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Turtle Creek Trust
3838 Oak Lawn Avenue, Suite 1650, Dallas, Texas 75219
www.turtlecreekdallas.com
www.turtlecreektrust.com
admin@turtlecreekdallas.com
214-468-0100, Fax 214-468-0106
March 2025
ITEM 1: COVER PAGE
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Turtle Creek Trust.
If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us at 214-468-0100 or by
email at info@turtlecreekdallas.com. The information in this brochure has not been approved or verified
by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or by any state securities authority.
This brochure does not constitute an offer, solicitation or recommendation to sell or an offer to buy any
securities, investment products or investment advisory services. Such an offer may only be made to
eligible persons by means of delivery of account documents and other similar materials that contain a
description of the material terms relating to such securities, products or services.
Turtle Creek Trust is a registered investment adviser. Registration, while required by law, does not indicate
any established level of skill or training on our part. Additional information about Turtle Creek Trust also
is available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. You can search for our firm by using our CRD
number which is 140212.
Turtle Creek Trust Company, LTA, is a chartered trust company registered with the State of Texas.
Turtle Creek Management, LLC, is an investment adviser registered with the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission. Turtle Creek Management, LLC, is not a chartered bank, trust company, or
depository institution. It is not authorized to accept deposits or trust accounts and is not licensed or
regulated by any state or federal banking authority. Turtle Creek Trust Company, LTA, and Turtle Creek
Management, LLC, are wholly-owned subsidiaries of TCTC Holdings, LLC, which together operate under
the assumed name Turtle Creek Trust.
ITEM 2: MATERIAL CHANGES
This brochure was updated from our last brochure filed on March 2024, to reflect that Turtle Creek
Management, LLC is now operating under the assumed name Turtle Creek Trust.
The information set forth in this brochure is qualified in its entirety by the applicable governing
documents. In the event of a conflict between the information set forth in this brochure and the
information in the applicable governing documents, such documents shall control.
We encourage all clients and investors to carefully review this brochure in its entirety.
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ITEM 3: TABLE OF CONTENTS
MATERIAL CHANGES................................................................................................................................ 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................... 3
ADVISORY BUSINESS ................................................................................................................................ 4
FEES AND COMPENSATION ...................................................................................................................... 6
PERFORMANCE-BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT............................................................... 8
TYPES OF CLIENTS .................................................................................................................................... 9
METHODS OF ANALYSIS, INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISK OF LOSS .................................................. 10
DISCIPLINARY HISTORY .......................................................................................................................... 13
OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATIONS .................................................................. 14
CODE OF ETHICS, PARTICIPATION OR INTEREST IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS AND PERSONAL TRADING .... 15
BROKERAGE PRACTICES ......................................................................................................................... 16
REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS .......................................................................................................................... 20
CLIENT REFERRALS AND OTHER COMPENSATION ................................................................................... 21
CUSTODY ............................................................................................................................................... 22
INVESTMENT DISCRETION ..................................................................................................................... 23
VOTING CLIENT SECURITIES ................................................................................................................... 24
FINANCIAL INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................... 25
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ITEM 4: ADVISORY BUSINESS
Turtle Creek Trust has been in business since 2006. Our principal owner is TCTC Holdings, LLC, which is
owned and controlled by Philip Kistler and Craig Knocke. We provide our clients with investment
management services consisting primarily of discretionary portfolio management under which we
determine and implement investment and reinvestment decisions on behalf of our clients primarily
through the use of equity, fixed income and balanced (between equity securities such as stocks and
fixed income securities such as municipal, corporate or government/federal agency bonds) strategies.
Separately Managed Accounts
We serve as investment manager to clients with respect to assets held in separately managed accounts
(the “Accounts”) in accordance with the terms, conditions and limitations set forth in the applicable
investment management agreement with each client. As part of these services, we (1) establish each
client’s investment objectives after considering such factors as the client’s investment time horizon,
liquidity needs and risk tolerance; (2) buy and sell portfolio securities on our clients’ behalf and, from
time to time, reallocate the securities in our clients’ portfolios; and (3) periodically meet with our clients
regarding their portfolio holdings and their holdings’ valuation, their transactions and their portfolio’s
performance. The equity securities we select for our clients derive from our equity strategy which
consists of a multi-capitalization approach. Within this diversified equity approach, we compose our
equity choices based on a research and screening process.
