Overview
- Headquarters
- Austin, TX
- Total Firm Assets
- $5.4 billion
- Average High-Net-Worth Client Portfolio Size
- $3.3 million
Fee Structure
Primary Fee Schedule (BLUESPRING WEALTH MANAGEMENT RETIREMENT PLAN BROCHURE)
| Min | Max | Marginal Fee Rate |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | and above | 0.25% – 1.50% |
Illustrative Fee Rates
| Total Assets | Annual Fees | Average Fee Rate |
|---|---|---|
| $1 million | $2,500 – $15,000 | 0.25% – 1.50% |
| $5 million | $12,500 – $75,000 | 0.25% – 1.50% |
| $10 million | $25,000 – $150,000 | 0.25% – 1.50% |
| $50 million | $125,000 – $750,000 | 0.25% – 1.50% |
| $100 million | $250,000 – $1,500,000 | 0.25% – 1.50% |
Clients
- High-Net-Worth Share of Firm Assets
- 75.30%
- Number of High-Net-Worth Clients
- 1,253
- Total Client Accounts
- 10,596
- Discretionary Accounts
- 10,546
- Non-Discretionary Accounts
- 50
Services Offered
Services: Financial Planning, Portfolio Management for Individuals, Portfolio Management for Institutional Clients, Pension Consulting, Investment Advisor Selection
Regulatory Filings
- SEC CRD Number
- 152667
Additional Brochure: BLUESPRING WEALTH MANAGEMENT BROCHURE (2026-07-01)
View Document Text
FORM ADV PART 2A BROCHURE
Item 1: Cover Page
BLUESPRING WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC
5707 Southwest Parkway, Building 2, Suite 400
Austin, TX 78735
(888) 665-0237
July 1, 2026
www.bluespringwealth.com
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of
BLUESPRING WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC (“Bluespring Wealth”). If you have any
questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us at (888) 665-0237. The
information in this brochure has not been approved or verified by the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission or by any state securities authority.
Additional information about our firm is available on the SEC’s website at
http://www.adviserinfo.sec.gov/.
Bluespring Wealth is a registered investment advisor. Registration does not imply a certain
level of skill or training.
Item 2: Material Changes
Form ADV Part 2 requires registered investment advisers to amend their brochure when
information becomes materially inaccurate. If there are any material changes to an
adviser’s disclosure brochure, the adviser is required to notify you and provide you with a
description of the material changes.
The last update to the Form ADV Part 2A was filed on June 1, 2026. Since that last update,
two affiliates, Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory, LLC and Joule Financial, merged into
Bluespring Wealth. These legal organization changes did not materially change the terms,
conditions, or fees of existing client accounts.
A summary of the material changes that occurred since the June 1, 2026 update is below.
Item 2: Material Changes
• A summary of material changes resulting from legal organization changes was
added.
Item 4: Advisory Business
• Regulatory Assets Under Management was updated to reflect new AUM created by
legal entity mergers.
Item 5: Fees and Compensation
•
Investment Management Fees were delineated for regional platform Bluespring
Wealth – River Valley.
• Fee billing practices for clients who utilize T. Rowe Price as their qualified custodian
were added to the document.
2
Item 3: Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Item 1: Cover Page ........................................................................................................ 1
Item 2: Material Changes ............................................................................................... 2
Item 3: Table of Contents ............................................................................................... 3
Item 4: Advisory Business .............................................................................................. 5
A. Managed Accounts ............................................................................................ 7
B. Third-Party Referrals ....................................................................................... 10
C. Financial Planning ........................................................................................... 10
D.
Individual Retirement Planning Services ......................................................... 12
E. Qualified and Non-Qualified Retirement Plan Services ................................... 12
F.
Tax Services .................................................................................................... 12
G. Third Party Management Services ................................................................... 13
H. Other Information About Advisory Services ..................................................... 13
I. Regulatory Assets Under Management ............................................................ 14
Item 5: Fees and Compensation................................................................................... 14
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management ................................... 20
Item 7: Types of Clients ............................................................................................... 20
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies, and Risk of Loss .............................. 20
Item 9: Disciplinary Information ................................................................................... 29
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations ............................................. 29
A. Personnel and Information Sharing ................................................................. 31
B. Service as Dual Officers of Bluespring Affiliates .............................................. 32
C. Delaware Statutory Trusts ............................................................................... 32
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions, and Personal
Trading ....................................................................................................................... 32
3
Item 12: Brokerage Practices ....................................................................................... 33
A. Mutual Fund Selection .................................................................................... 36
B. Equivalent Strategy Funds ............................................................................... 38
C. Margin ............................................................................................................. 38
D. Securities Backed Line of Credit ...................................................................... 38
Item 13: Review of Accounts ........................................................................................ 39
Item 14: Client Referrals and Other Compensation ........................................................ 39
Schwab Advisor Network® ...................................................................................... 40
Item 15: Custody......................................................................................................... 42
Item 16: Investment Discretion .................................................................................... 42
Item 17: Voting Client Securities ................................................................................... 43
Item 18: Financial Information ..................................................................................... 43
Item 19: Miscellaneous ............................................................................................... 43
4
Item 4: Advisory Business
About Bluespring
BLUESPRING WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC (“Bluespring Wealth”) is a registered
investment adviser based in Austin, Texas. Bluespring Wealth is organized as a limited
liability company under the laws of the State of Delaware. As an investment adviser, we are
subject to a fiduciary duty which requires us to act and provide investment advice in our
client’s best interest. We are also required to provide full and fair disclosure of material
facts associated with our services and investment advice. We must act to avoid conflicts of
interest or disclose these conflicts to our clients. This brochure is designed to explain our
services, explain how we provide investment advice, and to disclose conflicts of interest
associated with our services and advice.
Bluespring Wealth was formerly known as SNS Financial Group, LLC which used a separate
marketing name or “doing-business-as” (DBA) designation of Vector Wealth Management.
SNS Financial Group, LLC was a combination of Vector Wealth Management, LLC, founded
in 1993, and SNS Financial Group, LLC, founded in 2009.
On November 13, 2019, Bluespring Wealth Partners, LLC, formerly known as Kestra
Acquired Holdings, Inc., acquired all stock of SNS Financial Group, LLC dba Vector Wealth
Management (“SNS”) from Vector HoldCo, Inc., and Vector Wealth Management, LLC.
Bluespring Wealth HoldCo owns 100% of Bluespring Wealth Management, LLC.
Bluespring Wealth conducts its advisory business under the name “Bluespring Wealth
Management, LLC” as indicated in its Form ADV and its communications and investment
advisory agreements with clients.
Our Services
Bluespring Wealth provides investment advice through investment adviser representatives
registered with our firm. Investment adviser representatives registered with our firm can
also be known as “Wealth Managers.” We refer to these financial advisors as “Advisors” in
this brochure.
We offer the following primary services: (1) Advisor-Managed Accounts; (2) Referrals to
third-party investment advisers; (3) Financial planning; (4) Individual retirement planning;
(5) Services for qualified and non-qualified retirement plans; and (6) Certain tax-related
support. We describe these services in more detail below. If you are a retirement plan
client, please refer to our Retirement Plan Brochure.
Among other things, clients can engage Bluespring Wealth to manage all or a portion of
their assets on a discretionary basis or, in limited circumstances, on a non-discretionary
5
basis. Bluespring primarily allocates clients’ investment management assets among
mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), individual debt and equity securities,
commodities, derivatives, and independent investment management (“third party
managers” or “Independent Managers”). Bluespring Wealth can recommend that clients
who are “accredited investors” as defined under Rule 501 of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, invest in private placement securities which can include debt, equity, and/or
pooled investment vehicles when consistent with the clients’ investment objectives. Your
Advisor can also recommend various alternative investments, typically designed to
diversify your portfolio, and a portion of your account can also remain in cash, a cash
product, or a money market fund. Bluespring provides advice about any type of investment
held in clients’ portfolios.
Bluespring Wealth renders non-discretionary investment management services to clients
relative to their individual employer sponsored retirement plans and/or 529 plans or other
products that can not be held by the client’s primary custodian. In doing so, Bluespring
Wealth either directs or recommends the allocation of client assets among the various
investment options that are available with the product. Client assets are maintained at the
specific insurance company or custodian designated by the product.
Generally, prior to opening an advisory account with us, your Advisor will meet with you to
understand your investment experience, investment objectives, risk tolerance and current
financial circumstances in order to create an investment profile for you. This investment
profile helps your Advisor determine appropriate investment products and services for you.
Should you engage our firm, you will enter into an agreement with us setting forth terms
and conditions of the advisory services relationship, including fees to be charged and
authorization for the Advisor to purchase and sell securities on your behalf consistent with
your defined investment objectives.
We offer a variety of investment advisory platforms, custodians, and brokers, including our
own affiliated broker-dealer and affiliated investment advisory platforms. Where we
provide services through affiliates and/or related entities, Bluespring Wealth has a financial
incentive to promote or recommend our management services within those affiliated
programs. These arrangements create conflicts of interest, as Bluespring Wealth and its
affiliates can receive economic benefits that are not shared with clients. Additional
information regarding these and other conflicts is provided in Items 10 (“Other Financial
Industry Activities and Affiliations”) and 14 (“Client Referrals and Other Compensation”) of
this Brochure.
6
A. Managed Accounts
With a Managed Account, your Advisor is responsible for managing your account
consistent with your defined objectives and risk tolerance and can assist you to develop a
personalized asset allocation program and custom-tailored portfolio. The recommended
portfolio will typically include investments such as mutual funds, exchange-traded funds,
variable annuities, stocks, bonds, direct participation programs or a combination of these
products. A portion of your account can also remain in cash or a money market fund.
In a Managed Account, your Advisor typically will diversify your holdings across various
asset classes unless your objective is to invest in specific assets. The percentage
weightings within the asset classes will be based on your risk profile, investment
objectives, individual preferences and availability. You will have the opportunity to meet
with your Advisor to periodically review the assets in your Managed Account. We
recommend you and your Advisor meet on a regular basis to review your financial situation,
investment objectives and current holdings, and you should let your Advisor know about
any changes to your circumstances in the meantime.
Each client has the opportunity to place reasonable restrictions on the types of
investments to be held in the portfolio. Restrictions on investments in certain securities or
types of securities are not possible due to the level of difficulty this would entail in
managing the account. Please discuss any desired restrictions with your Advisor.
Your Advisor will use their investment discretion to delegate portfolio management of a
portion or all of your Managed Account(s) to a third-party manager if your Advisor deems
that delegation to be in your best interest. This third-party manager is also known as a sub-
advisor. Delegations can be in your best interest if the services provided by the third-party
manager aid in the implementation of your investment portfolio, provide expertise,
technological assistance, investment management models, or other such services that
your Advisor reasonably believes support your investment objectives. A third-party
manager will charge a fee that can be paid by the Advisor or paid by you. Any fees that will
be paid by you will be disclosed to you. We have affiliated third-party managers that can be
delegated to manage a portion or all of your portfolio which creates a conflict of interest
and serves as an incentive for your Advisor to recommend the services of the third-party
investment advisers with which we are affiliated. We recommend that you discuss any
third-party manager delegations with your Advisor.
You will maintain full and complete ownership of all assets held in your Managed Account.
This means you retain the right to add or withdraw securities or cash, pledge securities,
7
and vote securities. We will not pool your Managed Account assets with assets in other
accounts. You will receive periodic statements from the account custodian.
We offer both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management services. If you
want your Advisor to have discretion over the securities purchased or sold in your
brokerage account, you will be asked to sign an addendum authorizing your Advisor to
place orders for your account without contacting you in advance.
We work with you to establish or transfer investment accounts so that we can manage your
portfolio. Once the relevant accounts are under our management, we review such
accounts on a regular basis. We can periodically rebalance or adjust client accounts under
our management.
