Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

General
Members
Service Providers

How does Connexien work?

Within the financial services industry, we saw a growing need for a marketplace where financial service firms can easily connect with highly skilled experts that understand their business.  Unlike other networking sites, we focus solely on the financial services industry.

Our intelligently designed platform connects broker-dealers, investment advisers, banks and insurance companies with a network of service providers, consultants and experts who provide high performance solutions to address the most basic to complex project needs. 

Connexien has three separate yet powerful platforms in one.  Find top industry service providers and experts for your project based needs through our online community; access industry forms, templates, checklists & documents through our Digital Library; and share your insights with the greater financial services community through our Publishing Platform.  It’s our way of providing industry insights at your fingertips.

What projects can be done on Connexien?

Whether you’re requesting a service online or in person, it can be done through Connexien. We connect broker-dealers, investment advisers, banks and insurance companies with our community of service providers, consultants and experts who provide high performance solutions to address the most basic to complex project needs. Whether you need a small project or a dedicated team to manage your long-term venture, you’ll find talent on Connexien ready to support your business.

What’s the difference between finding experts online through Connexien, versus locally?

Technology and the mobility of today’s workforce is making online work more attractive than local work, with improved access, lower cost, and a larger, high-quality pool of talent to choose from. Because online work can happen wherever there’s an Internet connection, you can select a highly skilled expert who specializes in the U.S. financial markets, regardless of their physical location. However, similar to local work, when working with industry experts you find online, it’s always best to clearly communicate your project needs for the most successful outcome.

How does Connexien make money?

Although it’s free to become a member to search for experts and to list your services as a service provider under our basic membership, we receive revenue from our premium memberships and subscription services.  Under our Service Provider platform, we offer service providers an optional premium membership through Connexien Pro® (coming soon) where we charge a monthly subscription fee.  We also receive fees from the sale of top industry related content through our Digital Library as well as for publications posted on our Publishing Platform.

Have more questions?

If you can’t find what you’re looking for or have additional questions we’re here to help.  To reach our customer support team, please email connect@connexien.com and our team will be happy to help you.

Why should I use Connexien to find an expert?

Have you ever found yourself subject to a regulatory audit and in need of help—fast? Have you ever needed immediate expertise in legal, accounting, IT/cybersecurity, human resources, operations, risk management or compliance, but didn’t know where to start?  The good news is, we have exactly these types of experts available and ready to work for you on a short term or long term basis. Our platform provides a simple way to search, match and engage with top industry talent that is responsive to your specific needs. We believe that financial service firms need the right platform that gives them ready access to top industry talent on demand. What’s more, our experts already know your business. They come from leading broker-dealers, investment advisers, insurance firms and banks and are located throughout the country. With over 100 categories to choose from, now you can search for everything from administrative assistants to mergers and acquisitions expertise at your fingertips.

Is it easy to find an expert?

Now finding an expert is easier than ever with Connexien.  We help financial service firms save time by offering a better way to connect with the experts they need the most. Our intelligently designed platform connects broker-dealers, investment advisers, banks and insurance companies with our network of service providers, consultants and experts who provide high performance solutions to address the most basic to complex project needs. 

How do you ensure the right quality expert is matched to my specific project needs?

We use technology and algorithms which take various data points from your project and match it with our experts. Those with the best match show up on our platform for review. Others may possess some of the required skills but may not make a shortlist if the key data points from your project are not a strong enough match.  We’re about finding the right expert for the right project.

I’ve found an expert that I believe is a good fit for my project. How do I start the engagement process?

Although you may conduct a basic search for experts through the platform, you will need to become a member to get full access and contact information to specific experts that may be right for you. Once you have signed up for a free membership and have full access to our community of experts on display, you can reach out to candidates either via email or phone or by requesting an in person meeting.  Once you’ve made your selection, you may engage directly with your selected expert to begin your project.

Although you may choose from any of our experts, those who display the Connexien Pro® badge have gone through a more extensive background/due diligence process and have consistently delivered at the top level of their field.  Each Connexien Pro® has demonstrated that they perform great work, maintain excellent relationships with clients, and demonstrate other critical factors for creating successful projects.

How quickly can I get my project started?

This really depends on the complexity of the request and the arrangement you make with the service provider. Our ultimate goal is to provide you with a ready list of skilled experts who are available for engagement based on your specified project needs. Experts display their level of availability on their profile for your immediate review.

