Global asset management firm SEI (NASDAQ:SEIC) Tuesday announced the launch of eight goals-based portfolios for Canadian investors.

Goals-based investing allows individuals to address their unique financial needs, desires, and time horizons in a way that helps them look beyond intermittent market volatility. This approach promotes positive investor behaviour and can increase odds that investors will achieve their personal financial goals, SEI says.

The offering is based on the firm’s pioneering research and innovation that brings together the concepts of modern portfolio theory and behavioural finance. Investors in the United States and the United Kingdom have used SEI’s goals-based investment solutions for nearly a decade – SEI’s goals-based assets under management total roughly $9 billion globally.

“Goals-based investment portfolios are designed to help advisors change the conversations they have with their clients,” said Kevin Barr, head of the investment management Unit at SEI. “Instead of wondering if they’re beating the index or their neighbour’s portfolio, investors ask if they are on track to meet their goals. Less benchmarking can help investors stick with their long-term plans, with an eye on the goal ahead.”

The portfolios fall into two groups: stability-focused and growth-focused. The stability-focused portfolios are designed for investors who need to protect against losses, while maintaining a comfortable level of growth. The growth-focused portfolios are designed for investors who need to steadily accumulate assets at a rate consistent with their appetite for risk.

In conjunction with the launch of the portfolios, SEI also announced its first dealer agreement with Markham, Ont.-based Worldsource Financial Management, bringing together SEI’s asset management capabilities and Worldsource’s network of financial advisors across Canada.