Advisor.ca launches Fund Wrap Filter tool

Mutual fund wrap programs have been hugely successful over the past few years in Canada, attracting billions in investor dollars. Success among the early providers has led to a proliferation of wrap programs. But is there an easy way to sort through them all and find just the right one for your client?

There is now — Advisor.ca is proud to announce the launch of a new interactive Fund Wrap Filter tool. At the same time, we are also rolling out a new Asset Allocation tool, just in case you prefer to manage your client’s assets yourself. The tools are available on Advisor.ca and our French-language sister site, Conseiller.ca.

“We believe advisors need quality tools to offer quality advice,” says Jean Goulet, publisher of Groupe Conseiller. “These two new services complement the advisors’ expertise and knowledge of the market and will hopefully make life simpler for our audience.”

“We are pleased to bring the FundWrap Filter and Asset Allocation tools to the advisor market alongside our partner, Equisoft, and sponsors,” added Garth Thomas, publisher of the Advisor Group. “These tools will help make advisors’ lives a little easier by allowing them to search through the various portfolio funds in the market, coupled with an Asset Allocation tool that will help advisors execute their portfolio selections as well as mutual funds for clients.”

According to the Advisor Group’s 2006 Dollars & Sense survey, 53% of top advisors use or recommend wraps or managed portfolios, and they place 30% of their books in these products.

Advisor.ca users can filter Canada’s wrap universe using criteria ranging from portfolio and rebalancing strategies to compensation and MER. Users can even filter based on underlying funds and their managers.

The Fund Wrap Filter was developed with the support of sponsors Axiom Portfolios, Meritage Portfolios, RBC Asset Management, Russell Canada and Standard Life.

The new Asset Allocation tool allows advisors to quickly and efficiently provide an asset allocation plan for their clients, along with a personalized report. It starts with an easy-to-follow questionnaire to assess risk tolerance, which generates a suggested portfolio weighting. Users can compare the client’s current holdings to their own recommendation and that of the tool.

The Asset Allocation tool is sponsored by Axiom, Dynamic Funds, Meritage, Russell and Standard Life.

Both tools are accessible through a link on the left navigation bar of Advisor.ca. The Fund Wrap Filter is accessible immediately, while the Asset Allocation tool requires user registration.

Filed by Steven Lamb, Advisor.ca, steven.lamb@advisor.rogers.com