Building Intentional Portfolios: How Ethic Empowers Advisors to Personalize Investing with Purpose

In the increasingly competitive world of wealth management, financial advisors are seeking the next frontier in personalization—helping clients align their financial goals with their personal values. Few firms embody this mission better than Ethic, a sustainable investing platform redefining how advisors connect with clients through what Chief Growth Officer Alex Laipple calls “investing with intention.”

At the 2025 Future Proof Festival, Advisorpedia spoke with Laipple about his professional journey, Ethic’s mission, and the company’s growing influence in helping advisors deliver both purpose and performance.

From Sales Roots to Sustainable Growth

Alex Laipple’s story starts far from Silicon Valley. “I was born and raised in West Virginia and grew up around a family steeped in sales and financial advice,” he said. After interning with his uncles, who were financial advisors, he discovered the energy and purpose behind the profession. “Even though I was effective as a wholesaler early in my career, I wanted to build something meaningful with a team, something that challenges tradition and builds for the future,” Laipple reflected.

That drive eventually led him to Ethic, where he now oversees sales, marketing, partnerships, and service. Over seven years, the company has grown from zero to more than $7.5 billion in assets managed—a remarkable achievement for one of the industry’s most innovative growth stories.

Investing With Intention

Ethic’s original mission focused on creating values-driven portfolios, enabling investors to express what matters most to them—whether that’s climate action, diversity, or corporate governance. Over time, this evolved into a broader philosophy that Laipple describes as intentional investing.

“Values are just one component of personalization. Our mission has shifted toward helping advisors and their clients invest with intention—because intention connects portfolios to purpose,” Laipple explained.

Through its technology platform, Ethic partners with advisors and institutions to deliver personalized separately managed accounts (SMAs), unified managed accounts (UMAs), and structured model portfolios. These solutions allow advisors to tailor investments around each client’s world—financial objectives, values, tax situations, and life stages.

The Personalization Advantage for Advisors

At the advisor level, Ethic’s platform helps firms address one of the most urgent challenges they face: differentiation.

“Every advisor here at Future Proof is trying to stand out,” Laipple said. “One of the best ways to do that is by understanding what really fulfills clients—what they value across generations within a household. That’s how relationships deepen and retention grows.”

Ethic enables this through what Laipple describes as balance mapping, a process that helps advisors identify and visualize competing client priorities. For example, first-generation wealth creators may prioritize tax efficiency and concentrated position management, while third-generation investors may center their decisions around philanthropy or environmental goals.

By enabling advisors to explore these dimensions openly, Ethic helps them bridge generational wealth transitions and create more meaningful, enduring relationships between clients and their portfolios.

Advanced Tax-Smart Capabilities

While personalization and sustainability draw attention, Ethic also runs deep on performance-focused innovation. The company’s tax-smart platform improves after-tax outcomes using active tax management techniques such as tax-loss harvesting, personalized transitions, and gifting analysis. This kind of precision allows portfolios to align with values without sacrificing potential returns.

Laipple highlights that “Intentional investing isn’t just about aligning investments with beliefs—it’s also about optimizing the outcomes that matter most to clients,” including tax efficiency, risk balance, and long-term consistency.

In addition, Ethic’s One Portfolio optimization engine allows advisors to manage SMAs and model portfolios holistically, simplifying rebalancing, monitoring, and reporting—all within a single digital ecosystem. That operational efficiency empowers advisors to scale sustainably while focusing on client conversations instead of manual tasks.

Strategic Partnerships and Platform Evolution

Ethic’s growth has been fueled by strategic collaborations with major partners such as State Street Global Advisors, which helped launch two new model portfolio solutions: a zero-fee model portfolio and an advisor-directed strategy managed and reported on directly within Ethic’s platform.

“The ability to manage across multiple product structures within one environment is really differentiated,” Laipple said. These advancements reflect Ethic’s goal to serve advisors across the full spectrum of client sophistication—from ultra-high-net-worth households to mass-affluent investors seeking alignment between profits and principles.

Sustainable Investing: Essential or Optional?

When asked whether sustainability is a “nice to have” or a necessity, Laipple offered a nuanced answer. “It’s essential for some clients and optional for others. Every client has values—some prioritize impact, while others care more about efficiency or legacy. Technology’s role is to help advisors uncover those priorities and balance them effectively,” he shared.

Ethic’s platform is designed to make that understanding tangible. Advisors can visualize value-driven decisions, from avoiding fossil fuels to favoring companies with diverse boards. According to internal data, Ethic’s portfolio strategies generate, on average, 62% lower carbon emissions compared to traditional benchmarks—a compelling proposition for environmentally conscious investors.

The Role of AI and the Future of Personalization

Looking ahead, Ethic plans to expand beyond equities into personalized fixed income portfolios and incorporate deeper artificial intelligence. Laipple noted, “Much of the AI today sits in wrappers on top of tools like ChatGPT—but the real potential is in understanding how client preferences evolve, not just analyzing their current holdings.”

As AI becomes more predictive, Ethic envisions systems that can proactively alert advisors to shifts in client priorities or suggest rebalancing options that strengthen value alignment without derailing long-term objectives.

From Differentiation to Fulfillment

At its core, Ethic is built on the belief that better alignment creates better outcomes—not only financially, but emotionally. Laipple summed it up best: “If advisors can connect clients’ investments to what fulfills them, they aren’t just managing wealth—they’re strengthening relationships, diversifying connection points, and deepening trust.”

For financial advisors, this isn’t just a feel-good story—it’s a business imperative. Clients increasingly expect personalization, transparency, and impact. Ethic gives advisors a platform that meets those expectations while remaining scalable and compliant.

Laipple added, “When we hit $100 million in AUM, I was excited about the milestone. At $7.5 billion today, I know the next goals—$10 billion, $20 billion—are within reach. The momentum speaks to one truth: investing with intention is not a fad; it’s the future of wealth management.”

The Takeaway for Financial Advisors

The financial services landscape is transforming rapidly, with personalization, sustainability, and technology emerging as its defining pillars. Ethic’s approach unites these forces into a cohesive experience that enhances both advisor efficiency and client fulfillment.

Advisors who integrate Ethic’s platform gain access to a scalable toolkit that helps them:

Deliver personalized portfolio solutions across SMAs, UMAs, and models.
Implement active, tax-smart management for superior after-tax outcomes.
Build values-aligned portfolios that reflect each client’s purpose.
Strengthen multi-generational retention through shared family vision.
Leverage AI-supported insights for continual personalization and engagement.

For those looking to turn personalization into their competitive edge and grow through intention-driven advice, Ethic offers both the platform and partnership to make it happen.

Discover how Ethic can help you strengthen client relationships and scale your business through purposeful investing at www.ethic.com.