Automated investing

Traditional players are getting innovative, and upstarts are becoming more sophisticated. The survivors will be companies that offer consumers an array of easy-to-use services, a venture capitalist says.

United, which helps retirement-age savers find the best ways to manage their wealth, is Capital One's answer to a flurry of similar deals made by rivals.

Several wealth management firms, including Marcus by Goldman Sachs and Wealthfront, have launched banking products to complement their investment services.

Lenders have learned that automated wealth management tools enhance financial advisers' interaction with clients and can bring in more business.

Galileo Processing has created a digital banking product that seeks to provide wealth managers with the offering they generally lack: an in-house savings account that pays competitive rates.

The fintech company, which was forced to rebrand its cash management product last year after misleading marketing caused a backlash, is seeking a national bank charter.

The system is designed to help banks deliver more personalized financial advice and is meant as a challenge to traditional bank technology vendors.

A new feature from the microinvesting app Stash allows users to accumulate free stock in the companies where they spend money.

Many digital-only robos are slowly adding human advisors.

The financial system is safer than it was 10 years ago, says John Taft, vice chairman of Baird. But there are still risks lurking unseen in areas like ETFs,