The Internet is not going to lead to the downfall of financial advisors, at least if the PIMCO Funds of Newport Beach, Calif. can help it.
The fund company has created a new Internet service for financial advisors that allows them to dispense advice to their clients in the form of professional investment proposals almost instantaneously.
The service is called the Customized Client Proposal System and is being offered free to advisors through the PIMCO Funds web site. Advisors who sell the PIMCO funds can enter specific information about a particular client or prospect, such as risk tolerance and investment horizon. PIMCO then will produce a customized investment proposal which can be printed out for the client instantly or mailed to the advisor by PIMCO and then given to the client. The proposals can be full-color and contain portfolio, performance and risk information.
PIMCO officials declined to elaborate on details of the system, saying they did not want to tip off competitors to the technology.
The system was created with the help of Tempest Software of New York and uses its Tempest Messenger System. PIMCO's system is unique in the fund industry in that it draws from the entire universe of funds to create proposals, said Karen Berman, vice president of marketing at Tempest.
The new system should pay for itself within a year by attracting new business, said Stephen Jobe, vice president of marketing for PIMCO Funds, in a statement.
"You can generate a proposal for a single fund or a portfolio of funds, which you select; or PIMCO can recommend a fund allocation tailored to your client's needs. You can even include funds offered by other fund families in your proposal," according to a page describing the system on the PIMCO website.
