New Times. New Tools. Neuberger Berman's "A Practical Alternative" Takes a Goals-Based Approach to Building Portfolios

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Mar 23, 2015, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, March 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Neuberger Berman, one of the world's leading private, employee-owned investment managers, has released an innovative educational program entitled "A Practical Alternative" (www.practicalalternative.com). The launch is in response to persistent demand from financial advisors and their clients for more clear and comprehensive educational materials on alternatives. The program is designed to help advisors understand and discuss alternative investment concepts and strategies and their role in modern portfolios. These extend beyond liquid alternative mutual funds to encompass investment strategies and asset classes such as unconstrained bond, real estate, international and emerging market equities, and other portfolio diversifiers.

According to a recent survey by industry research firm Practical Perspectives¹, the advisor community is dissatisfied with the current level of education, support and training received about alternative investments.

"There is an obvious need for advisor education when it comes to how to use alternative investments," says Neil Siegel, Chief Marketing Officer, Neuberger Berman. "Our new education program, 'A Practical Alternative', is unique in both the clear and accessible way complex ideas are explained and its expansive approach when it comes to the range of investment solutions available to clients."

The program is built from the perspective of the four basic outcomes clients seek to achieve with their investment portfolios – Income, Growth, Risk Mitigation and Inflation Protection. Brian Moran, Head of National Accounts at Neuberger Berman's Advisor Solutions Group, said "The fact is, while desired outcomes have been consistent over time, the tools available to the average investor have changed for the better. As a result, advisors are searching for ways to understand and explain these tools for the benefit of clients."

"A Practical Alternative" should become an essential tool for advisors. The program explains how to address today's investment challenges via a new website, www.practicalalternative.com, complete with extensive videos and interactive graphics, featuring insights and relevant investment ideas to put to work. The videos feature investment industry expert Bob Rice, senior advisor to Neuberger Berman, who is well known for explaining concepts around alternative strategies and their use in portfolios in an accessible, easy-to-understand style. The program will be updated regularly to ensure content is current and relevant in response to ongoing investment challenges.

Siegel further explains the goal of the program: "We've built this educational program on what we know to be advisors' primary focus—client outcomes. Using a goals-based approach, advisors can speak to clients with confidence and purpose, using tools that explain how to add different types of alternative investments to portfolios in a simple, transparent way."

The program focuses on the importance of investing beyond traditional stock and bond portfolios in search of income and growth, in an effort to manage risk and outpace inflation. From a firm basis of understanding, advisors can transition to a range of investment strategies available to achieve these goals.

About Neuberger Berman

Neuberger Berman, founded in 1939, is a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager. The firm manages equities, fixed income, private equity and hedge fund portfolios for institutions and advisors worldwide. With offices in 18 countries, Neuberger Berman's team is more than 2,100 professionals and the company was named by Pensions & Investments as a 2013 and 2014 Best Place to Work in Money Management. Tenured, stable and long-term in focus, the firm fosters an investment culture of fundamental research and independent thinking. It manages $250 billion in client assets as of December 31, 2014. For more information, please visit our website at www.nb.com.

1) http://www.practicalperspectives.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/LiquidAlternativesReleaseMarch2015.pdf

The "Neuberger Berman" name and logo are registered service marks of Neuberger Berman Group LLC. "Neuberger Berman Management LLC" and the individual Fund names in this piece are either service marks or registered service marks of Neuberger Berman Management LLC.

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