Overview
- Headquarters
- Boston, MA
- Total Firm Assets
- $54.3 billion
- Average High-Net-Worth Client Portfolio Size
- $3.8 million
Clients
- High-Net-Worth Share of Firm Assets
- 54.27%
- Number of High-Net-Worth Clients
- 7,705
- Total Client Accounts
- 18,447
- Discretionary Accounts
- 18,447
Services Offered
Services: Portfolio Management for Individuals, Portfolio Management for Companies, Portfolio Management for Pooled Investment Vehicles, Portfolio Management for Institutional Clients
Regulatory Filings
- SEC CRD Number
- 107143
Additional Brochure: BRECKINRIDGE CAPITAL ADVISORS FORM ADV PART 2A (2026-03-18)
View Document Text
ITEM 1. COVER PAGE
BRECKINRIDGE CAPITAL ADVISORS, INC.
FORM ADV PART 2A - FIRM BROCHURE
March 18, 2026
125 HIGH STREET
SUITE 431
BOSTON, MA 02110
WWW.BRECKINRIDGE.COM
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Breckinridge
Capital Advisors, Inc. (“Breckinridge”). If you have any questions about the contents of this
brochure, please contact Breckinridge at 617-443-0779. 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.
Breckinridge is a registered investment adviser. Registration of an investment adviser does not
imply any level of skill or training. The oral and written communications of an advisor provide you
with information about which you determine to hire or retain an adviser.
Additional information about Breckinridge is also available on the SEC’s website at
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Breckinridge Capital Advisors | Page 1 of 31
ITEM 2. MATERIAL CHANGES
The following material changes were made to this brochure since the previous update on March 19,
2025:
Item 5: Revised methodology related to quarterly fee billing calculations.
•
Item 8: Addition of new investment strategy Enhanced Tax Efficient.
•
•
Item 8: Additional risk disclosures related to investments in affiliated mutual funds,
lower/non-rated bonds, odd lots, and fraudulent social media schemes.
In addition to the changes noted above, non-substantive revisions (e.g., reordering paragraphs and
formatting updates) were made to enhance clarity, flow, and readability.
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ITEM 3. TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1. COVER PAGE ........................................................................................................................ 1
ITEM 2. MATERIAL CHANGES .............................................................................................................. 2
ITEM 3. TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................. 3
ITEM 4. ADVISORY BUSINESS .............................................................................................................. 4
ITEM 5. FEES AND COMPENSATION ...................................................................................................... 5
ITEM 6. PERFORMANCE BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT ....................................................... 8
ITEM 7. TYPES OF CLIENTS ................................................................................................................. 9
ITEM 8. METHODS OF ANALYSIS, INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISK OF LOSS .............................................. 9
ITEM 9. DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION .................................................................................................. 19
ITEM 10. OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATIONS ........................................................ 19
ITEM 11. CODE OF ETHICS, PARTICIPATION OR INTEREST IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS AND PERSONAL TRADING ... 19
ITEM 12. BROKERAGE PRACTICES ...................................................................................................... 21
ITEM 13. REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS ....................................................................................................... 28
ITEM 14. CLIENT REFERRALS AND OTHER COMPENSATION ..................................................................... 29
ITEM 15. CUSTODY ........................................................................................................................ 29
ITEM 16. INVESTMENT DISCRETION .................................................................................................... 29
ITEM 17. VOTING CLIENT SECURITIES ................................................................................................. 30
ITEM 18. FINANCIAL INFORMATION .................................................................................................... 31
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ITEM 4. ADVISORY BUSINESS
Founded in 1993, Breckinridge Capital Advisors specializes in managing high quality assets through
separate accounts, which are often customized by clients. The client servicing and investment
teams work closely with clients to tailor customizations to clients’ investment objectives, risk
tolerances and liquidity requirements.
Breckinridge is a Massachusetts Benefit Corporation and a certified B Corp
(https://bcorporation.net/). Breckinridge believes these designations help establish its
commitment to sustainability not only within its business but also within the communities in which
it lives, works and invests.
Breckinridge is independently owned by its former and current employees and members of the
Board of Directors. Breckinridge has no subsidiaries or affiliations, with all business conducted out
of its Boston and San Diego offices. Peter Coffin, the firm’s founder is the firm’s majority owner. As
of December 31, 2025, Breckinridge managed over $54 billion in assets on behalf of 18,447 clients.
BRECKINRIDGE CLIENTS
Breckinridge manages portfolios for a wide variety of clients, ranging from high-net-worth
individuals to mutual funds sponsored by unaffiliated parties. Clients typically access
Breckinridge’s investment strategies through intermediaries such as other investment advisors,
consultants and wrap fee programs. These programs, advisors and consultants (collectively,
“Intermediaries”) are not affiliated with Breckinridge. Each Intermediary determines which
Breckinridge investment strategy to offer to their end clients and is expected to conduct their own
due diligence of the firm. Breckinridge also has a limited number of direct client relationships.
CLIENT RELATIONSHIP STRUCTURES
For client relationships obtained through Intermediaries, Breckinridge typically enters into advisory
agreements with the Intermediary and not the Intermediary’s end clients. For a limited number of
Intermediaries, however, Breckinridge enters into advisory agreements with end clients directly.
For wrap fee programs, Breckinridge enters into advisory agreements with the sponsors, not with
the underlying clients. Regardless of the agreement arrangement, the Intermediary, not the
underlying client, is Breckinridge’s primary point of contact for any underlying client
communications, including changes to account guidelines and restrictions. Therefore, throughout
this Brochure, references to clients generally mean Intermediaries. Underlying clients who access
Breckinridge’s services directly usually appoint an authorized party to act on their behalf. Any such
arrangements are specified in either the investment management agreement or separate written
documentation.
Limitations to Client Information
When underlying clients access Breckinridge’s services through an Intermediary, Breckinridge will
not be provided with sufficient information from the Intermediary to perform a suitability
assessment of Breckinridge’s services for their accounts. Breckinridge relies on the Intermediaries
who, within their fiduciary duty, must determine whether Breckinridge and Breckinridge’s services
are in their client’s best interests. This includes any assessment of whether a particular wrap free
program is appropriate for the underlying client.
TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION SECURITY
Since Breckinridge’s founding, the firm has consistently pursued technological innovation.
Breckinridge believes innovation allows the firm to better serve its clients. This has led Breckinridge
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to develop proprietary technology and techniques that have enabled the firm to manage portfolios,
analyze issuers, and implement customizations for clients. Breckinridge also relies on third-party
systems and data to operate and service client accounts on a daily basis. As a result, Breckinridge
and these third-party providers process, store and transmit large amounts of electronic
information about clients and their accounts, including transactions and holdings.
Dependence on technology and systems makes Breckinridge and its service providers susceptible
to cybersecurity risks that include loss of client information or assets, privacy breaches and
identity theft, loss of confidential company information, and disruption of business. These types of
events can be caused by unintentional failures or deliberate attacks. Breckinridge has policies and
procedures that address information security, privacy, identity theft, business continuity and third-
party service providers. These policies are reviewed regularly and revised as necessary to reflect
changes in Breckinridge’s business, the way the firm processes, stores and transmits electronic
information, or other matters.
Breckinridge does not market or offer any of its services or investment strategies through social
media outlets or platforms such as WhatsApp, blogs, text messaging, or chat rooms. Any client or
prospective client of Breckinridge should be mindful of online scams or impersonation attempts
which may fraudulently suggest that Breckinridge, or one of its employees, is connected to the
offering. If there is any doubt as to the validity of information received, Breckinridge recommends
that clients contact their Breckinridge representative through known communication channels
(such as email or telephone) or through email at cr@breckinridge.com. See Item 8 “Other Risks”
for information related to risks associated with social media.
A copy of Breckinridge’s information security policies and privacy notice are available upon request
by contacting Compliance (compliance@breckinridge.com). Breckinridge’s privacy notice also is
available online at https://www.breckinridge.com/privacy-notice/.
ITEM 5. FEES AND COMPENSATION
Breckinridge is compensated for investment management services through the payment of asset-
based fees made by its clients. Breckinridge retains full discretion to negotiate the advisory fees
that it charges clients, in consideration of asset levels, service requirements, and any other factor
that Breckinridge deems relevant in its sole discretion. Client fees will vary. Even within the same
investment strategy, different clients will have different fee structures and schedules.
ADVISORY FEE CALCULATIONS
Advisory fees are typically calculated by Breckinridge. Effective April 1, 2026, Breckinridge
calculated fees are based on the average value of securities, including any accrued interest, in
client accounts during a calendar quarter. The average value is determined using daily account
valuations that reflect the closing market value of securities held in the account on each trading
day. Cash balances are not included in billing valuations. The daily values are aggregated over the
billing period and divided by the total number of trading days in the quarter to arrive at the average
value for billing calculation.
The securities held in client accounts are priced daily by independent pricing services. If
Breckinridge is unable to obtain a price for a security from the third-party services, Breckinridge
values the security in accordance with its then current valuation policy.
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Some client assets are aggregated for billing purposes. Clients with multiple accounts managed by
Breckinridge (i.e., householding) or clients who access Breckinridge through Intermediaries may
receive a lower effective rate due to the combined level of assets. Because Breckinridge is provided
with limited client information, Breckinridge does not household accounts for fee calculation
purposes unless instructed to do so by the Intermediary. Such instructions must be provided to
Breckinridge in writing. Once instructions have been acknowledged and processed, householding
will go into effect for the next billing cycle.
Breckinridge’s standard fee payment methodology requires advisory fees to be paid quarterly, in
arrears. Fees will be either deducted directly from client custodial accounts or invoiced to clients.
If a client wishes to calculate or pay advisory fees in a manner that is different from Breckinridge’s
standard, it will be the client’s responsibility to calculate the advisory fees. Clients are responsible
for verifying that their fees have been properly calculated.
