Top 10 Tech Tools for Financial Advisors

Top 10 Tech Tools for Financial Advisors

Standard financial planning software, Excel spreadsheets, customer relationship management (CRM) and smartphone apps are some of the tools financial advisors depend on. But you may be surprised to know there are other software and hardware products you may not have considered. These could mean the difference of saving a few minutes to a few hours.

Tech Tools for Financial Advisors

These 10 productivity-boosting tech tools will help you maximize client and financial planning time. Financial advisors aren’t the only ones who will benefit from these hardware and software solutions. They can work well for other professions such as lawyers, real estate agents and small business owners.

Here’s the top 10 tech tools for financial advisors sorted alphabetically. Anything missing from the list? Let us know in the comments.

Akruto to sync Outlook with phone

www.akruto.com

[Software] Many financial advisors use Microsoft Outlook for PC, but what they don’t realize is that you can sync Outlook calendar with smartphone and save a lot of time while having updated information with you at all times. You can also transfer your contacts, tasks and notes to your phone. Akruto automatically and privately moves your Outlook data between your computer and compatible devices. It works with unlimited devices including iPhone, iPad, Windows Phone, Surface and Android phones and tablets.

Chrometa for tracking time

www.chrometa.com

[Web-based app] Although many financial software products come with a time tracking tool, they can be tedious to use. Usually, you have to press a button to start the timer and press it again to stop it. It’s all too easy to forget about the timer. Chrometa tracks everything for you. You don’t have to push anything. Do your work on your computer or mobile device and Chrometa captures it.

DropBox for online backup and remote file access

[Web-based app] You need a way to access and share files while staying in compliance and keeping your files secure. DropBox has two-step verification as an added measure to protect your files. The service also has a remote wipe feature to protect your information if a device is lost or stolen.

Reviewing your account settings before uploading anything to make it as secure as possible. For example, don’t allow any file to have a public URL for access. It also doubles as an online backup solution. Should Mother Nature wreak havoc on your office, you’ll be able to access your files through Dropbox’s secure, offsite service.

Evernote Web Clipper to clip online content, annotate a page and share clips

www.evernote.com

[Web-based app] One way to get clients to remember you is to share articles and resources that would interest them. Evernote Web Clipper is a web browser extension that lets you store, annotate and share anything you find on the web. The web browser extension is available for Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari.

Join.Me for screen sharing and online collaboration

www.join.me

[Web-based app] It can be hard to explain financials without tables and charts. Visuals can communicate a lot information and you can use them by securely sharing your screen with Join.Me. It can record your meetings, so you won’t have to worry about remembering the details. You can also swap screens with someone else.

Skype for face time without the travel

www.skype.com

[Software, mobile app and web-based app] With tools like Skype, some financial planners have clients spread far and wide. The software makes it easier to get face time with clients without the travel. You can connect with your clients anywhere using your smartphone or computer. Skype also allows you to share files and screens. You can also chat online.

TimeTrade to schedule meetings (web-based app)

www.timetrade.com

[Web-based app] Stop playing phone and email tag in trying to set up meetings with clients by using TimeTrade. The scheduling tool works with a variety of calendar apps including Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar, and iCal. Since you don’t know what calendar app other people use, it helps to use a scheduling app that works with a diversity of popular calendars.

TinyScan to scan and digitize papers

www.appxy.com/tinyscan

[Mobile app] TinyScan lets you turn your smartphone into a portable scanner. Scanning and digitizing paper limits messes and lost documents. Best of all, they’ll be searchable. Just take a picture of the document and TinyScan saves it as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file. The app is available for iPhones, Windows Phone and Android phones.

Two monitors for privacy and efficiency

[Hardware] All you need to implement this hardware solution is a second monitor because most computers come with the ports you need to connect a second monitor. You can use one screen for Skype calls or Join.Me meetings and have another screen available for looking up information and taking notes. Some people use three or four monitors.

Furthermore, when you share a screen, you can make sure you don’t accidentally share confidential information as you can control which screen someone can view. Don’t let popup email notices break client confidentiality.

WD My Cloud: Store your data someplace safe

[Hardware] Computers crash and cloud services go down. It’s critical to have a backup of your data. You want a two-pronged backup solution: internal and external. The previously mentioned Dropbox would be your external solution.

You’d hope it would never happen, but computers crash to the point where you can’t save your important data. To ensure you can access your data, backup to WD My Cloud every day.

What other tech tools do you recommend for financial advisors? Share in the comments.

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