On October 11, Orion attended the WealthManagement.com Executive Forum and Industry Awards. The event, held at New York City’s Plaza Hotel, recognizes the companies and organizations that support financial advisors.

Orion was named as a finalist for three awards in the Technology Provider category – Innovation Platform for Ascent, Compliance for our Advisor Fee Benchmark, and Rebalancing for Eclipse™.

Because we received three nominations, we were excited about the possibility of taking home an award.

We were honored to receive the Technology Provider’s award in Compliance for our Advisory Fee Benchmark, which you can find in the Orion Trends app.

The Advisory Fee Benchmark is a powerful communication tool that gives Orion advisors the power to see how their fee schedules stack up against all other advisors using Orion, provides more transparency to the advisor-client relationship, and ultimately enables advisors to better communicate the value they provide by showing how their fees and services compare to industry averages.

The Advisory Fee Benchmark contains advisory fee data for all the firms utilizing Orion’s platform, including registered investment advisors, investment advisor representatives, broker-dealers, and others.

To learn more about our award-winning tool, check out this blog post.

At last year’s awards, Orion took home the award for Portfolio Management, Accounting, and Performance Reports. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be named a winner for the second year in a row.

And in case you weren’t in attendance, here’s a few highlights:

Congrats @orionadvisor, winner in Tech Compliance category 2017 WealthManagement Industry Awards! #WMIA17 #WEALTHIES https://t.co/HH9dm5j8ns

— WealthManagement.com (@wealth_mgmt) October 12, 2017

Excited to take home the Technology Provider Award for Compliance! #WMIA17 #OrionCompliance pic.twitter.com/t1SCcx8W9D

— Orion Advisor (@orionadvisor) October 12, 2017

Great night in NYC! Congrats to @Riskalyze @orionadvisor on the wins! #Wealthies #WMIA17 pic.twitter.com/hOj1x7yZrY

— Ryan Shanks ?? (@ryanshanks) October 12, 2017

Couldn’t happen to a better company, or better people…so proud to be on the @orionadvisor team!! #WMIA17 ?

— Jason Lahita (@jlahita_ficomm) October 12, 2017

Thanks to entire Orion team for your hard work in creating innovative solutions for advisors. We’re extremely proud of our team and we’re already looking forward to next year’s event!

Thank you to WealthManagement.com for this special recognition, and thank you to all the event sponsors for an amazing night.

Congratulations to all of the award winners!

0375-OAS-10/13/2017

November is always one of my favorite months, and not just because Thanksgiving is on its way. This November marks the release of another Orion Software Update, and this year’s update is looking like one of our most exciting rounds of enhancements yet. Read on to discover all the biggest and best news from our upcoming release.

PORTFOLIO INTERACTIONS

HIDING EMPLOYEE HOUSEHOLDS

We are providing the ability to hide Employee type households from your users.  To denote these types of Households in Orion Connect, navigate to the Household Editor > Category field, and assign the the category of “Employee”. There will be a new privilege called “Employee Households” within the Manage Users app > Roles. Simply uncheck this privilege within your Roles and those users assigned to the Role will no longer have access to view the Households assigned to the Category of “Employee” within Orion Connect. It’s about time, right?!

REP PORTAL

We’ve added a new database option to make the Rep Portal the default app for your Rep level users!  Within the Firm Profile app, navigate to the Options Information menu.  Search for the option “Use Rep Portal as Landing for Reps” and check the box!

PORTFOLIO AUDIT

In the Portfolio Audit app, we’ve added a new column in the Accounts grid to quickly show you the Cash Balance of each account.  To add this new field to your view, hop over to the right side panel within the app, click on “Columns” and choose “Cash Balance.”

CLIENT PORTAL

Portfolio statements and tax statements can now be combined into folders by calendar year. This change will allow clients to find the statement they’re looking for quickly and easily.

We’ve also added a new option in the Client Portal settings that allows you to suppress related Households.

REPORTING

REPORT SPEED IMPROVEMENTS

We are enhancing our report speed by reengineering how cost basis is gathered for reporting purposes. This will allow your reports to generate more timely.

CUSTOM FIELDS

With the November Software Update, we are allowing custom field inputs to be tracked by “as of date” and be reported based on that “as of date” custom field input.