When a client is responsible for calculating their own advisory fee, they may use a different
calculation, pricing source or time period than those used by Breckinridge. Breckinridge will
request documentation from the client to conduct a reasonable check but will not validate the
client’s calculation. Breckinridge does not issue invoices for any fees calculated by clients.
Breckinridge may also earn fees on cash from clients who calculate their own fees as some clients
include cash in the asset values used for billing purposes.
Other Fees and Expenses
In addition to Breckinridge’s advisory fees, underlying clients bear trading costs, taxes, and any
fees or expenses associated with custodial accounts, wire and electronic fund transfers, or
services provided by other third-party investment advisors or managers selected by the underlying
client. These costs and expenses are not included in the advisory fee paid to Breckinridge.
Clients are required to appoint their own custodians and are responsible for negotiating the terms
and arrangements for the account with that custodian. Breckinridge, therefore, is unable to
influence the transaction costs charged by the custodian to settle Breckinridge trades for their
accounts. In addition, Breckinridge investment strategies may not be available on all custodial
platforms. See Item 15 for more information on custodial arrangements.
INVESTMENT OF CLIENT ASSETS IN AFFILIATED AND UNAFFILIATED FUNDS
For clients invested in Breckinridge’s Enhanced Tax Efficient strategy (see Item 8), Breckinridge
typically invests a portion of the client’s assets in an affiliated mutual fund that does not charge an
advisory fee, i.e., a “completion fund.” Clients who are invested in the completion fund via the
Enhanced Tax Efficient strategy will bear a share of the fund’s annual operating expenses.
Breckinridge has agreed to cap the completion fund’s expenses to 30 basis points (subject to
change). If the fund’s expenses exceed the cap, Breckinridge will pay the excess. If the fund’s
expenses are below the cap, Breckinridge may be entitled to receive a reimbursement.
Additionally, the completion fund may, from time to time, invest a portion of its assets in exchange
traded funds (“ETFs”). ETFs typically charge management fees and other expenses associated with
the operation and offering of the fund. Clients invested in the completion fund will bear their
proportional share of operating expenses (up to the waiver amount) and fees associated with ETF
purchases and sales. Clients should review the completion fund’s prospectus (and other
registration documents) before investing to understand the fees and expenses that may be
applicable to their particular investment.
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To the extent that client accounts are invested in any unaffiliated registered funds (e.g., mutual
funds or ETFs), these funds may charge a separate layer of management, commissions, trading,
and administrative expenses, which are exclusive and in addition to Breckinridge’s advisory fee.
Breckinridge does not receive any commission or portion of the funds’ fees and expenses from
these types of investments in client accounts. Additional information on trading and custody can
be found in Items 12 and 15.
SUB-ADVISING MUTUAL FUNDS
Breckinridge acts as sub-advisor to certain mutual funds in which Breckinridge clients may be
investors. Breckinridge is usually not aware that such clients are also fund shareholders as this
information is not routinely provided or readily available. On occasion, Breckinridge will
recommend to an existing or prospective client whose needs are not suitable for a separate
account to consider a mutual fund that Breckinridge sub-advises. In such cases, Breckinridge will
provide the client with the fund advisor’s or sponsor’s contact information so that the client can
obtain the appropriate documents prior to making an investment. Outside of the agreed-upon sub-
advisory fee, Breckinridge receives no other compensation from the fund, the fund’s advisor or
sponsor for these suggestions.
WRAP FEE PROGRAMS
Under each program, any brokerage commissions or other transactions fees (collectively,
transaction costs) on client trades executed through the sponsor or its affiliates are generally
included in the all-inclusive fee that each client pays the sponsor. Breckinridge has the authority to
trade with broker dealers that are not the sponsor or its affiliates (i.e., trade away), and
Breckinridge will regularly exercise this authority in its pursuit of best execution. When Breckinridge
trades away, the client will incur transaction costs associated with those trades in addition to the
wrap fee charged by the sponsor. Therefore, clients who choose Breckinridge as a manager
through a wrap fee program will incur transaction costs paid to the executing broker dealer for
trading away and transaction costs already included in the wrap program fee paid to the sponsor.
Wrap fee account clients should refer to the sponsor’s disclosures for more complete information
on program fees and costs. Refer to Item 12 for additional information on Breckinridge’s trading
practices.
Under each program, any brokerage commissions or other transactions fees (collectively,
transaction costs) on client trades executed through the sponsor or its affiliates are generally
included in the all-inclusive fee that each client pays the sponsor. Breckinridge has the authority to
trade with broker dealers that are not the sponsor or its affiliates (i.e., trade away), and we will
regularly exercise this authority in our pursuit of best execution. When we trade away, the client will
incur transaction costs associated with those trades in addition to the wrap fee charged by the
sponsor. Therefore, clients who choose Breckinridge as a manager through a wrap fee program will
incur transaction costs paid to the executing broker dealer for trading away and transaction costs
already included in the wrap program fee paid to the sponsor. Wrap fee account clients should
refer to the sponsor’s disclosures for more complete information on program fees and costs. Refer
to Item 12 for additional information on our trading practices.
TERMINATION AND ASSIGNMENT
Advisory agreements with clients cannot be assigned without the approval of the client. Unless
otherwise agreed upon, agreements may be terminated with thirty days prior written notice. Fees
paid in arrears for the current quarter will be pro-rated daily and billed to the client. Clients who pay
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fees in advance calculate their own advisory fees, including any unused portion of the fees for the
current billing period. Any unused portion is returned to the client by Breckinridge or by the
Intermediary, who will then deduct the unused portion from the aggregate fee owed to
Breckinridge.
ITEM 6. PERFORMANCE BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT
Breckinridge does not have any performance fee or soft dollar arrangements, both of which can
create conflicts concerning the management and trading of client accounts.
Conflicts, however, can arise with the simultaneous management of multiple accounts by
Breckinridge’s investment team. In addition to client accounts, the portfolio management team
manages affiliated accounts, which consist of corporate accounts and employee accounts that are
invested in certain firm strategies. Corporate accounts typically are used to develop new
investment strategies that are generally not available to clients or employees. Breckinridge has
discretion, however, to offer all or some incubated strategies to employees and/or select clients at
any time. When an incubated strategy is “launched” and made available to all clients, Breckinridge
may decide to retain the corporate accounts in the strategy. In such circumstances, Breckinridge
will follow the standards and restrictions set forth in this section.
Employees are permitted to invest in our dividend income strategies. If they choose to do so, their
equity account will be subject to certain reporting and certification requirements set forth in our
Code of Ethics (see Item 11).
Since Breckinridge provides investment advisory services to client accounts in different strategies
with varying fee schedules, the portfolio management (“PM”) team must allocate its time across
multiple accounts, including affiliated accounts, with different objectives, benchmarks,
restrictions and fees. Managing multiple accounts simultaneously may result in the team
allocating unequal attention and time to the management of each client account. Further, there is
an incentive for the PM team to favor affiliated accounts because the firm and/or its employees
have financial interests in such accounts. Affiliated accounts can, and will, hold some or all the
same securities as those held in client accounts. Allowing affiliated accounts to invest in the same
securities as clients creates the possibility that the firm may benefit from market activity by a client
or group of clients in the same security.
Breckinridge seeks to mitigate these conflicts in various ways.
• Breckinridge’s approach to the investment process is collaborative and team-based,
which helps to ensure overlap in coverage and support.
• All trading activity is viewable by the trading and portfolio management teams; this
creates complete transparency into daily trading in client and affiliated accounts.
• Portfolio managers’ compensation is not tied to the performance of any single account
or strategy; rather, compensation is based on individual and overall firm performance.
• Breckinridge utilizes proprietary portfolio management and trading systems to monitor
and manage all accounts.
• Breckinridge’s proprietary systems enable the fixed income PMs to determine portfolio
needs, sales and trade ideas across multiple accounts with traders’ input on valuation.
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•
Investment selection for the dividend income, treasury and corporate ladder strategies
is rules-based. This limits the discretion that the portfolio managers have on investment
selection.
• Proposed trades for the dividend income strategies are reviewed by a portfolio manager
prior to execution and visible to all members of trading and portfolio management.
• Trading in dividend income, treasury and corporate ladder accounts is limited to certain
events such as rebalancing, portfolio flows, tax loss harvesting, maturities or removing
securities that are no longer eligible for the strategy.
•
Breckinridge’s proprietary systems enable the firm to complete allocations in a manner
that is consistent with internal policy.
• Affiliated accounts are managed in accordance with an investment strategy that
include limits and restrictions coded in the proprietary systems.
• Corporate fixed income accounts are restricted from cross trading and tax loss
harvesting. This helps prevent any inadvertent principal trading.
• Cross trading is not permitted in the dividend income, treasury and corporate ladder
strategies.
• Unless pro-rata allocation is used, corporate fixed income accounts are last in line for
securities if they participate in trade orders with client accounts.
•
If the corporate accounts participate in new issues with client accounts, allocations
must be documented. Any changes to those initial allocations will be documented.
• Employee accounts are tracked in our third-party personal trading system and undergo
periodic certifications.
• Compliance conducts periodic reviews of corporate fixed income account transactions
against client transactions.
Additional information about Breckinridge’s trading, allocation and personal trading practices can
be found in Items 11 and 12.
ITEM 7. TYPES OF CLIENTS
As described in Item 4 above, Breckinridge provides investment advisory services to individuals,
high net worth individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, foundations, corporations,
investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, Taft-Hartley plans,
public funds, and other institutional investors.
At times, Breckinridge may receive little to no information as to the identity or account structure of
an Intermediary’s end client. As such, Breckinridge may unknowingly act as adviser or sub-adviser
to a client type not identified in the above paragraph.
ITEM 8. METHODS OF ANALYSIS, INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISK OF LOSS
INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
Breckinridge offers fixed income and equity investment strategies through separately managed
accounts, which can be customized to align with a client’s financial objectives and liquidity needs.
Customizations include duration, state preferences or sustainability factors (amongst others).
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Certain customizations will require higher investment minimums and/or advisory fees. Refer to the
Client Customization Options section later in this Item for more information. All minimum
investment amounts are subject to Breckinridge’s discretion.
