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Human Interest Advisors LLC
Firm Brochure- Form ADV Part 2A
655 Montgomery Street, Suite
1800 San Francisco, CA 94111
(855) 622-7824
www.humaninterest.com/hia
please
contact
us
at
(855)
622-7824
or
by
email
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of
Human Interest Advisors LLC. If you have any questions about the contents of this
brochure,
at:
support@humaninterest.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 Human Interest Advisors LLC is also available on the SEC’s
website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. Human Interest Advisors LLC’s CRD number is:
269875. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
Version Date: March 31, 2025
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Item 2: Material Changes
Since the annual update of March 29, 2024, we have made the following material changes:
•
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies, and Risk of Loss - Updated
disclosure regarding our investment management strategy to include selecting
Investment Options that are actively managed in addition to those that are passively
managed, where previously it was primarily a passive management strategy
•
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations - Updated disclosure
regarding certain third-party investment managers’ ownership interest in the
Recordkeeper, as some of their funds are available in the Adviser’s Model Portfolios
and in certain Plans’ investment menus
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Item 3: Table of Contents
Item 2: Material Changes................................................................................................ 2
Item 3: Table of Contents............................................................................................... 3
Item 4: Advisory Business.............................................................................................. 5
Description of the Advisory Firm............................................................................................ 5
Types of Advisory Services..................................................................................................... 5
Client Tailored Services and Client Imposed Restrictions........................................................ 7
Assets Under Management.....................................................................................................8
Item 5: Fees and Compensation...................................................................................... 8
Advisory Services Fees........................................................................................................... 8
Other Fees or Expenses......................................................................................................... 8
Outside Compensation for the Sale of Securities to Clients...................................................10
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management....................................10
Item 7: Types of Clients................................................................................................10
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies, and Risk of Loss........................ 10
Methods of Analysis.............................................................................................................10
Material Risks Involved.........................................................................................................11
Risks of Specific Securities Utilized...................................................................................... 13
Item 9: Disciplinary Information.................................................................................. 14
Criminal or Civil Actions...................................................................................................... 14
Administrative Proceedings..................................................................................................14
Self-regulatory Organization Proceedings.............................................................................14
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations....................................... 15
Registration as a Broker/Dealer or Broker/Dealer Representative......................................... 15
Registration as a Futures Commission Merchant, Commodity Pool Operator, or a Commodity
Trading Advisor................................................................................................................... 15
Relationships or Arrangements Material to this Advisory Business and Conflicts of Interest..15
Selection of Other Advisers or Managers and How This Adviser is Compensated for Those
Selections............................................................................................................................ 16
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal
Trading.........................................................................................................................17
Code of Ethics......................................................................................................................17
Recommendations Involving Material Financial Interests...................................................... 17
Investing Personal Money in the Same Securities as Clients.................................................. 17
Item 12: Brokerage Practice..........................................................................................18
Factors Used to Select Custodians and/or Broker/Dealers.................................................... 18
Research and Other Soft-Dollar Benefits............................................................................... 18
Brokerage for Client Referrals.............................................................................................. 18
Clients Directing Which Broker/Dealer/Custodian to Use......................................................18
Aggregate (Block) Trading for Multiple Client Accounts........................................................ 18
Trading Practices................................................................................................................................. 19
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Trading Errors...................................................................................................................................... 19
Item 13: Reviews of Accounts.......................................................................................19
Frequency and Nature of Periodic Reviews and Who Makes Those Reviews........................... 19
Content and Frequency of Regular Reports Provided to Clients.............................................19
Investment Management and Rebalancing............................................................................20
Item 14: Client Referrals and Other Compensation...................................................... 21
Economic Benefits Provided by Third Parties for Advice Rendered to Clients.........................21
Compensation to Third Parties for Client Referrals............................................................... 21
Item 15: Custody.......................................................................................................... 21
Item 16: Investment Discretion.................................................................................... 22
Item 17: Voting Client Securities (Proxy Voting)........................................................... 22
Item 18: Financial Information..................................................................................... 22
Balance Sheet.......................................................................................................................22
Financial Conditions Reasonably Likely to Impair Ability to Meet Contractual Commitments to
Clients................................................................................................................................. 22
Bankruptcy Petitions in Previous Ten Years.......................................................................... 22
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Item 4: Advisory Business
Description of the Advisory Firm
Human Interest Advisors LLC (“Adviser”) is a limited liability company organized in
Delaware in June 2015. Adviser is a wholly owned subsidiary of Human Interest Inc.
(“Recordkeeper”).
Adviser provides investment advisory services to employer-sponsored retirement plans
(“Plans”) and plan participants (“Participants”). As appointed by the Plan sponsor, Adviser
will provide either (i) discretionary investment management over investment lineups and
Model Portfolios (as defined below) in an ERISA Section 3(38) capacity or (ii) investment
lineup advice from a recommended menu in an ERISA Section 3(21) capacity and
discretionary investment management of the Model Portfolios for participants and the
investment lineup in the Model Portfolios in a 3(38) capacity, each as further described
under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1976 (“ERISA”). In connection with
the Adviser’s appointment to provide such services, the Adviser agrees with Plan sponsors
to make available its investment advisory services to Participants, who can opt to invest in
a Model Portfolio that the Adviser recommends or select on their own from the Plan’s
available investments (“Participant Selected Portfolio”). For Participants who do not make
one of these selections, the Adviser will select a Default Allocation (as defined below).
Participants will use an online platform to provide information about themselves and
accept the Adviser's services.
Recordkeeper provides a digital platform that enables small and medium sized businesses
to offer defined contribution retirement plans, such as 401(k) plans and 403(b) plans, to
their employees. The digital platform is offered in multiple service levels, each with
different administrative servicing features. Recordkeeper also provides recordkeeping and
administrative services to the Plan as an agent of its sponsor (e.g., set-up, onboarding,
payroll sync, and recordkeeping/administration). If a Plan engages Recordkeeper for its
recordkeeping and administration services, then the Plan and its Participants also receive
Adviser’s investment advisory services in accordance with the Plan’s appointment of the
Adviser. Starting March 2025, the Plan sponsor may appoint an unaffiliated investment
adviser for such services, to the exclusion of the Adviser.
