What to look for in a portfolio management software

With the growth of the Internet and the increasing popularity of cloud computing, there has been a consequent surge in the number of asset and portfolio management software from various web-service providers. As the number of providers increase, so have claims to functionalities and features that, in reality, create more confusion than clarity for many customers. What does your portfolio manager need to look for in a portfolio management software?

Here, we identify the features that are essential to any portfolio manager.

Trade processing. First and foremost, the software should be able to aid your portfolio manager in processing trades. This includes trades in any currency, with multi-currency cash balances for each of your portfolios. On top of this, the software should afford the ability to monitor all transactions, whether they are based on trades made, contracted settlements, records of settlements, and relevant dates. The software should be able to communicate through confirmations that are flexible and customizable. Finally, trade processing should be fast, especially for money market trades.

Securities and valuation. The software should be flexible enough to accommodate user-defined security types and have a facility to maintain several price points for each security. Provisions should also be provided for sinking funds and extendable, retractable, and maturity schedule. Finally, it is imperative to have private placement and obscure bond issues that are manually or matrix priced, along with built-in standard industry calculations.

Accounting. No portfolio manager software is complete without accounting features. Commissions for the dealer and the broker of each trade should be carefully tracked. There is also online processing of future trades, on top of accounting records and audit trails for historical activities. Calculations for accrued interest, realized, and unrealized gains and losses are also incorporated in the accounting function.

Reporting. The final inexpendable feature of portfolio manager software is the ability to generate reports that provide the user with all relevant information. Report templates can be made customizable, with the software offering templates and automated report writing. Aside from report templates, query tools are made available to easily navigate through a myriad of data that reside in an integrated database designed to optimize portfolio management.

Truly, a state-of-the-art portfolio management software is indispensable for firms that aim to effectively facilitate, monitor, control, and manage any investor’s growing and evolving portfolio. Such a technology is available through some of today’s top asset servicing firms – the ideal partners for growth of asset managers.

Things You’re Doing Wrong on Social Media

Social media marketing is and will continue to be a leading platforms for brand promotion. Some companies are doing it wrong, however, and so fail to achieve the growth in following and loyalty that they had in mind.

Here are some of the things your brand is possibly doing wrong on social media – and how to move forward as your company’s New Year resolution for community management.

Cross-posting without tweaking content. You most likely want your customers and business partners to follow you on your accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. There is a feature to post the same content on different platforms, but it’s not one to be abused. You don’t want to make your followers feel like you are lazy or unimaginative. Find a way to present the same information without just copy-pasting the content to another platform. Otherwise, your customers should just subscribe to one account, right?

Sounding like different entities across different platforms. The other extreme not to fall into concerning content management on social media is to sound as if an entirely different team is handling each of the various brand accounts. Content across platforms may come in perhaps slightly different tones, but they should convey the same brand messaging and the same buzzwords. Obviously, they should all use the same company logo and taglines, and other official corporate identity materials

Not caring about analytics. Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress, and other social media websites generally have features that offer some insight to the impact that your posts are making. But how many times have you actually looked at their graphs on user behavior? Are you listening to your customers by checking how they respond to your posts? Do you know what types of content elicit the most engagement especially shares and comments? Do monitor analytics, and change what and how you deliver social media content based on the data.

Not checking the competition. Monitoring is part of the tasks of a committed social media community manager. After all, it is a must to be kept abreast of developments in the industry, as well as current events. It is particularly important to be aware of what the competition is offering, so you know how to offer something better for your target market.

In need of guidance in conquering the domain of social media marketing? Talk to marketing experts today, and partner with them in building and growing your brand online.

Preparing for Your Wedding Day at The Hamptons

In the beautiful neighborhood of the Hamptons are some of the most spectacular locations you and your future spouse could have for when you mark the start of your forever.

Are you planning your wedding at any of the Hamptons wedding venues? Take note of these tips.

