Overview
With our Independent Advisor Solutions, you will enjoy the full measure of resources offered to our own advisors. We are here to help grow your business.
In-house Portfolio Management
At Fragasso, we have a centralized portfolio management department. Our analysts have the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) designation and are directly involved in portfolio research and analysis. Your clients’ portfolios receive the benefit of ongoing management and attention, and you can focus on their long-term goals and financial plan with the backing of this credentialed team.
We are positioned to offer clients a broad range of investment choices with little to no operational fees. Our portfolios are diversified within and across many asset classes, utilizing a mix of passive and active investments. We believe a well-diversified portfolio held throughout a full economic cycle can help reduce risk from overexposure to a particular security or market segment.
Our portfolio management team utilizes a core-satellite approach to investment management with an emphasis on diversification and risk control. Core holdings are typically low-cost exchange traded funds, while satellite holdings are active mutual fund managers where we seek to add value through manager selection. We also utilize individual stocks and bonds, which allow for flexibility in a specific industry and company exposure while lowering the costs of the overall portfolio, plus control of tax consequences.
As for research and evaluations, multiple analysts conduct rigorous research which includes an analysis of funds and ETFs through our proprietary quantitative models, investment manager interviews and evaluation of third-party research. Recommendations are decided upon by not only the portfolio management team, but also by the Fragasso Investment Committee, which is comprised of the portfolio management team, financial advisors, financial planners and members of the Fragasso executive management team. The committee meets quarterly to discuss market trends, current investment outlook, portfolio construction, implementation and issues on clients’ minds.
Client Experience
Our advisors grow their assets under management through a codified and uniformly applied Client Experience, which assures a quality application of resources on behalf of all clients. This process is vital to obtaining and retaining clients. Through the Client Experience, a cohesive plan is developed which includes the totality of the client’s financial and emotional needs.
The Client Experience encompasses every aspect of the client relationship – from the initial discovery meeting, to the delivery of the financial analysis, to investment management strategies, performance reporting and ongoing reviews. Each individual step is tied directly to a functional outcome. These outcomes are framed by the client’s goals, objectives and expectations. This process is designed to navigate clients through their current financial challenges and those yet to come.
Financial Planning
Financial planning is an integral part of the Client Experience. Gain access to fully integrated financial planning software and a client portal. You can access several reporting features that detail client performance, asset allocation, position value, transactions and more. Together, you and your client can simplify the construction of financial plans and incorporate changes as needed.
Additional guidance in the creation of comprehensive financial planning solutions for clients and prospects is also available. This assistance can range from cash flow management, tax, insurance, estate and charitable gifting planning strategies and more.
Operations and Compliance
Partnering with an efficient team in these areas will increase your overall productivity. From the start, we will establish the best way to structure billing cycles, fee schedules and client data systems per your book of business. We will help facilitate the relationship and processes with advisory custodians and other key vendors.
With established policies and procedures, our full-service compliance offerings range from certifications and continuing education to trade activity and communications monitoring and approval. Our streamlined and automated processes take the headaches out of compliance and enable you to grow efficiently and effectively.
Leading Technology Platforms
Fragasso’s technology solutions provide industry leading software with streamline integration. Gain access to software and turnkey processes in the areas of trading, performance, compliance, account maintenance and billing, financial planning and customer relationship management systems. Your clients will also benefit from our easily accessible client portal, where they can review their account balances, activity and statements.
Information security and the protection of our clients’ sensitive information is a top priority at Fragasso. You and your clients can rest assure that our technology team will help you implement secure systems and transfer of information at association and throughout your partnership with Fragasso.
Marketing
In this competitive industry, we know how important it is to establish a consistent brand, an exemplary reputation and to stay top-of-mind for clients. We’ve spent decades creating our brand, and you can gain access to this brand through the “Powered by Fragasso” model.
Fragasso’s marketing efforts are managed by an in-house team who generate advertising campaigns, in addition to communication for client acquisition, client retention and education purposes. We provide turnkey and customized marketing campaigns that can be utilized through various channels such as traditional media, digital marketing, websites, public relations, social media and seminars.
We know that content is key, so expect regular communication and marketing pieces to share with your clients and prospects on the topics of financial planning, portfolio management, retirement planning, tax and insurance strategies and more! You’ll also appreciate the seamless automated processes for marketing compliance.
Financial Education and Seminars
We all know that financial education programming is lacking in the American education system. Recent surveys have found that an average 54% of adults ranging from 18 to 65 years of age all agree that a high school level course in money management would benefit them the most in life.1 At Fragasso, we believe in the importance of financial literacy. Our advisors have taught financial education seminars for decades and have seen the results. The benefit is two-fold: not only do the seminars provide knowledge for those interested in learning more about retirement security, but it is also a great way to gain clients.
Through our Independent Advisor Solutions, you will have access to seminar materials suited for various financial life stages:
- Can you afford to retire? (pre-retirement audience)
- Maintaining wealth during retirement (post retirement audience)
- Successful Money Management (emerging affluent audience)
1https://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/financial-literacy-subject-survey/
Retirement Plans
Fragasso has a dedicated support team that focuses exclusively on employer sponsored retirement plans. Together, with our centralized portfolio management team, we provide hands-on investment management with no proprietary products. We have established relationships with the highest quality retirement plan recordkeepers and administrators.
Our retirement plans are designed to maximize the benefits to the sponsors and their participants. One of the largest costs to running a business is employee compensation and retention, so for sponsors, we perform a retirement plan expense analysis and benchmark it to similar plans. For participants, communication resources and educational presentations are tailored to their needs. And with Fragasso as a partner, we can serve as a fiduciary to mitigate plan sponsor investment-related risks and assure plan compliance.
Corporate Offerings
Companies spend a considerable amount of money on fringe benefit components, yet employees often take their employer’s fringe benefit package for granted and do not dedicate the time to maximizing its value. With Fragasso, you can offer customizable options in the areas of executive financial planning and employee financial education to generate additional fee income.
Business Consulting
More than likely, you are spending precious time on functions pertaining to talent acquisition, team development, referral development and other important factors related to maintaining and growing your business. You may not be at a point where a human resource or business development officer can be fully utilized at your firm, but we can provide concepts and processes that can be utilized when these needs arise.