Mercer Advisors is joining the rush to help bring private market investing opportunities to advisors and their high-net-worth clients.
The wealth and financial planning giant boasting $60 billion in client assets has announced the launch of its new private markets platform.
The proprietary platform, Aspen Partners, is aimed at delivering private investments typically reserved for large institutional investors to qualified retail investors, with lower portfolio-level costs and low minimum investment requirements. Designed to provide a streamlined operational experience, it allows investors to participate in a curated portfolio of private investments.
"We are committed to delivering on the promise of a full-fledged family office. That means working directly with some of the world’s top private equity, venture capital, private credit, real estate, and infrastructure managers to build institutional-grade portfolios for our clients — without adding exorbitant fees or expense ratios," Daniel Gourvitch, president at Mercer Advisors, said in a statement.
The platform seeks to address some of the main challenges faced by high-net-worth investors in private markets, including limited access, high fees, investment minimums, and complex reporting.
According to Donald Calcagni, chief investment officer at Mercer Advisors: "Aspen Partners is built to bring a fiduciary-centered approach to private markets by providing investors access to selectively chosen private managers."
The platform was launched through a strategic partnership with Opto Investments, which provides the technological backbone to let Mercer Advisors efficiently integrate private market investments into client portfolios at scale.
"The private markets model is broken, and we’re thrilled to partner with Mercer Advisors to fix the space and create a more efficient and client-friendly paradigm as we grow together," Jake Miller, co-founder and chief solutions officer at Opto, said in a separate statement.
With a private markets team boasting more than two decades of experience serving family office services to investors, Mercer Advisors is well positioned to offer “a fundamentally different private markets investment experience,” said CEO Dave Welling.
“Beginning today, every qualified client in our community will have the opportunity to benefit from our team’s deep expertise and experience," Welling said.
Mercer Advisors has also strengthened its private market leadership team to support its push to help break down barriers for retail clients. Bob Burlinson has been appointed as senior director of private markets, bringing nearly three decades of private market investment experience.
With 25 years in asset management including roles at Morgan Stanley, Charles Schwab, and Nuveen, Will Rockett joins as senior director of the investment strategy group. Meanwhile, Chris Casdia has been named vice president of private markets compliance and operations.
Advisors who expect an edge from alternatives' illiquidity premium – without understanding the underlying terms and explaining them to clients – have a world of learning to do.
The social influencer Tyler Bossetti pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aiding in the filing of false tax documents as a result of the real estate scheme, which ran from 2019 to 2023 and used platforms including Facebook and YouTube.
The latest LIMRA data release shows continued growth in RILAs, variable annuities, and FRD products, though researchers argue more education is still needed.
Indivisible Partners builds on its strategy to take turf in the independent space with its latest move in Colorado.
LPL's latest addition, a San Diego team defecting from RBC, represents a milestone for the broker-dealer giant's Strategic Wealth model for wirehouse breakaways.
Barely a decade old, registered index-linked annuities have quickly surged in popularity, thanks to their unique blend of protection and growth potential—an appealing option for investors looking to chart a steadier course through today's choppy market waters, says Myles Lambert, Brighthouse Financial.
How intelliflo aims to solve advisors' top tech headaches—without sacrificing the personal touch clients crave