CLS Investments Launches Practice Management Program

Third-party money manager CLS Investments announced the launch of a new multimedia educational initiative for financial advisors on Monday.

The CLS AdvisorIQ series will consist of white papers, videos, podcasts, webinars and other industry reports that offer advisors insight and how-to guidance on the best ways to expand and optimize their businesses. The knowledge will be culled from CLS as well as from sister companies Orion Advisor Services, which provides portfolio accounting and back office services, and Gemini Fund Services, a mutual fund accounting and administration company —all of which are subsidiaries of NorthStar Financial Services Group.

“We got together one day and said we really ought to be sharing best practices,” said CLS chief executive officer Todd Clarke. “AdvisorIQ is going to be a compilation of these best practice concepts that we have learned over the last ten years as we’ve had the opportunity to rub shoulders with what we feel are some of the most successful advisors either associated with an independent broker-dealer or who are registered investment advisors or both.”

The series debuts with a step-by-step guide, “Expand Your Referral Network: Tap Into the $16 Trillion Qualified Plan Market Through Partnerships with TPAs,” on how advisors can team with third-party administrators to access the 401(k) market.

Another upcoming installment is a report CLS produced in collaboration with iShares looking at how to choose and implement ETF strategies.” The piece highlights various profitability and cost-cutting strategies that advisors can employ by teaming with third parties with expertise in developing ETF portfolios.

Additional entries in the series will examine target date funds vs. managed accounts within a 401(k) and income strategies for baby boomers as they go from the accumulation phase to distribution, Clarke said.

“You’ll see all of those happen before year’s end,” he said. “Initially, you’ll see these rolled out almost monthly. In 2014 it’ll probably slow down to maybe one a quarter, two a quarter.”

AdvisorIQ reports are available for download from the CLS website.

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