Products August 19, 2022

New Solution Focuses on Held-Away Account Management

Via a new partnership with Pontera, Dynasty Financial Partners’ adviser clients will gain greater visibility into held-away accounts, including 401(k)s and 403(b)s.

Reported by

Dynasty Financial Partners, a provider of outsourced operational solutions for registered investment advisers, has launched a new collaboration with financial technology company Pontera.

According to a press release issued by the firms, the partnership will allow RIAs in Dynasty’s network to “fully manage” held-away accounts, including 401(k)s and 403(b)s, for their clients, all in a secure and compliant manner that leverages Pontera’s SOC 2 certified platform.

Never miss a story — sign up for PLANADVISER newsletters to keep up on the latest retirement plan adviser news.

As noted in the press release, wealth-focused RIAs can struggle to help clients with accounts that are administered by another firm’s advisory platform, or “held away.” Pontera’s technology seeks to address this gap by allowing advisers to enact trades in held-away accounts for their clients.

The release says Pontera’s data integrations into portfolio accounting systems means that wealth managers can also run performance reporting, portfolio analytics and trade surveillance. Such services, according to the firms, can help advisers provide clients with the same level of service on held-away accounts as internally custodied accounts. In addition to delivering better client services and more holistic financial planning, the goal is also to help advisers increase their revenue.

David Goldman, Pontera’s chief business officer, said in a statement that the benefit of professional investment management to clients can be monumental. As evidenced in the first half of 2022, professional advisory support is even more important during times of volatility, Goldman said.

Dynasty will handle the operational elements of Pontera’s services for firms within its network, including billing and performance reporting integration, allowing them to focus on client services. Dynasty is the latest in a slew of other fintech providers to announce a partnership with Pontera.

Products August 18, 2022

Investment Product and Service Launches

Lincoln Financial and Stadion Money Management launch StoryLine Dynamic, a qualified default investment alternative program, while Vanguard announces a new environmental opportunities fund.

Reported by



Vanguard to Introduce Environmental Opportunities Fund

Vanguard has announced its plan to launch the Vanguard Global Environmental Opportunities Stock Fund.

The actively managed fund will hold a concentrated portfolio of companies that are involved in the process of decarbonization and derive at least half of their revenue from activities deemed by the fund’s adviser to contribute positively to environmental change. The fund will be managed by Ninety One, an active investment manager with experience in environmental, decarbonization and global investing.

Never miss a story — sign up for PLANADVISER newsletters to keep up on the latest retirement plan adviser news.

Founded in 1991, Ninety One manages approximately $160 billion globally. The Global Environmental Opportunities Stock Fund takes a structured, research-driven approach to investing that targets companies seeking to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon world. Ninety One’s investment philosophy is focused on the conviction that there are structural growth opportunities resulting from trends in regulation, technology and consumer preferences, which are driving a multi-decade energy transition. The firm believes that companies that successfully navigate this transition are likely to create value for investors over the long term. This will be the first Vanguard fund advised by Ninety One.

The fund is designed for environmentally conscious investors who have a high tolerance for risk and want to augment a broadly diversified portfolio with a satellite position. The fund is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of this year with a competitive expense ratio of 0.75% for investor shares and 0.60% for admiral shares. The fund’s minimum investments are $3,000 for investor shares and $50,000 for admiral shares.

Lincoln Financial and Stadion Money Management Launch StoryLine Dynamic

Lincoln Financial Group has announced the launch of Stadion’s StoryLine Dynamic, a qualified default investment alternative program built in collaboration with Stadion Money Management.

The QDIA program is designed to evolve with plan participants and transition their investments to a more personalized allocation strategy as they near retirement age. Built with Stadion’s technology, this solution combines a target-date fund for younger individuals with Stadion’s StoryLine managed account service for participants age 50 and older.

“This new offering will allow plan sponsors to offer a more robust, customized retirement solution for participants who are not as actively engaged in making investment decisions to help them achieve better retirement outcomes,” says Ralph Ferraro, senior vice president, head of retirement plan services at Lincoln Financial Group.

Through this solution, plan participants can benefit from professional asset allocation that can adapt to their specific needs as they near retirement. According to research from Lincoln Financial, more than a third of plan participants report not understanding what investments to choose or how to manage investments as they age.

Stadion Money Management (recently acquired by Smart, a global savings and investments technology provider) is a managed account provider offering personalized retirement services to plan sponsors and their participants.

«