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SEC Number: 801-10746
WRAP FEE PROGRAMS
Disclosure Brochure
March 31, 2025
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated
(“Stifel”) and the wrap fee programs that we offer. We also offer other advisory programs, including (but not limited to) advisory
consulting services and fee-based financial planning services, which are covered in separate brochures. If you have any questions
about the contents of this brochure, please contact us at the address or telephone number provided below. The information in this
brochure has not been approved or verified by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or by any state
securities authority. Additional information about Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated is available on the SEC’s website at
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. Registration with the SEC does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated
501 North Broadway
St. Louis, Missouri 63102
(314) 342-2000
www.stifel.com
INVESTMENT AND INSURANCE PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED • NOT A BANK DEPOSIT • NOT INSURED BY ANY
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY • NO BANK GUARANTEE • MAY LOSE VALUE
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MATERIAL CHANGES
This section describes the material changes that have been made to Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (“Stifel” or the
“Firm”)’s Wrap Fee Programs Disclosure Brochure (the “Brochure”) since October 2024. This Brochure, dated March 31, 2025, has
been prepared according to the SEC’s disclosure requirements.
The following material changes to this Brochure have occurred since its last annual amendment:
New material changes:
• Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations. Section updated to add North Atlantic Capital Management, LLC to
the Affiliated Managers subsection; added subsection titled “Affiliated Funds and Other Products.”
• Voting Client Securities. Section updated to clarify that the revocation of proxy voting delegation to Stifel or changing any
vote already cash does not require a client signature but must be in writing. Additionally, the section has been updated to state
that Clients are responsible for voting their proxies if a Manager with trading authority is unwilling to accept proxy voting
delegation.
Previously disclosed material changes in October 2024 other-than-annual amendment:
• Other Information About the Programs. Section updated to provide a definition and explanation of “maintenance cash.”
Maintenance cash is cash kept in the Advisory account in order to cover ongoing expenses, including fees.
• Fees and Compensation. “Additional Information on Fees and Other Compensation” section updated to include a new
subsection on “Cash Sweep” describing how Stifel and affiliates receive additional compensation from cash sweep options.
• Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies, and Risk of Loss. The subsection “Cash Balance Risks” has been updated to
highlight the risk of negative returns on cash balances due to advisory fees and to highlight the importance for clients to
evaluate the appropriateness of maintaining high cash levels.
• Disciplinary Information. Section updated to reflect that on September 24, 2024, in connection with the industry-wide sweep
into off-channel communications, the SEC entered an administrative order against Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated
(“Stifel” or the “Firm”). The SEC found that the Firm willfully violated Section 17(a) of the Exchange Act and Rule 17a-
4(b)(4) thereunder, as well as Section 204 of the Advisers Act and Rule 204-2(a)(7) thereunder, due to recordkeeping failures
related to electronic communications. The Firm also failed to reasonably supervise its personnel to prevent or detect aiding and
abetting violations of these sections. The SEC ordered Stifel to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations,
censured the Firm, and imposed undertakings including retaining an independent compliance consultant. Additionally, a civil
money penalty of $35,000,000 was imposed.
• Cash Sweep Options. Section revised to identify Stifel Bank & Trust as the sub-custodian in establishing and maintaining
your deposit accounts while clarifying the fee structures and compensation arrangements related to the Affiliated Banks and
Stifel’s role as agent and custodian; a comprehensive description of the “Cash Sweep Options” program has been added,
detailing its function, benefits, and associated conflicts of interest, and language has been added to emphasize the need for
clients to monitor their sweep balances and compare various cash equivalent investment options.
• Voting Client Securities. Section updated to explain that the use of margin may result in a reduction of the number of shares
that are eligible for voting.
Instead of providing an updated brochure each year, we generally provide this summary of material changes by April 30 of each year. Because it is a summary, it
does not contain all of the updates that were made to the brochure. Please read the full brochure, which is available to you at no charge at
https://www.stifel.com/disclosures/investment-advisory-services/program-disclosures under the section “Stifel Form ADV 2A Disclosure Brochures” or by
contacting your Financial Advisor. Capitalized terms used in this section have the meanings assigned to them in the main body of this brochure.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................................................................... 4
ADVISORY BUSINESS ........................................................................................................................................................................... 4
WRAP FEE PROGRAMS OFFERED BY STIFEL .............................................................................................................................. 6
STIFEL SOLUTIONS PROGRAM ........................................................................................................................................................ 6
STIFEL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM .................................................................................................................................................. 6
STIFEL HORIZON PROGRAM ............................................................................................................................................................ 7
STIFEL CONNECT PROGRAM ............................................................................................................................................................ 7
STIFEL FUNDAMENTALS PROGRAM .............................................................................................................................................. 7
STIFEL CUSTOM ADVISORY PORTFOLIO PROGRAM ............................................................................................................... 8
STIFEL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT CONSULTING PROGRAM .......................................................................................... 9
OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAMS ....................................................................................................................... 9
FEES AND COMPENSATION ............................................................................................................................................................. 11
PERFORMANCE-BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT ..................................................................................... 22
ACCOUNT REQUIREMENTS AND TYPES OF CLIENTS ............................................................................................................ 22
PORTFOLIO MANAGER SELECTION AND EVALUATION ....................................................................................................... 22
METHODS OF ANALYSIS, INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, AND RISK OF LOSS .................................................................... 24
CLIENT INFORMATION PROVIDED TO PORTFOLIO MANAGERS ...................................................................................... 31
CLIENT CONTACT WITH PORTFOLIO MANAGERS ................................................................................................................. 31
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION .......................................................................................................................................................... 31
DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION ....................................................................................................................................................... 31
OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATIONS ....................................................................................... 34
CODE OF ETHICS, PARTICIPATION OR INTEREST IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS, AND PERSONAL TRADING ...... 35
BROKERAGE PRACTICES ................................................................................................................................................................. 37
REFERRAL PROGRAMS…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….41
CASH SWEEP OPTIONS ...................................................................................................................................................................... 43
REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS .................................................................................................................................................................... 44
CLIENT REFERRALS AND OTHER COMPENSATION ............................................................................................................... 45
CUSTODY ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 46
VOTING CLIENT SECURITIES ......................................................................................................................................................... 46
FINANCIAL INFORMATION ............................................................................................................................................................. 47
ERISA RULE 408(B)(2) DISCLOSURE INFORMATION FOR QUALIFIED RETIREMENT PLANS .................................... 47
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
each. While there are similarities among brokerage and
Advisory services, our firm’s contractual relationship with and
legal duties to you are subject to a number of important
differences depending on whether we are acting in a brokerage
or Advisory capacity.
ADVISORY BUSINESS
About Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (“Stifel” or the
“Firm”) is a broker-dealer that has been registered with the SEC
since 1936 and an investment adviser that has been registered
with the SEC since May 7, 1975. Stifel is owned by Stifel
Financial Corp., a publicly held company whose common stock
trades under the symbol “SF.” Stifel is a leading full-service
wealth management, investment advisory, broker-dealer, and
investment banking firm serving the investment and capital
needs of its clients. Stifel is a member of the Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), the Securities Investor
Protection Corporation (“SIPC”), and various exchanges.
Information about Stifel’s qualifications, business practices,
portfolio management techniques, and affiliates is accessible on
our website at www.stifel.com as well as via publicly available
filings with the SEC at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Types of Advisory Services Offered By Stifel
Our services include discretionary and non-discretionary1
Advisory services, which generally involve account and/or
portfolio management, asset allocation and related services, and
recommendation of, or assistance with the selection of, securities
and/or investment managers (“Managers”). Such Managers
include firms that are independent of our firm (“Independent
Managers”) as well as firms owned by our parent company,
Stifel Financial Corp., or one of its subsidiaries (“Affiliated
Advisers” or “Affiliated Managers”). We enter into written
advisory agreements (each, an “Advisory Agreement”) with
clients acknowledging our Advisory relationship and disclosing
our obligations when acting in an Advisory capacity to Clients.
In this brochure, the pronouns “we,” “our,” “us,” and similar
words will refer to Stifel. The pronouns “you,” “your,” and
similar words will refer to you as the Client. References to the
singular throughout this brochure include the plural and vice
versa. Capitalized terms shall have the meanings assigned to
them in this brochure.
Services We Provide
We offer both investment advisory (“Advisory”) and brokerage
services to our Clients. As a dually registered broker-dealer and
investment adviser, most of our registered representatives are
licensed and qualified to provide both brokerage and investment
advisory services. It is important that you understand the cost
and benefits of each option and discuss any questions you may
have with your representative.
We believe that investment advisory services are suitable and
appropriate for a wide variety of our clients; however, these
services are not for everyone. There likely will be situations
where the fees and expenses associated with investment advisory
services exceed those that would apply for brokerage-only
services. We encourage you to review both options very
carefully before settling on one option.
We provide Advisory services to a variety of Clients, including
individuals, corporations and other businesses, pension or profit
sharing plans, employee benefit plans, trusts, estates, charitable
organizations, state and municipal government entities, private
funds, educational institutions, insurance companies, and banks
or thrift institutions (“Clients”). We generally provide Advisory
services through our investment advisory representatives
(“Financial Advisors”), who determine the services that are most
appropriate for Clients based on each Client’s stated individual
investment goals, financial circumstances, and other information
provided by the Client. We are able to fulfill Clients’ wealth
management needs by acting as broker-dealer, investment
adviser, or both. Our Advisory services cover many types of
debt and equity (or equity-related) securities of domestic and
foreign companies, as well as national, state, and local
government issuers, whether trading on an exchange or over-the-
counter. In addition to stocks and fixed income securities, we
recommend or invest Client assets in other types of investments,
such as rights and warrants, options, certificates of deposit
(“CDs”), mutual funds and other open and closed-end funds,
exchange traded products (“ETPs”), including exchange traded
funds (“ETFs”), unit investment trusts (“UITs”), real estate
investment trusts (“REITs”), American Depositary Receipts
(“ADRs”), foreign ordinary shares, publicly traded master
limited partnerships (“MLPs”), private investment vehicles
(including, but not limited to, hedge funds and private equity
funds), and other investments deemed appropriate for our
Clients.
This brochure focuses primarily on our advisory services;
however, we also discuss various aspects of our brokerage
services throughout this brochure, particularly under the section
“Brokerage Practices” below. You can also obtain additional
information relating to our brokerage services by referencing
your Stifel Account Agreement and Disclosure Booklet provided
in connection with your custodial account at Stifel, a copy of
which is also available under the “Important Disclosures”
section of www.stifel.com (“Account Agreement”).
You should understand that brokerage services are separate
and distinct from Advisory services, and that different laws,
standards of care, and separate contracts with clients govern
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2024, we had approximately
$107,751,106,114 of Client assets that were managed on a
discretionary basis and $63,458,503,373 in non-discretionary
assets.
1 In discretionary investment services, Financial Advisors have discretion to select and allocate eligible investment products within the
Client’s portfolio. In non-discretionary investment services, Financial Advisors either select for the Client or recommend and assist
the Client in the selection of eligible investment products in which to invest and the Client makes the final decision on when to
invest/divest what investments.
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discretion. If your account is traded by its Manager, the Manager
will determine the appropriate alternative to use in the event of a
restriction, consistent with its policies as disclosed in its Form
ADV 2A. In each case, a higher than usual allocation to cash,
cash equivalents, or other securities as a result of investment
restrictions will impact the performance of the account relative
to other accounts that are fully invested.
We define and/or identify certain permissible category
restrictions (e.g., prohibiting investments in particular industries
or based on social consciousness) by reference to information
provided by a third-party service provider using the provider’s
proprietary methodologies. If you elect to impose investment
category restrictions on an account, we will apply the restrictions
based on our internal policies, by referencing the third-party
service provider’s information. The service provider typically
flags securities as violating specific category restrictions based
on the issuer’s revenue or asset levels from the restricted
activity(ies). The threshold or level at which revenue or assets
are considered to have violated a particular restriction can
change at any time, without notice to you. In addition, you
should note that Managers with trading responsibility over your
account may use their own trading systems and, as a result, may
use different reference points than Stifel in defining prohibited
investments, activity, or revenue levels for category restrictions.
Our Responsibilities as an Investment Adviser
When serving as an investment adviser to Advisory Clients, we
are acting as a fiduciary with respect to the assets held in
accounts covered by the Advisory Agreement. In our capacity as
an investment adviser, we are held to the legal standards set
forth in the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the “Advisers
Act”), certain state laws, and common law standards applicable
to fiduciaries, as well as, where applicable, obligations imposed
under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as
amended (“ERISA”) or other relevant regulations for Advisory
retirement accounts. Such standards include the duty of care,
including the obligation to have a reasonable basis for believing
that our investment recommendations are suitable and consistent
with Client’s stated objectives and goals (including any
restrictions placed on the account by the Client) and the duty of
loyalty, including the obligation to provide Clients with full
disclosure of material conflicts of interest. Our duties of care and
loyalty differ depending on our Client relationship, authority,
agreed services, and other factors, including whether we provide
non-discretionary versus discretionary services or when we
provide episodic (e.g., financial planning) versus continuous
advice. Our duty of care may be defined in our Client agreement,
and our duty of loyalty may be modified or limited through
Client disclosure and affirmative or implied Client consent by
receiving and not objecting to the disclosure. Additional
information about our fiduciary obligations, including some of
the policies and procedures that we undertake to fulfill those
obligations, is available throughout this brochure, including
under the section entitled “Participation or Interest in Client
Transactions.”
As set forth above, we accept investment restrictions only if we
conclude that those restrictions are reasonable and can be
accommodated through our current monitoring processes. We
will reject any proposed investment restriction that does not
meet this standard, in which case you have the option of (i)
modifying your restrictions until acceptable to us or (ii) not
opening or otherwise terminating your discretionary account(s)
with us.
We generally do not accept the responsibility for monitoring
investment restrictions in non-discretionary accounts. As a non-
discretionary account, you must approve recommendations for
your account before the related trades can be implemented. We
expect you to consider your applicable investment restrictions
when considering recommendations for your non-discretionary
account(s), and to approve a trade only to the extent you
conclude that the recommendation does not violate your
investment restrictions.
Investment Restrictions
If you have accounts in our discretionary programs, you may
request investment restrictions on any of those accounts (or
specific assets within the accounts), such as restricting
investments in specific securities, types of securities, industries,
or sectors. We generally require Clients to provide requests for
investment restrictions in writing. If we determine that your
proposed investment restrictions are reasonable and accept them,
we and/or the Manager you have selected will be responsible for
implementing, and managing the account consistent with, the
restrictions that you have imposed. It is important for you to
understand that if the restrictions are approved and imposed on
your account, the performance of the account will differ (even
significantly) from the performance of other accounts in the
same portfolio without similar restrictions.
You may request in writing that specific mutual funds or ETFs
not be purchased in your discretionary Advisory account(s);
however, we cannot accommodate requests to restrict the
underlying securities that may be purchased or sold by mutual
funds, ETFs, private funds, or other collective investment
vehicles in Advisory accounts.
Investment Policy Statements
We do not accept any responsibility for monitoring compliance
with a Client’s investment policy statement (“IPS”) unless the
Client account is in one of our discretionary programs and the
Client is using either a Stifel-approved template for the IPS, or
our home office personnel have reviewed the Client’s IPS and
determined that the requirements and limitations of the IPS are
reasonable and that we are capable of monitoring them, and we
have confirmed in writing that we have accepted responsibility
for monitoring compliance with the IPS.
Clients may submit their IPS for review and will be notified in
writing if and when their IPS has been accepted by Stifel.
For accounts in which Stifel has discretionary trading authority,
where an investment restriction applies to prevent the purchase
of a security, the funds that would have been invested in the
restricted position will either be invested in cash equivalents
(including short-term fixed income instruments), other substitute
securities, or re-allocated among other positions at our
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STIFEL SOLUTIONS PROGRAM
Please note that you are solely responsible for monitoring
compliance with your own IPS, even where you have provided
a copy of the IPS to your Financial Advisor(s), until you have
received written notice from Stifel of its acceptance of your
IPS.
About Our Solutions Program
Our Solutions Program (“Solutions”) offers discretionary
account management by certain Stifel Financial Advisors who
meet our qualifications and have been approved by Stifel to
participate in the Solutions Program.
In the event that you update your IPS, you are responsible for
providing Stifel with the updated document for our review and
approval. If we agree that we can continue to monitor your IPS
with the new guidelines, we will notify you in writing of our
acceptance. Stifel will not be responsible for monitoring any
new guidelines until we have notified you of our acceptance.
In Solutions, generally, Financial Advisors who are granted
participation in Solutions have met standards of education,
industry experience, investment management experience, and
compliance. Applications to participate in Solutions are
reviewed by Program Management, Compliance, and Branch
Management/supervision. Program Management admits
qualified Financial Advisors into Solutions after a thorough
review.
Stifel’s goal is to follow your IPS. However, market, economic,
or geopolitical conditions may impact our ability to do so and, in
those cases, Stifel’s policy is to do what it deems to be in the
client’s best interest.
WRAP FEE PROGRAMS OFFERED BY STIFEL
Once a Client has established the Client’s investment objectives,
goals, and risk tolerance, the Financial Advisor will assist the
Client in selecting an appropriate investment strategy for the
Client’s assets in the Solutions account. To implement a Client’s
investment objectives and risk tolerance, a Financial Advisor
may utilize fundamental, qualitative, quantitative, and/or
technical research published by Stifel or another source.
Financial Advisors in Solutions may also employ short-term
purchases and/or limited options trading, provided such
strategies are suitable and appropriate for the Client and, as
applicable, approved for the account. Our Financial Advisors use
different strategies to manage Client accounts, and a Financial
Advisor may utilize multiple strategies and/or may customize a
strategy to fit particular Clients’ situations. As such, the
performance of accounts managed by any one Solutions
Financial Advisor will differ (at times, materially) from similarly
situated Client accounts of other Financial Advisors. Each Client
is encouraged to discuss and review with the applicable
Financial Advisor how the Client’s account will be managed, as
well as the specific risks applicable to the Client’s Solutions
account.
STIFEL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM
We offer a number of different wrap fee programs (each, a
“Program” and collectively, the “Programs”) as well as, where
applicable, different portfolios within each Program (each, a
“Portfolio” and collectively, the “Portfolios”). For these
Programs, we are the sponsor and, in certain Programs, both the
sponsor of the Program and portfolio manager for Portfolios
within the Program. A “wrap fee” is an annual fee paid by a
Client that is intended to cover applicable services to the
account, including investment advice and, where applicable,
may include portfolio management, trade execution, clearing,
settlements, custody, administrative, and account reporting
services provided by Stifel, as well as investment advice and/or
portfolio management services provided by a Manager to the
Portfolio. To the extent that portfolio management or similar
services are provided by Managers, a portion of the wrap fee
will be paid to such Managers for their services – please refer to
the section “Fees and Compensation” below for additional
details about our wrap fees (also called Advisory Account Fees).
Additional information about the Programs covered by this
brochure is provided below.
About Our Opportunity Program
In our Opportunity Program (“Opportunity”), we offer Clients
access to various Portfolios by Independent and Affiliated
Managers. Once a Client has established his/her investment
objectives, goals, risk tolerance, and an overall asset allocation,
the Financial Advisor will assist the Client in selecting one or
more suitable Portfolios from those available in the Opportunity
Program. Each Client should carefully review each proposed
Portfolio to understand the types of investment the Portfolio will
make as well as the risks related to each such Portfolio prior to
investing in any Portfolio.
Throughout this brochure and depending on the type of Program
referenced, the term “portfolio manager” shall refer to, as
applicable, (i) Stifel where it or your Financial Advisor, as agent
for Stifel, provides discretionary portfolio management services
(e.g., in connection with our Solutions Program discussed
below) and/or (ii) an Independent Manager or Affiliated
Manager to whom Stifel has delegated discretionary authority as
a sub-adviser, such as manager-traded Portfolios in our
Opportunity Program, or to whom you have otherwise granted
investment discretion, such as a Manager with whom you have
entered into a separate investment advisory agreement within
our Connect Program. Finally, we may refer to Portfolios
provided by Managers and made available through our Programs
as “Manager Portfolios” throughout this brochure.
We have entered into a master agreement (or sub-advisory
agreement) with each applicable Manager pursuant to which the
Manager makes its Portfolios available to our Clients in one of
two ways: a Portfolio may be traded directly by its Manager (in
such case, a “Manager-Traded Portfolio”), or we may retain
trading responsibility over accounts in the Portfolio (in such
case, a “Model-Based Traded (“MBT”) Portfolio”).
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reason, the term Investment Managers as used in this brochure
will also refer to Connect Managers). Stifel does not have and
will not exercise any discretionary authority with respect to the
management of the assets in the account. Additionally, if you
are considering entering into Connect Program arrangements,
you should note that Stifel performs limited due diligence with
respect to Connect Managers, as discussed under the section
titled “Portfolio Manager Selection and Evaluation.” As a
result, you will be responsible for carefully reviewing any and
all information and/or material provided by the Connect
Manager, and for determining the appropriateness of continuing
the relationship.
Manager-Traded Portfolios. The Manager for a Manager-Traded
Portfolio assumes full discretionary portfolio management
responsibilities over each Client account invested in the
Portfolio (in that capacity, the Manager will be referred to as an
“Investment Manager”), including determining the securities to
be bought or sold, implementing those decisions for the invested
accounts, and for all other aspects of portfolio management for
the accounts. An Investment Manager may implement trades
through Stifel in our capacity as a broker, or may implement
trades through another broker-dealer if the Investment Manager
determines, in its sole discretion, that such other broker-dealer is
providing best execution in light of all applicable circumstances.
Please refer to the section “Fees and Compensation – Fees and
Expenses Associated With Trades Executed By Investment
Managers Away From Stifel” for more information about
Investment Managers’ trade-away practices.
Finally, you should note that any fees charged by a Connect
Manager and any other third-party fees or expenses incurred by
your account as a result of implementing the Connect Manager
Portfolio are separate from the fees charged by Stifel, and are
not considered part of the Stifel Fee or Product Fee (as defined
in the section “Fees and Compensation” below).
STIFEL FUNDAMENTALS PROGRAM
MBT Portfolios. Alternatively, if you select an MBT Portfolio,
the Manager will provide us with its model Portfolio and
ongoing updates, and we will be responsible for implementing
those transactions (in such capacity, the Manager will be
referred to as a “Model Adviser”)*. Therefore, with respect to
MBT Portfolios in Opportunity, we will retain discretionary
trading authority over Client accounts.
*In limited circumstances, the Manager may utilize the services of
affiliated or unaffiliated third parties in providing its services.
STIFEL HORIZON PROGRAM
About Our Fundamentals Program
Under our Fundamentals Program (“Fundamentals”), Financial
Advisors assist Clients in selecting from a set of proprietary
Portfolios, referred to below as “Stifel Choice.” Available
Portfolios utilize mutual funds, ETFs, or individual equity
securities; more Portfolios that utilize other types of investments
may be added to the Program in the future.
About Our Horizon Program
Under the Horizon Program (“Horizon”), a Financial Advisor
provides Clients non-discretionary Advisory services, such as
recommending and advising on the appropriateness of specific
investments for Clients in accordance with their stated
investment objectives and risk tolerance. In the Horizon
Program, Financial Advisors may recommend any of the
investments listed above under the section “Advisory Business,”
provided such strategies are suitable and appropriate for the
particular Client.
Once a Client has established his/her investment objectives,
goals, risk tolerance, and an overall asset allocation, the
Financial Advisor will assist the Client in selecting one or more
suitable Portfolios from those available in the Fundamentals
Program. Each Client should carefully review each proposed
Portfolio to understand the types of investments the Portfolio
will make, as well as the risks related to each such Portfolio
prior to investing in any Portfolio. Clients grant Stifel
discretionary authority to invest account assets in accordance
with the chosen Portfolio, and to rebalance account assets
periodically in order to implement any updates made to a
Portfolio.
If you enroll your account in the Horizon Program, you will be
ultimately responsible for determining whether to implement
your Financial Advisor’s recommendations for the account.
STIFEL CONNECT PROGRAM
Fundamentals Portfolio Management Process
For investments in mutual funds and ETFs, the Stifel Chief
Investment Officer (“CIO”) Office guides the asset allocation of
each Portfolio within and across the asset classes, which may be
influenced by the firm’s long-term strategic asset allocation and
shorter-term dynamic asset allocation guidance.
About Our Connect Program
In our Connect Program (“Connect”), a Financial Advisor
assists Clients in the selection of a Manager to manage the
Client’s Connect account on a discretionary basis, in accordance
with the terms of a separate investment advisory agreement
between the Client and the Manager (in this case, each a
“Connect Manager”). In each case, the Financial Advisor will
assist the Client in establishing and maintaining a relationship
with the Connect Manager.
The Stifel CIO Office also selects the specific traditional mutual
funds and ETFs to be included in the Portfolios and the
associated allocations to generally align with the desired asset
allocation of the Portfolio. For mutual funds or ETFs considered
to be Liquid Alternatives (as defined below), Stifel’s Alternative
Investments Due Diligence Group (“AIDDG”) selects the funds
to be included in the Portfolios and determines the allocation to
each of these funds within the category’s allocation.
In the Connect Program, you will have a separate and direct
relationship with the Connect Manager, and the Connect
Manager will have trading authority over your account (for this
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should carefully review the risks associated with each model
being considered for investment.
New mutual fund and ETF portfolio holdings may be, but are
not required to be, selected from the firm’s Recommended Lists.
The Stifel CIO Office and AIDDG each periodically reviews its
positions in the Portfolios and may (but need not) adjust the
Portfolios when a position is dropped from the applicable
Recommended List, or when each determines that a different
investment represents a better investment opportunity for the
particular Portfolio. Additional information about the processes
employed in developing each Recommended List is provided
below under “Portfolio Manager Selection and Evaluation –
Recommended Lists.”
For investments in individual securities, the Stifel CIO Office
selects the securities to be included in the Portfolios and
manages the allocations across various holdings. The team may
utilize equity research from Stifel’s Research Department as part
of its analysis of individual securities.
Stifel Choice Component Portfolios
Mutual Funds and ETFs Series – Each Portfolio in this series
aligns with the Stifel CIO Office’s dynamic leanings for a
specific asset class or category. The offerings include, but may
not be limited to, U.S. equity, non-U.S. equity, taxable fixed
income, municipal fixed income, and Liquid Alternatives. These
Portfolios are designed to provide Clients and their Financial
Advisors flexibility in implementing custom asset allocations,
allowing them to build a comprehensive portfolio by combining
multiple offerings, or to satisfy an allocation to a particular asset
class with an individual offering in these Portfolios to
complement the Client’s other investments. Clients should
carefully review the risks associated with an investment in each
offering.
Stifel Choice Asset Allocation Portfolios
Dynamic U.S.-Focused Mutual Fund, ETF, and Core
American Portfolios
The Dynamic U.S.-Focused Mutual Fund, ETF, and Core
American Portfolios invest in mutual funds and/or ETFs and
generally align with the Stifel CIO Office’s Dynamic U.S.-
Focused asset allocation models. The allocation for each
Portfolio is designed to fit a specified risk tolerance level and
objective, defined primarily by the equity allocation for that risk
exposure; Clients and their Financial Advisors can select the
option that best suits the Client’s desired risk exposure and
objective. While these portfolios are primarily U.S. focused, a
portion of the asset allocation models may include exposure to
international investments.
Stifel Choice Equity Portfolios
Equities Series – The Stifel Choice Equities series is comprised
of several Portfolios invested in individual stocks, with each
Portfolio aligned with a specific segment or style of the equity
market. To gain certain market or industry exposure, we may
from time to time also invest in ETFs. The offerings may
include, but are not limited to: large cap high dividend stocks;
large cap growth stocks sometimes related to a specific
investment theme; large cap stocks with the goal of providing
capital appreciation over the long term in consideration of
downside risk; income & growth with holdings selected from the
large cap high dividend and large cap growth models; small cap
stocks; value stocks; and non-U.S. equity stocks. Non-U.S.
equity holdings may include ADRs. These Portfolios provide
Clients and their Financial Advisors the additional flexibility of
investing in one or more offerings, as necessary, to satisfy the
Client’s overall asset allocation and needs.
Dynamic Global and Tactical ETF Portfolios
The Dynamic Global and Tactical Portfolios invest in mutual
funds and/or ETFs and align with the Stifel CIO Office Dynamic
Global asset allocation models. The global models and Portfolios
have a larger allocation to non-U.S. equities than the Dynamic
U.S.-Focused Portfolios discussed above. Non-U.S. equities in
the Portfolios include developed market equities, and usually
include emerging markets equities. As such, these Portfolios will
have greater exposure to foreign securities risks detailed in the
Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies, and Risk of Loss
section of this brochure.
NOTE: The Tactical ETF Portfolios are not currently open for
new investments.
