Insights
Our latest thinking on the critical issues facing asset managers and investment solutions businesses today.
Asset Manager Strategy Insights
Defining Investment Solutions
A Chestnut Solutions Institute Report
Defining Investment Solutions aims to help the solutions industry move toward the widely-accepted standards and norms enjoyed by other, more mature industry segments. The Report includes often fascinating findings and recommendations, reflecting the perspectives of approximately 100 senior professionals across the solutions ecosystem. Key report elements include:
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- The Institute’s proposed answer to the foundational question: What, exactly, is an ‘investment solution’?
- A thorough examination of the current solutions marketplace, informed by Chestnut’s recent proprietary research with approximately 100 senior professionals across the solutions ecosystem
- The introduction of a new framework designed to help all investment solutions stakeholders achieve optimal investor outcomes more easily
Events
Recent Insights
The Shape of Solutions in 2024
Expectations for the capital markets in 2024 and beyond vary widely. The increasing market complexity and volatility are the primary reasons investors continue to seek investment solutions of all types, from multi-asset products to full portfolio management by OCIOs.
Evaluating OCIOs: The Search Consultants’ Role
The Chestnut Solutions Institute held a public webinar featuring three top OCIO search consultants to educate and inform investors and industry professionals.
Evaluating OCIOs: The Search Consultant’s Role
As the OCIO market continues to expand with an ever-wider range of providers and capabilities to choose from, investors are increasingly retaining third-party evaluators.
Defining Investment Solutions
Chestnut’s Ravi Venkataraman discusses key issues facing the OCIO and Solutions Industry with several experts from Moran Stanley Wealth Management, State Street Global Investors, and Mercer.
Defining Investment Solutions Download
There are many types of investment solutions being offered today. In this article, we focus on OCIO solutions.
Investors Seeking Solutions Turn To OCIOs
There are many types of investment solutions being offered today. In this article, we focus on OCIO solutions.
Why Trust Matters
To help investment managers navigate this difficult marketplace, Chestnut is going Back to
Basics, examining the research insights we’ve found are the key to successful growth.
In Turbulent Times, Trust Is Crucial
It is a turbulent time for the investment management industry.
Define Your Purpose
Chestnut is going Back to Basics, examining the research insights we’ve found are key to successful business growth.
Your People Deliver Your Firm
In this article we explore
those warmth projectors themselves: your people.
Client-Centered Solutions With Samantha Davidson of Mercer
Samantha Davidson of Mercer joins us to discuss the top factors creating world-class, client-centered solutions, and how Mercer has implemented them.
Client Experience: Where The Rubber Meets The Road
In this article we turn to the lifeblood of any asset management business: client experience.
Trust and Governance With Steve Charlton of NEPC
Steve Charlton of NEPC joins us to discuss research and insights around how to cultivate trust with investors and consultants.
Trust For The Win: How To Build Investor Trust, And Your Business
Our research confirms trust is the single most important factor driving the decision to hire and retain asset managers and OCIOs.
Kevin A. Joy on Callan’s Current Approach to DEI and ESG
OCIOs like Callan are on the ‘front lines’ today, helping investors determine how best to address DEI and ESG factors in their investment policies.
Making The Most Of The DEI Growth Opportunity: A Future of Investments Report
How asset managers and OCIOs can use allocators’ calls for better understanding of their DEI efforts as an enormous growth opportunity for managers’ entire business.
ESG Is Not GIPS
We use our recent market research as a basis to explore how asset managers can best navigate rapidly evolving investor demands to integrate ESG factors into their investment process.
ESG Is Not GIPS: A Conversation with Pensions and Investments, Aon, and T. Rowe Price
With Meredith Jones of Aon and Chris Waterhouse of T. Rowe Price, we discuss the new necessity of having an authentic, integrated ESG policy.
The Impact of OCIO Growth
We discuss our latest research findings with Ed Bardowski of Aon, one of the largest OCIO providers in the world.
The Widespread Impact of OCIO Growth
We examine the trends driving this growth and discuss steps asset managers and OCIOs can take to ensure their firms benefit from this growth.
The Future of Investments
Global OCIO AUM topped $2.4 trillion this year. In this webinar, we reveal our forecast for 2026.
M&A: Bigger Isn’t Necessarily Better
M&A among investment firms is a strategy intended to drive profitable growth.
M&A: Bigger Isn’t Necessarily Better
We discuss our Future of Investments research on investment firm M&A with leaders from Mercer (Keith Mote) and TIAA (Javier Enrile).
The Future of Investments: A First Look at Our Research Findings
Chestnut CEO Amanda Tepper provides a first look into how a wide range of industry groups are thinking about crucial issues including M&A across the industry, the growth of OCIO and incorporating ESG into investment businesses.