Do I pay an expert directly?

Yes. Once you find the right expert that meets your project needs, we encourage you to engage directly with the expert to establish your own set of terms, conditions and fee arrangements. This makes it easier for you to manage multiple experts on your own terms.  Our role is to facilitate the connection between firms and providers. We don’t receive any finder’s fee or referral fees for our matching services.

Do I need to meet experts?

It’s entirely up to you. Most of our members begin the search process via our platform. Some correspond by email or interview candidates by phone, while other members require an onsite presence, particularly when there is a requirement to be part of an existing team. Many members are happy to engage and correspond with experts remotely. Our ultimate goal is for members to find and engage with an expert that’s right for them based on their project needs.

Besides finding an expert, what else can Connexien do for my business?

Connexien matches our members with service providers who can meet a specific need, but there are other benefits to membership. As a member of the Connexien community, you’ll have free access to articles, commentaries, white papers and thought pieces specific to our industry. You can browse our curated articles on our Publishing Platform. Even if you don’t have a need to engage a service provider, you may benefit from the content found in our Digital Library. Our library is full of resources like fully customizable industry related forms, documents and checklists that are designed to make your life easier.

I’m thinking about going independent. Does it make sense to join Connexien?

If you have experience in the financial services industry, there are broker dealers, investment advisors, banks and insurance companies who are looking for seasoned professionals just like you. You may already have a full-time job you’re happy with, but that doesn’t mean you can’t lend your expertise to someone else who needs it and grow your income along the way. Whether it’s help with a marketing initiative, advice on new regulations, IT, legal, accounting or consultation on a special project, firms are turning to the proven professionals on Connexien, and you don’t want to get left behind.

Can anyone join Connexien?

If you have a particular area (or areas) of expertise, we want to help you share it with the greater financial services community.  Ultimately, we all prosper in a community that allows for the exchange of great insight.  Connexien is the most comprehensive marketplace of its kind connecting experts like you with firms who need them. Our community of experts is comprised of professionals with anywhere from 5 to 30+ years of business experience who are (or were formerly) compliance officers, risk managers, chief compliance officers, accountants, lawyers, IT directors, marketing directors, operations managers, traders, etc. We also have senior executives with extensive career experience as well as serial entrepreneurs and solopreneurs who have built businesses or led significant initiatives in the financial services community. We provide companies ready access to expertise and experience.

Why do I need to complete and/or maintain my profile?

Our matching process is driven by key data points and algorithms. These use the information in your profile to determine a matching score for each project.  The more complete your profile, the more likely you are to be discovered by firms searching for experts like you.

Can I edit and/or update my profile?

You can edit or update your profile at any time. Simply log in to your Connexien account and select the Edit Profile link below your Profile Overview section located on your main profile page. After selecting the Edit Profile link, the dropdown menu will display five separate sections that allow you to edit specific sections of you profile.

Should I accept every project request?

Although we have a large community of experts, each expert is encouraged to accept only those projects that are a high match for his/her skillset. This means that the project requests that come to you through our platform will be high in quality but at times may also be high in quantity.  As much as the selection process is about connecting with the right expert, it’s also about finding the right engagement. Carefully review each project request, based on your capabilities, and then select the projects that are a high match for your skillset for the best outcome.

Can I work remotely on projects?

Depending on the project, you may work remotely or onsite.  Some projects, particularly more advisory related work, can be carried out remotely whereas other projects may need time onsite where all or some of the project is completed on the client premises. In your Service Provider Profile, you will set filters regarding your availability to work onsite or remotely which also allows those searching for such services to narrow the specific project details to find the right expert based on their project needs.  

How do I get paid?

You can get paid in two ways: by directly engaging with member firms looking for project help or by selling your content through our Digital Library. After accepting a project request through our platform, you will engage directly with the member firm requesting the project.  We do not take any fee for engagement matches.  If you need help with standard service agreements, contracts, etc. please visit our Digital Library for additional resources. Once you engage with a member firm, you will invoice the member firm upon project completion. The payment is normally made at the end of the project; for longer term projects, part of the agreement process will be on a payment frequency that is agreeable by both you and the member firm. For details on getting paid through our platform, see the Publishing Platform FAQs.

Will my work be reviewed/rated?

