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Wellington Investment Advisors
121 E. 6th Street
Suite 2
Bloomington, Indiana 47408
Telephone: 812-333-0874
March 24, 2025
www.wellingtoninvestmentadvisors.com
FORM ADV PART 2A
BROCHURE
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Wellington
Investment Advisors. If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, contact us at 812-
333-0874. The information in this brochure has not been approved or verified by the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or by any state securities authority.
Additional information about Wellington Investment Advisors is available on the SEC's website at
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Wellington Investment Advisors is a registered investment adviser. Registration with the SEC or any
state securities authority does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
Item 2 Summary of Material Changes
March 25, 2025 – Item 5 was amended to disclose fees for financial planning services.
The material changes discussed above are only those changes that have been made to this brochure
since the firm’s last annual update of the brochure. The date of the last annual update of the brochure
was March 14, 2024.
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Item 3 Table of Contents
Item 2 Summary of 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 ................................................................................................................. 8
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss .......................................... 8
Item 9 Disciplinary Information ................................................................................................... 13
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations ......................................................... 13
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading . 13
Item 12 Brokerage Practices ...................................................................................................... 14
Item 13 Review of Accounts ....................................................................................................... 17
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation .................................................................... 17
Item 15 Custody ......................................................................................................................... 18
Item 16 Investment Discretion .................................................................................................... 19
Item 17 Voting Client Securities ................................................................................................. 19
Item 18 Financial Information ..................................................................................................... 19
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Item 4 Advisory Business
Description of Firm
Wellington Investment Advisors is an SEC registered investment adviser (since June 2021) primarily
based in Bloomington, Indiana. We are organized as a corporation under the laws of the State of
Indiana. Prior to registration with the SEC, we had been providing investment advisory services since
2016 as a state registered investment advisor. Paul Bullock is the principal owner of the firm.
The following paragraphs describe our services and fees. Refer to the description of each investment
advisory service listed below for information on how we tailor our advisory services to your individual
needs. As used in this brochure, the words "we," "our," and "us" refer to Wellington Investment
Advisors and the words "you," "your," and "client" refer to you as either a client or prospective client of
our firm.
Portfolio Management Services
We offer discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management services. Our investment advice is
tailored to meet our clients' needs and investment objectives. If you retain our firm for portfolio
management services, we meet with you to determine your investment objectives, risk tolerance, and
other relevant information at the beginning of our advisory relationship. We use the information we
gather to develop a strategy that enables our firm to give you continuous and focused investment
advice and/or to make investments on your behalf. As part of our portfolio management services, we
customize an investment portfolio for you in accordance with your risk tolerance and investing
objectives. Once we construct an investment portfolio for you, we monitor your portfolio's performance
on an ongoing basis, and will rebalance your portfolio as required by changes in market conditions and
in your financial circumstances.
As a client of our discretionary portfolio management services, we require you to grant our firm
discretionary authority to manage your account. Discretionary authorization will allow our firm to
determine the specific securities, and the amount of securities, to be purchased or sold for your account
without your approval prior to each transaction, but will be done according to the agreed upon
Investment Policy Statement. You may specify investment objectives, guidelines, and/or impose certain
conditions or investment parameters for your account(s). For example, you may specify that the
investment in any particular stock or industry should not exceed specified percentages of the value of
the portfolio and/or restrictions or prohibitions of transactions in the securities of a specific industry or
security.
We also offer non-discretionary portfolio management services. If you enter into non-discretionary
arrangements with our firm, we must obtain your approval prior to executing any transactions on behalf
of your account. You have an unrestricted right to decline to implement any advice provided by our firm
on a non-discretionary basis.
Financial Planning Services
We also offer financial planning services. Financial planning typically involves providing a variety of
advisory services to clients regarding the management of their financial resources based upon an
analysis of their individual needs. These services can range from broad, comprehensive, financial
planning to consultative or single subject planning such as retirement income planning. If you need
financial planning services, we will meet with you to gather information about your financial
circumstances and objectives. We may also use financial planning software to determine your current
financial position and to define and quantify your long-term goals and objectives. Once we specify
those long-term objectives (both financial and non-financial), we will develop shorter-term, targeted
objectives. Once we review and analyze the information you provide to our firm and the data derived
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from our financial planning software, we will deliver a written plan to you, designed to help you achieve
your stated financial goals and objectives.
Financial plans are based on your financial situation at the time we present the plan to you, and on the
financial information you provide to us. You must promptly notify our firm if your financial situation,
goals, objectives, or needs change.
You are under no obligation to act on our financial planning recommendations. Should you choose to
act on any of our recommendations, you are not obligated to implement the financial plan through any
of our other investment advisory services. Moreover, you may act on our recommendations by placing
securities transactions with any brokerage firm.
Wrap Fee Programs
While we are a portfolio manager and sponsor to a wrap fee program, that wrap fee program is no
longer available to new clients of our firm.
Types of Investments
We primarily offer advice on stocks, bonds, exchange traded funds (ETF's), and mutual funds. Refer to
the Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss below for additional disclosures on
this topic.
Additionally, we may advise you on various types of investments based on your stated goals and
objectives. We may also provide advice on any type of investment held in your portfolio at the inception
of our advisory relationship.
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2024, we provide continuous management services for $233,429,000 in client
assets on a discretionary basis.
Item 5 Fees and Compensation
Portfolio Management Services
Our fee for portfolio management services is based on a percentage of your assets we manage.
