Fortnum’s investment and research support is driven by our fundamental desire to help financial planners build more successful businesses while achieving better outcomes for their clients.
As Chief Operating Officer, I’m tasked with heading up investment and research as well as managing our MDA service. We work closely with our financial planning practices in the first instance, helping them to clarify their practice-wide investment approach, which in turn enables us as their licensee to support them with tailored solutions and business operating efficiencies.
Industry-wide, we estimate that only a third of financial planning practices currently have a formal or structured investment philosophy. For those that do, many are out of date or don’t truly align with their actual investment activities, while others simply aren’t getting optimal results.
When practices join Fortnum, as part of our Portfolio Solutions Service, we take stock of the practice’s approach to investing. We assess methodology, identify key pain points and develop a road map that signposts areas for improvement. We make recommendations and provide the support necessary for implementing an investing philosophy that’s right for them.
We make a point of getting to understand how planners typically run a portfolio and whether their objectives and approach, and if we as their licensee, align for achieving practice and client goals.
We’re all about providing a flexible framework of guidelines that creates clarity and ultimately helps planners to deliver the best possible advice to attract and maintain their type of ideal clients.
Within a broad set of parameters, we offer an open architecture of systems and suppliers to complement each practice’s approach, and provide ongoing, practical operational support.
Further, we offer access to comprehensive learning resources that ensures Fortnum planners have the most up to date market intelligence and economic updates relevant to their investment philosophy. Our research team works collaboratively with industry specialists to deliver optimal support.
Critical to any robust approach to investing is ensuring access to an implemented solution. Fortnum is well known for our comprehensive managed discretionary account (MDA) service, which is available across multiple platforms. If you’re not currently familiar with MDAs, they offer practices an additional avenue for creating efficiencies, particularly when it comes to reducing paperwork and providing greater speed to market. If the service is appropriate for you, we can establish a tailored solution.
Our position in the market and volume of funds under management (now in excess of $20 billion) helps us leverage significant benefits for our practices and their clients that include increased purchasing power, whilst retaining the freedom, agility and access to decision makers that enables personalised service and highly tailored support.
Forward-thinking financial planning practices appreciate Fortnum’s agility, highly customised and supportive boutique environment that offers institutional-grade capabilities. In particular, our approach to licensing is generally a welcome relief for many practices (particularly former self-licensed firms) looking to create greater efficiency without sacrificing a client-first focus.
At Fortnum, it is never a one-size-fits-all approach. We are energised and inspired to find new ways to lead our advice community and our people. We’re always ready to challenge the status quo and apply original thinking when developing outcomes. We actively strive to live up to our mantra of Licensing done differently!
To move your financial planning practice forward with a licensee that provides so much more than just a licence, please take a moment to explore our website and follow us on social media. We invite you to get to know us and learn how we can provide the investment and research services you seek and deserve from your licensee.
For a confidential discussion about business and licensing services, please contact Rob Skinner, Head of Practice Engagement & Growth or Neil Younger, CEO and Managing Director on 02 9904 2792.
At Fortnum, we are known for our caring, energetic approach, adviser-aligned licensee ownership and a highly collaborative community of financial planning practices. We provide freedom within a proven framework which has a robust approach to risk and governance that creates opportunity for financial planners to build their ideal financial planning business.
