General Information
Abacus began its operations in 2004 after the merger of Abacus Wealth Management, LLC (“AWM”)
and Sherman Financial, Inc. (“SFI”). Since the merger, AWM and SFI have been the principal owners of
Abacus, with each holding a 27.3% and 26.7% stake, respectively. SFI is solely owned by Spencer
Sherman and AWM is solely owned by Brenton Kessel.
Abacus is an investment adviser that specializes in financial planning, which we define as the long-term
process of wisely managing your finances so you can achieve your goals and dreams, while at the same
time negotiating the financial barriers that inevitably arise in every stage of life. Abacus provides
financial planning, consulting, and investment management services. Prior to engaging the firm to
provide any of the foregoing investment advisory services, the client is required to enter into one or
more written agreements with Abacus setting forth the terms and conditions under which Abacus
renders its services (collectively the “Agreement”).
Abacus provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services on a fee basis as
discussed at Item 5 below. Before engaging Abacus to provide investment advisory services, clients are
required to enter into an Investment Advisory Agreement with Abacus setting forth the terms and
conditions of the engagement (including termination), describing the scope of the services to be
provided, and the fee that is due from the client. In the event that the client requires extraordinary
planning and/or consultation services (to be determined in the sole discretion of Abacus), Abacus may
determine to charge for such additional services, the dollar amount of which shall be set forth in a
separate written notice to the client. To commence the investment advisory process, Abacus will
ascertain each client’s investment objective(s) and then allocate the client’s assets consistent with the
client’s designated investment objective(s). Once allocated, Abacus provides ongoing supervision of
the account(s).
For individual retail (i.e., non-institutional) clients, Abacus' annual investment advisory fee shall
generally (exceptions can occur-see below) include investment advisory services, and, to the extent
specifically requested by the client, financial planning and consulting services. In the event that the
client requires extraordinary planning and/or consultation services (to be determined in the sole
discretion of Abacus), Abacus may determine to charge for such additional services, the dollar amount
of which shall be set forth in a separate written notice to the client.
Financial Planning And Consulting Services (Stand-Alone). Abacus may provide financial planning
and/or consulting services (including investment and non-investment related matters, including estate
planning, insurance planning, etc.) on a stand-alone separate fee basis. Abacus offers financial planning
on a project and ongoing basis. Prior to engaging Abacus to provide planning or consulting services,
clients are required to enter into a consulting agreement with Abacus setting forth the terms and
conditions of the engagement (including termination), describing the scope of the services to be
provided, and the portion of the fee that is due from the client prior to Abacus commencing services.
If requested by the client, Abacus may recommend the services of other professionals for
implementation purposes. The client is under no obligation to engage the services of any such
recommended professional. The client retains absolute discretion over all such implementation
decisions and is free to accept or reject any recommendation from Abacus. If the client engages any
recommended unaffiliated professional, and a dispute arises thereafter relative to such engagement,
the client agrees to seek recourse exclusively from and against the engaged professional. At all times,
the engaged licensed professional(s) (i.e., attorney, accountant, insurance agent, etc.), and not Abacus,
shall be responsible for the quality and competency of the services provided. It remains the client’s
responsibility to promptly notify Abacus if there is ever any change in their financial situation or
investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing, evaluating or revising Abacus’s previous
recommendations and/or services.
Limitations of Financial Planning and Non-Investment Consulting/Implementation Service. To the
extent requested by the client, Abacus will generally provide financial planning and related consulting
services regarding matters such as tax and estate planning, insurance, etc. Abacus will generally provide
such consulting services inclusive of its advisory fee set forth at Item 5 below (exceptions could occur
based upon assets under management, extraordinary matters, special projects, stand-alone planning
engagements, etc. for which Firm may charge a separate or additional fee). Please Note: Abacus
believes that it is important for the client to address financial planning issues on an ongoing basis.
