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Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure
Item 1: Cover Page
June 2025
BG Investment Services, Inc.
120 Father Duenas Avenue
Hagatna, Guam 96910
Firm Contact:
Donald H. Clark
Chief Compliance Officer
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of BG Investment
Services, Inc. If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us by
telephone at (671) 472-5141. The information in this brochure has not been approved or verified by
the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or by any State Securities Authority.
Additional information about BG Investment Services, Inc. also is available on the SEC’s website at
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Please note that the use of the term “registered investment adviser” and description of BG Investment
Services, Inc. and/or our associates as “registered” does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
You are encouraged to review this Brochure and Brochure Supplements for our firm’s associates who
advise you for more information on the qualifications of our firm and our employees.
Item 2: Material Changes to Our Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure
BG Investment Services, Inc. is required to make clients aware of information that has changed since
the last annual update to the Firm Brochure (“Brochure”) and that may be important to them. Clients
can then determine whether to review the brochure in its entirety or to contact us with questions
about the changes.
Since our last amendment filed on February 28, 2025, our firm has the following material changes to
disclose:
•
In accordance with Rule 206 (4)-1 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, our firm provides
cash or non-cash compensation directly or indirectly to unaffiliated persons for testimonials
or endorsements (which include client referrals). Please see Item 14 for additional
information.
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Item 3: Table of Contents
Item 1: Cover Page ....................................................................................................................................... 1
Item 2: Material Changes to Our Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure ................................................. 2
Item 3: Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 3
Item 4: Advisory Business .......................................................................................................................... 4
Item 5: Fees & Compensation ..................................................................................................................... 5
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management .............................................................. 6
Item 7: Types of Clients & Account Requirements ................................................................................... 6
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss ........................................................ 7
Item 9: Disciplinary Information .............................................................................................................. 11
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations .................................................................... 11
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation, or Interest in ............................................................................. 11
Item 12: Brokerage Practices ................................................................................................................... 12
Item 13: Review of Accounts or Financial Plans ..................................................................................... 15
Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation ................................................................................... 15
Item 15: Custody ....................................................................................................................................... 16
Item 16: Investment Discretion ............................................................................................................... 17
Item 17: Voting Client Securities .............................................................................................................. 17
Item 18: Financial Information ................................................................................................................ 17
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Item 4: Advisory Business
We are dedicated to providing individuals and other types of clients with a wide array of investment
advisory services. Our firm is wholly owned by ASC Trust, LLC, which is a subsidiary of BankGuam
Holding Company, Inc. Our firm has been in business as an investment adviser since 2015.
Types of Advisory Services We Offer
Comprehensive Portfolio Management:
As part of our Comprehensive Portfolio Management service clients will be provided asset
management and financial planning or consulting services. This service is designed to assist clients
in meeting their financial goals through the use of a financial plan or consultation. Our firm conducts
client meetings to understand their current financial situation, existing resources, financial goals, and
tolerance for risk. Based on what is learned, an investment approach is presented to the client,
consisting of individual stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds and other public and private securities or
investments. Once the appropriate portfolio has been determined, portfolios are continuously and
regularly monitored, and if necessary, rebalanced based upon the client’s individual needs, stated
goals and objectives. Upon client request, our firm provides a summary of observations and
recommendations for the planning or consulting aspects of this service.
Our firm may also utilize, when appropriate, the sub-advisory services of a Third-Party Platform
Manager or a Third-Party Money Manager (“Asset Managers”) to aid in the implementation of an
investment portfolio designed by our firm. Before selecting Asset Managers, our firm will ensure that
the chosen party is properly licensed or registered. Our firm will not offer advice on any specific
securities or other investments in connection with this service. We will provide initial due diligence on
Asset Managers and ongoing reviews of their management of client accounts. In order to assist in the
selection of Asset Managers, our firm will gather client information pertaining to financial situation,
investment objectives, and reasonable restrictions to be imposed upon the management of the account.
Our firm will periodically review Asset Managers reports provided to the client at least annually. Our
firm will contact clients from time to time in order to review their financial situation and objectives;
communicate information to Asset Managers as warranted; and, assist the client in understanding
and evaluating the services provided by Asset Managers. Clients will be expected to notify our firm
of any changes in their financial situation, investment objectives, or account restrictions that could
affect their financial standing.
Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management:
We only offer Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management to legacy clients who have already
engaged us for this service. All new clients will be required to execute a Non-Wrap Agreement in
order to engage our firm for investment advisory services. Current clients will be transitioned to the
Comprehensive Portfolio Management service once they sign the ‘non-wrap’ Comprehensive
Portfolio Management Agreement.
