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EvERCORE Wealth
Management
THE NEW STANDARD IN WEALTH MANAGEMENT
Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure
55 East 52 nd Street, 23 rd Floor
New York, NY 10055
Tel: (212) 822-7620
www.evercorewealthandtrust.com
March 2025
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of
Evercore Wealth Management, LLC ("Evercore Wealth" or the "Firm'1- If you have any
questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us at (212) 822-7620
and/or at wealthmanagement@evercore.com. The information in this brochure has not
been approved or verified by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission
(the "SEC") or by any state securities authority. Registration as an investment adviser
does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
Additional information about the Firm is also available on the SEC's website at:
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
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Material Changes
Item 2:
Evercore Wealth Management, LLC's ("Evercore Wealth" or the "Firm") most recent
update to its brochure was made in March 2024. Evercore Wealth's business activities
have not changed materially since the time of that update.
Item 3:
Table of Contents
Item 2:
Item 3:
Item 4:
Item 5:
Item 6:
Item 7:
Item 8:
Item 9:
Item 10:
Item 11:
Item 12:
Item 13:
Item 14:
Item 15:
Item 16:
Item 17:
Item 18:
Material Changes ........................................................................................................................ 2
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................ 2
Advisory and Wealth Management Business ............................................................... 2
Fees and Compensation .......................................................................................................... 4
Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management.. .................................. 7
Types of Clients ............................................................................................................................ 7
Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies, and Risk of Loss ............................ 8
Disciplinary lnformation ....................................................................................................... 11
Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations ............................................... 11
Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions, and
Personal Trading ....................................................................................................................... 12
Brokerage Practices ................................................................................................................ 14
Review of Accounts ................................................................................................................. 20
Client Referrals and Other Compensation ................................................................. 20
Custody .......................................................................................................................................... 20
Investment Discretion ............................................................................................................ 21
Voting Client Securities ......................................................................................................... 21
Financial Information ............................................................................................................. 22
Item 4:
Advisory and Wealth Management Business
Evercore Wealth was founded in September 2008 and is majority owned by Evercore
Partners Services East LLC, an indirect subsidiary of Evercore Inc. ("Evercore"). Evercore
is a publicly-traded investment banking advisory firm (NYSE:EVR) which provides advice
on matters of strategic and financial significance to boards of directors, management
teams and shareholders, including mergers and acquisitions, strategic shareholder
advisory, restructurings and capital structure. Evercore also assists clients in raising
public and private capital, delivers equity research, equity sales and agency trading
execution, in addition to providing wealth and investment management services to
high-net-worth and institutional investors through Evercore Wealth and Evercore
Wealth's affiliates.
Evercore Wealth serves high net worth multi-generational families, executives, business
owners, foundations, endowments, and other private clients, delivering customized
strategic wealth planning, investment management, and, through its affiliate Evercore
Trust Company, N.A., trust and custody services. Evercore Wealth provides discret ionary
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and non-discretionary investment advisory services to individuals and institutional
clients and also provides financial planning, investment consulting and educational
services with respect to asset allocation, portfolio diversification, portfolio risk, and
other general economic and financial topics.
Evercore Wealth provides investment advisory services to a registered investment
company, the Evercore Equity Fund ("EWMCX"), and investment sub-advisory services to
an insurance dedicated fund, the SALi Multi-Series Fund, LP.
Evercore Wealth provides a model equity portfolio to another financial institution,
which is a registered investment advisor. The model provided to this institution uses the
same strategy used for the EWM Partner Investments LLC account, which is described in
Item 6 of this brochure. The financial institution that uses the model equity portfolio
does so at their own discretion; Evercore Wealth does not execute or facilitate any
trading in relation to providing the model or for the financial institution's underlying
accounts, nor does Evercore Wealth have any knowledge about the other financial
institution's clients.
third-party
Evercore Wealth's client accounts are invested primarily in equities and fixed income
securities managed by Evercore Wealth, mutual funds managed by Evercore Wealth
funds, alternative
investment managers, and exchange-traded
and
investments, cash-equivalent instruments, and strategies and investment portfolios
managed by third-party investment managers.
Investment advisory services are guided by the objectives and restrictions outlined in
each client's Investment Management Agreement {the "Agreement") and/ or Investment
Policy Statement. Clients have the ability to restrict investment in certain securities or
types of securities in their account, as well as to provide guidance and direction with
respect to the securities maintained, purchased and sold in their account.
For certain client accounts, Evercore Wealth may recommend pooled investment
vehicles, such as hedge funds, private equity funds, limited partnerships, or one or more
third-party investment managers. Third-party investment managers recommended to
clients will have full investment discretion and trading authority over that portion of a
client's account and shall have sole responsibility for the implementation of the third
party strategy's investment objectives. With respect to the assets held in portfolios
managed by third-party investment managers, Evercore Wealth will not place orders
for transactions in that portion of the client's account or otherwise exercise trading
authority over the third-party account. However, Evercore Wealth periodically monitors
the third-party investment managers and reserves the authority to hire or terminate
such managers.
Evercore Wealth also provides an array of general personal financial planning services
in addition to investment management. Such services include, but are not limited to,
retirement planning, financial planning, personal tax and cash flow planning, estate
planning, insurance planning, marriage and divorce planning, college planning,
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compensation and benefits planning, and the preparation of financial analyses and
personal financial statements reflecting net worth, cash
flow, and income tax
projections. Financial planning services may be provided as a stand-alone service or as
part of the Firm's investment advisory services.
As of December 31, 2024, Evercore Wealth managed a total of approximately $13.898
billion, of which approximately $13.827 billion was managed on a discretionary basis
and approximately $71.514 million on a non-discretionary basis.
