PFM

A handful of entrepreneurs have created apps that let workers, especially those with inconsistent incomes, receive portions of their paychecks before payday. Their emergence underscores how slower payments look out of date in an on-demand world.

In a few instances, banks have temporarily blocked data aggregators from screen scraping customers' bank account information. Are the banks exercising appropriate judgment or obstructing potential competitors?

With the CFPB poised to finalize regulations on overdraft fees, it is important to realize how much the product helps informed consumers.

USAA has partnered with Coinbase to let users view their bitcoin wallet balances, an added financial management tool indicative of a kind of bundling of non-bank financial services it hopes will differentiate it from its competitors.

The widespread adoption of online and mobile banking has largely happened at a time when rates have been near zero. At some point, rates will rise and the value of the experience will be pitted against the value of a yield for depositors. Rate-hoppers will be able to move at an unprecedented speed.

The marketplace lender is paying $30 million in cash plus an undisclosed amount of stock. It plans to use BillGuard’s apps, which come with detailed information about their users’ financial habits, to attract new borrowers.

During the recent market volatility, apps that aim to lure non-typical investors into the market faced a problem with which all digital-only financial products contend: no office to visit for reassurance. Companies turned to emails, tweets and pop-up messages to try to replicate the soothing voice.

Apps that help people manage their money on a day-to-day basis are all the rage among millennials. Here are the most effective of the bunch.

Envestnet's planned acquisition of Yodlee is shedding light on how real-time data about customers' financial data can shape the future of the wealth management and financial advisory business. Jud Bergman, CEO of Envestnet, says the deal will create "an unprecedented level of engagement."

The $9.1 billion acquisition of SunGard Data Systems would deepen FIS' bench in banking and asset management services and add products for capital markets, dovetailing with banks' desire to narrow the list of companies that serve them.

The acquisition of Yodlee, considered PFM's pioneering firm, would cement Envestnet's capability to serve an emerging demand for data aggregation and leveraging data insights and behavioral science in wealth management.

A growing number of startups and banks are trying to design digital experiences that train users to manage their money more responsibly, starting with small amounts in mundane situations.

Capital One acquired Level Money, a startup with a budgeting app for consumers, on Monday. Level Money has approximately 700,000 users and claims to have helped users manage a total of $12 billion during its brief existence.

Even is building a mobile money-management service for baristas, Lyft drivers, freelancers and others with unpredictable incomes. For $5 a week, users can draw advances on paychecks during rough patches.

Moven has modified its personal financial management app to work on a smartwatch. Will millennials be more likely to heed spending advice delivered to their wrists rather than their phones?