HighTower Becomes First U.S. Firm To Give Advisors Access To Innovative Mercer Research Platform

CHICAGO, July 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- HighTower, the nation's destination of choice for entrepreneurial advisors seeking greater independence and practice control, announces that it is the first wealth management firm in the U.S. market to offer the Mercer Advisor Portal (MAP) to its advisors.

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Mercer, a global consulting leader in talent, health, retirement and investments, in conjunction with Financial Express, developed MAP in order to bring institutional manager research methodology to the retail investment industry. MAP combines quantitative research capability with Mercer's forward-looking institutional and qualitative analysis, essentially combining historical performance analysis with powerful forward-looking research. All retail daily pricing data will be provided by Lipper. MAP contains the research findings of Mercer's more than 100 researchers based around the globe, who cover over 25,000 strategies.

"The financial crisis highlighted the critical need for an evolution in investment selection and portfolio construction, and the Mercer Advisor Portal offers advisors an innovative alternative to traditional portfolio modeling approaches that rely primarily on quantitative analysis," said Matthias Paul Kuhlmey, Partner, Managing Director and Head of Global Investment Solutions at HighTower. "Mercer's dedication to creating tools that improve advisor performance aligns perfectly with HighTower's commitment to deliver innovation to its advisor partners through sophisticated investment selections, technology and research."

Mercer developed MAP as part of the ongoing growth of its wealth management consulting and solutions product suite during the past year. HighTower is a client of Mercer's Sentinel^® Group, which delivers tailored and robust consulting solutions to improve investment performance and governance.

"HighTower's adoption of our platform enables them to provide their advisors with unique qualitative and forward-looking tools to choose best-in-breed investment managers and deliver on their commitment to clients," said Cara Williams, Senior Partner and Global Head of Wealth Management and Technology Solutions at Mercer. "Clients will benefit tremendously from their HighTower advisors having access to Mercer's unparalleled institutional-grade research, which will help them make more informed decisions to achieve their financial goals."

For media inquiries, please contact Melinda Brodbeck of Jennifer Connelly Public Relations (JCPR) at 973-850-7348 or mbrodbeck@jcprinc.com, or Charles Salmans of Mercer at 212-345-4512 or charles.salmans@mercer.com.

About HighTower
HighTower is a national, advisor-owned financial services company serving high-net-worth and institutional clients. HighTower advisors are experienced investment professionals with large and established practices. As a dually-registered, multi-custodial firm, HighTower provides sophisticated investment solutions as well as an independent and unobstructed view of the markets. The company is headquartered in Chicago and maintains corporate centers in New York and San Francisco and offices across the country. See www.hightoweradvisors.com.

About Mercer
Mercer is a global consulting leader in talent, health, retirement and investments. Mercer helps clients around the world advance the health, wealth and performance of their most vital asset – their people. Mercer's 20,000 employees are based in more than 40 countries. Mercer is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC), a global team of professional services companies offering clients advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and human capital. With 53,000 employees worldwide and annual revenue exceeding $11 billion, Marsh & McLennan Companies is also the parent company of Marsh, a global leader in insurance broking and risk management; Guy Carpenter, a global leader in providing risk and reinsurance intermediary services; and Oliver Wyman, a global leader in management consulting.

For more information, visit www.mercer.com. Follow Mercer on Twitter @MercerInsights.