Private Markets Advisory Services
Private markets deliver the highest value-add from manager selection, yet require specialized expertise most pension plans lack. We provide independent, CIO-level guidance across private equity, private credit, infrastructure, and real estate without the overhead of full-time specialized staff or the conflicts inherent in traditional consulting relationships.
How We Help You Decide Better
Awareness of What Matters: In private markets, top-quartile managers outperform bottom-quartile by 500 to 1,000+ basis points. We help you understand what truly differentiates managers, what questions to ask, and what warning signs matter so you can make informed decisions about manager selection and avoid costly mistakes.
Seeing Through the Marketing: Traditional consultant databases miss the substance. We help you understand what team stability really means, how to evaluate deal sourcing capabilities, and where documentation protections matter. Our role is making you aware of risks and opportunities before you commit capital.
Strategic Thinking Support: Building private markets portfolios requires long-term planning and difficult tradeoffs. We help you think through commitment pacing, vintage year diversification, and liquidity needs so you can make strategic decisions aligned with your circumstances and risk tolerance.
Resource Allocation Clarity: Most pension plans have limited investment staff managing substantial assets. We help you understand where specialized expertise adds value versus where it doesn’t, so you can make informed choices about building internal capabilities, partnering with specialists, or simplifying approaches.
Our Independence Advantage
- No database fees or soft dollar arrangements with managers
- No affiliated investment platforms or products
- Compensation based solely on client advisory fees
- Freedom to recommend or criticize any manager based purely on client interests
Areas of Focus
Private Equity: Understanding what drives manager selection differences, how to evaluate pacing decisions, when co-investment makes sense, and recognizing late-cycle risks when competition drives poor deal economics.
Private Credit: Awareness of documentation issues that matter, understanding concentration risks, knowing which structural protections are meaningful, and evaluating manager capabilities beyond origination.
Infrastructure: Recognizing when core strategies drift into higher risk, understanding asset-level cash flow drivers, seeing through inflation protection claims, and evaluating when higher risk is justified.
Real Estate: Understanding valuation cycle positioning, distinguishing sector opportunities from risks, awareness of debt rollover concerns, and separating structural from cyclical challenges.
Private markets require specialized awareness and strategic thinking. Our independent advisory approach helps institutional pension plans understand what matters, ask better questions, and make informed decisions without the conflicts inherent in traditional consulting relationships.