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Tailoring of Advisory Services
Our firm offers individualized investment advice to our Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management
clients and Comprehensive Portfolio Management clients.
Each Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management client and Comprehensive Portfolio Management
client has the opportunity to place reasonable restrictions on the types of investments to be held in the
portfolio. Restrictions on investments in certain securities or types of securities may not be possible
due to the level of difficulty this would entail in managing the account.
Participation in Wrap Fee Programs
Our firm offers and sponsors a wrap fee program. Comprehensive Portfolio Management services are
only offered through wrapped accounts, which are managed on an individualized basis according to
the client’s investment objectives, financial goals, risk tolerance, etc. Please see our Part 2A, Appendix
1 (the “Wrap Fee Program Brochure”) for more information.
Regulatory Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2024, our firm manages $425,937,230 on a discretionary basis, and $14,000,315
on a non-discretionary basis, totaling $439,937,545 in aggregate Assets Under Management.
Item 5: Fees & Compensation
How We Are Compensated for Our Advisory Services
Comprehensive Portfolio Management:
The fee to be charged to the client will be outlined in the advisory agreement to be signed by the
client or in the Statement of investment Selection (“SIS”) provided by the Asset Managers for clients
using one or more of the Asset Managers.
Our firm’s maximum annual fee for this service will not exceed 1.50%. Our annualized fees are billed
on a pro-rata basis quarterly in advance based on the value of the account(s) on the last day of the
previous quarter. Fees are negotiable and will be deducted from client account(s). Adjustments will
be made for deposits and withdrawals during the quarter that exceed 10% of the Client’s account
value. Our fees are generally not negotiable. In rare cases, our firm will agree to directly bill clients.
Please note that the fees charged by the Asset Managers are separate and in addition to our firm’s
advisory fees noted above. The maximum annual fee for clients utilizing Asset Managers will not
exceed 0.50%. Thus, clients who utilize Asset Managers may be subject to a maximum total fee of
2.00%. For Asset Managers accounts that fall below the minimum account balance requirements, an
annual fee of $60.00 may be assessed. Further, the Asset Managers establish and maintain their own
separate billing process over which we have no control. Please refer to the Asset Manager’s SIS for
their account minimums and billing process.
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Other Types of Fees & Expenses
Non-wrap Clients will incur transaction fees for trades executed by their chosen custodian, either
based on a percentage of the dollar amount of assets in the account(s) or via individual transaction
charges. These transaction fees are separate from our firm’s advisory fees and will be disclosed by
the chosen custodian. Fidelity Brokerage Services (“Fidelity”) eliminated transaction fees for U.S.
listed equities and exchange traded funds for clients who opt into electronic delivery of statements
or maintain at least $1 million in assets at Fidelity. Clients who do not meet either criteria will be
subject to transaction fees charged by Fidelity for U.S. listed equities and exchange traded funds.
Clients may also pay holdings charges imposed by the chosen custodian for certain investments,
charges imposed directly by a mutual fund, index fund, or exchange traded fund, which shall be
disclosed in the fund’s prospectus (e.g., fund management fees and other fund expenses), distribution
fees, surrender charges, variable annuity fees, IRA and qualified retirement plan fees, mark-ups and
mark-downs, spreads paid to market makers, fees for trades executed away from custodian, wire
transfer fees and other fees and taxes on brokerage accounts and securities transactions. Our firm
does not receive a portion of these fees.
Wrap clients will not incur transaction costs for trades by their chosen custodian. More information
about this can be found in our separate Wrap Fee Program Brochure.
Refunds Following Termination
We charge our advisory fees quarterly in advance. In the event that you wish to terminate our
services, we will refund the unearned portion of our advisory fee to you. You need to contact us in
writing and state that you wish to terminate our services. Upon receipt of your letter of termination,
we will proceed to close out your account and process a pro-rata refund of unearned advisory fees.
Commissionable Securities Sales
We do not sell securities for a commission in our advisory accounts.
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management
We do not charge performance fees to our clients.
Item 7: Types of Clients & Account Requirements
We have the following types of clients:
•
Individuals and High Net Worth Individuals;
• Government Entities or Charitable Organizations;
• Pension and Profit-Sharing Plans; and Trusts;
• Corporations, Limited Liability Companies and/or Other Business Types
We do not have requirements for opening and maintaining accounts or otherwise engaging us.
However, clients who opt into electronic delivery of statements or maintain at least $1 million in
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assets at Fidelity will not be charged transaction fees for U.S. listed equities and exchange traded
funds.