Give thoughtful pointers to your guests. On some seasons, the Hamptons can get really crowded with holidaymakers and beach-lovers from all over the world. Have you thought of where can your guests stay during your wedding weekend? Give them useful pointers about which hotels are great. Inform them as well if there are worthwhile things to do or visit while they’re here, so they can make the most of the trip. Inquire with your own hotel concierge if there are any big events your invitees can attend, such as a wine-tasting fair, or a fruit-picking event. Also ask about nearby museums, nature trails, or resorts that your relatives and loved ones can come to especially if they are bringing their entire family with them. And tell them to pack swimwear, outdoor gear, and whatever else they might need during this stay. Make it a cute portion of your invitation entitled “Tips from (the groom’s name) & the bride’s name)!”

Be picky about the food. Try to recall the weddings you’ve attended, and you’ll notice that the memorable ones where those which had awesome food. Do pick your caterer well. Schedule food-tasting sessions before booking one. Try to request a special menu created just for your big day. Speak with the chef, and consider the season, the profile of your guests, even the local ingredients available. From the appetizers to the desserts to the drinks, subscribe to only the highest standards.

Find a way to entertain everyone. Who are your invitees? Surely, there would be a mix of different people that you have known from your childhood, from school, from work, among other journeys you have taken in life. Prepare something that will entertain everyone: from the kids to the oldies but kids at heart. Ask your wedding band or DJ to play hits from different eras. Set up a table where the kids can have fun while attended to by an adult. It can have crayons or modelling clay, among other toys that are child-safe. Also prepare a booth displaying photos and other keepsakes that everyone can look at during the waiting times.

Have a good time planning your wedding day at The Hamptons!

Onward and Upward: The Implications of Investing in Private Equity

When considering non-traditional holdings, one must not discount the vast potential to be realized in private equity investing.

Private equity firms align with private corporations, university endowments, funds of funds, private and public pension funds, and charitable organizations to raise money for acquiring ownership in businesses that, while established, are struggling and can stand to benefit from a cash infusion. Upon purchase, the company is rehabilitated from bottom to top, so that in about four to 10 years’ time and after a notable increase in value, the stake can be sold at a generous profit favoring the original investors.

Similarly, venture capital firms pool together resources from various professional and institutional investors and wealthy individuals alike, in order to procure equity ownership in startups built around innovations in technology, health care, renewable energy, and lifestyle. This growth capital is used to develop the young enterprise in its early stages, helping it get off the ground and find its footing in the industry. When the company reaches a certain level of maturation and bankability, the capitalists can then exit their ownership in exchange for substantial gains.

Though private equity enjoys quite a few key advantages—the long-term absolute returns that are impossible to obtain with IPOs, the low exposure to volatility and inflation, and the high degree of influence stakeholders have over company management are just some of this type of offering’s featured benefits—this investment category is not without its challenges.

But apart from the retrieval and maintenance of adequate capital commitments from its institutional and individual investors, a private equity firm’s main concerns involve the sourcing, orchestrating, and closing of deals and buyouts, portfolio company improvement with an emphasis on lowering costs, enhancing operations, and recalibrating management in order to spur revenue and net earnings growth, and the arrangement of high-paying portfolio company ownership exit.

Fortunately, asset servicing firms can provide any private equity or venture capital firm with all the administration, accounting, tax, and intelligence support it can possibly need, at the quality and velocity that allows its fund managers and partners to focus on soldiering forward and staying ahead of the curve. Leveraging exceptional staff, state-of-the-art cloud-based domestic and international trade market software, ultra efficient data collation and processing techniques, and globally esteemed client care, asset servicing solution providers can deliver with the utmost integrity, accuracy, and speed, ensuring private equity clients the highest of yields, using the industry’s most advanced methods.

Fantastic Winter Decor Ideas for Hamptons Wedding Venues

One of the great things about Hamptons wedding venues is that they’re lovely through the seasons. It then comes as no surprise that this plush neighborhood hosts so many weddings in a year, especially those of celebrity couples.

If you’re planning to be a winter bride, here is a list of wonderful ideas for adorning the space, making it a truly memorable spot for the most special day of your life.

