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Harbor Advisory Corporation
dba Harbor Advisory
Form ADV Part 2A – Disclosure Brochure
Effective 03/27/2025
This Form ADV 2A (“Disclosure Brochure”) provides information about the qualifications and
business practices of Harbor Advisory Corporation (“Harbor” and also doing business as “Harbor
Advisory”). If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact the
Advisor at (603) 431-5740 or at info@harboradvisory.com.
Harbor Advisory Corporation is registered as an investment adviser with the SEC. The information
in this brochure has not been approved or verified by the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission (“SEC”) or by any state securities authority. Registration of an investment advisor
does not imply any specific level of skill or training.
Harbor believes that communication and transparency are the foundation of its relationship with
clients and will continually strive to provide you with complete and accurate information at all
times. Harbor encourages all current and prospective clients to read this Disclosure Brochure and
discuss any questions you may have with the Advisor.
Additional information about Harbor Advisory Corporation is also available on the SEC’s website
at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov and by searching with the Advisor’s firm name or by CRD# 105151.
500 Market Street - Suite 11
Portsmouth, NH 03801
(603) 431-5740
www.harboradvisory.com
Item 2: Material Changes
Form ADV Part 2A requires registered investment advisers to amend their brochure when there is a
material change. If there are any material changes to an adviser’s disclosure brochure, the adviser is
required to notify you and provide you with a description of the material changes.
Since the release of our latest ADV Part 2A Brochure dated March 31, 2024, we have made the
following material changes:
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Item 17 (Proxy Voting) – As of 12/31/24 Harbor is no longer voting proxies on behalf of its
clients. Item 17 has been updated to reflect this change.
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Item 3: Table of Contents
Item
Cover Page ………………………………………………………………………
Material Changes ………………………………………………………………..
Table of Contents …………………………………………………………….....
Advisory Business ……………………………………………………………….
Item #
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Page
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A) History and Ownership
B) Advisory Services Offered
C) Individualized Investment Management
D) Wrap Fee Programs
E) Discretionary Investment Management
Fees and Compensation ………………………………………………………….
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A) Investment Management Fee Schedule
B) How Fees are Paid
C) Other Fees (Custody, etc.)
D) Advance Fee Refund Policy
E) Harbor Receives no Compensation for Sale of Securities or Products
Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management ………………...........
Types of Clients Served by Harbor Advisory Corporation ……………………...
Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies, and Risk of Loss ………………....
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A) Methods of Analysis and Strategies
B) Material Risks Involved
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Disciplinary Information ………………………………………………………...
Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations …………………………….
Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions, and Personal
Trading ………………………………………………………………………......
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A) Code of Ethics
B) Related Person Material Financial Interests
C) Related Person Investment in Same Securities
D) Related Person Transactions in Same Securities
Brokerage Practices ……………………………………………………………...
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A) Factors in Selecting Broker-Dealers for Client Transactions
Review of Accounts …………………………………………………………......
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A) Frequency of Review of Accounts and Reports of Accounts
Client Referrals and Compensation ……………………………………………...
Custody…………………………………………………………………………..
Investment Discretion …………………………………………………………...
Proxy Voting ………………………………………….........................................
Financial Information About Harbor Advisory Corporation ……………………
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Item 4: Advisory Business
A. History and Ownership
Harbor Advisory Corporation (“Harbor” and also doing business as “Harbor Advisory”), an SEC
registered investment adviser located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, has been providing
personalized investment management services to individuals, families, foundations, trusts, estates,
charitable organizations, pensions and profit-sharing plans, and corporations since 1972.
Harbor is completely employee owned. Its owners are Weld R. Butler, John J. De Gan, and Daniel
R. Zibinskas.
B. Advisory Services Offered
Harbor offers discretionary investment management of equity, balanced, and fixed income
portfolios. Investment management clients can expect Harbor to offer advice on retirement
planning, estate planning, educational funding, insurance issues, debt management, and tax
planning as they relate to portfolios. Harbor does not practice law nor do we prepare tax returns.
