BEARGUARD FUNDS, INC.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is entered into as of the _____ day
of ______, 1999, between Bearguard Funds, Inc., a
Maryland corporation (the "Corporation"), and Skye
Investment Advisors LLC, a California limited liability
company (the "Adviser").
W I T N E S S E T H
WHEREAS, the Corporation is an open-end investment
company registered under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). The Corporation is
authorized to create separate series, each with its own
separate investment portfolio (the "Funds"), and the
beneficial interest in each such series will be
represented by a separate series of shares (the
"Shares").
WHEREAS, the Adviser is a registered investment
adviser, engaged in the business of rendering
investment advisory services.
WHEREAS, in managing the Corporation's assets, as
well as in the conduct of certain of its affairs, the
Corporation seeks the benefit of the Adviser's services
and its assistance in performing certain managerial
functions. The Adviser desires to furnish such
services and to perform the functions assigned to it
under this Agreement for the consideration provided for
herein.
NOW THEREFORE, the parties mutually agree as
follows:
1. Appointment of the Adviser. The Corporation
hereby appoints the Adviser as investment adviser for
each of the Funds of the Corporation on whose behalf
the Corporation executes an Exhibit to this Agreement,
and the Adviser, by execution of each such Exhibit,
accepts the appointments. Subject to the direction of
the Board of Directors (the "Directors") of the
Corporation, the Adviser shall manage the investment
and reinvestment of the assets of each Fund in
accordance with the Fund's investment objective and
policies and limitations, for the period and upon the
terms herein set forth. The investment of funds shall
also be subject to all applicable restrictions of the
Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of the
Corporation as may from time to time be in force.
2. Expenses Paid by the Adviser. In addition to the
expenses which the Adviser may incur in the performance
of its responsibilities under this Agreement, and the
expenses which it may expressly undertake to incur and
pay, the Adviser shall incur and pay all reasonable
compensation, fees and related expenses of the
Corporation's officers and its Directors, except for
such Directors who are not interested persons (as that
term is defined in Section 2(a)(19) of
the 0000 Xxx) of the Adviser, and all expenses related to
the rental and maintenance of the principal offices of the
Corporation.
3. Investment Advisory Functions. In its capacity as
investment adviser, the Adviser shall have the
following responsibilities:
(a) To furnish continuous advice and recommendations
to the Funds, as to the acquisition, holding or
disposition of any or all of the securities or other
assets which the Funds may own or contemplate acquiring
from time to time;
(b) To cause its officers to attend meetings and
furnish oral or written reports, as the Corporation may
reasonably require, in order to keep the Directors and
appropriate officers of the Corporation fully informed
as to the condition of the investments of the Funds,
the investment recommendations of the Adviser, and the
investment considerations which have given rise to
those recommendations; and
(c) To supervise the purchase and sale of securities
or other assets as directed by the appropriate officers
of the Corporation.
The services of the Adviser are not to be deemed
exclusive and the Adviser shall be free to render
similar services to others as long as its services for
others does not in any way hinder, preclude or prevent
the Adviser from performing its duties and obligations
under this Agreement. In the absence of willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless
disregard of obligations or duties hereunder on the
part of the Adviser, the Adviser shall not be subject
to liability to the Corporation, the Funds, or to any
shareholder for any act or omission in the course of,
or in connection with, rendering services hereunder or
for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase,
holding or sale of any security.
4. Obligations of the Corporation. The Corporation
shall have the following obligations under this
Agreement:
(a) To keep the Adviser continuously and fully
informed as to the composition of the Funds'
investments and the nature of all of their respective
assets and liabilities;
(b) To furnish the Adviser with a copy of any
financial statement or report prepared for it by
certified or independent public accountants, and with
copies of any financial statements or reports made to
the Funds' shareholders or to any governmental body or
securities exchange;
(c) To furnish the Adviser with any further materials
or information which the Adviser may reasonably request
to enable it to perform its functions under this
Agreement; and
(d) To compensate the Adviser for its services in
accordance with the provisions of paragraph 5 hereof.
