First Rate was well represented at the TD Ameritrade National LINC 2015 conference held in San Diego, CA.  The First Rate ARKON wealth management platform was thrilled to be a showcase piece of our CRM partners Grendel up in the VEO Village kiosks.  While many firms were talking about integrating across platforms or with other partner technologies, First Rate and Grendel were able to demonstrate the power of combining CRM, Client Reporting and Data Services within a single, integrated platform.

As advisors passed through between sessions and took the opportunity to talk with us several things became increasingly clear – efficiency, practice management, married technologies and an unwavering focus on providing better service to more clients were all very much front of mind for advisor teams.  These are the hallmarks behind the ARKON platform and the impetus behind combining the First Rate and Grendel solution set into the single, unified ARKON platform.

It was also very eye-opening to hear advisors talk about struggles to find solutions to help them round out their overall business needs. We took great pride in being able to talk with an advisor and show them our solution set; then we were able to speak about the other vendors that we have gotten to know over the years and compare our offerings to theirs.  This continues to show the overall partnership value that both the First Rate and Grendel teams bring to one another but also to the advisor and financial professional community.

The rumor mill was also confirmed once a news story broke that Advent and SS&C were in talks about a possible deal.  This gave many of the vendors a topic to discuss amongst themselves as advisors were in breakout sessions.  Even more interesting was the lack of discussion/rumors about further acquisition action which occurred just after the conference as Fidelity and eMoney Advisor also appear to have reached an agreement. First Rate has since spoken about these changes and our position in the marketplace; check out one of our latest blog posts on Mergers and Acquisition Mania by Managing Director Terry Gaines.

Looking back on a successful TD Ameritrade LINC experience it makes me even more excited as I look toward the upcoming T3 Conference in Dallas starting today.  If you are attending T3, please stop by and visit the First Rate booth and get a look at ARKON.

Patrick Flaherty( Director - CORE Product Owner & General Manager - Fee Manager )

Patrick Flaherty, CIPM, is the Product Owner for CORE Performance and Integrations as well as the GM of Fee Manager. In addition to shaping the strategic direction and development of both products, Patrick is responsible for overseeing the operations of the Fee Manager business unit including developing and maintaining client and partner relationships. In 2011, he completed the requisite study and exams for the certificate in investment performance measurement (CIPM).