SmartTrust
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersParsippany, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
SmartTrust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SmartTrust
- Legal name
- Hennion & Walsh Inc.
- Website
- https://smarttrustuit.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SmartTrust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Unit Investment Trusts (UITs)
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Trust & Fiduciary Advisory for HNW/UHNW (Trust Structuring & Trustee Oversight) (FSAAABAF)
Keywords
Where SmartTrust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Parsippany
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
SmartTrust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- UIT Sales Charges: Revenue generated from sales charges on Unit Investment Trust products. Maximum sales charge of 2.75% disclosed on trust offerings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | One time/ perpetual license | Standard UIT Sales Charge |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
SmartTrust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SmartTrust sponsors Unit Investment Trusts (UITs) — unmanaged, fixed-income portfolios that hold securities for a set period. Offerings span Taxable Income, Tax-Free Income, Taxable Equity & Income, Equity Income, and Equity Oriented/Theme Based portfolios. The platform is distributed exclusively through financial advisors across the United States, supported by the Proposal Builder selection tool and SmartTrust University educational content.
Product overview
SmartTrust® is a Unit Investment Trust (UIT) sponsor and product platform offered through Hennion & Walsh Asset Management. The SmartTrust® brand encompasses a suite of UIT offerings spanning multiple strategy categories: Taxable Income, Tax-Free Income, Taxable Equity & Income, Equity Income, and Equity Oriented/Theme Based portfolios. The first SmartTrust was launched in 2003, and the platform has grown to include dozens of trust series across these categories. Core platform tools include the Proposal Builder (for searching and selecting UITs by Ticker, CUSIP, or keyword) and SmartTrust University (educational video content). Individual UIT products are organized into named series (e.g., CEFA Select BDC, Preferreds Plus, 60/40 Quality Allocation, Premier Banking Opportunities, Tax Free Income), each typically structured as 2-year term trusts. Securities are offered through Hennion & Walsh Inc., Member of FINRA, SIPC.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SmartTrust® Unit Investment Trusts (UITs) Unmanaged, fixed-income portfolios that invest in securities for a set period, offered across Taxable Income, Tax-Free Income, Taxable Equity & Income, Equity Income, and Equity Oriented/Theme Based categories. Securities are offered through Hennion & Walsh Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC, and distributed exclusively through financial advisors.
- Proposal Builder Web-based tool enabling financial advisors to search SmartTrust UITs by Ticker, CUSIP, or specific keywords and construct proposed UIT selections for client portfolios.
- CEFA Select BDC, 37 UIT seeking total return through current income and capital appreciation via Business Development Companies (BDCs), managed by Closed-End Fund Advisors (CEFA). 2-year term, max sales charge 2.75%, initial offer price $10.00 per unit.
- Preferreds Plus, 31 UIT focused on preferred securities, seeking current income and capital appreciation. Termination date 06-29-2028.
- 60/40 Quality Allocation, 15 UIT seeking total return through capital appreciation and dividend income with a 60/40 equity/fixed income allocation.
- Premier Banking Opportunities, 10 UIT seeking total return through capital appreciation and dividend income, focused on banking sector opportunities. 2-year term.
- Tax Free Income, 57 UIT seeking income generally exempt from regular federal income tax, with secondary capital growth objective. 2-year term.
- Dynamic Sector Income, 45 UIT focused on dynamic sector income strategy, providing current income through sector rotation.
Companies that use SmartTrust
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
SmartTrust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
SmartTrust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Argus ResearchcorePortfolio consultant providing independent research for UIT products. Jim Kelleher serves as Director of Research, bringing expertise in stock analysis and valuation.
- Closed-End Fund Advisors (CEFA)corePortfolio consultant specializing in closed-end funds since 1989. John Cole Scott serves as CIO with over 17 years of experience. Provides CEFA Select BDC UIT series.
- Dorsey Wright & AssociatescoreTechnical analysis research firm founded in 1987, acquired by Nasdaq in 2015. Provides Relative Strength Analysis and Point & Figure methodology for portfolio consulting.
- Ingalls & SnydercoreInvestment advisory firm where Marshall Kaplan serves as Senior Vice President, managing Fundamental All-Cap Equity portfolios.
- MorningstarcoreIndex License Provider offering rules-based, transparent indexes rooted in proprietary research for portfolio benchmarking and construction.
