diff --git a/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicBayesNet.h b/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicBayesNet.h
index d9b8ecb57..33c77c6de 100644
--- a/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicBayesNet.h
+++ b/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicBayesNet.h
@@ -60,6 +60,16 @@ namespace gtsam {
     explicit SymbolicBayesNet(const FactorGraph<DERIVEDCONDITIONAL>& graph)
         : Base(graph) {}
 
+    /**
+     * Constructor that takes an initializer list of shared pointers.
+     *  FactorGraph fg = {make_shared<MyFactor>(), ...};
+     */
+    SymbolicBayesNet(
+        std::initializer_list<boost::shared_ptr<SymbolicConditional>>
+            sharedFactors) {
+      for (auto&& f : sharedFactors) factors_.push_back(f);
+    }
+
     /// Destructor
     virtual ~SymbolicBayesNet() {}
 
diff --git a/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicFactorGraph.h b/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicFactorGraph.h
index 36379fd83..95892eec8 100644
--- a/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicFactorGraph.h
+++ b/gtsam/symbolic/SymbolicFactorGraph.h
@@ -81,6 +81,15 @@ namespace gtsam {
     template<class DERIVEDFACTOR>
     SymbolicFactorGraph(const FactorGraph<DERIVEDFACTOR>& graph) : Base(graph) {}
 
+    /**
+     * Constructor that takes an initializer list of shared pointers.
+     *  FactorGraph fg = {make_shared<MyFactor>(), ...};
+     */
+    SymbolicFactorGraph(std::initializer_list<boost::shared_ptr<SymbolicFactor>>
+                            sharedFactors) {
+        for (auto&& f : sharedFactors) factors_.push_back(f);
+    }
+
     /// Destructor
     virtual ~SymbolicFactorGraph() {}