Fees and Compensation
Item 5:
For the investment advisory services it provides, Evercore Wealth is compensated based
on a percentage of assets under management. The terms of each client's fee schedule
are outlined in their Agreement. Fees are generally charged monthly in arrears based
on the prior month-end market value and are generally deducted directly from the
client's custodial account in the following month. However, some clients may have
other arrangements. For example, they may be billed for the fees incurred, charged fees
less frequently than monthly, in some cases may pay fees in advance, and in other cases
may be charged a flat or set fee.
Investment advisory services begin with the effective date of the Agreement, which is
the date the client signs the Agreement. The first fee will be charged on a pro-rata basis
beginning on the date that the account is determined to be substantially funded. If that
date falls on the last two business days of the month, the first fee is generally charged
as part of the regular billing cycle in the following month. Fees are charged according
to a tiered schedule and may be negotiated as determined on a case-by-case basis
based upon a number of factors, including the type of assets under management, the
services provided, and any restrictions on particular assets, or asset classes.
Evercore Wealth's standard investment management fee schedule for separately
managed accounts is outlined below.
Annual Fee
Asset Value and Composition
For relationships up to $10,000,000
1.00%
Fixed Income Assets:
0.35% on the first $10 million
0.25% on the balance
For relationships over $10,000,000, or for those relationships
with at least $5 million of fixed income assets, a split fee
schedule applies
Growth Assets:
1.00% on the first $10 million
0.75% on the next $10 million
0.60% on the balance
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Fees may be negotiated with clients in Evercore Wealth's sole discretion. The agreed
upon investment management fee for any account may be higher or lower than the fees
reflected in the table above. For example, accounts for which Evercore Wealth provides
investment advisory services as the result of a prior acquisition generally retain the fee
schedule associated with their account at the time of the acquisition.
Fees are calculated and paid in accordance with the fee schedule in effect for the
account at the time of payment, as may be amended from time to time. Evercore Wealth
may charge a minimum annual fee for services provided on any account.
Either Evercore Wealth or the client may terminate the Agreement at any time upon
written notice to the other party, subject to the terms of the Agreement. Clients are
responsible for paying for services rendered until the effective termination of the
Agreement. If the client has paid fees in advance and terminates the agreement,
Evercore Wealth will provide a pro-rated refund.
As the investment adviser to EWMCX, Evercore Wealth receives an annual investment
advisory fee of 0.75% of EWMCX's assets under management. Evercore Wealth has
contractually agreed with EWMCX to waive Evercore Wealth's fees and/ or reimburse
EWMCX for any expenses (excluding taxes, interest, brokerage fees, and extraordinary
expenses) to the extent necessary to ensure that EWMCX's Total Annual Fund Operating
Expenses After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement do not exceed 1.00% of EWMCX's
average daily net assets. This expense limitation agreement will continue in effect until
April 30, 2026, with successive renewal terms of one year unless terminated by the
EWMCX Board of Trustees prior to any such renewal. For fee reductions and/or expense
payments made in the prior three fiscal years, Evercore Wealth has the right to receive
reimbursement provided that after giving effect to such reimbursement, Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement do not exceed
1.00% of EWMCX's average daily net assets in the year of reimbursement. Clients should
refer to the EWMCX prospectus for a complete description of all fees and expenses
charged by EWMCX.
For Evercore Wealth client discretionary accounts that have all or a portion of their
assets invested in EWMCX, Evercore Wealth excludes the value of the EWMCX
investment from the calculation of Evercore Wealth's investment management fee.
However, because Evercore Wealth is unable to adjust the fee charged by EWMCX and
paid by clients invested in EWMCX, it is possible that certain Evercore Wealth
relationships that hold EWMCX may pay higher or lower fees to EWMCX, an Evercore
Wealth affiliate, than those fees described on the standard investment management fee
schedule or otherwise negotiated by clients.
In addition to the fees charged by Evercore Wealth, clients may be responsible for
additional expenses, such as brokerage fees, commissions, mark-ups and mark-downs,
custody fees, tax preparation fees and fees and expenses charged by unaffiliated
custodians, as well as investment management fees charged by third-party mutual
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funds, pooled investment vehicles, and third-party managers. Account assets invested
in these types of investment vehicles will be included in calculating the value of the
account for purposes of computing the fee Evercore Wealth charges for the investment
advisory services it provides, and the same assets will also be subject to additional fees
and expenses, as set forth in the offering documents of those investment vehicles,
including, for example, performance fees, if applicable.
The current valuation of certain assets, such as unique and hard-to-value assets,
alternative assets and certain pooled vehicles may be received by Evercore Wealth on
a delayed basis, after the Firm calculates its investment advisory fee. In these cases, the
last available price or assigned value of the asset as reflected on Evercore Wealth's
systems at the time the fee is calculated will be used to calculate the market value for
fee purposes. In such cases, the valuation may fluctuate up or down between billing
periods and Evercore Wealth may benefit from the use of the last available price or
assigned value when it is higher than the current price. Similarly, Evercore Wealth is
disadvantaged when the last available price or assigned value is lower than the current
price.
Evercore Wealth and its employees do not receive any compensation or consideration
from third-party or non-proprietary investment managers related to recommending or
employing their services in client accounts. Employees may occasionally be appointed
on a volunteer basis to an advisory board for a Limited Partnership fund that Evercore
Wealth recommends for clients and in which Evercore Wealth clients are invested. In
those cases, the Limited Partnership fund may pay certain incidental expenses to or on
behalf of the employee that are related to the employee's service on the advisory board.
Financial planning services are generally included in the investment advisory services
provided to clients. However, in cases where financial planning services are being
provided on a stand-alone basis, such fees are negotiated on a case-by-case basis and
shall be mutually agreed upon by the client and Evercore Wealth.
Employees of Evercore Wealth and its affiliates who maintain accounts with Evercore
Wealth for investment advisory services are offered discounted fees, and in some cases
are not charged a fee.
its affiliates
for certain services
through an
Evercore Wealth compensates
intercompany arrangement or by direct payment (e.g., for research reports). Additional
information about intercompany arrangements may be found in Item 10 of this
brochure.