Our advisory fees are negotiable and are based on the following schedule:
Assets Under Management
Up to $1,000,000
$1,000,001 to $2,000,000
$2,000,001 to $3,000,000
Over $3,000,000
Annual Fee
2.0%
1.5%
1.0%
Negotiable
Our annual portfolio management fee is typically billed and payable quarterly in advance, based on the
account balance at end of the billing period. If the portfolio management agreement is executed at any
time other than the first day of a calendar month, our fees will apply on a pro rata basis, which means
that the advisory fee is payable in proportion to the number of days in the month for which you are a
client. Our advisory fee is negotiable, depending on individual client circumstances.
At our discretion, we may combine the account values of family members living in the same household
to determine the applicable advisory fee. For example, we may combine account values for you and
your minor children, joint accounts with your spouse, and other types of related accounts.
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We will deduct our fee directly from your account through the qualified custodian holding your funds
and securities. We will deduct our advisory fee only when the following requirements are met:
• You provide our firm with written authorization permitting the fees to be paid directly from your
account held by the qualified custodian.
• The qualified custodian agrees to send you a statement, at least quarterly, indicating all
amounts dispersed from your account including the amount of the advisory fee paid directly to
our firm.
We encourage you to reconcile the statement(s) you receive from the qualified custodian. If you find
any inconsistent information from the qualified custodian, please call our main office number located on
the cover page of this brochure.
You may terminate the portfolio management agreement upon written notice. You will incur a pro rata
charge for services rendered prior to the termination of the portfolio management agreement, which
means you will incur advisory fees only in proportion to the number of days in the month for which you
are a client. Fees that we have not earned will be refunded.
Financial Planning Services
Our fees for financial planning and consulting services may be charged in two different ways based on
the needs and circumstances of the client. The first is a quarterly fee, paid in advance, that ranges up
to $10,000 per quarter depending on the scope and complexity of the services provided. The second is
a fixed fee that ranges up to $40,000 depending on the scope and complexity of the services provided.
This fixed fee is charged one-half on signing of the agreement, and one-half on delivery of the services.
The engagement services will be delivered to clients in less than six months. The fees are negotiable,
and in the event the financial planning agreement is terminated, we will calculate the portion of the fees
earned and refund any unearned fees.
Additional Fees and Expenses
As part of our investment advisory services to you, we may invest, or recommend that you invest, in
mutual funds and exchange traded funds. The fees that you pay to our firm for investment advisory
services are separate and distinct from the fees and expenses charged by mutual funds, exchange
traded funds, or variable insurance products (described in each fund's or variable product’s prospectus)
to their shareholders. These fees will generally include a management fee and other fund expenses.
You will also incur transaction charges and/or brokerage fees when purchasing or selling securities.
These charges and fees are typically imposed by the broker-dealer or custodian through whom your
account transactions are executed. We do not share in any portion of the brokerage fees/transaction
charges imposed by the broker-dealer or custodian. To fully understand the total cost you will incur, you
should review all the fees charged by mutual funds, exchange traded funds, our firm, and others. For
information on our brokerage practices, refer to the Brokerage Practices section of this brochure.
Compensation for the Sale of Securities or Other Investment Products
Persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm are licensed as independent insurance
agents. These persons will earn commission-based compensation for selling insurance products,
including insurance products they sell to you. Insurance commissions earned by these persons are
separate and in addition to our advisory fees. This practice presents a conflict of interest because
persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm who are insurance agents have an incentive
to recommend insurance products to you for the purpose of generating commissions rather than solely
based on your needs. You are under no obligation, contractually or otherwise, to purchase insurance
products through any person affiliated with our firm.
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Persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm are registered representatives with Private
Client Services, LLC, a securities broker-dealer, and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. In their capacity as registered
representatives, these persons will receive commission-based compensation in connection with the
purchase and sale of securities, including 12b-1 fees for the sale of investment company products.
Compensation earned by these persons in their capacities as registered representatives is separate
and in addition to our advisory fees. This practice presents a conflict of interest because persons
providing investment advice on behalf of our firm who are registered representatives have an incentive
to effect securities transactions for the purpose of generating commissions rather than solely based on
your needs. You are under no obligation, contractually or otherwise, to purchase securities products
through any person affiliated with our firm.
We do not charge advisory fees on client assets invested in commission-based insurance and
investment products.
IRA Rollover Considerations
As part of our investment advisory services to you, we may recommend that you withdraw the assets
from your employer's retirement plan and roll the assets over to an individual retirement account ("IRA")
that we will manage on your behalf. If you elect to roll the assets to an IRA that is subject to our
management, we will charge you an asset based fee as set forth in the agreement you executed with
our firm. This practice presents a conflict of interest because persons providing investment advice on
our behalf have an incentive to recommend a rollover to you for the purpose of generating fee based
compensation rather than solely based on your needs. You are under no obligation, contractually or
otherwise, to complete the rollover. Moreover, if you do complete the rollover, you are under no
obligation to have the assets in an IRA managed by our firm.
Many employers permit former employees to keep their retirement assets in their company plan. Also,
current employees can sometimes move assets out of their company plan before they retire or change
jobs. In determining whether to complete the rollover to an IRA, and to the extent the following options
are available, you should consider the costs and benefits of:
1. Leaving the funds in your employer's (former employer's) plan.
2. Moving the funds to a new employer’s retirement plan.
3. Cashing out and taking a taxable distribution from the plan.
4. Rolling the funds into an IRA rollover account.
Each of these options has advantages and disadvantages and before making a change we encourage
you to speak with your CPA and/or tax attorney.