One Year In, with Hancock and Breckinridge
Distribution leaders Sydney McConathy, Head of Business Development at Hancock Natural Resource Group and Dominica Ribeiro, Chief Marketing Officer at Breckinridge Capital discuss how they have successfully steered their relationships with investors and consultants through the pandemic and beyond.
Vanguard’s OCIO Business One Year In
Chris Philips, Head of Vanguard’s OCIO business, discusses how he has navigated his team over the last year.
The Institutionalization of Retail With CIBC
CIBC Asset Management manages more than $100B in retail assets and is one of the largest subadvisory platforms in Canada, with more than $30B of externally-subadvised assets.
How to Impress Today’s Retail Intermediaries
Amanda and Simon talk with David Pappalardo of Segal Marco about best practices for managers who seek to gain the attention of retail intermediaries.
Winning Intermediary Mandates
Retail assets are expected to grow at nearly twice the rate of institutional assets over the next 5 years.
Boutique OCIOs: Report from the Front
Matthew Wright of Disciplina and Joe Halwax of Wespath share timely insights into how their firms select asset managers for their clients’ portfolios.
SEI’s OCIO Business, Report from the Front
Stephen Beinhacker, SEI’s Global Head of Manager Research, discusses many aspects of SEI’s manager research and the firm’s unique business model.
The Institutionalization of Retail
Chestnut partnered with Kingsley Gate Partners to conduct extensive research and create the article bearing the term we use to describe these new developments, The Institutionalization of Retail.
Russel’s OCIO Business, Report from the Front
Andy Kitchen and John Forrest of Russell Investments join Chestnut’s Simon Segall and Elyse Goodman to discuss their approach to client service and manager due diligence.
OCIO and Consultant Views for a Post-COVID World
When we saw the COVID-19 crisis beginning to upend the capital markets, we turned to consultants and OCIOs to gain a clearer understanding of the state of the investment marketplace.
OCIO Consultant Views for a Post-COVID World
When we saw the COVID-19 crisis beginning to upend the capital markets, we turned to consultants and OCIOs to gain a clearer understanding of the state of the investment marketplace.
Vanguard’s OCIO Business: Report from the Front
Chris Philips, Head of Institutional Advisory Services at Vanguard, shares with us key elements in the evolution of Vanguard’s rapidly-growing OCIO business.
Goldman’s OCIO Business: Report from the Front
Goldman’s $143B Global Portfolio Solutions business has grown rapidly via a compelling mix of build and buy strategies.
Best Practices for a Brave New World: Coaching Your Way to Growth
Asset managers seeking to grow their business today are facing a brave new world.
Cambridge’s OCIO Business: Report from the Front
David Eisenberg rejoined Cambridge Associates in December 2019 as an OCIO in the firm’s pension practice.
Maintaining Trust Through the Crisis
We share our insights from investors regarding best practices for asset managers today.
Make Your Content King
We partnered with Pensions & Investments to determine what institutional investors want most from investment manager content today.
Blackstone Discussion on The Institutionalization of Retail
Chestnut recently held a discussion with Blackstone’s Head of Private Wealth Solutions Joan Solotar to understand how the firm is navigating the rapidly changing retail distribution landscape.
Institutional Marketing Moves into the Spotlight
Severe disruption across the asset management industry is driving managers to pursue new distribution strategies.
Institutional Marketing Moves into the Spotlight
Severe disruption across the asset management industry is driving managers to pursue new distribution strategies.
Using Databases for Strategic Advantage
Asset managers spend enormous resources regularly populating over 40 manager databases in hopes of screening well and gaining more AUM.
Using Databases for Strategic Advantage
Asset managers spend enormous resources regularly populating over 40 manager databases in hopes of screening well and gaining more AUM.
Getting Heard: How to Ensure Investors Actually Hear Your Message
After spending enormous resources crafting a message designed to resonate with investors, managers face a second hurdle: getting their message heard. Although investors tell us they feel overwhelmed with information.
Getting Heard: How to Ensure Investors Actually Hear Your Message
After spending enormous resources crafting a message designed to resonate with investors, managers face a second hurdle.
Maximizing the OCIO Growth Opportunity
The rapidly evolving OCIO market has created new opportunities and risks for asset managers.
Maximizing the OCIO Growth Opportunity
The rapidly evolving OCIO market has created new opportunities and risks for asset managers.
What Consultants Really Want
Our latest research reveals that trust and understanding drive consultant recommendations.
Fees and Investors: Don’t Sell Your Firm Short
Our latest research among institutional investors reveals that once hired, asset managers go silent on fees; most investors also lose focus on this important topic.
Great Thought Leadership
Asset managers are increasingly inundating allocators with thought leadership in hopes of growing their business.
Your Performance Doesn’t Really Matter
We wanted to understand why the biggest managers keep gaining market share from everyone else.