Overview
- Headquarters
- Bethesda, MD
- Average Client Assets
- $45.1 million
- SEC CRD Number
- 282688
Recent Rankings
Forbes 2025: 73
Forbes 2024: 54
Fee Structure
Primary Fee Schedule (PENNINGTON PARTNERS ADV PART 2A)
| Min | Max | Marginal Fee Rate |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $10,000,000 | 1.50% |
| $10,000,001 | $30,000,000 | 0.75% |
| $30,000,001 | $50,000,000 | 0.50% |
| $50,000,001 | and above | 0.50% |
Illustrative Fee Rates
| Total Assets | Annual Fees | Average Fee Rate |
|---|---|---|
| $1 million | $15,000 | 1.50% |
| $5 million | $75,000 | 1.50% |
| $10 million | $150,000 | 1.50% |
| $50 million | $400,000 | 0.80% |
| $100 million | $650,000 | 0.65% |
Clients
- HNW Share of Firm Assets
- 90.44%
- Total Client Accounts
- 1,026
- Discretionary Accounts
- 968
- Non-Discretionary Accounts
- 58
Services Offered
Services: Financial Planning, Portfolio Management for Individuals, Portfolio Management for Pooled Investment Vehicles, Investment Advisor Selection
Regulatory Filings
Additional Brochure: PENNINGTON PARTNERS ADV PART 2A (2026-03-31)
View Document Text
Item 1 | Cover Page
Brochure (Form ADV Part 2A)
March 31, 2026
7500 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 705
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
www.penningtonpartners.co
This Brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Pennington
Partners & Co., LLC (“Pennington Partners”). If you have any questions about the contents of this
Brochure, please contact us at (202) 370-6435. The information in this Brochure has not been
approved or verified by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or by any state
securities authority.
Additional information about Pennington Partners also is available on the SEC’s website at
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Registration with the SEC as an investment adviser does not imply that Pennington Partners or its
officers or employees possess a particular level of skill or training.
Item 2 | Material Changes
This Brochure provides information about a variety of topics relating to Pennington Partners’ business
practices, compliance policies and procedures, investment risks, and conflicts of interest. Pennington
Partners routinely updates the Brochure to improve and clarify the description of such information or in
response to evolving industry or firm practices.
Pennington Partners’ most recent update of this Brochure was made on March 31, 2025. This Brochure
amendment contains certain updated information to reflect the following:
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Item 4 - Advisory Business: The variety of services we offer has been updated to include
bookkeeping, bill payment, loan participation management services, and household concierge,
and healthcare concierge services, among other things. Additionally, the type of clients to whom
we provide services has been updated to include special purpose vehicles.
Item 5 - Fees and Compensation: Descriptions of the variety of fee arrangements and billing
practices were updated, including the fact that fees are generally negotiable, in some cases are
subject to automatic annual increases, and that additional types of fees and expenses may
apply, including sub-advisor, origination, and administration fees, among others.
Item 8 - Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss: Disclosures related to a
variety of risks were added or enhanced, including risks related to tax management strategies,
artificial intelligence, alternative investments, and privacy, among others.
Item 12 - Brokerage Practices: Benefits we may receive from broker-dealers/custodians have
been updated to include account transition services, among other things. Additionally, we
updated disclosures related to our handling of trade errors.
Item 10 - Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations: Disclosures related to conflicts of
interest associated with client investments in Pennington Partners and the general partners and
managers to privately offered pooled investment vehicles and special purpose vehicles were
added, among other things.
Item 15 - Custody: The variety of ways in which we may be deemed to have custody has been
updated to include bill payment services, broad powers of attorney, and letters of authorization,
among other things.
Pennington Partners encourages all current and prospective clients to read this Brochure carefully and in
its entirety and to discuss any questions you may have with us.
Item 3 | Table of Contents
Item 1 | Cover Page ...................................................................................................................................... 1
Item 2 | Material Changes ............................................................................................................................ 2
Item 3 | Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 2
Item 4 | Advisory Business ............................................................................................................................ 3
Item 5 | Fees and Compensation .................................................................................................................. 6
Item 6 | Performance-Based Fees and Side-by-Side Management ............................................................ 10
Item 7 | Types of Clients ............................................................................................................................. 11
Item 8 | Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss ...................................................... 11
Item 9 | Disciplinary Information ............................................................................................................... 20
Item 10 | Other Financial Activities and Affiliations ................................................................................... 20
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Item 11 | Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading .............. 24
Item 12 | Brokerage Practices .................................................................................................................... 27
Item 13 | Review of Accounts ..................................................................................................................... 29
Item 14 | Client Referrals and Other Compensation .................................................................................. 30
Item 15 | Custody ....................................................................................................................................... 30
Item 16 | Investment Discretion ................................................................................................................. 31
Item 17 | Voting Client Securities ............................................................................................................... 32
Item 18 | Financial Information .................................................................................................................. 33
Item 4 | Advisory Business
Pennington Partners & Co., LLC (“Pennington Partners”) is a limited liability company formed in January
2016 in the State of Delaware. Pennington Partners is an SEC registered investment adviser. Brian
Gaister and Rodd Macklin are co-founders of Pennington Partners. Mr. Gaister is Chief Executive Officer
and principal owner of Pennington Partners. Guy Scott is the Chief Compliance Officer responsible for
managing the compliance program of the firm.
Pennington Partners offers the following services:
INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES
Pennington Partners provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services tailored
to meet each client’s individual needs, life circumstances, and investment goals. Prior to engaging
Pennington Partners to provide investment advisory services, each client is required to enter into one or
more investment advisory agreements that define the terms, conditions, authority, and responsibilities
of us and the client. We then engage with each client to determine their investment objectives, risk
tolerance, time horizons and liquidity needs. Clients can impose reasonable restrictions and guidelines
on investing, such as investments in certain securities, types of securities, or industry sectors.
Pennington Partners may engage sub-advisors for the purpose of assisting with the management of
client accounts on a discretionary basis. We monitor investments and securities in client accounts on a
continuous and regular basis, unless otherwise agreed, and make adjustments and reallocations as
necessary due to changes in market conditions and the client’s circumstances as communicated to
us. Clients are responsible for promptly notifying Pennington Partners of any changes to their financial
situation or investment objectives, so that any prior recommendations and services can be reviewed
and, if necessary, revised.
In providing discretionary services, Pennington Partners is granted authority by the client to effect
securities transactions on behalf of a client without the client’s prior approval of each specific
transaction and in accordance with the client’s investment objectives set forth in the applicable
investment advisory agreement or related documentation. Clients reserve the right to limit our
discretionary authority by providing us with written communication that details restrictions and other
guidelines. The investment advisory relationship and discretionary authority will continue until a client
notifies us otherwise in writing. In providing non-discretionary services, we are required to obtain client
consent prior to executing any trades on a client’s behalf. Accordingly, the client maintains the ultimate
decision-making authority regarding the purchase or sale of investments for the client’s account.
Prospective clients should be aware that in the event of a market correction or other time-sensitive
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market movement during which a non-discretionary client is unavailable, Pennington Partners will be
unable to take action—unlike in discretionary accounts—until the client’s explicit approval is received.
Additionally, Pennington Partners could be limited in aggregating trades with other client orders, which
could adversely affect the timing of non-discretionary trades and result in the execution of a trade at a
price that differs from the price for the aggregated trades.
FAMILY OFFICE SERVICES AND BUSINESS STRATEGY CONSULTING
Pennington Partners also offers family office and business strategy consulting services in conjunction
with the provision of investment advisory services. Periodic consulting services may include, but are not
limited to, governance, structure, strategy, operations, succession planning, global benchmarking, and
best practices. Ongoing services may include, but are not limited to, tax analysis, estate planning,
bookkeeping, bill payment, household concierge, and healthcare concierge services. Services are
customized to the unique needs of each family.
Prior to providing family office or business strategy consulting services, clients are typically required to
enter into an investment advisory agreement with Pennington Partners. This agreement outlines the
terms and conditions of the engagement, including the scope of services, applicable fees, and
termination provisions.
If requested by the client, Pennington Partners may recommend other professionals for implementation
purposes (e.g., attorneys, accountants, etc.). Clients are under no obligation to engage any
recommended professional and are free to accept or reject any recommendation made by Pennington
Partners. If a client engages a recommended professional and a dispute arises, Pennington Partners is
not responsible for the services provided by such professional.
PRIVATE INVESTMENT FUND ADVISORY SERVICES
Pennington Partners and/or affiliates of Pennington Partners provide discretionary investment
management services to private investment funds that are exempt from registration under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) and whose securities are not registered
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) (each such client referred to as a
“Private Fund” and collectively the “Private Funds”). The Private Funds may make investments across a
variety of asset classes, including private real estate holdings, private equity, and private credit
investments. Certain Private Funds are established to primarily invest in one or more underlying
investment vehicles advised by third-party investment managers that we research, conduct diligence on,
and recommend.
Pennington Partners and/or affiliates manage the Private Funds in accordance with the objectives and
investment strategies set forth in the applicable offering documents of each Private Fund and not in
accordance with the individual needs or objectives of any particular investor therein. The terms,
conditions, risks, and fees pertaining to an investment in a Private Fund are outlined in the applicable
offering documents, which include as applicable, the Private Fund’s governing documents, private
placement memorandum or disclosure document, subscription agreement, ancillary agreements, and all
amendments thereto (the “Offering Documents”). Our clients are under no obligation to consider or
make an investment in the Private Funds. Each prospective investor interested in investing in a Private
Fund, including a client of Pennington Partners, will be required to complete a subscription agreement
in which the prospective investor attests as to whether he/she is qualified to invest in the Private Fund
and acknowledges and accepts the various risk factors that are associated with such an investment.
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In general, investors in the Private Funds are not permitted to impose restrictions or limitations.
However, the Private Funds themselves have entered into and could in the future enter into side letters
or other written agreements with one or more Private Fund investors which have the effect of
establishing rights under, or altering, modifying, or changing the terms of interest held by investors.
Certain types of side letters may create a conflict of interest among Pennington Partners and investors,
and/or among investors themselves.
For more detailed information on investment objectives, policies, and guidelines, please refer to each
Private Fund’s Offering Documents.
SPECIAL PURPOSE VEHICLE ADVISORY SERVICES
Pennington Partners and/or affiliates of Pennington Partners also provide discretionary investment
management services to special purpose vehicles (each such client referred to as an “SPV” and
collectively the “SPVs”) established to primarily invest in a single or multiple related investments.
Pennington Partners and/or affiliates manage the SPVs in accordance with the applicable governing
documents of each SPV and not in accordance with the individual needs or objectives of any particular
investor therein. The terms, conditions, risks, and fees pertaining to an investment in an SPV are
outlined in the applicable governing documents, which include as applicable, the SPV’s governing
documents, disclosure documents, operating agreement, partnership agreement, ancillary agreements,
and all amendments thereto (the “SPV Governing Documents”). Our clients are under no obligation to
consider or make an investment in SPVs. Each prospective investor interested in investing in an SPV will
be required to sign an operating, partnership, or other similar agreement in which the prospective
investor attests as to whether he/she is qualified to invest in the SPV and acknowledges and accepts the
various risk factors that are associated with such an investment.
