Soft Dollar Disclosures

posted in: Brokerage Practices | 0

One part of Item 12 (Brokerage) in the ADV Part 2A that advisers tend to miss when disclosing their soft dollar activities:

You must describe the types of products and services you or any of your related persons acquired with client brokerage commission (or markups or markdowns) within your last fiscal year.

Note: This description must be specific enough for your clients to understand the types of products or services that you are acquiring and to permit then to evaluate possible conflicts of interest. Your description must be more detailed for products or services that do not qualify for the safe harbor in section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, such as those services that do not aid in investment decision-making or trade execution. Merely disclosing that you obtain various research reports and products is not specific enough.