FIXED INCOME STRATEGIES
Government Credit
Breckinridge’s government credit strategies seek to preserve capital and to prudently improve
returns by investing across U.S. Treasury, government-related and corporate sectors. The
minimum investment is $300,000. Securitized sectors are included in select versions of these
strategies, known as “Fixed Income” strategies. For longer duration (typically between 12 to 16
years) or “Fixed Income” versions of the government credit strategies, the minimum investment is
$10 million.
Core
Breckinridge’s core strategies seek to preserve capital and to prudently improve returns by
investing across Treasury, government-related, corporate and securitized sectors. The minimum
investment for these strategies is $10 million.
Credit
Breckinridge’s credit strategies seek to preserve capital and to prudently improve returns by
investing across U.S. Treasury, government-related and corporate sectors. Credit strategies aim to
have a lower allocation to the U.S. Treasury sector than our Government Credit strategies. The
minimum investment for these strategies is $10 million.
U.S. Corporate
Breckinridge’s corporate strategies seek to generate predictable streams of cash flows with focus
on preservation of capital by investing primarily in U.S. corporate bonds. Based on market
conditions, the portfolio management team may also invest in U.S. Treasury securities. These
strategies are implemented as laddered portfolios that aim to obtain approximately equal weighted
exposure across a desired maturity spectrum. Using rules-based processes to select investments,
under normal market conditions, trading activity in these strategies will be limited to events such
as portfolio flows, corporate actions, and maturities. The minimum for these strategies is
$250,000.
Tax Efficient
Breckinridge’s tax efficient strategies seek to preserve capital and maximize after-tax income by
investing primarily in tax-exempt municipal bonds. U.S. Treasury, government-related and
corporate bonds are also considered based on market environment and client’s tax rate. The
minimum investment for these strategies is $400,000.
Enhanced Tax Efficient
(Expected Launch in 2nd Quarter 2026 on Select Custodial Platforms)
Breckinridge’s Enhanced Tax Efficient strategy seeks to preserve capital and maximize after-tax
returns by investing the client’s account primarily in individual tax-exempt municipal bonds with a
minority allocation to an affiliated completion fund. The completion fund is organized as a
registered investment company and is only available to clients invested in the Enhanced Tax
Efficient strategy (See Risk Considerations and Definitions below). The portfolio management team
has full discretion to adjust the balance between the investments in individual bonds and to the
completion fund, including how to allocate portfolio flows and at times, making no allocation to the
completion fund. The minimum for this strategy is $400,000.
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Treasury
Breckinridge’s treasury strategies seek to meet investors’ needs for liquidity and principal
protection while generating income by investing in U.S. treasury securities. These strategies are
available as an indexed strategy or a laddered strategy. The indexed strategies seek to match
respective benchmark returns by targeting duration characteristics of the specified reference
index. The laddered strategies (also referred to as target maturity) seek to obtain approximately
equal weighted exposure across a desired maturity spectrum. Both these strategies use rules-
based processes to select investments; thus, under normal market conditions, trading activity in
these strategies will be limited to events such as portfolio flows, maturities or in the case of the
indexed strategies, rebalancing to the selected index on a monthly basis. Traders and portfolio
managers have discretion to pause trading in the strategies if they notice significant market events
or an issue with the process operation. The minimum investment for the laddered strategy is
$1,000,000 and $10 million for the indexed strategy.
EQUITY STRATEGIES
High Quality Dividend
Breckinridge’s high quality dividend strategies seek to generate income by investing in a portfolio of
large capitalization equities with a consistent history of paying growing dividends. Leveraging
Breckinridge's expertise in fundamental credit research to identify issuers, whose corporate bonds
are investment grade rated and have a history of persistent dividends, this strategy utilizes a rules-
based methodology to rank and weight stocks according to fundamental criteria that captures
strong dividend payer attributes, as defined by our investment team. This strategy can be managed
on a tax-aware basis. Accounts in these strategies are rebalanced no less than quarterly according
to our internally managed custom index (i.e., the model portfolio). The minimum investment for
these strategies is $200,000.
METHODS OF ANALYSIS
Investment Philosophy and Approach
Breckinridge’s investment philosophy holds that investors are well served by counterbalancing
higher-risk assets with high quality investments. The overarching aim of Breckinridge’s investment
process is to provide clients with portfolios that preserve capital while prudently improving returns.
Breckinridge works towards this goal by combining a top-down outlook with bottom-up research
and efficient trading.
Top-Down Macro Economic Outlook
Breckinridge’s top-down outlook is determined by the Investment Committee. The Committee is
comprised of senior investment professionals who bring a diversity of views to the outlook from the
perspectives of their roles in portfolio management and analysis, research and trading. The
Committee meets formally once per month, with more frequent meetings and conversations held
as needed based on changes in the market environment.
The Committee’s structure allows for discussions in the context of a process-led environment to
deliberate the market impact of numerous factors that include monetary and fiscal policy, market
conditions, capital flows, business cycles, equity market outlooks, credit trends and relative value
across sectors. Members debate and forecast a base-case scenario and variability around this
scenario. The investment outlook is typically between six and eighteen months, allowing
Breckinridge to see through short-term market volatility and invest client portfolios with long-term
investment goals in mind.
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The output of the Committee meetings determines Breckinridge’s macro assessment of the
market. Investment themes are translated into overall risk posture for the firm and specific
targets/parameters for the fixed income strategies. These targets cover a variety of portfolio
characteristics, including duration ranges, yield curve positioning and sector exposure specific to
certain strategies. Where applicable, the targets are updated into Breckinridge’s proprietary
portfolio management and trading systems for implementation by portfolio managers and traders.
Bottom-Up Research
Rigorous, fundamental bottom-up research is paramount to Breckinridge’s investment process
and is key in helping the firm to identify risks and opportunities. Breckinridge’s analysts conduct
ongoing research and surveillance on securities purchased and held in client accounts. In
reviewing securities, research analysts assess and consider various types of information and data
that can include financial statements, company filings, current macro environments, sector
specific trends, extra-financial factors, government data, third party research and direct dialogue
with issuers. Using proprietary tools such as risk-based matrices, analysts can synthesize their
research to generate independent internal ratings and opinions on a broad universe of investment
grade issuers.
An assessment of material sustainability factors is included in Breckinridge’s attempt to identify
and assess long-term and idiosyncratic risks. Breckinridge believes that a thoughtful and forward-
looking assessment of risk would be incomplete without the inclusion of material sustainability
factors. Materiality will differ by sector, industry, issuer, and other factors and analysts will
consider various quantitative and qualitative data in their assessments. However, the investment
team may conclude that other attributes outweigh these considerations when making investment
decisions.
PORTFOLIO CONSTRUCTION
Fixed Income Strategies
Portfolio construction begins with overlaying the Investment Committee’s parameters onto client
specific objectives, risk tolerances, liquidity needs and values. The portfolio construction process
melds the views of Breckinridge’s Investment Committee and insights from the research and
trading teams for final implementation by the portfolio management team into Breckinridge’s
proprietary portfolio management system. The system continually runs filters and tests to review
positioning in client portfolios from a variety of standpoints (e.g., duration, maturity). The system
also runs daily reports to identify variances from rules set by client investment guidelines and
Investment Committee targets. Portfolio managers are prompted to evaluate portfolios that are not
in line with targets; this process limits the likelihood of significant variation from client investment
guidelines and internal targets.
Treasury and Corporate Strategies
Portfolio construction for Breckinridge’s Treasury indexed strategies employs a rules-based
process for selecting index constituents, thus largely replicating the major characteristics
(maturity, duration, etc.) of the client selected index. For Breckinridge’s laddered strategies,
portfolio construction is also rules-based and selects various index eligible securities across the
client selected maximum maturity. Breckinridge’s order management system runs checks to
ensure that each account achieves the desired outcome of each strategy (index matched or equal
weighted/laddered). The portfolio managers are responsible for overseeing the rules-based
processes.
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Dividend Income Strategies
Portfolios in the High Quality Dividend strategies are built according to rules-based models, which
are rebalanced every quarter. Eligible investments are scored and ranked with equally weighted
metrics such as return on equity, payout ratio and Breckinridge’s internal credit rating. If an internal
credit rating is not available, the Bloomberg Composite rating is used. Security weight and sector
limits are also imposed. Breckinridge’s internal sustainability assessment is an additional criterion
in the sustainable model. The portfolio manager is responsible for validating the integrity of the
models.
CLIENT CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS
Clients can impose reasonable restrictions, also known as customizations, on their accounts.
Breckinridge’s proprietary systems allow the firm to accommodate a wide range of customizations
while keeping portfolios aligned with the selected investment strategy. For Breckinridge’s fixed
income strategies, Breckinridge works closely with clients to customize portfolios that
appropriately align with their objectives, guidelines, and liquidity requirements. Tax-efficient
portfolios can be customized by client tax status and state specification. Breckinridge’s dividend
income strategies also allow clients to customize the account’s tax awareness level.
For clients who are interested in emphasizing sustainable factors, Breckinridge can add a
sustainable overlay to many of our investment strategies. A sustainable overlay aims to achieve the
investment objective of the selected investment strategy while also emphasizing investments in
issuers with above-average internally rated sustainability profiles. For the dividend income
strategies, our rules-based model includes our internal sustainability assessment that determines
eligibility and/or weight of an issuer.
Breckinridge also offers thematic customizations for certain fixed income investment strategies.
These customizations seek to align investments with a specific mission, as selected by the client.
For certain options, portfolio managers can also consider use of proceeds or source of funds in
their decision making.
Clients may submit, in writing, their customization requests to Breckinridge’s Consultant Relations
or Client Services teams. Restrictions that are outside the scope of Breckinridge’s standard
customizations must be approved by Breckinridge’s portfolio management team. There are no set
parameters that would prompt the rejection of a customization request. Rather, Breckinridge’s
portfolio management team’s goal is to assess whether the requested restrictions will hinder
Breckinridge’s ability to build a diversified portfolio within the strategy the client has selected.
