A. Sports & Entertainment Investment Advisers, LLC, (the “Registrant”) is a New York
limited liability company formed on October 31, 2016. The Registrant became registered
as an investment adviser in January 2017. The Registrant is owned by Pegasus Asset
Management, Inc. and Sports & Entertainment Capital, LLC. John M. Sebastiano, Rodd
D. Berro, and Brian Heal are the Registrant’s indirect principal owners.
B. As discussed below, the Registrant, through its affiliated SEC registered investment
advisor, Pegasus Asset Management, Inc. (“Pegasus Asset Management”) (SEC File No.
801-3186, CRD# 104766) offers to its clients (currently: individuals and pension and
profit-sharing plans.) investment advisory services. The Registrant does not hold itself out
as providing financial planning and related consulting services except in certain
circumstances to the extent specifically requested by the client.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES
The client can determine to engage the Registrant, pursuant to the sub-advisory agreement
between Registrant and Pegasus Asset Management, to provide discretionary investment
advisory services on a fee basis. The Registrant’s annual investment advisory fee is based
upon a percentage (%) of the market value of the assets placed under the Registrant’s
management. Before Registrant provides investment advisory services, an investment
adviser representative will coordinate with each client to develop their personalized
investment objectives. The Registrant will then allocate investment assets consistent with
the designated investment objectives to be managed by Pegasus Asset Management. Once
allocated, the Registrant provides ongoing monitoring and review of asset allocation as
compared to client investment objectives.
Please Note: Lack of Diversification. Because the assets managed by the Registrant will
only contain sports and entertainment companies, the client’s account(s) will not constitute
a fully diversified or balanced portfolio among other investment sectors (i.e., technology,
energy, financial services, healthcare, etc.). As such, the portfolio may not be suitable for
investment of all of the client’s investment assets. The client must accept these limitations,
including the corresponding potential for underperformance relative to a more broadly
diversified portfolio.
MISCELLANEOUS
Registrant provides discretionary investment advisory services on a fee basis as discussed
at Item 5 below. Before engaging Registrant to provide investment advisory services,
clients are generally required to enter into an Investment Advisory Agreement with
Registrant setting forth the terms and conditions of the engagement (including
termination), describing the scope of the services to be provided, and the fee that is due
from the client. To commence the investment advisory process, Registrant will ascertain
each client’s investment objective(s) and then allocate the client’s assets consistent with
the client’s designated investment objective(s). Once allocated, Registrant provides
ongoing supervision of the account(s).
Limitations of Financial Planning and Non-Investment Consulting / Implementation
Services. Although the Registrant does not hold itself out as providing financial planning,
estate planning or accounting services, to the extent specifically requested by the client, the
Registrant, pursuant to the sub-advisory agreement between Registrant and Pegasus Asset
Management, may provide limited consultation services to its investment management
clients about investment and non-investment related matters, such as estate planning, tax
planning, insurance, etc. Registrant shall not receive any separate or additional fee those
services. Neither the Registrant, nor any of its representatives, serves as an attorney, or
accountant, and no portion of the Registrant’s services should be construed as legal, or
accounting services. Accordingly, Registrant does not prepare estate planning documents
or tax returns. Unless specifically agreed in writing, neither Registrant nor its
representatives are responsible to implement any financial plans or financial planning
advice; provide ongoing financial planning services; or provide ongoing monitoring of
financial plans or financial planning advice. The client is solely responsible to revisit the
financial plan or financial planning advice with Registrant, if desired. The client retains
absolute discretion over all financial planning and related implementation decisions and is
free to accept or reject any recommendation from Registrant and its representatives.