Crystal hangings. Whether it’s an indoor or outdoor wedding, crystal bead hangings bring a touch of elegance to any place. Tie them to tree branches or let them drop from the chandelier to create a truly picturesque scene.

Shimmering snowflakes. Use snowflake patterns and use them as adornments for the table settings and the seats, or hang them from the ceiling along with shiny globes. You can pin them onto candles too. Snowflake accents especially go well with a blue and silver motif.

Pine branches and cones everywhere. Nothing spells the holidays more than pine trees. Use pine branches and cones to decorate the aisles, the buffet tables, and the arch near the altar. Feel free to use the whole tree, too!

Floral winter wonderland. A gazillion white flowers and blue lighting for your wedding reception will make for a dazzling winter wonderland. Use giant floral arrangements for your tables and white birch branches for your centerpieces, and watch your guests’ jaws drop as they enter the venue.

White and blue. Scout the suppliers for white and blue things – from fabrics to vases to dishes and glassware. Ask the person in charge of lighting to use blue uplighting and project snowflakes on the wall, to help create the cozy winter vibe.

Holiday ornaments. For a winter wedding, you can actually use Christmas decor to glam up the space. Use the organza ribbons and metallic balls you intended to hang around your tree, and instead place them on your place card tables, or your signs. Place pots of poinsettia everywhere, along with fake dangling berries and pinecones, and wreaths of holly.

Think ‘bedazzled.’ Bejeweled items create a dramatic feel, which is what winter weddings are about. Pick the shiny, glittery, or gleaming option when you can, from the handle of the bouquets, to the groomsmen’s buttonieres, to the table, seating, and ceiling ornaments.

Talk to your wedding coordinator and event stylist today, to discuss how to turn one of the finest Hamptons wedding venues into the wedding setting of your dreams.

Factors That Motivate Investors to Consider an Outsourced CIO

Ten years ago, outsourcing was merely seen as a solution for small institutions with limited resources. But now, a wide range of long-term investors, such as those with diverse asset pools, are now turning to the outsourced CIO model because of the great benefits that it can bring.

According to a recent survey conducted by Goldman Sachs, about 80 per cent of the CIOs today outsource a large portion of their investment management to a third party. All in all, about $1.4 trillion of insurance assets are now managed by professional asset managers – a whopping $500 billion increase since 2006.

Asked about the primary reason behind this transition, executive vice president and CFO of Kennametal, Inc. Catherine Smith said that “Outsourcing has almost become a ticket to the game.”

“We have to be competitive on every front, and outsourcing is one way to get there. If a process is not core and strategic to our success, someone else can do it for us, and do it better,” Smith added.

Aside from being competitive, Russell Investments reported that many organizations now consider an outsourced CIO because today’s volatile markets require dynamic portfolio management. In line with this, there is a higher demand for an access to an expanded opportunity set or specialized strategies including rigorous risk management analytics, asset allocation modeling, robust back-office services and relationship management.

Meanwhile, Forbes mentioned that “fiduciary fatigue” could also be one of the forces behind the outsourcing trend. This covers different set of challenges faced by investment committees as they navigate a period of severe stress.

“For many, maintaining current spending in the face of sharp declines is a huge hurdle. Some investment committees are realizing they just can’t meet often enough to provide sufficient day-to-day oversight to position their portfolios in a high-volatility environment and take advantage of market dislocations,” states Forbes. Higher ROI and budget constraints are also some of the drivers, the report adds.

With these challenging scenarios, an outsourced CIO (OCIO) aims to enhance the decision making process, cost savings and implementation of ideas.

When it comes to overall performance, on the other hand, the OCIO can help construct a cost-efficient portfolio that targets to strike an optimal balance between risk and return, and further improve net-of-fee to increase wealth overtime, according to StrategicInvestmentGroup.

To maximize positive returns, look for an outsourced CIO that offers not only the best-of-breed proprietary technology, tools and strategies, but also a team of experts that can thoroughly assess the alignment of different investment strategies with your financial goals.

Digital Marketing: Rules of Ethical Marketing

The best companies in the world are those who are able to strike that delicate balance between making huge amounts of profit and doing the right thing in all aspects of their business operation. In promoting their products and services online, for example, these companies adhere to the highest ethical standards in digital marketing.

