Introduction
FAM is a privately owned investment advisory firm that was founded in 1964. FAM is wholly-
owned by Alger Group Holdings, LLC (“AGH”), which is wholly-owned by Alger Associates,
Inc. (“AAI” and together with FAM’s affiliates, “Alger”). FAM is under common ownership with
Weatherbie Capital, LLC (“WC”) and Redwood Investments, LLC (“RI”), each, a registered
investment adviser. Alexandra D. Alger, Hilary M. Alger and Nicole D. Alger together own
(directly or through trusts they have created for the benefit of their families) approximately 35%,
35% and 29%, respectively, of AAI.
FAM specializes in research and portfolio management of exchange listed and over-the-counter
equity securities of U.S. and foreign companies. To a lesser extent, FAM also provides investment
advice with respect to other securities, including options contracts on various securities and
securities indices, warrants, private placements, convertible securities, corporate debt securities,
mutual fund shares, swaps, United States Government and Agency securities and currency
contracts. FAM is also registered as an investment adviser, or operating under an exemption from
registration, in Australia, Ireland, and Canada.
FAM offers multiple investment strategies, including Spectra, Capital Appreciation, Socially
Responsible (“SRI”) Capital Appreciation, Focus Equity, Large Cap Growth, Alger 35, Dynamic
Opportunities, Dynamic Return, Growth & Income, Mid Cap Growth, Mid Cap Focus, Mid Cap
40, Small Cap Growth, Small Cap Focus, Health Sciences, Life Sciences Innovation, Responsible
Investing, Balanced, Concentrated Equity, and AI Enablers & Adopters. The Specialized Growth,
Enduring Growth and Select 15 Strategies are managed by FAM’s affiliate WC. Please see WC’s
Form ADV Part 2A for additional information on these strategies. The Global Focus, International
Focus, and Emerging Markets Strategies are managed by FAM’s affiliate RI. Please see RI’s Form
ADV Part 2A for additional information on these strategies.
FAM provides both discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services to
institutional investors through separate accounts, U.S. and foreign registered and privately offered
funds, as well as through third-party sponsored funds and bank sponsored collective investment
trusts; and to retail investors through wrap programs and U.S. and foreign registered funds.
Clients can and relevant laws, rules, or regulations will impose restrictions on investing in certain
securities or certain types of securities, or on the percentage of ownership in any single security,
sector or industry. In addition, each of FAM’s strategies follows a specific investment discipline
with their own portfolio construction parameters. Accordingly, FAM will not enter into an
advisory relationship with any prospective client whose investment objectives are incompatible
with FAM’s investment philosophy or strategies or who seeks to impose unduly restrictive
guidelines.
For client accounts subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended
(“ERISA”, and such accounts, “Plan Accounts”), FAM provides services both as a registered
investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”),
and as a fiduciary as that term is defined in Section 3(21)(A) of ERISA.
Wrap Fee Programs
Clients can access certain of FAM’s investment strategies through programs sponsored by
unaffiliated financial intermediaries, advisers or planners in which FAM serves as an investment
adviser (“wrap programs”). The wrap programs for which FAM serves as an investment adviser
are listed in Section 5.I.(2) of FAM’s Form ADV Part 1, a copy of which is available either 1) on
request or 2) on the SEC’s website at the following link:
https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/106750
FAM offers advisory services through the following types of wrap programs:
1.
Single Contract Program. In Single Contract Wrap Programs, clients pay the sponsor of
the wrap program a single fee (the wrap fee), the sponsor pays a percentage of the wrap fee
to FAM for its investment management services, and the sponsor executes trades and
administers the account without additional charges to the clients. Each client enters into an
agreement with the sponsor to provide discretionary investment management services to
the client and each investment manager available in the program maintains a sub-advisory
agreement with the sponsor.
2.
Dual Contract Program. In Dual Contract Wrap
Programs, sponsors offer clients a
package of services, including trade execution and account administration, along with a
menu of investment managers to choose from. Each client enters into a contract with the
sponsor, which covers custody, brokerage and other services, and separately enters into an
investment management agreement with FAM. In these programs, FAM is generally
directed by clients to effect transactions for their accounts through the program sponsor or
the sponsor’s broker-dealer affiliate; however, FAM has the ability to effect transactions
in these wrap accounts through a non-sponsor affiliated broker-dealer if doing so allows
FAM to achieve better execution. Although fees and services are unbundled, clients do not
pay FAM directly for its investment management services, but instead direct payments
through the program sponsor or the sponsor’s broker-dealer affiliate. The sponsor or its
affiliate then remits payment to FAM for its investment management services.
3. Model Portfolio Program. In a Model Portfolio Program, FAM enters into an agreement
with the sponsor to provide an initial model portfolio to the sponsor, which the sponsor
then seeks to replicate for its clients. FAM will then regularly provide updated model
portfolios to the sponsor as positions and position weightings change for a strategy. FAM
does not place trades on behalf of accounts in these programs and therefore has no ability
to ensure that accounts conform to the model portfolio provided. Trades for model
portfolios may be placed by the sponsor after FAM has placed trades for wrap programs
and other clients for which it serves as investment adviser. The sponsor remits payment to
FAM for its investment advisory services.
Management of Wrap Programs
In managing accounts in a wrap program, FAM generally does not invest in limited partnerships,
illiquid securities, or foreign securities not traded on a U.S. exchange, and such accounts will not
participate in allocations of initial public offerings. FAM also attempts to minimize the tax impact
of portfolio transactions. In an effort to minimize the volume of trading for accounts in a wrap
program, FAM generally has a minimum position size for a transaction. Such minimum position
size may not exist for non-wrap accounts. Finally, certain wrap sponsors or clients may impose
security restrictions as well as minimum cash limits on their accounts. As a result, FAM will
generally impose the most restrictive limit across wrap sponsors in the affected strategy(ies).
The timing of trades for wrap accounts will generally differ from other accounts and will generally
be made later in time than for other accounts managed by FAM (see Item 12: Brokerage Practices,
for details about FAM’s trading practices for wrap accounts). Further, FAM maintains
relationships with multiple sponsors, and the timing of trades placed by FAM for wrap accounts
is on a “rotational” basis among all sponsors.
The practices described above will cause a wrap program account’s performance to diverge from
other accounts managed by FAM according to the same strategy.
Given the structure of wrap programs and the fact that payments to FAM are received from the
wrap sponsor, FAM does not believe it receives any direct compensation from clients who
participate in the wrap programs (including Plan Accounts). The wrap sponsor is responsible for
billing and collecting any fees owed by clients with respect to their participation in the wrap
program.
Each client’s ability to allocate, reallocate or redeem its investment under a wrap program is
governed by the terms of the client’s agreement with the wrap sponsor and the disclosure provided
by the wrap sponsor. Any termination-related provisions would be found in the agreement
between the client and the wrap sponsor.
For wrap program accounts, FAM generally does not negotiate brokerage commissions or other
costs related to the execution of trades because those charges are generally included in the single
fee paid by the client to the sponsor, and the client has generally contractually agreed to execute
trades through the sponsor or the sponsor’s broker-dealer affiliate. In the event that FAM selects a
broker-dealer other than the sponsor or its affiliate, the client would typically pay a commission,
concession, or dealer mark-up or mark-down, in addition to the wrap fee paid to the sponsor, as
well as other administrative fees to settle such a transaction.
Client Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2023, FAM managed $16,973,629,904 of client assets on a discretionary
basis, and $600,539,226 of client assets on a non-discretionary basis.