Use of Third-Party Managers
As mentioned above, Bluespring Wealth utilizes its investment discretion to delegate
portfolio management of a client’s assets in a Managed Account(s) to/among certain third-
party managers, based upon the stated investment objectives of the client. Bluespring
Wealth renders services to the client relative to the discretionary selection of third-party
managers. Bluespring Wealth also monitors and reviews the account performance and the
client’s investment objectives. Bluespring Wealth receives an annual advisory fee which is
based upon a percentage of the market value of the assets being managed by the
designated third-party manager.
When selecting a third-party manager for a client, Bluespring Wealth reviews information
about the third-party manager such as its disclosure brochure and/or material supplied by
the third-party managers for a description of the third-party manager’s investment
strategies, past performance, and risk results to the extent available. Factors that
Bluespring Wealth considers in recommending a third-party manager include the client’s
stated investment objectives, management style, performance, reputation and financial
strength.
In addition to this written disclosure brochure, the client will also receive the written
disclosure brochure of the designated third-party manager. Certain third-party managers
can impose more restrictive account requirements and varying billing practices than
Bluespring Wealth. In such instances, Bluespring Wealth can alter its corresponding
account requirements and/or billing practices to accommodate those of the third-party
manager.
8
SojournTM Portfolios
Bluespring Wealth Midwest utilizes a proprietary application, Sojourn™, to develop a client
specific investment policy. This process depends less on a written survey to determine risk
tolerance and financial objectives and more on an interactive process of mutual agreement
through development of Sojourn™ scenarios. The investment policy that develops from this
process can be changed on a semi-regular basis based on input we receive in our regularly
scheduled meetings or conversations. You acknowledge this iterative process and that the
investment policies delineated will be based on your goals and objectives rather than a
survey- driven risk tolerance questionnaire. Additionally, you acknowledge that, given the
uncertainties within financial markets, Bluespring Wealth can institute incremental
adjustments with the investment policy to take advantage of investment opportunities. In
situations where Bluespring Wealth is not implementing off a Sojourn™ plan, an Investment
Policy will be agreed upon and documented based on periodic client review meetings.
Concentrated Position and Portfolio Hedging
Bluespring Wealth Midwest offers this service to develop a custom option overlay for
clients that have concentrated positions in a small number of securities. This overlay can
include a custom call writing strategy for clients who want the potential for more yield from
their portfolio or a hedging strategy for clients looking to manage risk. When an overlay
strategy is determined, Bluespring Wealth Midwest will manage the overlay on a
discretionary basis. While Bluespring Wealth Midwest tries to monitor and mitigate the risk
of selling underlying securities, Bluespring Wealth Midwest does not guarantee that
underlying positions will not be sold due to assignment. Clients are advised that using
options can result in the sale of underlying positions. Clients with low-cost basis in
concentrated positions should be aware the sale of underlying securities can result in
capital gains tax liability The recommended investment minimum is $250,000 per position.
Exceptions to the minimum can be made on a case-by- case basis.
Third Party Management Services (aka Sub-Advisory Services)
Institutional clients and other registered investment advisors will retain Bluespring Wealth
as a third-party manager to provide ongoing portfolio management through provision of a
model or discretionary management of select accounts. Pursuant to a third-party
management agreement, the primary adviser will engage our firm to provide investment
advice generally or to manage specific accounts identified by the primary adviser and
accepted by our firm. The assets of each third-party account will be held by a qualified
custodian acceptable to our firm. The client is responsible for establishing and maintaining
the third-party account with their custodian of choice.
9
B. Third-Party Referrals
We have entered into referral arrangements with various third-party investment advisers
that participate in, manage, or sponsor different types of money management services and
investment advisory programs. These referral arrangements are structured in accordance
with the Marketing Rule 206(4)-1 under the Advisers Act which requires, among other
things, that we disclose to you the compensation we will receive for referring you to a third-
party adviser, whether your Advisor is a client of the third-party manager, and any other
conflicts that can exist between your Advisor and the third-party manager.
Where we act solely as a referrer, you will not enter into an agreement directly with us. In
such an arrangement, you will establish a direct relationship with the third-party
investment adviser, and we will receive a referral fee from the adviser based on a
percentage of the advisory fee they charge you. This compensation creates a conflict of
interest and serves as an incentive for your Advisor to recommend the services of third-
party investment advisers with which we maintain these referral relationships. The referral
disclosure you receive when you establish an account with the third-party adviser will
specify the total fee you will be charged, and what portion of that fee is payable to the third-
party adviser. The amount of the fee varies by the referral arrangement with a maximum fee
of 2.5%. You should read the third-party adviser’s brochure, and any compensation
disclosure statements provided in connection with these referral arrangements, for
information regarding the services of the third-party adviser and applicable fees and
charges.
C. Financial Planning
Our financial planning services are designed as a long-term, collaborative, ongoing
financial planning relationship to help you achieve at least one financial goal or need. A
financial plan can be encompassing in nature or related to a specific goal. The purpose of
the financial plan is to determine action steps that will assist you in reaching specific goals
that are identified.
This financial planning process will often include financial analysis using both “straight
line” (constant rate of return) and “Monte Carlo simulation” (random rates of return)
financial planning techniques. In most circumstances, a written report of thoughts and
recommendations will be presented outlining the strengths and weaknesses of the
financial situation, discussing actions steps, and can include referrals to other financial,
tax and estate advisors that can be of assistance.
This type of service engagement has a set start and end point, either based upon specific
dates or by the completion of the project. Due to the limited scope of the engagement, and
10
the finite nature of our time working together, specific investment recommendations are
not offered. Any information presented on investments during this process will be limited in
scope to suitability, risk tolerance and overall asset allocation. No attempt will be made to
provide specific recommendations as to the purchase or sale of invested assets.
Bluespring provides evaluations and recommendations on a case-by-case contractual
basis. Recommendations are made without client obligation to engage with Bluespring for
any other services that Bluespring offers.
Bluespring provides financial planning advice on a “best efforts” basis. The advice is based
upon the information provided to us by the client and our understanding of it. It is your
responsibility to provide accurate information. We encourage clients to regularly engage us
in dialogue about their specific goals and objectives.
Financial planning services are available for any or all of the following functions depending
on the specific arrangement with the client:
• Executive Benefit
• Financial Reporting
•
Planning
• Cash Flow
Forecasting
• Trust and Estate
Planning
• Distribution Planning
•
Insurance Planning
• Retirement Planning
• Risk Management
• Manager Due
Diligence
• Business and
Investment
Consulting
• Tax Planning
• Estate Planning
•
Individualized
Business or Personal
Financial Planning
• Education Planning
• Charitable Giving
Succession Planning
In addition to these items, we also offer “financial concierge” services such as:
• Coordination of external advisors (attorneys, CPAs, insurance agents, etc.)
• Trust Consulting
• Mortgage Finance Planning
• Family Meetings and Wealth Education
Non-Profit Investment Advisory Consulting
Bluespring Wealth works in certain instances with non-profit organizations to assist them with
the management of invested assets. The scope of these engagements is limited in nature,
whereby we are providing investment selection, asset allocation and rebalancing services for
assets that benefit the non-profit entity.
11
D. Individual Retirement Planning Services
We provide services in connection with clients’ retirement accounts, such as individual
retirement accounts (IRAs). Our services to IRA clients include those described above.
If you are participating in an employer sponsored retirement plan (such as 401(k) plan) and
are no longer with that employer, you typically have four options (and can 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 a new employer’s plan, if one is available and rollovers
are permitted, iii) rollover to an IRA, or iv) cash out the account value (which could,
depending on your age, result in adverse tax consequences). To the extent you are a
retirement plan client and not an individual participating in an employer sponsored
retirement plan, please refer to our Retirement Plan Brochure.
Based on your stated investment objectives, we will recommend that you roll over plan
assets to an IRA under our management. As a result, we generally earn an asset-based fee.
If you leave plan assets with your old employer’s plan or roll the assets to a plan sponsored
by a new employer, we cannot manage the assets and will earn no compensation unless
we are engaged to monitor or consult on your assets in the retirement plan. We have a
financial incentive to encourage you to roll plan assets into an IRA that we will manage.
There are various factors you should consider before rolling over assets from a retirement
plan to an IRA. These factors include: 1) the investment options available in the plan versus
the investment options available in an IRA; 2) fees and expenses in the plan versus the fees
and expenses in an IRA; 3) the services and responsiveness of the plan’s investment
professionals versus ours; 4) strategies for the protection of assets from creditors and legal
judgments; 5) required minimum distributions and age considerations; and 6) employer
stock tax consequences, if any. No client is under any obligation to roll over plan assets to
an IRA managed by us or to engage our Advisors to monitor and/or consult on an account
maintained in an existing retirement plan. A recommendation to roll assets out of an
employer-sponsored plan into an IRA will most likely result in more expenses and charges
than if the assets were to remain in the plan.
E. Qualified and Non-Qualified Retirement Plan Services
Please see our Retirement Plan Brochure for more information on retirement plan
services.
F. Tax Services
We offer tax preparation and consulting services. Tax-related services are separate and
distinct from our Investment Management services and are governed by a separate
agreement. Costs for these services are generally based on an hourly rate with minimum
12
charges that vary depending on the type of tax return (e.g., individual, business, trust, or
estate) as well as individual facts and circumstances. We reserve the right to waive tax
preparation and consulting fees under certain circumstances. You are not obligated to use
our tax preparation services and you are always free to seek tax preparation and consulting
services from outside service providers.
G. Third Party Management Services
We provide third-party management services to institutional clients where we provide
ongoing portfolio management for select accounts. Pursuant to a third-party management
agreement, the primary adviser will engage us to manage specific accounts identified by
the primary adviser. The assets of each third-party account will be held by a qualified
custodian acceptable to our firm. The Institutional client is responsible for establishing and
maintaining the third-party account with their custodian of choice.
H. Other Information About Advisory Services
We offer a wide variety of products and services to clients. As a general matter, Advisors
are free to choose the products and services they make available to clients, subject to
applicable rules and regulations, suitability, appropriate licensure and other policies and
procedures. Some Advisors can not consider or be able to offer all of the products and
services available through our company.
We and our Advisors advise numerous clients with similar or identical investment
objectives or advise clients with different objectives that can trade in the same securities.
Despite such similarities, portfolio recommendations relating to your investments and the
performance resulting from such recommendations will differ from client to client. In some
instances, we can independently consider a security that a client is trying to sell
appropriate for another one of our clients. We will not necessarily recommend, purchase,
or sell the same securities at the same time or in the same amounts for all eligible clients.
In some cases, such as the recommendations of private placements or oversubscribed
public offerings, due to the availability of, or qualifications necessary to buy the
investment, it can not be possible or feasible for you to buy a certain security. Therefore,
you will not necessarily be able to participate in the same investment opportunities or
participate on the same basis as our other clients. To the extent our Advisors have
investment discretion over your account, it is our policy that the Advisor allocate, to the
extent practicable, investment opportunities on a basis that the Advisor in good faith
believes is fair and equitable to each client over time.
13
You should promptly notify us if there is ever any change in your financial situation or
investment objectives since it can cause us to review, evaluate or revise our previous
recommendations and services to you.
I. Regulatory Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2024, we manage $5,400,980,984 in client assets on a discretionary
basis and $29,926,402 on a non-discretionary basis.
Item 5: Fees and Compensation
Bluespring Wealth charges a fee (“Investment Management Fee”) for its portfolio
management services in a managed account. The Investment Management Fee is
14
negotiated between Bluespring Wealth and the client and generally ranges from 0.00% to
1.50% of the market value of the portfolio. Our asset-based fees are determined by your
Advisor based upon a variety of factors such as the value of your assets under
management, your account type (e.g., retirement account), the nature of the services we
provide to you, the platform(s) and the program(s) you or your Advisor choose and the
current marketing and pricing for similar services. You can pay a higher or lower fee than
other clients pay for similar services.
