Asset management is a systematic approach to the governance and realization of all value for which a group or entity is responsible. It may apply both to tangible assets (physical objects such as complex process or manufacturing plants, infrastructure, buildings or equipment) and to intangible assets (such as intellectual property, goodwill or financial assets). Asset management is a systematic process of developing, operating, maintaining, upgrading, and disposing of assets in the most cost-effective manner (including all costs, risks, and performance attributes).
Theory of asset management primarily deals with the periodic matter of improving, maintaining or in other circumstances assuring the economic and capital value of an asset over time. The term is commonly used in engineering, the business world, and public infrastructure sectors to ensure a coordinated approach to the optimization of costs, risks, service/performance, and sustainability. The term has traditionally been used in the financial sector to describe people and companies who manage investments on behalf of others. Those include, for example, investment managers who manage the assets of a pension fund.
The ISO 55000 series of standards, developed by ISO TC 251, are the international standards for Asset Management. ISO 55000 provides an introduction and requirements specification for a management system for asset management. The ISO 55000 standard defines an asset as an “item, thing or entity that has potential or actual value to an organization”. ISO 55001 specifies requirements for an asset management system within the context of the organization, and ISO 55002 gives guidelines for the application of an asset management system, in accordance with the requirements of ISO 55001.
Financial asset management
The most frequent usage of the term portfolio manager (asset manager) refers to investment management, the sector of the financial services industry that manages investment funds and segregated client accounts. Asset management is part of a financial company that employs experts who manage money and handle the investments of clients. This is done either actively or passively.
- Active asset management: involves active tasks such as studying the client’s assets to plan and look after the investments, all things are looked after by the asset managers, and recommendations are provided based on the financial health of each client. Active asset management comes at a higher price to investors because more work is involved.
- Passive asset management: assets are allocated to mirror a market or a sector index. Unlike active asset management, passive asset management is a lot less laborious. It is also less tailored, requires less looking after, and consequently is cheaper for investors.
Physical and Infrastructure asset management
Physical and Infrastructure asset management is the combination of management, financial, economic, engineering, and other practices applied to physical assets to provide the best value level of service for the costs involved. It includes the management of the entire life cycle—including design, construction, commissioning, operating, maintaining, repairing, modifying, replacing, and decommissioning/disposal—of physical and infrastructure assets. Operation and maintenance of assets in a constrained budget environment require a prioritization scheme. As a way of illustration, the recent development of renewable energy has seen the rise of effective asset managers involved in the management of solar systems (solar parks, rooftops, and windmills). These teams often collaborate with financial asset managers in order to offer turnkey solutions to investors.
Infrastructure asset management became very important in most of the developed countries in the 21st century, since their infrastructure network was almost completed in the 20th century and they have to manage to operate and maintain them cost-effectively.
Physical, or Infrastructure Asset Management is a growing specialist engineering discipline, with many international technical societies now established to advance knowledge in this area, including the Engineers Australia technical society of the Asset Management Council (AMC) the World Partners in Asset Management (WPiAM) Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP)the Institute of Asset Management (IAM)the International Society of Engineering Asset Management (ISEAM) and the Global Forum on Maintenance and Asset Management (GFMAM).
Engineering asset management
Engineering asset management is a more recent term that is used to describe the management of complex physical assets, a specific engineering practice that is concerned with optimizing assets, in the context of the organizations goals and objectives, through using multidiscipline engineering methodologies, and Terotechnology (which includes management, engineering, and financial expertise), to balance cost, risk, and performance. Engineering asset management includes multiple engineering disciplines, including but not limited to maintenance engineering, systems engineering, reliability engineering, process safety management, industrial engineering, and risk analysis.
Engineering asset management is a term synonymous with physical and infrastructure asset management, it is used to describe management of more complex physical assets which require the application of specialist asset management engineering methods over their life-cycles in order to maximize value for their owners, whilst keeping risk to an acceptable level.
Enterprise asset management
Enterprise asset management (EAM) systems are asset information systems that support the management of an organization’s assets. An EAM includes an asset registry (inventory of assets and their attributes) combined with a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) and other modules (such as inventory or materials management). Assets that are geographically distributed, interconnected or networked, are often also represented through the use of geographic information systems (GIS).
GIS-centric asset registry standardizes data and improves interoperability, providing users the capability to reuse, coordinate, and share information efficiently and effectively. A GIS platform combined with information of both the “hard” and “soft” assets helps to remove the traditional silos of departmental functions. While the hard assets are the typical physical assets or infrastructure assets, the soft assets might include permits, licenses, brands, patents, right-of-ways, and other entitlements or valued items.
The EAM system is only one of the ‘enablers’ of good asset management. Asset managers need to make informed decisions to fulfill their organizational goals, this requires good asset information but also leadership, clarity of strategic priorities, competencies, inter-departmental collaboration and communications, workforce, and supply chain engagement, risk and change management systems, performance monitoring, and continual improvement
Theory of asset management primarily deals with the periodic matter of improving, maintaining or in other circumstances assuring the economic and capital value of an asset over time. The term is commonly used in engineering, the business world, and public infrastructure sectors to ensure a coordinated approach to the optimization of costs, risks, service/performance, and sustainability. The term has traditionally been used in the financial sector to describe people and companies who manage investments on behalf of others. Those include, for example, investment managers who manage the assets of a pension fund.
Engineering asset management is a more recent term that is used to describe the management of complex physical assets, a specific engineering practice that is concerned with optimizing assets, in the context of the organizations goals and objectives, through using multidiscipline engineering methodologies, and Terotechnology (which includes management, engineering, and financial expertise), to balance cost, risk, and performance. Engineering asset management includes multiple engineering disciplines, including but not limited to maintenance engineering, systems engineering, reliability engineering, process safety management, industrial engineering, and risk analysis.
Asset managers primarily work on growing their clients’ assets to maximize returns. Wealth managers have a broader focus and offer a range of financial services and advice aimed at helping high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) manage their wealth and achieve their long-term financial goals. Read on to discover more differences between them.
Asset Allocation Strategies
Asset allocation strategies help investors build diversified portfolios that maximize returns and minimize risks. An asset manager may choose a mix of different types of assets, such as real estate, bonds and stocks, to ensure their clients aren’t too heavily invested in one particular type of asset.
Financial Analytics
Asset managers use financial software to analyze market trends, track investment performance, and identify opportunities for new investments. This type of software can include research on potential investments, data analytics to try to predict future profit and portfolio management platforms that automate tasks related to managing investments.
Fundamental Analysis
This type of research lets asset managers evaluate the future prospects and financial health of investments they’re considering. They’ll look at industry trends, financial statements and reports and other economic data to evaluate companies for their growth potential.
What Is Wealth Management?
Wealth management is a holistic approach to helping people with high net worth continue to grow their wealth and protect their current assets. It’s the highest level of financial planning services and includes a strategic plan and advice on multiple financial issues such as estate planning, asset management and tax strategy.