Timothy O'brien

In a brokerage account, each time you buy or sell a security (including variable life and annuities), you will typically pay a scheduled commission (or markup/markdown, if the trade is made on a principal basis) — sometimes embedded in the product price and other times charged separately — along with certain transaction fees. So in general, the more you trade, the more you pay in commissions and fees. Accordingly, if you plan to trade relatively frequently, you may wish to consider an advisory account where the AUM fee may better suit your needs. (Transfers among mutual funds within the same fund family and variable annuity sub-accounts following the initial purchase are typically not subject to commissions, and may or may not incur fees.) Because of this pricing structure, your FP usually benefits more when you place trades more often; this conflict of interest is discussed in greater detail in our General Conflicts of Interest Disclosure. Additionally, the amount of the fee and commission is not the same for every investment type. For example, mutual funds (and other types of investment company products) typically charge sales loads that are percentages based on the principal amount invested, whereas transactions in other investments such as stocks, ETFs, and bond/fixed income products involve commissions based on the firm’s published schedule that are either added to or deducted from the principal amount invested. For certain mutual funds, the firm as broker/dealer may also receive other types of brokerage-related compensation, such as distribution and servicing (12b-1) fees which are shared with your FP. For more information about the fees and costs associated with our brokerage services, please refer to our General Conflicts of Interest Disclosure.

Fees associated with investments in general

You will pay fees and costs whether you make or lose money on your investments. Fees and costs will reduce any amount of money you may make on your investments over time. Please make sure you understand what fees and costs you are paying. In addition, depending on your investments, you will pay certain ongoing fees and costs. For example, mutual funds typically also deduct other ongoing fees and expenses, such as management fees or servicing fees, from fund assets; these fees are separate from the brokerage commissions and 12b-1 fees discussed above. In the case of variable life and annuity products, additional fees and costs associated with benefits and features may also apply, and surrender fees may be charged on withdrawals. For further information about all commissions and fees associated with a product, see the product’s prospectus. For more general guidance see our Principles of Investing brochure, available on our disclosure website.

When we provide you with a recommendation as your broker/dealer, we must act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. At the same time, the way we make money inherently creates some conflicts with your interests. You should understand and ask us about these conflicts because they can affect the recommendations and investment advice we provide you. Here are some examples to help you understand what this means.

Proprietary products

Many products we offer are issued, sponsored, or managed by the firm or its affiliates. These proprietary products create a conflict for us because our affiliates also receive fees and compensation when you purchase a product they issue, sponsor or manage. In addition, consistent with IRS Rules, FPs must meet certain minimum sales requirements in proprietary products to qualify for health and retirement benefits, and this creates an incentive to recommend proprietary products over third-party products. More about this and other related conflicts is discussed in our General Conflicts of Interest Disclosure.

Revenue sharing

The firm receives revenue sharing in the form of marketing support payments from certain mutual funds, alternative investments, and other product providers. These payments support our marketing and training efforts, among other things, and are generally not shared with your FP. These payments cause certain products to have more visibility and prominence among FPs, and are an incentive for us to offer or continue offering investments and services that entail such payments and to encourage you to increase the amount of assets in those investments. For additional detail regarding sources of revenue and conflicts of interest, see the firm’s General Conflicts of Interest Disclosure and Form ADV Part 2A brochure.

Third-party payments

The firm and/or its FPs will receive compensation from third parties when your FP recommends certain investment platforms or investments. For example, the firm receives an advisory reallowance fee from LPL based on a percentage of advisory AUM custodied at LPL in advisory programs for which LPL is a sponsor. These fees create an incentive for Equitable Advisors to select or recommend those advisory programs that entail the payment of such fees which, because they are based on a percentage, increase when you increase the amount of assets in your advisory account in any such programs. In addition, the firm receives transaction charges, and service fees, cash sweep-related fees, IRA and qualified plan fees, administrative servicing fees for trust accounts, and marketing support from certain mutual funds and ETFs held in investment advisory and brokerage accounts, and, in non-retirement accounts, receives 12b-1 fees. These payments create an incentive for the firm to sell you investments that entail such payments and to maintain our relationships with the issuer and their affiliates. Since the amount of compensation we receive varies among and between the issuers and the different investments and types of investments that we offer as a broker/dealer, we have an incentive to sell you those investments that pay us more compensation. These fees, some of which are shared with your FP, are described in the General Conflicts of Interest Disclosure or the Form ADV Part 2A (for advisory programs), as well as in the account agreement or product offering documentation. In IRA and Qualified Plan advisory accounts, 12b-1 fees are returned or not charged. In certain instances the firm or your FP will receive a “finder’s fee” from a mutual fund company for placing an investor’s assets into the fund. Such a fee generally is triggered for an asset placement of at least $1 million; the amount of the fee will be disclosed in the prospectus or Statement of Additional Information (SAI) of the mutual fund, and generally replaces the upfront commission. Certain IARs will also receive additional compensation pursuant to third-party incentive programs maintained by certain investment advisory program providers; these programs offer additional levels of service, support and rewards, and expense reimbursements to FPs as the assets placed in these programs increase. This creates an incentive for your FP to recommend the products or services of the third parties providing these finder’s fees or other additional compensation over the products or services of third parties that do not provide such compensation or benefits.

Commission for each trade. In connection with brokerage accounts, the firm and your FP typically (see exceptions discussed above) make money in the form of a commission each time you place a trade (even initial purchases are “trades”). This creates an incentive for your FP to recommend that you trade more often. Depending on the investment product, your FP can also receive a share of 12b-1 fees, trails or sales loads paid to the firm by the product issuer. Moreover, these forms of compensation are not the same for every product, creating an incentive for your FP to recommend you purchase a product that pays more compensation.

In addition to brokerage commissions and/or advisory fees, your FP will receive other compensation related to the sales of proprietary products. For example, when you purchase proprietary products in your brokerage or in your advisory account, your FP can become eligible to receive other compensation and benefits such as health, retirement and equity benefits that are detailed in the General Conflicts of Interest Disclosure. Your FP can also receive compensation in connection with certain investment advisory programs, as discussed above. We may compensate your FP in other ways as well. As an incentive to bring new FPs to Equitable Advisors from another company, we may offer forgivable loans or other cash incentives. We may also waive or reduce administrative costs or provide equity awards or other benefits as an incentive to your FP to remain with Equitable Advisors. Your FP may also receive non-cash compensation, such as awards, prizes and trips in connection with their sales activity. All of these forms of compensation create an incentive to bring more business to the firm and keep it here, which can create pressure that conflicts with your best interests. For more information about such compensation and benefits, see the General Conflicts of Interest Disclosure, the firm’s Form ADV Part 2A brochure, and/or the product prospectus or other offering documentation. We encourage you also to ask your FP for details regarding all of the ways in which he or she benefits from any recommended strategy or transaction. In addition, we encourage you to ask for such details if you are considering doing a “rollover” of retirement assets from one account to another, or if you are considering replacing one investment product with another.