The cost savings of end-to-end fintech
Introducing end-to-end software solutions can reduce the cost of providing comprehensive financial advice from $5,335 to $2,918 according to DASH Technology Group.
Speaking at an Institute of Managed Account Professionals (IMAP) webinar, DASH (formally WealthO2) chief executive, Andrew Whelan, explained the cost-saving benefits of integrating end-to-end technology solutions into an advice practice.
Whelan overlayed a KPMG paper with the Financial Services Council’s map detailing financial advice creation, highlighting the potential savings from using end-to-end software solutions.
He said that while he agreed red tape was part of the problem, technology would be the ultimate solution.
“On the software side, frustrating for me personally, and to our team here, is the KPMG’s assessment is we should be calling for red tape to be stripped from troubled sector.
“Now we support that but given where the tech stack has been and where the lack of innovation that has been occurred over the last decade, we think that that sort of call, while correct, is not the most pragmatic or practical in the short term to provide advisers with an escape from this problem.
“And we think software and platforms need to take a leadership role in trying to take this down because this is ultimately a technology problem.”
Source: DASH.
Whelan said Statement of Advice creation had seen little evolution over the last two decades, despite the potential for it to be created much more efficiently.
“Iress… did a white paper recently and there's a couple of really important stats. Even among some of their stronger users, it still takes their advisers an average of 14.6 hours to produce a complex statement of advice - that hasn't changed in the last 10 years,” he said.
“The average practice has got six different technology solutions, providing different services in the generation of the end-to-end financial planning process. And so if you're an alien coming to earth for the first time, you can say well, maybe this is a concern here.
“That’s a really interesting but potentially alarming statistic that we should be aware of, particularly when you overlay it with the $13,000 average technology spend per FTE (full time equivalent employment).”
He said the right investment was required in the right places.
“Good software will manage integration partners for you. That right investment can really pay dividends from a cost of service.
“You can now actually provide that comprehensive new client advice with margin which provides incentive to grow again, which means more Australians can get advice.”
AUTHOR
Liam Cormican
Recommended for you
With regional and rural suburbs exhibiting high spare capacity to invest, Money Management speaks to three regional advisers on the opportunities beyond the major cities and the importance of a strong network.
Platform consolidation is expected to accelerate among financial advisers this year, as software company Finura pinpoints which two platforms are set to be the winners, thanks to this trend.
The software provider has made several appointments in its APAC wealth propositions team, with a focus on driving growth across digital advice, Xplan and strategic partnerships.
The platform has announced it plans to close its Xplore managed discretionary account service in 2026 which holds $2 billion in funds under administration.
