Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley Wealth
Management”, “MSWM”, “we” or “us”), is a registered
investment adviser and a registered broker-dealer. MSWM is
one of the largest financial services firms in the U.S. with
branch offices in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
MSWM offers clients (“you” and “yours”) many different
advisory programs. Many of MSWM’s advisory services are
provided by its Consulting Group business unit. You may
obtain brochures for other MSWM advisory programs at
www.morganstanley.com/ADV or by asking your Financial
Advisor or (for Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management
clients) your private wealth advisor. (Throughout the rest of
this brochure, “Financial Advisor” means either your Financial
Advisor or your Private Wealth Advisor, as applicable.)
In addition, we reasonably expect to provide services as a
“fiduciary” (as that term is defined in Section 3(21)(A) of the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as
amended (“ERISA”) and/or Section 4975 of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)), with respect
to “Retirement Accounts” (as that term is described herein).
For purposes of this brochure (including the Exhibits), the term
“Retirement Account” will be used to cover (i) “employee
benefit plans” (as defined under Section 3(3) of ERISA,
which include pension, defined contribution profit-sharing
and welfare plans sponsored by private employers, as well
as similar arrangements sponsored by governmental or other
public employers, which arrangements are generally not
subject to ERISA; (ii) individual retirement accounts, or
“IRAs” (as described in Section 4975 of the Code); and (iii)
“Coverdell Educational Savings Accounts (“CESAs”).
A. General Description of Programs
Outsourced Chief Investment Office (OCIO)
Outsourced Chief Investment Office or “OCIO” (formerly
Custom Solutions or “CS”) is generally for institutional, family
office and high net worth clients. In OCIO, a client appoints
MSWM as the discretionary or non-discretionary investment
adviser, relative to the selection of affiliated or unaffiliated
mutual funds, exchange traded funds, collective investment
trusts, hedge funds/alternative investment funds or investment
management firms (“subadvisors” or “managers”) to manage
the client’s account (collectively “Investment Products”). In
addition to the investment management, MSWM will also
provide custodial, trade execution and related services for a
single asset based fee. Where a client appoints MSWM as the
discretionary investment manager, MSWM retains discretion as
to the selection of and allocation among affiliated or
unaffiliated managers and Investment Products. OCIO is
designed to manage the overall investment process, including
investment policy decisions, asset and investment style
allocation decisions, manager selection and review, and
comprehensive monitoring of the client’s portfolio.
Where a client appoints MSWM as the discretionary investment
manager, MSWM will assume responsibility for the
implementation of all investment strategies through the
selection-approval and on-going monitoring of the Investment
Products. Where a client appoints MSWM as the
discretionary investment manager, MSWM assumes full
discretion over asset allocation decisions as well as decisions to
terminate any Investment Product. Where MSWM acts as a
non-discretionary investment adviser, MSWM recommends
Investment Products and clients retain the authority on
allocation decisions as well as decisions to terminate any
Investment Product. In certain cases, an internal portfolio
management team within MSWM will be responsible for
exercising this discretion utilizing model portfolios, which may
hold one type of Investment Product, including ETFs, mutual
funds, or SMAs, or may invest in a combination of such
Investment Products. MSWM also provides the client with
on-going financial management services such as investment
performance reporting, administration, trade execution and
custody. Based on a client’s long-term strategic policy
allocation parameters and other investment constraints,
MSWM will look for opportunities in asset classes or
investment styles with above average expected rates of return
while managing overall portfolio risk in accordance with the
client’s investment policies. As a “manager of managers”,
MSWM will assume full responsibility for the operations the
client’s investment program.
In order to assess the appropriateness of the assets in the client’s
current portfolio, MSWM will conduct a review of the
investment policy, asset allocation and fund assets following
these key steps:
• Investment Policy Statement – MSWM will assist
the client in the preparation of an investment policy
statement (“IPS”) in order to evaluate and articulate
the clients risk tolerance and investment objectives.
In doing so, MSWM will assist the client in identifying
its needs for liquidity, income, growth of income,
growth of principal and preservation of capital. The
IPS will assist the client in selecting and developing an
appropriate investment strategy and will assist
MSWM in executing such strategies.
• Current Portfolio Analysis – MSWM will
complete a thorough evaluation of a client’s current
investment program, including investment structure,
individual components of each fund, fee structures,
manager selection process, possible conflicts of
interest, peer universe comparisons and on-going
evaluation procedures. The analysis will culminate
in a business evaluation of all contracts, custodial
documents and performance monitors.
• Asset Allocation Analysis - MSWM will complete
an analysis of the asset allocation and the basis for
asset allocation decisions. The analysis will assist
the client in understanding the modeling process and
will lead to an estimate as to the client’s needs for
updates and the frequency with which such uptakes
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will be provided. This is a key component in
MSWM’s risk management evaluation process.
