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Lone Peak Global Investors, LLC
363 South Main Street Suite #101
Alpine, Utah 84004
(385) 387-1212
CRD# 153956
December 11, 2025
This Brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Lone Peak
Global Investors, LLC (“LPG,” “we” or “the firm”). If you have any questions about the contents of
this Brochure, please contact us at (385) 387-1212.
Lone Peak Global Investors, LLC is an investment advisory firm registered with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The information in this brochure has not been
approved or verified by the SEC or by any state securities authority. Registration does not imply a
certain level of skill or training. Additional information about Lone Peak Global Investors, LLC also is
available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Item 2 - Material Changes
This Item 2 reflects material changes to this Brochure since the last annual updating amendment filed on
March 25, 2025.
Since the last annual updating amendment, the following materials changes have been made to this
Brochure:
•
The firm is rebranding and has changed its name from Clifford Capital Partners, LLC to Lone Peak
Global Investors, LLC. This change is for name change only and does not affect the operations of
the firm.
Item 3 - Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Item 2 - Material Changes .................................................................................................................................................... 2
Item 3 - Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................................... 2
Item 4 - Advisory Business .................................................................................................................................................. 3
Item 5 - Fees and Compensation ....................................................................................................................................... 6
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 ............................................................... 9
Item 9 - Disciplinary Information .................................................................................................................................. 15
Item 10 - Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations ............................................................................ 15
Item 11 - Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading ........ 16
Item 12 - Brokerage Practices ......................................................................................................................................... 17
Item 13 - Review of Accounts .......................................................................................................................................... 21
Item 14 - Client Referrals and Other Compensation............................................................................................... 21
Item 15 - Custody ................................................................................................................................................................. 22
Item 16 - Investment Discretion .................................................................................................................................... 22
Item 17 - Voting Client Securities................................................................................................................................... 22
Item 18 - Financial Information ...................................................................................................................................... 24
Page 2
Item 4 - Advisory Business
Item 8
General Information
Lone Peak Global Investors, LLC (“LPG,” “we” or “the firm”) was formed in 2010 and provides
portfolio management services to clients directly (“Direct Clients”) and via sub-advisory
arrangements (Sub- Advisory Clients”). We also provide portfolio management services to registered
investment companies and model portfolio advice to third-party investment platforms. Our
investment advisory services are provided in accordance with the strategies described in
of
this brochure.
As of December 31, 2024, we managed $496,594,210 on a discretionary basis and no assets on a non-
discretionary basis. We also had assets under advisement of $225,692,675 in Model Portfolio
Programs.
SERVICES PROVIDED
Separately Managed Account (“SMA”) Services
LPG provides investment management services to clients through separately managed accounts
(“SMAs”). An SMA is a portfolio of individual securities managed on your behalf. This can provide a
level of ownership, control and transparency not available in mutual funds, exchange traded funds or
other pooled investment vehicles.
SMA Services for Direct Clients
We provide portfolio management services to individuals and entities that come to us directly for
investment management (“Direct Clients”). We manage and monitor their investment portfolios and
periodically contact them to discuss their investments and financial situation.
We do not offer asset allocation or financial planning services. A principal of LPG is available to meet
with you to discuss and describe our management style. Specifically, we focus on value investing and
primarily seek to invest in stocks that have demonstrated an attractive return on capital with a
history of generating free cash flow. Once we both agree that this investment style is suitable or
remains suitable for your financial situation, you will determine the proportion of your assets to be
managed in this manner.
To implement your investment portfolio, we will manage your portfolio on a discretionary basis. As
a discretionary investment adviser, we will have the authority to supervise and direct the portfolio
without prior consultation with you.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, you may impose certain written restrictions on us in the management
of your investment portfolio, such as prohibiting the inclusion of certain types of investments in an
investment portfolio or prohibiting the sale of certain investments held in the account at the
commencement of the relationship. You should note, however, that if you impose restrictions, it may
adversely affect the composition and performance of your investment portfolio. You should also note
that your investment portfolio is treated individually by considering each purchase or sale for your
account. For these and other reasons, performance of client investment portfolios within the same
investment objectives, goals and/or risk tolerance may differ, and you should not expect that the
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composition or performance of your investment portfolio would necessarily be consistent with those
of our similar clients.
Retirement Plan and IRA Account Rollovers: We are fiduciaries under the Investment Advisers Act of
1940 and when we provide investment advice to you regarding your retirement plan account or
individual retirement account, we are also fiduciaries within the meaning of Title I of the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable, which are laws
governing retirement accounts. We must act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of
yours. If we recommend that you roll over your retirement assets into an account to be managed by
us, such a recommendation creates a conflict of interest if we will earn a new (or increase our current)
advisory fee because of the rollover.
Investing in an IRA with us will typically be more expensive than an employer-sponsored retirement
plan. You are under no obligation to roll over plan assets to an IRA managed by us or to engage us to
monitor and/or manage the account while maintained at your employer.
SMA Services Through Sub-Advisory Arrangements
Other registered investment advisers and investment professionals (the “Primary Advisers”) may
recommend or hire us to manage your assets. In these arrangements, we will implement and manage
an investment strategy in your account; however, we do not serve as your Primary Adviser. The
Primary Adviser will retain direct contact with you and will manage the client relationship. We may
contract directly with the Primary Adviser to provide investment advisory services, or alternatively,
depending on the contractual arrangement you have with the Primary Adviser, we may enter into an
advisory contract directly with you.
We will have exclusive investment discretion as to which securities shall be purchased or sold in your
sub-advised account in a manner consistent with your selected product, investment objectives,
policies and restrictions (if any) and the capabilities of the broker-dealer. In order to determine
whether the strategy is suitable for you, the Primary Adviser and you are responsible for ascertaining
the goals and objectives of the portfolio in question. It is the responsibility of the Primary Adviser
and/or you to promptly notify us of any changes in your financial condition that would necessitate a
change in your investment objective.
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Mutual Fund
We serve as the investment adviser to the Lone Peak Value Fund (the “Fund”), a mutual fund offered
by an open-end management investment company, the World Funds Trust. Please see the Prospectus
and Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) for the Fund for additional disclosures relating to the
Fund. Prior to making any investment in the Fund, you should carefully review these documents for a
comprehensive understanding of the terms and conditions applicable for investment. This disclosure
brochure is designed solely to provide information about LPG and should not be considered an offer
of interest in the Fund.
Model Portfolio Programs
1
We offer model portfolios for a fee to Model Delivery and Unified Managed Account (UMA) Program
Program sponsors use our model portfolios to assist with determining the sponsors’
sponsors.
investment recommendations and managing their clients’ accounts. Program clients are clients of the
Program sponsor, not LPG. Each program sponsor provides individualized investment advice and
portfolio management services to its clients and may or may not decide to implement all of our
recommendations as to the securities to be held within an account.