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss
Methods of Analysis
We use the following methods of analysis in formulating our investment advice and/or managing
client assets:
Charting: In this type of technical analysis, our firm reviews charts of market and security activity in
an attempt to identify when the market is moving up or down and to predict how long the trend may
last and when that trend might reverse.
Cyclical Analysis: Statistical analysis of specific events occurring at a sufficient number of relatively
predictable intervals that they can be forecasted into the future. Cyclical analysis asserts that cyclical
forces drive price movements in the financial markets. Risks include that cycles may invert or
disappear and there is no expectation that this type of analysis will pinpoint turning points, instead
be used in conjunction with other methods of analysis.
Fundamental Analysis: The analysis of a business's financial statements (usually to analyze the
business's assets, liabilities, and earnings), health, and its competitors and markets. When analyzing
a stock, futures contract, or currency using fundamental analysis there are two basic approaches one
can use: bottom up analysis and top down analysis. The terms are used to distinguish such analysis
from other types of investment analysis, such as quantitative and technical. Fundamental analysis is
performed on historical and present data, but with the goal of making financial forecasts. There are
several possible objectives: (a) to conduct a company stock valuation and predict its probable price
evolution; (b) to make a projection on its business performance; (c) to evaluate its management and
make internal business decisions; (d) and/or to calculate its credit risk.; and (e) to find out the
intrinsic value of the share.
When the objective of the analysis is to determine what stock to buy and at what price, there are two
basic methodologies investors rely upon: (a) Fundamental analysis maintains that markets may
misprice a security in the short run but that the "correct" price will eventually be reached. Profits can
be made by purchasing the mispriced security and then waiting for the market to recognize its
"mistake" and reprice the security.; and (b) Technical analysis maintains that all information is
reflected already in the price of a security. Technical analysts analyze trends and believe that
sentiment changes predate and predict trend changes. Investors' emotional responses to price
movements lead to recognizable price chart patterns. Technical analysts also analyze historical
trends to predict future price movement. Investors can use one or both of these different but
complementary methods for stock picking. This presents a potential risk, as the price of a security
can move up or down along with the overall market regardless of the economic and financial factors
considered in evaluating the stock.
Technical Analysis: A security analysis methodology for forecasting the direction of prices through
the study of past market data, primarily price and volume. A fundamental principle of technical
analysis is that a market's price reflects all relevant information, so their analysis looks at the history
of a security's trading pattern rather than external drivers such as economic, fundamental and news
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events. Therefore, price action tends to repeat itself due to investors collectively tending toward
patterned behavior – hence technical analysis focuses on identifiable trends and conditions.
Technical analysts also widely use market indicators of many sorts, some of which are mathematical
transformations of price, often including up and down volume, advance/decline data and other
inputs. These indicators are used to help assess whether an asset is trending, and if it is, the
probability of its direction and of continuation. Technicians also look for relationships between
price/volume indices and market indicators. Technical analysis employs models and trading rules
based on price and volume transformations, such as the relative strength index, moving averages,
regressions, inter-market and intra-market price correlations, business cycles, stock market cycles
or, classically, through recognition of chart patterns. Technical analysis is widely used among traders
and financial professionals and is very often used by active day traders, market makers and pit
traders. The risk associated with this type of analysis is that analysts use subjective judgment to
decide which pattern(s) a particular instrument reflects at a given time and what the interpretation
of that pattern should be.
Investment Strategies We Use
We use the following strategies in managing client accounts, provided that such strategies are
appropriate to the needs of the client and consistent with the client's investment objectives, risk
tolerance, and time horizons, among other considerations:
Cash & Cash Equivalents: Cash and cash equivalents generally refer to either United States dollars
or highly liquid short-term debt instruments such as, but not limited to, treasury bills, bank CD’s and
commercial papers. Generally, these assets are considered nonproductive and will be exposed to
inflation risk and considerable opportunity cost risk. Investments in cash and cash equivalents will
generally return less than the advisory fee charged by our firm. Our firm may recommend cash and
cash equivalents as part of our clients’ asset allocation when deemed appropriate and in their best
interest. Our firm considers cash and cash equivalents to be an asset class. Therefore, our firm
assesses an advisory fee on cash and cash equivalents unless indicated otherwise in writing.
Long-Term Purchases: Our firm may buy securities for your account and hold them for a relatively
long time (more than a year) in anticipation that the security’s value will appreciate over a long
horizon. The risk of this strategy is that our firm could miss out on potential short-term gains that
could have been profitable to your account, or it’s possible that the security’s value may decline
sharply before our firm makes a decision to sell.
