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Form ADV Part 2A
F/m Investments LLC
3050 K Street, NW, Suite 201
Washington, DC 20007
Phone: (202) 839-4910
E-mail: info@fminvest.com
Website: www.fminvest.com
March 31, 2025
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices
of F/m Investments LLC. If you have any questions about the contents of this
brochure, please contact us at (202) 839-4910 or info@fminvest.com.
The information in this brochure has not been approved or verified by the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) or by any state securities
authority.
Additional information about F/m Investments LLC (CRD# 304405) is also available
on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
F/m Investments LLC is a registered investment adviser with the SEC pursuant to
the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Registration of an investment adviser does not
imply a certain level of skill or training.
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Item 2 - Material Changes
The current ADV Part 2A Disclosure Brochure for F/m Investments LLC contains the
following materials changes since its last annual update on April 23, 2024:
• This annual update reflects significant changes to the structure of F/m Investments
LLC. In October 2024, the Firm underwent a corporate reorganization and merged
all of its sub-entities or "d/b/a" entities into F/m Investments LLC, including Genoa
Asset Management LLC, Integrated Alpha Investments LLC, and North Slope
Capital LLC. FMI still conducts business as Oakhurst Capital Advisors LLC in certain
instances.
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Item 3 – Table of Contents
Item 1 - Cover Page ................................................................................................................ 1
Item 2 - Material Changes ...................................................................................................... 2
Item 3 - Table of Contents...................................................................................................... 3
Item 4 – Advisory Business..................................................................................................... 4
Item 5 – Fees and Compensation........................................................................................... 8
Item 6 - Performance-Based Fees and Side-by-Side Management ..................................... 12
Item 7 - Types of Clients ....................................................................................................... 13
Item 8 - Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss ............................... 13
Item 9 - Discliplinary Information ........................................................................................ 20
Item 10 - Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations .............................................. 20
Item 11 – Code of Ethics, Participation in Client Transactions & Personal Trading ............ 21
Item 12 - Brokerage Practices .............................................................................................. 22
Item 13 – Review of Accounts .............................................................................................. 25
Item 14 – Client Referrals and Other Compensation ........................................................... 25
Item 15 - Custody ................................................................................................................. 26
Item 16 - Investment Discretion .......................................................................................... 26
Item 17 – Voting Client Securities ........................................................................................ 27
Item 18 – Financial Information ........................................................................................... 27
ERISA SECTION 408(b)(2) DISCLOSURE NOTICE ................................................................... 28
PRIVACY POLICY ................................................................................................................... 29
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Item 4 – Advisory Business
Firm Description
F/m Investments LLC (“FMI” or the “Firm” or the “Adviser is an investment adviser registered
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Investment
Advisers Act of 1940 (the “Advisers Act”), as amended. The Firm is headquartered in
Washington, DC, and has offices in Boston, Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee and Los
Angeles. In this document, references to “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to FMI unless the context
requires otherwise.
FMI is a majority owned subsidiary of F/m Managers Group, LP (“FMG”), a subsidiary of
1251 Capital Group, Inc., a financial services holding company. In October 2024, the Firm
underwent a corporate reorganization and merged all of its sub-entities or "d/b/a" entities
into F/m Investments LLC, including Genoa Asset Management LLC, Integrated Alpha
Investments LLC, and North Slope Capital LLC. FMI still conducts business as Oakhurst
Capital Advisors LLC in certain instances.
Overview of Investment Advisory Services
FMI provides several different types of investment advisory services:
• We provide general investment advisory services on a discretionary and non-
discretionary basis; and
• We serve as the investment adviser to mutual funds and exchange-traded funds
(each an “ETF”); and
• We provide portfolio management services and investment strategies to separately
managed accounts (each an “SMA”) for a wide range of clients on a discretionary
and non-discretionary basis, including individuals, institutions, high net worth
individuals, family offices, trusts, charitable organizations, pension and profit-
sharing plans, and clients of independent financial advisors; and
• We provide advisory services for Wrap Programs and Model Investment Portfolios;
and
• We design and construct specialized portfolios and provide consulting services
tailored to meet specific client mandates; and
• We act as a Qualified Professional Asset Manager (“QPAM”) under the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), providing requested guidance
on specific transactions related to particular assets of employee benefit plan
investors.
Investment Advisory Services
FMI provides discretionary and non‐discretionary investment management services to
clients for a fee. Clients pay FMI investment advisory fees based on fee schedules as
described in Item 5 – Fees and Compensation.
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FMI provides investment management services to institutional and individual investors
through SMAs, mutual funds and ETFs, and model-based accounts. The services involve
managing each client’s account on a continuous basis and purchasing and selling
investments in the account as deemed necessary by FMI’s professional staff using
discretionary authority granted to FMI by the client. Types of securities managed include
stocks, bonds, options, mutual funds, and ETFs. Some of these positions generally are
used for “hedging” purposes and are designed to reduce, but not necessarily eliminate, the
risk in various client portfolios. Clients may impose restrictions on investing in certain
securities or types of securities. FMI manages client portfolios in accordance with their
investment policies and uses reasonably available resources to comply with investment
restrictions, when applicable.
FMI manages portfolios not involving continuous investment supervisory services. These
services are provided when FMI is retained to perform a particular function not involving
specific knowledge of other assets of the client. An example of such a service is the
management of an institution’s bond portfolio, but not other securities within the client’s
investment portfolio.
FMI also provides sub-advisory services to both unaffiliated asset managers by furnishing
its investment strategies to the asset manager’s clients. The initial investment and asset
allocation recommendations are based on the financial information gathered from, or
provided by, each client including a complete Investment Policy Statement, investment
restrictions requested by the client, or overall financial condition. Based on this information,
the client is provided with initial investment recommendations designed to provide an
appropriate asset mix consistent with the client’s objectives. The client’s portfolio and its
performance are then monitored by the client’s Client Service Representative and the
portfolio management team for consistency with the client’s stated goals and objectives.
Portfolio management teams will also monitor portfolios collectively, at the strategy level.
The frequency of these reviews and transactions made for a client’s accounts are
determined by the Client Service Representative. Clients are free to contact their Client
Service Representatives at any time if they have questions about their accounts.
Additionally, F/m also designs and constructs specialized portfolios and provides consulting
services tailored to meet specific client mandates. FMI also acts as a QPAM under ERISA,
providing requested guidance on specific transactions related to particular assets of
employee benefit plan investors.
In certain cases, FMI provides investment guidance to clients on a non‐discretionary basis
(on either a portion of the assets held in the account or the entire account) with the client
making final investment decisions.
FMI also provides non‐discretionary advisory services to other registered investment
advisers by delivering model portfolios.
FMI does not guarantee the results of its advisory services. Therefore, losses can occur
from following FMI’s advice pertaining to any investment or investment approach, including
using conservative investment strategies.
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Separately Managed Accounts
FMI provides advisory and portfolio management services to SMAs. SMAs charge a fee
based on assets under management. Within reason, clients may impose restrictions on
investing in certain securities or types of securities. FMI will work with the client to
accommodate investment guidelines and restrictions, so long as they do not interfere
materially with a portfolio manager’s ability to implement the investment and portfolio
construction process.
Our chief investment strategies include: (i) small, mid and large cap equities, (ii) fixed
income, (iii) enhanced cash, (iv) municipal bonds and ladders, (v) long and short equity, (vi)
high yield fixed income, (viii) premium income, (ix) covered call, (x) short-term and
intermediate fixed; and (xi) opportunistic income.
Wrap Programs and Model-Based Services
FMI acts as a discretionary investment manager for one or more unaffiliated broker-
sponsored (the “Wrap Sponsors”) wrap-fee programs (“Wrap Programs”). Clients
participating in wrap programs may be charged various program fees in addition to the
advisory fee charged by FMI.
