Investment Management Newsflashes: DSTi Releases Pricing Tool for Investment Managers, and more

DSTi Releases Pricing Tool for Investment Managers

DST International (DSTi), a provider of business solutions for the financial services industry, recently launched its Unit Pricing Workbench for investment managers.

The solution was initiated in recognition of the increasing regulatory governance globally within the industry and the pressures around unit pricing processing times and validation. The sophisticated investment management tool has been initially launched within the Australian market in response to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority's (APRA) November 2005 findings relating to best practice market discipline surrounding unit pricing systems.

The introduction of DSTi's Unit Pricing Workbench, as part of its HiPortfolio/3 Investment Accounting Solution, allows institutions to proactively manage unit pricing output on an 'exception' basis throughout the pricing lifecycle. Progress can then be monitored on a real-time basis.

"This enhancement is designed for clients who manage unit trusts for investors as well as those who provide a custodial service for unit trust managers in accordance with APRA's recommendations," said DSTi's CEO, Ian Mathieson. Although APRA has been initially launched in the Australian market, Mathieson said the ultimate goal of the solution is to attain global penetration.

SunGard Upgrades Planning Station

SunGard has released a new version of PlanningStation, a financial modeling and planning solution for financial advisors.

Among the new features of PlanningStation is a new Cash Flow Consultant module, which helps to provide experienced financial advisors with the flexibility and control of cash flow-driven planning. Other major features of the new release include enhancements to PlanningStation's workflow for client financial plan reviews, updates to its At Retirement module, and additional formatting options for client reports.

PlanningStation's Cash Flow Consultant positions cash flows at the core of the analysis to produce lifetime plans based on criteria and assumptions provided by the advisor. Rather than focusing on a specific client objective such as retirement or education funding, the module analyzes any aspect of a client' s financial future, taking into account life events that affect cash flows and assets. Cash Flow Consultant helps to give advisors control over the client's distributions and contributions, helping advisors to model asset behavior and projections to their liking.

Aite Group Report Foresees MSP Spike

According to a new report, Aite Group expects multi-style portfolios (MSPs) and unified managed accounts (UMAs) to become the growth products for the separately managed account (SMA) industry. Their combined market share is expected to grow from 13 percent of total SMA assets to 35 percent by 2011.

These products represent a great opportunity for firms outside the currently dominant group of wirehouses to conquer a larger share of the SMA pie. The Aite report includes a market overview of today's separately managed account market, discusses the industry shift towards MSPs and UMAs, and provides growth drivers and market projections for these products. The report also outlines implementation and outsourcing strategies for MSP and UMA platforms, analyzes the economics and forecasts the total spending for these platforms.

According to Alois Pirker, senior analyst at Aite Group and author of the report, "Firms that manage to place their MSP or UMA product at the core of a larger wealth management strategy will be well positioned to target the huge group of retiring baby boomers who are rolling over their retirement savings."

For more info on how to obtain the 29-page Aite report, visit the firm's Web site.