Short-Term Purchases: When utilizing this strategy, our firm may also purchase securities with the
idea of selling them within a relatively short time (typically a year or less). Our firm does this in an
attempt to take advantage of conditions that our firm believes will soon result in a price swing in the
securities our firm purchase. This approach will result in added trading costs, and tax liabilities as
short-term capital gains are taxed at a higher rate than long-term gains.
Trading: Our firm purchase securities with the idea of selling them very quickly (typically within 30
days or less). Our firm do this in an attempt to take advantage of our predictions of brief price swings.
Trading involves risk that may not be suitable for every investor and may involve a high volume of
trading activity. Each trade generates a commission and the total daily commission on such a high
volume of trading can be considerable. Active trading accounts should be considered speculative in
nature with the objective being to generate short-term profits. This activity may result in the loss of
more than 100% of an investment.
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Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves risk of loss that clients should be prepared to bear. While the stock
market may increase and your account(s) could enjoy a gain, it is also possible that the stock market
may decrease and your account(s) could suffer a loss. It is important that you understand the risks
associated with investing in the stock market, are appropriately diversified in your investments, and
ask us any questions you may have.
We generally invest client’s cash balances in money market funds, FDIC Insured Certificates of
Deposit, high-grade commercial paper and/or government backed debt instruments. Ultimately, we
try to achieve the highest return on our client’s cash balances through relatively low-risk
conservative investments. In most cases, at least a partial cash balance will be maintained in a money
market account so that our firm may debit advisory fees for our services related to our Wrap
Comprehensive Portfolio Management service and Comprehensive Portfolio Management service.
Capital Risk: Capital risk is one of the most basic, fundamental risks of investing; it is the risk that
you may lose 100% of your money. All investments carry some form of risk and the loss of capital is
generally a risk for any investment instrument.
Company Risk: When investing in stock positions, there is always a certain level of company or
industry specific risk that is inherent in each investment. This is also referred to as unsystematic risk
and can be reduced through appropriate diversification. There is the risk that the company will
perform poorly or have its value reduced based on factors specific to the company or its industry.
For example, if a company’s employees go on strike or the company receives unfavorable media
attention for its actions, the value of the company may be reduced.
Economic Risk: The prevailing economic environment is important to the health of all businesses.
Some companies, however, are more sensitive to changes in the domestic or global economy than
others. These types of companies are often referred to as cyclical businesses. Countries in which a
large portion of businesses are in cyclical industries are thus also very economically sensitive and
carry a higher amount of economic risk. If an investment is issued by a party located in a country that
experiences wide swings from an economic standpoint or in situations where certain elements of an
investment instrument are hinged on dealings in such countries, the investment instrument will
generally be subject to a higher level of economic risk.
Equity (Stock) Market Risk: Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations
and, volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers
change. If you held common stock, or common stock equivalents, of any given issuer, you would
generally be exposed to greater risk than if you held preferred stocks and debt obligations of the
issuer.
ETF & Mutual Fund Risk: When investing in an ETF or mutual fund, you will bear additional
expenses based on your pro rata share of the ETF’s or mutual fund’s operating expenses, including
the potential duplication of management fees. The risk of owning an ETF or mutual fund generally
reflects the risks of owning the underlying securities, the ETF, or mutual fund holds. Clients will also
incur brokerage costs when purchasing ETFs.
Financial Risk: Financial risk is represented by internal disruptions within an investment or the
issuer of an investment that can lead to unfavorable performance of the investment. Examples of
financial risk can be found in cases like Enron or many of the dot com companies that were caught
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BG Investment Services, Inc.
up in a period of extraordinary market valuations that were not based on solid financial footings of
the companies.
Fixed Income Securities Risk: Typically, the values of fixed-income securities change inversely with
prevailing interest rates. Therefore, a fundamental risk of fixed-income securities is interest rate risk,
which is the risk that their value will generally decline as prevailing interest rates rise, which may
cause your account value to likewise decrease, and vice versa. How specific fixed income securities
may react to changes in interest rates will depend on the specific characteristics of each security.
Fixed-income securities are also subject to credit risk, prepayment risk, valuation risk, and liquidity
risk. Credit risk is the chance that a bond issuer will fail to pay interest and principal in a timely
manner, or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such payments will cause the
price of a bond to decline.
Inflation Risk: Inflation risk involves the concern that in the future, your investment or proceeds
from your investment will not be worth what they are today. Throughout time, the prices of resources
and end-user products generally increase and thus, the same general goods and products today will
likely be more expensive in the future. The longer an investment is held, the greater the chance that
the proceeds from that investment will be worth less in the future than what they are today. Said
another way, a dollar tomorrow will likely get you less than what it can today.