Types of Advisory Services
Adviser provides investment advice with respect to limited types of investments, which
currently are open-end mutual funds, cash equivalents, money market funds and (starting
in the first half of 2025) collective investment trusts, but which also may include
exchange-traded funds or similar investment vehicles, as well as separate accounts and
other investments (“Investment Options”), and its advice is limited to recommending these
types of Investment Options to Plans and Participants. The Adviser generates model
portfolios that consist of target percentages for investment in certain of these Investment
Options (each a “Model Portfolio”). Except for Participant Selected Portfolios, every
Participant will be invested in a Model Portfolio as recommended by the Adviser where
once each quarter, Adviser will determine whether to rebalance Participant’s account
based on the applicable Model Portfolio.
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Plans
If a Plan chooses Adviser to act as an investment adviser under Section 3(21) of ERISA ,
Adviser will assist the Plan to develop a menu of Investment Options, and the Plan will
make the investment menu available to Participants. When acting in a 3(21) capacity,
Adviser does not have the discretion to change the Plan’s investment menu. The
investment menu developed by the Plan with the assistance of the Adviser will include the
Investment Options of the Model Portfolios (which the Adviser will manage in a 3(38)
capacity) as well as other Investment Options chosen by the Plan. The Adviser will assist in
monitoring the Adviser's recommended Investment Options, but will not provide
monitoring and advice on Investment Options not recommended by Adviser. The Plan
retains all authority and responsibility to select the available Investment Options.
Participants are able to select their investments from their Plan’s investment menu, select
from the available Model Portfolios, or use the Default Allocation.
If a Plan chooses Adviser to act as a fiduciary to the Plan pursuant to Section 3(38) of
ERISA, Adviser will develop and select a menu of Investment Options to be provided to the
Plan and therefore Participants. Adviser has discretionary authority to change the menu of
Investment Options and will monitor the Investment Options. The investment menu
developed by Adviser for the Plan will include the Investment Options of the Model
Portfolios, as well as other Investment Options. Participants are able to select their
investments from their Plan’s investment menu, select from the available Model Portfolios,
or use the Default Allocation.
Participants
Participants receive discretionary investment management services through investments in
Model Portfolios, unless they choose a Participant Selected Portfolio. Participants can: (1)
accept the Adviser’s recommended Model Portfolio based on information provided by the
Plan and Participant, e.g., current age, and assumptions that Adviser makes regarding a
Participant’s financial circumstances and preferred risk level; (2) complete or update such
information, in which case the Adviser could recommend a different Model Portfolio that
the Participant can accept; (3) choose a Model Portfolio by indicating their risk tolerance; or
(4) choose their own investments (a Participant Selected Portfolio). Not engaging on the
platform to accept the Adviser’s recommended Model Portfolio or to select a Participant
Selected Portfolio will result in a Participant receiving the Model Portfolio selected by the
Adviser, i.e., the Default Allocation (discussed below).
For all but Participant Selected Portfolios, once each quarter, the Adviser will determine
whether to rebalance Participant’s account to be aligned with the applicable Model
Portfolio. Additionally, except for Participant Selected Portfolios and accounts of those
that opt-out on the platform, Participants’ accounts will be opted into a “glide path,” which
will result in the Participant’s Model Portfolio being adjusted to another Model Portfolio,
with the goal of gradually reducing the expected risk of the Participant’s account as the
Participant ages; the Adviser will then rebalance the account based on the replacement
Model Portfolio, in the Adviser’s discretion. In reducing the risk of a Participant’s account,
investment returns can also be reduced. The glide path is based on age bands selected by
the Adviser from time to time, taking into account any risk information the Participant has
provided, but such adjustment will not reflect an assessment of the Participant’s
investment objectives or financial condition at the time. Other than through this feature,
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the Adviser will not review the Participant’s account to determine whether a Model
Portfolio continues to be appropriate or assess if another Model Portfolio would be better.
However, a Participant can use the platform to update their information, and this process
will result in the Adviser recommending a Model Portfolio.
For Participants who accept the Adviser’s recommended Model Portfolio, their portfolio
will be rebalanced pursuant to the discretionary investment management authority
granted to Adviser. Rebalancing is intended to assure that portfolios remain aligned with
the Model Portfolio’s underlying allocation when Adviser can identify sufficient
rebalancing opportunities (i.e., trades) to realign the actual Participant portfolio to the
Model Portfolio’s allocation targets.
Participants are not required to accept any Model Portfolio that Adviser recommends and
can choose their own investments by selecting from the available investment options in a
Plan’s investment menu, i.e., the Participant Selected Portfolio.
Each Plan has designated the Adviser to provide discretionary investment management
services as the qualified default investment alternative (“QDIA”) for the Plan. Thus, if a
Participant has not engaged with the platform to accept a recommended Model Portfolio
or to select a Participant Selected Portfolio, then the Adviser will manage a Participant’s
account in accordance with a default Model Portfolio that the Adviser selects for a
Participant based on the Participant’s current age (“Default Allocation”). The Adviser has
the discretion to rebalance the Participant’s account to the Default Allocation as described
above.
Client Tailored Services and Client Imposed Restrictions
Plans
If a Plan selects the Adviser to serve in a 3(38) capacity, Adviser selects the Plans’ Model
Portfolios and other Investment Options based on the Adviser’s investment policy
statement (which is adopted by the Plan) and Advisers’ own due diligence on each
Investment Option. Plans that select the Adviser’s 3(38) services cannot impose
investment restrictions. Plans that would like to impose restrictions (e.g., remove an
Investment Option) can do so by appointing the Adviser in a 3(21) capacity.
