National Planning Holdings Launches Advisory Platform

Independent broker/dealer network National Planning Holdings, Inc. (NPH), today announced the launch of an advisory platform for its affiliated advisers.

Advisor Solutions is a Web-based portfolio management and reporting platform for financial professionals who are implementing an advisory model within their practices, according to a press release. The platform streamlines the day-to-day operations of advisers while also providing institutional money management tools and reporting options.

“Advisers are gravitating toward an advisory model to meet increasing client demand and create a more dependable stream of income,’ said Jim Livingston, president and CEO of National Planning Holdings, Inc., in the release. “As investors’ needs become more complex, they seek deeper relationships with their adviser and a more comprehensive level of service. As such, we created the Advisor Solutions platform because we understand that advisers need easy access to sophisticated portfolio management, research, and reporting tools in order to effectively meet their clients’ needs and remain competitive in today’s market.’

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According to the release, the platform allows advisers to create model portfolios and assign clients to the appropriate model based on risk tolerance. Advisers can also build models using different techniques, including manually creating models that are not tied to specific asset allocation constraints.

The platform also features automatic rebalancing and reporting tools. Advisers can access and print a variety of reports from the Advisor Solutions Web site, and also have the option to grant clients access to their accounts via the site, the company said.

NPH offers one-hour online training sessions every Thursday at 11 a.m. EST through AdvisorView, a new advisory Web portal designed for NPH affiliates in conjunction with Advisor Solutions.


Financial advisers interested in learning more about the Advisor Solutions platform should contact James Clements at 303.488.4378 or james.clements@jnli.com.

John Hancock Adds Emerging Markets Fund to 529 Lineup

The John Hancock Funds II Emerging Markets Value Fund was added to four of the John Hancock Freedom 529 college savings plan enrollment-based portfolios and one of its static portfolios.

The fund, subadvised by Dimensional Fund Advisors, provides John Hancock’s national Section 529 college savings plan with a diversified and comprehensive platform using a multi-manager approach, the company said in a news release.

At the same time, Hancock is expanding its international allocation in these portfolios in order to better diversify the international component of its investment options and more effectively respond to changes in the international environment, John Hancock said.

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“The investment options available in John Hancock Freedom 529 are a great strength of our plan,” said Terri Hayes, vice president, John Hancock College Savings, in the release. “Adding an emerging markets fund at this time strengthens our offering to clients.”

Following overall investment guidelines established by the Education Trust of Alaska, John Hancock and T. Rowe Price have jointly hand-selected some of “the most respected managers who have consistently shown the ability to outperform their peers,’ the release said.

“We work to provide you with diversification in three ways: by asset class, by investment style and by money manager,’ Hayes said. “ Whichever portfolios customers choose, they have access to funds managed by top fund managers and can benefit from their varied strengths, investment styles, and expertise in different asset classes.’


More information about John Hancock Freedom 529 is available at http://www.johnhancockfreedom529.com/.

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