Firm Description
Balentine LLC (the “Firm” or “Balentine”) provides entrepreneurs and their families with
sophisticated wealth management solutions that provide peace of mind. As an employee-owned firm
with offices in Atlanta, Ga., and Raleigh, N.C., the Firm provides a full complement of comprehensive
wealth management solutions for individuals, families, and institutions, as well as a pooled
investment vehicle.
Balentine was formed in 2009 and began operations on January 4, 2010.
Principal Owners
Balentine Partners LLC (“Partners”) is the sole owner of Balentine. Partners
is owned by nine individuals all of whom are officers or employees of Balentine. Balentine Chairman Robert
M. Balentine and his family trust own more than 25% but less than a majority.
Types of Advisory Services
WEALTH MANAGEMENT
Balentine is an employee-owned wealth management firm providing fiduciary counsel, whose services are
tailored to protect and grow clients’ wealth. The Firm works with clients to deeply understand their aspirations,
goals, and needs, helping define success on each client’s terms. Balentine is not a broker dealer, does not pay
sales commissions or require quotas for staff, has no revenue sharing agreements and does not accept any
form of soft dollar payments from managers, custodians, or other providers.
The Firm generally serves its clients on a discretionary and non-discretionary basis. As a discretionary
adviser, Balentine will have the authority to supervise and direct the client’s portfolio without prior
consultation with the client within allowable agreed upon ranges established for each investment strategy.
As such, Balentine is authorized by its clients to make and implement ongoing investment decisions in the
ordinary course without obtaining prior client approval of individual investments. Balentine also offers
and provides non-discretionary portfolio management services whereby the Firm will make specific
investment recommendations to a client tailored to meet the needs and investment objectives of that
specific client; however, it shall not initiate any orders to purchase or sell any securities (or specific security)
without the client’s approval. Balentine provides discretionary advice to multiple pooled investment vehicles,
the (“Private Funds” and each a “Private Fund”).
FINANCIAL PLANNING
Balentine offers formalized, custom financial planning to help clients outline goals, evaluate the right path and
implement their desired financial strategy. The Firm works with clients to develop a blueprint of financial
decisions all while working to maximize the likelihood of success, however a client defines it. Balentine’s
process includes an interactive digital experience that blends two leading financial planning tools with the
Firm’s proprietary investment process. With the client’s consent and input, Balentine will coordinate and meet
with the client’s other providers (including but not limited to attorneys, CPAs, and insurance advisors) to create
a complete financial picture for clients. Balentine may also recommend financial professionals to help in areas
where there are additional needs. These other providers and professionals are third parties and independent
of Balentine; as such, Balentine does not receive a referral fee for these recommendations. The primary
objective is to help create a cohesive framework whereby each client’s goals flow through all aspects of their
lives and ensure continuity. Along with our suite of customized technology tools to help identify the most
efficient means of attaining goals, Balentine’s planning services span the following areas: balance sheets, cash
flow planning, tax planning, estate and legacy planning, philanthropy, investment management, income
replacement and asset protection.
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
Balentine uses both active and passive solutions to implement its investment advice. Working with each client,
the Firm seeks to determine an appropriate allocation of the client’s invested assets among different asset
classes, and in turn may select one or more third-party money managers, ETFs, Money Market Funds
and/or Index Funds which specialize in each of those asset classes. The third-party managers will be
responsible for security selection, continuous monitoring of the client’s account, and, when necessary,
making trades. Balentine also retains discretion on these accounts and selects the third-party manager in its
sole discretion.
Balentine performs initial and ongoing due diligence on each manager who will trade independently of one
another. There can be no assurance that the investment strategies employed by a third-party money
manager will be successful. The services, reports, and contract termination provisions provided by these
programs vary, as do the costs. Balentine works with its clients to understand the strategy, fees, and costs;
and, upon request, will share its due diligence with clients to ensure understanding.
SUB-ADVISORY SERVICES
Balentine offers investment sub-advisory services to third-party advisory firms by giving them access to
the Firm’s asset allocation models, investment strategies, and underlying rationale. This may also include
assistance with portfolio analysis. When appropriate, Balentine may, as a representative of these services,
participate in the communication of said services to their end prospects and clients.
FAMILY OFFICE SERVICES AND PRIVATE CAPITAL ADVISORY
Balentine offers comprehensive Family Office Services as an enhanced Wealth Management offering.
These services are offered by Engagement Letter based on the dynamic needs of each family office client.
Depending on complexities and priorities, we tailor the way we will work together, with goals and
deliverables around Five Pillars: Planning, Administration, Asset Management, Legacy Planning, and
Business Advisory.