Abacus’s advisory fee, as set forth at Item 5 below, will remain the same regardless of whether or not
the client determines to address financial planning issues with Abacus. Please Also Note: Abacus does
not serve as an attorney or accountant, and no portion of our services should be construed as same.
Accordingly, Abacus does not prepare legal documents or tax returns, nor does it offer or sell insurance
products. To the extent requested by a client, we may recommend the services of other professionals
for non-investment implementation purpose (i.e., attorneys, accountants, insurance, etc.). The client is
not under any obligation to engage any such professional(s). The client retains absolute discretion over
all such implementation decisions and is free to accept or reject any recommendation from Abacus
and/or its representatives. If the client engages any professional (i.e., attorney, accountant, etc.),
recommended or otherwise, and a dispute arises thereafter relative to such engagement, the engaged
professional shall remain exclusively responsible for resolving any such dispute with the client. At all
times, the engaged licensed professional(s) (i.e., attorney, accountant, insurance agent, etc.), and not
Abacus, shall be responsible for the quality and competency of the services provided.
Non-Discretionary Service Limitations. Clients that determine to engage Abacus on a non-
discretionary investment advisory basis must be willing to accept that Abacus cannot affect any
account transactions without obtaining prior consent to any such transaction(s) from the client. Thus,
in the event of a market correction during which the client is unavailable, Abacus will be unable to affect
any account transactions (as it would for its discretionary clients) without first obtaining the client’s
consent.
Independent Managers. Abacus may allocate (and/or recommend that the client allocate) a portion
of a client’s investment assets among unaffiliated independent investment managers (“Independent
Manager(s)”) in accordance with the client’s designated investment objective(s). In such situations, the
Independent Manager(s) will have day-to- day responsibility for the active discretionary management
of the allocated assets. Abacus will continue to render investment supervisory services to the client
relative to the ongoing monitoring and review of account performance, asset allocation and client
investment objectives. Abacus generally considers the following factors when recommending
Independent Manager(s): the client’s designated investment objective(s), management style,
performance, reputation, financial strength, reporting, pricing, and research. The investment
management fees charged by the designated Independent Manager(s) are exclusive of, and in addition
to, Abacus’s ongoing investment advisory fee, which will be disclosed to the client before entering into
the Independent Manager engagement and/or subject to the terms and conditions of a separate
agreement between the client and the Independent Manager(s).
Use of Mutual and Exchange Traded Funds. Most mutual funds and exchange traded funds are
available directly to the public. Therefore, a prospective client can obtain many of the funds that may
be utilized by Abacus independent of engaging Abacus as an investment advisor. However, if a
prospective client determines to do so, he/she will not receive Abacus’s initial and ongoing investment
advisory services. Clients could also incur, relative to all mutual fund and exchange traded fund
purchases, charges imposed at the fund level (e.g., management fees and other fund expenses).
Pontera. Abacus uses Pontera, a third-party platform, to facilitate the management of held away
assets such as defined contribution plan participant accounts, with discretion. Those clients who
choose to engage Abacus to service their held away accounts will be provided a link to connect their
outside accounts to the platform. Once the client’s account(s) is connected to the platform, Abacus will
review the client’s current account allocations. Abacus will rebalance the connected outside accounts
consistent with the client’s investment goals and risk tolerance. Client account(s) will be reviewed at
least quarterly.
eMoney Advisor Platform. Abacus may provide its clients with access to an online platform hosted by
“eMoney Advisor” (“eMoney”). The eMoney platform allows a client to view their complete asset
allocation, including those assets that Abacus does not manage (the “Excluded Assets”). Abacus does
not provide investment management, monitoring, or implementation services for the Excluded Assets.