Harbor actively coordinates with tax, legal and other professional advisors on behalf of its clients.
Note for IRA and Retirement Plan Clients – When deemed to be in the Client’s best interest, the
Advisor will recommend that a client take a distribution from an ERISA sponsored plan or to roll
over the assets to an Individual Retirement Accounts (“IRAs”), or recommend a similar transaction
including rollovers from one ERISA sponsored Plan to another, one IRA to another IRA, or from
one type of account to another account (e.g. commission-based account to fee based account). In
such instances, the Advisor will serve as an investment fiduciary as that term is defined under The
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) and/or the Internal Revenue Code
(“IRC”), as applicable, which are laws governing retirement accounts. Such a recommendation
creates a conflict of interest if the Advisor will earn a new (or increase its current) advisory fee as
a result of the transaction. No client is under any obligation to roll over a retirement account to an
account managed by the Advisor.
C. Individualized Investment Management
Harbor renders portfolio management services by working with each client to develop an
individualized asset allocation plan based on each client’s risk profile and individual needs,
including the extent and nature of the client’s assets, tax and estate needs, and other considerations.
Portfolios are designed to fulfill specific objectives of individual clients and may or may not
resemble portfolios of other clients depending on each client’s risk profile, tax profile or other
individual requirements. Clients who wish to impose restrictions on investing in certain securities
or types of securities (due to specific philosophical or ideological objections to certain companies
or industries or otherwise) can instruct their portfolio manager to avoid or eliminate these
investments from their portfolio.
D. Wrap Fee Programs
Harbor DOES NOT participate in wrap fee programs.
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E. Regulatory Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2024, Harbor managed $443,927,991.84 in client assets, whic h a r e
ma n age d on a discretionary basis.
Item 5: Fees and Compensation
A. Investment Management Fee Schedule
Investment management fees are based on a percentage of assets under management, which are
determined using the market value of accounts, including cash or by adding margin balance, if any,
shown in the initial and quarterly appraisals. Investment management fees are calculated according
to the following Fee Schedule:
ANNUAL FEE SCHEDULE BASED ON ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT:
Annual Fee Schedule Based on Assets Under Management:
Asset Value
Annual Fee
First $1,000,000
Plus $1,000,000 to $5,000,000
Plus $5,000,000 to $10,000,000
Plus $10,000,000 to $20,000,000
Plus $20,000,000 or more
1.10%
0.70%
0.60%
0.50%
Negotiated
Harbor charges a minimum annual fee of $20,000. However, this minimum annual investment
management fee may be waived at Harbor’s discretion in certain circumstances. Some clients
have a fixed fee as a percentage of all assets expressed in basis points charged. Harbor reserves
the right to negotiate a lower fee under certain circumstances.
Our advisory fees are based on several factors including, but not limited to: the services offered to
the Client, the complexity of the services to be provided, the level of Client assets managed by the
Advisor, and/or the overall relationship with the advisor.
B. How Fees are Paid
Fees may be subject to proration if there are multiple accounts. Fees are paid quarterly in advance.
Typically, the quarterly advisory fee is deducted automatically from each client’s account held at
a designated custodian pursuant to standing instructions provided to the custodian by the client.
C. Other Fees (Custody, etc.)
In addition to the investment management fee assessed by Harbor, each client is responsible for
any and all custodial fees as well as brokerage and other transaction costs incurred in connection
with Harbor’s investment management services. To the extent that a client invests in a pooled
investment vehicle such as a mutual fund, an exchange-traded fund or direct investments, the client
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will indirectly bear fees and expenses charged by the underlying pooled investment.
In addition, in instances where clients request Harbor, or its related persons, to provide services
other than investment management services, Harbor may charge additional fees. For example, Harbor
may charge additional fees on an hourly basis or a fixed fee basis in instances where it provides
consulting services.
D. Advance Fee Refund Policy
Harbor’s clients are required to pay investment management fees quarterly in advance. If the
advisory agreement between Harbor and any client is terminated prior to the end of the billing
period, any unearned fee shall be refunded pro-rata based on the day of receipt of the written
termination notice.