Interest Rate Risk: Certain investments involve the payment of a fixed or variable rate of interest to
the investment holder. Once an investor has acquired or has acquired the rights to an investment that
pays a particular rate (fixed or variable) of interest, changes in overall interest rates in the market
will affect the value of the interest-paying investment(s) they hold. In general, changes in prevailing
interest rates in the market will have an inverse relationship to the value of existing, interest-paying
investments. In other words, as interest rates move up, the value of an instrument paying a particular
rate (fixed or variable) of interest will go down. The reverse is generally true as well.
Legal/Regulatory Risk: Certain investments or the issuers of investments may be affected by
changes in state or federal laws or in the prevailing regulatory framework under which the
investment instrument or its issuer is regulated. Changes in the regulatory environment or tax laws
can affect the performance of certain investments or issuers of those investments and thus, can have
a negative impact on the overall performance of such investments.
Market Risk: The value of your portfolio may decrease if the value of an individual company or
multiple companies in the portfolio decreases or if our belief about a company’s intrinsic worth is
incorrect. Further, regardless of how well individual companies perform, the value of your portfolio
could also decrease if there are deteriorating economic or market conditions. It is important to
understand that the value of your investment may fall, sometimes sharply, in response to changes in
the market, and you could lose money. Investment risks include price risk as may be observed by a
drop in a security’s price due to company specific events (e.g. earnings disappointment or downgrade
in the rating of a bond) or general market risk (e.g. such as a “bear” market when stock values fall in
general). For fixed-income securities, a period of rising interest rates could erode the value of a bond
since bond values generally fall as bond yields go up. Past performance is not a guarantee of future
returns.
Market Timing Risk: Market timing can include high risk of loss since it looks at an aggregate market
versus a specific security. Timing risk explains the potential for missing out on beneficial movements
in price due to an error in timing. This could cause harm to the value of an investor's portfolio because
of purchasing too high or selling too low.
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Money Market Risk: An investment in a money market fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured
or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Although a money market fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it
is possible to lose money by investing in a money market fund.
Operational Risk: Operational risk can be experienced when an issuer of an investment product is
unable to carry out the business it has planned to execute. Operational risk can be experienced as a
result of human failure, operational inefficiencies, system failures, or the failure of other processes
critical to the business operations of the issuer or counter party to the investment.
Strategy Risk: There is no guarantee that the investment strategies discussed herein will work under
all market conditions and each investor should evaluate his/her ability to maintain any investment
he/she is considering in light of his/her own investment time horizon. Investments are subject to
risk, including possible loss of principal.
Item 9: Disciplinary Information
There are no legal or disciplinary events that are material to the evaluation of our advisory business
or the integrity of our management.
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations
Representatives of our firm are insurance agents/brokers. They offer insurance products and receive
customary fees as a result of insurance sales. A conflict of interest exists as these insurance sales
create an incentive to recommend products based on the compensation adviser and/or our
supervised persons may earn. To mitigate this potential conflict, our firm will act in the client’s best
interest.
ASC Trust, LLC which wholly owns our firm, is a subsidiary of BankGuam Holding Company, Inc.
BankGuam Holding Company, Inc. is also the parent company of the Bank of Guam. In such capacity,
they provide banking and trust services. These services are independent of our investment advisory
and financial planning services and are governed under a separate engagement agreement. Clients
may be solicited to utilize these services, however, are under no obligation to utilize these services.
Representatives of our firm are registered as an investment adviser representative (“IAR”) with ASC
Wealth Management LLC, a Guam state registered investment adviser. A conflict of interest may arise
as a result of being a registered with another registered investment adviser. To mitigate this conflict,
our firm will act in the client’s best interest. Furthermore, any services that may be offered through
other registered investment advisers will remain separate from our firm’s advisory services and
governed under separate agreements
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation, or Interest in
Client Transactions & Personal Trading
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We recognize that the personal investment transactions of members and employees of our firm demand
the application of a high Code of Ethics and require that all such transactions be carried out in a way that
does not endanger the interest of any client. At the same time, we believe that if investment goals are
similar for clients and for members and employees of our firm, it is logical and even desirable that there
be common ownership of some securities.
Therefore, to prevent conflicts of interest, we have in place a set of procedures (including a pre-clearing
procedure) with respect to transactions effected by our members, officers and employees for their
personal accounts1. To monitor compliance with our personal trading policy, we have a quarterly
securities transaction reporting system for all of our associates.
