Hybrid ConnectED Event Kicks Off with Rollout of Streamlined, End-to-End Technology-Enabled Journey for Financial Advisors via New Express Onboarding, Upgraded Customer Relationship Management Platform, Advisor Business Hub and Vidyard for Advisor Group
Forms Pilot of Financial Planning Jump Start Program for Next-Gen Financial Advisors, Expands Behavioral Financial Advice Training Program
Advisor Group, the nation’s largest network of independent wealth management firms, announced the launch of a series of new platforms and solutions to accelerate the company’s ongoing digital transformation strategy, which is aimed at elevating the advisor and client experience for the company’s 10,000-plus financial advisors across the country.
Advisor Group made these announcements at its 10th annual ConnectED conference, which brings together the diverse range of financial professionals in its network to synthesize ideas and generate growth. Dubbed ConnectED FUSION, this year’s event is a hybrid experience, with attendees participating virtually and in person at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.
Digital Transformation Initiatives
Advisor Group’s substantial ongoing investments in digital transformation will help financial advisors at each stage of their career life cycles operate their businesses more efficiently, provide greater value to their clients and grow their businesses much faster than peers affiliated with other firms across the wealth management space. At ConnectED, the company is announcing:
- Express Onboarding to streamline, simplify and expedite the process by which newly recruited advisors transition to Advisor Group and their new wealth management firms. Advisor transitions have traditionally been complex, and Advisor Group’s enhanced process – powered by investments in paperless technology, automation and closer integrations – aim to make each step easier and faster.
- A newly upgraded, closely integrated customer relationship management platform that home-office service specialists at each of Advisor Group’s six subsidiaries will use to support financial advisors and address their needs. The new CRM consolidates and integrates several older advisor support systems into a new platform that leverages Salesforce’s latest technology.
- Advisor Business Hub is a newly designed portal that brings together all the applications, platforms, content, services and other growth tools that advisors need to run their businesses and serve clients in a modern, easy-to-use interface.
- Vidyard for Advisor Group. Advisor Group is the first network of independent broker-dealer firms to bring Vidyard to financial professionals with a new strategic partnership. Vidyard for Advisor Group enables advisors to rapidly record individual marketing and client communication videos via an easy-to-use desktop app. The platform automatically routes the video through all necessary channels for compliance review without the need for manual submission. The platform also provides built-in branding capabilities, the ability to insert calls-to-action in videos themselves and analytic tools to measure engagement.
Greg Cornick, Advisor Group’s President, Advice and Wealth Management, said, “The commencement of the next stage of our technology-driven transformation has been designed to provide our financial advisors with an integrated, end-to-end digital experience throughout their entire journey with Advisor Group. From the moment advisors choose to join our firm, all the way through to increasing their business valuation and ensuring a smooth transition for their business, our digital transformation plan helps advisors grow their businesses faster. Whether it’s by enabling our advisors to operate more efficiently, gain more wallet share with existing clients or expand their books of business, Advisor Group is here to help them unlock their potential.”
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Kristen Kimmell, Advisor Group’s Executive Vice President, Business Development, said, “It is a dynamic time in the independent wealth management industry, in which advisors’ needs are evolving as quickly and continuously as those of their clients. The strategic investments Advisor Group is making in the advisor digital experience are further proof of our firms’ industry-leading position as destinations for successful financial professionals. Regardless of what stage of their journeys they are in – whether they are early-career next-generation advisors, mid-career professionals in growth mode or more experienced advisors evaluating their succession options – Advisor Group is the home that advisors are searching for.”
Financial Planning Jump Start and Behavioral Financial Advice Training Programs
In addition to technological enhancements and upgrades to its platform, Advisor Group also announced two initiatives to support financial planning and the delivery of quality advice to clients.
First, the company is piloting Financial Planning Jump Start, a six-month curriculum in collaboration with Advanced Planning Educational Group aimed at training and coaching early-career advisors and associates in the basics of financial planning. The program also shows them how to introduce financial planning into client relationships, along with the process of executing a plan and communicating with clients on progress towards defined goals. The course brings together in-person and virtual training events with group coaching sessions to guide participants on the path to completion.
Advisor Group also announced the expansion to all its network firms of the Behavioral Financial Advice Training Program, which previously was available to advisors at the former Ladenburg Thalmann subsidiaries Securities America and Triad Advisors. The program offers training and coaching in the fundamentals of behavioral finance and the application of its key tenets to the delivery of advice. The goal of the program is to enable advisors to improve client decision-making through a rational, values-based approach while guiding them through preparations for unplanned life events.
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Speakers, Performers from Entertainment, Sports and Music Worlds
This year’s ConnectED event will feature appearances from the worlds of entertainment, sports and music:
- On Oct. 18, Ben Nemtin, #1 New York Times bestselling author and Co-Founder of The Buried Life Movement, will speak at the Advisor Group general session, accompanied by Advisor Group President and CEO Jamie Price; Mr. Cornick; President of BFS Advisory Group Debra Brennan Tagg; Mr. Hulett; and Katey Davern, Advisor Group Senior Vice President, Wealth Management Marketing.
- On Oct. 19, Andre Agassi, philanthropist, retired professional tennis player and eight-time Grand Slam winner, will address the morning general session, sharing the stage with Advisor Group Chief Market Strategist Phil Blancato; Advisor Group Executive Vice President, Advisor Engagement Erinn Ford; Fidelity Institutional Senior Vice President, Capital Markets and Strategy Claus te Wildt; Invesco Chief Global Market Strategist Kristina Hooper; along with Mr. Hulett and Ms. Davern.
Jamie Price, CEO of Advisor Group, said, “It’s truly gratifying to bring together the thousands of financial professionals who make up the Advisor Group community to network, share best practices and build long-lasting relationships. Without question, our financial advisors have emerged from the worst months of the pandemic stronger than ever before, having worked so conscientiously to ensure their clients were well-served during a period of intense economic and market disruptions. We’re proud to support our financial advisors in the mission-critical work they do for their clients and communities by continuing to deliver the tools, technology and resources our advisors need to grow and succeed.”
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