The latest news in investment offerings, financial products and other services relevant to wealth advisors and their clients.

Julius Baer International
Zurich-headquartered private bank Julius Baer International has launched its new Managed Portfolio Service (MPS) – a proposition designed for UK Independent Financial Advisors (IFAs) and their clients.

This marks the first time Julius Baer’s discretionary investment expertise will be delivered through a UK-specific MPS solution. It includes:

-- Two portfolio ranges: Active and Passive+, broadly mapped to risk levels 3-8 with risk profilers;

-- Global investment insight: Powered by a research network of 600+ specialists worldwide and reflecting the asset allocation views of Julius Baer;

-- Transparent pricing and consumer duty support documents; and 

-- IFA-ready: Available across advisor platforms (Fidelity, Morningstar, Aberdeen, Quilter, Transact, Aviva) and mapped to risk profilers (Dynamic Planner, Defaqto and EV).

Demand for outsourced investment solutions continues to rise, driven by evolving client expectations and increasing regulatory complexity – including new requirements under Consumer Duty, the firm said in a statement. Appointments, including Gareth Johnson as head of MPS, reflect the firm’s commitment to building a team capable of delivering not only investment expertise, but also genuine partnership to the IFA community. Johnson joined Julius Baer in 2024, bringing with him 22 years at RBC Brewin Dolphin, where he had led the firm’s MPS since 2010.

To provide extra support to advisors, Julius Baer International has invested in additional portfolio management, sales support, business development and marketing resource.

Vanguard
US-based asset manager Vanguard has launched the Vanguard BlendedLife Dynamic model portfolio service (MPS). The range consists of five low-cost model portfolios that blend active and index investment strategies, designed for UK financial advisors who want to combine the dependability of index funds with the potential for outperformance provided by active management.

To deliver the service, Vanguard said it has extended its partnership with Boston-headquartered Wellington Management, a large investment management firm, into the MPS space, drawing on their research and multi-asset heritage.

The MPS consists of five model portfolios investing across equities and fixed income, ranging from a 20 per cent equity exposure to a 100 per cent equity option. The exact asset allocation of each portfolio is determined by Wellington Management using their proprietary research and forecasting expertise to adapt to market conditions over the medium and long-term, the firm said.

Once established, the asset allocation is implemented via a selection of Vanguard and third-party funds, chosen by Vanguard’s Oversight and Manager Search division. The index funds and active fixed income funds in the model portfolios are run by Vanguard, while the active equity component is enacted via carefully selected third parties. These include the likes of Schroders, Lazard, MFS Meridian, Pzena and Jennison.

“Increasingly, advisors we speak to are seeking more choice, as they look to meet the different needs of their client segments. For a growing group of clients, a blend of active and index investing within a single solution is of real interest,” Gillian Hepburn, head of UK advisor solutions, Vanguard, said.

“Vanguard and Wellington have partnered for five decades on investment solutions for clients, and BlendedLife Dynamic MPS is a natural next step. It brings together Vanguard’s disciplined, low-cost approach with Wellington’s research-led multi-asset allocation approach to help UK advisors deliver resilient portfolios across risk profiles,” Will Lockhart, managing director and head of UK & Irish distribution, Wellington Management, added.