Posted by Cole Campbell on Thu, May 16, 2013 @ 10:09 AM
A healthy company that lacks efforts to help people on a holistically level is not. This is an idea First Rate founder David Stone set as the foundation of First Rate and is known as First Rate Living. First Rate Living is a program that is driven by David’s desire to spread the word of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and help the community. This is done through First Rate Living’s mission: Love, Serve, Give, and Enjoy.
Love
We affirm a loving God, and want to reflect that love in the workplace as well as in the community. By spending time together, we are building meaningful relationships with one another and really growing to become a family.
“Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthian 16:14
Give
We view our resources as God’s first, entrusted to us to steward. Therefore we believe in giving freely to benefit each other, our community and the world. We seek to embody this belief on many levels, sharing our talents with others, our time through community involvement and our equipment, supplies and office space with charitable organizations. We have proudly partnered with over 200 organizations around the world.
“…the righteous gives and does not hold back.” Proverbs 21:26
Serve
We value serving those around us and around the world by putting their needs before our own, because without this we cannot truly love, give or enjoy. This service ranges from building houses for a families in need to hosting First Rate Living Luncheons to award local stewards.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
Enjoy
We believe in enjoying work and enjoying recreation, and strive to create an environment of community, teamwork and friendship. First Rate sponsors weekend retreats and free concerts which is a great way to spend time with your family, friends, and those in the community. We create a fun-loving culture of employees that enjoy working together to achieve a greater purpose.
“But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.” Psalm 68:3
You can learn more about First Rate Living and its ongoing mission at www.firstrateliving.com.
Posted by Cole Campbell on Mon, Apr 29, 2013 @ 11:59 AM
We at First Rate would like to congratulate our fellow B Corporations for being named Best for the World by B Lab in the recently-published 2013 B Corp Best for the World list! The Best for the World list is an annually-published list featuring companies around the world that improve the quality of life in their community through elevated standards. You can see the entire list at Bloomberg Businessweek.
B Lab is a nonprofit that grants the certification of “B Corp” to companies that meet rigorous transparency, accountability, social, and environmental performance standards. Since 2006, B Lab has developed a community of 700 B Corps across 15 countries and 60 industries. We at First Rate truly understand and respect an organization that works to redefine and expand the definition of success in business. It has much in common with our company creed of First Rate Living.
Announcements for the Best for Workers, Best for Communities, and Best for the Environment lists will be made in the coming months. Contact B Lab to find out more about their work and how to become B Corp certified.
Posted by Cole Campbell on Mon, Apr 15, 2013 @ 10:48 PM
Late last month we held our 2013 First Rate Performance Conference at the beautiful Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas. It was an event where clients could forge strong relationships with the First Rate staff as well as network with investment performance peers under the theme of “Solutions Through Partnership: Connecting Performance to Growth”.
Sessions were held throughout the two-day event guiding First Rate clients through topics such as their client’s perspective on risk shifting from examining returns only to examining risk in terms of money and the client’s view of “success”. In addition, we looked at traditional risk measures, with insights gained from looking at the “pattern” of risk over time and concluded with why this is the future of performance and risk. Other topics included:
- Goal Based Reporting
- The Ins and Outs of Alternative Asset Performance
- UMA Reporting
- Universal Advisor Performance Standard and how it is changing the industry
- The unveiling of First Rate’s new iPad app, First Rate Mobile, for advisors on-the-go
Clients were guided through these sessions by guest speakers such as Stephen Campisi, CFA, director of institutional investments at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and Dave Spaulding, CIPM, president of The Spaulding Group, Inc., founder and publisher of The Journal of Performance Measurement®. In addition, Clients had a chance to sit down with their First Rate solutions consultant and discuss their particular needs and how First Rate can help them meet their clients’ goals.
Following the education, clients and First Rate staff alike embodied First Rate Living (Love, Give, Serve and Enjoy) by being pampered at the spa, playing a few rounds of golf on the beautiful Byron Nelson course and enjoying some quality entertainment over a family dinner.
Check out this year’s Performance Conference recap video here.
Contact a First Rate representative to find out about our next event, 888-393-RATE (7283). For more information about First Rate’s solutions and services, please visit www.FirstRate.com.
Don’t just listen to us; hear what our clients had to say:
“The First Rate performance conferences are always very helpful. There is a great balance between educational sessions while allowing time to talk wtih industry peers or FRP professionals. The First Rate staff always goes above and beyond to make sure the guests are accommodated.” – Trust Operations Specialist
“Outstanding use of time to cover important agenda items and offer free time in a two-day session. I have been doing this for a long time and I look forward to this same location and this conference.” – Vice President Performance Measurement
“Seeing all the FR folks is a great benefit because every one of them I've met is outstanding and fun to be around. It’s also great to have a chance to share experiences with other FR users. The generosity and hospitality extended was brilliant.” – Senior Operations Officer
Posted by Cole Campbell on Mon, Apr 01, 2013 @ 04:27 PM
First Rate is trusted by wealth management companies across the nation for its innovative
investment performance measurement technology. Dedicated to providing a unique level
of focus, depth and expertise, our solutions optimize all facets of asset management: risk
assessment, portfolio analysis, GIPS compliance, investment reporting, and more. The First
Rate Performance Suite™ allows investment firms to calculate accurate rates of return,
efficiently analyze the results and generate dynamic, client-ready presentations that empower
internal resources to deliver improved client service.