NEXT GENERATION REPORTING PLATFORM

We have built out Phase 1 of our next generation Report Builder. Although this will not be available yet, we are still very excited to make progress towards giving you ultimate flexibility when it comes to creating your own reports with your unique spin and touch.

ALTERNATE LINE SHADING

Orion is introducing alternate line shading into our existing Report Themes tool. This will allow you and your clients to better read reports and avoid any confusion while reviewing a portfolio on a PDF style report.

REPORT DESIGN CHANGES

One big item that you will all notice is our changing of sub-report disclaimers. Orion has implemented new design principals that will make your reports look brand new! Your disclaimers will now be at the end of each report where we will detail out the parameters of the report such as Net of Fee returns, including accrued interest, and the annualization method of performance.

INSIGHT – Riskalyze Integration Tile

Orion is building a new tile in cooperation with Riskalyze to bring to you the “Riskalyze Retirement Map” inside of Insight.

INSIGHT – Hidden Levers Integration Tile

Do you use Hidden Levers to speak about Risk vs. Return? We are building a tile that will bring that conversation inside the Orion platform. This tile will allow you as the Advisor to better speak to Risk vs. Return within Insight.

RMD DASHBOARD

We have added some efficiencies to Orion’s RMD Dashboard app.  We now allow you to utilize custom fields by enabling your custom fields to display in the grid.  There will also be a new cash value column for your accounts—just like the one we added in the Portfolio Audit app—as well as a qualified check box.

META-DATA

We are adding a user interface for you to control our Meta-Data compliance feature that allows you to send a copy of each report generated in the Orion platform to an SFTP server for archived storage and/or review.

BILLING

HOUSEHOLD FINANCIAL PLANNING

Many of the firms that work with Orion perform additional tasks besides managing a client’s assets. Previously, it was difficult to include fees for these services on an invoice. Sometimes these fees would have to be tracked outside Orion, especially if these service fees would be collected from the client when management fees will be collected from the custodian. This new feature will provide an opportunity to house and calculate these service fees within Orion.  At the Household level, fees instructions will be entered into a new Financial Planning billing tab.

AVERAGE MONTHLY BALANCE VALUATION METHOD

Not ready to go average daily balance for your advisory fees, but you would like to use more than a single day to calculate the billed value?  We’ve developed an option that will take the average value of the last day of each month within a quarter. For example: instead of using only 3/31 to calculate bills, our system would look at the value of 1/31, 2/28, and 3/31 and then take the average. This method is not as accurate as average daily balance, but more accurate than period ending.

TRADING

From the Trading front, we have been working hard to get Orion’s next generation trading platform, Eclipse™, up and running.  Eclipse™ is currently being beta tested by a handful of firms, with a full launch scheduled for later this year.  For more information on Eclipse™, please visit Orion Social, where you can view our Overview video, which provides an in-depth look at the functionality being developed.

We are also working to optimize a number of trade tools, such as the Trade to Target % tool and the FIX 4.4 mutual fund batch wizard. Optimizing these tools will allow for greater volume and speed within these tools.

MARKET DATA & RECONCILIATION

ACCOUNT CANCELLATION RESTORE

We’ve improved the process of undoing an account cancellation. Now when an account cancellation is undone in the Orion system, the system will restore all recent applicable data files from the exclusion table. This great new feature will significantly speed up the reconciliation of restoring a cancelled account!

INTEGRATIONS

INTEGRATIONS CENTER

All things integrations will be found in the new Integrations Center app. You will be able to learn about our integrations, watch videos and tutorials about what the integrations have to offer, and even setup the integration itself. It’s all coming in the Integrations Center.

0367-OAS-10/10/2017

Orion has integrated with Riskalyze for a number of years now, and we’re excited to see them launch their user conference, the Fearless Investing Summit, this week.

If you’re at the FI Summit, make sure to catch our team in the exhibit hall. We’re right by the front door!

We also want to take this opportunity to highlight the expanded Orion integration with Riskalyze.

We now provide the Riskalyze Risk Number for a household, account, and even individual assets. With this change, Orion clients can now review the suitability and risk components that make up the full portfolio.

