As hedge fund of funds investing has become a larger focus within the institutional investment environment, Ivy Asset Management has developed custom portfolios and specialized advisory services for a host of global clients. The minimum allocation for a custom portfolio is U.S. $100 million.

Ivy works very closely with its client to carefully understand the client's primary investment objectives while identifying underlying issues that can either enhance or restrict the creation of a portfolio. Investment objectives to evaluate include analyzing risk and reward parameters, relative or absolute return needs, risk tolerance levels, required liquidity, investment strategy choices including diversification issues and manager asset limits, and legal and tax structural concerns. Ivy will also ascertain the level of direct involvement a client would like to have with selected managers or whether Ivy will serve as the designated investment manager.

In general, custom accounts can be categorized as:

Separate accounts – wherein Ivy will provide counsel on the most appropriate investment strategies and select managers for a client's fund of funds portfolio; whether a client's assets are retirement or general purpose assets, they are invested in a way to accommodate the client's needs and investment parameters. Example: Investing ERISA assets in a separate account for a U.S.-based multinational firm or selecting managers for a leading European insurance company's hedge fund of funds portfolio.

Private Label accounts – wherein Ivy serves as the sub-advisor to a financial institution that in turn offers an array of products to their clients and customers. Example: Acting as a sub-advisor for a family of funds offered by a Japanese financial services company to its high-net worth individual clientele and providing investment management services to a family of funds for a money center bank in the U.S.