SPV investors are not permitted to impose restrictions or limitations. However, SPVs may enter into side
letters or other written agreements with one or more investors which have the effect of establishing
rights under, or altering, modifying, or changing the terms of interest held by investors. Certain types of
side letters may create a conflict of interest among Pennington Partners and investors, and/or among
investors themselves.
LOAN PARTICIPATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Pennington Partners may recommend to clients investments in certain loan participations involving
interests in loans made to unaffiliated companies. These participations may involve direct agreements
with the underlying issuer of the investment or a secondary offering issued by a Private Fund managed
by Pennington Partners and/or affiliates, and may involve a cross transaction, subject to applicable
regulatory requirements and client consent where required. While a loan remains outstanding,
Pennington Partners and/or affiliates may provide investment management services related to
participation in the loan by investment advisory clients.
ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT
As of December 31, 2025, Pennington Partners had a total of $5,087,641,631 in regulatory assets under
management, of which $2,432,576,418 is managed on a discretionary basis and $2,655,065,213 is
managed on a non-discretionary basis.
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Item 5 | Fees and Compensation
This section of the Brochure details the typical fee structures and compensation methodologies for
services provided by Pennington Partners. However, fees are generally negotiable and vary from client
to client based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the aggregate assets under
advisement, the complexity, scope, and types of services to be provided, and the scope of the overall
relationship with such client. Clients should review their investment advisory agreement or other
relevant agreement for detailed information related to fees and compensation.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES FEES
Pennington Partners charges an annual investment advisory fee for discretionary and non-discretionary
investment advisory services that is generally a fixed annual fee of a minimum of $100,000, subject to
negotiation. Alternatively, Pennington Partners may charge an investment advisory fee based upon a
percentage (%) of the market value and type of assets placed under Pennington Partners’ management.
Annualized rates for such services generally range up to 1.5% and are billed in accordance with the
terms set forth in the applicable investment advisory agreement. These terms may include, i) monthly,
quarterly, or annual billing, ii) billing based on the values of billable assets as of the last business day of
the preceding period, iii) billing based on the average daily balance of billable assets during the
preceding period, iv) billing in arrears or in advance, or v) another methodology specified in a client’s
investment advisory agreement or other relevant agreement.
To the extent advisory services begin after the start of a billing period, the investment advisory fee in
the first billing period is generally prorated. For fixed fee investment advisory services engagements, and
as set forth in the investment advisory agreement, the investment advisory fee generally increases
automatically as of the anniversary date of the investment advisory agreement. Automatic increases
generally range between 0% and 5%, as disclosed in the investment advisory agreement and agreed to
by the client. In the event of the termination of an investment advisory agreement prior to the end of a
billing period, the prorata portion of any fee paid in advance generally will be promptly refunded.
Securities held in accounts managed by Pennington Partners that are listed on a national securities
exchange shall generally be independently valued by the account custodians. Investments that do not
have readily available market prices provided by third parties are generally valued in good faith by
Pennington Partners using relevant information available.
Pennington Partners may deduct its investment advisory fees from clients’ assets or bill clients for fees
incurred, as agreed to with each client. When permitted pursuant to written client authorization,
Pennington Partners’ investment advisory fees are deducted directly from a managed account held by a
custodian. Clients paying fees to Pennington Partners via direct deduction will be provided with a
statement, at least quarterly, from the custodian reflecting the deduction of the advisory fees. We urge
all Clients to carefully review the advisory fees shown in the custodial statements. If the client account
does not contain sufficient cash or cash equivalents to pay the advisory fees due, Pennington Partners
has limited authority to sell or redeem securities in sufficient amounts to cover those fees. In the event
Pennington Partners bills a client for the investment advisory fee, payment is due upon receipt of
Pennington Partners’ invoice.
Pennington Partners’ annual investment advisory fee includes investment advisory services, and, to the
extent specifically requested by the client, financial planning services. In the event that the client
requires extraordinary planning services, Pennington Partners may determine to charge for such
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additional services, the amount of which shall be negotiable and set forth in a separate written notice to
the client.
In the event Pennington Partners engages a sub-advisor to assist with the discretionary management of
a client account, such client will typically incur additional fees payable to the sub-advisor for its
investment sub-advisory services. All fees and expenses of sub-advisors are exclusive of, and in addition
to, Pennington Partners’ fees. Clients can access certain sub-advisors directly and, in such cases, may be
able to access the services of such sub-advisors at lower cost than available through Pennington
Partners. Access to certain sub-advisors could be limited to certain types of accounts and could be
subject to account minimums as determined by the sub-advisor.
FAMILY OFFICE SERVICES AND BUSINESS STRATEGY CONSULTING FEES
Periodic consulting services, such as projects involving governance, structure, strategy, operations,
succession planning, global benchmarking, and best practices, are customized to the unique needs of
each family and are generally priced on a fixed fee basis according to the project and scope of work or
on an hourly basis, depending upon the level and scope of the service(s) required and the professional(s)
rendering the service(s).
With the exception of bookkeeping and bill payment services, ongoing family office services, such as tax
analysis, estate planning, household concierge, and healthcare concierge services, are generally included
in Pennington Partners’ fixed annual investment advisory fee. To the extent an investment advisory
client whose annual fee is based upon a percentage (%) of the market value and type of assets placed
under Pennington Partners’ management wishes to receive ongoing family office services, Pennington
Partners typically requires such a client to move to a fixed annual fee arrangement. In the event that the
client requires extraordinary ongoing family office services, Pennington Partners may determine to
charge for such additional services, the amount of which shall be negotiable and set forth in a separate
written notice to the client. Bookkeeping and bill payment services are generally subject to an
additional fee as agreed to with each client. Subject to negotiation, bill payment may be included in the
investment advisory fee. Where bill payment is included in the investment advisory fee, clients may pay
a higher investment advisory fee than they otherwise would if bill payment services were not included.
Clients may elect to have Pennington Partners’ family office services and business strategy consulting
fees deducted from their custodial accounts in the event there is an applicable investment advisory
agreement in place at the time. In the event that Pennington Partners bills the client directly, payment is
due upon receipt of Pennington Partners’ invoice. Billing or the debiting of fees may occur in advance or
in arrears or a combination thereof and at a frequency set forth in the investment advisory agreement
or other relevant agreement.
PRIVATE INVESTMENT FUNDS ADVISORY FEES
Pennington Partners and/or affiliates receive fees from the Private Funds to which investment advisory
services are provided, as described and disclosed in their respective Offering Documents. Such fees can
include management fees, performance-based fees or “carried interest”, (see Item 6 of this Brochure),
and certain additional fees. In addition, each Private Fund, and any subsidiaries and intermediate
entities, bears certain organizational and other expenses as described in the Offering Documents that
are not reimbursed by portfolio investments. Examples of direct and indirect expenses borne by Private
Funds can include third-party professional fees such as legal fees and audit fees, consulting fees and
expenses, insurance premiums, custodial fees, fund administration fees, treasury fees, wire fees,
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fundraising expenses including travel, and expenses of meetings of the limited partners, among other
types of expenses. Reimbursements from portfolio investments can include out-of-pocket expenses
incurred in connection with the making, monitoring, and/ or disposing of such portfolio investments,
including follow-on investments and refinancings. As the fees and expenses incurred by each Private
Fund vary, prospective and current investors should review the applicable Private Fund’s Offering
Documents for a description of all relevant fees and expenses to be paid by or allocable to an investor in
a Private Fund.
As discussed earlier in this Brochure, Private Funds enter into side letters or other written agreements
with one or more investors which have the effect of establishing rights under, or altering, modifying, or
changing the terms of interest held by investors, including those related to fees and expenses. As a
result, certain fees may be waived or reduced for some Private Fund investors and not others.
Additionally, a Private Fund, the general partner to a Private Fund, Pennington Partners, and/or affiliates
may enter into side letters or similar agreements that allow certain Private Fund investors, including
Pennington Partners’ investment advisory services clients, to receive interests in, and participate in the
profits of, the general partner to a Private Fund. Certain types of side letters create a conflict of interest
among Pennington Partners and investors, and/or among investors themselves. Additionally, the
opportunity to offer to certain investors, including investment advisory services clients, to participate in
the profits of a Private Fund general partner also creates an incentive to favor certain investors, clients,
and prospective clients over others in the offering of such opportunities.
In the event Pennington Partners’ investment advisory clients invest in Private Funds managed by
Pennington Partners and/or affiliates, such clients will frequently bear both the investment advisory fee
payable to Pennington Partners and the Private Fund’s management fees, performance-based fees,
and/or certain additional fees payable to Pennington Partners and/or affiliates. All fees and expenses of
Private Funds are exclusive of, and in addition to, Pennington Partners’ investment advisory fees.
Certain Private Funds may waive or agree to reduced fees for some or all investors that are investment
advisory services clients of Pennington Partners, including but not limited to clients paying Pennington
Partners a fixed annual investment advisory fee. Clients can access certain Private Fund underlying
investments directly and, in such cases, may be able to access such investments at lower costs than
available through Pennington Partners. Access to certain underlying investments could be limited to
certain types of investors and in certain amounts.
As is typical for privately-offered pooled investment vehicles, the Private Funds likely bear additional
and greater expenses, directly or indirectly, than many other pooled investment products, such as
mutual funds, and there can be no assurance that the benefits to investors will be commensurate with
such expenses. For more detailed information on the fees, expenses, and compensation received by
Pennington Partners, supervised persons, and/or affiliates, prospective investors should refer to the
respective Private Fund’s Offering Documents.
SPECIAL PURPOSE VEHICLE ADVISORY SERVICES FEES
Pennington Partners and/or affiliates receive fees from the SPVs to which investment advisory services
are provided, as described and disclosed in their respective SPV Governing Documents. Such fees can
include management fees, performance-based fees or “carried interest”, (see Item 6 of this Brochure),
and certain additional fees. In addition, each SPV, and any subsidiaries and intermediate entities, bears
certain organizational and other expenses as described in the SPV Governing Documents that are not
reimbursed by portfolio investments. Examples of direct and indirect expenses borne by SPVs can
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include professional fees such as legal fees and audit fees, consulting fees and expenses, insurance
premiums, custodial fees, administration fees, treasury fees, wire fees, fundraising expenses including
travel, and expenses of meetings of the
limited partners, among other types of expenses.
Reimbursements from portfolio investments can include out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection
with the making, monitoring, and/ or disposing of such portfolio investments, including follow-on
investments and refinancings. As the fees and expenses incurred by each SPV vary, prospective and
current investors should review the applicable SPV Governing Documents for a description of all
relevant fees and expenses to be paid by or allocable to an investor in an SPV.
As discussed earlier in this Brochure, SPVs may enter into side letters or other written agreements with
one or more investors which have the effect of establishing rights under, or altering, modifying, or
changing the terms of interest held by investors, including those related to fees and expenses. As a
result, certain fees may be waived or reduced for some SPV investors and not others, including but not
limited to Pennington Partners and its affiliates. Additionally, an SPV, the manager to an SPV,
Pennington Partners, and/or affiliates may enter into side letters or similar agreements that allow
certain SPV investors, including Pennington Partners’ investment advisory services clients, to receive
interests in, and participate in the profits of, the manager to an SPV. Certain types of side letters create
a conflict of interest among Pennington Partners and investors, and/or among investors themselves.