Unless otherwise specifically agreed to, in writing, Abacus’s service relative to the Excluded Assets is
limited to reporting only. Therefore, Abacus shall not be responsible for the investment performance
of the Excluded Assets. Rather, the client and/or their advisor(s) that maintain management authority
for the Excluded Assets, and not Abacus, shall be exclusively responsible for such investment
performance. Without limiting the above, Abacus shall not be responsible for any implementation error
(timing, trading, etc.) relative to the Excluded Assets. The client may choose to engage Abacus to
manage some or all of the Excluded Assets pursuant to the terms and conditions of an advisory
agreement between Abacus and the client. The eMoney platform also provides access to other types
of information and applications including financial planning concepts and functionality, which should
not, in any manner whatsoever, be construed as services, advice, or recommendations provided by
Abacus. Finally, Abacus shall not be held responsible for any adverse results a client may experience if
the client engages in financial planning or other functions available on the eMoney platform without
Abacus’s assistance or oversight. Abacus has a fiduciary duty to provide services consistent with the
client’s best interest. As part of its investment advisory services, Abacus will review client portfolios on
an ongoing basis to determine if any changes are necessary based on portfolio activity.
Socially Responsible Investing Limitations. Socially Responsible Investing involves the incorporation
of Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) considerations into the investment due diligence
process. There are potential limitations associated with allocating a portion of an investment portfolio
in ESG securities (i.e., securities that have a mandate to avoid, when possible, investments in such
products as alcohol, tobacco, firearms, oil drilling, gambling, etc.). The number of these securities may
be limited when compared to those that do not maintain such a mandate. ESG securities could
underperform broad market indices. Our ESG investment objective is to identify securities that are
attractive along a variety of dimensions including profitability, stability of earnings, earnings growth,
valuation, and investor sentiment, carefully balancing risk and return considerations, while consciously
minimizing unintended or undesirable ESG exposures and ensuring adherence to client’s investment
objectives and guidelines. Investors must accept these limitations, including potential for
underperformance due to higher fees for additional services the fund is providing, including selecting
underlying investments or strategies to build a portfolio, the use of which may cause the entire ESG
portfolio to have higher costs associated with it. Correspondingly, the number of ESG mutual funds
and exchange traded funds are few when compared to those that do not maintain such a mandate. As
with any type of investment (including any investment and/or investment strategies recommended
and/or undertaken by Abacus), there can be no assurance that investment in ESG securities or funds
will be profitable or prove successful.
Cash Positions. Abacus continues to treat cash as an asset class. As such, unless determined to the
contrary by Abacus, all cash positions (money markets, etc.) shall continue to be included as part of
assets under management for purposes of calculating Abacus’s advisory fee. At any specific point in
time, depending upon perceived or anticipated market conditions/events (there being no guarantee
that such anticipated market conditions/events will occur), Abacus may maintain cash positions for
defensive purposes. In addition, while assets are maintained in cash, such amounts could miss market
advances. Depending upon current yields, at any point in time, Abacus’s advisory fee could exceed the
interest paid by the client’s money market fund.
Cybersecurity Risk. The information technology systems and networks that Abacus and its third-party
service providers use to provide services to Abacus’s clients employ various controls, which are
designed to prevent cybersecurity incidents stemming from intentional or unintentional actions that
could cause significant interruptions in Abacus’s operations and result in the unauthorized acquisition
or use of clients’ confidential or non-public personal information. Clients and Abacus are nonetheless
subject to the risk of cybersecurity incidents that could ultimately cause them to incur losses, including
for example: financial losses, cost and reputational damage to respond to regulatory obligations, other
costs associated with corrective measures, and loss from damage or interruption to systems. Although
Abacus has established its systems to reduce the risk of cybersecurity incidents from coming to
fruition, there is no guarantee that these efforts will always be successful, especially considering that
Abacus does not directly control the cybersecurity measures and policies employed by third-party
service providers. Clients could incur similar adverse consequences resulting from cybersecurity
incidents that more directly affect issuers of securities in which those clients invest, broker-dealers,
qualified custodians, governmental and other regulatory authorities, exchange and other financial
market operators, or other financial institutions.
