Account Aggregation

Account aggregation is the automatic gathering of a client's account balances and holdings — from banks, brokerages, retirement plans, and outside custodians — into one consolidated, regularly updated view. It typically works through data connections (often via aggregation providers) that pull positions and transactions on a schedule.

Advisors use aggregation to see the whole balance sheet, including assets they don't directly manage, so plans reflect reality rather than a snapshot the client typed in once. Held-away 401(k)s, spouse accounts, and cash at other banks all show up, which improves allocation analysis, net-worth tracking, and billing accuracy.

Advisors care because complete, current data makes every downstream tool more trustworthy.

• Pulls balances and holdings from many institutions
• Refreshes automatically on a schedule
• Feeds planning, reporting, and net-worth views

Aggregation is a core capability of financial planning software and portfolio advisor tools; coverage, connection reliability, and data quality vary by vendor, so it's worth testing before you commit.