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Form ADV Part 2A
Disclosure Brochure
March 24, 2025
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co. LLC
(“GGHC” or “Firm”). If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure please call 212-765-2500, or email:
compliance@gghc.com. 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 GGHC is available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Any reference to Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co. LLC as a “Registered Investment Adviser” or as being “registered” does not
imply a certain level of skill or training.
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MATERIAL CHANGES
This brochure is dated March 24, 2025. The following information provides a summary of material changes that have been
made to this brochure since the last annual update on March 29, 2024
The Commission Discounts section has been modified to further clarify the turnaround commission discount. The Risk of
Loss section has been modified to clarify the risks associated with having a GGHC account.
The foregoing is only a summary of the material changes to this brochure and is qualified by reference to the full discussion
in the brochure. This summary of material changes does not purport to identify every change to the brochure since it was
last published. Clients are encouraged to read the brochure in detail and contact GGHC with any questions.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Material Changes
Advisory Business
Fees And Compensation
Performance-Based Fees and Side-by-Side Management
Types Of Clients
Methods Of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Disciplinary Information
Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading
Brokerage Practices
Review of Accounts
Client Referrals
Other Compensation - Payments and Credits from NFS to GGHC
Custody
Investment Discretion
Voting Client Securities
Financial Information
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ADVISORY BUSINESS
specific client consent, the securities to be bought or
sold, and the executing broker-dealer(s) to be used for
each trade.
Firm Description
Types of Advisory Services
Founded in 1968, Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co., LLC
(“GGHC” or “Firm”) is registered with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an investment adviser
and as a broker-dealer.
GGHC provides ongoing discretionary investment
advisory services for a portion of a client’s investable
assets that he or she is willing to put at high risk. GGHC’s
portfolio managers (also called “Money Managers” or
“Managers”) exercise full discretion over the investment
of the account, subject to each client’s right to impose
reasonable restrictions (please see Investment Discretion
for a discussion of client-directed restrictions on GGHC
accounts).
GGHC operates with the goal of giving investors who
possess long-term patience and fortitude an opportunity
to create wealth. The Firm seeks to grow our clients’
capital through active and aggressive discretionary
trading in securities that we believe have the potential
for high returns over the long-term. GGHC focuses on
stocks, with a minor emphasis on options and bonds, and
occasionally purchases exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”).
Investing in securities involves substantial risk, including
risk of loss, and our aggressive approach to building
wealth is not for everyone. Each client must understand
and be willing to tolerate the risks and volatility that the
Firm’s strategy entails. GGHC client accounts experience
frequent, rapid and large swings in performance (upward
as well as downward). Such volatility is exacerbated
during periods of economic uncertainty.
GGHC also serves as the portfolio manager and sponsor
of a wrap fee program as described throughout this
brochure and in GGHC’s wrap fee program brochure. This
wrap fee program is only available to retirement
accounts. In this program, a client’s account is charged a
specified “bundled” fee, which is a percentage of assets
under management, for discretionary investment
advisory services, most trade execution costs (please see
Fees and Compensation for the Firm’s commission and
fee schedules and Other Expenses relating to investing in
foreign securities) and other services, such as custody,
recordkeeping and reporting. Individual Retirement
Accounts (“IRA”) pay additional administrative and
custody fees to GGHC’s clearing broker, NFS (please see
Other Expenses for additional expenses paid by IRA
accounts). Generally, the only differences in how GGHC
manages wrap fee accounts as compared to accounts
outside the wrap fee program are that wrap fee program
accounts are not permitted to buy on margin or sell
short, whereas, non-retirement margin accounts may,
where permitted, use margin and sell short.
Investment Strategy
GGHC manages all investments through separately
managed client accounts. The account type, retirement
or non-retirement, determines the account
compensation structure. For non-retirement accounts,
whether cash or margin, GGHC receives a
transaction-based fee (also known as a commission) for
each trade (please see Fees and Compensation for the
Firm’s commission and fee schedule). For retirement
accounts, GGHC receives an annualized fee, paid monthly
in arrears for the services provided to accounts (also
called a wrap-fee). The wrap fee program is only available
to retirement accounts, and GGHC does not provide
investment advisory services to retirement accounts
outside of the wrap fee program. Therefore, the terms
“retirement account” and “wrap fee account” are used
interchangeably throughout this brochure.
GGHC’s overall goal is capital appreciation through
growth stock investing, focusing on stocks, with a minor
emphasis on options and bonds, and occasionally ETFs.
GGHC Money Managers act independently of one
another; therefore, GGHC Money Managers will make
different investment decisions for their respective
accounts. As a result, GGHC Money Managers may
emphasize different strategies or sectors, take different
GGHC is an introducing broker, and National Financial
Services (“NFS”) serves as the Firm’s clearing broker and
custodian on a fully disclosed basis. The client always
maintains asset control and can withdraw funds or close
the account at any time, upon providing notice. However,
GGHC has authority to determine, without obtaining
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attempt to reduce this exposure, GGHC will engage in
short sales (borrowed securities are sold), which offer the
opportunity to profit from falling stock prices. However,
short selling is a risky strategy. The price of the stock sold
short could increase without limitation, and thus there is
no limit to potential losses from a short.
positions in the same security (e.g. Manager A is long
position ABC and Manger B is short position ABC)1, use
differing levels of leverage (where permitted), and may
take more or less concentrated positions in particular
securities compared to other GGHC Money Managers.
GGHC Money Managers will achieve different investment
results for the respective client accounts that they
manage.
Buying on margin and selling short have the virtue of
increasing the client’s dollars at work, while attempting
to moderately reduce the client’s exposure to abrupt
swings in the market.
GGHC Money Managers do not necessarily purchase or
sell the same securities for their respective client
accounts at the same time or in the same relative
position size. Whether an account participates in a
particular order depends on criteria such as whether
accounts have cash available, account size, whether
certain accounts already have an established position in
the security and/or is determined using GGHC
proprietary ratios (risk ratio, leverage). As a result, GGHC
Money Managers will achieve different results for
different clients. Trading by one Money Manager may
adversely affect the price of that holding in another
Money Manager’s client accounts.
Frequency of trading or account turnover will vary,
depending on factors including the GGHC Money
Manager, type of account (margin or cash/retirement),
market volatility, and client specific activity (money
movements including deposits or withdrawals). The
annual turnover in margin and cash accounts generally
exceeds 100%. The higher the turnover in a
commission-paying account, the greater the adverse
impact that commissions will have on investment
performance. The annual turnover ratio in margin
accounts generally exceeds 100% and non margin
accounts is generally less than 100%. Please see Fees and
Compensation for further details about the costs
associated with maintaining a GGHC account.
