An elite group of U.S. money management firms is starting to reap the rewards from beefing up their solutions units, especially in highly customized investment solutions and strategic partnerships.

Seven names came up repeatedly when consultants and competitors were asked to name the biggest players in highly customized investment solutions and strategic partnerships: BlackRock Inc., Bridgewater Associates LP, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Pacific Investment Management Co., State Street Global Advisors, Goldman Sachs Asset Management and BNY Mellon Asset Management.