Summit Financial Holdings, a trusted architect of advisor success and client satisfaction for over four decades, has unveiled significant enhancements to its private markets offering. This refined approach is meticulously designed to arm advisors with institutional-quality resources, merging the bespoke service of a boutique firm with the expansive capabilities of larger institutional offerings. Timely in its completion, this initiative arrives as financial advisors and their high-net-worth (HNW) clients increasingly explore alternative investments for diversification and potential higher returns.
Led by co-CIO Noreen Brown, CFA, Summit strategically introduces a robust open-architecture platform for private markets, seamlessly granting advisors access to a diverse range of alternative investments on behalf of their clients. This initiative aims to distinguish client portfolios with potential higher returns and reduced market volatility exposure, while empowering advisors with a competitive edge. Through strategic partnerships with industry leaders like Opto Investments and Arch, Summit positions advisors to navigate the complexities of private markets confidently, enhancing wallet share among existing clients and attracting new HNW clientele.
Stan Gregor, CEO of Summit Financial Holdings, emphasized the client-centric ethos driving this initiative: “At Summit, we prioritize our client-first approach. Building on our foundation of holistic financial planning and open architecture, we’re excited to introduce our private markets offering. This initiative, supported by partnerships with firms such as Opto Investments and Arch, equips our advisors with the tools necessary to construct dynamic and resilient portfolios, reflecting our ongoing commitment to supporting advisors in serving their clients’ best interests.”
The newly launched platform empowers Summit advisors with access to private equity, private credit, real estate, and venture capital opportunities. Additionally, Summit can offer certain deals directly, providing clients with institutional share classes at lower minimums and fees. Despite the administrative challenges associated with private markets, the digital infrastructure provided by Arch ensures security, efficiency, and standardization when allocating to alternatives.
Ryan Eisenman, co-founder, and CEO of Arch, highlighted their commitment to supporting Summit by streamlining administrative challenges: “We’re pleased to support Summit by alleviating many of the administrative hurdles associated with alternative investments. Our integrated platform serves as a central hub, providing advisors and their clients with on-demand access to crucial documents and actionable insights, reducing the administrative burden and enabling advisors to focus on creating value for their clients.”
Summit has assembled a team of seasoned investment professionals to assist advisors in designing model portfolios tailored to each client’s unique risk tolerance and liquidity needs. Complemented by mentorship sessions led by experienced Summit advisors, this effort equips advisors with strategies for effectively implementing and allocating various asset classes.
Summit’s investment offerings cater to investors seeking a blend of traditional and innovative options, ranging from mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to private equity and real estate investment trusts (REITs). Backed by a team rich in experience and credentials, Summit offers institutional-quality access and analysis, ensuring clients have the resources to navigate the investment landscape confidently. Summit’s comprehensive toolkit, supporting risk management, rebalancing, and regular economic and financial updates, positions clients to pursue their investment goals amidst a rapidly changing market environment.
