Deals & People July 14, 2009

RPG Adds Mid Atlantic Trust Co. to List of Approved Custodians

RPG Consultants has added Counsel Trust Company, doing business as Mid Atlantic Trust Company, to the RPG401k platform.
Reported by

RPG Consultants said the addition of Counsel Trust Company will open the door for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and that the program overcomes existing obstacles to holding ETFs in all types of defined contribution plans, such as 401(k), 403(b), 457(b) and profit-sharing plans.

The RPG401k system will integrate with MATC’s ETFxChange product to provide retirement plans with open-architecture, allowing for an array of ETF and mutual fund investment choices, according to a press release. RPG said the addition will offer significant cost savings to plan sponsors and participants.

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RPG’s recordkeeping and administrative capabilities provide a complete retirement plan solution to financial advisers and plan sponsors, giving them access to hundreds of ETFs and thousands of mutual fund choices, according to the company.

“We believe employees who are in 401(k) plans should also be given cost-effective and easily understood investments from the widest range of choices that their financial advisers can provide and that employers have the same cost effectiveness in a seamless operational and administrative platform,” said Alvin Rapp, RPG Consultants’ founding partner, in the release. “We encourage advisers to take advantage of the features that our platform provides, including the capability of our recordkeeping system to allow the adviser to develop asset allocations and other managed models using cost-effective ETFs.”


Products July 13, 2009

National Financial Integrates Thomson ONE into Streetscape

National Financial announced it has integrated the wealth management capabilities of Thomson ONE into its Streetscape brokerage workstation.
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National Financial, a Fidelity Investments company, said the enhanced solution will be available to National Financial’s more than 300 broker/dealer firms and their brokers and advisers. Thomson ONE, which contains applications and content from Thomson Reuters including market data, news, research, book management, and wealth planning and investment selection tools, is currently deployed to more than 100,000 adviser and broker desktops across the country.

The combined product will help brokers better meet the increasingly sophisticated needs of their high-net-worth customers, the companies said in a press release. Customer account information will pre-populate and update across the various applications, allowing for workflow and trading efficiencies.

National Financial said the integrated product, Streetscape & Thomson ONE, offers:

  • Book Management: Provides tools to help brokers generate new investment opportunities, monitor portfolios with potential risks, and query and analyze holistic customer views, accounts, and securities across their entire book of business.
  • Wealth Management: Combines financial planning and portfolio management capabilities to help brokers pick an appropriate mix of investments based on investor needs, perform asset allocation and create customized reports for individual investors or an entire household.
  • Market Data: Combines multiple market data and news options, including real-time data feeds from an extensive network of providers, including Thomson Reuters’ advanced analytical tools, watch lists, performance summaries and historical company data.
  • Transaction & Execution: Provides extensive account management, research, and advanced trading and order management tools so that brokers can access account details directly from the order ticket, as well as place orders from both the quote and position screens. Trading capabilities also are fully integrated with critical operations and risk management tools allowing for improved regulatory oversight.


National Financial will be providing broker/dealer firms and their advisers training on the workstation’s tools and resources, including an online demo, and access to experienced implementation and dedicated support teams.

Streetscape is already integrated with business-building tools including National Financial’s Broker & Advisor Center and Managed Account Solutions program. Broker/dealer firms are able to integrate their own or third-party applications and content, such as financial planning tools or customer relationship management (CRM) systems, National Financial said.

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