Confluence was formed in December 2007 and registered as an investment adviser with the SEC
in January 2008. Confluence was started by former investment management and investment
banking professionals from A.G. Edwards & Sons and its investment management subsidiary,
Gallatin Asset Management, Inc. The firm is 100% employee-owned, with Mark Keller and Brian
Hansen as the principal owners. On April 30, 2018, Confluence acquired the assets of Gratry &
Company, LLC, an international and global equity adviser.
Confluence offers clients portfolio management services focused on an array of equity strategies,
asset allocation strategies, balanced strategies, alternative, and sector strategies. Our clients
include individuals (including high net worth individuals) and entities such as financial institutions
(on behalf of their clients), corporations and corporate pension and profit-sharing plans, Taft-
Hartley plans, other investment advisers (on behalf of their clients), charitable institutions,
foundations, endowments, and registered investment companies.
Confluence services are offered primarily through financial advisors (“Financial Advisors”) and
the accounts are maintained with the client’s broker-dealer, bank, investment advisory firm, or
other financial institution (“Financial Institution”). Financial Advisors work with clients to examine
the client’s current financial situation and financial goals, to understand the risk tolerance and
investment time horizon and to develop the overall financial plan/investment strategy for their
clients. As part of the overall strategy, clients (or the Financial Advisor) utilize one or more
Confluence strategies with respect to a portion of the client assets at the Financial Institution. In
some instances, Confluence offers services directly to clients. Services provided by Confluence
are limited to portfolio management and do not include financial planning, wealth management,
accounting, retirement planning, legal, tax advice, or any other related or unrelated services.
Confluence offers its services on either a “discretionary” or a “non-discretionary” basis. In a
discretionary account (typically referred to as a separately managed account (“SMA”)), at the
outset of the contractual relationship, Confluence is granted the authority by a client to determine
the securities or other assets to purchase or sell in the account. This discretion will remain in
effect unless revoked by the client or their Financial Advisor. Confluence will monitor the SMA
and will purchase and sell securities and other assets in the account consistent with the
investment strategy or strategies selected by the client or the Financial Advisor (on client’s behalf)
as part of the overall investment plan (subject to any reasonable restrictions provided in writing
to Confluence).
In a non-discretionary account, Confluence makes recommendations to the Financial Advisor or
Financial Institution concerning securities and other assets, but Confluence does not have the
authority to implement such recommendations. Rather, the Financial Advisor or Financial
Institution (on client’s behalf) has the sole authority to determine whether securities or other
assets in the account are purchased or sold on the client’s behalf in accordance with Confluence
recommendations and to determine the Financial Institution through which such transactions are
implemented. Non-discretionary accounts also include those for which Confluence supervises
the securities or other assets in the account, without any discretionary authority.
As of December 31, 2023, Confluence managed or supervised an aggregate of approximately
$12.3 billion of assets, of which $7.2 billion are assets under management held in discretionary
accounts and $5.1 billion are assets under advisement. Confluence does not custody or take
possession of client assets, and all such discretionary and non-discretionary assets are held with
the Financial Institution or other qualified custodian (“Custodian”) selected by the client.
When Confluence acts as an investment adviser, we are required to act in our clients’ best
interests and not put our interests ahead of our clients. At the same time, the way we make money
creates some conflicts of interest. Please refer to the following sections for a description of
conflicts of interest: Item 5 – Fees and Compensation; Item 7 – Types of Clients; Item 10 – Other
Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations; Item 11 – Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in
Client Transactions, and Personal Trading; and Item 12 – Brokerage Practices. Additional
information regarding conflicts and standards of conduct are included in the Confluence Client
Relationship Summary, which is available on our website and available upon request.
Confluence and its investment professionals manage assets for clients that are employee benefit
plans or retirement accounts covered under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act
of
1974, as amended (“ERISA”). Confluence provides services as an ERISA “fiduciary” and the
Internal Revenue Code (as applicable), which are laws governing retirement accounts.
Confluence is a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
Confluence provides a written description of the services to be provided for ERISA accounts.
DISCRETIONARY ADVISORY SERVICES
Confluence negotiates and enters into agreements to provide discretionary portfolio management
and investment advisory services to clients. Confluence provides discretionary advisory services
primarily through SMAs, which are offered through the client’s Financial Advisor or Financial
Institution. In these instances, clients open an account with their Financial Advisor at the Financial
Institution to select third-party investment advisory firms (such as Confluence) to manage all or
a portion of the assets in the account. Confluence’s SMA arrangements can be “single contract,”
in which Confluence enters into contract with the Financial Institution to provide discretionary
advisory services to the clients of such Financial Institution, or can be “dual contract,” in which
Confluence enters into a contract directly with the client to provide discretionary advisory services
to the client; this contract is in addition to the client’s contractual agreement with such Financial
Institution. Confluence manages investments for clients at various Financial Institutions.
Confluence does not take possession of client assets, as all securities and monies are held by
the Custodian of the client’s choice. Confluence offers SMAs utilizing various investment
strategies, and SMAs within a particular investment strategy generally hold the same securities
at the similar percentage of assets in the strategy (depending on when the account is funded).
Clients can impose reasonable restrictions on investing in certain securities or industry sectors
and other limitations on our investment discretion as mutually agreed upon.
Confluence’s discretionary investment strategies are offered by Financial Institutions as part of
unified managed account (“UMA”) programs at the Financial Institutions. In a UMA program, the
client holds in a single account a wide variety of investments and investment strategies, including
individual securities, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and other assets. As described more
fully below, Confluence’s discretionary investment strategies typically are offered by Financial
Institutions as part of wrap account (“Wrap Account”) programs at the Financial Institutions.
Wrap Account Programs
Confluence participates as an investment adviser providing portfolio management and
investment advisory services to clients of Wrap Accounts sponsored by respective Financial
Institutions. Confluence’s portfolio management and investment advisory services to the clients
in Wrap Account programs are similar to its discretionary advisory services provided to its other
clients. Confluence manages the SMAs in a Wrap Account in accordance with the guidelines
provided to us by the program sponsor. In single contract Wrap Accounts, the program sponsor
is responsible for the client relationship, client servicing, reporting, and billing.
Clients in a Wrap Account are charged a bundled fee by the Financial Institution sponsoring the
program (“Sponsor”), typically based on a percentage of the market value of the assets in the
Wrap Account and is not based directly on the execution of transactions in a client’s account. The
bundled fee generally covers charges for custody services, brokerage commissions, investment
management, and other services as negotiated between the client and the Sponsor. Clients who
participate in a Wrap Account should be aware that services similar to those provided as a
participant in a Wrap Account may be available at a lower cost elsewhere separately or on an
unbundled basis. Out of the bundled fee, the Sponsor pays Confluence a quarterly fee for
providing portfolio management and investment advisory services with respect to that portion of
the client’s assets over which Confluence has been delegated discretionary authority. However,
for dual contract Wrap Accounts, Confluence’s fee may be paid directly by the client. Our fee is
based on a percentage of the market value of the assets in the SMA for which we provide portfolio
management and investment advisory services. For additional information regarding fees, please
see Item 5 of this Brochure, titled Fees and Compensation.
Because the bundled fee in Wrap Accounts typically includes charges for brokerage services,
Sponsors and their clients generally expect Confluence to place trade orders through the
Sponsor. If we execute trades for a Wrap Account with broker-dealers other than the Sponsor,
the client will likely be subject to additional commissions, trade-away fees, and other charges
assessed by the Sponsors. For information regarding directed brokerage accounts, please see