PRS President Benjamin Hein Discusses Alternative Investments During Expert Panel In Cayman Islands

Dec. 3, 2012 - PRLog -- Benjamin Hein, President and Chief Investment Officer of PRS Investment Advisory, recently discussed the advantages of managed account platforms while serving on an expert panel during a two-day conference on alternative investments in the Cayman Islands.  

Sponsored by KPMG, Deutsche Bank, Mourant Ozannes, Paladyne Systems, Cayman Financial Review and Virgin Unite, the Cayman Alternative Investment Summit brought together leading institutional investors, fund managers, academics, economists and regulators from across the globe to discuss and debate the future of the alternative investments industry. President George W. Bush and mogul Richard Branson gave keynote speeches to the attendees.

Hein and other leading advisors explained how managed account platforms are designed to provide hedge fund investors with increased transparency, asset protection, asset control, and customized risk constraints.  Investors invest in a separate pool of assets as opposed to commingling their investments in a fund run by the hedge fund manager.  

PRS, a 30-year old multi-family office and investment management firm, was a pioneer in including alternative investments in client portfolios and remains an active investor in the space. The firm’s clients have been increasing exploring managed accounts in the past few years said Hein.  

“There was a high degree of optimism at the conference that the hedge fund industry has matured significantly since the 2008 global financial crisis,” he said. “Investors have become increasingly comfortable allocating to alternative investments.  Especially in this age of low interest rates and disenchantment with volatility in equity markets, investors are looking for ways to take a different set of risks and generate a different set of returns than through investing in traditional stocks and bonds.”

Matthew Valeri, a portfolio manager at PRS, and Andrew Green, a fund accountant at PRS’ Cayman subsidiary, also attended the conference.  Valeri concurred with Hein’s comments.  “Having a diverse group of hedge funds has helped investors protect capital in stressful markets, with the goal of facilitating superior risk-adjusted returns in portfolios,” he said.

Green indicated that the Cayman Islands is a solid jurisdiction from which to base investment fund activities.  “There is such a deep pool of talent in terms of attorneys, accountants, auditors and administrators in the Cayman Islands,” he noted.

About PRS Investment Advisory
PRS Investment Advisory is a boutique Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and fully-owned subsidiary of EFG International, a preeminent global private banking and investment management firm based in Zurich, Switzerland. PRS is headquartered in the heart of Miami's financial district where we strive to deliver stability and unparalleled service to individuals seeking to optimize returns through customized, unbiased financial advice and comprehensive family office solutions. Through EFG International’s offices and affiliates in more than 25 countries, PRS has access to investment resources around the world. For more information visit: www.prs-efg.com.