In general, the Stifel CIO Office publishes its changes to the
Stifel Choice Component Portfolios and Stifel Choice Equity
Portfolios, including to Stifel Financial Advisors, after the
changes have been implemented for Client accounts in the
Fundamentals Program. Some Financial Advisors may elect to
follow and consider the Stifel CIO Office views for the Stifel
Choice Portfolios, but implement these mandates through
accounts enrolled in the Solutions or Horizon Programs, or
through brokerage accounts, rather than by enrolling the
accounts into the Fundamentals Program. The performance of
Clients’ accounts whose Financial Advisors elect to implement
these views on their own will vary, at times significantly, from
accounts in the Fundamentals Program.
STIFEL CUSTOM ADVISORY PORTFOLIO PROGRAM
About Our Custom Advisory Portfolio Program
The Custom Advisory Portfolio (“CAP”) Program offers clients
investment management services utilizing various investment
products within a single account. As described below, Clients
determine their selection of either the Client-Directed option or
the Financial Advisor-Directed option.
Option of Traditional or Alternative Models. The Dynamic
Portfolios are generally available as traditional models (that is,
invested solely in traditional mutual funds and/or ETFs), and
some are available as alternative models that include allocations
to non-traditional or alternative mutual funds or ETFs (also
referred to as “Liquid Alternatives”). A Liquid Alternative fund
may be defined by how its manager invests (that is, use of
alternative strategies), as well as what the fund invests in (such
as, for example, investing in real estate or commodities). In
general, Liquid Alternatives may employ a wide variety of
investment techniques, including (but not limited to) shorting of
equities and credit and the use of derivatives or leverage. Clients
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Based on a Client’s stated risk tolerance, investment objectives,
and overall asset allocation, Financial Advisors either select for
the Client, or recommend and assist the Client in selecting,
eligible investment products in which to invest in order to
implement all or a part of the Client’s asset allocation in the
Custom Advisory Portfolio. Eligible investment products for the
Program include mutual funds, ETFs, and/or various Portfolios,
including Portfolios that are also available in our Opportunity
and/or Fundamentals Programs.
investment planning and portfolio management for one or more
accounts, all covered under a single Advisory Agreement. The
IMC Program is available for Clients looking for bundled
investment advisory, consulting, discretionary investment
management, trade execution and clearing, and custodial
services. The services provided generally include a review of the
Client’s investment objectives and goals, the development of an
appropriate personalized investment strategy, and ongoing
monitoring of investments.
In addition, a Client may also grant Stifel discretionary authority
to act as overlay manager, to determine the specific Portfolios to
be made available for the CAP Program, to implement the
selection of eligible investment products at such time, price, and
in such allocation as Stifel deems appropriate, and to rebalance
Client accounts, from time to time, to within a reasonable range
(set by Stifel) of the target allocation for each investment
product comprising Client’s Custom Advisory Portfolio.
Stifel also may determine to remove an Investment Product from
the CAP Program, and we may make changes to a Client’s
account, including but not limited to, transferring from such
Investment Product to one or more replacement investment
products.
The same products are available in both options (Client-Directed
and Financial Advisor-Directed).
Depending on the Client’s objectives and goals, Financial
Advisors may assist Clients in selecting an appropriate Portfolio
made available in the Program by Independent and/or Affiliated
Managers. Portfolios in this Program are generally traded by the
Investment Manager of the selected portfolio. An Investment
Manager may implement trades through Stifel in our capacity as
a broker, or may implement trades through another broker-dealer
if the Investment Manager determines, in its sole discretion, that
such other broker-dealer is providing best execution in light of
all applicable circumstances. Please refer to the section “Fees
and Compensation – Fees and Expenses Associated With Trades
Executed By Investment Managers Away From Stifel” for more
information about Investment Managers’ trade-away practices.
Alternatively, Financial Advisors may recommend that Clients
implement all or a portion of their asset allocation through direct
investments in mutual funds and/or ETFs. Finally, Financial
Advisors may recommend that certain eligible Clients invest a
portion of their assets in private investment funds (such as hedge
funds). In each case, Clients must approve each investment
recommendation prior to implementation by their Financial
Advisor.
At a Client’s request, Financial Advisors may also provide
investment management consulting services on assets held with
a custodian other than Stifel.
Client-Directed Custom Advisory Portfolio Option
In the Client-Directed CAP option, Clients must approve
investment product recommendations prior to implementation.
Each Client-approved Investment Product will be segmented to a
specific portion of the Client’s Custom Advisory Portfolio (each,
a “Sleeve”). Client must select any investment products to be
purchased from the list of eligible products approved for our
Advisory platform.
OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAMS
Financial Advisor-Directed Custom Advisory Portfolio Option
The Financial Advisor-Directed CAP option offers discretionary
account management by Stifel Financial Advisors who have
gone through an approval process to participate in this option.
As discussed above, we enter into written Advisory Agreements
with Clients acknowledging our Advisory relationship,
disclosing our obligations when acting in an Advisory capacity,
and describing the roles and responsibilities of each party.
Clients’ Financial Advisors have discretion to select and allocate
eligible investment products within the Client’s Custom
Advisory Portfolio.
A Client in this Program authorizes Stifel as Client’s limited
agent and attorney-in-fact, and the Client’s approved Financial
Advisor will be authorized on behalf of Stifel to select
investment products for their Stifel CAP account, consistent with
the strategy discussed as part of a Client’s account opening
process.
STIFEL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
CONSULTING PROGRAM
About Our Investment Management Consulting Program
This Program is only available on a limited basis. The
Investment Management Consulting (“IMC”) Program offers a
comprehensive and structured approach to guide Clients through
Where we have assumed trading discretion over a Manager’s
Portfolio (i.e., for MBT Portfolios), there may be times when we
are unable to implement a Manager’s recommendations for its
model Portfolio due to various restrictions to which we are
subject as a firm. For example, our policy is generally not to use
discretion (investment or trading) in the purchase of our parent
company stock, Stifel Financial Corp. (SF). If a Manager were to
relay model Portfolio recommendations that require the purchase
of such securities, we would not implement such
recommendation but would, instead, request a substitute from
the Manager. If the Manager is unable or unwilling to provide a
substitute, we will determine a substitute for the recommended
position – we typically substitute cash for the position but may,
on occasion, re-allocate among existing positions or use other
alternatives that we deem reasonable. Clients should refer to the
Cash Sweep section for information relating to how cash
positions are typically held in accounts at our firm. For these
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instructions prior to determining whether to accept an account
into their Portfolios.
reasons, Clients should be aware that MBT Portfolios, as
implemented at Stifel, may differ from a Manager’s marketed
Portfolios.
In general, please note that the turnaround time for processing
new Advisory accounts or conversions between Programs or
Portfolios may take several business days to complete, even
under normal market conditions. Neither Stifel nor any
Manager is responsible for changes in market prices that occur
between the time you execute Advisory account documentation
(or otherwise authorize enrollment into a Program or
Portfolio) and the eventual investment of the account in the
selected strategy. Prior to enrolling into any Portfolio, you
should talk to your Financial Advisor about the expected
processing period for that Portfolio.
Your Advisory account is expected to hold some level of
otherwise uninvested cash at all times to facilitate its ongoing
operations (“maintenance cash”). Levels of maintenance cash
will fluctuate over time and may vary by investment strategy,
objective, or implementation vehicle(s). Maintenance cash is
intended to meet the account’s short-term liquidity needs
(including trade settlement, account and administrative fees, and
rebalancings) and avoid having to liquidate investments at
inopportune times. Clients should refer to the sections “Cash
Balance Risks” and “Cash Sweep Options” below for
information on cash balances in Advisory accounts.
Processing Guidelines for Advisory Accounts
Processing Guidelines for Ongoing Account Maintenance
Requests
Availability of Funds/Securities Added to Discretionary
Accounts for Trading – When you add funds or securities to
your discretionary accounts, those funds and/or securities are
generally available for trading by the Manager and/or our
internal trading personnel no earlier than the next business day.
New Accounts Processing
As set forth in our Advisory Agreements, our Advisory
relationship with you begins after we have accepted a fully
executed Advisory Agreement (referred to as the “effective date”
in the Advisory Agreements). In general, this occurs after (i)
your Financial Advisor has submitted all required account
opening documentation through the appropriate channels
(typically through our account opening system); (ii) all required
internal approvals have been documented and submitted; (iii)
our processing personnel have confirmed that the account
documentation is in good form (for example, Client signatures
are generally required to be dated within 90 days of submission);
(iv) your account is funded with no less than the minimum
amount required for the particular Program or Portfolio in which
you are seeking to invest; and (v) the account has been coded as
an Advisory account in our recordkeeping systems.
Processing Partial Liquidation/Withdrawal Requests in Firm
Discretion and Manager Portfolios – to the extent possible, we
process liquidation requests promptly after our trading and/or
processing staff receive those instructions from your Financial
Advisor. If a Manager has trading discretion over your account,
we will then relay those instructions to the Manager for
implementation. You should note that, in periods of unusually
high volumes (which may occur, for example, during highly
volatile market conditions), we can take more than one business
day to implement these requests. Additionally, if you are
invested in a Manager-Traded Portfolio, you should also note
that even after we relay a request to a Manager, the Manager
may take some time (such as multiple days) to implement the
request. You should refer to each Manager’s Form ADV 2A for
applicable disclosures. In each case, please note that frequent
withdrawals from your account will affect your account’s
performance. We reserve the right to terminate any account that
falls below the minimum account value for the applicable
Program due to partial liquidations/withdrawal requests.
You should refer to the section “Terminations; Refund of Fees
Upon Terminations” below for a discussion of the processing
guidelines relating to account terminations from our Advisory
Programs.
Processing times may vary due to a number of factors, including
(but not limited to) the volume of new Advisory accounts being
processed, whether additional verification activities are needed,
etc. If an account enrolling into a discretionary program has been
funded (in whole or in part) with securities, additional
processing time will be required to liquidate the legacy positions
in order to generate the funds needed to purchase Portfolio
securities. We consider your decision to enroll the account as
direction to us, in our capacity as a broker-dealer, to sell current
positions in the account at market prices. Although effected as
brokerage transactions, we do not charge commissions for such
liquidating transactions. Where necessary, we may liquidate
those positions by purchasing the securities into our inventory.
We strive to liquidate legacy positions used to fund Advisory
accounts as promptly as possible; however, we may not be able
to complete all necessary liquidations on the same day as the
submission; moreover, the execution prices achieved when we
liquidate all positions at once may not be as favorable as could
have been achieved if the positions were liquidated over time.
Finally, even after our firm has completed reviewing an
account’s eligibility for a Program, additional delays may still
occur if the account is to be traded by a Manager. Some
Managers take multiple days to review Client profiles, proposed
investment restrictions (if any), and/or any other special
Other Maintenance Requests – You may also experience delays
in connection with other ongoing account maintenance requests.
For example, in our Client-Directed CAP option, we process re-
allocation requests on the next business day after we receive
notice of the request from your Financial Advisor. This means
that the trades to implement a re-allocation among existing
positions and/or Portfolios in your CAP account will lag at least
one business day behind your communication of those same
instructions to your Financial Advisor. During times of
unusually high volumes of requests from Clients, it can take
multiple business days to process and implement ongoing
maintenance requests.
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In each case, we recommend that you communicate your
maintenance requests to your Financial Advisor as early as
possible. You should note that, for certain securities (such as
mutual funds), we are not able to process trade instructions
received after 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Product Fees
Depending on the Program and/or Portfolio selected, you will
also be responsible for the applicable Product Fees used to
compensate for any portfolio or model management services
provided by a Manager and/or internal Stifel units to the
Portfolio. Product Fees vary by Program and/or Portfolio
(including based on whether it is Manager-Traded or MBT), are
generally not negotiable, and generally range as follows:
• Manager-Traded Portfolios: Between 0.10% to 0.85%,
Neither Stifel nor any Manager is responsible for changes in
market prices that occur between the time you communicate an
account maintenance request for any discretionary account to
your Financial Advisor and the eventual implementation of
that request by Stifel and/or a Manager.
depending on the applicable Portfolio and between 0.10% to
0.75% for programs open to new investors.
FEES AND COMPENSATION
• MBT Portfolios (including those in the Custom Advisory
Portfolio Program): Between 0.10% to 0.50%, depending on
the applicable Portfolio. Some Portfolios do not have a
Product Fee, such as where the Manager invests Portfolio
assets in its affiliated mutual funds. If you invest in those
Portfolios, you will (as always) be responsible for all fees and
expenses of the funds in your account.
• IMC Program: Between 0.23% to 0.75%, depending on the
For the services provided under the applicable Advisory
Agreement, Clients pay an annual asset-based “wrap” fee at the
rates set forth below (the “Advisory Account Fee,” the “fee,” or
the “Advisory fee”). The Advisory Account Fee consists of: (i) a
fee for the services provided by Stifel (referred to as the “Stifel
Fee” or “Stifel Advisory Fee”) and, if applicable, (ii) a fee for
the portfolio management services with respect to each Portfolio
in which a Client’s Advisory account is invested (the “Product
Fee(s)”). For Portfolios with no Product Fee, the Stifel Fee
constitutes the entire Advisory Account Fee.
Portfolio. Certain Managers may charge a premium in addition
to the Product Fee set forth above. In such cases, you will be
responsible for any premium charged, the amount of which
will be disclosed to you prior to enrollment with the particular
Manager.
• Connect Program: Stifel does NOT charge a Product Fee with
The Stifel Fee
For the Programs described in this brochure, absent special
circumstances, each Client pays an asset-based wrap Stifel Fee
of up to 2.00%, which covers our account reporting and
investment advisory services, trade execution for trades through
or with Stifel, compensation to the Financial Advisor, and, as
applicable, portfolio management and clearing services.
respect to the Connect Program. However, the Connect
Adviser charges a separate fee for its services, in each case as
specifically set forth in your separate agreement with such
Connect Adviser. You should consider the total cost of
accessing the Connect Adviser Portfolio when considering
enrolling into a Connect Program arrangement and/or
continuing with such arrangement.
Product Fees set forth above are deducted on a quarterly basis.
For certain Programs (e.g., the Custom Advisory Portfolio
Program), the actual Product Fee charged will vary as the
percentage charged is a weighted average based on each sleeve’s
allocation relative to the total portfolio.
You can generally negotiate the Stifel Fee with your Financial
Advisor, subject in certain cases to final approval from Stifel
(e.g., if the proposed fee is below certain ranges). Factors that
Financial Advisors may consider in setting the Stifel Fee include
(but are not limited to) the nature and size of the overall Client
relationship; your particular advice requirements and product
preferences; and/or the level, type, and frequency of advisory
and other services expected to be provided to you under the
relationship.
Product fees paid to our Affiliated Managers result in additional
compensation to our parent Stifel Financial Corp. Neither Stifel
nor our Financial Advisors share in that additional
compensation, but this additional revenue creates a conflict of
interest. Please see the ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON
FEES AND OTHER COMPENSATION section below for more
information on conflicts of interest.
Finally, as covered in more detail below, you will be separately
responsible for any embedded fees and expenses associated with
investments in mutual funds, closed-end funds, UITs, ETFs,
hedge funds, and other collective investment vehicles. These
embedded fees and expenses are not part of the Advisory
Account Fees.
As set forth above, you should generally consider the level of
services that you are expecting to receive under the relationship
when negotiating your fee(s) with your Financial Advisor. You
should note, however, that once you agree to a fee for an
account, we will not reduce our fees if you decide not to take
advantage of any of the services that would otherwise be
covered by the wrap fee. For example, if you open an account in
our non-discretionary wrap fee program, your fee would not be
reduced if you decide not to implement your Financial Advisor’s
recommendations and, as a result, experience a low level of
trades in your account. Similarly, we will not reduce our fee if
you decide to move your assets to another custodian and, as a
result, do not receive the custodial services that would otherwise
have been covered by your wrap fee.
How We Charge for Advisory Services Covered in This
Brochure
Your Advisory Account Fee will be set forth on the applicable
fee schedule(s) of the Advisory Agreement between you and
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account statement for that same period. There may be times
when the amount used to calculate the fee (i.e., the billable
value) does not match the net portfolio value reflected on your
custodial account statement (i.e., the statement value) that you
receive from Stifel. For example:
• Your Advisory account’s billable value will be less than its
Stifel for each account. As set forth above, the Stifel Fee is
negotiable and you could pay more or less than seemingly
similarly situated Clients, depending on your particular
circumstances (such as the pricing model, the size and scope of
your entire relationship with Stifel, additional or differing levels
of service, and/or the asset class to which each Portfolio is
attributable, as applicable). If you negotiate fees with different
tiers, including flat fees, you could end up paying a higher fee
than as set forth in this brochure as a result of fluctuations in
your assets under management and/or account performance.
net portfolio value if we have allowed you to hold assets that
would otherwise not be permitted in the account
(“unsupervised assets”) or have otherwise agreed to exclude
certain assets held in the account when determining the
Advisory Account Fee.
There are certain other fee schedules that are no longer offered
to new Clients or are only offered to a limited number of Clients,
depending on their individual circumstances. There are also
other fee schedules that apply to certain Portfolios in the
Programs referenced above.
• Your Advisory account’s billable value will generally be more
than its net portfolio value if you are using margin (and have
outstanding margin loans reflected in the account), or have
short positions (including short options) in the account. The
custodial account statements display a net portfolio value that
is less any margin loans or short positions. In contrast, we
generally do not deduct the value of any assets attributable to
these strategies when calculating the Advisory Account Fee.
Your Advisory Agreement will indicate whether you must
approve, in writing, any increase in the Advisory Account Fee or
if we can increase the Advisory Account Fee with prior written
notice to you. We may, however, determine to lower any portion
of the Advisory Account Fee at any time, without notice to you.
Intra-Period Fee Adjustments. Once the quarterly Advisory
Account Fee has been assessed and deducted from your account,
we will assess and deduct intra-quarterly fee adjustments in the
following circumstances:
CAP Program: If you have an account enrolled in our CAP
Program and the assets in that account are held at Stifel:
• Portfolio Changes – You will be assessed the applicable
Product Fee if you invest in a new Portfolio within a
calendar quarter and/or will be due a rebate if you
transition out of any Portfolio with a Product Fee within a
calendar quarter.
• Rebalances – If, due to market fluctuation, a rebalance of
your Account results in assets moving from one Portfolio
to another Portfolio within the account, we will recalculate
the Product Fees due based on the value of the assets
moved to or from each Portfolio as of the rebalance date.
In general, you will be charged if the Product Fee rate for
the Portfolio to which new Assets are added is higher than
the Product Fee rate for the Portfolio from which those
Assets were moved, and will receive a rebate if the inverse
is true.
Calculation of Advisory Account Fees
The Advisory Account Fee is generally due quarterly in
advance; however, from time to time, we may agree to
alternative billing terms based on negotiations with the
applicable Client (e.g., in arrears, or on a monthly cycle, etc.).
The initial fee for each account is charged in full as of the
effective date of the Advisory relationship relating to that
account (see the discussion under Processing Guidelines for
Advisory Accounts above) and is usually based on the account’s
opening market value. In calculating quarterly installments of
the annual Advisory Account Fee, we assume a 360-day annual
period. For the initial fee, the period for which the fee relates is
the effective date through the last day of the calendar quarter in
which the account is opened, and is prorated accordingly based
on the actual number of days remaining in the quarter.
Thereafter, the fee is based on the account’s closing market
value on the last business day of the previous calendar quarter,
as reflected on your custodial account statement (except as set
forth below). The fee is generally due on the business day
following the assessment day.
• Additions/Withdrawals – If you add to or withdraw funds
from your Account held at Stifel, a prorated fee adjustment
will be charged or rebated, based on the number of days
left in the calendar quarter. For the Product Fee portion, the
additional fee and/or rebate will be assessed in all cases. In
contrast, for the Stifel Fee portion, we will only assess an
additional fee and/or issue a rebate if the fee amount is at
least $1.
For each event, the amount charged or rebated will be
prorated based on the actual number of days remaining in the
quarter.
In valuing assets in all Client accounts held at our firm, we rely
on publicly recorded information, use various vendor systems
that we have reviewed and reasonably believe to be reliable,
and/or rely on valuations provided by the entities holding assets
and/or accounts that are part of a Client’s Advisory relationship
with us (such as, for example, administrators or other service
providers to hedge funds or other private funds in which our
clients are investors or other brokerage firms, banks, or other
entities serving as qualified custodians of our client assets). For
assets held at Stifel, if prices are unavailable, we determine
prices in good faith to reflect an understanding of the assets’ fair
market value.
Billable Value vs. Net Portfolio Value: As set forth above, your
Advisory Account’s Fee is calculated based on the account’s
closing market value, generally as reflected on your custodial
All Other Programs: For accounts invested in all other
Programs and assets held at Stifel, we will charge a prorated
fee on additional contributions made during a quarter and/or
issue a rebate for withdrawals from your Account, to the
extent such additions or withdrawals are valued at more than
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$25,000 and would generate a prorated quarterly fee or rebate
of more than $25. In each case, the fee addition and/or rebate
will be calculated based on the actual number of calendar
days remaining in the quarter. You should refer to the section
“Termination; Refund of Fees Upon Termination” for
applicable rebates in the event of a termination.
sufficient funds to cover the fee in the following order: first, we
liquidate mutual fund positions, followed by equities securities
(including ETFs), unit investment trusts, corporate bonds,
municipal bonds, and any other securities. You should note that
incidental, special, or indirect damages (including, but not
limited to, lost profits, trading losses, or tax consequences) may
be incurred in the account as a result of such rebalance or
liquidation to pay for fees. You (not Stifel) are responsible for
any such damages or losses.
In addition, subject to agreement between us, other permissible
fee payment options may include:
• Letter of Authorization (“LOA”): Pursuant to an LOA, the
For All Programs: We may, in our sole discretion, make
changes to these thresholds at any time, without notice to
you. In certain limited circumstances (such as with respect to
accounts subject to a flat-fee arrangements, or accounts held
with other custodians, etc.), we will neither charge a prorated
fee on intra-quarter contributions nor provide a rebate on
intra-quarter withdrawals from the Account.
Advisory Account Fee may be deducted from a separate Stifel
account on the due date each quarter. If the designated account
has insufficient funds, we reserve the right to automatically
debit the Advisory account to collect the amount due.
• Client Invoice: In certain limited cases (such as where a
Client’s account is held at another custodian), we may agree to
provide you with an invoice setting out the fees due each
billing period in return for your agreement to remit the fee
payment promptly. If we do not receive the fee payment from
you within a reasonable time, we reserve the right to
automatically debit your Advisory account to collect the
amount due. If the fee payment is debited from a qualified
plan and funds are received thereafter, applicable law requires
the receivable to be classified a contribution to your retirement
account.
Fee Charges on Customer Account Statement. Scheduled
quarterly charges of the Stifel Fee and Product Fee are typically
reflected as a single line “Advisory Fee” on the monthly account
statement that you receive from us for the applicable period. If
your account experiences activity that results in intra-period fee
adjustments as set forth above, those charges will show as
separate fee line items on the statement for each net fee
adjustment. As a result, there may be times when you will see
multiple fee charges on a single monthly account statement.
Where a Product Fee is charged (or rebated) separate from a
Stifel Fee, the Product Fee may be reflected on your statement as
a Manager Fee. If you’ve elected to utilize a third-party manager
through the Connect Program, there will be separate “Advisory
Fee” lines, one described as “Advisory Fee” and a second as
“Manager Fee.”
Terminations; Refund of Fees Upon Termination
Termination Events
• You can terminate your Advisory Agreement with respect to
any account at any time with notice to your Financial Advisor.
• We similarly reserve the right to terminate our Agreement
with you at any time, for any reason, in our sole discretion.
• Depending on the Portfolio in which your account is invested
and in our sole discretion, we will also consider instructions to
liquidate all or a significant portion of an account enrolled in a
discretionary Program as direction to terminate the account
from the Advisory Program.
• Finally, we will treat the receipt of any account transfer
instructions from you as termination of your Advisory
relationship with us with respect to that account (once we have
received notice and have had reasonable time to act on the
notice).
In connection with each termination event, we will implement
any accompanying liquidation instructions consistent with the
guidelines set forth below.
Fee Householding
You may request to household eligible Advisory accounts held
at our firm (that is, combine multiple eligible Advisory accounts
for purposes of calculating the Stifel Fee in order to qualify for
available lower fee tiers in each Program). Fee householding can
result in lower overall fees if the aggregate household value is
high enough to qualify for lower fee tiers in the applicable
Programs. You can fee household eligible Advisory accounts
across multiple Programs. You should note, however, that it is
your responsibility, not Stifel’s, to determine whether you have
multiple eligible Advisory accounts that could be placed in a
billing household and potentially result in lower overall fees to
you. You should also note that special tax rules apply to the
inclusion of IRAs and Keogh plans in a household (you should
consult your tax advisor for more information), and that Stifel
will not accept requests to combine retirement accounts subject
to ERISA with non-retirement accounts into a single fee
household. You should contact your Financial Advisor(s) for
more detailed information about fee householding Advisory
Accounts, including whether your accounts are eligible to be
grouped into a fee household for this purpose.
Deduction of Advisory Account Fees
Unless we agree otherwise, the Advisory Account Fee is
automatically deducted each quarter from available cash or cash
equivalents, including money market funds, in your Advisory
account on the billing date. Per the direction in our Advisory
Agreements with you, where necessary, we rebalance or
liquidate sufficient securities in your account to generate
Effect of Termination
• In the event of a termination, you generally will receive a pro
rata refund of any pre-paid quarterly fee based on the number
of days remaining in the quarter of termination. However, we
reserve the right to retain pre-paid quarterly fees if you
terminate the Advisory Agreement at any time within the first
quarter of the first year of service. This is intended to
discourage clients from opening an Advisory account,
executing multiple trades at no transaction costs, then seeking
to close the Advisory account before the end of the calendar
quarter.
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• If you provide liquidation instructions with your termination
request (including where your request for a significant or
complete liquidation of a discretionary account results in
termination), we will liquidate those positions at no additional
cost to you as part of terminating your account from the
Advisory relationship. However, any liquidations processed
after your account has been fully terminated from an Advisory
Program and converted into a regular brokerage arrangement
will be subject to customary transaction fees.
those unsupervised assets are not considered part of our
Advisory relationship with you. We periodically allow Clients to
hold unsupervised assets in Advisory accounts solely as an
accommodation to the Client. Our firm specifically disclaims
any fiduciary obligations with respect to unsupervised assets
held in a Client’s Advisory account. This means that we do not
undertake to monitor any such assets even though they are held
in the Advisory account. You can request a list of the
unsupervised assets (if any) held in your accounts at any time,
without charge, from your Financial Advisor.
• In connection with account transfer instructions, if we are
unable to transfer any of the securities in your account to the
new custodian, we typically will liquidate those securities in
order to facilitate the transfer of your account. Any liquidations
to facilitate the transfer of your account to another institution
will be undertaken in our capacity as a registered broker-dealer.
In our capacity as a broker-dealer, we may liquidate the
securities that cannot transfer by purchasing them for our own
account (that is, through a principal transaction).
Other Fees and Expenses Not Included in the Advisory
Account Fee
The Advisory Account Fee does not include the fees, charges,
and expenses outlined below. If applicable, you will be
separately charged said fees, charges, and expenses in addition
to the Advisory Account Fee. If an investment product
purchased for the benefit of your account is offered by a
prospectus or other offering document, you should review the
information about the related fees, charges, and expenses set
forth in such prospectus or other offering document.
Fees and Expenses Associated With Trades Executed By
Investment Managers Away From Stifel
Each Investment Manager (including Connect Advisers) that
manages and is responsible for trading all or a portion of a
Client’s Advisory account retains the authority to determine the
execution venue for transactions in the Client accounts. As such,
Investment Managers may determine to execute trades through
other broker-dealer(s) (known as “trading away”) if the
Investment Manager determines, in its sole discretion, such
trades would be in the best interests of the affected Clients, such
as to satisfy its best execution obligations. An Investment
Manager may trade away for a variety of reasons, the type of
securities that the Investment Manager is buying or selling, or
because the Investment Manager is aggregating Stifel Client
trades with other non-Stifel client accounts (as further explained
below), or for some other reason determined in the sole
discretion of the applicable Investment Manager. If an
Investment Manager trades away from Stifel, impacted Clients
may incur additional execution costs for the trade.
Processing Liquidations in Connection With Terminations
Termination and related liquidation instructions are processed as
promptly as possible following receipt by our processing staff.