E. Commissionable Securities Sales
Neither Harbor nor any of its supervised persons accepts compensation for the sale of securities or
other investment products either from sales charges, commissions or service fees.
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
Neither Harbor nor any of its supervised persons accepts performance-based fees. Since all accounts
managed by Harbor are charged an asset-based fee, Harbor is not in a position to favor performance-
based fee accounts over other accounts.
Item 7: Types of Clients
Harbor serves as an investment advisor to families, individuals, pensions and profit-sharing plans,
trusts, estates, foundations, charitable organizations, and corporations. The great majority of
Harbor’s client base consists of families and related accounts.
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies, and Risk of Loss
A. Method of Analysis and Investment Strategy
Harbor employs a combination of economic and fundamental analysis to determine asset allocation
and security selection.
B. Material Risks Involved
Economic analysis involves researching conditions in world economies and financial markets to
determine the risk/reward characteristics of various asset classes such as stocks and bonds.
Fundamental security analysis involves researching individual companies and their securities to
assess the risk/reward characteristics of those companies. Securities viewed as undervalued
relative to their intrinsic value in the opinion of the analyst are considered for purchase. Financial
statement analysis, strategy assessment, and management capability are components of
fundamental analysis.
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Technical analysis involves studying historical price trends for individual securities to help
determine the appropriate prices at which to buy and sell the security.
C. Types of Securities Utilized and Their Potential Risks
Harbor invests primarily in equity securities (common and preferred), fixed income securities
(such as corporate, government and municipal bonds), alternative investments, exchange traded
funds, and mutual funds or sub-advised accounts invested in stocks and bonds inside and outside
of the United States. Harbor may invest in select alternative and/or direct investments where
appropriate. All of the securities Harbor buys for clients are subject to risk of loss that clients
should be prepared to bear. A client’s investment portfolio will fluctuate in value as market
conditions change, and the client could lose all or a portion of the value of the investment portfolio
over short or even long periods of time. The principal risks of investing in equity securities, fixed
income securities and pooled investment vehicles are:
Equity Securities Risk. Investments in equity securities are susceptible to general stock market
fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and
perceptions of their issuers change. These investor perceptions are based on various and
unpredictable factors including: expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and
fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction; global or regional
political, economic and banking crises; and factors affecting specific industries, sectors or
companies in which Harbor invests on behalf of clients. The value of a client’s investment portfolio
and the corresponding investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its
portfolio securities.
Large-Cap Company Risk. Investments in larger, more established companies are subject to the
risk that larger companies are sometimes unable to attain the high growth rates of successful,
smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion. Larger, more
established companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges such as
changes in consumer tastes or innovative smaller competitors potentially resulting in lower
markets for their common stock.
Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Companies Risk. Investments in mid-cap and small-cap companies may
not have the management experience, financial resources, product diversification and competitive
strengths of large-cap companies. Therefore, their securities may be more volatile and less liquid
than the securities of larger, more established companies. Mid-cap and small-cap company stocks
may also be bought and sold less often and in smaller amounts than larger company stocks.
Analysts and other investors may follow these companies less actively and therefore information
about these companies may not be as readily available as that for large-cap companies.
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Fixed Income Securities Risks. Debt securities are subject to the following risks:
• Credit Risk. Issuers of fixed income securities may be unable to make principal and interest
payments when they are due. There is also the risk that the securities could lose value
because of a loss of confidence in the ability of the issuer to pay back debt. The degree of
credit risk for a particular security may be reflected in its credit rating. Lower rated fixed
income securities involve greater credit risk, including the possibility of default or
bankruptcy.
•
Interest Rate Risk. Fixed income securities could lose value because of interest rate changes.
For example, bonds tend to decrease in value if interest rates rise. Fixed income securities
with longer maturities sometimes offer higher yields, but are subject to greater price shifts
as a result of interest rate changes than debt securities with shorter maturities.