Once the customizations are approved by the portfolio management team, the customizations will
become effective at the agreed upon date between the client and Breckinridge.
Certain customizations will require higher investment minimums and/or incur higher advisory fees.
Clients can contact Consultant Relations at cr@breckinridge.com for more information on
customization capabilities and requirements.
TAX LOSS HARVESTING (“TLH”)
As part of Breckinridge’s standard portfolio management process, tax loss harvesting is conducted
in Breckinridge’s dividend income and tax-efficient municipal bond strategies. When engaging in
TLH, client accounts will sell securities with unrealized losses and reinvest the proceeds in another
similar security. The account may reinvest the proceeds at a higher or lower price than the sale
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price of the original security. When harvesting losses, Breckinridge expects to reinvest the
proceeds unless instructed otherwise (e.g., hold in cash).
Breckinridge generally uses the highest in, first out (“HIFO”) method to determine cost basis when
identifying tax loss harvesting opportunities. This method prioritizes selling the securities with the
highest purchase price first, without regard to the length of time held. Client custodians may use a
different tax lot or cost basis accounting method. As a result, the tax efficiencies estimated by
Breckinridge may differ from those calculated or reported by the client’s custodian. To help reduce
these differences, clients may instruct their custodians to use the same cost basis and tax lot
method used by Breckinridge.
Fixed Income Strategies
Breckinridge will use cross trade transactions to facilitate TLH across eligible and participating
client accounts. The TLH cross trading strategy is set by Breckinridge’s Investment Committee
during its regular meetings throughout the year and implemented by the portfolio management
team and the traders. No less than monthly, the portfolio management team or the traders will
review the list of municipal holdings that meet the percentage loss threshold set by the Investment
Committee. Since tax loss crossing is usually at the portfolio managers’ discretion, clients who opt
for tax loss crossing may see periods where no such transactions have occurred or periods where
many tax loss cross trades have taken place. Clients may opt out of tax loss harvesting, cross
transactions or both at any time by providing written notification to Breckinridge. Refer to Risk
Considerations below and Item 12 for more information on cross trades and tax loss harvesting.
For clients who opt out of tax loss cross transactions, Breckinridge’s portfolio management team
has full discretion to determine whether to harvest losses in client accounts. Clients may submit
written requests, which will be reviewed by the portfolio management team. The team will assess
the amount of tax losses to be taken, the amount of losses available to realize, and the amount of
reinvesting required. While Breckinridge attempts to accommodate all requests, the portfolio
management team could determine that the harvesting of losses is not appropriate. Should this be
the case, Breckinridge will notify the client. The deadline for TLH requests is set by the portfolio
management team in light of market conditions and other factors. Clients can contact the Reconciliation
team (reconteam@breckinridge.com) for a copy of Breckinridge’s tax loss harvesting policy with the
deadline. Requests received after the deadline will be processed on a best-efforts basis.
Dividend Income Strategies
Tax loss harvesting (TLH) in dividend income portfolios is completed monthly, unless a portfolio
meets the loss threshold set by the portfolio manager before month-end (i.e., intramonth). If a
portfolio meets the threshold intramonth, losses will be harvested at such time and the portfolio
will not participate in the month-end process. A tax optimization process is used for TLH. The tax
optimization process includes a quantitative analysis that considers tax rates, tax lots and tracking
error limits (set by the investment team). Additionally, the process includes a buy-list of eligible
securities to accommodate TLH while considering wash sale limitations. Breckinridge uses a third-
party system to assist the portfolio manager in implementing tax optimization across client
accounts. The system identifies potential trades which are reviewed by the portfolio manager prior
to execution. Breckinridge also uses the vendor’s equity risk model when identifying tax efficient
trades while maintaining low tracking error with the model.
Clients can designate one of three options (no consideration, standard or aggressive) for tax
optimization. Clients who have elected “no consideration” will be excluded from the TLH process.
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Client TLH elections can be made during onboarding or at any time after onboarding by contacting
Breckinridge’s client services team (clientservices@breckinridge.com). Clients may also change
this election at any time, including the election for a one-time TLH, by contacting our client services
team. Changes and requests must be in writing and approved by Breckinridge. The change will
become effective on a mutually agreed upon date between the client and Breckinridge.
RISK CONSIDERATIONS AND DEFINITIONS
All investments involve risk of loss that clients should be prepared to bear. Risks will vary based on
the investment strategy and the specific securities held. All the listed strategies, except Treasury,
are offered with the sustainable overlay discussed earlier in this Item 8.
Risks Associated with All Investment Strategies
Market Risk: Prices of securities may become more volatile due to general market conditions that
are not specifically related to a particular issuer, such as adverse economic conditions or
outlooks, adverse investor sentiment, changes in the outlook for corporate earnings, or changes in
interest rates. The markets can also be significantly impacted by unpredictable events such as
environmental or natural disasters or pandemics. These types of events may significantly reduce
liquidity and marketability for certain securities, including bonds. When liquidity and marketability
are reduced, it may be difficult to purchase and sell securities at desired prices or times. In such
cases, clients may not achieve their intended level of exposure to certain sectors at favorable
prices or when desired.
Interest Rate Risk: Prices of fixed income securities tend to move inversely with changes in
interest rates. As interest rates rise, bond prices typically fall and vice versa. The longer the
effective maturity and duration of a strategy’s portfolio, the more the performance of the
investment is likely to react to interest rates. For equity securities, interest rate fluctuations can
impact security pricing as some valuation techniques include discount rates that fluctuate with
interest rates. Additionally, changes in interest rates can impact shifts in investor favor for specific
securities or sectors.
Investment Style Risk: The risk that the specific type of security or strategy used will underperform
the general market other investment styles during certain market cycles. There is a risk that large-
capitalization, dividend paying stocks will fall out of favor and underperform the market or other
stocks. Similarly, the approach used to manage fixed income strategies may underperform during
periods of economic growth. In addition, Breckinridge’s active management approach may make
incorrect tactical shifts, which can have a negative effect on performance.
Reinvestment Risk: The risk that future proceeds from an investment (e.g., dividends, interest,
principal repayments) will need to be reinvested at a lower rate of return than the original
investment. This risk is primarily associated with fixed income investments but can impact equity
investments, particularly those focused on dividend-paying stocks.
Sector/Region Risk: The risk that the strategy’s concentration in a specific sector or region will
cause the strategy to be more exposed to the price movements of issuers and developments in that
sector or region. Portfolios with state or region customizations will be more sensitive to the events
that affect that state’s economy and stability and may have higher risk exposure, especially if the
percentage of assets dedicated to the state is invested in fewer issuers. This risk increases with
Breckinridge Capital Advisors | Page 15 of 31
certain values-aligned customizations as investments will concentrate on sectors or regions that
align with the objectives of the customization.
Call Risk: Some bonds give the issuer the option to redeem the bond before its maturity date. If an
issuer exercises this option during a time of declining interest rates, the proceeds from the bond
may have to be reinvested in an investment offering a lower yield and may not benefit from an
increase in value as a result of declining rates. Callable bonds also are subject to increased price
fluctuations during periods of market illiquidity or rising interest rates. Finally, the capital
appreciation potential of a bond will be reduced because the price of a callable bond may not rise
much above the price at which the issuer may call the bond.
Credit Risk: The risk of loss of principal due to the borrower’s failure to repay timely principal and
interest. This may cause the price of the bond to decline and limit trading liquidity. For corporate
bonds, company default can reduce income and capital value of a corporate debt security.
Moreover, market expectations regarding economic conditions and the likely number of corporate
defaults may impact the value of these securities. For municipal bonds, issues such as legislative
changes, litigation, business and political conditions relating to a particular municipal project,
municipality, state or territory, and fiscal challenges can impact the value. For asset-backed
bonds, there is the possibility that recoveries in the underlying collateral may not be available to
support the payments on these securities. For the dividend income strategies, credit risk applies as
credit ratings are a direct input into the rules-based approach and a downgrade in credit rating as a
result of elevated credit risk may result in a position being exited, potentially at a loss.
Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell in a
timely manner or at a desired price and may be particularly pronounced for long-term investments.
Bonds that become unrated or issued without a rating have heightened liquidity risk. This risk may
increase during volatile or adverse market and economic conditions. Clients who terminate their
relationships with Breckinridge or request portfolio withdrawals during these types of events may
be forced to sell their securities at significantly reduced prices. In addition, the lack of an active
trading market and/or volatile market conditions can make it difficult to obtain accurate prices or
valuations for certain securities.
Prepayment Risk: The risk associated with the early repayment of principal on a fixed income
security. When principal is returned early, future interest payments will not be paid. The proceeds
from the repayment may be reinvested in securities at a lower, prevailing rate. This risk is especially
common with mortgage-backed securities during periods of falling interest rates.
Additional Risks Associated with Equity Strategies
Dividend Risk: Dividends are not guaranteed payments, and companies can decide to cease or
lower dividends at any time. This can have a negative impact on overall account performance and
income received.
Equity Risk: Equity investments are volatile and can decline significantly in response to investor
reception of the issuer, market, economic, industry, political, regulatory or other conditions. In
addition, when interest rates rise, equity investments, including dividend-paying securities, may
become less attractive to investors as bonds and other fixed-income investments may offer higher
yields.
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Risks Associated with Treasury Strategies
Treasury strategies are primarily exposed to interest rate, market, and sector/region risks. See
descriptions above.
Risks Associated with Sustainable or Thematic Customizations
Sustainability Risk: Breckinridge includes an assessment of material sustainability factors in its
investment process. Breckinridge believes that the assessment of these factors can improve
overall risk analysis. However, there is no guarantee that integrating this type of analysis will
provide improved risk-adjusted returns, lower portfolio volatility, or outperform the broader market
or other strategies that do not utilize sustainability criteria when selecting investments. The
consideration of these factors may limit investment opportunities available to a portfolio,
especially for clients who have elected to emphasize sustainable factors or thematic
customizations. In addition, data and reporting of sustainable factors often lacks standardization,
consistency and transparency. This means that the data for certain issuers may not be available,
complete or accurate.
