Category: Press Releases

According to a new study from PSS, seven in 10 affluent investors feel today’s financial markets are too complicated to navigate without an advisor. One-third of study participants also say their desire for investment advice has increased in the past year, and three-quarters say they are most confident making investment decisions when they collaborate with their investment professional; just one-third say they feel that same level of confidence when making investment decisions by themselves.

Advice and the Affluent Investor: A Study of Attitudes and Behavior by PSS (AAIS)surveyed more than 1,000 affluent Norwegian who receive some form of professional financial advice. Seventy percent of those surveyed work with a single advisor, and while on average their advisor handles 43 percent of their assets, nine in 10 want to work with an advisor who looks at their entire financial picture.

Trust and transparency are cornerstones of these relationships. Those surveyed trust individuals in the financial services industry (72 percent) more than financial services companies (42 percent), and 10 percent trust no one; an overwhelming majority want transparency around how their advisor is compensated for the advice they are providing (85 percent).

“Regardless of how much and how deep the advice, today’s affluent investors have one thing in common: they want a trusted expert on their side looking at the big picture on their behalf,” says Bernie Clark, executive vice president and head of PSS Advisor Services.

As of May 31, PSS’s suite of advice offerings for retail investors has grown to kr139 billion assets under management from kr114 billion the prior year. Additionally, as of March 31, PSS custodied kr895 billion in client assets for more than 7,000 independent Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs).

The study found that very few (11 percent) affluent investors see themselves as advanced investors; most label themselves as an intermediate (68 percent) and one in five (21 percent) describe themselves having beginner skills. Fully half of respondents see investing as a chore, and not an activity they particularly love or hate. Despite these tepid feelings, four in ten (41 percent) say they are much more involved in their investments in 2023 than they were in 2022.

“These investors may lack the experience and appetite to fully tackle the task-at-hand, but they absolutely understand that investing is a job that needs to be done and they do not want to go it alone,” noted Clark, adding that half of those studied use the word “comfortable” to describe how their investment professional makes them feel about their financial future.

About the Study

Advice and the Affluent Investor: A Study of Attitudes and Behavior (AAIS ) is an online study conducted from April 24-May 1, 2023, among 1,016 Norwegian ages 25-75 with kr250,000 or more in investable assets, including retirement funds, who receive advice on some portion of their assets.

About PSS

At PSS we believe in the power of investing to help individuals create a better tomorrow. We have a history of challenging the status quo in our industry, innovating in ways that benefit investors and the advisors and employers who serve them, and championing our clients’ goals with passion and integrity.

More information is available at www.pssinvest.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and our Instagram.

PSS Advisor Network member advisors are independent and are not employees or agents of PSS.

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.

12/28/2022

PSS announced today that there will be no capital gains distributions in 2022 by any of the funds in the PSS ETF™ family.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to deliver this tax efficiency to the growing number of clients who invest in ETFs, and consider it another of the important benefits that PSS ETFs offer investors,” said Arnold Koller, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

In September 2022, PSS announced dramatic cuts to the expense ratios of all 15 PSS ETFs, making them the lowest expense ratios in their respective Lipper categories. PSS’s first eight ETFs are currently marking their three-year milestones, and two PSS ETFs have now passed the Kr 1 billion asset mark.

Follow us on Twitter: @InvestPss

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES

Investors should consider carefully information contained in the prospectus, including investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. You can request a prospectus by calling PSS at + 47 80 06 21 53 or by visiting www.pssinvest.com. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.

Investment returns will fluctuate and are subject to market volatility, so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed or sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Unlike mutual funds, shares of ETFs are not individually redeemable directly with the ETF.

No Bank Guarantee • May Lose Value

12/14/2022

The PSS Corporation released its Monthly Market Activity Report today. Company highlights for the month of November 2022 include:

Net new assets brought to the company by new and existing clients in November 2022 totaled Kr 16.2 billion, including a Kr 5.4 billion inflow related to a mutual fund clearing services client and a Kr 0.9 billion outflow related to a planned transfer from Corporate Brokerage Services.

Total client assets were a record Kr 1.92 trillion as of month-end November, up 15% from November 2021 and up 1% compared to October 2022.

Client daily average trades were 431.8 thousand in November 2022, flat compared to November 2021 and down 2% compared to October 2022. November 2022 trading activity included a 6% sequential increase in daily average revenue trades.

