Mercer Advisors Brings Institutional-Grade Private Markets to Families
Mercer Advisors, a Denver-based wealth management and financial planning firm with $60 billion in client assets under management, announced the expansion of its private markets offering with the launch of the Aspen Partners platform.
The firm built Aspen Partners in partnership with Opto Investments, a wealthtech platform for private markets.
The proprietary platform delivers “institutional-grade access on institutional-grade terms” for individual investors, according to the firm, and was established to offer high-quality private market opportunities in a “scalable, investor-friendly way” that allows for greater diversification and personalization.
All qualified Mercer Advisors’ clients will be able to participate in Aspen Partners’ curated portfolio of high-quality private investments, which will include lower portfolio-level expenses, lower minimums, and a more streamlined operational experience.
“Just as we’ve used our institutional buying power in public markets to minimize expense ratios for clients, we’ve now focused our buying power on private markets to make it easier for our qualified clients to invest alongside leading private investors,” Donald Calcagni, CIO at Mercer Advisors, explained.
Calcagni noted that historically, cumbersome investing practices and regulations have hampered providing qualified individuals with access to private markets on a large scale.
“It’s clear to me that limited access, high fees and investment minimums, opaque reporting, and arduous administration have made private markets investing difficult and unattractive to many high-net-worth (HNW) investors and the advisory firms who serve them.”
Mercer Advisors has also expanded its private investment leadership team. Bob Burlinson will take on an expanded role as senior director, private markets. He leads the private markets team and its manager sourcing, due diligence, and monitoring efforts.
Also joining the team is Will Rockett, senior director, investment strategy group. Rockett has over two decades of asset management experience, including roles with Morgan Stanley, Charles Schwab, Nuveen, US Trust, and Barclays Capital. Burlinson and Rockett will join the investment leadership team, under Calcagni.
Chris Casdia also joins the team as VP, private markets compliance and operations.