Investments selected for thematic objectives may not meet the desired positive impact or become
subject to negative publicity. These types of events may adversely affect the investment and the
overall portfolio, including causing the portfolio to not meet its objectives.
Additional Strategy Specific Risks
U.S. Corporate Strategies
Extension Risk: The risk associated with the delayed repayment of principal on a fixed income
security. When principal repayment is delayed, value of the security may decline as the bonds
duration may increase and therefore experience greater interest rate risk. This risk is especially
common with mortgage-backed securities during periods of rising interest rates.
Enhanced Tax Efficient Strategy
Investments in Affiliated Mutual Fund Risk: Clients invested in Breckinridge’s Enhanced Tax
Efficient strategy will typically have a portion of their account invested in an affiliated mutual fund
that does not charge an advisory fee, i.e., a completion fund. During the strategy’s initial launch,
the completion fund may have a concentration in a limited number of clients. Significant
terminations or withdrawals in the strategy may cause the fund portfolio managers to sell fund
holdings, potentially at inopportune times or at low prices, which may impact the fund’s value for
remaining investors. Further, the completion fund may, at times, invest in municipal bond ETFs to
more efficiently equitize cash and gain exposure to the municipal bond market. ETFs may expose
the fund (and clients invested in the strategy) to additional market risk, liquidity risk, tracking error
risk, and additional trading costs (amongst others). The completion fund may also invest, at times,
in the same securities held in the client’s account, which may lower the account’s overall
diversification and lead to concentration risk.
Non-Rated, Split-Rated, and Below Investment Grade Securities (High Yield or “Junk” Bonds)
Risks: Breckinridge’s Enhanced Tax Efficient strategy may, from time to time, purchase and/or hold
municipal bonds that are not rated, split-rated or are below investment grade (also known as high
yield or “junk” bonds). While Breckinridge does not typically invest in these types of bonds, bonds
can become unrated or issued without a rating at any time. Unrated bonds involve more risks than
rated bonds. As a result, they may not be suitable for some clients. The risks associated with these
investments include, but not limited to, price volatility risk, credit risk, default risk, and liquidity
Breckinridge Capital Advisors | Page 17 of 31
risk. Clients investing in the Enhanced Tax Efficient strategy should have a higher tolerance for risk
relative to Breckinridge’s other Tax Efficient strategies.
Tax Efficient, Enhanced Tax Efficient, Treasury and Equity Strategies
Tax Loss Harvesting Risk: The effectiveness of a tax loss harvesting strategy is largely dependent
on each client’s entire tax and investment profile, including investments made outside of
Breckinridge’s advisory services. As such, there is a risk that the strategy used to reduce the tax
liability of the client is not the most effective for every client. Breckinridge may use a different tax
lot or cost basis accounting methodology than that of the custodian. To the extent that a client’s
custodian uses a different cost basis or tax lot accounting, tax efficiencies may be greater or lower
than Breckinridge’s estimates. Tax loss harvesting may generate a higher number of trades in an
account due to our attempt to capture losses. This can mean higher overall transaction costs to
clients. Further, a client account may repurchase a security at a higher or lower price than at which
the original security was sold.
Cross transactions will be used to facilitate tax loss harvesting in our eligible fixed income
strategies. When using cross transactions for tax loss harvesting, participating client accounts gain
exposure to the tax-loss harvested bonds received from other accounts. While Breckinridge
generally selects bonds that, in its best judgement, will not change significantly in price, bonds
nevertheless are subject to fluctuations in price, and the bonds received may go up or down in
value. Please see Cross Transactions under Item 12 for additional information.
Federal and local tax laws and rates can change at any time; changes to tax laws and rates can
impact tax consequences for clients. Further, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and other taxing
authorities have set certain limitations and restrictions on tax loss harvesting. The tax
consequences of Breckinridge’s tax loss strategy may be challenged by the IRS. Clients should
consult with their tax professionals regarding tax loss harvesting strategies and associated
consequences.
Tax Liability Risk: The risk that the distributions of municipal securities become taxable to the
investor due to noncompliant conduct by the municipal bond issuer or changes to federal and
state laws. These adverse actions would likely negatively impact the prices of the securities.
Other Risk Considerations
Odd Lots – Trading, Pricing Services, and Other Considerations
“Odd lot” security positions or trades are positions that are smaller than “round lot” positions or
trade sizes. For fixed income securities, some firms in the industry define odd lots as position sizes
or trades that are less than $1,000,000 in par value. Regardless of the definition, Breckinridge’s
ability to trade these smaller lot sizes and the third-party pricing services’ ability to value such
securities can vary on a daily basis. This variation can be greater in times of market stress or
volatility. Breckinridge will seek to optimize lot sizes based on a variety of factors, including the size
of the participating portfolio and the quantity of bonds needed. However, in many circumstances
Breckinridge will be required to trade in odd lot position sizes. For example, this type of trading will
occur if it would be impractical to acquire round lot position sizes due to a client account’s size.
For many client accounts managed by Breckinridge, a substantial portion, or potentially all, of the
holdings in the account could be considered odd lot positions, when considered on their own and
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not in the aggregate across Breckinridge’s client account holdings. Odd lot positions and trading
could also occur when a client account receives an odd lot as a result of a corporate action or
other event outside of Breckinridge’s control, when Breckinridge is directed by a client to transact
in a legacy odd lot position, or when a client directs Breckinridge to liquidate all or a portion of their
account.
For fixed income securities, trades in odd lot sizes may be executed at prices that are less than
what would be achieved by trades in round lot sizes in the same security. With respect to the third-
party pricing services used by Breckinridge (and similarly by clients’ custodians) for daily valuations
of the securities held in client accounts, the pricing services typically reflect the anticipated price if
the security was sold as a round lot. Regardless of whether Breckinridge trades an odd or round lot
size, Breckinridge will seek best execution for that trade.
Nonetheless, as described above, the price obtained for that trade may vary from the value
assigned by the pricing service for that security on that day. In addition, when Breckinridge
purchases a round lot position across multiple client accounts invested in the same investment
strategy, each client account that receives an allocation of that security may then hold a series of
“odd lot” positions, depending on the size of the client account. The actual value of these odd lot
positions that can be realized on a particular day may therefore be higher or lower than the value
assessed by the third-party pricing service for these positions on that day.
Fraudulent Schemes
Breckinridge is aware of incidents involving bad actors impersonating the firm and likeness of its
employees on WhatsApp. These bad actors have engaged in fraudulent activities, including
promotion of dubious stock tips and promises of high investment returns. Breckinridge and its
employees do not solicit investments through social media platforms or messaging applications
like WhatsApp. If you have any questions or if you wish to verify that you are communicating with an
authorized representative of Breckinridge, please contact cr@breckinridge.com or call 617-443-
0779. Clients can report actual or suspected fraudulent matters to their local law enforcement, the
SEC, FBI or other relevant authorities.
ITEM 9. DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION
Breckinridge and its employees have not been involved in any legal or disciplinary events in the
past 10 years that would be material to a client’s evaluation of the company or its personnel.
ITEM 10. OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATIONS
Breckinridge and its employees do not have any relationships or arrangements with other financial
services companies that pose material conflicts of interest.
ITEM 11. CODE OF ETHICS, PARTICIPATION OR INTEREST IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS
AND PERSONAL TRADING
Breckinridge has adopted a Code of Ethics (the “Code”) for all employees. The Code sets forth the
highest standards of ethical conduct and fiduciary duties owed to Breckinridge’s clients and
includes, among other things, policies and procedures relating to personal trading. All employees
must acknowledge the terms of the Code, as a stand-alone document or as part of the firm’s
compliance manual, initially upon hire and annually thereafter.
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The Code is designed to assure that personal securities transactions, activities and interests of
Breckinridge’s employees will not interfere with: (i) making decisions in the best interest of advisory
clients and (ii) implementing such decisions while, at the same time, allowing employees to invest
in their own accounts. Under the Code, certain classes of securities have been designated as
exempt transactions, based on the determination that these would not materially interfere with the
best interests of Breckinridge’s clients.
For personal trading purposes, Breckinridge has designated all employees as Access Persons.
Temporary employees, including co-ops and interns, will not be considered Access Persons.
However, Compliance has discretion to require a temporary employee to comply with all or some
of the personal trading requirements in the Code at any time during their employment with the firm.
Breckinridge prohibits Access Persons from investing in fixed income securities, excluding
treasuries, that would be eligible for client portfolios. In limited circumstances, Compliance will
permit an Access Person to invest in bonds that may be recommended for (or are currently held in)
client accounts. Typically, this permission will be granted when a new employee has an existing
investment in a bond that is eligible for client accounts. Such personal transactions, as well as
other personal trading activity, must satisfy the Code and applicable laws.
Breckinridge allows employees, including the investment team, to invest in our dividend income
strategies. These investments are managed as separate accounts which are subject to the same
reporting and certifications as other personal trading accounts. The Breckinridge-managed
employee accounts will further be subject to the applicable side-by-side management restrictions
and limits discussed in Item 6.
Breckinridge anticipates that, in appropriate circumstances, consistent with clients’ investment
guidelines, it will cause client accounts to effect or will recommend to clients the purchase or sale
of securities in which Breckinridge has a position of interest through its affiliated accounts (i.e.,
corporate proprietary accounts and Breckinridge-managed employee accounts). Further,
Breckinridge may take actions in these same securities that are different than those in client
accounts. Similarly, Breckinridge employees could personally trade in equity securities that are
held in the dividend equity strategies. Allowing employees to invest in the same securities as
clients creates a possibility that employees may benefit from market activity by a client in a
security held by an employee.
Breckinridge does not allow the affiliated accounts or employees to profit from trade allocations at
the expense of client accounts. As discussed in Item 6, Breckinridge has taken steps to address the
conflicts arising from trading alongside client accounts and investing in the same securities as
clients. The Code also requires preclearance on certain transactions, at least quarterly reports on
such transactions, and a list of investment accounts and holdings on an annual basis.