• Prepayment and Extension Risk. Prepayment occurs when the issuer of a debt security
repays principal prior to the security’s maturity. During periods of declining interest rates,
issuers may increase pre-payments of principal causing Harbor to invest in fixed income
securities with lower yields thus reducing income generation. Similarly, during periods of
increasing interest rates, issuers may decrease pre- payments of principal extending the
duration of debt securities potentially to maturity. Fixed income securities with longer
maturities are subject to greater price shifts as a result of interest rate changes. The potential
impact of prepayment features on the price of a debt security can be difficult to predict and
result in greater volatility.
• Government-Sponsored Entities Risk. Investments in U.S. government obligations include
securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. government, its
agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and interest
on U.S.government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United
States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality
itself. There can be no assurance that the U.S. government will provide financial support to
its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is
not obligated to do so.
• Junk Bonds Risk. Investments in bonds that are rated below investment grade, commonly
known as “junk bonds” generally provide high income in an effort to compensate investors
for their higher risk of default, which is the failure to make required interest or principal
payments. Investments in junk bonds have speculative or predominately speculative
characteristics. Junk bonds are not investment grade securities and involve greater risk of
default or price changes due to changes in the issuers’ creditworthiness than do higher
quality securities. In addition, the market prices of lower rated securities may decline
significantly in periods of general economic difficulty or rising interest rates. As a result,
junk bonds present a significant risk for loss of principal and interest. The market for these
securities may also be thinner and less active than that for higher quality securities, which
may adversely affect the ability to sell the bonds as well as the price at which they can be
sold. Due to the potential for limited liquidity, the prices for junk bonds may also not be
readily available.
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Foreign securities Risk. Harbor may also invest client assets in foreign securities which are
subject to special risks. Foreign securities can be more volatile than domestic (U.S.) securities.
Securities markets of other countries are generally smaller than U.S. securities markets. Many
foreign securities may be less liquid and more volatile than U.S. securities, which could affect
client investments.
Foreign securities are denominated in non-U.S. dollar currencies and U.S. investors are subject
to fluctuations in the value of their investments based upon the changes in currency values.
ETF and Mutual Fund Risk. Exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) are typically open-end
investment companies that are bought and sold on a national securities exchange. When Harbor
invests a client’s assets in an ETF, the client will bear additional expenses based on its pro rata
share of the ETF’s operating expenses, including the potential duplication of management fees.
The risk of owning an ETF generally reflects the risks of owning the underlying securities it
holds. Many ETFs seek to replicate a specific benchmark index. However, an ETF may not
fully replicate the performance of its benchmark index for many reasons, including because of
the temporary unavailability of certain index securities in the secondary market or discrepancies
between the ETF and the index with respect to the weighting of securities or the number of
stocks held. Lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in an ETF being more volatile than the
underlying portfolio of securities it holds. In addition, because of ETF expenses, compared to
owning the underlying securities directly, it may be more costly to own an ETF.
Alternative and Direct Investments. Direct, private or alternative investments are subject to the
risk of loss based on the underlying asset types and concentration risk. Investors in alternative
investments should also understand there are risks due to limited liquidity, varying fee
structures, tax complexity, and the use of leverage.
Investing in securities involves risk of loss which clients should be prepared to bear.
Item 9: Disciplinary Information
There are no legal or disciplinary events involving Harbor or its officers and employees that are
material to a client or a prospective client’s evaluation of Harbor’s advisory business or the
integrity of Harbor’s management.
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Harbor has no other financial industry activities and affiliations to disclose.
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal
Trading
Harbor has adopted a Code of Ethics (“Code”) that cultivates a culture of ethical behavior and
requires all employees to conduct themselves in the most ethical manner possible. The Code requires
that all employees consider the best interests of Harbor’s clients at all times and further requires that
employees place the interests of Harbor’s clients ahead of the interests of employees and the firm.
