Stylus Web Brings Plan-Level Reporting to Financial Advisers

Stylus Web, evolved from MPI’s more high-touch Stylus Pro Suite, enables financial advisers to provide plan level reports for the 401(k), defined contribution (DC) and defined benefits (DB) markets. It is also available to the wholesale market to provide manager fact sheets, manager comparison, and portfolio-level reports. In addition to retirement plans, the tool can be used for other asset allocation and portfolio construction needs.

Jeff Schwartz, managing director at MPI, told PLANADVISER the firm has wanted to meet demand from advisers for an affordable tool to provide institutional reports and content. The new Stylus Web offers the same type of data as MPI’s Stylus Pro for institutional clients in a more streamlined, affordable solution for the broader adviser marketplace.

Specifically, the cost is $5,000 per user per year, Schwartz said.

Stylus Web allows advisers to generate different report types, such as single manager, manager comparisons, portfolio-level, single plan, or plan comparisons. It offers Returns-Based Style Analysis (RBSA) analytics, holdings-based information, and other performance-based analytics, and gives advisers access to MPI’s proprietary models to detect style drift. Advisers can use the tool to create analysis or comparisons of hypothetical portfolios or compare managers by assigning peer groups and benchmarks on a user-specified basis, according to the firm.

The tool allows advisers to customize templates, such as what information to include, and add their firms’ branding.

Schwartz said the new offering comes at a time when plan sponsors are demanding more superior quality quantitative research. “Plan sponsors want to see that you’re going to be able to detect problems in a manager before the average investor does,” he said.