Additional information about brokerage practices may be found in Item 12 of this
brochure.
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Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
Item 6:
Evercore Wealth does not charge performance-based fees.
Evercore Wealth maintains a discretionary investment advisory account for certain of
Evercore Wealth's partners through EWM Partner Investments LLC for which no
investment management fee is charged. This account has served as the representative
account used for advertising and marketing the performance of the Firm's Core Equity
Strategy since its inception on February 3, 2009.
Evercore Wealth maintains discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory
accounts for its affiliates Evercore Partners Services East, LLC, Evercore Group, LLC and
Evercore Trust Company, N.A. for which either no investment management fee is
charged, or a discounted fee applies.
Evercore Wealth provides investment advisory services for employees of Evercore
Wealth and their families and/or employees of its affiliates and their families for which
a discounted fee may apply. Certain employees may, in their capacity as portfolio
manager, manage other Evercore Wealth employee accounts, or accounts for
employees of Evercore Wealth's affiliates, including those for other Evercore Wealth
portfolio managers on a discretionary basis. In some cases, Evercore Wealth employees
may invest in or maintain an interest in securities, funds, pooled investment vehicles,
limited partnerships or limited offerings and investment strategies that are also
selected and recommended to clients.
Evercore Wealth may recommend or invest in, on a client's behalf, pooled investment
limited partnerships or limited offerings which may be subject to
vehicles,
performance-based fees payable to a third-party investment adviser, which is in
addition to Evercore Wealth's investment management fee. If applicable, any such fees
and expenses are set forth in the offering documents of those investment vehicles.
Item 7:
Types of Clients
Evercore Wealth provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory,
financial planning and investment consulting services to high-net-worth individuals and
associated trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, endowments, foundations,
charitable organizations, insurance companies, trust companies, and other legal
entities, including affiliated entities. In addition, Evercore Wealth serves as the
investment adviser to a registered investment company, EWMCX, and provides
investment sub-advisory services to an insurance dedicated fund, the SALi Multi-Series
Fund, L.P. as described in Item 4 of this brochure.
As described in Item 4 above, Evercore Wealth also provides a model equity portfolio
for another financial institution, which is a registered investment advisor. The model
provided to this institution uses the same strategy used for the EWM Partner
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Investments LLC account, which is described in Item 6 of this brochure. The financial
institution that uses the model equity portfolio does so at their own discretion; Evercore
Wealth does not execute or facilitate any trading in relation to providing the model or
for the underlying accounts, nor does Evercore Wealth have any knowledge about the
other financial institution's clients.
When EWM provides investment advice regarding retirement plan accounts or
Individual Retirement Accounts, EWM is a fiduciary within the meaning of Title I of the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act as amended ("ERISA") and the Internal
Revenue Code as applicable, which are laws governing retirement accounts.
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies, and Risk of loss
Evercore Wealth's investment approach starts with an understanding of each client's
investment objectives, goals and constraints within the context of the client's family,
lifestyle, business, and philanthropic commitments, as applicable. From there, Evercore
Wealth seeks to build customized and diversified portfolios. In doing so, client assets
are allocated among various proprietary and non-proprietary fixed income, equity and
balanced strategies, as well as various investment vehicles, such as proprietary and non
proprietary mutual funds, third-party exchange-traded funds, alternative investments,
cash-equivalent instruments, investment strategies and investment portfolios.
Clients have the ability to restrict investment in certain securities or types of securities
in their account, as well as to provide guidance and direction with respect to the
securities maintained, purchased and sold in their account.
Evercore Wealth's fixed income investment team seeks to provide clients with a steady
income stream while preserving principal. Evercore Wealth seeks to maximize portfolio
returns by creating fixed income portfolios with a focus on tax-considerations and
specific client objectives. The approach is backed by fundamental economic and
technical market analysis, as well as specific security analysis.
For equity investment management, Evercore Wealth emphasizes a team approach
drawing on the experience of its investment professionals. Evercore Wealth seeks to
generate long-term returns and capital appreciation by investing in the large, small and
mid-capitalization stocks of domestic, foreign, and global businesses.
Evercore Wealth conducts fundamental analysis on the securities, investment vehicles
and third-party investment managers recommended for client accounts and each such
potential holding is analyzed to understand the business fundamentals and expected
value drivers, while also considering the macroeconomic environment.
From time to time, Evercore Wealth may evaluate certain third-party investment
opportunities for its clients that are sourced through its affiliate, Evercore Group, L.L.C.
("EVR") or through clients. Should Evercore Wealth decide to invest client assets in any
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such opportunity where EVR or the referring client may receive a benefit, Evercore
Wealth will notify affected clients of any conflicts of interest inherent in the transaction.
Evercore Wealth seeks to provide customized investment advisory services based on
each client's individual and specific needs, objectives, investment guidelines and
restrictions, which may be adjusted to market or client circumstances. Evercore Wealth
may make investment decisions for its clients that are different from or inconsistent
with decisions made for other similarly situated clients. In some cases, there may be
concentrations of investments.
There are limitations inherent in describing any investment strategy due to its
complexity, confidentiality and indefinite nature. Depending on conditions and trends
in securities markets, changes in relevant economic, legal and political circumstances
and in the economy generally, Evercore Wealth may pursue any objective or use any
technique that it considers appropriate and in the clients' interests.
Evercore Wealth does not guarantee investment performance. Investing in securities
involves risk of loss, which clients should be prepared to bear. In addition, investment
performance could be hurt by a number of different market risks, including, but not
limited to, those outlined below. Clients should refer to any disclosures or risk factors
contained in offering documents or materials or other disclosure statements provided
to such clients in addition to the risks described below.
The following are potential risks to Client portfolios. They represent some, but not all
of the potential risks inherent in investing with us.