FMI provides asset management services to clients that select the Firm to manage their
accounts through their respective Wrap Sponsor. FMI manages the program accounts in
accordance with their investment policies and will use reasonably available resources to
comply with investment restrictions, when applicable. There may be differences in the
performance of wrap portfolios among FMI clients and other institutional accounts invested
in similar strategies that FMI manages for other clients, resulting from differences in the
number of securities held in the portfolio, cash availability, investment restrictions, account
sizes, tax considerations, and other factors. The Wrap Sponsor generally pays FMI a fee
based on assets managed in connection with the Wrap Program. The fees that FMI receives
in connection with Wrap Programs may vary from fees charged to other clients and between
Wrap Programs. For its advisory services, FMI receives a portion of the total wrap fee
charged by the Wrap Sponsor.
the
FMI also provides model investment portfolios (“Models”) to various outside financial
institutions (each a “Model Provider”) for their unified managed account programs and other
model-driven investment vehicles (“Model Programs”). The Models contain FMI’s
investment recommendations as to the composition of a portfolio that would be purchased
for an account managed in accordance with the relevant investment strategy. The
recommendations generally reflect
investment recommendations and security
weightings simultaneously being made for FMI’s discretionary institutional and high-net-
worth clients within the same investment strategy. The Model Provider may implement
FMI’s Model recommendations on its own trading platform for the clients that have chosen
to participate in the Model Program. Model Providers may choose to implement some or all
of FMI’s recommendations in terms of both securities and/or weightings. As securities and
weightings change in the Model, those modifications are communicated to the Model
Providers, consistent with FMI’s trade rotation practices, as referenced in Item 12 –
Brokerage Practices. There is no requirement that the Models be administered as they
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are provided, or at all, and FMI generally does not monitor or supervise the Model Programs
administered by the outside Model Provider. As a result, the performance of FMI’s
discretionary accounts and those of the Models using the same investment strategy may
differ for these and other reasons.
Generally, Wrap Program and Model Program accounts using the same investment strategy
may perform similarly; however, there could be performance differences between them.
Performance dispersion can occur because FMI does not have trading discretion over the
Model Program accounts.
Sweep vehicle choices are determined by each custodian and FMI may not have tax-
exempt sweep vehicles to choose from with every custodian. This could result in tax-exempt
mandates utilizing a taxable sweep vehicle and, thereby, generating taxable income.
With respect to Model Program services, FMI has no investment discretion, no knowledge
of the underlying investment advisers’ clients, no authority to effect and/or execute trades
on behalf of these registered investment advisers’ clients and no knowledge as to whether
a registered investment adviser followed any of our non‐discretionary investment
recommendations.
Mutual Funds and ETFs
FMI serves as the investment adviser or sub-adviser to and manages mutual funds and
ETFs (collectively, the “Managed Funds”). The Managed Funds are offered by prospectus
only. Each prospectus includes information on the particular fund’s investment objectives,
risks, fees, expenses, and other information that prospective investors should read and
consider carefully before investing.
FMI manages the following mutual funds: the F/m Investments Large Cap Focused Fund
(Investor Class and Institutional Class), the Oakhurst Fixed Income Fund, the Oakhurst
Short Duration Bond Fund and the Oakhurst Short Duration High Yield Credit Fund.
FMI also manages a range of passively and actively managed ETFs. With respect to
passively-managed ETFs, FMI manages the U.S. Benchmark Series of ETFs - our flagship
series of fixed income ETFs. The U.S. Benchmark Series of ETFs allows investors of all
sizes to own each of the “benchmark” U.S. Treasuries in a single-security ETF by holding
the most current or “on the run” U.S. Treasury security that corresponds to its stated
maturity. Next, FMI manages the U.S. Credit Series of ETFs, which are investment grade
corporate bond ETFs designed to equitize points along the credit curve. FMI also manages
the F/m Ultrashort Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) ETF, which provides
exposure to the TIPS market with the ease and efficiency of an ETF. Lastly, FMI manages
two active ETFs, the first of which is the F/m Opportunistic Income ETF, which seeks to
invest in undervalued and opportunistic sectors and securities in the U.S. fixed income
markets. FMI also manages another actively managed ETF with an affiliated entity, Emerald
Mutual Fund Advisers Trust, who acts as the sub-adviser for the Fund and who selects
investments based on breakthrough science and innovation. The F/m Emerald Life
Sciences Innovation ETF primarily invests in equity securities of life sciences companies.
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Other Advisory Services
FMI also provides other advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, corporations,
endowments/foundations, retirement plans, and retirement plan participants. These
advisory and consulting services include: helping formulate client investment objectives;
identifying risk tolerance characteristics; developing Investment Policy Statements; creating
asset allocation strategies driven by a client’s policy or risk profile; searching for suitable
investment managers, mutual funds and/or investment products (e.g., stocks and bonds) to
implement these strategies; and continuous monitoring, evaluation and reporting on client
accounts.
Portfolio Managers of client accounts may also be portfolio managers to mutual funds or
ETFs recommended to clients, and thus have a conflict of interest when recommending
these funds to clients. FMI intends to base recommendations on the best interests of its
clients. Although FMI believes its services are competitively priced; clients may be able to
obtain similar advisory services at lower prices if purchased elsewhere.
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2024, FMI had almost $17 billion in assets under management (“AUM”).
The Firm manages approximately $15,297,259,020 in assets on a discretionary basis and
approximately $1,602,175,214 in assets on a non-discretionary assets.
Item 5 – Fees and Compensation
FMI receives compensation for providing advisory services depending on the manner in
which they are provided.
Compensation for Separately Managed Accounts
Fees for SMAs are negotiable for all discretionary accounts. FMI, in its sole discretion, may
negotiate a lesser management fee or minimum account size due to a variety of factors, as
further described below. The advisory fees charged and the manner and frequency that
they will be calculated are disclosed in the Investment Management Agreement (“IMA”)
signed by the client and FMI. Clients may authorize FMI to debit advisory fees directly from
their accounts, usually through their custodians.
SMAs generally provide for a fee which covers investment management, trade execution,
reports of activity, asset allocation, and the recommendation and monitoring of investment
managers. FMI’s fee typically ranges from 0.35% (35 basis points) to 1.00% (100 basis
points) annually, but typically does not exceed 2.00% annually (200 basis points).
SMAs may incur certain charges imposed by custodians and other third parties, which may
include charges imposed directly by an underlying mutual fund or exchange traded fund in
the account (which are disclosed in the underlying fund’s prospectus), deferred sales
charges, odd-lot differentials, transfer taxes, wire transfer and electronic fund fees, custodial
fees, and other fees and taxes on brokerage accounts and securities transactions.
Additionally, clients may incur brokerage commissions and transaction costs. These
charges, fees and commissions are not included in the FMI’s advisory fee.
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Compensation for Wrap Programs, Unified Managed Accounts (UMA) and Model-Based
Services
FMI participates in several Wrap Programs and Model Programs (collectively, the
“Programs”), as described in Item 4 – Advisory Business, which are sponsored by
unaffiliated investment advisory and/or brokerage firms. Clients in these Programs should
carefully review the Wrap or Model Sponsor’s Form ADV for complete details regarding
each Program, including the risks, fees and expenses of the Programs. The minimum
account size of such Programs is determined by the Wrap or Model Sponsor, and FMI
reserves the right to waive or reduce the minimum account size at its discretion. Clients
participating in these Programs may be charged various Program fees in addition to the
advisory fee charged by FMI.
Commission Structure
the Registered Representatives. FMI pays
FMI has a sales team comprised of registered representatives (each a “Registered
Representative”) who are registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.
(“FINRA”). FMI’s Registered Representatives hold their licenses with a third-party broker-
dealer who is also registered with FINRA called FNEX Capital (“FNEX”). FNEX supervises
the Registered
the sales activity of
Reprsentatives a base salary and discretionary bonus based on performance. The
Registered Representatives also earn commissions based on gross sales of the Managed
Funds, which they recommend on a wholesaling basis to other financial institutions and
financial professionals. The Registered Representatives do not earn commissions on
individual sales of the Managed Funds.
Mutual Funds and ETFs
FMI advises mutual funds and ETFs (each a “Managed Fund”, or, collectively, the
“Managed Funds”). The Managed Funds compensate FMI for the provision of services in
accordance with investment advisory agreements approved by the Board of Trustees of
each Managed Fund.
