Firm Description
Family Management Corporation (“FMC”), established in 1989 by principals Seymour Zises and
Andrea Tessler, is a New York-based SEC registered investment advisor serving high net worth
individuals, families, and not-for-profit organizations. Together with our affiliates, Family
Management Securities, LLC (“FMS”), a FINRA-registered broker-dealer, and Forest Hill
Capital Corporation (“FHCC”), a New York State licensed insurance agent, we operate as a full-
service wealth management firm providing our clients with highly personalized and
comprehensive financial services.
We recognize that financial needs vary and that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to
financial advice. Rather, we provide each of our clients with a blend of customized services and
an array of products tailored to their specific needs and goals. Clients may hire us to provide
discretionary investment management services; clients may hire us because of our relationship
with certain Third-Party Managers (defined herein); clients may even have their own managers
or investments that they want us to monitor. In addition to our advisory services, we also provide
our clients with traditional brokerage services (through FMS) and complete life insurance
solutions (through FHCC). We coordinate and evaluate our clients' investments, their
performance, and work to ensure that everything remains focused on their goals.
FMC’s service to our client families goes beyond traditional investment advice. We take a deep,
personal interest in our clients’ financial health and regularly work with non-affiliated banking,
legal, tax and insurance specialists to create individualized solutions to meet our clients’ specific
needs.
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2023, FMC was actively managing $3,606,809,839 in client assets. This
total includes $3,544,390,120 of client assets managed on a discretionary basis plus $62,419,719
of client assets managed on a non-discretionary basis.
Tailored Client Relationships
Our client relationships begin with a discovery process that includes an in-depth dialogue to
identify all the factors surrounding and defining our client's wealth. Information is gathered
regarding the client's short and long-term goals, commitments, and concerns; the structure and
amount of all the client's holdings; the client's exposure to, and tolerance for, risk; and an
understanding of the client's life and disability coverage.
We then work with the client to construct and implement a long-term asset allocation and
investment strategy. We engage in an ongoing conversation with the client in the development
of the asset allocation and investment strategy. This strategy will often involve a Third-Party
Manager and their investment vehicle as well as FMC's discretionary investment management
services.
Once our recommendation of a long-term asset allocation and investment strategy is agreed upon
by the client, we begin the management process. We review the client's overall portfolio on a
continuous basis using market analysis tools and financial data and evaluate and consider
adjustments in response to economic changes, market trends, and/or client needs.
In addition to investment advice, our wealth management advisors may work closely with our
client’s other specialist advisors, or we may suggest new third-party providers, for estate and
income tax planning, tax effective wealth management, loans and mortgages, liability
monitoring, personal concierge services, and philanthropic planning.
Types of Advisory Services
FMC advisory services may take different forms, depending on the needs of the client.
•
Discretionary and Non-Discretionary Accounts: A client may hire FMC to provide
discretionary investment management services. In these instances, the client generally
opens a brokerage account with FMS for the purchase and sale of securities (e.g., stocks,
bonds, mutual funds, etc.) which is done on a discretionary basis pursuant to an advisory
agreement and any restrictions placed on the account by the client. In certain instances,
advisory services may be provided by FMC in an account at other custodians/broker-
dealers, such as Charles Schwab Corporation (“Schwab”). We may also enter into a non-
discretionary agreement with a client on a negotiated basis.
In-house Investment Model Strategies: FMC manages several in-house investment
allocation models based on investment strategy risk tolerances.
Third-Party Managers: In addition to managing the purchase and sale of securities in-
house on a discretionary basis, we may recommend that the client engage a third-party to
provide certain specialized asset management services (“Third-Party Manager”) or to
invest in a Third-Party Manager's investment vehicle. FMC requires client authorization
prior to investing with a Third-Party Manager.
Turn-key Asset Manager Programs: In order to invest with certain asset managers,
FMC utilizes Turn-key Asset Manager
Programs available through Lockwood / Pershing
and Envestnet (referred to collectively as “TAMPs”, singularly as a “TAMP”) and may
recommend client participation in one or more of the asset managers available through
the TAMPs. FMC provides portfolio management services within the TAMPs by
selecting asset managers available through the TAMPs for allocation of client assets.