Additionally, the opportunity to offer to certain investors, including investment advisory services clients,
to participate in the profits of an SPV manager also creates an incentive to favor certain investors,
clients, and prospective clients over others in the offering of such opportunities.
In the event Pennington Partners investment advisory clients invest in SPVs managed by Pennington
Partners and/or affiliates, such clients will typically bear both an investment advisory fee payable to
Pennington Partners and the SPV’s management fees, performance-based fees, and/or certain
additional fees payable to Pennington Partners and/or affiliates. All fees and expenses of SPVs are
exclusive of, and in addition to, Pennington Partners’ investment advisory fees. Certain SPVs may waive
or agree to reduced fees for some or all investors that are investment advisory services clients of
Pennington Partners.
LOAN PARTICIPATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES FEES
Pennington Partners and/or affiliates receive fees related to clients’ investments in loan participations,
as described and disclosed in their respective loan participation agreements or similar governing
documents. Such fees can include a periodic management fee and/or performance-based or incentive
fee (see Item 6 of this Brochure). In addition, each loan participation bears certain organizational and/or
other expenses as described in the loan participation agreements or similar governing documents. As
the fees and expenses associated with loan participations vary, prospective and current investors should
review the applicable loan participation agreement or other relevant governing document for a
description of all relevant fees to be paid by or allocable to an investor in a loan participation.
For more detailed information on the compensation received by Pennington Partners and/or affiliates,
clients should refer to the applicable loan participation agreement or other relevant governing
document.
OTHER FEES AND COSTS PAYABLE TO PENNINGTON PARTNERS
As referenced above, Pennington Partners, supervised persons, and/or affiliates are permitted to
receive additional fees and compensation in connection with origination, management, and/or other
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services performed for portfolio investments of the Private Funds and SPVs, including, among other
things, origination, administration, and/or servicing of real estate related investments. In certain
circumstances, such additional compensation may be paid to the Private Funds or SPVs for the benefit of
investors or offset in part the management fees otherwise payable to Pennington Partners and/or
affiliates by the Private Funds or SPVs. In other circumstances, however, such additional compensation
will not directly benefit investors or offset the management fees paid by the Private Funds or SPVs.
Pennington Partners and/or its affiliates may have discretion over whether to charge certain fees to a
portfolio investment and, if so, the rate, amount, and/or timing. In exercising any such discretion, fees
are generally based upon amounts believed to be charged by other providers for comparable services.
The receipt of such fees has the potential to give rise to conflicts of interest between the Private Funds
and SPVs, on the one hand, and Pennington Partners, supervised persons, and/or its affiliates on the
other hand, particularly when such additional fees do not directly benefit investors or offset
management fees borne by the Private Funds and SPVs. In certain circumstances, Pennington Partners,
supervised persons, and/or affiliates may subcontract to a third party some or all of the management,
administration and/or other services performed for portfolio investments at a lower cost than the total
fee charged to the portfolio investment, resulting in Pennington Partners, supervised persons, and/or
affiliates retaining the difference in such rates.
OTHER FEES AND COSTS PAYABLE TO THIRD PARTIES
Clients generally bear the costs and expenses associated with holding investments, custodial fees,
brokerage fees (see Item 12 of this Brochure), sub-advisor fees, fees and expenses related to mutual
funds, exchange-traded funds, and third-party private funds, additional applicable transaction fees, and
other related costs and expenses, as applicable. Pennington Partners does not receive any portion of
these costs or fees except as otherwise disclosed in this Brochure.
COMPENSATION FOR THE SALE OF SECURITIES
Neither Pennington Partners, nor its supervised persons, accept compensation from the sale of
securities or other investment products.
Item 6 | Performance-Based Fees and Side-by-Side Management
Pennington Partners may enter into performance-based fees arrangements (i.e., fees based on a share
of capital gains on or capital appreciation of the assets of a client) with “qualified clients”. Performance-
based fee arrangements are negotiated with clients on a case-by-case basis. Clients may be offered a
choice between Pennington Partners’ standard fee structure that is a fixed fee or based upon a
percentage of assets managed and a performance-based fee arrangement, or combination thereof.
Performance-based fee arrangements may be paired with a lower percentage of assets fee rate fee than
would otherwise be offered in the absence of a performance-based fee arrangement. Any performance-
based fee charged by Pennington Partners would consist of an agreed upon percentage of performance
that exceeds a mutually agreed upon benchmark or threshold. Performance-based fee arrangements
are described in the investment advisory agreement presented to relevant clients. Clients must
understand proposed methods of compensation and related risks prior to entering into an investment
advisory agreement.
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As referenced earlier in this Brochure, Pennington Partners and/or affiliates may be entitled to a
performance-based fee or “carried interest” on the profits of a Private Fund or SPV in accordance with
the provisions of the respective Offering Documents or SPV Governing Documents, and a performance-
based fee on a loan participation investment’s profits in accordance with respective loan participation
agreement. The carried interest amount or performance-based fee and how it is calculated varies by
Private Fund, SPV, and loan participation. However, most carried interest amounts and performance-
based fees are generally equal to a percentage of the investment proceeds distributable to investors in
excess of their capital invested, their allocable share of fees and expenses and, if applicable, a preferred
return. Carried interest and performance-based fees may be paid out of cash otherwise distributable to
investors. Additional information regarding the calculation of such fees is disclosed in the applicable
Private Fund’s Offering Documents or applicable loan participation agreement.
Performance-based fee arrangements may create an incentive for Pennington Partners to recommend
investments which may be riskier or more speculative than those which would be recommended under
different fee arrangements. Such fee arrangements also create an incentive to favor higher fee-paying
accounts over other accounts in the allocation of investment opportunities. In addition to mitigating
these potential conflicts of interest through disclosures in this Brochure, Pennington Partners maintains
policies and procedures designed to ensure that all clients are treated fairly and equitably, and to
prevent this conflict from influencing the allocation of investment opportunities among clients. Only
"qualified clients" are eligible for performance-based fee arrangements.
Item 7 | Types of Clients
Pennington Partners provides investment advisory services and/or family office services to individuals,
business entities, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, family offices, and pooled investment
vehicles, among others.
Pennington Partners generally requires a minimum annual fee of $100,000 for investment advisory
services. Pennington Partners may, in its sole discretion, waive its minimum annual fee requirement or
charge a lesser investment advisory fee based upon certain criteria (e.g., anticipated future earning
capacity, anticipated future additional assets, dollar amount of assets to be managed, related accounts,
account composition, negotiations with client). Certain sub-advisors utilized by Pennington Partners may
impose more restrictive account requirements and billing practices than in place at Pennington Partners.
In these instances, Pennington Partners may alter its corresponding account requirements and/or billing
practices to accommodate those of the sub-advisor.
Item 8 | Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Pennington Partners generally believes in broadly diversified investment solutions customized to reflect
unique client circumstances. When making investment recommendations, we generally take into
account a client's total financial picture, including assets already owned, assets not managed by us,
needs for liquidity, goals and risk tolerance. Pennington Partners develops an overall financial strategy,
identifies the asset management resources ideally suited to a client's needs, and manages the allocation
of client assets among those resources. Once asset allocation plans are finalized, portfolios may be
income,
invested among various asset classes
including cash/cash equivalents, equities, fixed
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investments
including private equity, private credit, venture capital,
derivatives, alternatives, real estate, and private investments. Investments are implemented on a
discretionary or non-discretionary basis in separately managed accounts and/or through sub-advisors
across common stocks, bonds, options, various types of pooled investment vehicles including, but not
limited to, exchange traded funds, mutual funds, and limited partnerships as well as other types of
loan
public and private
participations, real estate, and real assets.
When performing security analysis as part of formulating investment advice, Pennington Partners may
utilize charting analysis using patterns to identify current trends and trend reversals to forecast the
direction of prices, cyclical analysis on historical relationships between price and market trends to
forecast the direction of prices, fundamental analysis on historical and present data to develop financial
forecasts, and technical analysis on historical and present data focusing on price and trade volume to
forecast the direction of prices. When implementing investment advice provided to clients, Pennington
Partners may utilize investment strategies that call for long term purchases (securities held at least a
year), short term purchases (securities sold within a year), and trading (securities sold within thirty (30)
days).
Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future
performance of any specific investment or investment strategy (including the investments and/or
investment strategies recommended or undertaken by Pennington Partners) will be profitable or equal
any specific performance level(s). The following is a summary of some of the risks associated with
Pennington Partners’ methods of investment analysis, investment strategies, and types of investments
recommended. Our investment strategies involve a substantial degree of risk, including the risk of
complete loss. Nothing in this Brochure is intended to imply, and no one is or will be authorized to
represent, that our investment strategies are low risk or risk free. The investment strategies and risks
summarized below are not intended to be comprehensive or exhaustive. The various risks outlined
below are not the only risks associated with our investment strategies and processes and will not
necessarily apply to each client or investor. For information regarding the investment strategies and
risks for each Private Fund, prospective investors should refer to the applicable Offering Documents of
each Fund for detailed disclosures regarding the risks and conflicts of interest applicable thereto.
INVESTMENT ANALYSIS METHODS
Every method of analysis has its own inherent risks. To perform an accurate market analysis Pennington
Partners must have access to current/new market information. Pennington Partners has no control over
the dissemination rate of market information; therefore, unbeknownst to Pennington Partners, certain
analyses may be compiled with stale information, severely limiting the value of Pennington Partners’
analysis. Furthermore, an accurate market analysis can only produce a forecast of the direction of
market values. There can be no assurances that a forecasted change in market value will materialize into
actionable and/or profitable investment opportunities.
INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
Pennington Partners’ primary investment strategies - long term purchases, short term purchases, and
trading - are fundamental investment strategies. However, every investment strategy has its own
inherent risks and limitations. For example, longer-term investment strategies require a longer
investment time period to allow for the strategy to potentially develop. Shorter term investment
strategies require a shorter investment time period to potentially develop but, as a result of more
frequent trading, may incur higher transactional costs when compared to a longer-term investment
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strategy. Trading, an investment strategy that requires the purchase and sale of securities within a thirty
(30) day investment time period, involves a very short investment time period but will incur higher
transaction costs when compared to a short-term investment strategy and substantially higher
transaction costs than a longer-term investment strategy.
SUB-ADVISORS
Pennington Partners may engage sub-advisors for the purpose of assisting with the management of
client accounts on a discretionary basis. Factors Pennington Partners considers in engaging sub-advisors
include the client’s stated investment objective(s), and the sub-advisor’s industry, market focus,
management style, performance, reputation, financial strength, reporting, pricing, and research.
Pennington Partners shall continue to render ongoing and continuous advisory services to the client
relative to the monitoring and review of account performance, client investment objectives, and asset
allocation. Despite this, there can be no assurances that sub-advisors meet client investment objectives,
achieve specific performance levels, or avoid loss. Additionally, there can be no assurances that client
assets managed by such third parties are not at substantial risk of theft or misappropriation.
