I met with a UK-based portfolio manager yesterday and our conversation eventually led to a fascinating discussion of the differences in distribution and compensation structures in the US versus Europe.
In the US, for example, we have well-developed retail distribution channels for financial products (wirehouses, RIAs, broker-dealers, banks).
In continental Europe, distribution is dominated by the banks. For many reasons, there is simply not much of a retail investing culture in Europe. The end users of UCITS (European mutual funds) tend to be very wealthy families with multi-generational wealth management needs.
While here in the US we are preoccupied with what a fiduciary standard for investment advisor conduct and compensation should look like, the discussion in Europe is much different (to the extent there is any discussion at all).
Which leads me back to the title of this post, and why I want to be reincarnated as an Italian mutual fund manager…
In Italy, the standard compensation structure for an equity manager is apparently a 2% management fee with a performance fee assessed monthly, but with no high watermark or preferred return hurdle (!!!)
That is to say, if you are an Italian fund manager operating under this scheme, you get a cut of the profits every month you post a positive return. Even if your clients are underwater on their original investments. It is a hedge fund manager’s dream!
(I know, I know, #notallhedgefundmanagers…)
I will close with this chart from Deloitte:
