Overview
- Headquarters
- Media, PA
- Average Client Assets
- $3.5 million
- Minimum Account Size
- $500,000
- SEC CRD Number
- 110281
Fee Structure
Primary Fee Schedule (O'BRIEN GREENE & CO. INC. PART 2A)
| Min | Max | Marginal Fee Rate |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $2,000,000 | 0.85% |
| $2,000,001 | $4,000,000 | 0.75% |
| $4,000,001 | $5,000,000 | 0.65% |
| $5,000,001 | and above | 0.50% |
Minimum Annual Fee: $4,250
Illustrative Fee Rates
| Total Assets | Annual Fees | Average Fee Rate |
|---|---|---|
| $1 million | $8,500 | 0.85% |
| $5 million | $38,500 | 0.77% |
| $10 million | $63,500 | 0.64% |
| $50 million | $263,500 | 0.53% |
| $100 million | $513,500 | 0.51% |
Clients
- HNW Share of Firm Assets
- 66.26%
- Total Client Accounts
- 355
- Discretionary Accounts
- 331
- Non-Discretionary Accounts
- 24
Services Offered
Services: Financial Planning, Portfolio Management for Individuals, Portfolio Management for Pooled Investment Vehicles
Regulatory Filings
Primary Brochure: O'BRIEN GREENE & CO. INC. PART 2A (2026-03-12)
View Document Text
218 West State Street
Media, PA 19063
www.obriengreene.com
Form ADV Part 2A
Client Brochure
This Brochure was last updated on March 12, 2026
Item 1 – Cover Page
This Disclosure Brochure (“Brochure”) provides information about the
qualifications and business practices of O’Brien Greene & Co., Inc. (“O’Brien
Greene”). If you have any questions about the contents of this Brochure, please
contact us at: 610-891-7880, or by email at: matthew.obrien [at] obriengreene.com.
O’Brien Greene is a registered investment adviser with the United States Securities
and Exchange Commission (SEC file number 801-5866). The information in this
Brochure has not been approved or verified by the SEC, or by any state securities
authority. Registration does not imply endorsement or a certain level of skill or
training. The Brochure provides information about O’Brien Greene to assist you in
evaluating whether to hire or retain an investment adviser.
Additional information about O’Brien Greene and its advisory personnel is also
available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov by searching with our
firm name or CRD# 110281.
Form ADV Part II A
O’Brien Greene & Co., Inc.
Item 2 - Material Changes
This is an annual updating amendment. In this Item 2, we are required to provide a summary of
any material changes from the Form ADV Annual Amendment filing dated March 18, 2025 We
have not materially amended this Form ADV Brochure since our last amendment.
[Intentionally left blank]
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Form ADV Part II A
O’Brien Greene & Co., Inc.
Item 3 – Table of Contents
Item 1 – Cover Page ................................................................................................................ 1
Item 2 - Material Changes ........................................................................................................ 2
Item 3 – Table of Contents ....................................................................................................... 3
Item 4 - Advisory Business ...................................................................................................... 4
Item 5 - Fees and Compensation ............................................................................................... 9
Item 6 – Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management ............................................ 10
Item 7 – Types of Clients ....................................................................................................... 11
Item 8 - Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss ...................................... 11
Item 9 - Disciplinary Information............................................................................................ 14
Item 10 - Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations ................................................... 15
Item 11 - Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading .. 15
Item 12 - Brokerage Practices ................................................................................................. 17
Item 13 - Review of Accounts ................................................................................................ 18
Item 14 - Client Referrals and Other Compensation ................................................................. 18
Item 15 - Custody .................................................................................................................. 19
Item 16 - Investment Discretion .............................................................................................. 19
Item 17 - Voting Client Securities ........................................................................................... 19
Item 18 - Financial Information .............................................................................................. 20
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Item 4 - Advisory Business
Background and Management
O’Brien Greene is an investment advisory firm that has served families, individuals and
institutions for more than fifty-five years. Founded in 1969 by G. Davis Greene, Mark
O’Brien took over ownership and management of the firm in 1987 and changed its name
Greene Associates to O’Brien Greene & Co, Inc. In 2020 Matthew O’Brien, Ph.D.
assumed day-to-day leadership and principal ownership of our firm. Mark O’Brien
continues to serve as Chairman. Sally Sulcove, CFA, CFP has served as a lead research
analyst and portfolio manager since 2000.
O’Brien Greene’s clientele consists primarily of high-net-worth individuals, families,
trusts, charities, and pension and profit-sharing plans.
Investment Management Services
Our firm's principal service is independent discretionary investment management, for
which we receive a fee based upon a percentage of assets under management. Our firm
operates under a fiduciary duty to our clients, and neither the firm nor our employees sell
stocks, bonds, insurance, or other financial products, nor do we receive commissions on
the purchases or sales of securities in client accounts, or other remuneration from banks,
brokerages, or insurance companies.
We work with each client to understand their financial circumstances, investment time-
horizon, and risk tolerance to identify appropriate investment objectives and portfolio
design. Each client account is individually reviewed and managed. Clients may impose
restrictions on investing in certain securities or types of securities due to ethical or other
concerns. Each quarter of the year O’Brien Greene composes and sends to our clients a
market commentary letter along with a detailed portfolio appraisal and performance report
for the preceding period. Clients are responsible for notifying us of material changes in
their circumstances that impact on their investment objectives or financial situation and
we welcome client’s reaching out to discuss their circumstances and investments.