If you are considering rolling over your retirement funds to an IRA for us to manage here are a few
points to consider before you do so:
1. Determine whether the investment options in your employer's retirement plan address your
needs or whether you might want to consider other types of investments.
a. Employer retirement plans generally have a more limited investment menu than IRAs.
b. Employer retirement plans may have unique investment options not available to the
public such as employer securities, or previously closed funds.
2. Your current plan may have lower fees than our fees.
a. If you are interested in investing only in mutual funds, you should understand the cost
structure of the share classes available in your employer's retirement plan and how the
costs of those share classes compare with those available in an IRA.
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b. You should understand the various products and services you might take advantage of
at an IRA provider and the potential costs of those products and services.
3. Our strategy may have higher risk than the option(s) provided to you in your plan.
4. Your current plan may also offer financial advice.
5. If you keep your assets titled in a 401k or retirement account, you could potentially delay your
required minimum distribution beyond age 70.5.
6. Your 401k may offer more liability protection than a rollover IRA; each state may vary.
a. Generally, federal law protects assets in qualified plans from creditors. Since 2005, IRA
assets have been generally protected from creditors in bankruptcies. However, there can
be some exceptions to the general rules so you should consult with an attorney if you are
concerned about protecting your retirement plan assets from creditors.
7. You may be able to take out a loan on your 401k, but not from an IRA.
8. IRA assets can be accessed any time; however, distributions are subject to ordinary income tax
and may also be subject to a 10% early distribution penalty unless they qualify for an exception
such as disability, higher education expenses or the purchase of a home.
9. If you own company stock in your plan, you may be able to liquidate those shares at a lower
capital gains tax rate.
10. Your plan may allow you to hire us as the manager and keep the assets titled in the plan name.
It is important that you understand the differences between these types of accounts and to decide
whether a rollover is best for you. Prior to proceeding, if you have questions contact your investment
adviser representative, or call our main number as listed on the cover page of this brochure.
Item 6 Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
We do not accept performance-based fees or participate in side-by-side management. Performance-
based fees are fees that are based on a share of a capital gains or capital appreciation of a client's
account. Side-by-side management refers to the practice of managing accounts that are charged
performance-based fees while at the same time managing accounts that are not charged performance-
based fees. Our fees are calculated as described in the Fees and Compensation section above, and
are not charged on the basis of a share of capital gains upon, or capital appreciation of, the assets in
your advisory account.
Item 7 Types of Clients
We offer investment advisory services to individuals (including high net worth individuals), charitable
organizations, corporations and other business entities.
In general, we do not require a minimum dollar amount to open and maintain an advisory account;
however, we have the right to terminate your account if it falls below a minimum size which, in our sole
opinion, is too small to manage effectively.
We may also combine account values for you and your minor children, joint accounts with your spouse,
and other types of related accounts to meet the stated minimum.
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
We may use one or more of the following methods of analysis or investment strategies when providing
investment advice to you:
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Charting Analysis - involves the gathering and processing of price and volume pattern information for a
particular security, sector, broad index or commodity. This price and volume pattern information is
analyzed. The resulting pattern and correlation data is used to detect departures from expected
performance and diversification and predict future price movements and trends.
• Risk: Our charting analysis may not accurately detect anomalies or predict future price
movements. Current prices of securities may reflect all information known about the security and
day-to-day changes in market prices of securities may follow random patterns and may not be
predictable with any reliable degree of accuracy.
Technical Analysis - involves studying past price patterns, trends and interrelationships in the financial
markets to assess risk-adjusted performance and predict the direction of both the overall market and
specific securities.
• Risk: The risk of market timing based on technical analysis is that our analysis may not
accurately detect anomalies or predict future price movements. Current prices of securities may
reflect all information known about the security and day-to-day changes in market prices of
securities may follow random patterns and may not be predictable with any reliable degree of
accuracy.
Fundamental Analysis - involves analyzing individual companies and their industry groups, such as a
company's financial statements, details regarding the company's product line, the experience and
expertise of the company's management, and the outlook for the company and its industry. The
resulting data is used to measure the true value of the company's stock compared to the current market
value.
• Risk: The risk of fundamental analysis is that information obtained may be incorrect and the
analysis may not provide an accurate estimate of earnings, which may be the basis for a stock's
value. If securities prices adjust rapidly to new information, utilizing fundamental analysis may
not result in favorable performance.
Modern Portfolio Theory - a theory of investment which attempts to maximize portfolio expected return
for a given amount of portfolio risk, or equivalently minimize risk for a given level of expected return, by
carefully diversifying the proportions of various assets.
• Risk: Market risk is that part of a security's risk that is common to all securities of the same
general class (stocks and bonds) and thus cannot be eliminated by diversification.
Long-Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that the value of those securities will
grow over a relatively long period of time, generally greater than one year.
• Risk: Using a long-term purchase strategy generally assumes the financial markets will go up in
the long-term which may not be the case. There is also the risk that the segment of the market
that you are invested in or perhaps just your particular investment will go down over time even if
the overall financial markets advance. Purchasing investments long-term may create an
opportunity cost - "locking-up" assets that may be better utilized in the short-term in other
investments.
Short-Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that they will be sold within a
relatively short period of time, generally less than one year, to take advantage of the securities' short-
term price fluctuations.
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• Risk: Using a short-term purchase strategy generally assumes that we can predict how financial
markets will perform in the short-term which may be very difficult and will incur a
disproportionately higher amount of transaction costs compared to long-term trading. There are
many factors that can affect financial market performance in the short-term (such as short-term
interest rate changes, cyclical earnings announcements, etc.) but may have a smaller impact
over longer periods of times.