However, you should note that in certain cases, we will not be
able to process liquidation requests on the day that we receive
the request. Those cases include when we experience an
unusually high volume of liquidation and/or termination requests
in a single day (such as during periods of significant market
volatility). Even during relatively normal market conditions and
low liquidation/termination volume, we generally are not able to
process requests received late in the trading day (typically after
3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time). You should therefore
communicate your liquidation requests as early as possible
to increase the likelihood that your instructions can be
processed on the same day. If you are invested in a Manager
Portfolio, you should note that certain Managers (particularly
Managers with complex strategies and/or securities with limited
liquidity) require advance notice of termination, and may take
multiple days to process termination and related liquidation
request(s). You should review each applicable Manager’s Form
ADV 2A for relevant information. Finally, you should note that,
in some Portfolios (for example, those investing in affiliated
mutual fund completion shares), all or some of the positions in
your account will be liquidated upon termination, even if you do
not specifically request a liquidation in connection with your
account termination instructions.
You should ask your Financial Advisor about the Investment
Manager’s trading away practices before selecting, or while
reviewing, a particular investment strategy. You should also
review each applicable Investment Manager’s Form ADV Part
2A Brochure for specific information about that Investment
Manager’s trade-away practices.
Compensation in Connection With the Termination of a
Client’s Relationship With Stifel
Although we do not charge additional fees in connection with
the termination of an Advisory Agreement, if you elect to
distribute or transfer all of your assets from the account held at
our firm to an account at another financial institution, you will
be charged a $100 account transfer fee.
If additional execution costs (whether as a commission or
markup or markdown) are incurred, the Client will be
responsible for such execution costs in addition to the Advisory
Account Fee. Additional information about Investment Manager
trade-away practices is provided below in the section
“Brokerage Practices” of this brochure.
Other Excluded Fees and Expenses
In addition to the Advisory Account Fee, Clients will also be
responsible for and separately bear the cost of (i) any fees or
expenses assessed to their investments or account by third
Unsupervised Assets
If your account includes “unsupervised assets” that are excluded
from billing (which may include, but are not limited to, positions
in our parent company stock, Stifel Financial Corp. (SF),
annuities, or other assets that are deemed ineligible for the
Program in which the account is enrolled), you should note that
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parties (or by Stifel in order to pay such third parties) and (ii)
other fees and expenses set forth below:
• Brokerage commissions, markups, markdowns, spreads, and
odd-lot differentials on orders an Investment Manager effects
through a broker-dealer other than Stifel or its affiliates (that
is, costs relating to trades away from our firm).
unit investment trusts, REITs, and private funds. These fees
and expenses include, but are not limited to, operating
expenses, portfolio management, distribution and marketing,
redemption fees, and similar fees, in each case as outlined in
the fund prospectus, private offering memorandum, or similar
document. Additionally, the value of account assets invested
in shares of collective investment vehicles is included in
calculating the Advisory Account Fee to the extent permitted
by applicable law.
• Exchange and auction fees, transfer or other taxes, and other
• To the extent permitted by applicable law, markups and
markdowns on principal trades resulting from orders an
Investment Manager places through our firm or an affiliate.
fees required by law.
• Any interest expense charged to the account including, but not
limited to, margin interest charged with respect to any direct
or cross-collateralized margin loans.
• The public offering price (including underwriting
• Any other costs associated with products or services not
specifically included in the services described in the
applicable Advisory Agreement, but set forth in the Stifel
Account Agreement and Disclosure Booklet and any other
charges mandated by applicable law.
Each Client should carefully consider the overall cost when
selecting a Program or Portfolio.
commissions or discounts) on securities purchased from an
underwriter or dealer (including the firm or an affiliate to the
extent permitted by applicable law) in a distribution or public
offering of securities. Even where such securities are
purchased from a broker-dealer other than our firm or an
affiliate, our firm or an affiliate may directly or indirectly
benefit if our firm or an affiliate is a member of the
underwriting syndicate from which the security is purchased.
• Account maintenance fees and expenses, account
administration fees, transactional expenses, custody fees,
and/or any other expenses charged by the custodian or other
party in connection with maintaining those assets. These
include, but are not limited to, administration and other fees
associated with qualified retirement plans (including IRAs).
• Fees or expenses related to trading in foreign securities (other
than commissions payable to Stifel). This includes “Pass-
through fees” charged by third parties with respect to foreign
securities, including, but not limited to, transaction processing
fees, creation fees, and/or conversion fees in connection with
ADRs, custody-related expenses charged by third parties for
such securities, as well as any wire charges related to
payments for transactions in those securities.
Additional Information on Certain Fund-Related Charges and
Fees. As set forth above, any fees or expenses charged by
investment funds in which your account invests are excluded
from the Advisory Account Fee and, therefore, are your sole
responsibility. You should pay particular attention to each
investment fund’s prospectus and/or other offering documents
for a full understanding of all applicable charges and fees. For
example, certain fixed income UITs available for investment in
our Advisory Programs charge an upfront fee of up to 0.60% on
the amount invested, payable to the product sponsor, in
connection with their advisory share classes. Certain mutual
funds and closed-end funds also charge short-term redemption
fees if shares of the fund to be redeemed have been held for less
than the fund’s prescribed minimum holding period (typically
anywhere from less than thirty (30) days to twelve (12) months).
Where applicable, short-term redemption fees are imposed
without regard to the share class held – which means that you
may incur (and be separately responsible for) the short-term
redemption fee even in your Advisory accounts. In certain
limited circumstances, a fund may offer waivers for short-term
redemptions – please refer to each applicable fund’s prospectus
or offering document and discuss with your Financial Advisor.
• Exchange fees, transfer or other taxes, and other fees required
by law, including (but not limited to), taxes or fees imposed
by any foreign entity in connection with securities
transactions in the account.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON FEES AND
OTHER COMPENSATION
• Electronic fund and wire transfer fees (including, but not
limited to, those associated with alternative investment
transactions).
• Fees or expenses associated with preparing and/or filing tax
forms in connection with privately issued securities or other
investments that generate unrelated business taxable income
(including, but not limited to, Form 990T for IRAs).
• Any fees or charges associated with cash management options
or privileges selected for an account (including, but not
limited to, check-writing, debit or credit card services, and
e-bill services).
Compensation to Financial Advisors
We pay a percentage (“Payout Rate”) of the Stifel Advisory Fee
that we receive from you to your Financial Advisor(s). Payout
Rates generally range from 25% to 50%; the applicable
percentage paid to your Financial Advisor will depend on your
Financial Advisor’s employment agreement and arrangements
with us and the total amount of revenue your Financial Advisor
generates from all clients (including from brokerage clients)
(referred to as “Production”). Our compensation to the Financial
Advisor can also include a bonus that is also based on the
Financial Advisor’s Production.
• Fees, charges, and other costs and expenses related to
Your Financial Advisor’s Payout Rate will be the same
regardless of the Advisory Program in which your accounts are
collective investment vehicles, including, but not limited to,
closed-end funds, mutual funds, money market funds, ETFs,
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enrolled. However, as a general matter, your Financial Advisor’s
total cash compensation increases as his or her Production
increases, and this creates an incentive for your Financial
Advisor to recommend certain Programs or Portfolios over
others and/or other products or services in order to increase his
or her Production. In connection with the Programs covered by
this brochure, we mitigate these conflicts by limiting Advisory-
related Production compensation to Stifel’s share of the
Advisory Account Fees (that is, your Financial Advisor
generally does not share in any additional fees and expenses that
your account incurs as a result of types of investments made (or
transactions effected) in the account). We also seek to mitigate
these conflicts by disclosing them to you and by establishing
other risk-based supervision policies and procedures (including,
e.g., to review certain new Advisory account enrollments).
Branch Manager/Supervisory Activities. In addition, we pay
compensation to branch managers based on aggregate
Production generated by the Financial Advisors operating from
the manager’s branch office. In some cases, a portion of a
Financial Advisor’s Production can result in compensation to his
or her branch manager or another Financial Advisor for
supervision and administrative or sales support. When a
supervisor is compensated based on the Production of the person
he or she is supervising, this creates a conflict of interest since
the supervisor has an incentive for you to make investments that
generate greater compensation for the supervisor. The particular
compensation arrangements between your Financial Advisor and
his or her branch manager also create incentives for your
Financial Advisor to recommend transactions, investment
products, and services that generate greater amounts of revenue
for us, the branch manager, and your Financial Advisor.
Discount Sharing. Financial Advisors receive less than their
standard payout when accounts are priced below the set
minimum fee level for the applicable Program. While Financial
Advisors may be allowed to set the Stifel Fee for an account
below the minimum fee level, doing so typically results in a
reduction to the Financial Advisor’s Payout Rate (generally
referred to as discount sharing) potentially down to 0%. The fee
levels at which discount sharing starts to apply vary by Program
and/or style: for example, the discount sharing level for equity
strategies is different than for fixed income strategies. In general,
discount sharing creates an incentive for Financial Advisors to
price accounts above the set minimum fee level in order to
receive their standard Payout Rate.
Outside Business Activities. Your Financial Advisor is permitted
to engage in certain business activities approved by us, other
than the provision of brokerage and advisory services through
Stifel. In certain cases, these outside business activities can
cause conflicts with the Advisory services that your Financial
Advisor provides to you and your account(s). We mitigate these
conflicts by requiring your Financial Advisor to disclose to us
and obtain approval for outside business activities by
establishing certain other policies and risk-based procedures to
the approval of outside business activities. Where such activities
are deemed material (as determined by regulation), we disclose
such activities are deemed material (as determined by
regulation), disclosing them to you through the Financial
Advisor’s Form ADV Part 2B, and by establishing certain other
policies and risk-based procedures to the approval of outside
business activities.
Other Benefits. Equity awards from our parent company, SF, are
a standard component of our Financial Advisors’ compensation.
Your Financial Advisor is eligible to receive other benefits based
on his or her Production. These benefits include recognition
events, conferences (e.g., for education, networking, training,
and personal and professional development), and other forms of
noncash compensation that generally increase in value as the
amount of the Production your Financial Advisor generates
increases. These benefits create an incentive for your Financial
Advisor to recommend certain Programs over others and/or
transactions, products, and services that generate additional fees
and expenses in order to obtain the most benefits.
Certain Compensation in Addition to the Stifel Advisory Fee
Stifel, our Financial Advisors, and our affiliates may, from time
to time, receive additional compensation in connection with
certain types of assets in which Clients’ Advisory accounts are
invested, as discussed in more detail below. To the extent
received in connection with Advisory accounts, this
compensation is in addition to the Stifel Advisory Fee that you
pay to us for our investment advisory services. The receipt of
such additional compensation presents a conflict of interest
for us as it creates an incentive for our Financial Advisors to
recommend investment products based on the compensation
received rather than solely based on your investment needs.
You have the option to purchase investment products that we
recommend through brokers who are not affiliated with us.
Recruiting Transition Assistance. Some Financial Advisors are
eligible for special incentive compensation and other benefits
based on client assets in accounts at our firm (including assets
held in your retirement accounts). These incentives and benefits
can be in the form of recruitment and retention bonuses, and
eligibility for repayable loans or loans for which repayment is
made under certain conditions, for your Financial Advisor by an
entity affiliated with us. These incentives and benefits generally
increase as the Financial Advisor brings more client assets to us
and generates more revenue. These benefits create an incentive
for your Financial Advisor to recommend that you transition
accounts held at other financial institutions to our firm, as well
as to recommend certain transactions, products, and services
over others in order to obtain the benefits.
Brokerage Commissions
For all fee-based Programs, the Stifel Fee includes the costs
associated with our execution services. We generally do not
charge separate brokerage commissions (including markups or
markdowns) for trades that we execute for wrap accounts in the
Programs covered in this brochure, unless disclosed to the
affected Client (such as in the Advisory Agreement or its
schedules and addendums, or in other applicable documents).
However, the majority of our Financial Advisors are authorized
to provide both brokerage and Advisory services to clients. As a
result, Financial Advisors may effect securities transactions for
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commissions in connection with brokerage accounts, including
brokerage accounts that you own in addition to your Advisory
accounts.
(as discussed below). This means that the Funds and share
classes we offer or choose will not necessarily be the lowest
cost share class for which you may be eligible because there
may be less expensive share classes that do not pay us
Omnibus Fees and/or Networking Fees. Use of a more
expensive share class will reduce the performance of your
investment. This limitation does not apply to Funds on our
Recommended List, which are offered without regard to whether
there are Omnibus Fees and/or Networking Fees paid to us. We
may make exceptions and offer or choose Funds that do not pay
us Omnibus Fees and/or Networking Fees in certain
circumstances. Ask your Financial Advisor for details.
Compensation From Funds
If you invest in mutual funds, ETFs, closed-end funds, UITs,
and/or money market funds (collectively referred to as “Funds”),
you will bear your proportionate share of each Fund’s fees and
expenses, including, but not limited to, investment management
fees and performance-based compensation paid to the Fund’s
investment adviser, fees paid to service providers, transaction
costs, and other operating costs. Each Fund’s fees and expenses
are included in the price of a Fund’s shares, are described in the
Fund’s prospectus or other offering document, and are in
addition to the Advisory fee you pay in the Programs.
When structuring the Programs, we determine the Funds that
will be made available in the Programs. We may add new
Funds and/or remove existing Funds from the platform
generally, or from one or more Programs, at any time and in our
sole discretion. When we terminate or remove a Fund from our
platform or the Programs, you will not be able to purchase
additional shares of that Fund after such termination or
removal, which will have an adverse impact on any future
investment plans that include that Fund. Moreover, in certain
cases (such as where we have discretionary authority over the
accounts, or where you have otherwise provided us the relevant
authority), we may also decide to sell any shares held by our
Client accounts with the terminated or removed Fund to further
limit our exposure to that Fund. A sale of Fund shares may have
tax consequences for you, depending on the type of account that
you hold. You should consult with your tax advisor about
potential tax consequences of your investment(s) in our
Programs.
Certain Funds may not offer multiple share classes, or may not
allow us to make the “advisory” share class available to certain
Programs (e.g., to our Vantage Program). Moreover, we may
allow a limited universe of legacy “non-advisory” share classes
to be held in some of Advisory accounts for a period, pending a
conversion into the appropriate “advisory” share class. In
addition, Funds may offer new share classes with lower fees or
expenses or change the investment minimums or other
restrictions for certain share classes. Where this occurs, we will
determine, at our own discretion, whether and in what manner to
offer those share classes in the Programs, including based on
whether the Funds pay us Omnibus Fees and/or Networking Fees.
When we designate a new (lower cost) share class to be used in
our Advisory Programs, we will seek to convert the share class
then held by our Advisory accounts (both discretionary and non-
discretionary) into the newly designated share class, in each case
without seeking Client approval. However, our success in
effecting such conversions will depend entirely on each Fund
company’s willingness to cooperate with us in effecting a
conversion that does not otherwise trigger tax consequences for
our account holders.
Funds typically offer multiple share classes, each with different
levels of fees and expenses. The share classes of Funds
available through the Programs will not necessarily be the least
expensive share classes and will depend on our agreement with
the Fund companies and their affiliates. Other Funds and share
classes may have different charges, fees, and expenses, which
may be lower than the charges, fees, and expenses of the Funds
and share classes we make available through the Programs. For
example, there may be a share class of a Fund available through
the Programs that does not include the additional compensation
discussed below. These other Funds and share classes may be
available through other financial intermediaries or directly from
the Funds themselves. Because each share class of a Fund with
multiple share classes generally invests in the same portfolio of
assets, an investor who holds a less-expensive share class of the
Fund will pay lower fees and expenses over time – and earn
higher investment returns – than an investor who holds a more-
expensive share class of the same Fund.
We consider various factors, including our costs to operate the
Programs and compensation we receive from Fund companies
and/or their affiliates, in deciding which Funds and share classes
to make available in the Programs. You should expect that we
will receive certain payments from Fund companies and/or their
affiliates in connection with your investment in a Fund, and that
amounts we receive will depend on the share class, interest, or
CUSIP you hold. The additional compensation varies between
Funds, poses a conflict of interest, and can influence the
selection of Funds and share classes we make available through
the Programs. We seek to address this conflict of interest by
disclosing it to you, as well as through our policies designed to
ensure that the fees we charge are fair and reasonable. If we did
not receive this additional compensation, you should expect that
we would charge higher fees or other amounts to you for the
services we provide. In addition, we are not obligated to
negotiate more favorable terms with Funds or, except as
otherwise described below, to rebate any portion of the
additional compensation we receive. You should carefully
consider this compensation in addition to the Advisory fee you
pay in the Programs when evaluating the reasonability of our
fees and the total compensation we receive for providing you
these Advisory services.
We generally strive to invest Client assets in the least expensive
share class, interest, or CUSIP that is made available to our firm
and for which our Advisory accounts are eligible (for this
purpose, such share class, interest, or CUSIP will be referred to
as “advisory” share classes); provided that those Funds and
share classes pay us “Omnibus Fees” and/or “Networking Fees”
Page 17 of 48
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In each of our Programs, you should expect that we receive
various fees and compensation with respect to your investments
in Fund shares, including (but not limited to):
from $5.00 to $12.00 per position per year. Not all Fund
companies pay networking fees, and networking fees that
we receive vary by Fund company, by Fund, and by share
class. Any networking fees that Fund companies pay to us
are deducted from the Fund’s assets, but in some cases may
be subsidized, in part, by affiliates or the distributor of the
Funds. As with omnibus fees, to the extent received, we
generally receive networking fees with respect to all share
classes of the Fund held by our clients, including (for
example) “advisory” share classes held in Client accounts,
but not necessarily in the same amounts. We do not require
our Financial Advisors to recommend Funds that pay
networking fees; additionally, to mitigate the conflict as to
Fund and share class recommendations, we do not share any
networking fees received from Funds with our Financial
Advisors. Moreover, we rebate networking fees received in
connection with Fund shares held in Advisory retirement
accounts. To the extent received in connection with
Advisory non-retirement accounts, networking payments are
in addition to the Stifel Fee that we earn directly from the
relevant Clients invested in those Funds.
(iii) 12b-1 Distribution Fees (“12b-1 fees”). 12b-1 fees are
generally paid by Funds to compensate us for providing
distribution-related, administrative, and informational
services, as applicable, associated with each Fund. 12b-1
fees are included in the “annual operating expenses” or
“expense ratio” charged and reported by each Fund, and are
deducted directly from the Funds automatically. In general,
we seek to make available share classes that do not have any
associated 12b-1 fees in the Programs covered by this
brochure. There may, however, be some Funds available
through the Programs that have 12b-1 fees due to share class
availability, or if a share class subject to 12b-1 fees is the
only share class on which we can receive Omnibus Fees
and/or Networking Fees. To the extent received, we
generally rebate back to the Client any12b-1 fees received
(including Omnibus Fees and/or Networking Fees that are
paid from the 12b-1 fees) in connection with Fund shares
held in Advisory accounts, but only to the extent that such
12b-1 fees relate to the period during which the account has
been enrolled in one of our Advisory Programs.
(i) Omnibus Fees: A number of Fund companies and/or their
affiliates compensate us for providing record-keeping and
related services associated with Fund shares held in client
accounts (both brokerage and Advisory). Our firm processes
some fund transactions with Fund companies on an
“omnibus” basis, which means we consolidate our clients’
trades into one daily trade with the Fund, and therefore
maintain all pertinent individual shareholder information for
the Fund. The compensation for these services is commonly
referred to as “omnibus fees” or “sub-accounting fees.” For
traditional omnibus trades, we receive omnibus fees that
typically range from 0.02% to 0.12% annually or $16.00 to
$19.00 per position per year. For super-omnibus trades (we
utilize a third party to facilitate execution), we receive a
blended rate that typically ranges from 0.08% to 0.25%
annually or $18.00 to $19.75 per position per year. The
omnibus fees that we receive vary by Fund company, by
Fund, and by share class. Any omnibus payments paid to
our firm are paid from investor assets in the Funds (and,
like other Fund expenses, are included in the “annual
operating expenses” or “expense ratio” charged and
reported by each Fund and disclosed in the Fund’s
prospectus), but in some cases may be paid or subsidized in
part by the adviser or distributor of the Funds or their
affiliates. Where we receive omnibus fees from or with
respect to a Fund, we generally receive omnibus fees with
respect to all share classes of the Fund held by our clients,
including (for example) “advisory” share classes held in our
Client accounts, but not necessarily in the same amounts.
These fees and fee rates are subject to change from time to
time, and may be received individually or as part of a
“bundled” arrangement with a Fund that includes other
types of fees, such as administration and distribution
payments. We do not require our Financial Advisors to
recommend Funds that pay omnibus fees; additionally, to
mitigate the conflict as to Fund and share class
recommendations, we do not share any omnibus fees
received with respect to the Funds with our Financial
Advisors. Moreover, we rebate back to Client accounts
omnibus fees received, net of any third-party expenses we
incur and pay as direct reimbursable expenses, in connection
with Fund shares held in Advisory retirement accounts. To
the extent received in connection with Advisory non-
retirement accounts, omnibus payments are in addition to
the Stifel Fee that we earn directly from the relevant Clients
invested in those Funds.
(ii) Networking Fees. Fund companies that are not traded
omnibus are traded on a networked basis, which means our
firm submits a separate trade for each individual client to
the Fund companies and therefore maintains certain
elements of the shareholder information. Such Fund
companies and/or their affiliates may compensate us for
maintaining shareholder information, which the Fund
companies would otherwise be required to maintain
themselves. We receive networking fees that typically range
(iv) Marketing Support and Revenue-Sharing Payments. We
receive revenue-sharing payments from the assets of the
Fund manager or its affiliate (and not the Fund) for
providing ongoing marketing, training, and education to our
Financial Advisors with respect to the Fund sponsor and its
products. Revenue-sharing payments, which typically range
from 0.02% to 0.08% annually on assets under management
and can be up to 0.15% on new sales, do not directly reduce
the amount invested by an investor. Not all Fund managers
or affiliates make revenue-sharing payments to us, and the
revenue-sharing payments we receive vary between Fund
companies. Revenue-sharing payments may include fixed
payments, payments based on the total assets placed by our
Clients at a Fund company or in a particular Fund or Fund
share class (i.e., a percentage of total client purchases, both
brokerage and Advisory), or a combination of the two.
Because the amount of revenue-sharing payments we
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receive can vary between Funds or share classes of a
particular Fund, we have an incentive to recommend to you
a Fund (or a share class of a particular Fund) that pays us a
higher amount of revenue sharing than another Fund or
share class. We seek to mitigate this potential conflict
through a number of measures, including, as described
above, the manner in which we make share classes
available. In addition, our Financial Advisors do not directly
share in any revenue-sharing payments we receive, and we
do not require our Financial Advisors to recommend Funds
providing revenue-sharing payments to us. Moreover, we
rebate revenue-sharing fees received in connection with
Fund shares held in Advisory retirement accounts. To the
extent received in connection with Advisory non-retirement
accounts, marketing and revenue share payments are in
addition to the Stifel Fee that we earn directly from the
relevant Clients invested in those Funds.
(v) Training and Education Expense Contributions. Fund
companies and/or their affiliates may pay all or a part of the
cost of particularized and/or firm-wide training education
programs and seminars for our Financial Advisors. For
example, a Fund company might host events for Financial
Advisors designed to provide training and education about
their Funds and products. In doing so, they agree to bear the
cost (or part of the cost) for our Financial Advisors and
other personnel to attend the events. The amounts paid by
Fund companies vary, and Stifel does not require any Fund
company to host, participate in, or contribute to the costs of
these events as a condition of Stifel making a Fund
company’s Funds available on our platform. A Financial
Advisor’s attendance and participation in these events, as
well as the increased exposure to Fund companies who
sponsor the events, may lead the Financial Advisor to
recommend Funds of those Fund companies as compared to
Funds of Fund companies that do not sponsor these events.
compensation through our parent company. We may limit
the purchase of such Funds in our Programs at any time, in
our sole discretion. If a Client’s retirement Advisory
account invests in such a Fund, we rebate an amount
representing the fee or other compensation our affiliate
receives in connection with the Client retirement account’s
investment in the Fund, subject to the limitations discussed
below. We may also decide, in our sole discretion, to
provide similar rebates to non-retirement accounts in
discretionary Programs if such Funds are otherwise allowed
in the relevant Program. We generally will not provide
rebates for Funds held by non-retirement accounts in our
non-discretionary Programs. Clients should understand that
rebates are calculated retroactively, based on the value of
the Fund shares held in the Client account as of a pre-
determined date (typically, as of the last business day of the
calendar month), and are credited back to the account one
quarter or more in arrears (without interest). Moreover, our
rebating process applies only to Funds held in the Client’s
account as of the first business day of the calendar month
and assumes that such Funds are held for the entire month.
As such, an Advisory account that purchases a Fund on a
day other than the first business day of the calendar month
will not be eligible for the rebate with respect to the fees
and compensation our affiliates earn with respect to the
Fund for that month. Similarly, an Advisory account that
sells a Fund prior to the last business day of the calendar
month will receive a month’s rebate based on the
assumption that the Fund was held for the entire calendar
month even though it was not. Our policies and procedures
require that our Financial Advisors purchase and sell
interests in Funds, or recommend that a Client purchase or
sell interests in Funds, at times when it is appropriate for the
Client to do so, based on the Client’s investment objectives
and needs and not to avoid rebating compensation the
Firm’s affiliates receive in connection with such
investments.
(vi) Fees Received By Our Affiliates for Providing Services to
Funds generally are sold by prospectus or other offering
document only. The prospectus or other offering document
contains important information about the specific Fund being
offered and should be reviewed carefully before investing. Any
compensation set forth above that we receive from Fund
companies and/or their affiliates is derived, directly or indirectly,
from fees that investors pay to the Funds. The amount of
compensation received will vary depending on our arrangement
with the applicable Fund company. Each Fund’s prospectus
typically describes the amount of compensation to be paid for
specified services provided to its shareholders. If such payments
are received in connection with shares held in Advisory
accounts, the Fund companies will continue to pay us for such
shares for the duration of the Advisory arrangement and, in some
circumstances, may extend payments beyond the termination of
the Advisory Agreements if Clients continue to hold Fund shares
through brokerage accounts held at Stifel. A listing of the types
and ranges of compensation that we receive from various Fund
companies is also available under the Important Disclosures
section of www.stifel.com. We highly encourage all Clients to
review this information carefully.
Funds: Some of our affiliates serve as investment adviser or
model providers, or provide other services to, various Funds
that are made available in some Programs. For example, a
number of our affiliates (including Affiliated Managers)
receive licensing and other fees from ETFs for which the
affiliate provides the constituent index or other services.
Such licensing and other fees depend on the amount of
assets invested in the ETF and the amount of shares
outstanding, including (but not limited to) investments
made, and shares held, through our Advisory Programs. Our
Financial Advisors may recommend and/or purchase these
Funds to or for Advisory Clients where allowed in a
Program. If our affiliate provides services to a Fund that is
purchased or held in a Client’s Advisory account, the
affiliate generally will receive fees (or a share thereof) from
the Fund and/or its affiliates in connection with the Client’s
investment in the Fund, even though the Client’s investment
in the Fund is also subject to Stifel’s Advisory Account
Fees. Neither our firm nor our Financial Advisors directly
share in any of the fees received by our affiliates for their
services to these Funds. However, as part of an affiliated
group, we may receive indirect benefits from such
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securities in the Advisory account, our Advisory Account Fees
are based on the market value of the account without regard to
the amount borrowed. We do not reduce our Stifel Advisory Fee
by the value of any interest or similar payments that we receive
from Clients in this regard. Each Client is strongly advised to
carefully review the impact (including the long-term effects) that
each of these practices will have on their overall account.
Finally, to the extent that a Client uses Advisory assets as
collateral for loans taken from our Affiliate Banks (“Credit Line
Loans”), we typically (but not always) receive a fee (expressed
as a percentage of the outstanding loan balance) from the
applicable Affiliated Bank for the duration of the loan. To the
extent received, we pay a portion of any such fees received to
the Financial Advisor. These payments present a material
conflict of interest for us, as they create a financial incentive for
the Financial Advisor to recommend such Credit Line Loans on
the basis of the additional compensation to be received.
Additional information about Credit Line Loans is provided
under the section “Referral Programs” below.
Cash Sweep
As set out in the section “Cash Sweep Options” below, if we
serve as custodian of your assets, uninvested cash in your
account, including maintenance cash, will generally be swept in
accordance with the applicable sweep option for your account.
For most clients, the applicable sweep option is our insured bank
deposit sweep program. We and our affiliated banks earn fees
and receive other benefits for deposit balances in the insured
bank deposit sweep program.
Compensation From Other Products
From time to time, Stifel may receive compensation from third-
party vendors or dealers in the way of volume discounts that are
paid to firms that place several million dollars’ worth of
securities with the issuer. Volume discounts can take into
account investments made across both brokerage and Advisory
accounts. For example, we may receive volume discounts from
sponsors/issuers of structured products as well as from various
Funds made available to brokerage and/or Advisory accounts.