- NASDAQcoreIndex License Provider creating innovative, market-leading transparent indexes since 1971. Offers diverse index families including Global, Dividend and Income, Fixed Income, Nordic, Green Economy indexes.
- Syntax LLCcoreIndex provider and financial analytics company with Stratified Indices providing rules-based, diversified exposure to business risks. Reweights S&P 500, MSCI EAFE, and Wilshire 5000 using Stratified Weight methodology.
- JUST CapitalcoreResearch provider co-founded in 2013 by Paul Tudor Jones II, Deepak Chopra, and others. Provides data-driven research and rankings on corporate stakeholder behavior to support ESG-aligned UIT strategies.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
SmartTrust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- American Century Investments: American Century is a large diversified asset manager with a UIT product line distributed through advisors, providing overlapping product categories with SmartTrust but as part of a much broader firm.
- Invesco: Invesco is a large global asset manager that sponsors UITs alongside a much broader product set (ETFs, mutual funds, SMAs). UIT is a smaller product line for Invesco but overlaps directly with SmartTrust's offerings.
Direct peers
- Virtus Investment Partners: Virtus offers UIT products as part of a multi-boutique product platform, competing in the same advisor channel with defined-maturity trust structures similar to SmartTrust's suite.
- Guggenheim Investments: Guggenheim is one of the largest UIT sponsors in the U.S., offering a broad lineup of defined-maturity unit investment trusts across income, equity, and thematic strategies, directly comparable to SmartTrust's UIT platform.
- Cohen & Steers: Cohen & Steers sponsors UITs and closed-end funds with a specialization in income-oriented and real-asset strategies, closely paralleling SmartTrust's advisor-distributed income and BDC UIT offerings.
- Advisors Asset Management: Advisors Asset Management is a UIT sponsor focused on the independent advisor channel, with defined-maturity trust products and specialty income strategies comparable to SmartTrust's positioning.
- First Trust Portfolios: First Trust is a top-tier UIT sponsor with a large advisor-distributed UIT catalog and proprietary index research partnerships (FT-Nasdaq, Dorsey Wright), competing head-to-head with SmartTrust for financial advisor wallet share.
- Destra Capital: Destra Capital is a specialist sponsor of UITs and closed-end funds, with a thematic and income-oriented focus that overlaps SmartTrust's preferred securities, BDC, and sector-income UIT series.
- Nationwide Funds: Nationwide sponsors a meaningful lineup of UITs distributed through financial advisors, including fixed income and equity strategies, and competes with SmartTrust in the same advisor channel and product categories.
Others
- Hennion & Walsh (parent context): Hennion & Walsh is the parent broker-dealer (FINRA, SIPC) that distributes SmartTrust UIT securities; included as ecosystem context for the distribution infrastructure underlying the SmartTrust platform.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SmartTrust social profiles
Digital presenceSmartTrust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SmartTrust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
SmartTrust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SmartTrust M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SmartTrust
What does SmartTrust do?
SmartTrust sponsors Unit Investment Trusts (UITs) — unmanaged, fixed-income portfolios that hold securities for a set period. Offerings span Taxable Income, Tax-Free Income, Taxable Equity & Income, Equity Income, and Equity Oriented/Theme Based portfolios. The platform is distributed exclusively through financial advisors across the United States, supported by the Proposal Builder selection tool and SmartTrust University educational content.
Is SmartTrust a public or private company?
SmartTrust is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was SmartTrust founded?
SmartTrust was founded in 1990. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SmartTrust based?
SmartTrust is headquartered in Parsippany, United States, in the North America region.
How does SmartTrust make money?
One revenue line is on record: UIT Sales Charges.
Who are SmartTrust's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are American Century Investments and Invesco. Direct peers are Virtus Investment Partners, Guggenheim Investments, Cohen & Steers, Advisors Asset Management, First Trust Portfolios, Destra Capital and Nationwide Funds. Hennion & Walsh (parent context) is listed as an others.
Does SmartTrust have an API?
No public API is recorded for SmartTrust.
What industry is SmartTrust in?
SmartTrust's product category is Unit Investment Trusts (UITs). Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAABAF, Trust & Fiduciary Advisory for HNW/UHNW (Trust Structuring & Trustee Oversight). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.