Riskalyze tears into Orion’s HiddenLevers over predictive modeling

The competitive atmosphere among adviser tech just got a lot thicker after Riskalyze launched a highly publicized campaign Tuesday claiming the risk methodologies used by competitors are inaccurate and lack fiduciary responsibilities. 

Riskalyze co-founder and CEO Aaron Klein countered competitors HiddenLevers, which Orion purchased in March, and RiXtrema predictive guesswork models calling it wildly inaccurate, compared with the Riskalyze approach of a historical data model, according to the post via Riskalyzes website. 

Advisors should beware: There are two very different approaches to risk analysis and stress testing, Klein said. Riskalyze leverages a Historical Data Model and calculates a historical range to illustrate risk and support client behavior.

A historical data model, according to the post, uses objective data to calculate a range of historical probabilities for a portfolio, based on the actual risk in the underlying securities, strenuously avoiding subjective assumptions that can lead to guesswork.

Tools like HiddenLevers and RiXtrema are spearheading a Predictive Guesswork Model that attempts to forecast what complex markets and portfolios will do, Klein said. 

A predictive guesswork model makes guesses about what will happen to a variety of levers in a complex market, and tries to model the impact on a portfolio if those guesses are correct.

In the risk tolerance software space, Riskalyze dominates capturing 25.8% of market share, according to T3 and Inside Information 2021 adviser software survey. By comparison, HiddenLevers has just 1.6% of market share and RiXtrema is less than 1%. 

Despite reigning king of risk management tech, Klein felt the firm had to speak up. We cant stay silent and allow flawed methodology to put our profession at risk of violating its fiduciary responsibilities, he said. 

Riskalyzes post includes a white paper and a short video highlighting language used by HiddenLevers co-founders Raj Udeshi and Praveen Ghanta, calling one of the risk scenarios related to the coronavirus Kung Flu during a 2020 coronavirus pandemic-related webinar.

HiddenLevers did not respond to requests for comment.

The post Riskalyze tears into Orions HiddenLevers over predictive modeling appeared first on InvestmentNews.