The Age of Implementation (EP. 4)

Neil Blundell, Head of CAIS Investments Team, and Gregg Sommer, US Financial Intermediaries Leader at Mercer Investments, bring their expertise to the forefront as they discuss the increasing adoption of alternative investments in the wealth management channel. With 92% of advisors allocating to alts, their focus has shifted to implementing alts effectively. In this episode, Neil and Gregg join Host Alex Cavalieri, CAIS Head of Marketing, to explore key findings from CAIS’ 2025 The State of Alternative Investments in Wealth Management.

Read the 2025 report, Here

Chapters

(00:01) Introduction to Guests and the 2025 CAIS-Mercer Survey  

(00:38) The Shift Toward Alternatives: Key Survey Results  

(04:15) The Rise of Registered Funds  

(08:04) Blending Registered and Traditional Drawdown Funds  

(18:51) Portfolio Construction Tools: From Why to How to Invest in Alts  

(33:30) Overcoming Challenges in Alts Implementation  

(37:05) Thematic Investing: AI, Infrastructure, and Energy Transition  

(42:46) Looking Ahead: The Future of Alts in Wealth Management

Disclosures
This content is for institutional investors and for information purposes only. It does not contain investment, financial, legal, tax or any other advice and should not be relied upon for this purpose. The materials are not tailored to your particular personal and/or financial situation. If you require advice based on your specific circumstances, you should contact a professional adviser. Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of the recording, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions. There are substantial risks associated with investments classified as alternative investments. Investors should have the ability, investing sophistication and experience to bear the risks associated with such investments.