Assets Under Management
GGHC client accounts will see frequent trading activity as
GGHC Money Managers search for potential growth
opportunities. To the extent permitted by the client’s
account opening documents and applicable law, a GGHC
Money Manager may purchase securities for client
accounts on margin, using the client’s account as
collateral, and the client will pay NFS interest on any
margin loan. Only non-retirement margin accounts can
purchase securities on margin and engage in short
selling. Since GGHC charges commissions on trades for
non-retirement accounts, increasing the number of
positions or amount of assets at work in an account will
increase GGHC’s commission income as well.
As of December 31, 2024 GGHC had approximately
$8,515,710,000 of assets under management (“AUM”) on
a discretionary basis. GGHC does not manage any client
assets on a non-discretionary basis. Because the AUM
amounts disclosed in this brochure reflect the deduction
of outstanding margin loans, they differ from the
regulatory assets under management (“RAUM”) amounts
disclosed in Form ADV Part 1A.
Types of Agreements
Borrowing to invest (i.e. buying on margin) can increase
exposure and potentially lead to losses greater than the
account value if the market suddenly falls. Although
unlikely, GGHC may have to liquidate securities during an
unfavorable time in the market to repay the lender, which
can cause losses that exceed the initial investment. To
The following agreements govern the typical client’s
relationships with GGHC and with NFS, GGHC’s clearing
broker which serves as the custodian for client accounts:
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
Each client signs an Investment Advisory Agreement with
a limited power of attorney granting GGHC discretion to
purchase and sell securities and other instruments and
1 For those clients who choose to have multiple accounts
with different managers at GGHC, this means that you
could have a long position in ABC in your account with
Manager A and a short position in ABC in your account
with Manager B.
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an optional fully paid lending program with NFS, must
sign a separate agreement and other ancillary
documents. This program offers clients the potential to
receive additional incremental income by loaning out the
fully paid shares and receiving interest payment. Please
see “Other Compensation – Payments and Credits from
NFS to GGHC” for information regarding NFS sharing
revenue with GGHC.
obligations for the client’s account. The Investment
Advisory Agreement provides, in part, that GGHC will not
be liable for honest mistakes in judgment, for losses due
to such mistakes, or for any other loss or damage arising
out of, or based upon any act or omission by GGHC,
unless GGHC has knowingly violated any applicable law,
or is found to have been negligent or to have engaged in
willful misconduct. Of course, federal and some state
securities laws may impose liabilities under certain
circumstances on persons who act in good faith, and
nothing in the agreement constitutes a waiver or
limitation of any rights that a client may have under
applicable federal or state securities law.
AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE CLIENT AND NFS
At any time, a client may terminate GGHC’s Investment
Advisory Agreement by providing GGHC with written
notice. GGHC may terminate the Investment Advisory
Agreement upon delivery of 30 days’ written notice to
the client. Unless otherwise mutually agreed to by GGHC
and the client, upon termination, GGHC will commence
an orderly liquidation of the securities and any other
non-cash assets in the account in the normal course of
business. The risks associated with such liquidation will
be borne exclusively by the client, as will any
commissions resulting from the liquidation for
non-retirement accounts. Retirement accounts pay an
asset based fee, and those fees are prorated based on
the number of days money is in the account during the
month.
Each client must establish a brokerage account at NFS
and deposit cash and/or securities in their account. NFS
will maintain custody of the assets in the client’s account
while those assets are managed by GGHC. GGHC will not
accept unsolicited orders from clients for a discretionary
managed account. Clients should read their brokerage
agreements carefully for complete information about the
terms and conditions of their NFS accounts.
FEES AND COMPENSATION
Description
In order to participate in IPOs and follow-on offerings
clients must establish a Prime Broker Account at NFS.
There is a minimum equity requirement of $105,000.00
for the establishment of a Prime Broker account. Prime
Broker paperwork is included in the new account
documentation sent to all new clients. Account equities
are reviewed daily for Prime Broker qualification. If a
client has more than one account at GGHC with the same
ownership title, the equity values are combined to meet
the minimum requirement.
GGHC receives compensation for its investment advisory
services, which is specified in the client’s investment
advisory agreement with GGHC. The compensation
structure will vary depending on the type of account and
is not subject to negotiation. Non-retirement accounts
are charged a transaction based fee (also known as a
commission) on each trade and will vary depending on
the type of security (please see Commission Schedule -
Non-Retirement Accounts for details on the commission
schedule). Each commission payment will adversely affect
the performance of the account. Certain types of trades
or accounts qualify for standard discounts, which are
described below following the commission schedule.
Clients who have a non-retirement margin account must
sign a margin agreement with NFS to be able to trade on
margin. This agreement discusses the risks associated
with trading on margin, including borrowing money to
use securities as collateral to purchase additional
securities and sell securities short. Please see “Other
Expenses” for other expenses associated with margin
accounts and “Other Compensation- Payments and
Credits from NFS to GGHC” with regards to NFS sharing
revenue with NFS.
In addition, clients who have a non-retirement cash
account or retirement account who want to participate in
GGHC bears the cost of trade execution for domestic
securities, which is less than the amount of commissions
GGHC charges its clients, and means that GGHC earns a
profit on each trade. For foreign securities, the cost of
trade execution is embedded in the price of the stock.
Note regardless of trade execution costs, clients pay
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GGHC a commission on each trade. Commissions paid by
clients include the cost of investment advisory services,
custody and brokerage services (Please see Other
Expenses for trades executed in foreign markets and
Commission Schedule - Non-Retirement Accounts).
market volatility and other market conditions have the
potential to impact GGHC Money Managers’ trading
strategies patterns and increase the number of
transactions in accounts; thus increasing the rate of
commissions as a percentage of equity.
Retirement accounts are charged an annualized bundled
or “wrap” fee based on the account’s assets under
management, valued on a month-end basis and paid
monthly in arrears. The wrap fee covers investment
advisory services, most execution costs (see “Other
Expenses”), and other services, such as custody,
recordkeeping and reporting (no additional GGHC
commissions are paid by retirement accounts for trades
executed in these accounts).
The receipt of commissions by GGHC Money Managers,
and by GGHC as a source of revenue, presents a conflict
of interest by creating an incentive to trade frequently for
client accounts (which increases the costs to clients and
decreases investment performance of the account).
GGHC addresses this conflict of interest through
disclosure, policies and procedures, and reviews of
accounts focused on evidence of suitability and excessive
activity, as described below in “Review of Accounts”.
OTHER COMMISSIONS (2% LIMIT)
GGHC’s standard commission and wrap fee rate is not
negotiable.
While GGHC primarily purchases equities for client
accounts, we may occasionally purchase options, debt
securities/bonds, and ETFs.
Commission Schedule -
Non-Retirement Accounts
COMMISSIONS ON EQUITY TRADES
Options—GGHC’s standard commissions on option
trades are based on the premium price (the price paid to
the issuer of the option for granting the rights, which are
separate from and in addition to the exercise price). If the
option premium is less than or equal to $5.00, the
commission is 2% of the premium. If the option premium
is greater than $5.00, the commission is $10 per option.
GGHC does not charge commissions when exercising
options (but commissions are charged when buying or
selling options).