Furthermore, our firm has established a Code of Ethics which applies to all of our associated persons. An
investment adviser is considered a fiduciary. As a fiduciary, it is an investment adviser’s responsibility
to provide fair and full disclosure of all material facts and to act solely in the best interest of each of our
clients at all times. We have a fiduciary duty to all clients. Our fiduciary duty is considered the core
underlying principle for our Code of Ethics which also includes Insider Trading and Personal Securities
Transactions Policies and Procedures. We require all of our supervised persons to conduct business with
the highest level of ethical standards and to comply with all federal and state securities laws at all times.
Upon employment or affiliation and at least annually thereafter, all supervised persons will sign an
acknowledgement that they have read, understand, and agree to comply with our Code of Ethics. Our
firm and supervised persons must conduct business in an honest, ethical, and fair manner and avoid all
circumstances that might negatively affect or appear to affect our duty of complete loyalty to all clients.
This disclosure is provided to give all clients a summary of our Code of Ethics. However, if a client or a
potential client wishes to review our Code of Ethics in its entirety, a copy will be provided promptly upon
request.
Neither our firm nor a related person recommends to clients, or buys or sells for client accounts,
securities in which our firm or a related person has a material financial interest. Related persons of
our firm may buy or sell securities and other investments that are also recommended to clients. In
order to minimize this conflict of interest, our related persons will place client interests ahead of their
own interests and adhere to our firm’s Code of Ethics, a copy of which is available upon request.
Related persons of our firm may buy or sell securities for themselves at or about the same time they buy
or sell the same securities for client accounts. In order to minimize this conflict of interest, our related
persons will place client interests ahead of their own interests and adhere to our firm’s Code of Ethics, a
copy of which is available upon request. Further, our related persons will refrain from buying or selling
the same securities within 24 hours prior to buying or selling for our clients. If related persons’ accounts
are included in a block trade, our related persons will always trade personal accounts last.
Item 12: Brokerage Practices
Selecting a Brokerage Firm
We seek to recommend a custodian/broker who will hold your assets and execute transactions on
terms that are overall most advantageous when compared to other available providers and their
services. We consider a wide range of factors, including, among others, these:
1 For purposes of the policy, our associate’s personal account generally includes any account (a) in the name of our associate, his/her spouse,
his/her minor children or other dependents residing in the same household, (b) for which our associate is a trustee or executor, or (c) which our
associate controls, including our client accounts which our associate controls and/or a member of his/her household has a direct or indirect
beneficial interest in.
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• Ability to maintain the confidentiality of trading intentions
• Timeliness of execution
• Timeliness and accuracy of trade confirmations
• Liquidity of the securities traded
• Willingness to commit capital
• Ability to place trades in difficult market environments
• Research services provided
• Ability to provide investment ideas
• Execution facilitation services provided
• Record keeping services provided
• Custody services provided
• Frequency and correction of trading errors
• Ability to access a variety of market venues
• Financial condition
• Business reputation
With this in consideration, our firm has an arrangement with Fidelity. Fidelity offers to independent
investment advisers services which include custody of securities, trade execution, clearance and
settlement of transactions. We receive some benefits from Fidelity through our participation in the
program.
Fidelity may make certain research and brokerage services available at no additional cost to our firm.
These services may be directly from independent research companies, as selected by our firm (within
specific parameters). Research products and services provided by Fidelity may include research reports
on recommendations or other information about, particular companies or industries; economic surveys,
data and analyses; financial publications; portfolio evaluation services; financial database software and
services; computerized news and pricing services; quotation equipment for use in running software
used in investment decision-making; and other products or services that provide lawful and appropriate
assistance by Fidelity to our firm in the performance of our investment decision-making responsibilities.
We do not use client brokerage commissions to obtain research or other products or services. The
aforementioned research and brokerage services are used by our firm to manage accounts for which
we have investment discretion. Without this arrangement, our firm might be compelled to purchase
the same or similar services at our own expense.
As a result of receiving these services, we may have an incentive to continue to use or expand the use of
Fidelity services. Our firm examined this potential conflict of interest when we chose to enter into the
relationship with Fidelity and we have determined that the relationship is in the best interest of our
firm’s clients and satisfies our fiduciary obligations, including our duty to seek best execution.
Fidelity charges brokerage commissions and transaction fees for effecting certain securities
transactions (i.e., transaction fees are charged for certain no-load mutual funds, commissions are
charged for individual equity and debt securities transactions). Fidelity enables us to obtain many
no-load mutual funds without transaction charges and other no-load funds at nominal transaction
charges. Fidelity commission rates are generally discounted from customary retail commission rates.
However, the commission and transaction fees charged by Fidelity may be higher or lower than those
charged by other custodians and broker-dealers.
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BG Investment Services, Inc.