Admittedly, these parameters are abstract, and require thorough deliberation on a case-to-case basis. But below is a list of the general rules of marketing online in an ethical way:

Do not steal the property of others. In the ideal scenario, all promotional materials for online publication are developed specifically for the company. They should be original, or if sourced elsewhere, should be royalty-free. And whenever needed, a business should ask for permission and give due credit to the owner of an image, a written content, video, and other materials used for their marketing campaign.

Back up each claim. As in all forms of advertising, digital marketing campaigns should be backed by facts, gathered through a legitimate research effort especially by an independent, professional, and impartial party. It is not enough to make claims to draw customers after all: Businesses that intend to build a strong and enduring relationship with their market base should invest in the conduct of studies that will prove their brand’s efficacy in delivering its promises.

Ensure full disclosure when posting ads. If a post on social media, an article on an online newspaper, or a podcast published in a digital magazine is sponsored, it should be accompanied with a disclaimer that it is, in fact, sponsored. This helps the ad’s viewer make realistic expectations, and lets them take the information contained therein with a grain of salt.

Do not promote hate or discrimination. The digital world is filled with hateful remarks as it is, and there is certainly no need for businesses to add to it. Posts, articles, and images for online publication should be checked, double-checked, if not triple-checked for even a hint of racist, misogynist, homophobic, and prejudice on the basis of religion or beliefs. On the contrary, the best campaigns promote such values as respect and compassion.

Subscribing to these rules not only make for a pleasant digital experience for everyone – they also serve to boost a company’s online reputation. To learn more about the rules of digital marketing, get in touch with a provider of a full range of marketing solutions.

Asset Servicing Solutions to Undergo Fundamental Shift in the Next 5 Years

Despite the great financial crisis of 2008 and various economic turmoil, a huge percentage of asset managers still fail to bring the future into focus, according to PwC’s “Asset Management 2020: A Brave New World.” However, the constantly changing industry landscape will continue to shape asset servicing solutions and they will be significantly different over the next five years.

The primary factor that could trigger the need for modernized asset servicing strategies is the increasing number of investable assets. PwC states that about $64 trillion worth of assets today could rise to $102 trillion by 2020, given a compound growth rate of almost 6%.  “As global economies become increasingly integrated and interdependent, regional AuM is influenced by GDP growth in other regions,” the report said.

While majority of the assets will still be concentrated in the United States and Europe, new star players include the SAAAME economies—South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East—with mass affluent clients and the global middle class as the key drivers of growth.
“The global middle class is projected to grow by 180% between 2010 and 2040, with Asia replacing Europe as home to the highest proportion of middle classes, as early as 2015,” added the report.

Because of these factors, the industry is challenged to bring in new financial products for a young and growing constituency. Mutual funds are also expected to take center stage, fueled by the growing middle-class investors that are preparing themselves for retirement and wealth accumulation.

Aside from the rising number of assets, perpetually increasing operational costs are seen as inevitable forces that could change asset servicing landscape. Regulatory charges will remain at the core and AM fees will be questioned even more by discerning investors, despite the ongoing efforts of asset managers to increase transparency and comparability.

With this scenario, there will be greater need to invest on technology and data management. As a result, costs of asset servicing will continue to increase, but margins will remain lower. Profits today are still 15%–20% below their pre-crisis highs – according to industry analysis – and it is debatable whether they will have reattained these levels by 2020,” explained PwC.

In between the rising assets and costs is the stronger demand for risk management, and technology is seen as the saving grace of asset servicing solutions in the following years. Cloud computing and more transparent online dashboards will be more imperative to establish better communication between the investors and third-party vendors. However, the role of technology could even go beyond that.

“In reality, while risk analytics and decision support tools are part of the suite of systems that asset managers and asset owners use, a core function of asset servicing technology is to support a massive exercise in data management and information processing,” explained BlackRock.