Our services and processes are designed to determine and address each client’s specific investment
needs and objectives through a series of meetings with that client designed to collect information as to
his or her investment and financial circumstances and objectives, investment time horizon and risk
tolerance. The client may also impose restrictions on our ability to implement particular types of
investments on his or her behalf. We then prepare a written investment policy or guidelines for the
client based upon the information.
Trust Company
In addition, we provide non-discretionary investment advisory services to Turtle Creek Trust Company,
LTA, a state-chartered limited trust association regulated by the Texas Department of Banking and one
of our affiliates (the “Trust Company”). Please refer to “Other Financial Industry Activities and
Affiliations” below for more information regarding this relationship.
We do not provide legal, tax or accounting advice or services. Also, clients should understand that,
generally speaking, securities or other investments for which we provide advice are not deposits or
obligations of any bank, are not endorsed or guaranteed by any bank and are not insured by the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other governmental agency and that
we are not a trust or banking institution.
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As of December 31, 2023, we had a total of approximately $3,661,746,284 in assets under
management. We managed approximately $1,331,031,001 on a discretionary basis and
approximately $2,330,715,283 on a non-discretionary basis.
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ITEM 5: FEES AND COMPENSATION
Description of Compensation and Fee Schedule
In consideration of our advisory services, we generally receive management fees from our clients. The
fees applicable to each client are described in detail in the applicable account document. A brief
summary of our basic fee schedule is set forth below.
Separately Managed Accounts
With respect to the Accounts, the management fee, payable quarterly in arrears, is based on the
market value of client assets under our management based upon the fee schedule set forth below:
1% on the first $1 million
0.8% on the next $2 million
0.7% on the next $2 million
0.6% on the next $5 million
0.5 % on amounts over $10 million
For certain clients, we negotiate the management fee depending upon circumstances of each client
including, but not limited to, Account composition and complexity. Our employees and their family-
related Accounts are charged a reduced management fee for our services.
Trust Company
In consideration for investment advisory services we provide to the Trust Company, we receive a fee,
which is based upon a percentage of the fees that is received by the Trust Company, for services we
provide to the Trust Company clients.
Payment of Fees
With respect to the Accounts, fees are billed quarterly in arrears, based upon the market value of the
assets at the end of the preceding quarter as reported by the Account custodian. Certain manually
priced securities may be valued on a more infrequent basis in which case a valuation earlier than the
end of the prior month may be used for fee billing purposes. A client may pay fees to us directly upon
receipt of an invoice or instruct their custodian to debit our fee directly from the Account or Accounts.
If a client chooses the latter method, the custodian is under no obligation to verify our fees and may
simply pay the amount based on the fee amount communicated to the custodian by us and send it
directly to us. Clients receive periodic statements from their custodian showing the amount of fees
charged and are encouraged to confirm the accuracy of the charges.
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If a client’s relationship with us begins or ends on any date other than the last day of a calendar quarter,
such client’s fees are generally prorated for the appropriate number of days completed or remaining in
the quarter.
With respect to the Trust Company, we calculate and issue a quarterly invoice to the Trust Company for
the fee assessed.
Other Fees and Expenses
In addition to management fees, clients are responsible for all brokerage commissions or other fees or
charges associated with securities transactions implemented with or through a brokerage firm, stock
exchange fees and other charges mandated by law or regulation. We do not receive any portion of any
of the foregoing expenses or fees. Clients should refer to “Brokerage Practices” below for more
information on how we select or recommend brokerage firms for securities transactions and
information related to that process.
Clients should understand that mutual funds, including exchange traded funds, in which client assets
may be invested by us or by others, impose separate investment management fees and other operating
expenses, described in such fund’s prospectus, for which the client will be charged separately from the
fee paid to us.
Clients should be aware that similar or comparable services may be available from other firms including
other investment management firms at a cost higher or lower that that available through us.
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ITEM 6: PERFORMANCE-BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT
Not applicable; Turtle Creek Trust does not charge performance based fees for its advisory services.
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ITEM 7: TYPES OF CLIENTS
Description
Our clients include individuals, the Trust Company, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates,
charitable organizations and corporations or similar business entities.
Account Requirements
In general, the minimum size for an Account is $1 million, although this may be waived based on
considerations such as the Account’s relationship to established clients and other factors.
