Discretionary Investment Management
for Financial Advisers
Delegate portfolio management while retaining control of your client relationships and advice.
Discretionary Investment Management (DIM) helps financial advisers reduce the operational burden of investment management while remaining in control of client advice and suitability
ebi manages portfolios within an agreed mandate, allowing you to spend more time advising clients and developing your business.
Why financial advisers choose discretionary investment management
Financial advice is increasingly about building long term client relationships, yet many advisers spend more time managing investments than meeting clients.
Research from Fidelity International’s IFA DNA Study 2025 found advisers spend only 33% of their working day with clients. Ideally, they would like this to rise to 51%.
The same research found:
Reporting takes time
69% want to spend less time preparing reports and financial plans.
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Research is a burden
43% want to spend less time on research and investment reviews.
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Career satisfaction drops
Career satisfaction has fallen significantly, despite client relationships remaining the most rewarding part of the profession.
These are precisely the activities that can be delegated to a discretionary investment manager. By delegating portfolio management to ebi, advisers can spend more time delivering advice, strengthening client relationships and growing their businesses.
Source: Fidelity International IFA DNA Study 2025. Investment professionals only.
A Discretionary Investment Manager designed for financial advisers
ebi’s discretionary service is designed to complement your advice proposition, not replace it.
You remain responsible for financial planning, suitability and client relationships. We provide the discretionary investment management behind your proposition by monitoring portfolios, making day-to-day investment decisions, rebalancing portfolios within agreed tolerances, implementing investment changes efficiently and providing reporting and governance support.
You retain control of your advice process while we take responsibility for investment management within the agreed discretionary mandate.
Why advisers choose ebi’s discretionary services
Why advisers choose ebi’s discretionary services
Our portfolios are built using an evidence-based investment philosophy informed by academic research. Rather than attempting to predict markets or select individual stocks, we focus on disciplined portfolio construction, diversification and long-term investment principles.
Tolerance based portfolio rebalancing
Markets move continuously. Rather than relying only on calendar based reviews, we monitor portfolios against agreed tolerance bands and rebalance when tolerances are exceeded. This helps portfolios remain aligned with their intended asset allocation while reducing unnecessary trading and adviser administration.
A broad range of investment solutions
Our MPS portfolio range supports a wide variety of client objectives, including globally diversified portfolios, factor-based investing, ESG and sustainable investment, and low capital risk strategies. We also have a unitised solution based on our Earth Suite, designed to support advisers with high net worth clients. For advisers, this means one investment partner across multiple client needs.
Built with financial advisers in mind
ebi was founded by a financial adviser. Our discretionary investment service reflects the practical realities of running an advice business, balancing investment governance with efficient adviser workflows, client reporting and regulatory requirements.
Why delegate investment management?
For many advice firms, delegating investment management can help improve efficiency, support governance and free advisers to focus on financial planning and client relationships.
Reduce investment administration
Delegate day-to-day investment management, rebalancing and portfolio implementation to a discretionary investment manager operating within an agreed mandate.
Maintain adviser control
You retain responsibility for the advice relationship, suitability framework and overall client strategy.
Professional portfolio oversight
Access dedicated investment oversight, portfolio monitoring and governance support across client portfolios. Undertaken by our investment team.
Support Consumer Duty obligations
ebi can help advisers evidence aspects of Consumer Duty, including fair value, ongoing suitability and portfolio oversight, subject to each firm’s own advice process and compliance framework.
Improve operational efficiency
Reduce repeat administration and create a more scalable investment process across client segments.
Scale your advice business
Free up adviser capacity so your team can spend more time on financial planning, client reviews and business development.
How ebi Vantage Discretionary Investment Management works
Step 1 Understand Your Business
We begin with a straightforward conversation about your advice proposition, client bank and investment philosophy. This allows us to understand whether our discretionary investment service is the right fit for your business. Book a call with our team.
Step 2 Explore Your Investment Options
Together, we’ll discuss our range of investment solutions and their availability across your chosen platforms, helping you select the options that best suit your investment needs and objectives.
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Step 3 Simple Onboarding
Our Client Relations team manages the transition process from start to finish. We’ll complete an investment management agreement and a short due diligence questionnaire. Once completed we’ll work alongside your chosen platform to help ensure portfolios templates are setup.
Step 4 We manage Portfolios. You Advise Clients
Once portfolios are live, we monitor investments and rebalance within the agreed mandate when required. You remain informed throughout while spending less time on day-to-day investment administration.