Cash Management. In OCIO, a client may elect discretionary
cash management services to clients, whereby MSWM invests
and reinvests the proceeds of the account in accordance with the
client’s investment criteria, concentration limits and other
requirements as stated in the client’s Investment Policy
Statement (“IPS”) or a quantifiable rules matrix (the “Matrix”)
as a supplement to the client’s IPS. Generally, the whole cash
management portfolio is invested in short duration fixed
income and cash equivalent investments. The IPS or Matrix is
sent to the client and provided the client agrees that it is
consistent with their investment goals, MSWM will manage
that cash portfolio according to the IPS or Matrix. If assets held
in the account fall outside of the IPS or Matrix, MSWM will
generally liquidate such assets in an orderly manner within a
commercially reasonable amount of time. If the client revises
the IPS or Matrix documents, MSWM will then update the IPS
or Matrix and obtain the client’s approval of the new IPS or
Matrix
Tax Management. In OCIO, a client may elect tax
management (“Tax Management”) services for the account. In
order to elect Tax Management services, you will need to tell
your Financial Advisor that you desire Tax Management
services, and what Maximum Tax or Realized Capital Gain
Instructions you desire for your account. The Tax
Management Terms and Conditions attached to this Brochure
as Exhibit A will govern Tax Management services in your
account.
Alternative Investments Performance Reporting Service. In
OCIO, MSWM offers alternative investments performance
reporting capabilities. MSWM offers clients the ability to
receive periodic reports that provide historical performance
reporting of their alternative investments that were not
purchased through MSWM. In addition, MSWM will
consider these alternative investments for purposes of its
performance monitoring and asset allocation analysis.
The alternative investments historical performance information
provided by this service is based upon information provided,
directly or indirectly, to MSWM by the issuer of the alternative
investment, or by its sponsor, investment manager or
administrator (“Performance Reporting AI”). MSWM’s
ability to provide historical or other performance reporting on
alternative investments is dependent upon its ability to obtain
such information from each Performance Reporting AI. The
performance reporting enables the client to receive from
MSWM periodic reports containing the client’s historical
performance information as reported by the applicable
Performance Reporting AI.
The reporting service and asset allocation analysis are not
intended to constitute investment advice or a recommendation
by MSWM of any alternative investment and MSWM is not
evaluating the appropriateness of the initial investment or the
continued investment in the alternative investments reported on
as a part of this service. In addition, the service does not
constitute, create or impose a fee-based brokerage relationship,
a fiduciary relationship or an investment advisory relationship
under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, with
regard to the provision of the investments covered under this
service. If the Client is an employee benefit plan or is
otherwise subject to ERISA, MSWM is NOT acting as a
fiduciary (as defined in ERISA) with the respect to the
provision of these reporting services as described herein).
MSWM is not responsible for and will not provide tax reporting
with respect to any alternative investment reported on under this
service.
Morgan Stanley Family Office (MSFO)
In certain instances, MSWM will provide investment advisory
services using the OCIO platform through the Morgan Stanley
Family Office business (“MSFO”). MSFO provides
investment advisory and administrative services to ultra-high
net worth family offices.
Account Opening
To enroll in any program described in this brochure, you must
enter into the program client agreement (“Client Agreement”).
Investment Restrictions
The Client may impose reasonable restrictions on account
investments. For example, you may restrict MSWM or the
managers from buying specific equity securities, a category of
equity securities (e.g., tobacco companies) or Fund shares. If
you restrict a category of securities, we or the manager will
determine which specific securities fall within the restricted
category. In doing so, we or the manager may rely on research
provided by independent service providers. Any restrictions
you impose on individual securities will not be applied to Fund
holdings since Funds operate in accordance with the investment
objectives and strategies described in their prospectuses.
Trade Confirmations, Account Statements and
Performance Reviews
MSWM may serve as the custodian and provide you with
written confirmation of securities transactions, and account
statements at least quarterly. You may waive the receipt of trade
confirmations in favor of alternative methods of
communication where available. You may also receive mutual
fund prospectuses, where appropriate.
We provide performance monitoring to clients on a case-by-
case basis in a format and with a frequency as requested by the
client.
Risks
All trading in an account is at your risk. The value of the assets
held in an account is subject to a variety of factors, such as the
liquidity and volatility of the securities markets. Investment
performance of any kind is not guaranteed, and MSWM’s past
performance with respect to other accounts does not predict
future performance with respect to any particular account. In
addition, certain investment strategies that MSWM may use in
the programs have specific risks, including those associated
with investments in common stock, fixed income securities,
American Depositary Receipts, Funds and the investments
below. You should consult with your Financial Advisor
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regarding the specific risks associated with the investments in
your account.
Risk Relating to ETFs. There may be a lack of liquidity in
certain ETFs, which can lead to a large difference between the
bid-ask prices (increasing the cost to you when you buy or sell
the ETF). A lack of liquidity also may cause an ETF to trade at
a large premium or discount to its net asset value. Additionally,
an ETF may suspend issuing new shares and this may result in
an adverse difference between the ETF’s publicly available
share price and the actual value of its underlying investment
holdings. At times when underlying holdings are traded less
frequently, or not at all, an ETF’s returns also may diverge from
the benchmark it is designed to track.
