Kimberly Flynn joined Shana Orczyk Sissel on her What’s the Alternative? podcast to discuss the advantages and potential risks of investing in interval funds. Kim noted the need for continuing education of advisers and investors in the use of private market strategies. Click the link below to access the podcast.
Interval and tender offer funds are designed to hold investments that typically “would otherwise be packaged up or wrapped as a private fund, so things that don’t have liquidity” Flynn states. This limited liquidity of the assets is reflected in the structure of the fund and is a key consideration for investors. Clients should go in with the expectation that they may not be able to exit a fund in one repurchase “because the moment you want liquidity it might be when everyone else wants liquidity as well, and so these funds are subject to proration” Flynn says. The availability of liquidity also depends on the structure of the fund whether it is an interval or tender offer fund. Interval funds have a fundamental policy that the fund must follow, offering repurchases at a set interval. Liquidity for tender offer funds is typically at the discretion of the fund board.
The valuation of interval funds is another important consideration for investors. “Many of the products are not daily NAV, they are monthly value or quarterly value” creating a challenge for investors entering and exiting a fund, Flynn explains. Without having frequent marks, it can be challenging to determine if the assets are being appropriately valued. Valuation processes have been improving and “many firms are looking to third-party valuation experts to help inform what is often an internal process” according to Flynn. Increased transparency in valuation policies can help investors become more comfortable with the valuations since those processes are not publicly disclosed.
Click the link below to access the podcast and to learn more about interval funds. To learn more about our firm and to access educational materials, please visit xainvestments.com.
Full Podcast Episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-the-alternative-meet-the-manager/id1699114547?i=1000654074157