Registrant’s financial planning and consulting services are completed upon communicating
its recommendations to the client. To the extent requested by a client, the Registrant may
recommend the services of other professionals for certain non-investment implementation
purposes (i.e., attorneys, accountants, insurance agents, etc.), including certain of the
Registrant’s supervised persons in their separate individual capacities as licensed insurance
agents and through their affiliated entities as discussed in Item 10.C. below. The
recommendation by Registrant’s supervised persons that a client purchase an insurance
commission product presents a conflict of interest, as the receipt of commissions may
provide an incentive to recommend insurance products based on commissions received,
rather than on a particular client’s need. No client is under any obligation to engage the
services any supervised person in their individual capacities as licensed insurance agents.
Furthermore, clients are reminded that they may purchase insurance commission products
recommended by Registrant through other, non-affiliated insurance agents. Clients are
under no obligation to engage the services of any recommended professional, who shall be
solely responsible for the quality and competency of the services they provide. If the client
engages any unaffiliated recommended professional, and a dispute arises related to the
engagement, the client should seek recourse exclusively from and against the engaged
professional. The preceding sentence shall not limit or waive any applicable rights under
federal or state law, including securities laws and fiduciary obligations that cannot be
limited or waived.
Sub-Advisor Arrangement. The Registrant is affiliated with Pegasus Asset Management,
Inc. (SEC# 801-3186, CRD# 104766) (“Pegasus Asset Management”), and Pegasus Group,
LLC (SEC# 801-60436, CRD# 113499), both of which are registered investment adviser
firms. Registrant shall engage Pegasus Asset Management to provide investment
management services on a sub-advisory basis according to the terms and conditions of a
written Sub-Advisory Agreement. With respect to its sub-advisory services, Registrant will
maintain both the initial and ongoing day-to-day relationship with the client, including
initial and ongoing determination of client suitability for the client’s designated investment
strategies and/or programs. The Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, Courtney J. Barba,
remains available to address any questions concerning the Registrant’s sub-advisory
arrangements.
Retirement Rollovers - Potential for Conflict of Interest: A client or prospective client
leaving an employer typically has four options regarding an existing retirement plan (and
may engage in a combination of these options): (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) roll over 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). If Registrant recommends that a client roll over their
retirement plan assets into an account to be managed by Registrant, such a recommendation
creates a conflict of interest if Registrant will earn new (or increase its current)
compensation as a result of the rollover. If Registrant provides a recommendation as to
whether a client should engage in a rollover or not (whether it is from an employer’s plan
or an existing IRA), Registrant is acting as a fiduciary within the meaning of Title I of the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as
applicable, which are laws governing retirement accounts. No client is under any
obligation to roll over retirement plan assets to an account managed by Registrant,
whether it is from an employer’s plan or an existing IRA. Registrant’s Chief
Compliance Officer, Courtney J. Barba, remains available to address any questions
that a client or prospective client may have regarding the potential for conflict of
interest presented by such rollover recommendation.
Custodian Charges – Additional Fees. As discussed below at Item 12 below, when
requested to recommend a broker-dealer/custodian for client accounts, Registrant generally
recommends that Schwab serve as the broker-dealer/custodian for client investment
management assets. Broker-dealers such as Schwab charge brokerage commissions,
transaction, and/or other type fees for effecting certain types of securities transactions (i.e.,
including transaction fees for certain mutual funds, and mark-ups and mark-downs charged
for fixed income transactions, etc.). The types of securities for which transaction fees,
commissions, and/or other type fees (as well as the amount of those fees) shall differ
depending upon the broker-dealer/custodian. While certain custodians, including Schwab,
generally (with the potential exception for large orders) do not currently charge fees on
individual equity transactions (including ETFs), others do. There can be no assurance that
Schwab will not change their transaction fee pricing in the future. Please Also Note:
Schwab may also assess fees to clients who elect to receive trade confirmations and account
statements by regular mail rather than electronically. ANY QUESTIONS: Registrant’s
Chief Compliance Officer, Courtney J. Barba, remains available to address any
questions that a client or prospective client may have regarding the above.