Risks Relating to Money Market Funds. You could lose
money in money market funds. Although money market funds
classified as government funds (i.e., money market funds that
invest 99.5% of total assets in cash and/or securities backed by
the U.S government) and retail funds (i.e., money market funds
open to natural person investors only) seek to preserve value at
$1.00 per share, they cannot guarantee they will do so. The price
of other money market funds will fluctuate and when you sell
shares they may be worth more or less than originally paid.
Money market funds may, and in certain circumstances will,
impose a fee upon the redemption of fund shares. Please review
your money market fund’s prospectus to learn more about the
use of redemption or liquidity fees. In addition, if a money
market fund that seeks to maintain a stable $1.00 per share
experiences negative yields, it also has the option of converting
its stable share price to a floating share price, or to cancel a
portion of its shares (which is sometimes referred to as a
“reverse distribution mechanism” or “RDM”). Investors in
money market funds that cancel shares will lose money and
may experience tax consequences. Moreover, in some
circumstances, money market funds may cease operations when
the value of a fund drops below $1.00 per share. In that event,
the fund’s holdings will likely be liquidated and distributed to
the fund’s shareholders. This liquidation process can be
prolonged and last for months. During this time, these funds
would not be available to you to support purchases, withdrawals
and, if applicable, check writing or ATM debits from your
account.
Risks Relating to Master Limited Partnerships. Master
Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”) are limited partnerships or
limited liability companies whose interests (limited
partnerships or limited liability companies units) are generally
traded on securities exchanges like shares of common stock.
Investments in MLPs entail different risks, including tax risks,
than is the case for other types of investments.
Currently, most MLPs operate in the energy, natural resources
or real estate sectors. Investments in such MLP interests are
subject to the risks generally applicable to companies in these
sectors (including commodity pricing risk, supply and demand
risk, depletion risk and exploration risk). Depending on the
ownership vehicle, MLP interests are subject to varying tax
treatment. Please see “Tax and Legal Considerations” below
and any Fund prospectus by asking your Financial Advisor.
Risks Relating to Funds that Primarily Invest in Master
Limited Partnerships. In addition to the risks outlined above
relating to Master Limited Partnerships, Funds that primarily
invest in MLPs generally accrue deferred tax liability. The
fund’s deferred tax liability (if any) is reflected each day in the
fund’s net asset value. As a result, the fund’s total annual
operating expenses may be significantly higher than those of
funds that do not primarily invest in MLPs. Please see the Fund
prospectus for additional information.
Risks Relating to Funds that Pursue Complex or Alternative
Investment Strategies or Returns. These Funds may employ
various investment strategies and techniques for both hedging
and more speculative purposes such as short selling, leverage,
derivatives and options, which can increase volatility and the
risk of investment loss. Alternative investment strategies are
not appropriate for all investors.
While mutual funds and ETFs may at times utilize non-
traditional investment options and strategies, they have
different investment characteristics from unregistered privately
offered alternative investments. Because of regulatory
limitations, mutual funds and ETFs may not invest in as broad
a spectrum of investments as privately offered alternative
investments. As a result, investment returns and portfolio
characteristics of alternative mutual funds may vary from
traditional hedge funds pursuing similar investment objectives.
They are also more likely to have relatively higher correlation
with traditional market returns than privately offered alternative
investments. Moreover, traditional hedge funds have limited
liquidity with long “lock-up periods allowing them to pursue
investment strategies without having to factor in the need to
meet client redemptions. On the other hand, mutual funds
typically must meet daily client redemptions. This differing
liquidity profile can have a material impact on the investment
returns generated by a mutual fund pursuing an alternative
investing strategy compared with a traditional hedge fund
pursuing the same strategy.
Non-traditional investment options and strategies are often
employed by a portfolio manager to further a Fund’s investment
objective and to help offset market risks. However, these
features may be complex, making it more difficult to
understand the Fund’s essential characteristics and risks, and
how it will perform in different market environments and over
various periods of time. They may also expose the Fund to
increased volatility and unanticipated risks particularly when
used in complex combinations and/or accompanied by the use
of borrowing or “leverage”.
Risks Relating to Alternative Investments. Alternative
investments have different features and risks than other types of
investment products. As further described in the offering
documents of any particular alternative investment, alternative
investments can be highly illiquid, are speculative and are not
appropriate for all investors. For example, alternative
investments may place substantial limits on liquidity and the
redemption rights of investors, including only permitting
withdrawals on a limited periodic basis and with a significant
period of notice and may impose early withdrawal fees.
Alternative investments are intended for experienced and
sophisticated investors who are willing to bear the high
economic risks of the investment. Investors should carefully
review and consider potential risks before investing. Certain of
these risks may include: loss of all or a substantial portion of
the investment due to leveraging, short selling, or other
7
speculative practices; lack of liquidity, in that there may be no
secondary market for the fund and none expected to develop;
volatility of returns; restrictions on transferring interests in the
fund; potential lack of diversification and resulting higher risk
due to concentration of trading authority when a single
advisor is utilized; absence of information regarding valuations
and pricing; complex tax structures and delays in tax reporting;
less regulation and higher fees than mutual funds; and advisor
risk. Alternative investment products may also have higher fees
(including multiple layers of fees) compared to other types of
investments.