Mutual Funds
With respect to the mutual funds, FMI is paid a fee equal to the annual rate below based on
the Managed Fund’s average NAV :
F/m Investments Large Cap Focused Fund
Investor Class – 0.90%
Institutional Class – 0.90%
Oakhurst Fixed Income Fund – 0.50%
Oakhurst Short Duration Bond Fund – 0.35%
Oakhurst Short Duration High Yield Credit Fund – 0.75%
FMI has a contractual agreement with the Oakhurst Managed Funds under which it agreed
to reduce its investment advisory fee and to absorb fund expenses to the extent necessary
to limit total annual operating expenses for 2 years, ending October 30, 2025, which is
described further in each Oakhurst Managed Fund’s prospectus.
ETFs
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With respect to the ETFs, each fund has a unitary management fee that is computed and
paid monthly at an annual rate that is a specified percentage of each Fund’s average daily
net asset value (“NAV”) during the month. From the unitary management fee, the Adviser
pays most of the expenses of each Managed Fund, including the cost of transfer agency,
custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services. However, the Adviser does not
pay for interest expenses, brokerage commissions and other trading expenses, taxes and
other extraordinary costs, such as litigation and other expenses not incurred in the ordinary
course of business. FMI is paid a unitary management fee annually based on each
Managed Fund’s daily NAV:
US Benchmark Series – 0.15%
US Credit Series – 0.15%
F/m Opportunistic Income ETF – 0.39%
F/m Ultrashort Treasury Inflation-Protected Security (TIPS) ETF – 0.25%
F/m Emerald Life Sciences Innovation ETF – 0.79%
Use of Managed Funds in Client Accounts and Models
FMI may recommend or allocate the Managed Funds to certain advisory clients or within
certain investment models. In these instances, we waive the client’s account management
fee for the portion of assets invested in the Managed Funds. The Client pays the fees,
expenses and charges associated with the Managed Funds, custodian or other third parties.
Please refer to the prospectus and statement of additional information (“SAI”) for information
about the fees and expenses associated with the Managed Funds.
FMI may recommend or allocate the Managed Funds to accounts for which it acts as the
investment adviser. FMI receives a management fee from the Managed Funds which may
be higher than the account management fee for a SMA or model running the same strategy,
thereby creating a conflict of interest, as FMI has an incentive to utilize Managed Funds in
client accounts or models. Each Managed Fund recommendation or allocation will be
evaluated and made only if FMI deems it to be in the client’s best interest.
Compensation for Other Advisory Services
Fees for other advisory services are negotiated and depend upon the complexity and nature
of the assignment. Asset based fees are typically billed quarterly, in advance, unless other
arrangements are negotiated. The client and FMI generally have the right to terminate the
agreement upon 30 days’ written notice. Any unearned prepaid fees are prorated and
returned to the client. The client pays agreed upon expenses due but not paid.
FMI has arrangements with other advisory firms where it will have discretionary authority
over client assets; however, FMI is not the client’s primary adviser and instead acts in a
sub-advisory capacity. Fee arrangements for these accounts are generally negotiated
individually based on the needs of the client, size of the account, and services provided to
such accounts.
General Fee Information
Fee Billing
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For new clients, advisory fees are typically payable quarterly in advance, based on the
average month-end market value of the securities in the client’s account during the quarter.
Some legacy clients may have their own traditional billing arrangements, which can vary.
Advisory fees are prorated based on the number of days that an account was open during
the quarter. Client account fees are generally debited from each client’s account by their
custodian, as per FMI’s instructions, and as allowed for by the client in the applicable IMA.
The custodian sends each client a statement paid from the account, including any additional
custodial fees.
Negotiability of Advisory Fees
Although FMI has established fees for its advisory services, as further described in this Item
5 – Fees and Compensation, it retains the right to negotiate alternative fees or reduce
minimum account size in its discretion on a case-by-case basis. Client facts, circumstances
and needs are considered when we determine the fee schedule. Factors may include FMI’s
relationship with the primary advisor, the complexity of the client, assets to be placed under
management, anticipated future additional assets, related accounts, portfolio style, and
account composition, among other factors. The specific annual fee is specified in the
advisory contract between FMI and each client.
Termination of Advisory Relationship
A client agreement can be cancelled at any time and for any reason by either FMI or the
client, upon written notice. Fees payable are prorated to the date of termination. Fees are
also prorated for the initial quarter of services to reflect the number of days that FMI provided
advisory services. If any advisory fees were paid in advance of services provided, they are
promptly refunded upon termination, pro-rated according to the days remaining in the billing
period.
Mutual Fund and ETF Fees
Any fees paid to FMI for investment advisory services are separate from the fees and
expenses charged by mutual funds and ETFs to their shareholders. These fees and
expenses are described in each fund’s prospectus and generally include a management
fee, fund expenses and distribution fees.
Additional Fees and Expenses
In addition to advisory fees, FMI’s clients are also responsible for the fees and expenses
charged by custodians and by broker-dealers, including, but not limited to, transaction
charges imposed by broker-dealers when an independent manager effects transactions for
a client’s account.
ERISA Accounts
FMI is deemed to be a fiduciary to advisory clients that are employee benefit plans or
individual retirement accounts pursuant to ERISA and the regulations under the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), respectively. FMI is subject to certain obligations and
responsibilities under ERISA and the CODE, including restrictions regarding certain forms
of compensation. FMI has policies and procedures in place to avoid engaging in prohibited
transactions.
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Item 6 – Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management
Under certain circumstances, FMI may in the future enter into performance-based fee
arrangements in accordance with Rule 205-3 of the Advisers Act. The management of
accounts with different advisory fee rates and/or fee structures, including accounts that pay
advisory fees based on account performance, may raise potential conflicts of interest by
creating an incentive to favor higher-fee accounts. These potential conflicts include, among
others:
• The most attractive investments could be allocated to higher-fee accounts or
performance fee accounts.
• The trading of higher-fee accounts or performance fee accounts could be favored
as to timing and/or execution price. For example, higher-fee accounts or
performance fee accounts could be permitted to sell securities earlier than other
accounts when a prompt sale is desirable or to buy securities at an earlier and more
opportune time.
• The trading of other accounts could be used to benefit higher-fee accounts (front-
running).
• The investment management team could focus their time and efforts primarily on
higher-fee accounts or performance fee accounts due to a personal stake in
compensation.
In the event that FMI enters into a performance-based fee arrangement, FMI will attempt to
address these potential conflicts of interest through various compliance policies that are
generally intended to place all accounts, regardless of fee structure, on the same footing
for investment management purposes.
For example, under FMI’s policies:
• Performance fee accounts are included in all standard trading and allocation
procedures with all other accounts.
• All accounts managed in the same style trade in parallel with allocations of similar
accounts based on the procedures generally applicable to those accounts.
• All trading must be effected through our trading desk and normal queues and
procedures must be followed (i.e., no special treatment is permitted for performance
fee accounts or higher-fee accounts based on account fee structure).
FMI provides investment advice to client accounts and provides sub-advisory services to
other accounts. We seek to ensure that all clients are treated fairly and equitably over time,
regardless of the type of client, level of services provided, or the nature of our fee
compensation.
Item 7 – Types of Clients
Our Client Base
FMI makes its advisory services available to a wide variety of clients, including but not
limited to, individuals, institutions, high-net worth individuals, investment companies (mutual
funds and ETFs), qualified retirement plans (pension, profit-sharing, SEP IRA, defined
benefit), corporations and other business entities, trusts, estates, charitable organizations,
clients of independent financial advisers, other registered advisers through sub-advisory
agreements and wrap and model portfolio programs.
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Minimum Account Size
The minimum account size for SMA clients in FMI’s strategies varies, with some strategies
requiring as low as $50,000 and other strategies requiring $1,000,000 to $5,000,000.
FMI may, in its sole discretion, waive its minimum account size and/or minimum fee based
upon certain criteria (e.g., historical relationship, type of assets, anticipated future earning
capacity, anticipated future additional assets, dollar amounts of assets to be managed,
related accounts, account composition, negotiations with clients, etc.).
