What Do Plan Consultants Want? Vantagepoint Funds Found Out and Built It

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Vantagepoint Funds, powered by ICMA-RC, has launched a new digital portal for retirement plan consultants and advisors (www.vantagepointfunds.org).  Seeking to provide a best-in-class experience, Vantagepoint Funds conducted one-on-one research with representatives from a handful of select consulting firms during the summer of 2017 to identify the content and features they consider most important.

"As we continue to enhance and expand on our DCIO offerings, Vantagepoint Funds is pleased to provide a new digital portal that is responsive to plan consultant and advisor needs," said Craig Lombardi, Managing Vice President and Head of DCIO, ICMA-RC.  "We really appreciate those who shared their insights and spoke candidly with us about what they value and what has been lacking on existing consultant websites. Ongoing feedback from consultants and advisors will be invaluable to us as we continue evolving both our digital portal and our DCIO offerings."

Consultant and Advisory Needs and Preferences: Top Research Findings for a Digital Portal

The following are some of the findings that Vantagepoint Funds identified as part of the research in developing the new portal.

• Priority Content - Consultants and advisors requested investment manager background and commentary, investment philosophy and strategy, performance, and fact sheets.
• Straightforward Design Across Platforms - Consultants need to be able to log in easily, access information quickly, and navigate without too many levels or screens. The digital portal was designed to be compatible with commonly-used platforms for fund searches including eVestment® and Morningstar®. Finally, consultants most often perform investment research on laptops and desktops, but they also need access on tablets and mobile devices.
• Dynamic Customization - Consultants and advisors want the ability to download data for their own custom analysis more often than they use "fancy displays." They need to be notified when information becomes available, particularly when quarterly data that is used to analyze funds is released.

The Vantagepoint Funds' digital portal has been designed to address these findings now and through ongoing development that will occur over the coming months.  The portal will provide a resource for centralized fund data, current reporting and analytics, comprehensive thought leadership, and relevant content.

"The digital portal's leading edge technology was developed to address consultant needs and is designed to enhance their online experience while providing relevant client information and promoting a comprehensive end-to-end consultant experience," said Karla Gill, ICMA-RC Senior Vice President, Chief Information and Innovation Officer. "The digital portal creates an innovative solution that delivers value to consultants, while providing a strong technology foundation for our DCIO strategy."

Vantagepoint Funds, including the VT PLUS Fund, are offered to DCIO clients through ICMA-RC Services, LLC (RC Services), an SEC registered broker-dealer and FINRA member firm. RC Services is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ICMA-RC and an affiliate of VantageTrust Company, LLC.

About Vantagepoint Funds

Vantagepoint Funds are the VT PLUS Fund, and those VT Vantagepoint Funds and VT II Vantagepoint Funds that invest substantially all of their assets in a single VT III Vantagepoint Fund which is multi-managed.  Vantagepoint Funds and the VT III Vantagepoint Funds are collective investment trust funds (CITs) established and maintained by VantageTrust Company, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of ICMA-RC, a New Hampshire non-depository trust company, and the sole trustee of these CITs.

ICMA-RC provides investment advisory and management services to VantageTrust Company with respect to the Vantagepoint Funds and the VT PLUS Fund.  For more information, please review ICMA-RC's Form ADV, available at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

Before investing, please read the Funds' offering and disclosure documents carefully for a complete summary of all fees, expenses, investment objectives and strategies, and risks. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of the amount invested. Investors should carefully consider the information contained in the Funds' offering and disclosure documents before investing. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

About ICMA-RC

Founded in 1972, ICMA-RC is a non-profit independent financial services corporation with approximately $54 billion in assets under management and administration (as of December 31, 2017) focused on providing retirement plans and related services for over a million public sector participant accounts. For more information, visit www.icmarc.org or follow ICMA-RC on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

SOURCE ICMA-RC

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