Individual funds will have specific risks related to their
investment programs that vary from fund to fund. For more
details on these and other features and risks, please carefully
read the documentation (including risk disclosures) relating to
any selected Investment Option, as well as your Client
Agreement.
Risks Relating to Co-investments. A co-investment is an
investment in a specific transaction made by limited partners of
a private equity fund alongside, but not through the main fund.
In addition to the above risks related to alternative investments,
co-investments are subject to enhanced concentration risk.
Risks Relating to Differing Classes of Securities. Different
classes of securities have different rights as creditor if the issuer
files for bankruptcy or reorganization. For example,
bondholders’ rights generally are more favorable than
shareholders’ rights in a bankruptcy or reorganization.
Tax and Legal Considerations
Neither MSWM nor any of our affiliates provide tax or legal
advice and, therefore, are not responsible for developing,
implementing or evaluating any tax or legal strategies that may
be employed by the client. The client should develop any such
strategies or address any tax-related issues with a qualified tax
adviser or any legal issues with a qualified attorney.
Investment in MLPs entails different risks, including tax risks,
than is the case for other types of investments. Investors in
MLPs hold “units” of the MLP (as opposed to a share of
corporate stock) and are technically partners in the MLP.
Holders of MLP units are also exposed to the risk that they will
be required to repay amounts to the MLP that are wrongfully
distributed to them. Almost all MLPs have chosen to qualify for
partnership tax treatment. Partnerships do not pay U.S.
federal income tax at the partnership level. Rather, each
partner of a partnership, in computing its U.S. federal income
tax liability, must include its allocable share of the partnership’s
income, gains, losses, deductions, expenses and credits. A
change in current tax law, or a change in the business of a given
MLP, could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for
U.S. federal income tax purposes, which would result in such
MLP being required to pay U.S. federal income tax on its
taxable income. The classification of an MLP as a corporation
for U.S. federal income tax purposes would have the effect of
reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the
MLP and could cause any such distributions received by the an
investor to be taxed as dividend income. If you have any
questions about the tax aspects of investing into an MLP, please
discuss with your tax advisor.
Investors in MLP portfolios will receive a Schedule K-1 for
each MLP in the portfolio, so they will likely receive numerous
Schedule K-1s. Investors will need to file each Schedule K-1
with their federal tax return. Also, investors in MLP
portfolios may be required to file state income tax returns in
states where the MLPs in the portfolio operate. Since some
Schedule K-1s may not be provided until after the due date for
the federal or state tax return, investors in MLP portfolios may
need to obtain an extension for filing their federal or state tax
returns. Please discuss with your tax advisor how an
investment in MLPs will affect your tax return.
Tax laws impacting MLPs may change, and this could impact
any tax benefits that may be available through investment in an
MLP portfolio.
Fees
The maximum asset-based fee for accounts in the OCIO
Program is 1.750%.
Fees for the OCIO program are negotiable based on factors
including the type and size of the account and the range of
services provided by MSWM. In special circumstances, and
with the client’s agreement, the fee charged to a client for an
account may be more than the maximum annual fee stated in
this section.
The fee is payable as described in the Client Agreement.
Generally, the initial fee is due in full on the date you open your
account at MSWM and is based on the market value of the
account on that date. The initial fee payment covers the period
from the opening date through (at your election) the last day of
the current quarter or the next full calendar quarter and is
prorated accordingly. Thereafter, the fee is paid quarterly in
advance based on the account’s market value on the last day of
the previous calendar quarter and is due promptly. The Client
Agreement authorizes MSWM to deduct fees when due from
the assets contained in the account.
In addition to the MSWM fee described above, OCIO Clients
also bear manager expenses (which generally range up to
0.75%) or the expense ratios of mutual funds and other pooled
investment vehicles directly.
Performance-based Fees. In limited circumstances, MSWM
has entered into performance fee arrangements with qualified
MSFO clients. Such fee arrangements are subject to individual
negotiation with each such client. Because Financial Advisors
manage accounts with different fee schedules, the Financial
Advisor has an incentive to favor clients or accounts with a
performance-based fee over other clients or accounts and to
take risks that are beyond a client’s risk tolerance and
investment objectives.
To address these conflicts of interest, we
have adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to
ensure that allocation decisions are not influenced by fee
arrangements and investment opportunities will be allocated in
a manner that we believe to be consistent with our obligations
as an investment adviser and reasonably designed to ensure that
8
we solely recommend investments that are consistent with each
client’s risk tolerance and investment objectives.
Accounts Related for Billing Purposes. When two or more
investment advisory accounts ware related together for billing
purposes, you can benefit even more from existing breakpoints.