Item 8 – Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves the risk of loss that clients should be prepared to bear. FMI
does not have a single strategy or program that is used for all advisory clients. Rather,
strategies adopted for, or recommended to, particular clients are based on the individual
needs and objectives of each client. Client portfolio parameters may vary due to the industry
in which the client is involved or the goals for the portfolio (e.g., maximizing current income,
asset preservation, or attainment of a certain yield over a defined period of time). Despite
this relative diversity in clients’ needs and objectives, FMI frequently uses common portfolio
management strategies, where applicable, to manage similar portfolios with similar needs
and objectives in similar ways. Neither FMI, nor the third party managers it may secure, can
guarantee the results of any advice given. Therefore, significant losses can occur by
investing in any security, or by following any strategy, including conservative investments
and strategies recommended or applied by FMI.
Methods of Analysis
When making investment decisions, FMI uses many sources of information, including
publicly available filings, financial periodicals, research materials prepared by others, data
services, and Wall Street analyses. Asset allocation software and historical performance
modeling software may also be used. The Firm utilizes many methods of analysis, including,
but not limited to:
Cyclical Analysis. In this type of technical analysis, FMI seeks to measure the movements
of a particular stock against the overall market in an attempt to predict the price movement
of the security.
Fundamental Analysis. FMI attempts to measure the intrinsic value of a security by looking
at economic and financial factors (including the overall economy, industry conditions, and
the financial condition and management of the company itself) to determine if the company
is underpriced (indicating it may be a good time to buy) or overpriced (indicating it may be
time to sell).
Mutual Fund and/or ETF Analysis. FMI may look at the experience and track record of
the manager of a mutual fund or ETF in an attempt to determine if that manager has
demonstrated an ability to invest over a period of time and in different economic conditions.
The Firm may also look at the underlying assets in a mutual fund or ETF in an attempt to
determine if there is significant overlap in the underlying investments held in other fund(s)
in the client’s portfolio.
Quantitative Analysis. FMI may use mathematical models to obtain more accurate
measurements of a company’s quantifiable data, such as the value of a share price or
earnings per share and predict changes to that data.
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Technical Analysis. FMI seeks to analyze past market movements and apply that analysis
to the present in an attempt to recognize recurring patterns of investor behavior and
potentially predict future price movement. Technical analysis does not consider the
underlying financial condition of a company.
Third-Party Money Manager Analysis. FMI may examine the experience, expertise,
investment philosophies, and past performance of independent third-party investment
managers in an attempt to determine if the manager has demonstrated an ability to invest
over a period of time and in different economic conditions. FMI may monitor the manager’s
underlying holdings, strategies, concentrations and leverage as part of the Firm’s overall
periodic risk assessment. Additionally, as part its due-diligence process, FMI may survey
the manager to review its compliance and business enterprise risks.
While FMI makes every effort to consider tax consequences when it provides investment
advice, the sale of investments may cause taxable gain(s) or loss(es) to clients. Clients are
advised to consult their independent personal tax professional about tax consequences
resulting from transactions or any particular investment held in their account.
Investment Strategies
FMI’s portfolio managers utilize many analytical methods when formulating investment
advice, constructing portfolios, and/or managing client assets. Each type of analysis relies
on the assumption that the companies whose securities are purchased and sold, the rating
agencies that review these securities, and the other publicly-avaialble sources of
information about these securities, are providing accurate information. While FMI strives to
vet the sources of information that it relies upon, there is always a risk that an analysis may
be compromised by inaccurate or misleading data or information.
Risk of Loss
Clients and/or investors in any of FMI’s products should be aware that investing in securities
involves risk of loss and they should be prepared to bear that loss. Risks are inherent in any
investment, the amount of which may vary significantly, and investment performance can
never be predicted or guaranteed. There is no guarantee that the investment objectives of
any strategy will be met. No investment strategy can assure a profit or avoid a loss. Past
performance is not a guarantee of future performance.
The risk associated with any investment in FMI’s strategies, products and/or Model
Portfolios may include some or all of the following, which are listed in alphabetical order to
facilitate finding particular risks:
• Active Management Risk. Investments are subject to the risk that judgments about
the value or potential appreciation of the investment may prove to be incorrect. If
the selection of securities or strategies fails to product the intended results, the
investment may underperform relative to other investments with similar objectives
or strategies.
• Affiliate Risk. Affiliate risk is the risk that FMI may select underlying investments
for its mutual funds or ETFs based on its own financial interests or other business
considerations rather than the interests of the particular mutual fund or ETF. FMI
may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the underlying funds
because: (i) they pay an advisory fee to FMI based on their assets, (ii) the fees paid
14
to FMI by some affiliated funds may be higher than other funds, and/or (iii) the
underlying investment may be in need of assets to enhance its appeal to other
investors, liquidity and trading and/or to enable them to carry out their investment
strategies. However, the Adviser is a fiduciary to the each mutual fund and ETF and
is legally obligated to act in the best interest of each mutual fund and ETF when
selecting underlying investments.
• Asset Allocation Risk. An account or portfolio’s risk directly corresponds to the risk
of the asset classes in which it invests. Investing in multiple asset classes (either
directly or indirectly) can facilitate diversification, but also creates exposure to the
risks of different areas of the market. The direct or indirect allocation of an account
or portfolio’s assets amongst various asset classes and market sectors can cause
an account or portfolio to underperform other accounts or portfolios with similar
investment objectives.
• Bank Obligation Investments. Bank obligations may be more susceptible to
adverse events affecting the U.S. banking industry. Banks are highly regulated and
any decisions by regulators that limit the loans a bank may make or the interest rates
or fees they charge, may negatively impact a bank’s profitability.
• Business Risk. Business risks are associated with a particular industry or a
particular company within an industry. For example, oil-drilling companies depend
on finding oil and then refining it, a lengthy process, before they can generate a
profit. They carry a higher risk of profitability than an electric company, which
generates its income from a steady stream of customers who buy electricity no
matter what the economic environment is like.
• Concentration Risk. Because some of the Firm’s strategies have a high
percentage of total assets invested in a small number of portfolio holdings, any
single loss may have a significant adverse impact on the portfolio value.
• Convertible Securities Risk: After its purchase, a non-equity investment directly or
indirectly held by a portfolio, such as a convertible debt obligation may convert to an
equity security (converted investment). Alternatively, a portfolio may directly or
indirectly acquire equity securities in connection with a restructuring event related to
one or more of its non-equity investments. Challenges in liquidating the converted
investment at an advantageous time may impact the performance of the portfolio.
• Counterparty Risk. Other parties to an agreement or a participant in a transaction,
such as a broker-dealer, might default on a contract or fail to perform by failing to
pay amounts due or failing to fulfill the obligations of the contract or transaction.
• Credit Risk. An investment can lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a security
is unable or unwilling or is perceived to be so, whether by market participants, rating
agencies, pricing services or otherwise, to honor its obligations. The value of a debt
instrument is likely to fall if an issuer or borrower suffers an adverse change in
financial condition resulting in a payment default or ratings downgrade. The risk of
default is higher for emerging market bonds and securities related below investment
grade.
• Cyber Security Risk. The Firm maybe be prone to operational and information
security risks resulting from cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks include, among other
behaviors, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, denial of
services attacks on websites, the unauthorized release of confidential information
or various other forms of cybersecurity breaches. Cybersecurity attacks affecting
15
FMI or its service providers may adversely impact clients. For instance, cyber-
attacks may interfere with the processing of transactions, cause the release of
private information about clients, impede trading, subject clients and the Firm to
regulatory fines or financial losses, and cause reputational damage. Similar types of
cybersecurity risks are also present for issuers of securities in which clients may
invest, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and
may cause FMI’s investment in such issuers to lose value.
• Currency Risk. International investments are subject to fluctuations in the value of
the dollar against the currency of the investment’s originating country. This is also
referred to as exchange rate risk.
• Equity Securities Risk. The value of equity securities fluctuates in response to
general market and economic conditions (market risk) and in response to the
performance of individual companies (company risk). Therefore, the value of an
investment in the portfolios that hold equity securities may decrease. The market
can decline for many reasons, including adverse political or economic developments
in the U.S. or abroad, changes in investor psychology, or heavy institutional selling.
Also, certain unanticipated events, such as natural disasters, pandemics,
epidemics, terrorist attacks, war, economic sanctions, and other geopolitical events,
can have a dramatic adverse effect on stock markets. Changes in the financial
condition of a company or other issuer, changes in specific market, economic,
political, and regulatory conditions that affect a particular type of investment or
issuer, and changes in general market, economic, political, and regulatory
conditions can adversely affect the price of equity securities. These developments
and changes can affect a single issuer, issuers within a broad market sector,
industry or geographic region, or the market in general.
