Orion, Pontera strike new integration partnership

Orion and Pontera are ramping up support for advisors with a retirement-investing focus through a new industry-leading collaboration.

The two fintech firms have launched a new integration aimed at helping financial advisors manage held-away retirement accounts, such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s, within Orion Trading.

The partnership allows advisors, centralized trading teams, and outsourced chief investment officers to incorporate these accounts into their investment management process while maintaining tax efficiency and compliance.

Orion and Pontera, previously known as FeeX, first announced an integration partnership in May 2021.

The new integration will enable advisors using Orion Trading to rebalance and manage client portfolios at the household level, aligning retirement plan assets with broader investment strategies.

In a statement, Pontera's Chief Business Officer David Goldman billed the expanded integration with Orion as "the first of its kind in our industry."

"We are committed to listening to our customers and enhancing our platform with innovative solutions that enable advisors to scale efficiently and drive better results for their clients," Goldman said, adding that the integration is "designed to simplify and elevate portfolio management for firms focused on delivering bespoke investment solutions."

Orion currently services $4.9 trillion in assets under administration and $97.5 billion in wealth management platform assets. Its Orion Trading platform offers tax-efficient trading and rebalancing alongside a proprietary order management system.

By integrating Pontera’s capabilities, Orion aims to provide advisors with a more comprehensive investment management experience as they incorporate workplace retirement assets into their view of clients' financial picture.

"We're thrilled to enhance our integration with Pontera, providing advisors with seamless access to critical 401(k) and other held-away asset data directly within the Orion platform," said Reed Colley, president of Orion Advisor Technology.

"By enabling advisors to manage, report and bill on these assets at the household level – and even incorporate them into traded portfolio groups in Orion Trading – we're empowering them to deliver a more comprehensive and streamlined client experience," Colley said.

The integration will be rolled out in phases and is expected to become more widely available later this year.