Fees are negotiable and will be deducted directly from your account through the qualified
custodian holding your funds and securities. The qualified custodian will deliver an
account statement to you at least quarterly. These account statements show all
disbursements from your account. You should review all statements for accuracy.
Bluespring Wealth charges a fixed or hourly fee for Financial Planning Services and/or
Financial Consulting Services. Additionally, certain members of Bluespring Wealth’s
Supervised Persons, in their individual capacities, can offer insurance products under a
commission arrangement. Clients receiving multiple services such as investment
management and financial planning services can be charged a fixed fee at the Firm’s
discretion.
All fees are negotiable, subject to the maximum amount set forth above. We can waive or
charge a lesser fee or can charge a flat fee for our services. The advisory fees we charge can
be higher or lower than those charged by other investment advisers for comparable
services. The fees that we charge to manage assets in your account can be more than the
amount you would pay a broker-dealer to buy or sell securities on a commission basis in a
non-managed account.
Our financial professionals are compensated with a salary. Some advisors also receive
variable compensation paid out of fees that our firm earns from our clients as an incentive
to bring in and service new and existing client assets. This presents a conflict of interest
because advisors are incentivized to increase a client’s assets under management.
Bluespring Wealth consults with its clients in a fiduciary capacity regarding the options and
ramifications of transferring securities as necessary. Clients are advised that when
transferred securities are liquidated, the securities are subject to transaction fees, fees
assessed at the security level (e.g. mutual fund fees), and/or tax ramifications.
Many of Bluespring Wealth’s Advisors also act as insurance agents for insurance company
affiliates of Bluespring Wealth. Some of our Advisors, in their individual capacities as
insurance agents, can recommend you purchase fixed or general account insurance
products or annuities. These Advisors do not receive commissions on these products,
however a Bluespring Wealth affiliate will receive such commissions. You are under no
15
obligation to purchase any products sold by our Advisors while acting as an insurance
agent.
Investment Management Fees are separate from, and in addition to, any platform,
custodial, or other fees charged by the client’s custodian and service providers. Clients will
pay transaction fees for trades executed by their custodian, holdings charges imposed by
their custodian for certain investments, and charges imposed directly by a mutual fund,
index fund, or exchange traded fund (which are disclosed in the fund’s prospectus), mark-
ups and mark-downs, spreads paid to market makers, fees for trades executed away from
the custodian, wire transfer fees, and other fees and taxes on brokerage accounts and
securities transactions. Bluespring Wealth does not receive a portion of these fees. Clients
should review the disclosure documents and agreements provided by their custodian and
service providers for details regarding client costs and fee payment arrangements.
Fee Waivers and Minimums
Bluespring Wealth can establish account minimums for participation in certain portfolios.
These minimums are generally set at the portfolio level and can vary depending on
investment strategy, custodian, or platform.
Bluespring Wealth reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to waive or reduce account
minimums or management fees for certain clients or programs, including affiliated entities,
large accounts, or legacy relationships. Such waivers or reductions can result in similarly
situated clients paying different fees for comparable services.
Third-Party Investment Advisers
In some cases, Bluespring Wealth can hire a third-party investment adviser to provide
recommendations on asset allocation and/or security selection. When we do so, we have a
financial incentive to increase our Manager Fee to cover the cost of engaging the third-party
adviser. While these arrangements can provide additional expertise, they can increase the
overall cost of the portfolio.
In certain situations, Bluespring Wealth can receive research or model recommendations
from a third-party adviser at no charge, provided that specific asset thresholds are
maintained in portfolios using the adviser’s recommendations. In those cases, the third-
party adviser can be compensated by product sponsors (for example, mutual funds or
ETFs). This arrangement creates a conflict of interest because Bluespring Wealth has a
financial incentive to recommend or maintain portfolios that meet those thresholds in
order to avoid paying separately for these services.
Additional Fees and Expenses
16
In addition to the fees described above, clients also bear the expenses of the underlying
investments in their portfolios. Portfolios are typically invested in mutual funds and
exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), which charge their own management fees and operating
expenses, as disclosed in each fund’s prospectus. These fund-level expenses are separate
from, and in addition to, the fees charged by Bluespring Wealth and your Advisor.
Clients are also responsible for other account-related costs which can include custodial
fees, brokerage commissions, transaction charges, wire or transfer fees, and other charges
imposed by the custodian or broker-dealer. Clients should carefully review their account
opening documents for a complete description of all fees and expenses that can apply to
their account.
Investment Management Fees
Bluespring Wealth charges a fee (“Investment Management Fee”) for its portfolio
management services in an advisor managed account. Bluespring Wealth can, in its sole
discretion, aggregate all of a client’s accounts together to determine the maximum fee.
Cash balances are included in asset values for asset-based fee billing purposes. Clients
are advised that some strategies can have large cash periods for extended periods of time.
a. Bluespring Wealth - California
Bluespring Wealth’s California Region (“Bluespring Wealth - California”) assesses fees as
outlined in the investment advisory agreement signed by the client. Bluespring Wealth
California can combine the account values of family members living in the same
household to determine the applicable advisory fee or to meet minimum account size
and/or minimum annual fee. For example, we can combine account values for you and your
minor children, joint accounts with your spouse, and other types of related accounts.
Bluespring Wealth - California can charge a minimum annual fee of $6,000 per household.
b. Bluespring Wealth - Midwest
Bluespring Wealth’s Midwest Region (“Bluespring Wealth- Midwest”) assesses fees as
outlined below or as otherwise negotiated in the investment advisory agreement:
Investment Management Fees
17
Portfolio Value
Investment Management Fee
Asset Value below $500,000
$500,000 - $999,000
$1,000,000 - $2,999,999
$3,000,000 - $4,999,999
$5,000,000 and above
1.20%
1.00%
0.85%
0.75%
0.65%
c. Bluespring Wealth – River Valley
Bluespring Wealth’s River Valley Region in Ohio and Kentucky (“Bluespring Wealth – River
Valley”) assesses fees as outlined below or as otherwise documented in the investment
advisory agreement:
Investment Management Fees
Investment Management Fee
Portfolio Value
Asset Value below $1,999,999
$ 2,000,000 - $4,999,999
$5,000,000 - $9,999,999
$10,000,000 - $14,999,999
$15,000,000 and above
1.00%
0.85%
0.70%
0.55%
0.40%
Bluespring Wealth – River Valley offers TIAA-CREF account holders the option of having the
eligible “CREF" portion of the account managed by Bluespring Wealth – River Valley. The fee
for this service is 0.50% (half of one-percent) of the managed amount of assets.
Bluespring Wealth – River Valley offers existing clients the option of having select accounts
at Nationwide managed by Bluespring Wealth – River Valley. The fee for this service is 1% of
assets under management.
Bluespring Wealth – River Valley offers existing clients the option of having select accounts
at Fidelity managed by Bluespring Wealth – River Valley. The fee for this service is 1% of
assets under management.
Fee Billing
18
Bluespring Wealth applies fees on a pro-rata basis quarterly in advance based on the value
of the account(s) on the last day of the previous quarter. If amounts in excess of $10,000
are deposited or withdrawn at any time other than the first day of a calendar quarter, our
fees will apply on a pro rata basis, which means that the advisory fee is payable in
proportion to the number of days in the quarter for which the funds are advised.
Clients who utilize T. Rowe Price as their qualified custodian will have fees applied on a
pro-rata basis quarterly in arrears. If amounts in excess of $10,000 are deposited or
withdrawn at any time other than the first day of a calendar quarter, our fees will apply on a
pro rata basis, which means that the advisory fee is payable in proportion to the number of
days in the quarter for which the funds are advised.
This fee billing practice is in effect for all clients who joined Bluespring Wealth on or after
June 1, 2026. Clients who signed their investment advisory agreement before that date can
find the applicable fee billing practice in their investment advisory agreement.
Your investment management agreement will authorize Bluespring Wealth or third-party
managers to debit your client account for the amount of the Investment Management Fee.
Any Financial Institutions that serve as qualified custodians for our clients’ accounts are
required to send a statement to the client at least quarterly which indicates all amounts
disbursed from the account, including the investment management fee paid directly to
Bluespring Wealth. Clients are urged to timely review these statements for accuracy.
Termination & Refunds
Either party can terminate the investment advisory agreement signed with Bluespring
Wealth in writing as provided by the agreement. Upon notice of termination, Bluespring
Wealth will process a pro-rata refund of the unearned portion of any advisory fees charged
in advance.
Commissionable Securities Sales
Bluespring Wealth and its Advisors do not sell securities for a commission in advisory
accounts.
19
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
Bluespring Wealth does not charge performance-based fees (i.e., fees based on a share of
the capital gains or capital appreciation of client assets). We also do not engage in side-by-
side management, which refers to managing accounts that pay performance-based fees
alongside accounts that do not.
Item 7: Types of Clients
Bluespring Wealth provides investment management services primarily to individuals,
individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”), pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations
and other business entities, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations.
The minimum account size for investment management services is generally $500,000.
Bluespring Wealth, in its sole discretion, can accept smaller portfolios based on certain
criteria including, for example, anticipated future earning capacity, anticipated future
additional assets, pre-existing clients, and pro bono activities.
Bluespring Wealth generally charges a minimum fee of $2,500 for financial planning
services. Bluespring Wealth, in its sole discretion, can charge a smaller fee or waive
financial planning services fees based on criteria including complexity, pre-existing clients,
householding, and pro bono activities.
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies, and Risk of Loss
Bluespring Wealth serves as portfolio manager and constructs portfolios designed to
address clients’ investment objectives. We manage and rebalance portfolios on a
discretionary, ongoing basis. Our investment teams determine the appropriate asset
allocation, selects securities, and establishes weightings, adjusting positions as needed.
In certain cases, Bluespring Wealth engages third-party investment advisers to provide
recommendations regarding asset allocation or security selection.
Before engaging a third-party adviser, Bluespring Wealth conducts due diligence using
information obtained from internal and external sources and directly from the adviser. This
review typically considers factors such as investment philosophy and style, manager
tenure, historical performance and volatility, risk measures, asset-class correlations, fees,
operational resources, and regulatory history. Bluespring Wealth does not independently
calculate or verify performance data, and such data can not be prepared on a uniform or
consistent basis. Third-party managers selected by Bluespring Wealth will charge
additional investment management fees that are not included in the fee that you pay to
Bluespring Wealth.
20
Bluespring Wealth has an Investment Due Diligence Committee which determines which
securities are approved to implement allocation strategies for clients.
Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves the risk of loss, and clients should be prepared to bear that
risk. Examples of risks that affect portfolios include:
Investment Risks
• Alternative Investments Risk: Alternative investments, including hedge funds,
commodity pools, real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), business development
companies (“BDCs”), and other similar vehicles involve a high degree of risk and
can be illiquid due to transfer restrictions and the absence of an active secondary
market. These investments can be highly leveraged, speculative, and volatile, and
investors can lose all or a substantial portion of their investment. Alternative
investments often provide limited transparency with respect to valuation, pricing,
and underlying holdings and can involve complex tax structures that result in
delayed tax reporting. Compared to mutual funds, certain alternative investments
are subject to less regulatory oversight and typically charge higher fees.
• Cryptocurrency and Digital Asset Products Risk: Investments in cryptocurrency or
other digital asset–related products, including private placements, trusts, or
exchange-traded products that seek exposure to digital currencies or related
derivatives are highly speculative, extremely volatile, and can result in substantial or
total loss of capital. They are generally suitable only for investors with a high-risk
tolerance and are typically used, if at all, as a limited diversification component of a
portfolio.
