Cornerstone Trust Management Services LLC (“Cornerstone”) commenced its investment
advisory business in May, 2014. Cornerstone is a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of StoneMor
Partners L.P. (“StoneMor L.P.”), formerly a publicly traded limited partnership, whose controlling
partner, StoneMor Inc. dba Everstory Partners, is a Delaware corporation (“StoneMor”). Prior to
its statutory conversion effective December 31, 2019, StoneMor was a Delaware limited liability
company known as StoneMor GP LLC. In November, 2022, StoneMor became a privately held
company wholly-owned by Everstory Parent Corp. (formerly known as Axar Cemetery Parent
Corp.), a Delaware corporation (“Everstory Parent”). StoneMor is a leading provider of funeral
and cemetery merchandise and services and burial spaces in the United States and Puerto Rico.
Those merchandise and services and burial spaces are provided, and the cemeteries and funeral
homes are owned, operated and/or managed, by StoneMor, its subsidiaries or affiliates. As
applicable, “StoneMor” as used hereafter refers to StoneMor Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Cornerstone’s sole direct owner is Cemetery Management Services, L.L.C., whose sole direct
owner is Henlopen Memorial Park Subsidiary LLC, whose sole direct owner is Cornerstone Family
Services of West Virginia Subsidiary, Inc., whose sole direct owner is Cornerstone Family Services
of West Virginia LLC, whose sole direct owner is StoneMor Operating LLC, whose sole direct
owner is StoneMor Partners L.P. The sole general partner of StoneMor Partners L.P. is StoneMor
and the sole limited partner of StoneMor Partners L.P. is StoneMor LP Holdings, LLC, a Delaware
limited liability company of which StoneMor is the sole member. StoneMor’s sole direct owner is
Everstory Parent.
StoneMor has a significant amount of assets in preneed merchandise and services trust and escrow
account(s) and perpetual care trust account(s) (the “Trusts”). The funds in preneed merchandise
and services trust and escrow account(s) are generally payable to StoneMor upon delivery of the
merchandise and performance of the services to which they pertain. The income from the perpetual
care trust account(s) is generally payable to StoneMor to provide perpetual care to the cemeteries
to which they pertain. The purpose of Cornerstone’s investment advisory business is to provide
investment advisory and other services to the banking financial institution trustee and escrow
agents of such trusts and escrow account(s) (the “Trustee”). Certain of the Trusts, acting through
the Trustee, have formed pooled investment vehicles (“Pooled Vehicles”) which the Trusts, acting
through the Trustee, manage and to which they contribute assets of the Trusts for pooled investment
to enhance their respective investment opportunities and permit them to obtain the benefits of
strategic investment and collective management of their assets. The investment advisory services
Cornerstone provides to the Trustee includes providing non-discretionary
advice regarding the
Trusts’ investments through these Pooled Vehicles.
The Trustee desiring such services will contract with Cornerstone to provide non-discretionary
investment advisory advice, trust and escrow account accounting, trust and escrow account
oversight, trust and escrow account performance monitoring and/or other ancillary functions
covering StoneMor’s trust and escrow account assets. Cornerstone may engage sub-advisors to
assist Cornerstone in providing such services to the Trustee. The services provided include non-
discretionary investment advice, asset allocations and benchmarks, performance monitoring,
market overviews and outlooks, risk and exposure, and trust and escrow fund summaries. Trust
and escrow account investment data management and reporting are subcontracted with
OroSolutions LLC. Trust and escrow accounting services and ancillary functions currently are
subcontracted with StoneMor Operating LLC (or its designated affiliate(s)).
As set forth hereinafter in the Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies, and Risk of Loss section
of this Brochure, Cornerstone will tailor its advisory services to the varying purposes of the
preneed merchandise and services trusts and escrow accounts (e.g., to preserve funds to pay for
future delivery of merchandise and performance of services) and perpetual care trusts (e.g., to
generate income for the perpetual care of cemeteries). The Trustee may impose restrictions on
investments in certain securities.
The composition of the trust and escrow account funds is dependent upon the investment goals of
the underlying trust and escrow account(s), as well as state law mandating such trust(s) and escrow
account(s). Funds may be comprised of one or more of the following security types or other types
of investments mandated or permitted by state law governing such trust and escrow account(s):
•
Money market funds that invest in low risk short term securities;
•
Publicly traded mutual funds that invest in underlying debt securities;
•
Publicly traded mutual funds that invest in underlying equity securities;
• Equity investments that are currently paying dividends or distributions, including
real estate investment trusts, master limited partnerships and global equity
securities;
•
Fixed maturity debt securities issued by various corporate entities;
•
Fixed maturity debt securities issued by the United States government and United
States government agencies;
•
Fixed maturity debt securities issued by State and local governmental agencies;
•
Hedge funds and private credit funds; and
•
Private investments.
As of December 31, 2023, Cornerstone had approximately $999,758,000 in regulatory assets under
management, all on a non-discretionary basis. All investment decisions regarding such assets are
ultimately made by the respective Trustee of the trust and escrow account funds and not by
Cornerstone.