Exhibit (d)(8)
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
BRAZOS MUTUAL FUNDS
BRAZOS MID CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO
AGREEMENT made this __ day of October, 1999 by and between Brazos Mutual Funds,
a Delaware business trust (the "Trust"), and Xxxx XxXxxx Investment Counsel,
L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company (the "Adviser").
1. DUTIES OF ADVISER. The Trust hereby appoints the Adviser to act as
investment adviser with respect to the Brazos Mid Cap Growth Portfolio (the
"Portfolio") of the Trust for the period and on such terms as set forth in this
Agreement. The Trust employs the Adviser to manage the investment and
reinvestment of the assets of its portfolios of securities, to continuously
review, supervise and administer the investment program of the portfolios, to
determine in its discretion the securities to be purchased or sold and the
portion of the Trust's assets to be held uninvested, to provide the Trust with
records concerning the Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to
maintain, and to render regular reports to the Trust's officers and Board of
Trustees concerning the Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities.
The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the
control of the officers and the Board of Trustees of the Trust, and in
compliance with the objectives, policies and limitations set forth in the
Trust's prospectus and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such
employment and agrees to render the services and to provide, at its own expense,
the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to
perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein.
2. PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS. The Adviser is responsible for decisions to
buy or sell securities and other investments for the assets of the Portfolio,
broker-dealers and futures commission merchants' selection, and negotiation of
brokerage commission and futures commission merchants' rates. As a general
matter, in executing Portfolio transactions, the Adviser may employ or deal with
such broker-dealers or futures commission merchants as may, in the Adviser's
best judgment, provide prompt and reliable execution of the transactions at
favorable prices and reasonable commission rates. In selecting such
broker-dealers or futures commission merchants, the Adviser shall consider all
relevant factors including price (including the applicable brokerage commission,
dealer spread or futures commission merchant rate), the size of the order, the
nature of the market for the security or other investment, the timing of the
transaction, the reputation, experience and financial stability of the
broker-dealer or futures commission merchant involved, the quality of the
service, the difficulty of execution, the execution capabilities and operational
facilities of the firm involved, and, in the case of securities, the firm's risk
in positioning a block of securities. Subject to such policies as the Trustees
may determine and consistent with Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act"), the Adviser shall not be deemed to have
acted unlawfully or to have breached any duty created by this Agreement or
otherwise solely by reason of the Adviser's having caused a Portfolio to pay a
member of an exchange, broker or dealer an amount of commission for effecting a
securities transaction in excess of the amount of commission another member of
an exchange, broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction,
if the Adviser determines in good faith that such amount of commission was
reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services
provided by such member of an exchange, broker or dealer viewed in terms of
either that particular transaction or the Adviser's overall responsibility with
respect to the Portfolio and to other clients as to which the Adviser exercises
investment discretion. In accordance with Section 11(a) of the 1934 Act and Rule
11a2-2(T) thereunder, and subject to any other applicable laws and regulations
including Section 17(e) of the Act and Rule 17e-1 thereunder, the Adviser may
engage its affiliates or any other subadviser to the Trust and its respective
affiliates, as broker-dealers or futures commission merchants to effect
Portfolio transactions in securities and other investments
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for the Portfolio. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the officers and the
Trustees of the Trust such information relating to Portfolio transactions as
they may reasonably request. To the extent consistent with applicable law, the
Adviser may aggregate purchase or sell orders for the Portfolio with
contemporaneous purchase or sell orders of other clients of the Adviser or its
affiliated persons. In such event, allocation of the securities so purchased or
sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the
Adviser in the manner the Adviser determines to be equitable and consistent with
its and its affiliates' fiduciary obligations to the Portfolio and to such other
clients. The Adviser hereby acknowledges that such aggregation of orders may not
result in more favorable pricing or lower brokerage commissions in all
instances.