Harbor believes that the best first line of defense against unethical behavior lies in the selection of a
business model and in hiring practices. Harbor sells no products, has no investments in or
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alliances with other organizations, charges no incentive fees, and does not provide custody
services (although it may be deemed to have custody of client assets in certain situations). In
addition, Harbor’s employees are required to attend annual compliance meetings and must read and
initial Harbor’s Compliance Manual, which incorporates the Code.
Harbor will supply a copy of its Code of Ethics to any client or prospective client upon request.
Harbor and its related persons do not utilize in client accounts, securities in which Harbor or its
related person has a material financial interest. Harbor does not, as a principal, buy securities from or
sell securities to its clients.
Harbor and its employees and immediate family members, spouse and minor children, may buy or
sell securities that Harbor also utilizes for its client’s investments. It is a conflict of interest to
utilize any security for a client, or to direct any transaction for a client in a security, if Harbor or its
employees and immediate family members has a material interest in that security. In order to
address this conflict of interest, Harbor maintains an employee trading policy to protect clients from
potential negative effects of employee trading. This trading policy prohibits Harbor’s employees and
immediate family members (spouse and minor children) from trading securities listed on the Harbor
common stock review list on the same day as Harbor employees purchase that security for Harbor
clients. Before entering personal security orders, all of Harbor’s employees are required to check
with the President or CCO in order to avoid a transaction that will violate this rule. Any employee
transaction that violates this policy must be immediately reversed. Compliance with this policy is
enforced by monthly monitoring of employee trades, by the President, CCO or controller, and the
review of reports of employee trades. In addition, any purchase or sale of securities on Harbor’s
Common Stock Review must be promptly reported to the CCO or President.
Harbor also maintains a policy prohibiting employees from trading based on material non-public
information (more commonly known as “insider trading”).
Item 12: Brokerage Practices
As an investment advisor, Harbor has a fiduciary obligation to obtain the most favorable execution
available for client transactions. In selecting or utilizing broker-dealers for client transactions and
determining the reasonableness of their compensation, Harbor considers factors such as financial
stability, quality of execution, strength of bookkeeping, and quality of reporting and custodial
services. Trading costs are a primary consideration in selecting
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brokerage services. Additionally, Harbor requires broker-dealers to comply with all regulations
relating to Anti-Money Laundering laws, The Patriot Act, and Customer Identification Programs.
Research and other Soft Dollar Benefits - Harbor does not enter into any formal agreements with
broker-dealers whereby it receives research, products or services other than execution from a broker-
dealer or third party in connection with directing client securities transactions to that broker-dealer
(“soft dollar benefits”). Although Harbor does not have a formal soft dollar agreement with
any broker-dealer, in certain instances Harbor may select broker-dealers that provide services to
Harbor in addition to brokerage services provided that those additional services fall within the
Section 28(e) Safe Harbor under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. For example, Harbor may
receive proprietary research or software from broker-dealers that Harbor uses to execute
transactions in client accounts. The proprietary research received from broker-dealers is subsidized
by the commissions generated from client transactions executed through those financial institutions.
Specifically, the commission rates of these broker-dealers are typically higher than the commission
rates of brokers that do not provide such research. The use of client brokerage commissions to obtain
proprietary research benefits Harbor in that the firm does not have to produce the research itself
or pay for the research. While proprietary research received is used to service all client accounts,
the receipt of proprietary research may provide an incentive for Harbor to utilize such brokers to
clients instead of those who do not render such research. As an investment advisor, Harbor has a
fiduciary obligation to obtain the most favorable price and execution available for client transactions.
Applicable law, however, permits Harbor to pay a higher commission rate or spread to a broker-
dealer that provides research services if Harbor has determined in good faith that the commission
rate or spread is reasonable in relation to the brokerage and/or research services provided by that
broker-dealer.
Harbor does not consider, in selecting or utilizing broker-dealers, whether Harbor or its related
persons receive client referrals from a broker-dealer or third party.