If you have two accounts, the “related” fees on Account #1 are
calculated by applying your total assets (i.e. assets in Account
#1 + assets in Account #2) to the Account #1 breakpoints.
Because this amount is greater than the amount of assets solely
in Account #1, you may have a greater proportion of assets
subject to lower fee rates, which in turn lowers the average fee
rate for Account #1. This average fee rate is then multiplied by
the actual amount of assets in Account #1 to determine the
dollar fee for Account #1. Likewise, the total assets are applied
to the Account #2 breakpoints to determine the average fee rate
for Account #2, which is then multiplied by the actual amount
of assets in Account #2 to determine the dollar fee for Account
#2. For more information about which of your accounts are
grouped in a particular billing relationship, please contact your
Financial Advisor.
Only certain accounts may be related for billing purposes, based
on the law and MSWM’s policies and procedures. Even where
accounts are eligible to be related under these policies and
procedures, they will only be related if this is specifically
agreed between you and the Financial Advisor.
ERISA Fee Disclosure for Retirement Accounts. In
accordance with Department of Labor regulations under
Section 408(b)(2) of ERISA, MSWM is required to provide
certain information regarding our services and compensation to
assist fiduciaries and plan sponsors of those retirement plans
that are subject to the requirements of ERISA in assessing the
reasonableness of their plan’s contracts or arrangements with
us, including the reasonableness of our compensation. This
information (the services we provide as well as the fees) is
provided to you at the outset of your relationship with us and is
set forth in your advisory contract with us (including the Fee
table, other exhibits and, as applicable, this document), and then
at least annually to the extent that there are changes to any
investment-related disclosures for services provided as a
fiduciary under ERISA.
B. Comparing Costs
The primary service that you are purchasing in the programs
described in this brochure is the Firm’s discretionary
management of your portfolio pursuant to certain program
guidelines. Cost comparisons are difficult because that
particular service is not offered in other advisory programs.
Depending on the level of trading and types of securities
purchased or sold in your account, if purchased separately, you
may be able to obtain transaction execution at a higher or lower
cost at MSWM or elsewhere than the fee in these programs.
However, such transactions could not be executed on a
discretionary basis in a brokerage account. In addition, MSWM
offers other programs where discretionary portfolio
management is provided by affiliated or unaffiliated third party
investment managers and the fees in those programs may be
higher or lower than the fees in these programs. Those
programs involve the discretionary portfolio management
decisions of third party investment managers and not your
Financial Advisor.
You should consider these and other differences when deciding
whether to invest in an investment advisory or a brokerage
account and, if applicable, which advisory programs best suit
your individual needs.
C. Additional Fees
If you open an account in one of the programs described in this
brochure, you will pay us an asset-based fee for investment
advisory services, custody of securities and trade execution
through MSWM. The program fees do not cover:
• the costs of investment management fees and other
expenses charged by Funds (see below for more details);
• “mark-ups,” “mark-downs,” and dealer spreads (A) that
MSWM or its affiliates may receive when acting as
principal in certain transactions where permitted by law or
(B) that other broker-dealers may receive when acting as
principal in certain transactions effected through MSWM
and/or its affiliates acting as agent, which is typically the
case for dealer market transactions (e.g., fixed income,
over-the-counter equity, and foreign exchange (“FX”)
conversions in connection with purchases or sales of FX-
denominated securities and with payments of principal and
interest dividends on such securities);
• fees or other charges that you may incur in instances where
a transaction is effected through a third party and not
through us or our affiliates (such fees or other charges will
be included in the price of the security and not reflected as
a separate charge on your trade confirmations or account
statements);
• MSWM account establishment or maintenance fees for its
Individual Retirement Accounts (“IRA”) and Versatile
Investment Plans (“VIP”), which are described in the
respective IRA and VIP account and fee documentation
(which may change from time to time);
• account closing/transfer costs;
• processing fees or
• certain other costs or charges that may be imposed by third
parties (including, among other things, odd-lot
differentials, transfer taxes, foreign custody fees, exchange
fees, supplemental transaction fees, regulatory fees and
other fees or taxes that may be imposed pursuant to law).
9
Funds in Advisory Programs
Investing in strategies that invest in mutual funds, closed-end
funds and ETFs (such mutual funds, closed-end funds and ETFs
are collectively referred to in this Funds in Advisory Programs
Section as “Funds”) is more expensive than other investment
options offered in your advisory account. In addition to our fee,
you pay the fees and expenses of the Funds in which your
account is invested. Fund fees and expenses are charged
directly to the pool of assets the Fund invests in and are
reflected in each Fund’s share price. These fees and expenses
are an additional cost to you that is embedded in the price of the
Fund, and therefore, are not included in the fee amount in your
account statements. Each mutual fund and ETF expense ratio
(the total amount of fees and expenses charged by the Fund) is
stated in its prospectus. The expense ratio generally reflects the
costs incurred by shareholders during the Fund’s most recent
fiscal reporting period. Current and future expenses may differ
from those stated in the prospectus.
