Two and Twenty: Explanation of the Hedge Fund Fee Structure (2024)

Highest-paid hedge fund managers in 2018
OwnerFirmTotal hedge fund income in 2018 (US$)
James SimonsRenaissance Technologies$1,600,000,000
Ray DalioBridgewater Associates$1,260,000,000
Ken GriffinCitadel $870,000,000
John OverdeckTwo Sigma $770,000,000
David SiegelTwo Sigma $770,000,000

The giant hedge funds founded by these fund titans grew so large that they generated hundreds of millions in management fees alone. Their successful strategies over many years - if not decades - have also earned these funds billions in performance fees. While the steep fees charged by star hedge fund managers may be justified by their sustained outperformance, the billion-dollar question is whether the majority of fund managers generate sufficient returns to justify their Two and Twenty fee model.

Is Two and Twenty Justified?

Jim Simons, the highest-paid hedge fund manager in recent years, founded Renaissance Technologies in 1982. An award-winning mathematician (and former NSA code breaker), Simons established Renaissance as a quant fund that employs sophisticated quantitative models and techniques in its trading strategies. One of the world’s most successful hedge funds, Renaissance is best known for the tremendous returns generated by its flagship Medallion fund. Simons launched Medallion in 1988 and over the next 30 years, it generated an average annual return of about 40%, including an average return of 71.8% annually between 1994 and 2014. Those returns are after Renaissance's management fees of 5% and performance fees of 44%. Medallion has been closed to outside investors since 2005 and currently only manages money for Renaissance employees. Renaissance had $75 billion in AUM as of April 2020, so even though Simons stepped down as its head in 2010, those outsized fees should continue contributing to the growth in his net worth.

But such stellar performances tend to be the exception rather than the norm in the hedge fund industry. While hedge funds, by definition, are expected to make money in any market because of their ability to go long and short, their performance has lagged equity indices for years. In the ten years from 2009 to 2018, hedge funds had an average annualized return of 6.09 percent, according to data provider Hedge Fund Research (HFR), less than half of the S&P 500's 15.82% annual return over this period. In 2018, hedge funds returned -4.07% versus the S&P 500's total return (including dividends ) of -4.38%.

Based on data from HFR, an analysis by CNBC revealed that 2018 was the first time in a decade that hedge funds had outperformed the S&P 500, although only by a wafer-thin margin.

Warren Buffett, in his February 2017 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, estimated that the search by the financial "elite" - such as wealthy individuals, pension funds and college endowments, all of whom tend to be typical hedge fund investors - for superior investment advice has caused it to waste more than $100 billion in aggregate over the past decade.

Two and TwentyUpdated

Chronic underperformance and high fees are causing investors to bail out of hedge funds, with a net $94.3 billion withdrawn since the beginning of 2016. Strong performances by most markets enabled hedge fund industry assets to increase by $78.8 billion in the first quarter of 2019 to $3.18 trillion globally, about 2% below the record level of $3.24 in the third quarter of 2018, according to HFR.

The proliferation of hedge funds, with more than 11,000 estimated to be in operation today compared with fewer than 1,000 funds 30 years ago, has also resulted in some downward pressure on fees. The average fund currently charges a management fee of 1.5% and 17% performance fee, compared with 1.6% and 20% 10 years ago.

Hedge fund managers are also coming under pressure from politicians who want to reclassify performance fees as ordinary income for tax purposes, rather than capital gains. While the 2% management fee charged by hedge fees is treated as ordinary income, the 20% fee is treated as capital gains because the returns are typically not paid out but are treated as if they were reinvested with the fund investors' monies. This "carried interest" in the fund enables high-income managers in hedge funds, venture capital and private equity to have this income stream taxed at the capital gains rate of 23.8%, instead of the top ordinary rate of 37%. In March 2019, Congressional Democrats reintroduced legislation to end the much-reviled "carried interest" tax break.

An Example of Two and Twenty

Assume hypothetical hedge fund Peak-to-Trough Investments (PTI) had $1 billion in AUM at the beginning of Year 1, and is closed to investors. The fund's AUM grows to $1.15 billion at the end of Year 1, but by the end of Year 2, AUM falls to $920 million, before rebounding to $1.25 billion by the end of Year 3. If the fund charges the standard "Two and Twenty", the total annual fees made by the fund at the end of each year can be calculated as follows -

Year 1:

Fund AUM at beginning of Year 1 = $1,000M

Fund AUM at end of Year 1 = $1,150M

Management fee = 2% of year-end AUM = $23M

Performance fee = 20% of fund growth = $150M x 20% = $30M

Total fund fees = $23M +$30M = $53M

Year 2:

Fund AUM at beginning of Year 2 = $1,150M

Fund AUM at end of Year 2 = $920M

Management fee = 2% of year-end AUM = $18.4M

Performance fee = Not payable as high watermark of $1,150M has not been exceeded

Total fund fees = $18.4M

Year 3:

Fund AUM at beginning of Year 3 = $920M

Fund AUM at end of Year 3 = $1,250M

Management fee = 2% of year-end AUM = $25M

Performance fee = 20% of fund growth above high watermark =$100Mx 20% =$20M

Total fund fees = $25M +$20M=$45M

Two and Twenty: Explanation of the Hedge Fund Fee Structure (2024)

FAQs

Two and Twenty: Explanation of the Hedge Fund Fee Structure? ›

"Two" means 2% of assets under management (AUM), and refers to the annual management fee charged by the hedge fund for managing assets. "Twenty" refers to the standard performance or incentive fee of 20% of profits made by the fund above a certain predefined benchmark.