• Planning: Planning engagements help entrepreneurs and families manage their wealth by
showing them what is possible, probable, and achievable. We work alongside other key advisors
to align your priorities in these areas:
o Financial Planning
o Tax Planning
o Insurance Planning
o Estate Planning
o Coordination of External Advisors
• Administration: One of the most time-consuming burdens individuals and families face comes
from managing the moving parts of daily processes. It commands time, attention and resources
that could be better spent elsewhere. Our family office practice handles reporting and
maintenance on a tactical level keeping clients informed of the global view.
o Consolidated Reporting
o Monthly Entity Accounting
o Recordkeeping
o Cash Flow and Cash Management
o Outsourced Payroll Services & Bill Pay
• Asset Management: Our Engagement Letter clients benefit from our asset management advice
whether we manage the assets. While we can, and often do manage assets, we can also work
with other advisors to ensure alignment and diligence. This includes orchestrated oversight
around:
o Asset Allocation and Tactical Rebalancing
o Manager Search and Selection
o Performance Measurement
o Private Capital Fund Analysis
o Direct Investment Due Diligence
• Legacy Planning: Regardless of any success a client may have achieved in business, philanthropy,
or wealth creation, many still grapple with how to create meaningful dialogue with those closest
to them. Our sincere hope is to help our clients reach new levels of alignment, authenticity, trust,
and transparency with loved ones, and to support families as their wealth and unique definition
of “legacy” evolve.
o Family Mission and Values
o Family Governance
o Education of Children
o Philanthropic Mission and Impact
o Philanthropic Structure and Governance
• Business Advisory
Balentine frequently works with entrepreneurs and business owners to assist them in improving the
performance and value of their operating companies. Through its own experience as business owners
and advisors to business owners, the firm seeks to assist clients in the following areas:
o Initial Strategic Assessment – whether to keep or sell the business by identifying and
understanding the options and assisting with execution.
o Evaluating Capital Structure including debt and terms
o Internal Succession Planning including management buy-outs, recapitalizations and
ESOPs
o External Succession Planning including assembling and coordinating a team to evaluate
strategic and financial buyers
Balentine frequently works with entrepreneurs and business
owners to assist them with understanding
the differences in, and challenges of, managing wealth versus managing their operating companies.
OUTSIDE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AND CONSOLIDATED REPORTING
Separately, and when appropriate, Balentine will also assist clients with initial and/or ongoing due diligence on
other investment advisers. The full scope of this relationship and fees (if any) is outlined in the Engagement
Letter. Balentine does not receive any fee from the investment advisers on which Balentine is performing due
diligence or making a recommendation. As part of this offering, Balentine can and does coordinate the
allocation decisions for its client.
The Firm may also assist clients in monitoring the performance and services provided by outside advisors,
and specifically provide consolidated reporting capability. This means that the client will receive reporting from
the assets under management with Balentine, as well as reporting on the assets under management by the
outside manager(s). An additional fee is charged for this consolidating reporting, typically 10 basis points
annually, and is disclosed in the Investment Management Agreement between Balentine and the client.
GLOBAL TACTICAL ASSET ALLOCATION
Balentine offers institutional investors access to its Global Tactical Asset Allocation (“GTAA”) strategies which
seek to generate alpha using a disciplined, model-driven approach to asset allocation. Balentine believes that
the vast majority of returns in a portfolio can be explained by the correct asset allocation. The firm’s GTAA
strategies seek to identify when long-standing relationships between traditional asset classes favor one asset
class over another using a combination of relative value and momentum. Portfolios that do not use GTAA may
be exposed to a more static asset allocation, which rebalances portfolios solely based upon a calendar review
cycle. However, opportunities seldom occur conveniently or regularly based upon the calendar. In contrast,
the goal of GTAA is to allocate the portfolio to as many superior asset classes as possible, allowing Balentine to
take advantage of the shifts in investor sentiment.
Tailored Relationships
Balentine recognizes that no two clients are exactly alike. The Firm’s clients have different priorities, goals, and
timelines for the management of their wealth. Some may have a higher tolerance for risk while others may
have extremely specific tax situations. Because of these infinite variables, the Firm believes no two portfolios
should be exactly alike.
Balentine consistently monitors and adjusts clients investment exposures in an effort to mitigate risk and
capture opportunities as warranted by current and developing market conditions. Unlike traditional asset
allocation models employed by many financial firms, Balentine approaches individualized portfolio
construction with the fundamental foundations of base capital and growth capital and adjusts these
components according to each client’s needs.
