1st Global Announces New Partnership with AppCrown LLC

DALLAS --(Business Wire)--

1st Global, a research and consulting partner of select CPA and wealth management firms, and AppCrown LLC announce a strategic partnership to deploy a cloud-based solution that delivers client relationship management, straight-through processing and business cycle management for wealth management clients. The partnership licenses AppCrown's Salesforce ISV platform to provide out-of-the-box workflow integration, automation and ability to streamline processes through the Force.com platform.

"Technology is changing the way advisors conduct business with their clients. Today's clients want more information, more connectivity and more mobility from their advisors," says 1st Global Vice President and Chief Information Officer Robert Kirk. "This new partnership is a big step in achieving our goal to deliver intuitive, easy-to-use mobile solutions that provide greater access to top-tier wealth management solutions."

"What makes AppCrown's platform unique is that it is specifically tailored to meet the needs of financial advisors and wealth managers by enmeshing with existing financial software applications," says Kirk.

AppCrown offers a "best of breed" solution to data integration by granting advisors and wealth managers instant access to all client data without requiring them to jump between separate applications with multiple logins and passwords. This allows financial advisors and wealth managers to display client information on-demand on a single screen.

"AppCrown has altered financial services by empowering enterprise firms with the capability to build a custom technology through integration and to deploy true business solutions without investing from ground zero," says Franlin Tsung, Chief Operating Officer for AppCrown LLC.

AppCrown's enterprise technology, Unified Software, is a revolutionary model for software delivery. Through AppCrown's integration hub for wealth management, 1st Global is empowered to integrate any third-party vendor, any clearing relationship and any record keeper into their enterprise IT (Force.com). This allows 1st Global to rapidly scale technology and operations. For the advisor and affiliated offices, this implies a flexible IT architecture and business solution to meet financial advisors' needs to expand their practice, manage their relationships and achieve their efficiency.

"Compared to the gilded age of software, no longer will the enterprises need to brave innovation into servers on their premises that are laden with high maintenance fees," says Tsung. "We are very excited to work with 1st Global, and this is a great industry example of technology and operations merging to deliver a truly whole product for the end user, the financial professional."

1st Global will begin rolling out the new platform within its business development division in the coming weeks. A pilot group representing all firm types will begin testing the new platform during the first quarter of 2013. The system is expected to be available to all of 1st Global's 400 affiliated firms during the second half of 2013.

About 1st Global

1st Global was founded in 1992 by CPAs who believe that accounting, tax and estate planning firms are uniquely qualified to provide comprehensive wealth management services to their clients. 1st Global is a research and consulting partner that provides CPA, tax and estate planning firms the education, technology, business-building framework and client solutions that make these firms leaders in their professions through dedicated professional client relationships built around wealth management.

Around 400 firms have chosen to affiliate with 1st Global, making us one of the largest financial services partners for the tax, accounting and legal professions.

1st Global Capital Corp. is a member of FINRA and SIPC and is headquartered at 12750 Merit Drive, Suite 1200 in Dallas, Texas, 214-294-5000. Investment advisory services are offered through 1st Global Advisors, Inc., an SEC (News - Alert)-Registered Investment Adviser. Additional information about 1st Global is available via the Internet at 1stGlobal.com

About AppCrown

Established in 2006, AppCrown, LLC is a Salesforce-based leading technology integration provider that delivers the most comprehensive and innovative integration and practice management solutions that enable financial advisers and broker/dealers to automate and streamline internal processes and enmesh them with third-party financial software applications. More information is available at www.appcrown.com.