The fifth annual Envestnet Advisor Summit that begins Wednesday in Chicago, is expected to attract more than 1,500 advisors from over 525 firms, setting a new record. This year's theme: The Essential Advisor.
"Good advice is as essential as ever," says Jay Hummel, Envestnet managing director for strategic initiatives and thought leadership, noting that the rise of robo-advisors and new regulation, including the Department of Labor's new fiduciary rule, are changing the landscape for financial advice. "The way advisors deliver advice and think about consumer needs may look different in future."
The summit will focus on what advisors need to do to remain essential for current clients and to attract new ones in a dynamic industry where consumer demand is also changing, said Hummel. He is the co-author, with Envestnet President Bill Crager, of the upcoming book "The Essential Advisor: Building Value in the Investor-Advisor Relationship."
The summit will follow three basic tracks for breakout sessions intended to help advisors build their business: technology, practice management and investment. Advisors can learn about how to leverage technology more effectively and refine their value proposition for the future as the industry continues to change, Hummel said.
The firm is well aware of those changes given the more than 49,000 advisors using its platform, which supports more than $880 billion of assets.
There will also be breakout sessions on investment outlooks for U.S. and international equities, including emerging market stocks, and investment-grade and high-yield bonds and bank loans, a panel on the new DOL fiduciary rule and numerous sessions on various Envestnet technology and practice management applications and platforms.
