The 50 best apps for advisers (part two)

Last week, we began the rundown of the best 50 apps available available to advisers on the major platforms. Here we conclude the list, with a look at some useful tools for business, apps for your clients and the essentials for harnessing the power of social media.

Business Card Reader with CJK

Provider: Shape Services
Cost: £0.69
Platforms: iOS / Android / Blackberry
Recognising a host of different languages, this app uploads contacts from a business card photo and uses advanced text recognition technology (OCR) to enter the data into appropriate fields of the address book. This is one of the most highly rated card readers on the web.

Wordpress

Provider: Automattic
Cost: Free
Platforms: iOS/ Android
The Wordpress app enables those with a Wordpress blog or site to moderate comments and create or edit posts and pages via their mobile device. Great for the sole trader looking to keep in touch with clients.

Kindle

Provider: Amazon
Cost: Free
Platforms: iOS, Android
While most platforms come with a native reading app, Kindle rises above through its wide choice of books and ease with which users can move from one device to another.

Slingplayer

Provider: Sling Media
Cost: from £20.99
Platforms: iOS, Andoid, BlackBerry, Symbian
This app allows users to view TV, satellite and cable from anywhere in the world, although a SlingBox is needed at home. Ideal for the adviser who spends plenty of time on the road.

Reeder

Provider: Silvio Rizzi
Cost: £1.99
Platforms: iOS
If you keep visiting the same website or keep track of plenty of blogs, then Reeder is the ideal solution. Users can also use it to recommend links through Twitter, Delicious and other tools.

Webex

Provider: Cisco
Cost: Free
Platforms: iOS
If more advanced teleconferencing and video calling facilities are needed, then WebEx may be the better option as it allows users to share documents and other content.

Find an IFA

Provider: Unbiased.co.uk
Cost Free
Platforms: iOS/ Android
This free search application allows clients to find IFAs, mortgage advisers and solicitors local via their iPhone. It asks for a postcode and the type of advice the client is looking for and then provides eight advisers to choose from.

Financial Financial Planning Guide

Provider: Morantus Wealth Advisers
Cost: Free
Platforms: iOS
This app might worry one or two of you, as it offers comprehensive financial planning information direct to investors, helping them prepare for retirement, taxation, investment, estate, insurance, and education planning.

Homebudget with Sync

Provider: Anishu
Cost: £2.99
Platforms: iOS
Users can set this currency app to suit their region meaning UK consumers can make use of its ability to handle recurring bills and income streams, providing a graphic breakdown on how their money is performing. Will consumers using this app need to consult fi nancial advisers...? Probably.

Receipt Bank

Provider: Receipt Bank
Cost: Free
Platforms: iOS
A good one for clients or IFAs looking to keep track of their spending, the app converts paper receipts into bits of data that can be submitted to an accountant - or finance department.

Dropbox

Provider: Dropbox
Cost: Free
Platforms: iOS/ Android
Allows the user to store their fi les in one central location, great for financial advisers on the move. PowerPoint presentations, documents and spreadsheets can be stored into their Dropbox account and be ready all the time for client meetings.

Signmypad

Provider: Autriv
Cost: £2.49
Platforms: iOS / Android
Useful for financial advisers with an iPad or Android tablet wanting papers signed quickly - as it means clients can sign documents outside the office. It works well with Dropbox as PDFs can be stored pulled from that app.

Dragon Dictation

Provider: Nuance Communications
Cost: Free
Platforms: iOS
This voice recorder will be useful for anyone short of time but with stacks of admin to do. It records the voice then translates and generates the words as text. They can then be sent as an SMS or email.

Quickoffice Pro

Provider: Quickoffice
Cost: £9.55
Platforms: iOS / Android/ Symbian
This office suite helps users create, edit, access and share Microsoft Office files using their mobile device.

Google Docs

Provider: Google
Cost: Free
Platforms: Android, web app
Allows the user to create, edit, upload and share documents via Google Docs. Taking a photo of any printed text will convert it into a Google document. It is also optimised to take advantage of larger screens for tablet users.

Analytics Pro

Provider: Thomas Blackburn
Cost: £3.99
Platforms: iOS
Like every other businessman running a website, a typical financial adviser is likely to want to monitor its traffic. This provides data in a comparatively easy to read format, and can export data to txt or PDF.

Pages/ Keynote/ Numbers

Provider: Apple
Cost: £6.99 each
Platforms: iOS
Apple's official productivity apps are effectively mobile versions of the iWork software for the Mac, an alternative to Microsoft Office. They can take care of documents, spread sheets and presentations.

IFA Life

Provider: IFA Life
Cost: Free
Platforms: iOS
Provides a social networking site for financial planners, wealth managers, IFAs, financial life planners, mortgage brokers and professional financial advisers. Provides news, debate, planning best practice and training information.

Twitter

Provider: Twitter
Cost: Free
Platforms: iOS/ Android / Blackberry and Symbian
Financial advisers talk a lot about maintaining good communication with clients, and Twitter is one way of doing it - it's also good for following industry regulators, spokespeople and experts.

LinkedIn

Provider: LinkedIn
Cost: Free
Platforms: iOS/ Android / Blackberry and Symbian
Although LinkedIn can seem a bit cumbersome it is the only social media network that has remained exclusively for professionals, and the continued distinction between personal and business contacts is a good one.

Skype

Provider: Skype
Cost: Free
Platforms: iOS, Android, Blackberry
One of the most popular VoIP services, Skype allows video and conference calling and is popular among business and consumers in general. A number of advisers use it to conduct video calls with clients.

Flipboard

Provider: Flipboard
Cost: Free
Platforms: iOS
If your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn feeds are overloaded with links, then Flipboard is probably the app you need. It uses all these links to create a personal magazine and is very intuitive.

Google+

Provider: Google
Cost: Free
Platforms: Android, iOS, web app
Google's latest social media effort, which lets users create different circles for work and friends, had a high profile launch last year and has quickly gained traction. Non-Android users can use the web-app.

Hootsuite for Twitter

Provider: Hootsuite Media
Cost: Free
Platforms: iOS/Android/BlackBerry
Hootsuite is very much designed for the user who follows multiple social media feeds and who wanted to make the most of every feature available.

Coming soon...

Investment Week, Professional Adviser's sister title, is due to launch a fully functioning app in April this year. It will offer instant access to the latest copy of the magazine, up to the minute news feeds, video and audio content as well as active statistical pages. In addition you will get unique content about events and conferences.