RETIREMENT ROLLOVERS
A client leaving an employer typically has four options (and may engage in a combination of these
options), including i) leave the money in the former employer’s plan, if permitted, ii) roll over the assets
to the new employer’s plan, if one is available and rollovers are permitted, iii) rollover to an Individual
Retirement Account (“IRA”), or iv) cash out the account value (which could, depending upon the client’s
age, result in adverse tax consequences). Pennington Partners may recommend a roll-over of plan assets
to an IRA managed by Pennington Partners, in which case we would earn an asset-based or fixed fee. In
contrast, a recommendation that a client or prospective client leave plan assets with the prior employer
or roll the assets to a plan sponsored by a new employer will generally result in no compensation to
Pennington Partners (unless Pennington Partners is engaged to monitor and/or manage the account
while maintained at the employer). Pennington Partners has an economic incentive to encourage a
prospective client to roll plan assets into an IRA that Pennington Partners will manage or to engage
Pennington Partners to monitor and/or manage the account while maintained at the employer. There
are various factors that Pennington Partners may consider before recommending a rollover, including
but not limited to, i) the investment options available in the plan versus the investment options
available in an IRA, ii) fees and expenses in the plan versus the fees and expenses in an IRA, iii) the
services and responsiveness of the plan’s investment professionals, iv) protection of assets from
creditors and legal judgments, v) required minimum distributions and age considerations, and vi)
employer stock tax consequences, if any. No client is under any obligation to rollover plan assets to an
IRA managed by Pennington Partners or to engage Pennington Partners to monitor and/or manage the
account while maintained at the employer.
TAX MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
Tax management strategies involve buying and selling investments in a manner intended to reduce the
negative impact of taxes. They often involve buying or selling investments to limit taxable investment
gains or to offset taxable investment gains with investment losses or selling investments to avoid
recognition of taxable investment gains. Tax management strategies are not intended to, and likely will
not, eliminate a client’s tax obligations. A tax management strategy may not actually lower a client’s tax
obligations or otherwise achieve a client’s tax goals. The performance of accounts utilizing a tax
management strategy will vary from similarly managed accounts that do not utilize such a strategy,
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possibly in a materially negative manner, and an account may not be successful in pursuing its primary
investment strategies, objectives or goals.
CASH AND EQUIVALENTS
At any specific point in time, depending upon perceived or anticipated market conditions/events (there
being no guarantee that such anticipated market conditions/events will occur), Pennington Partners
may maintain cash or equivalent positions for defensive purposes or other reasons. All cash positions
(money markets, etc.) shall be included as part of assets under management for purposes of calculating
Pennington Partners’ advisory or management fee. Available cash and cash equivalents generally will be
held in accounts at third party financial institutions (which may not bear interest or generate income).
Access to invested cash and cash equivalents may be impacted by adverse conditions in the financial
markets. Cash balances in operating accounts could be impacted if the underlying financial institutions
fail or other adverse conditions in the financial markets occur.
EQUITIES
An equity investment generally involves buying stocks of individual companies in return for receiving a
future payment of dividends and/or capital gains if the value of the stock increases. The value of equity
securities may fluctuate in response to the specific situations of each company, the industry conditions
and the general economic environment. Exposure to equity securities may include the following risks,
among others:
• Market Capitalization: Market Capitalization refers to the total value of a company’s outstanding
shares at its present market price. Investing primarily in issuers within the same market
capitalization range carries the risk that the market capitalization category may be out of favor
due to current market conditions or changing investor opinions. Prices of small capitalization
and even medium capitalization stocks are often more volatile than prices of large-capitalization
stocks, and the risk of bankruptcy or insolvency of many smaller companies is higher than for
larger companies. Securities of small and medium capitalization companies may be thinly
traded, resulting in decreased liquidity.
• Growth Equity: Growth equities are generally defined as companies that are poised for strong
revenue and business momentum. Growth stocks may be more sensitive to market movements
because their prices tend to emphasize future profitability, rather than current profits.
• Value Equity: Investing in value equities involves identifying companies that are currently
trading below an expected value, giving an investor the opportunity to buy a highly valued
company at a lower than-expected price. The risks of investing in value stocks are that they may
continue to perform below expectations and remain undervalued for an extended period.
•
• Dividends: Dividend investing focuses on companies that generate consistently higher dividends
to produce income streams beyond the potential capital gains of owning the equity. The risks of
investing in these securities are that the investor has no control over whether the company will
continue to issue dividends, and the reduction in the dividend may result in a declined price.
• Domestic Equity: Relative to investments in equities of less developed nations, investing in U.S.
domiciled companies reduces the potential exposure to entities that operate in less developed
capital markets, infrastructure and regulatory/legal environment. However, being exposed to
U.S. domiciled equities creates risk to the investments when domestic geopolitical issues arise.
International (“Non-U.S.”) Equity: Investments in the securities of foreign issuers may
experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than funds with investments solely in
securities of U.S. companies. This is because the securities markets of many foreign countries
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are relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of
industries. Additionally, foreign securities issuers may not be subject to the same degree of
regulation as U.S. issuers. Reporting, accounting and auditing standards of foreign countries
differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards. Also, nationalization, expropriation or
confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes or diplomatic developments could
adversely affect investments in a foreign country.
• Emerging Markets: The risks associated with foreign investments are heightened when investing
in emerging markets. The governments and economies of emerging market countries may show
greater instability than those of more developed countries. Such investments tend to fluctuate
in price more widely and to be less liquid than other foreign investments.
FIXED INCOME
Securities that provide for interest or a stream of payments to the investor, including but not limited to
interests in loan participations, have several risks including: interest rate risk, which is the chance that
bond prices overall will decline because of rising interest rates; income risk, which is the chance that a
strategy's income will decline because of falling interest rates; credit risk, which is the chance that a
bond issuer will fail to pay interest and principal in a timely manner, or that negative perceptions of the
issuer's ability to make such payments will cause the price of that bond to decline; and call risk, which is
the chance that during periods of falling interest rates, issuers of callable bonds may call (repay)
securities with higher coupons or interest rates before their maturity dates. The investment would then
lose any price appreciation above the bond's call price and would be forced to reinvest the
unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in the investment's income.
MUTUAL FUNDS
Most mutual funds are available directly to the public. Thus, a client or prospective client can obtain
many of the mutual funds that may be recommended and/or utilized by Pennington Partners
independent of engaging Pennington Partners as an investment advisor. Investing in mutual funds
carries the risk of capital loss. All mutual funds incur costs that lower investment returns. Additionally,
funds will be subject to risks based on the types of securities held by each fund. For example, fixed
income funds will primarily hold bonds and other fixed income securities and be subject to the types of
risks outlined above under “Fixed Income,” while equity funds will hold equity securities that are subject
to the types of risks outlined above under “Equities.” In addition, actively managed funds may be subject
to the risk that fund management fails to meet a fund's objective or, in the case of a passive fund, will be
subject to holding the securities that comprise an underlying index and may not be able to divest itself
of such holdings at a time or price that the fund's manager may otherwise think appropriate. Some
funds might invest in derivative instruments that could effectively leverage a fund’s portfolio. As a
result, small price movements in the assets underlying a derivative contract held by a fund can cause
significant differences in the value of the derivatives and result in large profits or losses (depending on
the direction of the change) for the fund. Derivative instruments held by a fund may also experience
dramatic price changes and imperfect correlations between the price of a derivative contract and the
underlying security or index, which may increase a mutual fund's volatility. A mutual fund may also
make illiquid investments or may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse
investor perceptions. Illiquid investments may be more challenging to value.
ETFS
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An exchange traded fund (“ETF”) is a pooled investment fund, the shares of which trade on an exchange
at a market price in a manner similar to shares of stock issued by individual companies. Investors in ETFs
are exposed to the risks associated with the ETF’s underlying portfolio (i.e., equities or fixed income risk,
as described above). Like other funds, investing in ETFs carries the risk of capital loss. Additionally, the
market price of an ETF may not always reflect the value of the underlying portfolio, and an ETF may
trade at either a premium or a discount to the net asset value of its underlying portfolio. A leveraged
ETF seeks to generate a return that is a multiple of its benchmark index’s performance over a specific
time period, usually one day. An inverse ETF attempts to mimic the inverse, or opposite, of its stated
benchmark over the specified time. Leveraged and inverse ETFs are not suitable for all investors, and
each has unique characteristics and risks. Although there are limited occasions where a leveraged or
inverse ETF can be useful for some types of investors, holding these types of ETFs for longer than a day
(or other specified time period) can negatively impact returns and compound losses.
MASTER LIMITED PARTNERSHIPS
An investment in a master limited partnership (“MLP”) unit involves risks that differ from those
associated with investments in similar equity securities, such as common stock of a corporation. Holders
of MLP units usually have the rights typically afforded to limited partners in a partnership, and as such
have limited control and voting rights on matters affecting the partnership. In addition, there is the risk
that an MLP could be, contrary to its intention, taxed as a corporation, resulting in decreased returns
from such MLP. Further, conflicts of interest may exist between common unit holders, subordinated unit
holders and the general partner of the MLP, including those arising from incentive distribution
payments.
OPTIONS
The use of options has a high level of inherent risk. Option transactions establish a contract between
two parties concerning the buying or selling of an asset at a predetermined price during a specific period
of time. During the term of the option contract, the buyer of the option gains the right to demand
fulfillment by the seller. Fulfillment may take the form of either selling or purchasing a security
depending upon the nature of the option contract. Generally, the purchase or the recommendation to
purchase an option contract by Pennington Partners shall be with the intent of offsetting (“hedging”) a
potential market risk in a client’s portfolio. Although the intent of the options-related transactions that
may be implemented by Pennington Partners is to hedge against principal risk, certain of the options-
related strategies (i.e., straddles, short positions, etc.), may, in and of themselves, produce principal
volatility and/or risk. Thus, a client must be willing to accept these enhanced volatility and principal risks
associated with such strategies. In light of these enhanced risks, a client may direct Pennington Partners,
in writing, not to employ any or all such strategies for their accounts.
IPOS
From time to time, and only in those cases where the client is eligible to do so, Pennington Partners
may recommend participating in initial and secondary public offerings (“IPOs”). Given the nature of
such offerings, they may present more volatility in price than existing equities that are currently traded
and have a trading history.
ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS
Alternative investments including direct investments and investments in special purpose vehicles and
private investment funds (e.g., hedge funds, private equity funds, venture capital funds, private real
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estate funds, private credit – including the Private Funds managed by Pennington Partners and/or
affiliates) generally involve various risk factors, including, but not limited to, potential for complete loss
of principal, liquidity constraints and lack of transparency, a complete discussion of which is set forth in
each investment’s offering, governing, and/or similar documents. Unlike liquid investments that a client
may maintain, alternative investments generally do not provide daily liquidity or pricing. An investment
may be considered an alternative based on the type of assets it holds, the strategy it pursues, or the
structure of the investment itself – an alternative investment may or may not be listed on a public
exchange (e.g., REITs). These risks are potentially greater than and substantially different from those
associated with traditional equity or fixed income investments.
