Robo-advisor
Robo-advisors are a class of financial adviser that provides portfolio management online with minimal human intervention.[1]
While their exact recommended portfolio allocations may vary,[2] currently all robo-advisors employ algorithms such as Modern portfolio theory that originally served the traditional advisory community, which has used algorithmically-based automated investment solutions (dubbed in the industry as "rebalancing software") to conduct portfolio management since at least 2005.[3]
Presence
While robo-advisors are most common in the United States, they are also present in Europe,[4] Australia,[5] India,[6] and Canada.[7]
Definition
Legally, the term "financial advisor" applies to any entity giving advice about securities. But most robo-advisors limit themselves to providing portfolio management (i.e. allocating investments among asset classes) without addressing issues such as estate and retirement planning and cash-flow management, which are also the domain of financial planning.
Other designations for these financial technology companies include "automated investment advisor", "automated investment management", "online investment advisor" and "digital investment advisor."
Total assets under management
Collectively, robo-advisors directly managed about $19 billion as of December 2014, according to a study by Corporate Insight. This figure represents a 21 percent increase in assets under management since July, and a 65 percent increase since April.[8] By 2020 the global assets under management of robo-advisers is forecast to grow to an estimated US$255bn, according to a research report by MyPrivateBanking Research.[9] As of August 2015, Charles Schwab, Wealthfront and Betterment lead the pack in gathering assets regarding robo-advisors.[10]
Industry context
The tools they employ to manage client portfolios differ little from the portfolio management software already widely used in the profession. The main difference is in distribution channel. Until recently, portfolio management was almost exclusively conducted through human advisors and sold in a bundle with other services. Now, consumers have direct access to portfolio management tools, in the same way that they obtained access to brokerage houses like Charles Schwab and stock trading services with the advent of the Internet.[11]
The customer acquisition costs and time constraints faced by traditional human advisors have left many middle-class investors underadvised or unable to obtain portfolio management services because of the minimums imposed on investable assets.[12]
In the United States, robo-advisors must be registered investment advisors, which are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. In the United Kingdom they are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Notable robo-advisors
- Australia: QuietGrowth
- India: Safe Trade
- U.K.: MoneyFarm
- U.S.: Betterment.com
- U.S.: FutureAdvisor
- U.S.: Hedgeable
- U.S.: Schwab Intelligent Portfolios
- U.S.: Wealthfront
References
- ^ "Financial Advice for People Who Aren't Rich".
- ^ "Five Robo Advisers, Five Very Different Portfolios".
- ^ "For some advisors, it's the best $50,000 you'll ever spend".
- ^ "Financial advising service Nutmeg gets its own $5M investment".
- ^ "ASIC's Greg Medcraft says 'robo advice' can reduce fees and conflicts".
- ^ "Robo advisory could change distribution". http://www.livemint.com/. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ François Desjardins (October 17, 2015). "Préparer sa retraite, un texto à la fois" [Preparing your retirement, one SMS at a time]. Le Devoir (in French). Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ "Robo-Advisers Now Manage 21% More Money Than They Did 5 Months Ago".
- ^ "Dawn of the robo-adviser".
- ^ "Everyone Wants a Robo-Advisor, Right??".
- ^ "Best of the Online Investment Advisers".
- ^ "The Real Hidden Cost That Has Been Inhibiting Financial Planning For The Masses".