For non-retirement accounts, commissions on equity
trades, including ETFs, are charged at a rate of 1.5% per
trade (except for de minimis deviations due to rounding).
GGHC’s standard commission rates are higher than the
commissions most broker-dealers would typically charge
when executing such trades in a brokerage account.
However, GGHC’s commissions include the cost of
GGHC’s investment advisory services, in addition to the
cost of execution.
Debt Securities / Bonds—the commission on debt
securities, including corporate bonds and US Treasury
trades, is $1.00 per $1,000 face value, with a $400
maximum.
Deduction of Commissions
non-retirement
accounts,
commissions
For
or
transactional fees are deducted from the account at the
time of the trade and are disclosed on the trade
confirmation. In addition, the monthly account statement
provided by NFS includes an aggregate commission
amount, by month and year-to-date.
Commission-paying accounts should expect to pay on an
annual basis 3% - 5% of the value of the account, but
could pay as high as 8% or more depending on the nature
of trading and turnover. These rates of compensation are
higher than the rates that other investment advisers
typically charge their clients. Higher rates decrease
investment performance. Because commissions are
charged on each transaction, the annual cost will vary
depending on various factors, including the number of
transactions effected in the account, type of account
(cash or margin), the amount invested, including for
margin accounts how much the account is leveraged, the
amount and/or frequency of money movements (e.g.
deposits or withdrawals). In addition, factors such as the
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Commission Discounts
the account’s start of day market value. This discount
does not apply to trades in debt securities.
EMPLOYEE AND EMPLOYEE-RELATED ACCOUNTS
GGHC applies the following standard discounts to all
non-retirement accounts and trades that qualify. If a
trade qualifies for more than one discount (e.g., it is a
new account and receives a turn-around discount), only
the discount yielding the biggest savings for the client will
be applied.
TURN-AROUND COMMISSION DISCOUNT
A turn-around commission discount applies to the
following trades:
● Closing equity trade within 90 days of a
For commission-paying accounts, employee and
“employee-related” accounts are eligible for a standard
50% discount on commissions paid per transaction.
“Employee-related” accounts are accounts of GGHC
employees’ family members, including spouses, parents,
siblings, children, certain in-laws, dependents and any
accounts over which an employee has beneficial or
financial interest. Additionally, employees who are
members of GGHC and their spouses do not pay any
commission on accounts they manage. Receipt of these
discounts will have a positive impact on account
performance.
commission-paying opening equity trade in the
same direction;
● Opening equity trade within 90 days of a
commission-paying closing equity trade in the
same direction;
GGHC’s Employee Profit Sharing accounts do not pay
commissions or fees, which will have a positive impact on
account performance.
INITIAL OFFERING
The discount amount is calculated based on the number
of days between the qualifying trades, with a maximum
discount of 87.5%.
NEW COMMISSION PAYING ACCOUNT DISCOUNT
GGHC does not charge commissions on purchases of
securities in syndicate offerings or when “bought-in” on
short positions. GGHC does not accept a selling
concession from underwriters in connection with client
purchases of IPO shares.
All trades in new non-retirement accounts will receive a
50% discount on initial investments. This discount applies
to trades done from the first day of trading through the
90th day.
Fee Schedule—Retirement (e.g.
ERISA) Accounts
LARGE OPENING TRADE(S) COMMISSION DISCOUNT
All opening trades for the day2 receive a 50% discount if
the total opening trade value3 of the day exceeds 25% of
the account’s start of day market value. This discount
does not apply to trades in debt securities.
LARGE CLOSING TRADE(S) COMMISSION DISCOUNT
Retirement accounts, including Individual Retirement
Accounts (IRAs) or ERISA-type accounts, are charged a
2.5% annualized “wrap” fee paid monthly, in arrears. This
wrap fee covers investment advisory services, most
execution costs (see “Other Expenses”), and other
services, such as custody, recordkeeping and reporting
(no additional GGHC commissions are paid by retirement
accounts for trades executed in these accounts).
All closing trades for the day1 receive a 50% discount if
the total closing trade value2 of the day exceeds 25% of
Please note that generally GGHC fees are higher than
fees charged by other advisers.
Generally, GGHC deducts fees from retirement accounts
on the seventh business day of the month, based on the
prior month-end value of the account. The value of the
assets in the account on which fees are charged includes
2 Trades are assigned to the day they were submitted, not
the day they are executed.
3 Trade value is a value based on the estimated price of
orders submitted. This is the same value whether it’s
opening trade value or closing trade value.
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Other Expenses
any cash or cash-equivalent held in the account. All
accounts are charged a fee as long as they are open and
funded.
The “wrap” fee calculation is based on trade-date equity
holdings, which includes the results of any trade
executed, but not yet settled. Fees are calculated based
on the actual number of days in the month relative to the
actual number of days in the year. If an account was
funded or closed mid-month, the fee charged will be
prorated for the number of days the money was in the
account.
GGHC at its discretion, will raise funds in the accounts to
cover the fee by selling securities. If the full fee amount is
not available on the date the account is charged, the
account will be debited any available amount on that
date. Where an account has a fee not satisfied in full, it
will continue to be charged the residual amount as cash
is raised from selling securities until the next monthly fee
is charged.
GGHC performs a review of the fees charged to accounts
to ensure fees are charged in accordance with the fee
schedule.
For margin accounts, the client pays NFS interest on any
margin loans. The margin rate paid is the overnight bank
funding rate (OBFR) + .75%. Interest payments increase
the cost associated with maintaining a GGHC account and
will adversely impact investment performance.
Additionally, certain securities that a GGHC Money
Manager may wish to sell short in a client’s margin
account may be “hard to borrow”. In such cases, NFS
charges GGHC clients a variable fee to borrow certain
securities (in addition to the interest paid on any margin
loan), which can further adversely affect investment
performance (the fee charged is dependent on a
multitude of factors). Conversely, if a client has a long
position in a hard-to-borrow security that is loaned out
(this occurs in accounts that participate in a fully paid
lending program), the client will receive a portion of the
additional fee associated with this loan. The rates are
determined by Fidelity Capital Markets specific to the
hard -to-borrow security based on a third-party average
wholesale benchmark rate or other criteria reasonably
determined by Fidelity Capital Markets and agreed to by
GGHC.
Deduction of Fees
Margin loan interest and the fees for hard-to-borrow
securities are collectively referred to as “securities
lending income.”
All fees are deducted directly from the accounts.
Retirement account fees are deducted each month in
arrears and are shown on the monthly account statement
provided by NFS.
Please note, NFS shares a portion of its securities
lending income with GGHC (See “Other Compensation –
Payments and Credits from NFS to GGHC” below).
Fee Discounts
GGHC applies the following standard discounts to all
accounts that qualify.
Every account is different and each client has a different
mix of hard-to-borrow short positions and long positions.
Securities lending rates change over time; meaning a
security can be deemed a hard to borrow position today,
but in the future may no longer be deemed a hard to
borrow, incurring a fee for borrowing (short) or a credit
for lending (long). The fees incurred vary from security to
security.
