Summary
About Avi Nachmany: Independent Director, Baron Funds; Co-Founder, Strategic Insight
Avi Nachmany is an independent trustee of the NYC-based Baron Funds, and a mutual fund industry consultant and strategist.
He is an advisor to several service firms to the fund industry, including FundGuard and ETF Global.
Avi brings knowledge of over three decades of the mutual fund and ETF industry. As an experienced independent director with in-depth industry knowledge, Avi’s perspective can serve as bridge, helping independent trustees in their oversight responsibilities.
Avi co-founded Strategic Insight (SI), a thought leadership and business intelligence firm for mutual fund and ETF industry leaders. Today Strategic Insight’s services are widely used in the U.S. and globally. Avi left SI at the end of his 30th year there.
As Strategic Insight’s Director of Research, Avi pioneered the firm’s fact-based research approach, served as the firm’s leading voice for the mutual fund and ETF industry’s key developments, and initiated many areas of research focusing on topics of interest for fund industry executives, independent fund trustees, the Investment Company Institute, and regulators.
Avi launched and participated in SI’s Rule 15(c) and board services to the mutual fund and ETF industry. He presented often to independent directors, focusing on fee analysis, distribution, liquidity management, and ETF and fund innovations, among others.
Avi educated U.S. and global regulators on mutual fund industry trends, including areas where fact-based observations offer some guidance in the development of the industry’s regulations.
Learn More: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avinachmany/
Director of Research
As Strategic Insight’s Director of Research for more than two decades, I pioneered its fact-based research approach, led and mentored SI’s research teams, and remained the firm’s leading voice for our industry’s key developments. Among others, SI’s research areas included the ways the mutual fund industry and fund investors are adapting to the changed environment; investment strategy innovations; distribution trends; fees, costs, and profitability benchmarking; fact-based studies mapping the growing acceptance of funds globally; and income-at-retirement investment solutions.
Overall, the ‘DNA’ of SI’s research foundation that I have established and protected over three decades aims to inform and educate most experienced industry executives and analysts, as well as others observing and guiding the mutual fund industry which serves nearly every American with investable assets.
Key Research Topics
I initiated many areas of Strategic Insight’s research to focus on key topics of interest for independent trustees. Such research has allowed me to offer advice to fund trustees in areas including:
Benchmarking fees for fund distribution and services, and related research
ETF innovations, adoptions, and distribution trends
Fund advisory fees, breakpoints, etc. · Sub-advisory trends and fee benchmarks
Rule 15(c) analytics and considerations
Asset management profitability
Distribution trends, share class use, the shifts to fee-for-service distribution model · Rule 12(b)1
Mutual fund product innovation, including liquid ‘alt’ mutual funds
Fund liquidity considerations, shareholder retention
And other areas.
Recognizing the critical role of directors, I launched (jointly with one of SI’s leading analyst), contributed to, and helped supervise SI’s Rule 15(c) services during the past decade.
Overall, my intimate knowledge of many of the issues on the minds of fund trustees today allows me to contribute to fund board conversations meaningfully and thoughtfully.
