BlackRock Adds To iBonds Lineup
BlackRock has added to its lineup of iBonds, announcing the launch of the iShares iBonds 2026 Term High Yield and Income ETF (IBHF). The fund, available on NYSE Arca, seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated, high-yield and other income-generating corporate bonds maturing between January 1, 2026 and December 15, 2026.
iBonds ETFs seek to provide a yield-to-maturity profile comparable to that of the underlying bond portfolio. The funds seek to preserve an investor’s anticipated yield-to-maturity through a combination of monthly distributions and a final end-date distribution. Like individual bonds, the funds have a duration that will decline over time as they near maturity. iBonds ETFs offer potential benefits to investors of diversification, exchange tradability and a final maturity date.
Beacon Launches Annuity Purchase Solution
Beacon Annuity Solutions, a computer software developer headquartered in Northfield, Ill., has introduced the Annuity Switchboard, a cloud-based annuity compliance and pre-sale solution for carriers and their distribution partners.
Annuity Switchboard provides secure, real-time access to carrier information for thousands of fixed, fixed-index, indexed variable and variable annuity products along with more than 10,000 rates. Custom application programming interfaces (APIs) deliver a seamless integration into bank and broker-dealer compliance systems, as well as carrier back offices.
In addition to supporting annuity sales and distribution, Annuity Switchboard provides other benefits to carriers. The easy-to-use interface allows the annuity provider to control and understand how their products are being used across their own distribution ecosystem.
Magnifi Adds Fi360 Fiduciary Score To Platform
Magnifi, a TIFIN Group company headquartered in Boulder, Colo., and Fi360, a Pittsburgh-based Broadridge company specializing in fiduciary education and technology, have partnered to integrate the Fi360 score into Magnifi’s powerful semantic searching and screening platform.
Magnifi’s Discovery, Selector and Enhancer tools will now incorporate Fi360 scores to find and recommend best-fit products, in compliance with Reg BI requirements, as part of client and retirement plan management workflows.
The integration gives advisors the ability to discover and use investment products, while staying within the guardrails of fiduciary risk.
Holistiplan Partners With Redtail To Streamline Tax Return Analysis
Holistiplan, a College Station, Texas-based tax planning software designed for financial advisors, has partnered with Redtail Technology to simplify tax return analysis.
The new integration enables financial advisors to send household information to Holistiplan to avoid dual data entry. Information, such as household members and birth dates, can be imported to Holistiplan for analysis.
Once the analysis is completed, key figures and system-generated observations can be dropped back into Redtail as a note.
Founded in 2003, Redtail Technology provides web-based client relationship management (CRM), compliant text messaging, paperless office and e-mail archiving solutions to the financial services industry.
Envestnet Launches ESG Investment Solution For Climate Change
Envestnet Inc., a financial technology company headquartered in Chicago, has launched a new Quantitative Portfolio (QP), developed by its Quantitative Research Group, that enables investors to support companies worldwide that are developing solutions for mitigating pollution and climate change.
The Impact Global Climate Solutions QP offers socially conscious investors the opportunity to invest in passively managed, global equity portfolios consisting of approximately 200 domestic large-cap and international developed companies from its benchmark (a blend of the CRSP U.S. Large Cap Index, which makes up 69%, and the S&P/BNY Mellon DM ex US Classic ADR Index, which contributes 31%). The fund is designed to mimic the index’s overall characteristics.
Each company in the portfolio is evaluated by the research group, which uses environmental ratings, revenue information and carbon risk data from Sustainalytics, an independent provider of global environmental, social and governance (ESG) research and ratings. Companies that have been involved in environmental controversies are removed from the investor’s portfolio.
In addition, the research group uses five environmental tilts to increase investor exposure 200% to companies dedicated to solving climate-related issues: renewable energy, energy efficiency, green transportation, green buildings and sustainable agriculture.
OpenInvest Launches ESG Strategy To Support Veterans
OpenInvest, a San Francisco-based financial technology company, has debuted a new environmental, social and corporate governance strategy for identifying the top 10 companies that support veteran employment, career development and military spouse policies.
The OpenInvest Veterans Cause identifies trends across veteran employment, spanning industries and occupations over the past year. It dynamically informs portfolios by overweighting companies that support veteran employment, using criteria such as the number and percent of veteran employees, the number and percent of new veteran hires, and policies that accommodate military spouses.
The 150-plus companies that pass the screen have been identified on the Military Times newspaper’s “Best for Vets” list, have received Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) awards, or have received a designation from the data provider Military Friendly.