Independent research firm names SunGards WealthStation best-in-class for financial planning software

Date: 03 Apr 2012

Citywealth

SunGard’s WealthStation Financial Planning solution has been named best-in-class in CEB TowerGroup’s “Financial Planning Software: Technology Analysis‚Äù published in February 2012. WealthStation received a best-in-class designation for Client Engagement Tools, Advisor Experience, Advisory Tools, and Enterprise Support.

CEB TowerGroup’s “Financial Planning Software: Technology Analysis‚Äù is tailored to reflect the needs of the end-user, in this case the advisors, to diagnose the technology attributes particular to a firm, and to effectively identify vendor products that align with the firm’s needs. By combining qualitative and quantitative data from interviews with industry experts, financial institutions, vendors, and surveys of wealth managers, CEB TowerGroup identified 23 attributes that define a “best-in-class‚Äù financial planning technology. These attributes are grouped into the 4 categories that highlight a firm’s client, advisor, and enterprise needs.

Darrin Courtney, research director at CEB TowerGroup, said: “A majority of firms anticipate improving their financial planning capability significantly in the next 12 months. In a recent survey nearly 70 per cent of wealth managers are investing in improvements in their financial planning capabilities. Furthermore, as clients demand more collaboration with advisors, technology will facilitate this relationship shift with tablet computing options, mobile planning applications, and interactive client portals.‚Äù

Sean Cunniff, senior vice president of advisor solutions for SunGard’s wealth management business, said: “SunGard’s focus on improving the advisor and client experience is well demonstrated in the results of CEB TowerGroup’s analysis. Our continued investment in WealthStation’s financial planning capabilities, mobile applications and client access portals are helping advisors of all sizes improve client collaboration, differentiation and effectiveness in attracting, retaining and servicing clients.‚Äù