According to a recent survey by Broadridge Financial Solutions, 67% of financial advisers are using alternative investments such as real estate investment trusts and private funds, compared to 59% in a previous survey taken earlier in the year. Of the 400 advisors surveyed by Broadridge, more than half said they plan to increase the use of alternatives over the next two years over traditional assets such as stocks and bonds. However, the advisers also noted their disappointment in the available offerings, with just 27% saying they are very satisfied with the options available from asset managers. Among the issues leading to this disappointment are too few choices, too much paperwork, and compliance and regulatory concerns. As per the reason for the increased interest in alternatives, advisers cited diversification, followed by non-correlation with equities. According to the survey, the alternatives that advisors were most interested in were REITs, commodities, private equity, hedge funds, and private debt.

Finsum: With investors concerned over steep portfolio losses, advisors are showing an increased interest in alternatives such as REITs, commodities, private equity, hedge funds, and private debt.

Seems advisors are grooving on model portfolios. 

Why are they among the popular kids on the block?

Well, with the growing commoditization of portfolio management, the portfolios are viewed as an effective means by which to abet the ability of advisors to effectively serve clients and foster the growth of their business, according the latest Cerulli Edge—U.S. Advisor Edition, reported lifehealth.com.

“This saved time can be put toward client-facing activities, a particularly important activity, for example, for younger advisors that are focused on asset gathering and building a book of business,” said Brad Bruenell, associate analyst, the site reported

Then there’s the flexibility of the portfolios. Based on the circumstances of individuals and advisors and their practices, the way fit an advisors’ practice can vary – and in no small way, according to fundssociety.com.

And in the category that some things are downright worth the wait – even if it can be a bit maddening at times – the industry’s gradual segue toward a financial planning oriented service model will represent a potent catalyst toward the adoption of model portfolios, said Cerulli.

NDVR, a Wealth Optimization firm, recently unveiled NDVR Unified Equity, an actively managed personalized indexing strategy. NDVR, which was created by a team of Quant Ph. D.s and technology innovators, offers a proprietary investing platform for high net worth investors that features personalized direct indexing and active factors such as Extended Market, Low Volatility, Momentum, Quality and Value, tax-loss harvesting, and Socially Responsible Investing. The Unified Equity strategy will target traditional alpha, tax alpha, and fee alpha through direct ownership of U.S. equities and is designed to deliver more aligned portfolios with greater efficiency than index funds and separately managed accounts. The strategy starts with a universe of 1,500 large-, mid-, and liquid small-cap stocks traded on U.S. markets. Investors can then create a portfolio using goals, requirements, and investing preferences in the NDVR Portfolio Lab. The NDVR Optimization Engine analyzes that plan and builds a custom portfolio that is optimized to deliver the growth and secured spending that was targeted by the investor.

Finsum: As direct indexing continues to proliferate, wealth optimization firm NDVR unveiled an active personalized direct indexing strategy that high net worth investors can customize through their platform