MassMutual Offers CAIS Alternative Investment Platform to Advisers
To expand access to alternative offerings and make investment processes “even more robust and streamlined,” MassMutual has made the CAIS alternative investment platform available to advisers affiliated with MML Investors Services—an independent broker/dealer and investment adviser subsidiary of MassMutual.
“Alternative investment offerings are more important than ever for advisors and their clients,” said Vaughn Bowman, head of wealth management with MassMutual. “By teaming up with industry leaders like CAIS, we are providing more options for advisors to offer clients differentiated investments to complement their traditional portfolios.”
The CAIS platform provides a broad selection of alternative investment strategies spanning hedge funds, private equity, private debt, real estate, infrastructure and structured notes. Integrations with leading custodians and reporting providers will also be available, which help automate and streamline the reporting and document workflow process.
Pontera Partners with Stifel to Help 401(k) Participants Achieve Retirement Goals
Fintech company Pontera, which helps savers receive professional 401(k) management from a trusted financial adviser, announced a partnership with Stifel Financial Corp., a full-service brokerage and investment banking firm operating across the U.S. and abroad.
With this collaboration, more than 2,400 Stifel advisers will be able to securely manage 401(k)s for more than 200,000 clients through the Pontera platform as part of a personalized, comprehensive wealth management plan, according to a press release.
“When clients turn to their advisor for investment advice, they’re looking for help managing all of their assets — not just some,” stated Ron Kruszewski, chairman and chief executive of Stifel. “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Pontera and help our advisors answer this call for help by giving them tools to securely and efficiently manage their clients’ workplace retirement accounts.”
Kruszewski noted that the platform will be integrated with the adviser-driven tech stack, Addepar, that Stifel uses, for holistic performance reporting, as well as Salesforce CRM for streamlined client-account visibility and Stifel’s WealthTracker solution.
Subscription-based Financial Planning Firm Facet Adds Estate Planning Tools
Facet, a consumer subscription-based financial planning firm, has partnered with Wealth.com to add estating planning to its platform.
The partnership comes with Facet noting in an annual wellness report that 67% of respondents do not have estating planning documents and 78% lack estate planning or may have outdated estate documents.
The Wealth.com services include reviews and updates to client’s estate planning; meanwhile, Facet advisers can get guidance from Wealth.com’s team or connect with an attorney from the platform’s partner network, according to firms.
“We are making estate planning more accessible and ensuring plans are continually up-to-date,” Shruti Joshi, president and chief operating officer of Facet, said in a statement. “Our members rely on us not just for financial advice, but for the actionable tools to receive the full benefits of financial planning, including their legacies.”
The service will be offered as part of Facet’s “complete” membership option, or as a standalone service within membership options. The firm charges members a flat fee and provides access to certified financial professionals; it currently has a member base of over 23,000 people and manages over $3.11 billion in investments.
