1) June 2014 Financial-Planning.com TECH TOOLS Fast-Forwarding the Advisor Fidelity’s new Office of the Future complex highlights the tech trends most likely to shake up your workspace. By Joel Bruckenstein V irtually all advisors know they need to in order to gauge their applicability to the get smarter about the technology they company and its various constituencies. The use to interact with clients. Fidelity Office of the Future is intended to help advisors research shows that 75% of advisors felt that they visualize how these emerging technologies will needed to use the latest technology to grow assets have a direct impact on their businesses. among younger clients. And there’s good reason And as befits a technology project, Fidelity to feel that way: Fidelity also found that Gen X has created a virtual tour website, making it and Gen Y investors sought three core benefits accessible to advisors who cannot visit the site of technology in their advisor relationships: in person. communication, collaboration and accessibility. Yet although planners clearly feel they need to use the WHERE CHANGE IS DUE latest technology, and although younger clients are clearly “Investors today expect technology woven into everything demanding it, advisors appear to be struggling with they do, and that includes their financial advice,” says Ed adoption. Perhaps it is because they are unaware of some of O’Brien, Fidelity Institutional’s head of platform technology. the options available, or maybe they simply can’t envision “For advisors, using technology is not about abandoning how to adopt new technologies into their daily routine. what they do so well, which is providing financial advice. Now Fidelity Investments is attempting to step into the It’s about finding that sweet spot that brings together human breach. The company has opened a new Office of the Future touch with technology.” — a walkthrough complex in Smithfield, R.I., aimed at During a recent tour, O’Brien and his colleagues demonstrating to advisors how demonstrated some of these new they can embrace technology in technologies, and highlighted The layout and the organization their practices through the use how an advisory firm might of the Office of the Future hint at the of products and services that are leverage them. The space, which various areas where Fidelity now commercially available. is intended to be dynamic, expects big change. The facility is a joint effort currently highlights seven tech between Fidelity Institutional — trends that Fidelity believes are the division that provides clearing, custody and investment most likely to significantly impact advisors soon: mobile, management products to RIAs and other institutions — video, cloud computing, the evolving interface, gamification, and the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology, which the big data and social media. company opened in 1999 to research emerging technologies And the organization of the Office of the Future gives 

2) TELECONFERENCING A variety of conferencing and collaborative meeting capabilities appear in what Fidelity calls the briefing room. One technology on display is the panoramic teleconferencing camera, which can offer 360-degree, high-definition live video of conferences and presentations. The technology mimics people’s panoramic vision and control of where they look, allowing for a more immersive experience for remote users. There are a number of potential uses in the financial advisory practice. One is collaboration among advisors or with related professionals in geographically diverse areas; panoramic teleconferencing allows remote participants to feel like they are all in the same room. Advisors might also use it to work with clients remotely. Although Fidelity’s setup uses large high-def monitors, many advisory firms already have quality monitors that would be compatible with the Panoramic Telepresence system from PanaCast that Fidelity currently has on display. The camera itself currently retails for $799 and can be used with existing web conferencing services such as WebEx, Lync, GoToMeeting, Zoom and Skype. Advisors could also buy the PanaCast collaboration service, which promises the highest quality video, lowest latency and other features. Another futuristic feature is the telepresence robot — a mobile video- conferencing robot that roams around a remote location and interacts with others. Fidelity is currently displaying the Double by Double Robotics, which retails for $2,499 — inexpensive for a robot device. It looks like a skinny Segway scooter with an iPad (not included) connected to the top; the height of the iPad mount can be adjusted to give you a clear view of the person you are talking to (and allow them to see you). The advisor use scenario might be to have a firm principal join staff or client meetings from a remote location. Unlike a traditional teleconference setup, where others have to assemble to see you, the robot allows you to virtually wander through an office, interacting with others. While this device may not have much applicability at a small firm, larger practices may find this a welcome addition to their technology toolkit. MOBILE CHANGES An area set up like an airport seating area highlights some new mobile technologies, including wearables — notably eyeglasses and watches with such smartphone features as JOOK LEUNG FOR FIDELITY INVESTMENTS a hint at the various areas where Fidelity expects big change. It’s divided into multiple work areas that Fidelity’s futurists expect an “anywhere advisor” might occupy in a typical workweek: conferencing areas, a collaborative office workspace, an airport lounge, a modern take on the traditional office desk and home environments. A 27-inch touch-screen tablet allows users to display and discuss an interactive client report. The Office of the Future suggests that advisors could use such technology for collaborative client meetings. Internet search, voice controls, data storage and augmented reality projections. While the glasses are still in the early stages of moving from the labs to the mass market, these portable technologies hold great promise for the mobile advisor. You probably already know about Google Glass — a wearable computer with an optical, head-mounted display. It displays information in a hands-free format and can communicate with the Internet via natural language voice commands. (You can see what Fidelity Labs is doing with Google Glass at bit.ly/1iMDkJi.) New smartwatches also change mobile technology offerings. Fidelity Labs is currently working on an investing app for the Pebble Smartwatch, which was launched via the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform and is now widely available for about $130 to $220. Another interesting mobile technology is the virtual electronic keyboard — a pocket-size, Bluetooth-enabled projector that displays a virtual keyboard on almost any flat surface, providing a more spacious keyboard experience for smartphone and tablet users. Although some users find that the devices take a bit of getting used to, these are well-suited for accessing cloudbased systems, and could help advisors do extensive work on documents, research and presentations without having to lug around a laptop. The Fidelity space showcases the Magic Cube by Celluon, since discontinued, but a new Celluon model — the ERIP Ultra-Portable Full Size Virtual Keyboard — is currently available at Amazon for about $101. OFFICE RETHINK Fidelity’s ideas for the futuristic advisor workstation turn up in what it calls the Collaborative Office, in three versions: budget, mainstream and deluxe. Cloud technology is the focus here; Fidelity was the first custodian to offer a complete cloud-based technology solution to their advisors through its 

