Orion, MoneyGuidePro and E-Assist contribute capabilities to AdvisorConnect. Two technology providers and an outsourcer to the independent financial-advisory space have teamed up to offer AdvisorConnect, a single-access platform for CRM, financial planning and portfolio accounting technologies and services.

The vendors are PIETech, maker of an web-based financial-planning software called MoneyGuidePro, E-Assist, a Salesforce.com-based CRM application that's been tweaked to provide data-aggregation, compliance oversight and other features critical to financial advisors, and portfolio-accounting service bureau Orion Advisor Services.

Make it easy

"It has become imperative for advisors to integrate technology, data and services on a single platform," says Jeremy Condie, president of Oaklands Gardens, N.Y.-based E-Assist. "By combining the operational system expertise that E-Assist derives from its successful relationship with Salesforce.com with those of Orion Advisor Services and MoneyGuidePro, we are able to deliver a solution that will enable financial advisors attain superior work efficiency by giving them the freedom to choose and link to the platform the best available applications that add the most value to their businesses."

Omaha-based Orion's contribution to AdvisorConnect is a portfolio-accounting engine that includes capabilities around performance and cost-basis calculations, data aggregation, trading and modeling. Powhatan, Va.-based PIEtech's MoneyGuidePro contributes web-based planning software that helps advisors create, implement and maintain investment strategies for their clients. E-Assist links its CRM for advisors, along with practice- and compliance-management capabilities, as well as data integration and operational support.

Given the constraints and cost pressures of running an independent advisory in this harsh market environment, "advisors are looking to maximize efficiency with integrated core technology platforms," says Orion's president Eric Clarke. "[They] can't waste valuable staff resources in duplicating data entry across applications." -FWR

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