Participants
As described above, Participants that use the platform receive a Model Portfolio
recommendation that is based on information that the Adviser has received, e.g., current
age, and assumptions that Adviser makes regarding a Participant’s financial circumstances
and preferred risk level, and the Participant can make adjustments to such information to
receive an updated Model Portfolio recommendation. However, Participants do not have to
accept these recommendations. Instead, a Participant could choose any Model Portfolio by
indicating their risk tolerance or, if a Participant prefers to select their own Investment
Option allocations, choose a Participant Selected Portfolio.
Participants that do not use the platform will receive a Model Portfolio based on their
current age, also referred to as a Default Allocation, as described above.
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In providing these recommendations and Default Allocations, the Adviser does not consider
other assets held by the Participants or diversification of Participants’ entire portfolio of
investments.
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2024, Adviser had $5,428,607,645 in assets under management
managed on a discretionary basis. While both Participants and Plans are clients, we count
the assets under management attributable to Participants in a Plan once. Separately,
Adviser’s non-discretionary assets are assets under advisement on behalf of Participant
Selected Portfolios and are not reflected above. The amount of non-discretionary assets
under advisement on behalf of Participant Selected Portfolios as of December 31, 2024
was $1,181,200,675.
Item 5: Fees and Compensation
Advisory Services Fees
Plans
Plans are assessed an advisory services fee for investment advisory services provided to
the Plan and for making discretionary investment management services available to
Participants. Plan Participants ultimately pay these fees indirectly as they are deducted
from Participants’ Plan account balances, unless the Plan sponsor has agreed to assume
such fees. Advisory services fees are negotiated and charged at the Plan-level and are
calculated based on a percentage of the total amount of Participants’ Plan account
balances. Advisory fees are charged monthly in arrears based upon the previous period.
Participants
The Adviser’s fee is automatically deducted from the Plan’s assets, and the applicable
portion of this fee is reflected in the balance of the Participant’s account, unless the Plan
sponsor has agreed to assume these fees. The Adviser’s asset-based fee is typically 0.12%
annually (or 0.01% monthly). The Adviser has negotiated different rates with certain Plans,
which could result in lower or higher fees, and anticipates continuing to do so in the
future. Plan sponsors should review their order forms for details concerning the fees
applicable to their Plans, and Participants may view the asset-based fees reflected in the
balance of their accounts by accessing their statements upon logging onto the
Recordkeeper’s platform.
Terminated accounts are charged an investment advisory fee at the Plan-level and such
fees are allocated to the Participant until the Participant account balance is zero or the
assets are no longer held by the custodian.
Other Fees or Expenses
Plans
Plans incur other types of fees and expenses in connection with the advisory services
offered by the Adviser, including fees due to Recordkeeper (an affiliate of Adviser), as
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further described below.
Plans pay asset-based and non-asset based fees, which may include administration fees,
setup fees, user support fees and fees for special features, to the Recordkeeper for
providing Plans with recordkeeping and administrative services, software-as-a-service
applications, and other services such as third-party custodial services. If agreed to in
writing between Recordkeeper and the Plan sponsor, one or more of these fees may be
charged to the Plan’s assets, and the applicable portion of such fees will be reflected in
the balance of each Participant’s account. These fees are charged on a monthly or annual
basis, and the amount of these fees may vary depending on the level of services.
For recordkeeping services, Plans are charged an asset-based fee by the Recordkeeper.
The Recordkeeper’s asset-based fee is automatically deducted from the Plan’s assets, and
the applicable portion of this fee is reflected in the balance of each Participant’s account,
unless the Plan sponsor has agreed to assume this fee. The Recordkeeper’s asset-based
fee typically ranges up to 0.60% annually (or 0.05% monthly).
Plan sponsors should review their order form for details concerning the fees applicable to
their Plans, and Participants may view any applied fees reflected in the balance of their
accounts by accessing their statements upon logging onto the platform.
Plans can also hire a third-party advisor to provide advisory services to a Plan, where the
Plan and the third-party advisor directly negotiate fees. A Plan can request that the
Recordkeeper effectuate these payments, and the Adviser would assist in managing the
liquidation of securities held in Participant accounts; those proceeds would be used to pay
the fee.
Participants
Plans’ investment menus include underlying Investment Options, such as mutual funds
and, starting in the first half of 2025, collective investment trusts. All Investment Options
incur costs in connection to their operation and management, which are disclosed in each
Investment Option’s offering documents. A fee disclosure is also provided by the
Recordkeeper to the Plan and Participants. These fees are therefore borne by each
Participant in proportion to their individual holdings.
As discussed above, Participants bear a portion of the Adviser’s and Recordkeeper’s
asset-based fees, which are allocated to their accounts pro rata.
In addition, certain funds that are included in some Plans’ investment menus have
additional fees, specifically 12b-1 fees, which are disclosed to the Plan and Participants in
the fee disclosures provided by the Recordkeeper annually. If a Plan includes share classes
of funds that charge 12b-1 fees, those funds have been specifically selected by the Plan
sponsor or the Plan’s third party adviser; Adviser does not recommend such share classes.
Please see Item 12 of this brochure for more information on brokerage practices.
The fees payable to Adviser and Recordkeeper described herein are generally subject to
modification or reduction by the Adviser or Recordkeeper, as applicable, and as
negotiated with respect to any Plan sponsor.
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Outside Compensation for the Sale of Securities to Clients
In some cases, a Plan’s investment menu, but not the Model Portfolios, include Investment
Options chosen by the Plan sponsor that are mutual fund share classes that are charged
12b-1 fees, which are additional fees paid by the fund to an intermediary like the
Recordkeeper for selling or servicing the mutual fund’s shares and shareholders,
respectively. In most of these cases, there are lower-cost share classes of the same or
similar mutual fund that are not charged such 12b-1 fees. The practice of including in
investment menus mutual fund share classes that are charged 12b-1 fees creates a
conflict of interest between the Participant and Adviser because the compensation that the
Recordkeeper receives provides the Adviser an incentive to recommend the share class
rather than another that might better meet the client’s needs. However, this conflict is
mitigated by Adviser not recommending any such share classes, and in the event a Plan
chooses to include such a share class, by Recordkeeper not keeping any such 12b-1 fees -
Recordkeeper contributes the 12b-1 fees that it receives to the applicable Plans to pay
their plan expenses, which can include the Recordkeeper’s fees.