• ETF Risk. ETFs are investment companies that are bought and sold on a national
securities exchange. Unlike mutual funds, ETFs do not necessarily trade at the net
asset values of their underlying securities, which means an ETF could potentially
trade above or below the value of the underlying portfolios. Additionally, because
ETFs trade like stocks on exchanges, they are subject to trading and commission
costs unlike some mutual funds. Also, both mutual funds and ETFs have
management fees that are part of their costs, and the portfolios will indirectly bear a
proportionate share of these costs.
• Foreign Exchange Risk. Certain mutual funds and SMAs invest in foreign
securities that are purchased and held in foreign currencies. The value of the United
States Dollar relative to foreign currencies may fluctuate creating valuations that do
not necessarily represent a security’s performance in its native currency. Certain
mutual funds and SMAs partially or fully hedge this exposure which incurs additional
transaction cost and may limit the portfolios performance or ability to invest in select
securities.
• Foreign Investment Risk. Certain mutual funds and SMAs invest in foreign stocks
that may perform differently from domestic markets as a whole and following a
strategy that uses in part or in whole foreign stocks may cause a portfolio to at time
underperform domestic or global equity funds that use other investment strategies.
Additionally, foreign stocks are subject to foreign exchange risk.
• Frequent Trading and Portfolio Turnover Risk. Certain strategies may invest on
the basis of short-term market considerations and will make frequent trades in
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securities, which can result in higher transaction costs and higher levels of current
tax liability, which can adversely affect a portfolio’s performance.
• Growth Investment Risk. Securities that have high valuation ratios and high
expected profitability may perform differently from the market as a whole and an
investment strategy purchasing these securities may cause the portfolio to at times
underperform equity funds that use other investment strategies.
•
•
• High Yield Securities Risk. High-yield securities (also known as “junk bonds") are
often considered to be speculative and involve greater risk of default or price
changes than investment grade fixed-income securities due to changes in the
issuers or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness. The issuers of
these securities may not be as financially strong as the issuers of higher rated
securities. Prices of lower-rated securities have been found to be less sensitive to
interest rate changes and more sensitive to adverse economic changes and
individual corporate developments than more highly rated investments. When a
security’s rating is reduced below investment grade, it may be more difficult for the
portfolio to receive income from its investment.
Inflation Risk. When any type of inflation is present, a dollar today will not buy as
much as a dollar next year, because purchasing power is eroding at the rate of
inflation.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will
decline in value because of changes in interest rates. Bond prices and interest rates
usually move in opposite directions. Prices fall because the bonds and notes in an
account’s portfolio become less attractive to other investors when securities with
higher yields become available. Interest rate changes can be sudden and
unpredictable. Fixed income securities with longer durations tend to be more
sensitive to changes in interest rates, usually making them more volatile than
securities with shorter durations. Generally, the longer the maturity of a security or
the longer an account’s weighted average maturity, the greater its interest rate risk.
• Leverage Risk. Certain strategies use leverage in the investment programs,
including the use of borrowed funds and the use of short sales. Leverage is a
speculative technique that may adversely affect investors. If the return on securities
acquired with borrowed funds or other leverage proceeds does not exceed the cost
of the leverage, the use of leverage could cause the investor to lose money. There
is no assurance that a leveraging strategy will be successful.
• Liquidity risk. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to
purchase or sell (e.g., not publicly traded and/or no market is currently available or
may become less liquid in response to market developments). Less liquid
investments may be difficult to value and can change prices abruptly. As the size of
the holding increases, the liquidity risk may also increase. Illiquid investments may
(i) hinder FMI’s ability to sell the investment in a timely manner or at desired prices
based on current market conditions and/or (ii) impact the client’s ability to receive
proceeds in a timely manner.
• Market Risk. Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit.
Economic, political, overall market and issuer-specific events will cause the value of
securities, and the portfolio that owns them, to rise or fall. Because the value of an
investment in a portfolio will fluctuate, there is a risk that investors will lose money.
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• Momentum or Growth Investment Risk. Momentum or growth stocks may perform
differently from the market as a whole and following a momentum or growth-oriented
investment strategy may cause a portfolio to at times underperform equity funds that
use other investment strategies.
• Municipal Securities Risk. Municipal securities are subject to interest rate, credit
and illiquidity risk and are affected by economic, business, and political
developments. Lower rated municipal obligations are subject to greater credit and
market risk than higher quality municipal obligations. Municipal securities can be
significantly affected by political changes, as well as uncertainties in the municipal
market related to taxation, legislative changes, or the rights of municipal security
holders. In addition, the perceived increased likelihood of default among issuers of
municipal bonds has resulted in increased illiquidity, increased price volatility and
credit downgrades of such issuers. A lack of information regarding certain issuers
may make their municipal securities more difficult to assess.
• Option Risk. Writing call options can reduce the risk of owning equity securities to
the extent of the premium earned, but it limits the opportunity to profit from an
increase in the market value of stocks. Unusual market conditions or the lack of a
ready market for any particular option at a specific time may reduce the
effectiveness of the option strategies, and for these reasons the option strategies
may not reduce the funds’ volatility to the extent desired. This may result in lower
performance than if the strategies were not used.
• Prepayment Risk. Accounts that invest in income securities bear the risk that an
issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation (such as an asset-based
or mortgage-backed security) earlier than expected. This may happen during
periods of declining interest rates. Under these circumstances, an account may
receive a lower-than-expected yield and may be forced to reinvest in lower yielding
securities.
• Quantitative Model Risk. When executing an
investment strategy using
quantitative models, securities or other financial instruments, the model may
perform differently than expected, or from the market as a whole, as a result of a
model's component factors, the weight placed on each factor, changes from the
factors’ historical trends, and technical issues in the construction, implementation
and maintenance of the models (e.g., data problems, software issues, etc.). There
can be no assurance that a model will achieve its objective.
• Reinvestment Risk. Future proceeds from investments may have to be reinvested
at a potentially lower rate of return (i.e., interest rate). This primarily relates to fixed
income securities.
• REIT Trading Risk. Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITS”) are investment
companies that are bought and sold on a national securities exchange. Unlike
mutual funds, REITS do not necessarily trade at the NAV of their underlying
holdings, which means a REIT could potentially trade above or below the value of
the underlying portfolio. Additionally, because REITs trade like stocks on
exchanges, they are subject to trading and commission costs unlike some mutual
funds. Also, both mutual funds and REITs have management fees that are part of
their costs, and the portfolios indirectly bear a proportionate share of these costs.
• Repurchase Agreement Risk. The price paid for a particular loan or security in the
Small Business Administration (“SBA”) pool may be less than the purchase price
18
because of interest rate movements, supply and demand, and other factors. Repo
counterparties could fail to repurchase the loans and securities upon demand and
could result in the actual loans and securities being delivered to a client’s account.
• Sector Risk. Certain portfolios allocate large portions of their investments in a
particular economic sector, and as a result, the value of the portfolio may be subject
to greater risk than a portfolio allocated more broadly across multiple sectors.
• Short Sale Risk. When a short sale strategy is used, the Firm will sell a stock it
does not own but has borrowed, at the current market price. Short sales involve the
risk that the investment will incur a loss by subsequently buying a security at a higher
price than the price at which it sold the security short. The amount of such loss is
theoretically unlimited (since it is limited only by the increase in value of the security
sold short). In contrast, the risk of loss from a long position is limited to the
investment in the long position, since its value cannot fall below zero. Strategies
which utilize short sales may not always be able to close out a short position on
favorable terms, and brokers could force us to close out short positions (i.e., ‘buy-
in’) before we are otherwise ready to do so. Short selling is also a form of leverage.
• Small/Mid-Cap Securities Risk. Stocks of small, emerging companies may have
less liquidity than those of larger, established companies and may be subject to
greater price volatility and risk than the overall stock market.
• Structured Product Risk. These types of products are often based on derivatives
and are intended to be “buy and hold” investments and are not liquid instruments.
