Advisers Can Integrate Clients’ Self-Directed Retirement Accounts

SageView Advisory Group and financial technology company Pontera have partnered on a platform to enable advisers to manage and trade clients’ retirement accounts.

Self-directed investment in retirement accounts such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s, are often “held away” assets that are not visible to advisers. The new platform aims for advisers to integrate them into their practice and monitor these off-platform retirement accounts.

Dave Goldman, Pontera’s chief business officer, says that the partnership allows Pontera to take advantage of SageView’s leading financial advice capability “both as a retirement plan adviser helping plan sponsors and a wealth manager with individual clients.”   

Additionally, Pontera has enabled advisers to provide a wide-ranging suite of services, including asset allocation, compliance and security management.

“Our partnership bridges those two businesses by allowing their advisers to provide critical, value-driven services to plan sponsors and their participants directly,” Goldman says. “With Pontera, SageView advisers will be able to offer tailored discretionary financial management to individuals within their 401(k) accounts that incorporates the entirety of their assets and individual circumstances in a way that was not possible before.”

The platform passed rigorous cybersecurity quality controls that assess the risks associated with outsourced software solutions that store customer data online, according to the companies.

Allowing advisers to incorporate greater personalization for participants’ asset allocation is key to maximizing their retirement readiness, says Jim Dario, head of wealth management at SageView Advisory Group.  

“Advisers must be able to present a comprehensive plan that delivers the best possible solution for their clients,” he says. “And this is extremely difficult to do without incorporating a client’s held away accounts, which often make up a significant portion of their assets. Partnering with Pontera allows us to provide advisors the additional tools they need to support their clients’ goals of creating long-term value and a more comfortable retirement.”