Cash Positions. Registrant continues to treat cash as an asset class. As such, unless
determined to the contrary by Registrant, all cash positions (money markets, etc.) shall
continue to be included as part of assets under management for purposes of calculating
Registrant’s advisory fee. 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), Registrant may maintain cash positions for defensive
purposes. In addition, while assets are maintained in cash, such amounts could miss market
advances. Depending upon current yields, at any point in time, Registrant’s advisory fee
could exceed the interest paid by the client’s money market fund. The Registrant’s Chief
Compliance Officer, Courtney J. Barba, remains available to address any questions
concerning the Registrant’s fee billing practice.
Cash Sweep Accounts. Certain account custodians can require that cash proceeds from
account transactions or new deposits, be swept to and/or initially maintained in a specific
custodian designated sweep account. The yield on the sweep account will generally be
lower than those available for other money market accounts. When this occurs, to help
mitigate the corresponding yield dispersion, Registrant shall (usually within 30 days
thereafter) generally (with exceptions) purchase a higher yielding money market fund (or
other type security) available on the custodian’s platform, unless Registrant reasonably
anticipates that it will utilize the cash proceeds during the subsequent 30-day period to
purchase additional investments for the client’s account. Exceptions and/or modifications
can and will occur with respect to all or a portion of the cash balances for various reasons,
including, but not limited to the amount of dispersion between the sweep account and a
money market fund, the size of the cash balance, an indication from the client of an
imminent need for such cash, or the client has a demonstrated history of writing checks
from the account. Please Note: The above does not apply to the cash component maintained
within a Registrant actively managed investment strategy (the cash balances for which shall
generally remain in the custodian designated cash sweep account), an indication from the
client of a need for access to such cash, assets allocated to an unaffiliated investment
manager, and cash balances maintained for fee billing purposes. Please Also Note: The
client shall remain exclusively responsible for yield dispersion/cash balance decisions and
corresponding transactions for cash balances maintained in any Registrant unmanaged
accounts. ANY QUESTIONS: Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, Courtney J.
Barba, remains available to address any questions that a client or prospective client
may have regarding the above.
Borrowing Against Assets/Risks. A client who has a need to borrow money could
determine to do so by using:
• Margin-The account custodian or broker-dealer lends money to the client. The
custodian charges the client interest for the right to borrow money, and uses the
assets in the client’s brokerage account as collateral or
• Pledged Assets Loan- In consideration for a lender (i.e., a bank, etc.) to make a
loan to the client, the client pledges its investment assets held at the account
custodian as collateral.
These above-described collateralized loans are generally utilized because they typically
provide more favorable interest rates than standard commercial loans. These types of
collateralized loans can assist with a pending home purchase, permit the retirement of more
expensive debt, or enable borrowing in lieu of liquidating existing account positions and
incurring capital gains taxes. However, such loans are not without potential material risk
to the client’s investment assets. The lender (i.e., custodian, bank, etc.) will have recourse
against the client’s investment assets in the event of loan default or if the assets fall below
a certain level. For this reason, Registrant does not recommend such borrowing unless it is
for specific short-term purposes (i.e., a bridge loan to purchase a new residence). Registrant
does not recommend such borrowing for investment purposes (i.e., to invest borrowed
funds in the market). Regardless, if the client was to determine to utilize margin or a
pledged assets loan, the following economic benefits would inure to Registrant:
• by taking the loan rather than liquidating assets in the client’s account, Registrant
continues to earn a fee on such Account assets;
• if the client invests any portion of the loan proceeds in an account to be managed
by Registrant, Registrant will receive an advisory fee on the invested amount; and
• if Registrant’s advisory fee is based upon the higher margined account value (see
margin disclosure at Item 5 below), Registrant will earn a correspondingly higher
advisory fee. This could provide Registrant with a disincentive to encourage the
client to discontinue the use of margin.
The client must accept the above risks and potential corresponding consequences
associated with the use of margin or a pledged assets loans.