3) JOOK LEUNG FOR FIDELITY INVESTMENTS relationship with External IT. (The venture gives advisors browser-based access to their entire suite of business tools, both desktop and cloud-based applications, from any device — traditional PCs as well as smartphones and tablets.) A more collaborative technology on display here is a small tabletop robot that holds your iPad or other tablet, turning your iPad into a mobile telepresence device on a conference room table or on a desktop. The remote-controlled robotic stand includes pan and tilt capabilities that aid local meeting moderation and global collaboration. These devices have much lower prices than the more elaborate robots discussed above; the KUBI by Revolve Robotics retails for as little as $499. It might be a great tool for the advisor who has some accounts — such as large trusts or foundations — that require occasional meetings with a boardroom full of people. With a device such as this, you can conduct some of those meetings remotely, and pan around the room in order to engage with each person individually. What you save in time and travel should cover the cost of the device in no time. The home office on display highlights trends such as gamification and collaboration. One example of a collaborative technology for the home is a smart TV with videoconferencing. These devices are capable of delivering audio, video and text content over the Internet; they can also access an internal computer network or a storage device. If your client has a smart TV with videoconferencing, you can create dynamic presentations for them or engage in secure, encrypted teleconferences, allowing clients to meet with you from their living rooms. The Fidelity space features a Samsung TV set, but you could use any smart TV with an appropriate videoconferencing service. The space also features a tabletop tablet — a large-screen device that combines the characteristics of a PC desktop, tablet and a worktable. (Fidelity is featuring the Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon Multimode Table PC, which currently retails for as little as $1,499 and can be oriented either as a A videoconferencing setup with a smart TV could let an advisor connect with clients in their home, while they use a tablet to view documents simultaneously. normal display or laid flat.) Fidelity has loaded a copy of its “Beat the Benchmark” game onto the device to illustrate how such a device could be used to educate clients. The game, developed by Fidelity Labs and targeting novice investors, teaches the basics of investing through a game interface that is fun and engaging. The Office of the Future is designed to be an organic environment that evolves over time, so both the workplace scenarios and the specific tools will likely be updated periodically. For those who have trouble visualizing how these technologies fit into the advisor office of today or the future, a little time spent exploring this Fidelity interactive experience can pay big dividends.  FP Joel Bruckenstein, a Financial Planning columnist in Miramar, Fla., is co-creator of the Technology Tools for Today conference series and technology guides for advisors, including Technology Tools for Today’s High-Margin Practice. For more information, visit JoelBruckenstein.com. Follow him on Twitter at @FinTechie. 

4) Article copyright 2014 by Financial Planning. Reprinted from the article in the June 2014 issue with permission from Financial Planning. For investment professional use only. Not for distribution to the public as sales material in any form. The 2013 Fidelity® Insights on Advice program consists of two individual research studies: Affluent Investor Insights and Advisor Insights. The 2013 Fidelity® Affluent Investor Insights study was an online, blind survey (Fidelity not identified) fielded during the period of May 16-29, 2013. Participants included 813 affluent investors meeting certain asset and/or income requirements with findings weighted to reflect the population. The 2013 Fidelity® Advisor Insights study (previously named Broker and Advisor Sentiment Index) was an online, blind survey fielded during the period of August 8–21, 2013. Participants included 813 advisors who work primarily with individual investors and manage a minimum of $10 million in individual or household investable assets. Advisor firm types included a mix of banks, broker-dealers, independent broker-dealers, insurance companies, regional broker-dealers, RIAs, and wirehouses, with findings weighted to reflect industry composition. Both studies were conducted by Bellomy Research, an independent firm not affiliated with Fidelity Investments. The third party products referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. The use of any third party products in Fidelity’s Office of the Future does not suggest a recommendation or an endorsement by Fidelity. Firms should independently review their own situation to determine if any of these products are appropriate for them. Each firm needs to conduct its own due diligence, consider the advantages and disadvantages of using cloud-based technology and determine if cloudbased technology is the appropriate solution for them. In 2012, External IT USA, Inc. merged with and into OS33 Services Corp. OS33 Services Corp. is still commonly referred to as External IT so the reference of External IT within this article refers to the overall corporation. External IT/OS33 Services Corp. and Fidelity Investments are independent entities and are not legally affiliated. Fidelity Investments is an independent company, unaffiliated with Financial Planning and any other third party companies referenced herein. The statements and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. Fidelity Investments cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any statements or data. Fidelity does not provide advice of any kind. This reprint is supplied by Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC and National Financial Services LLC. Both members NYSE, SIPC. 200 Seaport Boulevard Boston, MA 02210 694491.1.0 1.9857892.100 © 2014 FMR LLC. All rights reserved. ©2014 SourceMedia Inc. and Financial Planning. All rights reserved. SourceMedia, One State Street Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10004 (800) 367-3989