When engaged by a program sponsor, we construct a model portfolio in accordance with the LPG
investment strategy selected by the sponsor. Our recommendations to the Programs may differ from
recommendations made to other client accounts. We provide the program sponsor with our
recommendations as to the securities to be purchased, sold and held from time to time, as well as the
percentage of the model portfolio that would be invested in each security. In general, material
1
A Model Delivery Program account holds the securities associated with a single investment manager
in a unique custodial account at the Sponsor Firm. A UMA typically holds multiple investment
strategies in the same custodial account.
Page 5
Item 12
changes in a model portfolio will not be communicated to model program sponsors until completion
of aggregated trading for LPG’s discretionary clients. As a result, the program sponsor sometimes will
not achieve the same execution quality, price or timing. Depending on the particular circumstances
surrounding an order, our discretionary clients will sometimes receive prices that are more favorable
than those received by a client of a program sponsor although, in some cases, our discretionary
client’s trades could experience less favorable executions. Please refer to
for more
information regarding the communication and delivery of a model to program sponsors.
Item 5 - Fees and Compensation
Item 4
Item 12
General Fee Information
Generally, fees paid to us are exclusive of all custodial and transaction costs paid to your custodian,
brokers or other third-party consultants. Please see
and
for additional information.
To the extent that client assets may be invested in shares of non-LPG-related investment companies
(e.g., mutual funds), these assets are included in calculating the value of an account for purposes of
computing our fees and are also subject to additional advisory and other fees and expenses as set
forth in the prospectuses or offering memoranda of those investment companies, which are paid by
the investment companies, but ultimately borne by investors. For client assets invested in the LPG
mutual fund, and for which we serve as the adviser, these assets are excluded in calculating the value
of an account for the purpose of computing our fees.
Clients in certain international and global strategies incur fees and costs associated with the purchase
of non-U.S. securities in ordinary form and conversion of such ordinary shares into ADRs. To the
extent that we purchase non-U.S. ordinary shares and arrange for such shares to be converted into
ADRs, client accounts will incur certain fees and costs associated with the conversion. Such fees and
costs may be attributable to local broker fees, stamp fees, and local taxes, and are generally included
in the net price of the ADR.
We use our portfolio reporting system to generate the account values upon which our asset-based
fees are calculated. The method of accounting is slightly different between the custodian’s and our
portfolio reporting systems. Therefore, at times there may be small differences between the values
reported by LPG and the custodian due to the timing of dividend and accrued interest reporting,
trades that have not yet settled into the account, and other similar issues. Clients are encouraged to
let us know if they have questions regarding the calculation of their advisory fees.
Either party may terminate the Agreement at any time, subject to any written notice requirements in
the agreement. In the event of termination, any paid but unearned fees will be promptly refunded to
you based on the number of days that the account was managed, and any fees due to us from you will
be invoiced or deducted from your account prior to termination.
Fees for Separately Managed Account (“SMA”) Services
LPG’s fees for SMA services are individually negotiated and range up to 1.10% of assets under
management and the minimum account size is $5 million. In some cases, a tiered fee schedule may
apply (i.e., different asset levels are assessed their own specific fee rates). We consider various factors
when negotiating an advisory fee, including, but not limited to, amount of assets under management,
related accounts, anticipated future earning capacity, and anticipated future additional assets, etc.
Page 6
LPG will also, in its sole discretion, charge lower management fees or waive account minimums based
on certain criteria. We may charge lower fees for accounts pursuant to other consulting or sub-
advisory arrangements in which broker-dealers, investment advisers, trust companies and other
providers of financial services typically provide clients with services that complement or supplement
our services. Therefore, some clients will pay more or less than other clients for the same
management services.
We reserve the right to revise our advisory fee schedule from time to time. As new fee schedules are
put into effect, they are applicable to new clients and the fee schedules already agreed to with existing
clients are not typically changed. Clients are subject to the fee set forth in their Investment Advisory
Agreement (“Agreement”), unless amended by us and the client.
Portfolio management fees are generally payable quarterly, in arrears, based on the value of the
account at the end of the quarter. Fees are typically prorated for deposits of $100,000 or more during
the billing quarter. We generally do not adjust for partial withdrawals during the quarter.
If management begins after the start of a quarter, fees will be prorated accordingly. With your
authorization and unless other arrangements are made, fees are normally debited directly from your
account(s). Custodial and transaction costs are separate and additional to our fees.
Additional Fee information for Sub-Advisory Clients
Sub-Advisory
clients, there are typically three components that comprise the Sub-Advisory
For
Client’s fee/pricing structure: the Primary Adviser’s management fee, our management fee, and the
broker-dealer’s fee for brokerage and custody services.
Payment arrangements, including the timing (in advance or arears), frequency (monthly or quarterly,
proration of asset flows (deposits and withdrawals), and billing procedures (invoicing or deduction
of fees), will be agreed upon by us and the Primary Adviser and may differ from those set forth above.
The specific manner in which advisory fees are charged by us will be established in the Primary
Adviser’s agreement with us, as applicable to each arrangement.
Mutual Fund Fees
Fees for the Fund are described in the Fund’s Prospectus, which are paid directly from the Fund. Fees
include management fees (paid to LPG) and other expenses (including shareholder service fees).
Additionally, brokerage commissions, as well as other transactions or fund-related expenses are paid
out of each respective fund. The Fund’s Investor Share Class is also subject to a short-term
redemption fee if redeemed within 60 days of purchase. See the Prospectus for all fee details.
Page 7
The Fund has multiple class structures. The class structures represent the same underlying
investments. Only the Investor Share Class pays a 12b-1 fee shareholder service fee. The higher
expenses associated with the Investor Share Class will reduce an investor’s return overtime. A
portion of the 12b-1 fees could be paid to us by the Funds’ distributor for reimbursement of
marketing and distribution services. This could incentivize us to recommend the Investor Share Class.
To mitigate this conflict, we have implemented policies and procedures that require us to invest in
the most beneficial mutual fund share class for our clients.
section for more information.
Other Financial
As noted above, the value of the Fund is excluded from the value of the assets for the calculation of
Industry Activities and Affiliations
the management fees when your managed account holds the Fund. Please see the
Fees for Model Portfolio Delivery Programs
We charge a fee to each sponsor of a model delivery/UMA Program that enters into a contract to use
a LPG model portfolio to assist in the management of the sponsor’s client accounts. We typically
charge program sponsors an annual percentage fee based on the assets under management using a
particular investment strategy. The amount of the fee is negotiated between us and the sponsor and
may vary depending on several factors, including the number of model portfolios that the sponsor is
purchasing and the total assets under management for the sponsor.
