Sierra Expands Mutual Funds Suite
Sierra Mutual Funds, a headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., has launched the Sierra Tactical Core Growth Fund, which, like other funds in the firm’s suite, uses a distinctive tactical investment approach to produce long-term returns while limiting downside risk. The fund seeks to achieve its investment objectives by investing in a combination of mutual funds and ETFs for exposure to U.S. and foreign equities (including emerging markets). Equity funds that decline in price to preset levels trigger sell signals, and these proceeds are then reallocated to either government bond funds or individual U.S. Treasury securities, conditionally based on a positive price trend signal. If neither equities nor U.S. Treasury securities are trending upward, the fund will hold sale proceeds in cash.
In favorable market conditions, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets in equity funds, but there will be times when it will own less than 80%. When that happens, Sierra may make changes in the target allocations across equity asset classes and fund categories and the specific equity funds in the fund’s portfolio.
For further information, visit sierramutualfunds.com.
Vlorish Launches Platform For Freelance Finance Management
Vlorish, a startup financial technology services company headquartered in Minneapolis, has launched an all-in-one platform for managing the finances of freelancers.
The platform offers freelancers, solopreneurs, independent contractors, and employees with side hustles a way to manage their personal and business finances in one place by offering features such as dual budgeting, debt tracking, financial goal setting, investment monitoring, estimated tax calculations, and comprehensive net worth tracking.
The platform also allows users to share budgets with their financial advisors.
The company says its suite of financial tools can help freelancers save over $7,000 a year by eliminating monthly bookkeeping fees, tax consulting, and subscription fees.
A mobile application with the same functionality is scheduled for release in late fall of 2023. For further information, visit vlorish.com.
TaxDome Adds IRS Transcript Retrieval Feature
TaxDome, a New York City-based all-in-one platform for tax, bookkeeping, and accounting firms, has added a new tool that gives users access to IRS transcripts without having to navigate the federal agency’s website.
TaxDome’s innovative integration expedites and simplifies the process of retrieving IRS transcripts, which the U.S. Internal Revenue Service maintains for taxpayers and businesses. The new platform features include a notification alert for transcript changes; archived log-in access that reduces redundant steps and saves valuable time; and easy setup through a settings tab.
Launched in March 2017, TaxDome provides an intuitive, all-in-one cloud-based solution for tax practice management.
Envestnet, Iconik Partner To Empower Investor Proxy Voting
Envestnet, a financial technology services company headquartered in Berwyn, Pa., has partnered with the firm iconik to provide advisors and their clients with a greater say in the proxy voting process.
Iconik is an automated, customizable proxy voting platform for financial advisors seeking to meet growing client demand for values-aligned investing. The company’s voting engine, called VoteForge, allows users to create customized voting profiles consistent with an investor’s values, preferences, and priorities.
Advisors can view key ballot items, as well as outcomes of votes on those ballot items, through a dashboard that displays relevant voting metrics. They can then share those results with clients, further strengthening client engagement.
The partnership aims to help financial advisors increase their client retention and further personalize the client experience.
To learn more, visit: https://go.envestnet.com/23_ENV_PMC_iconik
FPA Announces Three New Member-Benefit Partnerships
The Financial Planning Association, headquartered in Denver, has entered into key partnerships to benefit its member financial advisors.
The association has partnered with Las Vegas-based AdvisorPR, a division of public relations firm JConnelly in New York City, to launch a digital media training program to help members engage with journalists.
Media Mastery 2.0 includes one free module outlining how advisors can use the FPA’s MediaSource to respond to journalist queries, and is a prerequisite for any CFP professional member of the FPA who wants to be part of the FPA MediaSource platform. After the free module, the next four Media Mastery 2.0 modules are available to FPA members for $99 and to non-members for $199.
The FPA has also partnered with TIFIN Wealth, a fintech company in Boulder, Colo., which has agreed to give those FPA advisors with $100 million or less in client assets free access to the TIFIN investment platform. Members will gain access to a full suite of tools that enable them to assess risk, develop micro-plans, and match clients and prospects to investment strategies that align with their unique financial goals.
The FPA’s third partnership enables more than 8,000 financial advisors affiliated with Ameriprise Financial’s independent channel to receive discounted membership dues. The new program also offers an automatic FPA dues payroll deduction program to make it easier to join and renew association membership.