FOX ASSET Management LLC - Morgan Stanley

Transcription

FOX ASSET Management LLCVALUE-ORIENTED INVESTMENT MANAGEMENTestablished 1985 An Eaton Vance CompanyFox Asset Management LLC1040 Broad Street, Suite 203Shrewsbury, NJ 07702Toll-free: 877-841-7235Tel: 732-747-6345Fax: 732-747-9143Website: www.foxasset.comE-Mail: info@foxasset.comThis brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Fox Asset Management LLC. If you have anyquestions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us at 877-841-7235 or info@foxasset.com. The information in thisbrochure has not been approved or verified by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or by any state securitiesauthority.Additional information about Fox Asset Management LLC is also available on the SEC’s website atwww.adviserinfo.sec.gov.Version: January 30, 2014

FOX ASSET Management LLCestablished 1985 An Eaton Vance CompanyTable of Contents Summary of Material Changes .2Advisory Business.3Fees and Compensation.3Performance-Based Fees and Side-by-Side Management.4Types of Clients .4Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss.4Disciplinary Information .5Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations .5Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactionsand Personal Trading.6Brokerage Practices.6Review of Accounts.11Client Referrals and Other Compensation .11Custody.11Investment Discretion.11Voting Client Securities.11Financial Information.11Appendix I—Descriptions of Material Risks.12Appendix II—Privacy Notice .17Summary of Material ChangesThe following material changes have been made to this brochure since its last annual update on January 31,2013: 2The Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations section was revised to state that Boston Management and Research, an affiliate of Fox, is registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as acommodity trading advisor.

FOX ASSET Management LLCestablished 1985 An Eaton Vance CompanyAdvisory BusinessFox Asset Management LLC, or “Fox”, is a registered investment adviser founded in 1985 that manages equity,fixed-income and balanced portfolios. As of October 31, 2013, Fox manages approximately 1.17 billion inassets, of which 1.06 billion is managed on a discretionary basis. Of these discretionary assets, Fox sub-advisesapproximately 340 million in assets allocated to it from affiliated overlay managers. With our clients’ specificinvestment guidelines in mind, we endeavor to help clients gain a level of comfort necessary to properly maintain a long-term perspective. Fox is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eaton Vance Corp.Fox offers a selection of investment strategies in different asset classes from which to choose. Fox providesinvestment advisory services through separately managed accounts to a variety of institutional clients, such asbusiness organizations, public and private pensions, trusts, foundations, charitable organizations, high net worthindividuals and other entities. Fox’s services are tailored based on the investment objectives and guidelines provided by our clients. Fox also serves as a sub-advisor to registered investment companies or mutual funds.Each such fund is managed in accordance with its respective investment objectives, strategies and restrictions.Fox also offers investment advisory services to a number of “wrap” programs sponsored by unaffiliated banks,broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries. In traditional and dual-contract wrap programs, Fox has discretionary authority over the assets in a client’s account. In model wrap programs, Fox provides model portfolio data for a particular investment strategy to the wrap program sponsor, who is responsible for effecting securities transactions in the client’s account. In certain wrap programs, Fox sub-advises a portion of the assets inwrap program accounts for which an affiliate acts as the overlay manager. In return for its services, Fox receives a portion of the wrap fees paid by the client to the wrap program sponsor.Fees and CompensationFox is compensated by a quarterly fee based on the value of all assets, including cash, computed as outlined inour Investment Management Agreement. Generally, fees on equity strategies range from .80% to 1% for thefirst 5 million under management, scaling down to .50% for assets above 50 million. Our balanced strategiesrange from .60% to .90% for the first 5 million under management, scaling down to .40% to .70% for assetsabove 50 million. Our fixed income strategy fees are .30% for the first 10 million, scaling down to .20% forassets above 30 million. Finally, our growth and income strategy starts at .65% at the 1 million level, scalingdown to .40% for amounts above 50 million. The standard minimum account size is 2 million; however, feesand minimum account size vary depending on the particular product or program in which advisory services arerendered. In some cases, fees and/or minimum account size may be negotiable. Fee rates for management ofaccounts in separately managed account or wrap programs generally will be less than individually-managed institutional or high net worth clients because the trading, client servicing and reporting is likely to be performed bythe broker-dealer or financial service institution which sponsors the program.Fox bills clients for advisory fees quarterly. Advisory fees are generally payable in advance based upon the assets under management at the beginning of each quarter. In addition to advisory fees, clients will frequentlyincur custodian fees, brokerage charges or other transaction costs associated with the management of their account. The investment management agreement may be terminated by either party upon thirty days of writtennotice. Fox will pro rate the advisory fees for the quarter in which the investment management agreement isterminated and refund the unearned portion of any prepaid fees to the client. A complete description of Fox’sfees schedule is available upon request. See Brokerage Practices below for more information regarding trading expenses.3

