Products April 13, 2016

LPL to Leverage BlackRock’s FutureAdvisor Platform

The collaboration with FutureAdvisor will accelerate the development of LPL’s robo-advice solution.
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LPL Financial LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of LPL Financial Holdings Inc., announced it will use BlackRock Solutions’ FutureAdvisor platform to support a digital advice platform for use by LPL’s financial advisers and institutions and their clients.

LPL’s adviser-intermediated digital advice solution will be designed to provide LPL’s financial advisers and institutions with a technology-enabled, low-cost investment platform that can enhance investor experience and adviser productivity and provide more opportunities for advisers to grow and expand into new markets, the company said.

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The platform, which will be accessible through a web portal, will also be integrated with LPL’s custodial platform. The solution will feature access to the LPL research department’s model investment portfolios, and will incorporate the following technology-enabled advice capabilities from Future Advisor: management of investor accounts in alignment with LPL’s model portfolios, aggregation of outside accounts, tax-efficient portfolio management, an investor portal and online account enrollment.

“We are excited to collaborate with FutureAdvisor to accelerate the development of our robo-advice solution, which we believe will enable our advisers and institutions to serve a variety of clients with independent, objective financial advice in a convenient and scalable manner,” says Ryan Parker, managing director of investment and planning solutions for LPL. “The new solution will complement advisers’ existing practices and expand the availability of their services to current or potential clients who may prefer a digital alternative to the traditional method of receiving investment advice.”

The Markets April 13, 2016

Endowment Index Posts Gain in Q1 2016

The Index is used for portfolio comparison, investment analysis, research and benchmarking purposes by trustees, portfolio managers, consultants and advisers to defined benefit/defined contribution plans, pension plans and individual investors.
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The Endowment Index calculated by Nasdaq OMX increased 1.24% (on a total return basis) for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, closing at 1,012.60. By comparison, the S&P 500 gained 1.35% for the same period. 

Thirteen of the Index’s 19 components provided a positive return for the first quarter. While gold was the single best performing overall asset class (+16.4%) for the quarter, the Index components providing the best overall return attributions were global metals & mining (+0.28%), hedge strategies (+0.26%), equity-emerging markets (+0.24%), and domestic real estate (0.19%). Of the six components that posted a negative return attribution, emerging markets-China (-0.60%) and international developed equities (-0.21%) were the most significant.

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Visit www.endowmentIndex.com to download an Index fact sheet or spreadsheet containing longer-term performance information.

The Index is used for portfolio comparison, investment analysis, research and benchmarking purposes by fiduciaries such as trustees, portfolio managers, consultants and advisers to endowments, foundations, trusts, defined benefit/defined contribution plans, pension plans and individual investors. It is a total return index and all underlying components are comprised of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or other investable securities.

The Endowment Multi Asset ETF Allocation, a collective investment trust available for use in defined contribution (DC) plans and managed by ETF Model Solutions, employs a passive investment approach based upon the Endowment Index.

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