Fund Research Centre launches on Ascentric
19 October 2010
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 Builder 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. ”
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Ascentric
Dominic Ventham, Head of Marketing
Tel: 01225 787208
Mobile 07590 227039
Email: dominic.ventham@ascentric.co.uk
Issued by Concise Public Relations
Tel 0207 100 3960
Martin Wood
Mobile: 07946 527240
Email: martin@concisepr.com
Liam Jenkins
Mobile 07984 439968
Email: liam@concisepr.com
Notes to Editors
Ascentric and Fundsdirect are the trading names of Investment Funds Direct Limited.
Investment Funds Direct Limited was founded in 1982, and Fundsdirect launched as the UK’s first online fund supermarket in December 1999. Since that time, the company has built on their reputation as a leading UK fund supermarket to provide Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) with a Wrap service under the brand name of Ascentric.
Ascentric is a whole of market Wrap service, available exclusively to IFAs and offers a fully integrated online investment management and dealing platform. It also enables IFAs to transfer their clients’ assets onto a single platform to provide them with the ability to manage their client’s financial needs in just one place. This is obviously a considerable enhancement to the existing, time-consuming practice of IFAs introducing their clients to a number of different product providers.
In October 2007, a majority holding of Investment Funds Direct Group Limited was acquired by Royal London Group.
For further information about Ascentric and Fundsdirect, please visit either www.ascentric.co.uk or www.fundsdirect.co.uk
Royal London Group is a specialist financial service provider. Its businesses focus on those sectors of the market which value quality propositions, operating through a number of brands:
• Scottish Life – UK pensions market
• Bright Grey – UK protection market
• Scottish Provident – UK protection market
• Royal London 360° – offshore investment markets
• RLAM – fund management
• RLAS – life and pensions administration
• Fundsdirect / Ascentric – funds supermarket; Wrap platform
Royal London also distributes life and pensions products through Santander’s UK branch networks.
Royal London is the largest mutual life and pensions company in the UK with Group funds under management of £39.1 billion. Group businesses serve around 3.4 million customers and employ 2,890 people. Figures quoted are as at 30 June 2010.