ZIM manages investment advisory accounts primarily on a discretionary basis. Adviser manages
separate accounts, public and private pooled investment vehicles, and is an adviser to a number of
wrap-fee programs.
Adviser also manages investment advisory accounts on a discretionary basis under the “Retail
Wealth Management Program”. This program offers clients an asset allocation approach to
investments and includes twenty-six investment strategies: “Zacks Dividend Strategy”, “Zacks
Concentrated Dividend Strategy”, “Zacks Dividend ESG Strategy”, “Zacks All-Cap Core
Strategy”, “ Z a c k s C o n c e n t r a t e d A l l - C a p C o r e S t r a t e g y ” , “ Z a c k s A l l - C a p
C o r e E S G S t r a t e g y ” , “Zacks Quantitative Strategy”, “Zacks International Equity
Strategy”, “Zacks International Equity Strategy (Developed Countries)”, “Zacks International
Equity Strategy (Emerging Markets)”, “Zacks Fixed-Income Strategy”, “Zacks Focus Growth
Strategy”, “ Z a c k s C o n c e n t r a t e d F o c u s G r o w t h S t r a t e g y ” , “ Z a c k s F o c u s
G r o w t h E S G S t r a t e g y ” , “Zacks Energy Strategy”, “Zacks Preferred Income Strategy”,
“Zacks Small-Cap Core Strategy”, “Zacks Mid-Cap Core Strategy”, “Zacks Premier Select”,
“Zacks Global Tactical Strategy”, “Zacks Small-Cap Growth Strategy”, “Zacks Small-Cap Value
Strategy”, “Zacks Alpha Long/Short Strategy”, ”Zacks Base Tilt Strategy”, “Zacks Innovation Tilt
Strategy” and “Zacks Equity Income Tilt Strategy”. The asset allocation also incorporates cash and
cash-like instruments in its portfolios. Retail Wealth Management Program clients generally
engage ZIM through a ZIM Investment Consultant (“IC”) or Regional Vice President (“RVP”)
(collectively, “ZIM Investment Consultants”), or directly (e.g., Zacks Services Direct program).
Please refer to Fees and Compensation, Review of Accounts, and Client Referrals and Other
Compensation sections below for more information about Zacks Services Direct and ZIM’s
Investment Consultants. For many Retail Wealth Management clients, ZIM sponsors programs
where Schwab, Folio, and/or Fidelity provide trading and custody services to clients that direct
brokerage and custody services, and ZIM provides advisory services to clients (individually a
“ZIM Wrap Program” and collectively the “ZIM Wrap Programs”). Clients in these programs
sponsored by ZIM receive Appendix 1 of Form ADV Part 2A and should refer to Appendix 1 for
more information.
Adviser also manages investment advisory accounts on a discretionary basis under “alternative
investments” strategies. This program offers clients an alternative approach to investments and
includes the following two strategies: “Zacks Strategies II, LP”, and the “Zacks Panther Fund”.
The minimum account that will be accepted is $500,000. The typical management fee is 1% and
where applicable a performance incentive fee of 20% of the total return above the high-water mark
is charged quarterly.
The Adviser may utilize the services of various unaffiliated firms for assistance in providing
advice to clients that request financial planning assistance. Financial planning activities may result
in the subsequent management of client assets by the Advisor for which it may receive advisory
fees from the client.