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ITEM 8: METHODS OF ANALYSIS, INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISK OF LOSS
Methods of Analysis and Investment Strategies
We use several methods of investment analysis and several investment strategies in connection with the
services to our clients. Our primary method of investment analysis is fundamental analysis, which is the
analysis of a company’s financial statements, its management, competitive advantages, markets, among
other things.
We may recommend investments in, among other things, equity securities such as exchange listed
securities, securities traded over the counter and foreign issues, warrants, debt securities of
corporations and similar entities, certificates of deposit, municipal and government securities,
investment company securities such as mutual fund shares including exchange traded funds and
options contracts on securities. Our investment strategies include long-term purchases (securities
generally held for at least a year) and short-term purchases (securities generally held for less than a
year).
Certain Risk Factors
There can be no assurance that clients will achieve their investment objectives. Our investment
strategies involve a substantial degree of risk, including 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. Our investment strategies are appropriate only for sophisticated persons who fully
understand and are capable of bearing the risks of investment. The various risks outlined below are not
the only risks associated with our investment strategies and processes and may not necessarily apply to
each client.
General Market Developments. Our success will be affected by general economic and market
conditions, such as interest rates, availability of credit, inflation rates and economic uncertainty. These
and other factors may affect the level and volatility of securities prices and the liquidity of client
investments. Volatility or illiquidity could impair our profitability or result in losses. We may maintain
substantial trading positions that can be adversely affected by the level of or changes in volatility in the
financial markets. Unpredictable or unstable market conditions may also result in reduced opportunities
to find suitable investments to deploy assets or make it more difficult to exit and realize value from
client investments. As a result, we could experience a reduction in attractive investment opportunities
and client investments could be materially impaired in many ways that cannot be predicted. There can
be no assurance that general market developments in the future will not have a material adverse effect
on us.
Investment Risks in General. Investments, by their nature, involve a high degree of financial risk.
Investing in securities such as the types of securities used by us in managing client assets or providing
clients investment advice involves the potential risk of loss in the value of the securities both in the
amount invested in the securities as well as any profits which have not been realized by selling the
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securities. Clients should be prepared to bear the risk of such losses. The degree of risk depends upon
the type of security or strategy involved.
Market Volatility. The success of our investment strategy substantially depends upon correctly
assessing the future price movements of stocks, bonds and other securities and the movement of
interest rates. We cannot guarantee that we will be successful in accurately predicting price
movements.
Our Investment Activities. Our investment activities involve a high degree of risk. The performance of
any investment is subject to numerous factors which are neither within our control nor predictable.
Such factors include a wide range of economic, political, competitive and other conditions that may
affect investments in general or specific industries or companies. In recent years, the securities markets
have become increasingly volatile, which may adversely affect our ability to realize profits on behalf of
clients. As a result of the nature of our investment activities, it is possible that client financial
performance may fluctuate substantially from period to period.
Concentration. Although we generally intend to diversify client investments, it is possible that client
investments may at times be concentrated in a limited number of companies. If such an investment
performs poorly, this concentration could cause a proportionately greater loss than if a larger number of
investments were made, and if such proportionately greater loss occurs, it may adversely impact the
overall return on investment realized by clients.
Foreign Securities. We may recommend investments in securities of companies domiciled or operating
in one or more foreign countries. Investing in foreign securities involves considerations and possible
risks not typically involved in investing in securities of companies domiciled and operating in the United
States, including instability of some foreign governments, the possibility of expropriation, limitations on
the use or removal of funds or other assets, foreign currency risk, changes in governmental
administration or economic or monetary policy (in the United States or abroad) or changed
circumstances in dealings between nations. The application of foreign tax laws (e.g., the imposition of
withholding taxes on dividend or interest payments) or confiscatory taxation may also affect investment
in foreign securities. Higher expenses may result from investment in foreign securities than would result
from investment in domestic securities because of the costs that must be incurred in connection with
conversion between various currencies and foreign brokerage commissions that may be higher than in
the United States. Foreign securities markets also may be less liquid, more volatile and subject to less
governmental supervision than in the Unites States, including lack of uniform accounting, auditing and
financial reporting standards and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations.
Fixed Income Securities. We may recommend investments in bonds or other fixed income securities of
issuers including, without limitation, bonds, notes and debentures issued by corporations; debt
securities and commercial paper. Fixed income securities pay fixed, variable or floating rates of interest.