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side
Management
Adviser does not charge performance-based fees, which are fees based on a share of
capital gains on or capital appreciation of any client account.
Item 7: Types of Clients
Adviser provides advisory services to defined contribution plans, including 401(k) and
403(b) plans, and Plan Participants.
Recordkeeper does not require a minimum dollar amount for a Plan to join the platform.
However, the platform is provided by the Recordkeeper, and all of the Adviser’s advisory
clients have an agreement with the Recordkeeper and must be set up on the
Recordkeeper’s platform prior to commencing advisory services.
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies,
and Risk of Loss
Methods of Analysis
Adviser’s methods of analysis include modern portfolio theory.
Modern portfolio theory is an investment theory that in application attempts to maximize
portfolio expected return for a given amount of portfolio risk, or equivalently minimize
risk for a given level of expected return, each by carefully choosing the proportions of
various assets.
Adviser uses a buy and hold strategy, meaning that the Adviser does not alter the
underlying Investment Options in its Model Portfolios unless it is determined to be
10
needed, and the Model Portfolios are intended to be held by Participants long-term.
Adviser does not utilize short-term investment or trading strategies.
Adviser believes in selecting Investment Options that utilize both active and passive
investment management strategies. Passive management involves a manager constructing
a portfolio intended to generate a risk and return profile, before fees and expenses, that
mimics the risk and return profile of the index it is designed to track. Active management
involves a manager constructing a portfolio intended to generate returns greater than the
broader market or a designated benchmark, thus actively adjusting portfolios to seek to
take advantage of, or mitigate the risk of, changes in market conditions. Although the
Adviser believes in making actively-managed Investment Options available in plan menus,
the Model Portfolios currently include only passively-managed Investment Options.
The due diligence criteria used by Adviser for its selected Investment Options include,
but are not limited to, the following:
• Volatility and performance relative to benchmarks;
• Demonstrated adherence to stated investment objectives;
• Fees and expense ratios;
• Availability through the Custodian’s (as defined below) trading platform, and
• Manager’s organization size, structure, and history; management profile and
investment philosophy; staff experience and depth; and technological commitment to
research.
Material Risks Involved
The risks discussed herein do not encompass all of the risks involved in investing in the
Model Portfolios or Participant Selected Portfolios. Plans and Participants are
encouraged to read the disclosures provided to them about the underlying Investment
Options. Investing in securities involves a risk of loss that all investors should be
prepared to bear.
• Methods of Analysis
Modern portfolio theory assumes that investors are risk averse, meaning that given two
portfolios that offer the same expected return, investors will prefer the less risky one.
Thus, an investor will take on increased risk only if compensated by higher expected
returns. Conversely, an investor who wants higher expected returns must accept more
risk. The exact trade-off will be the same for all investors, but different investors will
evaluate the trade-off differently based on individual risk aversion characteristics. The
implication is that a rational investor will not invest in a portfolio if a second portfolio
exists with a more favorable risk-expected return profile.
Investment Strategies
•
Long term investing is designed to capture market rates of both return and risk. Due to its
nature, the long-term investment strategy can expose clients to various types of risk that
will typically surface at various intervals during the time the client owns the investments.
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These risks include, but are not limited to, inflation risk, interest rate risk, economic risk,
market risk, and political/regulatory risk.
Investments Vary from the Model Portfolio or a Participant Selected Portfolio
•
On any particular day, the actual allocation of a Participant’s account assets can differ
from the applicable Model Portfolio or from a Participant Selected Portfolio, as applicable.
These differences can arise due to a variety of factors, such as rounding, minimum trade
sizes, contribution size, market movements, changes to the Plan, availability of the
Investment Options, timing of investment of contributions, variations in investment
selection based on the costs of investing contributions or rebalancing investments (as
determined in Adviser’s sole discretion), the capacity of the Plan’s provider of
recordkeeping services or trustee to execute account directions, and any legal, regulatory,
or other trading restrictions, including those that securities exchanges or parties other
than Adviser impose. For these reasons, the Participant’s Investment Options can vary
from the Model Portfolio or Participant Selected Portfolio.
• Reliance on Technology and Errors
Adviser’s advisory services are fundamentally dependent on technology, including
automation, and Adviser utilizes various sources of technology to formulate its advice and
develop recommendations, including technology provided by the Recordkeeper as
discussed in the “Reliance on Affiliate Recordkeeper” section of this brochure. A
technological defect or malfunction will negatively impact the accuracy of Adviser’s Model
Portfolios and negatively impact a Participant’s account. Hardware and software are known
to have errors, omissions, imperfections, and malfunctions (collectively, “Coding Errors”).
Coding Errors in third-party software are generally entirely outside of the control of the
Adviser. With respect to its own technology and its affiliate’s technology, Adviser will seek
to reduce the incidence and impact of Coding Errors. Coding Errors can be exacerbated by
the lack of or incomplete design or specifications, and can go undetected for periods of
time or never be detected such that the impact caused by such Coding Errors can
compound over time. Plans and Participants should assume that Coding Errors are present
in the technology utilized by the Adviser, and there are risks and impacts to its use that
could materially adversely affect a Plan or Participant portfolio. The Adviser utilizes
monitoring and has designed independent safeguards, but there is no guarantee the
Adviser will be successful, and Coding Errors will result in, among other things, the failure
to properly gather and organize available data, the failure to correctly analyze the data,
the failure to generate intended or optimal investment outputs and the failure to
adequately complete a desired function or monitor Participant portfolios.
Further, to the extent that a software or hardware malfunction or problem is caused by a
defect, security breach, virus, or other outside force, Plans and Participants could be
materially adversely affected.
