A new tool, Fund Research Centre, has launched on independent wrap platform Ascentric.
Users of the platform can now access all their fund research and fund related material in a single place, providing market leading support to advisers analysing their investment solutions for clients.
Developed specifically for Ascentric by fund information provider FundsLibrary, the Fund Research Centre comprises a series of bespoke tools covering funds and ETFs that are available on the Ascentric platform as well as in the wider market. The tools are not only highly interactive, through the provision of extensive filters and search fields, but are also integrated, meaning advisers can save their portfolios within the tools and understand the holistic cost to the client of their investment decisions.
The Fund Research Centre offers the following tools and functionality:
1. Fund Central
This is a search engine and filter tool to review fund and ETF documents, performance and research. Fund Central has basic filter functions such as searching by Fund Group, Fund Properties, IMA Sector and Risk Factors, as well as advanced filters that include Asset Allocation, Regional Allocation, Country and Market Capitalisation. S&P fund ratings are also included as a filter allowing Ascentric users to search by rating for the first time.
The interactive fund fact sheets within Fund Central contain in-depth portfolio, performance and risk analysis (available in HTML and PDF format).
2. Fund Comparison
The Fund Comparison tool allows the adviser to select up to six funds using a variety of criteria including Fund Group, S&P ratings, Fund Properties and Charges. The tool provides a complete breakdown of the funds you have selected analysing not just performance but other factors including Asset Allocation, Top 10 Holdings, Sectors and Risks. This comparison can be downloaded as a PDF for use with clients.
3. Key Features Builder
Advisers can take their fund selections and run them through the Key Features Buillder which has been available on the platform for several months. This tool complements fund manager KFDs by generating a single document that contains a summary of the risks, aims and costs of the product wrappers and funds selected by the adviser. It also goes beyond a standard illustration by showing the impact of fund specific charges as well as the costs associated with the transaction on the portfolio growth rates.
The Key Features Builder enables advisers to provide clients with a complete picture of all the charges and the impact these have on their effective Total Expense Ratio (TER), helping them better understand their personal investment choices.
Commenting on the launch of the Fund Research Centre, Richard Goodall Sales and Marketing Director at Ascentric said, "We are really excited about this market leading tool because it makes the job of researching and selecting investments so much easier for our users. It supports our drive for greater transparency around charging and builds on our market leading Key Features Builder. The feedback we have had from users has been excellent."
Stuart Louden, Managing Director at FundsLibrary added, "We are delighted to have launched phase 1 of the new Fund Research Centre and are excited to hear such wonderful feedback from the toolset users. Our aim is always to provide the best information available, in the most user friendly way we can, whilst fulfilling the business needs of wrap platforms. "