Client portfolios managed by O’Brien Greene consist primarily of publicly listed U.S. and
non-U.S. individual stocks, real estate investment trusts (REITs), limited partnerships,
investment-grade corporate and municipal bonds, and U.S. government obligations. Cash
management is an important aspect of managing client portfolios, accordingly, d epending
upon client objectives, we may maintain positions in treasury bills, money market funds,
or other cash equivalents. We also may from time to time supplement a client’s holdings
in individual stocks and bonds with certain exchange-traded funds as well as invest in
high-yield bonds when a client is comfortable with increased risk and wants to potentially
generate higher returns from their fixed-income investments.
In addition to overseeing our clients’ separately managed accounts, our firm is also the
general partner of a private fund, viz., the O’Brien Greene Small-Capitalization Stock
Fund, L.P. Our private fund was established in 1993 and invests primarily in smaller
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Form ADV Part II A
O’Brien Greene & Co., Inc.
capitalization public companies. As a private limited partnership, our fund is available
only to clients who meet defined accredited investor criteria and is only offered pursuant
to a separate disclosure and offering document that details the fund’s objectives,
operations, risks, fees, and other material information. The private fund charges higher
fees than the firm’s separate account management fee. In pursuit of higher returns for
investors able to assume more risk, private funds charge fees that are higher than an
industry average separate account management fee or industry average mutual fund
expense ratio. Matthew and Mark O’Brien are each limited partners of the partnership
fund. A subset of accredit investor clients have chosen to invest in our private fund after
reviewing its offering documents; we do not “put” clients into the fund at our own
discretion. See “Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management” below.
Financial Planning and Use of eMoney Advisor Software
O’Brien Greene’s clients may request us to compose a customized financial plan to help
them manage cash flow projections, saving objectives, charitable giving, stock option
vesting, and so on. The firm does not charge an additional fee for basic planning focused
on projections of asset growth, savings, spending and income levels but may charge a
negotiated hourly fee for more in-depth financial plans. To the extent requested by a
client, O’Brien Green may recommend the services of other professionals for certain non-
investment-related purposes, such as trust and estate attorneys, accountants, insurance
brokers, and so on. Clients are not under any obligation to engage the services of any such
professional referred. Financial planning can sometimes create a conflict of interest for an
investment adviser, as it can incentivize accumulation of investable assets with the adviser
as a priority planning aspect over other planning aspects like debt reduction or insurance.
We may provide clients who have financial planning needs with access to an online
financial dashboard and planning software that we license on our clients’ behalf from
eMoney Advisor, LLC. Clients who choose to use this dashboard and planning software
are responsible for the input, maintenance, accuracy, and completeness of their
information. When clients input information about assets or accounts that O’Brien Greene
does not manage and are “held-away” at the direction of an unrelated third-party or self-
directed by a client, we are not responsible for monitoring or overseeing these assets or
accounts. The dashboard and planning software licensed from eMoney Advisor LLC
provides clients access to financial planning concepts and tools which should not, in any
manner whatsoever, be construed as services, advice, or recommendations provided by
O’Brien Greene. Finally, we are not responsible for any adverse results a client may
experience if the client engages in financial planning or uses other tools available through
the eMoney software without O’Brien Greene’s assistance or oversight.
Use of Mutual Funds and Exchange Trade Funds
From time-to-time O’Brien Greene may purchase for its clients’ exchange-traded funds
(ETFs) or mutual funds for diversification benefits or exposure to targeted asset classes, or
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Form ADV Part II A
O’Brien Greene & Co., Inc.
to mitigate potential conflicts of interests for certain investors. ETFs and mutual funds
have fees and expenses apart from O’Brien Greene’s advisory fee.
Wrap Fee Programs
The firm does not participate in wrap-fee programs.
Discretionary/Non-Discretionary Account Statistics
The firm manages client assets on both a discretionary and non-discretionary basis.
“Discretionary” means the firm has the authority to decide what securities to buy and sell
without the client’s advance approval. As of December 31, 2025, the firm managed
approximately $464,234,000 in total assets; $421,174,000 is managed on a discretionary
basis and $43,160,000 on a non-discretionary basis.
Non-discretionary investment selection gives an investor control over their investment
decisions allowing for more customized recommendations based on individual goals and
risk tolerance. It may enable investors to gain more market knowledge over time. Non-
discretionary investment selection is more time consuming and requires investors to have
a good understanding of the specific investments, industry sectors and sub-sectors, as well
as various monetary and fiscal and policies and market dynamics. It can also be a
disadvantage in fast-paced market conditions as transactions may be carried out more
slowly compared to discretionary accounts. The firm does not recommend that investors
seek to retain investment selection.
Retirement Plan / IRA Rollover Recommendation Considerations
O’Brien Greene may provide you with recommendations and advice concerning your
employer retirement plan or other qualified retirement account as part of our advisory
services. A recommendation may include you consider withdrawing the assets from your
employer's retirement plan or other qualified retirement account and rolling the assets over
to an individual retirement account ("IRA"). Further, we may offer to you the availability
of our advisory services for those funds and securities targeted to be rolled into an IRA or
other account for which we charge advisory services management fee compensation. If
you elect to roll the assets to an IRA that is subject to our advisory services under a
written contract, we will charge you an asset-based fee. This practice presents a potential
conflict of interest because O’Brien Greene has an additional incentive to recommend a
rollover to you for the purpose of generating fee-based compensation in addition to
making a recommendation solely based upon your needs.