Transactional restrictions such as blackout periods and holding periods are also applied to certain
personal transactions. Employee trading is monitored regularly.
A copy of Breckinridge’s Code is available to any client or prospective client upon request by
contacting compliance@breckinridge.com.
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ITEM 12. BROKERAGE PRACTICES
BROKER SELECTION
In selecting broker dealers, Breckinridge’s guiding principle is to seek the best overall execution for
client transactions. Breckinridge generally defines best execution as Breckinridge having taken
reasonable steps to obtain the best possible order execution while also considering costs, speed,
price, settlement, size, market conditions and any other relevant factor to the execution of the
order, rather than simply obtaining the lowest or highest price or commission.
Breckinridge recognizes that the analysis of execution quality involves many factors, both
qualitative and quantitative (e.g., fees and commissions). Therefore, when selecting broker dealers
for client trades, the trading team considers a number of qualitative factors, including, without
limitation, the actual handling of the order, the ability of the broker dealer to settle the trade
promptly and accurately, their past experience with similar trades, the broker dealer’s expertise in
the market, and other factors that may be unique to a particular order. In recognition of the value of
these qualitative factors, Breckinridge may cause clients to pay or receive a price or commission
that is not the highest or lowest that might otherwise be available for any given trade. In other
words, clients may not purchase a security at the lowest price or sell a security at the highest price.
Client-imposed account restrictions that limit our means to select broker dealers could impact our
ability to seek best execution on trades in those accounts.
Since the fixed income markets in which Breckinridge trades can be inefficient, the traders seek to
use the widest possible window of dealer access, including bid wanted platforms, in its pursuit of
best execution for the fixed income strategies. When the traders believe it is appropriate, they will
use bid wanted platforms when soliciting bids for bonds being sold. Breckinridge believes the use
of bid wanted platforms expands the number of dealers alerted. As a result, the firm can obtain
more responses to help ensure that it will receive an acceptable bid.
The equity securities held in the dividend income portfolios are typically highly liquid investments,
with narrow bid-ask spreads. Absent any client restriction, Breckinridge usually directs trades to
the client’s appointed custodian’s affiliated broker dealer, if one is available. Trading with the
custodian’s affiliated broker dealer can reduce overall transactions costs for the client by avoiding
trade-away fees or paying lower or no commissions.
If the custodian does not have an affiliated broker, traders will select a broker in accordance with
the many considerations described earlier in this section. Regardless of the selected counterparty,
all discretionary equity trades are subject to Breckinridge’s execution quality assessment.
Assessment of fixed income and equity execution quality, which includes third-party trade cost
analysis, is completed monthly by members of our portfolio management and trading teams.
Material outliers are reviewed by Compliance. Results are also shared periodically with the entire
trading and portfolio management teams.
Breckinridge uses broker dealers that have other business relationships with it. Some broker
dealers or their affiliates sponsor or maintain programs that refer client accounts to Breckinridge.
Breckinridge also may purchase securities issued by these broker dealers or their affiliates in its
client accounts, unless such transactions are restricted by the client. These relationships pose
potential conflicts because there is an incentive for Breckinridge to select these broker dealers
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over those without client accounts under the firm’s management. Breckinridge manages these
potential conflicts by segregating responsibilities and providing appropriate oversight.
Trading activities are overseen by the firm's Co-Chief Investment Officers. Business development
and relationship management responsibilities are handled by the Consultant Relations and
Operations teams, which report to the Chief Marketing and Distribution Officer and the Chief
Operating Officer, respectively. Additionally, traders are prohibited from consulting with the
Consultant Relations team regarding broker-dealer selection. Periodic evaluations of trade
execution and trading partners are also performed to ensure alignment with the firm’s best
execution standards.
DIRECTED BROKERAGE ARRANGEMENTS
For the fixed income strategies, Breckinridge generally will not accept directed broker dealer
arrangements unless we can trade away. Although Breckinridge does not charge or receive any
fees or compensation relating to trading away, the broker dealer or the client’s custodian may
assess additional fees to accommodate these types of trades. These types of fees may also apply
with equity trade aways. Any such fees are borne by the client.
On occasion, Breckinridge will accept client direction when a client funds a new fixed income
account with securities that Breckinridge does not cover or trade. Under such circumstances,
Breckinridge may rely on the client to select a specific broker dealer. These directed trades are
treated as non-discretionary trades and are not evaluated for execution quality. Clients may also
not receive the most favorable execution and may be paying higher transaction costs or execution
prices when directing trades to a particular dealer. See Client Transferred Securities later in this
Item 12 for more information, including the requirements on funding new accounts with such
securities.
RESEARCH AND SOFT DOLLAR BENEFITS
Breckinridge receives sell-side research from broker dealers, including market indices, that is not
available to the public. Breckinridge does not direct trades to obtain this research and has a policy
to not enter into any soft dollar arrangements. To the extent that Breckinridge receives this
research, the research will be used to facilitate the management of all client accounts.
TRADE ORDERS
Fixed Income Strategies
Except for the treasury and ladder strategies, trade orders--or portfolio needs--originate from the
portfolio management team. Traders have discretion to buy and allocate any research-approved
bond that meets portfolio needs and complies with the investment strategy and client guidelines.
Trade orders can also be generated opportunistically. Traders can identify bonds that represent a
buy opportunity but do not fit an existing portfolio need. Traders also provide input into relative
valuation to help identify opportunities for client accounts. Traders will engage with members of
portfolio management, and research if needed, when looking at an opportunistic buy. The portfolio
management team must approve the opportunity prior to the trade being executed.
Trade orders for the treasury and ladder strategies are automatically generated by our proprietary
order management system based on the strategies’ rules and portfolio events such as maturities,
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flows or if applicable, rebalances. Traders will execute the orders generated by the system unless
there is an issue with the rules process or market disruption.
Dividend Income Strategies
The portfolio manager generates trade orders in our proprietary portfolio optimizer system. Orders
are reviewed by the portfolio manager and sent to the traders via the proprietary system. Trade
orders are generated on a quarterly basis for clients who have elected no consideration for tax
optimization and monthly for clients who have elected either standard or aggressive tax
optimization. Trades may also be initiated when the tax loss threshold set by the portfolio manager
is reached or when there are portfolio flows, terminations and securities that are no longer eligible
for the strategy. Accounts in the strategies are rebalanced no less than quarterly.
TRADE AGGREGATION
Trades for client accounts are aggregated when possible and appropriate. When aggregating
orders, the portfolio managers provide traders with the participating portfolios, specific securities
and the number of bonds or shares. Aggregated orders for fixed income trades are typically
executed through one dealer. As such, each participating client account will receive the same
execution price for the trade. In cases where an aggregated equity order will be executed in
multiple transactions with one or more broker dealers, each participating client account will
receive shares, to the extent possible, at the average execution price and a pro-rated share of the
transaction costs.
Breckinridge’s ability to aggregate orders will be limited by certain client account restrictions such
as broker dealer requirements, minimum transaction sizes, directed custodial trading, or other
operational rules. Such limitations will require the account to be traded separately from the
aggregate order. Further, the manner in which Breckinridge trades many of its fixed income
strategies is not always suitable for aggregation. Market conditions and liquidity can also limit
Breckinridge’s ability to aggregate trade orders.
Trades executed separately may obtain different prices than the prices obtained from an
aggregated order. Aggregating orders may allow Breckinridge to achieve lower transaction costs
and more effective execution for orders than would be the case if each individual client order were
placed separately with one or several brokers. Clients may also be able to achieve lower trade
execution prices as a result of this practice.
TRADE ALLOCATION
Breckinridge seeks to allocate investment opportunities among clients in a fair and equitable
manner and in conformity with each client’s stated investment objectives, guidelines and
applicable restrictions. Breckinridge has implemented policies and procedures that help ensure
allocations do not intentionally favor, or otherwise advantage or disadvantage, one client or group
of clients over another. Account performance, financial interests and advisory fees are never a
factor in trade allocations. Deviations from the allocation policy will be documented by the
portfolio managers, traders or Compliance.
Given the differences in the asset classes in which Breckinridge invests, the firm utilizes different
allocation methods. Under normal market conditions, Breckinridge expects to use pro-rata for
securities that are not municipal bonds. If the investment team decides that pro-rata will not be the
most appropriate allocation method for a particular order, the team will document the reason for
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the deviation in the trading system and allocate the securities using one of the other methods
described in this section. Regardless of the allocation methodology, Breckinridge’s affiliated
accounts will always be last in the allocation priority order if they are participating in trade orders
with client accounts, unless the allocation is completed pro-rata.
Allocation for Fixed Income Portfolios
Except for Treasury and Ladder portfolios, all fixed income portfolios are assigned an investment
schedule by our proprietary portfolio management system. Investment schedules estimate the
amount of time required to purchase securities in relation to portfolio needs. The schedules
consider many factors including client guidelines, account size, and types of bonds required
related to portfolio need. Generally, the further away a portfolio is from meeting its target
investment schedule, the higher the portfolio will be on the allocation priority list. Portfolio
managers and traders have discretion to change the priority in order to accommodate client
directives, minimum trade sizes, suitability of the bonds, and other such factors. When
prioritization order changes, a client account that is lower on the priority list could receive an
allocation before an account that is higher on the priority list.
Municipal Bonds
Once bonds are purchased, the portfolio managers or traders use our proprietary rules-based
system (coded with each account’s restrictions, limitations, etc.) to allocate the bonds to eligible
portfolios.
To the extent that the number of bonds is insufficient to allocate to all eligible portfolios, portfolio
managers and traders typically allocate bonds first to those portfolios higher on the priority list.