EMPLOYEE AND EMPLOYEE-RELATED ACCOUNTS
Employee retirement accounts do not pay monthly wrap
fees. Employee-related
(e.g. spouse of employee)
retirement accounts receive a 50% discount on fees paid.
Receipt of these waivers/discounts will have a positive
impact on account performance.
GGHC’s Employee Profit Sharing accounts do not pay
fees, which will have a positive impact on its account
performance.
NFS deducts a fee from client accounts for sales in most
equities and options and is displayed on customers’
confirmations as an Activity Assessment Fee. Note that
this fee is based on the rate of the fee charged by the
Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and is in addition
to the GGHC commissions and GGHC wrap fee described
above.
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TYPES OF CLIENTS
When NFS acts as custodian and an IRA or Keogh account
closes, NFS charges the client a $125.00 termination fee.
GGHC provides investment advisory services to
individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations,
corporations, LLC’s, partnerships, pension and profit
sharing plans, and investment clubs.
Account Minimums
Generally, GGHC does not impose a minimum dollar
value of assets or other conditions for opening or
maintaining an account. However, some of GGHC’s
Money Managers at their discretion do impose a
minimum dollar value for starting or maintaining an
account with that GGHC Money Manager. In addition, the
minimum dollar requirement to open a margin account is
$5,000. There also may be restrictions or minimums
applicable to client accounts with a non-U.S. legal and/or
mailing address.
Separately, additional expenses for retirement and
non-retirement accounts are incurred by a client when
investing in stocks traded on foreign exchanges. Such
investments are typically effected by, and generate
revenue for, affiliates of NFS. Customary charges for
investing in foreign countries such as country taxes and
levy taxes, access to foreign market fees, commissions to
foreign brokers, transaction fees, stamp taxes and
currency conversion fees are included in the US dollar
denominated price the client pays. Currency exchanges
may be effected by Fidelity FOREX, Inc. on a principal
basis. Fidelity FOREX, Inc., an affiliate of NFS, imposes a
commission or markup on the prevailing interbank
market price. The currency exchange rate applicable to
any foreign security trade is available upon request. All
transaction charges will adversely affect investment
performance.
PERFORMANCE-BASED FEES AND
SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT
GGHC does not charge any performance-based fees (i.e.,
fees based on a share of the capital gains or capital
appreciation of the assets of an account).
GGHC manages both commission-based accounts and
wrap fee accounts using similar strategies. The different
compensation structures incentivizes GGHC and its
Money Managers to favor accounts which are likely to
generate greater revenue (or less cost) for the Firm and
the GGHC Money Manager, and/or to manage accounts
differently based on compensation structure, for
example, by trading more frequently in non-retirement
cash accounts than in retirement accounts. GGHC
addresses these conflicts of interest through its
disclosures, commission-related discounts, including its
turnaround discount, large opening trade discount and
large closing trade discount, review of accounts, and by
establishing and maintaining reasonably designed
procedures, including as described below in Order
Aggregation and Allocation Policy and in Review of
Accounts.
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Short sales (borrowed securities are sold), in
(cid:0)
non-retirement margin accounts only,
METHODS OF ANALYSIS, INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES AND RISK OF LOSS
Methods of Analysis
(cid:0) Margin transactions (securities are borrowed against
and the borrowed funds are used to purchase more
securities), in non-retirement margin accounts only ;
(cid:0) Trading in US and foreign markets , including
emerging markets; and/or
(cid:0) Option transactions (generally limited use)
Due to an active trading strategy, tax implications are not
a core part of GGHC’s strategy. GGHC does not provide
tax or legal advice. Clients should consider consulting
with a tax or legal professional regarding opening a GGHC
account.
Risk of Loss
GGHC takes a general research-intensive approach in
identifying potential investment opportunities,
combining various methods of securities analysis as part
of the due diligence process. GGHC’s various methods of
securities analysis include fundamental and technical
analysis. Fundamental analysis is a method of security
valuation which involves examining a company's
financials and operations, especially sales, earnings,
growth potential, assets, debt, management, products,
and competition. Technical analysis is the study of
relationships among security market variables, such as
price levels, trading volume, and price movements, so as
to gain insights into the supply and demand for
securities. Rather than concentrating on earnings, the
economic outlook, and other business-related factors
that influence a security's value, technical analysis
attempts to determine the market forces at work on a
certain security or on the securities market as a whole.
Internal research is a critical element to GGHC’s
investment process and is generally a key component for
its investment decisions. No method of securities
analysis, including ours, can guarantee a particular
investment result or outcome and does not guarantee
investment performance.
Investment Strategies
Investing in securities and other financial instruments
involve a degree of risk that can be substantial, including
the risk of total loss that each client should be prepared
to bear. GGHC’s aggressive approach is designed for
individuals able to bear the risk of loss (total loss of
principal or dramatic losses). While GGHC devotes its
best efforts to the management of its clients’ accounts,
there is no assurance or guarantee that the accounts will
not incur dramatic losses. Investments may experience
rapid and/or extended periods of loss and there is no
guarantee that the investment objective will be achieved.
GGHC’s growth-style of investing, means that the value of
any account and/or any particular stock can experience
periods of rapid volatility and could experience periods of
underperformance relative to the overall market.
Principal Risks
The following is a summary of the principal risks
associated with the investment strategies employed by
GGHC.
As stated throughout this brochure, GGHC’s overall goal
is capital appreciation through growth investing, focusing
on stocks, with a minor emphasis on options and bonds,
and occasionally ETFs. Clients can choose to open a
non-retirement margin or cash account or a retirement
account. GGHC uses the following strategies to
implement its overall goal:
Long-term purchases (securities held at least a year);
(cid:0)
Short-term purchases (securities held less than one
(cid:0)
year);
(cid:0) Trading (securities sold within 30 days);
Market Risk: The risk that the value of the assets in
which a client account is invested decreases (potentially
significantly) in response to various factors, including
inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or
expectations for deflation), market instability, regulatory
events, changes in interest rates, national and
international political and economic events and regional
or global pandemics.
11
interest rates rise, yields on existing bonds become less
attractive, causing their market values to decline.
Transaction Costs: With respect to accounts that pay
commissions, a high portfolio turnover rate increases
transaction costs, which will adversely affect investment
performance, and also may result in the realization of
more short-term capital gains than if there was lower
portfolio turnover.
Legal and Regulatory Risk: Legal and regulatory changes
could occur which may adversely affect GGHC’s ability to
execute its investment strategy, and thus the
performance of clients’ accounts. The SEC, self-regulatory
organizations, and exchanges are authorized to intervene,
directly and by regulation, in certain markets, and may
restrict or prohibit certain market practices currently
engaged in (or which may be engaged in). It is impossible
to predict what additional interim or permanent
government restrictions may be imposed on the market
and/or the effect of such restrictions on the strategies.
