Orion Unveils Bespoke Custom Indexing and Proposal Generation Technology for Independent Advisors

Wealthtech juggernaut’s latest tech enhancements are designed to give independent advisors a competitive edge

OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Orion Advisor Solutions, the premier provider of transformative wealthtech solutions for fiduciary advisors, has unveiled significant enhancements to its technology ecosystem during the opening session of the firm’s flagship Ascent conference. Orion’s founder and CEO, Eric Clarke took to the stage in Orlando, Fla. — addressing an audience of 1,600 financial advisors and industry leaders — to reveal a new Story Paths advisor-facing technology for its Orion Custom Indexing solution.

Similar to goals-based financial planning software, the new technology will allow advisors to easily select from one of several user paths which allow the advisor to customize portfolios or tax transition legacy assets within a handful of steps and minutes.

Amid growing consumer demand for more personalized services, assets in direct indexed separately managed accounts have ballooned to $362 billion. Orion’s Custom Indexing solution, launched in 2018, allows registered investment advisors (RIAs) to differentiate their offering with personalized, professionally managed, low-cost portfolios — supported by a dedicated team of CFA-credentialed portfolio managers and Orion’s industry-leading technology.

“While other direct indexing solutions cater almost exclusively to wirehouse advisors, we set out to build a solution with a heavy emphasis on customization that meets the needs of the independent advisor. Orion is a leading direct indexing provider for RIAs, with $7 billion in assets under administration,” said Clarke.

Orion’s new Story Paths workflow enables advisors to create truly custom portfolios at scale, whether aiming to track a traditional index, replicate a factor tilted exposure, or overlay to an existing internal or third-party separately managed account. By placing this technology in the hands of advisors, Orion enables the advisor to leverage the best of its investment and operations teams with a simplified experience.

Orion’s Custom Indexing solution now distinguishes itself in the marketplace by embedding this new tool into the technology ecosystem that advisors currently use today. Within minutes, an advisor can immediately generate a proposal to present to their client or choose to allocate an existing account to the newly designed custom portfolio. Acting within Orion’s multi-custodial accounting system, the new technology will streamline the portfolio customization and tax transition process to a matter of minutes compared to the industry normal of multiple days.

“Orion Custom Indexing is based on behavioral finance research that illustrates the importance of truly understanding a client’s life and goals in order to better serve them,” added Clarke. “With Orion Custom Indexing, advisors can grow their business by winning new prospective clients, increasing wallet share of existing clients and attracting new advisors who want hands-on help transitioning from other providers. Our best-in-class advisor technology is supported by a team of investment professionals to truly help the advisor scale their practice.”

New Proposal and Technology Integration

Orion also announced its first proposal generation tool for Orion Advisor Tech (OAT) clients, available with its recently introduced Orion Advantage and Essentials stacks. Driving end-to-end efficiency by eliminating manual data entry and cumbersome cross-system navigation, this new functionality enables advisors to create and deliver proposals in a fraction of the time. Rolled out to Orion Portfolio Solutions clients in spring 2022, the proposal generation tool has been lauded by advisors for its efficiency and ease of use.

The proposal generation technology workflow is integrated throughout Orion’s tech ecosystem, including Orion Connect, Orion Planning, Communities model marketplace, Orion Risk Intelligence and Redtail CRM. OAT and Redtail users can launch the proposal tool directly from their customer relationship management (CRM) dashboard in Redtail. New proposals will be integrated with Orion Risk Intelligence so that advisors can quickly and easily compare existing portfolios to proposed accounts, link accounts via Plaid and conduct stress-test comparisons.

Attend the Custom Indexing Technology webinar at 4 p.m. ET on March 21.

To learn more about Orion Custom Indexing and the new Story Paths workflow, join the March 21 webinar presented by Andrew Rosenberger, CFA, Head of Custom Indexing at Orion. Visit orion.com/custom-indexing for more information on Orion’s Custom Indexing offering.

0544-OAS-2/22/2023

About Orion Advisor Solutions

Orion is a premier provider of the tech-enabled fiduciary process that transforms the advisor-client relationship by enabling financial advisors to Prospect, Plan, Invest, and Achieve within a single, connected, technology-driven experience. Combined, our brand entities, Orion Advisor Tech, Orion Portfolio Solutions, Brinker Capital Investments, Redtail Technology, and TownSquare Capital create a complete offering that empowers firms to attract new clients seamlessly, connect goals more meaningfully to investment strategies and outcomes, and ultimately track progress toward each investor’s unique definition of financial success. With the addition of Redtail and TownSquare, the combined platform services $3.7 trillion in assets under administration and $60 billion of wealth management platform assets (as of Dec. 31, 2022). Supporting over 5 million technology accounts and thousands of independent advisory firms, Orion is the platform of choice for all growth-focused advisory firms looking to strengthen their client relationships, gain a competitive edge in a crowded marketplace, and build strong, profitable businesses. Learn more at orion.com.