1. Management Risk - The risk that Evercore Wealth may fail to implement a
client's investment objective or goal, or that the securities selected, and
strategies employed by Evercore Wealth may fail to produce the intended
results.
2. Stock Market Risk - The chance that stock prices overall will decline. Stock
markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising prices and periods of falling
prices.
3. Sector Risk- The chance that significant problems will affect a particular sector,
or that returns from that sector will trail returns from the overall stock market.
Daily fluctuations in specific market sectors are often more extreme than
fluctuations in the overall market.
4.
Issuer Risk- The value of an individual security or particular type of security can
be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from
the value of the market as a whole. The value of an issuer's securities may decline
because of a variety of factors,
including management performance,
disappointing earnings reports by the issuer, unsuccessful products or services,
loss of major customers, major litigation against the issuer, market rumors or
changes in government regulations affecting the issuer or the competitive
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environment. A change in the financial condition of a single issuer may affect
securities markets as a whole. In some cases, unanticipated events can have a
dramatic adverse effect on the value of an issuer's securities.
5. Foreign Securities Risk -
Investments in foreign companies, including ADRs,
involve certain risks not generally associated with investments in the securities
of U.S. companies, including changes in currency exchange rates, unstable
political, social and economic conditions, a lack of adequate or accurate
company information, differences in the way securities markets operate, less
secure international banks or securities depositories than those in the U.S. and
foreign controls on investment, including sanctions imposed by governments.
These risks may also apply to U.S. companies that have substantial foreign
operations.
6. Liquidity Risk - Investments may from time to time be illiquid. As a result, such
investments may be required to be held for a significant period of time in order
to realize a return on invested capital and cannot be liquidated easily, even in
times of financial hardship.
7.
Interest Rate Risk-An investment's value, typically investments in fixed income
securities, may fluctuate due to a change in interest rates. For example, as
interest rates increase, the value of the security may decrease and vice-versa.
Longer-term bonds may be more sensitive to interest rate changes.
8. Credit Risk - Fixed income securities may lose value if the issuer does not make
payments as promised, or securities may decline in value because of changes in
the issuer's financial condition.
9. Cybersecurity Risk - The use of technologies to conduct business increases
operational, information security and related risks. Cyber incidents can result
from deliberate attacks or unintentional events and include, but are not limited
to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through "hacking" or
malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive
information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption, or for purposes
of causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network
services unavailable to intended users). Cybersecurity failures or breaches by
issuers of securities or the exchanges on which they are traded, have the ability
to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in
financial losses, interference with or impediments to trading, the inability to
transact business, data loss, violations of applicable privacy and other laws,
regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other
compensation costs, or additional compliance costs.
10. Pandemic/ Health/ Natural Disaster Risk - An epidemic outbreak or other
natural disaster and reactions to such an event could cause uncertainty in
markets and businesses,
including Evercore Wealth's business, and may
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adversely affect the performance of the global economy, including causing
market volatility, market and business uncertainty and closures, supply chain
and travel interruptions, the need for employees and vendors to work at external
locations, and extensive medical absences. Evercore Wealth has policies and
procedures to address known situations, but because a large epidemic or other
natural disaster may create significant market and business uncertainties and
disruptions and its effects may be short-term or last for an extended period of
time, not all events that could affect Evercore Wealth's business and/ or the
markets can be determined and addressed in advance.
Additional information about Evercore Wealth's investment strategies and advisory
business may be found in Item 4 of this brochure.
Item 9:
Disciplinary Information
Neither Evercore Wealth nor its management personnel have been involved in any legal
or disciplinary events in the past ten years that would be material to a client's
evaluation of the Firm, its personnel, or the integrity of the Firm.
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Evercore Wealth is affiliated with other registered investment advisers and broker
dealers through common ownership. The entities owned by Evercore may share certain
resources, such as human resources and technology support systems. Evercore Wealth
has implemented policies and procedures to help ensure that adequate information
barriers exist between Evercore Wealth and its affiliates and that Evercore Wealth
operates independently of Evercore and its affiliates.
With the exception of EWMCX, Evercore Wealth does not market or invest, on a
discretionary basis, in investment products or strategies, including registered and
unregistered investment companies, managed or issued by its affiliates. However,
Evercore Wealth may recommend third-party managers that are clients of Evercore or
EVR or who may invest, on a discretionary basis, in investment products or strategies
sponsored by EVR, including Evercore's common stock or financial products for which
EVR has acted as an adviser or underwriter for its clients, such as an Initial Public
Offering or IPO, or a Special Purpose Acquisition Company or SPAC. In such cases, EVR
may receive a benefit.
Evercore Wealth currently recommends the use of investment products sponsored by
various third-party managers that may hold Evercore's common stock, as investments
in client accounts. For example, BlackRock and Vanguard have disclosed that they are
each the beneficial owner of over 5% of Evercore's outstanding common stock, some of
which may be held in the BlackRock, Vanguard, or other third-party manager's funds
and investment products recommended to Evercore Wealth's clients. All transactions
with these third-party investment managers, including BlackRock and Vanguard, and
11
their affiliates, are arms-length transactions entered into in the ordinary course of
business, with management and other fees based on the prevailing rates for non-related
persons.
Evercore Wealth is also affiliated, through common ownership, with Evercore Trust
Company, N.A. ("ETC") a national trust bank regulated and supervised by the Office of
the Comptroller of the Currency. ETC provides trustee and executor services and serves
as trustee for certain clients of Evercore Wealth. ETC and Evercore Wealth advertise and
market their services together using a combined logo and a shared website.
ETC provides custodial services and serves as custodian for certain clients of Evercore
Wealth. ETC generally does not charge Evercore Wealth's investment advisory client
accounts for custody or trustee fees (if applicable) but is compensated by Evercore
Wealth for such services through an intercompany arrangement. Similarly, Evercore
Wealth provides investment advisory services to certain clients of ETC for which
Evercore Wealth is compensated by ETC through an intercompany arrangement.