Inflation Risk: When any type of inflation is present, a
dollar next year will not buy as much as a dollar today,
because purchasing power is eroding at the rate of
inflation. A rising inflationary market could impact the
type of companies GGHC generally invests in. Specifically,
growth stocks tend to underperform when inflation is
higher because growth stocks have much of their
earnings expectations in the future, and when rates rise,
it hurts those expectations. When inflation or interest
rates start going up, particularly, more than expected, it
reduces the current value of the future stream of
earnings, which adversely affects the stock price.
Margin Risk: Borrowing to purchase stocks increases a
client’s leverage allowing the client to purchase more
stock than the client could purchase for cash. However,
borrowing increases levels of market risk which may
cause a greater drop in an investment, and margin loans
must be repaid regardless of the underlying value of the
securities purchased. Margin accounts also have
minimum maintenance requirements. If the equity in a
margin account falls below the minimum amount, the
broker-dealer will issue a maintenance call requiring an
additional deposit in cash or acceptable collateral. There
is no extension of time on a margin call. Failure to meet a
margin call may force a GGHC Money Manager to sell
some or all securities in an account without the client’s
approval. Margin trading may result in losses greater than
the account value. Margin accounts also have additional
expenses (beyond GGHC Commissions), which includes
paying NFS interest on margin loans. Interest payments
increase the cost associated with maintaining a GGHC
account and will adversely impact performance.
Currency or Exchange Rate Risk: Changes in foreign
currency exchange rates are subject to fluctuations in the
value of the dollar against the currencies of the
investment’s originating country. As such, the value of
client accounts that are invested in foreign currencies
may rise and fall due to exchange rate fluctuations with
respect to the relevant currencies. Devaluation of a
currency by a country’s government or banking authority
will have a significant impact on the value of any
investments denominated in that currency.
Short Selling Risk: A short sale involves the sale of a
security that you do not own with the hope of purchasing
the same security at a later date at a lower price. If the
GGHC Money Manager buys back a security it has sold
short at a higher price, the client will incur a loss on the
transaction. Because the loss on a short sale stems from
increases in the value of the security sold short, the
extent of such loss is theoretically unlimited and may
exceed the actual cost of the investment. Short selling
only occurs in non-retirement margin accounts and does
not occur in either non-retirement cash accounts or
retirement accounts.
Reinvestment Risk: This is the risk that future proceeds
from investments may have to be reinvested at a
potentially lower rate of return (i.e. interest rate). This
risk primarily relates to fixed income securities.
Legislative and Tax Risk: Government laws and tax
regulations are subject to change and can directly or
indirectly affect account performance. GGHC does not
offer tax planning services, and clients may incur taxable
income on their investments without receiving a cash
distribution.
Business Risk: These risks are associated with a particular
industry or a particular company within an industry. For
example, oil-drilling companies depend on finding oil and
then refining it, a lengthy process, before they can
generate a profit. These companies carry a higher risk
than an electric company, which generates its income
Interest-Rate: Fluctuations in interest rates may cause
investment prices to fluctuate. For example, when
12
from a steady stream of customers who buy electricity
regardless of the economic environment. Further,
legislative, regulatory or tax developments have the
potential to adversely affect a particular industry or a
particular public company that GGHC client accounts are
invested in.
Liquidity Risk: At times, client accounts may be invested
in illiquid, thinly traded securities, which are securities
that are not readily marketable, resulting in the inability
to dispose of these securities promptly or at an
advantageous price. Because of our growth strategy,
some companies or investments in which our clients
invest may not be well known, may have few shares
outstanding, or may be particularly susceptible to
political and economic events.
Financial Risk: Certain companies we invest in may
themselves be highly leveraged. Excessive borrowing to
finance a business’s operations increases the risk that the
company will not be profitable, because the company
must meet the terms of its obligations in good times and
bad. During periods of financial stress, the inability to
meet loan obligations may result in bankruptcy and/or a
declining market value.
Business Continuity Risk: GGHC has developed a
Business Continuity Program (the BC Program) that is
designed to minimize the impact of adverse events that
affect its ability to carry on normal business operations.
Such adverse events include, but are not limited to,
natural disasters, outbreaks of pandemic and epidemic
diseases (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), cybersecurity
breaches and attacks, terrorism, acts of governments,
any act of declared or undeclared war, power shortages
or failures, utility or communication failure or delays,
labor disputes, strikes, shortages, supply shortages, and
system failures or malfunctions. While GGHC believes the
BC Program should allow it to resume normal business
operations in a timely manner following an adverse
event, there are inherent limitations in such programs,
including the possibility that the BC Program does not
anticipate all contingencies or procedures or work as
intended. Vendors and service providers (such as our
clearing broker) may also be affected by adverse events
and are subject to the same risks that their respective
business continuity plans do not cover all contingencies.
In the event the BC Program or similar programs at
vendors and service providers do not adequately address
all contingencies, client accounts may be negatively
inability to process
affected as there may be an
transactions and value client investments, or cause
disruptions to trading in client accounts.
Foreign/International Investments Risk: Foreign
investments involve a broad range of political, economic,
legal, tax and financial risk in addition to those affecting
similar domestic/U.S. companies. Specific additional risks
include imposition of new or amended government
regulations, changes in diplomatic relations between the
U.S. and another country, political and economic
instability, the imposition or tightening of exchange
controls or other limitations on repatriation of foreign
capital or nationalization, and/or increased taxation or
confiscation of investors’ assets. Further, foreign
investments may be subject to fluctuations in the value
of the issuer’s local currency and may be subject to
foreign withholding and other taxes.
Such risks may include increased risk of nationalization,
greater social, economic and political uncertainty
(including war), higher dependence on exports, greater
volatility, less liquidity and smaller capitalization of
securities markets, greater volatility in currency exchange
rates, greater risk of inflation, less extensive regulation of
securities markets, longer settlement periods for
securities transactions and less reliable clearance and
custody arrangements, and less developed corporate
laws regarding fiduciary duties and internal controls
regarding the accuracy of financial reporting.
Emerging or Frontier Investments Risk: Investing in an
emerging or frontier market involves additional risks and
special considerations not typically associated with
investing in other more established economic or
securities markets. Emerging or frontier markets differ
from other large economies in many respects, including
the level of development, growth rate and allocation of
resources.
Uncertainties associated with international political
development will adversely affect the value of clients’
investments. Specifically, changes in political, economic,
and social conditions and government policies have the
potential to create a substantial adverse impact on
clients' investments (for example, in Asia or sub-Saharan
African countries).
13
cause the GGHC Money Manager to sell unsuccessful
positions at substantial losses.
Further, trading disruptions or trading halts can occur in
these markets causing GGHC to close or be forced to
close certain positions, which could adversely impact the
sale or cover price of the stock.
Overall, GGHC’s growth-style of investing, means that the
value of any account and of any particular stock held in
the account can experience periods of frequent, rapid
and substantial volatility and ultimately periods of
significant underperformance relative to the overall
market.
DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION
Local Intermediary Risk: A client’s transactions may be
undertaken through local brokers, or other financial
institutions in emerging or frontier markets, and as such,
clients may be subject to the risk of default, insolvency or
fraud of such organizations. There can be no assurances
that any money advanced to such organizations will be
repaid or that clients would have any recourse in the
event of default.
Option Risk: Purchasing put and call options, as well as
writing such options, are highly specialized activities
which entail greater than ordinary investment risks. The
price of an option, which is a function of interest rates,
volatility, dividends, the exercise price, stock price and
other market factors, may change rapidly over time.
The foregoing list of risk factors does not purport to be a
complete explanation of the risks in an investment or
GGHC’s strategy or any implementation of the strategy
(cash, margin, wrap).
RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH GROWTH INVESTING
On September 17, 2020, the SEC entered an order against
GGHC, following the Firm’s offer of settlement. The SEC
found that certain reviews of client accounts for
potentially excessive trading were not conducted from
2017 through early 2018. The SEC also found that GGHC’s
chief compliance officer at the time, who was required by
GGHC’s policies to conduct the reviews, altered
documents relating to the reviews, and produced these
altered documents to the SEC staff on behalf of the Firm.
The SEC found that the Firm willfully violated Section
206(4) of the Advisers Act and Rule 206(4)-7 thereunder.
Without admitting or denying the findings contained in
the Order, GGHC consented to: (a) cease and desist from
committing or causing any violations and any future
violations of Section 206(4) of the Advisers Act and Rule
206(4)-7 thereunder, (b) be censured, and (c) pay a civil
monetary penalty in the amount of $1,700,000.
OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES AND
AFFILIATIONS
Financial Industry Activities
Some clients also have non-discretionary brokerage
accounts with GGHC held at NFS. Clients typically use this
accommodation to invest a portion of their assets more
conservatively in securities such as U.S. Treasury
securities. GGHC is not acting as an investment adviser
with respect to these accounts, although we do earn
commissions on these trades.
Affiliations
GGHC’s overall investment strategy carries risks that are
unique to this strategy. Investing in growth stocks is
based on future expectations, and such stocks are
vulnerable to economic (including inflation), market and
industry changes and may not realize earning profits in
the foreseeable future. Investments in growth stocks
tend to be investments in smaller or mid-sized companies
which typically trade less frequently than larger
companies. Because of this vulnerability and potential
liquidity concerns, there often are greater and more
frequent changes in their stock price. In down markets,
smaller or mid-sized companies’ share prices come under
great pressure. The lack of marketability, lower than
average dividends, and unfamiliarity to the investing
public of these stocks may outweigh the growth
potential. The outlook of a smaller or mid-sized company
can deteriorate suddenly. Turnaround companies, rather
than growing favorably, sometimes fall deeper into
trouble; cyclical companies may fail to rebound; new
issues flounder; and new products disappoint. This may
GGHC is a registered investment adviser, registered
broker-dealer, and member of FINRA. GGHC acts as
broker when effecting transactions for its clients, as
14
securities transactions on a principal basis with the Firm’s
clients even on a “riskless” basis.
reflected in each client’s written contract with GGHC. The
Firm acts only as agent in connection with client
transactions, and not as principal. GGHC does not act as a
market maker in any security. GGHC is also a registered
Portfolio Manager in the jurisdictions of British Columbia,
Quebec and Ontario, Canada.
GGHC employees can buy, sell or hold securities for their
own accounts that GGHC has recommended and/or
purchased or sold for its clients. GGHC employees can
hold an existing investment in a company in their own
personal account that GGHC may buy, sell or hold for its
clients. As an example, a GGHC employee may personally
invest in a private company and the private company
goes public or is purchased by a publicly traded company.
GGHC will then buy shares of that publicly traded
company for client accounts. These scenarios have the
potential to raise the risk of using assets of a client of
GGHC to support positions taken by other clients of
GGHC or its employees. Such risk is mitigated by the
compliance procedures described in this section.
GGHC has a clearing agreement with NFS, the
broker-dealer which serves as the clearing broker and
custodian for GGHC’s clients. In the initial 10-year term
of this agreement, NFS has agreed to provide certain fee
waivers, revenue sharing payments, and credits to GGHC.
These arrangements create an incentive for GGHC to
select and retain NFS as clearing broker, and to effect
more transactions and increase margin or leverage, and,
therefore, create a conflict of interest between GGHC and
its clients. Please refer to Payments and Credits to GGHC
from NFS, below, for further description of the
arrangement and resulting conflict, and for information
about how GGHC addresses these conflicts. GGHC
believes that its selection of NFS was, and remains, in its
clients’ best interests; GGHC believes that the NFS
platform enables GGHC to maintain access to a
market-leading clearing agent.
GGHC’s Code addresses this conflict and requires that all
employees follow the firm’s policies and applicable laws.
The Code is designed to ensure that the personal
securities transactions, activities and interests of GGHC
employees will not interfere with the GGHC’s fiduciary
duty to its clients. The Code requires reporting and
preclearing of employee personal securities transactions.
CODE OF ETHICS, PARTICIPATION OR INTEREST
IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS AND PERSONAL
TRADING
GGHC Compliance regularly monitors employee trading
to ensure that clients’ interests are protected. Please see
Order Aggregation and Allocation Policy for a further
description of employee and employee-related managed
accounts.
Code of Ethics
GGHC employees are also required to comply with
applicable securities laws and to report any suspected
violation of the Code to the Chief Compliance Officer.
A copy of GGHC’s Code is available for review by clients
and prospective clients upon request. Please contact
GGHC’s Chief Compliance Officer at
compliance@gghc.com.
In recognition of GGHC’s fiduciary duty to its clients,
GGHC’s Code of Ethics (“Code”) establishes a high
standard of business conduct that all employees of GGHC
must follow. The Code includes provisions relating to the
confidentiality of client information, preventing the
improper use of material nonpublic information about
securities recommendations made or held in client
accounts, preventing improper personal trading by GGHC
employees, identifying conflicts of interest, and providing
a means to resolve or mitigate actual and potential
conflicts of interest.
Neither GGHC nor any of its employees may buy
securities from or sell securities to clients. GGHC does
not hold securities in inventory and does not effect
Subject to the provisions of Rule 206(3)-2 under the
Advisers Act, GGHC may arrange “agency cross”
transactions between GGHC client accounts, whether of
the same or different GGHC Money Manager. An agency
cross transaction is defined as a transaction where a
person acts as an investment adviser in relation to a
transaction and also acts as broker for both the advisory
client and for another person on the other side of the
transaction. For agency cross transactions no
15
commissions are charged. Retirement plan accounts will
not participate in cross transactions. Such “agency cross”
transactions will only occur if the GGHC Money Manager
believes it to be in the best interest of the clients on both
sides of the transaction.