You do not pay any sales charges for purchases of Funds in
programs described in this brochure. However, some Funds
may charge, and not waive, a redemption fee on certain
transaction activity in accordance with the policies described in
the applicable prospectus.
Expense Payments and Fees for Data Analytics. MSWM
receives expense payments and fees for data analytics,
recordkeeping and related services. MSWM provides Fund
families with opportunities to sponsor meetings and
conferences and grants them access to our branch offices and
Financial Advisors for educational, marketing and other
promotional efforts. Fund representatives may work closely
with our branch offices and Financial Advisors to develop
business strategies and support promotional events for clients
and prospective clients, and educational activities. Some Fund
families or their affiliates will reimburse MSWM for certain
expenses incurred in connection with these promotional efforts,
client seminars, and/or training programs. Fund families
independently decide if and what they will spend on these
activities, with some Fund families agreeing to make a
substantial annual dollar amount expense reimbursement
commitments. Fund families also invite our Financial
Advisors to attend Fund family-sponsored events. Expense
payments may include meeting or conference facility rental fees
and hotel, meal and travel charges. For more information
regarding the payments MSWM receives from Fund families,
please refer to the brochures titled “Mutual Fund Features,
Share Classes and Compensation” and “ETF Revenue Sharing,
Expense Payments and Data Analytics” (together, the “Mutual
Fund and ETF Brochures”), which can be found at
https://www.morganstanley.com/disclosures. The Mutual
Fund and ETF Brochures are also available from your Financial
Advisor on request.
Fund family representatives are allowed to occasionally give
nominal gifts to Financial Advisors, and to occasionally
entertain Financial Advisors (subject to an aggregate
entertainment limit of $1,000 per employee per fund family per
year). MSWM’s non-cash compensation policies set conditions
for each of these types of payments, and do not permit any gifts
or entertainment conditioned on achieving any sales target.
MSWM also provides Fund families with the opportunity to
purchase data analytics regarding Fund sales. The amount of the
fee depends on the level of data. We also offer sponsors of
passively-managed ETFs a separate transactional data feed.
Additional fees apply for those Fund families that elect to
purchase supplemental data analytics regarding financial
product sales at MSWM. For more information regarding these
payments, as well as others, please refer to the Mutual Fund and
ETF Brochures described above.
Conflicts of Interest regarding the Above-Described Expense
Payments and Fees for Data Analytics. The above described
fees present a conflict of interest for Morgan Stanley and our
Financial Advisors to promote and recommend those Funds that
make these payments in advisory program accounts rather than
other eligible investments that do not make similar payments.
Further, in aggregate, we receive significantly more support
from participating revenue sharing sponsors and mutual funds
that pay administrative services fees with the largest client
holdings at our firm, as well as those sponsors that provide
significant sales expense payments and/or purchase data
analytics. This in turn could lead our Financial Advisors and
Branch Managers to focus on those Fund families. In addition,
since our revenue sharing support fee program utilizes rates that
are higher for Funds with higher management fees, we have a
conflict of interest to promote and recommend Funds that have
higher management fees.
In order to mitigate these conflicts, Financial Advisors and their
Branch Managers do not receive additional compensation as a
result of the fees and data analytics payments received by
Morgan Stanley.
For more information, please refer to the Mutual Fund and ETF
Brochures described above. However, please note that client
accounts in the advisory program described in this brochure are
not subject to the revenue sharing payments or the
administrative service fees described in this these documents.
Affiliated Funds. Certain Funds are sponsored or managed by,
or receive other services from, MSWM and its affiliates, which
include, but are not limited to, Morgan Stanley Investment
Management, Eaton Vance, Boston Management and Research,
Calvert Research and Management, Atlanta Capital
Management Company and Parametric Portfolio Associates.
Where you invest in mutual funds where the investment adviser
is a MSWM affiliate, in addition to the program fee paid by
clients, MSWM and its affiliates may also receive investment
management fees and related administrative fees. Since the
affiliated sponsor or manager receives additional investment
management fees and other fees, MSWM has a conflict to
recommend MSWM affiliated mutual funds. In order to
mitigate this conflict, Financial Advisors do not receive
additional compensation for recommending proprietary and/or
affiliated funds. Additionally, affiliated Funds and sponsors are
subject to the same economic arrangements with MSWM as
those that MSWM has with third-party Funds. MSWM’s
affiliates have entered into administrative services and revenue
sharing agreements with MSWM as described above.
10
To the extent that such funds are offered to and purchased by
Retirement Accounts, the advisory fee on any such account will
be reduced, or offset, by the amount of the fund management
fee, shareholder servicing fee and distribution fee we, or our
affiliates, may receive in connection with such Retirement
Account’s investment in such affiliated managed fund.
Mutual Fund Share Classes. Mutual funds typically offer
different ways to buy fund shares. Some mutual funds offer
only one share class while most funds offer multiple share
classes. Each share class represents an investment in the same
mutual fund portfolio, but assesses different fees and expenses.
