With the COVID-19 pandemic causing widespread disruption to the stock market, economy, and financial world as a whole, financial advisors are responding to a surge in the need for advice and guidance. To assist advisors during this time, Orion Advisor Tech (“Orion”), a division of Orion Advisor Solutions and the premier provider of financial advisor technology, announces today that it will be offering free self-guided acces
Beginning April 1, all firms will be able to use Orion’s modern financial planning technology, regardless of whether they are existing clients of Orion. Free self-guided access to the planning platform will continue through July 1.
“We’ve seen the incredible positive impact financial planning can have on investors, especially in a market such as this one,” says Kyle Hiatt, Chief Revenue Officer of Orion Advisor Solutions. “Investors need professional advice and guidance more than ever. They must be grounded in the big picture of long-term goals synthesized with realistic projections, so they aren’t just watching their 401(k) balances shrink with no context. Orion Planning creates those personalized experiences for investors and gives advisors the tools they need to have meaningful conversations with clients about their financial health.”
Furthermore, Orion will be offering advisors client communication campaign support to help them address market volatility during the COVID-19 crisis.
The accessible marketing campaign materials illustrate the tremendous value of financial planning, especially during a market downturn. Advisors are encouraged to use this collateral to reach out to those who have been financially affected by COVID-19, in an effort to provide financial peace of mind as they focus on the health of themselves and their families.
“Supporting our firms doesn’t begin and end with traditional advisor tech,” explains Kelly Waltrich, Orion’s Chief Marketing Officer. “And as this pandemic continues, juxtaposed against the flailing stock market, communication with clients is only going to become more critical. We want our advisors to know that if they’re overwhelmed or overworked trying to juggle an influx of client concerns along with their daily operational tasks, we’re here to help.”
Orion is also offering assistance for financial advisors without cloud-based technology, who are unable to perform their jobs effectively from home. The newly developed “Business as Usual” program is designed specifically to assist financial firms whose current technology is preventing them from running their businesses successfully during this time.
Firms who aren’t currently working with Orion and are relying on limited or installed technology will be able to access Orion’s cloud-based suite of solutions in order to continue operations.
“We’re in uncharted waters,” explains Hiatt. “In times like these, it does our industry and our world no good to put up walls; the only way to get through such a global crisis is to lend a hand to those who need it. Our business has always been about serving financial advisors and helping them better serve their clients. When we looked around, we saw firms with no remote capabilities and two grim choices: risk their employees’ health by asking them to complete operational tasks from the office, or shut down completely during the pandemic.”
Through the Business as Usual program, advisory firms who sign contracts within the next two weeks will receive priority onboarding to accommodate core business activities prior to the June 30 quarter end; free access through July 1 and deferred payment through Oct. 30; and five hours of outsourced business product support from Orion’s Special Work Ops Team (SWOT) for firms transitioning from installed technology, to be used for quarter-end audits, running reports, and generating bills.
Advisors interested in the Orion Planning platform or the Business as Usual program should contact the Orion team and indicate within the comment field which initiative will help support their business at this time.