Our affiliates may also be compensated in connection with other
non-Fund products in which our Client assets are invested. For
example, some of our affiliates may issue investment products,
such as brokered CDs, which are made available for purchase on
our platform. We may limit the purchase of such products in our
Programs at any time, in our sole discretion. If such products are
allowed in an Advisory Program, we rebate an amount
representing the pro-rated fee or other compensation received (if
any) by our affiliate in connection with those products held in
Clients’ retirement accounts. We may also decide, in our sole
discretion, to provide similar rebates to non-retirement accounts
in discretionary Programs if the products are allowed in such
discretionary Programs. We generally will not provide rebates
for such products held by non-retirement accounts in our non-
discretionary Programs. Clients should understand that rebates
are determined retroactively, based on the value of the product
(e.g., fund shares) in the Client account as of a pre-determined
date (typically at month-end), and are paid a quarter or more in
arrears (without interest). Moreover, our process only reviews
whether a product is held in Advisory accounts as of the
beginning of the month and, thereafter, assumes that each such
product is held (or not held) in the account(s) for the remainder
of the month. As such, an eligible Advisory account that
purchases a product other than on the first business day of the
month will not receive any rebate for that month and, similarly,
an eligible Advisory account that sells a product in the middle
of the month will receive a rebate for the entire month even
though the position was only held for part of the month.
Notwithstanding, some investment products (e.g., brokered CDs)
may not have any embedded fees that can be rebated back to the
Client, even where such products are held in an Advisory
account. Clients should carefully consider any and all
disclosures provided in connection with transactions in such
products. Clients investing in Stifel brokered CDs authorize
deposits in the appropriate Affiliate Bank (defined in the section
OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY AFFILIATIONS), and
acknowledge the benefits that Stifel, the Affiliated Bank, and the
Financial Advisor derive from the Stifel brokered CDs as
disclosed in applicable offering documents. With respect to
retirement accounts, such deposits will bear a reasonable rate of
interest as required by 29 C.F.R. Section 2550.408b-4(b)(2).
Please contact your Financial Advisor for additional
information.
Float
As set out in the section “Cash Sweep Options” below, if we
serve as custodian of your assets, un-invested cash in your
account will generally be swept in accordance with your sweep
option for the account. If we receive a cash deposit from you
before the close of business on a day in which the NYSE was
open, the deposited funds will be credited to your sweep account
as of the end of the next business day; if you deposit a check, the
funds will be credited to your sweep account as of the end of the
second business day following deposit. If we receive deposits
after the close of business on a day in which the NYSE was open
or on a day the NYSE was closed, the funds will be considered
received the following business day and will be credited to your
sweep account consistent with the timeline discussed above. As
such, depending on the time that cash is received, we may earn
interest or receive other benefits (referred to as “float”) during
the interim period between when funds are received in our firm
account and the time those funds are credited to your cash sweep
account. Similarly, if you are withdrawing money from your
account (or we otherwise issue funds to you) by check or an
ACH payment, we will generally earn float on those funds until
you have cashed the check or the ACH payment has settled. We
retain any float earned (generally at Federal Funds Rates) during
any of these periods.
As discussed elsewhere in this brochure, we do not allow
Advisory accounts to use margin except in limited
circumstances. With respect to any such margin transactions,
Client accounts that are specifically approved to engage in such
margin transactions should note that we charge interest on the
amount borrowed and, if the proceeds are used to purchase
Revenue Sharing and Other Compensation Arrangements
With Private Investment Funds or Their Sponsors
We may allow certain Financial Advisors to recommend
investments in approved private investment funds with respect to
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Non-Cash Compensation
Subject to the firm’s policies, Financial Advisors may receive
non-cash compensation in the form of occasional gifts, meals,
tickets, and/or other forms of entertainment from third parties,
including mutual fund companies (or their agents or affiliates),
Managers, insurance vendors, and/or sponsors of products that
we make available for purchase to our Clients.
General Disclosure on Conflicts of Interest
As set forth above, the additional compensation associated with
the Programs and/or investments described in the preceding
section, to be paid to and retained by Stifel (which may be
shared with your Financial Advisor) and/or one or more of our
affiliates may present a conflict between your interests on the
one hand and those of the Financial Advisor, our firm, or
affiliates on the other hand. This additional compensation
provides an incentive to us, in exercising discretion or making
recommendations for your account, to choose or recommend
investments that result in higher compensation to our firm, your
Financial Advisor, and/or affiliates of Stifel. For example, for
certain Programs, your Financial Advisor will receive a portion
of the Advisory Account Fee that we retain after paying, as
applicable, the portion due to the Manager.
accounts invested in certain Advisory Programs. From time to
time, we may enter into revenue-sharing and other compensation
arrangements with such private investment funds (or the
managers or sponsors of such private funds) with respect to our
Clients’ investments in such private investment funds. For
example, we may enter into placement agent agreements
pursuant to which our firm and our Financial Advisors receive
upfront and/or ongoing placement fees from private investment
funds, or their agents or affiliates, as compensation for
recommending and/or selling shares or interests of the fund to
our clients. In certain cases, the fees that we receive from such
private investment funds may be in addition to, and in other
cases, in lieu of, the Stifel Fee otherwise chargeable with respect
to the investment. To the extent that we receive placement fees
and/or have a revenue-sharing or other compensation
arrangement with respect to private investment fund shares or
interests purchased in an Advisory account, the affected Client
will typically receive, at or prior to the time the investment is
made, disclosures relating to the fees and compensation that our
firm and/or the Financial Advisor will receive in connection with
the investment (including, to the extent applicable, any ongoing
payments to be received in connection with the investment).
Clients should carefully consider such arrangements in
determining whether to implement a Financial Advisor’s
recommendations relating to private investment funds.
As a result, our Financial Advisors could have an incentive to
offer Advisory Programs in which the fee is not shared with a
third-party Manager (e.g., Solutions) in order to receive a
higher portion of the fee.
Training and Education Expense Contributions From
Managers. Managers (Independent or Affiliated) may pay for all
or part of the cost of particularized and/or firm-wide training and
education programs and seminars for our Financial Advisors and
other personnel. For example, an Adviser might host events for
Financial Advisors designed to provide training and education
about the Manager and its strategies and agree to bear the costs
for our Financial Advisors and other personnel to attend these
events. The amounts paid by Managers vary, and Stifel does not
require a Manager to host, participate in, or contribute to the cost
of these events as a condition of Stifel making the Manager’s
Portfolios available on our platform. A Financial Advisor’s
attendance and participation in these events, as well as the
increased exposure to the Managers who sponsor these events,
may lead the Financial Advisor to recommend Portfolios offered
by such Managers as compared to Managers that do not sponsor
these events.
Additionally, for those Programs in which we pay a portion of
the Advisory Account Fee to Managers, which tends to be less if
we trade the Portfolio internally than if it is Manager-Traded, a
Financial Advisor may have an incentive to recommend MBT
Portfolios in the applicable Programs over Manager-Traded
Portfolios, or Portfolios where the related Product Fee is low, in
order to retain a larger portion of the Advisory Account Fee.
Finally, even where you are not charged a separate Stifel Fee in
connection with an investment with respect to which Stifel has a
compensation arrangement with the product sponsor, a Financial
Advisor may still have an incentive to recommend the
investment if the compensation received from the product
sponsor is higher than the Stifel Fee that would otherwise have
been charged in connection with the investment. In these
circumstances, it is our duty to determine that an investment
made in your Account or recommended to you that results in
such additional compensation is suitable for you based upon the
information you have provided to us.
Insurance Commissions
In addition to being a dual registrant, our firm is also licensed as
an insurance agency with various states. Some of our Financial
Advisors are licensed as insurance agents and, in such capacity,
are able to offer various insurance products to Clients and effect
the resulting insurance transactions for separate and customary
commission compensation. Clients that determine to purchase
insurance products offered by our Financial Advisors should
note that such products will not be held in our Advisory
accounts, and will not be part of the Advisory arrangement
between Stifel and such Client. Our firm receives a portion of
any commissions that the issuing insurance company pays with
respect to insurance products sold by our Financial Advisors.
It is important to note that the services provided to you under
the Programs described above may be obtained on an unbundled
basis and may result in overall lower costs. You could use a
commission-based brokerage account instead of a fee-based
investment advisory account and/or independently retain a third-
party adviser to manage your account. In certain cases, the total
charges that you pay in Advisory fees may be higher than the
commissions that could have been charged for brokerage-only
services. There may also be cases where the Advisory Account
Fee charged for Programs covered in this brochure may be
higher than if you obtained the services covered by such fee
separately (that is, if you paid separately for advisory services,
Page 21 of 48
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be granted in Stifel’s (and, to the extent applicable, the
Manager’s) discretion.
• Opportunity and IMC Programs: Varies by Portfolio and
Manager, but is typically between $10,000 and $500,000
• Custom Advisory Portfolio Programs: $50,000
• Solutions and Horizon Programs: $25,000
• Fundamentals Program: Between $5,000 and $100,000, ETF
Models $10,000 minimum
• Connect Program: Varies by Portfolio and Manager, but is
typically between $50,000 and $100,000
PORTFOLIO MANAGER SELECTION AND
EVALUATION
portfolio management services, trade execution, custody, and
related services). Even in cases where additional compensation
(such as 12b-1 fees) is rebated back to you, there may be cases
where your total return on the investment would have been
better in a fund/share class that did not pay such rebated
compensation, where available. You should consider the value
of the Advisory services provided or to be provided under each
Program when evaluating fees or the appropriateness of the
Advisory account in general. The combination of brokerage and
Advisory services may not be available separately or may
require multiple accounts and varying forms of payment. You
are responsible for determining whether a wrap fee program
is appropriate for you. Therefore, you should understand the
investment strategy you have selected, the types of
investments to be made, and the amount of anticipated
trading activity in assessing the overall cost of the Program.
Relative transaction infrequency could have a bearing on
whether a wrap, asset-based fee account is more appropriate for
you than a commission-based account.
PERFORMANCE-BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE
MANAGEMENT
We do not charge performance-based fees for our investment
advisory services.
ACCOUNT REQUIREMENTS AND TYPES OF CLIENTS
The Advisory services offered in this brochure are generally
available to a variety of Clients, including individuals,
corporations, institutions, pension or profit sharing plans,
employee benefit plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations,
other business and government entities, educational institutions,
and banks or thrift institutions. However, please note that not all
types of investors are eligible for each Program or each Portfolio
within a Program.
We may decide at any time to restrict any of our Programs
and/or Portfolios within a Program to U.S. residents only. Even
where open to foreign citizens and/or residents, we may decide
not to accept potential clients that are located in certain
countries, in each case in our sole discretion.
Connect Program
As set forth in the description above, as part of the Connect
Program, a Financial Advisor may assist a Client in the selection
of a Connect Manager, based on the Client’s goals and
objectives and the Connect Manager’s investment philosophy
and policies. The Financial Advisor will assist such Client in
establishing the relationship with the Connect Manager,
including entering into a separate advisory agreement. Due to
this separate and direct relationship with each Connect Manager,
Stifel performs limited initial and ongoing reviews of the
Connect Manager’s services to the Client’s account. New
Connect Managers are typically added primarily as an
accommodation to new Stifel Clients that were previously
invested with the Connect Manager at a prior firm; however,
Stifel may also add a new Connect Manager for other reasons,
including general business considerations. After Connect
Program Management assesses whether a proposed Connect
Manager meets the business and operations requirements for
onboarding, Program Management can request that the CIO
Office conduct an initial due diligence review limited to the
Connect Manager’s responses to Stifel’s general investment
adviser onboarding questionnaire. Based on these reviews,
Connect Program Management makes a recommendation to
Stifel’s TPWG as to whether or not to onboard the Connect
Manager. Thereafter, ongoing reviews are typically limited to
annual reviews of regulatory status, investment strategy
characteristics, and investment performance, among other
factors. Clients are responsible for carefully reviewing all
information provided by the Connect Manager to determine
whether to continue with the arrangement.
You should generally select a Program or a Portfolio within a
Program based on an analysis of the Portfolio’s objectives and
risk profile versus your particular situation and needs. In general,
(i) you should consider your specific circumstances (such as age,
net worth, income and liquidity needs, as well as risk tolerance)
compared to the investment strategy, recommended time
horizon, and risk profile for the Portfolio; and (ii) the amount
that you allocate to any one Program or Portfolio within a
Program should be reasonable in light of your overall asset
allocation and investment goals.
Managers in All Other Programs (Other Than Connect)
As further discussed in the section “Methods of Analysis,
Investment Strategies, and Risk of Loss” below, Stifel conducts
initial due diligence with respect to Managers providing
Portfolios made available in our other Programs, and with
respect to investment companies (or family of companies) that
are seeking to make their mutual funds and/or ETFs included on
our Recommended Lists. We conduct annual due diligence
reviews of Managers on our Advisory platform. More frequent
reviews are conducted if a Manager’s Portfolios are included on
our separate Recommended List for separately managed
accounts (“Traditional Mutual Fund, SMA, and ETF
Recommended Lists”).
Program Minimums
The following minimum account sizes are generally required to
open an account in the available Programs outlined in this
brochure. Specific minimums may vary, depending on the
Portfolio that you select. Exceptions to the stated minimums can
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Our Process for Selecting Independent and Affiliated
Managers
We generally select Independent and Affiliated Managers and
fund managers in order to provide our Clients with access to
investment strategies in the major asset classes and investment
styles and methodologies that can be used to pursue the Clients’
investment goals.
is not limited to: firm, team, philosophy, process, portfolio
performance, and product (investment vehicle). Such an
evaluation can include a review of written information
provided by the candidate firm and/or meetings/calls with
candidate firm representatives.
Traditional Passively Managed Products: The Stifel CIO
Office evaluates passively managed strategies for their
possible inclusion in our Recommended Lists. In order to
be included on such a list, the strategy is quantitatively
evaluated to assess its effectiveness to deliver a
performance experience reasonably aligned with the
strategy’s benchmark index.
• Liquid Alternative Mutual Fund Recommended List: AIDDG
is responsible for creating and maintaining the Liquid
Alternative Mutual Fund Recommended List, comprised of
non-traditional or alternative mutual funds. This
Recommended List is updated and published periodically and
made available to all Stifel personnel. All Liquid Alternative
Mutual Fund Recommended List Candidates are subjected to
the AIDDG research process. Fund characteristics considered
during the review process may include, but are not limited to:
portfolio management personnel (professional experience/
educational background/succession plan/compensation
structure/personal investment), investment process/
philosophy, historical performance/risk statistics, risk
management process, and asset level/capacity.
When evaluating potential Managers, mutual funds, and/or ETFs
for addition to our platform, generally, we request and review
information from the Manager or fund manager relating to the
business maturity and investment resources of the Manager or
fund manager, its ability to successfully implement the identified
strategy, and the relevance of the strategy to Stifel Clients.
However, we may also determine to add a Manager (or one of its
Portfolios), mutual fund, or ETF due to other business interests,
such as (but not limited to) the entity’s (or its affiliate’s) overall
business relationship with our firm or our affiliates. Our
Affiliated Advisers may also serve as Investment Manager for a
Program or Portfolio within a Program and, in such cases, may
be responsible for trading, adjusting allocations, and rebalancing
Client accounts invested in such Program or Portfolio, as
appropriate, as well as implementing any applicable investment
restrictions, and other portfolio management decisions. Subject
to our fiduciary obligations, we generally approve Affiliated
Advisers to manage Portfolios where the Affiliated Adviser’s
investment style is in line with the asset class, investment style,
and investment methodology that we are looking to fill for the
relevant Program. However, it is important for Clients to note
that our due diligence processes for Affiliated Advisers are less
rigorous than for Independent Advisers, and there may be times
when we approve and/or continue to make available an
Affiliated Adviser’s Portfolio which would not have been
approved, or would have been terminated, if offered by an
Independent Adviser.
When it comes to Stifel considering candidates for the
Recommended Lists, clients should understand that we will not
review the entire universe of mutual funds, ETFs, and/or adviser
portfolios available in the market or on our platform. As a result,
there may be one or more Independent Managers or unaffiliated
Funds that might be more appropriate for a given Recommended
List or a client’s account. These other funds, ETFs, and/or
Portfolios may outperform Portfolios, mutual funds, or ETFs
selected for our platform generally, our Recommended Lists,
any of our Portfolios, or a Client account in any of our
Programs.
Our staff conduct periodic due diligence reviews of Advisers,
typically through a review of the investment results, as well as a
review of the Adviser’s responses to our due diligence
questionnaire.
Manager Portfolios (SMAs) and Funds included on our
Recommended Lists are subject to periodic due diligence
reviews. These periodic due diligence and/or monitoring
activities may include reviews of investment results and
portfolio characteristics, or reviews with the investment and
other personnel of the Managers or Fund managers. Advisers
and Funds generally report performance and other events on a
quarterly basis using industry sources and databases and/or
questionnaires, to which we have access and review periodically.
Recommended Lists: As set forth above, our firm creates
Recommended Lists for mutual funds, ETFs, and SMAs. The
Recommended Lists are made available to our Financial
Advisors for consideration; however, we do not require our
Financial Advisors to restrict their Portfolio or Fund
recommendations to products on the applicable Recommended
List. Candidates for inclusion on any of the Recommended Lists
are subject to a higher level of review than used in determining
whether to make an Adviser, mutual fund, or ETF broadly
available on our platform.
• Traditional Mutual Fund, SMA, and ETF Recommended
Lists:
Traditional Actively Managed Products: The Stifel CIO
Office conducts manager research on actively managed
strategies for their possible inclusion on our recommended
lists. In order to be included on such a list, the strategy is
evaluated across multiple dimensions, which includes, but
Replacing Independent and Affiliated Managers
We may consider replacing Managers if there are substantial
changes in their investment style or if Portfolio characteristics
are inconsistent with our expectation for the stated style,
philosophy, and policies upon which they were hired.
Additionally, we may consider replacing Managers who have
invested in prohibited securities, experienced material changes
in their business structure, failed to abide by Client objectives
and/or restrictions, failed to abide by the terms or conditions of
the agreement or any amendments thereto, and/or have
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approved for Stifel’s platform are selected for the firm’s
Traditional and/or Alternative Mutual Fund, SMA, and ETF
Recommended Lists by the appropriate unit.
For investments in individual equities in the Fundamentals
Portfolios, the Stifel CIO Office selects the securities to be
included in the portfolios and manages the allocations across
various holdings.
demonstrated unacceptable performance. We notify all affected
Clients in the event we determine to replace or otherwise
terminate a Manager (or a Portfolio) from our Advisory
Platform. To the extent possible, we provide Clients advance
notice of the termination, together with a list of potential
replacements to consider. However, it is ultimately the Client’s
decision whether to invest with any of the potential replacements
provided. We will generally terminate the Advisory status of any
account that remains in a terminated Portfolio as of the stated
effective time.
When selecting securities, the team may use information about
the economy, industries, groups of securities, and individual
companies obtained from various sources. These sources may
include, but not be limited to, research material prepared by
affiliates and/or third parties (including Stifel’s Research
Department), written reports, online media, telephone contacts,
and/or personal meetings with affiliated and unaffiliated research
analysts.
In consideration of this information, the Stifel CIO Office seeks
to evaluate the security across multiple dimensions, which may
include, but not be limited to, economic trends, management,
business strategy, financial strength, profitability, competitive
strength, and valuation.
Independent and Affiliated Manager Performance
Information
We obtain Manager performance information from a number of
different sources. In addition, certain Managers may provide
performance information directly to Stifel, or directly to Clients.
In such cases, the Manager is responsible for reviewing the
information provided. Stifel does not independently verify or
guarantee that a Manager’s performance information is accurate
or complete. In addition, Managers may use different methods
for calculating performance; as a result, performance
information presented to Clients may not be calculated in a
uniform and consistent basis. For Client accounts, periodic
reports (as defined in the below-referenced section) are available
by request from a Financial Advisor. More detailed information
regarding our reports, including performance calculation
methodology, can be found below in the section titled
“Performance Information.”
METHODS OF ANALYSIS, INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES, AND RISK OF LOSS
Methods of Analysis and Investment Strategies
As discussed above, Stifel’s Traditional Products Working
Group (TPWG) is responsible for the analysis, selection, and
onboarding of the Funds, ETFs, and Managers (including their
specific Portfolios) to be made generally available at our firm.
After the applicable program or product management assesses
whether a product meets the business and operations
requirements for onboarding, the applicable program or product
management may ask the Stifel CIO Office to conduct an initial
due diligence review limited to the product firm’s response to
Stifel’s general investment adviser onboarding questionnaire.
Based on these reviews, the applicable program or product
management brings the product to Stifel’s TPWG for approval to
onboard to the platform. Note that we conduct such a due
diligence review for most SMAs, but only do so for mutual
funds and ETFs on an exception basis.
In cases where Financial Advisors are directing and/or
recommending specific securities or investments, they use
information obtained from various sources, including financial
publications, inspections of corporate activities, company press
releases, research material prepared by affiliates and/or third
parties, rating or timing services, regulatory and self-regulatory
reports, and other public sources. Financial Advisors use
research provided by our research department, our internal
product specialists, and/or from other sources relating to a broad
range of research and information about the economy, industries,
groups of securities, and individual companies, statistical
information, market data, accounting and tax law interpretations,
political developments, pricing and appraisal services, credit
analysis, risk measurement analysis, performance analysis, and
other information that may affect the economy or securities
prices. The research used may be in the form of written reports,
telephone contacts, and personal meetings with research
analysts, economists, government representatives, and corporate
and industry spokespersons. Additional information about the
various research sources that our Financial Advisors may use in
connection with Advisory accounts is provided below under the
section “Brokerage Practices – Research and Other Benefits.”
Financial Advisors use any and/or a combination of
fundamental, technical, quantitative, and statistical tools and
valuation methodologies. The use of these different
methodologies may result in technical or quantitative research
recommendations that may differ from, or be inconsistent with,
fundamental opinions for the same security.
In selecting Funds and/or ETFs to be made available for
purchase broadly at Stifel, the TPWG considers many factors,
including, but not limited to, a fund’s investment objectives and
style, long-term performance records, and annual expense ratios
(i.e., costs). Note that TPWG may provide minimum criteria to
Product Management to allow them to onboard mutual funds or
ETFs that meet such criteria. In these cases, such additions will
be reported to the TPWG at its next meeting.
Important issues and valuation measures that Financial Advisors
may consider when selecting specific equity securities for
Advisory accounts may include, but are not limited to, dividend
return, ratio of growth rate to price/earnings multiple, ratio of
market price to book value, market capitalization to revenue
ratio, relative strength, management capability and reputation,
corporate restructuring trends, asset value versus market value,
From time to time, as discussed above, select Funds, ETFs,
and/or Portfolios from the broad universe of those that are
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The following material risks may also be applicable to Advisory
accounts invested in the Programs covered in this brochure:
and other fundamental and technical analysis. With respect to
fixed income securities, Financial Advisors can assist a Client to
determine, or recommend to a Client, the appropriate type of
security (government, corporate, or municipal), the appropriate
maturity and diversification, and the appropriate parameters that
will apply to the fixed income securities to be purchased for the
Client account.
In general, our Advisory services with respect to the Programs
offered in this brochure typically combine asset allocation and
periodic rebalancing with the aim of growing and/or preserving
principal. Our Financial Advisors generally assist Clients in
designing portfolios with a long-term perspective, and
periodically rebalance (or recommend rebalancing) the
portfolios, as they deem appropriate, to manage risk. Additional
information on the investment strategies and methods of analysis
used in connection with each Portfolio is available upon request
to your Financial Advisor.
General Economic and Market Conditions Risks: The success
of the firm’s activities will be affected by general economic and
market conditions, such as interest rates, availability of credit,
inflation rates, economic uncertainty, changes in laws, trade
barriers, currency exchange controls, energy prices, commodity
prices, national and international political circumstances
(including government intervention in financial markets, wars,
terrorist acts, or security operations), natural disasters and
regional, national, and global health crises (for example the
global outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in
2020). These factors may affect the volatility of securities prices
and the liquidity of your investments. Volatility or illiquidity
could impair your profitability or result in losses. The firm’s
clients may maintain substantial trading positions that can be
adversely affected by the level of volatility in the financial
markets.
Risk of Loss
You should understand that all investment strategies and the
investments made when implementing those investment
strategies involve risk of loss, and you should be prepared to
bear the loss of assets invested. The investment performance and
the success of any investment strategy or particular investment
can never be predicted or guaranteed, and the value of your
investments will fluctuate due to market conditions and other
factors.
Management Style Risks: As set forth above, a number of our
Programs, including (but not limited to) Opportunity, Custom
Advisory Portfolio, IMC, and Connect, are, or may be, managed
or advised by Independent or Affiliated Managers. In general,
we consider a Manager’s performance track record, among other
things, during the selection process. However, a Manager’s past
performance is not a guarantee of its future results; as such, its
investment strategies may fail to produce the intended results.
Our Financial Advisors may recommend a wide array of
investments, and as discussed above, each Program and/or
Portfolio covers a wide range of securities. As such, the specific
type(s) of risks that each Client is exposed to will vary
depending on the particular Program and/or the Portfolio in
which the Client is enrolled, as well as the investments held in
the Client’s Advisory account. We do not offer any guarantees
that any investment recommendations made with respect to our
Programs will be profitable. Moreover, Clients should note that
past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
Material Risks
For the Portfolios listed or referenced above, equities, ETFs,
mutual funds, options, and fixed income securities are the
primary investments. The material risks described below do not
include every potential risk associated with the Programs and
investment products, and you should not rely solely on the
descriptions provided below. You should ask questions about
risks applicable to particular Programs and investment products,
read all product-specific risk disclosures, and decide whether a
particular Program and investment product is appropriate for you
based on your specific circumstances, investment objectives, and
financial situation. For example, you should read the prospectus
and other offering documents (or, in the case of a Manager
Portfolio, the Manager’s Form ADV Part 2A) for a full
description of risks associated with particular investments. You
should consider all disclosed risks associated with the types of
transactions and securities involved in the Portfolio and/or
product in which you are contemplating an investment as well as
the potential impact that engaging in any of the below
transactions may have on the account’s overall performance.
Model-Based Trading Risks: As set forth above, our firm is
responsible for trading certain Portfolios provided to us by
Independent or Affiliated Managers, in the applicable Programs
in this brochure. When the Portfolios are provided by the
Manager, we attempt to match the holdings, and to enter trades
within the timeline and/or in the lots as may be directed by the
Manager; however, there may be times when we are unable to
execute trades in the allocations or at the prices deemed ideal by
the Manager. There may also be times when we are entirely
unable to implement a recommendation due to restrictions
applicable to us in our capacity as a broker-dealer. For example,
we may not be able to purchase a security recommended by a
Manager because the security is the subject of a research report
by one of our firm’s research analysts, or because our firm is
involved in investment banking activities with the issuer of the
security or is otherwise affiliated with the issuer. In such cases,
if the Manager is unable or unwilling to provide a substitute, we
will typically re-allocate the position to cash, but may determine
other substitutes, including re-allocating among existing
positions or other alternatives that we deem reasonable.
Differences in the Portfolio as implemented at Stifel and the
Manager’s recommendations generally will result in differences
in how our Client accounts perform relative to the Manager’s
model Portfolio (which differences may at times be material).
There may also be times when we receive trade instructions
from more than one Manager for the same security during the
same day. Because our firm’s policy is to execute trades as
promptly as possible after receipt from a Manager, and, to the
extent possible, in the order received, we will not always be in a
position to aggregate trades from multiple Managers into a
single block, which may get better execution. As a result,
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volume redemptions to accounts in our Programs, but there
is no assurance that you will be able to avoid the risk of loss
and other adverse consequences.
Exchange Traded Product Risks: Exchange Traded Products
(“ETP”s) are types of securities that derive their value from a
basket of securities such as stocks, bonds, commodities, or
indices, and trade intra-day on a national securities exchange.
Generally, ETPs take the form of ETFs or exchange traded notes
(“ETN”s). ETFs are discussed above under Investment Company
Securities Risks; ETNs are senior unsecured debt obligations of
an issuer, typically a bank or another financial institution;
however, ETNs are not categorized as typical fixed income
products.
different Client accounts in MBT Portfolios and/or other
Programs may receive different intra-day prices even where such
accounts have traded in the same security for the day. There may
also be times when we are obligated to purchase a security for an
MBT Portfolio on the same day that we are selling the security
for another MBT Portfolio or other Program. Finally, Managers
that provide Portfolios to us for implementation generally also
provide the same Portfolios to multiple other sponsor firms, or
manage the client accounts of other sponsor firms enrolled in
such Portfolios directly. Therefore, when Managers
communicate changes to such Portfolios to our firm, such
changes are also disseminated to multiple sponsor firms, each of
whom will likely attempt to implement the changes as soon as
they are received, which will generally result in increased
demand for the specific securities covered by such Portfolios,
which generally will increase the price at which each such
security may be bought (or decrease the sale price, as the case
may be). Clients should note that this may, in turn, adversely
affect the performance of their accounts. Based on all of the
foregoing, Clients investing in Portfolios that we trade based on
Manager recommendations should understand that the
performance returns achieved by their accounts may differ (at
times significantly) from the performance of the Portfolio as
reported by its Manager.
