Advisor Group Announces Comprehensive Digital Onboarding, Advice and Data Aggregation Platform for Financial Advisors and Retail Investors

The platform will enable advisors to seamlessly onboard new clients and open new accounts through one consolidated and entirely digital process accessible through any web-enabled electronic device, thereby eliminating most paperwork. The platform will support a broad spectrum of Advisor Group's advisory and brokerage solutions, encompassing cutting-edge data aggregation and account maintenance functions as well as a fully digital advice solution accessible through advisors' websites for clients who prefer a self-directed wealth management experience.  Advisor Group expects to roll out the new platform during the fourth quarter of 2017.

Advisor Group President & CEO Jamie Price said, "So-called 'robo-advice' solutions today have become just table stakes for an industry entering a new fiduciary era.  The launch of this platform provides our advisors with the technology-enabled tools they need to meet rising client expectations for a wealth management experience that fits their lives, delivered through solutions that maximize accessibility and flexibility.  At the same time, our platform will eliminate most of the traditional 'pain points' for advisors across the industry when it comes to time-consuming paperwork that typically accompanies the new client onboarding and account opening process."

Advisor Group's new digital onboarding, advice and service platform is expected to address a number of crucial recurring challenges for advisors in the independent space as follows:

• Digital Onboarding and Paperless Workflows. The platform offers a greatly streamlined and paperless account opening process, both for traditional advisor-led client relationships and for client-driven relationships on the platform's fully-integrated digital advice solution. Following the onboarding process, the platform will provide clients with access to a secure, mobile-enabled web portal featuring paperless reporting and monitoring functionality, driving further practice efficiency for advisors and reducing unwanted paper deliveries for clients.
• Funding, Asset Transfers and Asset Allocation. The new platform is also expected to enable clients to more easily transfer assets from other institutions to their brokerage and advisory accounts as needed by initiating a paperless, e-signature-based transfer process at the client's discretion.  Through seamless integration with both Pershing (for brokerage accounts) and Envestnet (for advisory solutions), the new platform will allow advisors to quickly and efficiently allocate client assets to the most appropriate investment solutions across the full range of Advisor Group's offerings.
• Account Aggregation. The new platform will enable the firm's financial advisors and their clients to view all client assets through a single consolidated interface.  This will include the ability to view assets held at other institutions, such as bank balances and 401(k) assets, through the client portal. In addition to offering clients the convenience of consolidated reporting and monitoring across all their assets, this functionality is expected to drive new opportunities for advisors to increase their "wallet share" by identifying new ways to serve existing clients.
• Digital Advice. The digital advice component of the new platform will enable the firm's advisors to effectively serve a broader range of account sizes by allowing them to engage select clients through the platform's fully-integrated Jemstep Advisor Pro digital advice solution. The digital advice solution can be customized as an advisor-branded offering and can be made accessible to investors seeking a personally-driven wealth management experience through the advisor's website.

Jemstep President & CEO Simon Roy said, "The independent financial advice industry is evolving rapidly, and advisors need next-generation tools in order to provide clients with the service experience they deserve while keeping their practices running at peak efficiency. Jemstep is pleased to partner with Advisor Group, Pershing and Envestnet in empowering the firm's advisors to face a fast-changing industry landscape with confidence about their ability to grow and succeed in the future."

Mr. Price concluded, "With this new platform, Advisor Group is showing once again that we are firmly in our advisors' corner.  We're proud to take this step forward in providing our advisors with the industry-leading technology resources they need to effectively capture and support client relationships of all sizes on a scalable basis, while significantly enhancing the operational efficiency of their practices."

About Advisor Group

Advisor Group, Inc. is one of the nation's largest networks of independent financial advisors serving over 5,000 advisors and overseeing approximately $160 billion in client assets. Headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, the firm is mission-driven to support the heroic role that advisors can play in the lives of their clients, offering securities and investment advisory services through its subsidiaries FSC Securities Corp., Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., SagePoint Financial, Inc. and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc, as broker/dealers, registered investment advisors and members of FINRA and SIPC. Cultivating a spirit of entrepreneurship and independence, Advisor Group champions the enduring value of financial advisors and is committed to being in their corner every step of the way.

For more information, please visit www.advisorgroup.com.

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About Jemstep

Jemstep is a market-leading provider of financial advisor-focused digital advice solutions. Established in 2008, it was one of the first digital platforms to focus on helping advisors deliver professional advice to their clients online. The Jemstep Advisor Pro platform helps advisors scale their business efficiently by providing a full suite of highly flexible technology solutions that can be easily integrated into existing systems and business models. Invesco acquired Jemstep in January 2016. For more information, please visit www.jemstep.com.

About Invesco

Invesco is an independent investment management firm dedicated to delivering an investment experience that helps people get more out of life.  NYSE: IVZ; www.invesco.com

SOURCE Advisor Group

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