• Reliance on Affiliated Recordkeeper
The Recordkeeper provides technology services to the platform, as well as recordkeeping
and administrative services to the Plans and Participants. The Adviser’s clients are also
customers of the Recordkeeper, and the Adviser provides its services through the
platform provided by the Recordkeeper. The Recordkeeper also assists with calculations
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related to rebalancing trades, allocations of trades to the Plans and their Participants,
transmittal of trade orders to broker-dealers for execution, allocation of dividends to the
Plans and their Participants, calculation of advisory fees, and fee withdrawals, among
other matters. The Recordkeeper and Adviser also share resources. In these connections,
the Adviser is materially dependent on the Recordkeeper in order to provide its advisory
services.
The Adviser owns (or holds a license to) any intellectual property necessary to the
Adviser’s formulation of investment advice, including the algorithm used in generating its
models. The Adviser also relies on the Recordkeeper for code, software, and other
material and intellectual property, such as the platform that allows for communications
with advisory clients (“Licensed IP”). Revocation, significant limitations or other similar
changes to the Licensed IP could materially impact the Adviser and Model Portfolios,
including the platform’s availability, accuracy, completeness, effectiveness and other
utility. At this time, the Recordkeeper is not sharing such Licensed IP with third parties.
Recordkeeper also provides various services to the Adviser, including administrative,
legal, certain compliance support (e.g., development of monitoring mechanisms and
building reports), technical (including cybersecurity) and clerical services, access to
technology equipment and office facilities, maintenance and support services, and other
miscellaneous services. The Adviser pays Recordkeeper certain fees for provision of these
services; however, such fees are borne by the Adviser and not by Plans or Participants.
Certain personnel of the Adviser have or have had a direct employment relationship with
Recordkeeper, and can have deferred compensation arrangements in respect of that
employment.
Because of the above, the Adviser is materially dependent on Recordkeeper and the
talents and efforts of individuals employed by the Recordkeeper. Recordkeeper is not a
fiduciary to the Adviser. The success of the Adviser and its Model Portfolios is largely
dependent upon the Recordkeeper to (i) continue to develop and license to the Adviser the
Licensed IP necessary for the Adviser to provide its advisory services, and (ii) continue to
provide services to the Adviser. If the Recordkeeper ceases to do so, or to do so
effectively, the Adviser and Model Portfolios will be materially adversely affected.
• Material Third Party Relationship Risks
Adviser maintains and relies on vendor relationships with unaffiliated service providers to
provide its advisory services. It is possible that a vendor could experience a risk event,
such as a cybersecurity or financial impairment, which could in turn affect Adviser’s
advisory services.
Risks of Specific Securities Utilized
Plans and Participants should be aware that there is a material risk of loss using any
investment strategy. This risk includes the potential loss of principal (i.e., amounts
invested) and any unrealized gains. Markets can be volatile, and prices of Investment
Options, including mutual funds and collective investment trusts and their underlying
investments can fluctuate substantially over time. Other factors such as economic and
political events can also affect investment performance. There is no guarantee that any
investment will not lose money.
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Investment Company Risk: When a Participant invests in open-end mutual funds or
other Investment Options, the Participant faces the investment risks of those funds, such
as the possibility that the value of the securities or instruments held by the Investment
Option could decrease. In addition, passively managed Investment Options may not track
the performance of their respective reference assets and may hold troubled securities or
other investments, and actively managed Investment Options may fail to achieve their
investment objectives. A Participant also indirectly bears its proportionate share of any
fees and expenses payable directly by those funds.
Market Risk: A decline in the stock or bond market could depress the prices of securities
in a Participant’s portfolio.
Interest Rate Risk: A change in interest rates or a change in the relationship between
different market interest rates could depress the prices of securities in a Participant’s
portfolio.
Event Risk: An adverse event affecting a particular company or that company’s industry
could depress the price of investments in that company’s stocks or bonds. A company,
government, or other entity that issued bonds could become less able to, or fail to, repay,
service or refinance its debts, or the issuer’s credit rating could be downgraded by a
rating agency, as a result of the adverse event. Adverse events affecting a particular
country, including political and economic instability, could depress the value of
investments in issuers headquartered or doing business in or with that country.
Liquidity Risk: Securities that are normally liquid may become difficult or impossible to
sell at an acceptable price during periods of economic instability or other emergency
conditions.
Domestic and Foreign Political Risk: Domestic events relating to politics, government,
and elections can affect U.S. markets. Political events occurring in the home country of a
foreign company held by any mutual fund, such as revolutions, nationalization, and
currency collapse, can have an impact on the security held by the fund.
Inflation Risk: Nations around the globe may be more or less prone to inflation than the
U.S. economy at any given time. Companies operating in countries with higher inflation
rates may find it more difficult to post profits.
Item 9: Disciplinary Information
Criminal or Civil Actions
There are no criminal or civil actions to report.
Administrative Proceedings
There are no administrative proceedings to report.
Self-regulatory Organization Proceedings
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There are no self-regulatory organization proceedings to report.
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities and
Affiliations
Registration as a Broker/Dealer or Broker/Dealer Representative
Neither Adviser nor its representatives are registered as or have pending applications to
become a broker/dealer or a representative of a broker/dealer.
Registration as a Futures Commission Merchant, Commodity Pool
Operator, or a Commodity Trading Advisor
Neither Adviser nor its representatives are registered as or have pending applications to
become a Futures Commission Merchant, Commodity Pool Operator, or Commodity
Trading Advisor, or an associated person of the foregoing entities.
Relationships or Arrangements Material to this Advisory Business and
Conflicts of Interest
Adviser is wholly owned by Recordkeeper. Recordkeeper and Adviser have a common goal
of offering full-service retirement plans to Plans, which are shared clients. Recordkeeper
provides Plans with recordkeeping, administration, and integration with payroll providers
(which are not affiliated), while Adviser provides investment advice and investment
management services in a 3(21) or 3(38) capacity. Adviser’s services are not currently
available to clients other than the Plan customers of Recordkeeper. Lower fees could be
available through service providers offering advisory services separately from retirement
recordkeeping services. These conditions result in a financial incentive for Adviser and
Recordkeeper to offer a bundled service offering to Plans and Participants. Clients of the
Adviser might be able to obtain more favorable fees and/or services if a Plan were to
choose different service providers.
