Raymond James Launches Magazine For Women Planners
Raymond James announced the launch of Aspire to Greater, a publication oriented toward female advisors.
Aspire to Greater will be published biannually with expert features, advisor success stories, planning tips, tales of community involvement and practice management suggestions.
“This publication is an investment in women, an ode to those who have traversed the rocky path and a source of inspiration for those taking the first steps,” writes Michelle Lynch, vice president for the Raymond James Network for Women Advisors, in the first issue. “It will celebrate the successes of women in the financial services industry and offer valuable insights that can help you grow your business.”
The inaugural issue of the magazine, released in August, features interviews with former Merrill Lynch executive and Ellevest founder Sallie Krawcheck; rock guitarist and financial literacy spokesperson Gooding; and Libby Cantrill, Pimco’s EVP and head of public policy. Readers will also find tips for handling market volatility, prospecting and maximizing referrals from centers of influence.
According to Raymond James, the new magazine’s goal is to empower and inspire advisors and women who want to join the industry.
Raymond James sees Aspire to Greater as a continuation of its efforts to encourage gender diversity in the industry. The firm has fostered a large Network for Women Advisors, offering women access to opportunities like its Registered Sales Associated Membership Program and Advisor Mastery Program.
MassMutual Rolls Out Tools For Plan Advisors
MassMutual has launched a new practice management website with tools to help advisors serving the expanding retirement plan space.
Advisor Advantage+ is a web-based tool to help advisors articulate their value proposition, prospect for new employer clients and design more effective workplace retirement plans.
Through Advisor Advantage+, advisors will be able to access yourvalueprop.com, which helps advisors create a value proposition to differentiate themselves in the competitive marketplace. MassMutual is also making Planisphere, a web-based prospecting tool from Larkspur Data Resources, available to Advisor Advantage+ users.
In addition, advisors will be able to access MassMutual’s proprietary tools for fiduciary support, plan wellness and individual financial wellness.
US SIF Updates SRI Investing Course
US SIF Foundation’s Center for Sustainable Investment Education announced that it has updated its online impact investing training for advisors.
The updated version of the Fundamentals of Sustainable and Impact Investment training course helps advisors explain sustainable, responsible and impact investing to their clients, incorporate SRI investing into portfolios and stay up to date on recent research and trends.
The update also enhances the course’s user interface in web browsers and on mobile devices, featuring fresh infographics updated with the latest research on SRI.
Brown Launches ESG Bond Fund
Brown Advisory has rolled out a new sustainable bond mutual fund.
The Brown Advisory Sustainable Bond Fund, which will trade under the ticker BASBX, will try to deliver risk-adjusted returns by incorporating ESG research with bottom-up, credit-focused research approaches.
The fund will be managed by Thomas Graff, senior portfolio manager, and supported by Amy Hauter, fixed income ESG research analyst.
“Historically, ESG principles have primarily been applied to equities, and as such, thoughtful, integrated funds in fixed income have been comparatively limited,” but within fixed income ESG may help identify and manage downside risks, said Graff in a statement.
Brighthouse Creates Annuities For Fee-Based Channel
Brighthouse Financial recently introduced updates to its flagship Shield annuity family geared toward fee-based advisors.
The Brighthouse Shield Level Select 3-Year and 6-Year annuities and the Brighthouse Shield Level Select Access Annuity expand the Shield lineup while streamlining the product options available.
The three- and six-year annuities carry no annual fee and offer three- or six-year surrender charge schedules, while the Select Access Annuity carries no surrender charges and no annual product fees.
With more than $1 billion in 2017 sales through the second quarter, the Shield annuity family allows clients to take advantage of growth through index tracking while providing downside protection.
AssetMark Moves Into Small Plan Market
AssetMark inaugurated a new retirement plan business oriented toward advisors interested in working with smaller plans.
AssetMark’s initiative will give participants access to a curated lineup of institutional-quality mutual funds and model portfolios traditionally available only to larger retirement plans.
In addition, clients of the new business will be able to take advantage of the efficiency and simplicity of AssetMark’s offering, which consolidates record-keeping and plan administration into one package. Advisors and small plan fiduciaries will no longer need to negotiate with multiple partners to launch a retirement plan.