Product & Service Launches 7/24/25

Franklin Templeton Adds Managed Option Strategies to Custom Indexing Platform

Franklin Templeton added managed option strategies to its Canvas custom indexing platform.

The enhancement will provide financial advisers with a single-account solution to implement option programs that add risk management guardrails, target income generation and/or diversify away from concentrated stock risk.

“The introduction of managed options strategies on Canvas reflects Franklin Templeton’s continued commitment to bringing innovative, customized investment and practice management solutions to financial advisers,” said Roger Paradiso, Franklin Templeton’s head of custom client solutions, in a statement. “This development enhances advisers’ ability to build custom, tax-managed SMAs that address specific client needs.”

AllianceBernstein Includes Pacific Life on its Multi-Insurer Platform

AllianceBernstein has added Pacific Life to its multi-insurer platform, delivering lifetime income solutions to large defined contribution plans.

Pacific Life has been added as an insurer to both components of AllianceBernstein’s platform: Lifetime Incomes Strategy, a target-date portfolio with a flexible guaranteed income option; and AB Secure Income Portfolio, a component of LIS that is also available as a separate collective investment trust.

The Lifetime Income Strategy has approximately $12 billion in assets under management, including $4.5 billion in secured income.

Principal Transitions Administrative Responsibilities to FuturePlan

Principal Financial Group has transitioned the administrative responsibilities of Principal EASE, the firm’s largest pooled employer plan by client count, to FuturePlan.

As of July 1, FuturePlan is the pooled plan provider, 3(16) plan administrator and third-party administrator for Principal EASE, one of Principal’s four PEPS.

According to Principal, the transition is intended to allow it to “deepen its focus” on building customer-centric capabilities, investment offerings and innovations for all plans, while utilizing FuturePlan’s fiduciary and administrative expertise.

Candidly Introduces AI Assistant

Candidly has introduced a multi-agent AI assistant to its student debt and savings optimization platform. The Conversational AI Tool, Cait, leverages expertise across the full education financing lifecycle.

“One in two American families is struggling with their education financing journey, either trying to figure out how to send their kids to college, grappling with student debt, or both,” said Candidly Founder and CEO Laurel Taylor in a statement. “With 31% of borrowers in delinquency or default … the current system is clearly failing. With Cait, we’re not just fixing a broken system; we’re reimagining how every American household navigates and takes control of their financial future.”

Cait delivers advice for student debt optimization by:

• analyzing income-driven repayment options, public service loan forgiveness, consolidation opportunities and tax-free employer-sponsored benefits;
• assisting with college planning and savings, by providing guidance on 529 education savings plans, tax-advantaged investment strategies and education financing decisions; and
• operationalizing a student loan retirement match program, allowing borrowers to build wealth while paying down student debt.

Edward Jones Adds 53 Separately Managed Accounts to UMA Platform

Edward Jones has added 53 separately managed accounts to its managed account platform, part of the Edward Jones Advisory Solutions Unified Managed Account Models advisory program.

As part of the expansion, the UMA now offers eight direct indexing SMAs across several asset classes and styles, which can be paired with other SMAs for more customization.

“This innovation allows clients to choose from expertly curated research models or design fully customized portfolios that seamlessly combine active and passive SMAs within a single account, delivering flexibility and personalization,” said Russ Tipper, Edward Jones’ head of products, in a statement.

Sound Income Group Launches Life Insurance Division

Sound Income Group launched a life insurance division, providing life insurance and long-term care offerings to its network of financial advisers. The division aims to create portfolios tailored to each of its clients’ goals, including income replacement needs and long-term care considerations.

“Our goal is to make life insurance and long-term care a natural part of an advisor’s conversation with clients,” said Daniel Sheehan, Sound Income Group’s director of life insurance, in a statement. “By combining our team’s extensive experience with personalized case design, presentation coaching and end-to-end case management, we empower advisors to better serve their clients’ needs while strengthening relationships built on trust.”

Nationwide, Midland National Partner to Sell Fixed-Index Annuity

Nationwide and Midland National Life Insurance Co. have partnered to offer Midland National Capital Income, a fixed-index annuity for fee-only advisers. Midland Advisory, part of Midland National, will distribute the product along with Nationwide.

Capital Income provides guaranteed life income through a built-in guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit, priced at an annual 1% charge. The product also features an embedded “activities of daily living” benefit rider—known better as the health-active income multiplier—which allows a client to double their annual lifetime payment for five years if they can no longer perform two of six listed activities.

The annuity has no waiting period to start income, so long as all payees meet the age requirements. The ADL benefit is also available even after the account value is depleted.

S&P Dow Jones to Acquire ARC Research

S&P Dow Jones Indices entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ARC Research, a subsidiary of ARC Group and provider of investment performance data, benchmarking capabilities and insights in the private wealth market.