Other Activities
Item 6 - Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
Some of LPG’s Investment Adviser Representatives ("IARs") are licensed as agents with a broker-
dealer. In such capacity, the IARs will discuss and offer the Fund to institutional clients and
investment consultants. IARs receive compensation tied in part to their success in raising assets in
the Fund and/or SMAs. Because IARs are paid more on Fund investments, they have an incentive to
recommend the Fund over the SMAs. This presents a conflict of interest. LPG and its IARs have a
fiduciary duty to exercise good faith and act solely in the best interest of clients when recommending
investments to clients. LPG maintains policies and procedures, including a Code of Ethics which
requires the interests of clients be placed ahead of other interests and portfolio management policies
that are designed to provide reasonable assurance that clients are treated fairly over time to address
these conflicts of interest. You have the option to purchase investment products that are
recommended through other brokers or agents that are not affiliated with us. IARs do not earn
commissions for sales of any financial products, including the Fund.
We do not have any performance-based fee arrangements. “Side-by-Side Management” refers to a
situation in which the same firm manages accounts that are billed based on a percentage of assets
under management and at the same time manages other accounts for which fees are assessed on a
performance fee basis.
Item 7 - Types of Clients
We serve individuals, trusts, estates, corporations, charitable organizations, other investment
advisers, institutions, and registered investment companies. The minimum account size for SMA
Services is $5,000,000. Under certain circumstances and in our sole discretion, we may negotiate our
account minimum. We do not impose a minimum advisory fee.
Minimum investment requirements for the Fund are set forth in the Funds’ Prospectus.
Page 8
Item 8 - Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Methods of Analysis and Investment Strategies
We primarily invest in common stocks in our proprietary investment strategies. Most client
investment accounts are invested in our primary equity strategy, the Lone Peak All-Cap Value
Strategy. This investment strategy is described in detail below. We also offer other market-cap
specific strategies, (e.g., Focused Small Cap Value, International Value) which are managed with a
substantially similar process and investment philosophy but are limited to specific geographical or
market capitalization requirements.
Lone Peak All-Cap Value Strategy (the “Portfolio”)
The Portfolio primarily consists of the common stock of companies of any size that we believe are
2
,” to LPG’s estimated intrinsic value at the time of purchase
trading at a discount, or “margin of safety
and have the potential for capital appreciation with acceptable downside risks. We believe investing
with a margin of safety may enhance the investment’s potential upside when our investment thesis
is proven correct and may dampen the potential loss when the investment thesis is disproven.
investments in high-quality companies with durable competitive advantages,
We expect to predominantly invest in securities that trade on U.S. stock exchanges, potentially
Dynamic Portfolio Mix of Core Value and Deep Value Stocks
including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and other investment companies.
• CORE VALUE STOCKS
which represent over 50% of the Portfolio
–
• DEEP VALUE STOCKS
–
opportunistic investments in out-of-favor companies with deeply discounted
share prices and asymmetric reward to risk ratios. These holdings, combined with residual cash,
represent the remainder of the Portfolio, and will be less than 50%.
CORE VALUE STOCKS
We define Core Value stocks as high-quality companies with sustainable competitive advantages and
long-term records of strong returns on capital. These companies tend to have stable and predictable
cash flows as well as steady growth in the intrinsic value of their stock. We have identified about 130
Core Value businesses (the “Core Value List”) from which we select our Core Value investments. Prior
to adding a security to the Core Value List, a company is subjected to our “10 Indicators of a Core
Business” quantitative and qualitative review, summarized below:
1.
Consistently high returns on equity over the last 10 years
2.
Consistently high returns on assets over the last 10 years
3.
Upward-trending net income
4.
Manageable debt loads
5.
Necessary and valuable products or services
2
“Margin of safety” is an important term used in value investing and is defined as the difference
between a security’s price and its true worth (intrinsic value). When the market price of a security is
significantly below its estimated intrinsic value, it can provide room for error in investing. However,
estimating a security’s intrinsic value is a subjective determination that varies by investor. An
investor’s estimate may not be correct; therefore, margin of safety does not guarantee a profitable
investment or that a security is a “safe” investment.
Page 9
6.
Good employee relations
7.
Pricing power
8.
Low capital intensity
9.
History of prudent capital allocation
10.
History of upward-trending book value and share price
We regularly review the Core Value List, searching for stocks that may potentially be trading at a
discount to our estimates of intrinsic value. Prior to adding a Core Value Stock to the Portfolio, the
investment must be deemed to have an expected annual rate of return of at least 8% more than
current rates of inflation and generally has an estimated total return that is about three times greater
than the estimated potential loss in an adverse scenario, based on our analysis. We intend to hold our
Core Value positions for the long- term.
DEEP VALUE STOCKS
•
We define Deep Value stocks as opportunistic investments in deeply discounted shares of businesses
that do not meet the high requirements of a Core Value company. Deep Value investments are deemed
by us to have high potential returns with acceptable downside risks. These investments may be
considered traditional value stocks with low price multiples, and low near-term investor and analyst
expectations. In screening for Deep Value positions, we use a variety of methods to identify potential
investment opportunities, including:
•
Quantitative stock screens
•
Researching firms with weak recent or longer-term stock-price performance
•
Searching for companies and industries that are out of favor with investment analysts
•
Researching new firms to expand our knowledge base
•
Our personal network of investment professionals
Publications from like-minded contrarian investors
Prior to adding a Deep Value Stock to the Portfolio the investment must have a discount to our
estimate of intrinsic value of at least 25%, and the potential total return must be at least three times
greater than the estimated potential loss in an adverse scenario, based on our analysis. We intend to
hold a Deep Value position until it reaches its estimated intrinsic value.
CASH
We expect cash to typically be less than 5% of the Portfolio. Cash weightings are generally a
byproduct of Deep Value opportunities. When undervalued investment opportunities abound, we
would expect to hold very little cash. Given our disciplined process of selling Deep Value stocks when
they reach intrinsic value, cash may increase in a strong market as Deep Value stocks are sold while
new opportunities are still being sought out. We may also utilize cash as the default position for
portfolio capital when we do not find compelling investment ideas and individual portfolio holdings
may be as large as we intend them to be. In those circumstances, we consider cash to be a prudent
Investment Selection Process
option to take advantage of future investment opportunities, which may be better than today’s.
We believe most of our investment opportunities arise because of short-term oriented investor
behavior, which differs from our research conclusions and our long-term investment philosophy.
Common behaviors leading to these opportunities include but are not limited to: overreactions to
Page 10
short-term results; economic worries leading to low expectations or panic selling; fear of increased
competition; focus on one underperforming business line overshadowing other solid segments;
frustration with slower growth rates as a business or its industry matures; worries that meaningful
changes being undertaken by a company will be ineffective or take too long; fear that cyclical issues
affecting a firm or its industry have become permanent.