Reviewing suitability and risk components goes even farther than a full portfolio review, though. You can even compare suitability and risk information to the Model you have assigned to that client.

Orion shows three key numbers now: Your Questionnaire, Your Portfolio, and Your Model. In the screenshot below, you can see how these will display within Orion Connect.

The enhanced Riskalyze integration is now available in Insight and the Client Portal.

Have some questions? Please contact the Orion Integration Support team through Orion Social. 

0360-OAS-10/4/2017

Today is the start of Orion Ascent 2017, our national user conference.

Advisors from all over the country will converge in Scottsdale for three days of training, and in our Ascent video series, our two advisors have finally reached the top of Camelback Mountain so they can register for Ascent 2017 too.

Watch webisodes 1 through 5 here.

0345-OAS-9/18/2017

Fuse 2017 saw more attendees (over 100!) from more companies (more than 30!) creating more technology updates than at any point during the event’s four-year existence.

There was some big news that came out of Fuse, with more big news on its way. In the weeks ahead, we’ll be sharing more details about the award winners and how their development will affect your Orion experience. Today, though, we want you to know that during Fuse we saw the first glimpse of a Prospect Portal that will allow you to engage with your prospects in Orion in all-new ways, and we also got to see the unveiling of a new automated solution to help improve the service provider diligence process from this year’s Best in Show winner, RIA in a Box.

Much more information will be coming about those two developments, and many more, soon. For now, let’s look back the summaries of Fuse so you can experience the conference for yourself.

Orion’s Daily Update Videos

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

The Winners

The full list of winners, with links to each winner’s site, is here.

Bill Winterberg’s Fuse Blogs

0331-OAS-9/12/2017

Best in Show: RIA in a Box
Best User Interface: Asset-Map
Best Business Intelligence Integration: Fix Flyer
Best CRM Integration: Redtail
Best Trading Integration: Orion
Best Advisor Innovation: Mineral
Best True Hackathon: AdvisoryWorld
Best Work Saving Development for Advisors: AdvisoryWorld
Best Newcomer: Dimensional Fund Advisors
Burning the Midnight Oil Award: FinMason
Best Custodial Integration: TD Ameritrade Institutional
Best Compliance & Due Diligence: RIA in a Box
Most Likely to Disrupt: Cleverdome & NetFoundry
Best Bang for Your Buck: Blackrock
Best Use of API: Blackrock

The biggest week of fintech development of the year has finally arrived. On Thursday through Sunday, some of the best advisor technology software firms in the country will come together with a single purpose—create integrations that benefit your firm’s daily use of their solutions.

Why Does Fuse Matter?

Fuse is a conference for the developers of fintech companies and its purpose is to create a space where those developers can come together to create a more unified integration structure between their firms.

The end result of Fuse is that stronger integration points get built between the technology partners you use and as a result, your firm benefits from the increased integration power and capabilities.

Orion serves as the facilitator of this event. This year’s theme is built around the Orion Insight app, which you can use as an interactive client presentation tool during your meetings. As more integrations are built into Insight, you’ll be able to use the app for more comprehensive and meaningful conversations.

We have a secondary focus for the event as well, but we have to save something to reveal during the weekend. 🙂

Who’s Attending Fuse 2017?

Fuse is annually a “who’s who” of advisor fintech firms. Along with the usual heavyweights you’d expect to see, there’s always a few newcomers who have a chance to steal the spotlight. At this year’s Fuse, we’re expecting programmers from these firms:

AdvisoryWorld

Asset-Map

BlackRock | iRetire

CAIS Group

Citrix ShareFile

cleverDome

Dimensional Fund Advisors

eMoney

Everplans

Fidelity Investments

FinMason

FIX Flyer

Focus Financial Partners

FTJ FundChoice

FutureVault

HiddenLevers

Investment POD

Jefferson National

Junxure

Laser App

Lincoln Financial Group

Mineral Interactive

MoneyGuidePro

NetFoundry

Orchestrate

Quik!