As a trusted advisor, we first listen and conduct a disciplined analysis, working with you to
confirm your unique processes, resources, requirements, and opportunities. We then recommend
the best approach for delivering a performance solution that serves all aspects of your
organization. Once we've built and delivered your solution, we continue to check in to ensure
that your experience fulfills your expectations.
First Rate History
First Rate® was founded by David A. Stone in 1991 with a vision of enhancing investment
accounting systems through simplified performance analysis tools. By 1993 we launched one of
the first PC-based rate of return calculation engines with several large, domestic custody banks. In 1997 First Rate unveiled the first commercially available, Web-based performance reporting software.
Today, with an extensive client list of wealth management firms ranging in size from a few
hundred portfolios to several hundred thousand, First Rate continues to grow and maintain Dave
Stone’s vision of setting higher standards for performance measurement solutions.
Values
First Rate is Your Performance Solution Partner™ because we are fueled by our dedication
to a higher calling: to live well, work hard, and attain success through the achievements of our
clients. This commitment is unlike any other in the industry, and the reason why First Rate is
Your Performance Solution Partner. This is why we created the experience called First Rate
Living. This foundation is composed of our values: Love, Give, Serve and Enjoy.
Love
We affirm a loving God, and want to reflect that love in the workplace. We do this by helping
our clients achieve their goals, thereby strengthening our relationships with them. We enjoy
getting to know our clients personally as well as professionally, and many become like family to us.
Give
We view our resources as God's first, entrusted to us to steward. Therefore we believe in giving
freely to benefit each other, our community and the world. We seek to embody this belief by sharing our talents with clients, our time through community involvement and our equipment,
supplies and office space with charitable organizations.
Serve
We value serving those around us and putting their needs before our own, because without
this we cannot truly love, give or enjoy. We serve when we keep the needs of our clients and
betterment of our community at the center of everything we do.
Enjoy
We believe in enjoying work and enjoying recreation, and strive to create an environment of
community, teamwork and friendship. From our annual weekend retreats to sporting events, we
create a fun-loving culture of employees who enjoy working together and can accomplish more
for our clients.
Continue to visit this blog for industry tips and best practices.
Posted by Teyren Brown on Tue, Apr 05, 2011 @ 03:51 PM
For all those who attended and participated in First Rate’s 2011 Performance Conference last week in Arlington, Texas, we would like to take this time and thank you for making it such a wonderful and informative event! We would like to give a special thanks to all of our speakers including State Street VP Mike Tropeano, Intuitive Performance Solutions Principal, Stephen Campisi, Westwood Trust’s CEO, Brian Casey, and founder of Vincent Performance Services, Karyn Vincent. The event was a great success and we've received a lot of positive feedback from attendees.
The conference kicked off Monday morning, with topics that ranged from ways First Rate Performance empowers wealth management firms to better serve clients, to best practices for optimizing operations and technology resources. State Street’s Mike Tropeano exhibited a great perspective on ways to deliver the best client experience,during his presentation "Optimizing Your Operations and Technology Resources." Monday's sessions were concluded by Stephen Campisi's "Post-Madoff and Post-2008." This highly reviewed session provided important action items for performance analysts, including the need to understand clients’ financial goals, the market and firm’s investments/services, and the decisions made with all information provided.
Tuesday began with a great presentation from Westwood Trust’s CEO Brian Casey. In "What's on the Horizon for Wealth Management", Casey described five key competitive advantages of successful asset managers, highlighting important factors including the investment quality of managers, the importance of servicing total portfolios, and the many opportunities that lie ahead with global clients and products. The conference concluded with a wrap-up session called “This and That”. The session focused on First Rate and how it can better provide service to its clients while also delving into industry related asset management topics and questions.
Overall, it was a great two-day event in which session speakers and attendees addressed many areas of performance measurement in general and First Rate Performance specifically.
As we wrap everything up, we wanted to give you a look into the event with some of the 2011 Performance Conference pictures. At the end of the day, it is always nice to put names with faces and spot friends, clients and coworkers enjoying their time together.
To order your free copy of the 2011 First Rate Performance Conference, click here.
For more coverage on session topics and event news, watch for upcoming highlights in the First Rate Newsletter.
To view all the Performance Conference presentations, visit First Rate's SlideShare account at FirstRatePerf.
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Long-time clients hang out at the Performance Conference.
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First Rate's dinner was celebrated by clients and friends at the Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History. |
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First Raters and clients enjoy their time together as they take a break during the afternoon session.
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CEO Dave Stone interacts with clients during the conference.
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