O’Brien Greene acts as a fiduciary for all accounts it manages; however, for retirement
plan and individual retirement accounts we have a specific responsibility to make certain
required disclosures in conjunction with providing rollover advice as follows:
When we provide investment advice to you regarding your retirement plan account
or individual retirement account, we are fiduciaries within the meaning of Title I
of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and/or the Internal Revenue
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Form ADV Part II A
O’Brien Greene & Co., Inc.
Code, as applicable, which are laws governing retirement accounts. The way we
make money creates some conflicts with your interests, so we operate under a
special rule that requires us to act in your best interest and not put our interest
ahead of yours.
Under this special rule’s provisions, we must:
• Meet a professional standard of care when making investment
recommendations (give prudent advice);
• Never put our financial interests ahead of yours when making
recommendations (give loyal advice);
• Avoid misleading statements about conflicts of interest, fees, and
investments;
• Follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that we give advice
that is in your best interest;
• Charge no more than is reasonable for our services; and
• Give you basic information about conflicts of interest.
You are encouraged to investigate independently educational materials on the pros and
cons of rolling over your 401k / pension into an IRA. Some important considerations are
summarized below.
You are under no obligation, contractually or otherwise, to complete the rollover.
Furthermore, if you do complete the rollover, you are under no obligation to have the
assets in an IRA managed by us. It is important for you to understand that many
employers permit former employees to keep their retirement assets in their company plan.
Also, current employees can sometimes move assets out of their company plan before they
retire or change jobs. In determining whether to complete the rollover to an IRA, and to
the extent the following options are available, you should consider the costs and benefits
of each.
An employee will often have four options:
1. Leave the funds in your former employer's plan.
2. Move the funds to a new employer's retirement plan.
3. Cash out and take a taxable distribution from the plan.
4. Roll the funds into an IRA rollover account.
Each of these options has advantages and disadvantages and before making a change we
encourage you to speak with your CPA and/or tax attorney.
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Form ADV Part II A
O’Brien Greene & Co., Inc.
If you are considering rolling over your retirement funds to an IRA for us to manage it is
important you understand the following:
1. Determine whether the investment options in your employer's retirement plan address
your needs or whether you might want to consider other types of investments
a) Employer retirement plans generally have a more limited investment menu than IRAs.
b) Employer retirement plans may have unique investment options not available to the
public such as employer securities, or previously closed funds.
2. Your current plan may have lower fees than our fees.
a) If you are interested in investing only in mutual funds, you should understand the cost
structure of the share classes available in your employer's retirement plan and how the
costs of those share classes compare with those available in an IRA.
b) You should understand the various products and services you might take advantage of
at an IRA provider and the potential costs of those products and services.
c) It is likely you will not be charged a separate management fee and will not receive
ongoing asset management services unless you elect to have such services. In the event
your plan offers asset management or model management, there may be a fee associated
with the services that is more or less than our asset management fee.
3. Our strategy may have higher risk than the option(s) provided to you in your plan.
4. Your current plan may offer financial advice, guidance, and/or model management or
portfolio options at no additional cost.
5. If you keep your assets titled in a 401k or retirement account, you could potentially
delay your required minimum distribution beyond age 70.5 (70 1⁄2).
6. Your 401k may offer more liability protection than a rollover IRA; each state law may
vary.
a) Generally, federal law protects assets in qualified plans from creditors. Since 2005, IRA
assets have been generally protected from creditors in bankruptcies. However, there can be
some exceptions to the general rules so you should consult an attorney if you are
concerned about protecting your retirement plan assets from creditors.
7. You may be able to take out a loan on your 401k, but not from an IRA.
8. IRA assets can be accessed any time; however, distributions are subject to ordinary
income tax and may also be subject to a 10% early distribution penalty unless they qualify
for an exception such as disability, higher education expenses or the purchase of a home.
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Form ADV Part II A
O’Brien Greene & Co., Inc.
Prior to proceeding, if you have questions contact our main number as listed on the cover
page of this Brochure for further assistance.
Item 5 - Fees and Compensation
Advisory Services Fee
The firm’s annual investment management fee, which is based on a percentage of the
aggregate value of assets under management in separate account portfolios, is billed
quarterly in advance. Cash positions (i.e., sweep vehicles, money markets and US
governmental securities) are treated as managed assets for the purposes of calculating the
advisory fee. All securities held in separate accounts managed by O’Brien Greene will be
independently valued by the account’s custodian. Clients may elect to have fees deducted
directly from their assets held at the custodian or to be billed separately.
Subject to an annual minimum annual fee of $4,250, the basic fee schedule is as follows:
0.85% for the first $2,000,000
0.75% for the next $2,000,000
0.65% for the next $1,000,000
0.50% thereafter
Fee structures may be adjusted at the discretion of the firm, based upon such factors as the
nature of assets, the amount of time required servicing the account, investment
restrictions, required meeting schedules, and so on. As a result of these factors, clients
with portfolios of similar size may be charged different fees due to the details of their
circumstances and needs. The services to be provided by O’Brien Greene to any client
could be available from other advisers at lower fees, and certain clients may have fees
different than those specifically set forth above.