Yes. Our members are asked to review service providers and rate their work if they have entered into an engagement. When available, we provide detailed feedback to our service providers and the average number of stars received is displayed on the provider’s profile. 

Can I sell my content through Connexien?

Yes.  Our Contributing Partner Program provides an extensive platform that allows service providers, consultants and experts to sell their originally authored content to the greater financial services community.

What does it cost to be a Service Provider?

It's really simple. We offer a free and fee-based subscription plan to suit your needs. Our basic plan is free and our Connexien Pro® plan (coming soon) is priced at $29.99 per month.

What is Connexien Pro®?

Connexien Pro® (coming soon) is designed to showcase talent who consistently deliver at the top level of their field.  Experts who achieve this level display a Pro badge on their Connexien profile, representing great work, excellent relationships with clients, and other critical factors in creating successful projects.

Connexien Pro® also includes a more stringent vetting process, prominent placement within our community of experts, additional promotional marketing/social media campaigns through our Professional Spotlight Series to get your name in front the firms that matter, and access to a menu of additional resources including our Publishing Platform and Digital Library.

Can I cancel or change my plan anytime?

Monthly subscriptions for Connexien Pro® (coming soon) are billed month to month. No contract. No obligation. You can cancel your monthly subscription at any time. Annual purchases come with an awesome discount and run on a one-year billing cycle with cancellation available for the following year.

Can I sell my content through Connexien?

Yes.  Our Contributing Partner Program provides an extensive platform that allows you to sell originally authored content to the greater financial services community. For details on how to sell your content, see the Digital Library FAQs section.

How does your Publishing Platform work?

Through our Publishing Platform, we provide and maintain a collection of white papers, articles, commentaries, and position statements written by industry service providers, experts, consultants and specialists about relevant topics affecting the financial services industry. Topics include compliance, technology, risk management, administration, management, research, practice, legal, accounting and regulatory and legislative developments. Service providers can upload their work for a flat fee of $45 and member firms can browse our publications for free. All work published through our platform is posted on the service provider’s profile. Service providers can track views, edit and/or update as needed.

Why should I publish my work on Connexien?

We provide you with a clear voice to a large, yet specific, audience.  If you have a specific skill set within the financial services industry, we want to help you share it with the greater financial services community.  The target audience for our Publishing Platform includes 4k+ broker-dealers, 629k+ registered representatives, 12k+ registered investment adviser firms and 3k+ exempt reporting advisers, 285k+ registered advisory representatives, 434k+ insurance agents, 6k+ commercial banks, 10k+ mutual funds and 425+ transfer agents.

How do I find a specific publication on the Publishing Platform?

You can search for specific topics related to broker-dealers, investment advisers, banking or insurance produced by the top service providers, experts, consultants and specialists in the industry.  Simply search by industry topic(s) or by entering keywords to review our collection of insights from industry experts for free.

How do I publish my work on the Publishing Platform?

If you're an industry service provider or expert who produces white papers, articles, commentaries, and position statements focusing on topics related to broker/dealers, investment advisers, banking or insurance, we want to hear from you.  Simply Create a Connexien Account, select your industry focus, pay the flat posting fee and post your work.

Is this a secure site for purchases?

Absolutely! We work with secure payment service providers such as Shopify and Stripe for payment processing which guarantee your safety and security. All site communication and data transfer are secured and encrypted for your protection.

Do you save credit card details?

Absolutely not. Your credit card details are not stored on our servers. The information goes directly from your computer to our select payment service providers for processing.

What is the Digital Library?

If you need additional resources to compliment or expand your existing products and/or services, we offer an expansive digital library of fully customizable industry related forms, documents and checklists for immediate download.  Simply click to view our Digital Library, select your industry and find the resource that’s right for you.

Are you hosting the content or can I download the content from the Digital Library?

We host all content on our Digital Library until such time that you purchase and download the documents for use.  Document prices are clearly listed for each item.  Once a document is purchased, you are free to download the document and it becomes your property with a lifetime license for unlimited use.

All free content items are posted for your convenience and are for immediate download without purchase. Free content items such as federal, SRO (FINRA) and/or state regulatory agency specific forms & documents are the property of each respective agency and any use of such documents must comply with each agency’s terms & conditions. Rather than trying to navigate the website for each state, Connexien is your one stop “shop” for regulatory forms.

What are the file types for download on the Digital Library?

