Case Study: Paragon Financial Advisors achieves superior risk analytics and increased client confidence with HiddenLevers

Why Paragon Chose HiddenLevers Over Morningstar

Paragon Financial Advisors, led by partner and CIO Robert Calhoun, was rapidly expanding and needed a more capable risk analytics tool than Morningstar Direct. At the 2016 TD Ameritrade conference Paragon chose HiddenLevers — a cloud-based risk analytics and stress-testing platform — after finding Direct’s static risk analysis insufficient for the firm’s data-driven, client-facing workflow.

HiddenLevers was implemented to provide forward-looking, regression-based risk modeling, sector/style/fixed-income breakdowns, attribution analysis, and scenario stress testing, all integrated into Paragon’s daily workflow. The result was faster client onboarding (ability to build model portfolios in first meetings), higher client confidence, and a measurable drop in panic client calls during the late‑2018 market sell-off from about 10% to ~1% — demonstrating the tangible impact of HiddenLevers on client outcomes and advisor efficiency.

Paragon Financial Advisors

Robert Calhoun

Principal+CIO