Both advised and do-it-yourself (DIY) wealth management website and apps are prioritizing modern interfaces that integrate artificial intelligence (AI)-powered technology, as fintech players move into the retirement planning space.
J.D. Power’s U.S. Wealth Management Digital Experience study finds that investors tend to favor technologically advanced platforms that provide stylish dashboards, strong portfolio analytics, and AI technology.
The popular ranker evaluated website dashboards from the top firms and scored each based on information, tools/capabilities, system performance and design. Top-performing brands excelled on visual appeal and investing tools, with many offering “easy navigation” and “information-rich context” to participants.
The shift from traditional interfaces to modernized dashboards could be attributed to a rise in fintech players now entering the retirement planning market, as wealth managers merge into the industry, finds J.D. Power. “The continued growth of fintech players in the wealth management space has really raised the bar on investor expectations of a truly personalized digital experience,” said Mike Foy, managing director and head of wealth intelligence at J.D. Power. “As firms continue to incorporate more capabilities into their digital properties, it is critical that they also deliver a consistent cross-channel experience that connects with investors whether they are engaging via desktop, mobile app or speaking offline with an advisor or representative.”
The analysis also noted a rise in virtual assistant features, with over half of wealth management apps offering the benefit in their digital experiences to drive customer satisfaction. According to the findings, 60% of DIY apps and 54% of advised apps provide virtual assistants. The average overall satisfaction among advised wealth management investors who use virtual assistant apps was 767 points out of a 1,000-point scale, and 47 points higher for DIY investors.
Despite the high usage of virtual assistant tools, human integration is still vital for more advanced queries like suggestions or for anticipating investor needs, J.D. Power reports.
“The importance of good design is hard to overstate when it comes to investor satisfaction with wealth management apps and websites,” said Jon Sundberg, senior director of digital solutions at J.D. Power. “J.D. Power is seeing many new capabilities being introduced and many firms are getting great traction with AI-powered virtual assistants, but the real key to investor engagement with wealth management apps and websites is intuitive, clean design and consistency across different communication channels.”
Study Rankings
Wells Fargo Advisors received the top score for overall customer satisfaction in the advised segment, reaching 756 points based on a 1,000-point scale. This was followed by J.P. Morgan Wealth Management (748), Vanguard (744), and Charles Schwab (740).
Robinhood scored first place on the DIY side, reaching 724 points. Charles Schwab (717), Fidelity (713), and Stash (713) were also top runners.
J.D. Power notes that as this year’s study was redesigned for 2025, overall satisfaction scores could not be compared with previous studies. More information on the study can be found here.