The 2 and 20 Fee Structure (often called “Two and Twenty”) is a classic compensation plan used by alternative investment funds, most famously `Hedge Funds` and `Private Equity` firms. It’s a two-part reward system for the fund manager. The first part is the “2,” a `Management Fee` of typically 2% of the total money managed by the fund. This is charged annually, regardless of how the fund performs. The second part is the “20,” a `Performance Fee` (also known as `Carried Interest` in private equity) that gives the manager 20% of the profits the fund generates for its investors. The idea is simple: the management fee covers the operational costs of running a sophisticated investment firm, while the hefty performance fee is meant to incentivize the manager to generate outstanding returns. If the investors get rich, the manager gets rich too. However, this structure is a major point of debate in the investment world, as the high costs can create a significant drag on an investor's long-term returns.
Imagine you invest in a hedge fund that uses the classic “2 and 20” model. Let's break down how the manager gets paid.
This is the manager's steady paycheck. It's a fixed percentage of the fund's total `Assets Under Management (AUM)`.
The rationale for this fee is that it covers the significant costs of running the fund—salaries for analysts, high-end research tools, legal fees, office space, and marketing. However, from a `Value Investing` perspective, this is a guaranteed reward for the manager even if their performance is poor. It creates a “heads I win, tails you still pay me” scenario that isn't always aligned with the investor's best interests.
This is the big bonus. It’s the manager's share of the profits earned for investors.
This fee is designed to align the manager’s goals with the investors'—the bigger the profit for the investor, the bigger the payday for the manager. It's the “skin in the game” component that supposedly encourages excellence.
To make the structure a bit fairer, more sophisticated versions of “2 and 20” include a couple of important guardrails for investors.
A `Hurdle Rate` is a minimum rate of return the fund must achieve before the performance fee kicks in. Think of it as a minimum performance bar.
A `High-Water Mark` ensures you don't pay performance fees on the same gains twice. It is the peak value your investment in the fund has ever reached.
For a disciplined value investor, the “2 and 20” structure is often viewed with deep skepticism. The core principle of value investing is to minimize costs and let the power of compounding work its magic over decades. High fees are the sworn enemy of compounding.
`Warren Buffett` famously made a decade-long bet that a low-cost `S&P 500` index fund would outperform a portfolio of hand-picked hedge funds after fees. He won, and the reason was simple: the hedge funds' high “2 and 20” fees consumed a massive portion of their returns. The 2% management fee acts as a constant, guaranteed drag on performance, while the 20% performance fee can incentivize managers to take excessive risks to chase a big payday. This short-term incentive can be at odds with the patient, long-term focus that defines successful value investing.
Fortunately, the golden age of “2 and 20” is fading. Increased competition and greater investor awareness have forced many funds to adopt more investor-friendly fee structures. It is now common to see “1.5 and 15,” “1 and 10,” or even performance-fee-only models. While there may be a few truly exceptional managers in niche areas whose skill justifies a high fee, they are extraordinarily rare. For the average investor, the certain cost of a “2 and 20” fee is a steep price to pay for the uncertain promise of market-beating returns. A low-cost `ETF` or index fund often proves to be the more prudent choice.