FMC requires client authorization prior to investing with a TAMP.
•
Family Management Funds (“FM Fifth Funds”): FMC serves as the General Partner,
and/or investment manager of funds, known collectively as the FM Fifth Funds, which
may be available to FMC clients. Specifically, FM Fifth Avenue Fund, LP (“FM Fifth
LP”) and FM Fifth Avenue Fund, Ltd. (“FM Fifth Ltd.”) are hedge fund-of-funds. The
purpose of the funds is to invest in private investment funds.
• Participant Account Management (Discretionary): FMC uses a third-party platform to
facilitate management of held away assets such as defined contribution plan participant
accounts, with discretion (“Held Away Accounts”). The platform allows FMC to avoid
being considered to have custody of client funds since FMC does not have direct access
to client log-in credentials. FMC is not affiliated with the platform in any way and
receives no compensation from them for using their platform. A link will be provided to
the client allowing them to connect an account(s) to the platform. Once the client
account(s) is connected to the platform, FMC will review the current account allocations.
When deemed necessary, FMC will rebalance the account considering client investment
goals and risk tolerance, and any change in allocations will consider current economic
and market trends.
Class Actions: FMC engages Battea - Class Actions Services, LLC (“Battea”) to file
and administer class action claims on behalf of the firm’s clients, to the extent securities
held in the accounts of clients become the subject of class action lawsuits. Battea
actively seeks out any open and eligible class action lawsuits and files, monitors and
expedites the distribution of settlement proceeds. Clients are automatically included in
this service but may opt-out by submitting an opt-out request in writing to FMC. If a
client opts-out, FMC and Battea will not monitor class action filings for that client. FMC
does not engage Battea to monitor class action filings for assets managed by Third-Party
Managers, held in TAMPs or maintained by an outside custodian.
Proxy Voting: FMC provides proxy voting services to our advisory clients who utilize
Pershing LLC or Charles Schwab Corporation as their custodian. Securities held by
Third-Party Managers or in TAMPs are not voted by FMC.
Termination of an Advisory Relationship
A client agreement may be cancelled at any time, by either party, for any reason upon 7 days
written notice. Upon the termination of the agreement, FMC will not be under any obligation to
recommend any action with regard to, or to liquidate, the assets in the account covered by the
agreement. FMC retains the right, however, to complete any transactions open as of the
termination date and to retain amounts in the account sufficient to affect such completion. Upon
termination, it will be the client’s exclusive responsibility to issue written instructions regarding
any assets held in the account.
Clients with agreements dated after December 31, 2003, that terminate their client agreement but
wish to retain their positions in Third-Party Manager(s) that have been selected and maintained
by FMC, are required to pay an ongoing annual management fee of 1% to FMC after the
termination of the advisory agreement. This fee is in respect of FMC’s introduction of the client
to the Third-Party Manager(s) and covers our initial and continuing due diligence of the Third-
Party Manager(s) and our negotiation with the Third-Party Manager(s) on the client's behalf.
The fee is payable until the client liquidates the position(s) or until FMC ceases performing
ongoing due diligence of the Third-Party Manager(s), whichever occurs sooner. The annual
management fee can be higher or lower than the annual advisory fee, and is waived while the
advisory agreement is in place.
Clients investing in FM Fifth LP and FM Fifth Ltd. are subject to lock-up periods described in
the offering documents for each fund. Generally, new clients investing in the FM Fifth Funds
will be required to provide 100 days prior written notice of their intention to redeem capital from
their investment and redemptions are limited to 5% of the total net asset value of their investment
as of the initial redemption date, so a full redemption may only be accomplished over a 5 year
period. Withdrawals from FM Fifth LP and FM Fifth Ltd. are available on March 31st, June 30th,
September 30th, and December 31st of any given calendar year. Additional information on the
liquidation of investments from the FM Fifth Funds can be found in the offering documents for
each fund.