| Key Items |
Strategic Asset Alliance |
Typical Competitors |
Endowment/Pension
Consultant |
| Professional Competence |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Insurance Expertise |
Deep, Broad, and Specialized |
At most single individual |
Very limited |
| Analytical Tools / Reporting |
Don’t weigh insight by the pound. Concise, readable reports. Focused on key issues, designed to produce actionable results |
Bulk, not brevity: Detailed analytics with limited customization using standard software |
Bulk, not brevity: Detailed analytics with limited customization using standard software. |
| Market Knowledge |
Excellent |
Excellent |
Excellent - Some investment products offered |
| Communication Style |
Take complexities of insurance and investing and distill into clear, concise formate to facilitate decision making. Informal, engaging, continuous availability by phone or in person
|
Structured and formal, using the consultant speak of the pension world within a quarterly meeting format.
|
Structured and formal, using the consultant speak of the pension world within a quarterly meeting format. |
| Research & Education |
Yes. SAA discusses key issues impacting insurance investments via Insurer Investment Strategies newsletter, our Annual Conference- Insurer Investment Forum, CIO Teleconference, etc. Customized educational seminars also available.
|
Yes |
Yes |
| Conflicts of Interest |
No. Fee income solely from investment consulting for insurance industry. |
Unknown |
Yes. Some large consultants generate fees from investment products and/or generate fees from managers for database placement, sale of analytics, etc.
|
| Fee Structure |
Fixed on project or retainer basis. Spend time and resources on services that matter the most in generating solid investment results. Utilize client resources where applicable, to keep fees low.
|
May be lower than pension fees. Rise with rising asset value. |
Higher than insurance companies typically pay. Rise with rising asset value. |
| Risk / Reward Ratio |
Low |
High |
Very High
|