Our non-wrap fee program clients may pay a commission to Fidelity that is higher than another
qualified broker dealer might charge to effect the same transaction where we determine in good faith
that the commission is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services
received In seeking best execution, the determinative factor is not the lowest possible cost, but
whether the transaction represents the best qualitative execution, taking into consideration the full
range of a broker-dealer’s services, including the value of research provided, execution capability,
commission rates, and responsiveness. Accordingly, although we will seek competitive rates, to the
benefit of all clients, we may not necessarily obtain the lowest possible commission rates for specific
client account transactions.
Soft Dollars
Although the investment research products and services that may be obtained by our firm will
generally be used to service all of our clients, a brokerage commission paid by a specific client may
be used to pay for research that is not used in managing that specific client’s account. Our firm does
not accept products or services that do not qualify for Safe Harbor outlined in Section 28(e) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, such as those services that do not aid in investment decision-making
or trade execution.
Client Brokerage Commissions
We do not acquire client brokerage commissions (or markups or markdowns).
Procedures to Direct Client Transactions in Return for Soft Dollars
We do not direct client transactions to a particular broker-dealer in return for soft dollar benefits.
Brokerage for Client Referrals
Our firm does not receive brokerage for client referrals.
Directed Brokerage
Neither we nor any of our firm’s related persons have discretionary authority in making the
determination of the brokers with whom orders for the purchase or sale of securities are placed for
execution, and the commission rates at which such securities transactions are effected. We routinely
recommend that a client directs us to execute through a specified broker-dealer. Our firm
recommends the use of Fidelity. Each client will be required to establish their account(s) with Fidelity
if not already done. Please note that not all advisers have this requirement.
Permissibility of Client-Directed Brokerage
We may allow clients to direct brokerage outside our recommendation. However, we may be unable
to achieve the most favorable execution of client transactions. Client directed brokerage may cost
clients more money. For example, in a directed brokerage account, you may pay higher brokerage
commissions because we may not be able to aggregate orders to reduce transaction costs, or you may
receive less favorable prices.
Special Considerations for ERISA Clients
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BG Investment Services, Inc.
A retirement or ERISA plan client may direct all or part of portfolio transactions for its account
through a specific broker or dealer in order to obtain goods or services on behalf of the plan. Such
direction is permitted provided that the goods and services provided are reasonable expenses of the
plan incurred in the ordinary course of its business for which it otherwise would be obligated and
empowered to pay. ERISA prohibits directed brokerage arrangements when the goods or services
purchased are not for the exclusive benefit of the plan. Consequently, we will request that plan
sponsors who direct plan brokerage provide us with a letter documenting that this arrangement will
be for the exclusive benefit of the plan.
Aggregation of Purchase or Sale
We perform investment management services for various clients. There are occasions on which
portfolio transactions may be executed as part of concurrent authorizations to purchase or sell the same
security for numerous accounts served by our firm, which involve accounts with similar investment
objectives. Although such concurrent authorizations potentially could be either advantageous or
disadvantageous to any one or more particular accounts, they are affected only when we believe that to
do so will be in the best interest of the effected accounts. When such concurrent authorizations occur,
the objective is to allocate the executions in a manner which is deemed equitable to the accounts
involved. In any given situation, we attempt to allocate trade executions in the most equitable manner
possible, taking into consideration client objectives, current asset allocation and availability of funds
using price averaging, proration, and consistently non-arbitrary methods of allocation.
Item 13: Review of Accounts or Financial Plans
We review accounts on at least an annual basis for our clients subscribing to our Wrap
Comprehensive Portfolio Management and Comprehensive Portfolio Management and Independent
Money Management services. The nature of these reviews is to learn whether clients’ accounts are in
line with their investment objectives, appropriately positioned based on market conditions, and
investment policies, if applicable. We do not provide written reports to clients, unless asked to do so.
Verbal reports to clients take place on at least an annual basis when we contact clients who subscribe
to our Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management and Comprehensive Portfolio Management and
Independent Money Management services.
Only our Financial Advisors or Portfolio Managers will conduct reviews. We may review client
accounts more frequently than described above. Among the factors which may trigger an off-cycle
review are major market or economic events, the client’s life events, requests by the client, etc.
Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation
Fidelity
Except for the arrangements outlined in Item 12 of this brochure, we have no additional
arrangements to disclose.
