Robos can’t make the emotional connection with clients by asking the tough, probing questions that advisors can, he said, but advisors still have to think about the implications of clients wanting better access to information and communications.

“We’ve talked about whether we should have some sort of direct [robo-like] offering,” Curtis said, but for now there are no plans.

Raymond James already has an online service for orphaned clients, but the service is not promoted to the public, and is not a discount broker.

Last week, the firm launched an account aggregation service that allows clients to add outside assets to their account view. In December, the firm launched an e-signature capability, and improvements to its mobile application are underway, Curtis said.

On the recruiting front, Curtis said RJFS is still getting most of its new advisors from wirehouses, but last year dedicated more efforts to attracting existing independents.

“Other firms continue to do things [to] get in-between advisors and their clients [or try to] manipulate what you do,” he said.

RJFS, which has about 4,000 advisors, has been able to pick up more reps from LPL Financial and the Cetera broker-dealers than in the past, he added, as those firms work through regulatory issues and mergers.

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