With a more challenging landscape that the AM industry has to face, an ideal financial partner has a constant eye on the future, offering asset servicing solutions that utilize state-of-the-art-technology.

Best Wedding Gowns for a Dreamy Hamptons, New York Garden Wedding

Hunting for the gown is no easy task for brides out, especially if it’s for an intimate garden wedding in US’ most romantic destinations like the Hamptons, New York. Women need to consider the weather, the motif of the wedding, and even the landscape or the location.

Below are the top wedding gown picks this season.

Halter wedding gown. Halter neck wedding gowns feature a classic cut that can be worn in  all seasons (but perhaps with a wrap for winter). This gown highlights the neck, the chest and the shoulders, creating an elongated illusion of the body and making it appear leaner. This gown can also be styled by adding a bolero or a cape, of a fabric that complements the bodice.

Empire cut chiffon wedding dress. This traditional style wedding dress puts the spotlight on the women’s upper body, with a cut emphasizing the lady’s chest area. There are different options for the decolletage: it can be a simple tube, sweetheart neckline, or v-neck, among others. If the bride has a smaller frame, an off-shoulder design will emphasize the shoulders and make the neck look longer. Brides who are expecting also favor this cut, since it does not create pressure on the abdomen and hip areas.

Scoop lace long wedding dress. This type of wedding gown is one of the most suitable wedding dresses for garden-themed weddings. With its light fabric and feminine detail, it lends the bride a sultry yet timeless look . The lace also works well with accessories like flower headbands, bracelet or corsages, which are staples for weddings scheduled during the warm seasons.

Crepe and tulle wedding ballgown. This run-down will not be complete without a crepe and tulle wedding gown in a ballgown cut. This gown is a favorite among younger brides as it brings a carefree vibe along with a royal or queenly touch to whoever is wearing it – just the way most of them want to feel on their big day. Crepe hugs the body in a flattering way, but it is light enough for the summer bride. Similarly, tulle creates volume, but does not add much weight, making it ideal for this season’s garden weddings in the Hamptons, New York.

The key is to strike a balance between comfort and style, while also allowing the bride’s personality to shine. This way, this most special of days can be both memorable and enjoyable.

SMO Strategy: What Makes a Blog Entry Popular?

Virality has become the holy grail in the age of social media. SMO experts/content managers become hard-pressed to understand what tickles the fancy of their target audience, and develop that kind of content accordingly.

Companies that have since created blogs are asking this question: What makes an entry popular? Here is a list of characteristics of today’s most visited sites:

Short and sweet content. Very few people have the patience to read through long content. And if they are unable to finish it, they will be less confident about sharing it with the others, too. Good blogsites feature very readable content, often less than 500 words per entry.At the same time, they should contain truly educational content, so that people will be inclined to share it.

Very accessible.Blog posts should have a very accessible language, one that is not very technical or written as if to be read by experts.Some websites accomplish this – or create the impression of it – by providing content in bullets form. This way, the blog features only several points, which perfectly sum up what would otherwise be elaborate ideas.

Good photographs. It is a visual era we are now in. People like seeing images along with their text, to capture their imagination some more. Blog entries should always be accompanied with photographs or illustrations – and in today’s age, there is no excuse for them not to be! All over the Internet, content managers can find free images – from infographics, to stock photographs, to charts and graphs. Anything that breaks the monotony of blocks of text is good: it gives the reader’s eyes more white space, while also giving their mind a rest from comprehending words.

Catchy headlines. Composing headlines is an art. One needs to generate enough interest and pique people’s curiosity, by having a good balance between providing information and drawing them in. A fishing metaphor is apt here: You need to dangle a bait that attracts your prospective readers, but not so obviously that they realize it is a tackle.

Evokes extreme emotions. People consume content often with the intent to feel. They are then more likely to be drawn to (and share to their own networks) articles and posts that trigger extreme emotional reactions. Content creators then need to ask themselves this question each time they are working on a blog: How does this entry make me feel? Sad? Angry? Overjoyed? If they find that it is not evoking any of these emotions, then they must be doing something wrong.

For more advice on creating viral content, companies should consult with social media marketing experts.