[firefoxman1]

Independent registered investment advisers are disrupting stockbrokers.

That's definitely one that's under-appreciated. High-frequency trading gets all the press, but the stockbroker is a dying breed. People want more than someone who can buy and sell stock for them, since they can do it online easier and cheaper than with a broker.

I think two things that create large opportunity in this old, ripe-for-disruption market are personal service and a feeling of security. I know someone who is an account manager (kind of like a "hedge fund" manager for the average person) who earns his clients about 3% annually, and he does quite well. Three percent! The average rate of inflation! But with how volatile markets are and now quickly financial instruments change, people are really afraid of losing it all, so they hand their money to an expert to manage.

So anyway, if anyone is looking to disrupt the financial market in the years directly directly following a crash, personal service and guaranteeing security seem to be the key strategies.