Leading fee-only RIA partners with private markets platform to enhance advisors' ability to offer institutional type portfolios at scale, further strengthening its competitive advantage

TORRANCE, Calif.: EP Wealth Advisors (“EP Wealth”), a leading independent registered investment adviser (“RIA”) with an expanding national presence and client base, today announced its strategic partnership with Opto Investments (“Opto”), the technology-enabled solution expanding private markets access for independent investment advisors. This partnership will bolster EP Wealth’s ability to provide clients with a scalable, digital-forward solution comprised of high-quality private markets opportunities with flexible investment options.

Traditional portfolios consisting of stocks and bonds can be limiting for high-net-worth (“HNW”) and ultra-high-net-worth (“UHNW”) clients. To help these clients better meet their long-term growth and income goals, and enhance portfolio diversification, EP Wealth is building a new private markets program. While access to private markets has improved in recent years, investing in these asset classes comes with challenges, including high costs and operational and administrative complexities. Opto’s end-to-end platform directly addresses these challenges and enables advisors to construct differentiated portfolios with the potential for higher returns and lower volatility.

EP Wealth will be leveraging Opto’s custom funds offering to address the individual needs of their HNW and UHNW clients. With a comprehensive due diligence process that provides a carefully curated selection of private markets opportunities, custom funds enable EP Wealth to craft bespoke strategies that closely align with their clients' goals and risk preferences. These customized strategies help to provide institutional-level investments at scale while aiming to eliminate unnecessary fees, minimize excess liquidity, and diversify exposure across vintages and managers.

“When introducing private market strategies to client portfolios, a one-size-fits-all approach simply does not work,” said Adam Phillips, CFA, CAIA, CFP, managing director of investments at EP Wealth Advisors. “Opto’s fiduciary-first approach helps us build personalized portfolios that meet the unique needs of our clients, while providing access to institutional-grade investments from a vast array of managers.”

With Opto's support, EP Wealth will be able to provide its clients over time with a unique private markets program designed to reduce high costs, operational complexities, and administrative burdens. Built on the foundational values of trust, transparency and respect, EP Wealth has been serving families across the country and helping them reach their financial goals for 25 years. By using Opto’s comprehensive platform to streamline back-office tasks and processes like managing capital calls, tax documentation, and reporting, EP Wealth’s advisors and investment team can focus on deepening relationships with their clients.

“We remain hyper-focused on positioning advisors to confidently navigate the intricacies of private markets in a more scalable way,” added Ryan VanGorder, chief executive officer at Opto. “Our team’s deep expertise in due diligence and sourcing coupled with our powerful technology engine alleviates the operational burden associated with private markets investing while supporting advisors in delivering diversifying, institutional-type portfolios to their clients.”

To learn more about EP Wealth Advisors, please visit epwealth.com. For advisors and investors interested in learning more about Opto Investments, visit optoinvest.com.

About EP Wealth Advisors

EP Wealth Advisors, LLC (“EP Wealth”) is a fee-only registered investment adviser and financial planning firm with more than 36 offices in 13 states. The firm manages more than $26.2 billion in assets as of July 31, 2024. EP Wealth provides client-centric financial, tax and estate planning, and investment management services to individuals and businesses. Headquartered in Torrance, California, EP Wealth is led by CEO Ryan Parker, along with Co-Founders and Managing Directors Derek Holman, CFP®, AIF®, and Brian Parker, CFP®, and Executive Chair Patrick Goshtigian, CFA. It is backed by Berkshire Partners, a leading private investment firm in Boston. In 2024, EP Wealth celebrates its 25th anniversary serving families across the country and helping them reach their financial goals. For more information, please visit epwealth.com.

About Opto Investments

Opto Investments (“Opto”) is a technology firm changing the way fiduciaries experience private markets. Opto partners with advisors, CIOs, and other fiduciaries to solve the challenges of building and distributing customized private markets solutions at scale. Intelligent workflows and elegant design simplify the private markets investment process, minimizing paperwork, saving time, and creating better client experiences.

We built Opto as a fiduciary and with a fee structure that aligns us with our clients. We do not receive compensation from fund managers and frequently invest our own capital in the deals we choose for our platform.

Founded by Joe Lonsdale, and backed by respected investors such as 8VC and Michael Dell’s DFO Management, Opto is able to access truly differentiated opportunities across private credit, private equity, real estate, venture capital, and more. We guide fiduciaries through every step of the investment process, with holistic portfolio construction tools and hands-on guidance based on their needs.

Opto is your long-term partner for building smarter private markets portfolios. For additional information, please visit our website and LinkedIn.

Fonte: Business Wire