SmartAsset, an award-winning financial technology company that helps more than 65 million people each month make smart financial decisions, today announced the official launch of ‘Live Connections,’ a service that allows a Financial Advisor to connect directly with a prospective client over the phone. The service is now available to all certified Financial Advisors, Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) and Advisory firms across the U.S. exclusively on SmartAsset’s SmartAdvisor platform. Live Connections is a new way of delivering high-intent, validated consumer prospects via a warm phone transfer to fiduciary Financial Advisors and firms that meets today’s on-demand expectations.
Through its SmartAdvisor platform, SmartAsset has successfully matched Financial Advisors with local investors since 2018 and transferred $9.7 billion in Assets Under Management (AUM) since its inception. Live Connections is an extension of the SmartAdvisor platform that instantly connects validated, high-intent investors to certified Advisors through an introductory phone call. Through an initial Live Connections pilot program, which launched in late 2019, Advisors and firms have experienced a 100% contact rate and upwards of a 20% close / conversion rate with prospects from all around the country.
“Live Connections is the next step in our mission to improve the match-making experience between consumers and Financial Advisors. The tens of thousands of consumers that utilize SmartAdvisor each month are now able to take control of the Advisor search process when intent is at the absolute highest, and we’re able to connect them directly with the Advisors they want to speak to at that moment in time,” said Michael Carvin, CEO and co-founder of SmartAsset. “For Advisors, Live Connections cuts through the noise as we’re able to instantly connect them with validated consumer leads over the phone. All Advisors have to do is pick up the call and focus on what they’re good at: advising clients.”
Reaching more than 65 million people each month, SmartAsset is now the web’s most-viewed source of personal financial information and advice. The average SmartAdvisor investor is about 57 years old, has substantial investable assets of $890,000 and 76% reported that they do not currently have an Advisor. Approximately 70% are retired or less than 10 years away from retirement. Given the vast size of SmartAsset’s audience, the SmartAdvisor platform is meaningfully changing how Advisors approach marketing, business development and lead generation in the digital age.