Product & Service Launches – 1/18/24

Morningstar, iCapital Expand Financial Adviser Access to Alts

Morningstar Inc. and iCapital announced a strategic relationship to provide users of the Morningstar Advisor Workstation, a business intelligence platform, with access to alternative investments and analytics.

“This is a game-changer for advisers who are building a modern advisory practice and serving evolving investors’ demands for diversification and personalization,” Vimal Vel, chief product officer of Morningstar Enterprise Solutions, said in a statement.

The integration equips Advisor Workstation’s more than 170,000 users with alternative investment research and tools to evaluate private assets along with traditional investments. Coupled with investment proposal and report capabilities in Advisor Workstation, the solution allows advisers to build diversified portfolios for clients that include alternative assets.

“Our simple, intuitive technology interface ensures that Advisor Workstation users have access to both the right products for their clients and an extensive library of educational resources to make informed decisions relating to portfolio allocations and diversification strategies,” Lawrence Calcano, iCapital’s chairman and CEO iCapital, said in a statement.

Manulife Announces Longevity Innovation Challenge With World Economic Forum’s UpLink

Manulife announced a new multi-year partnership with UpLink, the World Economic Forum’s open innovation platform, which specializes in longevity innovation. The three-year partnership will include annual Manulife-powered Global Longevity Innovation challenges, run by UpLink.

“Solving this longevity crisis will require a comprehensive approach to promoting healthier lifestyles, addressing socio-economic inequalities, and investing in new research and technologies,” Roy Gori, president and CEO of Manulife, said in a statement. “By working across sectors and with partners like the World Economic Forum, we can focus on driving the longevity economy for the future of society’s health and well-being.”

The Manulife-powered UpLink challenges are intended to accelerate solutions in longevity focused on finance, health and well-being. The program will be activated across Manulife’s global headquarters in Canada, the U.S. and Asia as the company works to drive global change through place-based solutions.

“By combining Manulife’s expertise, UpLink’s commitment to elevating early-stage impact entrepreneurs, and the work of the Forum’s Centre for Financial and Monetary Systems, this initiative will play a pivotal role in promoting healthy aging and enhanced living standards throughout the world,” Olivier Schwab, the World Economic Forum’s managing director, said in a statement.

Nassau Financial Group Launches Fixed-Indexed Annuity Product

Nassau Financial Group introduced fixed-indexed annuity to its product portfolio, Nassau Income Accelerator. Nassau’s latest offering is a single-premium fixed-indexed annuity with flexible guaranteed lifetime income options that help retirees delay, and therefore increase, the date when they begin drawing Social Security and other retirement benefits.

“For retirees faced with the tough decision of when to start their Social Security payments, Nassau makes it easier with our latest innovative annuity product, Nassau Income Accelerator,” Phil Gass, Nassau’s chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “Our goal in developing this product was to offer much more flexibility that would allow individuals to optimize all their retirement income sources.”

By providing options to receive higher income in the early years, Nassau Income Accelerator can help individuals delay their claim on Social Security and other retirement benefits and achieve a higher annual guaranteed income for life.

Issued by Nassau Life and Annuity Co., Nassau Income Accelerator can be customized to fit an individual’s retirement income plan, offering guaranteed lifetime income distributed according to personalized time horizons.

Vanguard Introduces Enhanced Digital Estate Planning Tools to Investors With Vanilla

The Vanguard Group Inc. is introducing enhanced intergenerational wealth and legacy planning capabilities through a partnership with Vanilla, a provider of digital estate planning tools and solutions founded in 2019.

“Within Personal Advisor Wealth Management, clients are provided a dynamic visualization of their estate plan, identifying opportunities to refine and maximize their ability to achieve their legacy goals,” Massy Williams, principal and head of wealth management at Vanguard, said in a statement.

The offer was successfully piloted to a small cohort of eligible advised clients in Vanguard Personal Advisor Wealth Management over the past year and will scale to provide ultra-high-net-worth Vanguard investors. Vanguard began working with Vanilla in 2022 and plans to roll out access to the new estate planning tools to eligible Personal Advisor Wealth Management clients over the coming year.

“Our platform is purpose built by advisors and estate professionals, combining world class design and cutting-edge technology to help firms deliver a holistic, modern estate planning experience to their clients,” Gene Farrell, Vanilla’s CEO, said in a statement.