Option Writing - a securities transaction that involves selling an option. An option is a contract that gives
the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a particular security at a specified price on or
before the expiration date of the option. When an investor sells an option, he or she must deliver to the
buyer a specified number of shares if the buyer exercises the option. The option writer/seller receives a
premium (the market price of the option at a particular time) in exchange for writing the option.
• Risk: Options are complex investments and can be very risky, especially if the investor does not
own the underlying stock. In certain situations, an investor's risk can be unlimited.
Our investment strategies and advice may vary depending upon each client's specific financial
situation. As such, we determine investments and allocations based upon your predefined objectives,
risk tolerance, time horizon, financial information, liquidity needs and other various suitability factors.
Your restrictions and guidelines may affect the composition of your portfolio. It is important that you
notify us immediately with respect to any material changes to your financial circumstances, including for
example, a change in your current or expected income level, tax circumstances, or employment status.
Tax Considerations
Our strategies and investments may have unique and significant tax implications. However, unless we
specifically agree otherwise, and in writing, tax efficiency is not our primary consideration in the
management of your assets. Regardless of your account size or any other factors, we strongly
recommend that you consult with a tax professional regarding the investing of your assets.
Moreover, custodians and broker-dealers must report the cost basis of equities acquired in client
accounts on or after January 1, 2011. Your custodian will default to the First-In First-Out ("FIFO")
accounting method for calculating the cost basis of your investments. You are responsible for
contacting your tax advisor to determine if this accounting method is the right choice for you. If your tax
advisor believes another accounting method is more advantageous, provide written notice to our firm
immediately and we will alert your account custodian of your individually selected accounting method.
Decisions about cost basis accounting methods will need to be made before trades settle, as the cost
basis method cannot be changed after settlement.
Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves risk of loss that you should be prepared to bear. We do not represent or
guarantee that our services or methods of analysis can or will predict future results, successfully
identify market tops or bottoms, or insulate clients from losses due to market corrections or declines.
We cannot offer any guarantees or promises that your financial goals and objectives will be met. Past
performance is in no way an indication of future performance.
Recommendation of Particular Types of Securities
While you may ask for investment advice on any type of security and/or investment product, we
primarily recommend: equity securities, corporate debt securities, municipal securities, annuities,
mutual funds, exchange traded funds ("ETFs"), money market funds, real estate investment trusts
("REIT"), and structured products. Our investment advice will be based on your investment objectives
and financial goals,
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Each type of security has its own unique set of risks associated with it and it would not be possible to
list here all of the specific risks of every type of investment. Even within the same type of investment,
risks can vary widely. However, in very general terms, the higher the anticipated return of an
investment, the higher the risk of loss associated with the investment. A general description of the types
of securities that we primarily we may recommend and some of their inherent risks are provided below
Stocks: There are numerous ways of measuring the risk of equity securities (also known simply as
"equities" or "stock"). In very broad terms, the value of a stock depends on the financial health of the
company issuing it. However, stock prices can be affected by many other factors including, but not
limited to the class of stock (for example, preferred or common); the health of the market sector of the
issuing company; and, the overall health of the economy. In general, larger, better established
companies ("large cap") tend to be safer than smaller start-up companies ("small cap") are but the
mere size of an issuer is not, by itself, an indicator of the safety of the investment
Bonds: Corporate debt securities (or "bonds") are typically safer investments than equity securities, but
their risk can also vary widely based on: the financial health of the issuer; the risk that the issuer might
default; when the bond is set to mature; and, whether or not the bond can be "called" prior to maturity.
When a bond is called, it may not be possible to replace it with a bond of equal character paying the
same rate of return.
Municipal Securities: Municipal securities, while generally thought of as safe, can have significant risks
associated with them including, but not limited to: the credit worthiness of the governmental entity that
issues the bond; the stability of the revenue stream that is used to pay the interest to the bondholders;
when the bond is due to mature; and, whether or not the bond can be "called" prior to maturity. When a
bond is called, it may not be possible to replace it with a bond of equal character paying the same
amount of interest or yield to maturity.
Variable Annuities: A variable annuity is a form of insurance where the seller or issuer (typically an
insurance company) makes a series of future payments to a buyer (annuitant) in exchange for the
immediate payment of a lump sum (single-payment annuity) or a series of regular payments (regular-
payment annuity). The payment stream from the issuer to the annuitant has an unknown duration
based principally upon the date of death of the annuitant. At this point, the contract will terminate and
the remainder of the funds accumulated forfeited unless there are other annuitants or beneficiaries in
the contract. Annuities can be purchased to provide an income during retirement. Unlike fixed annuities
that make payments in fixed amounts or in amounts that increase by a fixed percentage, variable
annuities, pay amounts that vary according to the performance of a specified set of investments,
typically bond and equity mutual funds. Many variable annuities typically impose asset-based sales
charges or surrender charges for withdrawals within a specified period. Variable annuities may impose
a variety of fees and expenses, in addition to sales and surrender charges, such as mortality and
expense risk charges; administrative fees; underlying fund expenses; and charges for special features,
all of which can reduce the return. Earnings in a variable annuity do not provide all the tax advantages
of 401(k)s and other before-tax retirement plans. Once the investor starts withdrawing money from their
variable annuity, earnings are taxed at the ordinary income rate, rather than at the lower capital gains
rates applied to other non-tax-deferred vehicles which are held for more than one year. Proceeds of
most variable annuities do not receive a "step-up" in cost basis when the owner dies like stocks, bonds
and mutual funds do. Some variable annuities offer "bonus credits." These are usually not free. In order
to fund them, insurance companies typically impose mortality and expense charges and surrender
charge periods. In an exchange of an existing annuity for a new annuity (so-called 1035 exchanges),
the new variable annuity may have a lower contract value and a smaller death benefit; may impose new
surrender charges or increase the period of time for which the surrender charge applies; may have
higher annual fees; and provide another commission for the broker.
