Symmetry Partners is a fee-only investment advisory firm that serves a range of clients from individuals to retirement plans. The firm manages diversified proprietary portfolios built on academic research into financial markets and financial behavior. It currently oversees billions of dollars in assets under management (AUM).
Symmetry works directly with investors, but also provides support to independent advisory firms. The firm has a number of proprietary portfolios that they use to help drive growth in client portfolios.
Symmetry Partners Background
Symmetry Partners launched its business in 1994. Today, it provides investment advisory services by constructing diversified portfolios on behalf of its clients. The firm generally utilizes open-end mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to construct these portfolios. In some cases, Symmetry may partner with other registered investment advisors (RIAs) to provide these services.
In addition, the firm aims to deliver investor education and dedicates a portion of its website to content around financial topics like smart beta investing and the basics of multi-factor exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Founders David E. Connelly, Jr. and Patrick A. Sweeny currently own the firm.
Symmetry Partners Client Types and Minimum Account Sizes
According to documents it recently filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Symmetry Partners serves the following clients:
- Individuals with and without a high net worth
- Trusts
- Pension and profit-sharing plans
- Corporations
- Symmetry Panoramic Funds
- Investment companies
Symmetry’s account minimums vary by the type of portfolio you’re invested in. We describe the current requirements below:
- Mutual fund-based portfolios: $10,000
- AltAxis Portfolio: $25,000
- ETF Portfolios: $25,000
The firm may reduce or waive the above minimums at its discretion.
Services Offered by Symmetry Partners
Symmetry Partners focuses on building diversified portfolios in order to help clients meet their long-term financial goals. The firm currently provides its clients with access to the following portfolios:
- Structured Portfolios: diversified primarily with U.S. equities, real estate investment trusts (REITs), global investment-grade bond funds and fixed income allocations
- PrecisionCore ETF Portfolios: built with globally diversified ETFs that offer exposure to various asset classes including equities and fixed income
- Symmetry Bond: centered around two fixed-income asset allocation portfolios, with one being tax-managed and the other non-tax managed
- AltAxis Portfolio: constructed with mutual funds that offer exposure to traditional and alternative asset classes such as equity, fixed income, commodities and currencies. Symmetry recommends that alternative strategies represent only a portion of a client’s well-diversified portfolio.
- Symmetry ESG: built around environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles, while also being low-cost and tax-efficient
- Custom Model Strategy: combines various Symmetry portfolios to form a brand new one
- Symmetry Evolution Portfolio: based are target-date versions of Symmetry's portfolios, meaning they're best for those planning for retirement
Additionally, the firm can build investment menus as a fiduciary advisor on behalf of corporate retirement plans such as 401(k)s.
Symmetry Partners Investment Philosophy
Symmetry Partners' investment philosophy is heavily influenced by Modern Portfolio Theory. This ideology suggests that diversification can be key to capturing strong returns and limiting risk. The firm believes that the markets are highly efficient. So it tends to avoid active investing strategies such as market timing in order to capture returns from undervalued securities. Instead, the firm typically aims for exposure to several different asset classes to “capture the power of the markets while mitigating risk.”
While Symmetry advisors aren’t required to offer exposure to a defined list of asset classes, they primarily build portfolios with mutual funds and ETFs that invest in equities and fixed income. The asset allocation of a client’s portfolio would ultimately depend on individual factors such as the client’s risk tolerance, investing goals and time horizon. When evaluating securities, the firm turns to academic research into the capital markets among other sources and methods of analysis.
Fees Under Symmetry Partners
Symmetry Partners charges clients annual fees based on a percentage of their account size. We provide the firm’s current fee schedule below:
| Symmetry Partners Fee Schedule | |
| AUM | Annual Fees |
| $0 - $1,000,000 | 0.50% |
| $1,000,000 - $3,000,000 | 0.45% |
| $3,000,000+ | 0.40% |
As you can see, the firm's fee schedule is quite straight forward. For reference, here's how much you can roughly expect to pay at various levels of AUM:
| *Estimated investment management fees do not include brokerage, custodial, third-party manager or other fees, which can vary in amount. | |
| Estimated Investment Management Fees at Symmetry Partners* | |
| Your Assets | Symmetry Partners Fee Amount |
| $500K | $2,500 |
| $1MM | $5,000 |
| $5MM | $22,000 |
| $10MM | $42,000 |
What to Watch Out For
According to the firm's Form ADV, Symmetry Partners has no disclosures to report.
Opening an Account With Symmetry Partners
A potential client may learn more about opening an account with Symmetry Partners by visiting its official website or by calling (800) 734-2000.
All information is accurate as of the writing of this article.
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