REAL ESTATE
All real estate and real estate related investments, including real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) are
subject to varying degrees and varieties of risk. Certain real estate investments or their underlying assets
are relatively illiquid and therefore can be limited in responding to changes in economic and other
conditions. Real estate historically has experienced significant fluctuation and cycles in value and specific
market conditions may result in occasional or permanent reductions in the value of such investments.
The ability to realize anticipated rental and interest income on real estate equity and debt investments
will depend on many factors including but not limited to the financial reliability of the investments’
tenants and borrowers, the location and attractiveness of the properties, the supply of comparable
space in the areas in which properties are located (affected, for instance, by overbuilding) and general
economic conditions. There is no assurance that any direct or indirect real estate or real estate-related
investments will be profitable or that cash flow will be available for distribution to investors.
Unanticipated changes in real estate prices or values in various geographic areas (or with respect to
certain types of real estate properties) could result in material losses. Real estate investments can also
be difficult to value accurately or consistently, and even independent appraisals may differ materially
from actual or realizable value.
REAL ASSETS
Investments in other forms of real assets, including but not limited to equipment and transportation
assets, are subject to varying degrees and varieties of risk. Such assets are generally relatively illiquid.
Additionally, real assets can be subject to residual value risk, lessee credit risk, demand and utilization
risk, maintenance risk, and regulatory compliance risk. Further, real assets can suffer from exposure to
fuel prices and geopolitical events and related risks. There is no assurance that any direct or indirect real
asset investments will be profitable or that cash flow will be available for distribution to investors. Real
asset investments can also be difficult to value accurately or consistently, and even independent
appraisals may differ materially from actual or realizable value.
SHORT SELLING
Short selling involves selling securities which are not owned by the short seller and borrowing such
securities for delivery to the purchaser with an obligation to replace the borrowed securities at a later
date. Short selling allows the seller to profit from declines in market prices of the sold securities to the
extent such decline exceeds the transaction costs and the costs of borrowing the securities. A short sale
creates the risk of a theoretically unlimited loss, in that the price of the underlying security could
theoretically increase without limit, thus increasing the cost of buying those securities to cover the short
position. There can be no assurance that clients or Private Funds will be able to maintain the ability to
borrow securities sold short. In such cases, clients or Private Funds can be “bought-in” (i.e., forced to
17
repurchase securities in the open market in order to return them to the lender). There also can be no
assurances that the securities necessary to cover a short position will be available for purchase at or
near prices quoted in the market. Purchasing securities to close out a short position can itself cause the
price of the securities to rise further, thereby exacerbating the loss. Short strategies can also be
implemented synthetically through various instruments and be used with respect to indices and with
respect to futures and other instruments. Short strategies can also be implemented on a leveraged
basis. Lastly, even though a client or a Private Fund secures a “good borrow” of the security sold short at
the time of execution, the lending institution may recall the lent security at any time, thereby forcing a
client or the Private Fund to purchase the security at the then-prevailing market price, which may be
higher than the price at which such security was originally sold short by a client or the Private Fund.
MARGIN LEVERAGE
While leverage presents opportunities for increasing a client account’s or Private Fund’s total return, it
results in interest costs and also has the effect of potentially increasing losses. Accordingly, any event
that adversely affects the value of an investment, either directly or indirectly, could be magnified to the
extent that leverage is employed. Where a client account or Private Fund purchases securities on
margin, if the securities that are pledged to brokers to secure the relevant margin accounts decline in
value, or if the brokers from which the client or Private Fund has borrowed increase their maintenance
margin requirements (i.e., reduce the percentage of a position that can be financed), then the client
account or Private Fund could be subject to a “margin call,” pursuant to which they it either deposit
additional funds with the broker or suffer mandatory liquidation of the pledged securities to
compensate for the decline in value. In the event of a precipitous drop in the value of the assets of a
client account or Private Fund, the client account or Private Fund might not be able to liquidate assets
quickly enough to pay off the margin debt and might suffer mandatory liquidation by the broker of
positions in a declining market at relatively low prices, thereby incurring substantial losses.
PORTFOLIO MARGIN
Portfolio Margin bases margin requirements on the risk of an entire portfolio rather than the sum of
individual positions and strategies. The process simulates up- and down-market movements in a
theoretical pricing model to determine the amount of risk in a portfolio. These scenarios can measure
the potential loss in the account that would result if certain changes in price or implied volatility occur to
the positions in the account. Portfolio margin allows for higher leverage compared to traditional margin
accounts. While this can amplify potential gains, it also magnifies potential losses. Small market
movements can result in large losses, possibly exceeding the initial investment.
INVESTMENT RECOMMENDATION CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The amount of compensation that Pennington Partners and its supervised persons receive depends on a
number of factors. It can be greater when Pennington Partners and/or supervised persons recommends,
selects, or approves for clients certain investments, which presents a material conflict of interest. It is
generally greater when a client invests in a Private Fund, which in certain cases can be a riskier
investment. Accordingly, Pennington Partners and its supervised persons have incentives to make
recommendations, selections, or approvals that maximize their compensation. In some cases, decisions
that benefit Pennington Partners and/or its supervised persons may result in additional expenses or
opportunity costs to clients, which can reduce client returns. Pennington Partners maintains policies and
procedures designed to ensure that all clients are treated fairly and equitably, that investment
recommendations are suitable, and that fiduciary duties are complied with.
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GENERAL RISKS
Economic and Political Conditions
Economic changes, such as fluctuations in interest rates, inflation, currency values, industry conditions,
competition, technological advancements, trade relations, political events and tax laws, can adversely
affect investment performance. Economic, political and financial conditions, including military conflicts
and sanctions, can cause market volatility, illiquidity and other negative effects. Economic or political
instability, diplomatic issues or disasters in regions where client assets are invested could harm many
kinds of investments. The potential for recession and its impact on different asset classes is uncertain
and beyond Pennington Partners’ control, with no guarantees that Pennington Partners can predict
these developments.
Valuation
Securities held in accounts managed by Pennington Partners that are listed on a national securities
exchange shall generally be independently valued by the account custodians. Investments that do not
have readily available market prices provided by third parties are generally valued in good faith by
Pennington Partners using relevant information available, including information from other third parties.
We may not have sufficient information in order to be able to confirm or review or contest the accuracy
of valuation information and data provided by third parties. Furthermore, valuation information
available from third parties may be estimates only, and such valuations may be used to value account
portfolios and/or Private Funds and calculate fees. Such valuations may be subject to later adjustment
based on valuation information available at that time, including, without limitation, as a result of year-
end audit adjustments. In certain situations, we may value or estimate the value of assets internally
instead of relying on one or more third parties as described above. To the extent that we value
securities and assets directly, we generally attempt to determine or estimate the value of such
investments at their fair value in accordance with our valuation policies and procedures (as amended
from time to time). We may face actual or potential conflicts of interest with respect to such valuations
as they may affect our compensation. We may obtain independent appraisals and valuations of certain
assets and investments at a client’s expense.
Cybersecurity and Privacy
Investing involves various privacy, information security, operational, and cybersecurity risks. These risks
include both intentional and unintentional events at Pennington Partners or one of its third-party
counterparties or service providers, that may result in a loss or corruption of data, result in the
unauthorized release or other misuse of confidential
information, and generally compromise
Pennington Partners’ ability to conduct its business. A cybersecurity breach may also result in a third-
party obtaining unauthorized access to Pennington Partners clients’ information, including social
security numbers, home addresses, account numbers, account balances, and account holdings.
Pennington Partners has established information security policies and procedures to reduce the risk
associated with privacy and information security breaches.
Pennington Partners is committed to safeguarding clients’ nonpublic personal information in accordance
with applicable privacy laws, such as Regulation S-P. We maintain written policies and procedures
reasonably designed to protect the confidentiality and security of client information, including
administrative, technical, and physical safeguards that are proportionate to our size and operations.
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Access to nonpublic personal information is limited to supervised persons who require it to perform
their job responsibilities, and we oversee service providers that have access to such information to help
ensure client information is appropriately protected. Pennington Partners also maintains an incident
response program designed to promptly respond to, and recover from, a security event materially
affecting the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of client nonpublic personal information in our
control. In the event of a security incident involving sensitive client information, we will investigate,
contain, and remediate the matter and, if required, provide notice to affected individuals. Clients
receive a separate Privacy Notice describing our information collection, safeguarding, and information-
sharing practices.
Despite the aforementioned practices, policies, and procedures, inherent limitations remain, including
certain risks may not have been identified, in large part because different or unknown threats may
emerge in the future. Additionally, nonpublic personal information may be provided to third parties
that are not service providers of Pennington Partners at the direction of a client, and thus such third
parties are not subject to Pennington Partners’ due diligence and oversight. As such, there is no
guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because Pennington Partners does not directly
control the security systems of issuers, trading counterparties, or third-party service providers. There is
also a risk that breaches may not be detected.
Artificial Intelligence
is uncertain and rapidly evolving and could require changes
Pennington Partners uses artificial intelligence (“AI”) tools to support certain aspects of our internal
processes. These tools assist with tasks such as investment research assistance, summarizing content,
checking grammar and spelling, and clarifying written communication. Our use of AI tools is expected to
change and evolve over time, and we may use additional or other tools or AI-enabled features to
support additional functions and processes in the future, at our discretion. AI tools are highly complex,
and may be flawed, hallucinate, reflect biases included in the data on which such tools are trained, be of
poor quality, or be otherwise harmful. As such, AI-generated outputs may contain inaccuracies or
incomplete information. Additionally, the legal and regulatory environment relating to the use of AI
tools
in Pennington Partners’
implementation of AI tools. All discretionary investment decisions and fiduciary judgments are made
exclusively by Pennington Partner’s advisory personnel. No artificial intelligence tool independently
makes investment decisions on behalf of clients.
Item 9 | Disciplinary Information
Pennington Partners has not been the subject of any disciplinary actions.
Item 10 | Other Financial Activities and Affiliations
BROKER-DEALERS
Neither Pennington Partners, nor its management, are registered or have an application pending to
register, as a broker-dealer or a registered representative of a broker-dealer.
FUTURES COMMISSION MERCHANTS, COMMODITY POOL OPERATORS, AND COMMODITY TRADING ADVISORS
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Neither Pennington Partners, nor its management, are registered or have an application pending to
register, as a futures commission merchant, a commodity pool operator, a commodity trading advisor,
or an associated person of the foregoing.
THIRD-PARTY INVESTMENT ADVISORS
As discussed previously in this Brochure, Pennington Partners may engage sub-advisors for the purpose
of assisting with the management of client accounts on a discretionary basis. Additionally, Pennington
Partners may recommend that clients invest in mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and private funds
managed by third parties. Although not a material consideration when determining whether to engage a
particular sub-advisor or recommend a particular mutual fund, exchange-traded fund, private fund,
and/or other investment strategy managed by a third party, Pennington Partners receives from some
third-party investment advisers subsidized, without cost, or at a discount, support services, certain of
which assist Pennington Partners in fostering and maintaining client relationships and better servicing
and monitoring client accounts sub-advised by such institutions. Such support services that may be
received by Pennington Partners include, but are not limited to, conference access, meetings, and other
educational and/or social events, marketing services and support in hosting retreats and other events
for clients and prospective clients. Pennington Partners’ clients do not pay more for sub-advisory
services as a result of the receipt of these benefits. There is no corresponding commitment made by
Pennington Partners to any third-party investment adviser to engage with or recommend them on
behalf of or to any specific number of clients representing any specific amount of assets.