Cash Sweep Accounts. Account custodians generally require that cash proceeds from account
transactions or cash deposits
be swept into and/or initially maintained in the custodian’s sweep
account. The yield on the sweep account is generally lower than those available in money market
accounts. To help mitigate this issue, Abacus shall generally purchase a higher yielding money market
fund available on the custodian’s platform with cash proceeds or deposits, unless Abacus reasonably
anticipates that it will utilize the cash proceeds during the subsequent 30-day period to purchase
additional investments for the client’s account. Exceptions and/or modifications can and will occur with
respect to all or a portion of the cash balances for various reasons, including, but not limited to, the
amount of dispersion between the sweep account and a money market fund, an indication from the
client of an imminent need for such cash, or the client has a demonstrated history of writing checks
from the account.
Client Obligations. In performing its services, Abacus shall not be required to verify any information
received from the client or from the client’s other professionals and is expressly authorized to rely
thereon. Moreover, each client is advised that it remains their responsibility to promptly notify Abacus
if there is ever any change in their financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of
reviewing, evaluating or revising Abacus’s previous recommendations and/or services.
Disclosure Statement. A copy of Abacus’s written Brochure and Client Relationship Summary, as set
forth on Part 2 of Form ADV and Form CRS respectively, shall be provided to each client prior to the
execution of any advisory agreement.
Affiliated Private Investment Funds. Abacus serves as general partner and investment manager of the
Abacus Sustainable Fund, L.P. (“ASF”) and general partner and co-investment manager of the Align
Impact Fund, L.P. (“AIF”), formerly known as Abacus Impact Fund 2013, L.P. (collectively, the "Funds").
Align Impact, LLC, a SEC registered investment adviser, is a subadviser to both ASF and AIF. ASF,
launched in 2008, and AIF are funds of funds that aim to bring accredited investors competitive returns
alongside positive social change (see additional disclosures in Item 10 below). The Funds are currently
closed to new Investors. The complete description of each Fund (the terms, conditions, risks, conflicts
and fees, including incentive compensation) is set forth in the respective Fund’s offering documents.
Abacus is a minority investor in Align Impact. Abacus has an 8.3% voting interest and 7.53% economic
interest in Align Impact.
Abacus, on a non-discretionary basis, may recommend that qualified clients consider allocating a
portion of their investment assets to the Fund. If a client determines to become a Fund investor, the
amount of assets invested in the fund(s) shall be included as part of “assets under management” for
purposes of Abacus calculating its investment advisory fee per Item 5 in addition to the Fund’s fees.
Abacus’s clients are under absolutely no obligation to consider or make an investment in a private
investment fund(s).
Please Note: Private investment funds generally involve various risk factors, including, but not limited
to, potential for complete loss of principal, liquidity constraints and lack of transparency, a complete
discussion of which is set forth in each fund’s offering documents, which will be provided to each client
for review and consideration. Unlike liquid investments that a client may own, private investment funds
do not provide daily liquidity or pricing. Each prospective client investor will be required to complete a
Subscription Agreement, pursuant to which the client shall establish that he/she is qualified for
investment in the fund and acknowledges and accepts the various risk factors that are associated with
such an investment.
Please Also Note: Conflict of Interest. Because Abacus and/or its affiliates can earn compensation
from the Fund (i.e., management fees, incentive compensation, etc.) that could generally exceed the
fee that Abacus would earn under its standard asset-based fee schedule referenced in Item 5 below,
the recommendation that a client become a Fund investor presents a conflict of interest. No client is
under any obligation to become a Fund investor. Given the conflict of interest, Abacus advises that
clients consider seeking advice from independent professionals (i.e., attorney, accountant, adviser,
etc.) of their choosing prior to becoming a Fund investor. No client is under absolutely any obligation
to become a Fund investor. ANY QUESTIONS: Abacus’s Chief Compliance Officer remains available
to address any questions regarding this conflict of interest.
As of December 31, 2023, Abacus had $3,137,041,000 of assets under management, of which
$3,135,467,000 were managed on a discretionary basis and $1,574,000 were managed on a non-
discretionary basis.
