How AET Helps Wealth Managers with Private Assets

While wealth managers have traditionally allocated 5-10% of client portfolios to alternatives [1], many firms find their clients hold additional private assets that sit outside that allocation and outside the advisor’s view such as investments in private companies, venture capital, real estate and cryptocurrency. 

AET custodies private assets so your clients get what they actually want: one consolidated statement showing their complete portfolio, integrated tax reporting, and advice that considers all their holdings. For wealth managers, this means bringing previously off-platform wealth into your managed AUM, enabling your firm to report on, advise on, and bill on these assets. Here’s how a partnership with AET works and the growth impact for your practice. 

How AET Helps Wealth Managers with Private Assets 

AET custodies the private assets that traditional providers won’t, including private placements too small for institutional minimums, direct investments in private companies or startups, and non-traditional assets like precious metals and cryptocurrency. We handle all recordkeeping, statements, and tax reporting for: 

• Real estate 

• Private Placements 

• Venture Capital 

• Private credit 

• Cryptocurrency 

• Precious Metals 

Importantly, we integrate with the technology you’re already using. No need to retool your firm or have clients log into separate systems. Through our integrations with major platforms like Morningstar, private asset data appears alongside your clients’ other holdings, giving you complete portfolio reporting on valuations, cost basis, and dividends. 

Billing 

We believe in transparent pricing with no hidden fees. You choose how billing works for your practice. We can bill clients directly for custody services or invoice your firm so you can bundle our fees into your advisory agreement. For asset custody on most accounts we charge flat fees per account and per transaction. No asset-based pricing, no surprise charges, and no AUM or asset minimums. 

Leveraging IRAs and Qualified Accounts 

One of the most compelling reasons wealth managers partner with AET is to attract and serve high-net-worth clients who are looking for tax-optimized strategies for their highest-return investments. AET specializes in custody of private investments in IRAs, Roth IRAs, and other qualified accounts, allowing clients to defer or eliminate taxes on returns from high-growth investments. For clients in high-tax states investing in high-growth startups through Roth IRAs, the tax savings can be substantial, potentially millions in tax-free gains. 

Many of the wealth managers we work with report that their ability to facilitate IRA-based private investing has become a key differentiator in winning new HNW clients. When prospects learn you can help them invest retirement dollars in opportunities their current advisor can’t custody, it’s a powerful competitive advantage. 

Streamlined Investor Onboarding for Private Investments 

When multiple clients want to invest in the same opportunity, whether it’s your firm’s internal fund or a specific private placement, onboarding can become a bottleneck. AET’s Deals functionality solves this. Create investment templates once, then quickly onboard multiple investors with streamlined paperwork and automated workflows. With our DocuSign integration, clients can sign the investment documents digitally enabling you to move a group of clients into an investment in days instead of weeks. 

Responsive, Dedicated Support 

Unlike large custodians where you wait on hold and talk to different people every time, AET assigns your firm to a dedicated client success representative. They know your business, they know your clients, and they prioritize your requests. When you call or email, you get answers from people who understand your specific situation. 

You also control how much client interaction we have. Some advisors prefer us to stay completely in the background, and yet others want us to provide dedicated support directly to clients for account-level questions. Either way, you maintain the primary advisory relationship. 

Direct Access to Decision Makers 

At AET, you work directly with the people who build and run the platform. We control our entire technology stack, which means when you identify a workflow issue or market need, we can actually address it. Many of our core features came directly from advisor feedback. When you see a problem or opportunity, bring it to us. We’ll evaluate every request and continuously improve our platform so we can grow together. 

Source 

1. https://www.caisgroup.com/our-company/press/new-cais-mercer-survey-reveals-widespread-adoption-of-alternative-investments-among-financial-advisors