55ip and T. Rowe Price Forge Alliance for Tax-Smart Investment Models

BOSTON – April 22, 2026 – In a significant move to capture a larger share of the rapidly expanding wealth management technology market, 55ip, J.P. Morgan's tax-smart investment platform, has announced a new collaboration with global asset management leader T. Rowe Price. The partnership will provide financial advisors with the ability to design and implement custom model portfolios that combine T. Rowe Price’s investment strategies with 55ip’s advanced tax optimization technology.

This strategic alliance allows advisors to leverage 55ip’s proprietary ActiveTax Technology℠ to deliver tax-smart transitions, continuous tax-loss harvesting, and tax-aware withdrawals for client portfolios built with T. Rowe Price's renowned investment models. The two firms will jointly support the distribution and servicing of the new custom models, making them immediately available to the broader advisory community.

“The addition of T. Rowe Price to our platform expands the range of asset management options and personalized solutions available to advisors,” said Mike Camp, Head of Client Solutions at 55ip. “We believe combining T. Rowe Price’s custom models with 55ip’s tax technology creates a powerful solution that can strengthen advisors’ businesses and improve client outcomes after taxes.”

The Race for the $10 Trillion Model Portfolio Market

The collaboration arrives as the market for outsourced model portfolios is experiencing explosive growth. Once a niche offering, model portfolios have become a cornerstone of modern wealth management, enabling advisors to scale their practices while delivering institutional-grade investment management. According to research from Cerulli Associates, assets in outsourced models surged to over $2.5 trillion by the end of 2024 and are projected to exceed $10 trillion by 2029.

Driving this expansion is a fervent demand for customization. The same Cerulli report found that 65% of model provider asset management firms are prioritizing the development of custom models, with 71% viewing them as a major business opportunity. This shift reflects a broader industry trend where advisors are moving away from one-size-fits-all solutions toward more tailored strategies that can address the unique financial circumstances, risk tolerances, and tax situations of individual clients.

Advisors are increasingly turning to these solutions to outsource time-consuming investment management tasks, freeing them to focus on higher-value activities like holistic financial planning, client relationship building, and business development. The rise of sophisticated platforms that integrate tax optimization directly into the portfolio management process represents the next frontier in this evolution.

A Strategic Alliance of Tech and Tradition

This partnership represents a powerful fusion of established investment prowess and cutting-edge financial technology. T. Rowe Price, founded in 1937 and managing over US$1.7 trillion in assets, brings decades of multi-asset expertise and a deep bench of actively managed strategies. The firm has already established a significant presence in the model portfolio space, offering a range of diversified and objective-based models for financial professionals.

55ip, acquired by J.P. Morgan Asset Management in 2020, operates as a fintech engine specializing in tax-smart automation. Its ActiveTax Technology℠ is designed to solve a critical challenge for advisors: how to efficiently apply sophisticated tax management techniques across an entire book of business. The platform automates complex processes like tax-smart transitions from legacy holdings, ongoing tax-loss harvesting to offset gains, and intelligent withdrawal sequencing to minimize tax liabilities for clients in retirement. Since its acquisition, 55ip has seen its assets grow from under $2 billion to over $20 billion, signaling strong market validation for its tax-centric approach.

“Advisors serve a wide range of clients with distinct objectives and circumstances who benefit from customized investment solutions,” noted Josh Horesh, Head of U.S. Model Portfolio Distribution at T. Rowe Price. “We’re excited to work with 55ip to provide advisors with flexible access to T. Rowe Price strategies that support the creation and implementation of tax-efficient custom models.”

The Advisor's Edge: Customization and Efficiency at Scale

The new offering directly addresses the evolving role of the financial advisor. By integrating T. Rowe Price's investment intelligence with 55ip's automated tax overlay, the collaboration provides a turnkey solution that enhances both efficiency and client value. Advisors can now deliver a level of portfolio personalization and tax management that was once the exclusive domain of ultra-high-net-worth clients.

This move also reflects the highly competitive dynamics within the wealthtech landscape. Other major players, including Orion Advisor Solutions and GeoWealth, have been aggressively building out their own tax-optimization and custom modeling capabilities. Orion's platform, for instance, offers tailored portfolios combining direct indexing with third-party models, while GeoWealth provides a turnkey asset management platform (TAMP) with extensive tax-smart features. The partnership between 55ip and T. Rowe Price is a clear strategic maneuver to defend and expand market share in an environment where technological differentiation is key.

Ultimately, the collaboration underscores a fundamental shift in the industry. The value proposition for advisors is no longer solely about picking winning stocks but about providing comprehensive, personalized financial guidance. By leveraging technology to automate and optimize the investment management component, advisors are better equipped to serve as holistic wealth managers, focusing on the complex financial planning needs of their clients. This integration of best-in-class asset management with powerful tax technology provides a clear pathway for advisors to scale their business while demonstrably improving their clients' after-tax returns.