Directed Brokerage - Harbor generally requires that clients direct Harbor to execute transactions
through a certain broker-dealer (the “Designated Broker-Dealer”). While directing brokerage may
prevent Harbor from obtaining the most favorable execution in certain transactions, Harbor requests
that clients utilize the Designated Broker-Dealer because Harbor believes that it is able to obtain
overall best execution with the Designated Broker-Dealer. Although this is Harbor’s practice, not all
advisors require their clients to execute transactions through a specific broker-dealer.
In some instances, clients designate a broker-dealer of their choosing. In these instances Harbor may
be unable to achieve the most favorable execution for the client as certain brokers may charge higher
commissions than other brokers. Thus, directing brokerage may cost clients more money. Clients
should be aware that selecting one’s own broker-dealer may affect Harbor’s ability to obtain best
execution or price for such clients. In addition, directing brokerage may cost clients money because
Harbor may not be able to aggregate orders to achieve most favorable execution of client
transactions.
Harbor may aggregate purchases or sales of securities for various client accounts. Typically, this
method is used when Harbor perceives timeliness of the transaction as an overriding consideration,
and that tax implications, substitution, selection, and appropriate levels of security type or sector
asset allocation are less important on an individual portfolio by portfolio basis. Harbor may elect
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not to aggregate purchases or sales of securities for various client accounts when Harbor perceives
consideration of a transaction’s tax implications, substitution selection and appropriate levels of
security type or sector asset allocations on an individual portfolio by portfolio basis, override timing
considerations. Aggregation, or lack thereof, does not affect transaction fee levels.
Item 13: Review of Accounts
Harbor’s portfolio managers review client portfolios on a regular and frequent basis. Accounts are
reviewed for conformity with client investment objectives.
New developments or addition or removal of a security from the Common Stock Review (list of
equity securities approved for client purchases by Harbor’s Investment Committee) will trigger a
review, as will the input of new information from the client. The Common Stock Review and other
relevant issues are explored and discussed monthly or more often by Harbor’s Investment
Committee.
Harbor provides clients with a valuation document covering their managed accounts on a quarterly
basis and provides detailed valuation and year-to-year comparisons annually (or more frequently
upon client request). Additionally, clients receive printed statements and/or web access to
monthly asset holding valuation and transaction reports directly from their custodian.
Item 14: Client Referrals and Other Compensation
Harbor does not receive any economic benefit from anyone who is not a client for providing
investment advice or other advisory services to clients.
Neither Harbor, nor any related person, either directly or indirectly compensates any person who is
not a supervised person of Harbor for client referrals.
Item 15: Custody
Trustee for Client Accounts - Representatives of Harbor may act as a trustee to certain client
accounts. As such, we are deemed to have custody. The client funds and securities of which we
have custody may be verified by actual examination at least once during each calendar year by
an independent public accountant (“IPA”), at a time that is chosen by the accountant without
prior notice or announcement to our firm and that is irregular from year to year. Clients are
encouraged to raise any questions with us about the custody, safety or security of their assets and
our custodial recommendations.
Item 16: Investment Discretion
Harbor primarily manages client securities accounts on a discretionary basis. Clients execute
Limited Powers of Attorney authorizing Harbor to buy, sell and trade in client accounts based on
investment objectives set out by the advisory contract (Participation Agreement/Investment Policy
Statement) between Harbor and the client. Harbor generally has discretion to determine which
securities to buy and sell, the amount of securities to buy or sell, the broker-dealer to use in any
transaction, and the commission rate to be paid to the broker-dealer. Clients may impose
restrictions on Harbor’s discretionary authority by providing written instructions to the client’s
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portfolio manager.
Item 17: Proxy Voting
Harbor does not accept the proxy authority to vote client securities. Clients will receive proxies or
other solicitations directly from their custodian or a transfer agent.
Item 18: Financial Information
Harbor is not required to provide financial information in this Brochure because:
• Our firm does not require the prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees when services cannot
be rendered within 6 months.
• Our firm does not take custody of client funds or securities.
• Our firm does not have a financial condition or commitment that impairs our ability to meet
contractual and fiduciary obligations to clients.
Harbor has never been the subject of a bankruptcy proceeding.
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