Name
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Company: eMoney Advisor
Web address: https://emoneyadvisor.com/
Ed O’Brien is the Chief Executive Officer of eMoney Advisor, a provider of technology solutions and services that help people talk about money.
How did you personally become involved in fintech?
I have always been interested in how things work. The introduction of the home computer and Santa’s gift of a Commodore 20 in the early 80’s piqued my interest in technology and inspired me to pursue a degree in computer science. I began my career as a programmer with Fidelity, but I was most interested in the application of technology in business. Most of my 30 years at the company were spent focused on automation and efficiency to make investments more cost effective for consumers. While I loved the broad impact we had, I wanted to see how we could use technology to make financial advice more personal.
When Fidelity acquired eMoney, it was an exciting next step for me to take on the role as CEO. At eMoney, we believe in a holistic planning approach to make delivering advice more personal and emotional. It’s our mission to help people talk about money through our technology and create products and services that help our clients become planners and serve clients with diverse needs.
What is your role within your firm and what do you do there on any given day?
In my role as CEO of eMoney, I believe in practicing an open-door policy – both figuratively and literally. Before we started working remotely due to COVID-19, I enjoyed working in an open workspace to collaborate more closely with others. I want people to be accessible, so that they feel comfortable sharing new ideas with me and asking questions. That didn’t change when we went remote, either. I encourage everyone to send me a message or chat and get a dialogue started. Our entire leadership team takes a similar approach.
This year has been an important one at eMoney as we celebrated 20 years in business. What we’re focused on now is planning for the next 20. As we know, things can change overnight, and the most successful businesses are those that can adapt and find opportunity in times of challenge.
What area/s of fintech do you believe will grow the most in the coming 5 years?
As I mentioned, we recently celebrated eMoney’s 20th anniversary, and it’s amazing to see how the industry has evolved in that time. From the dot-com bubble to the Great Recession, technology has led financial professionals through pivotal moments in history. Recently, our technology helped advisors and their clients navigate the coronavirus pandemic and stay focused on long-term goals. This year has proven the demand for financial advice is stronger than ever. And over the next five years, we anticipate technology will be used to serve a broader demographic of people who need advice. In fact, we’ve developed a client-led financial wellness app called Incentive that will allow advisors to scale their business and reach new markets and demographics. The people who will benefit most from using Incentive are not likely to seek financial advice in the traditional form. Creating new tools to help change behaviors that, in turn, influence financial outcomes is exciting.