Investment Company Securities Risks: A number of Portfolios
covered in this brochure are heavily invested in mutual funds. In
addition, Advisory accounts may invest in other investment
companies, including ETFs, UITs, and/or closed-end funds.
Each fund in a Portfolio may be subject to a variety of risks,
depending on its investment strategies and/or the securities held.
For example, mutual funds that primarily hold a portfolio of
small capitalization companies will be subject to small
capitalization risks, which may include increased volatility and
decreased liquidity (relative to large capitalization companies).
Each of these investments is subject to internal fees, which affect
its net asset value and reduce the return that a Client will realize
with respect to the investment.
• Delayed Redemptions or Redemptions In-Kind – Stifel
Fixed Income Securities Risks: A number of Portfolios and/or
Financial Advisors may invest in a variety of fixed income
securities. Fixed income securities are subject to credit risk,
interest rate risk, and liquidity risk. Credit risk is the risk the
issuer or guarantor of a debt security will be unable or unwilling
to make timely payments of interest or principal or to otherwise
honor its obligations. Interest rate risk is the risk of losses due to
changes in interest rates. In general, the prices of debt securities
rise when interest rates fall, and the prices fall when interest
rates rise. Duration measures the change in the price of a fixed
income security based on the increase or decrease in overall
interest rates. Bonds with higher duration carry more risks and
have higher price volatility than bonds with lower duration.
Therefore, if interest rates are very low at the time of purchase of
the bonds, when interest rates eventually do rise, the price of
such lower interest rate bonds will decrease, and anyone needing
to sell such bonds at that time, rather than holding them to
maturity, could realize a loss. High-yield debt securities (junk
bonds) generally are more sensitive to interest rates. Such
securities are also highly subject to liquidity risk. Liquidity risk
is the risk that a particular security may be difficult to purchase
or sell and that an investor may be unable to sell illiquid
securities at an advantageous time or price. There are also
special tax considerations associated with investing in high-yield
securities structured as zero coupon or pay-in-kind securities.
Municipal Bonds may also have a call feature, entitling the
issuer to redeem the bond prior to maturity. A callable security’s
duration, or sensitivity to interest rate changes, decreases when
rates fall and increases when rates rise because issuers are likely
to call the bond only if the rates are low. Investors in callable
bonds are therefore subject to reinvestment risk – that is, the risk
that they will need to reinvest their proceeds at lower
rates. Municipal bonds are also subject to state-specific risks,
such as changes in the issuing state’s credit rating, as well as the
risk that legislative changes may affect the tax status of such
bonds. Investments in government-sponsored entity securities
also exhibit these risks, although the degree of such risks may
vary significantly among the different government-sponsored
entity securities. Some securities issued or guaranteed by U.S.
government agencies or instrumentalities are not backed by the
full faith and credit of the U.S. and may only be supported by the
right of the agency or instrumentality to borrow from the U.S.
Treasury.
Clients may collectively own a large percentage of certain
Funds through the Programs covered in this brochure (e.g.,
through Fundamentals and CAP). If the aggregate
ownership exceeds certain thresholds set by a Fund
company, the Fund may determine to delay or otherwise
limit redemptions in our Client accounts, particularly in
connection with large volume redemptions (for example,
where our portfolio managers determine to reduce or exit
out of a Fund position held in one or more Portfolios in the
Fundamentals Program). This may result in delays in our
firm’s ability to fully liquidate or redeem out of the Fund,
which could in turn result in increased the risk of loss for
participating accounts. If allowed under its prospectus, a
Fund could also decide to redeem shares “in-kind” instead
of in cash in connection with such large redemption
requests. In that event, your account in the Program may
receive the actual underlying (i.e., non-Fund) securities held
by the Fund. The underlying securities could lose value
before we are able to sell them (if our Firm or an FA has
discretion). To the extent possible, we will work with Fund
companies to minimize potential adverse impact of large
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regardless of the performance of the underlying index or
strategy.
2. Principal Risk. Although Structured CDs are insured CDs,
the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) limit of
$250,000 per depositor only applies to the principal amount
of the CD purchased. If sold prior to maturity, the sale will be
subject to market prices and the principal may not be fully
returned.
Brokered Certificates of Deposit Risks: Clients in certain
Programs may invest in brokered CDs issued by U.S. depository
institutions (each, a “CD Issuer”). These CDs are insured by the
FDIC up to applicable limits, and Clients are responsible for
monitoring the total amounts of deposits with any one CD issuer
for FDIC guarantee limits. Brokered CDs held in Advisory
accounts are subject to the Advisory Account Fee, and Clients
should consider the impact of the Advisory Account Fee on the
yield of any brokered CDs in their account(s). Among the risks
relating to CDs are adverse changes in general economic
conditions, as well as exposure to credit losses arising from
possible financial difficulties of CD Issuers. Although Stifel
generally seeks to select CDs of highly qualified CD Issuers that
are subject to extensive governmental regulations, a CD Issuer’s
profitability largely depends on the availability and cost of funds
for the purpose of financing lending operations under prevailing
money market conditions. Redeeming CDs before maturity may
result in loss of principal due to fluctuations in the interest rate,
lack of liquidity, or transaction costs. CDs sold prior to maturity
may be worth less or more than the original purchase. Rates paid
on brokered CDs may be lower or higher than the rates available
directly through the CD Issuer or through a Stifel brokerage
transaction. Clients should refer to the disclosures at
https://www.stifel.com/docs/pdf/Disclosures/Certificates-Of-
Deposit.pdf for additional general information regarding CDs,
including terms, important investment consideration, and the
extent of and limitations on FDIC insurance, and to the “Specific
Investment Product Disclosure” Section of the Stifel Account
Agreement and Disclosure Booklet for additional information
regarding Brokered CDs.
Structured Investments Risks: We may allow accounts in
certain Programs to invest in Structured Investments. We may,
in our sole discretion, refuse to allow any Client account to
invest in structured investments, even if that account is enrolled
in a Program that otherwise allows for their use. Structured
investments are financial instruments that are generally derived
from or based on a single security, basket of securities, an index,
one or more interest rates, a commodity or basket of
commodities, a debt issuance, a foreign currency or basket of
currencies, and/or an actively or passively managed fund or
collection of funds (each, a “Structured Investment”). Structured
Investments may not be suitable for all investors. Clients that
invest in Structured Investments (or in a Portfolio that invests in
Structured Investments) should be prepared to hold the
Structured Investment until maturity. Clients that do not fully
understand how Structured Investments work, as well as their
associated risk, should not invest in these products (or in
Portfolios that invest in these products). Structured Investments
require the investor to assess several characteristics and risks
that may not be present in other forms of investment, including
structure risks (risks related to movements in the underlying
asset and the effect of such movements on payouts under the
Structured Investment), currency risks, liquidity risks, tax-
treatment risks, loss of principal risk, call risk, and other types of
risks. Some Structured Investments offer protection of the
principal invested (contingent on the ability of the issuer to
repay its senior unsubordinated obligations at maturity), whereas
others offer more limited or no protection of the principal.
Because the principal or interest payment on a Structured
Investment is tied to the value of another asset or assets, a
change in the value of that asset can affect the return on the
Structured Investments in a manner not characteristic of non-
structured obligations. In certain cases, an affiliate of Stifel may
receive compensation from the issuer of the notes in connection
with research and other services provided by the affiliate to the
issuer of Structured Investments that we may offer to clients.
Except in connection with retirement accounts, the affiliate’s
compensation generally will not affect our firm’s compensation
in connection with Clients that hold these investments in their
advisory accounts – you should refer to the section “Additional
Information on Fees and Other Compensation” for more details
on affiliate compensation on certain products that we offer.
Important information and risks specific to each Structured
Investment offering will be disclosed in the offering materials
for the specific product, and you should carefully review all
related disclosures prior to investing in any Structured
Investment. Additional Information is also available in the
Structured Products Disclosure available on our website (under
Important Disclosures).
Other Risks for Structured Certificates of Deposit (CDs). To the
extent that the Structured Investments purchased in advisory
accounts are CDs, the investments could also be subject to the
following additional risks:
1. Income Risk. Many Structured CDs do not pay a fixed rate of
interest; instead, such products’ return may be realized at
maturity based upon the underlying asset or basket of assets
or index. The interest rate earned may be lower than the
interest rate available on other investments with the same
maturity and could even be as low as zero. Some, but not all,
Structured CDs may have maximum rates of return,
Cash Balance Risks:
Cash balances, including maintenance cash, in Advisory
accounts are subject to the Advisory Account Fee. Depending on
prevailing interest rates, it is likely that cash balances held in
Advisory accounts will underperform, including resulting in
negative returns after application of Advisory Account Fees, as
compared to alternative arrangements for holding cash positions.
This is particularly true if such cash balances are held through an
automatic sweep option, as the return that a Client will earn on
cash held through a sweep option will most likely be less than
the applicable Advisory Account Fee. For most Clients in our
Programs, the applicable sweep option is our insured bank
deposit sweep program. Our insured bank deposit sweep
programs pay comparable market interest rates to insured bank
checking accounts but may have significantly lower rates when
compared to unaffiliated money market funds or other cash
equivalents that could otherwise be used to hold cash in Client
accounts. Under certain market conditions, holding cash results
in lower overall account return, such as when riskier assets
outperform cash. Moreover, while maintaining Advisory account
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SF1600-3/25
assets in cash may protect those assets from the risk of loss in
the event of a market downturn, holding cash, particularly high
cash concentrations for long periods of time, through an
Advisory account may result in underperformance given the
impact of Advisory Account Fee(s) and the rates of return on
maintenance cash and other cash equivalents.
“covering” the short position) at a time when the securities sold
short have appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss. An
account’s investment performance may also suffer if required to
close out a short position earlier than initially anticipated.
Moreover, under certain market conditions (such as during
periods of high volatility), regulators may also limit or otherwise
impose significant requirement on short sales, which would have
an adverse effect on the strategy and, therefore, the Client’s
account. In addition, an account may be subject to expenses
related to short sales that are not typically associated with other
Advisory accounts in the Program, such as borrowing costs (or
short sale charges) or margin account maintenance costs. Prior to
enrolling in any Portfolio that engages in these strategies, each
Client is urged to carefully consider the impact that engaging in
any of these transactions will have on the account’s overall
performance.
In all cases, each Client has the option to hold cash in a
brokerage account at Stifel and/or in deposit accounts through
the Affiliated Bank or with other banks, in which case such cash
would not be subject to the Advisory Account Fee. Clients also
have the option of using (including directing their Financial
Advisors to use) other cash equivalents in their accounts; while
subject to the Advisory Account Fee, these cash equivalents will
likely earn higher interest rates than cash held through our
insured bank deposit sweep programs. Clients should compare
the terms, interest rates, required minimum amounts, and other
features of the automatic sweep option with other cash
equivalent investments. More information about our automatic
sweep option is available at
http://www.stifel.com/agreementanddisclosurebooklet.
Information about current interest rates for our insured bank
deposit sweep programs is available by contacting your
Financial Advisor or through www.stifel.com.
Alternative Investments Risks: A number of Portfolios and/or
Financial Advisors may invest in a variety of alternative
investments. Alternative investments, including (but not limited
to) private investment funds (such as hedge funds or private
equity funds), alternative mutual funds, non-traditional ETFs,
managed futures products, and/or real estate (related)
investments may also present unique risks, such as decreased
liquidity and transparency and increased complexity. Alternative
investments typically use derivative instruments (such as
options, futures, or index-based instruments) and/or leveraging
strategies. The use of derivative instruments involves multiple
risks, as discussed in more detail above. In addition, to the extent
that the alternative investment uses commodities (or commodity-
based derivatives) as part of its investment strategy, the
investment return may also vary as a result of fluctuations in the
supply and demand of the underlying commodities. Real estate-
related investments will be subject to risks generally related to
real estate, including risks specific to geographic areas in which
the underlying investments were made. Certain alternative
investments may be less tax efficient than others. Each
alternative investment is typically subject to internal fees
(including, but not limited to, management and/or performance
fees), which affect the product’s net asset value and reduce the
return that a Client will realize with respect to the investment.
Additional risks may include style-specific risk, speculative
investment risk, concentration risk, correlation risk, credit risk
and lower-quality debt securities risk, equity securities risk,
financial services companies’ risk, interest rate risk, non-
diversification risk, small- and mid-cap company risk, and
special risks of mutual funds and/or ETFs, among others.
Derivatives Risks: A number of Portfolios covered in this
brochure may engage in derivative transactions, including, but
not limited to, hedge funds, options, overlays, and managed
futures products, for any purpose consistent with the Client’s
investment objective and/or the Portfolio in which the Client
account is invested. Generally, a derivative is a financial
arrangement, the value of which is derived from, or based on, a
traditional security, asset, or market index. Such transactions
may be used for several reasons, including hedging unrealized
gains. Hedging strategies, if successful, can reduce the risk of
loss by offsetting the negative effect of unfavorable price
movements in the investments being hedged. However, hedging
strategies can also reduce the opportunity for gain by offsetting
the positive effect of favorable price movements in the hedged
investments. A Portfolio may also use derivative instruments to,
amongst other objectives, obtain market exposure (that is, for
speculative purposes rather than hedging) or generate income. A
Portfolio may establish a position in the derivatives market as a
substitute for buying, selling, or holding certain securities. The
use of derivative transactions is a highly specialized activity that
involves investment techniques and risks that may be more
heightened than those associated with ordinary portfolio
securities transactions.
Short Selling (or Short Sale Exposure Risks): Certain
portfolios in our Programs may engage in short selling. A short
sale involves the sale of a security that is borrowed. The short
position(s) will lose money when the value of the underlying
(borrowed) security rises, a result that is the opposite of
traditional strategies. The existence (and volume) of short
positions can also lead to more volatile performance of the
underlying security, which will in turn affect the performance of
the shorting strategy. Short sales expose a Client’s account to the
risk that it will be required to acquire, convert, or exchange
securities to replace the borrowed securities (also known as
Unrelated Business Taxable Income: Unrelated business
taxable income (“UBTI”) is income regularly generated by a tax-
exempt entity by means of taxable activities. This income is not
related to the main function of the entity, but is needed to
generate a small portion of income. UBTI is typically associated
with income received from investments in limited partnerships
and master limited partnerships, which are required to pay out
most of their profits. Clients may also be affected if a Fund in
their account in turn invests in entities that generate income that
qualifies as UBTI for their retirement account. When UBTI of
$1,000 or more is received from investments held in a client’s
tax-deferred retirement account (such as an IRA), as custodian,
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SF1600-3/25
Stifel will take the necessary steps to pay the UBTI tax liability
from the assets of the retirement account and will use a vendor
to prepare and file the required Form 990-T with the IRS.
Affected retirement accounts will incur filing fees for each Form
990-T that Stifel files on behalf of the account. Clients with
retirement accounts investing directly in such securities, or
through Portfolios that invest in such securities, should refer to
the Stifel Account Agreement and Disclosure Booklet for
additional information about the processing fee charged for these
filings.
Emerging Markets Securities Risks: Numerous emerging
market countries have a history of, and continue to experience
serious, and potentially continuing, economic and political
problems. Stock markets in many emerging market countries are
relatively small, expensive to trade in, and generally have higher
risks than those in developed markets. Securities in emerging
markets also may be less liquid than those in developed markets
and foreigners are often limited in their ability to invest in, and
withdraw assets from, these markets. Additional restrictions may
be imposed under other conditions. Frontier market countries
generally have smaller economies or less developed capital
markets, and as a result, the risks of investing in emerging
market countries are magnified in frontier market countries. It is
important to note that emerging markets securities are foreign
securities and also carry all of the foreign securities risks
identified above.
Tax-Exempt Securities Risks: Certain Portfolios may seek to
invest in tax-exempt securities, including (but not limited to)
municipal bonds as well as tax-exempt mutual funds and ETFs.
In order to attempt to pay interest that is exempt from federal or
state and local income tax, tax-exempt securities must meet
certain legal requirements. Failure to meet such requirements
may cause the interest received and distributed to shareholders to
be taxable. In addition, income from one or more municipal
bonds held in a Portfolio could be declared taxable because of
unfavorable changes in tax or other laws, adverse interpretations
by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), state, or other tax
authorities, or noncompliant conduct of a bond issuer. Changes
or proposed changes in federal or state income tax or other laws
may also cause the prices of tax-exempt securities to fall.
Finally, income from certain municipal bonds may be subject to
the alternative minimum tax (“AMT”) and/or state and local
taxes, based on the investor’s state of residence. In addition, as
discussed in more detail under the section “Cash Sweep
Options” below, idle cash in Advisory accounts held at Stifel
(including accounts invested in “tax-exempt” Portfolios) is
typically swept into one of our insured bank cash sweep
programs. Any interest earned by the Client in respect of such
cash balances will not be exempt from taxes.
American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) Risks: Certain Program
assets may also be invested in ADRs stocks listed on a U.S.
exchange. An ADR is typically created by a U.S. bank and
allows U.S. investors to have a position in the foreign company
in the form of an ADR. Each ADR represents one or more shares
of a foreign stock or a fraction of a share (often referred to as the
“ratio”). The certificate, transfer, and settlement practices for
ADRs are identical to those for U.S. securities. Generally, the
price of the ADR corresponds to the price of the foreign stock in
its home market, adjusted for the ratio of ADRs to foreign
company shares. There are investment risks associated with
ADRs including, but not limited to, currency exchange-rate,
inflationary, and liquidity risks as well as the risk of adverse
political, economic, and social developments taking place within
the underlying issuer’s home country. In addition, the underlying
issuers of certain ADRs are under no obligation to distribute
shareholder communications to ADR holders, or to pass through
to them any voting rights with respect to the deposited securities.
It is important to note that since ADRs are created to allow U.S.
investors to have a position in a foreign company, they also
carry all of the foreign securities risks identified above.
IRS Circular 230 Disclosure: Stifel, its affiliates, agents, and
employees are not in the business of providing tax, regulatory,
accounting, or legal advice. This brochure and any tax-related
statements provided by Stifel are not intended or written to be
used, and cannot be used or relied upon, by any such taxpayer
for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties. Any such taxpayer
should seek advice based on the taxpayer’s particular
circumstances from an independent tax adviser.
Equity Risks: Equity securities represent an ownership interest,
or the right to acquire an ownership interest, in an issuer. Equity
securities also include, among other things, common stocks,
preferred securities, convertible stocks, and warrants. The values
of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred
securities, may decline due to general market conditions that are
not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or
perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general
outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency
rates, or adverse investor sentiment generally. Equity securities
generally rank junior in a company’s capital structure to debt
securities and consequently have greater price volatility and
entail greater risk of loss than debt securities.
Foreign Securities Risks: Advisory accounts may invest in
foreign securities, directly or through Funds that hold a portfolio
of foreign securities. Foreign securities can be more volatile than
domestic (U.S.) securities. Securities markets of other countries
are generally smaller than U.S. securities markets. Many foreign
securities may also be less liquid than U.S. securities, and are
typically subject to currency risk. Some foreign securities also
may be subject to taxes and other charges imposed by the
issuer’s country of residence or citizenship. Certain foreign
securities may be subject to additional costs and risks. As set
forth elsewhere in this brochure and/or in the Advisory
Agreement, such taxes and charges are in addition to (i.e., are
not included in) a Client’s account fees. All these factors could
affect a client’s realized return on the investment.
Frequent Trading and High Portfolio Turnover Rate Risks:
The turnover rate within certain discretionary Advisory accounts
may be significant. In connection with Portfolios run by
Investment Managers that engage in trades away from Stifel,
frequent trades may result in high transactions costs, including
substantial brokerage commissions, fees, and other transaction
costs. In addition, frequent trading (whether or not through
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trades away from Stifel) is likely to result in short-term capital
gains tax treatment. As a result, high turnover and frequent
trading in an Advisory account could have an adverse effect on
the cost and therefore the return on the Advisory account.
Dependence on Key Personnel: Some of the Portfolios covered
in this brochure may rely heavily on certain key personnel of our
firm, our affiliates, and/or the personnel of certain Managers
available on our platform. The departure of any such key
personnel or their inability to fulfill their duties may adversely
affect the ability of the relevant Portfolio to effectively
implement its investment program and, as a result, adversely
impact the performance of the Advisory accounts enrolled in
such Portfolio.
Infrequent Trading/Low Portfolio Turnover Rate Risk: Certain
Portfolios (such as fixed income Portfolios) and/or accounts in
the Programs covered in this brochure may trade infrequently
and experience low (in some cases extremely low) turnover. As
set forth elsewhere in this brochure, wrap fees charged are
intended to cover various services, including trade execution.
We generally assume regular trading when setting the levels of
wrap fees that may be charged with respect to the Programs
covered in this brochure. If a specific Client experiences low
turnover in the Client’s wrap account, the Client likely will not
realize the full benefit of the wrap fee paid with respect to such
wrap account. Clients are encouraged to discuss the expected
and/or historical level of trading with their Financial Advisor
when evaluating the cost of a proposed or existing wrap account.
Issuer Concentration Risks: From time to time, a Financial
Advisor (or a Portfolio) may take a significant position in a
particular issuer; for example, a particular Financial Advisor’s
Clients may, in the aggregate, own more than 5% of an issuer’s
outstanding stock. Even where such position is spread among a
number of Client accounts, the affected Clients will be more
exposed to the issuer’s specific risk than where our firm’s
aggregate position in the issuer is insignificant and/or
immaterial. Such large positions may also affect the liquidity of
the investment because we may not be able to completely
liquidate the position within a desired timeline or at a desired
price if we own more than the typical daily trading volume. We
are required by applicable regulations to disclose ownership of
more than 5% of the total outstanding shares of certain equity
securities held in our discretionary accounts. There are no
similar disclosure requirements to the extent the positions are
held in non-discretionary Client accounts. Clients are therefore
encouraged to discuss these risks with their Financial Advisor
when considering the Financial Advisor’s investment
recommendations.
Diversification Risk: Certain Portfolios within our Advisory
Programs may have concentration in specific asset classes,
sectors, or individual securities, which could result in increased
exposure to the risks that can be attributed to those specific
investments. Additionally, certain Portfolios may invest in a
specific investment style. As a result, clients in these Portfolios
may not have access to as wide a variety of management styles
as clients in other Portfolios. Certain Portfolios also invest in
funds of specific sponsors or fund companies, which means that
clients in these Portfolios only have access to the management
style of that fund company or sponsor. Clients in these Portfolios
will be subject to more risk than Clients in more diversified
Portfolios and, therefore, are intended to complement other
investments.
Mid Cap and Small Cap Company Risks: The securities of mid
or small cap companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic
market movements and may have lower trading volumes or more
erratic trading than securities of larger-sized companies or the
market averages in general.
Dividend Reinvestment Risks: Clients that direct dividend
reinvestment for their Advisory accounts should note that
dividend reinvestment typically leads to the receipt of fractional
shares. Stifel is not able to execute fractional share liquidations
on an agency basis. Clients should therefore understand that
where Stifel liquidates fractional shares, Stifel will purchase the
fractional shares into its inventory. The price allocated to the
fractional component will depend on whether the fractional
shares portion can be processed on the same day as any whole
shares that are part of the same liquidation transaction (in which
case, the price will be the same as the market price received
from the whole shares), or whether the fractional shares are
processed on a different day (in which case, the price allocated
to the fractional shares will be the previous business day’s
closing market price for the security). Stifel may benefit from (or
lose money as a result of) implementing fractional share
liquidation in Advisory Client accounts. In general, Clients
should note that Stifel does not encourage dividend reinvestment
in its Advisory accounts.
Municipal Securities Risks: Municipal issuers may be adversely
affected by rising health care costs, increasing unfunded pension
liabilities, and by the phasing out of federal programs providing
financial support. Unfavorable conditions and developments
relating to projects financed with municipal securities can result
in lower revenues to issuers of municipal securities. Issuers often
depend on revenues from these projects to make principal and
interest payments. The value of municipal securities can also be
adversely affected by changes in the financial condition of one
or more individual municipal issuers or insurers of municipal
issuers, regulatory and political developments, tax law changes
or other legislative actions (as discussed under Tax-Exempt
Securities Risk above), and by uncertainties and public
perceptions concerning these and other factors. In recent periods,
an increasing number of municipal issuers in the United States
have defaulted on obligations and commenced insolvency
proceedings. Financial difficulties of municipal issuers may
continue or get worse.
Indirect Investments in Digital Assets: Our Financial Advisors
may recommend (and Portfolios on our platform may invest) in
Funds and other products that, in turn, invest in, or have
exposure to, digital assets (including crypto currencies). The
legal and regulatory landscape relating to cryptocurrencies and
other digital asset technologies is still in its infancy and is
rapidly changing. There is a high likelihood of new and evolving
regulations and guidance from various securities, commodities,
and banking organizations which may have significant adverse
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CLIENT CONTACT WITH PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
impact on these Funds and other products. Cryptocurrencies also
have limited performance histories, can be extremely volatile,
and are not subject to many of the regulatory oversights over
which other investable assets are subject.
We strongly encourage Clients to communicate with their
Financial Advisor, rather than the Manager of the Portfolio in
which the Client is invested. However, Financial Advisors
generally review with the Client the available Portfolios, as well
as other information relating to the Manager for such Portfolio,
and typically obtain Client consent prior to enrolling a Client in
a Program or Portfolio. The information provided to each Client
may include, where applicable, an Investment Manager’s Form
ADV Part 2A, which includes its name and contact information.
In such cases, therefore, Clients have the option of contacting an
Investment Manager directly. However, the foregoing does not
apply to MBT Portfolios, because Clients in MBT Portfolio
currently do not receive the Manager’s Form ADV 2A; we may
change this policy at any time. Clients in the Connect Program
are direct clients of such Connect Adviser and, therefore, are
encouraged to have direct contact with the Connect Adviser.
Financial Institution Risk
Actual events involving reduced or limited liquidity, defaults,
non-performance, or other adverse developments that affect
financial institutions or other companies in the financial services
industry, including banks and other custodians of an investor’s
funds and securities, or impact the financial services industry
generally, as well as concerns or rumors about any events of
these kinds, have in the past and may in the future lead to
market-wide liquidity problems, defaults on financial
obligations, non-performance of contractual obligations, and
other adverse impacts on these financial institutions, investors
that deposit funds and securities at these institutions, lenders and
borrowers of these institutions, and other companies in the
financial services industry.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION
For example, on March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank, was
closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and
Innovation, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation as receiver. Investor concerns regarding the U.S. or
international financial systems could result in less favorable
commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or
costs and tighter financial and operating covenants, or systemic
limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby
making it more difficult to acquire financing on acceptable terms
or at all.
1. On September 24, 2024, in connection with the industry-
wide sweep into off-channel communications, the SEC
entered an administrative order against Stifel, Nicolaus &
Company, Incorporated (“Stifel” or the “Firm”). The SEC
found that the Firm willfully violated Section 17(a) of the
Exchange Act and Rule 17a-4(b)(4) thereunder, as well as
Section 204 of the Advisers Act and Rule 204-2(a)(7)
thereunder, due to recordkeeping failures related to
electronic communications. The Firm also failed to
reasonably supervise its personnel to prevent or detect
aiding and abetting violations of these sections. The SEC
ordered Stifel to cease and desist from committing or
causing any violations, censured the Firm, and imposed
undertakings including retaining an independent compliance
consultant. Additionally, a civil money penalty of
$35,000,000 was imposed.
Any decline in available funding or access to cash and liquidity
resources could, among other risks, adversely impact the ability
to meet operating expenses, satisfy financial obligations,
liquidate portfolio holdings, withdraw capital, or fulfill other
obligations, or result in breaches of financial and/or contractual
obligations. Any of these impacts, or any other impacts resulting
from the factors described above or other related or similar
factors not described above, could have material adverse impacts
on portfolio holdings, fund performance, or business operations.
2. On September 1, 2020, Stifel entered into a Letter of
CLIENT INFORMATION PROVIDED TO PORTFOLIO
MANAGERS
Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent (“AWC”) with FINRA to
settle allegations that, during the period of October 31, 2017
through February 27, 2020, the firm lacked a supervisory
system, including written supervisory procedures (WSPs),
reasonably designed to detect and prevent Stifel and its
registered representatives from executing pre-arranged
transactions in violation of Municipal Securities Rulemaking
Board (MSRB) Rule G-27. While not admitting or denying the
allegations, the firm consented to a censure and monetary fine
of $40,000 to settle the allegations. As indicated in the AWC,
Stifel updated its supervisory system and WSPs regarding the
cited supervisory deficiencies prior to the entry of the AWC.
We typically provide information about a Client’s financial
condition, investment needs, and/or investment restrictions to
Managers serving as Investment Managers on Client accounts.