Redtail

RIA in a Box

Riskalyze

Sawtooth Solutions, LLC

Supernova

TD Ameritrade Institutional

TradeWarrior

Wealth Access

We’d like to give a special thanks to this year’s sponsors: MoneyGuidePro, CAIS, AdvisoryWorld, Dimensional Fund Advisors, FutureVault, Everplans, and Supernova.

Who Are the Judges?

This year we have a great mix of new and returning judges. Some have been with us for all four years of Fuse, while a few are new this year. As always, you’ll find both industry experts and advisors.

Here’s our list of judges this year:

• Ryan  Beach, CLS Investments
• J.D. Bruce, Abacus Wealth
• Joel Bruckenstein, Technology Tools for Today
• Heather Fortner, SignatureFD
• Michael Kitces, Kitces.com and Pinnacle Advisory Group
• Billy Oliverio, United Planners
• Tina Powell, Beacon Wealth Management
• Spenser Segal, ActiFi
• Shannon Spotswood, RFG Advisory
• Bill Winterberg, FPPad.com

How to Follow the Action

Fuse might be all about the developers for a few days, but the technology created there is all about you. We want you to know all about everything that’s happening, so we’ll be posting regular updates to our Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts all week to keep you updated.

You can also follow #FuseUtah on Twitter to see what everyone else is saying.

0325-OAS-9/1/2017

In the months leading up to Fuse 2017, we’re profiling the event’s panel of judges. This week’s profile is Michael Kitces, partner and Director of Wealth Management at Pinnacle Advisory Group.

Michael Kitces has spent the last seventeen years in the financial services industry. His passion for learning and sharing his knowledge with others led him to launch“The Kitces Report” – an educational newsletter for financial planners – and his popular blog, Nerd’s Eye View. Michael is also a co-founder of the XY Planning Network.

Michael’s Background

Like many of us, Michael Kitces didn’t always have his sights set on finance. He spent his undergraduate years at Bates College, where he earned a degree in Psychology with a theater minor and a pre-med concentration. Upon graduation, having decided only that he didn’t want to pursue psychology, theater, or medicine, he landed a job as a life insurance agent – a pivotal role that introduced him to financial planning.

Michael spent the rest of his twenties earning two master’s degrees, one in Financial Services and another in Taxation. He also pursued numerous designations and certifications, all while working full-time as a financial planner. He started at Pinnacle Advisory Group in 2002 as their Director of Financial Planning, and later became a partner in 2012.

In 2008, Michael started “The Kitces Report.” He expanded his educational efforts by launching his blog in 2010. In addition to his blog, Michael is regularly quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Businessweek, Investment News, and more. He is also a popular public speaker at more than fifty industry events each year, and co-authored The Annuity Advisor and Tools & Techniques of Retirement Income Planning.

In 2010, Michael was awarded the Heart of Financial Planning Award by the Financial Planning Association. The award, given for outstanding achievements in the profession, is one of the industry’s highest honors.

Today, Michael spends the majority of his time producing content for Nerd’s Eye View, which has been recognized as the most popular blog for financial advisors.

Looking Back to Last Year’s Fuse

This is Michael’s third year as a Fuse judge. He loves the “hack-a-thon, collaborative spirit” of Fuse and says the conference is essential for bettering industry technology.

“If we’re going to get better-integrated technology in the financial planning industry, the companies need to work together,” said Michael, “which means the programmers – those building the technology – need to spend more time together, get to know each other, and make connections – that’s what Fuse is all about to me. It’s an opportunity for connection and collaboration.”

Looking Ahead to September

For Fuse 2017, Michael is looking forward to seeing integrations with Orion’s new rebalancing software, Eclipse™.

“Knowing Orion is coming out with Eclipse™, and the incredibly prominent role that rebalancing software has in the industry, I’m excited to see what’s going on with Eclipse™,” said Michael. “I’m curious what ideas and integrations will come together and build around the rebalancing side of Orion on top of their portfolio accounting software.”

Michael is also interested in seeing new automations driven by Orion triggers, and their role in making advisors more proactive.

“How can we take the real-time flow of new data and not just show live reports, but actually trigger notifications and automate actions so we can more proactively do something to help our clients?”

Finally, he is also eager to see more from the two-time Best in Show Award winner, RIA in a Box.