Certain Evercore Wealth personnel are also employees of ETC.
As discussed above, Evercore Wealth serves as the investment adviser to EWMCX.
Evercore Wealth invests client assets in EWMCX in certain circumstances, such as when
there is a goal for equity diversification.
Employees may occasionally be appointed on a volunteer basis to an advisory board
for a Limited Partnership fund that Evercore Wealth recommends for clients and in
which Evercore Wealth clients are invested. In those cases, the Limited Partnership fund
may pay certain incidental expenses to or on behalf of the employee that are related
to the employee's service on the advisory board.
Item 11:
Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions,
and Personal Trading
Code of Ethics
Evercore Wealth permits its employees to engage, on a limited basis, in personal
securities transactions. To avoid potential conflicts of interest involving personal trades,
Evercore Wealth has adopted a Code of Ethics ("Code"), which includes formal policies
and procedures to address insider trading, information barriers, handling the receipt of
material non-public information, and personal security transactions. Evercore Wealth's
Code requires, among other things, that its employees place client interests ahead of
Evercore Wealth's or their own, engage in personal investing that is in full compliance
with the Code, avoid taking advantage of their position, and maintain full compliance
with applicable federal securities laws.
The Code also requires employees to pre-clear certain personal securities transactions,
report personal securities transactions on at least a quarterly basis, and provide the
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Firm with a detailed summary of holdings (both initially upon commencement of
employment and annually thereafter) over which the employee has a direct or indirect
beneficial interest.
Additionally, the Code imposes limitations on gifts and entertainment that employees
may give and receive as well as restricts and requires pre-clearance for certain political
contributions. Employees are also required to disclose their outside affiliations,
including but not limited to, any employment or compensation received outside of
Evercore Wealth or any directorships or officer positions held for any publicly traded,
closely held or non-profit organization. Evercore Wealth may occasionally make
donations to charitable organizations that are sponsored or supported by clients,
vendors or consultants.
A copy of Evercore Wealth's Code shall be provided to any client or prospective client
upon request by contacting the Chief Compliance Officer at (212) 822-7620 or by
emailing us at wealthmanagement@evercore.com .
Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
As noted above, Evercore Wealth may invest client assets in EWMCX in certain
circumstances, such as when there is a goal for equity diversification. When client
discretionary accounts hold EWMCX, Evercore Wealth excludes the value of EWMCX
from the calculation of its investment management fee.
Employees may buy and sell shares of EWMCX, and other securities that are purchased
and sold for clients, in their personal accounts subject to the Firm's pre-clearance and
personal trading policies.
Certain employees may, in their capacity as portfolio manager, manage other employee
including those for other Evercore Wealth portfolio managers on a
accounts,
discretionary basis, which does not require pre-clearance. In some cases, Evercore
Wealth employees may invest in or maintain an interest in funds, pooled investment
vehicles, limited partnerships or limited offerings and investment strategies that are
also selected and recommended to clients.
Employees may at times be permitted to serve as Power of Attorney on behalf of a
client, or as Trustee for a client's account. In such cases the employee's conduct with
respect to the account is monitored, for example, through a requirement that trade
transactions are pre-cleared or that another employee is assigned as the portfolio
manager to invest on a discretionary basis.
Employees may occasionally be appointed to an advisory board for a Limited
Partnership fund that Evercore Wealth recommends for clients and in which Evercore
Wealth clients are invested.
13
Personal Trading
Employees may buy or sell securities (including mutual funds advised by the Firm) and
limited offerings that are also recommended to clients. However, employees may not
buy, sell. or recommend securities (or derivatives thereof) of an issuer for any
proprietary, customer, employee, or other account while in possession of material, non
public information regarding the issuer. In addition, personal investments must
generally be held for a minimum of thirty days.
Evercore Wealth's Code requires employees to pre-clear certain personal securities
transactions. report personal securities transactions on at least a quarterly basis, and
provide the Firm with a detailed summary of holdings (both
initially upon
commencement of employment and annually thereafter) over which the employee has
a direct or indirect beneficial interest.
Item 12:
Brokerage Practices
for client
transactions and determining
Evercore Wealth considers the following factors, among others, when selecting or
recommending broker-dealers
the
reasonableness of their compensation: (1) Liquidity of the securities traded, (2)
execution facilitation services provided, (3) timeliness of execution, (4) timeliness and
accuracy of trade confirmations, (5) client direction, (6) account custodian and (7)
expertise as it relates to specific securities.
Although Evercore Wealth seeks competitive comm1ss1on rates and comm1ss1on
equivalents, it will not necessarily pay the lowest commission or equivalent available.
Transactions may involve specialized services on the part of a broker-dealer, which may
justify higher commissions and equivalents than would be the case for more routine
services.
Soft Dollars
Evercore Wealth uses brokerage "soft dollars" to pay for research services. Soft dollar
arrangements are generally understood to be those where products or services other
than the mere execution of securities transactions are obtained by an investment
adviser from a broker-dealer in exchange for the direction of client transactions by the
investment adviser to a broker-dealer. Soft dollars are that portion of brokerage
commissions that exceed the lowest rate available for basic execution services.
Evercore Wealth does not intend to seek lower brokerage commissions to the extent
that doing so may detract from its receiving valuable brokerage and research services.
The commissions or equivalents paid to any one broker-dealer may be greater than the
amount charged by another firm for executing the same transactions, and Evercore
Wealth may determine to use the more expensive broker-dealer if Evercore Wealth
determines in good faith that the amount of commissions charged by such broker-
14
dealer are reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services
provided. Selecting brokers on the basis of considerations that are not limited to
applicable commission rates may at times result in higher transaction costs than may
otherwise be obtainable.