Many mutual funds have developed specialized share classes
designed for various advisory programs (“Advisory Share
Classes”). In general, Advisory Share Classes are not subject to
either sales loads or ongoing marketing, distribution and/or
service fees (often referred to as “12b-1 fees”), although some
may assess fees for record keeping and related administrative
services, as disclosed in the applicable prospectus. MSWM
typically utilizes Advisory Share Classes that compensate
MSWM for providing such administrative services to its
advisory clients. However, our fees for these services are
rebated to clients. If you wish to purchase other types of
Advisory Share Classes, such as those that do not compensate
intermediaries for record keeping and administrative services,
which generally carry lower overall costs and would thereby
increase our investment return, you will need to do so directly
with the mutual fund or through an account at another financial
intermediary.
Please note, we may offer non-Advisory Share Classes of
mutual funds (i.e., those that are subject to 12b-1 fees) if, for
example, a fund does not offer an Advisory Share Class that is
equivalent to those offered here. In such instance, MSWM will
rebate directly to clients holding such fund any such 12b-1 fees
that we receive. Once we make an Advisory Share Class
available for a particular mutual fund, clients can only purchase
the Advisory Share Class of that fund.
If you hold non-Advisory Share Classes of mutual funds in your
advisory account or seek to transfer non-Advisory Share
Classes of mutual funds into your advisory account, MSWM
(without notice to you) will convert those shares to Advisory
Share Classes to the extent they are available. This will
typically result in your shares being converted into a share class
that has a lower expense ratio, although exceptions are possible.
On termination of your advisory account for any reason, or the
transfer of mutual fund shares out of your advisory account, we
may convert any Advisory Share Classes of funds into a share
class that is available in non-advisory accounts or we may
redeem these fund shares altogether. Non-Advisory Share
Classes generally have higher operating expenses than the
corresponding Advisory Share Class, which will increase the
cost of investing and negatively impact investment
performance.
Cash Sweeps
Generally, some portion of your account will be held in cash. If
MSWM acts as custodian for your account, it will effect
“sweep” transactions of free credit balances in your account
into interest-bearing deposit accounts (“Deposit Accounts”)
established under the Bank Deposit Program (“BDP”). For most
clients BDP will be the designated cash sweep. Generally, the
rate on BDP will be lower than the rate on other cash
alternatives. In limited circumstances, such as clients ineligible
for BDP, MSWM may sweep some or all of your cash into
money market mutual funds (each, a Money Market Fund”).
These Money Market Funds are managed by Morgan Stanley
Investment Management Inc. or another MSWM affiliate.
It is important to note that free credit balances and allocations
to cash including assets invested in sweep investments are
included in your account’s fee calculation hereunder.
If your account is a Retirement Account, you should read
Exhibit B to this Brochure, entitled “Affiliated Money Market
Funds Fee Disclosure Statement and Float Disclosure
Statement”.
MSWM, acting as your custodian, will effect sweep
transactions only to the extent permitted by law and if you meet
the eligibility criteria. Under certain circumstances (as
described in the Bank Deposit Program Disclosure) eligible
deposits in BDP may be sent to non-affiliated Program Banks
(; this additional feature may provide enhanced FDIC coverage
to you as well as funding value benefits to the Morgan Stanley
Sweep Banks. For eligibility criteria applicable to this
additional feature and BDP generally, please refer to the Bank
Deposit Program Disclosure Statement which is available at:
http://www.morganstanley.com/wealth-
investmentstrategies/pdf/BDP_disclosure.pdf.
Conflicts of Interest Regarding Sweep Investments. If BDP is
your sweep, you should be aware that the Sweep Banks, which
are affiliates of MSWM, will pay MSWM an annual account-
based flat fee for the services performed by MSWM with
respect to BDP. MSWM and the Sweep Banks will review such
fee annually and, if applicable, mutually agree upon any
changes to the fee to reflect any changes in costs incurred by
MSWM. Your Financial Advisor will not receive a portion of
these fees or credits. In addition, MSWM will not receive
cash compensation or credits in connection with the BDP for
assets in the Deposit Accounts for Retirement Accounts.
Also, the affiliated Sweep Banks have the opportunity to earn
income on the BDP assets through lending activity, and that
income is usually significantly greater than the fees MSWM
earns on affiliated Money Market Funds. Thus, in its capacity
as custodian, MSWM has a conflict of interest in connection
with BDP being the default sweep, rather than an eligible
Money Market Fund.
In addition, MSWM, the Sweep Banks and their affiliates
receive other financial benefits in connection with the BDP.
