In addition to conducting OCIO searches, we also evaluate OCIOs for clients that want a “wellness check” on their OCIO relationships. These clients find our OCIO evaluations informative and helpful, and thankfully, for the most part clients find that they remain satisfied overall with their current OCIO provider. One area that clients find particularly enlightening is having their OCIO advisory fees “marked to market,” particularly where reviews have not been conducted for more than four years. Potential fee savings are often a multiple of the cost of an OCIO review. This can essentially make the evaluation “free” and result in an annual saving to the client. Review of an OCIO over a Full Market Cycle aligns with the industry practice of reviewing any investment manager performance over a market cycle.
Here are other common themes found in our OCIO reviews:
- Conflict of interest from OCIO Self-Evaluation: Many OCIO clients excessively rely on their own OCIOs to self-evaluate their performance. We see many cases of OCIOs reporting their performance in the best light, and not comparing themselves to appropriate peer groups. This practice occurs because evaluating OCIOs requires specific resources and expertise that often is hard for OCIO clients to access internally. Our evaluation service closes this gap.
- OCIO Performance Evaluation: Particularly over the last three years, some OCIOs have experienced substantial negative alpha on their liquid, actively managed equity strategies. Often more than offsetting that negative alpha has been strong performance in private equity investments. We can help you ascertain whether the recent record of negative alpha in equity strategies is a warning sign, or is a reflection of temporary market conditions. We can also help you evaluate the quality and scope of your OCIO’s private investments program.
- OCIO Alternative Investments Success Evaluation: Almost all OCIOs have embraced private investment strategies for a portion of their clients’ portfolios. However, some OCIOs have moved very quickly into private investment strategies, and some may not have built out experienced diligence teams nor developed robust investment premises behind their private investment programs. This development could be a material risk to you, because the long-term nature of private investments means that you are “stuck” with any errors made for a 5 to 10 year horizon. We are experts at evaluating private investment strategies, so we can help you calibrate your OCIO’s strengths in private investment strategies.
We would welcome a conversation to show how we can help your specific situation during which we would be pleased to share a sample OCIO Evaluation Report with you.
Since 2003, Manager Analysis has provided investment research and support for clients. All 3 principals each have 30+ years investment expertise, including having led 3 different private foundations and having served on 11 different Boards.
We can be reached at 917-287-9551 and at cutler@manageranalysis.com.