According to survey findings published by Natixis Investment Managers, fund selectors are enhancing their model portfolio offerings. Natixis surveyed 174 investment professionals in North America who are responsible for their firms’ top-of-the-house selection of funds into which $18.7 trillion in client assets are invested among private banks, wirehouses, registered investment advisors, independent wealth managers, and other advisory firms. The findings are part of a larger global survey of 441 professional fund selectors, which was conducted in December 2022. Based on the survey results, fund selectors are enhancing their offerings because model portfolios help to streamline the investment management process (86%), enable advisors to spend more time addressing client needs (82%), and help to ensure a consistent investment experience for clients (77%) while managing risk exposure for the firm (78%). They also agree that heightened market volatility is accelerating advisors’ use of model portfolios (65%), while models enhance the alpha potential for their clients (62%). The survey also found that 58% of fund selectors are finding a greater need for specialty models to complement the core models that advisors use for building client portfolios. The types of specialty models include models with enhanced customization tailored to high-net-worth clients (46%), models with a focus on alternatives (42%), income generation (43%), tax management (38%); sustainability (34%), and thematics (28%).

Finsum:Based on the results of a Natixis survey, fund selectors are enhancing their model portfolio offerings to help to streamline the investment management process, and enable advisors to spend more time addressing client needs, while managing risk exposure for the firm (78%).