This Firm Brochure describes Abacus’s business. Certain sections will also describe the activities of
Supervised Persons. Supervised Persons are any of Abacus’s officers, partners, directors (or other
persons occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), or employees, or any other person
who provides investment advice on Abacus’s behalf and is subject to Abacus’s supervision or control.
Financial Planning and Consulting Services
As noted above, Abacus may provide its clients with a broad range of comprehensive financial planning
and consulting services. These services include business planning, investments, insurance, retirement,
education, estate planning, and tax and cash flow needs of the client. Financial Planning starts with goal
setting, and depending on your goals, the following areas may be addressed:
Goal Setting
Goal setting begins with a Financial Checkup meeting, a one-to-two-hour meeting in which we learn
about the goals that will be central to your financial plan. We then collect all the financial data that we
need to analyze how much you should earn, spend and save to reach your most important goals.
Retirement Planning
Nearly all clients include retirement as one of their financial goals. A lifetime cash-flow projection is
created to analyze when and under what other circumstances that retirement can be achieved. This
includes projections of investment returns, taxes, types of retirement accounts, spending and income
as well as values of assets and paying down of liabilities.
Retirement Rollovers-Potential for Conflict of Interest: A client or prospective client leaving an
employer typically has four options regarding an existing retirement plan (and may engage in a
combination of these options): (i) leave the money in the former employer’s plan, if permitted, (ii) roll
over the assets to the new employer’s plan, if one is available and rollovers are permitted, (iii) roll over
to an Individual Retirement Account (“IRA”), or (iv) cash out the account value (which could, depending
upon the client’s age, result in adverse tax consequences). If Abacus recommends that a client roll over
their retirement plan assets into an account to be managed by Abacus, such a recommendation creates
a conflict of interest if Abacus will earn new (or increase its current) compensation as a result of the
rollover. If Abacus provides a recommendation as to whether a client should engage in a rollover or not,
Abacus is acting as a fiduciary within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security
Act and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable, which are laws governing retirement accounts.
No client is under any obligation to roll over retirement plan assets to an account managed by Abacus.
Abacus has policies and procedures that are designed to manage this conflict to ensure we provide
advice that’s in your best interest. As a fiduciary, when Abacus makes a rollover recommendation, no
client is under any obligation to roll over Retirement Account assets to an account advised or managed
by Abacus.
Estate Planning
In conjunction with your estate planning attorney, we help analyze and suggest the most appropriate
estate planning techniques and tools. The analysis incorporates the income needs of dependents,
philanthropic goals, business transition and trust management.
Insurance - We advise you on the proper amount and type of insurance for your needs by comparing
lifetime and disability income needs to your assets. This advice can cover life, disability, property,
automobile, earthquake, hurricane, long-term-care and umbrella liability insurance. We may direct you
to no-load and low-load insurance products that may not be available through typical insurance agents.
Abacus does not sell insurance, nor does it receive commissions for referrals to insurance brokers.
Philanthropic Giving
Abacus provides advice regarding tax-appropriate vehicles to accomplish your philanthropic objectives,
as well as determining which assets to use for funding such a vehicle.
Other Planning Services - Abacus provides advice regarding funding college accounts, real estate
issues, business transition planning and family meeting coordination.
In performing its services, Abacus is not required to verify any information received from the client or
from the client’s other professionals (e.g., attorney, accountant, etc.) and is expressly authorized to rely
on such information. Abacus may recommend the services of itself and/or other professionals to
implement its recommendations. Clients are advised that a conflict of interest exists if Abacus
recommends its own services. The client is under no obligation to act upon any of the
recommendations made by Abacus under a financial planning or consulting engagement or to engage
the services of any such recommended professional, including Abacus itself. The client retains absolute
discretion over all such implementation decisions and is free to accept or reject any of Abacus’s
recommendations. Clients are advised that it remains their responsibility to promptly notify Abacus if
there is ever any change in their financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of
reviewing, evaluating, or revising Abacus’s previous recommendations and/or services.
