America’s Best TAMPs Showcase - Flipbook - Page 21
2026 AMERICA’S BEST TAMPS
Envestnet and AssetMark remain
the dominant players by assets and
reach, but size tells only part of the
story. Many TAMPs have no interest
in becoming the largest option in the
room. They’ve made a deliberate choice
to stay focused, developing distinctive
approaches designed to attract exactly
the kind of advisory relationships they
want rather than every relationship
available. That kind of intentionality
tends to produce a better fit for the
advisors who choose them.
At the top end of the market, some of
the larger platforms continue to grow
through acquisition, and consolidators
like Orion have evolved into significantly
larger and more complex entities than
they were even a few years ago. But
the narrowing of the bulge bracket
hasn’t flattened the landscape. Ongoing
innovation and the entrepreneurial
energy that has always characterized
this industry mean that advisors
still have a genuinely wide range of
providers to evaluate, each bringing a
different combination of capabilities,
investment managers, and underlying
technology.
What matters in the end is fit. The right
TAMP partner is one whose culture
and capabilities align with where your
firm is going, a provider that gives
you the tools to stand apart from your
competition while quietly removing the
internal friction that slows everything
down. That combination, differentiation
on the outside and efficiency on the
inside, is what a well-chosen TAMP
partner should deliver.
GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME
Because switching providers in the
future can be costly in terms of money,
time and other resources, it is best to
research and choose the right provider
for your business the first time around.
You want to get it right before training
your team.
The first step in selecting a TAMP
is determining your own investment
style, and matching it to an established
provider, like the firms we’ve already
identified as a potential fit for our
readers. You’ll see them profiled on the
following pages.
Another key step is the identification of
the client segments you serve. There is
little advantage and a lot of unnecessary
expense for a firm that serves mostly
mass-affluent clients, to cultivate a
relationship with a high-end UMH
outsourced portfolio solution provider.
Just pick a robo off the shelf instead.
Some TAMP platforms are better
positioned than others to support a
specific type of firm, whether they are a
broker-dealer, RIA, or trust company. In
general, focus on the best combination
of the four chief kinds of value a TAMP
can add to a wealth advisory firm:
1. Product Value
Does the solution create real value
for the firm and clients? Does
its investment universe include
vehicles to the firm’s identified client
segments now? Is the product and
manager mix appropriate for this
wealth advisor?
2. Service Value
Some TAMP solutions or providers
offer marketing programs, training
programs, technology and practice
management support, all aimed at
helping the advisor become more
efficient and successful. Educational
programs include practice
development issues such as creating
referrals, crafting joint ventures with
other professionals, developing
seminars and information on select
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target markets, and handouts
for clients. Technical support can
provide assistance with philanthropy,
retirement distribution planning,
asset protection, tax planning,
business succession, etc.
3. Personnel Value
A good TAMP should assist with
the day-to-day business operations
and also help the advisor think
strategically, grow their business
and increase real income. Does the
provider under consideration offer
training in professional areas and
training for the advisor’s staff?
4. Image Value
TAMPs are largely unknown to most
investors, by design. Nevertheless,
the reputation and image of the
company where disclosed—
custodians, asset managers,
reporting, and so on—is still
important to clients and prospects.
Advisors should ensure the
selected firms do not compete with
them at a retail level and that
they’re committed to the solution
provider role.
QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD
FREQUENTLY ASK
When evaluating TAMP partners, there
are four types of potential issues to
consider:
1. Price
What is the cost to deploy the
system, both initially and in terms of
ongoing costs? Is billing based on
the amount of client assets on the
platform, the number of accounts,
a flat fee, or a subscription basis?
Is pricing à la carte or all in one?
What are the switch costs, should
it become necessary to replace a
current provider with a new solution
provider?
