HD Vest Enhances 1040 Tax Analysis Tool
Irving, Texas-based HD Vest Investment Services has added a new round of enhancements to its 1040 Analyst tool. Since its launch in June 2014, the tax tool has been used by over 1,000 advisors and applied to over 120,000 client tax returns, according to the firm.

“This tool now identifies over 60 different actionable opportunities and vulnerabilities—from such basic considerations as ways to optimize retirement assets, reallocate interest and dividend-generating assets, or implement tax-advantaged college tuition planning, to far more complex tax-related situations like optimizing passive activity losses or adopting buy-sell life insurance agreements for business owners,” said Scott Rawlins, managing director, sales, at HD Vest.

Some of the new features include a filtering mechanism that enables advisors to create client groups by age, amount of interest, dividends or income, for example, and develop targeted communications to those specific groups.

Advisors can use the quick data input option to complete an individual 1040 Analyst report in as little as two and a half minutes, according to the firm.

Educational pieces on a wide range of financial management issues such as Roth IRAs, trusts and annuities, 529 plans or strategies for coping with the death of a family member are also available to advisors to help guide investment conversations.


Money.Net Launches TV Clipster
New York-based Money.Net, a platform that connects investors and traders to real-time financial markets, has launched TV Clipster. This new service monitors all live financial TV channels and sends an e-mail alert whenever a preset keyword is mentioned.

For example, a keyword can be a company name, an individual’s name or a subject such as oil. The e-mail alert provides a text transcript as well as a link that plays a short video clip of the mentioned keyword. This allows advisors to stay up to date on the latest news critical to them and their clients.


ALPS Launches Medical Breakthroughs ETF
ALPS, a financial services company headquartered in Denver, has launched its Medical Breakthroughs ETF (NYSE: SBIO). The fund will track the Poliwogg Medical Breakthroughs Index, which is designed to capture research and development opportunities in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

The ETF will invest in the stocks of U.S. listed mid- and small-cap companies with market capitalization between $200 million and $5 billion. In addition, the companies must have one or more drugs in Phase 2 or Phase 3 of FDA clinical trials.

More information can be found at alpsfunds.com


SmartDollar Teaches Employees Financial Wellness
Nashville, Tenn.-based Ramsey Solutions has developed an online financial wellness program designed to help retirement plan advisors teach plan participants to better handle their finances.

“Employees want to invest for retirement, but with no wiggle room in their budget, no emergency savings and no plan to fix it, it’s no wonder they aren’t on track for retirement,” said Brian Hamilton, vice president of financial wellness at Ramsey Solutions.

The SmartDollar program offers step-by-step instructions to plan participants teaching them how to take control of their finances so they will be better prepared for retirement.


Tsai Capital Announces Passport SMA
New York City-based Tsai Capital Corporation, a global equity manager, has introduced its Passport SMA. These separately managed accounts are designed to serve a broad range of clients, including corporations, individuals and trusts.

“This product is for investors who require more than a ‘one-size-fits-all’ strategy,” said Christopher Tsai, president and chief investment officer of Tsai Capital Corporation.

Tsai Capital also offers a long/short global equity fund. For both of these products, the firm seeks long-term investments in high-quality growth companies that offer significant upside potential and a margin of safety in down markets.


Gemini Fund Enhances Reporting Capabilities
Gemini Fund Services has selected SunGard solutions to help its clients monitor their fund portfolios. SunGard’s investment accounting and reporting system, InvestOne, provides an integrated solution that controls and monitors clients’ portfolios. The system offers more than 300 standard reports, as well as customization tools, and can manage all types of funds on a single database.

“SunGard’s platform serves as the gateway to a diverse suite of middle-office solutions our clients need as their funds continue to grow and evolve,” said Kevin Wolf, president of Gemini Fund Services.