For years, alternative investments have been something many RIAs and wealth professionals wanted to scale but struggled to operationalize. Sourcing managers, chasing down documents, reconciling PDFs, and managing client expectations around illiquidity made it hard to justify the time—especially when public markets were performing well.
Today, that’s changing. Technology, data, and a new wave of specialist managers are reshaping how RIAs participate in private markets. The alt sleeve is no longer a nice-to-have talking point; it’s rapidly becoming a core pillar of long-term client portfolios.
In this article, we’ll look at what’s driving this shift and how platforms like EnduranceX are redefining access and execution for advisors.
Why Alts Are Moving From “Edge” to “Core”
Traditional 60/40 portfolios are under pressure. Persistent inflation, interest rate shifts, and market volatility have pushed many investors to look for:
- Diversification beyond public equity and fixed income
- Return streams less correlated to major indices
- Access to themes not easily captured in listed markets
Private equity, private credit, real assets, secondaries, and other alternatives can help address these needs—if investors can access the right managers with the right structures.
For RIAs, the challenge has rarely been a lack of interest. It’s been everything that comes after the idea: sourcing, diligence, structuring, operations, and reporting.
The Legacy Problem: Fragmented, Manual, Opaque
Most advisors know this story well:
- Alts live in a separate email and PDF universe away from the core tech stack.
- Data flows through one-off spreadsheets, custom trackers, and inbox searches.
- Each manager has different formats, portals, and processes.
- Client reporting is painful—especially when trying to explain capital calls, distributions, and evolving NAVs.
The result: even sophisticated firms limit their alts exposure because the operational friction and risk feel too high.
A New Infrastructure Layer for Private Markets
This is where technology comes in. Instead of asking RIAs to build their own internal private markets infrastructure, new platforms are doing the heavy lifting:
- Centralized access to specialist alternative managers
- Standardized data and workflows across different strategies and vehicles
- Integrated digital subscriptions, document flows, and reporting
- Analytics and insights to help advisors understand exposures and communicate clearly with clients
EnduranceX is part of this shift—connecting RIAs and wealth professionals with specialist alts managers through technology that’s designed for private markets from day one.
What This Means for RIAs in Practice
For advisory firms, intelligent alts infrastructure can change the day-to-day reality of working with private markets:
- Better Discovery, Less NoiseCurated access to specialist managers means you’re not relying solely on inbound pitches or ad hoc introductions. You can explore strategies that fit your clients’ risk profiles and goals more systematically.
- Streamlined Due DiligenceMaterials, data points, and manager information live in one place, with a consistent format. Your investment committee spends less time chasing information and more time evaluating it.
- Operational DisciplineCapital calls, distributions, and investor communications become part of a structured workflow instead of a scattered email chain, reducing operational risk.
- Clearer Client ConversationsWith better data and reporting, you can explain what’s happening inside the private markets sleeve in client-friendly language—connecting the dots between allocations, timelines, and expected outcomes.
Staying Ahead of the Curve in Private Markets
Private markets aren’t getting simpler. New strategies, structures, and regulatory expectations will continue to evolve. But with the right infrastructure, RIAs can move from reactive participation to proactive, scalable private markets programs.
At EnduranceX, our mission is simple: helping investors stay ahead of the curve in private markets by bridging the gap between wealth professionals and specialist alts managers through technology.
This isn’t about replacing advisor judgment. It’s about giving RIAs and their teams the tools, access, and data they need to build the next generation of portfolios.
For informational purposes only. Not investment advice. For professional investors and wealth management firms.