• U.S. Government Securities Risk. Some U.S. Government securities, such as
U.S. government agency notes and bonds, are neither insured nor guaranteed by
the U.S. government, meaning they are only supported by the right of the issuer to
borrow from the U.S. government or by the credit of the agency issuing the
obligation. If the strategy invests in a quasi-government security that is not backed
by the U.S. government, there is no assurance that the U.S. government would
provide support, and the strategy’s performance could be adversely impacted if
there is a deterioration in the financial condition of the issuer.
The above list of risks is not intended to be an exhaustive list or an explanation of the risks
involved in a particular investment strategy. Clients should consult with their legal counsel,
and/or tax professional on an ongoing basis for additional insights.
Item 9 – Disciplinary Information
FMI has no disciplinary information to report. Neither the Firm nor its supervised persons
have been involved in any legal or disciplinary events (i.e., criminal or civil action in a
domestic, foreign or military court, or administrative proceeding before the SEC or any other
federal or state regulatory agency, or self-regulatory organization) that are material to
evaluating FMI’s advisory business or the integrity of its management.
Item 10 – Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Relationships or Arrangements of Related Persons
David Littleton, the President of FMI, owns entities for the sole purpose of renting real estate
properties. Mr. Littleton is not involved in the day-to-day operations of the management of
these properties and clients of the Firm are not offered or solicited to participate in these
19
real estate investments. The Firm also attempts to mitigate the potential conflict of interest
by requiring Mr. Littleton to acknowledge FMI’s Code of Ethics, which includes a reminder
that Mr. Littleton owes a fiduciary duty to the clients of the Firm and to put the interests of
clients ahead of his own.
Mr. Littleton and Alexander Morris, the Chief Executive Officer of FMI, have an ownership
interest in, and control of, Oakhurst Capital Advisors, LLC (“OCA”), an investment adviser
registered with the SEC. OCA is not directly affiliated with FMI. OCA acts as sub-adviser to
FMI for management of the Oakhurst mutual funds and several SMAs. FMI has a conflict
of interest to utilize OCA to sub-advise on certain assets as a result of Mr. Littleton’s and
Mr. Morris’ ownership interest and control of OCA. FMI believes that there is a reasonable
basis that its sub-advisory relationship with OCA is consistent with the best interests of FMI
clients and clients do not pay a higher overall fee as a result of the sub-advisory relationship
between FMI and OCA. In addition, this arrangement provides FMI and its clients with
access to certain trading resources, technology, and reporting that it believes are ultimately
beneficial to FMI’s clients.
EmStone Advisers, LLC (“EmStone”), a registered investment adviser, is a subsidiary of
Emerald Advisers, LLC which, in turn, is a subsidiary of FMG. EmStone has engaged the
Adviser to be a sub-adviser to manage investment strategies for certain of EmStone’s
clients.
FMI has adopted policies and procedures designed to address conflicts, including policies
restricting trading in a security when an affiliate notifies FMI that the affiliate has material
non-public information about the security and/or issuer. As a result, FMI may not be able to
dispose of a security at a favorable time or take advantage of investment opportunities that
would be available to it but for its affiliation with such affiliates.
As noted above in Item 4 – Advisory Business, FMI provides advisory services to
Managed Funds. From time to time, FMI may recommend that clients buy or sell shares of
the Managed Funds. While FMI endeavors at all times to put the interests of clients first as
part of its fiduciary duty, clients should be aware that FMI’s receipt of compensation for
managing these funds creates a conflict of interest.
When FMI invests in shares of a fund that it advises, FMI does not charge an investment
management fee on those assets. Instead, FMI excludes those Managed Fund assets when
it calculate the investment management fees charged to its clients.
Item 11 – Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions &
Personal Trading
Code of Ethics
FMI has adopted and enforces a Code of Ethics (“Code”) in accordance with Rule 204A-1
of the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940. All employees
are considered to be “Supervised Persons” subject to the Code. The Code is designed to
prevent the misuse of material, non-public information by FMI or any of its Supervised
Persons. The Code requires that Supervised Persons acknowledge receipt of the Code at
the time of hire and annually thereafter, and to report violations of the Code, in addition to
complying with applicable federal and state securities laws. The Code requires that when
acting in a fiduciary capacity, Supervised Persons must strive to put the client’s interest
ahead of the Firm’s interests. FMI’s Supervised Persons will not engage in fraudulent,
20
deceptive or manipulative conduct with respect to clients, and will act with appropriate care,
skill and diligence. The Code sets forth specific provisions relating to Supervised Person’s
outside business activities, political contributions and confidentiality.
A copy of FMI’s Code of Ethics is available upon request by e-mailing the FMI at
info@fminvest.com or sending a written request to: F/m Investments LLC, 111 Huntington
Avenue, Boston, MA 02199, Attention: Compliance Department.
Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
It is possible that FMI may recommend that clients (or the funds which it manages) buy or
sell securities or investment products in which a related person of the Firm or an employee
of the Firm has some financial interest. Specifically, as previously disclosed above, FMI
may recommend that some clients invest in the Managed Funds, or FMI may allocate the
Managed Funds in certain model portfolios. FMI’s portfolio managers may invest in the
Managed Funds and the Firm requires that all such transactions be carried out in a manner
that does not conflict with the interests of any client. FMI requires all Supervised Persons
act in accordance with all applicable federal and state regulations governing their activities.
Furthermore, FMI’s Code of Ethics expresses the Firm’s commitment to ethical conduct.
Superised Persons may buy or sell securities for their personal accounts which are identical
or different than those recommended to clients. It is FMI’s policy that no Supervised Person
may prefer his or her own interest to that of an advisory client or make personal investment
decisions based on the investment decision of advisory clients.
Personal Trading
Certain Supervised Persons are also “Access Persons” that are subject to the personal
securities trading policy of the Code. The personal securities trading policy sets forth trading
restrictions and mandatory quarterly and annual reports of Access Person’s transactions
and holdings. Access Persons are permitted to invest for their own accounts, which may
include investments in FMI’s products or in the same securities that FMI selects for its client
accounts. This creates a potential conflict of interest because FMI’s Access Persons may
have an incentive to execute their orders in front of client orders. To mitigate this conflict,
the Code imposes restrictions (e.g., blackout periods, holding periods, restricted securities,
and watch lists) on trading in securities that are or may be held in client accounts. Any
exceptions to the Code must be pre-approved by the Compliance Department. Such
approval will be given only where it is clear that the proposed activity would not create a
potential conflict of interest or harm, disadvantage, or deprive any client of an opportunity.
In the event of a potential conflict of interest, the foremost consideration is what is in the
best interest of the client.
Item 12 – Brokerage Practices
Best Execution and Trading Policies
FMI’s policy is to seek the best execution in security transactions for each client. The Firm
defines best execution as placing trades in such a manner that the client’s total proceeds
or cost for each transaction is the most favorable under the circumstances in which the
trades are placed. The determinative factor is not the lowest possible price and commission
cost, but whether the transaction represents the best qualitative execution for the client.
21
Unless clients direct FMI otherwise, FMI allocates transactions to unaffilited broker-dealers
for execution on markets at prices and commission rates that the Firm determines will be in
the best interest of the client. FMI selects the broker-dealer for best execution based on a
number of factors, including price, commission, order size, difficulty of execution, degree of
skill required by the broker-dealer and trading, execution, clearance and settlement
capabilities. FMI may also take factors into account that are relevant to the specific broker-
dealer, such as financial stability, reputation, past history of prompt and reliable execution
of client trades, operational efficiency, access to markets, brokerage and research services
provided, and overall responsiveness to the Firm.
All client trades are allocated to broker-dealers on FMI’s “Approved Broker List,” which is a
list of broker-dealers that the Brokerage Practices Committee has approved for use as
executing brokers for client securities transactions. The Approved Broker List is maintained
to facilitate the orderly and consistent use of suitable executing broker-dealers for client
transactions. In selecting broker-dealers for the Approved Broker List, the Committee
utilizes a subjective determination after weighing a combination of the factors listed above.
The ultimate determination as to the broker-dealer to select from the Approved Broker List
on any given trade is made by the trader responsible for executing the transaction.
