Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Finom Helps Investors Find Financial Advisors Based on Performance, Not Platitudes

First-of-its-Kind Platform Helps People Find, Meet and Hire the Best Investment Advisor for Them Based on Verified Performance Data, Personalized Goals and Preferences

Finom, the pioneer in the analysis of investment adviser performance, and the only free decision-making tool that helps consumers find the best financial advisers based on personalized needs, goals and adviser performance track record, announced today the launch of its web platform available now at finom.com. The company is rolling out its service in the Chicago market with plans to expand its offering to additional markets later this year.

“Until now, consumers have not had access to data, technology or tools to properly assess advisers in an objective and personalized manner. Choosing an investment adviser is one of the most important decisions investors will ever make,” said Aziz Lalljee, co-founder and co-CEO of Finom. “Instead of handing over your entire investment portfolio and retirement savings to someone based on a tip from a friend during a round of golf, we believe consumers should be able to make informed, data-driven decisions based on transparency and trust.”

The free, easy-to-use website gives users the ability to search, compare and meet with investment advisors who best match their needs. Users create a personalized investment profile based on their responses to a five-minute risk assessment and adviser-fit questionnaire related to age, geography, investable assets, financial commitments, investing history, risk tolerance and goals. The platform then returns a list of matching advisers with detailed qualitative profiles and risk-adjusted performance measures for each adviser. Adviser profiles list services offered, client types, investment approach, fee schedule, services offerings, areas of expertise and firm history.

Finom’s powerful proprietary platform includes a rating ("Enthusiastic," "Strong" or "Reserved") of each adviser tailored to the user’s specific investment objectives and preferences. The platform even simulates how the user’s investments would have fared, after fees, under each suggested adviser's management, thus empowering financial consumers with actionable and personalized intelligence for the first time ever.

Users can sort and view profiles, compare up to three advisers side-by-side and choose to meet with as many advisers as they like, free of charge. If a user decides to hire an investment adviser found on Finom, the company will charge the selected adviser a fee that cannot be passed on to the client per Finom’s agreement.

All advisers on the Finom platform have gone through regulatory checks and a robust screening process; they are all independent, fee-only investment advisers who are registered with either the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or with their appropriate state regulator(s). Advisers on the platform have provided Finom with client-specific, monthly holdings data for the universe of their client accounts, typically over 5-7 years and updated quarterly. Finom analyzes, displays, and scores historical risk-adjusted returns across a range of investment horizons, risk tolerances and asset classes.

Finom aims to do for financial advisers what Morningstar did for mutual funds – provide comprehensive and rigorous intelligence on adviser practice and performance – thereby empowering consumers to make a more educated and informed decision when selecting a financial adviser to meet and potentially hire.

ABOUT FINOM
Finom, a pioneer in financial adviser comparison technology, brings radical transparency and analytical rigor to the financial adviser search and selection process. Finom helps consumers search, find and meet with investment advisers in a personalized, rigorous, and transparent way - with unprecedented access to performance and practice information. Advisers are featured based on a user’s specific investment goals and preferences, and assessed and rated with analytical rigor. The company was founded by David Gomel and Aziz Lalljee in 2011 out of the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, and is headquartered in Chicago. Finom Financial LLC is registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). For more information, visit finom.com.

FINOM LAUNCHES SERVICE TO HELP CONSUMERS MAKE INFORMED AND OBJECTIVE DECISIONS WHEN FINDING A FINANCIAL ADVISER