Honeytree Investment Management Ltd. (“Honeytree”) is a Canadian based advisory firm principally
owned by co-founders Paula Glick and Liz Simmie. Honeytree manages segregated investment accounts
of its clients with a focus on responsible growth. Honeytree has been in business since 2018 and is
organized under the laws of the Province of Ontario as a registered portfolio manager.
Honeytree specializes in responsible growth portfolios and has developed and managed equity strategies
holding Global, US and Canadian based securities. Honeytree offers two different types of advisory
services. More information about the type of accounts Honeytree offers is below.
Managed Accounts: “Managed Accounts” are discretionary accounts that provide direct access to our
investment strategies for individuals and institutions. All accounts (except for cash and cash equivalents)
are invested in equity securities, exchange traded funds, and bonds and generally follow our models.
Honeytree provides discretionary investment advisory services to its Managed Accounts on a fee basis as
discussed at Item 5 below. Honeytree's annual investment advisory fee include investment advisory
services.
To commence the investment advisory process, Honeytree 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, Honeytree provides ongoing supervision of the account(s). Before engaging
Honeytree to provide investment advisory services, clients are required to enter into an Investment
Advisory Agreement with Honeytree 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.
Separately Managed Account Program (“SMA Program” or “SMA Account”): Honeytree participates in
SMA programs providing advisors and their clients access to our equity models. In some cases, we provide
our model to a firm to execute on their client’s behalf, in others we act as portfolio manager and operate
under a dual contract model.
Clients may impose restrictions at the security level if required for regulatory or other reasons, however
the performance of that account will deviate from our model and other client accounts we manage.
Clients are also able to direct tax loss harvesting, however that also creates deviation in performance from
our model and other client accounts.
Use of Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds: Honeytree utilizes mutual funds and exchange traded
funds for its client portfolios. In addition to Honeytree’s investment advisory fee described below, and
transaction and/or custodial fees discussed below, 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).
Custodian Charges-Additional Fees. As discussed below at Item 12 below, when requested to recommend
a broker-dealer/custodian for client accounts, Honeytree generally recommends that Credential Qtrade
Securities Inc. (“Credential”) serve as the broker-dealer/custodian for client investment management
assets. Broker-dealers such as Credential 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 Credential,
generally (with the potential exception for large orders) do not currently charge fees on individual equity
transactions (including ETFs), others do. Please Note: there can be no assurance that Credential will not
change their transaction fee pricing in the future. Please Also Note: Credential may also assess fees to
clients who elect to receive trade confirmations and account statements by regular mail rather than
electronically.
Retirement Plan Rollovers – No Obligation / 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 Honeytree recommends that a client roll over their
retirement plan assets into an account to be managed by Honeytree, such a recommendation creates a
conflict of interest if Honeytree will earn new (or increase its current) compensation because of the
rollover. If Honeytree provides a recommendation as to whether a client should engage in a rollover or
not, Honeytree 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
Honeytree.
Please Note: Socially Responsible Investing Limitations. Socially Responsible Investing involves the
incorporation of Environmental, Social and Governance considerations into the investment due diligence
process (“ESG). There are potential limitations associated with allocating a portion of an investment
portfolio in qualifying ESG securities (i.e., securities that have a mandate to avoid, when possible,
investments in such products as alcohol, tobacco, firearms, oil drilling, gambling, etc.). The number of
these securities may be limited when compared to those that do not maintain such a mandate. ESG
securities could underperform broad market indices. Investors must accept these limitations, including
potential for underperformance. Correspondingly, the number of ESG mutual funds and exchange traded
funds are fewer when compared to those that do not maintain such a mandate. As with any type of
investment (including any investment and/or investment strategies recommended and/or undertaken by
Honeytree), there can be no assurance that investment in ESG securities or
funds will be profitable or
prove successful.
Sub-Advisor Engagements: Honeytree also serves as a sub-adviser to unaffiliated registered investment
advisers per the terms and conditions of a written Sub-Advisory Agreement. The unaffiliated investment
advisers that engage Honeytree's sub-advisory services shall maintain both the initial and ongoing day-to-
day relationship with the underlying client, including initial and ongoing determination of client suitability
for Honeytree's designated investment strategies. Honeytree will be paid a portion of the unaffiliated
investment adviser’s investment management fees (“Total Fixed Fee”) received by the unaffiliated
investment adviser’s clients. If the custodian/broker-dealer is determined by the unaffiliated investment
adviser, Honeytree will be unable to negotiate commissions and/or transaction costs, and/or seek better
execution. As a result, client may pay higher commissions or other transaction costs or greater spreads,
or receive less favorable net prices, on transactions for the account than would otherwise be the case
through alternative clearing arrangements recommended by Honeytree. Higher transaction costs
adversely impact account performance. Honeytree will continue as sub-advisor until such arrangement is
modified or terminated, in writing, by either Honeytree or the unaffiliated registered investment adviser.
Honeytree’s Chief Compliance Officer, Liz Simmie, remains available to address any questions concerning
its sub-advisory arrangements.
Miscellaneous
Please Note: Cash Positions. Honeytree continues to treat cash as an asset class. As such, unless
determined to the contrary by Honeytree, all cash positions (money markets, etc.) shall be included as part
of assets under management for purposes of calculating Honeytree’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), Honeytree 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, Honeytree’s advisory fee could exceed the
interest paid by the client’s money market fund. Honeytree’s advisory fee could exceed the interest paid
by the client’s money market fund. Generally, some portion of each client’s account will be held in cash.
As a rule, the client’s designated custodian will effect “sweep” transactions of cash balances in the account
into a designated cash sweep investment vehicle made available by the custodian. Generally, the rate a
client will earn on cash sweep investments will be lower than the rate on other available cash alternatives,
although cash sweep rates do vary by custodian. It is important to note that, absent approved mitigating
circumstances and/or deviations, cash balances and allocations to cash, including assets invested in sweep
vehicle investments, are included in the calculation of assets under management for the adviser’s fee billing
purposes. Exceptions or modifications shall be approved by the Chief Compliance Officer or designee.
Honeytree’s Chief Compliance Officer, Liz Simmie, remains available to address any questions concerning
the fee billing practice.
Client Obligations. In performing our services, Honeytree shall 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.
Moreover, it remains each client’s responsibility to promptly notify Honeytree if there is ever any change
in his/her/its financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing/evaluating/revising
our previous recommendations and/or services.
Please Note: 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 Honeytree) will be profitable
or equal any specific performance level(s).
Cybersecurity Risk. The information technology systems and networks that Honeytree and its third-party
service providers use to provide services to Honeytree’s clients employ various controls, which are
designed to prevent cybersecurity incidents stemming from intentional or unintentional actions that could
cause significant interruptions in Honeytree’s operations and result in the unauthorized acquisition or use
of clients’ confidential or non-public personal information. Clients and Honeytree 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
Honeytree has established its systems to reduce the risk of cybersecurity incidents from coming to fruition,
there is no guarantee that these efforts will always be successful, especially considering that Honeytree
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.
Portfolio Activity. Honeytree has a fiduciary duty to provide services consistent with the client’s best
interest. Honeytree 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 Honeytree
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 Honeytree will be profitable or equal any specific
performance level(s).
As of November 30, 2023, Honeytree managed $7.43 million on a discretionary basis.