Executive Summary Enjoy the current installment of “weekend reading for financial planners” – this week’s edition kicks off with the big industry news that Goldman Sachs is acquiring small-RIA custodian Folio Institutional… and setting off an industry debate about whether Goldman is aiming to compete for small RIAs, repurpose Folio into a breakaway offering for […]
Archives for May 2020
Why I decided to return my PPP money
I’m the founder and CEO of a small wealth management firm in Houston, with just eight employees and $850 million in client assets. When the Paycheck Protection Program was first announced, I was practically giddy because I had never qualified for any type of government program before. The PPP program almost seemed too good to […]
Accounting resilience and sustainability in a post-pandemic economy – Accounting Today
From a financial market perspective, the novel coronavirus pandemic has led to global economic uncertainty and volatility. With such widespread impact, the economic effects are disrupting day-to-day accounting procedures. With the COVID-19 landscape presenting unique challenges that delay information from flowing into the accounting department, accountants must be better positioned to thrive in a post-pandemic […]
Wealth managers outperform in ramping up tech spending amid coronavirus
Wealth managers have boosted spending on new technology more than other professionals. But they’re still facing headwinds connecting with some clients amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey by Arizent. More than a third of respondents who work in wealth management said they have increased their tech budget — outpacing financial services, professional […]
UK to lose top talent if start-up scheme is not amended
Launched in May, the Future Fund scheme announced by Rishi Sunak currently excludes tech start-ups that have participated in a US accelerator programme – meaning the UK could lose top start-ups as a majority will look to move abroad. “Having the intention of being in the UK and coming into the market means they will […]
Facebook buys popular GIF search engine GIPHY
Facebook is buying the popular GIF search engine Giphy, with plans to further integrate the GIF library into Instagram and other Facebook apps. Giphy will be part of the Instagram team and the service will continue to operate its massive library, the company said. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Axios, which first […]
ETtech Top 5: Zomato layoffs, SaaS saves the day, E-commerce TDS cut & more
Happy Friday! India’s food delivery startups have fallen on hard times. As the country went into lockdown, their order volumes fell 70%. After several weeks of shutdown, a large number of restaurants have already closed permanently. And, according to Zomato, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Food ordering apps have realised that there’s no […]
DigitalOcean raises $50 million in Series C funding
US-based cloud infrastructure provider DigitalOcean has closed a $50 million Series C funding round led by existing investors Access Industries with participation from Andreessen Horowitz. The funding follows the $320 million debt financing in February this year and brings DigitalOcean’s equity valuation to $1.15 billion, the company said on Thursday. “We are delighted to extend […]
Hotels vs Airbnb: Has Covid-19 disrupted the disrupter?
By Elaine Glusac Airbnb, born in 2008, famously disrupted the hotel industry. It stole market share, put pressure on hotel rates, inspired the creation of affordable brands and saw hotels across the spectrum create restaurants, bars and lobbies that channeled the local vibe. Airbnb’s recent layoff of a quarter of its workforce indicates the financial […]
Editor’s Column: Value of Financial Planning income growing
One of the more encouraging Financial Planning stories this week came from wealth manager Brewin Dolphin which reported its Financial Planning income up by over 30% for the past half year. Amid an ok set of results for Brewin this was an exceptional performance, mostly driven by its acquisition last year of Financial Planning […]