LeafHouse Expands Personalized Retirement Portfolios in Partnership With BlackRock

LeafHouse Financial Advisors LLC, an investment solutions provider for retirement plans, has partnered with BlackRock Inc. to expand Leafhouse’s Automated Personalized Portfolio managed account offerings for defined contribution plans.

LeafHouse’s latest APP version integrates its FlexFiduciary and reallocateIT technology for DC plans with BlackRock’s glide path strategy. It will also be delivered via iJoin’s participant-facing retirement platform and tools.

The new managed account option includes 3(38) investment fiduciary oversight; fees are 12 basis points or higher.

Todd Kading, president and CEO of Austin-based LeafHouse Financial, said in a statement that the partnership with BlackRock enables LeafHouse to offer its insight within an affordable, personalized portfolio.

“Utilizing BlackRock, the largest asset manager in the world, allows us to bring unparalleled investment expertise to our Automated Personalized Portfolio,” Kading said.

Robert Crothers, head of U.S. retirement at BlackRock, framed the managed account offering as a potential qualified default investment alternative.

“As a leader in innovative retirement solutions, we see personalization as an exciting innovation in the evolution of QDIA strategies,” he said in a statement accompanying the announcement. 

LeafHouse’s FlexFiduciary service offers employers an option to meet fiduciary requirements and minimize risk while controlling costs. Advisers and sponsors can choose to retain or delegate plan-level fiduciary responsibilities. Through iJoin’s interface, users receive personalized goal projections.

In April, LeafHouse teamed up with iJoin and Advantage Retirement Solutions to offer a managed account that features State Street’s target-date funds with a lifetime income component.