However, due to the way certain municipal bonds trade, larger blocks of bonds can trade at a
premium to smaller blocks. Liquidity, scarcity, and buyer type (i.e., institutional vs retail) are
factors that contribute to this dynamic. To most efficiently allocate bonds in relation to available
block sizes, prices, and account needs, a larger account may at times receive an allocation before
a smaller account that is higher on the priority list. This scenario is generally optimal for both the
larger and smaller accounts. The larger account will typically complete its portfolio need in less
overall transactions (albeit at a premium price) while the smaller account completes its portfolio
need typically at a lower price (albeit after the larger account completes its need first).
If traders identify bonds that represent an opportunity that does not fit an existing need, the
portfolio management team may choose to take advantage of the opportunity by either amending
an existing need or selecting other portfolios that are eligible for the bonds. When allocating such
opportunities, the portfolio managers or traders give priority to the eligible portfolios that were
originally deemed as having a need. Any unallocated bonds thereafter will be allocated to other
eligible portfolios that are furthest away from the portfolio’s strategy targets which are set by the
Investment Committee during their monthly meetings.
All Other Bonds
Trade orders for the same bond are aggregated (as described earlier) and communicated to the
trader. The order will include the security name/identifier, the participating strategy and portfolios,
the target position for each portfolio and the total amount of bonds needed to reach the target
weight across all participating portfolios.
Traders will seek to fill orders with a single trade, but there will be instances where an order will
take more than one trade to complete. In the case where Trading can source only a partial amount
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of bonds, Trading will seek to allocate pro-rata across the participating portfolios. Pro-rata
allocations are subject to minimum lot sizes.
If a pro-rata allocation causes a portfolio to receive bonds below the internal minimum position
size, the portfolio may not receive an allocation. Any bonds remaining from these exclusions will be
reallocated to portfolios that received the lowest or no allocation, prioritized by their internal
account number (lowest to highest). When allocating remaining bonds, each participating portfolio
will receive no less than one bond. Once a portfolio has received bonds, it will move to the end of
the line.
If the amount of bonds purchased does not meet our internal pro-rata de minimis for the trade
order, we will prioritize the participating portfolios by internal account number (lowest to highest)
and allocate the bonds to each portfolio, up to its full target weight, until all the bonds have been
allocated.
Portfolios that receive an allocation through the queue process (i.e., prioritization by internal
account number), even if the allocation does not complete the target weight, will be deemed to
have received an allocation and will move to the end of the line. Traders will continue to track and
work on filling the remainder of the order until the order has been filled or cancelled by a portfolio
manager.
Since a single trade order may take multiple transactions to complete, the number of transactions
per order can increase if there is insufficient liquidity in the bond, the number of execution venues
is limited, or the aggregate order is large. More transactions can result in higher overall transaction
costs for clients as some client custodians will assess a per trade ticket fee and/or other fees
related to custody or trade settlement. With increased trading volume, these charges and fees will
increase. If custodian charges apply, smaller accounts will be disproportionally impacted by these
costs more than larger accounts. Transaction costs, custody fees, trade ticket charges and other
related fees are not included in the advisory fee paid to Breckinridge. Additional information on
fees can be found in Item 5.
Allocation for Dividend Income Portfolios
Given the large market capitalizations and highly liquid nature of the securities in the dividend
income strategies, trade orders are typically filled upon execution. In the event of partial fills,
orders are typically allocated pro-rata to the nearest whole share.
INVESTING NEW ACCOUNTS
Newly funded accounts are invested in accordance with the same allocation processes described
in this section. That is, fixed income accounts (excluding accounts in the treasury and ladder
strategies) will be assigned an investment schedule and will be allocated bonds based on the
allocation methods described above. Subject to market conditions, account size, funding method
(i.e., cash and/or securities) and client customizations, a new fixed income account may take up to
45 days to become fully invested. Equity and treasury accounts will be invested according to the
model or the strategy rules, respectively, and may take up to one week to become fully invested.
NEW ISSUES AND SECONDARY OFFERINGS
When the portfolio management team decides to participate in a new issue or secondary offering
of bonds, they will communicate the order to the traders. Portfolios are reviewed and tested for
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compliance (i.e., will not breach client guidelines). Once eligible portfolios have been identified,
the portfolio managers will review the list of portfolios to determine the total number of bonds
needed and the allocation for each portfolio. Traders then place the aggregated order with the
dealer. Once the order has been filled, the bonds are allocated in accordance with the priority set
by the allocation methods described in the Trade Allocation section above. In the event the
allocation for the proprietary accounts is changed from the initial recommendation, the traders or
portfolio managers will document the reason for the allocation change. Accounts in the dividend
income strategies do not participate in initial public offerings (IPOs) or limited offerings.
CLIENT TRANSFERRED SECURITIES
Often, clients will fund accounts with securities. Breckinridge does not routinely accept securities
in which we do not typically invest or cover. Prior to accepting any security transfers, our portfolio
management team will review the securities, and approve those we will accept. The portfolio
management team will determine whether to liquidate or to hold the transferred securities.
Should a client ask Breckinridge to execute transactions in securities that we do not cover, we will
consider such requests on a case-by-case basis. If we agree to execute the transactions, we will
treat such transactions as non-discretionary trades and will not evaluate the execution quality.
They are completed as a courtesy to the client, and the client will bear all associated costs.
Depending on the type of security that is being transferred into the account, Breckinridge will either
use the broker dealer affiliate of the client’s custodian to execute the trades or rely on the client to
direct the trades to a specific dealer. New assets will not be considered managed by Breckinridge
until all transferred securities have been accepted or liquidated and the account is formally active.
CROSS TRANSACTIONS
Typically, cross trades are considered in Breckinridge’s tax efficient (or municipal bond) strategies
when a bond being sold from one account meets the need of another account. For example, if
Breckinridge needs to sell a bond for a withdrawal request, Breckinridge will look to see if another
account has a need for the same bond. If the bond can meet another portfolio need, the
transaction will be included in trading’s systematic cross trade process. Breckinridge’s trading
team reviews every cross trade candidate prior to execution. The list of potential cross trades is
exposed to the market for bid, and trading will cancel any cross transaction if the firm receives a
price higher than Breckinridge’s internal execution price. Cross trades executed for tax loss
harvesting are not exposed to the market (given the purpose of the trade is to harvest losses).
Not all clients participate in cross transactions. Breckinridge has a general prohibition on executing
cross trades in accounts in the dividend income and treasury strategies, affiliated accounts and
accounts subject to ERISA or the Investment Company Act of 1940. Clients also may opt out of
cross trades at any time by providing written notification to us. Accounts excluded from cross
trading may not: (i) receive the benefit of lower transaction costs of doing a cross trade versus
trading in the open market, and (ii) receive the same price as clients participating in cross
transactions.
Breckinridge believes cross trades can be beneficial to both clients by potentially reducing
transaction costs and market impact. While Breckinridge takes steps to ensure that cross trades
are beneficial to both parties, cross trades could result in more favorable treatment of one client
over the other. Also, the use of cross trades creates a potential conflict as Breckinridge is advising
clients on both sides of the transaction. To help ensure Breckinridge meets its fiduciary obligation
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for both the selling and buying client, Breckinridge has established specific conditions that must be
met when executing cross transactions. In addition, all cross transactions are reviewed for best
execution.
Breckinridge only executes cross trades when all the following conditions are met:
• A good faith determination has been made that the trades are beneficial to both parties.
• The trades adhere to applicable client contractual restrictions and limitations, investment
objectives and guidelines for those client accounts involved in the cross.
• The trades adhere to applicable trading and trade allocation policies.
• The trades are consistent with applicable federal and securities laws.
• Transaction prices originate from independent third-party pricing services and reflect fair
market value for both parties.
• The trades are processed through broker-dealers not affiliated with Breckinridge.
Cross trades are priced using the evaluated price provided by an independent third-party pricing
service, net of a Breckinridge applied concession (i.e., discount). Breckinridge applies a
concession to more accurately reflect the way smaller lot municipal bonds tend to trade in the
market versus larger lots, i.e., at a discount. The evaluated price is based on round lot pricing while
Breckinridge typically cross trades in smaller lot sizes. Concessions are calculated daily by
Breckinridge’s proprietary systems, using historical MSRB trade data. Historical trades are grouped
by trade size and maturity with further refinements for bond quality and certain states. The
historical trade execution prices are compared against the evaluated price to determine the
concession. Concessions are only calculated if a sufficient quantity of historical trades is present.
If a concession cannot be calculated for a given size/maturity category, any potential cross trades
in that category are cancelled. The evaluated price less the concession is the price at which
Breckinridge cross trades are executed.
This pricing process does not apply to those cross transactions executed for tax loss realization,
which is described in the next section.
Breckinridge does not pay or receive any additional compensation, commission, or fee for engaging
in cross trades, but the dealer will charge routine fees to affect the transactions. These fees are
deducted from the proceeds of the respective selling client accounts after the trades have been
allocated.
Cross Trades for Tax Loss Realization
Breckinridge has implemented a program intended to allow for the realization of tax losses using
cross transactions between client accounts. Bonds being considered for tax loss crossing must
have losses greater than, or equal to, the threshold set by our Investment Committee. Portfolio
managers then determine when to execute tax loss crosses based on market conditions.). Each
cross candidate is reviewed and assessed to ensure it is appropriate for both clients. This review
includes, but is not limited to, issuer, maturity, call, rating, and coupon. In all cases, the issuers in
the cross trade must be different and the transaction must comply with applicable account
restrictions and guidelines. In no circumstance may an affiliated account participate in any cross
transaction with a client account.
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The trades are aggregated by CUSIPs and executed via a third-party dealer at an evaluated price
provided by an independent third-party pricing service. To facilitate these trades, the dealer will
charge a fee which is incurred by the client account purchasing the security. Breckinridge does not
pay or receive any additional compensation, commission or fee for executing cross trades.
When tax-loss crossing at an evaluated price, there is no guarantee that the selling or purchasing
client will receive the best prices available for that day. However, Breckinridge believes that the
evaluated price reflects best execution for both buyer and seller, and the firm takes steps to ensure
the evaluated price is representative of fair market value. As part of the tax loss cross process,
Breckinridge’s traders will review each transaction and determine whether the evaluated price
reflects fair market value. If they determine it does not, the cross transaction will not be executed.
