Glossary Flashcards
Accrual accounting
The recording of financial transactions as they come into existence rather than when they are paid or settled
Additional information
Information that is required or recommended under the GIPS standards and is not considered supplemental information
Administrative fee
All fees other than trading expenses and the investment management fee. Administrative fees include custody fees, accounting fees, auditing fees, consulting fees, legal fees, performance measurement fees, and other related fees.
All-in fee
A type of bundled fee that can include any combination of investment management fees, trading expenses, custody fees, and administrative fees. All-in fees are clients specific and typically offered in certain jurisdiction where asset management, brokerage, and custody services are offered by the same company.
Benchmark
A point of reference against which the composite’s performance and/or risk is compared.
Benchmark description
General information regarding the investments, structure, and/or characteristics of the benchmark. The description must include the key features of the benchmark or the name of the benchmark for a readily recognized index or other point of reference.
Bundled fee
A fee that combines multiple fees into one total or ‘bundled’ fee. Bundled fees can include any combination of investment management fees, trading expenses, custody fees, and/or administration fees. Two examples of bundled fees are wrap fees and all-in fees.
Capital employed (real estate)
The denominator of the return calculations and is defined as the ‘weighed-average equity’ (weighed-average capital) during the measurement period. Capital employed does not include any income return or capital earned during the measurement period. beginning capital is adjusted by weighting the external cash flows that occurred during the period.
Capital return (real estate)
The change in value of the real estate investment and cash and /or cash equivalent assets held throughout the measurement period, adjusted for all capital expenditures (subtracted) and net proceeds from sales (added). The capital return is computed as a percentage of the ‘capital appreciation return’ or ‘appreciation return.’
Carried interest (real estate and private equity)
The profits that general partners are allocated from the profits on the investments made by the investment vehicle. Also known as ‘carry’ or ‘promote’.
Carve-out
A portion of a portfolio that is by itself representative of a distinct investment strategy. It is used to create a track record for a narrower mandate from a multiple- strategy portfolio managed to a broader mandate. For periods beginning on or after 1 January 2010, a carve-out must be managed separately with its own cash balance.
Closed-end fund (real estate and private equity)
A type of investment vehicle where the number of investors, total committed capital, and life are fixed and not open for subscriptions and / or redemptions. Closed-end funds have a capital call (drawdown) process in place that is controlled by the general partner.
Committed capital (real estate and private equity)
Pledges of capital to an investment vehicle by investors (limited partners and the general partners) or by the firm, committed capital is typically not drawn down at once but drawn down over a period of time. Also known as ‘commitments.’
Compliant presentation
A presentation for a composite that contains all the information required by the GIPS standards and may also include additional information or supplemental information.
Composite
An aggregation of one or more portfolio managed according to a similar investment mandate, objective, or strategy
Composite creation date
The date when the firm groups one or more portfolios to create a composite. The composite creation date is not necessarily the same as the composite inception date.
Composite definition
Detailed criteria that determine the assignment of portfolios to composites. Criteria may include investment mandate, style or strategy, asset class, the use of derivatives, leverage and / or hedging, targeted risk metrics, investment constraints or restrictions, and / or portfolio type (e.g., segregated or pooled, taxable versus tax exempt)
Composite description
General information regarding the investment mandate, objective, or strategy of the composite. The composite description may be more abbreviated than the composite definition but must include all key features of the composite and must include enough information to allow a prospective client to understand the key characteristics of the composite’s investment mandate, objective, or strategy.
Composite inception date
The initial date of the composite’s performance record. The composite inception date is not necessarily the same as the composite creation date.
Composite termination date
The date that the last portfolio exits a composite
Custody fee
The fees payable to the custodian for the safe-keeping of portfolio assets. Custody fees are considered to be administrative fees and typically contain an asset-based portion and a transaction-based portion.The custody fee may also include charges for additional services, including accounting, securities lending, and/or performance measurement. Custodial fees that are charged per transaction should be included in the custody fee and not included as part of trading expenses.
Direct investments (private equity)
Investments made directly in private equity investments rather than investments made in fund investment vehicles or cash and/or cash equivalents
Distinct business entity
A unit, division, department, or office that is organizationally and functionally segregated from other units, divisions, departments, or offices and that relates discretion over the assets it manages and that should have autonomy over the investment decision-making process. Possible criteria that can be used to determine this include
- being a legal entity
- having a distinct market or client type (e.g. Institutional, retail, private client, etc.), and
- using a separate and distinct investment process
Distribution (real estate and private equity)
Cash or stock distributed to limited partners (or investors) from an investment vehicle. Distribution are typically at the discretion of the general partners (or the firm). Distribution include both recallable and nonrecallable distributions.
DPI (real estate and private equity)
since inception distributions divided by since inception paid-in capital
Evergreen fund (private equity)
An open-end fund that allows for on-going subscriptions and / or redemptions by investors.
Ex-ante
Before the fact
Ex-post
After the fact
External cash flow
Capital (cash or investments) that enters or exits a portfolio
External valuation (real estate)
An assessment of value performed by an independent external third party who is a qualified, professionally designated, certified, or licensed commercial property valuer/ appraiser
Fair value
The amount at which an investment could be exchanged in a current arm’s length transaction between willing parties in which the parties each act knowledgeably and prudently. The valuation must be determined using the objective, observable, unadjusted quoted market price for an identical investment in an active market on the measurement date, the valuation must represent the firm’s best estimate of the market value. Fair value must include accrued income.
Fee schedule
The firm’s current schedule of investment management fees or bundled fees relevant to the particular compliant presentation
Final liquidation date (real estate and private equity)
The date when the last portfolio in a composite is fully distributed
Firm
The entity defined for compliance with the GIPS standards
Fund of funds (private equity)
An investment vehicle that invests in underlying investment vehicles. Private equity funds of funds predominately invest in closed-end funds and may make opportunistic direct investments.
General partner (real estate and private equity)
A class of partner in a limited partnership. The general partner (GP) retains liability for the actions of the limited partnerships. The general partner is typically the fund manager, and the limited partners (LPs) are the other investors in the limited partnership. The general partner earns an investment management fee that typically includes a percentage of the limited partnership’s profits.
Gross-of-fees
The return on investments reduced by any trading expenses incurred during the period