Benefits received could create potential conflicts of interest since Pennington Partners does not have to
bear the expenses borne by third-party investment advisers for such services and products. Benefits
offered by third-party investment advisers could create an incentive to select or recommend a third-
party investment adviser in order to receive benefits, rather than selecting a third-party investment
adviser based on merit and client fit alone. Benefits received from third-party investment advisers are
generally used to service a variety of client accounts and not just those who receive sub-advisory
services from or invest in securities or funds managed and/or offered by the third-party investment
adviser.
SUBSIDIARIES
Pennington Partners wholly owns two subsidiaries established to serve clients locally in additional
markets, and certain supervised persons participate in the profits generated by such subsidiaries.
Pennington-TX, LLC was established primarily to serve clients in the Texas-area market, while
Pennington Partners F1 LLC was established primarily to serve clients in the Southeast market.
OTHER INVESTMENT ADVISERS
Pennington Partners has an ownership interest in, and Brian Gaister serves as Pennington Partners’
designated manager to, SaaS Ventures, L.L.C. (“SaaS Ventures”), an SEC exempt reporting adviser. SaaS
Ventures is an investment manager to privately offered pooled investment vehicles that make
investments primarily in pre-seed, seed, and growth stage technology companies. Pennington Partners
and/or affiliates may have an incentive to recommend pooled investment vehicles managed by SaaS
Ventures to Pennington Partners clients due to the potential to receive additional amounts through its
ownership interest in SaaS Ventures, which creates a conflict of interest. Also, performance-based fee
arrangements may create an incentive for Pennington Partners to recommend investments which may
be riskier or more speculative than those which would be recommended under different fee
arrangements. In addition to mitigating these potential conflicts of interest through disclosures in this
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Brochure, Pennington Partners maintains policies and procedures designed to ensure that all clients are
treated fairly and equitably, that investment recommendations are suitable, and to prevent this conflict
from influencing the recommendation and allocation of investment opportunities among clients.
Pennington Partners, through Pennington GM, LLC, an affiliate owned by Brian Gaister and Rodd
Macklin, has an ownership interest in PTM Partners Fund Manager, LLC (“PTM Partners”), of which Brian
Gaister serves as a key principal. PTM Partners manages pooled investment vehicles that primarily invest
in direct or indirect equity interests in U.S. metropolitan markets located within designated qualified
opportunity zones. Pennington Partners and/or its affiliates may have an incentive to recommend these
PTM Partners-managed vehicles to clients due to the potential to receive additional economic benefits
from this ownership interest, creating a conflict of interest. In addition, performance-based fee
arrangements may create an incentive to recommend investments that are riskier or more speculative
than those that might be recommended under different fee structures. Pennington Partners seeks to
mitigate these potential conflicts through disclosures in this Brochure, as well as through policies and
procedures designed to ensure that all clients are treated fairly and equitably, that recommendations
are suitable, and that such conflicts do not improperly influence the recommendation or allocation of
investment opportunities among clients.
Guy Scott is Founder and Managing Member of Wrasse CCO, LLC and Wrasse Private Access, LLC
through which he serves as Chief Compliance Officer for other independent investment advisers.
PRIVATE FUNDS AND SPVS
As noted previously in this Brochure, Pennington Partners and/or its affiliated entities act as general
partner, manager, and/or investment manager to client Private Funds and SPVs. Such general partners,
managers, and investment managers include:
• PTM Partners Fund Manager, LLC;
• PTM Partners OZF I GP, LLC;
• PREP OZ Fund GP;
• Penn Alt Income Fund GP, LLC;
• Penn Alt Income IDF GP, LLC;
• Penn Alt Income Access GP;
• Pennington Private Access GP, LLC;
• Pennington Appreciation Fund GP, LLC;
• Pennington Alternative Income Management, LLC: and
• Fordham Street LLC.
Pennington Partners and/or affiliates may have an incentive to recommend the Private Funds or SPVs to
Pennington Partners clients due to the potential to receive additional fees, which creates a conflict of
interest. Specifically, and as referenced earlier in this Brochure, performance-based fee arrangements
may create an incentive for Pennington Partners to recommend investments which may be riskier or
more speculative than those which would be recommended under different fee arrangements. In
addition to mitigating these potential conflicts of interest through disclosures in this Brochure,
Pennington Partners maintains policies and procedures designed to ensure that all clients are treated
fairly and equitably, and to prevent this conflict from influencing the allocation of investment
opportunities among clients.
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The investment policies, restrictions, and fee arrangements, among other things, will vary among Private
Funds and SPVs. For example, and in some cases, investment policies and objectives of more than one
Private Fund may overlap, presenting potential conflicts of interest in determining how much, if any, of
certain investment opportunities are offered to a Private Fund. Subject to requirements of relevant
Offering Documents, investment opportunities will be allocated among the Private Funds in a manner
that the respective general partners, or other governing bodies believe in their sole discretion to be
appropriate given factors they believe to be relevant. Such factors may include the investment
objectives, geography, sector, industry, scale, transaction sourcing, liquidity, diversification, lender
covenants and other limitations of the Private Funds and the amount of capital each has available for
such investment at the time. Pennington Partners and/or affiliates also reserve the right to make
independent decisions regarding the timing of Private Fund purchase and sale recommendations. As a
result, a Private Fund may be purchasing or holding an investment at the same time another Private
Fund is selling the same or a similar investment, or vice versa. A Private Fund or SPV may invest in
opportunities that another Private Fund has declined, and likewise, a Private Fund may decline to invest
in opportunities in which another Private Fund or SPV has invested.
Additional conflicts may arise when a Private Fund makes investments in conjunction with an
investment being made by another Private Fund, or in a transaction in which another Private Fund has
already made an investment. Investment opportunities may be appropriate for a Private Fund and
another Private Fund at the same, different, or overlapping levels of a portfolio company’s capital
structure. Conflicts may also arise in determining the terms of investments, especially where the general
partner controls the structure of a transaction and its capitalization. For example, investments by a
Private Fund in transactions controlled by another Private Fund may be subject to investment terms,
including with respect to liquidity or governance, that may be more restrictive than those preferable for
such Private Fund if it were investing without the other Private Fund. There can be no assurance that the
return on one Private Fund’s investments will not be less than the returns obtained by other Private
Funds participating in the transaction.
Supervised persons of Pennington Partners responsible for managing a particular Private Fund and/or
SPV will have responsibilities with respect to other Private Funds and/or SPVs, including funds or
vehicles that may be offered in the future. Conflicts of interest may arise in allocating time, services or
functions of these supervised persons. Each of the general partners, managers, or other governing
bodies, for the Private Funds and SPVs will seek to address conflicts of interest using their best judgment
in their sole discretion. When conflicts arise among Private Funds or SPVs by Pennington Partners, the
participating general partner, manager, or other governing body, will represent the interests of the
Private Funds or SPVs they advise and may consider various factors in attempting to resolve conflicts.
Generally, access persons of Pennington Partners are permitted to make investments in or alongside
Private Funds and SPVs, subject to personal investment policies and procedures set forth in Pennington
Partners’ Code of Ethics.
RELYING ADVISERS
Pennington Alternative Income Management, LLC is a subsidiary of Pennington Partners that provides
investment advisory services with respect to certain Private Funds, specifically Pennington Alternative
Income Fund, LP and Pennington Alternative Income IDF, LP. Pennington Alternative Income
Management, LLC relies on our investment adviser registration instead of separately registering as an
investment adviser with the SEC under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the “Advisers Act”). To rely
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on our registration, we have entered into investment management agreement with Pennington
Alternative Income Management, LLC. In addition, we represent that:
• Pennington Alternative Income Management, LLC and persons acting on its behalf are “persons
associated with” and “supervised persons” (as each term is defined in the Advisers Act) of
Pennington Partners;
• The investment advisory services of Pennington Alternative Income Management, LLC and
persons acting on its behalf are subject to our supervision and control with respect to any
investment advisory functions thereof;
• Any investment advisory functions of Pennington Alternative Income Management, LLC is
subject to the Advisers Act and the rules and regulations thereunder; and
• The activities and books and records of Pennington Alternative Income Management, LLC are
subject to our compliance policies and procedures as well as inspection and examination by the
SEC.
BOOKKEEPERS
Pennington Partners is a significant minority owner and board member of NSL, LLC (“NSL”), which owns
Aquilance, LLC (“Aquilance”). Aquilance provides bill payment, personal bookkeeping and concierge
services to wealthy individuals and families. Clients of Pennington Partners are made aware of the
services offered by Aquilance and they may engage Aquilance at their own discretion either as part of
the broader investment advisory relationship or separately. Pennington Partners and Aquilance are
operationally separate.
CLIENT INVESTMENTS
Clients have invested in, and may in the future invest in, Pennington Partners. Additionally, clients have
invested in, and may in the future invest in, the general partners and/or managers of one or more
Private Funds and/or SPVs. Such investments may be the result of interests in a general partner or
manager being granted as part of an investor commitment to a Private Fund or SPV. Further, Pennington
Partners has advisory clients who have invested in NSL and thus indirectly Aquilance. Such ownership
interests may give rise to certain conflicts of interest with Pennington Partners, and the proceeds of any
such investment are expected to ultimately accrue, at least in part, to the benefit of Pennington
Partners and its affiliates, as well as their owners, officers, and supervised persons. Accordingly,
Pennington Partners may have an incentive to present these investment opportunities to clients and/or
to recommend or facilitate investments by clients in any such investments. Certain Pennington Partners
supervised persons have an ownership interest in Pennington Partners as well, which could incentivize
them to encourage clients to participate in any investment offerings made by Pennington Partners. Also,
the opportunity to offer to certain clients to invest in a general partner or manager also creates an
incentive to favor certain clients and prospective clients over others in the offering of such
opportunities. To mitigate these conflicts of interest, Pennington Partners has adopted policies and
procedures designed to ensure we serve the best interest of clients and does not subordinate any client
interest to those of Pennington Partners and all clients are treated fairly and equitably over time.
Item 11 | Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading
CODE OF ETHICS
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Pennington Partners maintains a Code of Ethics, which serves to establish a standard of business
conduct for all of Pennington Partners’ supervised persons and that is based upon fundamental
principles of openness, integrity, honesty and trust. The Code of Ethics contains personal securities
transaction policies and procedures that govern the personal investment activities, as applicable, of its
access persons. Please contact us at (202) 370-6435 to request a copy of our Code of Ethics.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CLIENTS INVOLVING MATERIAL FINANCIAL INTERESTS
As referenced earlier in this Brochure, Pennington Partners recommends to its advisory clients
investments in Private Funds that it or an affiliate manages. Such recommendations involve potential
conflicts of interest as Pennington Partners has an incentive to recommend the Private Funds to
advisory clients due to the potential to receive additional fees. Specifically, performance-based fee
arrangements may create an incentive for Pennington Partners to recommend investments which may
be riskier or more speculative than those which would be recommended under different fee
arrangements. In addition to mitigating these potential conflicts of interest through disclosures in this
Brochure, Pennington Partners maintains policies and procedures designed to ensure that all clients are
treated fairly and equitably, and to prevent this conflict from influencing the allocation of investment
opportunities among clients.
