Custom Portfolios
Custom Portfolios and Strategies

Duff & Phelps manages multiple-asset-class portfolios for institutions with specific needs based on regulatory, tax or other conditions.

Separate account management allows us to accommodate each client's specific benchmark and investment guidelines. For taxable accounts, separate account management (combined with lot accounting) permits us to optimize each portfolio's unique tax circumstances.

Our investment grade fixed income, large-cap passive equity and tax-efficient large-cap equity strategies serve as the core components of investment programs that are designed to meet specific objectives and to honor investment restrictions. Depending on an institution’s needs, we may include exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in portfolios to enhance their risk-reward profile.

Component strategies include:
  • Qualified NDT Fixed Income portfolios – investment accounts conforming to the specific investment needs and statutory requirements imposed on the nuclear decommissioning trusts (NDTs) of investor-owned electric utilities. The decommissioning trusts are established to provide a source of funds for the safe dismantling and disposal of nuclear-powered generating facilities after their terms of service have ended. Duff & Phelps manages the portfolios in a tax-sensitive manner, seeking high liquidity and lower volatility than fixed income benchmarks.
  • Large Cap Passive Equity portfolios – which seek to replicate the S&P 100 Index1. Historical returns for the index have been highly correlated with those of the S&P 500 Index but with holdings subject to lower turnover and improved liquidity from those of the S&P 500 Index2.
  • Tax-Efficient Large Cap Equity portfolios – a low-turnover strategy consisting of 40-50 holdings of well-recognized, high-quality domestically traded companies which collectively have a lower P/E, higher yield and higher dollar-weighted market cap than the holdings in the S&P 500 Index.

Duff & Phelps maintains frequent contact with each of its clients so that the investment strategy that is being employed and the reasons for any change in strategy are fully discussed and understood.

1.Standard & Poor’s, S&P, S&P 100 and Standard & Poor’s 100 Index are trademarks of the McGraw Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. The product is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s, and Standard & Poor’s makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the product. Indices are not available for direct investment.

2.Past performance is no guarantee of future results.