The firm has a program for the young adult children of clients. For this program there is
no minimum account balance. The fee for the first year is $250. Thereafter: 0.95% of
assets. There is also a program for young professionals. The fee is 0.85% on assets. Often
for smaller accounts and accounts of younger investors, there may be little-to-no trading
activity for extended periods of time.
Clients are free to terminate their relationship with O’Brien Greene at any time. The
quarterly fees will be refunded on a prorated basis.
Consulting and Financial Planning Fees
The firm provides 401K consulting services for a fixed or hourly fee, depending on the
scope of the project. Any basic financial planning services requested by a client are
inclusive of the advisory fee. Any consulting or financial planning fee estimates for non-
basic plans will be provided to the client prior to engaging for these services.
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Form ADV Part II A
O’Brien Greene & Co., Inc.
Custodial, Brokerage and Other Fees and Expenses
Client assets managed by the firm are custodied by the qualified custodian selected by the
client (e.g., Charles Schwab or Fidelity). Brokerage and trading for the purchase and sale
of securities for your account are completed through the selected qualified custodian
institution and you may incur transaction charges and fees imposed by the broker/dealer or
dealer through whom your account transactions are executed . We do not share in any
portion of the brokerage fees/transaction charges imposed by the broker/dealer or
custodian. A client’s custodian may assess against a client’s assets other costs and fees
associated with certain trading types (e.g., options), corporate actions and asset custody
services separate from the firm’s advisory fee (e.g., foreign taxes, reorganization fees,
reporting fees, processing fees, ADR fees, wire and electronic fund transfer fees,
documentation fees). See “Advisory Business: Use of Mutual Funds and Exchange
Traded Funds” and “Brokerage Practices”
Clients may also be subject to administration fees arising from claims administration for
recoveries in conjunction with securities and antitrust litigation. For example, because of
owning a certain stock a client may be entitled to a monetary award arising from class-
action litigation involving shareholders in that stock. To receive his settlement in a timely
and efficient manner, the client may be subject to a claim administration fee charged by a
third-party service provider. O’Brien Greene does not receive any such administrative
fees.
The firm does not accept compensation for the sale of securities or other investment
products.
Item 6 – Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
A performance fee is a payment made to an investment manager for generating positive
returns. This is as opposed to a management fee, which is a charge levied by an
investment manager for managing investment assets. The management fee is intended to
compensate the managers for their time and expertise in selecting stocks and managing the
portfolio. A performance fee can be calculated in various ways. Most common is as a
percentage of investment profits, often both realized and unrealized.
O’Brien Greene accepts a performance-based fee limited to the limited partners in the
O’Brien Greene Small-Capitalization Stock Fund, L.P. in accordance with the provisions
set forth in the Investment Advisor’s Act of 1940, Section 275.205-3 (Rule 205-3”). Rule
205-3 was adopted with the premise that clients who are financially experienced can
assess the risks of performance fee arrangements. O’Brien Greene is permitted to charge
this client the performance fee under the “Qualified Client” net worth threshold
exemption. The client is a partnership wherein all the individual partners have represented
and warranted that they met the respective “qualified client” threshold in effect at the time
of entering the partnership contract. The current “qualified client” eligibility tests are (1)
having net worth of $2,200,000 or (2) having $1,100,000 already under the management
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Form ADV Part II A
O’Brien Greene & Co., Inc.
of the firm. With this one client, the performance fee amounts to 10% of the profits as
averaged over a period of not less than one year. The calculation of profit is done on a
cumulative basis, meaning that any loss of capital from the previous year’s ending value
must be made up before any fee can be paid for the current year. O’Brien Greene
“qualified clients” investing in the private investment company are indirectly subject to a
performance fee.
The firm’s supervised persons manage both the performance-based partnership fund and
the other accounts that are charged an asset-based fee. The firm does not have the
discretion to place client assets into the performance-based partnership fund; a “qualified
client” makes an independent informed decision to invest in the fund pursuant to
significant enhanced disclosure and documentation requirements. Any incentive the
supervised persons would appear to have in directing assets to the performance fee
accounts is mitigated by the client directing the investment decision and that only certain
clients meet the strict eligibility requirements described in the documents of the
performance-based partnership fund. The qualified clients must make the determination,
and then sign the documents to join the partnership. Once clients join the partnership,
they have the option of withdrawing their assets at the end of any calendar year.
Further, a performance-based fee arrangement can create an incentive for us to
recommend investments that are riskier or more speculative than those recommended
under a different fee arrangement. We have procedures designed and implemented to (i)
ensure that all clients are treated fairly and equally, and (ii) prevent potential conflicts with
respect to the allocation of investment opportunities among clients.
Item 7 – Types of Clients
The firm provides investment advice to individuals, families, corporations, pension and
profit- sharing plans, trusts, estates and charitable organizations.
The firm’s general requirement is a minimum portfolio size of $500,000 subject to
exceptions at its discretion. For example, certain family-related accounts may have
individual portfolios less than the minimum, but whose total size equals at least $500,000.
Also, the firm has programs for the young adult children of clients and for young
professionals. There is no minimum portfolio size for these clients.
The firm may provide 401K consulting services to corporate sponsors of retirement plans.
Item 8 - Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Methods of Analysis and Investment Strategies
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O’Brien Greene & Co., Inc.
The firm uses fundamental and technical analysis in evaluating securities. O’Brien Greene
seeks to preserve and grow the purchasing power of our clients’ capital over a long-time
horizon, which we define as a full market cycle, from peak to peak, trough to trough.
Such a period typically runs 3-7 years but can exceed 10 years. O’Brien Greene’s
investment premise is to find, buy and hold securities in high-quality companies with
competitive advantages that allow returns to compound over time. We primarily prefer
owning individual securities directly, rather than through the additional layers of cost and
complexity that ETFs and mutual funds involve. We may utilize ETFs from time to time
to mitigate conflicts of interests for investors and to fill gaps in an existing portfolio, for
example (but not limited to), to provide diversified, inexpensive and tax efficient asset
allocation exposure to investment grade bonds, non-U.S. stocks and emerging market
bonds. We design equity portfolios usually comprised of approximately twenty-five
individual stocks across S&P 500 sectors and industries for diversification, which we
believe promise capital appreciation, dividend income, or both, and are chosen based on
our judgement of business quality, financial fundamentals, durable competitive advantage,
and reasonable valuation. As a result, O’Brien Greene portfolios include stocks
conventionally categorized by both “value” and “growth” factors. Stock portfolios are
diversified across S&P 500 defined industry sectors, actively weighted based upon the
current market outlook. We aim to keep annual portfolio turnover low, which has
historically been in a 20% range (buying and selling). Portfolios typically include some
exposure to foreign stocks (e.g., ADRs) in addition to U.S. companies.
O’Brien Greene has substantial experience in managing fixed-income portfolios designed
to generate current income and provide liquidity in down markets. In market conditions of
low interest rates and widespread inflationary pressures, we provide an alternative for
investors to shift fixed-income allocations to income-producing equities linked to real
assets and commodities (energy, mining, metals, infrastructure, etc.). This strategy is only
suitable for investors willing to tolerate an exceedingly higher than normal level of price
volatility.
Portfolios are constructed taking account of the overall risk and investment profile of the
client. Client portfolios with similar investment objectives and asset allocation goals may
own different securities and investments. The client’s portfolio size, tax sensitivity,
liquidity needs, long-term term wealth transfer objectives, time horizon, investment
performance and risk tolerance, among other factors, influence specific client investment
recommendations and the need for portfolio changes. The firm will review client
portfolios on a regular basis to determine if any changes are necessary. There may be
extended periods of time when the firm determines changes to a client’s portfolio are
neither necessary nor prudent. Of course, as indicated below, there can be no assurance
that investment decisions made by O’Brien Greene will be profitable or meet any specific
performance level(s).
A risk in our long-term purchase and hold strategy is that, by holding a security for this
length of time, we may not be able to take advantage of short-term gains that could be
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profitable to a client. Moreover, if our predictions are incorrect, a security can decline
sharply in value before we can make the decision to sell. Past performance is no
guarantee of future performance, and all investments are subject to the risk of loss of
principal over time.
Risks
The description below is an overview of the risks entailed in our investment strategies and
is not intended to be complete. All investing involves the risk of loss and the investment
strategy offered by us could lose money over short or long periods. Performance could be
hurt by a number of different market risks including but not limited to:
Risk of Loss – General: All investing involves a risk of loss and the investment strategy
offered by O’Brien Greene could lose money over short or even long periods.
Performance could be negatively impacted by various market risks including, but not
limited to, that portfolio management techniques used by O’Brien Greene do not produce
the desired results. This could cause accounts to decline in value. In addition, O’Brien
Greene can rely on information that turns out to be inaccurate. O’Brien Greene selects
investments based, in part, on information provided by issuers to regulators or made
directly available by issuers or other sources. O’Brien Greene is not always able to
confirm the completeness or accuracy of such information, and in some cases, complete
and accurate information is not available. Incorrect or incomplete information increases
risk and could result in losses.
Stock Market Risk: Stock market risk is the chance that stock prices overall will decline.
An investment in individual securities or in a portfolio of securities could lose money. We
cannot give any guarantee that we will achieve the client’s investment objectives or that
any client will receive a return from their investment. Stock markets tend to move in
cycles, with periods of rising prices and periods of falling prices. Factors that can
adversely affect market prices and cause investments to lose value include but are not
limited to market and economic conditions, price stability and inflation, banking system
financial stability, natural disasters or epidemics, government regulations, tariffs and trade
disputes, domestic and foreign political events, technological and environmental issues,
and war and terrorism.
Foreign Securities Risk: Foreign securities are subject to the same market risks as U.S.
securities, such as general economic conditions and company and industry prospects.
However, foreign securities involve the additional risk of loss due to political, economic,
legal, regulatory, and operational uncertainties; differing accounting and financial
reporting standards; limited availability of information; currency conversion; and pricing
factors affecting investment in the securities of foreign businesses or governments.
Interest Rate Risk: Bonds also experience market risk and duration risk because of
changes in interest rates. The general rule is that if interest rates rise, bond prices will fall.
The reverse is also true: if interest rates fall, bond prices will rise. A bond with a longer
maturity (or a bond fund with a longer average maturity) will typically fluctuate more in
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price than a shorter-term bond. Because of their very short-term nature, money market
instruments carry less interest rate and duration risk.
Credit Risk: Bonds and bond mutual funds and ETFs are also exposed to credit risk,
which is the possibility that the issuer of a bond will default on its obligation to pay
interest and/or principal. U.S. Treasury securities, which are backed by the full faith and
credit of the U.S. Government, have limited credit risk, while securities issued or
guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises that are
not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government are subject to varying
degrees of credit risk. Corporate bonds rated BBB or above by Standard & Poor’s are
considered to carry moderate credit risk. Bonds rated lower than BBB (e.g., high-yield and
emerging market obligations) are considered to have significant credit risk. Of course,
bonds with lower credit ratings pay a higher level of income to investors.
Cybersecurity Risks: O’Brien Greene and its service providers are subject to risks
associated with a breach of cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is a generic term used to describe
the technology, processes and practices designed to protect networks, systems, computers,
programs and data from both intentional cyber-attacks and hacking by other computer
users as well as unintentional damage or interruption that, in either case, can result in
damage or interruption from computer viruses, network failures, computer and
telecommunications failures, infiltration by unauthorized persons and security breaches,
usage errors by their respective professionals, power outages and catastrophic events such
as fires, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes. A cybersecurity breach could
expose both O’Brien Greene and its clients to substantial costs (including, without
limitation, those associated with forensic analysis of the origin and scope of the breach,
increased, and upgraded cybersecurity, identity theft, unauthorized use of proprietary
information, litigation, adverse client reaction, the dissemination of confidential and
proprietary information and reputational damage), civil liability as well as regulatory
inquiry and/or action. While O’Brien Greene and its service providers have risk
management strategies, systems, policies, and procedures to seek to mitigate and protect
against cybersecurity breaches, there are inherent limitations in such plans, strategies,
systems, policies and procedures including the possibility that certain risks have not been
identified.
The above risk factors are not a complete list or explanation of the risk involved in
an investment. For more information on the risks associated with any investment,
analysis method or investment approach please contact O’Brien Greene.
Item 9 - Disciplinary Information
An investment adviser is required to disclose certain disciplinary events occurring in the
last 10 years that would be material to a client’s evaluation of the adviser. In July 2021,
O’Brien Greene consented to the entry of an order with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (“SEC) and paid a civil money penalty for failure to file timely with the SEC
and deliver timely to retail investors a Customer Relationship Summary (known as Form
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Form ADV Part II A
O’Brien Greene & Co., Inc.
CRS). Form CRS was required to be delivered to retail investors for the first time starting
in August 2021. O’Brien Greene remediated the compliance error completing the Form
CRS filing and delivery of the initial Form CRS to clients in March 2021. O’Brien Greene
has instituted procedures designed to ensure delivery to retail investors in connection with
new account openings. The oversight occurred in conjunction with a transition in
compliance responsibilities at the firm. O’Brien Greene enhanced its compliance
personnel resources in 2021 with the objective of enhancing effectiveness in its overall
advisory compliance activities. You can find O’Brien Greene’s current Form CRS at
O’Brien Greene & Co.’s website by clicking “Customer Relationship Summary”.
O’Brien Greene does not believe the above event to be a material fact relevant to the
integrity of its management but is furnishing clients to provide transparency.
Item 10 - Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
No management persons at the firm are registered or have applied to register as a broker-
dealer or a registered representative of a broker-dealer. Further, no management persons
are registered, or have an application pending to register, as a futures commission
merchant, commodity pool operator, a commodity trading advisor, or an associated person
of the foregoing entities.
The firm is general partner to the O'Brien Greene Small-Capitalization Stock Fund, L. P.
Mark O'Brien, chairman of O'Brien Greene and Matthew O’Brien, president of O’Brien
Greene are limited partners in this fund. This fund invests primarily in small-
capitalization stocks. Clients that meet the “qualified client" investor test of the
Investment Advisor's Act of 1940 may be solicited to invest in the private fund, but it is
solely the client’s independent decision to invest in the partnership. Approximately 20%
of O’Brien Greene clients have elected to do so. The purpose of the partnership fund is to
give clients who choose (that is, clients must sign the partnership document beforehand
and are not "put" in the partnership without their prior explicit permission) exposure to
small-capitalization stocks.
The firm does not recommend or select other investment advisors for clients for which it
receives a fee.
Item 11 - Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
and Personal Trading
Rule 204A-1 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 requires each adviser's code of ethics
to set forth a standard of business conduct that the adviser requires of all its supervised
persons. The rule does not require the adviser to adopt a particular stand ard, but the
standard chosen must reflect the adviser's fiduciary obligations and those of its supervised
persons and must require compliance with the federal securities laws. A code of ethics
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Form ADV Part II A
O’Brien Greene & Co., Inc.
should set out ideals for ethical conduct premised on fundamental principles of openness,
integrity, honesty and trust.
The firm's Code of Ethics consists of four parts: general standards of conduct, personal
securities transaction policy, insider trading policy, and the policy on giving and receiving
gifts. A full description of the Code of Ethics is available on request to clients and
prospective clients.