The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025, subject to closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

“ARC Research’s expertise, high-integrity data, and trusted benchmarks are a natural fit with our global capabilities,” said Dan Draper, S&P Dow Jones’ CEO, in a statement. “Together, we aim to elevate transparency and benchmarking across wealth portfolios, enabling clients to make more informed decisions.”

The Standard, Legacy Marketing Group Launch FI Annuity

Standard Insurance Co. and Legacy Marketing Group have partnered to offer the EclipseMark Single Premium Deferred Index Annuities.

EclipseMark annuities feature extended-rate guarantees on several interest crediting options, including a 10-year fixed rate. The products also feature a 12% vesting premium bonus, with a 10-year surrender schedule and a five-year option for clients younger than age 90. Clients can also access their funds through penalty-free withdrawals of up to 15% annually after their first contract year.

“This partnership with Legacy marks an exciting new chapter in our commitment to provide innovative financial solutions,” said Alan Assner, The Standard’s head of individual annuities, in a statement. “By combining our expertise, we can deliver an annuity product that not only provides security and stability but also empowers people to plan for a stronger financial future.”

Janus Henderson Releases Asset-Backed Securities ETF

Janus Henderson Investors announced Wednesday that it has launched the Janus Henderson Asset-Backed Securities ETF.

The portfolio will allocate to investment grade rate asset-backed securities, utilizing an investing process focused on active asset allocation, relative value analysis and security selection, based on an analysis of yield per unit risk. JABS is intended to provide investors access to short-duration, predominantly fixed-rate, securitized assets.

“We believe that spreads are more attractive as they have widened to or beyond their 10-year averages, which could present an attractive opportunity to invest in asset-backed securities,” said Nick Childs, Janus Henderson’s head of structured and quantitative fixed income, in a statement. “JABS furthers Janus Henderson’s pioneering securitized ETF suite and gives clients direct and transparent access to asset-backed securities.”

Invesco Adds 2 ETFs to Fixed-Income Platform

Invesco Ltd. added the Invesco Core Fixed Income ETF and the Invesco Intermediate Municipal ETF—tickers GTOC and INTM, respectively—to its fixed-income platform.

GTOC and INTM are managed by Invesco’s U.S. investment grade and municipal bonds team. GTOC, the firm’s latest addition to its GTO suite of exchange-traded funds, is designed as a core portfolio building block that invests in high-quality U.S. investment grade fixed-income instruments.

INTM, meanwhile, is intended to provide federally tax-exempt income by investing at least 80% of assets in investment grade municipal bonds, with a focus on high credit quality and intermediate duration.

“Invesco delivers differentiated expertise and content in ways that align with our clients’ evolving preferences, which increasingly include both active and passive strategies,” said Jason Stoneberg, Invesco’s head of product for the Americas, in a statement. “These products are designed to meet increasing client demand for fixed income and active ETFs, two of today’s most significant trends in the market.”

Crossmark Launches First 2 ETFs

Crossmark Global Investments launched two actively managed exchange-traded funds: Crossmark Large Cap Growth ETF and Crossmark Large Cap Value ETF, tickers CLCG and CLCV, marking the firm’s ETF debut.

CLCG aims to outperform the Russell 1000 Growth Index through investments in the large-cap growth segment of U.S. equities, and CLCV seeks to outperform its benchmark, the Russell 1000 Value Index, by identifying resilient value securities.

“Moving into the ETF space was a natural next step in our firm’s progression,” said Heather Lindsey, Crossmark’s head of distribution. “These ETFs offer investors an accessible tool for actively managed investment solutions while satisfying demand for values-based investment options.”

GlobalX Announces PureCap ETF Product Suite

Global X Management Co. LLC launched its PureCap Suite, a collection of five exchange-traded funds that provide uncapped, pure market capitalization.

The collection offers exposure across five sectors: consumer discretionary, communication services, information technology, consumer staples and energy. The funds apply implementation techniques, including representative sampling, in an attempt to mimic index exposure.

“Investors often think they’re getting true sector exposure, but traditional funds limit exposure to the largest companies causing investors’ performance to potentially diverge from the true performance of the sector,” said Scott Helfstein, GlobalX’s head of investment strategy, in a statement. “These products provide investors a different way to gain sector exposure, aligning their portfolios with how markets have evolved and potentially capturing the upside of the largest stocks in the sector.”

PNC Bank, CoinBase Partner to Expand Digital Solutions and Banking Services

PNC Bank and Coinbase announced Tuesday a partnership to expand digital asset access to PNC’s banking clients and institutional investors, as well as to provide select banking services to Coinbase. PNC and Coinbase are expected to develop an initial offering that will allow clients to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrencies.

“PNC is a market leader in delivering best-in-class products for their clients,” said Brett Tejpaul, head of Coinbase Institutional. “We’re thrilled to support their entry into the digital asset market with our leading Crypto as a Service platform, which provides PNC with a powerful set of tools to develop a scalable, high-growth business, built on a foundation of uncompromising security.”