Evercore Wealth intends to comply with the "safe harbor" provided by Section 28(e) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which permits the use of soft dollars
to obtain brokerage and research services that provide lawful and appropriate
assistance to the investment adviser in the performance of its investment decision
making responsibilities.
The products and services available from brokers include both internally generated
items (such as proprietary research reports prepared by employees of the broker
dealer), as well as items acquired by the broker-dealer from third parties (such as
outside research prepared by third-party research firms). Research services may
include, but are not limited to, written information and analyses concerning specific
securities, companies, or sectors; market, financial, and economic studies and forecasts;
financial publications; news, quotation, statistics, and pricing services; discussions with
research personnel; databases; and services utilized in the investment management
process. Brokerage services may include, but are not limited to, clearance, settlement,
custody, securities lending and financing, and recordkeeping.
Investment research and brokerage services received through soft dollar arrangements
may be used by Evercore Wealth in servicing various clients, and not all such services
will necessarily benefit all clients. In addition, investment research and brokerage
services received through soft dollar arrangements may benefit clients whose
brokerage commissions did not generate the soft dollars used to pay for such services
(e.g., research obtained for fixed income securities management through commissions
generated by equity securities transactions; or clients with directed brokerage
arrangements, as discussed below). Generally, trades for clients whose accounts are
custodied at a broker-dealer will be executed through the custodial broker-dealer and,
may or may not, depending on the Firm's arrangement with the broker-dealer, generate
soft dollars. In some cases, such as in order to aggregate the trade or obtain a desired
price, Evercore Wealth may instruct the custodial broker-dealer to "step out" a
transaction to another broker-dealer which may incur additional costs to clients and
may generate soft dollars. Trades for clients whose accounts are held by non-broker
custodians will be executed with broker-dealers through which Evercore Wealth may
generate soft dollars.
In some instances, Evercore Wealth may obtain a product or service that is used, in part,
for Section 28(e) eligible purposes and, in part, for other purposes. In such instances,
Evercore Wealth will make a good faith effort to determine the relative proportion of
the product or service used to assist it in carrying out its investment decision-making
responsibilities and the relative proportion used for administrative or other purposes
outside Section 28(e). Such determination will be made based on the actual use of the
product or service by Evercore Wealth's personnel. The proportion of the product or
15
service attributable to assisting Evercore Wealth in carrying out its investment decision
making responsibilities will be paid through brokerage commissions generated by
client transactions. The determination of the appropriate allocation of "mixed use"
products and services creates a potential conflict of interest between Evercore Wealth
and its clients.
Relationships with broker-dealers providing soft dollar services to Evercore Wealth may
influence Evercore Wealth's judgment in allocating brokerage business and may create
a conflict of interest in using the services of these broker-dealers to execute securities
transactions for clients. Because Evercore Wealth does not have to produce materials
in-house or pay for the research, products, or services provided by these brokers, the
Firm may have an incentive to select or recommend a broker-dealer based on the soft
dollar benefits it receives, rather than on the basis of obtaining favorable execution for
clients. While Evercore Wealth believes these relationships are generally beneficial,
selecting broker-dealers on the basis of considerations other than applicable
commissions may at times result in higher transaction costs than would otherwise be
the case.
Evercore Wealth has recommended that certain clients establish brokerage accounts
with the Schwab Advisor Services division of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Schwab), a
registered broker-dealer, Member SIPC, to maintain custody of clients' assets and to
effect trades for their accounts. Schwab is independently owned and operated and not
affiliated with Evercore Wealth. Schwab provides Evercore Wealth with access to its
institutional trading and custody services, which are typically not available to Schwab
retail investors. Schwab's services include brokerage, custody, research, and access to
mutual funds and other investments that are otherwise generally available only to
institutional investors or would require a significantly higher minimum initial
investment.
For Evercore Wealth's client accounts maintained in Schwab's custody, Schwab
generally does not charge separately for custody, although it may in certain
circumstances, such as when certain alternative assets are held. Schwab is generally
compensated by account holders through commissions or other transaction-related
fees for securities trades that are executed through Schwab or that settle into Schwab
accounts.
Schwab also makes available to Evercore Wealth other products and services that
benefit Evercore Wealth and may, or may not, benefit its clients' accounts. Some of
these other products and services assist Evercore Wealth
in managing and
administering clients' accounts. These include software and other technology that
provide access to client account data (such as trade confirmations and account
statements), facilitate trade execution (and allocation of aggregated trade orders for
multiple client accounts), provide research, pricing information and other market data,
facilitate payment of Evercore Wealth's fees from its clients' accounts, and assist with
back-office functions, recordkeeping and client reporting. Many of these services
generally may be used to service all or a substantial number of Evercore Wealth's
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accounts, including accounts not maintained at Schwab. Schwab also makes available
to Evercore Wealth other services intended to help Evercore Wealth manage and
further develop its business enterprise. These services may include consulting,
publications and conferences on practice management, information technology,
business succession, regulatory compliance, and marketing. In addition, Schwab may
make available, arrange and/or pay for these types of services rendered to Evercore
Wealth by independent third parties. Schwab may discount or waive fees it would
otherwise charge for some of these services or pay all or a part of the fees of a third
party providing these services to Evercore Wealth. While as a fiduciary, Evercore Wealth
endeavors to act in its clients' best interests, Evercore Wealth's past recommendation
that clients maintain their assets in accounts at Schwab may have been based in part
on the benefit to Evercore Wealth of the availability of some of the foregoing products
and services and not solely on the nature, cost or quality of custody and brokerage
services provided by Schwab, which may create a potential conflict of interest.
Client Referra(s
Evercore Wealth does not use brokerage commissions to compensate brokers for client
referrals.
Directed Brokerage
trades
On occasion, a client may direct Evercore Wealth to effect securities transactions in the
client's account through a specific broker-dealer. This instruction shall be construed as
a "directed brokerage arrangement." In such circumstances, the client is responsible for
negotiating the terms and arrangements for their account with that broker-dealer.