The firm's Code of Ethics Policy allows employees to maintain personal securities
accounts provided any personal investment by an employee, including any accounts for
immediate family or household members, is consistent with our fiduciary duty to our
clients and consistent with regulatory requirements. Each employee must identify any
personal investment account engaged in reportable transactions and report all reportable
transactions and investment activity on at least a quarterly basis to the firm’s Compliance
Officer.
Employees may buy or sell securities that are also held by clients that occur within
corresponding timeframes of buys and sells of the same securities for client accounts. The
employee trades may occur in the same direction or in the opposite direction as done in
client accounts. The Compliance Officer conducts a quarterly review of all employees
covered transactions. The personal trading reviews are completed with the objective to
ensure personal trading of employees is not excessive and not creating a conflict of
interest in the time and effort of investment personnel devoted to the business, does not
affect the markets, that employees are not materially benefiting from their advanced
knowledge of client transactions and that the clients of the firm are not disadvantaged.
For example, an employee trading in smaller capitalization stocks with low daily trading
volumes that are also being purchased or sold for clients at relatively the same time are the
type of transactions that present opportunities for potential conflicts of interest. Since
most O’Brien Greene trades on behalf of clients and most employee trades for their own
accounts are very small relative to the size of the market, employee trades are highly
unlikely to affect the securities markets or disadvantage clients.
The firm is general partner to the O’Brien Greene Small-Capitalization Stock Fund, L. P.
Mark O’Brien, Chairman of O’Brien Greene and Matthew O’Brien, President of O’Brien
Greene are limited partners in this fund. This fund invests in small-capitalization stocks.
Clients that meet the sophisticated investor test of the Investment Advisor’s Act of 1940
may elect to invest in the partnership. The purpose of the partnership fund is to give
clients who so choose (that is, clients must sign the partnership document beforehand and
are not “put” in the partnership without their prior permission) exposure to small-
capitalization stocks. From time to time, a separate account client with a higher risk
tolerance profile may ask the firm to recommend small capitalization securities for its
separate account that are recommended by the firm to the partnership. The firm may, in its
absolute discretion, elect to accommodate or not accommodate the client request. In those
cases, purchase and sale decisions on any specific security may vary between the
partnership and the client account based on their investment objectives and specific
situation such as cash balances, investment horizon and tax consideration. If-and-when
the facts and circumstances of the separate account situation merit a side-by-side
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Form ADV Part II A
O’Brien Greene & Co., Inc.
management “buy” or “sell” situations, the firm will use reasonable efforts to buy or sell
recommended securities at or about the same time for the partnership and the separate
account client. There is not, however, any guarantee that the partnership or the separate
account will not trade ahead of each other resulting in each receiving different price
execution.
Item 12 - Brokerage Practices
In the investment management industry, most registered investment advisers depend on
“qualified custodians” as defined under the custody rules of the Investment Advisers act of
1940. The custodian, not O’Brien Greene, maintains and holds the client’s assets. O’Brien
Greene encourages clients to consider Charles Schwab or Fidelity Investment for custody
and brokerage as it contracts with each for their comprehensive solutions to help
registered investment advisers like us manage and grow our business. The platform
services include, among other things, brokerage, custodial administrative support, trading
execution and settlement, recordkeeping, research and news and other related services that
are intended to support investment advisers like us to best serve the interest of clients.
O’Brien Greene receives a benefit from the research available through the brokerage
solution as it does not have to otherwise produce or pay for the research and news
services. The final choice of a custodian is a client decision. When the custodian is a
brokerage, trades are done through that brokerage, but the firm can elect to do trades
through outside brokers when it is the best interest of the client. The firm may recommend
a broker whose commission levels may not be the lowest if we believe it is in the client's
interest to do so because of efficient settlement and execution, market insight and specific
investment recommendations. The firm does not receive any financial compensation from
the brokerages it recommends.
The firm advises clients that clients directing brokerage to a particular broker may be
charged higher commission rates than those clients who authorize the applicant to select
the broker.
O’Brien Greene may engage in trade order aggregation at a given broker if it believes it
will result in timely, equitable, and efficient order execution. In most cases transactions
for each client account occur independently, originated by the adviser on client specific
facts and circumstances such as new cash available, liquidity needs, asset mix rebalancing,
tax harvesting, change in objectives or other client specific considerations. In some
circumstances, however, the O’Brien Greene investment team may make a strategic
investment change to be implemented across multiple clients to purchase or sell the same
securities (including employee accounts) on the same day, and in such cases, O’Brien
Greene may aggregate client trades pursuant to fair and equitable trade allocation
procedures. In those situations, all clients will receive an average execution price for the
security. Accounts will receive a pro-rata commission, if any, subject to any minimum
account fees imposed by the broker who has custody of the account. In cases where a
partial fill arises, accounts will be allocated on a pro rata basis.
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Form ADV Part II A
O’Brien Greene & Co., Inc.
Fixed income trading conducted on behalf of clients is completed through the client’s
qualified custodian or other unaffiliated broker-dealer as determined in O’Brien Greene’s
reasonable judgement. The executing broker-dealer receives a commission from the
investor’s bond proceeds for secondary bond market execution services. The firm has no
bills paid through soft dollar arrangements that influence commission levels, or the broker
used on any occasion. The firm may receive general equity and fixed-income research and
specific investment-related advice from time to time from its primary bond broker in
connection with its client-related secondary bond market execution. The in-depth
macroeconomic analysis and specific US and international stock research received is
believed to benefit all clients. The firm’s receipt of research and advice from the bond
broker may create an incentive to rely on the primary broker without receiving the most
favorable execution. To mitigate the potential conflict, the firm periodically validates the
competitiveness of secondary bond trade broker prices with another third party prior to
execution to provide assurance on bond trade best execution.