We may also provide annual updates (if any) to the information,
or more often as available from the Client. We and/or the
Financial Advisor (not the Investment Manager) are responsible
for collecting data about Client investment goals and objectives
and determining whether a particular Program and/or Portfolio is
appropriate for the Client based on the stated goals and
objectives.
3. In March 2019, Stifel, along with 78 other investment
We generally do not provide particularized Client information to
Managers providing model Portfolios to our firm under MBT
arrangements. In MBT arrangements, our firm (not the Manager)
is responsible for the various aspects of the client relationship.
advisers who voluntarily participated in the SEC’s Share
Class Selection Disclosure Initiative, consented to the entry
of an Order Instituting Administrative and Cease-and-Desist
Proceedings Pursuant to Sections 203(e) and 203(k) of the
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As part of the consent agreement, Stifel agreed to pay the
state $18,088.80, to cease and desist from violating
securities laws and regulations, to retain at Stifel’s expense
a consultant to review the firm’s supervisory and
compliance policies and procedures relating to product
review of nonconventional investments, and to repurchase
certain auction rate securities from the firm’s clients.
7. In June 2017, Stifel entered into an AWC with FINRA to
Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Making Findings, and
Imposing Remedial Sanctions and a Cease-and-Desist Order
(the “Order”) by the SEC instituted pursuant to Sections
203(e) and 203(k) of the Advisers Act without admitting or
denying the findings therein except those related to
jurisdiction and the subject matter of the proceedings. The
Order entered against Stifel alleged that Stifel willfully
violated Sections 206(2) and 207 of the Advisers Act as a
result of its inadequate disclosure of conflicts of interest
related to (a) the selection of mutual fund share classes that
charged 12b-1 fees, which are recurring fees deducted from
fund’s assets, when an alternative share class was available
that did not charge a 12b-1 fee, and (b) the receipt of 12b-1
fees in connection with these investments. The SEC did not
impose a civil penalty against Stifel in recognition of the
fact that Stifel self-reported the issue to the SEC. However,
Stifel was censured and ordered to cease-and-desist from
committing or causing any violations and future violations
of Sections 206(2) and 207 of the Advisers Act, pay
disgorgement and pre-judgment interest in the amount of
$6,037,175.98 to affected investors, and comply with
several undertakings related to notifying affected investors
of the terms of the Order.
4. On January 26, 2018, Stifel entered into a Letter of
settle allegations that Stifel did not provide timely
disclosures to a municipal issuer in connection with its role
as placement agent in a placement of bonds issued by the
municipal issuer in accordance with interpretive guidance
issued by the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board
(“MSRB”) regarding MSRB Rule G-23. In May 2012, Stifel
recommended that the issuer do a placement, in lieu of a
public offering, in order to save on debt service costs. The
issuer accepted Stifel’s recommendation and agreed that
Stifel would serve as placement agent. However, Stifel did
not provide the disclosures regarding its role in a timely
manner. As a result, the firm was alleged to have violated
MSRB Rule G-23 by serving as both financial advisor and
placement agent on the same issue. While not admitting or
denying the allegations, Stifel agreed to a regulatory censure
and a monetary fine of $125,000.
Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent (“AWC”) with FINRA to
settle allegations that the firm (i) traded ahead of certain
customer orders at prices that would have satisfied the
customer orders; (ii) did not maintain adequate supervisory
controls that were reasonably designed to achieve
compliance with FINRA Rule 5320 and Supplementary
Material .02 of FINRA Rule 5320; and failed to report an
information barrier identifier with its order audit trail system
(OATS) submission for certain orders. These allegations
were considered to be violations of FINRA Rules 2010,
3110, 7440(b)(19), and NASD Rule 3010. While not
admitting or denying the allegations, the firm consented to a
censure, monetary fine of $37,500, plus interest of $318.25,
restitution payments to affected investors, and an
undertaking to revise its written supervisory procedures
relating to Rule 5320 and Supplementary Material .02 of
FINRA to settle these allegations.
5. On January 26, 2018, Stifel entered into an AWC with
8. In March 2017, Stifel consented to the entry of a Cease and
Desist Order (“Order”) by the SEC in which Stifel was
found to have violated Section 206(4) of the Advisers Act
and Rule 206(4)-7 thereunder by failing to adopt or
implement adequate policies and procedures to track and
disclose the trading away practices of certain Investment
Managers in several of Stifel’s discretionary wrap fee
programs, including information about additional costs
incurred by clients as a result of the Investment Manager’s
use of another broker to execute transactions away from
Stifel. Stifel neither admitted nor denied the findings
contained in the Order, except those related to jurisdiction
and the subject matter of the proceeding. Stifel made several
undertakings enumerated in the Order related to the trading
away practices of third-party managers, including a review
and update of its policies and procedures, providing
information to financial advisors and clients, and training
financial advisors. Stifel was ordered to pay a civil penalty
of $300,000 and ordered to cease and desist from violating
Section 206(4) and Rule 206(4)-7 thereunder.
9. On January 4, 2017, an Administrative Consent Order
FINRA to settle allegations that the firm failed to report to
the Trade Reporting and Compliance Engine (“TRACE”)
transactions in TRACE-eligible securitized products within
the time required by FINRA Rule 6730. While not admitting
or denying these allegations, the firm agreed to a censure
and a fine of $17,500.
6. On November 3, 2017, Stifel entered into a consent
agreement with the State of North Carolina, as part of a
multi-state task force agreement, regarding the sale of
securities commonly known as Auction Rate Securities
(“ARS”). The state regulatory authority claimed that Stifel
failed to reasonably supervise the sales of ARS by failing to
provide sufficient information and training to its registered
representatives and sales and marketing staff regarding ARS
and the mechanics of the auction process applicable to ARS.
(“Order”) was entered against Stifel and a former registered
representative associated with Stifel by the Securities
Division of the Mississippi Secretary of State (“Division”)
resolving an investigation into certain activities occurring in
two branch offices during the period of September 2000
through November 2013. Without admitting or denying the
findings in the Order, Stifel agreed to the entry of the Order
directing Stifel to cease and desist from violating Rule 5.15
of the Mississippi Securities Act of 2010, a books and
records rule, and to pay the Division $49,500 on its behalf
as well as $500 on behalf of the former registered
representative.
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10. On December 6, 2016, a final judgment (“Judgment”) was
Stifel and the employee (i) failed to adequately supervise the
written communication of a registered institutional
salesperson who circulated communications about
companies that were subject to Stifel research and (ii) failed
to implement a supervisory system designed to supervise the
distribution, approval, and maintenance of research reports
and institutional sales material. These allegations were
considered violations of various NASD Rules (including,
but not limited to Rule 2711(a)(9), 2210(d)(1), and 3010).
While not admitting or denying the allegations, the firm
consented to a censure and fine of $200,000.
entered against Stifel by the United States District Court for
the Eastern District of Wisconsin (Civil Action No. 2:11-cv-
00755) resolving a civil lawsuit filed by the SEC in 2011
involving violations of several antifraud provisions of the
federal securities laws in connection with the sale of
synthetic collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) to five
Wisconsin school districts in 2006. As a result of the Order,
Stifel is required to cease and desist from committing or
causing any violations and any future violations of Section
17(a)(2) and 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act, and Stifel and a
former employee are jointly liable to pay disgorgement and
prejudgment interest of $2.5 million. Stifel was also
required to pay a civil penalty of $22 million. The Judgment
also required Stifel to distribute $12.5 million of the ordered
disgorgement and civil penalty to the school districts
involved in this matter.
15. On October 27, 2015, Stifel was one of many firms to enter
into an AWC with FINRA to settle allegations that the firm
(i) disadvantaged certain customers that were eligible to
purchase Class A shares in certain mutual funds without a
front-end sales charge, but were instead sold Class A shares
with a front-end sales charge or Class B or C shares with
back-end sales charges and higher ongoing fees and (ii)
failed to establish and maintain a supervisory system and
procedures to ensure that eligible customers who purchased
mutual fund shares received the benefit of applicable sales
charge waivers. These allegations were considered to be
violations of NASD Rule 3010 and FINRA Rules 3110 and
2010. While not admitting or denying the allegations, the
firm consented to a censure and to pay $2.9 million in
restitution to the eligible customers.
16. On June 18, 2015, Stifel, together with 39 other financial
11. On April 8, 2016, Stifel entered into an AWC with FINRA
to settle allegations that the firm used permissible customer-
owned securities as collateral for bank loans procured by the
firm. However, on several occasions over a period of years,
prior to performing its customer reserve calculation, Stifel
substituted those loans with loans secured with firm-owned
collateral. The substitution thereby reduced the amount that
Stifel was required to deposit into the Customer Reserve
Account. FINRA found the practice to be a violation of
applicable rules, including Section 15I of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 15c3-3(e)(2) thereunder.
Throughout the relevant period, the firm had sufficient
resources to fund the Customer Reserve Account even if the
substitutions had not occurred. While not admitting or
denying the allegations, the firm consented to a censure and
fine of $750,000.
12. On March 24, 2016, Stifel entered into an AWC with
FINRA to settle allegations that the firm executed
transactions in a municipal security in an amount that was
below the minimum denomination of the issue. The conduct
described was deemed to constitute a violation of applicable
rules. While not admitting or denying these allegations, the
firm agreed to a censure and a fine of $25,000.
services firms, consented to the entry of a Cease and Desist
Order by the SEC following voluntary participation in the
SEC’s Municipalities Continuing Disclosure Cooperative
Initiative (“MCDC”). The SEC alleged that each
participating firm generally violated federal securities laws
and regulations (including certain anti-fraud provisions
thereof) in connection with municipal securities offerings in
which the firm (i) acted as either senior or sole underwriter
and in which the offering documents contained false or
misleading statements by the issuer about the issuer’s prior
compliance with certain federal securities laws or
regulations, (ii) failed to conduct adequate due diligence
about the issuer in connection with such offerings, and (iii)
as a result, failed to form a reasonable basis for believing
the truthfulness of the statements made by the issuers in the
offerings, in each case as required by applicable securities
laws and regulations. While not admitting or denying the
allegations, Stifel consented to a fine of $500,000 and to
retain a consultant to conduct a review of its policies and
procedures relating to municipal securities underwriting due
diligence.
13. On March 3, 2016, Stifel entered into an AWC with FINRA
to settle allegations that the firm, among other things, (i)
traded ahead of certain customer orders, (ii) failed to mark
proprietary orders with required notations, (iii) failed to
yield priority, parity, and/or precedence in connection with
customer trades submitted with proprietary orders, (iv)
failed to disclose required information in writing to affected
customers, and (v) failed to reasonably supervise and
implement adequate controls in connection with these
trades. These allegations were considered to be violations of
New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) Rules 90, 92, 410(b),
and 2010 as well as Section 11(a) of the Exchange Act.
While not admitting or denying the allegations, the firm
consented to a censure and fine of $275,000.
14. On January 5, 2016, Stifel, along with one of its employees,
entered into an AWC with FINRA to settle allegations that
17. On June 10, 2015, Stifel entered into an AWC with FINRA
to settle allegations that (i) the firm failed to report the
correct symbol indicating whether a transaction was buy,
sell, or cross and inaccurately appended a price override
modifier to 50,076 last sale reports of transactions that were
reported to the FINRA/NASDAQ Trade Reporting Facility
and (ii) the firm’s supervisory system did not provide for
supervision reasonably designed to achieve compliance with
applicable securities laws and regulations as well as FINRA
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SF1600-3/25
rules concerning trade reporting. These allegations were
considered to be violations of FINRA Rule 7230A(d)(6),
FINRA Rule 2010, and NASD Rule 3110. While not
admitting or denying the allegations, the firm consented to
censure and a fine of $40,000.
do not pay our Financial Advisors on the basis of
recommendations of Affiliated Managers or other affiliated
products. In addition, we pay our Affiliated Managers in the
same range as Independent Managers (i.e., Product Fees to
utilize the services and/or Portfolios of Affiliated Managers is
comparable to Product Fees associated with Independent
Managers).
18. On June 8, 2015, Stifel entered into a settlement agreement
with the Chicago Board of Options Exchange, Incorporated
to settle allegations that the firm failed to register
individuals, by the required deadline, who were otherwise
required to register as proprietary trader principals. While
not admitting or denying the allegations, the firm agreed to
censure and a fine of $35,000.
OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES
AND AFFILIATIONS
We make our Advisory Programs available to investment
advisory Clients sourced by our affiliate, Stifel Independent
Advisors, LLC (“Stifel Independent”) – a firm that is dual
registered as an investment adviser and broker-dealer. We also
provide portfolio management services to some of these clients
if the clients enroll in any Program or Portfolio where we
maintain discretion. We receive a share of the fees and/or
charges paid by these Stifel Independent clients in connection
with the services that we provide, and pay a portion to Stifel
Independent for its services (including its Financial Advisors’
services). In our capacity as a registered broker-dealer, we also
serve as clearing broker and custodian to accounts sourced by
our affiliate Stifel Independent, and make a wide range of
Advisory services and support resources available to Stifel
Independent’s clients. We also provide portfolio management
services to some of these clients to the extent they are enrolled in
a Program or Portfolio where we maintain discretion. We
receive a share of the fees and/or charges paid by Stifel
Independent clients in connection with the services that we
provide.
As set forth above, our firm is dual registered as an investment
adviser and a broker-dealer, and is also a licensed insurance
agency with various states. We also have a number of affiliates
that are registered as investment advisers or broker-dealers (or
both). In addition to being registered representatives of Stifel,
some of our management persons may be registered
representatives of these affiliated broker-dealers. Similarly,
some of our management persons may be management persons
of our affiliates, including Affiliated Managers. Finally, some of
our management persons may be licensed to practice law and/or
may be certified accountants in various states. These individuals
do not provide legal or tax advisory services to Clients. Our
parent company, Stifel Financial Corp., is a publicly traded
company (ticker: SF). We generally prohibit our Financial
Advisors from recommending the purchase of our parent
company securities in Clients’ Advisory accounts.
The following affiliates may be involved, directly or indirectly,
in the Advisory services provided to Clients in the Programs
covered in this brochure:
Affiliated Broker-Dealers – We have a number of affiliates that
are registered broker-dealers. As a full-service broker-dealer, we
self-execute client transaction and, as such, generally do not use
the execution services of our affiliated broker-dealers in
providing services to our Advisory clients. However, a number
of our affiliated broker-dealers may serve as underwriters or
otherwise participate in the distribution of securities that end up
in our advisory accounts through purchases in the secondary
market (NOTE that our wrap accounts do not participate in
initial public offerings). Some of our affiliated broker-dealers
(for example, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (“KBW”)) also provide
research used by our Financial Advisors in making investment
decisions for Clients. As set forth above, we do not use these
affiliates (including KBW) to execute Client trades or otherwise
provide services directly to Advisory Client accounts. Your
Financial Advisor can provide or direct you to a full list of our
affiliated broker-dealer, upon request.
Affiliated Funds and Other Products – As discussed above in
“Additional Information on Fees and Other Compensation,”
Stifel and its affiliates receive compensation from Funds and
other products.
Affiliated Trust Companies and Banks – Our affiliated trust
companies, Stifel Trust Company, National Association (“STC”)
and Stifel Trust Company Delaware, National Association
(“STCD”), each provide personal trust services (including
serving as trustee or co-trustee, or custodian) for individuals and
organizations. The fees charged by our trust affiliates are
structured in a manner that is consistent with fiduciary principles
to which such entities are subject. STC’s and STCD’s published
fee schedules provide a listing of the services for which each
Affiliated Managers – We have a number of arrangements with
our Affiliated Managers applicable to Clients enrolled in our
Programs. As of the date of this brochure, our Affiliated
Managers included 1919 Investment Counsel, EquityCompass
Investment Management, LLC, Washington Crossing Advisors,
LLC, Stifel Capital Management, LLC, North Atlantic Capital
Management, LLC, and InTyce, LLC (aka Stifel Wealth
Tracker). Our affiliations with any of the entities set forth above
may change and/or we may acquire new affiliates at any time,
without prior notice to you. Our Affiliated Managers provide
Model Portfolios and/or manage Portfolios on a discretionary
basis in a number of our Programs. We have a conflict of interest
when our Financial Advisors recommend Affiliated Managers
rather than Independent Managers, since any Product Fee
received by an Affiliated Manager remains within the Stifel
umbrella and may have a positive impact on the performance of
our parent company stock (of which the Financial Advisor is
likely a shareholder). Moreover, our Financial Advisors
sometimes develop close personal relationships with employees
and associated persons of our Affiliated Managers and, as a
result, could have an incentive to recommend such Affiliated
Managers over Independent Managers. To mitigate this risk, we
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receives payment. A copy of the fee schedule is delivered to
each trust client.
From time to time, as trustee or co-trustee, these trust affiliates
may open an Advisory account in the Programs covered by this
brochure, and/or access other advisory services that we offer. In
such cases, we generally view our client to be the affiliated trust
companies (i.e., STC or STCD), not their underlying trust clients
on whose behalf our affiliates are acting (even where, for
example, our Financial Advisor may have referred the
underlying trust client to the affiliate trust company and, as a
result, indirectly shares in the trust fees received).
Account Fees with respect to the holdings. If an exception is
granted for a Client to purchase and/or hold such Affiliated
Private Funds in an Advisory account, depending on the
particular Affiliated Private Fund and/or the specific class,
series, or type of interest held, Stifel may charge an Advisory
Account Fee with respect to such securities held in the Advisory
account, which Advisory Account Fee will generally be in lieu
of fees charged by the Affiliated Private Funds (but in addition
to any fees charged by any underlying investments in which the
Affiliated Private Funds invests), or the management fee or
placement fee may be waived or reduced. Alternatively, the
value of such securities held in the Advisory account will be
excluded from the Advisory Account Fee billing.
In connection with the insured bank deposit programs offered as
cash sweep options for our Client accounts, our affiliates, Stifel
Bank, Stifel Bank & Trust, STC, and STCD (each, an “Affiliated
Bank” and collectively, “Affiliated Banks”), are either the sole
participating deposit institutions, or the top participating deposit
institutions into which idle cash swept from eligible Client
accounts may be swept. From time to time, Clients may also
have a direct relationship with an Affiliated Bank and hold other
personal deposit and/or bank accounts at such affiliates, in which
case, such Clients are solely responsible for any customary fees
that are charged with respect to such deposit or other bank
accounts.
Stifel Nicolaus Insurance Agency, Incorporated – As set forth
above, our firm is licensed as an insurance agency in a number
of states and, as such, is able to sell insurance products to clients
directly. However, in a few states, insurance products are sold
through our affiliate, Stifel Nicolaus Insurance Agency,
Incorporated. In such cases, the affiliate, and not our firm, will
receive customary commissions paid by the insurance companies
issuing Client policies. Financial Advisors who sell insurance
products in such states typically are licensed as agents of the
affiliate and will receive a portion of the insurance commissions
paid. Any insurance is separate from our advisory services and
not covered by your advisory fee.
*
*
*
*
Our affiliations with these entities may change and/or we
may acquire new affiliates at any time, without prior notice
to you.
Furthermore, as set forth under the section “Credit Line Loans”
below, our Affiliated Banks may compensate us in connection
with Credit Line Loans (based on the outstanding balance) that
Clients hold at the bank. Clients should therefore note that the
Financial Advisor has an incentive to recommend such Credit
Line Loans and, as such, should carefully review the terms of
any proposed Credit Line Loan prior to taking out any such
Loan.
Each Client should note that each relationship set forth
above creates a conflict of interest for our firm and/or
Financial Advisors. Our firm acts as a fiduciary with respect
to all Advisory services. As a fiduciary, we take reasonable
steps to ensure that all material conflicts are fully disclosed
to our Clients.
CODE OF ETHICS, PARTICIPATION OR INTEREST IN
CLIENT TRANSACTIONS, AND PERSONAL TRADING
Finally, our Affiliated Banks may, from time to time, issue
brokered certificates of deposit which we may determine to
make available for purchase by our clients. With respect to IRAs
and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, Stifel Bank serves
as IRA custodian. When acting as IRA custodian, Stifel Bank
does not provide and is not responsible for brokerage or advisory
services for your account(s).
Code of Ethics
In addition to Stifel Financial Corp.’s Code of Ethics Policy,
which is applicable to all Stifel personnel, our Advisory
personnel are also subject to our Investment Advisory Code of
Ethics (“IA Code of Ethics”). The IA Code of Ethics applies to
activities that our personnel conduct in our firm’s capacity as a
registered investment adviser, subject to applicable fiduciary
obligations. A copy of the IA Code of Ethics is available upon
request. Set forth in the IA Code of Ethics are standards
reasonably designed to promote honest and ethical conduct,
comply with federal securities laws and governmental rules and
regulations, maintain privacy of Client information, protect
nonpublic information, and encourage associates to report any
known violations. Such standards include placing Client
interests first, avoiding any material or potential conflicts of
interest, and ensuring that personal securities transactions are
conducted appropriately. Compliance periodically reviews the
Limited Partnerships and Other Private Funds – Our firm may,
directly or through an affiliate, act as general partner, manager,
or managing member of various investment partnerships, limited
liability companies, and similar entities (collectively referred to
as “Affiliated Private Funds”). These Affiliated Private Funds
are offered to eligible investors, some of whom may have
Advisory accounts with us. Solicitation activities for these
securities are typically made via an offering memorandum,
circular, or prospectus and may only be made to clients for
whom such investments are deemed suitable. Regardless of
whether such funds are Affiliated Private Funds or not affiliated
with us, investors will indirectly incur various fees and expenses
as described in the offering documents for the applicable fund.
With limited exceptions, Clients that invest in Affiliated Private
Funds at Stifel are required to hold such securities in brokerage
accounts. To the extent that Affiliated Funds are held in
brokerage accounts, these clients are not charged Advisory
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IA Code of Ethics to ensure adequacy and effectiveness in
complying with applicable regulations.
Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
To the extent we execute transactions for Client accounts,
Advisory transactions are generally executed on an agency basis.
However, our firm may trade with Clients and seek to earn a
profit for its own account (such trades generally are referred to
as “principal transactions”). Principal transactions are executed
at prices and commission rates that we believe are competitive
and in accordance with industry practice. Although we may be
able to provide a more favorable price to a Client if we purchase
from or sell to our inventory of securities, we generally are not
able to engage in such transactions with Advisory accounts due
to regulatory requirements, which require written disclosure and
consent on a trade-by-trade basis. Except as set forth below, we
do not permit Advisory accounts to purchase securities in
syndicated offerings from our firm or our affiliates, unless
neither Stifel nor our other affiliates are underwriters for the
offering and the transaction can be effected on an agency basis.
In limited circumstances, we will act in our capacity as a
registered broker-dealer to execute principal trades (including,
but not limited to, syndicate transactions) without having to
obtain Client consent if the transaction is directed by an
Independent Manager for the Client’s wrap account in
accordance with applicable law and/or regulatory guidance.
Our Financial Advisors may also recommend securities issued
by entities that are also clients of our firm, in our firm’s capacity
as investment adviser and/or broker-dealer. For example, our
Financial Advisors may recommend securities of issuers that our
firm has otherwise sponsored or promoted (including serving as
underwriter or selling member in initial public offerings and
other syndicated offerings). To the extent recommended, those
securities will be purchased in the secondary market, and not
during the initial or secondary offerings. We do not allow
accounts over which we are serving as investment adviser to
participate in offerings in which our firm is also a selling
member (this limitation may not apply to transactions that are
directed by unaffiliated Investment Managers on our platform, to
the extent such transactions are permitted by applicable law).
Client participation (if any) in such offerings must be effected in
brokerage accounts, and solely in the firm’s capacity as broker-
dealer. Clients with brokerage accounts that determine to
participate in such offerings should note, therefore, that neither
Stifel nor the Financial Advisor is, in any way, acting as a
fiduciary with respect to any such transactions. As associated
persons of a registered broker-dealer, our Financial Advisors are
generally prohibited from participating in these offerings.
However, some of our affiliates may, for their own accounts or
for accounts of their clients, take substantial positions in such
securities. In such cases, the affiliate may indirectly benefit from
our Financial Advisor’s investment recommendations if (for
example) the later purchase by our Client accounts of the
securities (i.e., in the secondary market) cause the price of those
securities to rise.
In general, our policies prohibit Stifel personnel from sharing
information relating to investments made for Client accounts
with affiliates or other parties, unless such parties need to know
such information in order to provide services to any affected
client accounts and such disclosure is permitted by law. To the
extent that associated persons obtain information relating to
investments by Stifel and/or an affiliate, such associated persons
are prohibited from (i) passing such information to any other
person who does not need to know the information in order to
perform required duties and (ii) using such information to
benefit a Financial Advisor or Client.
When permitted by applicable law and firm policy, we may
cause Client accounts to engage in cross and agency cross
transactions. A cross transaction occurs when we cause a Client
account to buy securities from, or sell securities to, another
Client, and our firm does not receive a commission from the
transaction. We may (but are under no obligation to) cause
Client accounts to engage in cross transactions. An agency cross
transaction occurs when our firm acts as broker for a Client
account on one side of the transaction and a brokerage account
or another Client account on the other side of the transaction in
connection with the purchase or sale of securities by the Client
account, and our firm receives a commission from the
transaction. We will have a potentially conflicting division of
loyalties and responsibilities to the parties to cross and agency-
cross transactions, including with respect to a decision to enter
into such transaction as well as with respect to valuation,
pricing, and other terms. We have adopted policies and
procedures in relation to such transactions and
conflicts. However, there can be no assurance that such
transactions will be effected in the manner that is most favorable
to a Client account that is a party to any such transaction. Cross
transactions may disproportionately benefit some Client
accounts as compared to other Client accounts due to the relative
amount of market savings obtained by the Client accounts. If
effected, cross or agency cross transactions are effected in
accordance with fiduciary requirements and applicable law
(which may include providing disclosure and obtaining Client
consent). To the extent such consent is provided in advance of
the cross or agency cross transactions, Clients may revoke the
consent at any time by written notice to Stifel or their Financial
Advisor, and any such revocation will be effective once we have
received and have had a reasonable time to act on it.
Our officers and/or employees (including our Financial
Advisors) may serve on the boards of companies in Clients’
portfolios. In addition, our firm or affiliates may provide
services to such portfolio companies. The portfolio companies
may compensate us (or our affiliates) for services with options to
purchase stock or other equity interests of the portfolio
companies. If an affiliate owns options or other securities issued
by portfolio companies, a conflict of interest may arise between
the timing of any exercise or sale of these options, and our
decisions about the same portfolio securities for Client accounts.
We do not solicit such information from any affiliate.
Our firm, Financial Advisors, and affiliates frequently have
access to non-public information about publicly traded
companies. When this occurs, our Financial Advisors (and
therefore, their Client accounts) may be prohibited from trading
an existing position at a time that would be beneficial to such
Clients, resulting in investment losses or the failure to achieve
investment gains. In other cases, we may purchase or sell the
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exceptions, accounts enrolled in the Programs above generally
pay a wrap fee that covers Stifel’s advisory custodial, execution,
and administrative services, as well as other applicable advisory
and portfolio management services by Managers. See “Fees and
Compensation” for more details about the wrap fee.
securities of an issuer at a time when an affiliate or its
employees have material non-public information about such
securities or their issuers if the affiliates have not otherwise
notified us of their possession of such information. Our affiliates
and their respective employees have no duty to make any such
information available to us, and we have no duty to obtain such
information from the affiliates and do not otherwise solicit such
information.
Personal Trading
Our employees and affiliates may invest in any Advisory
Programs that we offer. We have adopted various policies and
procedures designed to detect and prevent the misuse of
material, non-public information by employees. Our firm and
affiliates, directors, officers, stockholders, employees, and
members of their families may have positions in and, from time
to time, buy or sell securities that we recommend to Advisory
accounts. We prohibit transactions in our firm account(s) and
accounts of associated persons in any security that is the subject
of a recommendation of our Research department until the
recommendation has been disseminated to Clients and a
reasonable time has elapsed following the dissemination. Our
associated persons are prohibited from buying or selling
securities for their personal accounts if the decision to do so is
substantially derived, in whole or in part, by reason of their
employment, unless the information is also available to the
investing public or through reasonable inquiry. We maintain and
regularly review securities holdings in the accounts of persons
who may have access to Advisory recommendations.