We use a disciplined “bottom-up” selection process using our own proprietary fundamental research
that strives to identify equity securities of companies that appear to be selling at a discount relative
to our assessment of their potential intrinsic value. As part of our process, we typically analyze SEC
filings, company presentations, industry publications, other sources of publicly available
fundamental information, and engage in discussions with the management teams of potential
investment companies and their competitors when researching individual companies.
Such a “bottom-up” security selection process also includes our proprietary evaluation of a
company’s potential value using analysis techniques such as: normalized price multiples (including
price to earnings, price to book value, and price to cash flow); estimated private market value;
liquidation analysis; discounted cash flow analysis; and dividend discount models.
Portfolio Characteristics
The Portfolio is concentrated with a relatively small number of holdings. We believe that maintaining
a relatively small number of holdings allows each security to have a meaningful impact on the
Portfolio’s results. The number of securities held by the Portfolio may fluctuate at times such as when
we are accumulating new positions, phasing out of existing positions, or responding to exceptional
market conditions.
We typically perform an additional review for any stock that declines 20% from its original purchase,
or a stock that has declined by 20% over any 30-day period. We may reduce or sell our investment
in a particular security if, in our opinion, a security’s fundamentals change substantially, its price
appreciation leads to overvaluation in relation to our estimates of future earnings and cash flow
Focused Small Cap Value Strategy
growth, there are better opportunities with another security, or for other reasons.
Focused Small Cap Value portfolios are invested in smaller cap stocks, following a strategy that
combines high-quality (Core Value) stock investments, opportunistic (Deep Value) stock investments
and cash, which is typically a byproduct of Deep Value trading activity. Core Value holdings represent
over 50% of the portfolio, and Deep Value and cash holdings represent the remainder. We expect
International Value Strategy
cash to typically be less than 5% of the portfolio.
International Value portfolios are invested primarily in equity securities of non-U.S. companies with
3
Core Value
a market capitalization of USD $5 billion or greater at the time of original purchase.
holdings
3
The Adviser considers an issuer to be non-U.S. based if: (1) the issuer is organized under the laws
of a jurisdiction other than those of the U.S.; (2) the securities of the issuer have a primary listing on
a stock exchange outside the U.S. regardless of the country in which the issuer is organized; or (3) the
issuer derives 50% or more of its total revenue from goods and/or services produced or sold outside
of the U.S.
Page 11
represent over 50% of the portfolio. Deep Value and cash holdings represent the remainder. We
expect cash to typically be less than 5% of the portfolio.
Risk of Loss
All investment portfolios are subject to risks. Identifying undervalued securities and other assets is
difficult, and there are no assurances that such a strategy will succeed. Accordingly, there can be no
assurance that your investment portfolio will be able to fully meet your investment objectives and
goals, or that investments will not lose money.
We may recommend that you invest in the Fund. Investment risks specific to the Fund’s investment
strategies are described in the Fund’s prospectus and SAI.
Below is a description of several of the principal risks that client investment portfolios face.
Management Risks.
While we manage your investment portfolio based on our experience, research
and proprietary methods, the value of your investment portfolio will change daily based on the
performance of the underlying securities in which it is invested. Accordingly, your investments are
subject to the risk that we allocate your assets to individual securities and/or asset classes that are
adversely affected by unanticipated market movements, and the risk that our specific investment
choices could underperform their relevant indexes.
Strategy Risks
. Identifying undervalued securities and other assets is difficult, and there are no
assurances that such a strategy will succeed. Any fair value estimates are subject to actual known and
unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those we have projected. Portfolios will be more concentrated than an index fund and investors
Page 12
should have a longer-term investment horizon. Investors should have the tolerance to be out-of-sync
with the market during some short-term periods for the opportunity to achieve better longer-term
results. A concentrated stock portfolio can lead to increased short-term volatility; and greater
possibility of all or some principal loss, therefore, this product may not be appropriate for investors
who prefer to mirror an index, prefer broader diversification, or who seek consistent income.
Investing in the securities of small-cap and mid-cap companies generally involves substantially
greater risk than investing in larger, more established companies. Deep value or out of favor stocks
may also increase the potential loss of principal as well as result in greater portfolio volatility as
compared to more traditional investment approaches.
Risks of Investing in Common Stocks
. Investing in the common stocks of publicly traded companies
will expose investors to the risk that those investments may not perform as expected over the long-
term and may fluctuate in price rapidly over the short-term. Many factors may affect the performance
of a company’s stock price, including, but not limited to: (1) changing investor sentiment about a
company’s future profitability, (2) changing demand for a company’s products or services, (3)
changing regulatory environment, (4) increased competition, (5) technological obsolescence, or (6)
poor financial or strategic decisions by company management. Short-term stock price declines can
happen if a company’s reported earnings or revenues are less than expectations.
Equity Market Risks.
Investing in stocks and other equity securities subjects investors to the risks of
the stock market. These risks include, without limitation, the risks that stock values will decline due
to daily fluctuations in the markets, and that stock values will decline over longer periods (e.g., bear
markets) due to general market declines in the stock prices for all companies, regardless of any
individual security’s prospects. Stocks associated with whole sectors or industries may move in
tandem in reaction to events that directly or indirectly impact the costs or revenues, such as the effect
of falling oil prices on the oil industry. This may cause your portfolio to decline more than the market
as a whole.
Small and Mid-Cap Company Risk
. Investments in small-capitalization companies and mid-
capitalization companies may involve additional risks, which may be relatively higher with smaller
companies. These additional risks may result from limited product lines, earlier stages of
development and lack of well-established businesses, more limited access to markets and financial
resources, greater vulnerability to competition and market risks and fluctuations, lack of
management depth, increased volatility in share price, and possible difficulties in valuing or selling
these investments. Relative to the stocks of large capitalization companies, the stocks of small- and
mid-capitalization companies may be thinly traded, and sales may result in higher transaction costs.
Also, small- and mid-capitalization companies may perform poorly during times of economic stress.
Style, Size and Factor Risks
. Many equity investment strategies seek to capture excess returns from
investing in common stock that have certain attributes, such as company size (large-, mid- and small
capitalization stocks), style (growth or value stocks), and factors (low volatility, momentum, quality).
These strategies are cyclical in nature, going in and out of favor based upon investor preferences,
sentiment and various market and economic conditions. For example, small-cap stocks may
outperform large-cap stocks for a period of time, but they are generally more volatility. Similarly,
growth stocks can outperform value stock for long periods of time, or vice versa.
