RIA EP Wealth Advisors entered into a strategic partnership with wealthtech firm Opto Investments to enhance EP Wealth’s ability to provide its high net worth (HNW) and ultra-high net worth (UHNW) clients with private market investment options, the firms said Thursday.
EP Wealth said it is building a new private markets program to help clients better meet their long-term growth and income goals, and enhance portfolio diversification.
Opto’s platform is designed to addresses the challenges of private markets, including high costs and operational and administrative complexities, and to help advisors build differentiated portfolios with the potential for higher returns and lower volatility.
EP Wealth will provide its clients with Opto’s custom funds, which aim to use bespoke strategies that align with clients’ goals and risk preferences, provide institutional-level investments at scale, eliminate unnecessary fees, minimize excess liquidity, and diversify exposure across vintages and managers, the companies said.
“When introducing private market strategies to client portfolios, a one-size-fits-all approach simply does not work.”
– Adam Phillips
“When introducing private market strategies to client portfolios, a one-size-fits-all approach simply does not work,” said Adam Phillips, Managing Director of Investments at EP Wealth.
“Opto’s fiduciary-first approach helps us build personalized portfolios that meet the unique needs of our clients, while providing access to institutional-grade investments from a vast array of managers.”
“We remain hyper-focused on positioning advisors to confidently navigate the intricacies of private markets in a more scalable way,” said Ryan VanGorder, CEO at Opto.
“Our team’s deep expertise in due diligence and sourcing coupled with our powerful technology engine alleviates the operational burden associated with private markets investing while supporting advisors in delivering diversifying, institutional-type portfolios to their clients,” VanGorder added.
EP Wealth has over 36 offices in 13 states and managed more than $26.2 billion in client assets as of July 31, it said.
Jeff Berman, Contributing Editor and Reporter at Wealth Solutions Report, can be reached at jberman@wealthsolutionsreport.com.
