Zacks Investment Management, Inc. (Chicago)


Zacks Investment Management, Inc. is a large advisory firm based in Chicago. It manages $4.97 billion of regulatory assets for 6,269 client accounts. It has been registered with the SEC as an adviser since 2001 and has operated in the jurisdictions of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, and 48 other states.

Zacks Investment Management provides financial planning services, portfolio management for individuals and small businesses, portfolio management for investment companies, portfolio management for pooled investment vehicles, portfolio management for businesses and institutional clients, and creates and manages quantitative investment models that are licensed to sponsors of uits and etfs. It prepares financial plans for less than 10 clients. On top of advisory services, the firm doesn't engage in other business activities.

Zacks Investment Management: assets under management

The assets under management (AUM) of Zacks Investment Management, Inc. is $4.97 billion, all of which is managed in discretionary accounts. The firm's AUM has grown by 1553% since the beginning of its operation, and $2.33 billion of the total AUM is attributable to clients outside of the United States.

The firm manages $4.97 billion in discretionary accounts. On average, the discretionary accounts where all decisions are made on behalf of the client hold $793.35 thousand each.

Investments

The firm invests in exchange traded securities the most. They account for 95% of the total AUM. The second-largest asset type is investment grade corporate bonds, which make up 1% of the firm’s portfolio. Investments in cash and cash equivalents form 1% of the total invested assets.

Fees & Commissions

The advisory firm has several streams of revenue. Clients pay Zacks Investment Management, Inc. for their services and products based on a percentage of assets under management, fixed fees, and performance-based fees. Flat-fee based compensation is the most transparent and the one you can safely predict in advance. These fees don’t include brokerage commissions, interest, taxes, and other account expenses.

What kind of clients Benjamin Laib Zacks serves?

The firm provides services to individuals, investment companies, other investment advisers, high net worth individuals, pooled investment vehicles, and pension and profit sharing plans. The largest group of clients of Benjamin Laib Zacks is high net worth individuals with 457 clients and $1.02 billion of assets under management. Among the 6 most similar advisory firms, Zacks Investment Management has the 2nd lowest percentage of high net worth individuals out of all clients.

The amount of regulatory assets under management is $2.34 billion for 2,462 clients that can include trusts, estates, and 401(k) plans and IRAs of individuals and their family members. 1% of the firm’s clients are foreign persons or businesses.

Zacks Investment Management also advises several private funds. Namely, four hedge funds. The minimum investment commitment required of non-related persons is $100,000 for each fund.

Careers at Zacks Investment Management, Inc.

The company employs 105 people that are either part- or full-time employees. 10 percent of the employees work as investment advisers or researchers. 69 employees are registered as investment adviser representatives with the state securities authorities.

There isn’t anyone with the role of looking for and bringing in new clients on behalf of the firm. The firm compensates employees in addition to the salary for bringing in new clients. Employees don’t receive compensation from other entities for client referrals.

Benjamin Laib Zacks has been acting as President since 1 Sep 1991. Donald Eugene Ralph joined the executive team most recently as the Chief Financial Officer.

Direct owners and executive officers


Name Entity Date acquired Ownership Employer ID
Benjamin Laib Zacks President 1 Sep 1991 Other 863628
Leonard Harvey Zacks Director 1 Feb 1995 Other 806891
Richard Barry Marks Compliance officer 1 Feb 1995 Other 723372
Inc. Zacks Investment Research Sole shareholder 1 Mar 1995 75% - 100% 001
Thomas Edward Hertog Chief compliance officer 1 Nov 2006 Other 4850163
Frank Christopher Lanza Chief compliance officer 1 Sep 2008 Other 4215640
Donald Eugene Ralph Chief financial officer 1 Jan 2011 Other 5251289

Indirect Owners

The SEC currently registers 4 indirect owners.

Name Entity Date acquired Ownership Employer ID
Benjamin Laib Zacks Shareholder 1 Mar 1995 50% - 75% 863628
Leonard Harvey Zacks Shareholder 1 Mar 1995 50% - 75% 806891
The Greenwood Trust Shareholder 1 Jun 2000 75% - 100% 002
Francine Ina Zacks Trustee 1 Jun 2000 Other 6501604

Based in Chicago

The principal office where Zacks Investment Management, Inc. performs its advisory services is located at 227 West Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60606, which is also the mailing address of the firm. It doesn’t run an office outside of the United States.

You can reach the main office by calling the phone number 312-265-9266 or by fax 312-265-9538. The normal business hours are 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Monday - Friday. You can find more information about the New York firm at zacksim.com/.