Concentrated Investment Risk
. Strategies that hold concentrated stock positions will invest a larger
portion of assets in the stock of a single issuer than a more diversified manager or index fund. This
may subject the portfolio to more volatility related to company-specific risk (idiosyncratic risk),
whereby investment theory would suggest that a more highly diversified portfolio can diversify away
Page 13
most of that idiosyncratic risk. Thus, as economic, political, regulatory or managerial or other events
impact individual companies, this may have a greater impact on the value of the portfolio than a more
diversified portfolio.
Risks of Investments in Mutual Funds.
As described above, we invest client portfolios in mutual funds.
Investments in mutual funds are generally less risky than investing in individual securities because of
their diversified portfolios; however, these investments are still subject to risks associated with the
markets in which they invest. In addition, mutual funds’ success will be related to the skills of their
particular managers and their performance in managing their funds. Mutual funds are also subject to
risks due to regulatory restrictions applicable to registered investment companies under the
Investment Company Act of 1940.
Foreign Securities Risks.
We could invest portions of client assets into foreign stocks, ADR’s and
pooled investment funds that invest internationally. While foreign investments are important to the
diversification of client investment portfolios, they carry risks that may be different from U.S.
investments. For example, foreign investments may not be subject to uniform audit, financial
reporting or disclosure standards, practices or requirements comparable to those found in the U.S.
Foreign investments are also subject to foreign withholding taxes and the risk of adverse changes in
investment or exchange control regulations. Finally, foreign investments may involve currency risk,
which is the risk that the value of the foreign security will decrease due to changes in the relative
value of the U.S. dollar and the security’s underlying foreign currency.
Emerging Markets Risk.
Investments in emerging market countries involve exposure to changes in
economic and political factors. The economies of most emerging market countries are in the infancy
stage of capital market development. As a result, their economic systems are still evolving and their
political systems are typically less stable than those in developed economies. For example, emerging
market countries can suffer from currency devaluation and higher rates of inflation.
ADR Conversion Risk
. Certain strategies gain international investment exposure by investing in
American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). ADRs are the receipts for the shares of a non-U.S.-based
company traded on U.S. exchanges. Accounts may hold ordinary non-U.S. securities (sometimes
referred to as “ORD”) directly (instead of or in addition to ADRs). ADR portfolios may have reduced
exposure to the range of international investment opportunities available through ordinary non-U.S.
securities. ADRs may be more thinly traded in the U.S. than the underlying shares traded in the
country of origin, which may increase volatility and affect purchase or sale prices. ADRs do not
eliminate the currency and economic risks associated with international investing. To the extent a
portfolio invests in ADRs, a portfolio will be generally subject to substantially all of the same risks as
when investing directly in ordinary non-U.S. securities.
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China Investment Risk.
Certain accounts that invest in emerging market countries may invest in
securities and instruments that are economically tied to the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese
economy is dependent on the economies of other countries and can be significantly affected by
currency fluctuations and increasing competition from Asia’s other low-cost emerging economies.
The willingness and ability of the Chinese government to support the Chinese economy and markets
is uncertain. China has yet to develop comprehensive securities, corporate, or commercial laws, its
market is relatively new and less developed, and its economy is experiencing a relative slowdown.
Changes in Chinese government policy and economic growth rates could significantly affect local
markets. Reduction in spending on Chinese products and services, institution of tariffs or other trade
barriers or a downturn in any of the economies of China’s key trading partners may have an adverse
impact on the securities of Chinese issuers. Concerns exist regarding a potential trade war between
China and the United States, which may trigger a significant reduction in international trade, the
oversupply of certain manufactured goods, substantial price reductions of goods and possible failure
of individual companies and/or large segments of China’s export industry, all of which may have a
negative impact on investments.
Cybersecurity Risk.
With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business,
a portfolio is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber
incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events and are not limited to, gaining
unauthorized access to digital systems, and misappropriating assets or sensitive information,
corrupting data, or causing operational disruption, including the denial-of-service attacks on
websites. Cyber security failures or breaches by a third-party service provider and the issuers of
securities in which the portfolio invests, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business
operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, the inability to transact business, violations of
applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement
or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs, including the cost to prevent cyber
incidents.
Item 9 - Disciplinary Information
Registered investment advisers are required to disclose all material facts regarding any legal or
disciplinary events that would be material to a client’s evaluation of us or the integrity of our
management. We have no disciplinary events to report.
Item 10 - Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Mutual Fund
As noted previously, we are the investment adviser to the Lone Peak Value Fund. From time to time,
we may recommend the purchase of the Fund to advisory clients for whom the Fund’s strategy is
suitable. Where clients’ funds are invested in a LPG mutual fund, we will not charge a portfolio
management fee based on those assets. Rather, we will earn a fee on those assets through our position
as investment adviser to the Fund. We also receive a portion of the 12b- 1 “services” fee that each
respective fund charges on the Investor Share Class. The 12b-1 expense is a marketing fee levied on
mutual fund shareholders to pay for advertising and distribution costs, as well as broker
compensation. When the annual fee of assets under management assessed by the Fund is higher than
fees earned by us for managing a client’s account, we have an interest in maximizing the client’s
investments in the Fund.
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The receipt of the above-described compensation represents a conflict of interest in that we may
potentially base our recommendation of the Fund on economic factors and not necessarily the client’s
best interest. To mitigate this conflict, we have established policies and procedures designed to
facilitate equal application of our fiduciary responsibilities among all of our clients despite any
affiliations. In addition, we will only recommend the Fund on a fully disclosed basis.
WCM Investment Management
WCM Investment Management, LLC (“WCM”) maintains a passive 24.99% investment in LPG. The
operations of WCM and LPG are separate and independent. LPG maintains an open line of credit
(“LOC”) with WCM, which is used as an alternative source of growth capital for LPG’s business. The
balance on this line of credit can change periodically. Should LPG be unable to meet its obligations
under the terms of the LOC, WCM has the right to assume up to 24.99% additional ownership of LPG
from a principal owner of the firm. The existence of this lending relationship may present a conflict
of interest, in that WCM may be incentivized to recommend LPG’s services and vice versa. This is
addressed by carefully reviewing our ongoing relationship and interaction with WCM and
maintaining an arms-length distance where necessary.
Fees and Compensation
and
Other Industry Activities
Some of our Investment Adviser Representatives (“IARs”) are licensed as agents with a broker-
Code of Ethics
dealer. In such a capacity, the IARs will discuss and offer the Fund to institutional clients and
investment consultants. For further information, see the
sections.
Item 11 - Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading
Code of Ethics and Personal Trading
We have adopted a Code of Ethics (“the Code”), the full text of which is available to you upon request.
Our Code has several goals. First, the Code is designed to assist us in complying with applicable laws
and regulations governing our investment advisory business. Under the Investment Advisers Act of
1940, we owe fiduciary duties to our clients. Pursuant to these fiduciary duties, the Code requires
persons associated with us (managers, officers and employees) to act with honesty, good faith and
fair dealings in working with our clients. In addition, the Code prohibits such associated persons from
trading or otherwise acting on insider information.