Item 13 - Review of Accounts
All accounts are under regular review in the context of each client’s investment objectives
by O’Brien Greene’s principals and investment team. The securities analyst and
investment team focus on specific securities and their industries. The portfolio manager
focuses on the relationship between the security and investment team, updated
recommendations and such factors as the overall portfolio sector and industry weights,
performance, tax situation, liquidity needs and any change in client circumstances. All
managed portfolios are entered into and maintained in the applicant's portfolio
management system. Portfolios are reconciled daily with the custodian. The system also
cross-references all securities, listing holders of each. This facilitates regular review both
by portfolio and by individual security.
Clients may request a periodic review meeting to review their portfolio and to discuss
changes in their financial circumstances.
The firm sends each client a written quarterly appraisal of his portfolio. This appraisal
lists each security by category, showing amount held, cost basis, market value, income,
yield, and proportion of account assets. A quarterly letter is prepared which accompanies
these appraisals. The quarterly letter summarizes recent changes, reports investment
performance, and compares this with the stock market indices, and provides an economic
review and market outlook.
Item 14 - Client Referrals and Other Compensation
The firm has no arrangements, oral or in writing, where it receives some economic benefit
from a non-client in connection with giving advice to clients. The firm does not directly
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Form ADV Part II A
O’Brien Greene & Co., Inc.
or indirectly compensate any person for client referrals, endorsements or third-party rating
or survey results.
O’Brien Greene may compensate its employees for their efforts in developing new client
relationships. Compensation paid to these employees does not affect the management fee
paid by the client.
Item 15 - Custody
O’Brien Greene does not have custody of client assets in conjunction with its investment
management services for separate accounts. All client separate account assets are held
independently by a qualified, third-party custodian bank or brokerage.
Each client receives either electronically or by mail monthly account statements from their
respective qualified custodian. Each client receives a quarterly appraisal from O'Brien
Greene. by mail. Clients may request delivery of the quarterly appraisal by secure
electronic mail. The firm reconciles in-house client portfolio holding and activity ledger
information with the custodian statements on each business day. The firm encourages
clients to compare and carefully review the quarterly appraisal statements they receive
from O'Brien Greene and the statements they receive from the custodian for accuracy and
completeness.
As general partner of the O’Brien Greene Small-Capitalization Fund, L.P., the firm is
deemed to have custody of the partnership assets. The firm complies with the custody rule
by having a full audit of the partnership conducted by a qualified independent accounting
firm on an annual basis.
Item 16 - Investment Discretion
O'Brien Greene accepts discretionary authority to manage securities accounts on behalf of
clients. The discretionary authority granted under our standard investment advisory
agreement permits the firm to transact in securities on behalf of a client without prior
approval from the client. O’Brien Greene will meet with the client to discuss the firm's
recommended investment plan based on the client’s investment objectives and financial
circumstances prior to implementing its discretionary authority. The discretion is subject
to any reasonable restrictions communicated by the client and agreed to by O’Brien
Greene. The firm requests clients to sign and maintain copies of limited power of
attorney/trading authorization at the custodian of securities, whether the custodian is a
bank or brokerage.
Some clients request prior notice before executing trades. Regarding these clients, the firm
will on occasion execute trades without prior notification when the client is not available.
In these instances, the firm will follow up with a letter, e-mail, or phone call to the client.
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Form ADV Part II A
O’Brien Greene & Co., Inc.
The philosophy of the firm is to keep clients informed of what they own and why on a
quarterly basis, even though the firm has limited power of attorney at the custodian.
Item 17 - Voting Client Securities
The firm will accept authority to vote client securities. In the absence of specific voting
guidelines from the client, the firm will vote for proxies in what it reasonably believes to
be the best interest of all clients. Generally, O’Brien Green. will vote “in favor” of
management recommended proposals as it believes its investment recommendation in a
particular security represents a vote of confidence in management judgement. O’Brien
Greene proxy voting process includes a review of specific proxies prior to voting to
evaluate when it may be appropriate to vote “against” management or “in favor” of
management opposed shareholder proposals.
The firm will seek to identify any conflicts that exist between its own interests and the
interests of a client, by reviewing the relationship of the firm and its employees with the
issuer of each security. Where the firm has a reason to have knowledge of a potential
conflict, if a material conflict exists, the firm will disclose the conflict to the affected
client, and the client will be given the opportunity to vote for the proxy.
All voting records and relevant notes pertaining to voting decisions have been stored for
five years and are available to clients on request.
Clients may obtain a copy of the firm’s policies and procedures on voting proxies at any
time by contacting the office.
When clients elect to vote for their proxies, they receive the proxies directly from the
custodian. Clients are welcome to contact the firm to request advice on a particular issue.
Item 18 - Financial Information
The firm does not require or solicit prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees per client, six
months or more in advance, and so is not required to attach a balance sheet. The firm does
not have any financial condition or impairment that would reasonably prevent us from
meeting our contractual commitments to clients.
[End of Part II A]
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