Sowell Management Transforms Asset Management Offering Through Exclusive OCIO Partnership with Rayliant

Rayliant founder, Jason Hsu, PhD, partners with Sowell Management as Chief Investment Strategist.

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sowell Management (Sowell), a leading Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) serving financial advisors and their clients nationwide, today announced an exclusive partnership with Rayliant, a global asset management firm recognized for its innovative, research-driven approach. Expanding on Sowell's Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) platform and complementing its long-standing relationship with Affinity Investment Advisors, the partnership enhances the firm's asset management capabilities with Rayliant's award-winning research and global perspective—creating a robust, diversified OCIO structure designed to deliver institutional-quality solutions to independent advisors.

As part of the partnership, Jason Hsu, PhD—founder and chairman of Rayliant and a recognized pioneer in quantitative investing—has also taken on the role of Chief Investment Strategist for Sowell Management. While continuing to lead Rayliant, Hsu will collaborate with Sowell's OCIO team to develop a disciplined, repeatable investment process that enhances consistency, compliance, and credibility in portfolio management. His appointment underscores Sowell's commitment to providing advisors with institutional-caliber insights and strategies within a flexible, advisor-first platform.

"The most successful financial advisors realize that their greatest value to clients is devoting time to financial planning and relationship building, not on the ever increasing complexities of investment management," said Bill Sowell, CEO of Sowell Management. "Outsourcing this time-consuming yet vital process has been central to our philosophy since our founding. That is why we've invested so heavily in our OCIO platform. Partnering with Rayliant and Jason Hsu— a pioneer in smart beta investing —marks the next step in empowering our advisors with investment solutions that are as credible as they are innovative."

Rayliant will further operationalize Sowell's OCIO offering, adding new research capabilities and strategies to complement existing portfolios managed by Affinity, Goldman Sachs, and other select third-party managers.

Jason Hsu, PhD, named Chief Investment Strategist for Sowell Management

"Over the last decade, Rayliant has partnered with advisors to bring institutional-quality investing to wealth management," said Hsu. "During that same time, Sowell has helped countless advisors succeed by providing high-touch, turnkey OCIO services. Our partnership brings together the best of both worlds—Rayliant's institutional asset allocation strategies using smart beta ETFs delivered through Sowell's white-glove concierge platform, built as the 'easy button' for advisors."

Hsu, founder and chairman of Rayliant, is widely recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on smart beta. His research and innovations have transformed global investing, with more than 40 peer-reviewed articles, several of which have earned prestigious awards. Throughout his accomplished career, Hsu has combined academic rigor with a commitment to investor advocacy—researching, developing, and bringing to market strategies that create meaningful value for investors worldwide. Before founding Rayliant, he co-founded Research Affiliates, where he ultimately served as vice chairman. He also serves on the board of directors at UCLA's Anderson School of Management and on the editorial boards of multiple leading journals.

"Sowell has always been about building partnerships," said Daryl Seaton, President of Sowell Management. "Through our exclusive partnership with Rayliant and Jason's leadership role as Chief Investment Strategist, we are transforming our approach to investment management. Our advisors deserve the best—and with this evolution, they gain access to cutting-edge strategies, world-class research, and a stronger foundation for long-term client success. And we're not stopping here—we will continue adding tools, technology, and expertise to build on our best-in-class investment resources."

About Sowell Management
Sowell Management is a privately held Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and a trusted partner to financial advisors. Founded by financial advisor Bill Sowell in 2001, Sowell Management provides a platform of services and solutions to guide advisors on the path of true independence. Sowell has a nationwide network of financial advisors representing over $6 billion in client assets (AUA/AUM)* as of September 2025. For more information, visit sowellmanagement.com.

*Regulatory assets under management (AUM) are assets where Sowell provides continuous and regular supervisory or management services to client portfolios. Assets under administration (AUA) is a measure of the total assets for which Sowell provides administrative services. Working with a highly-rated advisor does not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance or results. 

About Rayliant
Rayliant Investment Research ("Rayliant") delivers innovative investment strategies to financial advisors and their clients. The firm specializes in dynamic asset allocation, systematic ETFs, and alternative investments, offering globally diversified portfolios that combine behavioral finance, data science, and fundamental insights. Grounded in rigorous academic research, Rayliant applies quantitative methods to uncover unique signals and construct high-conviction models and portfolios.

Founded in 2016 by Jason Hsu, PhD—co-founder of Research Affiliates and co-author of the pioneering Fundamental Indexation research published in 2005, which helped launch the smart beta revolution—Rayliant continues to push the frontier of evidence-based investing. Dr. Hsu, a finance professor at UCLA Anderson School of Management, is widely recognized for his award-winning contributions to the field. For more information, visit rayliant.com.

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SOURCE Sowell Management