Cryptocurrency products can be illiquid, subject to transfer or redemption
restrictions, and often carry high internal fees and expenses. Some products use
derivatives or other instruments instead of holding digital assets directly, which can
increase leverage, volatility, and tracking error. Such products can trade at a
premium or discount to the value of their underlying holdings. Digital asset
investments are also subject to unique operational, cybersecurity, and theft risks,
as well as regulatory uncertainty, any of which can adversely affect their value.
• ETF Risk: ETFs involve inherent risks generally associated with investments in a
portfolio of common stocks, including the risk that the general level of stock prices
can decline, thereby adversely affecting the value of each unit of the ETF. An ETF can
not fully replicate the performance of its benchmark index because of the temporary
21
unavailability of certain index securities in the secondary market or discrepancies
between the ETF and the index with respect to the weighting of securities or the
number of stocks held. Investing in ETFs, which are investment companies, can
involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. ETFs can trade at
premiums or discounts to net asset value.
• High-Yield Bond Risk: High yield (junk) bonds involve greater credit risk, including
the risk of default, than investment grade bonds, and are considered predominantly
speculative with respect to the issuer’s ability to make principal and interest
payments. The prices of high yield bonds can fall dramatically in response to bad
news about the issuer or its industry, or the economy in general.
•
International and Emerging Market Risk: Emerging markets tend to be more volatile
and less liquid than the markets of more mature economies and generally have less
diverse and less mature economic structures and less stable political systems than
those of developed countries. The securities of issuers located or doing substantial
business in emerging markets are often subject to rapid and large changes in price.
Emerging markets can have relatively unstable governments, presenting the risk of
sudden adverse government or regulatory action and even nationalization of
businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership, prohibitions of repatriation of assets,
and can have less protection of property rights than more developed countries. The
economies of emerging market countries can be based predominantly on only a few
industries and can be highly vulnerable to changes in local or global trade
conditions and can suffer from extreme debt burdens or volatile inflation rates.
Local securities markets can trade a small number of securities and can be unable
to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt
liquidation of substantial holdings difficult. Transaction settlement and dividend
collection procedures can be less reliable in emerging markets than in developed
markets.
•
Investment Company Risk: To the extent a client account invests in ETFs or other
investment companies (known as mutual funds), its performance will be affected by
the performance of those investment companies. Investments in ETFs and other
investment companies are subject to the risks of the investment company’s
investments, as well as to the investment company’s expenses. If a client account
invests in investment companies, the client account can receive distributions of
taxable gains from portfolio transactions by that investment company and can
recognize taxable gains from transactions in shares of that investment company,
which would be taxable when distributed.
22
•
Investment Style Risk: Clients should recognize that investment style risk can result
in periods of underperformance relative to other strategies or benchmarks. Market
conditions, economic cycles, and investor sentiment can cause certain styles to
outperform or underperform at different times. These fluctuations can affect
portfolio returns and could lead to losses.
• Options: Trading in options involves several risks. Specific market movements of the
option and the instruments underlying an option cannot be predicted. No assurance
can be given that a liquid offset market will exist for any particular option or at any
particular time. If no liquid offset market exists, the strategy might not be able to
effect an offsetting transaction in a particular option. To realize any profit in the case
of an option, therefore, the option holder would need to exercise the option and
comply with any margin requirements for the underlying instrument. The writer of an
option could not terminate the obligation until the option expired or the writer was
assigned an exercise notice. The purchaser of an option is subject to the risk of
losing the entire purchase price (premium) of the option along with any related
transaction costs. The writer of an option is subject to the risk of loss resulting from
the difference between the premium received for the option and the price of the
underlying security of the option that the writer must purchase or deliver upon
exercise of the option. The writer of a naked option can have to purchase the
underlying contract in the market for substantially more than the exercise price of
the option in order to satisfy his delivery obligations. This could result in a large net
loss.
• Private Collective Investment Vehicles: Investments in private collective investment
vehicles, such as private funds or pooled investment entities, involve unique risks.
These vehicles are often illiquid, meaning interests cannot be easily sold or
redeemed, and can require long holding periods. They typically lack transparency
compared to publicly traded securities and are subject to limited regulatory
oversight. Valuations can be infrequent or based on estimates, increasing the risk of
pricing uncertainty. Additionally, these investments can employ leverage or complex
strategies, which can amplify losses. Investors should be prepared for potential
delays in distributions and the possibility of losing their entire investment.
• Real Estate Sector Risk: The securities of issuers that are principally engaged in the
real estate sector can be subject to risks similar to those associated with the direct
ownership of real estate. These include: declines in real estate values, defaults by
mortgagors or other borrowers and tenants, increases in property taxes and
23
operating expenses, overbuilding, fluctuations in rental income, changes in interest
rates, possible lack of availability of mortgage advisers or financing, extended
vacancies of properties, changes in tax and regulatory requirements (including
zoning laws and environmental restrictions), losses due to costs resulting from the
clean-up of environmental problems, liability to third parties for damages resulting
from environmental problems, and casualty or condemnation losses. In addition,
the performance of the economy in each of the regions and countries in which the
real estate owned by a portfolio company is located affects occupancy, market
rental rates and expenses and, consequently, has an impact on the income from
such properties and their underlying values.
General Risks
Bluespring Wealth invests client funds in a variety of securities and derivatives and
employs a number of investment techniques that involve certain risks. Investments involve
risk of loss that clients should be prepared to bear. We do not guarantee or represent that
our investment program will be successful. Our past results are not necessarily indicative
of our future performance and our investment results can vary over time. We cannot assure
you that our investment decisions will be profitable and, in fact, you could incur substantial
losses.
• Asset Allocation and Rebalancing Risk: Allocation decisions rely on assumptions
that could fail to reflect future market conditions. Failure to rebalance or delays in
rebalancing can result in unintended risk exposures, such as overconcentration in
certain asset classes or deviation from target allocations. Rebalancing can occur
less frequently than expected. These factors can lead to increased volatility or
performance that differs from expectations.
• Bankruptcy Risk: Investments in individual issuers, including corporate bonds or
equities, carry the risk that the issuer can become insolvent or file for bankruptcy. In
such cases, the value of the investment can decline significantly or become
worthless, and recovery of principal or interest can be limited or delayed.
Bankruptcy proceedings can also result in prolonged uncertainty and additional
costs.
• Business Risk: Investments in individual companies are subject to business risk,
which is the possibility that a company’s operations, management decisions,
competitive position, or industry conditions can negatively impact its profitability
24
and financial stability. Factors such as regulatory changes, supply chain
disruptions, or technological shifts can lead to reduced earnings, declining stock
prices, or even insolvency.
• Commodity Risk: Investments in commodities or commodity-related instruments
are subject to significant price volatility driven by factors such as supply and
demand imbalances, geopolitical events, weather conditions, and regulatory
changes. Commodity markets can experience sharp and unpredictable movements,
which can result in substantial losses. Additionally, commodities do not typically
generate income, and their value can be adversely affected by global economic
conditions.
• Concentration Risk: Concentrating a client’s investments in issuers within the same
country, state, industry or economic sector can result in an adverse economic,
business or political development affecting the value of a client’s investments more
than if such investments were not so concentrated. To the extent a client is invested
in a larger percentage of a relatively small number of issuers, the client is subject to
greater risk than a more diversified account.
• Credit Risk: Credit risk is the possibility that an issuer or counterparty will fail to
meet its financial obligations, such as interest or principal payments. A downgrade
in credit ratings or default, or perception of a decline, can lead to a decline in the
value of debt securities and can result in partial or total loss of invested capital.
• Currency Risk: Investments in securities denominated in foreign currencies or in
markets outside the United States are subject to currency risk. Fluctuations in
exchange rates can increase or decrease the value of these investments when
converted to U.S. dollars. Currency movements can be influenced by interest rates,
economic conditions, and political events and can result in unexpected losses even
if the underlying investment performs well.
• Cybersecurity Risk: Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of Bluespring
Wealth, its service providers, securities market participants, or the issuers of
securities can cause significant losses for investors. Unintentional cyber events,
such as the inadvertent release of confidential information, could also adversely
impact an investment account. Any cyber event could result in the loss or theft of
investor data or cause investors financial loss and expense.
25
• Economic Conditions Risk: The performance of investments can be significantly
affected by overall economic conditions, including changes in interest rates,
inflation, employment levels, fiscal and monetary policies, and global events.
Adverse economic developments can lead to market volatility, reduced corporate
earnings, and declining asset values, which can negatively impact portfolio
performance.
• Environmental Risk: Assets can be subject to numerous laws, rules, and regulations
relating to environmental protection. Under environmental statutes, rules, and
regulations, a current or previous owner or operator of real property can be liable for
non-compliance with applicable environmental and health and safety requirements
and for the costs of investigation, monitoring, removal, or remediation of hazardous
materials. A client can be exposed to substantial risk of loss from environmental
claims, and such loss can exceed the value of the investment.
• Financial Risk: Financial risk refers to the possibility that an issuer’s financial
structure or leverage can impair its ability to meet obligations or sustain operations.
Companies with high debt levels or weak cash flow are more vulnerable to adverse
market conditions, rising interest rates, or declining revenues. These factors can
lead to reduced asset values, credit downgrades, or insolvency, resulting in
potential losses for investors.
•
Inflation Risk: Inflation risk is the possibility that the purchasing power of investment
returns will decline over time due to rising prices. When inflation increases, the real
value of future cash flows and fixed-income investments can be eroded, potentially
reducing overall portfolio performance.
•
Interest Rate Risk: This is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value
because of an increase in interest rates. A bond or fixed income fund with a longer
duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a bond or bond fund
with a shorter duration.
• Liquidity Risk: Some securities can be difficult to sell quickly without a loss in value.
When there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities, it can
become more difficult to sell securities at or near their perceived value. In such a
26
market, the value of such securities can fall dramatically. Liquidity risk also exists
when a particular derivative instrument is difficult to purchase or sell.
• Long Term Purchase Risk: Holding securities for extended periods can expose
clients to prolonged market declines, issuer-specific problems, and changing
economic or regulatory conditions. Long-term positions can experience volatility
and can not recover from losses. Because these holdings are traded infrequently,
the portfolio can react more slowly to adverse developments.
• Market Risk: The market value of a security can decline due to general market
conditions not specifically related to a particular company. These conditions can
include adverse economic developments, changes in interest or currency rates,
natural disasters, pandemics, terrorism, conflicts, social unrest, or adverse investor
sentiment. Global interconnectedness can cause events in one region to adversely
affect markets elsewhere.
• Portfolio Construction Risk: Portfolio construction risk refers to the possibility of
errors or limitations in the methods and assumptions used to build and allocate an
investment portfolio. Implementation factors such as timing, liquidity, and
transaction costs can affect results. As a result, portfolios can underperform
benchmarks or experience losses that differ from anticipated outcomes.
• Portfolio Turnover Risk: A strategy can engage in short-term trading, which could
produce higher transaction costs and taxable distributions and lower after-tax
performance.
• Regulatory Risk: Regulatory risk is the possibility that changes in laws, regulations,
or government policies can adversely affect investments or the markets in which
they operate. Such changes can impact pricing, liquidity, or the ability to execute
certain strategies and can result in increased compliance costs or restrictions.
• Reinvestment Risk: Reinvestment risk is the possibility that cash flows from interest,
dividends, or matured securities will be reinvested at lower prevailing interest rates
or less favorable market conditions, reducing overall portfolio returns.
• Short Term Trading Risk: Short-term purchases involve the risk that frequent trading
can not produce expected returns and can increase the impact of market volatility.
27
Short-term trading can also increase transaction costs and, in taxable accounts,
can result in higher taxes.
• Third Party Vendor Data: We rely on data provided by third-party vendors in
connection with advisory services, including pricing, valuation, and corporate
actions processing. Errors or delays in vendor data can adversely impact advisory
services or client investments.
• Use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Advances in artificial intelligence
and machine learning technology can pose risks, including reliance on large data
sets that can contain inaccuracies, limited transparency, and evolving regulatory
and operational risks. Use of such technology by Bluespring or third-party service
providers can adversely impact operations or investment outcomes.
