Ascend Investment Partners

Ascend Investment Partners is a team-based registered investment adviser with five advisors managing roughly $661 million for individuals, high‑net‑worth clients, and employer retirement plans. The firm provides discretionary separately managed accounts, a firm‑sponsored wrap fee asset management program, retirement plan consulting, and annuity consulting services.

Portfolios are managed on an individualized, discretionary basis through wrapped accounts and via advisory programs that use custodians such as First Clearing/Trade‑PMR and Altruist, and the firm employs a mix of fundamental, technical, quantitative, sector and third‑party manager analysis. For certain strategies Ascend discloses the use of derivatives and options, margin/borrowing in separately managed accounts, and structured notes, each of which introduces issuer‑credit, leverage and liquidity considerations that the firm discusses in its brochure.

Compared with many peers, Ascend’s combination of sponsoring a wrap program while also using derivatives and borrowing in some SMAs is relatively uncommon among similar team advisers. The firm also provides annuity advisory services under contract with a broker‑dealer (Mutual Securities) and engages in consultant/referral arrangements with third parties, arrangements that are disclosed as potential additional sources of compensation.