Recordkeeper owns certain of the intellectual property utilized by Adviser, such as the
Licensed IP, but the Adviser performs the advisory services and owns the rights to the
investment and trading algorithms that it uses. Additionally, the Recordkeeper supports
the infrastructure that runs the platform, as well as the technology to execute certain
advisory functions. Recordkeeper and Adviser share office space, and certain individuals
provide services for both Recordkeeper and Adviser. Many Recordkeeper employees
support the daily operations of both affiliates. These conditions result in a material
dependency of the Adviser on Recordkeeper and serve as another financial incentive for
Adviser and Recordkeeper to offer a bundled service offering to Plans and Participants. For
additional information, please see Item 8 at “Reliance on Affiliated Recordkeeper.”
These financial interests in a bundled offering incentivize and could cause the
Recordkeeper and Adviser to grow or expand too fast, and not be able to keep pace with
such growth in terms of the technology, hiring and other support needed to service
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existing clients. However, the Recordkeeper’s management is committed to considering
the interests of both entities when making decisions, and as both entities serve the same
clients, the Recordkeeper has an interest in building a strong and robust platform on
behalf of both affiliates and their shared clients. Additionally, the Adviser is a separate
entity with its own executive officers, compliance team, and investment personnel. The
Adviser also has its own independent board of directors. The Adviser is committed to
ensuring adequate oversight of the Recordkeeper’s services that support the Adviser.
The Recordkeeper contracts with a third-party qualified custodian (“Custodian”) to provide
custodial services to the Plans. In order to utilize Recordkeeper’s services, Plans are
required to enter into a custody agreement, and in certain cases a trust agreement,
directly with the Custodian. The Recordkeeper pays the custodial fees charged by the
Custodian on behalf of the Plans. The trustee’s fees are passed through to the Plan
sponsor by the Recordkeeper, except for certain plans where the Recordkeeper has agreed
to pay the trustee fees for the Plan. Custodian does not compensate Recordkeeper or
Adviser to be recommended as a qualified custodian or trustee.
Unless a Plan sponsor selects a third-party adviser for investment advice and investment
management services in a 3(21) or 3(38) capacity, the Adviser’s services will be available
to Participants and Participants are required to enter into agreements with Adviser.
From time to time, some investors in the Recordkeeper have referred potential customers
to the Recordkeeper or are themselves a customer of the Recordkeeper. These
relationships result in a conflict of interest as lower fees for similar services can be
available through other providers of defined contribution retirement or advisory services.
From time to time, Recordkeeper desires to provide discounted fees to certain of its
customers and requests Adviser to do the same for those customers, which results in
select clients negotiating lower fees when similar services are provided to other clients at
a higher fee rate.
Recordkeeper currently offers incentives (a gift card up to $250) to qualified Participants
who enroll in and contribute to a Plan. The Adviser is an affiliate and can benefit to the
extent this incentive raises assets for the Adviser and related asset-based fees.
Selection of Other Advisers or Managers and How This Adviser is
Compensated for Those Selections
Adviser’s menu of recommended Model Portfolios and other Investment Options covers
asset classes with a range of risk and performance characteristics. Adviser’s
recommended investment menu and Model Portfolios include primarily low-cost index
funds from major asset classes and risk categories. At this time, each Investment Option
is a registered investment company (i.e., mutual fund) or an FDIC-insured cash account.
Starting in the first half of 2025, Adviser intends to include collective investment trusts,
which are pooled investment vehicles sponsored by a bank or trust company that are only
available to certain types of retirement plans and are not registered as investment
companies with the SEC. The due diligence criteria used for selecting each Investment
Option is discussed in Item 8. The Adviser is not paid by these managers to recommend
their Investment Option for a Plan’s investment menu or to include them in a Model
Portfolio.
Adviser is not compensated by advisers to the Investment Options. An ownership interest
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in the Recordkeeper is held by affiliates of third-party investment managers, some of
whose funds are available (or may in the future be made available) in the Model Portfolios
and in certain Plans’ investment menus, which could result in such third-party managers
experiencing asset growth in their Investment Options that result in more asset-based
fees for those third-party managers serving in such role. The Adviser does not consider as
a factor that the investment manager is an investor in the parent Recordkeeper for
purposes of evaluating Investment Options. However, this business relationship causes a
conflict of interest in that the Adviser has a reason to favor these investment managers
over others, both when recommending or selecting Investment Options for a Plan menu
and when determining the composition of Model Portfolios due to the investor’s
investment in parent Recordkeeper. To address this conflict, Adviser has adopted policies
and procedures under which the Adviser’s recommendations or selections are made in a
manner that Adviser believes is consistent with its obligations and fiduciary duties as an
investment adviser, including by undergoing the due diligence described in Item 8 and
adherence to the Plan’s investment policy statement. No assurance can be made that
these policies and procedures will have their desired effect.
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in
Client Transactions and Personal Trading
Code of Ethics
client or prospective
client.
For a
copy of
Adviser has a written Code of Ethics (“the Code”) designed to establish a standard of
business conduct that reflects the firm’s fiduciary duties, defines the behavior expected of
its employees and directors, and limits employee and director activities with respect to
certain conflicts of interest as described in the Code. The Code covers the following areas:
Insider Trading, Personal Securities Transactions,
Private Securities Transactions,
Exempted Transactions, Prohibited Activities, Conflicts of
Interest, Gifts and
Entertainment, Confidentiality, Outside Business Activities, Certification of Compliance,
Reporting Violations, and Compliance Officer Duties with regards to: Training and
Education, Recordkeeping, Annual Review of the Compliance Program, and Sanctions. All
of Adviser’s access and supervised persons must acknowledge and agree to comply with
the terms of the Code annually, and as amended. All of Adviser’s access persons are
required to disclose their personal securities holdings. The Code is available upon request
the Code, email
to any
support@humaninterest.com.
