Federal and state examiners still see compliance failures when advisors take to social media to promote their practice.

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.

The Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division has created a cybercrime unit to combat the growing trend of identity theft-related tax fraud as the problem morphs into data breaches and becomes more international in scope.

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.

Wells Fargo and other banks are testing the use of mobile devices to authenticate consumers in the drive-through lane. The pilot, designed to expedite service and improve security, serves as the latest example of a growing trend: preordering banking services via digital devices.

Walter Bettinger argues robos might work for "a very small percentage of people," but not for the overwhelming majority of the investing community.

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.

IBDs are being "purposefully indecisive," when it comes to robo advice, says Celent senior analyst Will Trout. "They are playing a watch and wait game."

FINRA is weighing whether to drop a plan for a trade-surveillance system that has drawn sharp opposition from the brokers that fund the agency.

Introducing elderly clients to online performance reporting and budgeting tools can be a win-win for advisors and their clients.

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

"The bar of expectations among advisors has been raised by their experience with a best-in-class website," says the author of a new report in which advisors ranked fund managers.

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.

Besides better plans, the personal financial portal of our planning software offers a number of benefits for clients.

"We're betting on financial advisors and personalized financial advice delivered by people," says RJFS President Scott Curtis.

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.

There are a number of steps traditional mutual funds and ETF providers can perform to take advantage of a surge in automated investing.