Located in St. Louis, Missouri, Confluence Investment Management, LLC's team of financial advisors includes chartered financial analysts (CFAs) with experience providing advice on asset classes across the investment universe.
Confluence Investment Management Background
Confluence launched in 2007 and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2008. Former investment management and banking professionals from A.G. Edwards & Sons and its subsidiary Gallatin Asset Management, Inc., laid the firm’s roots. Today, it stands as a 100% employee-owned entity.
In 2018, Confluence acquired the assets of Gratry & Company, LLC. Investment professionals from that firm currently manage Confluence’s international and global equity products.
Confluence Investment Management Client Types and Account Minimums
Confluence provides its services to a variety of clients, including:
- Individuals (both high net worth and not)
- Corporations
- Pension and profit-sharing plans
- Taft-Hartley plans
- Other investment advisors (on behalf of their clients)
- Charitable institutions
- Municipalities
- Registered investment companies
In addition, the firm states it may soon extend portfolio management services to investment vehicles it may sponsor.
Confluence generally requires a minimum investment of $100,000 for most of its accounts. However, these minimums may be larger or smaller for specific investment strategies and client types. We detail these circumstances below:
Asset allocation strategy: $50,000
Balanced equity strategy: $200,000
Private wealth accounts: $500,000
Institutional accounts: $5 million
Services Offered by Confluence Investment Management
Confluence offers discretionary and nondiscretionary portfolio management and advisory services. It primarily does this through separately managed accounts. Strategies cover equities, international equities and alternative investments.
Confluence Investment Management Investing Philosophy
Independent fundamental research is at the base of Confluence’s investing philosophy. When making investment decisions, the firm takes into account the big picture - macroeconomics, the performance of different market cycles and geopolitical analysis among other factors - as well as company fundamentals. The practice says that “this discipline enables the investment committees to identify broad risks, while taking advantage of specific opportunities.”
The firm’s core investment solutions feature:
Equity Strategies - aim for above-average returns by investing in stocks of various high-performing companies from small-cap firms to large-cap ones.
Balanced Strategies - provide exposure to equities and fixed income. Clients may decide on specific proportions. These accounts primarily utilize fixed-income exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and equities.
Asset Allocation Strategies - invest in a variety of securities such as stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and commodities, depending on the client’s profile.
International Strategies - invest in high-performing companies across different countries and industry sectors while aiming to mitigate risk.
Alternative Investment Strategies: invest in different alternative investment classes, which the Confluence team believes pose the potential to generate risk-adjusted returns.
Fees Under Confluence Investment Management
Fees charged by Confluence depend on various factors such as client type, investment strategy and account size. Below, we provide the firm’s current fee schedule as it applies to advisor-based discretionary portfolio management services for individual clients. We break these fees down by investment strategy.
Asset Allocation and Fixed-income
| Account Assets | Annual Fee |
| First $500,000 | 0.40% |
| Next $500,000 | 0.35% |
| More than $1,000,000 | 0.30% |
All Cap Value, Balanced, Equity Income Global Hard Assets, Multi-Asset Income, Increasing Dividend Equity Account (IDEA), Large Cap Value, International Developed, International Growth, Global Large Cap, Global Developed, Global Growth
| Account Assets | Annual Fee |
| First $500,000 | 0.60% |
| Next $500,000 | 0.55% |
| More than $1,000,000 | 0.50% |
IDEA Plus, REIT, Specialty Finance BDC
| Account Assets | Annual Fee |
| First $500,000 | 0.80% |
| Next $500,000 | 0.70% |
| More than $1,000,000 | 0.60% |
Emerging Markets, Global Opportunities, International Opportunities, Small Cap Value, Small-Mid Cap Value, Value Opportunities
| Account Assets | Annual Fee |
| First $500,000 | 1.00% |
| Next $500,000 | 0.90% |
| More than $1,000,000 | 0.75% |
What to Watch Out For
While Confluence offers a diverse range of portfolio management strategies, it lacks personal financial planning services. If you are seeking individual financial consulting around topics like estate planning or managing retirement accounts such as 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs), this firm is not likely to be a good fit.
Confluence had no legal or disciplinary matters in the past 10 years to report in its most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). For the latest details, you can find the firm’s Form ADV and firm brochure on the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Opening an Account With Confluence Investment Management
To inquire about becoming a potential client, call (314) 743-5090 or send an email to info@confluenceim.com.
Finding the Right Financial Advisor
- If you’d like financial planning advice in addition to portfolio management services, we can help you find a financial advisor that can meet those needs. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
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- For more tips, check out our report on the top five questions to ask when choosing a financial advisor.
All information was accurate as of the writing of this article.
