The Ackerman DifferenceHistory of the Firm

Guiding you through market ups, downs, & times of uncertainty

We are an independent, SEC-Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) with a fifty-year history of wealth management. Our clients take comfort in the knowledge that their portfolio investments are aligned with those of the firm’s principals and the Ackerman family office.

Ackerman Capital Management (ACM) was built upon a spirit of innovation. In 1969 Edward Ackerman founded Ackerman Associates, LP, the first hedge fund based in Dallas, Texas, which he managed until his retirement in 2007. In doing so over nearly four decades, he built a legendary track record of investment performance. Based on the early success of Ackerman Associates, LP, in the 1970s Edward established Dallas Investment Management, a registered investment advisor, to manage a select number of institutional accounts. David Ackerman joined his father’s investment firm in 1993 and became a partner in 1996.  The firm changed its name to Ackerman Capital Management in 2004 to reflect two generations of Ackerman leadership.

The firm began managing separate, private client accounts in 1999 as an early adopter of a fee-based, diversified approach to portfolio management utilizing no-load mutual funds. ACM was at the forefront of academic developments in behavioral finance and its profitable application to portfolio management. Later, the firm distinguished itself as a pioneer in the use of fundamentally-weighted index funds and academic style factor funds. The firm continues to be at the forefront of innovation with its proprietary, academic-based investment models.  

Ackerman Capital Management is well-regarded for its thoughtful, independent, and sometimes contrarian views of the capital markets and the investment landscape. As astute observers of investor sentiment, the firm has a track record of standing apart from the investment “crowd” at major turning points in the markets. From the crash of 1987, to the technology bubble of the late 1990’s and the financial crisis of 2008, the firm’s foresight was key to preserving the capital of its clients. Conversely, the firm’s accurate identification of bear market lows and its willingness to take calculated risks enhanced performance in the bull markets that followed. From decade to decade, Ackerman Capital Management has successfully steered its clients through market ups, downs, and times of uncertainty.