CHICAGO, Feb. 22, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Ibbotson Associates today announced the release of Silent Partner(r), its newest investment sales and consulting software.
"Silent Partner is a quick, interactive, easy-to-use tool that is particularly helpful when selling variable annuities. It was designed to replace brochures as a means of explaining asset allocation and to streamline the portfolio implementation process," said Mark Kowalczyk, managing director of sales and marketing at Ibbotson. "To generate a risk assessment, financial advisors and investment planners simply ask clients a few questions and enter the answers into the risk tolerance questionnaire. The software then generates a customized portfolio recommendation."
Designed to help registered representatives sell investment products, Silent Partner captures a client's current holdings, calculates a risk profile and then generates an optimal portfolio from a customized product offering. While financial representatives save time by using the interactive software instead of a pen-and-paper questionnaire, clients can view an historical statistical comparison of their current and proposed portfolios and obtain NASD-reviewed reports.
The software was developed with input from brokers and financial planners to ensure user-friendliness and functionality. Silent Partner uses a customized Ibbotson questionnaire and generates portfolio recommendations created by the Ibbotson consulting department using the specific product offerings of a given insurance company, bank or mutual fund company. The software can also be customized for investment product company wholesalers as a value-added tool to distribute to retailers.
About Ibbotson Associates
Ibbotson Associates, founded by Professor Roger Ibbotson in 1976, is a leading authority on asset allocation, providing products and services to help investment professionals make the best asset allocation decisions for their clients.
The company's business lines include consulting and research; investment forecasting, planning and analysis software; educational services ranging from on-site workshops to computer-based training; and a widely used line of presentation materials designed to educate clients on asset allocation concepts and investment principles. With offices in Chicago and New York, Ibbotson Associates fills a growing need in the finance and investment industry for an independent, single-source provider of investment knowledge, practical application expertise, leading-edge technology, educational services and sales presentation tools. Ibbotson markets its integrated product line of investment analytical tools and services to institutional money managers, plan sponsors and consultants for quantitative analysis, high-level decision making and presentations.