Alternative managers face a growing but increasingly competitive environment with RIAs. Advisors are more open than ever to private credit, private equity, interval funds, and other alternative strategies. At the same time, they are more selective and more intentional about which products make it into client portfolios.

Winning allocations today is no longer about casting a wide net. It depends on identifying RIAs with the right investment philosophy, the right client profiles, and clear signals that alternatives already play a role in how they allocate capital.

The managers seeing consistent inflows are using deeper intelligence to focus on RIAs that are structurally and behaviorally positioned to invest in alternatives. Below are four high-intent filters alternative managers use to prioritize the right RIA firms and avoid wasted outreach.

1. Bio Page Search: Identify Advisors Who Explicitly Talk About Alternatives

Many advisors publicly reveal their investment mindset on their bio pages. Language around alternatives, private markets, or non-traditional investments is a strong signal of philosophical alignment.

Using bio page search, alternative managers can identify advisors who:

• Explicitly reference alternatives as part of their investment approach
  
  
• Call out private equity, private credit, real assets, or hedge strategies
  
  
• Position alternatives holistically as part of portfolio construction
  
  
• Highlight niche alternative exposures aligned to client needs
  
  

This filter surfaces advisors who are already comfortable discussing alternatives with clients and framing them as a strategic allocation, not an exception.

Use Case for Alternative Managers
An asset manager can identify advisors whose bios reference inflation hedging, private markets, or diversified income and tailor outreach to align with how those advisors already communicate alternatives to clients.

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2. Platform Search: Find RIAs Actively Allocating Through Alternatives Platforms

Technology adoption is one of the clearest signals of real-world alternative usage. RIAs using dedicated alternatives platforms have already navigated operational hurdles like onboarding, reporting, and compliance.

Filtering by platform usage allows managers to identify RIAs using:

• iCapital
  
  
• CAIS
  
  
• CrowdStreet
  
  
• Opto Investments
  
  

These advisors are not just interested in alternatives. They are actively allocating, evaluating managers, and managing alternatives within client portfolios.

Many teams pair platform filters with holdings context to validate fit and timing, using tools like ETF holdings intelligence

Use Case for Alternative Managers
An interval fund can target RIAs using iCapital or CAIS and position the strategy as an efficient addition within an existing alternatives workflow rather than a net-new operational lift.

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3. Client Type: Focus on RIAs Serving HNW and Ultra-HNW Clients

Not all client bases are suitable for alternatives. Advisors focused on high net worth and ultra-high net worth households are far more likely to allocate to private strategies due to liquidity tolerance, portfolio size, and tax considerations.

Filtering by client type helps identify RIAs that:

• Serve HNW and ultra-HNW households
  
  
• Build portfolios beyond traditional 60/40 allocations
  
  
• Have clients who understand longer lockups and complexity
  
  
• Regularly evaluate private investments as part of wealth planning
  
  

This ensures outreach is aligned not just with advisor interest, but with client suitability.

Use Case for Alternative Managers
A private equity manager can prioritize RIAs with ultra-HNW client profiles and frame the strategy around long-term growth, access, and diversification rather than yield or short-term outcomes.

4. Discretionary Management: Identify RIAs Who Can Actually Implement Alternatives

One of the biggest challenges for alternative managers is not finding interest, but finding RIAs who can implement alternatives at scale. Advisors with discretionary authority are able to allocate across client portfolios without requiring one-off approvals for every household.

RIAs with a high percentage of discretionary AUM tend to:

• Allocate capital through centralized investment decisions
  
  
• Deploy new strategies across many accounts at once
  
  
• Maintain portfolio models or standardized frameworks
  
  
• Conduct more formal due diligence reviews
  
  
• Have the operational infrastructure to onboard alternative products
  
  

These firms are attractive targets because a single allocation decision can scale across dozens or hundreds of households.

This is also where teams benefit from eliminating list cleanup by syncing verified targets into existing workflows through CRM integrations

Use Case for Alternative Managers
A private credit manager can filter for RIAs with high discretionary AUM and position the fund as a scalable income solution that fits naturally into centralized portfolio construction.

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Multi-Filter Targeting Drives Higher Allocation Probability

The most effective alternative distribution teams do not rely on a single data point. They layer multiple filters to surface RIAs that are philosophically aligned, operationally capable, and demographically suited for alternatives.

Common high-intent combinations include:

• Discretionary AUM + Alternatives Platform usage to identify RIAs that can implement and scale allocations efficiently
  
  
• Bio Page Search + Client Type to find advisors who actively communicate alternatives to HNW and ultra-HNW clients
  
  
• Discretionary AUM + HNW focus to prioritize firms where allocation decisions can move capital meaningfully
  
  

These combinations help wholesalers focus time and effort on RIAs with a much higher probability of allocating, not just taking meetings.

How to Put These Filters Into Action

Selling alternatives to RIAs is no longer a volume-driven activity. It is a precision-driven approach built on understanding how advisors invest, how they talk about alternatives, and who they serve.

Success depends on identifying:

• Which RIAs can implement strategies through discretionary management
  
  
• Which advisors already position alternatives as part of their philosophy
  
  
• Which firms are actively allocating through established platforms
  
  
• Which client bases are best suited for private investments
  Filtering by platform usage allows managers to identify RIAs using
  
  

Using the right filters allows alternative managers to prioritize outreach, improve conversion rates, and focus distribution efforts where allocations are most likely.

If you want to identify high-intent RIAs, track advisor behavior in real time, and build smarter distribution lists, start your free trial.

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