Additionally, and as referenced earlier in this Brochure, a Private Fund, an SPV, the general partner to a
Private Fund, the manager to an SPV, Pennington Partners, and/or affiliates may enter into agreements
that allow certain investors, including Pennington Partners’ investment advisory services clients, to
receive interests in, and participate in the profits of, the general partner to a Private Fund or SPV
alongside Pennington Partners, affiliates, and/or supervised persons. The opportunity to offer to certain
clients and prospective clients to participate in the profits of a Private Fund general partner or SPV
manager creates an incentive to favor certain clients and prospective clients over others in the offering
of such opportunities. As mentioned above, Pennington Partners maintains policies and procedures
designed to ensure clients are treated fairly and equitably and that investment recommendations are
suitable.
As also referenced earlier in this Brochure, Pennington Partners may recommend to clients investments
in certain loan participations involving interests in loans made to unaffiliated companies. These
participations may involve direct agreements with the underlying issuer of the investment or a
secondary offering issued by a Private Fund managed by Pennington Partners and/or affiliates, which
may involve a cross transaction. While a loan remains outstanding, Pennington Partners and/or affiliates
may provide investment management services related to participation in the loan by investment
advisory clients. Such recommendations involve potential conflicts of interest as Pennington Partners
has an incentive to recommend loan participations or the Private Funds that invest in them to advisory
clients due to the potential to receive additional fees. Specifically, management fee and/or
performance-based fee arrangements may create an incentive for Pennington Partners to recommend
investments which may be riskier or more speculative than those which would be recommended under
different fee arrangements. As mentioned above, Pennington Partners maintains policies and
investment
procedures designed to ensure clients are treated fairly and equitably and that
recommendations are suitable.
Additionally, and as also referenced earlier in this Brochure, Pennington Partners recommends to its
advisory clients investments in privately offered pooled investment vehicles managed by SaaS Ventures,
which Pennington Partners has an ownership interest in. Such recommendations involve potential
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conflicts of interest as Pennington Partners has an incentive to recommend the pooled investment
vehicles managed by SaaS Ventures to advisory clients due to the potential to receive additional
amounts through its ownership interest in SaaS Ventures. Also, performance-based fee arrangements
may create an incentive for Pennington Partners to recommend investments which may be riskier or
more speculative than those which would be recommended under different fee arrangements. In
addition to mitigating these potential conflicts of interest through disclosures in this Brochure,
Pennington Partners maintains policies and procedures designed to ensure that all clients are treated
fairly and equitably, that investment recommendations are suitable, and to prevent this conflict from
influencing the recommendation and allocation of investment opportunities among clients.
PERSONAL INVESTMENTS IN THE SAME SECURITIES AS CLIENTS
Pennington Partners and/or access persons of Pennington Partners may buy or sell securities that are
also recommended to clients. Owning the same securities that we recommend (purchase or sell) to
clients presents a potential conflict of interest that, as fiduciaries, we must disclose to you and mitigate
through policies and procedures. When trading for personal accounts, access persons could have a
conflict of interest if trading in the same securities. The fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of
clients can potentially be violated if personal trades are made with more advantageous terms than client
trades, or by trading based on material non-public information. Our policies prohibit our access persons
from engaging in such actions. As noted above, we have adopted a Code of Ethics that includes personal
securities transaction policies and procedures that govern personal investment activities of Pennington
Partners access persons. Such policies and procedures contain reporting and review requirements as
well. We have also adopted written policies and procedures to address the misuse of material, non-
public information.
Pennington Partners’ supervised persons may invest in Private Funds that it or an affiliate manages. The
terms of any supervised person investment would generally be different from, and more favorable than,
those of a client or third-party investor in such Private Funds. Examples of such favorable terms include
reduced management fees or performance-based compensation. In addition, the participation by
Pennington Partners’ supervised persons in certain Private Funds in which clients are also seeking to
invest could, in certain circumstances, limit the ability of clients to invest by, for example, limiting or
reducing the available investment capacity for clients and/or by affecting the pricing or terms of such
investments. Pennington Partners maintains policies and procedures designed to mitigate conflicts
created by such investment activity.
PERSONAL INVESTMENTS AT OR ABOUT THE SAME TIME AS CLIENT INVESTMENTS
As discussed earlier in this Brochure, Pennington Partners and/or access persons may buy or sell
securities around the same time the same securities are recommended to clients. This practice may
create a situation where Pennington Partners and/or access persons are in a position to materially
benefit from the sale or purchase of those securities. As discussed above, Pennington Partners
maintains personal investments policies designed to mitigate risks associated with such conflicts.
Additionally, Pennington Partners maintains policies and procedures to monitor the personal securities
transactions and securities holdings of each of Pennington Partners’ access persons. Such policies call for
Pennington Partners’ access persons to report their securities holdings within ten (10) days of becoming
an access person and on an annual basis thereafter. Additionally, access persons are required to report
their personal transactions on a quarterly basis. Pennington Partners’ policies require the Chief
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Compliance Officer or designee to monitor and review all reporting under the Code of Ethics for
compliance with personal investment policies and procedures and SEC rules.
Item 12 | Brokerage Practices
CUSTODIAN RECOMMENDATIONS
services, Pennington Partners may
In the event that a client requests Pennington Partners to recommend a broker-dealer/custodian for
execution and custodial
recommend certain broker-
dealers/custodians. Although clients are not obligated to use Pennington Partners’ recommended
broker-dealer/custodian, Pennington Partners could be limited in the services it can provide if a
recommended broker-dealer/custodian is not engaged. Prior to engaging Pennington Partners to
provide investment advisory services, a client will be required to enter into a written investment
advisory agreement with Pennington Partners setting forth the terms and conditions under which
Pennington Partners shall manage the client's assets, and a separate custodial/clearing agreement with
each broker-dealer/custodian chosen by the client.
Factors that Pennington Partners considers in recommending a broker-dealer/custodian, investment
platform and/or mutual fund sponsor include historical relationship with Pennington Partners, financial
strength, reputation, execution capabilities, pricing, research, and service. In seeking best execution, the
determinative factor is not the lowest possible cost, but whether the transaction represents the best
qualitative execution, taking into consideration the full range of broker-dealer services, including the
value of research provided, execution capability, commission rates, and responsiveness. Accordingly,
although Pennington Partners will seek competitive rates, it may not necessarily obtain the lowest
possible commission rates for client account transactions. Pennington Partners’ best execution
responsibility is qualified if securities that it purchases for client accounts are mutual funds that trade at
net asset value as determined at the daily market close.
RESEARCH AND OTHER BENEFITS
Although not a material consideration when determining whether to recommend that a client utilize the
services of a particular broker-dealer/custodian, Pennington Partners receives from broker-
dealers/custodians subsidized, without cost, or at a discount, support services and/or products, certain
of which assist Pennington Partners in fostering and maintaining client relationships and better servicing
and monitoring client accounts maintained at such institutions. Included in support services that may be
received by Pennington Partners are investment-related research, pricing information and market data,
account transition services when moving client accounts from one broker-dealer/custodian to another
(including covering costs associated with termination fees charged by a client’s former broker-
dealer/custodian), software and other technology, consulting services, conference access, meetings, and
other educational and/or social events, marketing services and support in hosting retreats and other
events for clients and prospective clients, and/or other services and products used by Pennington
Partners in furtherance of its investment advisory business operations. Such benefits can include
payments to third parties on behalf of Pennington Partners for the aforementioned services and
products as agreed to with the broker-dealer/custodian.
Pennington Partners’ clients do not pay more for investment transactions executed and/or assets
maintained at a particular broker-dealer/custodian as result of the receipt of these benefits. There is no
corresponding commitment made by Pennington Partners to any broker-dealer/custodian or any other
entity to recommend to any specific number of clients representing any specific amount of assets,
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conduct any specific amount of trading activity, and/or invest any specific amount or percentage of
client assets in any specific mutual funds, securities, or other investment products.
Research and additional benefits, regardless of whether received pursuant to a formal soft dollar
arrangement, could create potential conflicts of interest since Pennington Partners does not have to
bear the expenses for such services and products received from broker-dealers/custodians and does not
have to bear all the expense for services and products subsidized by or received at a discounted rate
from broker-dealers/custodians. Benefits offered by broker-dealers/custodians could create an incentive
to select or recommend a broker-dealer/custodian in order to receive research or other products or
services, rather than recommending a broker-dealer/custodian in order to achieve the most favorable
execution for clients. Benefits received from broker-dealers/custodians are generally used to service a
variety of clients’ accounts or in some cases just the accounts of those clients who custody their account
at the particular broker-dealer/custodian.
CLIENT REFERRALS
Pennington Partners does not receive client referrals from broker-dealers/custodians.
DIRECTED BROKERAGE
Pennington Partners may accept directed brokerage arrangements when a client requires that its
account transactions be executed through a specific broker-dealer. In such client directed arrangements,
the client will negotiate terms and conditions for their account with that broker-dealer, and Pennington
Partners will not seek better execution services or prices from other broker-dealers or be able to
aggregate the client's transactions for execution through other broker-dealers with orders for other
accounts managed by Pennington Partners. As a result, clients that direct brokerage may pay higher
commissions or other transaction costs or greater spreads, or receive less favorable net prices, on
transactions than would otherwise be the case.
TRADE AGGREGATION
Transactions for advisory clients’ accounts generally will be executed independently of one another,
unless Pennington Partners decides to purchase or sell the same securities for more than one client at
approximately the same time. Pennington Partners may (but is not obligated to) aggregate such orders
in an effort to obtain better pricing, commission rates, and/or better overall execution. When
aggregating transactions for multiple clients, prices achieved will be averaged and will be allocated
among clients in proportion to the purchase and sale orders placed for each client account on the given
day. Pennington Partners shall not receive any compensation or remuneration from broker-
dealers/custodians for aggregating client transactions.
TRADING AWAY
Relative to its discretionary authority for relevant client accounts, and when beneficial to the client,
individual fixed income transactions may be executed through broker-dealers other than the account
custodian, in which event, the executing broker-dealer will charge a fee (commission, mark-up/mark-
down) and a separate “trade away” and/or prime broker fee will be charged by the account custodian.
TRADE ERRORS
From time-to-time Pennington Partners may make an error in submitting a trade order for a client.
Pennington Partners generally considers a compensable trade error to be a trade error that results from
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its action or omission that does not meet the applicable standard of care and that results in a loss to a
client. Sometimes an error results in a profit to the client. If Pennington Partners caused an error and
the error resulted in a loss to the client’s account, Pennington Partners’ policy is to correct the error in
order to place the client in the same position as if the error had not occurred. If Pennington Partners
caused an error and the error resulted in a profit to the client account, with the client’s consent, the
client will keep the profit. If Pennington Partners did not cause an error that occurred in a client
account, Pennington Partners will seek to hold responsible the party that caused the error and advocate
for correction of the error on behalf of the client. If Pennington Partners shares responsibility for an
error with another party, Pennington Partners will pay the portion of any loss associated with its error.
