AssetMark Adds Chief Investment Officer To Senior Leadership Team

CONCORD, Calif., Sept. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- AssetMark, Inc., a leading provider of innovative investment and consulting solutions serving independent financial advisors, announces that Jerry Chafkin has joined the company as Chief Investment Officer, reporting to CEO Charles Goldman. In his new role, Mr. Chafkin is responsible for designing, enhancing and managing the company's investment solutions framework and providing investment and market perspectives to advisors and their clients.

"Jerry's addition as Chief Investment Officer bolsters our commitment to delivering investment solutions that create great outcomes for advisors and the clients they serve," said Mr. Goldman. "Jerry has extensive experience designing creative financial solutions that are both effective and understandable. Under his investment leadership, we believe AssetMark will build on our position as the investment solutions provider of choice for independent advisors."

In his new role, Mr. Chafkin will lead the teams responsible for architecting the platform's array of investment solutions and for selecting and monitoring its third-party investment strategists and managers. He will also oversee all proprietary investment strategies, including those of Savos Investments.

With Mr. Chafkin's addition, Mike Abelson, formerly the firm's head of Investment and Product Management, has taken on a new role as EVP, Corporate Development.

Mr. Chafkin has over 25 years' experience in investment management, most recently as a portfolio manager and CEO at AlphaSimplex Group, a liquid alternative asset management specialist in Cambridge, MA.  Prior to that, he was CEO at IXIS Asset Management in Boston, a U.S. holding company with $240 billion in assets.  He spent nearly a decade at Charles Schwab in a range of leadership roles, including CEO of the asset management division and EVP responsible for developing and guiding the firm's proprietary advice solutions and offerings.  Mr. Chafkin also held a variety of senior positions at Bankers Trust Company and managed portfolios for large institutional investors. He received a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Yale University and holds an MBA in Finance from Columbia University.

"I believe AssetMark's curated but complete investment platform can be a hugely valuable tool for advisors to make a difference in the lives of their clients," Mr. Chafkin said. "The opportunity to help shape the future of the platform is very exciting, and I look forward to working with the AssetMark team and the advisors we serve to develop innovative solutions that help their clients achieve their goals."  

About AssetMark, Inc.
AssetMark, Inc. is an independent provider of innovative investment and consulting solutions serving financial advisors. AssetMark provides investment, relationship and practice management solutions that advisors utilize in helping clients achieve their investment objectives and life goals. The firm has approximately $23 billion in assets on its platform and a history of innovation spanning over 20 years. AssetMark works in collaboration with independent advisors who make a difference in the lives of their clients. For more information, visit www.assetmark.com and follow @AssetMark.

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SOURCE AssetMark, Inc.