Recommendations Involving Material Financial Interests
Adviser does not recommend that clients buy or sell any security in which a related person
to Adviser or Adviser has a material financial interest. But note the discussion of the
investors in the parent Recordkeeper, whose affiliates are also investment managers with
funds available in certain investment menus on the platform or the Model Portfolios (or
may in the future be made available) as discussed in Item 10.
Investing Personal Money in the Same Securities as Clients
From time to time, Adviser related persons, such as personnel, could buy or sell securities
for themselves that are also recommended to clients. This could provide an opportunity
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for advisory personnel to buy or sell the same securities before or after recommending the
same securities to clients. Adviser monitors access persons’ personal trading as required
by the Adviser’s Code of Ethics and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. However, Adviser
believes that the type of investment advice provided to its clients, relating solely to the
purchase and sale of widely available securities, such as open-end mutual funds, does not
create a material conflict of interest between clients and Adviser or its employees, nor the
opportunity for Adviser or its employees to profit improperly by buying or selling in
tandem with clients. For example, open-end mutual funds are priced once a day and all
clients, and any employees that purchase or sell shares of an open-end mutual fund,
receive the same price.
Item 12: Brokerage Practice
Factors Used to Select Custodians and/or Broker/Dealers
Adviser utilizes the Custodian and the Custodian’s broker-dealer that was selected by
Adviser’s affiliated Recordkeeper to provide custodial and brokerage services to the
Human Interest 401(k)/403(b) offering.
Research and Other Soft-Dollar Benefits
Adviser receives no research, products, or services other than execution from any
broker-dealers or custodians in connection with client securities transactions (“soft dollar
benefits”).
Brokerage for Client Referrals
Adviser does not receive referrals from a broker-dealer or third party in exchange for
using that broker-dealer or third party.
Clients Directing Which Broker/Dealer/Custodian to Use
Adviser does not permit clients to direct Adviser to execute transactions through a
specified broker-dealer. At this time, all trades executed on behalf of Plans and
Participants are purchases or sales of mutual fund shares or interests in collective
investment trusts, and Adviser does not receive compensation, cash or otherwise, from
the managers of the Investment Options recommended to Plans. In some cases, a Plan’s
investment menus, but not the Model Portfolios, include Investment Options that are
mutual fund share classes that are charged 12b-1 fees, which are additional fees paid by
the fund to an intermediary like the Recordkeeper for selling or servicing the mutual
fund’s shares and shareholders, respectively. See “Outside Compensation for the Sale of
Securities to Clients” for discussion of 12b-1 fees.
Aggregate (Block) Trading for Multiple Client Accounts
Trades executed for Plans on behalf of Participants are aggregated among a Plan’s
Participants. All Participants receive the same price for any security transaction on any
given day. If the Adviser is not able to aggregate an order, the client could incur higher
transaction costs or expenses as a result.
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Trading Practices
When preparing transactions that would result in trades for small nominal amounts where
an asset cannot be purchased due to fractional share limitation, Adviser will seek to
instead purchase another fund in the Participant’s Model Portfolio or otherwise invest or
place the amount in a cash equivalent. In these circumstances, it is possible to see a
variance from target weights within a Model Portfolio, however Adviser believes the degree
is not material to Participant accounts and is consistent with Adviser’s fiduciary duties to
its clients.
Trading Errors
As a fiduciary, Adviser has the responsibility to use reasonable care to execute orders in
the best interests of its clients. In the event an error occurs in the handling of a Participant
transaction due to Adviser’s actions or inaction, or actions of others, Adviser seeks to
identify through monitoring and correct those errors as promptly as possible without
disadvantaging the Participant.
To the extent that the error is Adviser’s responsibility, Adviser will be responsible for any
resulting loss. Any gains in a Participant’s account resulting from any such error are
retained by the Participant.
Adviser utilizes a calculator to automatically detect and correct trade errors. The system
calculates the gain or loss owed to the participant, reimburses them through a refund that
is invested according to their current investment elections, and posts such corrections to
the platform. The Adviser also utilizes exception reports to detect and correct any trade
errors not captured by the calculator. Adviser continues to evaluate and enhance its
monitoring capabilities regarding trade errors.
Item 13: Reviews of Accounts
Frequency and Nature of Periodic Reviews and Who Makes Those Reviews
Adviser’s investment personnel review the Model Portfolios and their underlying
Investment Options that are recommended to Plans on a quarterly basis for continued
alignment with the investment policy statement and the investment process described in
Item 8.
After a Participant has accepted a recommended Model Portfolio or a Default Allocation
has been selected for a Participant, Adviser will not review the Participant account to
determine whether the Model Portfolio continues to be appropriate or to assess whether a
different Model Portfolio would be better. If a Participant would like to change their Model
Portfolio, a Participant can use the platform to update their risk information, in which case
Adviser will recommend a Model Portfolio taking into account this updated information. In
addition, for those in Model Portfolios there are quarterly rebalancing reviews and
glide-path features, as discussed in Item 4.
Content and Frequency of Regular Reports Provided to Clients
Plan and Participant clients have access through Recordkeeper’s website to quarterly
reports detailing their Plan account, including assets held, asset value, investment gains,
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investment losses, and fees deducted. Participants can access their individual account
information at any time through Recordkeeper’s website and are provided with a
statement on a quarterly basis.
Investment Management and Rebalancing
Participants Using Model Portfolio or in a Default Allocation
Unless a Participant selects a Participant Selected Portfolio, Adviser will determine, based
on the applicable Model Portfolio, which securities to purchase or sell for the Participant’s
account and the amount of the purchases and sales. Once each quarter, Adviser will
determine whether to rebalance the Participant’s account assets based on the applicable
Model Portfolio.
