Unified managed accounts double marketshare

Unified managed account programs have doubled their marketshare since 2008, according to Cerulli Associates.

The global analytics firm discloses in its 11^th annual report, “Managed Accounts 2013: Moving Toward a Single-Platform Environment,” that unified managed account (UMA) assets garnered 7.7 percent of all managed account assets in 2012, double the 3.8 percent Cerulli recorded in 2008.

Unified managed accounts are managed investment accounts that have developed out of separate accounts. Whereas a separate account holds the securities associated with a single investment manager or style managed for a client, a unified managed account typically holds multiple separate accounts, as well as other investment products such as mutual funds and exchange traded funds.

Unified managed accounts also typically automate services such as rebalancing, cash flow management and other services that are typically handled manually by financial advisors or institutions when using a separate account.