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Step 5 Reporting and Ongoing Investment Oversight
Through The Vault, advisers have access to portfolio valuations, client-ready reporting, InSight Reports, investment documentation and ongoing support from the ebi team. The result is greater visibility and evidence to support ongoing client reviews.
Frequently asked questions about discretionary investment management
1. What is a Discretionary Investment Manager (DIM)?
A Discretionary Investment Manager holds FCA authorisation to make investment decisions on behalf of clients within an agreed mandate, without needing client sign-off for each transaction.
2. How does a DIM differ from a Model Portfolio Service?
A Model Portfolio Service typically requires the adviser or platform to implement portfolio changes. With a DIM, ebi manages investment decisions and execution within the agreed mandate.
3. Are discretionary fund managers worth it for IFAs?
For advice firms seeking to improve efficiency and scale their investment process, a discretionary fund manager can reduce administration, support governance and give advisers more time for client-facing work.
4. What are ebi’s discretionary investment management fees?
ebi’s Discretionary Investment Management fee is currently 0.12% per annum. This is charged in addition to platform fees, adviser charges and the Ongoing Charges Figure of the underlying funds. Other charges may apply.
5. What are the benefits of discretionary investment management for clients?
Clients benefit from portfolios managed in line with agreed mandates and risk parameters. The service supports disciplined portfolio oversight and can reduce delays associated with seeking approval for each rebalance.
6. How does delegating investment management affect adviser responsibilities?
Delegating investment management does not remove adviser responsibilities. Advisers retain responsibility for suitability, client objectives, risk profiling and the advice relationship.
7. How does ebi support Consumer Duty?
ebi can help advisers evidence aspects of Consumer Duty, including fair value, portfolio oversight and supporting ongoing suitability. Advisers should assess this within their own compliance framework and client proposition.
8. How often are portfolios rebalanced?
ebi uses tolerance-based rebalancing. Portfolios are monitored against agreed parameters and rebalanced when holdings drift outside those parameters, rather than only on a fixed calendar schedule.
9. How does ebi differ from active discretionary managers?
ebi follows an evidence-based investment approach and does not aim to outperform markets through stock selection or market timing. Our focus is disciplined portfolio construction, diversification and cost control.
10. Which adviser platforms are supported?
ebi’s investment solutions are available across a range of adviser platforms. Platform availability can change, so advisers should contact ebi for the latest list.
11. How long does onboarding take?
Onboarding timescales vary by platform and client bank size. ebi provides a clear timeline at the outset and manages the process with your chosen platform.
What financial advisers say about ebi
“Partnering with ebi has enabled us to focus on what we do best – delivering high-quality financial planning to our clients.”
Graham, Financial Adviser
“Partnering with ebi has enabled us to focus on what we do best – delivering high-quality financial planning to our clients.”
Graham, Financial Adviser
Delegating Investment Management: Roles and Responsibilities
As the FCA-authorised Discretionary Investment Manager, ebi is responsible for portfolio management decisions made within the discretionary mandate you have agreed with your client. You remain responsible for assessing suitability, establishing the appropriate investment objective and risk profile, and providing ongoing financial advice.
For more information on how responsibilities are allocated in practice, see our Reliance on Others page.
Supporting ongoing suitability reviews
Through The Vault, advisers have access to InSight Reports, portfolio valuations and client-level investment documentation. These resources are designed to support ongoing suitability reviews by providing evidence of portfolio positioning, investment activity and client reporting, helping advisers maintain robust records within their own compliance framework.
Supporting Consumer Duty
Our discretionary service can support firms in evidencing aspects of Consumer Duty through transparent charging, ongoing portfolio oversight and comprehensive reporting.
This includes:
• a transparent discretionary management fee of 0.12% with no hidden charges
• portfolio oversight supported by tolerance-based rebalancing and investment governance
• client-level reporting and InSight Reports are available through The Vault to support ongoing review processes.
How these features contribute to your Consumer Duty obligations will depend on your firm’s advice process, governance arrangements and compliance framework.
Ready to simplify your investment proposition?
Find out how ebi’s discretionary services can help you reduce the operational burden of investment management while retaining control of your client relationships. Speak to our business development team today.
Disclaimer
This information is intended for financial professionals only. It is not intended for use by, nor should it be distributed to retail clients under any circumstances.
All investments involve risk, and the value of investments may go down as well as up. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Always seek professional financial advice.
Please note that tolerance-based rebalancing may occur more frequently than calendar-based rebalancing, depending on market conditions.