“I don’t think most people give credit to compliance software as something that would be driving technology innovation, but RIA in a Box has been doing some really cool stuff, and so I’m curious to see what they come up with this year!”

Fuse 2017 is the premier conference for financial services technology developers and programmers. For more information about this year’s event, visit  fuse2017.com or keep up with us on Twitter using the #FuseUtah hashtag.

0318-OAS-8/28/2017

Today’s post features all the updates and enhancements you can expect in the Orion August 2017 Software Update coming out this weekend.

App Updates

Account Composer

• Adds option to customize the settings by product type for what defines a performance outlier in the Account Composer app.

Deliver

• Updates the Activity Summary tile in Deliver to display Advisory Fees.
• The Deliver app has been re-designed and no longer points to advisorlynx.com. This app now has the Orion Connect user experience like all other apps. The User Interface is much faster and all current Deliver emails will continue to function as expected.

Composites

• Allows the user to delete an archived report.

Firm Profile

• A nightly script will run that will change Merge In’s and Contributions to Internal Account Journal In’s (not billed) trans and Merge Outs and Distributions to Internal account Journal Outs (not billed) if the transaction match within the same Household.

Insight

• Corrects the issue in the Activity Compare tile in which the values showed a year behind the actual account values for the various periods that appear in the pop-out.
• Corrects the issue in the Activity Compare tile in which the values showed a year behind the actual account values for the various periods that appear in the pop-out.
• Adds a column in the Activity Transaction tile in Insight that shows the transaction description.
• Adds a link in the upper right corner of the Insight home page that takes users to Orion Connect.
• Adds a new Insight tile for Eclipse™. This insight tile will allow the user to assign a model to a portfolio, run a rebalance on a portfolio, raise cash for a distribution request and allow for individual buys and sells on accounts. Actions taken from the tile will be pushed to Eclipse™ where trades will be created and reviewed by the firm’s Eclipse™ user for execution. This is a great widget in Insight to allow a rep user to be able to do simple requests without having to give access to Eclipse™.
• Integrates the Monte Carlo Dial for MoneyGuidePro into client-facing Insight Dashboards.
• Inside of Insight, we have added portfolio groups. This allows you to create ad hoc groups of accounts that will display in a grouping to allow you to ‘bucket’ accounts together.
• Enhances the Riskalyze portfolio Risk Number to show you the Portfolio, Client, and Target risk numbers from Riskalyze, allowing you to compare and build conversations around these scores with your client, right from Orion’s Insight app!
• Updates Insight tiles to allow column selection. When editing a tile within Insight, you will see a COLUMNS tab where you can select/deselect columns.Adds a ‘sharing indicator’ to dashboards inside of Insight for you to easily identify what level the dashboard is shared with.
• The ‘Holdings Unrealized Gain Loss’ tile now allows the ability to drill down into each group and see the Gain Loss details of each grouping selected.

Manage Users

• Copying and pasting formatted text from a word processor into the email password templates in the Manage Users app will no longer cause an error when adding new users to the Client Portal.

Portfolio Audit

• Reps will now be able to edit the billing options per asset within an account.
• Below the Line Assets can now be maintained in the Portfolio Audit app. This new view allows you to add, edit and delete right on screen.
• The Portfolio Audit app dashboard now allows you to navigate to the transactions for the Contributions & Distributions rather than just the accounts.

Billing

Bill Generator

• Updates system to keep End Date & As Of Value Date visible when selecting multiple accounts in the Bill Generator.
• Adds option to run your fee files by Custodian.
• Allows access to turn on and off Billing Lockdown from the Bill Generator App.

Billing Audit

• Adds Rep Level functionality to Billing Audit App.

Client Portal

• Adds new option on Activity page in Client Portal to show a $0 value inception when looking at the first day or running Since Inception for that page. This is an option in reporting and serves to unify the Portal with our Reporting.
• Updates the goal tracking reporting inside of the Client Portal where the performance and tracking value is solely based on the goal period for each account.
• Updates the Client Portal to provide ByAllAccounts aggregation errors, create shell accounts in the Orion platform that auto-links downloading ByAllAccounts accounts, and provide a client notification of download errors via subscription.
• Adds portfolio groups to the Client Portal!

