Bridging the Generation Gap (one message at a time)

So my daughter and son just celebrated their 27th and 24th birthdays this past week. (full disclosure: I was 12 when she was born. okay, okay not really.) Normally, I'd give them a call (on their mobile phone, of course) and wish them a happy birthday. Not this year.

This year, I left my son a birthday greeting on his Facebook page since he's at home (temporarily). For my daughter, who is out on her own (thank goodness) and has a steady job, I sent a text message since she communicates most regularly with her friends that way. The funny thing is, she thought it was kind of cute that her Dad was communicating that way and she actually called me to tell me. My son, of course, said nothing about it. But hey, that's just the way boys are so I'd expect nothing less.

Getting ready for e-Finance next week

I'll be co-presenting at the e-Finance Marketing & Innovation Conference in New York next week. Our session is entitled Social Media in Action: Turning Customers into Lifers. We are focusing on some very specific examples of our social media interactions and avoiding the theoretical discussions that seem to dominate so many of these events. If you are attending, please say hello. I'd love to meet some of my "virtual" readers in person.

As we were prepping for the event, it gave me a chance to reflect on the growth of my own engagement with others through the social media outlets. From my first tweet in October, 2008 to today, when I'm checking in via FourSquare, writing both a personal and company blog, on Facebook, and, of course, tweeting on a regular basis. It's been an interesting journey that doesn't look to end soon. Wonder what's next......

FI's and Personal Financial Management

After a very enjoyable Memorial Day weekend, I wanted to complete my post about the Panel discussion at Net.Finance. After our social media discussion, the second topic we covered was around Personal Financial Management (PFM) tools. Mark Schwanhausser of Javelin Strategy has been a huge proponent of PFM's. In fact, Javelin research has found that of consumers who are looking for money management help, 63% want to see all their accounts and transactions in one place.

Both Stu Fisher and I are introducing PFM solutions at our organizations later this year. Addison Avenue is working with Jwaala while we are working with Geezeo. Our solution, called Mariner360, is going through Beta testing right now. Unlike Addison Avenue, our solution will not be integrated into our Online Banking platform. This is for two reasons. One, the time frame to integrate the two platforms would have been prohibitive. Two, we actually think each solution addresses different and distinct needs. Online Banking is a tool for performing tasks, like checking a balance, transferring funds, or paying a bill. Mariner360 will provide our customers a more holistic view of their assets and liabilities to manage their whole financial life. Providing a place to set budgets, goals, and manage their financial life is what we should be doing for our customers. Our Mariner360 platform will help us meet that role.