5. Compensation. The Corporation will pay the
Adviser a fee for its services with respect to each
Fund (the "Advisory Fee") at the annual rate set forth
on the Exhibit(s) hereto. The Advisory Fee shall be
accrued each calendar day during the term of this
Agreement and the sum of the daily fee accruals shall
be paid monthly as soon as practicable following the
last day of each month. The daily fee accruals will be
computed by multiplying 1/365 by the annual rate and
multiplying the product by the net asset value of the
Fund as determined in accordance with the Corporation's
registration statement as of the close of business on
the previous day on which the Fund was open for
business, or in such other manner as the parties agree.
The Adviser may from time to time and for such periods
as it deems appropriate or for such time and to the
extent agreed on Exhibit A for a Fund reduce its
compensation and/or assume expenses for one or more of
the Funds (including initial organization costs);
provided, however, that with respect to any agreement
set forth on Exhibit A the Adviser shall be entitled to
recoup such amounts for a period of up to three (3)
years from the date such amount was reduced or assumed.
6. Expenses Paid by Corporation.
(a) Except as provided in this paragraph, nothing in
this Agreement shall be construed to impose upon the
Adviser the obligation to incur, pay, or reimburse the
Corporation for any expenses not specifically assumed
by the Adviser under paragraph 2 above. Each Fund
shall pay or cause to be paid all of its expenses and
the Fund's allocable share of the Corporation's
expenses, including, but not limited to, investment
adviser fees; any compensation, fees, or reimbursements
which the Corporation pays to its Directors who are not
interested persons (as that phrase is defined in
Section 2(a)(19) of the 0000 Xxx) of the Adviser; fees
and expenses of the custodian, transfer agent,
registrar or dividend disbursing agent; current legal,
accounting and printing expenses; administrative,
clerical, recordkeeping and bookkeeping expenses;
brokerage commissions and all other expenses in
connection with the execution of Fund transactions;
interest; all federal, state and local taxes (including
stamp, excise, income and franchise taxes); expenses of
shareholders' meetings and of preparing, printing and
distributing proxy statements, notices and reports to
shareholders; expenses of preparing and filing reports
and tax returns with federal and state regulatory
authorities; and all expenses incurred in complying
with all federal and state laws and the laws of any
foreign country applicable to the issue, offer, or sale
of Shares of the Funds, including but not limited to,
all costs involved in the registration or qualification
of Shares of the Funds for sale in any jurisdiction and
all costs involved in preparing, printing and
distributing prospectuses and statements of additional
information to existing shareholders of the Funds.
(b) If expenses borne by a Fund in any fiscal year
(including the Adviser's fee, but excluding taxes,
interest, brokerage commissions, Rule 12b-1 expenses
and similar fees) exceed those set forth in any
statutory or regulatory formula applicable to a Fund,
the Adviser will reimburse the Fund for any excess.
7. Brokerage Commissions. For purposes of this
Agreement, brokerage commissions paid by a Fund upon
the purchase or sale of securities shall be considered
a cost of the securities of the Fund and shall be paid
by the respective Fund. The Adviser is authorized and
directed to place Fund transactions only with brokers
and dealers who render satisfactory service in the
execution of orders at the most favorable prices and at
reasonable commission rates; provided, however, that
the Adviser may pay a broker or dealer an amount of
commission for effecting a securities transaction in
excess of the amount of commission another 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 broker or dealer viewed in
terms of either that particular transaction or the
overall responsibilities of the Adviser. In placing
Fund business with such broker or dealers, the Adviser
shall seek the best execution of each transaction, and
all such brokerage placement shall be made in
compliance with Section 28(e) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and other applicable
state and federal laws. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
the Corporation shall retain the right to direct the
placement of all Fund transactions, and the Directors
may establish policies or guidelines to be followed by
the Adviser in placing Fund transactions for the Funds
pursuant to the foregoing provisions.