What is the 2 and 20 hedge fund fee structure? ›

The 2 and 20 is a hedge fund compensation structure consisting of a management fee and a performance fee. 2% represents a management fee which is applied to the total assets under management. A 20% performance fee is charged on the profits that the hedge fund generates, beyond a specified minimum threshold.

What does the two and twenty fee structure refer to? ›

Two and Twenty is a typical fee structure that includes a management fee and a performance fee and is typically charged by hedge fund managers. Tracking error tells the difference between the performance of a stock or mutual fund and its benchmark.

What is the VC 2 20 rule? ›

The 2 and 20 fee structure is a compensation model commonly used by venture capitalists. It involves a fixed management fee (typically 2% of the total asset value) and a performance fee (usually 20% of the fund's profits) that the VC manager receives.

What are the fees for hedge fund of funds? ›

The fee is typically 2% of a fund's net asset value (NAV) over a 12-month period. A performance fee: also known as an incentive fee, this second fee is viewed as a reward for positive returns. Performance fees are typically set at 20% of the fund's profits.

What are the biggest hedge fund fees? ›

The biggest and best-performing funds often charge clients 2% of assets managed and 20% of profits. In 2019, Element Capital Management famously jacked up its incentive fee to 40%.

How is hedge fund cost calculated? ›

Most hedge funds charge a fixed fee based on a percentage of assets under management, and 2% annually is a typical figure. In addition, hedge funds also charge an incentive-based management fee, which is calculated as a percentage of profits above a certain benchmark return.

What is an example of 2 and 20? ›

Consider the example above. With a fund charging two and twenty, a 20% return on an investment of $2 million became a 14% return after fees. An investor who could find a cheaper investment charging less than 1% would earn more if that investment returned just 15%, three-quarters of the return the fund manager earned.

What does 20 carry mean? ›

The typical carried interest rate charged to LPs is 20%—although some GPs can command higher rates. This means that after the LPs are repaid their original investment amount, the GPs will receive 20% of the profits from the fund, while the remaining 80% of profits are paid to the LPs.

Do hedge funds outperform the market? ›

Hedge funds are primarily designed for capital preservation, not necessarily for outperforming the market. They are particularly effective in bear markets, where they tend to lose less value compared to the broader market.

What is the VC 10x rule? ›

But it's important to understand how the math works here — and how it figures into how much to raise. My simple advice when you raise capital: assume you have to return a liquidity event (sale or IPO) of at least 10x the amount you raise for raising venture capital to be worth it. Valuations change from round to round.

What is the average management fee for a VC fund? ›

​ technical​ Venture funds typically charge 2–2.5%* in management fees. You'll often hear VCs refer to management fees as a charge for the cost of handling all “assets under management.” Given this, if a $100M fund charges even a 2% fee in the first year of their fund, then the management fee would be $2M.

How is VC fund return calculated? ›

Take the difference between the current value of the investment and the original beginning value, divide it by the original value and multiply the result by 100. If a VC fund makes multiple investments at different times, the calculation gets more challenging, but it still can be done with some basic math.

Are hedge funds worth the fees? ›

Hedge funds offer the potential for high returns and diversification benefits, but they also come at the cost of higher fees and less regulatory oversight. As with any investment, you should do your own research to determine whether they make sense for your portfolio.

How much do hedge funds return to investors? ›

The average annual return on investment for investors in a typical hedge fund is around 8 - 10 % . This can vary depending on the specific fund and market conditions , but historically , hedge funds have outperformed other types of investments such as stocks and bonds .

How do hedge funds have so much money? ›

Hedge funds make money as part of a fee structure paid by fund investors based on assets under management (AUM). Funds typically receive a flat fee plus a percentage of positive returns that exceed some benchmark or hurdle rate.

What is the 1 or 30 fee structure? ›

TRS has worked to design, improve and implement a better structure for fees, which we colloquially call “1 or 30”. Under this structure, a manager will receive the greater of 1% of NAV or 30% of gross alpha on an annual and cumulative basis.

What are the fees for two sigma hedge fund? ›

Two Sigma Fees Two Sigma generally follows a Two Twenty fee structure: a 2% management fee and a 20% performance fee, which is cheaper than Renaissance Technologies' Medallion Fund but still relatively high.

What are the incentive fees for hedge funds? ›

Incentive fee is usually calculated on profits net of management fees or on profits before management fee. Sometimes, the incentive fee is paid only if the returns exceed a hurdle rate. In some cases the incentive fee is paid only if the fund has crossed the high watermark.

What is the fee structure of Citadel hedge fund? ›

Citadel charges a management fee to each of the funds under its control. This fee is equal to 1% of the fund's net asset value. Aside from this, there is no general fee schedule for investors in the funds at Citadel. The firm does, however, charge performance-based fees on occasion.

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