Product and Service Launches – 10/17/24

Diamond Hill Launches Core Plus Bond Strategy

Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc., a boutique investment management firm, announced the launch of the Diamond Hill Core Plus Bond Strategy. The strategy will leverage Diamond Hill’s experience in securitized assets while adding expertise in below-investment-grade-credit investing.

“The Core Plus Bond Strategy reflects Diamond Hill’s continued commitment to providing investors with solutions matching their needs with our capabilities,” Diamond Hill’s CEO, Heather Brilliant, said in a statement. “This strategy will further enhance our line-up of differentiated fixed-income offerings.”

The Core Plus Bond Strategy will be managed by Arthur Cheng, Mark Jackson and Henry Song. According to Diamond Hill, the focus on securitized products allows the team to capitalize on an area underrepresented in common fixed-income benchmarks and therefore overlooked by most investors. The addition of high-yield assets creates a differentiated risk profile from Diamond Hill’s existing core bond strategy and increases opportunities for additional return.

“Our team has long had a unique focus on securitized assets that has contributed to our success for clients,” said Song in a statement. “We are pleased that adding expertise in below-investment-grade investing has enabled the launch of this strategy, expanding our ability to deliver great outcomes for a broader array of clients.”

Rockefeller Asset Management Expands Active ETF Lineup With Small-Mid-Cap ETF

Rockefeller Asset Management, the asset management arm of Rockefeller Capital Management, announced the launch of RSMC, an actively managed Rockefeller small-to-mid-cap exchange-traded fund.

This marks the firm’s fourth actively managed ETF launched this year, following the firm’s expansion into opportunistic municipals with three high-yield municipal bond ETFs in August.

RSMC is Rockefeller’s first actively managed small-to-mid-cap ETF and, at the time of launch, is among the largest actively managed ETFs of its type, with approximately $740 million in assets. The strategy seeks to invest primarily in U.S. small- and mid-cap companies with durable business models and enduring growth, with the goal of delivering attractive risk-adjusted returns.

The fund is managed by Jason Kotik, managing director and portfolio manager, and Tim Skiendzielewski, senior vice president and portfolio manager. Kotik and Skiendzielewski bring more than 40 years of combined experience in small-cap investing and, prior to joining Rockefeller, worked together for more than a decade managing several U.S. small-cap strategies at the investment company Abrdn plc.

PensionPro, Dynamis Provide Real-time Data Access to TPAs

AmericanTCS’s PensionPro, a provider of workflow automation software for third-party administrators, announced it is partnering with Dynamis Inc., a 7 Simple Machines product specializing in real-time data collection and processing for third-party administrators.

An automated data flow between the PensionPro and Dynamis platforms will provide TPAs with comprehensive reporting on census, gross compensation, payroll and paycheck data from more than 200 human resource information providers.

The integration will allow for more efficient year-end testing and will also offer PensionPro users access to real-time data throughout the year, assisting reporting on critical 3(16) data on a payroll-by-payroll basis.

Dynamis also provides TPAs with three years of historical data and advanced data intelligence capabilities that can detect errors in their current census data, combined with a series of checks on payroll cadences and other potential payment issues.

Stone Ridge and LifeX Announce New ETF

Stone Ridge Holdings Group, a financial services firm with more than $30 billion in assets, unveiled the LifeX ETF franchise, designed to convert nest egg assets into predictable monthly distributions through a specified end year, with an option for inflation protection. 

Distributions consist of interest income and principal from U.S. government bonds. This tax-efficient and flexible approach provides investors with a reliable, turnkey withdrawal strategy designed to mitigate risks associated with market volatility and inflation.

“This breakthrough product can have a powerful impact on the day-to-day lives of millions of Americans,” said Yan Zhao, Stone Ridge’s co-founder and president, said in a statement. “For retirees and those nearing retirement, living a longer, healthier life shouldn’t be a source of financial stress. Many Americans often find themselves massively underspending their life savings out of fear. We believe LifeX represents a fundamental shift in propelling Americans towards greater autonomy over their financial futures at a pivotal time for the U.S. retirement system.”