8. Proprietary Rights. The Adviser has proprietary
rights in each Fund's name and the Corporation's name.
The Corporation acknowledges and agrees that the
Adviser may withdraw the use of such names from the
Funds or the Corporation should it cease to act as the
investment adviser to any Fund.
9. Termination. This Agreement may be terminated at
any time, without penalty, by the Directors of the
Corporation or by the shareholders of a Fund acting by
the vote of at least a majority of its outstanding
voting securities (as that phrase is defined in Section
2(a)(42) of the 1940 Act), provided in either case that
60 days' written notice of termination be given to the
Adviser at its principal place of business. This
Agreement may also be terminated by the Adviser at any
time by giving 60 days' written notice of termination
to the Corporation, addressed to its principal place of
business.
10. Assignment. This Agreement shall terminate
automatically in the event of any assignment (within
the meaning of Section 2(a)(4) of the 0000 Xxx) of this
Agreement.
11. Term. This Agreement shall begin for each Fund as
of the date of execution of the applicable Exhibit and
shall continue in effect with respect to each Fund (and
any subsequent Funds added pursuant to an Exhibit
during the initial term of this Agreement) for two
years from the date of this Agreement and thereafter
for successive periods of one year, subject to the
provisions for termination and all of the other terms
and conditions hereof if such continuation shall be
specifically approved at least annually (i) by the vote
of a majority of the Directors of the Corporation,
including a majority of the Directors who are not
parties to this Agreement or "interested persons" of
any such party (as defined in the 1940 Act), cast in
person at a meeting
called for that purpose or (ii) by
the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities (as that phrase is defined in Section
2(a)(42) of the 0000 Xxx) of each Fund. If a Fund is
added after the first approval by the Directors as
described above, this Agreement will be effective as to
that Fund upon execution of the applicable Exhibit and
will continue in effect until the next annual approval
of this Agreement by the Directors and thereafter for
successive periods of one year, subject to approval as
described above.
12. Amendments. This Agreement may be amended by the
mutual consent of the parties, provided that the terms
of each such amendment shall be approved by the
Directors or by the affirmative vote of a majority of
the outstanding voting securities (as that phrase is
defined in Section 2(a)(42) of the 0000 Xxx) of each
Fund.
13. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed
by and construed in accordance with the internal laws
of the State of California, provided, however that
nothing herein shall be construed in a manner that is
inconsistent with the 1940 Act, the Investment Advisers
Act of 1940, as amended, or the rules and regulations
promulgated with respect to such respective Acts.
This Agreement will become binding on the parties
hereto upon their execution of the Exhibit(s) to this
Agreement.
EXHIBIT A
to the
Investment Advisory Agreement
BEARGUARD FUND
For all services rendered by the Adviser
hereunder, the Corporation shall pay the Adviser, on
behalf of the above-named Fund, and the Adviser agrees
to accept as full compensation for all services
rendered hereunder, an annual investment advisory fee
equal to 1.25% of the average daily net assets of the
Fund.
The Adviser hereby agrees that until ___________, 2000,
the Adviser will waive its fees and/or
reimburse the Fund's operating expenses to the extent
necessary to ensure that the total operating expenses
(on an annual basis) do not exceed 2.75% of the
Investor Class's average daily net assets and 2.50% of
the Institutional Class's average daily net assets,
subject to possible later recoupment as provided in
Section 5.
The annual investment advisory fee shall be
accrued daily at the rate of 1/365th of 1.25% applied
to the daily net assets of the Fund. The advisory fee
so accrued shall be paid by the Corporation to the
Adviser monthly.
Executed as of this ____ day of____________________, 1999.
The Adviser:
SKYE INVESTMENT ADVISORS LLC
By:_____________________________
Xxxx X. XxXxxxxx, Chairman and
Managing Member
The Corporation:
BEARGUARD FUNDS, INC.
By:_____________________________
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx, Xx., Treasurer and Secretary
