Pontera

Pontera makes software that lets financial advisors view and manage clients' held-away workplace retirement accounts, such as 401(k), 403(b), 457 and TSP plans. Its partners include wealth management firms, plan recordkeepers, retirement plan advisors and portfolio software providers.

A client connects a retirement account to Pontera and authorizes the advisor, who can then monitor and analyze holdings, reallocate and rebalance, including in bulk across many accounts. Advisors cannot move or withdraw money, change beneficiaries or contributions, or see client login credentials, which Pontera says is designed to avoid triggering custody. Every trade is logged with a time-stamped record for supervision and documentation under the Labor Department's PTE 2020-02 rule. Firms can choose a discretionary workflow, where the advisor places trades, or a non-discretionary workflow, where the client carries out the advisor's recommendations.

Pontera was founded in 2012 and is based in New York. It sends held-away account data to portfolio, reporting and billing platforms including Orion and Orion Eclipse, SS&C Black Diamond, Addepar, Advyzon, AdvisorEngine, BNY Pershing's Wove, SEI, GeoWealth, Vestmark and AdvicePay, so advisors can report on and bill for these accounts. The company says it holds ISO/IEC 27001 certification and has completed a SOC 2 Type II audit.