Adam Strauss, CFA

Co-Chief Executive Officer & Portfolio Manager

Adam has been a Portfolio Manager at Pekin Hardy Strauss Wealth Management since 2004. He is a Co-CEO of the firm and leads the firm’s investment team. Adam works closely with individuals, families, and institutions to understand their financial goals, develop customized financial plans, and oversee their investment portfolios. He has extensive experience assisting clients through a wide range of life events including marriage, divorce, children’s college, retirement, and the sale of businesses.

Adam and his team take a prudent, disciplined, and long-term investment approach with the hope that his clients can sleep at night knowing their money is working for them and that their investments align with their values. He is a bottom-up value investor, seeking to invest in high-quality companies whose share prices are temporarily depressed, but he also examines the investment implications of geopolitical events, investment bubbles, demographic trends, and the factors that lead to monetary instability.

Adam is a leader in the socially responsible investment industry, having founded Appleseed Fund, the first socially responsible, global value mutual fund, in 2006. He has also founded the firm’s private funds that pursue unique impact and value-oriented investment strategies. Adam has served on the board of several socially responsible businesses, and he led Pekin Hardy’s efforts in becoming the first investment advisor certified as a B Corporation in the greater Chicago area. Adam’s impact investment experience includes alternative energy, natural foods, organic farming, opportunity zones, and community development finance.

Adam contributes regularly to Forbes magazine, where he writes about the evolving macroeconomic environment and important personal finance topics. He also speaks at industry events and serves on speaking panels where he discusses his current investment views.

Adam has previously lived in San Francisco, Boulder, and Boston; he currently resides in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago with his wife and teenaged son. Outside of work, Adam’s favorite activities include tennis, biking, cross-country skiing, backcountry camping, and foreign travel. He is an active volunteer in conservation organizations and, during the spring and fall, can often be found rescuing migratory birds that have collided with skyscrapers in the Chicago Loop.

Hometown: Evanston, IL

Education: Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Studies with honors from Stanford University and Master of Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business

Industry Licenses and Designations: Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)

Select Writings and Interviews


Email: Adam@pekinhardy.com

APPLESEED FUND DISCLOSURE

You should carefully consider the investment objectives, potential risks, management fees, and charges and expenses of the Fund before investing. The Fund’s prospectus contains this and other information about the Fund, and should be read carefully before investing. You may obtain a current copy of the Fund’s prospectus by calling 1-800-470-1029.

There is no guarantee that the vehicles presented will succeed; and investment results may vary. Bonds are affected by a number of risks, including fluctuations in interest rates, credit risk, and prepayment risk. Alternative Private Investments, such as REIT’s and real-estate related securities involve special risks. such as limited liquidity and interest rates risk. Investors in alternative investments should bear in mind that these products can be highly speculative and may not be suitable for all clients. Investments in commodities may be affected by overall market movements, changes in interest rates, and other factors, such as weather disease, embargoes, and international economic and political developments.

The universe of acceptable investments for the Fund may be limited as compared to other funds due to the Fund’s ESG investment screening. Because the Fund does not invest in companies that do not meet its ESG criteria, and the Fund may sell portfolio companies that subsequently violate its screens, the Fund may be riskier than other mutual funds that invest in a broader array of securities. Although the Pekin Hardy believes that the Fund can achieve its investment objective within the parameters of ESG investing, eliminating certain securities as investments may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s performance.

The Fund’s past performance does not guarantee future results. The investment return and principal value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance of the Fund may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. Performance data current to the most recent month end may be obtained by calling 1-800-470-1029.

The Fund is managed by Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. an SEC registered investment firm dedicated to value investing. For more information, visit www.appleseedfund.com.

The Appleseed Fund is distributed by Ultimus Fund Distributors, LLC. (member FINRA)