BROKERAGE PRACTICES
impact, and execution price. GGHC bears the cost of
execution for domestic securities. Therefore, the
commission charged by broker-dealers for domestic
securities is not a relevant factor for purposes of best
execution since the client does not benefit from a lower
commission (although GGHC does benefit by retaining
the difference between what the client is charged and
what GGHC pays to the executing broker).
Selecting Broker-Dealers for Client
Transactions
GGHC maintains a Best Execution Committee which
meets at least quarterly to review the quality of
executions obtained from the third-party brokers it has
utilized. To facilitate this review, GGHC has retained a
third-party firm to compile data analyzing GGHC’s
third-party brokers’ executions against comparable
information for industry peers. Using information
compiled from both GGHC internal systems and industry
sources, average prices, volume-weighted average prices
and time-stamped benchmarks are determined for
comparative purposes.
GGHC has discretionary authority to manage
discretionary client accounts, including the authority to
decide which brokers or dealers are used for a particular
transaction and the amount of commissions paid to the
broker or dealer (which are paid by GGHC and not the
client). GGHC selects brokers or dealers in accordance
with the goal of obtaining best execution for its clients
(please see Best Execution for further information).
Research
Before working with a brokerage institution and on an
on-going basis, GGHC evaluates certain qualifications of
these institutions across two main dimensions; (1)
professional expertise and competence and; (2) financial
stability.
For domestic equities, GGHC pays brokers directly or
through a commission-sharing arrangement for research
and related services and does not use “soft dollars” to
pay for the research related services. Such research falls
within the safe harbor provided by Section 28(e) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
For domestic securities, GGHC pays for the cost of trade
execution on behalf of its clients out of the commissions
or fees paid to it by clients in accordance with the
applicable commission and fee schedules set forth in the
Fees and Compensation section above. For transactions
in foreign securities, the cost of execution is embedded in
the price at which the stock is executed. This cost is
absorbed by the client. Retirement accounts do not pay
any commissions as the cost of execution is included in
the monthly wrap fee (among other services).
GGHC has no client referral arrangements.
Best Execution
For foreign equities, where the cost of execution is
embedded in the transaction price, GGHC obtains
research and related services from foreign brokers and
dealers without additional payment. Research and
brokerage services obtained by GGHC’s use of a foreign
broker or dealer from transactions in foreign securities
benefits GGHC in providing investment advisory services.
Accordingly, a client whose transactions generated the
research or brokerage service will not necessarily be the
direct or indirect beneficiary of the services provided.
GGHC does not seek to allocate soft dollar benefits to
client accounts proportional to the soft dollars paid from
their account. Research services furnished by foreign
brokers include written information and analyses
concerning specific securities, companies or sectors;
market, financial and economic studies and forecasts;
statistics and pricing or appraisal services; discussions
with research personnel; and invitations to attend
GGHC has discretion to select the broker-dealers and
other financial institutions through which to effect
transactions for their clients’ accounts. GGHC seeks to
obtain best execution for each trade. In determining
whether an execution represents the best overall result
for its clients, GGHC considers several factors, including,
but not limited to speed, confidentiality, potential market
16
conferences or meetings with management or industry
consultants.
Order Aggregation and Allocation
Policy
calculations of the executed shares for each GGHC
Money Manager order. The relative size of the orders
could adversely impact the time and execution prices.
Due to GGHC’s trading practices, in circumstances
whereby multiple GGHC Money Managers place orders
for the same security on the same trading day, an
employee-related account of one Money Manager could
receive a better average price than a client account of
another GGHC Money Manager.
A GGHC Money Manager may decide to place a limit
price on their order. Where there is an overlapping order
with another GGHC Money Manager with a market order,
the limit order and market order will be aggregated until
the limit price is reached. When the limit is reached, the
Money Manager with the limit order will no longer
participate in the executions.
GGHC’s Employees’ Profit Sharing accounts are
considered client accounts for trading purposes and as
such receive client average price on trades.
As a fiduciary, GGHC allocates investment opportunities
in a fair and equitable manner for all its accounts. Often a
GGHC Money Manager makes investment decisions for
multiple accounts at the same time. In these
circumstances, orders are generally aggregated for
trading, and GGHC will allocate the execution shares
among the participating accounts at the average price.
Where one manager’s employee-related accounts
participate in the same order as his or her client accounts
and there is more than one execution price, GGHC
performs two separate average price calculations of the
execution shares. The best executions of the day are
averaged priced and applied to the client accounts and
the worst execution prices are averaged priced and
applied to the employee-related accounts.
SYNDICATE ALLOCATION
GGHC employs the same methods of allocating IPO,
follow-on and block offerings to accounts as it does to
regular trade orders. GGHC processes IPO, follow-on and
syndicate block offering trades through customer Prime
Broker accounts established at NFS in lieu of delivering
shares to a GGHC account. Please see Types of
Agreements for further details on the requirements for
opening a Prime Broker account.
When an order is not completed, GGHC Money Managers
may select one of two methodologies to allocate the
execution shares to the participating accounts. One
method is to allocate pro rata to all participating
accounts. Another method is to allocate the execution
shares to accounts based on the sequence of the
accounts on the pre-order allocation until there are no
remaining shares to allocate. Employee-related accounts
will not be allocated any execution shares until all of the
client accounts of the same order are filled.
CASH SWEEP PROGRAM
GGHC offers clients a program through an affiliate of NFS,
Fidelity Investments, that “sweeps” uninvested cash from
a client’s GGHC account into a money market fund
(“MMF”). The MMF charges management fees, and may
also charge distribution fees and shareholder servicing
fees, among other miscellaneous expenses. These fees go
to Fidelity Investments and are not paid to GGHC. NFS is
a subsidiary of Fidelity Investments. GGHC retirement
accounts are automatically enrolled in the program.
GGHC non-retirement commission paying accounts
(margin, cash) are eligible to enroll in the program. If an
account does not opt-in to the program or is ineligible to
participate in the MMF options, residual cash will be held
as a free credit balance, which receives interest, but is
As described above, GGHC Money Managers will place an
order for multiple accounts at the same time and those
orders will be aggregated. Further, there are often times
where different GGHC Money Managers have
overlapping orders for the same security (i.e. time of
order entry), and these orders will be aggregated for
purposes of trade execution. If an aggregated order is
completed with one execution, the executed shares will
be allocated across the respective Money Managers
accounts. However, frequently, overlapping orders that
are aggregated require more than one execution. When
this occurs, the executed shares will be allocated pro rata
among the participating GGHC Money Managers’ orders
based on the relative size of each Manager’s collective
order. As stated above, GGHC performs average price
17
OTHER COMPENSATION - PAYMENTS AND
CREDITS FROM NFS TO GGHC
subject to change. Factors for ineligibility are based on
the client’s jurisdiction or tax status. For example, a US
citizen living abroad is not eligible for the US domiciled
account sweep option nor the foreign/offshore domiciled
account sweep option. Generally, the interest rate is
higher in the Cash Sweep program than what is offered in
the free credit balance. Through NFS, GGHC chose the
MMF options, and is sponsored by an affiliate of NFS,
Fidelity Investments.
REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS
As discussed in the Other Expenses section, NFS advances
margin and facilitates security lending activities in order
to support investment strategies and trading for client
accounts. In the process, NFS charges GGHC client
accounts interest and fees and earns income by investing
our clients’ collateral. In addition, in margin accounts or
cash or retirement accounts that participate in a fully
paid lending program, NFS also earns income by lending
out certain securities. Under these circumstances, NFS
pays the client 75% of a third party benchmark lending
rate.
GGHC’s Money Managers, Compliance and Operations
principals and/or designated supervisors periodically
review client accounts to identify situations that could
warrant a more detailed review or a specific action on
behalf of a client.
GGHC uses a series of surveillance, exception, trade and
other transaction reports to obtain and analyze results to
facilitate the review of its managed accounts. GGHC
Money Managers continuously review client accounts.
GGHC uses independent third parties to conduct
regulatory audits of its compliance program, including its
reviews of trading activity and accounts.
When NFS’ profits from these sources exceed certain
negotiated thresholds, NFS makes payments to GGHC,
which are significant in certain years. These payments
create an incentive for GGHC to select and retain NFS as a
clearing broker. These payments also create an incentive
for GGHC to utilize margin and effect short sales on
behalf of clients, which increases the risk in the account
and increases the number of transactions, which
increases client costs. This creates a conflict of interest
between GGHC and its clients. This conflict is mitigated
by periodic review of accounts.
WAIVER OF TRADING TICKETS CHARGES
Clients receive correspondence directly from the
custodian, NFS, which includes confirmations for each
trade, account statements mailed at least quarterly, that
include all positions held and equity in the period, annual
1099 reports and proxy statements and annual reports
from the issuers of securities held, and prospectuses for
any newly issued securities purchased for their accounts.
In addition, through a password-protected website
controlled by NFS and offered to GGHC clients, clients can
view their accounts, including equity and activity, on a
daily basis. There are no restrictions on a client’s ability
to contact or consult with their GGHC Money Manager.
Generally, GGHC Money Managers are available to speak
during business hours.
During the initial 10-year term of the clearing agreement,
NFS has agreed to waive ticket charges provided that, in
the applicable year, NFS generates revenue from client
account activity that exceeds a negotiated threshold. This
creates a conflict of interest between GGHC and its
clients, as it creates an incentive for GGHC to use NFS as
clearing broker, and to effect more transactions, and
increase margin or short sales on behalf of its clients.
GGHC has addressed this conflict by establishing and
maintaining reasonably designed procedures to identify
and prevent excessive trading, including the use of
margin and short sales.
CLIENT REFERRALS
GGHC does not compensate any person for
endorsements of GGHC’s services or for client referrals.
ANNUAL TECHNOLOGY CREDIT AND BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT CREDIT
During the initial 10-year term of the clearing agreement,
NFS has agreed to issue an annual technology credit to
GGHC ($750,000) to offset technology-related costs. This
18
Money Manager authorized on the account, determines
the securities and amount of securities to buy or sell.
Discussions between the Account Holder(s) and GGHC
regarding investments will be limited to general
investment strategies only and will not require client
permission for any specific transaction.
credit creates an incentive for GGHC to select and
continue to use NFS as its clearing firm. However, based
upon the scope of services and pricing offered by NFS,
GGHC believes that its selection of NFS was, and remains,
in its clients’ best interests; GGHC believes that the NFS
platform enables GGHC to maintain access to a
market-leading clearing agent.
CUSTODY
This authority includes the ability to transact in securities
in foreign markets (for example, Euro, Asian, or
sub-Saharan African markets), which may require the
disclosure of personal client information (clients must
agree to the disclosure of personal information) as well
as securities in industry sectors (e.g. gas, oil, etc.).
GGHC does not maintain physical custody of clients’
assets. All GGHC client accounts are introduced to NFS, a
qualified custodian, on a fully disclosed basis. However,
GGHC is deemed to have custody of client assets as a
result of its authorization to deduct its commissions or
advisory fees, as applicable, directly from clients’
accounts. GGHC is also deemed to have custody in
situations where an employee is authorized to withdraw
assets from the client’s account in their capacity as a
trustee or executor of a GGHC account.
As described in Review of Accounts above, all clients
receive correspondence directly from their custodian,
NFS, which includes confirmations for each transaction,
account statements at least quarterly, annual 1099
reports and proxy statements and annual reports from
the issuers of securities held in, and prospectuses for any
newly issued securities purchased for, their accounts.
GGHC encourages clients to carefully review the
custodian statements they receive to ensure that they
reflect appropriate activity in the account.
Clients also grant GGHC discretion to select the
broker-dealers and other financial institutions through
which to effect transactions for their accounts and the
commission rates paid (please see Brokerage Practices for
further details). Generally, GGHC’s clients are unable to
restrict or prohibit transactions or direct transactions for
execution through specific brokers and dealers. GGHC will
accept restrictions on accounts in certain circumstances,
such as employment restrictions and affiliation
restrictions. If a client is restricted from transactions in a
specific security or industry due to an affiliation with a
company, the account will be blocked from all
transactions in that security or industry. However, GGHC
may decide not to accommodate investment restrictions
deemed unduly burdensome or materially incompatible
with GGHC’s investment approach. Client-directed
investment restrictions could cause the performance of
the account with restrictions to deviate from the
performance of other similarly managed accounts.
INVESTMENT DISCRETION
VOTING CLIENT SECURITIES
GGHC advisory accounts are managed on a discretionary
basis. Each client must sign a limited power of attorney
via the Firm’s investment advisory agreement providing
the GGHC Money Manager with authorization to invest,
reinvest and manage securities accounts on behalf of
clients in accordance with the stated investment
objectives for the particular client account and subject to
each client’s right to impose reasonable restrictions.
Investment restrictions must be provided to GGHC in
writing. GGHC may decide not to accommodate
investment restrictions deemed unduly burdensome or
materially incompatible with GGHC’s investment
approach. Under its discretionary authority as the Client’s
agent and attorney-in-fact, GGHC, specifically the GGHC
GGHC does not vote proxies relating to securities held in
client accounts, nor does GGHC give advice on proxy
voting. Clients will receive all proxy statements and
related proxy voting materials from the issuers whose
securities are held in their accounts. In the case of
retirement plan clients, proxy statements and related
materials are forwarded to a plan fiduciary named in the
plan’s Investment Advisory Agreement for voting. In the
case of proxies of foreign issuers, it may not always be
possible or practical for clients to exercise voting rights.
For example, a foreign issuer’s proxy statement may not
be received by NFS in time for it to be handled in a timely
manner.
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FINANCIAL INFORMATION
To the best of GGHC’s knowledge, the Firm is not subject
to any financial condition that is reasonably likely to
impair its ability to meet its contractual and fiduciary
commitments to clients.
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