Vest Financial LLC (“Vest”) a Y Combinator-backed pioneer and category leader in outcome-based investment solutions, today announced that its total assets under management (AUM) and non-discretionary assets under supervision have surpassed $50 billion, demonstrating the accelerating demand for defined outcome strategies amid a rapidly shifting global investment landscape. This milestone underscores a revolution in investing — defined outcome strategies have become essential tools for modern portfolio construction.
Since introducing the first buffer fund in 2016, Vest has been at the forefront of expanding access to structured investment solutions. The firm’s growth reflects a broader shift in investor preferences toward tools that offer clarity, control, and outcome predictability—hallmarks of strategies once limited to institutional portfolios but now widely adopted across the investment landscape.
“This isn’t just about Vest’s growth, $50 billion demonstrates that the financial advice and planning industry has shifted,” said Karan Sood, CEO and Co-Founder of Vest. “The adoption of outcome-focused tools transforms investing from hope-based to precision-based, giving advisors the tools to deliver more outcome certainty in volatile and unpredictable markets.”
Market volatility, sticky inflation, and unpredictable policy shifts have eroded confidence in traditional diversification and conventional 60/40 portfolios. As stock and bond correlations have risen, outcome-based investing has provided a reliable framework for navigating uncertainty while offering downside protection and upside participation. This represents a fundamental industry move toward defined outcomes and away from traditional diversification.
“Client expectations have evolved,” added Jeff Chang, President and Co-Founder of Vest. “Today’s conversations aren’t about beating the market — they’re about delivering defined outcomes and protecting portfolios from market shocks like we saw in 2022. The $50 billion milestone signals broad adoption of this approach, with advisors increasingly turning to outcome architects instead of traditional stock pickers.”
The outcome-based ETF space has grown fivefold since 2020, with major asset managers like BlackRock and JPMorgan entering the category. Operating at the intersection where Y Combinator meets Wall Street, Vest has built a suite of more than 300 outcome-focused products, spanning ETFs, mutual funds, UITs, CITs, VITs, and managed accounts. This growth reflects a larger industry trend: as BlackRock projects, the U.S. outcome ETF market is expected to triple to $650 billion by 2030.
“This moment isn’t a victory lap for Vest — it’s an acceleration point for the entire industry,” Chang noted. “As advisors rethink portfolio construction in today’s market, defined outcome strategies have become an essential tool for delivering more certainty, clarity, and control. We’re proud to have pioneered this category, and we’re just getting started.”
For more information, visit vestfin.com, email contact@vestfin.com or call (855) 979-6060.
