GIPS Compliance
Senior-level experts. No junior staff. No annual price increases.
TSG helps investment management firms and asset owners achieve, maintain, and verify compliance with the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS®) — with a boutique team of senior specialists who handle every engagement personally.
Why firms pursue GIPS compliance
Claiming compliance with the GIPS standards tells prospective clients, consultants, and investors that your performance reporting is accurate, consistent, and independently defensible.
- 01
Increase your chances of winning new business and growing your firm’s AUM
- 02
Compete on a level playing field using standardized calculation and presentation methods
- 03
Build investor and consultant confidence in your track record
- 04
Strengthen your internal controls over performance reporting
The E3 Verification Advantage™
Every TSG engagement is built on three pillars: expertise, experience, and execution — only senior-level GIPS and performance specialists, decades of unmatched industry knowledge, and the most thorough, efficient verification process in the industry.
Find the right path for your firm
Whether you’re claiming compliance for the first time or ready to switch from a verifier who’s stopped serving you well, TSG builds a path around where you actually are.
First-time compliance
Becoming GIPS compliant for the first time can feel complex. TSG guides you from gap analysis through composite construction, policies and procedures, and your first GIPS Report — with senior experts at every step.
- GIPS gap analysis and readiness review
- Composite construction and policy guidance
- GIPS Report preparation support
- Verification, once you’re ready to claim compliance
Switching verifiers
Frustrated with your current verifier? Long processes, rising annual fees, and rotating junior staff on your account are common complaints — and not how TSG operates.
- No annual price increases
- Senior-level staff only, every year, every engagement
- Efficient, thorough process with no needless delays
- Onsite verification available
Benefits of a Boutique
TSG is a boutique GIPS verification and consulting firm — not a division inside a larger, generalist compliance company. GIPS is what we do, exclusively, and it’s all we’ve ever done.
GIPS compliance — frequently asked questions
What is GIPS compliance?
GIPS compliance means a firm has adopted the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS®) — a set of ethical, standardized principles created by the CFA Institute for calculating and presenting investment performance. Firms that claim compliance commit to full disclosure and fair representation of their track record.
Is GIPS compliance mandatory?
No. GIPS compliance is voluntary. However, it’s increasingly expected by institutional investors and consultants, and many RFPs and searches exclude firms that don’t claim it.
What’s the difference between GIPS compliance and GIPS verification?
Claiming GIPS compliance means a firm has adopted the standards and built its performance reporting to meet them. Verification is an independent, third-party review — like the ones TSG performs — that tests whether the firm has actually met those requirements on a firm-wide basis. Compliance is the claim; verification is the proof.
Do small firms need to be GIPS compliant?
Firms of any size can and do claim GIPS compliance — it’s not limited to large asset managers. TSG works with boutique and mid-sized firms as well as larger institutional managers.
What percentage of GIPS-compliant firms get verified?
About 90% of firms that claim compliance choose to get independently verified. It’s not required, but it’s the norm — both to manage risk and as a differentiator with prospective clients and consultants.
Can asset owners claim GIPS compliance?
Yes. Asset owners — pension funds, insurance companies, endowments, foundations, and sovereign wealth funds — can claim GIPS compliance. The GIPS standards include provisions specifically written for asset owners, covering how they report performance for their own internal composites and mandates.
How much does GIPS verification cost?
Cost depends on firm size, complexity, and history. TSG offers transparent, flat pricing with no annual price increases — request a no-obligation proposal for a quote specific to your firm.
How long does GIPS verification take?
Timelines vary based on how much of your GIPS infrastructure (composites, policies, procedures) is already in place. TSG’s process is built to be efficient and won’t disrupt your team’s day-to-day work.
We already claim compliance but haven’t been verified — is that a problem?
It’s more common than firms expect, and it carries real risk: without verification, many firms discover gaps they didn’t know existed. There’s a marketing upside too — verification lets you back your claim of compliance with independent, third-party assurance in RFPs and pitches, which consultants and institutional investors increasingly expect and which can be the differentiator that wins the business. TSG recommends verification as best practice for any firm claiming compliance.
Can we switch verifiers if we’re not happy with our current one?
Yes, and it’s a common reason firms come to TSG. Switching verifiers is a straightforward process, and TSG can help you transition without disrupting your reporting calendar.
What does the GIPS verification process actually involve?
Verification tests two things, on a firm-wide basis: whether your policies and procedures for composite and pooled fund construction, if applicable, and for calculating, presenting, and distributing performance, are designed to comply with the GIPS standards, and whether they’ve actually been followed in practice. TSG also reviews a sample of your GIPS Reports to confirm they include the required disclosures and accurately reflect your composites. It’s a firm-wide test of the foundation your compliance claim rests on, not a composite-by-composite audit. Firms that want that deeper level of assurance for a specific composite can add an optional performance examination.
Who at TSG will actually work on our engagement?
Senior-level GIPS specialists only. TSG doesn’t staff engagements with junior analysts learning on your account.
Ready to talk GIPS compliance?
Get a free, no-obligation proposal tailored to your firm — no pressure, no long-term contract required to start the conversation.