Bill Kruger, who I was interviewing for an Australian magazine article, told me that after 20 or so years as a financial adviser he had come to the conclusion that "80 to 90 per cent" of financial plans were virtually the same.
That is, if clients fall roughly into a limited number of categories the end product (the financial plan) they receive would inevitably look similar.
Kruger thought the experience could be reproduced as computer code. Whether enough consumers are ready to trust the software to direct their financial affairs is another matter.
According to Kruger, the client take-up so far is "as good as could be expected".
There are a couple of important caveats. For instance, Trulity is all-care, no responsibility. While the software can create a range of recommended portfolios (mainly direct shares, ETFs, passive funds and the like) it is up to the clients to buy the underlying products themselves if they want to follow the advice (although it's not advice).
Another Australian firm, Decimal, has taken a more controlled approach to automating financial advice.
Decimal chief, Jan Kolbusz, says the key to a successful advice system is the ability to track every action of clients (and their advisers) much as Amazon or Google does.
While clients potentially could use Decimal without human assistance, Kolbusz says it's designed more to work alongside flesh-and-blood financial advisers.
Neither Trulity nor Decimal would work in New Zealand as is, of course, given the tax and other regulatory quirks of the respective jurisdictions.
Is this another opportunity for Kim Dotcom?
