You go to any mutual fund conference or talk at length with any distribution exec and you'll hear the same thing: "Build it and they will come" just doesn't apply to mutual fund sales anymore.

Hence, many firms are embracing the idea of advisor portfolios, asset allocation strategies or investment solutions.

There are variety of names used now for the concept, but the idea is simple: an investment advisor or consultant builds model portfolios featuring suites of mutual funds designed to meet the needs of a particular kind of client.

BlackRock's iShares recently adopted a strategy for aggressively pushing alpha solution products consisting of ETFs.

Meanwhile, one fund platform and TAMP, Hebron, Kentucky-based FTJ Fund Choice, is quietly ramping up its offerings in this space.

The firm recently launched a fixed-income portfolio managed by Wilshire Funds Management and composed entirely of Legg Mason funds. The company offers eight other portfolios, the list of which can be found here.

FTJ, which has been in business since 2003, plans to launch four more portfolios, composed of ETF. The firm currently counts over 2,000 advisors as clients.

President Dean Cook explained the merits of their approach in this way:

We don't prescribe to one particular approach to assets allocation. We want to give advisors options on the different approaches that they may want to take. That is why Lord Abbett and Wilshire wanted to get together to put together a suite of fixed income products. They wanted to develop a great new way to package funds to get users to use them.

The firm also intends over the net 18-months to expand its sales force (which currently numbers eight) to promote these portfolios to advisors. 

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