BROKERAGE PRACTICES
Execution of Transactions
As set forth above, as wrap sponsor, we expect to self-execute
trades for accounts in the Programs covered in this brochure to the
extent we have trading discretion and/or if Investment Managers
direct trades to our firm. However, we may determine to effect
transactions for discretionary Portfolios through other broker-
dealers if we determine, in light of all applicable factors, that
executing through the other broker-dealer would provide better
execution than would be the case if we self-executed. Investment
Managers in the Opportunity, Connect, and IMC Programs, have
discretion to effect trades on behalf of Clients through broker-
dealers other than Stifel. An Investment Manager may trade away if
it determines, in its sole discretion, such trade-aways would be in
the best interests of its clients, such as to satisfy its best execution
obligations. As set forth above, Clients in our Programs pay fees to
Stifel and, as applicable, the Investment Manager for services,
which include costs related to transactions in Client accounts
effected through Stifel. However, for all transactions executed
through other broker-dealers, Clients will likely (but may not
always) incur additional costs, such as commissions or
markups/markdowns embedded in the price of the security, that are
in addition to, and not included in, the Advisory Account Fee. As
such, Clients are separately responsible for any execution costs
incurred in connection with such trades. These additional costs are
not reflected on Client account statements; however, if the
Investment Manager has provided the appropriate information to us
regarding such trades and the related additional costs, the
information will be indicated on trade confirmations, or on quarterly
transaction confirmation reports provided to those Clients who have
elected to suppress immediate trade confirmations.1
1All other information shown does not reflect any additional execution costs
resulting from trades executed through other broker-dealers.
About Our Broker-Dealer
Our firm’s principal business in terms of revenue and personnel
is that of a securities broker-dealer. As a broker-dealer, we
execute securities transactions per client instructions. As an
integral part of the services offered when providing brokerage
services, Financial Advisors may provide services and provide
advice about securities that are incidental to Stifel’s brokerage
services. However, when providing brokerage services,
Financial Advisors do not make investment decisions on behalf
of clients and do not charge any fees for any incidental advice
given. Absent special circumstances, Financial Advisors are not
held to fiduciary standards when providing brokerage services.
Legal obligations to disclose detailed information about the
nature and scope of our business, personnel, commissions
charged, material or potential conflicts of interests, and other
matters are limited when acting as a broker-dealer.
As Managers, Investment Managers have a fiduciary obligation
to act in the best interests of their advisory clients and are
therefore required to seek to obtain “best execution” in effecting
trades on behalf of such clients. Under the Advisers Act, “best
execution” generally means executing transactions in a manner
such that the client’s total cost or proceeds are the most
favorable under the circumstances. Although it is important for
Investment Managers to seek the best price for a security in the
marketplace and minimize unnecessary brokerage costs in
satisfying its obligations, these are not the only factors used to
determine whether the Investment Manager has satisfied its
obligations. It is not an obligation to get the lowest possible
commission cost, or to solicit competitive bids for each
transaction, but rather, the Investment Manager determines
whether the transaction represents the best qualitative execution
for its clients. In selecting a broker-dealer, Investment Managers
may consider the full range and quality of services offered by the
broker-dealer, including the value of the research provided (if
any), execution capability, commission rate charged, the broker-
dealer’s financial responsibility, and its responsiveness.
Our Responsibilities as a Broker-Dealer
As a broker-dealer, Stifel is held to the legal standards of the
Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
FINRA rules, and state laws where applicable. Such standards
include fair dealings with clients, reasonable and fair execution
prices in light of prevailing market conditions, reasonable
commissions and other charges, and reasonable basis for
believing that securities recommendations are suitable.
Brokerage clients pay commission charges on a per-transaction
basis for securities execution services in their brokerage
accounts. As set forth elsewhere in this brochure, with limited
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It is also important to note that Stifel does not monitor, review,
or otherwise evaluate whether an Investment Manager is
satisfying its best execution obligations to clients.
Additional information about an Investment Manager’s
brokerage practices, including the factors that the Investment
Manager considers in satisfying its best execution obligations,
which may vary according to the type(s) of securities traded, is
contained in each Investment Manager’s Form ADV Part 2A
Brochure. Clients should review each Investment Manager’s
trading away practices before selecting, or while reviewing, the
Investment Manager’s Portfolios.
Types of Securities Traded. Investment Managers whose
strategies consist primarily (or substantially) of fixed income
securities, foreign securities (including American Depositary
Receipts or ordinary shares), ETFs, and/or small cap securities
are generally more likely to trade away from Stifel. This means
that Clients investing in such strategies are more likely to incur
execution costs in addition to the Advisory Account Fee paid to
Stifel. Clients should, therefore, take these costs into
consideration when selecting and/or deciding to remain invested
in the affected strategies.
Trade Aggregation. Investment Managers typically manage
wrap client accounts for multiple firms using the same strategy,
and may also manage other directly sourced accounts side-by-
side with Stifel Client accounts. In certain cases, an Investment
Manager may decide to aggregate all transactions for clients in
its Portfolio(s) into a block trade that is executed through one
broker-dealer, rather than separately through each participating
firm (such as Stifel). Aggregating transactions into a single
block may enable the Investment Manager to obtain a better
price or additional investment opportunities for its clients, as
well as allow the Investment Manager to exercise more control
over the execution, including (for example) potentially avoiding
an adverse effect on the price of a security that could result from
simultaneously placing a number of separate, successive, and/or
competing client orders.
Orders for most Advisory Programs are routed for agency
execution. Our firm does not impose commissions (including
markups or markdowns) on transactions that we execute for fee-
based advisory accounts; however, as agency transactions, the
broker on the other side of the transaction may charge a markup
or markdown that may be equal to, or greater, than any markup
or markdown we would have charged if we executed the trade in
a principal capacity). Where permissible by applicable law (for
example, in our Opportunity Program where an Independent
Manager is directing a trade for non-retirement accounts), we
may act as broker for the transaction and, at the same time,
purchase and/or sell securities for a Client transaction from our
inventory. Consistent with applicable regulations, such inventory
trades are not considered “principal transactions” to the extent
that an Investment Manager (not Stifel) determines that
purchasing the securities from Stifel inventory is in the
underlying Clients’ best interest. In addition, if an Advisory
account holds a position which includes fractional shares, Stifel
will accommodate any requests to liquidate for the fractional
component by processing the transaction through its principal
trading account, while the whole shares are liquidated on an
agency basis.
Investment Managers’ Historical Trading Away Practices.
We maintain a list of Investment Managers with trading
discretion over Client accounts that have notified us that they
traded away from Stifel during the previous year – the list is
typically available no earlier than the second quarter of the
following year. The list includes the names of the applicable
Portfolios, information about the Investment Manager’s trade-
away practices for a particular Portfolio, and the average
associated costs (if any) during the applicable year. The
information is provided to existing investors in the affected
Portfolios, as well as to new Clients seeking to enroll into an
affected Portfolio after such information is available. However,
the information contained in the list is based solely upon
information provided to Stifel by each Investment Manager and
is not independently verified by Stifel. As a result, Stifel does
not make any representations as to the accuracy of the
information presented. The information on the list regarding an
Investment Manager’s prior trade-away practices is not a
guarantee that a particular Investment Manager will exercise or
repeat the same practices in the future and/or with the same
frequency. It is possible that an Investment Manager could trade
away more or less frequently, or at a higher or lower
commission rate, fee, or other expenses, resulting in greater or
lesser costs than those indicated. Individual Clients enrolled in
the Portfolios noted may experience different results. Similarly,
it is possible that an Investment Manager that has not previously,
or recently, traded away from Stifel will do so in the future.
On the execution end, Advisory account orders are generally
treated with the same priority and procedural flow as non-
advisory brokerage trades (except, such orders are not routed to
our market makers and may be done as a block order, which may
have different rules and priorities). We generally use automated
systems to route and execute orders for the purchase and sale of
securities for most Advisory accounts, unless directed by Clients
to do otherwise. We use a reasonable diligence to ascertain the
best markets for a security and to buy and sell in such markets so
that the resultant price to the customer is as favorable as possible
under prevailing market conditions. Certain large orders that
require special handling may be routed to a market center for
execution via telephone or other electronic means. We
periodically monitor existing and potential execution venues and
may route orders in exchange-listed or over-the-counter
(“OTC”) securities to other venues if it is believed that such
routing is consistent with best execution principles. For equity
securities, we monitor the performance of competing market
centers and generally route orders to those that consistently
complete transactions timely and at a reasonable cost and which
normally execute at the national best bid or offer. Whenever
possible, orders are routed to market centers that offer
opportunities for price improvement through automated systems.
We execute mutual fund transactions for Advisory accounts
through traditional omnibus vendors, or through clearing
arrangements with other brokerage firms under so-called super-
omnibus arrangements.
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in higher costs. The Advisory Account Fee for Advisory services
does not cover, and Clients are separately responsible for, any
brokerage commissions, markups, markdowns, and/or other
costs associated with transactions effected through or with other
broker-dealer firms.
Aggregation of Trades in Advisory Portfolios
To the extent possible and where permitted under applicable
law, and in order to seek a more advantageous trade price, we
may (but are not required to) aggregate orders for the purchase
of a security for the Accounts of several discretionary Client
accounts for execution in a single transaction (“block trades”).
However, Clients in our Solutions Program should be aware that
we do not require Financial Advisors who manage Solutions
accounts to aggregate orders for Client accounts into block
trades. As a result, Clients with Solutions accounts managed by
the same Financial Advisor (including, for example, in the same
Solutions Portfolio) may receive different execution prices even
when trading in the same security on the same day.
Order Routing and Payment for Order Flow
Stifel receives payment for order flow for directing orders to
certain exchanges and other trading venues. The source and
nature of any payment received in connection with your
particular transaction will be disclosed upon written request. In
addition, in order to access a wide variety of execution venues,
the firm does participate in the maker/taker model. Certain
exchanges and other trading centers to which the firm routes
equities and options orders have implemented fee structures
under which broker-dealer participants may receive rebates on
certain orders. Under these fee structures, participants are
charged a fee for orders that take liquidity from the venue and
provided a rebate for orders that add liquidity to the venue.
Rebates received by the firm from a venue during any time
period may or may not exceed the fees paid by the firm to the
venue during that time period. Fees and/or rebates from all
venues are subject to change. Stifel will provide customers
additional information regarding average net fees/rebates
paid/received upon written request. For venues from which Stifel
receives a rebate, Stifel is considered to be receiving payment
for order flow.
Additionally, we generally will not aggregate trades across MBT
Portfolios even where such MBT Portfolios are trading in the
same securities on the same day. Similarly, we generally will not
aggregate trades for different accounts where portfolio
management decisions for accounts are made separately (e.g.,
same-day trades for different Programs). Clients should,
therefore, understand that discretionary accounts in one or more
MBT Portfolios and/or Programs may get different prices even if
such accounts trade in the same security on the same day. When
used, block trading can allow us to execute equity trades in a
timely, equitable manner. The related transaction costs are
shared equally at an average price per share and on a pro rata
basis between all accounts included in the block trade, and
participating accounts receive the same average price for the
security. Orders that cannot be filled in the same block trade or
at the same average price are assigned to accounts in a manner
that seeks to treat Clients fairly and equitably over time. This
practice does not ordinarily affect or otherwise reduce fees,
commissions, or other costs charged to Clients for these
transactions, but may provide price improvement. A partial fill
of a block trade may be allocated among Client accounts
randomly, pro rata, or by some other equitable procedure. In
certain cases, Managers on our Advisory platform may use
computer systems that allocate purchase and sale transactions
either on a random or pro rata basis. In any case, Clients may
pay higher or lower prices for securities than may otherwise
have been obtained.
Additional information will be provided upon written request,
and certain order routing information is available online at
www.stifel.com/disclosures/best-execution. On request of a
customer and at no fee, Stifel will disclose to such customer the
identity of the venue to which such customer’s orders were
routed for execution in the six months prior to the request,
whether the orders were directed orders or non-directed orders,
and the time of the transactions, if any, that resulted from such
orders. Orders could be routed and executed internally through
Stifel’s trading desk. In such instances, Stifel stands to share in
100% of any compensation received (in the case of orders
executed as agent) or profits or losses generated (in the case of
orders executed as principal) as a result of internalizing such
orders. Customers may mail their inquiries to: Stifel – Attn:
Equity Trading Compliance, One South Street, Baltimore,
Maryland 21202.
Trade Error Correction
In the event we make an error that has a financial impact on a
client’s account, we will seek to correct the error as soon as
possible and in such a manner that the affected client is not
disadvantaged and bears no loss. We will evaluate each situation
independently.
In connection with the handling of block orders, where permitted
by law, our firm may engage in hedging, offsetting, liquidating,
facilitating, or positioning transactions (“risk-mitigating
transactions”) that may occur at the same time or in advance of a
client order, and these activities may have impact on market
prices. Unless we are informed in writing (“opt out”), we will
conclude that all clients with accounts at Stifel understand that
we may engage in risk-mitigating transactions in connection
with client orders and will conclude that clients have given us
(including our affiliates) consent to handle block transactions as
described above. Clients can contact their Financial Advisor for
instructions on how to opt out.
If there is a trade error for which we are responsible, trades will
be adjusted or reversed as needed and/or will take such other
steps as are necessary in order to put the Client’s account in the
position that it would have been in if the error had not occurred.
Errors relating to trades that have not yet settled are corrected at
no cost to Client accounts by moving the affected securities to
our error account and entering correcting trades in the Client’s
account such that the Client is made whole. We net the
Directed Brokerage
We generally do not allow Clients to direct brokerage to other
broker-dealers; in limited circumstances, some Managers may
allow Clients to direct brokerage to other broker-dealers. When
Clients direct brokerage away from Stifel, it generally will result
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correcting trades when assessing the overall gain or loss
associated with the correction, and retain any gains realized as a
result of correcting trade errors.
In instances where an error occurs such that a trade correction is
not available or practicable to implement (such as, for example,
where a Client’s account is enrolled into the wrong Portfolio and
the error is not identified and corrected promptly), we will
typically correct the error by reimbursing the Client the negative
performance differential, if any, for the period from the start of
the error to the time the correction is made.
Clients investing in Investment Manager-traded Portfolios
should carefully review the error correction disclosures set forth
in each such Investment Manager’s Form ADV Part 2A for an
understanding of how that Investment Manager will correct trade
and other errors.
(or Managers), our Financial Advisors may also obtain research
from firms that provide other products and services to us (for
example, a Manager may make its research reports available to
our Financial Advisors). Clients should be aware that our receipt
of these research services may present a conflict of interest by
creating an incentive for our firm and/or Financial Advisors to
recommend the investment products offered by the research
provider firms (or by their affiliates). In general, our policies
prohibit our Financial Advisors from basing their
recommendations of Managers and/or securities on the research
services received from the Manager or issuer, or any of their
related persons. Research services are generally used to benefit
all client accounts, whether or not such research was generated
by the applicable client account. However, not all research
services will be used for all client accounts; the type of research
used with respect to any one account will depend on, among
other things, the types of investments that are deemed suitable
for the account.
We offer many services and, from time to time, may have other
Clients in the same or other Programs trading in opposition to
other Clients’ Advisory accounts. To avoid favoring one Client
over another Client, we attempt to use objective market data in
the correction of any trading errors.
Research and Other Benefits
Financial Advisors and Clients have access to research published
by our firm’s research analysts (“Stifel Research”), the primary
source of our research. Subject to certain exceptions, we
incorporate the insights and economic perspectives of Stifel
Research, where appropriate, into our products and services.
Clients should be aware that our firm may have conflicts of
interest in connection with research reports published. Stifel and
other affiliates may have long or short positions, or deal as
principal or agent, in relevant securities, or may provide
Advisory or other services to issuers of relevant securities or to
companies connected with issuers covered in research reports
issued by Stifel Research. Our research analysts’ compensation
is not based on investment banking revenues; however, their
compensation may relate to revenues or profitability of Stifel
business groups as a whole, which may include investment
banking, sales, and trading services. Financial Advisors also
have access to proprietary models covering various securities,
including (but not limited to) equities, fixed income, mutual
funds, and municipal securities developed by our firm’s various
business areas, and may use these models in connection with
managing and/or otherwise providing investment advice to
Clients.
Our firm may also use research obtained from other financial
institutions, including our affiliate, KBW, as well as from other
affiliated or unaffiliated broker-dealers and/or investment
advisers. In general, we seek third-party research that is in-depth
fundamental corporate research to assist in providing advisory
services to clients. We do not use commission dollars from
Program accounts to pay for research; our Financial Advisors
have access to research from other financial institutions provided
to our firm under reciprocal arrangements with Stifel Research.
Our firm (or particular Financial Advisors) may also pay for
independent research using hard dollars. Finally, as set forth in
the Training and Education Expenses From Fund Companies
Margin and Short Selling
We do not allow the use of margin in Advisory accounts except in
limited cases. For those Clients that are specifically permitted, the
use of margin strategies will be limited to eligible non-retirement
Advisory accounts at Stifel. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we
generally allow Clients to use the assets held in their Advisory
accounts as collateral for margin debits held in non-Advisory
accounts. We also allow the use of margin in connection with
approved Portfolios that engage in short selling. The use of
leverage, or investing with borrowed funds, is generally not
recommended in Advisory Programs; however, it may be
approved on an exception basis when specifically requested by
individual Clients, or for use in specialized Portfolios in our
Programs. Certain eligibility requirements must be met, and
documentation, in the form of a separate margin agreement (and,
in some cases, additional certifications) that must be signed by the
Client prior to using leverage or enrolling in these specialized
Portfolios. In making the decision to set up margin privileges for
an Advisory account (or enrolling in a Portfolio that uses margin
or engages in short sales), it is important that Clients understand
the risks associated with employing margin and/or short-selling
strategies, the impact the use of borrowed funds may have on
Advisory accounts, and how investment objectives may be
negatively affected. Employing margin and/or engaging in short
sales in Advisory accounts is a more aggressive, higher-risk
approach to pursuing investment objectives. Clients should
carefully consider whether the additional risks are appropriate
prior to employing these strategies due to the increased potential
for significantly greater losses associated with using these
strategies. The use of these strategies also involves higher costs:
for example, Clients pay short sale charges in connection with
each short sale transaction in the account. Moreover, if the account
carries an outstanding margin loan, the Client will also pay
interest to our firm on the outstanding loan balance. These fees are
in addition to the agreed-upon Advisory Account Fee.
Furthermore, Advisory Account Fees are calculated as a
percentage of the total “billable” value of assets in the account; the
amount/value of the margin loan or short positions is not deducted
from the total value of the investments when determining billable
value. Therefore, employing margin to buy securities or otherwise
engaging in short sales in Advisory accounts generally increases
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Credit Line Loans
In some circumstances, Clients are able to use Advisory account
assets as collateral for variable or fixed rate credit lines (“Credit
Line Loans”) offered by an Affiliated Bank.
the billable value of the account and, ultimately, our total
compensation on the account(s). Clients that use (or otherwise
enroll in strategies that use) margin or short selling may lose more
than their original investments. A positive or negative
performance, net of interest charges and fees, is magnified; gains
or losses are greater than would be the case in accounts that do not
employ margin strategies. A number of the risks discussed above
apply even in cases where the margin debit is held or associated to
a non-Advisory account, and Advisory assets are being used to
cross-collateralize the margin loan in the brokerage account.
Credit Line Loans in General.
Clients repay the principal balance and interest on outstanding
balances to Stifel Bank & Trust and/or other Affiliated Bank(s).
For variable-rate loans, clients have the option to repay the
principal at any time without prepayment fees. If interest rates
rise, your borrowing cost will also rise. For fixed-rate loans,
clients may be subject to prepayment fees (as described in the
loan documents) if the loan is repaid before the end of the fixed-
rate contract. The proceeds of these Credit Line Loans may not
be used for the purpose of (a) purchasing, carrying, or trading in
securities, (b) repaying or retiring any indebtedness incurred to
purchase, carry, or trade in securities, or (c) repaying or retiring
any debt, and/or otherwise purchase any product or service.
For Portfolios that use margin or engage in short selling, we
may, at our discretion, choose to cover all existing short
positions when you terminate from the applicable Portfolio. To
the extent that a maintenance call is triggered in connection
with a margined account and we are forced to sell any assets
used as collateral for the margin loan, or if we determine to
liquidate any or all of your short positions in connection with
a termination from a specialized Portfolio, we will act solely
in our capacity as a registered broker-dealer (and not as an
investment adviser or other fiduciary). Moreover, if selling
such assets, we will seek to maximize our interest, and will
not prioritize a Client’s interest. Clients generally will not
benefit from employing margin or short-selling strategies if the
performance of the account does not exceed the total costs
incurred (i.e., the Advisory Account Fee plus all other
applicable fees and expenses).
REFERRAL PROGRAMS
If Advisory account assets are used to collateralize Credit Line
Loans, the accounts are pledged to support any Credit Line Loans
extended and Clients are not permitted to withdraw funds or other
assets unless sufficient amounts of collateral remain to continue
supporting the Credit Line Loans (as determined by the applicable
Affiliated Bank, in its sole discretion). Clients may still terminate
their Advisory relationship with Stifel at any time, at which time
these funds or assets will be maintained in a brokerage account at
Stifel. Clients pay interest to the Affiliated Bank on Credit Line
Loans at customary interest rates. Certain eligibility requirements
must be met and loan documentation must be completed prior to
applying for Credit Line Loans.
We generally do not act as investment adviser when making the
referrals described in this section. You should consider the
referral compensation Stifel and/or your Stifel Financial Advisor
may be eligible to receive when evaluating your relationship
with us and the reasonability of any fees or other charges you
pay us.
Referrals for Trust Services
Our parent company, Stifel Financial Corp., along with the Firm
(together the “Service Providers”), have entered into Referral,
Operating and Service agreements with our affiliated trust
companies – Stifel Trust Company, National Association
(“STC”) and Stifel Trust Company Delaware, National
Association (“STCD”) (STC and STCD, individually and
collectively, sometimes referred to hereafter as the “trust
companies”).
Pursuant to these agreements, STC and STCD pay the Service
Providers for providing services, referral services and client
services. The Service Providers receive, on a quarterly basis,
20% of the net fiduciary fees received by STC and STCD.
Specifically, the Firm pays its Financial Advisors a portion of
net fees on a monthly basis for the life of the account. Fees shall
not be payable with respect to those accounts for which the
Service Providers do not provide the referral services or the
client services. These payments create an incentive for Financial
Advisors to refer you to STC and STCD.
Credit Line Loans extended by an Affiliated Bank are typically
demand loans that are subject to collateral maintenance
requirements. The Affiliated Bank may demand repayment at
any time. If the required collateral value is not maintained, the
Affiliated Bank may require additional collateral, or partial or
entire repayment of any Credit Line Loans extended. Clients
may need to deposit additional cash or securities as collateral on
short notice or repay a partial or entire amount of the funds
borrowed if the value of their portfolio declines below the
required loan-to-value ratio. An Affiliated Bank may refuse to
fund any advance request due to insufficient collateral. An
Affiliated Bank may increase your collateral maintenance
requirement at any time without notice, and may call your Credit
Line Loan at any time and for any reason. Because each
Affiliated Bank assigns different release rates to different asset
types, in some cases, Clients may also be able to satisfy such
requirements by selling securities with a low release rate and
investing and/or holding the proceeds in assets that have a higher
release rate for the loan. In each case, failure to promptly meet
requests for additional collateral or repayment, or other
circumstances including a rapidly declining market, may cause
our banking affiliate to instruct us to liquidate some or all of the
collateral supporting any Credit Line Loan in order to meet
collateral maintenance requirements without needing your prior
approval. You will not be entitled to choose the securities that
will be sold. Depending on market circumstances, the prices
obtained for the securities may be less than favorable. Any
required liquidations may interrupt the account’s investment
There may be an interim period between the time a referral is
made and the time the trust companies begin to provide services.
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SF1600-3/25
strategy and may result in adverse tax consequences or
additional fees being assessed.
The Affiliated Banks typically pay us a fee of up to 0.25% per
annum, on a quarterly basis, of the outstanding SPA (Stifel
Pledged Asset) Loan balance, a portion of which is paid to your
Financial Advisor. In addition, the Affiliated Banks pay Stifel up
to $50, which Stifel will then make a one-time payment to the
Financial Advisor’s Client Service Associate (“CSA”) for the
CSA’s assistance to the borrower in completing the related
application. Neither we nor Stifel Financial Advisors currently
receive payment on other credit line loans, which is subject to
change.
Other Important Considerations Relating to the Use of
Margin or Credit Line Loans in Connection With Advisory
Accounts.
Margin and Credit Line Loans involve risk and may not be
appropriate for all borrowers. The return on your Advisory
accounts must be higher than your financing cost in order for
you to generate a positive return in your Advisory account. The
market value of your Advisory account may decline, which may
result in the value of that collateral no longer covering an
outstanding loan amount. None of the Stifel, our Affiliated
Banks, or our Financial Advisors provide legal or tax advice.
Clients should consult legal counsel and tax advisors before
using borrowed funds as collateral for loans. Neither our firm
nor our affiliates act as investment adviser with respect to the
liquidation of securities held in Advisory accounts to meet
margin calls or Credit Line Loan demands, and as creditors, our
firm and our affiliates may have interests that are adverse to
Clients. There are substantial risks associated with the use of
borrowed funds for investment purposes and the use of securities
as collateral for loans. Additional limitations and availability
may vary by state.
These payments are in addition to any Advisory Account Fees
charged with respect to the Advisory assets used to collateralize
the Credit Line Loan. As such, these payments present a conflict
of interest for us in that they create a financial incentive for your
Stifel Financial Advisor to make recommendations based on the
additional compensation to be received rather than solely based
on your financial needs. For example, a Financial Advisor could
recommend that you open a Credit Line Loan rather than
withdraw money from your Advisory accounts in order to retain
the Advisory Account Fee that such assets are otherwise
generating and to receive the additional compensation from the
banking affiliate with respect to any outstanding Credit Line
Loan balance that you maintain.
Investment Banking
Financial Advisors are able to introduce clients and others to
Stifel’s Investment Banking area. Investment Banking helps
corporations with raising capital, structuring mergers and
acquisitions and navigating other complex financial issues. If
Investment Banking receives any investment banking business
resulting from such introductions, on the first three transactions
with the client, Stifel’s Private Client Group currently receives a
portion of the net fees earned by Investment Banking, a
percentage of which will then be paid to the Financial Advisor.
It is a benefit to your Financial Advisor, and a potential conflict,
to make these introductions. Where appropriate to meet the
needs of a client who may not meet the minimum threshold
required, Stifel’s Investment Banking department may make an
introduction to an unaffiliated partner firm. In these instances,
the Financial Advisor making the original introduction would be
paid a portion of the fees earned on each transaction.
Mortgage Lending
Residential mortgage loans are loans that are used to purchase a
home, refinance an existing mortgage, or to take cash out for other
purposes. These loans are secured by residential real estate and, in
certain cases, brokerage account assets are used to collateralize the
loan. Clients repay the principal amount borrowed to the
appropriate Affiliated Bank, plus interest. These loans may have
origination fees, application fees, and certain other fees and costs
which are disclosed before the loan is made.
Similarly, a Financial Advisor may recommend the continued
maintenance of such Credit Line Loan to retain such payments.
Finally, a Financial Advisor may recommend that you invest or
hold your Advisory account assets in positions that have been
assigned high release rates/low release rates by the applicable
Affiliated Bank for the Credit Line Loan (but which positions
ultimately generate low investment returns for your Advisory
account) in order to avoid maintenance calls on the Credit Line
Loan which would require loan repayment and/or the liquidation
of Advisory assets. Depending on your specific circumstances,
including the intended use of the proceeds from the Credit Line
Loan and the return on your Advisory account, over the long
term, it may cost you more to take out the Credit Line Loan than
if you had withdrawn the money from your Advisory account.
Clients are therefore encouraged to carefully consider the total
cost of taking out any Credit Line Loan, and any additional
compensation that the Financial Advisor will receive, when
determining to take out and/or maintain Credit Line Loans.
Finally, to the extent that a maintenance call is triggered in
connection with a Credit Line Loan and we are obligated to
liquidate assets in your Advisory account that have been used as
collateral for such Credit Line Loan, we will act solely in our
capacity as a broker-dealer (and not as an investment adviser or
other fiduciary), even where such collateral is held in an
Advisory account. Moreover, if selling such assets, we will seek
to maximize our interest (and/or those of our Affiliated Banks),
and will not prioritize a Client’s interest. For more
information, please refer to the applicable Affiliated Bank
credit line agreement.
Mortgage loans are originated by Stifel Bank & Trust, Equal
Housing Lender, NMLS #375103. Your Stifel Financial
Advisor, however, does not offer residential mortgage products
and is unable to accept any residential mortgage loan
applications or to offer or negotiate terms of any such loan.
Financial Advisors may refer current clients of Stifel to Stifel
Bank & Trust for a mortgage loan.
Page 42 of 48
SF1600-3/25
Where permissible by law, the Firm compensates Stifel
Financial Advisors in connection with the origination of any
mortgage loan. Compensation is paid after the loan is fully
closed and funded.
Affiliated Banks benefit from the use of cash swept from your
account(s). The Affiliated Banks receive substantial deposits at a
price that may be less than other alternative funding sources
available to them. Deposits in deposit accounts provide a stable
source of funds for the Affiliated Banks.
Stifel Pledged Asset (“SPA”) Loan
The SPA Loan Account is a pledged securities line of credit,
made available to Stifel clients through Stifel Bank & Trust.
