Developing a Complete Portfolio Management Tool: Top Features and Functionalities

One of the biggest issues with modern investing is how fragmented everything is. Skilled investors can expect to utilize up to five or six different investment accounts to manage all of their finances.

With so many different financial instruments available for investment, FinTech software is simplifying how investors track the profitability of their assets. Application Programming Interface (API) integration is powering Portfolio Management Applications that possess all of the key features that allow users to manage investments in a singular place.

By taking advantage of how financial institutions have begun to incentivize the use of their data, viable portfolio management applications enable access to leading custodians or investment institutions, financial services, bank account information, and more, all while ensuring digital security, so investors and portfolio managers can easily track and manage finances.

Must-Have Functionalities for Your Portfolio Management Software

To investors’ great advantage, the majority of the leading brokerage institutions have their proprietary APIs publicly accessible to their clients. With third-party financial institution API integrations implemented by expert FinTech developers, portfolio management software offers users a power-packed tool for managing their portfolios.

Data is synced with multiple sources for the most accurate reporting that financial decisions depend on. All while following specifications put forth by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), The Bank Secrecy Act’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) rules, and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

The availability of these APIs gives users functionality that can be simplified compared to the separate interfaces these organizations offer. With data streaming in from these platforms simultaneously, applications can be thought of as a command center from where users can conduct trades, analysis, and research among other portfolio management capabilities.

Stock Trading

Stock trading is a large part of how investors build financial resiliency. The ability to place orders with a platform through integration with brokerage and trading platform APIs is a huge advantage of centralized portfolio management, allowing users to initiate money transfers while staying compliant with various brokerage regulations.

Intuitive data entry forms enable all transaction types to facilitate the diversifying investments users need to make to maintain a portfolio that experiences long-term growth. Modules for trading need to include seamless importing tools for QIF, OFX, QFX, and CSV standard investment files and accounts from the largest brokerages, such as Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, E*Trade, and Fidelity, to name a few.

Portfolio Reporting

Visibility is an essential component of a successful portfolio. Portfolio management software, through the use of APIs, makes it a lot easier for the user to track finances through various account features such as:

• Comprehensive ticker symbol databases.

• Live news feeds.

• Trade expense reduction algorithms.

• Balance alerts, price alerts, and risk triggers across all custodians’ accounts.

Users can also see personal reports and other tailored information all in one place. The developer can customize the way reports are generated to allow the user to get a whole new view of how their account is working through historical data analysis tools, aggregated account and brokerage dashboards, as well as through comprehensive asset management modules.

Risk Analysis

Market behavior is constantly changing, but several factors can be monitored to produce the best risk analysis. Based on factors such as internal, technical, and market sentiment factors, investment analysis forecast modules analyze market behaviors and pulled data from disparate systems to produce informed probabilities.

Additionally, costs related to events, including internal company behavior, environmental factors, inflation rates, and market and industry trends are utilized to influence forecast modules for investment analysis that mitigates risk. Reporting tool should additionally:

• Perform multi-factor risk modeling.

• Conduct stress scenario testing.

• Track Return on Investments (ROI).

• Possess "what-if" testing tools for assessing asset and transaction activity.

Further, access to Riskalyze, StatPro, SimCorp, and InvestSpy APIs for third-party risk mitigation solutions is another valuable tool for making sure the market doesn’t diminish investors’ portfolios. With vital risk analysis, post-trade compliance, and client reporting enabled, portfolio management solutions make sure the market doesn’t diminish investors’ portfolios.

User Authentication & Consumer Information

Instead of signing on to five or six different platforms every day to operate brokerage accounts, users can sign on to just one. Single Sign-On (SSO) enables users to access the data pulled from various sources and financial institutions without having to switch from app to app.

With authenticated users, portfolio management tools can provide credit reporting modules for further financial tracking and management by users. Consumer-facing APIs from credit reporters such as Experian, Trans Union, and Equifax are pulled to provide public records, credit scores, FICO scores for generating full reports. Instead of leaving the app, users can see visualizations of all of their information in one place.

Leveraging Your Integrations with the Leading Brokerage Institutions

When considering the end-to-end technology ecosystem of successful portfolio management software, integrations with main custodians are essential. Among the brokerages, commercial banks, and financial institutions, some of the heavy-hitters include JPMorgan Chase, Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, Fidelity, Merrill Lynch, and RBC.

Portfolio management software integrated with APIs from the major players in the finance sector changes the way that investment is traditionally conducted. For investors, having all that relevant data in a centralized location gives them an edge over investing competition. It will also make investors more agile by offering increased:

• Flexibility: Create any type of report and real-time alerts with data pulled from major custodians.

• Security: Industry standard security measures dictated by the SEC, the Bank Secrecy Act’s AML rules, and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act are used to share and store data.

• Accuracy and Reliability: Effective integrations allow for up-to-date, live data pulling for accurate reporting and financial decision-making.

• Compatibility: Integration with as many brokerages and third-party tools as possible enhances the overall portfolio monitoring experience.

Software for managing portfolios is most useful when integrated with the many critical APIs available. Rather than turning to a traditional brokerage firm, portfolio management software, rich with data, offers clients convenient trading and monitoring right from their mobile device or desktop computer.

Portfolio Management for a Financially Literate Future

In a time when managing a portfolio is more complicated than ever, management applications for desktop or mobile use are the flexible solution to manage investments across platforms. Rather than logging into multiple accounts every day—likely multiple times a day—to ensure things are going smoothly, full visibility is enabled in a single location for tracking and analysis.

But portfolio management tools are only as powerful as the APIs they integrate with and the features they include. Integration with the most widely used custodian data and the expert development of various functionalities are the hallmarks of portfolio management tools that give users a decisive edge when it comes to the management of finances. An edge that leads to the improved monetization strategies investors are looking for.