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Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds: Mutual funds and exchange traded funds ("ETF") are
professionally managed collective investment systems that pool money from many investors and invest
in stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments, other mutual funds, other securities, or any
combination thereof. The fund will have a manager that trades the fund's investments in accordance
with the fund's investment objective. While mutual funds and ETFs generally provide diversification,
risks can be significantly increased if the fund is concentrated in a particular sector of the market,
primarily invests in small cap or speculative companies, uses leverage (i.e., borrows money) to a
significant degree, or concentrates in a particular type of security (i.e., equities) rather than balancing
the fund with different types of securities. ETFs differ from mutual funds since they can be bought and
sold throughout the day like stock and their price can fluctuate throughout the day. The returns on
mutual funds and ETFs can be reduced by the costs to manage the funds. Also, while some mutual
funds are "no load" and charge no fee to buy into, or sell out of, the fund, other types of mutual funds
do charge such fees which can also reduce returns. Mutual funds can also be "closed end" or "open
end". So-called "open end" mutual funds continue to allow in new investors indefinitely whereas "closed
end" funds have a fixed number of shares to sell which can limit their availability to new investors.
Money Market Funds: A money market fund is technically a security. The fund managers attempt to
keep the share price constant at $1/share. However, there is no guarantee that the share price will stay
at $1/share. If the share price goes down, you can lose some, or all, of your principal. The SEC notes
that "While investor losses in money market funds have been rare, they are possible." In return for this
risk, you should earn a greater return on your cash than you would expect from a Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") insured savings account (money market funds are not FDIC insured).
Next, money market fund rates are variable. In other words, you do not know how much you will earn
on your investment next month. The rate could go up or go down. If it goes up, that may result in a
positive outcome. However, if it goes down and you earn less than you expected to earn, you may end
up needing more cash. A final risk you are taking with money market funds has to do with inflation.
Because money market funds are considered to be safer than other investments like stocks, long-term
average returns on money market funds tends to be less than long term average returns on riskier
investments. Over long periods of time, inflation can eat away at your returns.
Real Estate Investment Trust: A real estate investment trust ("REIT") is a corporate entity which invests
in real estate and/or engages in real estate financing. A REIT reduces or eliminates corporate income
taxes. REITs can be publicly or privately held. Public REITs may be listed on public stock exchanges.
REITs are required to declare 90% of their taxable income as dividends, but they actually pay dividends
out of funds from operations, so cash flow has to be strong or the REIT must either dip into reserves,
borrow to pay dividends, or distribute them in stock (which causes dilution). After 2012, the IRS stopped
permitting stock dividends. Most REITs must refinance or erase large balloon debts periodically. The
credit markets are no longer frozen, but banks are demanding, and getting, harsher terms to re-extend
REIT debt. Some REITs may be forced to make secondary stock offerings to repay debt, which will
lead to additional dilution of the stockholders. Fluctuations in the real estate market can affect the
REIT's value and dividends.
Structured Products: A structured product, also known as a market-linked product, is generally a pre-
packaged investment strategy based on derivatives, such as a single security, a basket of securities,
options, indices, commodities, debt issuances, and/or foreign currencies, and to a lesser extent, swaps.
Structured products are usually issued by investment banks or affiliates thereof. They have a fixed
maturity, and have two components: a note and a derivative. The derivative component is often an
option. The note provides for periodic interest payments to the investor at a predetermined rate, and the
derivative component provides for the payment at maturity. Some products use the derivative
component as a put option written by the investor that gives the buyer of the put option the right to sell
to the investor the security or securities at a predetermined price. Other products use the derivative
component to provide for a call option written by the investor that gives the buyer of the call option the
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right to buy the security or securities from the investor at a predetermined price. A feature of some
structured products is a "principal guarantee" function, which offers protection of principal if held to
maturity. However, these products are not always Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured; they
may only be insured by the issuer, and thus have the potential for loss of principal in the case of a
liquidity crisis, or other solvency problems with the issuing company. Investing in structured products
involves a number of risks including but not limited to: fluctuations in the price, level or yield of
underlying instruments, interest rates, currency values and credit quality; substantial loss of principal;
limits on participation in any appreciation of the underlying instrument; limited liquidity; credit risk of the
issuer; conflicts of interest; and, other events that are difficult to predict.
Item 9 Disciplinary Information
Wellington Investment Advisors has been registered and providing investment advisory services since
2016, and Paul Bullock has been registered as either an investment adviser representative or a
registered representative since 1989.
Neither Wellington Investment Advisors nor its management persons have had any legal or disciplinary
events, currently or in the past.
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Registrations with Broker-Dealer
Persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm are registered representatives with Private
Client Services, LLC, a securities broker-dealer, and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. In their capacity as registered
representatives, these persons will receive commission-based compensation in connection with the
purchase and sale of securities, including 12b-1 fees for the sale of investment company products.
Compensation earned by these persons in their capacities as registered representatives is separate
and in addition to our advisory fees. This practice presents a conflict of interest because persons
providing investment advice on behalf of our firm who are registered representatives have an incentive
to effect securities transactions for the purpose of generating commissions rather than solely based on
your needs. You are under no obligation, contractually or otherwise, to purchase securities products
through any person affiliated with our firm.
