Schwab Intelligent Technologies (SPT) announced today that OpenView MarketSquare and PortfolioCenter Hosted have now gone live.
OpenView MarketSquare is a review site that compiles feedback and ratings on third-party vendors and products by independent registered investment advisors who do business with Schwab.
Schwab has said the site is meant to give advisors information to make better purchasing decisions. However, some have questioned the effectiveness of the Web site because third-party vendors have to opt into being included in its content.
According to Schwab, they have received over 400 reviews from advisors covering more than 80 products. Schwab has posted reviews on 15 products in areas that include client relations, portfolio and document management; trading and rebalancing; and financial planning.
Schwab PortfolioCenter Hosted offers the full functionality of PortfolioCenter in a hosted environment, giving RIAs the ability to outsource the technology infrastructure associated with PortfolioCenter without giving up control of their data. The hosted version of PortfolioCenter will be priced as low as $1,200 per quarter with no transition costs for advisors who custody assets at Schwab. The price includes one seat license, the Schwab interface and an unlimited number of accounts. Additional seats and custodial interfaces cost extra.
Schwab recently launched PortfolioCenter 5.7, the version that is now available to PortfolioCenter Hosted clients. This new version includes enhancements such as more flexible billing and reporting. In additio, this version supports Windows 8. Further information is available at schwabpt.com