When you download a form, template, document and/or checklists from our Digital Library, you will receive it in the format in which it was prepared and uploaded on display for download and purchase.  Depending on the item, most of the files are in Word, Excel and PDF formats.  Please review the file format detail provided on each specific file description on our Digital Library.

How do I receive my digital downloads from the Digital Library?

We maintain a collection of free and fee-based forms, templates, documents and/or checklists for digital download.  Whether you digitally download free items or purchase and download fee-based items, each digital download will come to you in the form of an email with a link to digitally download the document.  Once you select the link to open the digital download, you’re free to save the downloaded item wherever you like.

How many times can I download items purchased on the Digital Library?

Items digitally downloaded from our Digital Library are allowed a one-time download so it’s important you save a copy of the downloaded item so you can refer back to the item for further customization and/or edits.  In the event you can’t open the downloaded item in the link sent to you via email, or any other error occurs, you may reach out to us through our Contact Us page.

Can I forward my digital downloads received from the Digital Library?

Items digitally downloaded from our Digital Library are allowed a one-time download so it’s important you save a copy of the downloaded item so you can refer back to the item for further customization and/or edits.  You may forward the link as long as the link has not been previously opened.  However, when you open the link and download the item, the link will no longer remain active for accessing the information.  Any accessing of the link or forwarding for access will not be permitted.  In the event you can’t open the initial downloaded item in the link sent to you via email, or another error occurs, you may reach out to us through our Contact Us page.

Will items sold on the Digital Library have your watermark or Connexien mentions?

To provide the most comprehensive industry Digital Library possible, we offer Connexien forms, templates, documents and/or checklists alongside those produced from other industry leaders.  Items purchased and downloaded from our Digital Library do not include watermarks but may include authorship mention in the footer section of each item which can be deleted upon further customization.

Can I use the content after my membership is over?

Yes. The content you download at the time of purchase is yours.  However, since content is dynamic and subject to change, some content may become outdated as industry updates occur.  As content is updated on our Digital Library, we encourage you to use more recent updates rather than rely on previous versions. By checking the version history in the Digital Library you’ll always know if your document is up to date.

How do I pay for a document?

When you’re ready to download a document from the Digital Library, you will add the document to your cart and enter your credit card, PayPal or other account details. None of your credit card information is saved or stored on our servers. The information goes directly from your computer to our select payment service providers for processing.

Is this a secure site for purchases?

Absolutely! We work with secure payment service providers such as Shopify and Stripe for payment processing which guarantee your safety and security. All site communication and data transfer are secured and encrypted for your protection.

What is the Contributing Partner Program?

We all need better access to quality resources. If you’re an industry professional who has originally authored forms, documents or checklists, we’d like to help you share them with the greater financial services community. Our process is simple: build an industry specific Digital Library that allows both author(s) and user(s) to grow and prosper.  To get started, simply create your profile, share and track your content and get paid for selling your work. It’s that simple.

Is the Contributing Partner Program free to try?

Yes, signing up as a Contributing Partner is 100% free.  Since we partnered with Stripe, you will be asked to provide credit card, debit card or banking information through Stripe’s secure system so that you can get paid for selling your content through our Digital Library.

Do you have an affiliate program?

Our Contributing Partner Program takes the place of an affiliate program.  This allows us to work side-by-side, as well as collaborate, with other industry professionals and experts to provide a community of insight that benefits the entire industry as a whole.

How does the Contributing Partner Program make money?

Through our Contributing Partner Program, we’re able to partner with other industry professionals and experts who have originally authored works to offer those products to the greater financial services community through our Digital Library.  We charge a 30% service fee for each content item sold through our platform.

How do I get paid?

For each sale under our Contributing Partner Program, Stripe, our payments provider, will automatically take out a fee (generally 20-30 cents, plus a percentage usually under 3%) and a 30% Connexien service fee. The rest of your revenue will be automatically posted into your Stripe account.

What is Stripe? What if I don’t have an account?

Stripe is a leading online payments platform. Our Contributing Partners can charge for their content and collect credit and debit card payments from their users through the Stripe payments platform. When you first set up your account as a Connexien Contributing Partner, you’ll be able to connect an existing Stripe account or create a new one for free.

Do you save credit card details?

Absolutely not. Your credit card details are not stored on our servers. The information goes directly from your computer to our payment service provider.

Did we answer your question? If you need further assistance please contact us.