Folio Institutional, a platform for registered investment advisers (RIAs) that combines clearing, custody and an array of technology services, has partnered with North American KTRADE Alliance, LLC to give plan sponsors and their advisers a better way to avoid conflicts of interest, manage defined contribution (DC) plan costs and enhance plan participant services.

Founded in 2004, KTRADE is a recordkeeping firm with a deep understanding of the RIA industry and managed accounts. It serves retirement plans through its open architecture, CEFEX and Soc 1-certified recordkeeping service. KTRADE provide a well-designed path to retirement security through its national network of 22 third-party administrators.

Folio Institutional and KTRADE now offer advisers and their DC plan sponsor clients high value, enhanced retirement plan administration, investment selection and fiduciary liability management services. Folio Institutional’s Model Manager Exchange (MMX), Folio(k), and Unitization services make it possible to move away from lists of proprietary investment products, mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Firms using Folio technology can build portfolios of individual securities, rather than using these packaged products that have embedded costs.

In addition, plan sponsors and their advisers can create more tailored, transparent retirement plans that meet plan participants’ needs thanks to Folio Institutional’s fractional share investing capabilities and delivery of licensed model portfolios.

• Model Manager Exchange gives advisers access to hundreds of third-party portfolio models. Advisers have the power to create and manage customized models and simultaneously update hundreds of client accounts in a few easy steps;
• Folio(k) – advisers and plan sponsors may easily create or manage core plan investments through Folio’s Target Date Folios—more than 20 pre-designed, yet customizable, ETF portfolios with three different risk levels that are optimized for retirement investing; and
• Unitization – plan sponsors can broaden their retirement product offerings and eliminate net asset value (NAV) requirements with unitized model portfolios that consist of any mix of securities.

“Today, advisers and plan sponsors are facing critical issues that will impact their ability to act on behalf of plan participants, manage costs and grow their business,” says Greg Vigrass, president of Folio Institutional. “Fiduciary duty, conflict management scrutiny and the growing number of retirees are just some of the pressures causing them to review their DC plan’s administrative costs and investment products. This partnership delivers timely solutions that ultimately benefit plan participants.”