How We Do Things Differently at Bridge

At Bridge, we do more than provide powerful, easy-to-use practice management software for advisors. We partner with advisors, working hand-in-hand with them to help them leverage technology to run a more efficient practice and better serve their clients. We do this because we value advisors’ ability to bring about positive financial outcomes for their clients,

Bridge Welcomes New VP of Operations and Client Success

Bridge Financial Technology is excited to announce the addition of Mike Sands to our growing team. In his new role as VP of Operations and Client Success, Mike will ensure Bridge’s clients continue to receive the high level of service that has become a hallmark of the company. Mike is a seasoned operations and data

Bridge Financial Technology Integrates with Wealthbox CRM

We are excited to announce an integration between Wealthbox CRM and Bridge Financial Technology. Read our press release here. Advisors can link Wealthbox contacts in Atlas to see corresponding activities alongside the Atlas dashboard.

Bridge Financial Technology Integrates With AdvisorPeak

We are excited to announce an integration betweenAdvisorPeak and Bridge Financial Technology! Read our press release here. Advisors can access their reconciled custodial data from Atlas in AdvisorPeak with the click of a button for a seamless trading and rebalancing experience.

Tech-Focused Firm Scales With Digitally-Enabled Planning Focus

About Stories of the Trusted Advisor In our series Stories of the Trusted Advisor, we tell the stories of the amazing advisors that work with Bridge. We’ll explore what made them want to become advisors, how they went about founding their firms, how they serve their clients in new and unique ways. Bridge believes in

How One Advisor Found His Calling to Help Others and Built a $100M AUM RIA Along the Way

As a child, Jesse grew up in a middle class family in southern Louisiana. His father worked in a chemical plant but took up a hobby of getting involved in the stock market to help him grow his retirement savings. Jesse recalls “As a child, my dad always taught me about the stock market. As

Growth-Focused Advisor Leverages Innovative Strategies to Scale His Firm

After spending several years at a partner based firm, Bryan Cannon knew he wanted something different for his RIA career. “We had 12 or 13 partners at the time, and I was working circles around everyone else and due to this, I felt that the company was not having the desired impact I had expected.

From Client Meetings to Capitol Hill: How One Fearless Fiduciary Built Her Fee-Only Firm From the Ground Up While Fighting For What’s Right

With degrees in English and Creative Writing, and a successful career as a corporate trainer, Peggy never expected to one day enter the world of finance. All that changed when her mother, then recently retired, had her finances derailed working with a cavalier broker.  “After my mother retired, her broker put all of her retirement

Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast: Growing a Client-Centric RIA with a Culture of Service, Tenacity, and Trust

As a young advisor just getting started, Daren recalls spending the first part of his career working for a broker-dealer, growing his book of business. “I started with a large national firm, and built my business knocking on doors. I went through so many business cards, and before long I realized I’d knocked on at

“Everyone deserves financial security” – How One Advisor Took an Uncommon Path to Founding and Growing Their Firm for Overlooked Clients

About Stories of the Trusted Advisor In Stories of the Trusted Advisor, we showcase the amazing advisors that work with Bridge. We’ll explore what made them want to become advisors, how they went about founding their firms, how they serve their clients in new and unique ways. Bridge believes in people over products, and these

Learn How to Double Client Satisfaction with Consistent, Clear, and Complete Client Reviews

Introduction As investment options continue to multiply and clients are faced with more options and information than ever, communication from advisors takes on critical importance. Financial reviews and client reporting processes are the foundation of accountability and trust in the advisor/client relationship. Advisors must strive to communicate clearly with clients about how their goals align

It’s Not About Custom Reports, It’s About Client Conversations

In today’s ultra-competitive market, many advisors are seeking tactics to establish their competitive advantage and set themselves apart. As an advisor, your client reporting processes are just one of many ways you can add value. While they are just one tool, regular reports are perhaps the most critical touchpoint you have with your clients. This

How Financial Advisors Can Become More Proactive than Reactive In Their Client Management

In what had been a bull market for over a decade until just recently, many advisors have neglected the importance of a strong, proactive client communications plan. This lack of attention to client communications was demonstrated in a recent survey of high-net-worth individuals currently working with an advisor. Of those surveyed, a staggering 64% indicated

How Advisors Are Using Cutting-Edge Technology to Better Engage With Clients

Alongside portfolio performance, a trust-based, transparent client-advisor relationship is still what investors value most. Technology can’t–and shouldn’t try to–replace the human side of advising. However, when used properly, it can most certainly enhance it–leading to better client outcomes and more successful advisors. Modern technology affords advisors many advantages including improved efficiency, optimized back-office operations, and