The level and type of risk will vary based on the portfolio selected, the investment strategy
applied, and each client’s overall investment objectives and risk tolerance. Affiliated
Professionals assist clients in determining whether a portfolio’s risk profile aligns with their
investment goals and circumstances.
Errors
In light of the above investment risks, Bluespring Wealth’s operations are inherently
complex and errors will happen on occasion, including with respect to investment
decisions, portfolio construction and trade execution and reconciliation.
Bluespring Wealth’s goal is to avoid errors by taking preventive measures. However, when
errors do occur, after the errors have been corrected, Bluespring Wealth’s practice is to
examine its procedures and if necessary, implement revised practices to limit the
likelihood of recurrence. Bluespring Wealth is generally responsible for its own errors and
not the errors of other persons, including but not limited to third party managers, brokers
and custodians, unless otherwise expressly agreed to by the Firm. Bluespring Wealth, in its
sole discretion, can assist, to the extent possible, with the appropriate correction of errors
committed by third parties.
Bluespring Wealth takes an active role in all error corrections and requires that all errors be
promptly corrected. The Firm’s policy is that we can not use other client accounts, a
client’s brokerage account or any proprietary account of the Firm or of its affiliates to
correct an error. In addition, the Firm requires that no client be disadvantaged as the result
of an error we have caused.
28
Pursuant to our error policy, Bluespring Wealth will offer to reimburse clients for any losses
resulting from an error caused by the Firm. If it is determined that the Firm has made an
error in a client’s account, we will typically offer to compensate the client for the direct
monetary losses (if any) the error caused in the client’s account. Unless prohibited by
applicable law or a specific agreement with the client, we can net gains and losses from
the error or a series of related errors with the same root cause and offer to compensate the
client for the net loss.
Item 9: Disciplinary Information
Registered investment advisers are required to disclose any legal or disciplinary events that
are material to a client’s evaluation of the advisory business or the integrity of
management. Bluespring Wealth has no legal or disciplinary events to disclose.
Clients should review the Form ADV of our affiliates for information regarding any
disciplinary events that can apply to those entities.
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Bluespring Wealth is a subsidiary of Bluespring Wealth Partners, which is in turn a
subsidiary of Kestra Holdings. Kestra Holdings owns, directly or indirectly, numerous other
businesses, including investment advisers, insurance agencies, broker-dealers, trust
companies, and other service providers (collectively, “Kestra Affiliates”). Certain Kestra
Affiliates that are registered investment advisers or trust companies are referred to
throughout this Brochure as the “Affiliated Professionals.”
The breadth of these affiliations and Kestra Holdings’ ongoing acquisitions create potential
conflicts of interest. Within the Kestra organization, production incentives are commonly
established to maximize earnings. As a result, associated persons employed by or
registered with Kestra Affiliates can have an incentive both to maximize their own
production and to recommend products and services offered by Kestra Affiliates.
From time to time, our Advisors will recommend that you purchase or sell products and
services of or through the Kestra Affiliates, and these Kestra Affiliates receive
compensation as a result. Such a recommendation creates a conflict of interest since it
results in increased compensation to a Kestra Affiliate and your Advisor. As an example,
your Advisor can recommend that you purchase variable insurance or fixed indexed
annuities through Kestra Affiliates, and if you do then the Kestra Affiliate and your Advisor
can receive compensation. Such compensation is in addition to any advisory fees you pay
to the Bluespring Wealth.
29
Our affiliation with certain insurance agencies and the additional compensation an Advisor
receives, irrespective of our affiliation, creates a conflict of interest to the extent our
affiliates or Advisors receive compensation in addition to the advisory fees you pay us.
Certain of Bluespring Wealth’s Advisors, in their individual capacities, are also licensed
insurance agents with Vector Insurance Services, LLC, Capital Independent Insurance
Services LLC, and various other insurance companies and in such capacity they can
recommend, on a fully-disclosed commission basis, the purchase of certain fixed
insurance products. As part of Bluespring Wealth’s services, Bluespring Wealth makes
available the option to analyze insurance protection and secure insurance products in line
with the client’s agreement. Clients can also choose to use an outside agent of their choice
to secure insurance protection.
We are affiliated with Comprehensive Brokerage Services, LLC, also referred to as Kestra
Insurance Planning (“CBS” or “KIP”), a brokerage general insurance agency that supports
insurance agents using their services to sell life insurance and annuity products. We use
CBS to assist us in placing insurance products where such products are appropriate for our
clients. Our use of CBS to provide you insurance and annuity products creates a conflict of
interest since our affiliate would receive additional compensation as a result of using their
services. Additionally, compensation our Advisors earn through sales of insurance through
CBS Brokerage is credited toward award trips Advisors can qualify for, which is also conflict
of interest since it creates an incentive to place insurance business through CBS
Brokerage.
We are affiliated with Arden Trust Company (Arden), a Delaware limited purpose trust
company providing corporate trustee services. The recommendation of Arden for trust or
other services creates a conflict of interest since our affiliate would receive additional
compensation as a result of using their services. You are under no obligation to use Arden
as a corporate trustee.
We are affiliated with Kestra Investment Management, LLC (“Kestra IM”). Kestra IM provides
ongoing discretionary investment management services to clients through programs and
platforms offered by or through affiliated registered investment advisers. Kestra IM is a third
party manager. The recommendation of Kestra IM as Portfolio Manager creates a conflict of
interest since our affiliate receives compensation for managing your assets in addition to
the advisory fee we receive. You are under no obligation to use Kestra IM as a Portfolio
Manager.
From time to time, Kestra IM can be asked to contribute financial support for marketing or
client appreciation events hosted by our Advisors. These events can include, but are not
30
limited to, seminars, educational workshops, and community or charitable events such as
golf tournaments. These payments are typically made to help cover event-related expenses
and are not directly tied to specific client accounts. However, because our Advisors benefit
from this financial support, they can have an incentive to promote or recommend Kestra IM
model portfolios over those of other third-party providers. This creates a conflict of interest,
as our Advisors can favor Kestra IM portfolios to obtain or maintain Kestra IM support,
rather than basing their recommendations solely on the client’s best interest. Clients
should be aware of this potential conflict when evaluating the recommendation of Kestra
IM.
Stone Point Capital, LLC (“Stone Point”) owns a majority interest of the ultimate parent
company of Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (“KAS”), Kestra Private Wealth Services, LLC
(“KPWS”) and Kestra Investment Services, LLC (together with KAS and KPWS, “Kestra”).
Kestra Holdings makes available an investment fund affiliated with Stone Point. The
recommendation of such a fund creates a conflict of interest since the holder of a majority
interest in Kestra’s ultimate parent company would directly or indirectly benefit from an
investment in the fund.
Bluespring attempts to mitigate this conflict by applying the same due diligence process
we use for unaffiliated alternatives, not paying or receiving additional compensation or
revenue sharing tied to sales of this product, applying fiduciary or best interest standards
to the sale of all investment products, evaluating all sales through a supervisory process to
ensure sales are aligned with client’s investment profiles and clients are encouraged to ask
questions and consider alternatives.
Additional information regarding funds affiliated with Stone Point or advised by an affiliate
of Stone Point is available at https://www.kestrafinancial.com/disclosures/company-
information.
Bluespring Wealth and the Kestra Affiliates are ultimately owned by Kingfisher Topco
Holdings, LP (Kingfisher). Some of our Advisors and associated persons own equity in
Kingfisher and stand to benefit if the Kestra Affiliates perform well financially. This
ownership creates a conflict of interest since Advisors owning equity in Kingfisher have an
incentive to recommend the services of the Kestra Affiliates.
A. Personnel and Information Sharing
All Bluespring Wealth Affiliates share Kestra Holdings as the ultimate parent company.
Affiliates also share senior management teams and have the same or similar operating
policies and procedures. Bluespring Wealth’s Affiliates provide services to each other
which help each other deliver and enhance the services offered to clients. The services
31
provided by affiliates include, for example, marketing, human resources, IT systems and
support, administrative, and accounting services.
As part of these arrangements confidential information can be shared among Bluespring
Wealth’s Affiliates, including information relating to Bluespring Wealth’s clients and their
accounts.
Bluespring Wealth and its Affiliates have established policies and procedures that are
designed to ensure that any such confidential information is handled securely and in a
manner consistent with Bluespring Wealth’s fiduciary duties to its clients.
B. Service as Dual Officers of Bluespring Affiliates
Certain Bluespring Wealth personnel serve in a dual officer capacity for a Bluespring
Wealth Affiliate. Such personnel are subject to Bluespring Wealth’s policies and
procedures when acting as supervised persons of Bluespring Wealth. Depending on their
role, Bluespring Wealth personnel serving as officers of affiliated entities can spend a
material portion of their time on these separate activities on behalf of the Bluespring
Wealth Affiliate. Status as a dual officer can present a conflict of interest (for example,
competing priorities between entities) and Bluespring Wealth and its Affiliates have
adopted practices to mitigate such conflicts, such as coordinated supervisory reviews.
C. Delaware Statutory Trusts
At times, clients who are accredited investors can seek to be more passive with their
physical real estate holdings and avoid a taxable event through an IRS 1031 tax-deferred
exchange. Bluespring Wealth can recommend investing the proceeds from the client’s
physical real estate sales into a passively owned real estate investment held within a
Delaware Statutory Trust (DST).
Recommending a DST presents a potential conflict of interest if the client subsequently
executes on the DST purchase because Bluespring Wealth can receive a consulting fee.
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions, and Personal
Trading
We maintain a written code of ethics in accordance with the Advisers Act that is intended
to promote an ethical culture for our firm. Our code of ethics requires our personnel and
Advisors to treat sensitive information confidentially, not misuse material non-public
information about client transactions, report violations of the code, and comply with
federal securities laws. The code of ethics also requires certain personnel and Advisors to
32
report their personal securities holdings. We will provide a copy of our code of ethics upon
request.
Our personnel and Advisors may invest for their own accounts in investment partnerships,
venture capital vehicles, hedge funds, other commingled products, or accounts managed
by other advisers which we have also recommended to you. These entities and managers
can also buy or sell investments that you buy or sell for your account or that we
recommend to you. In general, our personnel and Advisors do not have the ability to
influence or control these entities’ securities transactions. If they did, they would be
subject to the employee trading policies described in our code of ethics and compliance
manual to address this conflict of interest.
Our employees and Advisors can invest for their own accounts in securities which can also
be recommended, purchased, or sold for you as our advisory client. Our code of ethics
requires Advisors to place the interests of clients before their own interests. Our
compliance department reviews personnel and Advisor trades in an effort to ensure that
their personal trading does not impact trades for clients and that our clients receive
preferential treatment. Personal trades which consist of mutual funds or exchange-traded
funds will typically not have an impact on client trading or securities markets.
Item 12: Brokerage Practices
Bluespring Wealth generally recommends that clients utilize the brokerage and clearing
services of Schwab. Bluespring Wealth considers the following factors in recommending
Schwab or any other broker-dealer to their clients: financial strength, reputation,
execution, pricing, research and service. Schwab enables Bluespring Wealth to obtain
certain mutual funds without transaction charges and other securities at nominal
transaction charges. In addition, Schwab has agreed to compensate clients for any transfer
fees that can be assessed for moving their account(s) to Schwab. The transaction fees
charged by Schwab can be higher or lower than those charged by other financial
institutions. The trade fees paid by Bluespring Wealth’s clients comply with Bluespring
Wealth's fiduciary duty to obtain “best execution.” Clients can pay transaction fees that are
higher than what another qualified financial institution can charge to effect the same
transaction where Bluespring Wealth determines that the trade fees are reasonable in
relation to the overall value of the brokerage. In seeking best execution, the determinative
factor is not the lowest possible cost, but whether the transaction represents the best
qualitative execution, taking into consideration the full range of a financial intuition’s
services, including amount others, execution capability, trade fees, and responsiveness.
