Capital market complexity, budgetary pressures, staff turnover, investment committee time constraints, and concern about fiduciary liability have led many institutions to outsource this crucial role. CIOutsource™ offers a cost-effective way to access discretionary investment expertise and resources that might otherwise be beyond reach.

Hallmarks of CIOutsource™ include:

• Conflict-free advice – Our only source of revenue is our stated fee. No manager pays to be included in our database and we acknowledge our fiduciary status.
• Expertise – A combination of academic theory and “street smarts” has delivered value-added solutions for clients.
• Intellectual Capital – Research is focused on adding return, reducing risk, or both. For example, we were, to the best of our knowledge, the first consulting firm to analyze and recommend Treasury Inflation Indexed Securities (in 1997). We were also early in recommending REITs, Timberland, commodity indexed funds, and Energy Infrastructure funds. More importantly, we believe that our evolutionary improvement to the traditional asset allocation model adds measureable value.
• Alternatives Capability – Lack of transparency, the use of leverage, and huge dispersion between top- and bottom-quartile managers mandate strong due diligence. It’s not cost effective to build this capacity in-house (unless your fund has several billion dollars in assets).
• Risk Management – Proprietary tools, such as our Portfolio Engineer™, add structure and discipline to an investment program.
• Accountability – We are accountable for investment results and welcome discussions about an incentive-based compensation arrangement.
• Flexibility – We work with you to customize the structure that best suits your needs. We are happy to accept partial or full discretion in the oversight of your funds.

Potential benefits of this approach include: higher risk-adjusted returns, the ability to make more timely decisions, and lower overall costs. Contact Matt Porter at 312.853.1000 for more information regarding this service.