Next, the Code sets forth guidelines for professional standards for our associated persons. Under the
Code’s Professional Standards, we expect our associated persons to put the interests of our clients
first, ahead of personal interests. In this regard, our associated persons are not to take inappropriate
advantage of their positions in relation to our clients.
Third, the Code sets forth policies and procedures to monitor and review the personal trading
activities of associated persons. From time to time our associated persons may invest in the same
securities recommended to clients. Under our Code, we have adopted procedures designed to reduce
or eliminate conflicts of interest that this could potentially cause. The Code’s personal trading policies
include procedures for limitations on personal securities transactions of associated persons,
reporting and review of such trading and pre-clearance of certain types of personal trading activities.
These policies are designed to discourage and prohibit personal trading that would disadvantage
clients. The Code also provides for disciplinary action as appropriate for violations.
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Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
Because associated persons may invest in the same securities as those held in client accounts, we
have established a policy requiring our associated persons to either pre-clear transactions in some
types of securities with the Chief Compliance Officer or place trades in these securities in block trades
along with clients (subject to certain exceptions). The goal of this policy is to avoid conflicts of
interest that arise in these situations. If a block trade is partially filed, associated persons’ accounts
will be included in the allocation of the available shares. This typically causes clients that are
participating in the trade to receive fewer shares. Some types of securities, such as CDs, treasury
obligations and open-end mutual funds (with the exception of mutual fund managed by us) are
exempt from this pre-clearance requirement. However, in the event of other identified potential
trading conflicts of interest, our goal is to place client interests first.
Consistent with the foregoing, we maintain policies regarding participation in initial public offerings
(“IPOs”) and private placements to comply with applicable laws and avoid conflicts with client
transactions. If an associated person of LPG wishes to participate in an IPO or invest in a private
placement, he or she must submit a pre-clearance request and obtain the approval of the Chief
Compliance Officer.
Item 10
above, when appropriate, we may recommend that you invest in a mutual
As described in
fund for which we serve as an investment adviser. If a LPG mutual fund is held in your account, its
value is not included in the account value when computing our management fee.
CFA Institute Code of Ethics and CFA Institute Asset Manager Code of Professional Conduct
®
(“CFA”)
Certain LPG Principals and employees have earned the Chartered Financial Analyst
designation. All CFA charter holders must abide by the CFA Institute’s “Code of Ethics and Standards
of Professional Conduct.” In addition, we have voluntarily adopted the CFA Institute’s “Asset Manager
Code of Professional Conduct” which applies to us on a global basis.
Item 12 - Brokerage Practices
Best Execution and Benefits of Brokerage Selection
When given discretion to select the brokerage firm that will execute orders in client accounts, we
seek “best execution” for client trades, which is a combination of a number of factors, including,
without limitation, quality of execution, services provided and commission rates. Therefore, we may
use or recommend the use of brokers who do not charge the lowest available commission in the
recognition of research and securities transaction services, or quality of execution. Research services
received with transactions may include proprietary or third-party research (or any combination) and
may be used in servicing any or all of our clients. Therefore, research services received may not be
used for the account for which the particular transaction was affected.
We recommend that Direct Clients establish brokerage accounts with Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
(“Schwab”), a FINRA registered broker-dealer, member SIPC, as the qualified custodian to maintain
custody of their assets. Although we may recommend that you establish accounts at Schwab, it is
ultimately your decision to custody assets with Schwab. We are independently owned and operated
and are not affiliated with Schwab.
If your account is maintained at Schwab, it generally does not charge you separately for custody
services but is compensated by charging you commissions or other fees on trades that it executes or
that settle into your Schwab account. Certain trades may not incur Schwab commissions or
transaction fees. Schwab is also compensated by earning interest on the uninvested cash in your
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account in Schwab’s Cash Features Program. In addition to commissions, Schwab charges you a flat
dollar amount as a “prime broker” or “trade away” fee for each trade that we have executed by a
different broker-dealer but where the securities bought or the funds from the securities sold are
deposited (settled) into your Schwab account. These fees are in addition to the commissions or other
compensation you pay the executing broker/dealer. Because of this, in order to minimize your
trading costs, we have Schwab execute most trades for your account. We have determined that having
Schwab execute most trades is consistent with our duty to seek “best execution” of your trades.
Schwab Advisor Services provides us with access to its institutional trading, custody, reporting and
related services, which are typically not available to Schwab retail investors. 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. These services generally are available
to independent investment advisors on an unsolicited basis, at no charge to them. These services are
not soft dollar arrangements but are part of the institutional platform offered by Schwab. Schwab’s
brokerage services include the execution of securities transactions, custody, research, and access to
mutual funds and other investments that are otherwise generally available only to institutional
investors or would require a significantly higher minimum initial investment.
Schwab’s products and services that assist us in managing and administering clients’ accounts
include software and other technology that (i) provide access to client account data (such as trade
confirmations and account statements); (ii) facilitate trade execution and allocate aggregated trade
orders for multiple client accounts; (iii) provide pricing and other market data; (iv) facilitate payment
of our fees from our clients’ accounts; and (v) assist with back-office functions, recordkeeping and
client reporting.
Schwab Advisor Services also offers other services intended to help us manage and further develop
its business enterprise. These services may include: (i) technology, compliance, legal and business
consulting; (ii) publications and conferences on practice management and business succession; and
(iii) access to employee benefits providers, human capital consultants and insurance providers.
Schwab may make available, arrange and/or pay third-party vendors for the types of services
rendered to us. Schwab Advisor Services may discount or waive fees it would otherwise charge for
some of these services or pay all or a part of the fees of a third-party providing these services to us.
Schwab Advisor Services may also provide other benefits such as educational events or occasional
business entertainment for our personnel. In evaluating whether to recommend that client’s custody
their assets at Schwab, we may take into account the availability of some of the foregoing products
and services and other arrangements as part of the total mix of factors it considers and not solely on
the nature, cost or quality of custody and brokerage services provided by Schwab, which creates a
potential conflict of interest.
Directed Brokerage
You may direct us to use a particular broker for custodial or transaction services on behalf of your
portfolio. In directed brokerage arrangements, you are responsible for negotiating the commission
rates and other fees to be paid to the broker. Accordingly, if you direct us to use a particular broker,
you should consider whether such designation may result in certain costs or disadvantages to you,
either because you may pay higher commissions or obtain less favorable execution, or the
designation limits the investment options available to you.