The value of fixed income securities will change in response to fluctuations in interest rates. In addition,
the value of certain fixed income securities can fluctuate in response to perceptions of creditworthiness,
political stability or soundness of economic policies. Fixed income securities are subject to the risk of
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the issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payments on its obligations (i.e., credit risk) and are
subject to price volatility due to such factors as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the
creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity (i.e., market risk).
Corporate Debt. We recommend investments in bonds, notes and debentures issued by corporations.
These instruments may pay fixed, variable or floating rates of interest, and may include zero coupon
obligations. Credit ratings evaluate the safety of the principal and interest payments, not the market
value risk of lower-rated instruments. Such ratings also do not reflect macroeconomic or systemic risk,
including the risk of increased illiquidity in the credit markets. It is also possible that a rating agency
might not change its rating of a particular issue on a timely basis and, as a result, outstanding ratings
may not reflect the issuer’s current credit standing. Conversely, rating agencies may re-rate an
instrument which could cause substantial loss as the ratings are downgraded. Client investments may
experience significant credit rating volatility.
Equity and Equity-linked Securities. We may recommend investments in equity and equity-linked
securities. The value of these securities generally will vary with the performance of the issuer and
movements in the equity markets. As a result, clients may suffer losses if it invests in equity securities of
issuers whose performance diverges from our expectations or if equity markets generally move in a
single direction and clients have not hedged against such a general move.
THE FOREGOING RISK FACTORS DO NOT PURPORT TO BE A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF ALL OF THE
RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH OUR INVESTMENT STRATEGIES. PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS SHOULD READ THIS
BROCHURE AND ALL OTHER APPLICABLE DISCLOSURE MATERIALS IN THEIR ENTIRETY BEFORE MAKING
ANY INVESTMENT DECISIONS.
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ITEM 9: DISCIPLINARY HISTORY
Neither we nor any of our employees have been involved in any legal or disciplinary events related to
past or present investment clients.
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ITEM 10: OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATIONS
We provide investment advisory services to the Trust Company, our affiliate. In return, we receive
compensation which is based upon a percentage of fees received by the Trust Company for services to
its clients. No other advisers provide investment advisory services to the Trust Company. We and the
Trust Company have common clients. Some of our employees are also employees of the Trust
Company, and we share office space with the Trust Company. Our employees may recommend the
services of the Trust Company to our clients. This presents a conflict of interest since our owners or
employees who also have an ownership interest in the Trust Company will have a financial interest to
recommend the trust or related services of the Trust Company. We address this conflict of interest by
full and fair disclosure to clients.
In addition, one of the directors of the Trust Company is on the board of directors of HF Sinclair Oil
Corporation, a publicly-traded company. Our clients may own, and have owned, the stock of HF Sinclair
Oil Corporation in their Accounts pursuant to the exercise of our discretionary authority over such
Accounts from time to time. In addition, clients of the Trust Company also may own, and have owned,
the stock of HF Sinclair Oil Corporation from time to time. This presents a conflict of interest due to the
affiliation of the directors of the Trust Company with HF Sinclair Oil Corporation which causes us, Turtle
Creek Trust, to be deemed “company insiders” of HF Sinclair Oil Corporation subject to certain
“blackout” periods restricting the purchase or sale of the stock of HollyFrontier which may delay the
purchase or sale of the stock in the accounts of our clients and the accounts of Trust Company clients.
We address this conflict of interest by disclosure to clients.
Certain of our principals and employees may serve as directors, officers or committee members of other
public companies and their activities on behalf of those companies may present actual and/or potential
conflicts of interest (including conflicting fiduciary duties).
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ITEM 11: CODE OF ETHICS, PARTICIPATION OR INTEREST IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS AND PERSONAL
TRADING
Code of Ethics
We have adopted and implemented a Code of Ethics, which sets forth standards of business conduct for
our employees. Our code of ethics is primarily designed to educate employees about our philosophy
regarding ethics and professionalism, emphasize our fiduciary duties to clients, encourage employees to
comply with applicable laws, prevent the misuse of material non-public information, the circulation of
rumors and other forms of market abuse and address conflicts of interest that arise from personal
trading by our employees. Among other things, we impose restrictions on all employees and the
purchase and sale of securities for their personal accounts in order to seek to avoid conflicts of interest
with transactions being affected in the Accounts. Pre-approval must also be obtained by employees
before investing in a private placement of securities and employees are prohibited from investing in
initial public offerings of securities. Our employees are required to submit quarterly reports relating to
their personal transactions and an annual report of their personal securities holdings to us. A copy of
our Code of Ethics is available to clients or prospective clients upon request by contacting us through the
contact information provided on the cover page of this brochure.