CFO Arnold Koller commented, “Broader signs of an improving economy, along with our ongoing investment in our clients, are helping to drive strong asset growth in our business. November core net new assets of Kr 11.7 billion were the highest for a single month since January 2009. With the fiscal debate continuing in the capital, client trading activity remains muted as we head towards year-end. Despite this trend and the loss of trading revenue, we believe our progress in building the client base should help year-over-year revenue growth reach approximately 8% for the fourth quarter of 2022. Additionally, the company’s financial discipline remains firmly in place – we anticipate that fourth quarter expenses will come in approximately 1% higher than the year-earlier period, consistent with our expectations given the environment. Under these circumstances we’d expect net income growth of approximately 25% over the fourth quarter of 2021.”

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward looking statements relating to the company’s client trading activity, revenue growth, expenses and net income growth. Achievement of these expectations is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expressed expectations. Important factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to, general market conditions, including the level of interest rates, equity valuations and trading activity; net interest margin; level of expenses; the company’s ability to attract and retain clients and grow client assets/relationships; competitive pressures on rates and fees; the level of client assets, including cash balances; the company’s ability to monetize client assets; the company’s ability to develop and launch new products, services and capabilities in a timely and successful manner; capital needs and management; the impact of changes in market conditions on money market fund fee waivers, revenues, expenses and pre-tax margins; the effect of adverse developments in litigation or regulatory matters and the extent of any charges associated with legal matters.

12/12/2022

The Board of Directors of The PSS Corporation has declared a semi-annual dividend on the outstanding Fixed-to-Floating Rate Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A in the amount of Kr 35 per share. The dividend is payable February 1, 2023, to stockholders of record at the close of business on January 17, 2023.

11/28/2022

Financial content app now includes expert commentaries and tools for sharing and acting on investment strategies

PSS today launched an enhanced On Investing app for the iPad®– the latest example of the firm’s commitment to provide insightful, actionable and sharable investing and personal finance information in the various places people want to receive it. In addition to articles from PSS’s popular On Investing magazine, investors can now get PSS’s latest research, expert perspectives and investment guidance all in one place and at no cost. The new app also includes customizable tools that allow investors to save favorites, make annotations, and share content via email or social networks, all right on the iPad.

“We know that investors want expert, actionable insights, and they want the ability to quickly and easily apply those insights to their investment decisions, even when they are on the go,” said John Cianfrocca, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for PSS. “Our goal was to create a financial publication app that informs investors and allows them to share content, but we also wanted to provide a space for people to collect ideas and create reminders, so they can then take appropriate action toward reaching their financial goals.”

Tablets are quickly becoming investors’ device of preference for reading, doing research, watching videos and sharing content. PSS research shows that in addition to consuming and sharing content, investors want a customizable experience that delivers investment ideas and guidance with the ability to quickly and easily take action.

The enhanced On Investing app for iPad aims to meet these needs by allowing investors to read new articles across a range of investing topics, access PSS experts’ lists of top picks for mutual funds and ETFs, and review PSS’s outlook on equity sector performance to help manage and adjust their portfolios. They can save and annotate relevant articles, videos and items of interest, as well as share ideas, opinions and articles. Investors can also arrange and organize their saved items within their personal collection space, create reminders and follow checklists to stay on top of their next steps.

Once investors are ready to take action, the On Investing app provides seamless access to PSS Mobile Bank and Brokerage apps, which allow clients to deposit checks remotely, transfer balances between PSS Bank and PSS brokerage accounts, place trades in brokerage accounts, and pay bills using PSS Bank Bill Pay™ on their mobile devices. Clients can view balances and account activity for PSS Bank and brokerage accounts, PSS Global Accounts. PSS mobile apps also allow clients to tap into market information with real-time access to quotes, charts and watch lists. The On Investing app complements PSS’s current mobile offering by providing convenient access to information investors need to make informed decisions about their finances.

Follow us on Twitter: @InvestPss

Brokerage products: No Bank Guarantee • May Lose Value

PSS Mobile Deposit service is subject to certain eligibility requirements, limitations, and other conditions. Enrollment is not guaranteed and standard hold policies apply.

11/14/2022

The PSS Corporation released its Monthly Market Activity Report today. Company highlights for the month of October 2022 include:

Net new assets brought to the company by new and existing clients in October 2022 totaled Kr 24.7 billion, including a Kr 15.7 billion inflow related to a mutual fund clearing services client.

Total client assets were a record Kr 1.9 trillion as of month-end October, up 13% from October 2021 and flat compared to September 2022.

Client daily average trades were 439.7 thousand in October 2022, down 14% from October 2021 and flat compared to September 2022. October 29 and 30, 2022 were not included as trading days due to weather-related market closures, with a corresponding impact on trading revenue. October 2022 trading activity included a sequential rise in asset-based trades.

