TD Ameritrade inches closer to trading while driving

TD Ameritrade’s new voice-activated investing technology brings investors one step closer to trading while driving.

The Omaha, Nebraska-based financial services company is launching an in-vehicle offering that enables account holders to check their portfolio or receive a quote on a security via voice command.

TD Ameritrade window TDAI Bloomberg April 22, 2019
Signage is displayed in the window of a TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. location in downtown Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017. TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. is scheduled to release earnings figures on October 24. Photographer: Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg
Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg

Drivers using Alphabet unit Google’s Android Auto or Amazon.com’s Echo Auto can use voice commands to unlock market performance summaries and sector updates, hear real-time quotes and check account balances and portfolio performance.

“One day we hope to add a transactional layer where you can make trades on the go,” Sunayna Tuteja, head of strategic partnerships and emerging technologies at TD Ameritrade Holding, said in an interview.

Tuteja called this offering an initial phase toward the implementation of in-vehicle trading, saying TD Ameritrade aims to first demonstrate the safety and security of these more limited services on the road.

While the voice-enabled technology is exclusively offered through Android Auto and Echo Auto, drivers with Apple’s CarPlay can stream a new app from TD Ameritrade Network called TDAN Radio. Launched in 2017, it has drawn more than 2 million unique visitors across platforms so far in 2019, according to a company representative.

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