In addition, cross trades for tax loss harvesting are subject to the same best execution evaluation
as other client trades. Breckinridge generally uses highest in, first out (“HIFO”) accounting, without
regard to holding period, in determining tax lots and cost basis for tax loss harvesting. If client
custodians use a different tax lot or cost basis accounting method, there may be discrepancies in
the tax efficiencies estimated by Breckinridge. Please refer to the Investment Process and Risk
Considerations sections for additional information on tax loss harvesting and cross trades.
TRADE ERRORS
When Breckinridge identifies a trade error, the firm will work to correct the error in a timely manner.
Although Breckinridge strives to resolve similar errors in a consistent manner, Breckinridge
recognizes that every error can differ and that the firm’s approach and industry practices can
change over time.
It is Breckinridge’s intention to make impacted client accounts whole when a trade error caused by
Breckinridge results in a net loss. Breckinridge will consider multiple factors when conducting
impact analysis. Methods of calculation will be determined by Breckinridge based on the facts and
circumstances of the situation and will ensure that the client account is not financially
disadvantaged. In many cases, error corrections, including any monetary impact, are discussed
with the client prior to correction. Trade error corrections that result in a net gain are retained by
the client.
In cases where a trade error had no impact on any client account, Breckinridge will move the trade
to an error account where the firm will bear any losses incurred from the error, retain the gains to
offset future error amounts or donate the gains to charity.
The treatment of errors, including any gains or losses, may be dictated by the client’s custodian,
primary advisor or program sponsor. In such instances, Breckinridge will consider those of the third
party.
ITEM 13. REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS
Except for accounts in treasury and ladder strategies, all fixed income accounts are continually
monitored via Breckinridge’s proprietary portfolio management system for compliance with rules,
targets (e.g., yield curve positioning, sector exposures and asset type weightings), and tolerances
set by the Investment Committee and by clients. Breckinridge’s portfolio management team is
responsible for reviewing client accounts and addressing alerts generated by the portfolio
management system.
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Treasury and ladder accounts are continually monitored by the same proprietary portfolio
management system for deviations from strategy rules. If a deviation meets or exceeds a tolerance
level, the order management system will recommend trade orders to correct the deviation. In
ladder strategies, deviations typically occur when there has been a portfolio event (e.g, a
withdrawal, contribution, or corporate action).
Dividend income accounts are rebalanced no less than quarterly. Portfolio flows, account
terminations and securities that are no longer eligible will also prompt reviews.
Client accounts are reconciled daily with custodial account records. Breckinridge produces
monthly client account reports that include portfolio holdings, market values, and overall portfolio
structure (e.g., ratings, maturity, duration). All client reporting is provided via a secured online
portal. Clients who are unable to access their online reports can contact Client Services
(clientservices@breckinridge.com) for assistance.
Breckinridge conducts client reviews with Intermediaries at least quarterly. Since Breckinridge
does not have direct contact with the end clients of its Intermediaries, it is the responsibility of the
Intermediary to make Breckinridge aware of any changes in the financial situation or investment
objective of the Intermediary’s end clients. In direct client relationships, Breckinridge will review
each client’s account at least annually to determine whether there have been any changes in the
client’s financial situation or investment objectives. All clients may submit requests for reasonable
investment restrictions on the management of the client’s account at any time.
ITEM 14. CLIENT REFERRALS AND OTHER COMPENSATION
New clients are typically obtained through Intermediaries. Breckinridge does not compensate
these Intermediaries or any person, directly or indirectly, for their referrals.
ITEM 15. CUSTODY
Breckinridge typically debits advisory fees directly from client accounts. For this reason,
Breckinridge is considered to have custody of client assets. However, all client assets are held by
unaffiliated qualified custodians appointed by the client. Although certain Breckinridge investment
strategies may be available on limited custodial platforms, Breckinridge is not a party to any
custodial agreements between clients and their custodians. In most cases, the material terms and
conditions of custodial agreements, including any specific reporting instructions, are unknown to
Breckinridge.
Custodians typically send statements directly to clients on at least a quarterly basis. Clients
should carefully review these statements and compare these statements to any account
information provided by Breckinridge. Clients who do not receive at least quarterly statements
from their custodian should promptly contact their advisor, custodian or Breckinridge.
Breckinridge may assist a client in developing a relationship with a custodian with whom
Breckinridge has an existing relationship. Clients are solely responsible for conducting their own
due diligence on the custodian prior to engaging their services. While there is no direct link with the
investment advice given, economic benefits may be received which would not be received if
Breckinridge did not assist with the placement of such client assets at the selected custodian.
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These benefits include receipt of duplicate client confirmations and bundled duplicate statements,
access to trading desks serving institutional managers exclusively, ability to have investment
advisory fees deducted directly from client accounts, receipt of regulatory compliance
publications, ability to view account balances and activity online, amongst others. The benefits
received may or may not depend upon the amount of assets custodied. To the extent that
Breckinridge receives these benefits, the benefits may be used to facilitate the management of not
only the client accounts responsible for generating the benefits, but all client accounts. In no case
does Breckinridge receive, outside of the agreed upon advisory fee from the client, any additional
fees from the client or the custodian for this assistance.
ITEM 16. INVESTMENT DISCRETION
Breckinridge is typically granted discretionary authority by its clients to determine, without specific
consent, the securities to be bought or sold, the amounts of those securities, and the broker
dealers utilized to affect those trades. Such discretion, or any limitation to such discretion, is
received prior to the inception of the client account. Discretion is typically detailed in the advisory
agreement or other written documentation. Clients may also amend such restrictions/limitations
to their accounts at any time with appropriate written notification to and approval by Breckinridge.
From time to time, Breckinridge will accept accounts where Breckinridge does not have full
investment discretion. These services will include security monitoring and analysis and specific
investment recommendations.
ITEM 17. VOTING CLIENT SECURITIES
Breckinridge accepts authority to vote proxies on behalf of clients. Breckinridge has appointed a
Proxy Committee to review and vote proxy ballots that are received. The Proxy Committee also has
oversight of any third party proxy voting service provider utilized by the firm. Breckinridge has
engaged Glass Lewis for proxy voting administration.
Breckinridge’s policy is to vote client proxies in a manner that Breckinridge determines, in good
faith, to be in the best interest of Breckinridge’s clients. This determination will include the decision
to take no action with respect to any proxy. Breckinridge will consider both the short and long-term
implications of the proposal when considering the optimal vote.
In light of the above considerations, Breckinridge has developed proxy voting guidelines, which are
reviewed regularly by the Proxy Committee. When a client has given Breckinridge proxy voting
authority, their account will vote in accordance with the Breckinridge guidelines. Any voting
matters that are not addressed in Breckinridge’s voting guidelines will be reviewed by the Proxy
Committee, which may consider Glass Lewis’ guidelines when deciding on a vote.
The Proxy Committee has discretion to vote against written guidelines if all members agree on the
proposed decision and the deviation is documented. If a unanimous decision cannot be reached,
the Investment Committee or another independent committee will make the final decision on how
to vote. The Investment Committee could decide to vote in accordance with the written policy or in
a different manner than what the Proxy Committee has proposed.
Proxy voting is generally inapplicable to fixed income accounts. However, if an account invests in
registered funds such as ETFs, proxy voting may occur. Breckinridge expects minimal voting activity
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for these accounts as ETF holdings are generally restricted to cash management or cash
equalization (equitization) purposes. If a proxy ballot is received for an ETF, Breckinridge will vote
the proxy in accordance with its established voting policies.
Breckinridge will consider only those proxies issued by the securities purchased by Breckinridge.
Due to the variety of client types that we have, it is possible that Breckinridge will act on the same
proxy in different ways for different accounts or different strategies. In addition, Breckinridge will
not vote any proxy ballots received after a client has terminated their relationship with the firm.
Breckinridge’s ability to review and consider proxy ballots largely depends on the custodians
delivering the ballots and documentation to Breckinridge in a timely manner.
If a client participates in a securities lending program, any proxies associated with lent-out
securities will not be voted. Clients who wish to vote those proxies will need to instruct their
custodian to call back the securities. Since clients have full discretion on participating in lending
programs, Breckinridge will not initiate call backs on any securities. A copy of Breckinridge’s proxy
policy and procedures and proxy voting guidelines is available, free of charge, upon request.
CONFLICTS OF INTERESTS PERTAINING TO PROXY VOTING
Since Breckinridge is solely focused on providing investment advisory services, it is expected that
no material conflicts of interest will arise in connection with proxy voting. Nevertheless, if
Breckinridge determines that there is a material conflict of interest in voting a proxy (e.g., an
employee of Breckinridge may personally benefit if the proxy is voted in a certain direction), the
Proxy Committee will take steps to address the conflict before a vote is cast. Conflict resolution
could include restricting a conflicted member from participating in decision making or not
permitting deviations from the written policy. The Proxy Committee also can consult with the CCO,
an ad-hoc member of the Proxy Committee, on any conflict matter that arises.
DISCLOSURE AND REPORTING OF PROXY VOTES
Breckinridge will not reveal or disclose how it has voted (or intends to vote) on a particular proxy
matter to unrelated third parties such as solicitors. All employees are prohibited from accepting
any remuneration in the solicitation of proxies.
Clients can request a report of proxy voting activity for their accounts by contacting Client Services
(clientservices@breckinridge.com). Clients invested in the Enhanced Tax Efficient strategy can
also obtain voting activity reports for the completion fund from the SEC’s EDGAR database
(https://www.sec.gov/search-filings/mutual-funds-search/search-mutual-fund-proxy-voting-
records).
Class Actions and Other Legal Proceedings
Breckinridge will not act or advise on any class action claims or legal proceedings pertaining to
securities held or formerly held in accounts of clients or former clients.
ITEM 18. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Breckinridge has never filed for bankruptcy and is not aware of any financial condition that is
expected to affect its ability to manage client accounts.
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