33
Bluespring Wealth seeks competitive rates but cannot necessarily obtain the lowest
possible trade fees/rates for client transactions.
Bluespring Wealth utilizes the brokerage and clearing services of Schwab. Bluespring
Wealth can receive the following benefits from Schwab through its institutional division:
receipt of duplicate client confirmations and bundled duplicate statements; access to a
trading desk that exclusively services Schwab Institutional participants; access to block
trading which provides the ability to aggregate securities transactions and then allocate the
appropriate shares to client accounts; and access to an electronic communication
network for client order entry and account information.
Bluespring Wealth can also receive investment research from Schwab, both research
produced by Schwab and research produced by third parties. Schwab also offers other
services intended to help Bluespring manage and further develop its business enterprise.
These services include:
• Educational conferences and events;
• Technology, compliance, legal, and business consulting;
• Publications and conferences on practice management and business succession.
Schwab can provide some of these services itself. In other cases, it will arrange for third-
party vendors to provide the services to Bluespring Wealth. Schwab can also discount or
waive its fees for some of these services or pay all or a part of a third party’s fees. Schwab
can provide Bluespring Wealth with other benefits such as occasional business
entertainment of Bluespring’s personnel.
Clients should be aware that this receipt of economic benefits creates a potential conflict
of interest where the benefits create an incentive for Bluespring Wealth to choose Schwab
over another broker-dealer that does not provide such benefits.
Transactions can be cleared through other financial institutions with whom Bluespring
Wealth has entered into agreements for prime brokerage clearing services. Bluespring
Wealth periodically and systematically reviews its policies and procedures regarding its
recommendation of financial institutions in light of its duty to obtain best execution.
The client can direct Bluespring Wealth in writing to use a particular financial institution to
execute some of all transactions for the client. In that case, the client will negotiate terms
and arrangements for the account with that financial institution, and Bluespring Wealth will
not seek better execution services or prices from other financial institutions or be able to
batch client transactions for execution through other financial institutions with orders for
other accounts managed by Bluespring Wealth (as described below). As a result, the client
34
can pay higher transaction costs (e.g. brokerage commissions and spreads) or receive less
favorable net prices on transactions for the account than would otherwise be the case.
Subject to its duty of best execution, Bluespring Wealth can decline a client’s request to
direct brokerage if, in Bluespring Wealth’s sole discretion, such directed brokerage
arrangements would result in operational difficulties or violate restrictions imposed by
other broker-dealers.
Transactions for each client generally will be effected independently unless Bluespring
Wealth decides to purchase or sell the same securities for several clients at approximately
the same time. Bluespring Wealth can (but is not obligated to) combine, “batch” or
aggregate such orders to obtain best execution, to negotiate more favorable trade fees, or
to allocate equitably among Bluespring Wealth’s clients differences in prices and trade
fees or other transaction costs that might have been obtained had such orders been placed
independently.
We and our Advisors will aggregate orders for your account where aggregation is
appropriate and practicable or will result in a more favorable overall execution for you. We
will allocate such orders at the average price of the aggregated order. You will pay the same
ticket charges on any aggregated orders that you would on non-aggregated orders.
Aggregation does not benefit you when your account has trades in mutual funds or
exchange-traded funds.
To the extent that Bluespring Wealth determines to aggregate client orders for the purchase
or sale of securities, including securities in which Bluespring’s supervised persons can
invest, Bluespring Wealth does so in accordance with applicable rules promulgated under
the Advisers Act and no-action guidance provided by the staff of the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission. Bluespring Wealth does not receive any additional compensation
or remuneration as a result of the aggregation.
In the event that the full intended block trade order was not filled in the market on a given
day, Bluespring Wealth will allocate partially completed trades either in a pro-rata, random
fill, or other method designed to treat you and all our clients fairly and equitably over time.
Similar to a block order not being fully executed, in the case of limited investment
opportunities allocation can be decided on a number of factors including, but not limited
to, factors such as account size, investment policy, and risk tolerance. Limited investment
opportunities can include orders for securities whose quantity is limited in number such as
an allocation of an initial public offering securities or specific fixed income securities.
We correct our trade errors arising from transactions in your account at our expense;
however, we reserve the right to retain any gains that can arise from correcting such errors.
35
Agency cross transactions take place when we cause a security to be transferred from one
client account to another. Bluespring does not allow agency cross transactions in advisory
accounts.
We effect transactions for your account through broker-dealers that refer us advisory
business. The use of such broker-dealers for trades in your account creates a conflict of
interest since we have an incentive to increase referrals to our company. Commissions and
fees can be higher at those broker-dealers than what is charged by other broker-dealers.
Our Advisors will oversee and direct the investments of your accounts subject to the terms
of your advisory agreement and any limitations you can impose on us in writing. We have
an obligation to seek to obtain best execution for transactions in your account. To the
extent you have imposed a limitation on brokerage selection, or have directed us or your
Advisor to utilize a certain broker-dealer, we will not have the ability to negotiate
commissions among various brokers or to obtain volume discounts. We also can not
achieve best execution, and you can pay higher commissions and transaction costs and
receive less favorable net pricing than other clients as a result.
A. Mutual Fund Selection
Investment advisers must act in the best interest of their clients, including the selection of
appropriate mutual fund share classes, and disclose fees associated with the
recommended share classes. Many mutual funds offer multiple share classes depending
on certain eligibility and purchase requirements. Each class represents the same interest
in the mutual fund’s portfolio. The principal difference between the classes is that the
mutual fund charges different fees and expenses on the various share classes based often
on the amount invested. For instance, in addition to the more commonly offered retail
share classes (typically, Class A, B and C shares), mutual funds can also offer institutional
share classes and other share classes that are specifically designed for accounts that
participate in fee-based investment advisory programs. Institutional share classes or
classes of shares designed for purchase in an investment advisory program usually have a
lower expense ratio and are less costly than other share classes. Even with respect to a
particular share class, expenses will vary by fund and by fund company. These fees and
expenses negatively impact investment returns.
The brokerage or clearing platforms we utilize, such as those provided by Schwab and the
other custodians, and Bluespring Wealth does not make available all mutual fund families
or all share classes of all mutual funds. This means that mutual funds or share classes not
available through these platforms cannot be purchased for advisory clients. Certain share
classes are not eligible to be purchased in connection with an advisory relationship.
36
Accordingly, clients could not be invested in the lowest cost share class offered by a
mutual fund company. We do not allow B or C share mutual funds to be held in connection
with an advisory relationship.
In an effort to ensure we recommend an appropriate mutual fund share class, we utilize a
subset of the mutual fund families available through our custodians. Thus, the availability
of individual funds and share classes is dependent upon the agreement that the
custodians have with individual fund families. These funds are chosen based on a set of
criteria designed to utilize an appropriate share class for the largest segment of our clients
while having consistency across our platforms. This means that the funds and share
classes we recommend could not be the lowest cost share class available in the
marketplace but will meet our criteria of analysis that includes cost, custodial availability,
minimum investment size, and average client trade volume. Clients should not assume
they are invested in the share class with the lowest possible expense ratio or cost.
Mutual funds often impose criteria that must be met in order for certain share classes to be
purchased. Certain mutual funds will waive such criteria if requested by a financial
intermediary, such as an investment adviser. As a general practice, the firm does not
request waivers of the share class criteria set by mutual fund companies even if the
prospectus for a fund states that such a waiver is possible. This means that clients
generally will not receive the benefit of being able to invest in a lower cost share class that
might be obtainable if the firm were to request a waiver of the criteria set by a fund
company to purchase a particular share class.
The list of funds available on our platform is subject to review, and we monitor and update
our funds list at least annually. You can hold mutual funds not available for purchase in our
advisory accounts and those positions will be subject to advisory billing unless specifically
excluded. While other mutual funds can be appropriate and meet your needs and
objectives, mutual fund recommendations will be limited to those funds we have elected
to make available for purchase through our firm and are available on the Schwab platform.
This purchase limitation extends to funds you can hold in your advisory account.
Bluespring Wealth can, consistent with its fiduciary duty of best execution, cause client
accounts to pay transaction fees that are higher than those obtainable from other broker-
dealers when purchasing shares of certain no-load mutual funds through a broker dealer in
order to obtain “research,” known as soft dollars. This research will not be used for the
exclusive benefit of the clients who paid the transaction fees in purchasing the mutual fund
shares that resulted in the accumulation of soft dollars.
37
You should ask your Advisor why the particular funds or other investments that will be
purchased or held in your advisory account are appropriate for you in consideration of your
expected holding period, investment objective, risk tolerance, time horizon, financial
condition, amount invested, trading frequency, the amount of the advisory fee charged,
whether you will pay transaction charges for fund purchases and sales, whether you will
pay higher internal fund expenses in lieu of transaction charges that could adversely affect
long-term performance, and relevant tax considerations. Your Advisor can recommend,
select, or continue to hold a fund share class that charges you higher internal expenses
than other available share classes for the same fund.
B. Equivalent Strategy Funds
Bluespring Wealth identifies mutual funds and ETFs that offer the same underlying
investment strategy, even if the funds have a different fund family or fund name and limits
the purchase of the more expensive option. Where mutual funds and ETFs share an
equivalent strategy, Bluespring Wealth restricts the purchase of the more expensive option
if the difference in expense ratio is greater than 10 basis points.
C. Margin
Bluespring Wealth can utilize margin in client accounts where appropriate and
authorized. Margin is used on a limited basis in managed accounts at the client’s
request or upon recommendation from the Advisor. Margin is used most commonly to
provide liquidity by borrowing against the value of the portfolio rather than as part of a core
investment strategy. Bluespring Wealth does not incorporate the use of margin within its
model portfolios or standard asset allocation strategies.
In certain instances, margin can be used for a short period of time (generally less than 3
days) due to timing of withdrawals and or buy/sell transactions. In certain separately
managed account programs, margin can be used as an inherent component of an
underlying manager’s investment strategy, such as long-short or hedged strategies offered
through third-party managers. In such cases, the use of margin is governed by the specific
strategy and manager guidelines, and Bluespring Wealth’s role is limited to oversight rather
than direct implementation of margin-based trading.
D. Securities Backed Line of Credit
Bluespring Wealth can facilitate Securities-Backed Lines of Credit (“SBLOCs”) for select
clients as a liquidity solution. An SBLOC allows clients to borrow against the value of
eligible securities held in their investment accounts without requiring the liquidation of
those assets. Bluespring Wealth does not provide lending services and instead refers
38
clients to unaffiliated third-party lending institutions, which are solely responsible for
underwriting, approval, and loan terms. The proceeds of an SBLOC are not permitted to be
used for the purchase of securities or repayment of margin debt. Bluespring Wealth’s role is
limited to facilitating access and providing ongoing oversight of the associated investment
accounts. Clients should be aware that SBLOCs involve risks, including the potential
requirement to repay the loan or the liquidation of pledged securities in the event the
market declines or there is a failure to meet loan terms.
Item 13: Review of Accounts
Our Advisors will typically meet with you at least annually to review the performance of
your account, any changes to your financial situation, and investment goals and objectives.
We also require you, in our standard client agreement, to inform your Advisor promptly of
any changes to your information or circumstances, including changes to your financial
condition or investment objectives. Our Advisors are typically available during normal
business hours to answer questions or concerns you can have.
Unless otherwise agreed, clients are provided with transaction confirmation notices and
summary account statements directly from the broker-dealer or custodian for the client
accounts. Clients should compare the account statements they receive from their
custodian with any they receive from Bluespring Wealth .
Financial Planning clients do not receive reviews of their written financial plans unless they
take action to schedule a financial consultation with us. Financial Planning clients do not
receive written or verbal updated reports regarding their financial plans unless they
separately contract with us for a post-financial plan meeting or update to their initial
written financial plan.