Licensed Insurance Agents
Persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm may be licensed as insurance agents. These
persons will earn commission-based compensation for selling insurance products, including insurance
products they sell to you. Insurance commissions earned by these persons are separate from our
advisory fees. See the Fees and Compensation section in this brochure for more information on the
compensation received by insurance agents who are affiliated with our firm.
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and
Personal Trading
Description of Our Code of Ethics
We strive to comply with applicable laws and regulations governing our practices. Therefore, our Code
of Ethics includes guidelines for professional standards of conduct for persons associated with our firm.
Our goal is to protect your interests at all times and to demonstrate our commitment to our fiduciary
duties of honesty, good faith, and fair dealing with you. All persons associated with our firm are
expected to adhere strictly to these guidelines. Persons associated with our firm are also required to
report any violations of our Code of Ethics. Additionally, we maintain and enforce written policies
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reasonably designed to prevent the misuse or dissemination of material, non-public information about
you or your account holdings by persons associated with our firm.
Clients or prospective clients may obtain a copy of our Code of Ethics by contacting us at the telephone
number on the cover page of this brochure.
Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
Neither our firm nor any persons associated with our firm has any material financial interest in client
transactions beyond the provision of investment advisory services as disclosed in this brochure.
Personal Trading Practices
Our firm or persons associated with our firm may buy or sell the same securities that we recommend to
you or securities in which you are already invested. A conflict of interest exists in such cases because
we have the ability to trade ahead of you and potentially receive more favorable prices than you will
receive. To mitigate this conflict of interest, it is our policy that neither our firm nor persons associated
with our firm shall have priority over your account in the purchase or sale of securities.
Block Trading
Our firm or persons associated with our firm may buy or sell securities for you at the same time we or
persons associated with our firm buy or sell such securities for our own account. We may also combine
our orders to purchase securities with your orders to purchase securities ("block trading"). Refer to
the Brokerage Practices section in this brochure for information on our block trading practices.
We will then distribute a portion of the shares to participating accounts in a fair and equitable manner.
Generally, participating accounts will pay a fixed transaction cost regardless of the number of shares
transacted. In certain cases, each participating account pays an average price per share for all
transactions and pays a proportionate share of all transaction costs on any given day. In the event an
order is only partially filled, the shares will be allocated to participating accounts in a fair and equitable
manner, typically in proportion to the size of each client’s order. Accounts owned by our firm or persons
associated with our firm may participate in block trading with your accounts; however, they will not be
given preferential treatment.
Item 12 Brokerage Practices
We do not maintain custody of your assets on which we advise although we may be deemed to have
custody of your assets if you give us authority to withdraw assets from your account (see Item 15 -
Custody, below). Your assets must be maintained in an account at a “qualified custodian,” generally a
broker-dealer or bank. We recommend that our clients use Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. ("Schwab"), a
FINRA-registered broker-dealer, member SIPC, as the qualified custodian. We are independently
owned and operated and not affiliated with Schwab. Schwab will hold your assets in a brokerage
account and buy and sell securities when we instruct them to. While we recommend that you use
Schwab as custodian/broker, you will decide whether to do so and open your account with Schwab by
entering into an account agreement directly with them. We do not open the account for you. Even
though your account is maintained at Schwab, we can still use other brokers to execute trades for your
account, as described in the next paragraph.
How We Select Brokers/Custodians
We seek to recommend a custodian/broker who will hold your assets and execute transactions on
terms that are overall most advantageous when compared to other available providers and their
services. We consider a wide range of factors, including, among others, these:
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• combination of transaction execution services along with asset custody services (generally
without a separate fee for custody)
• capability to execute, clear and settle trades (buy and sell securities for your account)
• capabilities to facilitate transfers and payments to and from accounts (wire transfers, check
requests, bill payment, etc.)
• breadth of investment products made available (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange traded
funds (ETFs), etc.)
• availability of investment research and tools that assist us in making investment decisions
• quality of services
• competitiveness of the price of those services (commission rates, margin interest rates, other
fees, etc.) and willingness to negotiate them
• reputation, financial strength and stability of the provider
• availability of other products and services that benefit us, as discussed below (see “Products
and Services Available to Us from Schwab”)
Products and Services Available to Us from Schwab
Schwab Advisor Services is Schwab’s business serving independent investment advisory firms like us.
They provide us and our clients with access to its institutional brokerage – trading, custody, reporting
and related services – many of which are not typically available to Schwab retail customers. Schwab
also makes available various support services. Some of those services help us manage or administer
our clients’ accounts while others help us manage and grow our business. Schwab’s support services
are generally available on an unsolicited basis (we don’t have to request them) and at no charge to us
as long as we keep a total of at least $10 million of our clients’ assets in accounts at Schwab. If we
have less than $10 million in client assets at Schwab, it may charge us quarterly service fees. Here is a
more detailed description of Schwab’s support services:
Services that Benefit You.
Schwab’s institutional brokerage services include access to a broad range of investment products,
execution of securities transactions, and custody of client assets. The investment products available
through Schwab include some to which we might not otherwise have access or that would require a
significantly higher minimum initial investment by our clients. Schwab’s services described in this
paragraph generally benefit you and your account.
Services that May Not Directly Benefit You.
