INSITE 2014 unveils wired body armor for the advisor of the future as it rolls out a slew of NetX360 upgrades

And this, right here, is the problem with Pershing. Rather than fix the hot mess that is NetX360—a dated, fat, windows-based piece of desktop software that has a user interface that only Rube Goldberg could love and integrations from the late 90s—they spend time and money on garbage like “Google Glass based wearable workflow” and actually pat themselves on the back with how clever they are.

News flash: your innovation only matters in as much as it helps my practice. Pershing is in dire need of technology leadership that recognizes technology is a business enabler, not a playground for engineering geeks with too much time on their hands.

Fix your core problems first, then we can all have fun.

The missing link is not technology for the sake of technology but expert prudent process (asset/liability study, investment policy, portfolio construction, monitoring and management) authenticated by statute that constitutes professional standing which gives advisors control over their value proposition, cost structure, margins and professional standing. The focus has to be substantive and meaningful in terms advisors appreciate such as how does Pershing make expert advice safe, scalable easy to execute and manage as a high margin business at the advisor level at lower cost to the consumer but better compensation to the advisor than to the broker who sells advice products.

Accountability and responsibility for recommendations in the consumers best interests at lower cost and better compensation, trump Google Glass as Google Glass is at best tangential where expert authenticated prudent process is essential to professional standing, the trust of the investing public and achieving scale and attractive margins in advisory services.

SCW