Managed Futures Capabilities
Whether or not you have offered managed futures as an alternative asset class, Vision is the firm that can help you grow your business exponentially by allowing us to assist you in providing managed futures programs to your clients and prospective clients. Managed futures is one of the fasted growing alternative investments today, so why not get involved?
Vision's Recommended List
As a customer of a Vision IB, your clients are free to invest with any Commodity Trading Advisor ("CTA") he or she would like to add to their investment portfolio. In addition, Vision maintains a recommended list of CTAs that we carefully screen, based on select criteria. We work closely with these selected CTAs to offer exclusive programs to Vision IBs and their clients. These unique relationships allows for, in some cases, exclusive reduced minimum account sizes and reduced management and incentive fees. In addition, Vision also allows IBs to open accounts with an assortment of CTAs outside of our recommended list, provided such CTA has been vetted by Compliance. The various CTAs offer a number of different programs (and levels of risk) and include both emerging and well-known CTAs.
To see the specific CTAs and programs currently on our recommended list and to view documentation including manager biographies, program overviews and respective disclosure documents, please visit the managed futures section of our Web site.
Growth of Managed Futures
Assets under management have grown tremendously over the past few years as you can see from the chart below. In addition, with futures and managed futures being the only major asset classes to provide positive returns in 2008, there has been increased attention on the case for including an allocation to managed futures within all properly diversified portfolios.
Based on studies including that of Harvard professor Dr. Litner, futures have been shown to lower the risk in a properly diversified portfolio while potential enhancing returns. Whether or not your clients and prospective clients have already invested in managed futures, Vision provides access to the programs, managers, research, marketing and sales assistance to help you "turn the key" to incorporate managed futures as an important component of your business.
Marketing Assistance
At Vision, we do not just provide products on the shelf and leave them there for you without assistance. To the contrary, we can and do assist our IBs as deeply as they desire in the promotion of managed futures as an asset class to their clients, as well as, in the marketing and sales practices surrounding the specific CTAs on our recommended list. Vision creates client approved sales materials that can be used in our IBs’ marketing efforts and we also provide access to discounted managed futures lead generation programs. We hold weekly sales calls to assist in all facets of the sales cycle. In addition, Vision staff members, including our management team, are available for training sessions with IBs to directly assist in the sales process with your clients (at your discretion).
Why would your customers be interested in managed futures?
- With very little correlation with stocks, managed futures allows for a diversified alternative asset portfolio that has the potential to profit in up, down, and even sideways markets.
- A portfolio made up of uncorrelated asset classes also has the potential to provide positive returns with potentially lower for your customers.
- Professional money managers are managing their assets and are required to show their fund’s past performance.
- Managed futures is one of the fastest growing investments today.
Trading futures and options involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. There are no guarantees of profit no matter who is managing your money.
What are Managed Futures?
A managed futures account is an account in which a registered Commodity Trading Advisor ("CTA") is given responsibility to make all trading decisions. This authority is delegated by the account holder to the CTA through a limited power of attorney which may be withdrawn at any time. CTAs are registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") and a member of the National Futures Association ("NFA") a self-regulatory organization authorized by Congress in 1982. CTAs are professional money managers who manage your clients’ assets using investments in the commodities markets just as a stock mutual fund manager would invest his client’s assets in a variety of different stocks. To learn more, click here to read Vision's booklet Modern Portfolio Theory.
Trading futures and options involves a substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. Past performance is not indicative of future results. There is a risk of loss inherent in futures no matter who is managing your money.
CME Group is the trademark of CME Group, Inc. The Globe logo and CME® are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Inc. CBOT® is the trademark of the Board of Trade of the City of Chicago. NYMEX is the trademark of New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc.
Vision is unique amongst futures clearing firms in that we are interested in our IBs establishing their own brand and identity. Our marketing teams works with the IBs to establish a business identity that best fits their trading strategy and clientele.
Our arsenal of online trading platforms allow brokers and end clients to quickly place electronic trades and monitor the status of their accounts.
Vision offers an exclusive Web-based IB portal for brokers and customers.
Vision is experienced working with agricultural IBs and understands that their unique needs sometimes differ from other IBs.
Vision IBs receive discounted exam training for various licenses.
Vision Financial Markets clears for Guaranteed Introducing Brokers, Independent Introducing Brokers as well as Foreign Introducing Brokers.