Schwab also makes available to us other products and services that benefit us but may not directly
benefit you or your account. These products and services assist us in managing and administering our
clients’ accounts. They include investment research, both Schwab’s own and that of third parties. We
may use this research to service all or some substantial number of our clients’ accounts, including
accounts not maintained at Schwab. In addition to investment research, Schwab also makes available
software and other technology that:
• provide access to client account data (such as duplicate trade confirmations and account
statements);
• facilitate trade execution and allocate aggregated trade orders for multiple client accounts;
• provide pricing and other market data;
• facilitate payment of our fees from our clients’ accounts; and
• assist with back-office functions, recordkeeping and client reporting.
Our Interest in Schwab’s Services
The availability of these services from Schwab benefits us because we do not have to produce or
purchase them. We don’t have to pay for Schwab’s services so long as we keep a total of at least $10
15
million of client assets in accounts at Schwab. Beyond that, these services are not contingent upon us
committing any specific amount of business to Schwab in trading commissions or assets in custody.
The $10 million minimum may give us an incentive to recommend that you maintain your account with
Schwab based on our interest in receiving Schwab’s services that benefit our business rather than
based on your interest in receiving the best value in custody services and the most favorable execution
of your transactions. This is a potential conflict of interest. We believe, however, that our selection of
Schwab as custodian and broker is in the best interests of our clients. It is primarily supported by the
scope, quality and price of Schwab’s services (based on the factors discussed above – see “How We
Select Brokers/Custodians”) and not Schwab’s services that benefit only us. We do not believe that
maintaining at least $10 million of those assets at Schwab in order to avoid paying Schwab quarterly
service fees presents a material conflict of interest.
Schwab Advisor Services also makes available to Wellington Investment Advisors other services
intended to help Wellington Investment Advisors manage and further develop its business enterprise.
These services may include professional compliance, legal and business consulting, publications and
conferences on practice management, information technology, business succession, regulatory
compliance, employee benefits providers, human capital consultants, insurance and marketing. In
addition, Schwab may make available, arrange and/or pay vendors for these types of services rendered
to Wellington Investment Advisors by independent third parties.
Research and Other Soft Dollar Benefits
See above for a description of economic benefits we receive from Schwab. We do not have a soft dollar
agreement with Schwab.
Brokerage for Client Referrals
We do not receive client referrals from broker-dealers in exchange for cash or other compensation,
such as brokerage services or research.
Directed Brokerage
In limited circumstances, and at our discretion, some clients may instruct our firm to use one or more
particular brokers for the transactions in their accounts. If you choose to direct our firm to use a
particular broker, you should understand that this might prevent our firm from aggregating trades with
other client accounts or from effectively negotiating brokerage commissions on your behalf. This
practice may also prevent our firm from obtaining favorable net price and execution. Thus, when
directing brokerage business, you should consider whether the commission expenses, execution,
clearance, and settlement capabilities that you will obtain through your broker are adequately favorable
in comparison to those that we would otherwise obtain for you.
Persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm who are registered representatives of Private
Client Services, LLC would normally be required to recommend Private Client Services, LLC to you for
brokerage services. These individuals are subject to applicable rules that typically restrict them from
conducting securities transactions away from Private Client Services, LLC unless Private Client
Services, LLC provides the representative with written authorization to do so. In this case, Private Client
Services, LLC has provided such authorization. Therefore, these individuals will normally recommend
Schwab for brokerage transactions. If any brokerage transactions are executed through Private Client
Services, LLC we are required to disclose that Private Client Services, LLC may have higher
transaction costs and/or custodial fees than another broker charges for the same types of services. If
transactions are executed through Private Client Services, LLC, these individuals (in their separate
capacities as registered representatives of Private Client Services, LLC) may earn commission-based
compensation as result of placing the recommended securities transactions through Private Client
Services, LLC. This practice would present a conflict of interest because these registered
representatives have an incentive to effect securities transactions for the purpose of generating
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commissions rather than solely based on your needs. You may utilize the broker-dealer of your choice
and have no obligation to purchase or sell securities through such broker as we recommend. However,
if you do not use the broker-dealer we recommend, we may not be able to accept your account. See
the Fees and Compensation section in this brochure for more information on the compensation
received by registered representatives who are affiliated with our firm.
Block Trades
We combine multiple orders for shares of the same securities purchased for discretionary advisory
accounts we manage (this practice is commonly referred to as "block trading"). We will then distribute a
portion of the shares to participating accounts in a fair and equitable manner. Generally, participating
accounts will pay a fixed transaction cost regardless of the number of shares transacted. In certain
cases, each participating account pays an average price per share for all transactions and pays a
proportionate share of all transaction costs on any given day. In the event an order is only partially
filled, the shares will be allocated to participating accounts in a fair and equitable manner, typically in
proportion to the size of each client’s order. Accounts owned by our firm or persons associated with our
firm may participate in block trading with your accounts; however, they will not be given preferential
treatment.
We do not block trade for non-discretionary accounts. Accordingly, non-discretionary accounts may pay
different costs than discretionary accounts pay. If you enter into non-discretionary arrangements with
our firm, we may not be able to buy and sell the same quantities of securities for you and you may pay
higher commissions, fees, and/or transaction costs than clients who enter into discretionary
arrangements with our firm.
Item 13 Review of Accounts
Paul Bullock, CEO, or your investment advisor representative, will monitor your accounts on an ongoing
basis and will conduct account reviews at least annually or upon client request to ensure that the
planning advice and/or asset allocation recommendations made to you are consistent with
your stated investment needs and objectives.
We will provide you with additional or regular written reports in conjunction with account reviews.
Reports we provide to you will contain relevant account and/or market-related information such as an
inventory of account holdings and account performance, etc. You will receive trade confirmations and
monthly or quarterly statements from your account custodian(s).
