Fractional Chief
Investment Officer for
Registered Investment
Advisory Firms
Elevate your investment solutions, uphold your fiduciary duty, and reduce your legal risk exposure
We focus on investments, so you can focus on your clients
Investment research and due diligence are often the most time-consuming and overlooked parts of running a fee-only registered investment advisory firm. Dr. David Nanigian, commonly known as “Dr. N,” is a Yale-educated CIMA® professional with over a decade of experience in publishing scholarly research on investments in academia. Dr. N proudly serves as a Fractional Chief Investment Officer for growing investment advisory firms, freeing up valuable time and providing seasoned experience where and when you need it. Whether your practice is new or well-established, you’ll gain access to globally recognized investment expertise at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire and be able to devote more time to focus on developing financial plans, cultivating client relationships, and growing your firm.
Investment expertise where your firm needs it most
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Elevate your investment solutions
Smaller registered investment advisory firms frequently lack the time, bandwidth, or specialized training to conduct sound and rigorous investment research. Dr. N brings deep experience and evidence-based research to every engagement, performing in-depth analysis on fund manager selection, asset allocation, and portfolio construction. The result is a custom-tailored investment solution that doesn’t pull your advisors away from the work they do best.
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Empower your advisors to act as true fiduciaries
As an registered investment advisory firm, your firm is held to a fiduciary standard requiring that your advisors act in their clients' best interest at all times, including when developing and delivering investment advice. Many firms have an expertise gap here, with advisors trained primarily in financial planning rather than investments. Dr. N closes that gap, equipping your advisors with the research, analysis, and investment guidance they need to confidently act as true fiduciaries.
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Reduce your firm’s legal risk exposure
Breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims against registered investment advisory firms typically stem from financial advice that is specifically related to a client’s investments. Having a sound and well-documented investment process can significantly reduce that legal risk exposure. With the CIMA®, CPWA®, and CFP® credentials and over a decade of experience in performing peer-reviewed research on investments, Dr. N can help protect your firm and your financial advisors from breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims.
Are you an executive at a registered investment advisory firm that takes a holistic approach to private wealth management and doesn’t have an in-house investment professional? Do you want to focus on acquiring clients, building relationships, and earning trust without sacrificing due diligence on investment research? Are you searching for ways to invest more time into growing your practice without hiring a full-time investment professional?
Sounds like you?
Fill out our intake form to get started!
Who We Work Best With
Meet Your Fractional Chief Investment Officer, Dr. N
Before David Nanigian, Ph.D., MBA, CPWA®, CIMA®, CFP® (“Dr. N”) ever advised a client, he spent twelve years in academia, chasing one question: how can people make wiser investment decisions? That question shaped fourteen peer-reviewed research publications and took his research to conferences around the world. When Dr. N launched his own fee-only registered investment advisory firm, he brought that same research-driven approach directly to individual clients.
It didn't take long for Dr. N to notice that many fee-only registered investment advisory firms are built by personal financial planners who are passionate about people, not portfolios. These advisors are energized by doing financial planning and building client relationships, but stretched thin when it comes to carrying out the substantial investment research that the fiduciary duty demands.
Rather than let that gap put firms and their clients at risk, Dr. N built a service around the work that energizes him most: diving into the data, running rigorous analysis, and translating complex research into salient investment recommendations that advisors can confidently communicate to clients in a clear and convincing manner.
As a Fractional Chief Investment Officer, Dr. N does what he is most passionate about and qualified for, freeing you up to do the same.
What to Expect When Working with Dr. N
Dr. N’s work is custom-tailored to each firm he serves. Every engagement begins with a complimentary consultation, where Dr. N takes the time to understand the firm's investment philosophy, client base, and the specific problems that the firm is seeking to solve.
From there, Dr. N applies the same academic rigor behind the training that he received through the Yale School of Management while he earned his CPWA® and CIMA® certifications as he goes about building custom portfolios for his clients.
If you are ready to work directly with a trusted authority in investment research who is transparent about pricing and billable hours, responsive to your timeline, and fully invested in delivering solutions that your firm can confidently put in front of clients, schedule your complimentary consultation with Dr. N today!
Dr. N’s Process
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Step 1
Interested firms complete an intake form, sharing basic background information and the specific problems they're seeking to solve.
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Step 2
After reviewing the completed intake form, if the interested firm appears to be a good fit, Dr. N reaches out via email to schedule a complimentary consultation.
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Step 3
Based on the consultation, Dr. N sends a proposal to the firm with a defined scope of work and an estimated number of billable hours.
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Step 4
Once a proposal is accepted,
Dr. N sends a Fractional Chief Investment Officer Service Agreement formalizing the engagement. -
Step 5
Dr. N researches and evaluates investment funds.
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Step 6
Dr. N delivers a set of recommended portfolios to each client.
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Step 7
Dr. N's investment advisory services are delivered virtually unless an on-site visit is specifically requested by the client.
If travel is requested, the client will be expected to cover Dr. N's travel costs. -
Step 8
Ongoing investment advice is available from Dr. N upon request.
Ready to take investments off your plate?
Let Dr. N handle the “investments stuff” so you can focus on everything else.
Our Contacts
202-630-5992
info@MountAraratFinancialServices.com
1220 L Street NW, Suite 100205 Washington, DC 20005
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