Investment Management Services
Abacus primarily allocates clients’ investment management assets among mutual funds, although it
may also advise on other securities such as exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), individual debt and equity
securities options, as well as the securities components of variable annuities and variable life insurance
contracts in accordance with the investment objectives of the client. In addition, Abacus may
recommend that clients who are “accredited investors” as defined under Rule 501 of the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended, invest in private placement securities, which may include debt, equity, and/or
pooled investment vehicles when consistent with the clients’ investment objectives. Abacus also
provides advice about any type of investment held in clients' portfolios.
Abacus also may render non-discretionary investment management services to clients relative to
variable life/annuity products that they may own, their individual employer-sponsored retirement
plans, and/or 529 plans or other products that may not be held by the client’s primary custodian. In so
doing, Abacus either directs or recommends the allocation of client assets among the various
investment options that are available with the product. Client assets are maintained at the specific
insurance company or custodian designated by the product.
Abacus tailors its advisory services to the individual needs of clients. Abacus consults with clients
initially and on an ongoing basis to determine risk tolerance, time horizon and other factors that may
impact the clients’ investment needs. Abacus ensures that clients’ investments are suitable for their
investment needs, goals, objectives, and risk tolerance.
Clients are advised to promptly notify Abacus if there are changes in their financial situation or
investment objectives or if they wish to impose any reasonable restrictions upon Abacus’s
management services. Clients may impose reasonable restrictions or mandates on the management
of their account (e.g., require that a portion of their assets be invested in socially responsible funds) if,
in Abacus’s sole discretion, the conditions will not materially impact the performance of a portfolio
strategy or prove overly burdensome to its management efforts.
Custodian Charges-Additional Fees. As discussed at Item 12 below, when requested to recommend a
broker-dealer/custodian for client accounts, Abacus generally recommends that Schwab serve as the
broker-dealer/custodian for client investment management assets. Broker-dealers such as Schwab
charge brokerage commissions, transaction, and/or other type fees for effecting certain types of
securities transactions (i.e., including transaction fees for certain mutual funds, and mark-ups and
mark-downs charged for fixed income transactions, etc.). The types of securities for which transaction
fees, commissions, and/or other fee types (as well as the amount of those fees) shall differ depending
upon the broker-dealer/custodian. While certain custodians, including Schwab, generally (with the
potential exception for large orders) do not currently charge fees on individual equity transactions
(including ETFs), others do. Please Note: there can be no assurance that Schwab will not change their
transaction fee pricing in the future. Please Also Note: Schwab may also assess fees to clients who
elect to receive trade confirmations and account statements by regular mail rather than electronically.
Trade-aways: When beneficial to the client, individual fixed-income and/or equity transactions may be
effected through broker-dealers with whom Abacus and/or the client have entered into arrangements
for prime brokerage clearing services, including effecting certain client transactions through other SEC
registered and FINRA member broker-dealers (in which event, the client generally will incur both the
transaction fee charged by the executing broker-dealer and a “trade-away” fee charged by Schwab).
The above fees/charges are in addition to Abacus’s investment advisory fee at Item 5 below. Abacus
does not receive any portion of these fees/charges. ANY QUESTIONS: Abacus’s Chief Compliance
Officer, Jessica Lu, remains available to address any questions that a client or prospective client
may have regarding the above.
Disclosure Statement. A copy of Abacus’s written Brochure and Client Relationship Summary, as set
forth on Part 2 of Form ADV and Form CRS respectively, shall be provided to each client prior to the
execution of any advisory agreement.
Abacus shall provide investment advisory services specific to the needs of each client. Prior to providing
investment advisory services, an investment adviser representative will ascertain each client’s
investment objective(s). Thereafter, Abacus shall allocate and/or recommend that the client allocate
investment assets consistent with the designated investment objective(s). The client may, at any time,
impose reasonable restrictions, in writing, on Abacus’s services.
Abacus does not participate in a wrap fee program.
k