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Products March 3, 2010
Benchmark Offers "Enhanced Integrity" Due Diligence and Monitoring
March 3, 2010 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – Benchmark Financial Services is offering a manager of managers program for institutions and high-wealth investors embedded with its "enhanced integrity" approach.
Reported by Rebecca Moore
A company brochure says “enhanced integrity” refers to the proprietary heightened due diligence and monitoring methodology that Benchmark utilizes to reduce risk and increase returns. The company said its approach is based on its experience investigating the money management industry and finding that conflicts of interest, unethical business practices, and undisclosed compensation arrangements can undermine the integrity of an investment process and detrimentally impact performance over time.
Benchmark says it serves as an “integrity monitor” both protecting client assets from industry malfeasance and promoting manager stewardship.
As a manager-of-managers, Benchmark allocates investment capital among a variety of other managers, each characterized by demonstrable skill in a particular asset class or investment strategy. The “enhanced integrity” asset management services focus on rigorously scrutinizing and selecting independent third-party money managers to manage the designed investment strategy Benchmark has developed.
Benchmark also closely monitors the investment performance of the managers to whom it has allocated assets. Benchmark also serves as a qualified resource to the managers in its programs regarding ethical business practices and regulatory compliance.
Rather than develop an extensive portfolio management organization in-house, Benchmark says it retains objective third-party investment managers to advise on security selection.
In addition to investigative due diligence, Benchmark says its core competencies include identifying managers it believes are most likely to outperform; combining those managers into portfolios designed to beat a specific benchmark; and monitoring the managers and portfolios to ensure they stay on track to meet investment objectives.
Benchmark also offers customized manager of mangers programs involving traditional, emerging, and hedge fund managers.
More information is at http://www.benchmarkalert.com.