America's Best Direct Indexing Buyers Guide 2024 - 9

2024 DIRECT INDEXING BUYERS GUIDE
2024 Wealth Advisor Platform Rankings
W
hile scale is the ultimate gauge of success in our
industry, it's hard to build scale without a compelling
and tangible value proposition. Any direct index platform
can blow through a mountain of venture capital money attracting
assets to the platform, but keeping the accounts beyond the
honeymoon period requires heavier lifting. After all, you're asking
advisors to hand over the keys to their entire career: the clients,
the portfolio, the reporting, even the billing. Execution needs to be
as close to perfect as possible.
We asked the 350,000 advisors in our network to share their
experience with various platforms. Popularity had nothing to do
with it. If only one advisor spoke up and loved you, you did well.
If thousands took the trouble to rate you " average, " the weight
of their lack of enthusiasm dragged you down. And it only takes
a few disappointments to knock you out of the top tier entirely.
Remember, you aren't a discretionary expense for the advisors you
work with. You're essential. They trust you.
In our view, every platform that wants to be a viable competitor
needs to hit a sweet spot in terms of three crucial areas of
business. You need technology that creates more efficiencies
than complications. You need human beings behind the
technology who can solve problems and provide coaching. And
BEST
SERVICE
BEST
TECHNOLOGY
you need to deliver investment solutions that help you hold onto
your clients and capture new ones.
One thing to keep in mind: these rankings are not a traditional
popularity contest. While big names with broad brand presence
obviously get a lot more votes than more niche-oriented players,
the goal is to reflect quality of experience and not just brute reach.
A boutique platform with a small but passionate following will do
better than a giant that serves a lot of people but alienates a lot of
potential partners along the way.
And we're still in the early stages here. This is the Wild West for
many advisors and the numbers will change. Platforms that try to
skimp on human talent or coast on aging systems will suffer as new
names rise to the top. There's always room for startups with fresh
ideas and disruptive ideas. Even if you're not a giant today, you can
still have what it takes to become a big name in years to come.
And remember, these scores are relative in the aggregate but
when you drill down into each advisor's professional experience,
the numbers are absolute. Don't settle for giving them an
" average " relationship. Excel. If you want to be a winner, keep
telling your story and keep innovating. Listen to advisors and give
them what they need. We penalize platforms severely for every
" below average " or " poor " response.
BEST CLIENT
OUTCOMES
TOP TAMP
(OVERALL)
(tie)
Disclaimer: Each direct indexing platform ( " Provider " ) included in Direct Indexing Buyers Guide 2024 was incorporated into an independent survey of all Wealth Advisor subscribers, and the rankings presented
were calculated based on the results. The methodology used for this independent survey of The Wealth Advisor's registered subscribers was deployed on September 6, 2024,and closed on September 20,
2024. The survey uncovered advisor familiarity and overall satisfaction covering three categories set forth above for the direct index solution providers we track. Additional survey results will be published in
updates to the Direct Indexing Buyers Guide. Each provider paid the same sponsorship fee to be listed in the Direct Indexing Buyers Guide. Sponsorship fee has no tie-in or connection to survey results. The fee
entitles providers to also receive marketing services from The Wealth Advisor.
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America's Best Direct Indexing Buyers Guide 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of America's Best Direct Indexing Buyers Guide 2024