Item 14: Client Referrals and Other Compensation
We compensate various affiliated and unaffiliated third parties called “referrers” to refer us
clients and prospects they believe would benefit from our investment advisory services.
Any such arrangements will be designed to comply with the Advisers Act, which requires,
among other things, that you receive this brochure, we have an agreement with the referrer,
and that you receive a compensation disclosure detailing the amount we will pay the
referrer that referred you.
We can also enter into arrangements wherein we and our Advisors refer you to affiliated
and unaffiliated investment advisers that will provide advisory services to you. When we
make such a referral, we and our Advisor will typically receive a portion of the total fee the
39
investment adviser charges you for as long as they provide you services. Any such
arrangements will be designed to comply with the Advisers Act.
We have arrangements with various third-party managers or service providers that our
Advisors can refer you to. We receive compensation from these managers or service
providers to support conferences, training, marketing efforts, staffing, ongoing education of
Advisors and the marketing efforts we perform on their behalf. These fees are negotiable
and paid to us based on new sales. In addition, we receive compensation from various
third-party managers or service providers based upon a percentage of our client assets
under their management.
These relationships and the compensation we receive create a conflict of interest because
we have an incentive to recommend the services of these third-party managers versus
other third-party managers. Although they benefit from the conferences, training and other
services supported by these third-party managers, our Advisors do not receive any
monetary compensation associated with these arrangements.
In many circumstances, if a client is introduced to Bluespring Wealth by either an
unaffiliated or affiliated Promoter, Bluespring Wealth pays that Promoter a referral fee in
accordance with the requirements of Rule 206(4)-3 of the Advisors Act and any
corresponding state securities law requirements. Any such referral fee is paid solely from
Bluespring Wealth’s investment management fee and does not result in any additional
charge to the client. If the client is introduced to Bluespring Wealth by an unaffiliated
promoter, the prospective client is provided with a copy of Bluespring Wealth’s written
disclosure statement containing the terms and conditions of the solicitation arrangement
including compensation and a brief statement about the material conflicts of the promoter
relationship. Any affiliated promoter of Bluespring discloses the nature of their relationship
to prospective clients at the time of the solicitation. The payment of referral compensation
can incentivize a person to provide a positive statement about Bluespring Wealth.
Schwab Advisor Network®
Bluespring Wealth - Midwest receives referrals from Schwab through Bluespring Wealth -
Midwest’s participation in the Schwab Advisor Network® (“the Service”). The Service is
designed to help investors find an independent investment advisor. Schwab is a broker-
dealer independent of and unaffiliated with Bluespring Wealth - Midwest. Schwab does not
supervise Bluespring Wealth - Midwest’s Advisors and has no responsibility for Bluespring
Wealth - Midwest’s management of client’s portfolios or Bluespring Wealth - Midwest’s
other advice or services. Bluespring Wealth - Midwest pays Schwab fees to receive client
40
referrals through the Service. Bluespring Wealth - Midwest’s participation in the Service can
raise potential conflicts of interest as described below.
Bluespring Wealth - Midwest pays Schwab a Participation Fee on all referred clients’
accounts that are maintained in custody at Schwab and a Non-Schwab Custody Fee on all
accounts that are maintained at, or transferred to, another custodian. The Participation Fee
paid by Bluespring Wealth - Midwest is a percentage of the fees the client owes to
Bluespring Wealth - Midwest or a percentage of the value of the assets in the client’s
account, subject to a minimum Participation Fee. Bluespring Wealth - Midwest pays
Schwab the Participation Fee for so long as the referred client’s account remains in
custody at Schwab. The Participation Fee is billed to Bluespring Wealth - Midwest quarterly
and can be increased, decreased, or waived by Schwab from time to time. The
Participation Fee is paid by Bluespring Wealth - Midwest and not by the client.
Bluespring Wealth - Midwest has agreed not to charge clients referred through the Service
fees or costs greater than the fees or costs Bluespring Wealth - Midwest charges clients
with similar portfolios who were not referred through the Service.
Bluespring Wealth - Midwest generally pays Schwab a Non-Schwab Custody fee if custody
of a referred client’s account is not maintained by, or assets in the account are transferred
from, Schwab. This Fee does not apply if the client was solely responsible for the decision
not to maintain custody at Schwab. The Non-Schwab Custody Fee is a one-time payment
equal to a percentage of the assets placed with a custodian other than Schwab. The Non-
Schwab Custody Fee is higher than the Participation Fees the Advisor would generally pay
in a single year. Thus, Bluespring Wealth Midwest has an incentive to recommend that
client accounts be held in custody at Schwab.
The Participation and Non-Schwab Custody Fees are based on assets in accounts of
Bluespring Wealth - Midwest’s clients who were referred by Schwab and those referred
clients’ family members living in the same household or any referrals those clients provide.
Thus, Bluespring Wealth - Midwest has incentives to recommend that client accounts and
household members of clients referred through the Service maintain custody of their
accounts at Schwab.
For accounts of Bluespring Wealth - Midwest’s clients maintained in custody at Schwab,
Schwab will not charge the client separately for custody but will receive compensation
from Bluespring Wealth - Midwest’s clients in the form of commissions or other
transaction-related compensation on securities trades executed through Schwab. Schab
will also receive a fee (generally lower than the applicable commission on trades it
executes) for clearance and settlement of trades executed through broker-dealers other
41
than Schwab. Schwab’s fees for trades executed at other broker-dealers are in addition to
the other broker-dealer’s fees. Thus, Bluespring Wealth - Midwest has an incentive to cause
trades to be executed through Schwab rather than through another broker-dealer.
Bluespring Wealth - Midwest, nevertheless, acknowledges its fiduciary duty to see best
execution of trades for client accounts. Trades for client accounts held in custody at
Schwab can be executed through a different broker-dealer than trades for Bluespring
Wealth - Midwest’s other clients. Thus, trades for accounts custodied at Schwab can be
executed at different times and different prices than trades for other accounts that are
executed at other broker-dealers.
Bluespring Wealth - Midwest previously participated in TD Ameritrade’s AdvisorDirect
program (the “referral program”). As a result of the merger between Schwab and TD
Ameritrade, all participation fees previously paid to TD Ameritrade are now being paid to
Schwab.
Bluespring Wealth - Midwest receives economic benefits from non-clients for providing
advice or other advisor services to clients. This type of relationship, described in Item 12
above, poses a conflict of interest for Bluespring Midwest.
Item 15: Custody
Bluespring Wealth and its Advisors do not hold or maintain your assets. Third-party
qualified custodians hold and maintain your assets, and those custodians provide account
statements directly to you at your address of record at least quarterly. We urge you to
compare the account statements you receive from your account custodian with any
performance report or statements we, our service providers, or our Advisors can create for
you and to contact us with any questions.
Though we do not maintain custody of client accounts, we do have custody over certain
assets of clients as defined under the Advisers Act. For example, some of our Advisors act
as a trustee for a trust account of a client, we have the power to disburse client funds to
pay investment management fees, or we can take possession of physical security
certificates and forward them to your account custodian as an accommodation.
Item 16: Investment Discretion
In most circumstances, Bluespring Wealth is given the authority to exercise discretion on
behalf of its clients. Bluespring is considered to exercise discretion over a client’s account
if it can effect transactions for the client without first having to see the client’s consent.
42
Bluespring is given this authority through a power-of-attorney included in the agreement
between Bluespring and the client.
Clients can request a limitation on this authority such as certain securities not to be bought
or sold.
Bluespring Wealth takes discretion over the following activities:
• The securities to be purchased or sold;
• The amount of securities to be purchased or sold;
• When transactions are made;
• The financial institutions to be utilized; and
• The independent managers to be hired or fired.
Item 17: Voting Client Securities
Bluespring Wealth generally does not, nor do our Advisors, vote proxies for clients.
In certain rare circumstances where Schwab serves as a Trustee for an account managed
by Bluespring Wealth, we will vote proxies on behalf of the Trust. In these cases, we will
vote proxies in accordance with our proxy voting policies and procedures. Bluespring
Wealth has engaged the firm Broadridge to make proxy voting recommendations and
provide certain administrative functions related to voting proxies. In the event that
Broadridge does not provide a recommendation, we will abstain from voting in that proxy
campaign.
Item 18: Financial Information
Bluespring Wealth does not have any financial condition likely to impair us from meeting
our contractual commitments to you.
Item 19: Miscellaneous
Termination of Accounts
Typically, both you and our company have the option under our standard agreements to
terminate the agreement at any time. In addition, you have the right to terminate the
contract without penalty within five (5) business days after entering into the contract. If you
pay a fee in advance, fees will be pro-rated from the termination date and refunded to you.
Compliance Policies and Procedures
We maintain written compliance policies and procedures as required by the Advisers Act.
43
Anti-Money Laundering Program
We maintain an anti-money laundering program in accordance with applicable regulations.
Business Continuity Plan
We maintain a business continuity plan designed to minimize the impact of disasters,
emergencies and other unforeseen circumstances on our services and communications. A
description of our Business Continuity Plan is available on our website at
https://www.kestrafinancial.com/disclosures/company-information, or by contacting
your Advisor.
44
Additional Brochure: BLUESPRING WEALTH MANAGEMENT RETIREMENT PLAN BROCHURE (2026-07-01)
View Document Text
FORM ADV PART 2A BROCHURE
Item 1: Cover Page
BLUESPRING WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC
Retirement Plan Clients
5707 Southwest Parkway, Building 2, Suite 400
Austin, TX 78735
(888) 665-0237
July 1, 2026
www.bluespringwealth.com
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of
BLUESPRING WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC (“Bluespring Wealth”). If you have any
questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us at (888) 665-0237. The
information in this brochure has not been approved or verified by the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission or by any state securities authority.
Additional information about our firm is available on the SEC’s website at
http://www.adviserinfo.sec.gov/.
Bluespring Wealth is a registered investment advisor. Registration does not imply a certain
level of skill or training.
Item 2: Material Changes
Form ADV Part 2 requires registered investment advisers to amend their brochure when
information becomes materially inaccurate. If there are any material changes to an
adviser’s disclosure brochure, the adviser is required to notify you and provide you with a
description of the material changes. You can receive a complete copy of our brochure by
contacting your financial advisor or by contacting our firm and requesting one.
The last update to the Form ADV Part 2A was filed on June 1, 2026. Since that last update,
two affiliates, Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory, LLC and Joule Financial, merged into
Bluespring Wealth. These legal organization changes did not materially change the terms,
conditions, or fees of existing client accounts.
A summary of the material changes that occurred since the July 1, 2026 update is below.
Item 2: Material Changes
• A summary of material changes resulting from legal organization changes was
added.
Item 4: Advisory Business
• Regulatory Assets Under Management was updated to reflect new AUM created by
legal entity mergers.
2
Item 3: Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Item 1: Cover Page ........................................................................................................ 1
Item 2: Material Changes ............................................................................................... 2
Item 3: Table of Contents ............................................................................................... 3
Item 4: Advisory Business .............................................................................................. 5
A. Manage Vendor Relationships ........................................................................... 7
B. Plan Design Strategies and Analysis .................................................................. 7
C. Plan-Level Investment Advice ........................................................................... 7
D. Employee Education Services ........................................................................... 8
E. Pooled Plan Arrangements ................................................................................ 8
F. Managed Accounts ............................................................................................ 9
G. Use of Third-Party Managers .............................................................................. 9
H. Third Party Management Services (aka Sub-Advisory Services) ....................... 10
I.
Third-Party Referrals ....................................................................................... 10
J.