Through the BDP, each Sweep Bank will receive a stable, cost-
effective source of funding. Each Sweep Bank intends to use
deposits in the Deposit Accounts at the Sweep Bank to fund
current and new businesses, including lending activities and
investments. The profitability on such loans and investments is
generally measured by the difference, or “spread,” between the
interest rate paid on the Deposit Accounts at the Sweep Banks
and other costs of maintaining the Deposit Accounts, and the
interest rate and other income earned by the Sweep Banks on
those loans and investments made with the funds in the Deposit
Accounts. The cost of funds for the Morgan Stanley Sweep
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Banks of deposits through the sweep program in ordinary
market conditions is lower than their cost of funds through
some other sources, and the Morgan Stanley Sweep Banks also
receive regulatory capital and liquidity benefits from using the
sweep program as a source of funds as compared to some other
funding sources. The income that a Sweep Bank will have the
opportunity to earn through its lending and investing activities
in the ordinary market conditions is greater than the fees earned
by us and our affiliates from managing and distributing the
money market funds which may be available to you as a sweep
investment.
Morgan Stanley has added Program Banks to the BDP in order
to maximize the funding value of the deposits in BDP for the
Morgan Stanley Sweep Banks. On any given day, you may have
deposits that are sent to a Program Bank depending on the
funding value considerations of the Morgan Stanley Sweep
Banks and the capacity of the depository networks that allocate
deposits to the Program Banks. In addition to the benefits to the
Morgan Stanley Sweep Banks, you may also benefit from
having deposits sent to the Program Banks by receiving FDIC
insurance on deposit amounts that would otherwise be
uninsured. .In return for receiving deposits through BDP, the
Program Banks provide other deposits to the Morgan Stanley
Sweep Banks. This reciprocal deposit relationship provides a
low-cost source of funding, and capital and liquidity benefits to
both the Program Banks and the Morgan Stanley Sweep Banks.
The Program Banks pay a fee to a Program Administrator in
connection with the reciprocal deposits, but the cost of that fee
is not borne directly by Morgan Stanley clients.
The Morgan Stanley Sweep Banks have discretion in setting the
interest rates paid on deposits received through BDP, and are
under no legal or regulatory requirement to maximize those
interest rates. The Morgan Stanley Sweep Banks and the
Program Banks can and sometimes do pay higher interest rates
on some deposits they receive directly than they pay on deposits
received through BDP. This discretion in setting interest rates
creates a conflict of interest for the Morgan Stanley Sweep
Banks. The lower the amount of interest paid to customers, the
greater is the “spread” earned by the Morgan Stanley Sweep
Banks on deposits through the Program, as explained above.
By contrast, money market funds (including Morgan Stanley
affiliated money market funds) have a fiduciary duty to seek to
maximize their yield to investors, consistent with their
disclosed investment and risk-management policies and
regulatory constraints.
If your cash sweeps to a Money Market Fund, as available, then
the account, as well as other shareholders of the Money Market
Fund, will bear a proportionate share of the other expenses of
the Money Market Fund in which the account’s assets are
invested.
If your cash sweeps to a Money Market Fund, you understand
that MSIM (or another MSWM affiliate) will receive
compensation, including management fees and other fees, for
managing the Money Market Fund. We receive compensation
from such Money Market Funds at rates that are set by the
funds’ prospectuses and currently range, depending on the
program in which you invest, from 0.10% per year ($10 per
$10,000 of assets) to 0.25% per year ($25 per $10,000 of assets)
of the total Money Market Fund assets held by our clients.
Please review your Money Market Fund’s prospectus to learn
more about the compensation we receive from such funds.
We have a conflict of interest as we have an incentive to only
offer affiliated Money Market Funds in the Cash Sweep
program, as MSIM (or another affiliate) will receive
compensation for managing the Money Market Fund. We also
have a conflict of interest as we offer those affiliated funds and
share classes that pay us more compensation than other funds
and share classes. You should understand these costs because
they decrease the return on your investment. In addition, we
intend to receive revenue sharing payments from MSIM in the
event a Money Market Fund waives its fees in a manner that
reduces the compensation that we would otherwise receive.
We either rebate to clients or do not receive compensation on
sweep Money Market Fund positions held in our fee-based
advisory accounts. Unless your account is a Retirement
Account, the fee will not be reduced by the amount of the
Money Market Fund management fee or any shareholder
servicing and/or distribution or other fees we or our affiliates
may receive in connection with the assets invested in the Money
Market Fund. For additional information about the Money
Market Fund and applicable fees, you should refer to each
Money Market Fund’s prospectus.
D. Compensation to MSWM
If you invest in the program described in this brochure, a
portion of the fees payable to us in connection with your
account is allocated on an ongoing basis to MSWM Financial
Advisors. The amount allocated to your MSWM Financial
Advisor in connection with accounts opened in programs
described in this brochure may be more than if you participated
in other MSWM investment advisory programs, or if you paid
separately for investment advice, brokerage and other services.
MSWM may therefore have a financial incentive to recommend
one of the programs in this brochure instead of other MSWM
programs or services.
If you invest in the program described in this brochure, MSWM
may charge a fee less than the maximum fee stated above. The
amount of the fee you pay is a factor we use in calculating the
compensation we pay your MSWM Financial Advisor.
Therefore, MSWM Financial Advisors have a financial
incentive not to reduce fees
Payments from Mutual Funds and Managers. Please see
the discussion in Item 4 C.