Data Reconciliation

Confirmation Overview

• Updates the notes field for the FolioFN feed to look at some additional fields that at times contain more details of the transaction.

Interface

• Adds new Data interface with BNY Mellon Wealth Management. This interface will be BETA initially, and only allow downloads for certain account types.
• Adds new interface with Union Bank. This interface will be BETA initially.

Integrations

• Adds Artivest SSO App.
• Adds several additional single-sign on locations to Schwab throughout Orion Connect.
• Enhances existing Schwab Openview Gateway to allow users to submit Fee Files directly from the Orion Billing Generator to Schwab Advisor Center. No more manual downloading/uploading!
• Adds Selequity SSO App.

Mobile App

• Adds portfolio groups to the mobile app!

Orion Connect General Updates

• Adds functionality to see any changes that were deleted in account change history . They will say “deleted” within the Next column.
• Adds more column selections to the Household, Registration and Account levels in the Grouping Manager app.
• Adds notifications from Integration partners & Orion into Orion Connect. Notifications in an aggregate can be viewed in the Notifications App by clicking the item in the notification tray.
• Optimizes global search at the top of Orion Connect. It is now 2 to 3 times faster.
• Creates a landscape sub-report that will include Transfer In and Out as well as Merge In and Out transaction types.
• Adds the following fields for Missing Information options within the Portfolio Audit App: Client Name, Registration Name, Address, City, State, Zip and Registration Type.
• Allows users to assign a minimum fee on a sub-advisor fee schedule and have that minimum only apply to sub-advisor accounts.
• Allows Accounts to be included and excluded from billing using a new Account Level Billing Status field.
• Adds Wealth Access client widgets in the Orion Insight Platform.
• Adds functionality for advisor creation of products.
• Adds tool for market data team to assist in the processing of corporate actions by creating pending corporate actions transactions in the format we expect them to reside, then completing them with the Custodial transactions. This enables the transactions to be set up properly upfront, rather than needing to back-scrub the data.
• Adds Composite Dashboard so users can do comparative analysis on composites. The user can compare an account’s performance against the overall composite group performance.
• Allows user to ignore accounts in composite reports based on certain criteria.
• Allows user to run a daily composite report for any timeframe of their choice.
• Allows user to import data, which will append to rows in the composite account list.
• Adds Minimum Investment Amount to Model Aggregate.
• Adds a second grouping option to the Position Performance Summary.
• Updates report version assigning to include reps. Now you can assign an entire rep to a version of a report instead of client by client.
• Adds an option to the Product Types and Product SubTypes parameter to Select/Deselect All for easier selection.
• Adds product as an option in the Target Allocation tool.
• Adds parameter setting to choose what time period you would like to have the Activity Bar Chart reflect the Activity Bar Chart sub-report. This gives you the option to have the chart show differently from the reporting period.
• Creates an import 12/31 values and Is RMD Satisfied in the RMD dashboard to allow updates en masse.
• Adds Registration abbreviation as an option in the Report Account Display Name entity option.
• Data Queries in the Compliance Corner app can now be scheduled.
• Transactions will now default sort to Descending order by Date in the Portfolio Audit app.
• Creates an option to default the Keep Always field to TRUE on model aggregates.
• Provides a warning on trades that will not process to files due to being an M category product.
• Allows user to target a dollar sleeve for the contribution and distribution methods.
• The Ascent app will now auto-register new users and assign all available courses! Just click the app and Orion will automatically register you for training courses. Existing Ascent users will still be taken to their Ascent Training Dashboard.

Products and Prices

• Expands asset classification data by offering sector, industry, and style box information for global securities in addition to the domestic securities currently offered. Region/Country information for securities will be available on select reports.

Reporting

Report Batches

• When sending e-Statement notifications in the report batch tool, any emails that bounce back (invalid email, for example) will be sent to the email address in the ‘Email From’ section of the batch.

Report Builder

• Report Access Changes: Include/Exclude for a Rep includes/excludes their clients as well.

Reports

• Adds sub-report displaying the indexes that make up blended benchmarks.

