Wealthtech Orion Advisor Solutions will give clients access to alternative investments through a partnership with CAIS Solutions.
"A few factors drove Orion’s decision to add access to alts," said Josh Flade, CFA, Deputy CIO - OCIO at Orion. "Alternatives, as we were reminded in 2022, can add a level of diversification that publicly traded securities sometimes cannot. Second, clients want bespoke, differentiated portfolios and alternatives can help advisors provide that. Thirdly, alternatives have largely been exclusively used by institutional investors and ultra-high-net-worth families, but thanks to technological and financial innovations, these products are becoming increasingly available to the mass affluent and high-net-worth individuals, and we want to make sure that Orion advisors are able to make these available to their clients as well."
Orion’s Wealth Advisory and OCIO clients will gain access to private equity, private debt, private real estate and hedge funds. In addition, there are plans to add access to Orion Portfolio Solutions and Orion Advisor Technology clients in the near future.
“We’re excited about further expanding our partnership as CAIS and Orion have long been culturally aligned because we are relentlessly focused on the independent wealth management community, are pioneers of developing game-changing technology, and are committed to helping advisors grow their businesses,” said CAIS COO Brendan Cuddihy.
CAIS added new features to its CAIS Solutions platform last fall, allowing advisors to manage alternative investments in one spot, including those sourced through CAIS’s marketplace, but also ones purchased directly from managers or sourced on other alts platforms.
“Following the launch of CAIS Solutions last year, we have seen tremendous demand for the offering and expect Orion’s advisors to benefit from the operational efficiency it can provide to their overall alternative investing process,” Cuddihy said. “The integration with Orion is a testament to our commitment to the independent wealth channel, and is a natural evolution in our mission to provide financial advisors with streamlined access to alternative investments.”
After a period of growth marked by acquisitions, Orion has focused on integrations during the past two years. That stretch also included former AssetMark CEO Wolfsen succeeding Eric Clarke.