The arrangement that we have with Schwab is designed to maximize efficiency and to be cost
effective. If you direct us to use a particular broker, you acknowledge that these economies of scale
and levels of efficiency are generally compromised when alternative brokers are used. While every
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effort is made to treat clients fairly over time, the fact that a client chooses to use the brokerage
and/or custodial services of these alternative service providers can in fact result in a certain degree
of delay in executing trades for their account(s) and otherwise adversely affect management of their
account(s).
By directing us to use a specific broker or dealer, clients who are subject to ERISA confirm and agree
that they have the authority to make the direction, that there are no provisions in any client or plan
document which are inconsistent with the direction, that the brokerage and other goods and services
provided by the broker or dealer through the brokerage transactions are provided solely to and for
the benefit of the client’s plan, plan participants and their beneficiaries, that the amount paid for the
brokerage and other services have been determined by the client and the plan to be reasonable, that
any expenses paid by the broker on behalf of the plan are expenses that the plan would otherwise be
obligated to pay, and that the specific broker or dealer is not a party in interest of the client or the
plan as defined under applicable ERISA regulations.
Aggregated Trade Policy
We may enter trades as a block where possible and when advantageous to clients whose accounts
have a need to buy or sell shares of the same security. This method permits the trading of aggregate
blocks of securities composed of assets from multiple client accounts. It allows us to execute trades
in a timely, equitable manner, and may reduce overall costs to clients.
We will only aggregate transactions when we believe that aggregation is consistent with our duty to
seek best execution (which includes the duty to seek best price) for our clients and is consistent with
the terms of LPG’s Investment Advisory Agreement with each client for which trades are being
aggregated. No advisory client will be favored over any other client; each client that participates in
an aggregated order will participate at the average share price for all LPG’s transactions in a given
security on a given business day at the same broker-dealer. Accounts may be excluded from a block
due to tax considerations, client direction or other factors making the account’s participation
ineligible or impractical.
We will prepare, before entering an aggregated order, a written statement (“Allocation Statement”)
specifying the participating client accounts and how we intend to allocate the order among those
clients. If the aggregated order is filled in its entirety, it will be allocated among clients in accordance
with the Allocation Statement. Trades for the Fund and large institutional accounts are usually
rounded to the nearest 100 shares. If the order is partially filled, it will generally be allocated pro-
rata, based on the Allocation Statement, or randomly in certain circumstances. Employee accounts
that are managed by us will be included in such partial allocations. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
the order may be allocated on a basis different from that specified in the Allocation Statement if all
client accounts receive fair and equitable treatment, and the reason for different allocation is
explained in writing and is approved by an appropriate individual/officer of LPG. Our books and
records will separately reflect, for each client account included in a block trade, the securities held by
and bought and sold for that account. We receive no additional compensation or remuneration of any
kind as a result of trade aggregation.
Trade Rotation Schedule
To avoid competition in the markets among orders for our clients, we execute orders on a rotational
basis. We use a two-bucket trade rotation system for executing orders.
Bucket A consists of two groups of accounts, which generally encompass all accounts over which we
have full discretion for trade execution and settlement. These two groups are: (1) accounts in which
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we may choose at our sole discretion the broker(s) who execute trades (“Non-Directed Brokerage
Clients”), and (2) certain investment advisory clients who have provided us full investment and
trading discretion but for which we typically choose to execute trades with the broker/custodian at
which the client’s assets are custodied (“Discretionary Clients”). These two groups of accounts
generally have the following characteristics: (1) the client has not explicitly provided directed-
brokerage instructions to us for securities trades, and (2) the client is not participating in a Model
Portfolio Program.
Bucket B consists of all other accounts, including: (1) those for which the client has provided explicit
directed-brokerage instructions to us; (2) accounts participating in Model Portfolio Programs; (3)
accounts with non-standard trade or settlement systems/processes (or systems/processes that are
otherwise incompatible with our trade systems/processes); and (4) accounts with specialized
requirements (e.g., certain transactions must be preapproved for tax or other reasons).
For each investment decision that leads to transactions in client accounts (“Trade Program”),
accounts in Bucket A will typically trade first, so that Non-Directed Brokerage Clients and
Discretionary Clients are not disadvantaged as a result of the specialized requirements of the other
clients.
Accounts in Bucket A are placed into one of two groups – Non-Directed Brokerage Clients, and
Discretionary Clients. The two groups in Bucket A will trade on a straight rotational basis (i.e., the
group at the end of the last Trade Program moves to the beginning of the next Trade Program). Blocks
of accounts within each group (e.g. different custodians within Discretionary Accounts) will also be
traded on a straight rotational basis, as needed. This procedure is designed to ensure that no one
client, or group of clients, within this Bucket has an unfair advantage over another client, or group of
clients, within this Bucket.
Accounts in Bucket B are placed into one of two groups – Model Portfolio Programs, and remaining
Bucket B accounts. Upon completion of trading for accounts in Bucket A, the two groups in Bucket B
are traded on a straight rotational basis. Blocks of accounts within each group are also traded on a
straight rotational basis, as needed. When changes are made to a Model Portfolio, we will
communicate the changes to the Model Portfolio Program Sponsor in accordance with the rotation
methodology described above. Model changes are considered placed upon communication to the
Program Sponsor. The rotation does not pause for confirmation of delivery or completion of the
model change action by the Sponsor. For Sponsors unable to implement Model Portfolio changes
when it is their turn in the rotation (e.g. the Sponsor’s “trading window” has closed for the day), we
will communicate our Model Portfolio changes the following trading day morning. The Sponsor or an
overlay manager is responsible for adjusting existing Model Portfolio accounts to conform to the
changes. Model Portfolio accounts may experience account performance that is different from the
results obtained when we exercise investment discretion due to the timing and implementation of
orders by a Sponsor or overlay manager.
Because Bucket B usually trades after Bucket A, trades for accounts in Bucket B are subject to
potential adverse price movements, particularly if they follow large block trades, involve illiquid
securities or occur in volatile markets. This risk is heightened by the fact that trading for accounts in
Bucket B may not complete until several days, or potentially weeks, following the start of trading for
accounts in Bucket A. Consequently, accounts in Bucket B may receive prices/executions that are less
favorable than those obtained for accounts in Bucket A. While we seek to mitigate this risk through
careful management of the trade execution process and attention to market impacts, accounts in
Bucket B may achieve comparatively lower returns than accounts in Bucket A.
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Additionally, an account may trade outside its typically assigned Bucket or position in the trade
rotation due to a client-directed event, such as a cash flow, tax-loss harvesting, or liquidation request.
As a result, these client-directed events or otherwise special circumstances may cause an account to
receive less favorable execution or achieve comparatively lower returns than it would otherwise
receive or achieve.