Trading

• Adds hover feature to display full model name in sleeve setup screen to show full model name when model name is long.
• Updates functionality so models that are marked as inactive will not show in searches.
• Creates a Raymond James trade file.
• Creates fractional equity shares in TOM. Option will vary by custodian and will only be enabled for those custodians that will accept fractional shares.
• Adds a check for secondary source for cost basis when populating the Gain/Loss columns in TOM.
• Gives advisors the ability to activate/deactivate product substitution groups as a whole within the global product substitution screen. Instead of having to remove each product from the group advisors simply need to deactivate the entire group.
• The Single account Schwab Trade File will show different reinvestment options for Equities and ETFs RR – Reinvest dividends, and reinvest capital gains. CR – Don’t reinvest dividends, reinvest capital gains. CC – Don’t reinvest gains.
• Allows users to right click and view the sleeved registration in Tactical Trades from the Orders grid.

0301-OAS-8/16/2017

In the months leading up to Fuse 2017, we’re profiling the event’s panel of judges. This week’s profile is Billy Oliverio, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at United Planners Financial Services.

Billy Oliverio has spent the last twenty years in the financial services industry. His experience spans from regulation, as the Chief Investigator of Enforcement for the Arizona Securities Division, to coordinating all aspects of white collar crime investigations.

Billy’s Background

Billy Oliverio is an honors graduate from Arizona State University, where he received a BS in Criminal Justice. He got his start as a private investigator, focusing primarily on asset recovery for savings and loan scandals. In the 1990’s, Billy shifted roles, becoming a regulator and served as the Chief Investigator of Enforcement for the Arizona Corporation Commission, Securities Division.

He loved the regulatory experience for the excitement and the learning that came along with it. He got to oversee white-collar crime investigations, orchestrating all aspects including undercover operations, search warrants, surveillance, witness preparation, testifying in court, as well as working with inter-agency investigations and task forces.

“But it [the role] was very depressing,” he said. Just knowing about all the crime that takes place every day in our industry, and seeing first-hand the damage to the victims, took a toll on him. He would see people of all ages affected, but was especially depressed seeing retirees lose their entire nest egg to investment scams.

After this, Billy broke away from his law enforcement career and transitioned into the world of finance as a compliance officer. He spent most of his early finance career in compliance, working in various levels of management, including Chief Compliance Officer.

After several years in compliance, Billy moved to the business side of the industry, where he now serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at United Planners. The firm is celebrating its 30-year anniversary.

In his current role, Billy is responsible for the vision and strategy of the Advisor Services Department. He oversees multiple business units including annuities and insurance, investment advisory, retirement plans, practice management and corporate events.

Looking Back to Last Year’s Fuse

This Billy’s fourth year as a Fuse judge. Over the last few years, Billy says Fuse has become a fantastic advocate for FinTech innovations, and is especially attentive to the needs of the advisor community.

In his own words, “Fuse is a unique event, dedicated to rounding up the best fintech engineers across the industry and essentially locking them down for a weekend in a highly-stimulated think tank, stocked with every sort of energy drink known to man.”

This combination of factors yields change. The innovations enhance the advisor’s experience, allowing them to be more efficient and effective in managing their businesses and servicing their clients.

“There are no limits to the creativity that comes out of these Fuse events. They are facilitated in a fashion that truly embraces creativity for the betterment of our industry.”

Looking Ahead to September 

For Fuse 2017, Billy is looking forward to the usual excitement and adventures. He’s excited to reconnect with friends and get their latest perspectives on industry challenges and their insights on how to solve them.

Specific challenges he’d like to see developers address are cybersecurity and fiduciary issues, both he says are topics that have “been juggernauts in our industry.”  As for cybersecurity, Billy is hoping to see what additional safeguards or standards are being developed to help satisfy concerns over data transmission, specifically with integrations.

“On the DOL front, I’d like to see how fintech providers are augmenting their workflows to better acknowledge fiduciary standards in an efficient manner,” Billy said.

Another way to impress Billy? “I’d like to see more mobile app functionality given our culture’s love-fest over their mobile devices.”

Fuse 2017 is the premier conference for financial services technology developers and programmers. For more information about this year’s event, visit fuse2017.com or keep up with us on Twitter using the #FuseUtah hashtag.

0299-OAS-8/14/2017