MassMutual and iCapital unveil expanded alts platform

The firms have teamed up to build a centralized tech platform for advisors to access alternatives, structured notes, and annuities.

MassMutual is empowering more advisors to better diversify and monitor their clients’ portfolio holdings, including alternative investments and annuities, through a new collaboration.

Through a partnership with iCapital, the firm is launching a new customized platform designed to streamline financial advisors’ access to alternative investments, structured notes, and annuities.

The platform, fully integrated and tailored for financial advisors affiliated with MassMutual subsidiary MML Investors Services, will provide a centralized hub for managing these investments. It aims to simplify access and analytics for alternative investments, providing a comprehensive selection of products, tools, and data.

“As advisors look to help clients achieve their investment goals, the addition of alternatives and other sophisticated investments can benefit portfolios in meaningful ways,” said Vaughn Bowman, head of wealth management at MassMutual. “These types of investments are increasingly in demand, and the time is right to expand our offerings.”

Previously, MML Investors Services advisors had access to iCapital’s alternative investment solutions, including private equity, private credit, real estate, and hedge funds, as well as the iCapital Marketplace, which offers a wide selection of alternative investment funds and due diligence resources.

The new platform will now provide access to structured investments and annuities through single sign-on capabilities, making it easier to analyze and manage the full portfolio.

Bowman highlighted the critical importance of “having alternative products on one fully integrated platform, accompanied by the ability to drill down and understand different client exposures” for advisors to ensure quality outcomes for their clients.

In addition to expanding product access, the iCapital lifecycle management tool will offer insight into the entire lifecycle of structured and variable annuities, enabling advisors to monitor brokerage and fee-based annuities in one centralized location.

According to preliminary data by Limra, individual annuity sales hit $113.5 billion in the first quarter, a 21 percent increase from the year-before period and rivaling the all-time high set in the fourth quarter of 2023.

“As investor interest in allocating beyond the traditional 60/40 portfolio has increased, having access to a robust suite of alternative investment funds, structured investments, and annuity products will provide more options for better portfolio construction,” said Steve Houston, head of iCapital Solutions.