Portfolio Activity. Registrant has a fiduciary duty to provide services consistent with the
client’s best interest. Registrant will review client portfolios on an ongoing basis to
determine if any changes are necessary based upon various factors, including, but not
limited to, investment performance, market conditions, fund manager tenure, style drift,
account additions/withdrawals, and/or a change in the client’s investment objective. Based
upon these factors, there may be extended periods of time when Registrant determines that
changes to a client’s portfolio are unnecessary. Clients remain subject to the fees described
in Item 5 below during periods of portfolio inactivity. Of course, as indicated below, there
can be no assurance that investment decisions made by the Registrant will be profitable or
equal any specific performance level(s).
Cybersecurity Risk. The information technology systems and networks that Registrant and
its third-party service providers use to provide services to Registrant’s clients employ
various controls, which are designed to prevent cybersecurity incidents stemming from
intentional or unintentional actions that could cause significant interruptions in Registrant’s
operations and result in the unauthorized acquisition or use of clients’ confidential or non-
public personal information. Clients and Registrant are nonetheless subject to the risk of
cybersecurity incidents that could ultimately cause them to incur losses, including for
example: financial losses, cost and reputational damage to respond to regulatory
obligations, other costs associated with corrective measures, and loss from damage or
interruption to systems. Although Registrant has established processes to reduce the risk
of cybersecurity incidents, there is no guarantee that these efforts will always be successful,
especially considering that Registrant does not directly control the cybersecurity measures
and policies employed by third-party service providers. Clients could incur similar adverse
consequences resulting from cybersecurity incidents that more directly affect issuers of
securities in which those clients invest, broker-dealers, qualified custodians, governmental
and other regulatory authorities, exchange and other financial market operators, or other
financial institutions.
Client Obligations. In performing its services, Registrant will not be required to verify any
information received from the client or from the client’s other professionals and is
expressly authorized to rely thereon. Clients are responsible to promptly notify the
Registrant if there is ever any change in their financial situation or investment objectives
for the purpose of reviewing, evaluating, or revising Registrant’s previous
recommendations or services.
Investment Risk. 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 Registrant) will be profitable or equal any specific performance level(s).
Please Note: Lack of Diversification. Because the assets managed by the Registrant will
only contain sports and entertainment companies, the client’s account(s) will not constitute
a fully diversified or balanced portfolio among other investment sectors (i.e., technology,
energy, financial services, healthcare, etc.). As such, the portfolio may not be suitable for
investment of all of the client’s investment assets. The client must accept these limitations,
including the corresponding potential for underperformance relative to a more broadly
diversified portfolio.
Use of Mutual and Exchange Traded Funds. Registrant utilizes mutual funds and exchange
traded funds for its client portfolios. In addition to Registrant’s investment advisory fee
described below, and transaction and/or custodial fees discussed above, clients will also
incur, relative to all mutual fund and exchange traded fund purchases, charges imposed at
the fund level (e.g., management fees and other fund expenses). The mutual funds and
exchange traded funds utilized by the Registrant are generally available directly to the
public. Thus, a client can generally obtain the funds recommended and/or utilized by
Registrant independent of engaging Registrant as an investment advisor. However, if a
prospective client does so, then they will not receive Registrant's initial and ongoing
investment advisory services.
Disclosure Brochure. A copy of the Registrant’s written disclosure statement as set forth
on Part 2 of Form ADV and Form CRS (Client Relationship Summary) and shall be
provided to each client before, or contemporaneously with, the execution of the Investment
Advisory Agreement.
C. The Registrant provides advisory services tailored specifically to the needs of each client.
Before providing investment advisory services, an investment adviser representative will
coordinate with each client to develop their investment objectives. Then, the Registrant
shall allocate and/or recommend that the client allocate investment assets consistent with
the designated investment objectives. Registrant will maintain both the initial and ongoing
day-to-day relationship with the client, including initial and ongoing determination of
client suitability for the client’s designated investment strategies and/or programs. The
client may, at any time, impose reasonable restrictions, in writing, on the Registrant’s
services.
D. The Registrant does not participate in a wrap fee program.
E. As of December 31, 2023, the Registrant had $18,936,095 in assets under management on
a discretionary basis.