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation
We receive an economic benefit from Schwab in the form of the support products and services it makes
available to us and other independent investment advisors that have their clients maintain accounts at
Schwab. These products and services, how they benefit us, and the related conflicts of interest are
described above (see Item 12 – Brokerage Practices). The availability to us of Schwab’s products and
services is not based on us giving particular investment advice, such as buying particular securities for
our clients.
As disclosed under the Fees and Compensation section in this brochure, persons providing investment
advice on behalf of our firm are licensed insurance agents. For information on the conflicts of interest
this presents, and how we address these conflicts, refer to the Fees and Compensation section.
We do not receive any compensation from any third party in connection with providing investment
advice to you.
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We directly compensate non-employee (outside) consultants, individuals, and/or entities (solicitors) for
client referrals. In order to receive a cash referral fee from us, solicitors must comply with the
requirements of the jurisdictions in which they operate. If you were referred to us by a solicitor, you
should have received a copy of this brochure along with the solicitor's disclosure statement at the time
of the referral. The solicitor that referred you to us receives either a fee paid on a per-lead basis, or
a monthly, flat referral fee. You will not pay additional fees because of this referral arrangement.
Solicitors have a financial incentive to recommend us to you for advisory services. This creates a
conflict of interest; however, you are not obligated to retain us for advisory services. Comparable
services and/or lower fees may be available through other firms.
Solicitors that refer business to more than one investment adviser may have a financial incentive to
recommend advisers with more favorable compensation arrangements. We request that our solicitors
disclose to you whether multiple referral relationships exist and that comparable services may be
available from other advisers for lower fees and/or where the Solicitor's compensation is less favorable.
Refer to the Brokerage Practices section above for disclosures on research and other benefits we may
receive resulting from our relationship with your account custodian.
Item 15 Custody
Direct Debiting of Fees
As paying agent for our firm, your independent custodian will directly debit your account(s) for the
payment of our advisory fees. This ability to deduct our advisory fees from your accounts causes our
firm to exercise limited custody over your funds or securities. We do not have physical custody of any of
your funds and/or securities. Your funds and securities will be held with a bank, broker-dealer, or other
qualified custodian. You will receive account statements from the qualified custodian(s) holding your
funds and securities at least quarterly. The account statements from your custodian(s) will indicate the
amount of our advisory fees deducted from your account(s) each billing period. You should carefully
review account statements for accuracy.
You should compare our written reports with the statements from your account custodian(s) to reconcile
the information. If you have a question regarding your account statement, or if you did not receive a
statement from your custodian, contact us immediately at the telephone number on the cover page of
this brochure.
Custody Due to Standing Letter of Authorization
Our firm may assist clients with the transfer of their assets to third-parties, or between two or more of a
client's accounts maintained at the client's custodian or maintained with multiple custodians. This ability
to transfer a client's assets to third-parties or between the client's accounts maintained at one or more
qualified custodians if the client has authorized the adviser in writing to make such transfers causes our
firm to exercise custody over your funds or securities. Wellington will comply with the SEC’s no-action
relief to investment advisers from the requirement of having an annual surprise examination as long as
the following conditions are met:
1. You provide a written, signed instruction to the qualified custodian that includes the third party’s
name and address or account number at a custodian;
2. You authorize us in writing to direct transfers to the third party either on a specified schedule or
from time to time;
3. Your qualified custodian verifies your authorization (e.g., signature review) and provides a
transfer of funds notice to you promptly after each transfer;
4. You can terminate or change the instruction;
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5. We have no authority or ability to designate or change the identity of the third party, the address,
or any other information about the third party;
6. We maintain records showing that the third party is not a related party to us nor located at the
same address as us;
7. Your qualified custodian sends you, in writing, an initial notice confirming the instruction and an
annual notice reconfirming the instruction.
We hereby confirm that we meet the above criteria.
Item 16 Investment Discretion
Before we can buy or sell securities on your behalf, you must first sign our discretionary management
agreement and the appropriate trading authorization forms.
You may grant our firm discretion over the selection and amount of securities to be purchased or sold
for your account(s) without obtaining your consent or approval prior to each transaction. You may
specify investment objectives, guidelines, and/or impose certain conditions or investment parameters
for your account(s). For example, you may specify that the investment in any particular stock or industry
should not exceed specified percentages of the value of the portfolio and/or restrictions or prohibitions
of transactions in the securities of a specific industry or security. Refer to the Advisory Business section
in this brochure for more information on our discretionary management services.
If you enter into non-discretionary arrangements with our firm, we will obtain your approval prior to the
execution of any transactions for your account(s). You have an unrestricted right to decline to
implement any advice provided by our firm on a non-discretionary basis.
Item 17 Voting Client Securities
We will not vote proxies on behalf of your advisory accounts. At your request, we may offer you advice
regarding corporate actions and the exercise of your proxy voting rights. If you own shares of applicable
securities, you are responsible for exercising your right to vote as a shareholder.
In most cases, you will receive proxy materials directly from the account custodian. However, in the
event we were to receive any written or electronic proxy materials, we would forward them directly to
you by mail, unless you have authorized our firm to contact you by electronic mail, in which case, we
would forward any electronic solicitations to vote proxies.
Item 18 Financial Information
Our firm does not have any financial condition or impairment that would prevent us from meeting our
contractual commitments to you. We do not take physical custody of client funds or securities, or serve
as trustee or signatory for client accounts, and we do not require the prepayment of more than $500 in
fees six or more months in advance. Therefore, we are not required to include a financial statement
with this brochure.
Our firm has never filed a bankruptcy petition.
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