Me neither. Today’s coolest tablets won’t either if they don’t enrich the advisor-client relationship. Many firms have pursued technology for its own sake, and some firms still have deeply engaged, profitable clients despite a shocking lack of sophistication. The real magic happens when technology enhances and enables the advisor-client conversation to uncover unmet and unstated needs to delight the client.

The Value Curve to Tablet Banking by Shahab Choudhry, partner and co-founder of the app development firm Propelics, describes correctly, in my view, that the highest value apps are those that advisors use in their direct interactions with clients.