# 55ip expands UMA offering to RIAs with J.P. Morgan and BlackRock models

URL: https://www.financialadvsr.com/article/55ip-expands-uma-offering-to-rias-with-j-p-morgan-and-blackrock-104e51
Published: October 21, 2026
By: Nora Kessler, Practice & Technology Correspondent
Section: News
Publisher: Financial ADVSR (https://www.financialadvsr.com)

The J.P. Morgan subsidiary is combining managed models, custom models and equity SMAs in one unified managed account for registered investment advisers, with more asset managers expected later in 2026.

InvestmentNews reported in a fintech roundup published on Oct. 21 that 55ip has expanded its unified managed account offering for registered investment advisers. The InvestmentNews item covered three separate tax-focused tool launches, but this article is limited to the 55ip announcement, which the firm released on Oct. 20, 2026.

According to the firm's Business Wire release, the new structure places managed and custom model strategies alongside equity separately managed accounts inside a single account. The offering is powered by 55ip's ActiveTax technology. WealthManagement.com also reported on Oct. 20 that the J.P. Morgan-owned 55ip is making managed and custom model portfolios and equity SMAs available in a UMA for RIA firms.

The initial lineup consists of J.P. Morgan Asset Management and BlackRock models and SMAs. The release says more asset managers are expected to join later in 2026, but it does not name them. The release says the 55ip Portal will offer itemized views of the model and SMA components within a UMA.

WealthManagement.com reported that before this announcement, 55ip offered tax-managed UMA capabilities only to select enterprise partners. The release is therefore presented as a broader opening of that capability to the RIA channel. In the release, Gautam Sachdev, 55ip's CEO, argued that expansion in the RIA channel has made scale a pressing concern for advisors, and that a UMA can lighten the load on client acquisition and infrastructure.

The release identifies 55ip as a wholly owned J.P. Morgan subsidiary that operates as an investment technology platform with a tax focus, and its dateline places it in Boston. InvestmentNews reported in 2022 that J.P. Morgan Asset Management had bought 55ip in 2020, with the aim of helping advisers shift clients into J.P. Morgan models in a tax-aware way. That same 2022 coverage described a direct indexing service for RIAs that J.P. Morgan launched with a $250,000 minimum account size, built with 55ip's software.

Leadership has changed since then. Earlier InvestmentNews coverage named Paul Gamble as 55ip's CEO at the 2022 launch, while the 2026 release names Gautam Sachdev. The sources do not explain the change. The release also refers to an earlier announcement with InvestCloud about a future UMA that would include private investments, and it describes the 55ip relationship with BlackRock as long-standing. BlackRock is listed on the NYSE under the ticker BLK.

According to WealthManagement.com, the broader category is growing quickly. The 55ip release says Cerulli projects that U.S. UMA assets will reach about $3.7 trillion by the end of 2026. WealthManagement.com reported that over the five years ending in 2024, UMA assets expanded by 18.4% a year on a compound basis and drew close to $260 billion in net flows. These are industry figures, not 55ip figures, and the sources do not give 55ip's own asset levels for the UMA offering.

Key facts:
- 55ip announced the expanded RIA UMA offering on Oct. 20, 2026, according to its Business Wire release.
- Initial lineup: J.P. Morgan Asset Management and BlackRock models and SMAs, with more managers expected later in 2026.
- The 55ip Portal will show breakdowns of the model and SMA portions of a UMA.
- Cerulli projects U.S. UMA assets of about $3.7 trillion by the end of 2026 (industry figure).
- J.P. Morgan Asset Management acquired 55ip in 2020, according to InvestmentNews reporting from 2022.

Why it matters: A unified managed account lets an advisor hold several investment strategies in one account, which can reduce the number of separate accounts to set up and monitor for each client. For RIAs, the appeal is in consolidating model and SMA work into a single structure.

Sources:
- InvestmentNews: https://www.investmentnews.com/fintech/fintech-bytes-55ip-vise-syntax-push-tax-smart-tools-for-rias/268690
- WealthManagement.com: https://www.wealthmanagement.com/smas/55ip-expands-uma-capabilities-for-ria-advisors
- businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261020184377/en/55ip-Expands-UMA-Offering-to-RIA-Channel-with-J.P.-Morgan-Asset-Management-and-BlackRock
- financialcontent.com: https://www.financialcontent.com/article/bizwire-2026-10-20-55ip-expands-uma-offering-to-ria-channel-with-jp-morgan-asset-management-and-blackrock
- gurufocus.com: https://www.gurufocus.com/news/9131805/55ip-enhances-unified-managed-account-services-with-blackrock-collaboration-blk
- financialcontent.com: https://www.financialcontent.com/article/bizwire-2026-10-21-vise-brings-asset-location-and-tax-management-together-in-one-engine-for-every-household
- vise.com: https://vise.com/learn