Investment Trends ranks top platforms

investment-trends/platforms/FOFA/master-trust/

image
image
expand image

Platform providers have closed the gap in their service offerings through innovative approaches to model portfolios and client portfolio management tools, according to the 2010 Investment Trends Platform Report.

The report covered 26 leading master trust and wrap platforms, ranking MLC Navigator highest in terms of overall functionality, followed by FirstWrap, netwealth, Asgard eWrap and Macquarie Wrap. MLC Wrap and Navigator also ranked first for transactions and integration, while netwealth was ranked first in terms of decision-making and reporting. Asgard’s AdviserNET was awarded best navigation and user interface.

Investment Trends stated that the review revealed that investment platforms were increasingly addressing planners’ need for greater efficiency. Innovations introduced over 2010 included features that allow planners to better manage client portfolios, transition more easily to a fee-for-service business model, communicate more easily with providers and navigate more intuitively, the report stated.

“The arms race between platforms intensified in 2010, with a range of providers developing significant new functionality,” said Investment Trends analyst Recep Peker. "We are likely to see rapid development continue as platforms move to address new planner needs arising from the [Future of Financial Advice] reforms.”

Significant changes across the platform industry included the establishment of sophisticated model portfolios, incorporating a broad range of investment types, including separately managed accounts and term deposits, reporting of clients whose portfolios move outside preset tolerance limits, and giving advisers more control over approved investment lists.

 “Over the past few years, our industry research has identified portfolio management tools as a key gap in platforms’ service offering,” said Peker. “But in 2010 providers moved to close that gap.”

He said platforms improving on efficiency was important in light of the FOFA reforms as about half the planners surveyed intended to look for platform cost savings in the future.

Two new platforms were included in the 2010 survey – HUB24 and OneVue. Investment Trends stated that both platforms enabled advisers to administer a wider range of investments than traditional platforms, including direct and alternative investments.

Homepage

Read more about:

AUTHOR

Recommended for you

sub-bgsidebar subscription

Never miss the latest news and developments in wealth management industry

MARKET INSIGHTS

So we are now underwriting criminal scams?...

1 month 3 weeks ago

Glad to see the back of you Steve. You made financial more expensive, not more affordable as you claim, and presided ...

2 months ago

Completely agree Peter. The definition of 'significant change is circumstances relevant to the scope of the advice' is s...

4 months ago

Entireti has unveiled the new name for the AMP financial advice businesses that it acquired last year....

4 weeks ago

A Sydney financial adviser has been permanently banned from providing any financial services, with the regulator deriding his “lack of integrity, trustworthiness and prof...

2 weeks 6 days ago

Minister for Financial Services, Stephen Jones, has provided further information about the second tranche of the Delivering Better Financial Outcomes (DBFO) reforms....

1 week 4 days ago

TOP PERFORMING FUNDS