with a total of $2.3 billion AUM. Over 30% of assets come from clients age 50 and up, he adds.