Unless a Participant chooses a Participant Selected Portfolio or opts-out of the glide-path
feature, the Adviser will periodically select a different Model Portfolio with the goal of
gradually reducing the expected risk of the Participant’s Model Portfolio as the Participant
ages. Adviser will determine the timing of any such change in its discretion and will
generally make such determination based solely on the Participant’s progression across
age bands (which may span five, ten or more years) that Adviser establishes from time to
time. Adviser’s automated portfolio adjustment process is designed solely to gradually
reduce the expected risk of the Participant’s Model Portfolio as they age, taking into
account any risk information that the Participant provides, and does not reflect an
assessment of the Participant’s investment objectives or financial condition at the time of
any adjustment. Reducing the risk in the Participant’s account can reduce the investment
returns. A Participant can opt-out of the automated portfolio adjustment process by
logging into the platform and declining this option.
After the Participant has accepted a recommended Model Portfolio (or the Adviser has
selected a Default Allocation for the Participant), Adviser will not review Participant’s
account to determine whether the Model Portfolio continues to be appropriate or to assess
whether a different Model Portfolio would be better for the Participant. If a Participant
would like to change their Model Portfolio, the Participant can update their risk
information on the platform, in which case Adviser will recommend a Model Portfolio
taking into account this updated information.
Adviser is permitted to alter the age ranges of those invested in a certain Default
Allocation, alter the age ranges for its glide-path feature, or revise its Model Portfolios,
and these actions could result in the Adviser selecting a new Model Portfolio or modifying
a Model Portfolio for a Participant’s account at any time based on factors it determines to
be appropriate, which can also include changes in market and economic conditions, and
changes in or availability of the Investment Options.
Participants Using a Participant Selected Portfolio
If a Participant chooses a Participant Selected Portfolio, Adviser will not rebalance the
account, and contributions will be invested approximately in proportion to the targets
established for the Participant Selected Portfolio subject to certain limitations. A Participant
can choose to receive a recommendation of a Model Portfolio from Adviser at any time
using the platform and accept such recommendation.
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Item 14: Client Referrals and Other Compensation
Economic Benefits Provided by Third Parties for Advice Rendered to
Clients
Adviser does not economically benefit, directly or indirectly, from third parties for
investment advice rendered to Adviser’s clients. There are investment managers whose
products are available as Investment Options (or may in the future be made available) that
also have an ownership interest in the Recordkeeper, as discussed further in Item 10 at
“Selection of Other Advisers or Managers and How This Adviser is Compensated for Those
Selections.”
Compensation to Third Parties for Client Referrals
Recordkeeper utilizes the services of unaffiliated firms as referral agents to assist with
finding new clients for its recordkeeping services. In consideration for such services,
Recordkeeper compensates the unaffiliated firm with a negotiated dollar amount at the
time of the referral, or a percentage of Recordkeeper’s administrative services fees.
Compensation with respect to the foregoing is disclosed to each client, to the extent
required.
In some cases, a third party advisor that provides investment advisory services
independent of and in addition to Adviser’s services can refer clients to Recordkeeper.
Unrelated to a referral fee, Recordkeeper will facilitate the payment to the third-party
advisor for their advisory services to the Plan, and starting in March 2025, will provide an
online tool for such advisors to manage and analyze their clients’ plans. The third-party
advisor fees are separately negotiated between the third party advisor and the Plan as
discussed in Item 5.
These arrangements create an incentive for a third party or existing client to refer
prospective clients to Recordkeeper, even if the third party would otherwise not make the
referral.
While these referrals are to the Recordkeeper, the Adviser is an affiliate and can benefit
from a successful referral to the Recordkeeper to the extent it raises assets for the
Adviser and related asset-based fees.
Item 15: Custody
Adviser’s authority to deduct advisory fees from Plan assets results in Adviser being
deemed to have constructive custody of those assets. In addition, Recordkeeper deducts
asset-based fees for recordkeeping services from Plan assets, and as a result, Adviser could
be deemed to have constructive custody of Participant funds because of the ability of
Recordkeeper, an affiliate of the Adviser, to deduct those fees. All assets in the Plan
account, including funds, cash, and securities are held by a qualified custodian, and such
accounts are required to undergo surprise examinations by an independent public
accountant.
Advisory fees are deducted from Plan assets per the Plan’s instructions, which will be
21
reflected in the balance of Participant accounts.
Participants receive quarterly statements from the Recordkeeper that they should carefully
review. A copy of Participants’ statements are also provided to the Plan sponsor via the
Recordkeeper’s online platform. Additionally, Plans receive a quarterly plan-level statement
from the Custodian. Plan sponsors should carefully review these statements, and any
discrepancies should be brought to the attention of the Adviser.
Item 16: Investment Discretion
Adviser exercises discretionary trading authority with regard to the Model Portfolios used in
Participant portfolios. Adviser has the ability to buy, sell and exchange the underlying
investments in a Model Portfolio within a Participant's account without obtaining prior
consent from Participants. In addition, Adviser has discretionary authority when liquidating
Participant holdings to generate cash to pay advisory fees and Recordkeeper fees.
Plans are required to submit an order form prior to engaging the Adviser for services, while
the Participant advisory relationship is formed when the Participant receives the Default
Allocation or makes use of the discretionary advisory services available on the platform. The
Adviser does not exercise discretionary authority or provide recommendations when the
Participant uses a Participant Selected Portfolio.
Item 17: Voting Client Securities (Proxy Voting)
Adviser will not ask for, nor accept voting authority for Participant held securities. Clients
will receive proxies directly from the issuer of the security or the Custodian. Clients should
direct all proxy questions to the issuer of the security.
Item 18: Financial Information
Balance Sheet
Adviser neither requires nor solicits prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees per client, six
months or more in advance, and therefore is not required to include a balance sheet with
this brochure.
Financial Conditions Reasonably Likely to Impair Ability to Meet
Contractual Commitments to Clients
Neither Adviser nor its parent company, Recordkeeper, has any financial condition that is
likely to reasonably impair Adviser’s ability to meet contractual commitments to clients.
Bankruptcy Petitions in Previous Ten Years
Adviser has not been the subject of a bankruptcy petition.
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