Oranj Grows Model Marketplace For Advisors
Oranj, the free wealth management platform, has picked up two new partners and expanded its offerings.

The software maker, which provides a free, end-to-end model marketplace program, has added Pimco and WisdomTree Asset Management’s model portfolios and products to its platform.

Independent advisors use Oranj’s software to create investment strategies with model portfolios and funds from top investment managers. Advisors can choose from strategist models, custom models and subadvised models.

With the addition of the two new asset managers to Oranj’s list of partners, advisors can now tap into 56 models, 316 mutual funds and 215 exchange-traded funds.

The asset managers on the platform host models, ETFs and mutual funds for advisors to use to customize portfolios for their clients. Advisors can also outsource portfolio management to subadvisors that host model portfolios.

Advisors on the platform also have access to a guided on-boarding process for investors. Account aggregation tools allow advisors to connect to their custodians and to client accounts with other institutions. The Oranj platform also includes trading and rebalancing capabilities and portfolio management tools. The platform rids advisors of excessive fees associated with creating and managing portfolios for clients.

Other hosts on the platform include SpiderRock Advisors, BlackRock, Direxion, ETF Securities, Oppenheimer Funds, Marsico Funds and Frost Investment Advisors.

 

UBS Launches The Next Generation Of One Source
UBS has upgraded its One Source platform, a service for the company’s corporate clients and equity plan participants.

The company’s effort to keep up with clients’ ever-evolving needs has led it to offer new tools for financial advisors who specialize in corporate stock benefits. The company is also offering a plan participant web portal with educational content.

The portal will have visual aids and tools to help participants better understand their employers’ equity compensation. They’ll be able to ascertain how to distinguish award types, monitor stock price points, and keep track of vesting schedules and important dates. Participants will also have the ability to model their transactions to get a view of how it will impact their finances.

 

An Advisor-Sold ABLE Plan
Capital Group’s American Funds, an investment management firm, has launched an advisor-sold ABLE plan for individuals with disabilities and their families.

Families whose loved ones have disabilities face financial challenges that can become burdensome. The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) savings account allows those families and disabled individuals to cover short- and long-term expenses.

American Funds, a group of mutual funds, launched ABLEAmerica in July. The plan is a tax-advantaged account that individuals and families can use toward qualifying disability expenses that maintain or improve health, provide independence for a disabled person or help him or her maintain a certain quality of life.

ABLEAmerica and direct-sold ABLE accounts can be applied to living expenses, transportation, housing, medical expenses, education, employment training, assistive technology, professional services and financial management.

 

Dynasty Financial Launches ‘Max,’ A Cash Option
Dynasty Financial Partners has launched a new cash holding option for its independent wealth management firm clients. Called “Max,” it delivers FDIC-insured coverage for high-net-worth individuals, companies and institutions in need of cash.

Max is offered through Six Trees Capital LLC. It’s a high-return cash option that the firm calls a fiduciary solution for cash.

The product is still in beta mode, but Dynasty Financial Partners plans to integrate it into advisors’ other reporting software. The vehicle can be connected to a checking account or a brokerage account.

 

Allianz Life Partners With Orion Advisor Services
To get in front of the growing need for income planning within retirement, Orion Advisor Services, a portfolio management service provider, and Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America have partnered up, and Allianz Life’s annuity products have come to the Orion platform.

Financial advisors using Orion’s trading and reporting interface can now access Allianz Life index annuities and index variable annuities. The partnership started in July aiming to improve the delivery of up-to-date data and verified position information for Allianz Life’s annuity products.

 

Fidelity Model Portfolios
Looking for better investment outcomes?

Fidelity has launched a series of model portfolios in a low-cost supplemental program to its portfolio construction capabilities it offers to advisors.

The first group of portfolios offered includes the Fidelity Target Allocation Model Portfolios—an offering with five asset mixes aligning to different risk profiles and including a mix of Fidelity active and passive mutual funds. New options will launch later in the year.

The Fidelity Model Portfolios will allow advisors to deliver institutional-quality portfolios to their clients. The low-cost product aims to conserve advisors’ time for building a better relationship with their clients.

This new offering is available to registered investment advisors, broker-dealers and advisors at banks and insurance companies.