Products June 29, 2023

Investment Product and Service Launches

FundFront introduces white label alternative investment platform; Wealth.com unveils AI legal assistant; Schwab to launch the Schwab High Yield Bond ETF.

Reported by


FundFront Introduces White Label Alternative Investment Platform

FundFront, a provider of alternative investment technology and solutions, announced the launch of its white label alternative investment platform for the wealth management industry.

This turnkey wealth-tech solution allows advisers to offer alternative investment opportunities to their clients with minimal integration required.

Want the latest retirement plan adviser news and insights? Sign up for PLANADVISER newsletters.

“Recognizing the increasing demand for broader access to alternative investments, we see the need for wealth advisers to offer these opportunities to their clients within their existing advisory and custody framework,” Amin Naj, founding partner of FundFront said in a statement.

Wealth.com Unveils AI-Powered Legal Assistant Ester

Wealth.com, an estate planning platform, announced the official launch of Ester, an artificial intelligence legal assistant.

Ester makes high-quality estate planning more accessible, cost effective and scalable for financial advisers. The new product automates tedious tasks traditionally handled by financial analysts and in-house paralegals.

“No financial plan is complete without an estate plan and Ester will empower financial advisers to onboard clients efficiently and enable those clients to build the estate plan that suits their needs,” said Eduardo Fontes, senior vice president of data science at Wealth.com. 

Schwab to Launch the Schwab High Yield Bond ETF

Schwab Asset Management announced the launch of the Schwab High Yield Bond ETF.

With an expense ratio of 0.10%, the new ETF is priced in line with the lowest fee ETFs in the Morningstar High Yield Bond category. The ETF will provide simple access to the U.S. dollar denominated high yield corporate bond market.

“The Schwab High Yield Bond ETF is a timely addition to our lineup of fixed income ETFs as investors continue to seek out low-cost, straightforward products that help diversify their portfolios,” Nicohl Bogan, director of product strategy and development, Schwab Asset Management, said in a statement.

Uncategorized June 28, 2023

Pensionmark Creates New Chief Investment Officer Role, Appoints Garrison

Nate Garrison will lead all of Pensionmark’s financial services companies in their investment strategy.

Reported by

Nate Garrison

Pensionmark Financial Group, owned by World Insurance Associates LLC, Wednesday named Nate Garrison to the newly created role of chief investment officer.

In the new position, Garrison will lead investment strategy, research and communication activities for all Pensionmark financial services companies, including its workplace retirement plan and wealth management businesses, according to a spokesperson.

For more stories like this, sign up for the PLANADVISERdash daily newsletter.

“We were seeking someone qualified to combine their expertise with the firm’s foundation developed over the past 30 years to catapult the Pensionmark brand and Nate can do exactly that,” Troy Hammond, Pensionmark’s CEO, said in a statement. “We are excited to have him join the team and look forward to his strategic leadership as we drive growth in both the retirement and individual wealth businesses.”

His appointment comes as Hammond said the firm will expand its wealth management business. The firm will shift from its current split of 80% retirement plan advisers and 20% wealth managers to an even 50/50 makeup by this month.

Most recently, Garrison was assistant vice president of advisory solutions at Cambridge Investment Research. He worked as an investment leader for the firm’s flagship WealthPort advisory platform and model portfolio program. Additionally, he developed portfolio strategies for Cambridge’s private client solutions group. He also built the firm’s manager research system and socially responsible investing platform.

“Joining Pensionmark is extremely exciting at this point in my career given where the firm is headed in terms of growth,” said Garrison in a statement. “Building out the analyst team and innovating new service offerings for our clients will no doubt prove to be a rewarding challenge.”

Prior to Cambridge, Garrison was on a wealth management team at Credit Suisse private bank in Washington, D.C.

Garrison is completing an M.S. in analytics from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He holds an M.S. in applied economics from John Hopkins University and a B.A. in economics and history from the University of Virginia.

«