FOX ASSET Management LLCestablished 1985 An Eaton Vance CompanyPerformance-Based Fees and Side-by-Side ManagementFox does not currently manage any accounts that are charged performance based fees, but may do so in the future.Types of ClientsFox provides investment advisory services with a specific investment philosophy and strategy. Each account ismanaged with a clear set of guidelines and objectives and is subject to ongoing review. Fox’s clients include individuals, pension and profit sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, endowments & foundations,corporations and other business entities. Fox has been retained by mutual fund companies to act as sub-advisor,and provides investment advisory services to wrap programs sponsored by various banks, broker-dealers andother financial intermediaries.Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of LossThe firm’s value-oriented equity strategy begins with a screening process that seeks to identify growing companies whose stocks sell at discounted price-to-earnings (P/E) and price-to-cash flow (P/CF) multiples. Fox favors such companies that maintain strong balance sheets and provide above-average dividend yields. We alsoattempt to discern situations where intrinsic asset values are not widely recognized. Rigorous fundamental analysis, from both a quantitative and qualitative standpoint, is applied to all investment candidates. The firm employs a disciplined “bottom-up” approach to identify undervalued stocks. We seek out emerging and establishedtrends that point to profit growth not overly dependent on economic trends in our stock selection. We are typically fully invested; however, if cash builds because of our sell discipline, transitional cash is held until values thatmeet our criteria become available.Fox offers four general categories of investment strategies: equity, fixed income, balanced and growth and income. Listed below are certain material risks that apply to strategies in each of these categories. The materialrisks described below for each category of investment strategy are not comprehensive. A particular investmentstrategy may be subject to additional risks not described below. Investing in securities and other financial instruments involves a risk of loss that clients should be prepared to bear.Equity strategies may be subject to one or more of the following material risks: Equity Investing Risk; Foreignand Emerging Market Investment Risk; Risks Associated with Active Management; General Investing Risks;Small Companies Risk; Real Estate Risk; Derivatives Risk; Income Risk; Concentration Risk; Issuer Diversification Risk; ETF Risk; Tracking Error Risk and Short Sale Risk. Not all of these risks apply to each equity strategy. The specific risks associated with a particular equity strategy depend on the investment approaches used andthe extent to which the strategy employs certain portfolio management techniques or invests in financial instruments other than equity securities. For a summary of each risk, see Appendix I — Descriptions of Material Risks.Our fixed income strategy may be subject to one or more of the following material risks: Income Market Risk;Interest Rate Risk; Credit Risk; Derivatives Risk; Risk of U.S. Government-Sponsored Agencies; ETN Risk;Risk of Lower Rated Investments; Municipal Bond Market Risk; Issuer Diversification Risk; Risks Associatedwith Active Management; General Investing Risks; Tracking Error Risk; Short Sale Risk; Risk of RepurchaseAgreements and Reverse Repurchase Agreements; Duration Risk; Inflation-Linked Security Risk; Maturity Risk;Risk of Leveraged Transactions; Risk of Residual Interest Bonds; Risk of Principal Only Investments and TaxRisk. The specific risks associated with the fixed income strategy may change over time and depend on the investment approaches used and the extent to which the strategy employs certain portfolio management techniques or invests in financial instruments other than debt securities. For a summary of each risk, see Appendix I— Descriptions of Material Risks.4

