Discovery Capital Management, LLC is an investment firm providing advisory services for private funds and investors. The financial advisor has billions of dollars in assets under management (AUM). The firm only manages funds, with institutional investors having the ability to invest in them. These are a mix of hedge funds and private equity funds.
Note that this firm does not work with individual clients. To find an advisor for your personal portfolio, consider using SmartAsset’s free financial advisor matching service.
Discovery Capital Management Background
Founded in April 1999, the firm began its operations in August 1999 as an investment advisor and subsidiary of its parent company, Discovery Capital Management Holding Co., L.P. In collaboration with two affiliated investment advisors, the firm tailors its services to pooled investment funds which are intended for institutional investors. Robert K. Citrone owns both Discovery Capital Management and its parent company.
Discovery Capital Management Client Types and Minimum Account Sizes
Discovery Capital primarily offers investment advisory services to pooled investment funds or private funds. These are a mix of private equity funds and hedge funds. Institutional investors technically invest in these funds and not with the firm directly.
The firm generally requires a $1 million account minimum for its pooled investment funds, but this fee can also vary based on any specific fund’s documentation. General partners of the funds may also waive the minimum requirement at their discretion. The initial or additional required minimums, if any, are disclosed in the relevant fund documentation.
Services Offered by Discovery Capital Management
Discovery Capital offers a range of investment advisory services, including:
- Investment management
- Subadvisory services
- Management consulting
Discovery Capital Management Investment Philosophy
Through its pooled investment funds, Discovery Capital strives to invest across global markets by using analytical strategies such as fundamental analysis, “top-down” global macro analysis, and political and policy risk assessment. To identify investment opportunities both on a local and global basis, the firm also employs fundamental research for its industry, company and securities selections.
Discovery Capital has also adopted policies and procedures to ensure that it allocates investment opportunities for clients on a fair basis. The firm believes this alleviates the potential conflicts of interest that may result from the management of multiple accounts. Additionally, the firm’s strategies consist of finding high risk-adjusted total returns, employing both “equity long-short” and “global macro” strategies and implementing fundamental research to assess potential investments, or investments, in other country's markets. The firm also believes in managing portfolio risk by being flexible and capable of quickly adjusting to market conditions.
Fees Under Discovery Capital Management
Discovery Capital doesn’t provide a fee schedule, but it does offer information about its fee structure. Investors in any of the funds may encounter a management fee that is based on the value of AUM. The firm may also charge such investors a performance-based allocation or fee. If applicable, the investment management fees are paid on a monthly or quarterly basis in arrears. The performance-based fees are allocated annually, or upon realization for private equity vehicles.
For the funds where the firm directly manages investments, and an affiliate serves as a general partner, the management fees and performance-based fees are taken from the fund’s assets. These can be paid to either Discovery Capital or the general partner. The firm also charges an investment management fee for certain private equity funds. This fee takes into account the aggregate cost basis of all portfolio investments at the close of each calendar quarter in a year.
Though fees are generally non-negotiable, Discovery Capital retains the discretion to waive or reduce fees for accounts held by firm employees or certain investors. Clients with managed accounts are billed separately.
What to Watch Out For
Discovery Capital only has one disclosure related to regulatory action, according to its most recent Form ADV. In 2015, the Brazilian Securities Exchange Commission (Comissao de Valores Mobiliarios (CVM)) accused the firm of violating regulatory requirements related to equity participation. Discovery Capital maintained that it acted in accordance with the applicable regulatory requirements and that it acted under guidance from the Brazilian Legal Counsel. But the case was settled with a $90,000 fine.
Also, as noted above, this is not a firm for individual investors. If that is what you are interested in, consider finding one with SmartAsset’s free financial advisor matching service.
Opening an Account With Discovery Capital Management
If you’re interested in opening an account with Discovery Capital, you can do so in two ways: you can call to set up an appointment at (203) 838-3188, or you can stop by the firm’s office to speak with a representative.
All information is accurate as of the writing of this article.
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