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Unlocking the Power of Alternative Investments

A Guide for Financial Advisors
  1. A Guide for Financial Advisors

    In today’s market landscape, diversification has never been more important. With public market volatility and increased client demand for tailored investment strategies, financial advisors are expanding into alternatives — real estate, private equity, private credit, and more. These asset classes offer the potential for enhanced returns, inflation protection, and reduced correlation with traditional stocks and bonds.

    Self-directed IRAs (SDIRAs) provide a unique vehicle to unlock these opportunities within tax-advantaged accounts. For advisors, this means being able to deliver deeper portfolio customization and long-term wealth-building strategies that stand out.

  2. The Role of Custodians in Alternative Investments

    Managing alternative investments comes with operational complexity — but the right custodian can remove much of the friction.

    Our platform simplifies the process by:

    • Lowering transaction and maintenance costs

    • Providing high levels of transactional automation

    • Consolidating reporting across public and private assets

    • Helping advisors stay compliant with tax reporting (e.g., Form 5498, 1099-R)


    With digital workflows and advisor support baked in, we help integrate alternative assets into your existing practice seamlessly.

  3. Tech Stack Integrations: Meeting Advisors Where They Work

    Our custodial platform integrates with the leading wealth management tools you already use, including:

    • Portfolio Reporting: Black Diamond, Orion, Tamarac

    • Aggregation & Planning: eMoney, Envestnet, RightCapital

    • CRM & Workflow: Salesforce, Redtail, Wealthbox

    Through these integrations, you get a consolidated view of your client portfolios — including alts — within your existing interface, enabling better planning, analysis, and client communication.

  4. Alternative Custody vs. Traditional Custody

    While traditional custodians focus on publicly traded securities, alternative investment custodians provide access to private market opportunities such as:

    • Private equity & private credit

    • Real estate (residential, commercial, land)

    • Infrastructure and energy (oil, gas, renewables)

    • Commodities and digital assets

    These asset classes are typically unavailable through mainstream custodians but are in increasing demand from high-net-worth and sophisticated investors looking to diversify beyond Wall Street.

  5. Seamless Advisor Back Office Integration

    Advisors can transact on behalf of clients through a modern, electronic workflow that includes:

    • Online form submission & digital signatures

    • Automated document verification

    • Electronic subscription agreements and funding instructions

    This eliminates paper-based delays and manual processes, reducing friction and helping you scale your alternatives offering efficiently.

  6. A New Advisory Model – Blending Traditional Advice with Private Market Expertise

    The traditional AUM-based fee model has long served financial advisors well, but in an era of shifting client expectations and new asset classes, advisors are beginning to adopt more flexible and rewarding approaches. A growing number of independent advisors are incorporating private placements, real estate, and private equity into client portfolios — and introducing performance-based fee structures that better align with investor outcomes and advisor incentives.

    This new model delivers multiple benefits:

    1. Differentiated Investment Access

      Advisors can curate high-quality private deals, offering clients access to opportunities typically unavailable at wirehouses or major custodians. These may include:

      • Pre-IPO private equity rounds

      • Direct real estate investments

      • Infrastructure and private credit vehicles

      • Specialty opportunities in commodities, oil & gas, and digital assets

    2. Diversified Revenue Streams

      By earning performance-based compensation on private investments (in addition to AUM fees), advisors create alternative revenue sources that aren’t entirely tied to market volatility. For example:

      • Charging a carried interest on successful private equity returns

      • Receiving fees linked to cash flow or profits from real estate portfolios

      • Participating in syndicate economics when bringing clients into exclusive deals

    3. Increased Client Stickiness

      Clients who participate in high-conviction, long-duration private deals are more likely to remain loyal and engaged. They see their advisor not just as an allocator, but as a trusted access point to the private markets.


      This model is ideal for advisors ready to go beyond basic asset allocation — and become portfolio architects who leverage both traditional and alternative asset classes to deliver comprehensive wealth-building strategies.