FOX ASSET Management LLCestablished 1985 An Eaton Vance CompanyBecause balanced strategies invest in a variety of equity and debt securities, they may be subject to any of the material risks listed above for equity and fixed income strategies. Not all of these risks apply to each balanced strategy. The specific risks associated with a balanced strategy may change over time and depend on its allocationamong particular equity and fixed income investment approaches. The specific risks associated with a balancedstrategy also depend on the extent to which the strategy employs certain portfolio management techniques orinvests in financial instruments other than equity and debt securities. For a summary of each risk, see Appendix I— Descriptions of Material Risks.Our growth and income strategy may be subject to one or more of the following material risks: Equity InvestingRisk; Foreign and Emerging Market Investment Risk; Risks Associated with Active Management; General Investing Risks; Real Estate Risk; Derivatives Risk; Income Risk; Concentration Risk; Issuer Diversification Risk; ETFRisk; Tracking Error Risk and Short Sale Risk. The specific risks associated with the growth and income strategymay change over time and depend on the investment approaches used and the extent to which the strategy employs certain portfolio management techniques or invests in financial instruments other than equity securities.For a summary of each risk, see Appendix I — Descriptions of Material Risks.Disciplinary InformationThere have been no enforcement actions of any kind, including criminal, civil or administrative proceedings, taken against our firm, its officers, directors or investment professionals, by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), other regulatory bodies, or other legal authorities since the inception of our firm in 1985.Other Financial Industry Activities and AffiliationsFox is a wholly owned, indirect subsidiary of Eaton Vance Corp. Eaton Vance Management (“Eaton Vance”)and Boston Management and Research (“BMR”) are also wholly owned subsidiaries of Eaton Vance Corp.EVM and BMR are each registered as an investment adviser with the SEC. Eaton Vance and BMR are each registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) as a commodity pool operator and a commodity trading advisor. Eaton Vance owns Eaton Vance Advisers (Ireland) Limited and Eaton Vance Management (International) Limited, each of which serves as investment adviser or distributor to certain offshore funds.Eaton Vance Investment Counsel (“EVIC”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Eaton Vance Corp., is registered as aninvestment adviser with the SEC. EVIC serves as an investment adviser to high net worth individuals, trusts,pension plans and institutions on both a discretionary and non-discretionary basis. Individual investment counselors employed by EVIC also serve as trustee to certain EVIC trust clients. Eaton Vance Corp., through a subsidiary, owns approximately 90% of Atlanta Capital Management Company, LLC (“Atlanta Capital”). AtlantaCapital is registered as an investment adviser with the SEC. Eaton Vance Corp., through subsidiaries, owns approximately 98% of Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC (“PPA”). PPA is registered as an investment adviserwith the SEC. PPA is registered with the CFTC as a commodity pool operator and a commodity trading advisor.PPA owns a majority interest in Parametric Risk Advisors LLC (“PRA”). PRA is registered as an investment adviser with the SEC. Eaton Vance Corp., through a subsidiary, owns approximately 49% of Hexavest Inc.(“Hexavest”). Hexavest is registered as an investment adviser with the SEC. Eaton Vance, BMR, Atlanta Capital, PPA, PRA and Hexavest serve as administrator, investment adviser and/or investment sub-advisor to certainopen-end and closed-end investment companies (the “Eaton Vance Funds”). Eaton Vance and PPA also serveas overlay managers to certain wrap programs to which Fox provides investment advice on a non-discretionarybasis. Eaton Vance also provides certain middle and back office services to Fox, including, but not limited to,account and trade administration. Certain Fox employees are also employed by Eaton Vance. These dualemployees provide investment advisory services to certain Eaton Vance Funds.5

FOX ASSET Management LLCestablished 1985 An Eaton Vance CompanyEaton Vance Corp. owns all of the outstanding stock of Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc., a broker-dealer registered with the SEC. Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc. serves as principal underwriter and distributor for the EatonVance Funds.Under certain circumstances, Fox’s relationships with its affiliates may result in a conflict of interest betweenFox and its clients. Fox is subject to various laws and regulations aimed at limiting the effects of these conflicts.Fox has adopted policies and procedures to comply with applicable laws and regulations, to mitigate these conflicts where possible and to ensure that it acts at all times in the best interests of its clients. For additional information on certain conflicts of interest and the procedures designed to mitigate them, see Brokerage Practices andCode of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading below.Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal TradingFox has adopted various policies, including a Code of Ethics (the “Code”), to address the potential for selfdealing and conflicts of interest which may arise with respect to personal securities trading by employees, officersand other affiliated persons (“Fox Associates”). The Code and other policies cover, among other things, portfolio management and trading practices, personal investment transactions and insider trading. These policies aremeant to avoid actual and apparent conflicts of interest and to ensure that clients’ interests are put first. For example, the Code restricts the timing and other circumstances under which certain Fox Associates may purchaseor sell a security which to their knowledge is being purchased or sold or being considered for purchase or sale bya client. The Code further restricts or discourages certain investment activities, such as participation in IPOs orlimited offerings, frequent securities trading and the use of short sales and naked options. Fox Associates arealso prohibited from purchasing or selling any security for their own account or for that of a client while in possession of material, non-public information concerning the security or its issuer. The Code also requires certainFox Associates to obtain pre-clearance before trading in securities for their own account and to periodically report their securities holdings. To facilitate this reporting, these Fox Associates are required to arrange for theirbrokerage firm to send duplicate confirmations and all periodic account statements to the Fox Compliance Department.Fox may impose sanctions for violations of the Code, up to and including termination of employment. Fox willprovide a copy of the Code to any client or prospective client upon request. You may obtain a copy of the Codeby writing: Fox Asset Management, c/o Eaton Vance Management, Attn: Legal Dept. – Code of Ethics, TwoInternational Place, Boston, MA 02110.Brokerage PracticesFox uses the trading desks of its affiliate, Eaton Vance, to effect client portfolio transactions. This section describes the brokerage practices employed by Eaton Vance on behalf of Fox.Selection of Broker-DealersEaton Vance seeks to achieve best overall execution when selecting broker-dealers for client portfolio transactions. In seeking best overall execution, Eaton Vance will use its best judgment in evaluating the terms of atransaction, and will give consideration to

Fox Asset Management LLC, or “Fox”, is a registered investment adviser founded in 1985 that manages equity, fixed-income and balanced portfolios. As of October 31, 2013, Fox manages approximately 1.17 billion in assets, of which 1.06 billion is managed on a discretionary basis. Of File Size: 365KB