A well-known investment company has entered the robo-advising game (ETFC)

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E-Trade has launched a robo-advisor.

The online investment platform lets users actively create and manage their own portfolios, but it also provides financial advice via phone or in-person at some branches. But now, E-Trade has debuted a hybrid robo-advisor called Adaptive Portfolio that blends automated investment services with access to human advisors.

As with other robo-advisors, clients fill out an online questionnaire. Adaptive Portfolio then analyzes answers and recommends a standard portfolio based on the client's risk tolerance, financial goals, and schedule.

But unlike other robo-advisors, Adaptive Portfolio offers two types of portfolios, and both offer the choice to speak to a human advisor at any moment.

The first is a "passive" portfolio that only contains passive ETFs that automatically track broad market segments. The robo-advisor manages the portfolio and automatically tweaks it to meet the client's needs. This functions like a typical robo-advisor.

The second is a "hybrid" portfolio that includes ETFs and actively managed mutual funds. This provides fund managers with more wiggle room to select which investments should appear in the portfolio. These types of funds typically charge higher fees. In this case, E-Trade's robo-advisor selects the funds in which to invest.

E-Trade charges 0.3% for Adaptive Portfolio, a rate similar to other hybrid robo-advisors such as Vanguard's Personal Advisor Services but more expensive than startup robo-advisors such as Betterment. Adaptive Portfolio also mandates a minimum investment of $10,000, a higher requirement than most startups but lower than Vanguard.

Robo-advisors are threatening to upend the enormous global wealth management industry in several ways, and they are likely to arrive in full force within the next few years.

Sarah Kocianski, senior research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on robo-advising that looks at the market for robo-advisory services, the drivers behind consumer adoption of robo-advising, why the robo-advisor market presents an opportunity to traditional wealth management firms, and how startup robo-advisors can succeed as massive legacy companies begin offering their own services.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• Large incumbent wealth managers won't lose out to startups like Betterment and Wealthfront. Instead, they are embracing the technology and launching their own products, which are scaling quickly. 
• Consumers across all asset classes are receptive to robo-advisors — including the wealthy. 49% of this group would consider investing some of their assets using a robo-advisor.
• The majority of assets managed by robo-advisors will come from people who already have some investments. We estimate that the volume of assets that comes from people who don't currently invest will be less than 1% of the total by 2020. 
• Startups are going to find it difficult to scale, and will need to differentiate their products to succeed. They are already doing this by providing white label services to wealth managers, and more customized stand alone solutions. 

 In full, the report:

• Provides a forecast for the volume of assets robo-advisors will manage by 2020.
• Highlights the factors that will drive the growth of robo-advisors
• Explains the different types of robo-advisor business model.
• Details the outlook for incumbents and startup robo-advisors in the wealth management industry.

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The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of robo-advisors.