Personal Trading
Our employees may buy or sell the same securities that we recommend that our clients invest in or that
we purchase or sell on our clients’ behalf. Allowing employees and principals to purchase these
securities may motivate those employees or principals to engage in “scalping,” which is the practice of
attempting to benefit from the increase in price resulting from recommendations to clients. To prevent
this practice, we closely monitor the investments made by our employees and principals.
Subject to various restrictions set forth in our code of ethics, our employees, principals and affiliates
generally are permitted to co-invest alongside a client in a covered security. Allowing employees,
principals and affiliates to invest in a security for their own accounts at the same time, or about the
same time, as they invest in such security for a client presents a conflict of interest between our
employees’ own financial interest and the best interest of our clients. We have addressed this conflict
of interest by imposing trading restrictions under our Code of Ethics under which our employees are
only permitted to buy or sell securities in their personal accounts simultaneously with, or after
completion of, a purchase or sale of the same security in the Accounts.
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ITEM 12: BROKERAGE PRACTICES
Selecting Brokerage Firms
Except for Accounts where the client directs that their trades be executed by a particular brokerage firm,
we generally have the authority to determine the brokerage firm through whom, and the commission
rate at which, securities transactions for Accounts are executed.
We consider the following factors in selecting or recommending brokerage firms for our clients’
transactions and in determining the reasonableness of the compensation or other remuneration paid to
the brokerage firms: (i) promptness and quality of overall execution services provided by the broker-
dealer; (ii) financial condition, creditworthiness and business reputation of the broker-dealer; (iii)
research (if any) provided by the broker-dealer; (iv) promptness and accuracy of oral, hard copy or
electronic reports of execution; (v) ability and willingness to correct errors; (vi) promptness and accuracy
of confirmation statements; (vii) ability to access various market centers; (viii) the brokerage firm's
facilities, including software or hardware provided to the adviser; (ix) the market where the security
trades; (x) broker-dealer expertise in executing trades for the particular type of security; (xi) commission
charged by the broker-dealer; (xii) reliability of the broker-dealer; (xiii) ability of the broker-dealer to use
ECNs to gain liquidity, price improvement, lower commission rates and anonymity; (xiv) soft dollar
program of the broker-dealer; and (xv) operational capabilities of the broker-dealer.
We may pay a commission in excess of that which another broker might have charged for effecting the
same transactions, in recognition of the value of the brokerage or research services provided by the
broker. Because commission rates in the United States as well as other jurisdictions are negotiable,
selecting brokers on the basis of considerations which are not limited to applicable commission rates
may at times result in higher transaction costs than would otherwise be obtainable. We have
established a Brokerage Committee that periodically reviews our brokerage practices and the
reasonableness of compensation or other remuneration paid to brokerage firms and monitors our
efforts to seek best execution of client transactions.
Best Execution
In placing orders to purchase and sell securities, our policy is to seek the best net execution, which
includes both commissions and execution prices. Orders are placed with brokers or dealers, which we
believe are responsible and provide effective execution of such orders under conditions most favorable
to the Accounts.
Soft Dollars
We use soft dollars generated by the Accounts to pay for certain investment research and/or related
services provided by brokers described above. The term “soft dollars” refers to the receipt by an
investment manager of products and services (including research) provided by brokers without any cash
payment by the investment manager, based on the volume of revenues generated from brokerage
commissions for transactions executed for clients of the investment manager. The products and
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services available from brokers include both internally generated items (such as research reports
prepared by employees of the broker) as well as items acquired by the broker from third parties (such as
quotation equipment).
Our use of client brokerage commissions or similar costs for transactions to obtain research services and
products creates a conflict of interest because we do not have to produce or purchase the service or
product. If we are able to acquire these products and services without expending our own resources
(including management fees paid by clients), our use of soft dollars would tend to increase our
profitability. This also means that we will have a financial incentive to select or recommend brokerage
firms which provide us such brokerage and research services or products rather than based on a
consideration of the lowest commission cost to our clients. To address these conflicts, we have a
commission review process in place to review the reasonableness of commission rates used to obtain
brokerage and research services and products described above. This review is conducted during
meetings of our Brokerage Committee.