3. COMPENSATION OF THE ADVISER. For the services to be rendered by the
Adviser as provided in Section 1 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the
Adviser in monthly installments, an advisory fee calculated by applying the
following annual percentage rate to the Portfolio's average daily net assets for
the month:
BRAZOS Mid Cap Growth Portfolio 0.90%
In the event of termination of this Agreement, the fee provided in this
Section shall be computed on the basis of the period ending on the last business
day on which this Agreement is in effect subject to a pro rata adjustment based
on the number of days elapsed in the current fiscal month as a percentage of the
total number of days in such month.
4. OTHER SERVICES. At the request of the Trust, the Adviser in its
discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment,
personnel and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and
services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the
Trust at the Adviser's cost.
5. REPORTS. The Trust and the Adviser agree to furnish to each other
current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified
copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to
their affairs as each may reasonably request.
6. STATUS OF ADVISER. The services of the Adviser to the Trust are not
to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser shall be free to render similar services
to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby.
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7. LIABILITY OF ADVISER. In the absence of (i) willful misfeasance, bad
faith or gross negligence on the part of the Adviser in performance of its
obligations and duties hereunder, (ii) reckless disregard by the Adviser of its
obligations and duties hereunder, or (iii) a loss resulting from a breach of
fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of compensation for services (in
which case any award of damages shall be limited to the period and the amount
set forth in Section 36(b)(3) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
("1940 Act"), the Adviser shall not be subject to any liability whatsoever to
the Trust, or to any shareholder of the Trust, for any error or judgment,
mistake of law or any other act or omission in the course of, or connected with,
rendering services hereunder including, without limitation, for any losses that
may be sustained in connection with the purchase, holding, redemption or sale of
any security on behalf of the Trust.
8. PERMISSIBLE INTERESTS. Subject to and in accordance with the
Certificate of Trust and Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the Trust and the
Certificate of Limited Liability Company and Limited Liability Company Agreement
of the Adviser, Trustees, officers, agents and shareholders of the Trust are or
may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as Trustees,
officers, agents, shareholders or otherwise; Trustees, officers, agents and
shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees,
officers, agents, shareholders or otherwise; and the Adviser (or any successor)
is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise; and the
effect of any such interrelationships shall be governed by said organizational
documents and the provisions of the 1940 Act.
9. DURATION AND TERMINATION. This Agreement, unless sooner terminated
as provided herein, shall continue in full force and effect for two years from
the date hereof, and thereafter shall continue for periods of one year so long
as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (a) by the vote
of a majority of those members of the Board of Trustees of the Trust who are not
parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any such party, cast in
person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval, and (b)
by the Board of Trustees of the Trust or (c) by vote of a majority of the
outstanding voting securities of the Trust; PROVIDED HOWEVER, that if the
shareholders of the Trust fail to approve the
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Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve in such capacity
in the manner and to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules thereunder.
This Agreement may be terminated by the Trust at any time, without the payment
of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the entire Board of Trustees of the
Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust
on 60 days' written notice to the Adviser. This Agreement may be terminated by
the Adviser at any time, without the payment of any penalty, upon 90 days'
written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately
terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall
be given in writing, addressed and delivered or mailed postpaid, to the other
party at the principal office of such party.
As used in this Section 9, the terms "assignment," "interested
persons," and "a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall
have the respective meanings set forth in Section 2(a)(4), Section 2(a)(19) and
Section 2(a)(42) of the 1940 Act.
10. AMENDMENT OF AGREEMENT. This Agreement may be amended by mutual
consent, but the consent of the Trust must be obtained in conformity with the
requirements of the 1940 Act.
11. SEVERABILITY. If any provisions of this Agreement shall be held or
made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of
this Agreement shall not be affected thereby.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be
executed as of this __ day of October, 1999.
XXXX XxXXXX INVESTMENT COUNSEL, L.L.C. BRAZOS MUTUAL FUNDS
By___________________________ By___________________________
Xxxx X. XxXxxx, President Xxx X. Xxxxxxxxxxxx, President
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