FMI may aggregate orders of securities for multiple client accounts and may aggregate sale
or purchase orders of securities held by clients with similar orders being made
simultaneously for other clients if such aggregation is reasonably likely to result in overall
economic benefit to clients based on an evaluation that the clients are benefited by relatively
better purchase or sale prices, lower commission expenses or beneficial timing of
transactions, or a combination of these and other factors. In some instances, the purchase
or sale of securities for clients will be effected simultaneously with the purchase or sale of
like securities for other clients. Such transactions may be made at slightly different prices,
due to the volume of securities purchased or sold. In such event, the average price of all
securities purchased or sold in such transactions is determined and the client may be
charged or credited, as the case may be, the average transaction price.
FMI may use pro rata allocation when an aggregated order cannot be fully executed in a
single day. In such cases, the portion of the order filled on a particular day is generally
allocated among participating accounts based on the size of each account’s order. Such
allocations are subject to the Firm’s ability to cancel or modify an order for one or more
accounts if, the Firm believes that as a result of the incomplete fill, the order is no longer
appropriate for such accounts. FMI may apply a minimum order allocation amount, which
may vary based on a market convention associated with the particular security. Where
remaining positions are too small to satisfy the minimum allocation amount, the Firm may
decide to allocate the remaining shares to those accounts seeking large positions which
remain unfilled or to allocate remaining shares to those accounts whose order would be
completed as a result of the allocation.
FMI may allocate on a basis other than pro rata if, under the circumstances, such other
method is reasonable, equitable, does not result in improper or undisclosed advantage or
disadvantage to a particular account or group of accounts and results in fair access, over
time, to trading opportunities for all eligible accounts. For example,the Firm may identify
investment opportunities that are more appropriate for certain accounts than others and
may determine to allocate a partial fill to such accounts.
Factors which the Firm may consider in making allocation decisions include, among others:
investment objectives and restrictions, cash availability and changes in cash flows, including
22
current or anticipated redemptions, exchanges and capital contributions/withdrawals. Other
allocation methods which may be used by the Firm include random and rotational allocation.
Such allocation methods may be particularly appropriate when the transaction size is too
limited to be effectively allocated pro rata among all eligible accounts.
As it relates to equity tactical trades, the Firm will rotate executions across broad trading
categories (“Trade Categories”). The accounts are grouped largely based upon the Firm’s
ability to have control over the trading execution process. Accounts within each Trade
Category will trade together, and the Trade Categories will be rotated. This will result in
some Trade Categories trading later than others and thereby potentially receiving different
prices for the same securities. The intention of the rotation is to ensure that all clients,
regardless of Trade Category, are treated fairly and consistently over time.
SMA clients may direct brokerage transactions through other brokerage firms. When this
happens, FMI is unable to seek the best available price and most favorable execution for
the client’s transactions. Consequently, the clients may not necessarily obtain execution of
transactions or brokerage rates as favorable as those which might be obtained where FMI
does select brokerage firms and negotiate commission rates and prices. Furthermore, the
fees and charges payable under this arrangement may be higher than the aggregate
amount of fees and charges that these clients would pay if FMI were to negotiate the fees
and charges of each service provider and securities transaction separately.
Research and Soft Dollars
When appropriate, under its discretionary authority and consistent with its duty to seek best
execution, FMI may direct trades for client accounts to brokers who provide the Firm with
brokerage and research services. The client commissions used to acquire brokerage and
research services are known as "soft dollars." The Firm complies with Section 28(e) of the
Securities Act of 1934, as amended, which provides a "safe harbor" that allows an
investment adviser to pay more than the lowest available commission for brokerage and
research services if it determines in good faith that: (1) the brokerage and research services
fall within the definitions set forth in Section 28(e); (2) the brokerage and research services
provide lawful and appropriate assistance in the investment decision-making process; and
(3) the commission paid is reasonable in relation to the brokerage and research services
provided. The use of client commissions to pay for research and brokerage services may
present FMI with conflicts of interest because: (1) it receives an indirect benefit that it does
not have to pay for from its resources, and (2) the Firm may be incentivized to select brokers
based on receiving brokerage and research services rather than receiving the most
favorable execution.
The receipt of brokerage and research services in exchange for soft dollars benefits the
Firm by allowing it to supplement its own research and analysis activities, to receive views
and information from research experts, and to gain access to persons having special
expertise on certain companies, industries, areas of economy, and market factors. These
brokerage and research services are made available to the Firm in connection with its
investment decision-making responsibilities and enhance the Firm’s capability to discharge
those responsibilities and this generally benefits all clients. FMI conducts periodic formal
evaluations of its receipt of brokerage and research services. The Firm’s Brokerage
Practices Committee where it periodically reviews these types of relationships.
Brokerage and research services acquired with soft dollars may include, but not be limited
to: written and oral reports on the economy, industries, sectors and individual companies or
23
issuers; appraisals and analysis relating to markets and economic factors; statistical
information; accounting and tax law interpretations; political analyses; reports on legal
developments affecting portfolio securities; information on technical market actions; credit
analyses; on-line quotations, trading techniques, and other trading systems; risk
measurement; analyses of corporate responsibility issues; research related on-line news
services; seminars; on-site visits; asset allocation software; pricing; indices data; and
financial and market database services. Brokerage and research services obtained with
soft dollars are not necessarily utilized for the specific account that generated the soft
dollars. Some clients, including, but not limited to, directed brokerage clients, unified
managed account clients, and clients who restrict the use of soft dollars, may benefit from
the research and brokerage products obtained from soft dollars despite the fact that their
trade commissions may not be used to pay for these services. FMI does not attempt to
allocate the relative costs or benefits of brokerage and research services among client
accounts because it believes that, in the aggregate, the brokerage and research services it
receives benefit all clients and assists the Firm in fulfilling its overall investment
responsibilities.
Determination and evaluation of the reasonableness of the brokerage commissions paid
are based primarily on the professional opinions of the persons responsible for the
placement and review of such transactions. These opinions are formed on the basis of,
among other things, the individual’s experience in the securities industry and information
available concerning the level of commissions paid by other investors of comparable size
and type. The Firm may select brokers based on an assessment of their ability to provide
quality executions and based on the Firm’s belief that the research, information, and other
eligible services provided by these brokers benefit client accounts.
Mixed-Use Products and Services
Selected products or services provided by brokers may have administrative, marketing or
other uses that do not constitute brokerage or research services within the meaning of
Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These are referred to as “mixed-use”
services. In the event that FMI utilizes mixed-use services, it will attempt to make a
reasonable allocation of the cost of these products or services according to their use,
including the intended purpose, or the amount of time that different functions utilize the
product or service. A conflict of interest may arise in allocating the cost of mixed-use items
between research and non-research products and services. The portion of a product or
service attributable to eligible brokerage or research services will be paid through brokerage
commissions generated by client transactions; the remaining cost of the product or service
will be paid by FMI from its own resources.
Item 13 – Review of Accounts
Client Service Representatives and the portfolio management team review each of the
Firm’s client accounts on a regular basis. SMAs are reviewed with clients periodically on a
schedule negotiated with the clients, but not less than annually.
Routine reviews of investment activity in client accounts are conducted to confirm that
portfolio positions are within target ranges and are in adherence with the client’s investment
guidelines. Pre- and post-trade compliance systems and exception-based reporting help
determine if any account is out of compliance with its agreed upon investment guidelines.
When exceptions occur, a portfolio manager and compliance professional review the
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exception and determine the appropriate action to be taken. Portfolio performance
attribution is completed to understand the sources of return. A review of portfolio
performance to composite performance is executed to ensure that any deviations are
explained. The Compliance Department may also review client portfolios on a periodic basis
in connection with testing of FMI’s policies and procedures.
The IMA between FMI and each client defines the nature of reports and account reviews
and their frequency. Normally, each report includes information regarding investment
results, in the absolute and relative to appropriate peer groups and benchmarks over a
variety of time periods. SMA clients will receive transaction confirmations and monthly
statements (quarterly if no monthly activity occurs) from the qualified custodian of their
account. Clients may receive quarterly reports from FMI upon request. Clients are urged to
carefully review all custodial account statements and compare them to statements and
reports that may be provided by FMI.