Evercore Wealth will not seek better execution services or prices from other broker
dealers and may not be able to aggregate the client's transactions with orders for other
client accounts for execution through other broker-dealers. As a result, Evercore Wealth
may not obtain best execution on behalf of a client with a directed brokerage
arrangement, and the client may also pay materially disparate commissions, greater
spreads or other transaction costs, or receive less favorable net prices on transactions
for the account than would otherwise be the case. When necessary, Evercore Wealth
for clients with directed brokerage
may elect to conduct "step-out"
arrangements which may incur additional costs to clients.
Generally, trades for clients whose accounts are custodied at a broker-dealer will be
executed through the custodial broker-dealer.
Trade Aggregation
We seek to aggregate orders (i.e., block or bunch) for the same security entered on
behalf of more than one client during a trading day. Subsequent orders for the same
security entered during the same trading day may or may not be aggregated with any
previously filled or unfilled orders. All clients participating in an aggregated order shall
receive the average price and, subject to minimum ticket charges, pay a pro-rata
17
portion of commissions. Clients with directed brokerage arrangements generally will
not participate in aggregated trades.
Preliminary decisions for the allocation of securities across client accounts are made
prior to purchase and are based on various factors, including client guidelines, account
size, diversification, cash availability, tax considerations, and, where appropriate, the
value of having a round Lot in the portfolio.
In the event an order is partially filled, the Firm makes every effort to allocate in a fair
and equitable manner, taking into account all relevant factors, including, but not
Limited to, the factors listed above as well as the size of each client's allocation, clients'
liquidity needs, and previous allocations. As a general practice, Evercore Wealth shall
seek to ensure that each account gets a pro-rata allocation based on its initial
allocation. In some circumstances, when a pro-rata allocation may not be practicable
(e.g., clients receiving odd Lots and/or insufficient quantities), the Firm shall reallocate
the securities in a manner that it deems to be fair and equitable taking into account all
relevant factors, including, but not Limited to, portfolio objectives, portfolio constraints,
liquidity, tax considerations, and whether the amount allocated to the account is a
sufficiently marketable quantity. In addition to these elements, par value, credit quality
and the client's state of domicile are also considered when allocating fixed income
securities.
Evercore Wealth selects investments for each client based solely on investment
considerations for that client; therefore, the timing of purchases and sales, and the price
paid or received, will vary and may be more or less favorable among similarly situated
clients. Because different clients may have different investment strategies and
objectives, Evercore Wealth may give advice to, and may take action on behalf of any
of its clients, that differs from the advice that it gives, or the timing or nature of action
that it takes, on behalf of any other client due to a variety of factors, including specific
client considerations. Evercore Wealth may buy (or sell) a security for one client but not
for another, or may buy (or sell) a security for one client while simultaneously selling
(or buying) the same security for another client. Therefore, a client's ownership in, and
execution price of, a particular security depends on the timing of the portfolio
investment decision. Evercore Wealth believes this process to be random and that over
time, investment opportunities are allocated on a fair and equitable basis relative to
other clients.
face conflicts of interest when allocating
Evercore Wealth may
investment
opportunities among its various clients. For example: (i) Evercore Wealth receives
different advisory fees from different clients; and (ii) Evercore Wealth and its affiliates,
owners, officers and employees have invested amounts of their own capital in affiliated
and personal accounts. The majority of Evercore Wealth's clients pursue specific
investment strategies, many of which are similar. Evercore Wealth expects that, over
the course of time, most clients pursuing similar investment strategies should
experience similar, but not identical, investment performance.
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Evercore Wealth is not obligated to acquire for any account any security that Evercore
Wealth or its officers, managers, members or employees may acquire for its or their own
accounts or for any other client.
Cross Trades
Evercore Wealth does not presently effect trades on behalf of clients through its
affiliated broker-dealer Evercore Group, L.L.C, nor does it effect trades among its clients'
accounts without placing the trade through a broker.
Margin
Evercore Wealth may maintain a margin balance in an account as an accommodation
to clients and at their request. When a margin balance is maintained, the margin and
line of credit debt is disregarded for purposes of reporting assets under management
and calculating Evercore Wealth's investment advisory fee. Recommendations that
clients purchase or sell securities using borrowed money (i.e., margin accounts or lines
of credits) create a potential conflict of interest. This conflict occurs because Evercore
Wealth's investment advisory fee is based on the total market value of the securities in
the clients' accounts. A margin debit balance does not reduce the total market value of
securities on which a client will be billed. By using borrowed money to purchase
securities, the total market value of an account will be higher, which results in a higher
investment advisory fee.
Errors
It is Evercore Wealth's policy that the utmost care be taken when making and
implementing investment decisions on behalf of client accounts. Errors may occur in
either the investment decision-making process (e.g., a decision may be made to
purchase a security or an amount of a security that is inconsistent with a client's
investment restrictions) or the trading process (e.g., a buy order may be executed as a
sell, or vice versa, or the incorrect security or amount may be purchased or sold).
Evercore Wealth has adopted policies and procedures relating to trade errors in an
effort to ensure appropriate escalation and resolution of trade errors whenever they
occur. When an error occurs, Evercore Wealth may engage in transaction(s) in the
affected client account as may be necessary to correct the error or may reallocate a
trade to Evercore Wealth's error account. In either case, Evercore Wealth will reimburse
the client for any net loss caused by Evercore Wealth. Reimbursement may take the
form of a deposit of cash to the client account or may be made in the form of a fee
waiver or credit. Any gains in Evercore Wealth's error account may be used to offset
losses in the error account that are incurred in connection with other erroneous
transactions, including those for other clients.
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Review of Accounts
Item 13:
Generally, client accounts are reviewed on a continuous basis by the portfolio manager
responsible for the management of the account. These reviews are designed to monitor
and analyze client transactions, positions, and investment levels. Reviews may be
triggered by changes in client circumstances or changes in market outlook. Clients are
responsible for keeping Evercore Wealth informed of any changes in their financial
condition, investment objective or risk tolerance.
