Case study - Vicus Capital

Customer profile

Vicus Capital

Vicus Capital is a boutique investment management firm headquartered in State College, Pennsylvania, serving independent investment advisor representatives (IARs) and their clients nationwide. The firm recently surpassed $3 billion in AUM (as of 12/31/2025) and operates a balanced model: approximately half of assets are managed through scalable, model-driven strategies, while the other half consists of highly customized, tax-aware portfolios for higher-net-worth clients.

The custom side of the business involves household-level portfolio management, SMAs and private alternatives, capital gains budgeting, wash sale monitoring, tax location strategies, and client-specific restrictions. Supporting that level of sophistication in a multi-custodian environment, without compromising efficiency, requires institutional-grade rebalancing and trading technology. Vicus Capital chose RedBlack in 2019 and in 2025, they migrated fully from desktop to RedBlack Cloud to support continued scale, continuity, and flexibility.

Challenge

Scaling sophistication without slowing down

As Vicus Capital grew, its trading and operations team needed to support more complex models and deeply customized household portfolios without continuously adding headcount. RedBlack provided the depth required for holistic household rebalancing, tax-aware trading, and custom portfolio constraints, which previous custodial tools and alternative solutions lacked.

By 2025, cloud migration became a strategic priority. The firm was operating in a semi-cloud desktop environment but needed a true cloud deployment to strengthen business continuity, enhance security controls, enable anywhere access, and eliminate infrastructure friction. RedBlack Cloud delivered all of this, including Rebalance Horizontal, a must-have for managing complex households in the cloud.

With more than $3 billion in AUM and a clear path to continued growth, Vicus Capital wanted technology that would never become a bottleneck. RedBlack Cloud gave them room to scale with confidence—while keeping the same operational precision for which they’re known.

Solution

A strategic cloud migration and product partnership

Vicus Capital took a phased approach to moving onto RedBlack Cloud. They started with a structured trial, then transitioned fully once everything aligned with their workflows. The process was hands-on and collaborative— our product and services teams worked closely with them to set priorities, map trading and operational needs, and address enhancement requests along the way.

As an early adopter and now a power user of Rebalance Horizontal on RedBlack Cloud, Vicus Capital played an active role in shaping the experience. They tested new capabilities, shared real-world feedback, and helped refine the workflows that power advanced household rebalancing. This partnership approach ensured the cloud environment supported every part of their sophisticated, custom-trading operation before going live. And it gave the firm confidence that their technology would scale with them, not slow them down.

Despite common concerns that come with any technology shift, the cloud transition required minimal workflow redesign. Nearly all prior customizations were preserved, and the trading team adapted quickly to the web-based interface. Within seven months, the firm achieved full functional parity with RedBlack’s desktop platform, while gaining the resilience and flexibility of a true cloud platform.

"This was one of the smoothest migrations we’ve gone through. Seven months later, we’re at 100% parity with where we were on desktop, which is impressive. That level of service and true partnership is becoming increasingly rare in this industry."

- Robert Hinson

Director of Investment Operations & Trading

Impact

Operational scale, speed, and future-ready growth

Since moving to RedBlack Cloud, Vicus Capital has seen real, measurable gains in performance and operational resilience. Daily import file processing times dropped from approximately 45 minutes to less than 15 minutes, and aggregate workflow efficiencies now enable traders to complete significantly more accounts in the same time.

Cloud deployment also strengthened the firm’s business continuity planning, enabling uninterrupted operations during internet disruptions and providing the flexibility to support remote access. In addition, new-user onboarding has become simpler and faster, requiring only secure login credentials rather than a full software installation.

Most importantly, RedBlack Cloud enables Vicus Capital to scale without adding trading headcount. The firm’s investment team—consisting of eight members, six of whom trade daily—supports more than 2,000 models and a balanced mix of model-driven and highly customized portfolios. Technology is no longer a limiting factor. As Vicus Capital looks toward continued growth, leadership is confident the platform can support expansion to $5 billion in AUM without operational strain.

“Because RedBlack allows for scale, we’re never the bottleneck to growth. We’re confident we can grow from $3 billion to $5 billion without worrying about whether our system can handle it—because it absolutely can,” said Hinson.

CASE STUDYVicus Capital

Customer profile

Vicus Capital

Challenge

Solution

“RedBlack became a key partner, and it was clear we weren't just another case number. RedBlack wanted to dive deep into our pain points, solve and enhance"

"This was one of the smoothest migrations we’ve gone through. Seven months later, we’re at 100% parity with where we were on desktop, which is impressive. That level of service and true partnership is becoming increasingly rare in this industry."

Impact

Key Outcomes:

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