TMCnet News

TradeKing Advisors Introduces Risk Assist®
[January 21, 2015]

TradeKing Advisors Introduces Risk Assist®


TradeKing Advisors, Inc., an SEC (News - Alert)-registered online advisory and subsidiary of TradeKing Group, Inc., today announced the availability of the new Risk Assist® service for its clients. Risk Assist is an optional feature that aims to protect client principal investments during steep declines in the market by reducing exposure to equity-based portfolios. Risk Assist analyzes portfolio holdings daily to determine the necessity to reallocate a portion of client portfolios to investments that may be less sensitive to market corrections. TradeKing Advisors is the first and only online advisory service to offer clients the Risk Assist portfolio protection feature.

"The equities market is one of the most effective vehicles for investors looking to build wealth. At the same time, it's occasionally subject to sudden and unpredictable change and risks," said Richard J. Hagen, Jr., CEO of TradeKing Advisors. "Risk Assist helps address the 'what-if' question that still gives some of today's investors pause. It's a particularly compelling option for clients who are saving for near-term goals, like a college education or retirement, or for new investors who are still getting comfortable with market volatility, or anyone who's just extra-cautious. We're excited to be the first online advisor to offer Risk Assist to clients, and at a tremendous value."

How Risk Assist Works

  • This systematic, rules-based service is triggered primarily by three factors:
    • Portfolio Performance: If a portfolio experiences sudden negative performance as a result of market conditions, the likelihood of Risk Assist going into action increases.
    • Volatility Forecasts: Risk Assist uses a number of methods to forecast volatility in both the overall market and the specific underlying portfolio. As volatility forecasts increase, sensitivity within the Risk Assist model grows.
    • Max Drawdown Calibration: The max drawdown per portfolio impacts the speed and magnitude of Risk Assist's actions. Max drawdown measures the largest percentage loss of a portfolio from any peak to subsequent bottom, during a given period.
  • Should the stock market take a turn for the worse, Risk Assist responds by shifting a client's portfolio allocation from investments that are sensitive to downward market conditions (like equities) to investments that are less sensitive to market corrections, such as fixed-income ETFs.
  • Risk Assist objectively analyzes portfolio holdings daily to determine when it's necessary to make these adjustments.
  • When the market is back on track, Risk Assist gradually restores a client's portfolio to its original allocation.
  • Investors are aerted as Risk Assist activates or deactivates and can track its activity in real-time on the TradeKing Advisor dashboard.



Risk Assist is an optional service made available to current TradeKing Advisors' clients with Core portfolios. This premium service may be added at any time online and is available for an additional fee of 0.50% of a client's annual balance (e.g., $50/year for a portfolio with a $10K balance). This fee is in addition to TradeKing Advisors' standard advisory fees, which are waived for the first twelve months.

Risk Assist was developed by Horizon Investments. In commenting on TradeKing Advisors' decision to deploy Risk Assist, Horizon CEO Robbie Cannon said, "TradeKing Advisors is a true innovator in applying technology to portfolio construction and management. We are delighted to partner with them to deliver Risk Assist to their clients as a seamless part of their investment platform."


About TradeKing Advisors, Inc.

Portfolios are offered through TradeKing Advisors, Inc. (TradeKing Advisors), an SEC-registered investment advisor. TradeKing Advisors has chosen Ibbotson Associates, Inc., an SEC-registered investment advisor and wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc., to provide asset allocation, portfolio construction and monitoring services for the TradeKing Advisors portfolios. Ibbotson Associates is not acting in the capacity of an investment advisor to individual investors. The Morningstar name and logo are registered marks of Morningstar, Inc. Ibbotson Associates is not affiliated with TradeKing Advisors.

Risk Assist is a registered trademark of Horizon Investments, LLC, and is used under license by Ibbotson Associates, Inc.

Risk Assist is NOT A GUARANTEE. Risk Assist is a strategy which seeks, for a fee, to limit market exposure and mitigate loss by changing investment components. There may be times where all investments and strategies are unfavorable and depreciate in value. Risk Assist will not prevent all losses, and accounts with Risk Assist may not be fully invested in the underlying model, and during periods of strong market growth may underperform accounts which do not have the Protection feature.

About TradeKing Group, Inc.

TradeKing Group, Inc. (www.tradeking.com) consists of companies that provide online brokerage services, social communities for investors, investor education and more. Its subsidiary, TradeKing, LLC, is a nationally licensed online broker/dealer dedicated to empowering the independent, self- directed investor. It offers simple, low fees ($4.95 per trade for both equity and option trades with $0.65 per options contract). The TradeKing platform features powerful online equity, options, ETF, mutual fund and fixed-income trading tools accompanied by a rich set of news, research and analysis capabilities.

Follow TradeKing Advisors on Twitter (News - Alert) at http://twitter.com/tkadvisors
Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/tradekingadvisors
TradeKing Group, Inc. is not a broker/dealer. Ibbotson Associates, Inc. is not an affiliate of TradeKing Group, Inc.

Please refer to TradeKing Advisors' Wrap Fee Program Brochure (Form ADV Part 2A) for detailed information pertaining to Services, Fees, and Risks.

Investments are Not FDIC Insured; No Bank Guarantee; May Lose Value. All investments involve risk, which may include the loss of income payments as well as some or all principal invested. Asset allocation and diversification does not necessarily eliminate the risk of experiencing investment loss. TradeKing Advisors does not warrant or guarantee its process will lead to success. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Risks applicable to any portfolio are those associated with its underlying securities. Before you invest, you should carefully review and consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of each exchange-traded fund (ETF) that are to be used within TradeKing Advisors' portfolios. ETF trading prices may not necessarily reflect the net asset value of the underlying securities. You are able to review and download ETF product descriptions via the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) website.

TradeKing Advisors portfolios are not cash, cash alternatives, or money market funds and should not be viewed as such holdings.

This is not an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction where we are not authorized to conduct investment advisory business. Brokerage accounts are serviced by TradeKing, LLC and advisory client account assets are custodied with Apex (News - Alert) Clearing Corporation, members FINRA and SIPC. TradeKing Advisors and TradeKing, LLC are wholly owned subsidiaries of TradeKing Group, Inc.

© 2015 TradeKing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Securities offered through TradeKing, LLC, member FINRA and SIPC advisor.


[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]