We have made a good faith determination that the amount of commission is reasonable in relation to
the value of the brokerage and research services or products provided by the brokerage firm(s) which
we consider to be a significant benefit to our clients. We use soft dollar benefits to service all of the
Accounts.
During the last fiscal year, we acquired the following types of products and services (i.e., soft dollar
items) with client brokerage commissions:
• New York Stock Exchange: Provides real time pricing feeds to our Market Services, i.e.,
Bloomberg
• Bloomberg Finance LP – Bloomberg Anywhere: Provides real-time market data and information,
including market news and stock quotations and trading connection FIX.
• General investment research.
Some of the brokerage and research services or products received by us may have other uses such as
client presentations, marketing or other administrative uses. If that is the case, we will make a good
faith allocation as to the percentage of the service or product used for brokerage and research services
and the percentage used for such other purposes. The percentage attributed to such other purposes
will be paid for directly by us in “hard dollars” as a cash expense. Since “hard dollar” costs are a direct
expense of ours, there is a conflict of interest in our determination of the appropriate allocation
between soft dollar and “hard dollar” use of the brokerage and research services or products. We
address this conflict through use of the good faith allocation described above.
Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), provides a safe
harbor to advisers who use soft dollars generated by client accounts to obtain investment research and
brokerage services that provide lawful and appropriate assistance to us in the performance of
investment decision-making responsibilities. We intend that any soft dollars that we receive in
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connection with client-related matters would be within the limitations set forth in Section 28(e) of the
Exchange Act.
Brokerage for Client Referrals
In selecting or recommending brokers, we do not consider whether we or our related persons receive
client or investor referrals from such brokers.
Directed Brokerage
We may permit clients to direct us to execute transactions through a particular brokerage firm. In this
situation, the client will be responsible for negotiating the commission rates it pays, not us. If brokerage
is directed by a client, clients should be aware that we will be unable to negotiate commissions and
obtain volume discounts on their behalf and that best execution may not be achieved for transactions in
their Account(s). As a result, transactions in accounts directed by clients to a particular brokerage firm
may result in higher commissions, greater spreads or less favorable net prices than would be the case if
we were authorized to choose the brokerage firm through which to execute transactions.
Clients should also be aware that disparities in commission charges for similar transactions in Accounts
in different clients of ours may exist and that there is a conflict of interest arising from such directed
brokerage practices. Clients should be aware that transactions for Accounts which we have been
instructed by a client to direct to a specified brokerage firm may be placed subsequent to transactions
we enter for Accounts where we determine the brokerage firm through which to execute transactions
for clients. This may result in less favorable execution for those Accounts where we have been
instructed by a client to direct trades to a specified brokerage firm for execution.
Order Aggregation and Allocation of Investment Opportunities
Although investment decisions for each of our clients will be made by us independently from the
investment recommendations or determinations made on behalf of other clients, we may group or block
orders from time to time for the same security for more than one Account in order to more effectively
execute the orders where we believe it is in the best interests of the particular Accounts involved and is
consistent with our duty to seek best execution for our clients. This is known as a “block transaction”.
This process can create trading efficiencies, prompt increased attention to the order and improve price
execution since the block transaction may be executed at various prices but averaged as to price.
Therefore, clients whose transactions are part of the block transaction will receive the same average
price and trading costs. If all such orders are not filled at the same price, we will, to the greatest extent
possible, allocate the trades to each account using an impartial and balanced approach. Orders that are
filled at a better price get allocated to accounts selected in a systematic manner, which eliminates
subjective preference to a particular account, and which provides the opportunity evenly to all
accounts over time. Where block transactions are not fully executed, we will seek to allocate the
executed portion of the block transaction on a basis which we consider fair to our clients over time.
Generally, this will mean a pro rata allocation or allocation on a rotational basis although we may, in
certain circumstances, allocate purchases or sales on some other basis, after consideration of factors
such as taxability of the Account, cash available for investment, asset mix of the Account, objectives
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and restrictions of the Account, company and industry concentrations, broker designations specified by
the client, size of the execution versus the total order size, and partial positions versus full positions.
Cross Transactions
We may, from time to time, buy or sell securities from one Account managed by us to another Account
managed by us, referred to as a “cross transaction” but will do so only when we have a reasonable belief
that our obligation to seek best execution can be satisfied for all clients involved in the transaction and
subject to all requirements for these transactions. We receive no transaction-based remuneration such
as a fee or commission from these transactions.
