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What It Takes to Be a Successful Investment Advisor

What It Takes to Be a Successful Investment Advisor

In the dynamic world of investment advising, success is often measured by adaptability, innovation, and a deep understanding of market trends. One seasoned advisor, Vince Lowry, with a remarkable 40-year career, reflects on the pivotal moments and technological advancements that shaped his journey.

Vince entered the field at a time when the Quotron machine represented cutting-edge technology, and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) saw daily trading volumes of just 12 million shares. Rapidly climbing the ranks, he served as Managing Director and the largest producer in Smith Barney’s consulting group from 2000 to 2005, managing a staggering $20 billion in client assets. In 2005, Vince took a bold step by founding his own firm, becoming one of the early innovators in the realm of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). By 2015, the firm was sold for over five times its trailing one-year revenues, marking a significant milestone in a storied career.

The key component at each stage of Vince’s career, is embracing the latest technology. This serves as a crucial catalyst for success.

investment advising and technology

Recognizing that staying ahead of the curve is essential, Vince devoted the last three years to developing an investment advisor technology platform named Artha. Collaborating with a dedicated investment team, they recruited engineers, developers, coders, and a data scientist to create a platform that prioritizes information leverage and alignment with clients’ investment strategies.

Artha offers an impressive array of six support systems designed to streamline the advisory process. These include a client page, performance tracking, a tax loss harvesting system, a model portfolio marketplace, an attribution of return page, and a predictive scenario page, complemented by a portfolio optimizer system. The platform is designed to be both affordable and effective, boasting over 50 separate account model portfolios.

The pricing models for Artha aim to enhance profit margins while the technology itself is tailored to reduce costs and improve efficiency. This allows investment advisors to allocate more time to what truly matters—building relationships with clients and spending quality moments with family.

In an industry that is constantly evolving, Vince’s journey illustrates that success is not merely about managing assets but also about leveraging technology and maintaining a client-centric approach. As the landscape of investment advising continues to change, the lessons learned from this remarkable career offer valuable insights for both seasoned professionals and newcomers alike.

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Kevin Battista

VP of Product

Kevin leads Artha’s product, design, and SCRUM teams and his responsibilities include overseeing the strategic vision of Artha, the product roadmap, the end-to-end user experience, as well as the delivery cycles. With 12+ years of experience in product development and product design, Kevin has developed and implemented creative solutions that have solved countless problems within the FinTech community. He’s built software that’s used in the largest financial institutions in the U.S. and has successfully led teams through the product development lifecycle, resulting in multiple acquisitions and exits. Kevin has a B.S. in Finance and Information Technology from Virginia Tech and an MBA from Wake Forest University.

Natallia Sakharuk

VP of Quality Assurance

Natallia is the VP of Quality Assurance at Artha who leads with a commitment to elevating product and service quality across the organization. She possesses a deep understanding of quality methodologies, industry standards, and is recognized for her strategic vision, a data-driven approach to decision-making, and her unwavering dedication to upholding the highest standards of quality in all aspects of the business. With over 8 years of dynamic experience in QA, she successfully orchestrated quality initiatives in FinTech and Corporate Real Estate projects resulting in enhanced product reliability, reduced defects, and increased customer satisfaction. Natallia holds a B.S. in Economics & Logistics from Belarusian State Economic University, a B.A. in Foreign Language from Academy of Postgraduate Education, is certified by ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board), and she has continued to stay at the forefront of industry advancements by attending workshops, seminars, and conferences.

As a trusted leader, Natallia is poised to drive Artha’s quality assurance initiatives to new heights, ensuring a lasting impact on both customer satisfaction and business growth.

Alexandre Junges

VP of Engineering

Alexandre leads Artha’s development team, collaborating closely with developers and software engineers to architect and construct a robust application that aligns with business requirements, prioritizing security, performance, and scalability. A fervent technology enthusiast, Alexandre is committed to enriching lives through innovative solutions. With over a decade of experience in application development spanning diverse industries, he holds a B. Tech. in Analysis and Systems Development from Unisinos, a Project Specialization from UFRGS (both universities in Brazil), and he is a Certified Microsoft Professional.

Justin Lowry

President And Chief Investment Officer

Justin Lowry is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Global Beta Advisors. Justin’s responsibilities include the oversight of investment activity, market research, and product development at Global Beta Advisors. Justin joined the firm as an executive member upon its foundation. Prior to working at Global Beta Advisors, Justin worked at Oppenheimer Funds as Head of Research and Product Development for its Beta Solutions exchange-traded fund business from 2015 until 2017, which at the time, held over $2 billion in assets in the Revenue Shares ETF suite. One of the cornerstone ETFs in the business, RDIV, won the ETF Innovation “Smart Beta ETF of the Year” award (Click here for more information about the award, contestants, and its qualifications). From 2010 until 2015, Justin served as CIO for Index Management Solutions, a subsidiary of VTL Associates, where he served as a subadvisor, providing custom portfolio solutions, portfolio management, and trading services to many ETF issuers that summed to $2 billion in management. Those funds included the Revenue Shares ETFs, KraneShares China ETFs, and several ETF issuers who launched their funds through Exchange Traded Concepts. Prior to the inception of Index Management Solutions, Justin worked as an analyst at VTL Associates since 2008. Justin earned his B.S. in Business Management from Saint Joseph’s University.

Vince Lowry

CHAIRMAN

With over 40 years of experience in the financial industry, Vince Lowry has built a distinguished career as an Investment Advisor. He began his journey in 1984 at Shearson Lehman, where he quickly established himself as a leader in the field. Over the next two decades, he grew his investment business to an impressive $20 billion in assets under management (AUM). Vince attributes this success to using modern portfolio theories as he was an early adopter of global asset allocation for diversification as well as utilizing advances being offered by technology.

In 2004, Vince and his team departed from Smith Barney Citigroup to launch their own Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) firm, VTL Associates. Over the next 11 years, they continued managing client assets while also developing an ETF family of funds known as RevenueShares.

One of Vince’s most notable achievements came in 2009 during the financial crisis. As the Investment Advisor to the Pennsylvania Treasury, he recognized an opportunity amid market turmoil. He advised the Treasury to leverage the New York Federal Reserve’s TALF program, investing in CMOs, ABS, and other distressed yet highly rated fixed-income securities. This strategic move resulted in a remarkable $3 billion gain for the Pennsylvania Treasury within just nine months.

In 2015, Vince and his team sold VTL Associates to Oppenheimer Funds, a subsidiary of MassMutual. Over the next two years, they played a key role in expanding Oppenheimer Funds’ ETF business. By August 2017, after fulfilling their obligations under the acquisition agreement, Vince and his team set out on a new path. Recognizing the agility of smaller firms, who are better positioned to explore and create creative strategies by embracing the rapid changes in the world of technology, they launched a new venture focused on delivering investment advice through innovative technology-driven solutions.

Vince Lowry continues to be a thought leader in the industry, leveraging decades of expertise to navigate the evolving financial landscape and drive meaningful results for his clients.