8 Ways Top-Performing Financial Advisors Engage Their Clients

Today’s advisor is facing greater pressure to deliver a high-caliber client experience. Given the increase in competition, especially digitally native solutions, advisors are continuously tasked with showcasing the value of their services and keeping their clients engaged. Furthermore, the prospect of clients leaving to work with another more proactive, hands-on advisor has become commonplace in

Your Clients Want Transparency and Accountability: Technology Can Help You Achieve This

In today’s competitive market, trust is the cornerstone of any productive advisor/client relationship. In order for advisors to foster long-term, successful relationships, they must have sound business practices and excellent communication strategies that build trust. However, research indicates that many advisors are doing a lackluster job of inspiring trust within their client relationships. According to

Unleashing the Power of Performance Reporting at Your RIA

In this post, we explore how passive and planning-focused advisors can leverage benchmarking and performance reporting to improve their firm’s operations. As an advisor, you want to spend your time focused on doing what you do best: working with clients. However, day-to-day back-office work like performance reporting and benchmarking can eat up much of your

The Ultimate Resource Guide for Working With NextGen Clients

Millennials now surpass Baby Boomers as the largest generation alive. This means it’s more important than ever before for advisors to develop strategies to connect with Gen Y. Any RIA which aims to be sustainable in the long-term needs a strategy to appeal to Millennials, who have unique financial needs and preferences. This guide will

The Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Virtual Advisor

1. Decide if virtual advising is right for you. The first step to becoming a virtual advisor is to decide if virtual advising is right for you. To do this, you should consider (1) the traits of a successful virtual advisor, (2) the benefits of virtual advising, and (3) the different types of virtual advising

The Quickest Ways to Earn ROI from your Back-Office Technology

Only 13% of financial advisors feel in complete control of their time. Back-office tasks are one of the main culprits of this problem, consuming financial advisors’ workdays and drawing away their energy from growing client relationships or building new ones. But technology can help advisors manage those administrative tasks and devote themselves to client-facing services.

The Complete Guide to Technology for New Advisors

Introduction If you’re new to the RIA biz, you’ve probably got a lot on your plate. From compliance issues to building your client base, there’s a lot to consider. Another important piece of the puzzle is the role technology will play at your firm. Technology will be a necessity for some of the functions of

Key Considerations for Buying Portfolio Management Software

As industry expert Michael Kitces notes, “While as little as a decade ago, the range of financial advisor technology solutions was fairly limited, often with no more than 2-3 real competitors in each category, now there is an ever-widening range of advisor software solutions.” With so many solutions available today, it’s difficult to know which

How We Do Things Differently at Bridge

At Bridge, we do more than provide powerful, easy-to-use practice management software for advisors. We partner with advisors, working hand-in-hand with them to help them leverage technology to run a more efficient practice and better serve their clients. We do this because we value advisors’ ability to bring about positive financial outcomes for their clients,

How to Successfully Implement Portfolio Management Software

In today’s environment of fast-paced innovation, implementing new technology is a necessary part of being a financial advisor. After all, 83% of firms report that clients are asking for more services, especially those involving technology. Advisors are relying on tools like portfolio management software to handle these new requests and differentiate themselves from competitors. But

How to Leverage Robotech to be a Better Advisor

Robo-advisors, who provide satisfactory services at a much lower cost than their human counterparts, are more prevalent than ever. In fact, registered investment advisors currently manage around $5 trillion in assets, while robo-advisors now hold about $14 billion of those assets. Even though it’s clear that technology can help investment advisors improve their services, few

How Advisors Are Using Cutting-Edge Technology to Better Engage With Clients

Alongside portfolio performance, a trust-based, transparent client-advisor relationship is still what investors value most. Technology can’t–and shouldn’t try to–replace the human side of advising. However, when used properly, it can most certainly enhance it–leading to better client outcomes and more successful advisors. Modern technology affords advisors many advantages including improved efficiency, optimized back-office operations, and

All-in-One vs. Best-in-Class Technology: Which is better for advisors?

As a financial advisor, your technology is the backbone of your business. It allows you to complete the day-to-day tasks that help your clients’ financial goals become a reality. But in today’s ever-changing technology landscape, making the right technology decisions for your firm isn’t easy. Due to the wide range of tools modern advisors need

8 Top Time-Wasters Preventing Advisors From Growing Their Practice

Today’s advisors are busier than ever. Balancing time between serving existing clients, growing their firm, and still trying to maintain time for a personal life remains extremely challenging. In recent studies, advisors self-assessed that they spend 43 hours overall a week managing their firm. However, when advisors were asked to estimate weekly time spent on

