MutualFundWire.com: Kraus Launches a $152B-AUM AM's 1st Options Overlay Strategy

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Thursday, December 18, 2025

Kraus Launches a $152B-AUM AM's 1st Options Overlay Strategy

The team at a $152.3-billion-AUM* asset manager near Philadelphia is partnering with a long-time ally in Massachusetts to roll out their first options overlay strategy.

Yesterday, Brian Kraus, head of product development at Hartford Funds [profile], and Christina Kopec Rooney, head of U.S. wealth at Wellington Management [profile], unveiled the launch of the Hartford Equity Premium ETF (HEMI on the Cboe BZX). Wayne, Pennsylvania-based Hartford Funds Management Company, LLC serves as HEMI's investment advisor, while Boston-based Wellington serves as subadvisor.

HEMI's inception date was Tuesday (December 16), and the new ETF comes with an expense ratio of 49 basis points. The new fund now has about $9.877 million in AUM**.

Two Wellington partners — senior managing directors Gordon Lawrence, and Doug McLane, a global derivatives portfolio manager and an equity PM, respectively — serve as HEMI's PM team. The fund will combine an active, fundamental approach to U.S. stockpicking with selling call options to generate income.

Kraus notes the rising flows share grabbed by active ETFs and the "high demand" seen for "outcome-oriented strategies."

"HEMI reflects our commitment to meeting client needs through innovative solutions," Kraus states. "We're thrilled to collaborate once again with our strategic partner Wellington Management to launch a product that we feel can offer investors a compelling blend of yield, equity growth potential, and tax efficiency."

Kopec Rooney highlights Wellington's dedication "to developing innovative investment solutions, with a particular focus on the advantages of ETFs."

"Our extensive, ongoing collaboration with Hartford Funds underscores Wellington's commitment to building strong partnerships that deliver long-term value and prioritize the needs of financial advisors and their clients," Kopec Rooney states.

HEMI is an actively managed, non-diversified series of Hartford Funds Exchange-Traded Trust. The new ETF's other service providers include:

SS&C's Alps Distributors, Inc. as distributor;

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as independent accounting firm; and

State Street Bank and Trust Company as custodian and transfer agent.