diff --git a/gtsam.h b/gtsam.h
index 00f5a9030..0e50ac9b6 100644
--- a/gtsam.h
+++ b/gtsam.h
@@ -982,6 +982,7 @@ class NonlinearFactorGraph {
   void print(string s) const;
 	double error(const gtsam::Values& c) const;
 	double probPrime(const gtsam::Values& c) const;
+	void add(const gtsam::NonlinearFactor* factor);
 	gtsam::Ordering* orderingCOLAMD(const gtsam::Values& c) const;
 	// Ordering* orderingCOLAMDConstrained(const gtsam::Values& c, const std::map<gtsam::Key,int>& constraints) const;
 	gtsam::GaussianFactorGraph* linearize(const gtsam::Values& c, const gtsam::Ordering& ordering) const;
diff --git a/gtsam/linear/GaussianFactorGraph.h b/gtsam/linear/GaussianFactorGraph.h
index b4878565e..fd1ec1f6c 100644
--- a/gtsam/linear/GaussianFactorGraph.h
+++ b/gtsam/linear/GaussianFactorGraph.h
@@ -83,32 +83,32 @@ namespace gtsam {
       push_back(fg);
     }
 
-		/** Add a Jacobian factor */
-		void add(const boost::shared_ptr<JacobianFactor>& factor) {
-			factors_.push_back(boost::shared_ptr<GaussianFactor>(factor));
+		/** Add a factor by value - makes a copy */
+		void add(const GaussianFactor& factor) {
+			factors_.push_back(factor.clone());
 		}
 
-		/** Add a Hessian factor */
-		void add(const boost::shared_ptr<HessianFactor>& factor) {
-			factors_.push_back(boost::shared_ptr<GaussianFactor>(factor));
+		/** Add a factor by pointer - stores pointer without copying the factor */
+		void add(const sharedFactor& factor) {
+			factors_.push_back(factor);
 		}
 
     /** Add a null factor */
     void add(const Vector& b) {
-    	add(JacobianFactor::shared_ptr(new JacobianFactor(b)));
+    	add(JacobianFactor(b));
     }
 
     /** Add a unary factor */
     void add(Index key1, const Matrix& A1,
         const Vector& b, const SharedDiagonal& model) {
-    	add(JacobianFactor::shared_ptr(new JacobianFactor(key1,A1,b,model)));
+    	add(JacobianFactor(key1,A1,b,model));
     }
 
     /** Add a binary factor */
     void add(Index key1, const Matrix& A1,
         Index key2, const Matrix& A2,
         const Vector& b, const SharedDiagonal& model) {
-    	add(JacobianFactor::shared_ptr(new JacobianFactor(key1,A1,key2,A2,b,model)));
+    	add(JacobianFactor(key1,A1,key2,A2,b,model));
     }
 
     /** Add a ternary factor */
@@ -116,13 +116,13 @@ namespace gtsam {
         Index key2, const Matrix& A2,
         Index key3, const Matrix& A3,
         const Vector& b, const SharedDiagonal& model) {
-    	add(JacobianFactor::shared_ptr(new JacobianFactor(key1,A1,key2,A2,key3,A3,b,model)));
+    	add(JacobianFactor(key1,A1,key2,A2,key3,A3,b,model));
     }
 
     /** Add an n-ary factor */
     void add(const std::vector<std::pair<Index, Matrix> > &terms,
         const Vector &b, const SharedDiagonal& model) {
-    	add(JacobianFactor::shared_ptr(new JacobianFactor(terms,b,model)));
+    	add(JacobianFactor(terms,b,model));
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/gtsam/nonlinear/NonlinearFactorGraph.h b/gtsam/nonlinear/NonlinearFactorGraph.h
index 85cc0e63f..f7ebb42bc 100644
--- a/gtsam/nonlinear/NonlinearFactorGraph.h
+++ b/gtsam/nonlinear/NonlinearFactorGraph.h
@@ -55,9 +55,14 @@ namespace gtsam {
 		/** Unnormalized probability. O(n) */
 		double probPrime(const Values& c) const;
 
-		template<class F>
-		void add(const F& factor) {
-			this->push_back(boost::shared_ptr<F>(new F(factor)));
+		/// Add a factor by value - copies the factor object
+		void add(const NonlinearFactor& factor) {
+			this->push_back(factor.clone());
+		}
+
+		/// Add a factor by pointer - stores pointer without copying factor object
+		void add(const sharedFactor& factor) {
+			this->push_back(factor);
 		}
 
 		/**