Item 14 – Client Referrals and Other Compensation
Solicitation Agreements
FMI may enter into agreements with and compensate firms and individuals that refer
prospective clients to the Firm. Typically, payments for referrals are a percentage of the
customary advisory fee received by FMI from the referred client. Therefore, a referred client
does not pay an additional fee to the Firm. At the time of solicitation, each referred client is
provided with details regarding the referral arrangement before the client signs an advisory
agreement with the Firm. Solicitation arrangements create a conflict of interest for the
person or firm making the referral because of the fee the person or firm will receive for
making the referral.
FMI negotiates compensation on a case-by-case basis with non-related entities that refer
clients. To the extent it does so, FMI complies with applicable rules and regulations,
including ensuring that any such direct advisory client is advised of the relevant referral and
compensation arrangements.
Referral Arrangements
investment. Clients should contact
their
If a client purchases Managed Funds through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary
(such as the fund's distributor, financial institutions, plan sponsors and administrators, and
other financial intermediaries through which investors may purchase shares of Managed
Funds), FMI and/or its affiliates may pay the intermediary for the sale of Managed Fund
shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing
the broker-dealer or other intermediary and a client’s salesperson to recommend FMI’s
Managed Funds over another
financial
intermediaries or plan administrators/sponsors for details about revenue sharing payments
that they may receive.
Item 15 – Custody
Other than obtaining authorization for deducting investment management fees, FMI does
not take possession of client assets, and all discretionary and non-discretionary assets are
held with the Custodian selected by the client. Clients should receive statements at least
quarterly from the Custodian that holds and maintains the client’s investment assets. FMI
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reconciles accounts with custodial records and urges clients to carefully review such
statements and compare such official custodial records to the portfolio appraisals that FMI
provides.
Item 16 – Investment Discretion
FMI provides both discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services. The
majority of clients grant the Firm discretion, which allows FMI to manage portfolios and
make investment decisions without client consultation regarding the securities and other
assets that are bought and sold for an account, subject to investment guidelines. In such
accounts, client approval is not required for the total amount of securities and other assets
to be bought and sold, the choice of executing brokers, or the price and commission rates
for such transactions. Clients who grant discretionary authority to FMI must do so in writing
via an IMA or an amendment thereto. With respect to non-discretionary clients, FMI
provides investment advice to the client and the client decides whether or not to follow some
or all of the recommendations. Clients in SMAs may place restrictions on their accounts.
FMI does not have trading discretion over non-discretionary accounts, including certain
Wrap and Model Programs. In these arrangements, FMI recommends transactions, but the
Program’s sponsor retains all investment and trading discretion.
Item 17 – Voting Client Securities
FMI will accept the authority to vote proxies for advisory clients if that responsibility is
specifically accepted by FMI in the advisory agreement between FMI and the client. When
FMI has accepted authority to vote proxies for advisory clients, it acts in a fiduciary capacity
and must act in the best interest of the client.
FMI has acquired proxy-voting guidelines from a third-party proxy research and voting firm.
The guidelines purchased may not always correspond with the opinions of FMI as to the
clients’ best interests. Therefore, there may be times where FMI may not vote the client’s
shares in accordance with the third-party’s guidelines. Any deviation from the third-party
proxy voting guidelines is documented and retained by FMI’s Compliance Department.
FMI utilizes a third party’s electronic platform to oversee the administration of its proxy
voting. In the event that shares are unavailable due to a securities loan agreement entered
into by a client or for any other reason initiated by a client, FMI will not be responsible for
voting proxies on the loaned or unavailable shares. Further, FMI is not responsible for voting
proxies that are not received in a timely manner or for voting non-U.S. proxies.
FMI maintains records of proxy voting in accordance with the Advisers Act and will furnish
proxy voting records regarding a client’s securities upon written request by the client.
Additionally, a copy of FMI’s current proxy voting policies and procedures will be provided
upon request. Upon written request, FMI will provide its clients with the Firm’s proxy voting
policies and procedures and/or copies of records regarding how the Firm voted their
securities. Written requests must be addressed to: F/m Investments LLC, 111 Huntington
Avenue, Boston, MA 02199, Attention: Compliance Department.
Item 18 – Financial Information
FMI has never been the subject of a bankruptcy petition and is not aware of any financial
conditions that are reasonably likely to impair its ability to meet contractual commitments to
clients. The Firm does not require prepayment of fees six months in advance or have any
other events requiring disclosure under this item of this brochure.
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ERISA SECTION 408(b)(2) DISCLOSURE NOTICE
With respect to retirement plan clients subject to ERISA, FMI serves as a fiduciary to such
clients pursuant to Section 3(21) of ERISA and by virtue of being a registered investment
adviser providing fee-based advisory services. FMI provides discretionary investment
management services to the portion of plan assets that are assigned to FMI’s management,
which services include determining the specific securities in which to invest such plan
assets, as well as the specific brokers through which to trade such securities.
Direct Compensation. As set forth in the “Fees and Compensation” above, for its services,
FMI accepts direct compensation in the form of fees. Each client’s applicable fees are
negotiated and set forth in the applicable Investment Management Agreement pursuant to
which FMI manages the plan’s account.
Indirect Compensation. FMI does not receive indirect compensation from any of the
issuers of securities held in client accounts (such as 12b-1 or similar fees). From time to
time, FMI may receive research reports from broker/dealers through which it executes
brokerage transactions in a client account. In selecting brokers to execute client
transactions, FMI does not base its decision solely on the research provided by such broker;
rather, consistent with its fiduciary obligations, FMI selects brokers on the basis of “best
execution” considering all relevant circumstances. For more detailed discussion of the
factors considered in selecting brokers, see Item 12 - Brokerage Practices in this
brochure.
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PRIVACY POLICY
REV. 3/2025
FACTS
WHAT DOES F/M INVESTMENTS LLC (and affiliates) DO WITH YOUR
PERSONAL INFORMATION?
Why?
Financial companies choose how they share your personal information. Federal law
gives consumers the right to limit some but not all sharing. Federal law also requires us
to tell you how we collect, share, and protect your personal information. Please read this
notice carefully to understand what we do.
What?
The types of personal information we collect and share depend on the product or service
you have with us. This information can include:
Social Security number and income
Investment experience and account balances
Credit card/other debt and credit history
How?
All financial companies need to share customers’ personal information to run their
everyday business. In the section below, we list the reasons financial companies can
share their customers’ personal information; the reasons F/m Investments, LLC (and
affiliates) chooses to share; and whether you can limit this sharing.
Can you limit
this sharing?
Reasons we can share your personal information
Does F/m
(and affiliates)
share?
Yes
No
For our everyday business purposes –
such as to process your transactions, maintain your
account(s), respond to court orders and legal
investigations, or report to credit bureaus
Yes
No
For our marketing purposes –
to offer our products and services to you
For joint marketing with other financial companies
No
Not Applicable
No
Not Applicable
For our affiliates’ everyday business purposes –
information about your transactions and experiences
No
Not Applicable
For our affiliates’ everyday business purposes –
information about your creditworthiness
For our affiliates to market to you
No
Not Applicable
For nonaffiliates to market to you
No
No
Questions?
Call our offices at (202) 839-4910
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Who we are
Who is providing this notice?
F/m Investments LLC (“F/m”)
What we do
How does F/m protect my
personal information?
To protect your personal information from unauthorized access
and use, we use security measures that comply with federal law.
These measures include computer safeguards, secured files and
buildings.
We collect your personal information, for example, when you:
How does F/m collect my
personal information?
Open an account with us
Deposit money
Seek advice about your investments
Enter into an investment advisory contract
Tell us about your investment or retirement portfolio or earnings
Give us your income information or provide employment history
We also collect your personal information from other companies.
Definitions
Affiliates
Companies that are controlling, controlled by, or under common
control with F/m. They can be financial and nonfinancial
companies.
F/m Investments LLC is owned by F/m Managers Group, LP,
which has ownership interests in other Registered Investment
Advisor entities.
Nonaffiliates
Companies not related by common ownership or control. They
can be financial and nonfinancial companies.
Joint marketing
A formal agreement between nonaffiliated financial companies
that together market financial products or services to you.
We do not jointly market.
Effective Date: March 31, 2025
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