Balentine tailors its services to each of its clients. The Firm’s services typically include help for the
following dimensions:
• Providing a dedicated client transition manager whose role is to ensure that the onboarding process
goes smoothly for new Balentine clients;
• Assessing the client’s risk tolerance using quantitative and qualitative factors;
• Identifying financial goals and developing plans to achieve these goals in consideration of the client’s
financial position, risk tolerance, time horizon, investment restrictions, and other suitability factors;
• Evaluating the client’s estate plan in consideration of the client’s financial position and identified goals;
• Assessing relevant investment market conditions;
• Creating an Investment Policy Statement which establishes investment objectives and broad
guidelines for exposure to various asset classes;
• Evaluating and selecting potential sub-advisers and investment funds to manage the client’s
investments;
• Ongoing monitoring of the client’s investment performance;
• Rebalancing asset allocations and/or reallocating among asset classes based on changes in investment
and market conditions;
• Assessing the ongoing performance of sub-advisers and investment funds;
• Terminating and replacing sub-advisers and investment funds, as appropriate, based on the Firm’s
performance assessments;
• Meeting with the client on mutually agreed periodic basis to review the client’s goals, progress to plan,
and investment portfolio performance and construction.
The Firm may also advise clients with respect to special projects, including, for example, individual manager
due diligence, additional risk management review and implementation, and management of concentrated
securities holdings. If desired by a client, Balentine can impose restrictions on investing in certain securities or
types of securities by sub-advisers.
Clients considering a Retirement Plan (401k, 403b, etc.) Rollover to an Individual Retirement Plan (“IRA”) should
consider the following factors when determining whether to transfer their assets to Balentine:
The client can: (i) leave the money in the former employer’s plan, if permitted, (ii) rollover the assets to another
existing Retirement Plan, (iii) rollover to an IRA or (iv) cash out of their Retirement Plan (which could depend on
the client’s age, result in adverse tax consequences).
Additional factors to consider:
Investment Options—An IRA often enables an investor to select from a broader range of investment options
than a plan.
Fees and Expenses—Both plans and IRAs typically involve (i) investment-related expenses and (ii) plan or
account fees. Investment-related expenses may include commissions, the expenses of any mutual funds/ETFs in
which assets are invested and investment advisory fees. Plan fees typically include plan administrative fees
(e.g., recordkeeping, compliance, trustee fees) and fees for services such as access to a customer service
representative. In some cases, employers pay for some or all of the plan's administrative expenses. An IRA's
account fees may include, for example, administrative, account set-up and custodial fees.
Services—An investor may wish to consider the different levels of service available under each option. Some
plans, for example, provide access to investment advice, planning tools, telephone help lines, educational
materials and workshops. Similarly, IRA providers offer different levels of service, which may include full
brokerage service, investment advice, distribution planning and access to securities execution online.
Asset Consolidation – transferring assets can provide the benefit of having investments maintained in one
account or a portfolio of accounts for holistic asset management.
Penalty-Free Withdrawals—If an employee leaves her job between age 55 and 59½, they may be able to take
penalty-free withdrawals from a plan. In contrast, penalty-free withdrawals generally may not be made from an
IRA until age 59½. It also may be easier to borrow from a plan.
Protection from Creditors and Legal Judgments—Generally speaking, plan assets have unlimited protection
from creditors under federal law, while IRA assets are protected in bankruptcy proceedings only. State laws vary
in the protection of IRA assets in lawsuits.
Required Minimum Distributions—Once an individual reaches age 70½, the rules for both plans and IRAs
require the periodic withdrawal of certain minimum amounts, known as the required minimum distribution. If a
person is still working at age 70½, however, he generally is not required to make required minimum
distributions from his current employer's plan. This may be advantageous for those who plan to work into their
70s.
These are examples of the factors that may be relevant when analyzing available options, and the list is not
exhaustive. Other considerations also might apply to specific circumstances.
Wrap Fee Programs
Balentine does not participate in a wrap fee program.
Client Assets
Regulatory Assets Under Management (“RAUM”). As of December 31, 2023, Balentine managed
approximately $4,691,282,848 of RAUM, of which $4,381,391,551 was managed on a discretionary basis and
$309,891,297 on a non-discretionary basis.
In addition, Balentine provides consulting or other advice on assets for which it does not have continuous and
regular management or direct investment authority. As of March 27, 2024, Balentine had approximately
$2,825,553,077 of these Assets Under Advisement (“AUA”).
Total Assets Under Advisement and Regulatory Assets Under Management is $7,516,835,925.