Referral Fees
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In accordance with Rule 206 (4)-1 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, our firm provides cash or
non-cash compensation directly or indirectly to unaffiliated persons for testimonials or
endorsements (which include client referrals). Such compensation arrangements will not result in
higher costs to the referred client. In this regard, our firm maintains a written agreement with each
unaffiliated person that is compensated for testimonials or endorsements in an aggregate amount of
$1,000 or more (or the equivalent value in non-cash compensation) over a trailing 12-month period
in compliance with Rule 206 (4)-1 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and applicable state and
federal laws. The following information will be disclosed clearly and prominently to referred
prospective clients at the time of each testimonial or endorsement:
• Whether or not the unaffiliated person is a current client of our firm,
• A description of the cash or non-cash compensation provided directly or indirectly by our firm to
the unaffiliated person in exchange for the referral, if applicable, and
• A brief statement of any material conflicts of interest on the part of the unaffiliated person giving
the referral resulting from our firm’s relationship with such unaffiliated person.
In cases where state law requires licensure of solicitors, our firm ensures that no solicitation fees are
paid unless the solicitor is registered as an investment adviser representative of our firm. If our firm
is paying solicitation fees to another registered investment adviser, the licensure of individuals is the
other firm’s responsibility.
Item 15: Custody
Deduction of Advisory Fees:
While our firm does not maintain physical custody of client assets (which are maintained by a
qualified custodian, as discussed above), we are deemed to have custody of certain client assets if
given the authority to withdraw assets from client accounts, as further described below under “Third
Party Money Movement.” All our clients receive account statements directly from their qualified
custodian(s) at least quarterly upon opening of an account. We urge our clients to carefully review
these statements. Additionally, if our firm decides to send its own account statements to clients, such
statements will include a legend that recommends the client compare the account statements
received from the qualified custodian with those received from our firm. Clients are encouraged to
raise any questions with us about the custody, safety or security of their assets and our custodial
recommendations.
Third Party Money Movement:
The SEC issued a no‐action letter (“Letter”) with respect to the Rule 206(4)‐2 (“Custody Rule”) under
the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”). The letter provided guidance on the Custody
Rule as well as clarified that an adviser who has the power to disburse client funds to a third party
under a standing letter of instruction (“SLOA”) is deemed to have custody. As such, our firm has
adopted the following safeguarding procedures in conjunction with our custodian, Fidelity:
• Fidelity’s forms, used to establish a standing letter of authorization, include the name and
account number on the receiving account and must be signed by the client.
• Fidelity’s SLOA forms currently require client’s signature.
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• Fidelity performs verification on all SLOA forms and sends a transfer of notice to the client
promptly following the transaction.
• Clients always have the ability to terminate (or amend) an SLOA in writing.
• Our firm has no authority, or ability, to amend the third party designated on a standing
instruction.
• Our firm maintains records showing the third party is not a related party of our firm or
located at our firm.
• Fidelity notifies the client in writing when a new standing instruction is set up. Clients also
receive an annual mailing reconfirming the existence of the standing instruction.
We encourage our clients to raise any questions with us about the custody, safety, or security of their
assets. The custodians we do business with will send you independent account statements listing
your account balance(s), transaction history and any fee debits or other fees taken out of your
account.
Item 16: Investment Discretion
Clients have the option of providing our firm with investment discretion on their behalf, pursuant to
an executed investment advisory client agreement. By granting investment discretion, we are
authorized to execute securities transactions, which securities are bought and sold, the total amount
to be bought and sold, and the costs at which the transactions will be affected. Limitations may be
imposed by the client in the form of specific constraints on any of these areas of discretion with our
firm’s written acknowledgement.
Item 17: Voting Client Securities
We do not and will not accept the proxy authority to vote client securities. Clients will receive proxies
or other solicitations directly from their custodian or a transfer agent. In the event that proxies are
sent to our firm, we will forward them on to you and ask the party who sent them to mail them
directly to you in the future. Clients may call, write, or email us to discuss questions they may have
about particular proxy votes or other solicitations.
Independent money managers selected or recommended by our firm may vote proxies for clients.
Therefore, except in the event an independent money manager votes proxies, clients maintain
exclusive responsibility for: (1) directing the manner in which proxies solicited by issuers of
securities beneficially owned by the client shall be voted, and (2) making all elections relative to any
mergers, acquisitions, tender offers, bankruptcy proceedings or other type events pertaining to the
client’s investment assets. Therefore (except for proxies that may be voted by an independent money
manager), our firm and/or you shall instruct your qualified custodian to forward to you copies of all
proxies and shareholder communications relating to your investment assets.
Item 18: Financial Information
We are not required to provide financial information in this Brochure because:
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• We do not require the prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees and six or more months in
advance.
• We do not take custody of client funds or securities.
• We do not have a financial condition or commitment that impairs our ability to meet
contractual and fiduciary obligations to clients.
• We have never been the subject of a bankruptcy proceeding.
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