How to Choose WealthTech Tools for Your Advisory Firm Without Getting Lost 

Quick Answer: Most advisory firms pick technology tools based on word of mouth or a vendor demo at a conference. There is a better starting point – a publicly available, independently maintained map of WealthTech tools organised by category. Knowing it exists, and knowing how to use it, can cut your research time significantly and help you arrive at a short list that actually fits your firm before you call a single vendor. 

Choosing software for an advisory firm should not feel like searching for something in a store with no signs. 

But for most managing partners and operations leads, that is exactly what evaluating WealthTech tools feels like. Hundreds of products. Vendor demos that all sound identical. Peer recommendations that may not apply to a firm your size. No obvious place to begin. 

How Most Firms Pick Technology – and Why It Goes Wrong 

The most common path for picking advisory software starts with a conference booth, a peer recommendation over lunch, or a cold email from a vendor that arrived at the right moment. 

This is understandable. It is also how firms end up paying for tools that worked well for a different firm, at a different stage, running a different kind of practice. 

The problem is not usually the tools. The problem is skipping the research step before the demo step.

There Is a Better Starting Point 

In the WealthTech world, one resource has quietly become the go-to starting point for operations leads and COOs (Chief Operating Officers) who do their research carefully before committing to any vendor. 

It is an independently maintained map of WealthTech solutions, organised by category – CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software, financial planning tools, portfolio management platforms, compliance software, client portals, and more. Every major tool in each category, laid out so you can see the full landscape before you speak to a single vendor. 

This resource is the AdvisorTech Solutions Map, maintained by Michael Kitces and his team at Kitces.com. It is one of the most referenced independent research tools in the WealthTech space – updated regularly and not affiliated with any vendor. 

How to Use the Map 

Start with the category you are trying to fill. Looking for a better CRM? Find the CRM section. Evaluating financial planning software? Start there. 

Within each category, the map shows the key players and what each tends to specialise in. This alone narrows a search from dozens of vendor websites to a short list of relevant options. From there, you build your short list. Then you run demos. Then you decide. 

What This Means for Firms Looking for Implementation Support 

For firms looking not just for software, but for the help to implement and connect what they already own, implementation and service partners are also listed on the map. 

Enzigma Solutions is one of those listed firms. Being part of the map means firms can independently verify who we are, what we focus on, and whether our work aligns with their needs – before we ever speak. That kind of transparency makes the first conversation easier. 

A Few Quick Questions Advisors Ask Us 

• Is the AdvisorTech Solutions Map free to use? 
  Yes. It is publicly available at no cost at Kitces.com. No login or subscription is required to browse it. 
  
• Does being listed on the map mean a firm is endorsed? 
  No. It means the firm operates in the WealthTech space. All research and evaluation is still yours to do. 

• How often does the map get updated? 
  The map is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect new entrants, exits, and changes across the WealthTech landscape. 

Start your next technology search with the map. It does not make the decision for you. But it gives you a far better starting point than a conference booth. 

Next in this series: 
How to evaluate the tools on your short list – including the five checks most firms skip before they commit to a vendor. That is up next. 

About Enzigma Solutions 

Enzigma provides Fractional WealthTech Services to independent wealth advisory firms and Registered Investment Advisors across the United States. Our service gives firms the technology expertise they need – to implement, connect, and optimise their existing tools – without building a full-time internal team. 

If you are searching for WealthTech implementation support – or have already found Enzigma on the AdvisorTech Solutions Map – you can review our full service details on the Enzigma WealthTech Services page. 

Expert WealthTech service, at a fraction of the full-time cost.