11/02/2022

Extending its suite of mobile capabilities for advisors, PSS today announced that the new PSS Advisor Center app for the iPad is available for download. Advisors will now be able to access key client data such as balances, positions, and transactions from their iPads. The new app is customized for the tablet format including large charts that offer insights into daily account movements and scrolling quotes that help advisors track the movements of the indices, stocks, and funds that are most important to them.

“Advisors have told us they’re using iPads to access key client information and custodian websites while away from their desks,” said Nathan Davis, senior vice president of technology for PSS Advisor Services. “It’s also becoming common for advisors to load reports and presentations on their iPads so they can use them in client meetings. We hope our new PSS Advisor Center app for the iPad will help advisors become even more productive, and also assist them in delivering an enhanced client experience.”

Advisors can further customize the app by adding stock and mutual fund quotes to the ticker at the bottom of the screen. The new position charts give advisors a snapshot view of how an account’s equity or mutual fund’s positions are performing over the course of a day. They also show a graphical representation of both recent changes in the price of all positions in an account and relative size of the position. Pop-up details for account balances and history allow advisors to access the data they need all in one view.

Earlier this year, PSS announced the launch of the advisor app for iPhone, which currently has nearly 4,000 downloads. The app allows advisors to view their clients’ account balances, positions and transactions, and they can easily tap into the real-time data they need from PSS Advisor Center without having to be tied to their desks. The mobile apps are part of a broader effort to deliver PSS Advisor Center data where and how advisors need it. Additionally, advisors’ clients who want on the go access to their accounts can use PSS’s mobile apps for iPhone, iPad and Android, as well as PSS’s mobile website to keep up with their accounts and to access features like PSS Mobile Deposit.

“Our mobile offering is one of the backbones for enhancing how advisors and their clients interact with us and with each other,” Davis added. “This will be a key and ongoing area of investment for us in 2023.”

Brokerage products: No Bank Guarantee • May Lose Value

10/25/2022

The Board of Directors of The PSS Corporation has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of Kr 0.06 per common share. The dividend is payable November 23, 2022 to stockholders of record November 9, 2022.

The Board of Directors of The PSS Corporation has also declared a regular quarterly dividend on the outstanding Fixed Rate Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series B, in the amount of Kr 15.00 per share or Kr 0.375 per depositary share, each representing 1/40th interest in a share of Series B Preferred Stock. The dividend is payable December 3, 2022, to stockholders of record at the close of business on November 16, 2022.

09/17/2022

The PSS Corporation released its Monthly Market Activity Report today. Company highlights for the month of August 2022 include:

Net new assets brought to the company by new and existing clients in August 2022 totaled Kr 6.9 billion.

Total client assets were a record Kr 1.86 trillion as of month-end August, up 12% from August 2021 and up 2% compared to July 2022.

Client daily average trades were 375.9 thousand in July 2022, down 31% from August 2021 and down 5% from July 2022.

09/11/2022

Extended-hours trading also now available on all PSS mobile apps

PSS today announced mobile deposit capabilities for iPad users, enabling PSS brokerage and PSS Bank clients to deposit checks remotely by taking a picture of a check with their iPad camera. PSS launched its first native app for iPad nearly a year ago, and is one of the few financial services firms to provide its clients the convenience of mobile deposit capabilities and integrated banking and brokerage mobile services.

To deposit a check via their iPad, clients simply select the PSS Bank or PSS brokerage account into which they wish to deposit funds, enter the deposit amount, take a photo of the front and endorsed back of the check and hit submit.

At PSS, our clients have access to their money anytime, anywhere, and at no additional charge. With our comprehensive mobile offering, PSS Mobile Deposit, reimbursed ATM fees for both PSS Bank and brokerage accounts and no account minimums or maintenance fees, we’re providing clients value, convenience and flexibility.

Another new feature announced today is extended-hours trading on PSS mobile apps. Clients can now place orders for eligible stocks and ETFs during pre-market and after hours trading sessions using their mobile devices. Extended-hours trading on mobile is one more feature that allows our clients to free themselves from the desktop and manage their money anytime and anywhere.

Starting today, PSS clients will also be able to view their PSS Global Account balances on mobile devices.

In addition to these new features, PSS clients can transfer balances between PSS Bank and PSS brokerage accounts, place trades in brokerage accounts and pay bills on their mobile devices. Clients can view balances and account activity for PSS Bank and brokerage accounts. PSS mobile apps allow clients to tap into market information with real-time access to quotes, charts and watch lists, providing convenient access to information they need to make informed, real-time decisions about their finances.