8 Technologies Revolutionizing the Advisor Space

1. Marketing: PreciseFP Financial Personalities PreciseFP’s Financial Personalities is changing the way prospects interact with your website. This software allows you to install a link to a financial personality quiz on your website. Your website visitors can take the self-discovery quiz which is interactive, engaging, and covers many hot button financial planning issues. Visitors who complete

7 Features To Look For in a Portfolio Management & Reporting Solution

As the portfolio management and reporting landscape changes, more affordable back-office software options are available to RIA firms with less than $100 million in AUM. However, now firms are faced with the challenge of choosing from many well-priced solutions. The right back-office software can make a huge difference in your business’s operations. If you choose

5 Technology Tools Every Advisor Should be Using

Technology is becoming a key component to any successful RIA firm. Using technology can streamline your operations work, enhance your client experience, and ultimately help you sign more prospects. But there are +100 advisor-focused technology solutions on the market! Considering which technology to invest in can be a daunting task. This is why we here

5 Technology Solutions for the NextGen Advisor

Who are NextGen advisors? NextGen advisors are advisors who focus their efforts on working with younger clients, usually from generation X or Y. While the average age of a financial advisor is 50, the average age of a NextGen advisor is only 37. This means that most NextGen advisors are from generation Y. Because of

5 Signs You Need to Update Your Portfolio Management Software

Portfolio management software is one of the most critical technologies that advisors use. It can even be considered the backbone of your business, working in the background to keep accounts running smoothly—and making an up-to-date platform one of your top priorities. A recent report by Thomson Reuters found that 68% of wealth managers think that

4 Technology Solutions for the Aspiring Virtual Advisor

Last week Bridge featured Kate Holmes, a NextGen advisor who runs her RIA completely virtually. This week, we’re highlighting a few tech solutions that can help any advisor transition into the virtual meeting realm. Whether you’re looking for a free software download, or are interested in investing in a premium solution, we have the scoop

4 Secrets to Unleashing the Power of Your Financial Technology

Technology is becoming increasingly important to advisors. A study conducted by Fidelity found that 77% of high-performing advisors believe technology is a key component of their firm’s success. For those already using technology and those looking to implement technology, learning how to maximize the benefit of that technology is crucial. This guide will teach you

3 Tips for Adopting New Technology Into Your Advisor Practice FAST

In today’s world of fast-paced innovation, it’s crucial to stay up to date on new technology. Savvy advisor firms use technology to streamline business operations, increase efficiency, and improve customer satisfaction. In fact, a CCH survey of accounting firms discovered that those who adopt technologies the fastest generate higher revenue and profits than other firms.

10+ Ways Technology Makes You a Better Advisor

Most advisors are aware there are many powerful advisor-focused technology solutions on the market. Some advisors are already leveraging technology, or if they aren’t, know they should be. But you shouldn’t be jumping on the tech bandwagon just because everyone else is! First, it’s important to understand how technology sets you apart from other advisors.

The Six Best Cold-Calling Tricks for Advisors

Cold-calling is an effective strategy for new advisors just starting to build their client base, or any advisor looking to grow their existing book of business. While cold-calling alone might help you convert a few prospects into clients, there are extra steps you can take to maximize its effectiveness. Check out our top cold-calling tips

How Advisors Can Use the Onboarding Experience to Increase Referrals

The top advisors know that the best client relationships start with an excellent onboarding process. Not only will it help to retain the client with clear expectations, but it will set the stage for better and more frequent referrals. The beginning of the advisor-client relationship is the time to make a good impression. Clients who

8 Top Time-Wasters Preventing Advisors From Growing Their Practice

Today’s advisors are busier than ever. Balancing time between serving existing clients, growing their firm, and still trying to maintain time for a personal life remains extremely challenging. In recent studies, advisors self-assessed that they spend 43 hours overall a week managing their firm. However, when advisors were asked to estimate weekly time spent on

Top 10 Blogs to Follow in 2019 for Early Stage RIA Firms

When it comes to becoming top in the advisory field and growing your business, the learning process never truly ends. An easy way to keep up to date on the newest and best industry information is finding blogs that are as committed to excellence as you. Whether you experienced unprecedented growth in 2018 or need

The Ultimate Resource Guide for Working With NextGen Clients

Millennials now surpass Baby Boomers as the largest generation alive. This means it’s more important than ever before for advisors to develop strategies to connect with Gen Y. Any RIA which aims to be sustainable in the long-term needs a strategy to appeal to Millennials, who have unique financial needs and preferences. This guide will

The Advisor’s Crash Course on Social Media

Why You Should be Using Social Media In a recent survey of over 800 advisors, researchers found that 81% of advisors are using social media for business. This figure has steadily increased year over year. Nowadays, about 56% of advisors claim that social media plays a significant role in their marketing efforts. But it’s not

