HighTower Launches HOST - Industry's First Open Source Portal

CHICAGO, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- HighTower, the first open-source, advisor-owned financial services company, announced today the beta launch of its Open Source Portal, "HOST" (HighTower Open Source Toolkit). The Portal enables advisors to leverage HighTower's unique multi-clearing and multi-custodial capabilities through a single online portal.

"HighTower's HOST Portal goes beyond open architecture so that advisors can deliver a superior investment solution to their clients," said Matthew Camden, HighTower's Chief Technology Officer.

"Open Source encourages healthy competition and information sharing, and increases the availability of products and services offered by clearing and custodial firms. By contrast, advisors using the closed, single platforms of typical brokerages are structurally limited in their choices, flexibility and independence," adds HighTower CEO Elliot S. Weissbluth.

Key benefits of HOST:

• Custodians.  HighTower has selected several of the world's most trusted clearing and custody firms. Among them, Fidelity Investments, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. and JPMorgan Clearing Corp.
• Investment Products. From alternative investments, structured notes and foreign currencies, to equities, fixed income, separately managed accounts, ETFs, mutual funds and more.
• Trading. HighTower execution team seeks competitive bids from market participants for fixed income, structured products, lending and other products
• Research Capabilities. Internal research capabilities are led by two Chief Economic Advisors, a Director of Research, Investment Committee and dedicated staff. Advisors also leverage industry-leading external research providers and a formal process for sharing insights.
• Technology & Tools. HOST enables access to a number of CRM, trading, client acquisition and practice management tools rarely available from standard custodial platforms and traditional brokerages.
• Services. HighTower advisors access an array of sophisticated financial support services across the firm's vetted custodians and third-party relationships, including credit and banking, trading and trust services.

"Historically, open architecture, or the use of independent money managers rather than internal products, was the pioneering concept," said Peter Lang, Managing Director, HighTower, and a lead advisor of Strata Wealth Management Group, which recently joined the firm with its office in Westchester, N.Y. "The world has changed. Open Source provides the flexibility to use multiple independent managers, a variety of Street research, as well as independent custodians and their trading and technology platforms"

More information about Open Source is available at http://www.hightoweradvisors.com/the-difference/open-source.

To access HOST, please contact [email protected].

For media inquiries, please contact Jennifer Connelly at 973.732.3521 or [email protected].

About HighTower

HighTower is the first open-source, advisor-owned financial services company, focused on the needs of wealthy families. HighTower advisors are experienced investment professionals with large, established practices serving high net worth clients. As a dually-registered, multi-custodial firm, HighTower provides sophisticated investment solutions as well as an independent and unobstructed view of the markets. The company is headquartered in Chicago and maintains corporate centers in New York and San Francisco and offices around the country. See www.hightoweradvisors.com.

Securities offered through HighTower Securities, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC/MSRB. HighTower Advisors, LLC is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser.

SOURCE HighTower