Products May 4, 2010

TD AMERITRADE Institutional Launches Advisory Firm Valuation Tool

Independent registered investment advisers (RIAs) who custody assets with TD AMERITRADE Institutional now have access to the Valuation Analyzer, an online tool to help advisers estimate their firm’s value.
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According to ECHELON Partners, which developed the tool, the offering can help advisers prepare for a variety of potential business transitions such as merging with a partner; buying or selling a business; configuring buy/sell equity incentives; or reorganizing a family-owned business.

“Historically, many advisers have relied on ‘rule of thumb’ methodologies to value their businesses. But each adviser’s practice is different and the typical two-to-three times revenue multiple may not be reliable,” said Michael Watson, director of Practice Management, TD AMERITRADE Institutional, in a news release. He noted that, in addition to giving advisers the current value of their firms, the tool aims to help advisers increase business value over the long-term.

How it works is that advisers input qualitative and quantitative variable about their businesses across 10 categories, such as financial performance and business model. They then receive three customized reports: a high-level overview, a valuation summary, and a scorecard of valuation drivers (scoring performance from excellent to weak).

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The tool is available at no charge to RIAs who custody assets with TD AMERITRADE Institutional and is accessible on the Veo advisor Web site. For more information, call 1.800.934.6124.

Products May 3, 2010

Ivy Funds Offering Focuses on Foreign Equities

Ivy Funds has launched an asset allocation product that focuses its equity allocation on small- and mid-cap companies around the world.
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The Ivy Asset Strategy New Opportunities Fund provides a way for investors to access investment ideas that the Asset Strategy team is finding in smaller companies and industries around the globe, the company said. The Ivy Asset Strategy New Opportunities Fund will invest in equity securities of companies primarily within the small- to mid-cap range (capitalizations within the range of $0.5 billion to $10 billion). 

The new fund is managed by Jonas Krumplys, who has been an assistant portfolio manager on the larger Ivy Asset Strategy Fund for the last two years. Krumplys, as part of the overall Asset Strategy team, works closely with Avery and Ryan Caldwell, who co-manage the larger fund. 

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