Reports are provided to clients at least annually and include a summary of account
holdings and values. More frequent and customized reports are available upon request.
In addition, subject to the client's custodial agreement, clients will also receive monthly
or quarterly account statements confirming account transactions, positions, and activity
directly from their account custodian. Clients should carefully review these statements
and should compare these statements to any account information provided by Evercore
Wealth.
Clients may choose to receive reports by electronic delivery.
Item 14: Client Referrals and Other Compensation
Evercore Wealth pays incentive compensation or a bonus as part of its total
compensation plan for its employees. In some cases, such compensation may be based
upon an employee's contribution to annual new business revenue generated by
Evercore Wealth by a client referral in addition to other factors. In addition, Evercore
Wealth compensates affiliated and unaffiliated third-parties for client referrals. In all
such cases the client's fee is not affected and the bonus or incentive compensation will
be paid entirely by Evercore Wealth, based on either: (1) a percentage of the investment
management fee paid to Evercore Wealth by the referred clients, or (2) a pre
determined flat fee paid on a periodic basis (e.g., quarterly or monthly).
Evercore Wealth will comply with Rule 206(4)-1 under the Advisers Act when it provides
compensation to any third party for any testimonial or endorsement.
Custody
Item 15:
Evercore Wealth is deemed to have custody with respect to its investment advisory
accounts when it uses an affiliated qualified custodian, ETC.
Additionally, Evercore Wealth is deemed to have custody when it maintains any
arrangement under which it is authorized or permitted to withdraw client funds or
securities upon its instruction. For example, Evercore Wealth provides a service as an
accommodation to certain existing clients where it receives bills and invoices payable
by clients (e.g., utility bills, invoices for personal and domestic services) and pays such
bills using Evercore Wealth's access to the clients' bank accounts (known as "Bill Pay
20
Services"). This access may be through online banking tools or by signature authority
given by the client to Evercore Wealth over the client's checking accounts. In these
instances, Evercore Wealth is deemed to have custody of the client assets.
Accounts for which Evercore Wealth and/or its employees have custody, other than
accounts for which they have direct debiting authority for fees, are subject to an annual
surprise verification audit performed by an independent accounting firm. Subject to the
client's custodial agreement, clients will also receive monthly or quarterly account
statements. Clients should carefully review these statements and should compare these
statements to any account information provided by Evercore Wealth.
Additional information about ETC may be found in Item 10 of this brochure.
Item 16:
Investment Discretion
With respect to its discretionary accounts, Evercore Wealth is authorized to make the
following determinations in accordance with client objectives and restrictions without
obtaining prior consent from the client: (1) which securities or instruments, including
affiliated and non-affiliated mutual funds and exchange-traded funds to buy or sell; (2)
the total amount of securities or instruments to buy or sell; (3) the executing broker or
dealer for any transaction; (4) the commission rates or commission equivalents charged
for transactions; and (5) whether to invest client assets in third-party investment
manager products and services, such as separate account portfolios or pooled
investments or fund products, and if so, determining the total amount to invest. Such
authorization, including any client-imposed restrictions is outlined in each discretionary
client's Agreement and/ or Investment Policy Statement.
Item 17:
Voting Client Securities
Proxies
It is Evercore Wealth's policy to vote proxies consistent with its fiduciary duty to clients.
Evercore Wealth shall generally be responsible for voting proxies on behalf of client
accounts; however, clients may retain proxy voting authority. In cases where clients
retain proxy voting authority, clients will receive proxy materials and other solicitations
directly from their account custodian or the transfer agent. Clients may contact
Evercore Wealth with questions about a particular solicitation by contacting us at (212)
822-7620.
In cases where Evercore Wealth votes proxies, including matters involving EWMCX
where Evercore Wealth is acting as the investment manager to the Fund, the Firm shall
vote in the best interests of its clients with a goal towards maximizing shareholder
value.
The Firm's Proxy Committee is responsible for determining how to vote client proxies.
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To assist with this responsibility, Evercore Wealth has engaged a third-party proxy
advisory company that makes recommendations on how to vote proxies in accordance
with their pre-determined guidelines. Evercore Wealth generally votes proxies in
accordance with the recommendations of the third-party proxy advisory company,
however, if a material conflict of interest relating to a proxy arises between Evercore
Wealth and a client, the Firm's Proxy Committee will review the conflict and determine
the appropriate course of action, which may include a decision to vote the proxy in a
particular manner, including in accordance with the third-party proxy advisory
company guidelines, passing the vote through to the client directly, requesting approval
from the client to vote the proxy in a particular manner, echo voting (e.g., voting shares
in proportion to the votes of other shareholders), or abstaining from the vote.
Evercore Wealth's complete proxy voting policy and procedures and a record of all
proxy votes cast on behalf of clients are available upon request by contacting the Chief
Compliance Officer at (212) 822-7620.
Class Actions
The Firm may or may not participate in class actions on behalf of Clients.
For clients whose accounts are custodied with ETC, Evercore Wealth will decide
whether it will (1) opt out of the class action lawsuit and pursue its own remedy; or (2)
participate in the recovery achieved via the class action. If participation in the recovery
is chosen, then the applicable Proof of Claim will be filed using a third-party service
provider who will deduct a fee (generally 20%) from any funds received and will credit
the client's account as applicable with the net proceeds. If Evercore Wealth deems it
advisable, it may pay the fee for the third-party service directly. For those clients whose
accounts are not custodied at ETC, the client should contact their custodian who would
ordinarily receive documents pertaining to class actions or other matters as to how the
matter will be handled.
Item 18:
Financial Information
Evercore Wealth is financially secure, has never filed for bankruptcy and is not aware
of any financial condition that is expected to affect its ability to manage client accounts.
22