Total Portfolio Approach: The Operational Reality

Prior chapters in the Total Portfolio Approach (TPA) series explored the key challenges organizations face and the operational approaches they can take to support a TPA framework. The first two papers established the foundation by examining industry trends driving adoption of TPA and the architectural decisions required to enable it. The subsequent papers explored specific

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Building Backwards: Delivering Total Portfolio Attribution, Analytics, and Liquidity

At its core, the Total Portfolio Approach (TPA) demands that firms consistently generate three outcomes: total portfolio attribution, integrated analytics, and forward-looking, total portfolio level liquidity forecasting. Together, these form the backbone of informed, portfolio-wide decision-making. Yet many asset owners struggle to produce these outputs in a way that is timely, coherent, and scalable across

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Why Target Operating Models Fail Before the First Mile

For those who know me outside of work, you know I’m a runner and always training for the next race. In distance running, elite athletes don’t start with race day strategy. They start with an honest assessment of current capability. Pace, endurance, recovery, and risk are measured before the plan is set. Organizations rarely apply

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The Investment Data Behind a Total Portfolio Approach

The first paper in this series examined the questions executives inevitably face in the wake of major macroeconomic events: How quickly can we rebalance the portfolio to a new strategic posture without breaching liquidity, leverage, or regulatory constraints? How does a shift in emerging markets impact our portfolio over the next 24 hours? Despite the

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The Case for a Total Portfolio Approach

In early 2026, U.S. action in Venezuela triggered a swift market reaction. Venezuela’s 17% share of global oil reserves led some investors to see renewed potential in its assets, while others viewed the development as a sharp shift in emerging‑market risk. These types of major events are more common than many assume. Over the past

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Architect for the End-State: Enable the Total Portfolio View by Design

If you could build your investment organization from the ground up, would you recreate the inefficiencies that plague mature firms today? Too often, firms grow organically, layering systems, processes, and teams in response to immediate needs. This approach may solve short-term challenges but creates long-term operational debt: fragmented infrastructure, inconsistent data, lagging insights, and rising

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Secrets to Successful Data Transformation Strategies

The financial industry is witnessing a transformational ‘tidal wave’ of change, with vendors exerting a gravitational pull on the front office, providing integrated data and applications while asset servicing providers absorb post-trade, middle, and back-office operations. Generative AI, NLP, and machine learning demonstrate near limitless application and use opportunities. Competition for assets and consistency in

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Reap More Value From Data in Operational Transformations

“SURROUNDED BY DATA, BUT STARVED FOR INSIGHTS.” – JAY BAER LEVERAGE CAPABILITIES AVAILABLE IN EMERGING CONVERSION TOOLS TO SUPPORT PLANNING INSIGHTS In the first paper, we said that Performance is Data, sometimes a daunting data challenge. Performance data generation happens in successive layers. Aggregation of holdings creates exposures; changes in market values or exposures create returns; returns lay

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Multi-Asset Class Investing: Part 2 – Meeting the Process Challenge

Meradia has observed a strong uptick in activity around Multi-Asset Class (MAC) investment products and strategies. We see managers across the globe expanding current MAC offerings and introducing new ones; consequently, generating demand for new support around analytic methodologies, data, and technology.

This series explores our view of the MAC phenomenon in depth, from origins to solutions. In our first of three installments, we looked at market and industry trends that seem to be driving the evolution of MAC toward more sophisticated strategies and methods. In this second installment, we examine the MAC investment process itself: What are the methods and practices that successful MAC managers employ, and how do these distinguish MAC from more traditional approaches?

by Mark R. David, CFA, Director of Performance, Risk & Analytics

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