For de minimis trade error losses, certain broker-dealers/custodians will bear the loss as a matter of
policy and standard business practice and to avoid its own additional expense and burden of processing
small errors. Such situations are a benefit to Pennington Partners and could create potential conflicts of
interest since Pennington Partners does not have to bear the costs of de minimis trade error losses. Such
benefits could create an incentive to recommend to clients particular broker-dealers/custodians in order
to receive such benefits. This potential conflict is mitigated via the de minimis nature of this benefit, the
disclosures in this Brochure, and policies and procedures designed to ensure that all clients are treated
fairly and equitably and that any broker-dealer/custodian recommendations are in the best interest of
clients.
ALLOCATIONS OF LIMITED INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
As disclosed above, Pennington Partners may recommend participation in initial and secondary
offerings, or other limited investment opportunities including loan participations, to eligible clients
including Private Funds. In such cases, offerings may be available in limited quantities wherein
Pennington Partners may need to allocate shares to clients in a lesser proportion than as requested
by or recommended to the client. These situations create a potential conflict of interest and in such
cases, Pennington Partners will manage such conflicts through applicable policies and procedures
designed to ensure clients are treated fairly and equitably.
Item 13 | Review of Accounts
For those clients to whom Pennington Partners provides investment advisory services, account reviews
are conducted on an ongoing basis by Pennington Partners’ advisory personnel, such as Portfolio
Managers. All investment advisory clients are advised that it remains their responsibility to advise
Pennington Partners of any changes in their investment objectives and/or financial situation. All clients
are encouraged to review financial planning issues (to the extent applicable), investment objectives, and
account performance with Pennington Partners on an annual basis.
Pennington Partners may conduct account reviews on a periodic basis upon the occurrence of a
triggering event, such as a change in client investment objectives and/or financial situation, market
events, and upon client request.
Clients are generally provided, at least quarterly, with written transaction confirmation notices and
regular written summary account statements directly from the broker-dealer/custodian and/or program
sponsor for the client accounts. Clients are also generally able to establish electronic access to the
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custodian’s website so that the Client can view these reports and their account activity. Pennington
Partners may also provide a written periodic report summarizing account activity and performance.
Item 14 | Client Referrals and Other Compensation
As previously disclosed in this Brochure, Pennington Partners may receive an indirect economic benefit
from a broker-dealer/custodian it recommends to clients. Pennington Partners, without cost, subsidized,
or at a discounted rate, may receive support services and/or products from a broker-dealer/custodian.
Pennington Partners’ clients do not pay more for investment transactions executed and/or assets
maintained at these broker-dealers/custodians as result of these arrangements. There
is no
corresponding commitment made by Pennington Partners to any particular broker-dealer/custodian or
any other entity to recommend to any specific number of clients representing any specific amount of
assets, conduct any specific amount of trading activity, and/or invest any specific amount or percentage
of client assets in any specific mutual funds, securities or other investment products as a result of the
above arrangement.
Pennington Partners refers various unaffiliated, non-advisory professionals
(e.g., attorneys,
accountants,) to provide certain services necessary to meet the goals of its clients for no compensation.
Likewise, Pennington Partners generally receives non-compensated referrals of new clients from various
third parties.
From time to time, Pennington Partners may engage third-party promoters to refer clients and generally
compensates such promoters for those services. Additionally, Pennington Partners enters into
agreements to compensate certain supervised persons for client and employee referrals. Such forms of
compensation can include, but are not limited to, a percentage of revenue earned from referred client
relationships or a fixed fee. Supervised persons’ ability to earn compensation for referring clients may
create an incentive for Pennington Partners to recommend investments or arrangements that result in
higher fees or additional revenue, or take other actions that may not be in the best interest of clients.
Pennington Partners maintains policies and procedures designed to ensure that all clients are treated
fairly and equitably, that investment recommendations are suitable, and that fiduciary duties are
complied with.
In using promoters, Pennington Partners must comply with various Advisers Act requirements. Except
for employees and certain affiliated persons of Pennington Partners, and in accordance with relevant
Advisers Act exemptions, the promoter must disclose certain aspects of its relationship with Pennington
Partners if receiving compensation greater than the de minimis amount. Any such compensation shall
be paid solely from the advisory fees earned by or revenue generated for Pennington Partners and shall
not result in any additional charge to the client.
Item 15 | Custody
Although Pennington Partners generally does not take physical possession of client funds or securities,
we are deemed to have custody and/or control of certain client assets when Pennington Partners, an
affiliate or a supervised person serves as general partner, manager, managing member, or in a similar
capacity with regard to a Private Fund; has been granted power of attorney or other authority to
provide services that allows Pennington Partners to move money or assets to another account; is
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permissioned by the client to directly deduct advisory fees from the client account; acts as trustee,
executor, officer, director, or trust representative for a client; under a standing letter of authorization
with the client’s custodian, is authorized to move assets to a Pennington Partners affiliate, Private Fund,
or a third party; is in possession of cash, check, or any security (collectively, “client funds”) and does not
return such client funds or forward them to the client or the client’s qualified custodian in a timely
manner and in accordance with SEC guidance; has login credentials to a client account that would
generally allow for more than just view only rights, i.e., ability to change a client’s profile, contact
information, or otherwise provide the ability to conduct transactions on behalf of the client (examples
would include access to bank accounts or credit cards to pay for expenses, bills, or other agreed upon
services); engages in bill pay practices for clients, as well as any other scenario or circumstance where
Pennington Partners is deemed to have custody and/or control of client assets or securities under Rule
206(4)-2 of the Advisers Act (the “Custody Rule”).
To the extent required by SEC rules, including the Custody Rule, client assets are maintained with a
qualified custodian, which is a broker-dealer, bank, or another eligible firm that holds and maintains
client investment assets. Except as noted below with respect to Private Funds, clients receive an account
statement quarterly directly from the broker-dealer/custodian and/or program sponsor showing all
transactions occurring in the client’s account during the period covered by the account statement and
the funds, securities and other property in the client’s account at the end of the period. Pennington
Partners may also provide a written periodic report summarizing account activity and performance.
We urge all clients to carefully review the statements provided by the broker-dealer/custodian and/or
program sponsor and compare any statement or report provided by Pennington Partners with the
account statements received from the account custodian. As applicable, clients should also review the
advisory fees reflected on the official records provided by the custodian as the account custodian does
not typically verify the accuracy of Pennington Partners’ advisory fee calculation.
Except in the case of the Private Funds (as discussed below), Pennington Partners engages an
independent public accountant that is registered with, and subject to examination by the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) to perform an annual surprise examination (“Surprise
Examination”) of those assets and accounts over which Pennington Partners maintains custody.
When possible, Private Fund assets are maintained with a qualified custodian. Generally, Pennington
Partners relies on the audit exception to the Custody Rule with respect to the Private Funds. In
accordance with the audit exemption, each such Private Fund obtains an annual audit of its financial
statements performed by an independent public accountant that is registered with, and subject to
examination by the PCAOB. Copies of the annual audited financial statements, which are prepared in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, are distributed to all Private Fund investors
within 120 days (or in the case of fund of funds, within 180 days) of the end of each fiscal year.
Item 16 | Investment Discretion
As discussed previously in this Brochure, prospective clients can choose to engage Pennington Partners
to provide investment advisory services on a discretionary basis. Prior to Pennington Partners assuming
discretionary authority over a client’s account, the client shall be required to execute an investment
advisory agreement, granting Pennington Partners with limited power of attorney to buy, sell, or
otherwise effect investment transactions for the client’s discretionary account.
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Clients who engage Pennington Partners on a discretionary basis may, at any time, impose reasonable
restrictions, in writing, on Pennington Partners’ discretionary authority (e.g., limit the types/amounts of
particular securities purchased for their account, exclude the ability to purchase securities with an
inverse relationship to the market, limit or proscribe Pennington Partners’ use of margin, etc.).
Subject to the guidelines, objectives, and restrictions set forth in the applicable Private Fund Offering
Documents and SPV Governing Documents, Pennington Partners has discretionary authority over the
types of financial instruments to be bought or sold, as well as the amount to be bought or sold on behalf
of the Private Funds and SPVs. Investors are not permitted to impose restrictions/limitations on the
management of the Private Funds and SPVs. However, Pennington Partners may enter into side letter
agreements with one or more investors in the Private Funds and SPVs that alter, modify, or change the
terms of the interests held by those investors.
Pennington Partners is generally granted limited or no investment discretion with respect to non-
discretionary investment advisory clients (or the specific asset types or sub-portfolios of discretionary
accounts to which consent requirements pertain) as set forth in the applicable investment advisory
agreement.
Item 17 | Voting Client Securities
Pennington Partners does not vote client proxies for wealth management clients. Wealth management
clients maintain exclusive responsibility for directing the manner in which proxies solicited by issuers of
securities owned by the client shall be voted and making all elections relative to any mergers,
acquisitions, tender offers, bankruptcy proceedings or other type events pertaining to the client’s
investment assets. Clients will receive their proxies or other solicitations directly from their custodian.
Clients may contact Pennington Partners at (202) 370-6435 to discuss any questions they may have
about a particular solicitation.
Pennington Partners may vote client proxies, or similar interests such as investor consents, for its Private
Fund clients. Accordingly, Pennington Partners has adopted proxy voting policies and procedures to
address how it will vote proxies, as applicable, for a Private Fund’s investments, such as the underlying
portfolio companies or pooled investment vehicles. Private Fund investors cannot direct Pennington
Partners’ vote in a particular solicitation. The proxy voting policies and procedures seek to ensure that
Pennington Partners votes proxies (or similar instruments) in the best interest of the Private Funds,
including where there may be material conflicts of interest in voting proxies. In the event that there is or
may be a conflict of interest in voting proxies, the proxy voting policies and procedures provide that
Pennington Partners may address the conflict using several alternatives, such as by seeking the approval
or concurrence of a Private Fund’s advisory committee as applicable on the proposed proxy vote or
through other alternatives. Pennington Partners does not consider service on portfolio company boards,
on pooled investment vehicle investor advisory committees, or on portfolio company creditor
committees by Pennington Partners supervised persons to create a material conflict of interest in voting
proxies with respect to such companies. A copy of Pennington Partners’ written proxy voting policies
and procedures, as well as a record of how Pennington Partners has voted in the past, will be
maintained and available for review upon request.
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Item 18 | Financial Information
Pennington Partners does not solicit fees of more than $1,200, per client, six months or more in
advance.
Pennington Partners is unaware of any financial condition that is reasonably likely to impair its ability to
meet its contractual commitments relating to its discretionary authority over certain client accounts.
Pennington Partners has not been the subject of a bankruptcy petition.
Pennington Partners’ Chief Compliance Officer remains available to address any questions that a client
or prospective client may have regarding the above disclosures and arrangements.
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