Item 13 - Review of Accounts
SMAs are reviewed at least quarterly, but may be reviewed more often if you request, upon receipt
of information material to the management of the portfolio, or at any time we deem such review
necessary or advisable. These factors generally include but are not limited to, the following: change
in general client circumstances (marriage, divorce, retirement); or economic, political or market
conditions. Ryan Batchelor, Portfolio Manager & Chief Investment Officer, Roger Hill, Portfolio
Manager, Allan Nichols, Portfolio Manager, David Passey, Research Analyst, and Heather Bryce, Chief
Operating Officer, are responsible for reviewing accounts.
Account custodians are responsible for providing monthly or quarterly account statements which
reflect the positions (and current pricing) in each account as well as transactions in each account,
including fees paid from an account. Account custodians also provide prompt confirmation of all
trading activity, and year-end tax statements, such as 1099 forms. We will provide additional reports
as agreed upon in the advisory agreement with a Direct Client and upon request. These reports
normally include a summary of portfolio holdings and performance results.
Sub-advised SMAs will typically receive reports regarding their investments from the Primary
Advisor as described in the Primary Advisor’s own disclosure documents.
Mutual fund investors receive reports as described in the respective Prospectus and Statement of
Additional Information.
The Operations team reviews the Models available on Model Portfolio Programs when changes are
made to ensure the model parameters (security holdings and weightings) are accurate (subject to
preset tolerance bands for variance).
Item 14 - Client Referrals and Other Compensation
Brokerage Practices.
As noted above, we receive an economic benefit from Schwab in the form of support products and
services Schwab makes available to us and other independent investment advisors whose clients
maintain accounts at Schwab. These products and services, how they benefit us, and the related
conflicts of interest are described in
The availability of Schwab’s products and
services to us is based solely on our participation in the programs and not in the provision of any
particular investment advice.
We have a legacy referral arrangement with a third party, unaffiliated solicitor. The arrangement is
no longer active; however, our agreement with the solicitor requires us to make ongoing referral
payments to the solicitor for previously referred clients. We must also pay referral payments for
potential clients that were identified by the solicitor that become our clients for up to a year after
termination of the solicitor agreement. Consistent with legal requirements under the Investment
Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, our solicitor agreement requires, among other things, the
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Item 15 - Custody
solicitor’s compensation arrangement with us to be disclosed to prospective clients. The referral fee
is a percentage portion of the fee paid by each client referred to us. We will not charge clients referred
through the solicitor any fees or costs higher than our standard fee schedules offered to other clients.
It is the custodian’s responsibility to provide clients with confirmations of trading activity, tax forms
and at least quarterly account statements. You are advised to review this information carefully, and
to notify us of any questions or concerns. You are also asked to promptly notify us if the custodian
fails to provide statements on each account held.
Item 16 - Investment Discretion
From time to time and in accordance with our agreement with clients, we will provide additional
reports. The account balances reflected on these reports (including fee statements) are based on the
portfolio accounting system used by the firm and should be compared to the balances shown on the
brokerage statements to ensure accuracy. At times there may be small differences due to the timing
of dividend and accrued interest reporting, trades that have not yet settled into the account, and other
similar issues.
Advisory Business
Item 17 - Voting Client Securities
As described in
, we manage accounts on a discretionary basis. This means that
after an investment plan is developed for your investment portfolio, we will execute that plan without
specific consent from you for each transaction. For discretionary accounts, you will execute a Limited
Power of Attorney (“LPOA”) giving us the authority to carry out various activities in the account,
generally including the following: trade execution and the withdrawal of advisory fees directly from
the account. We then direct investment of your portfolio using our discretionary authority. You may
limit the terms of the LPOA to the extent consistent with your investment advisory agreement with us
and the requirements of your custodian.
Proxy Voting
As a matter of firm policy and practice, we accept the authority to vote proxies for clients. When
voting proxies, we assume a fiduciary responsibility to vote in our clients' best interests. In addition,
with respect to benefit plans under the Employee Retirement Income Securities Act of 1974 (ERISA),
we acknowledge our responsibility as a fiduciary to vote proxies prudently and solely in the best
interest of plan participants and beneficiaries. So that we may fulfill these fiduciary responsibilities
to clients, we have adopted and implemented written policies and procedures reasonably designed
to ensure that we vote proxies in the best interest of clients.
We seek to make proxy voting decisions in the manner most likely to protect and enhance the long-
term economic value of the securities held in client accounts.
Any decisions regarding proxy voting will be determined on a case by case by our Portfolio Manager.
We may determine not to vote for a particular proxy if the costs and burdens exceed the benefits of
voting (e.g., when securities are subject to loan or to share blocking restrictions).
If requests for proxies are received with respect to debt securities, we will vote on a case-by-case
basis in a manner we believe to be in the best economic interest of our clients.
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We have engaged Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. (“Broadridge”) to receive
proxies and proxy voting statements, retain proxy voting records, and handle many of the
administrative functions associated with the voting of proxies.
If a material conflict is identified, we may (i) disclose the potential conflict to you and obtain consent
to vote in accordance with our recommendation; (ii) vote in accordance with your instructions; (iii)
vote in accordance with the guidance of an independent consultant or outside counsel; (iv) establish
an ethical wall or other informational barriers between the person(s) that are involved in the conflict
and the persons making the voting decisions; or (v) vote in other ways that are consistent with our
obligation to vote in our clients’ best interest. For the Funds, any proxy votes that may be subject to
potential conflicts are determined by the Funds’ board of directors.
Our Chief Compliance Officer is responsible for ensuring that all proxies received by us are voted in
a timely manner and in a manner consistent with our determination of your best interests. A copy of
our complete policy, as well as records of proxies voted, are available to you upon request.
Class Action Lawsuits
Sometimes securities held in the accounts of clients will be the subject of class action lawsuits. We
have engaged Broadridge to provide a comprehensive review of clients’ possible claims to a
settlement throughout the class action lawsuit process. Broadridge actively seeks out any open and
eligible class action lawsuits. Additionally, Broadridge files, monitors and expedites the distribution
of settlement proceeds in compliance with SEC guidelines on behalf of our clients. Broadridge’s filing
fee is contingent upon the successful completion and distribution of the settlement proceeds from a
class action lawsuit. In recognition of Broadridge’s services, Broadridge receives 20% of clients’ share
of the settlement distribution. When we receive written or electronic notice of a class action lawsuit,
settlement, or verdict affecting securities owned by clients, we will work to assist clients and
Broadridge in the gathering of required information and submission of claims. Direct Clients of LPG
are automatically included in this service but may opt-out. For sub-advised client relationships, the
client’s Primary Adviser will make the decision as to whether its clients will participate in this service.
If a client or the client’s Primary Adviser opts out, neither LPG nor Broadridge will monitor class
action filings for that client.
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Item 18 - Financial Information
We do not require nor solicit prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees per client, six months or more
in advance, and therefore have no disclosure required for this item.
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