Trade Errors
Errors in executing client transactions may occur from time to time which we will seek to correct on a
timely basis so that clients will not incur a loss or other costs as a result of any such errors.
Any loss or costs incurred as a result of the corrections of such errors will be borne by us or by a client’s
broker/custodian while in most circumstances, any market gains resulting from the correction of such
errors will usually be retained by Turtle Creek Trust in an errors and omissions account. In some cases,
gains resulting from a trade error may be sent to a charity of our choice.
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ITEM 13: REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS
Accounts are reviewed no less frequently than annually by members of our account review committee,
although the sequence and frequency of reviews may vary depending upon the particular needs or
objectives of the client, or nature of the portfolio. Our account review committee is composed of Philip
Kistler, CFA and Craig Knocke, CFA, and Mark Lanyon, CFA. Factors which may trigger more frequent
reviews include changes in client investment objectives or circumstances such as retirement or a large
contribution or withdrawal to or from an Account, significant developments or events specific to a
particular security held in the Account, or significant market, economic or political developments.
We do not provide written reports concerning Account(s) on a set schedule, but we do review
Account(s) with our clients depending upon the particular needs of each client when we meet with
them periodically. This review will typically be conducted using the clients’ custodial statements. Clients
should also receive written reports directly from their custodian concerning their Account(s) which
generally contain information relating to all transactions and other Account activity. See “Custody”
below.
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ITEM 14: CLIENT REFERRALS AND OTHER COMPENSATION
We have written agreements with other persons or companies who refer potential clients to us in
exchange for a referral or solicitor fee which typically is a percentage of the fee we receive from the
referred client for our services. This means that the persons or companies who refer potential clients to
us as described will have a financial interest in the selection of us to provide services to such clients. If a
client is referred to us through an arrangement like this, the client will receive a written document
which will disclose that we have an arrangement with the solicitor, any affiliation between us and the
solicitor, and a description of the compensation the solicitor will receive from us if the client establishes
an account with us. The fee we charge the client for our services will not be increased as a result of our
use of these referral arrangements.
Please refer to “Brokerage Practices” above for information on other economic benefits we may receive
for providing services to our clients.
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ITEM 15: CUSTODY
A qualified custodian holds or custodies all of our clients’ assets. Although the qualified custodian has
actual custody of the client assets, in certain circumstances, we may be deemed to have custody as a
result of certain arrangements. In addition to any Account reports clients may receive from us, clients
will receive Account statements directly from their qualified custodian on a monthly or quarterly basis.
Clients should carefully review these for any discrepancies. Clients should also remember that the
statements they receive from their qualified custodian are their official record of their Accounts and
assets for tax purposes.
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ITEM 16: INVESTMENT DISCRETION
We will accept discretionary investment authority over client assets if the client agrees to such an
arrangement. This is typically accomplished through execution of a limited trading authority or similar
written authority contained in the client agreement with us or the client’s custodian. When executing
the client agreement with us, a client can further limit the extent of discretionary investment authority
to be granted to us although this may impact the level of services we can provide such client. A client
may also place restrictions on our authority such as instructions not to make investments in certain
industries or to not sell certain investments due to possible adverse tax consequences.
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ITEM 17: VOTING CLIENT SECURITIES
We will accept authority, as part of our investment management services, to review and vote the annual
proxy statements for securities held in client accounts. We have retained Institutional Shareholder
Services (“ISS”) to act as the voting agent. We have adopted a proxy policy which is generally, to vote in
a manner which is in the shareholder’s best economic interests, basically in the spirit of making money
for shareholders, and good corporate governance. Clients can access our full policy for review at
https://www.issgovernance.com/file/policy/active/americas/US-Voting-Guidelines.pdf or you may
contact us at 214-382-4811 or swood@turtlecreekdallas.com and we can provide you with a copy.
A Proxy Committee has been established for the purpose of adopting and reviewing the proxy policy,
ensuring that proxies are voted in the client’s best interest. Functions of the Proxy Committee include
addressing how Turtle Creek Trust will vote certain matters such as corporate governance, compensation
plans and social issues and also how Turtle Creek Trust will resolve any conflicts of interest that might
arise when voting client proxies. The Committee will meet at least annually or when necessary to review
the proxy policy and ensure that it remains current.
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ITEM 18: FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Not Applicable.
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