Branding 101: How to Create an Irresistible Advisor Brand

As a financial advisor, your branding is critical. In essence, it determines how people view you and understand your services. But is your branding powerful enough to stand apart from the crowd? Due to the increase of robo-advisors as well as human competition, many financial advisors are struggling with a “crisis of differentiation,” as Marie

8 Top Time-Wasters Preventing Advisors From Growing Their Practice

Today’s advisors are busier than ever. Balancing time between serving existing clients, growing their firm, and still trying to maintain time for a personal life remains extremely challenging. In recent studies, advisors self-assessed that they spend 43 hours overall a week managing their firm. However, when advisors were asked to estimate weekly time spent on

6 Best Blogging Tips for Financial Advisors

Nowadays, it seems like everyone is blogging–from doctors, to lawyers, to designers, to chefs and even financial advisors! A blog gives you the opportunity to showcase your financial expertise, drive web traffic to your website, and attract new potential clients. However, it takes a great deal of thought, planning, and time commitment to create a

6 Best Blogging Tips for Financial Advisors

Nowadays, it seems like everyone is blogging–from doctors, to lawyers, to designers, to chefs and even financial advisors! A blog gives you the opportunity to showcase your financial expertise, drive web traffic to your website, and attract new potential clients. However, it takes a great deal of thought, planning, and time commitment to create a

5 Free Tech Tools to Help You Blog Better

Why Blog? Between meeting with new clients and managing current client’s, a busy advisor’s day may leave little time for blogging. But blogging should be a key component of your firm’s overall marketing strategy. While 20 years ago blogs didn’t exist, today there are over 150 million of them. And 80% of businesses are using

5 Awesome Advisor Blog Examples and Why We Think They’re Great

Nowadays, lots of advisors are blogging. This is because a blog can drive more traffic to your advisor website, and increase your credibility in the industry. The only caveat is that blogging isn’t easy! We could all use some tips and tricks on how to blog successfully. That’s why we’ve picked out five awesome financial

5 Awesome Advisor Blog Examples and Why We Think They’re Great

Top Conferences to Consider For Emerging RIA Firms in 2019

Conferences offer a number of benefits; they empower professionals to network with like-minded individuals, discover helpful tools, and learn new skills. However, most financial advisors skip conferences, the average advisor only attending a conference once every two years. Financial advising firms—especially new firms—are missing vital opportunities when they forego conferences. It’s true that conferences incur

The Complete Checklist to Starting Your RIA

Current research estimates that independent RIAs and dually registered firms manage 23% of assets, an impressive market share for independently based firms. In fact, this number is expected to rise to almost 28% by 2018. To put it simply: there hasn’t been a better time to get into the RIA business. However, creating an RIA

Questions To Ask Yourself When Building a Compliance Program

Becoming an independent registered investment adviser (RIA) can be a lucrative and fulfilling career path—two factors that have contributed to the growing number of RIAs across the world. As of 2018, there were over 12,500 RIAs employed in the U.S. In fact, from January 2018 to January 2019, 42% of IBD advisers had at least

Five Reasons (Besides Money) to Breakaway & Be Independent

So, you’re considering breaking away to be your own boss and do things your way. You’re probably asking yourself: is becoming an RIA right for me? Becoming an independent financial advisor could be the biggest career move you make in your life. While some are enticed by the promise of a higher salary, there are

5 Strategies to Rapidly Grow Your New Advisory Firm

When you just want to start helping clients one-on-one, growing your new advisory firm can be frustrating. But the faster you grow your business, the faster you can focus on client relationships. The process begins with identifying the best way to sell your services. You and your advisors have over 300,000 other advisors to compete

5 Articles to Read Now if You’re Starting an RIA

While creating an RIA can be a lucrative and rewarding career move, it’s no small undertaking. Navigating the ins-and-outs of what it takes to operate an RIA can be difficult and confusing. Luckily, there are a slew of resources available to aid financial professionals interested in creating an RIA. Here are five articles to read

4 Best Articles to Read if You’re Considering Breaking Away

With the DOL’s new fiduciary ruling, now is a better time than ever before to take the plunge and become an RIA. But breaking away from a big brokerage firm isn’t easy. And for some, being a breakaway broker might not be the right fit. That’s why we here at Bridge have compiled some of

Ethics-Focused Partners Scale Firm Built on Integrity and Positive Client Outcomes

When Ian Jameson first entered the advisory space in 2007, he had no idea his career would be shaped by exposing systemic fraud. Alongside his colleague Matt, Ian discovered the agency the pair started at was committing fraud against its clients. Both Ian and Matt were deeply impacted by this shake-up, inspired to go on