The financial industry like other sectors of the economy keeps evolving and new trends surface every 5-7 years. The latest new big trend that emerged over the past few years has been robo-advisory. It is a new class of financial advisors like Wealthfront Inc. and Betterment LLC that provide financial advice or investment management online with moderate to minimal human intervention. It is a low-cost solution to many millennials who are just starting out on their path to save for retirement.
However, as I mentioned, this approach lacks human interaction. More traditional financial service firms are trying to match the challenge to help advisers stay competitive with their robo competitors by providing low-cost ETF portfolio models that can be used by advisors when they work with their clients. The low cost of these ETF portfolio models makes them affordable. Also, the variety of portfolio models that are suitable for different needs depending on a client’s goal provide advisors and clients with many options. Another appealing point about these models is that they are provided by well-known investment management firms like State Street and Vanguard. It is great for advisers to have these options handy. That way they can focus on their clients which should be the primary goal of all fiduciaries and be able to advise and help clients to achieve their financial goals.
