Alternative investments are one of the fastest growing asset classes, especially in liquid form, but many clients (and advisors) have a hard time wrapping their hands around it. To that end, Pershing has added an Alternative Investment Center to its NetX360 advisor platform, which will include resources, research and tools to help advisors educate clients on alternative investments. The company made the announcement during its annual INSITE 2014 conference in Hollywood, Fla.
“Education remains one of the toughest obstacles when it comes to alternative investments,” said Sandra Bolton, managing director, financial solutions at Pershing, in a statement.
According to a 2013 survey by Natixis Global Asset Management, 72 percent of investors would consider alternatives if their advisors recommended them, and 85 percent said they would invest if they understood them.
The new offering will include research from Morningstar and Blue Vault Partners, among others, as well as comparison and screening tools, market announcements, whitepapers and commentary from alternative managers. Pershing’s platform has information on more than 2,300 alternative products.
In addition to the educational resource, Pershing has brought new alternative asset classes to FundVest 200, a list of no transaction fee mutual funds. Pershing is adding domestic and international real estate, credit and event-driven funds, managed futures, absolute return and multi-strategy funds.
