Global fund data and technology firm FE Fundinfo has acquired cashflow planning provider Cashcalc for an undisclosed sum.
FE Fundinfo believes cashflow planning is a natural extension of the fund selection process, where the firm already has established tools such as FE Analytics and FE Investments.
Cashcalc will continue to be offered “as a standalone product” following the acquisition and the data provider will be investing in the integration between the extended set of tools, including platform and back-office.
FE Fundinfo was created through the merger of FE, Fundinfo and F2C in 2017; while Cashcalc was set up in 2014 in Newport.
A ‘vital component’ of financial advice
Ray Adams, director and founder of Cashcalc, said: “Cashflow planning is a key component of an adviser’s process and, perhaps even more so during the course of the pandemic, it became an essential service for many advice businesses, as they sought to help their clients throughout the market volatility by providing digital services and sound financial planning advice.
“Within the market, our cashflow planning services are widely recognised as being engaging, and uncomplicated and have become the central hub of the financial planning process for thousands of advisers.
“By aligning our services with FE Fundinfo’s own market-leading investment tools, such as FE Analytics, we will be able to support our clients by offering a more complete journey and a seamless process.”
Hamish Purdey, chief executive at FE Fundinfo, added: “Over recent years, cashflow planning has grown in prominence across the industry and now forms a vital component of the investment process. It is our mission at FE Fundinfo to connect the investment industry and make it as simple as possible for our clients to be better informed on investments.
“Helping financial advisers run their investment propositions and provide first class financial advice through cash flow planning that is intrinsically linked to the investment solution is an essential part of that.
“We have been extremely impressed with Cashcalc’s client-centric approach that matches our own, and its value to the industry at large. Integrating Cashcalc’s market-leading services with our own award-winning tools marks a natural product extension and will lead to better advice outcomes for advisers and their clients.”