Better client reporting on investments is coming, says speaker at GIPS conference

Better client reporting on investments is on the horizon, according to “The Future of Performance Measurement,” a Sept. 25 presentation by Stefan Illmer, head of client reporting for Credit Suisse, at the CFA Institute’s GIPS Standards Annual Conference in Boston.

There is “increasing pressure to provide analytics…from the client’s point of view” in addition to providing them for the portfolio manager. That translates into:

Providing the money-weighted rate of return, which is the client return, rather than simply the time-weighted rate of return
Using analytics to address where absolute profits are coming from in addition to analyzing returns vs. the benchmark; this is especially true for private clients

Illmer also foresees more reporting for clients’ total portfolios, incorporating clients’ externally held assets such as real estate, private equity, assets held with other custodians, and advisory accounts.

An audience member asked how firms can aggregate client portfolios for look-through given the 90-day delay in mutual funds reporting their holdings. Illmer replied that the data exists because it is used for daily net asset value calculations. He believes that pressure from clients may eventually win the release of this data.

For a related post, see “Financial crisis will change client reporting, according to Credit Suisse executive.”

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Susan B. Weiner, CFA

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