Adviser serves as a portfolio manager in a number of wrap fee and UMA programs sponsored by
unaffiliated third-parties. With limited exceptions (i.e., Zacks Advantage), management of wrap
and UMA accounts sponsored by unaffiliated third-parties are generally viewed by Adviser as part
of its wholesale business. The list of programs includes, but is not necessarily limited to: (i) Wells
Fargo & Company’s DMA, Master & Private Adviser Network; (ii) UBS Mac Platform Program;
(iii) Charles Schwab Access & Managed Account Select; (iv) Morgan Stanley’s Vision & Select
UMAs; (v) Merrill Lynch’s Merrill One (vi) LPL Manager Select Program; (vii) Janney
Montgomery Partners Advisory Account/Advisors Account Program; (viii) Fidelity SAN
Program; (ix) Envestnet UMA; (x) Lockwood UMA; (xi) Raymond James OMS; and (xii)
Zacks Advantage - Schwab Wealth Investment Advisory, Inc. Institutional Intelligent
Portfolios, (xiii) Wells Fargo Private Advisor Network, Masters & PUMA, (xiv) UBS Managed
Account Consulting. Wrap fee programs are arrangements in which investment
advisory
services, brokerage execution services and custody are provided by a sponsor for a single
predetermined "wrap" fee (regardless of the number of trades completed by a client). Generally,
clients participating in a wrap fee program (“Wrap Program Clients”) pay this single, all-inclusive
fee quarterly in advance or arrears to the program sponsor, based on the net assets under
management. Adviser receives from the program sponsor a portion of the wrap fee for the
portfolio management services it provides. Each program sponsor is required to prepare and
deliver a brochure which contains detailed information about its wrap fee program, including the
wrap fee charged. Copies of each brochure are available from the program sponsor upon request.
Each wrap program sponsor has retained Adviser through a separate investment advisory contract.
In limited cases, a participant in a Wrap Program has dual agreements, one agreement with the
Wrap Program sponsor and an agreement with Adviser. Wrap Program Clients should note that
Adviser will execute transactions for their accounts through the Wrap Sponsor. Transactions
executed through a Wrap Sponsor may be less favorable in some respects than Adviser’s clients
whose trades are not executed through the Wrap Sponsor. This is because Adviser may have no
ability to negotiate price or take advantage of combined orders or volume discounts. Adviser may
be constrained in obtaining best execution for Wrap Program Clients by sending trades to the
Wrap Sponsor.
Adviser also offers an online investment advisory program (“Zacks Advantage”) in conjunction
with Schwab Intelligent Portfolios® (“SIP”) and sponsored by Schwab Wealth Investment
Advisory, Inc. (“SWIA”). The Zacks Advantage program uses automated investing to create a
diversified portfolio composed of Charles Schwab sponsored exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as
well as an FDIC-insured cash allocation (the “Cash Allocation”) that is based on the client’s stated
investment objectives and risk tolerance. Zacks Advantage is designed to monitor a client’s
portfolio daily and will also automatically rebalance as needed to keep a client’s portfolio
consistent with their selected risk profile.
Adviser has a number of wholesale arrangements where it provides model portfolio investment
recommendations without brokerage execution or additional services. Adviser's fees for these
services are negotiated on a case-by-case basis. This type of client account is not managed by
Adviser; the client may be notified of changes to Adviser’s model portfolio after Adviser’s
discretionary client accounts have traded. The client may or may not use the information received
from Adviser in making investment decisions.
Adviser is hired by clients to manage assets according to a specific investment strategy (or
strategies) based on the client’s investment objectives and the philosophy, process, and investment
performance of the strategy. Clients may impose reasonable mandates or restrictions, such as
positions limits or avoiding certain securities or types of securities.
ZIM has been in business as a registered adviser since January 1992. ZIM is wholly owned by
Zacks Investment Research, Inc (“ZIR”). The principal owners of ZIR are Mr. Mitch Zacks
a n d a Zacks family trust. As of March 31, 2024, ZIM managed approximately $10,555,925,000
of regulatory assets under management on a discretionary basis on behalf of approximately
11,373 accounts. Further, as of March 31, 2024, ZIM had additional assets under advisement of
approximately $7,267,220,000 on behalf of 20 UMA relationships. Assets under advisement
consist of consulting assets (i.e., no discretion) and are not included as part of regulatory assets
under management in Item 5.F. of ZIM’s Form ADV Part 1.
Index Services
The Zacks Index Services division of Zacks Investment Management creates and manages
quantitative investment models that are used in financial products available to investors
worldwide. Zacks Index Services manages the underlying indices behind ETFs, and also is a
consultant to several unit investment trust strategies. Zacks Index Services Indices based on
Zacks quantitative models are utilized by sponsors of UITs and ETFs allowing individual
investor’s access to strategies previously only available to institutional investors. Fees are
negotiated.