With a SPA Loan Account, you may borrow against the value of
securities or other assets in your securities account(s) for
purposes other than to purchase, carry, or trade in securities. The
SPA Loan Account is subject to application and credit approval
by Stifel Bank & Trust. Please refer to the terms and conditions
outlined in the Stifel Pledged Asset Loan Account Agreement,
which is provided separately to applicants by Stifel Bank &
Trust.
CASH SWEEP OPTIONS
Cash holdings in the applicable sweep option, including
maintenance cash, constitute an indirect cost of the Program and
result in additional compensation to Stifel and affiliates. If we
(and our affiliates) did not receive this additional compensation,
you should expect that we would charge higher fees or other
amounts to you for the services we provide. Under certain
market conditions, holding cash results in lower overall account
return, such as when riskier assets outperform cash. Moreover,
while maintaining Advisory account assets in cash may protect
those assets from the risk of loss in the event of a market
downturn, holding cash, particularly high cash concentrations for
long periods of time, through an Advisory account may result in
underperformance given the impact of Advisory Account Fee(s)
and the rates of return on maintenance cash and other cash
equivalents.
As custodian, we offer one or more cash sweep options,
depending on the type of account that you have or are
establishing (i.e., retirement versus non-retirement), for available
cash balances in your accounts to be swept into bank accounts
with participating banks (of which our Affiliated Banks are top
or sole participating banks, as discussed below) insured by the
FDIC. The interest rates on deposit accounts are determined by
the amount the participating banks are willing to pay minus the
fees and compensation paid to us or our affiliates (discussed
below). Participating banks do not have to offer the highest rates
available or rates comparable to money market mutual fund
yields. By comparison, money market mutual funds generally
seek to achieve the highest rate of return consistent with their
investment objectives, which can be found in their prospectuses.
An eligible Advisory account may earn an “Enhanced Advisory
Yield” on certain sweep program balances. Available sweep
program deposit account balances up to a defined percentage,
the “Maintenance Cash Percentage,” of the total value of an
eligible Advisory account, determined account by account, that
is used to calculate Stifel’s advisory wrap fee is referred to as
“Maintenance Cash” and will receive interest at standard interest
rates as discussed in detail in the Stifel Account Agreement and
Disclosure Booklet. Sweep program deposit account balances in
an eligible Advisory account in excess of Maintenance Cash will
earn the Enhanced Advisory Yield. For more information about
the Enhanced Advisory Yield, please contact your Financial
Advisor or visit
www.stifel.com/docs/pdf/Disclosures/AgreementAndDisclosure
Booklet.pdf.
We act as your agent and custodian and engage Stifel Bank &
Trust as a sub-custodian in establishing and maintaining a deposit
account at each participating bank. Although the deposit accounts
are obligations of the participating banks and not us, you will not
have a direct relationship with the participating banks. All deposits
and withdrawals will be made by us on your behalf. You may also
establish direct relationships with a participating bank, open
separate deposit and/or savings accounts, and obtain certificates of
deposit to which higher rates might apply, but will not be provided
the same level of services as those offered through our cash sweep
arrangements.
You are responsible for monitoring the total amount of your
deposits at any one participating bank for purposes of ensuring
FDIC coverage for your funds, particularly since you may have
other deposits at a participating bank of which we are unaware.
In all cases, Client has the option to hold cash in a brokerage
account at Stifel and/or in deposit accounts through the
Affiliated Bank or with other banks, in which case such cash
would not be subject to the Advisory Account Fee. Clients also
have the option of using (including directing their Financial
Advisors to use) other cash equivalents in their accounts; while
subject to the Advisory Account Fee, these cash equivalents will
likely earn higher interest rates than cash held through our
insured bank deposit sweep programs. Clients should compare
the terms, interest rates, required minimum amounts, and other
features of the automatic sweep option with other cash
equivalent investments. More information about our automatic
sweep option is available at
www.stifel.com/docs/pdf/Disclosures/AgreementAndDisclosure
Booklet.pdf. Information about current interest rates on our
insured bank deposit sweep programs are available by contacting
your Financial Advisor or through www.stifel.com.
All participating banks, except Affiliated Banks, pay Stifel Bank
& Trust a fee equal to a percentage (which may be as much as
7.00 percent annually) of the average daily deposit balance in your
deposit accounts. The amount of fee received by Stifel Bank &
Trust will decrease the interest rate that you will receive in
connection with your deposit account balances. Stifel Bank &
Trust reserves the right to increase, decrease, or waive all or part
of its fees at any time.
The offering of the cash sweep arrangements poses conflicts of
interest because the fees and benefits received by Stifel and our
Affiliated Banks is an important source of our revenues. Our
affiliate determines how much of the interest it keeps as its fee,
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SF1600-3/25
information, refer to Stifel’s website at
www.stifel.com/disclosures/sweep- choices/insured-deposit-
account.
Stifel and affiliates typically receive more fees when your cash
is swept into the cash sweep arrangements than when you
purchase a money market fund, and our Affiliated Banks benefit
from the use of cash swept from your account(s). We seek to
mitigate this conflict through disclosure in this brochure and, at
least as a matter of current practice which is subject to possible
change, by not sharing these fees with our Financial Advisors.
Stifel Insured Bank Deposit Program
If your account participates in the Stifel Insured Bank Deposit
Program (the “SIBDP”) as your sweep option, then available
cash balances in your brokerage account will be deposited into
interest-bearing deposit accounts at one or more Affiliated
Banks or unaffiliated banks (each a “Bank”).
Risks Associated With the SIBDP and SIBDPRA
Deposits are insured up to applicable FDIC limits. Any deposits
(including deposit balances maintained through the Stifel Insured
Bank Deposit Program, Stifel Insured Bank Deposit Program for
Retirement Accounts, or certificates of deposit) that you
maintain in the same insurable capacity directly with an
Affiliated Bank or through an intermediary (such as Stifel or
another broker) will be aggregated with funds in deposit accounts
at the respective bank(s) for purposes of the FDIC insurance
limits. You are responsible for monitoring the total amount of
deposits that you have with each bank in order to determine the
extent of FDIC insurance coverage available to you.
All banks participating in the SIBDP, except Affiliated Banks,
will pay Stifel Bank & Trust fees as discussed above.
In its discretion, Stifel Bank & Trust may reduce its fee and may
vary the amount of the reductions between clients. The fee may
vary from bank to bank. The amount of the fee received by Stifel
Bank & Trust will reduce the interest rate paid by a Bank on
your deposit accounts.
Neither Stifel nor its affiliates, including Affiliated Banks,
monitor the amount of your deposited funds to determine
whether those amounts exceed the FDIC insurance limits
applicable to your deposits at a bank, and they are not
responsible for any insured or uninsured portion of the deposit
accounts at any bank.
The SIBDPRA is offered by Stifel as a broker-dealer and not
Stifel Bank as your IRA Custodian or otherwise.
Additional information about the SIBDP and SIBDPRA is
available on Stifel’s website at www.stifel.com/
disclosures/sweep-choices/insured-deposit-account.
Moreover, Stifel Bank & Trust also receives additional financial
benefits (i.e., additional deposits) and regulatory benefits (i.e.,
diversification of depositors) under reciprocal deposit
arrangements with certain banks (including Affiliated Banks).
Under these arrangements, Stifel Bank & Trust is entitled to
receive and accept deposits from customers of such other banks
in amounts similar or equal to amounts added to deposits
accounts under the Program. Stifel receives an aggregate, annual
fee of up to $100 from the Affiliated Banks on a per-account
basis in connection with accounts that participate in the SIBDP.
For additional information on benefits received by Stifel and its
affiliates, refer to Stifel’s website at
www.stifel.com/disclosures/sweepchoices/insured-deposit-
account.
You should review the sections “The Stifel Automatic Cash
Investment Service” and “Disclosure Documents for Automatic
Cash Investment” of the Stifel Account Agreement and
Disclosure Booklet for the terms, conditions, and other
important information relating to the applicable sweep options,
including a discussion of the various conflicts that we may have
in connection with such options as well as how we seek to
mitigate such conflicts. You may access the Stifel Account
Agreement and Disclosure Booklet, as amended from time to
time, here:
https://www.stifel.com/docs/pdf/Disclosures/AgreementAndDis
closureBooklet.pdf, or you may request a copy from your
Financial Advisor.
REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS
Stifel Insured Bank Deposit Program for Retirement
Accounts
If your account participates in the Stifel Insured Bank Deposit
Program for Retirement Accounts (the “SIBDPRA”) as your
sweep option, available cash balances in your brokerage account
will be deposited into interest-bearing deposit accounts at one or
more Affiliated Banks which include Stifel Bank, Stifel Bank &
Trust, Stifel Trust Company, National Association, and Stifel
Trust Company Delaware, National Association (the “Banks”).
Account Review
Each new account enrolled in a Program is reviewed by the
applicable Financial Advisor’s supervisor prior to account
opening. Thereafter, Financial Advisors periodically perform
account reviews.
Portfolio Review
Clients in the Programs covered in this brochure may request
periodic analyses of their portfolio, including performance
and/or other relevant characteristics and metrics (“Reports”)
from their Financial Advisor(s). The information included in
these Reports is verified by Stifel’s Operations staff who
perform daily transaction reconciliation and performance return
Stifel receives an aggregate, annual fee of up to $100 from the
Banks on a per-Securities account basis in connection with
accounts that participate in the SIBDPRA.
For both the SIBDP and SIBDPRA programs, your Financial
Advisor is currently not receiving a fee. Stifel reserves the right
to pay a fee to your Financial Advisor in connection with the
SIBDPRA Retirement Accounts at any time without prior notice.
Upon request, Stifel will provide you with information about
Stifel’s compensation arrangements with respect to its sweep
investments. Stifel and the Banks receive certain additional
benefits in connection with the Program. For additional
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evaluations to identify and address the cause of any material
unusual variations or inaccuracies.
Transaction Statements
Clients with discretionary accounts held at Stifel typically
receive monthly (but in no event less than quarterly) statements
that identify buys, sells, dividends, interest, deposits, and
disbursements in their accounts during the previous month, as
well as the overall market value of the portfolio at month’s end.
A summary of portfolio holdings as of the end of each reported
quarter is also listed. Clients may not waive receipt of account
statements. Clients whose accounts are held away from Stifel,
with a qualified custodian (but who trade through Stifel), will
receive a statement with respect to each month in which a
transaction is effected in their Stifel account. However, if no
transactions are effected in accounts held away from Stifel, such
Clients may receive their statements on a quarterly basis. All
other Clients utilizing an unaffiliated, third-party custodian will
receive statements from their applicable custodian based on the
custodian’s own delivery schedule.
Realized Gain/Loss Summary
Custodial statements from Stifel include annual listings of all
closed transactions in their accounts during each calendar year,
as well as the offsetting cost of each transaction and, thus, the
realized gains/losses for each closing transaction.
Performance Information
When displaying performance, our primary reporting systems
typically reflect a daily Time-Weighted Return (“TWR”)
calculation methodology, but where specifically identified, may
also present an Internal Rate of Return (“IRR”). TWR measures
the performance of investments, without distorting daily values
or growth rates based on the cash added or removed from an
investment. IRR, on the other hand, considers the effect of all
cash inflows and outflows in its calculation and is often used to
measure the absolute growth of an investment over a certain
period of time. In certain limited cases, we may calculate
performance returns using one of our secondary reporting
systems. Our secondary reporting systems generally calculate
performance returns using a monthly Modified Dietz Method,
which is a time-weighted method that also identifies and
accounts for the timing of cash flows in the account over the
period. If the date of a cash flow is not known, the systems
assume a mid-month date for cash flows. Regardless of the
system from which performance is calculated, a sampling of the
performance returns is reviewed to confirm accuracy or
compliance with presentation standards.
Year-End Tax Report
With respect to those accounts for which our firms acts as
custodian, we provide such Clients 1099 statements for the
previous tax year. 1099 statements include both reportable and
non-reportable information, cost basis for securities that have
been sold, and additional information to assist with tax
preparation.
Transaction Confirmations
Clients with discretionary accounts may elect to receive trade
confirmations immediately upon execution in their accounts, or defer
confirmations until the end of each quarter. Clients with eligible
accounts who elect to defer confirmations receive summary reports
at the end of each quarter outlining the transactions posted to their
accounts during the most recent calendar quarter. The election to
receive confirmations immediately or quarterly may be changed at
any time upon the Client’s written notice. Clients are not eligible to
defer confirmations for non-discretionary Program accounts.
Clients that have signed up for online access to their Advisory
accounts may review their transaction confirmations through the
online portal.
We rely on publicly recorded information, use various vendor
systems, and/or rely on valuations provided by third-party
custodians holding assets and/or accounts that are part of your
relationship with us in determining the values used in our
Reports. Depending on the primary reporting system, your
Reports may or may not include unsupervised assets. The
inclusion of unsupervised assets will distort the performance of
our Advisory services. As a result, the performance on those
Reports may differ from the performance shown for the same
account(s) in a report that is limited to Advisory services. If you
hold alternative investments where we receive periodic
valuations (actual or estimated) from the associated
management, administrators, and/or sponsors you should note
that we may receive delayed valuations monthly, quarterly, or
less frequently. As a result, those investments may show a
historic or, in certain cases, an estimated value. The actual value,
once determined, may differ from the value previously reported
to you and, as a result, you may not be able to realize a
previously shown value upon sale or redemption. We update
actual values upon receipt but will not amend previously issue
Reports due to such changes.
CLIENT REFERRALS AND OTHER COMPENSATION
In certain circumstances, you may notice a difference in the
values displayed on custodial statements versus Reports for the
same account. For example, our Reports generally include any
income that is earned (accrued) but has not yet been paid by the
issuer and base the figure on trade date rather than settlement
date.
Regardless of the system where your Report was generated, you
should carefully review the accompanying disclosure for
definitions of relevant terms and calculations used, as well as
other important information you should consider in your review.
You should contact your Financial Advisors with any questions
regarding the information in any Report that you receive.
In general, we require that all solicitation or referral
arrangements under which our firm is acting as investment
adviser (i.e., referrals to us) to comply with applicable regulatory
requirements, including, but not limited to, disclosures to Clients
about the referral arrangement as well as any fees received (or
paid) in connection with such referral at the time of the referral
or execution of the Advisory Agreement. We have policies and
procedures designed to deliver proper disclosures to Clients at
the time of solicitation and/or account opening, which include
disclosures of the solicitation arrangement, as well as the fee
paid by Stifel to such solicitor (or received by Stifel) in respect
of the solicitation. We require each solicitor to deliver these
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disclosures to each prospective Client. We also have procedures
designed to confirm that all such prospective Clients sign
disclosure delivery receipts, where appropriate.
which is to obtain the auditor’s report on our internal controls
designed to safeguard clients’ assets held at our firm. Our firm
also undergoes an annual surprise audit by an independent
registered accounting firm that is designed to verify the Clients’
assets. At the conclusion of the annual surprise audit, the
independent auditor files a report with the SEC attesting to,
among other things, our compliance with regulatory
requirements.
Our firm may also enter into referral arrangements with other
Managers, for us to act as solicitor for that Manager. Referrals
made by our Financial Advisors under these arrangements are
made in our capacity as a registered broker-dealer, and not as a
registered investment adviser.
In addition to the arrangements set forth above, our firm also
participates in the following solicitation or referral arrangements
applicable to our Advisory services covered in this brochure:
Certain of our affiliates may also serve as qualified custodians of
our Client assets. In such cases, consistent with applicable
regulations, we receive a report issued by an independent
registered public accountant relating to the affiliate’s internal
controls in connection with its custody services.
VOTING CLIENT SECURITIES
Stifel Alliance Program
Under the Stifel Alliance Program (“Alliance”), we are able to
compensate individuals or companies, either directly or
indirectly, for Client referrals by sharing a portion of the fees
charged by our firm. Our policies prohibit our Financial
Advisors from up-charging any Client to make up for the portion
paid to or otherwise expended in connection with an Alliance
solicitor. We and/or our associated persons may pay for
registration costs (if any) relating to the solicitor to facilitate the
solicitor’s state registration (if required). As a result, such
solicitors may have incentive to refer clients to Stifel over other
firms.
You can appoint Stifel or, if applicable, the Manager with
trading discretion over your account or Portfolio to vote
appropriate proxies on your behalf. You can change your proxy
voting election at any time. Requests to revoke proxy voting
delegation to Stifel or change any vote already cast must be in
writing. We request 30 days to allow the Firm sufficient time to
process the revocation and implement the changes with respect
to any pending votes with our vendors. We will make reasonable
attempts to implement your request but cannot assure that it will
occur in time for a particular vote.
It is important to note that Stifel does NOT vote proxies for
foreign ordinary shares or ADRs. Voting of those proxies will
remain your responsibility.
Compensation for Client Referrals
As set forth above, our firm has entered into referral
arrangements with certain of other Managers, pursuant to which
we (or our Financial Advisors) receive compensation for client
referrals made to each such Manager. Referred clients should be
aware that our Financial Advisors could have an incentive to
refer the client to Affiliated Managers over Independent
Managers, as the Affiliated Manager’s receipt of additional
revenues for services not otherwise available through our
Advisory platform would have a positive impact on our affiliated
group. As of the date of this brochure, our firm had entered into
referral arrangements with the following Affiliated Managers in
which we have agreed to act as solicitor: 1919 Investment
Counsel and Stifel Capital Management, LLC.
In voting proxies, we have a fiduciary responsibility to make
investment decisions that are in the best interest of our Clients
and vote all Client securities accordingly. As required by
applicable regulations, we have adopted policies and procedures
to govern the proxy voting process for our Client accounts. We
have retained a third-party proxy voting service (“Proxy Voting
Agent”) to provide independent, objective research and voting
recommendations based on its standard proxy voting guidelines,
and to vote proxies in your account(s) on our behalf (other than
foreign ordinary shares and ADRs). If the Proxy Voting Agent is
unable to provide a voting recommendation, Stifel will not vote
your shares.
In addition, our Financial Advisors are able to receive
compensation for referring clients to our other affiliates for
services including, but not limited to, Affiliated Banks.
You may request a copy of our Proxy Voting Policies and
Procedures as well as the Proxy Voting Agent’s standard proxy
voting guidelines at any time, including a record of the proxies
voted in respect of your account(s).
Other Compensation
As set forth above under “Fees and Compensation,” we have the
ability to receive Revenue Sharing from some private fund
sponsors or managers to whom we refer Clients for investments.
We may similarly receive payments from mutual funds in which
Clients invest.
CUSTODY
Please note if you have a margin balance in your account, it may
reduce the number of shares in which you are eligible to vote.
For additional details, you should carefully review the provisions
concerning margin in the Stifel Account Agreement and
Disclosure Booklet located at www.stifel.com/disclosures.
If your account is invested in a Manager-Traded Portfolio and
you choose to delegate proxy voting authority, the Manager will
typically vote proxies related to the securities in the account or
Portfolio. For this reason, you should carefully review the proxy
voting discussion in each such Manager’s Form ADV 2A
Unless agreed upon otherwise, we maintain custody of our
Client assets. We have adopted policies and procedures that are
designed to mitigate risks involved in being a self-custodial firm
(with the exception of IRA assets) in an effort to ensure that our
clients’ assets are protected. Among other things, we undergo a
separate examination by an independent auditor, the purpose of
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above. Non-discretionary services are provided directly by your
Financial Advisor.
More detailed information about these services and Programs is
provided in, and each Plan Client should review, the section
above entitled “Wrap Fee Programs Offered by Stifel.”
provided to you at the time you enroll into the Manager’s
Portfolio. You should understand the Manager’s proxy voting
process and guidelines, as well as the related risks prior to
granting proxy voting authority to a Manager. If a Manager with
trading authority over Clients’ account is unwilling to accept
proxy voting delegation, our firm will step in and direct proxies
in the affected Client accounts to the Client for voting
recommendations as well as actual voting.
Our Status
When providing discretionary and non-discretionary advisory
services through a Program, Stifel acts as a registered investment
adviser under the Advisers Act. For a description of Stifel’s
status as a “fiduciary” under ERISA, please refer to the section
titled “ERISA” in the applicable Advisory Agreement.
We generally do not vote proxies for Clients whose custodial
accounts are held by third-party custodians. In addition, if you
are enrolled in the Connect Program, you should note that the
Connect Adviser may or may not vote proxies for your account.
You should therefore carefully review your separate agreement
with the Connect Adviser to determine its proxy voting policy. If
a Connect Adviser does not vote proxies on behalf of its clients,
you will be responsible for voting proxies in your Connect
Program account.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
We do not have any adverse financial conditions to disclose
under this Item.
General Description of Compensation Paid to Stifel
Advisory Fees. Our firm accepts direct compensation in the
form of fees paid pursuant to the Advisory Agreement entered
into with the Plan at the time of account opening. Plan Clients
should refer to the applicable Advisory Agreement for the fee
calculation formula specific to the Plan account. For information
about the manner in which these fees are paid, please see the
sections “The Stifel Fee,” “Deduction of Advisory Account
Fees,” and “Other Excluded Fees and Expenses” of this
brochure and the section entitled “Fees and Billing” in the
applicable Advisory Agreement.
ERISA RULE 408(b)(2) DISCLOSURE INFORMATION
FOR QUALIFIED RETIREMENT PLANS
This section generally describes the fiduciary status of
investment advisory services provided by and compensation paid
to Stifel with respect to ERISA qualified retirement plans (each,
a “Plan”).
Private Fund Fees. In limited circumstances and in connection
with certain Plan investments in private funds (including, but not
limited to, hedge funds and private equity funds), we may
receive placement fees or other compensation indirectly from a
private fund and/or its related persons in lieu of advisory fees
paid directly by the Plan with respect to such investment. Where
applicable, such placement fees or other compensation are
disclosed in the subscription documents or other documents that
you execute in connection with the Plan’s investment in the
private fund, and are equal to the Advisory fee otherwise
applicable to your Account. See the section of this brochure
titled “Revenue Sharing and Other Compensation Arrangements
With Private Investment Funds or Their Sponsors” for more
information.
General Description of Status and Services Provided by
Stifel to Plans
As set forth above in the section titled “Wrap Fee Programs
Offered by Stifel” of this brochure, we offer and provide a
variety of investment advisory Programs that are intended to
assist responsible Plan fiduciaries with their prudent investment
duties under ERISA. A thorough description of the services
provided to a specific Plan is set forth in the applicable Advisory
Agreement and may include investment management, trading,
and/or custody services, as well as participant education and
guidance.
Trade Errors. As set forth above under “Trade Error
Correction,” our policy is to put a Client’s account in the
position that it would have been in if an error had not occurred.
As a result, to the extent a trade error correction results in a gain,
Stifel will retain the resulting gain, to the extent permitted under
applicable law. Pursuant to applicable guidelines, such gains
may be deemed additional compensation. We maintain a record
of any losses and/or gains resulting from trade error corrections
in a Client account and will provide such information upon
request.
Discretionary Investment Management Services – We offer and
provide discretionary ERISA fiduciary investment advisory
services through a variety of Programs covered in this brochure.
These Programs are as follows: Fundamentals, Solutions,
Opportunity, Investment Management Consulting, Connect, and
Custom Advisory Portfolio. Depending on the Program,
discretionary portfolio management services may be provided
directly through a Stifel Financial Advisor, by our home office
personnel, or we may provide the Plan access to an Independent
or Affiliated Manager that provides such discretionary
investment management services.
ADR Pass-Through Fees. Plan accounts that invest in ADRs
may also incur pass-through fees, which are typically charged by
the sponsors of certain ADRs as custody-related expenses. When
applicable, Stifel collects ADR pass-through fees from
applicable Plan assets, then forwards all such ADR pass-through
fees to the Depository Trust Company (or other applicable
central securities depository).
Non-Discretionary Advisory Services – We also offer and
provide non-discretionary investment advisory and ERISA
fiduciary services through the Horizon Program, as detailed
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Compensation From Funds and Other Products. For a
description of the credits you may be eligible for in connection
with investments in Funds and other products that pay 12b-1
fees and other types of compensation, please see the sections
titled “Compensation From Funds” and “Compensation From
Other Products” above.
Brokerage Practices. For a description of compensation we
receive in connection with our brokerage practices, please see
the section titled “Brokerage Practices” above.
Training and Education Expense Contributions. For
information about payments we receive from investment
companies and/or their affiliates in connection with training and
achievement seminars offered to our Financial Advisors, please
see the section in this brochure titled “Training and Education
Expense Contributions.” Sponsorship amounts generally vary by
vendor and cannot be reasonably allocated to any particular Plan
Client. For additional information on other compensation
received by Stifel (as well as its affiliates, including Stifel
Independent Advisors) from various product sponsors, please
refer to the information located at:
https://www.stifel.com/disclosures/mutual-funds/other-
compensation-stifel
Non-Cash Compensation. Please see the section of this
brochure titled “Non-Cash Compensation” for information about
certain gifts and gratuities we may receive. Based on historic
trends, we do not expect to receive non-cash compensation in
excess of the de minimis threshold under DOL regulations with
respect to a Plan Client.
Sweep. See the sections “The Stifel Automatic Cash Investment
Service” and “Disclosure Documents for Automatic Cash
Investment” of the Stifel Account Agreement and Disclosure
Booklet for information about sweep services. Our cash sweep
programs create a conflict of interest for us because we have an
incentive for you to maintain and direct otherwise uninvested
cash in your account to deposits of our affiliated banks, which
they can use to generate additional revenue. We also receive
revenue for sending your cash deposits to third-party banks that
participate in our sweep programs. This creates an incentive for
us to recommend or direct investments that result in cash being
invested through our sweep programs. For additional
information, please see
https://www.stifel.com/disclosures/sweep-choices/sweep-
choices-disclosure.
Termination fees. See the section above titled “Compensation in
Connection With the Termination of a Client’s Relationship With
Stifel” for information about fees that may apply if you transfer
assets in your Account upon termination of your Advisory
Agreement.
Plans are directed to the section “Fees and Compensation” in the
brochure for additional details about the various other types of
indirect compensation that we may receive in connection with
Plan assets and, to the extent applicable, the steps that we take to
mitigate the conflicts that may be raised by the receipt of such
indirect compensation.
Deposits in one of our affiliated banks or trust companies (each
an “Affiliate Bank”) will bear a reasonable rate of interest as
required by 29 C.F.R. Section 2550.408b-4(b)(2). By
participating in a sweep service, you authorize deposits in each
Affiliate Bank and acknowledge the benefits that Stifel, the
Affiliate Bank, and your Financial Advisor derive from the
arrangement. Please contact your Financial Advisor for
additional information.
Financial Advisor Compensation. For information about how
we compensate your Financial Advisor, please see the section
“Compensation to Financial Advisors” in this brochure.
Float. In general, under ERISA, a service provider, such as a
custodian may retain the benefit of the use of any funds on hand that
are incidental to the normal operation of the plan and that constitute
earnings on funds that are (i) awaiting investment or (ii) transferred
to a disbursement account for distribution from the plan. The DOL
has issued guidance that requires financial institutions to make
specific disclosures to employee benefit plans, such as the Plan,
regarding the circumstances under which the institution has use of, or
may derive benefit from, un-invested cash pending investment or
distribution (“float”).
As discussed in the section of this brochure titled “Additional
Information on Fees and Other Compensation,” if Stifel serves as
custodian of a Plan Client account, we will earn float on cash/funds
received after the close of the NYSE (or on a day that the NYSE was
closed) for the benefit of Client account, until such cash/funds are
swept into the Client’s selected sweep option, typically the end of the
second business day. Similarly, to the extent we issue a check to a
Client or the Client withdraws funds through an ACH payment, we
earn float on the funds covered by the check until the Client cashes
the check or the ACH payment settles. In general, the amount of float
earned is equivalent to the effective Federal Funds rate on the date
earned.
Accounts Managed by Third-Party Managers
Plan accounts enrolled in our Opportunity, IMC, and/or Connect
Programs may utilize the services of a Manager (which, for purposes
of this section, will encompass Investment Managers and Connect
Managers, as defined above) that is engaged to provide discretionary
investment management services to the Plan. As the Manager for the
Plan, such Manager is a fiduciary to the Plan for purposes of ERISA
and a registered investment adviser for purposes of the Advisers Act.
For our Opportunity Program, the Manager’s direct compensation is
part of the total fee that the Client pays under the applicable
Advisory Agreement with Stifel; in our Connect Program, the
Connect Manager’s fee is separate from (and in addition to) the Stifel
fee. In addition to the management fee, a Manager may also receive
indirect compensation, often referred to as “soft dollars” or other
benefits, from other brokerage firms with which the Manager
executes trades for its client accounts. These benefits may or may not
relate to trades effected for the Plan account. Plan Clients should
refer to the applicable Manager’s separate ERISA Section 408(b)(2)
disclosure statement or Form ADV Part 2A for information about
whether or not the Manager receives soft dollars or similar benefits
and, if so, the specific benefits received.
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