New robo service 'NZ's smartest financial adviser'

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The financial adviser behind a new online KiwiSaver advice site says the platform is competition for traditional financial advice models.

Thursday, June 29th 2017, 6:00AM 5 Comments

by Susan Edmunds

Ilumony has launched, billing itself as the country's smartest financial adviser.

It offers a free online service, which it says will help KiwiSaver members optimise their returns. Its algorithms analyse KiwiSaver investment options and combine them with personal data to present the best KiwiSaver solutions for individuals. It monitors KiwiSaver funds and ranks them.

“With scores of private KiwiSaver service providers to choose from and hundreds of available investment options, we help people sort through the noise and find the best option for them,” said chief executive and investment adviser Rachel Strevens.

She has previously worked at Macquarie Group, ANZ and Craigs Investment Partners.

“As a financial adviser of more than 10 years, it pains me to see that a large percentage of New Zealanders simply can’t access or afford quality investment advice,” Strevens said.

She said people with smaller amounts to invest were often squeezed out and could not access financial advice through the normal channels, or afford to pay for it if it was an option. As KiwiSaver balances built, more people were interested in making sure they made the right decisions about them, she said.

The platform offers class advice, so it can operate under the current rules. Strevens said Ilumony was working with the FMA to be able to offer a personalised service. At present, clients who want personalised advice are referred to Strevens and pay for the service.

The service is free to users via the online platform, with a mobile app live soon and developer-friendly API feeds. Strevens said there was the potential for other advisers to use the platform on their own sites.

Ilumony will soon expand its product range to include other investments, helping people build an investment portfolio and invest outside of KiwiSaver.

Strevens said it would manage funds that allowed thematic investments and made it possible for people to invest in big global stocks such as Facebook without a lot of money upfront.

“In some regards it is competition for financial advisers,” Strevens said. “A lot of financial advice firms realise the importance of roboadvice. It is competition but we are able to work with others potentially."

Tags: ANZ Craigs Investment Partners financial advisers FMA investment KiwiSaver roboadvice

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