Individual Retirement Planning Services ......................................................... 11
K. Other Information About Advisory Services ..................................................... 12
L. Regulatory Assets Under Management ............................................................ 12
Item 5: Fees and Compensation ................................................................................... 12
A. GENERAL INFORMATION ON OUR FEES ........................................................... 12
B. FEES FOR FINANCIAL PLANNING AND FINANCIAL CONSULTING ..................... 13
C. OTHER INFORMATION ON FEES AND COMPENSATION .................................... 14
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management ................................... 16
Item 7: Types of Clients................................................................................................ 16
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies, and Risk of Loss .............................. 16
Item 9: Disciplinary Information ................................................................................... 26
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations ............................................. 26
A. Personnel and Information Sharing ................................................................. 28
B. Service as Dual Officers of Bluespring Affiliates .............................................. 29
3
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions, and Personal
Trading ....................................................................................................................... 29
Item 12: Brokerage Practices ....................................................................................... 30
A. Mutual Fund Selection .................................................................................... 33
B. Equivalent Strategy Funds ............................................................................... 34
Item 13: Review of Accounts ........................................................................................ 35
Item 14: Client Referrals and Other Compensation ........................................................ 35
Schwab Advisor Network® ...................................................................................... 36
Item 15: Custody ......................................................................................................... 38
Item 16: Investment Discretion .................................................................................... 38
Item 17: Voting Client Securities ................................................................................... 39
Item 18: Financial Information ..................................................................................... 39
Item 19: Miscellaneous ............................................................................................... 39
4
Item 4: Advisory Business
About Bluespring
BLUESPRING WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC (“Bluespring Wealth”) is a registered
investment adviser based in Austin, Texas. Bluespring Wealth is organized as a limited
liability company under the laws of the State of Delaware. As an investment adviser, we are
subject to a fiduciary duty which requires us to act and provide investment advice in our
client’s best interest. We are also required to provide full and fair disclosure of material
facts associated with our services and investment advice. We must act to avoid conflicts of
interest or disclose these conflicts to our clients. This brochure is designed to explain our
services, explain how we provide investment advice, and to disclose conflicts of interest
associated with our services and advice.
Bluespring Wealth was formerly known as SNS Financial Group, LLC which used a separate
marketing name or “doing-business-as” (DBA) designation of Vector Wealth Management.
SNS Financial Group, LLC was a combination of Vector Wealth Management, LLC, founded
in 1993, and SNS Financial Group, LLC, founded in 2009.
On November 13, 2019, Bluespring Wealth Partners, LLC, formerly known as Kestra
Acquired Holdings, Inc., acquired all stock of SNS Financial Group, LLC dba Vector Wealth
Management (“SNS”) from Vector HoldCo, Inc., and Vector Wealth Management, LLC.
Bluespring Wealth HoldCo owns 100% of Bluespring Wealth Management, LLC.
Bluespring Wealth conducts its advisory business under the name “Bluespring Wealth
Management, LLC” as indicated in its Form ADV and its communications and investment
advisory agreements with clients.
This brochure describes the investment advisory services we provide to clients that either
are or sponsor a retirement plan (Plan) that is qualified under the Internal Revenue Code
and/or subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) or is a plan that is
considered nonqualified. This Summary Disclosure Statement is only for use with Plan
clients. If you are not a Plan client, please contact your Advisor to obtain the proper
brochure.
Our Services
Bluespring Wealth provides investment advice through investment adviser representatives
registered with our firm. We refer to these financial advisors as “Advisors” in this brochure.
Many of our Advisors also act as insurance agents independent from our firm. We generally
5
do not provide fixed insurance products or services other than fixed indexed annuities. To
the extent your Advisor provides fixed insurance products or services, he or she does so
outside of our firm and supervision.
The types of services we provide Plan clients are described in more detail below. Generally,
these services include vendor searches and benchmarking, plan design strategies and
analysis, fiduciary There are significant differences between brokerage and advisory
services, which are governed by different regulations, offer different compensation
structures, and place different obligations on your advisor. The services provided for
brokerage and advisory also differ, and one arrangement can provide a lower overall cost
than the other. Compensation for brokerage accounts is typically commission-based,
although your advisor can also collect certain fees, such as 12b-1 fees. Compensation for
advisory services is typically fee-based: either a flat fee or one based on a percentage of
assets being advised or managed. In some instances, commissions might be the only
compensation available. Your advisor will either offset the fees assessed by the
commissions received or will not assess a fee for those assets for a period of time. The
services an Advisor provides, and the fee for those services, can differ from Advisor to
Advisor. The fees you will pay and the services you will receive are set forth in a separate
Retirement Plan Consulting Agreement (Consulting Agreement) with you, the Advisor, and
our firm.
There are significant differences between brokerage and advisory services, which are
governed by different regulations, offer different compensation structures, and place
different obligations on your advisor. The services provided for brokerage and advisory also
differ, and one arrangement can provide a lower overall cost than the other. Compensation
for brokerage accounts is typically commission-based, although your advisor can also
collect certain fees, such as 12b-1 fees. Compensation for advisory services is typically
fee-based: either a flat fee or one based on a percentage of assets being advised or
managed. In some instances, commissions might be the only compensation available.
Your advisor will either offset the fees assessed by the commissions received or will not
assess a fee for those assets for a period of time.
Some of our Advisors are also involved in other business activities, such as accounting,
legal, tax, and other non-investment services for which we are not responsible. Unless
otherwise provided by applicable law and the particular circumstances, services provided
by our Advisors outside of our company will not be subject to a fiduciary standard.
6
A. Manage Vendor Relationships
Advisors act as liaison between the Plan and third-party vendor(s) that provide services to
the Plan. Advisors bring new ideas and capabilities for the Plan to consider from current
vendors and the industry in general. In providing these services, Advisors can negotiate
fees charged by vendors and assist the Plan to manage its vendor expenses. An Advisor can
also assist a Plan with the selection of new vendors. Advisors generally manage the
Request for Proposal (“RFP”) process among prospective vendors. During the RFP process,
Advisors conduct market analysis, negotiate with vendors, evaluate the RFPs and, as
applicable, coordinate vendor presentations. Ultimately, Advisors provide Plan clients their
analysis of the RFPs and a recommendation on a new vendor(s). In reviewing and
recommending vendors, Advisors typically consider the administrative, recordkeeping,
compliance, employee communications and investment-related services provided by the
vendor, as well as the fees for their services. Finally, Advisors typically facilitate and
manage the conversion process of changing vendors by, among other things, providing
sample letters and correspondence and monitoring action items during the conversion
process.
B. Plan Design Strategies and Analysis
Advisors evaluate a Plan client’s design by reviewing relevant design features, such as age
and length of service, eligibility requirements, vesting, forfeitures, employer matching
contributions formulas, entry and re-entry dates and other pertinent design features.
Further, Advisors can provide updates on new legislation as well as advice on
implementation of new plan design capabilities and their potential impact to the Plan and
its participants. Advisors typically review compliance testing annually to determine if there
are efficiencies that can be gained by plan design changes. Fiduciary Consulting and
Oversight Advisors can assist the plan fiduciaries named in the Plan’s organizational
documents (Named Fiduciaries) to comply with their obligations under ERISA Section
404(a). Such services include assisting with the creation of an investment policy statement
(IPS) for the Plan, creating Plan investment committees and coordinating those
committees’ functions and activities. In addition, some Advisors assist the Plan and
Named Fiduciaries in performing an audit designed to comply with Section 404(c) of ERISA.
C. Plan-Level Investment Advice
Advisors provide plan-level investment advice by recommending investment vendors,
platforms and options for the Plan to make available for participants. In addition, Advisors
monitor performance, risk and expense reports of the Plan investment options,
recommend specific actions and develop an overall asset allocation strategy for Plan
7
clients. In providing plan-level investment advice, Advisors can provide research and
analysis regarding investment advice, fiduciary due diligence services and investment
products and services. The Advisor can employ many different calculations, processes and
screening techniques to arrive at specific recommendations within the array of
investments options offered by each Plan vendor. Such calculations, processes and
screening techniques can include investment analysis by asset class, market capitalization
and investment objective; a review of performance relative to applicable benchmarks and
comparable investment options; a review of financial strength, stability and the reputation
of the investment vendor; analysis of the individual investment options available through
the vendor; a review of the tenure and experience of investment management personnel
and the investment philosophy, process, and style of the vendor; and an analysis of the
investment fees.
In providing plan-level investment advice, we and your Advisor acknowledge that each is a
“fiduciary” with respect to assets of the Plan as ERISA defines that term under Section
3(21)(A)(ii) to the extent it renders investment advice with respect to any moneys or
property of such Plan, or has any authority or responsibility to render such investment
advice. We can also serve as a fiduciary as defined by ERISA under Section 3(38) by
exercising any discretionary authority or control in the management of the plan or
disposition of the plan's assets.
D. Employee Education Services
An Advisor can provide employee education services by conducting meetings with
employers and employees on an annual, semiannual or quarterly basis or at other times
you can agree on with your Advisor. The scope of the meetings will be for a group or on an
individual basis and can be conducted either on site or via teleconferencing as you agreed
with your Advisor. An Advisor can conduct employee surveys to determine interest in
specific topics and provide other communication services to employees regarding
investment education. Finally, Advisors can assist employees with enrollment and re-
enrollments in the Plan.
E. Pooled Plan Arrangements
Bluespring Wealth can serve as the Plan Advisor and/or 3(38) Investment Fiduciary to
pooled 401K plans. For example, Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs) and Multiple-Employer
Plans (MEPs) are considered pooled 401(k) plans because they pool the 401(k) assets of
multiple employers. A Pooled 401K solution can cost more or less than a single-employer
plan. Typically, to receive lower fees, pooled plans must obtain a minimum asset value.
8
This creates an incentive for your Advisor to recommend you participate in a Pooled 401k
plan and is therefore a conflict of interest.
F. Managed Accounts
With a Managed Account, your Advisor will be responsible for managing your account
consistent with your defined objectives and risk tolerance and can assist you to develop a
personalized asset allocation program and custom-tailored portfolio. The recommended
portfolio will typically include investments such as mutual funds, exchange-traded funds,
variable annuities, stocks, bonds, direct participation programs or a combination of these
products. A portion of your account can also remain in cash or a money market fund.
In a Managed Account, your Advisor typically will diversify your holdings across various
asset classes unless your objective is to invest in specific assets. The percentage
weightings within the asset classes will be based on your risk profile, investment
objectives, individual preferences and availability. You will have the opportunity to meet
with your Advisor to periodically review the assets in your Managed Account. We
recommend you and your Advisor meet on a regular basis to review your financial situation,
investment objectives and current holdings, and you should let your Advisor know about
any changes to your circumstances in the meantime.
You will maintain full and complete ownership of all assets held in your Managed Account.
This means you retain the right to add or withdraw securities or cash, pledge securities,
and vote securities. We will not pool your Managed Account assets with assets in other
accounts. You will receive periodic statements from the account custodian.
We offer both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management services. If you
want your Advisor to have discretion over the securities purchased or sold in your
brokerage account, you will be asked to sign an addendum authorizing your Advisor to
place orders for your account without contacting you in advance.
G. Use of Third-Party Managers
As mentioned above, Bluespring utilizes its investment discretion to delegate portfolio
management of a client’s assets in a Managed Account(s) to/among certain third-party
managers, based upon the stated investment objectives of the client. Bluespring renders
services to the client relative to the discretionary selection of third-party managers.
Bluespring also monitors and reviews the account performance and the client’s investment
objectives. Bluespring receives an annual advisory fee which is based upon a percentage of
the market value of the assets being managed by the designated third-party manager.
9
When selecting a third-party manager for a client, Bluespring reviews information about the
third-party manager such as its disclosure brochure and/or material supplied by the third-
party managers for a description of the third-party manager’s investment strategies, past
performance, and risk results to the extent available. Factors that Bluespring considers in
recommending a third-party manager include the client’s stated investment objectives,
management style, performance, reputation and financial strength.
In addition to this written disclosure brochure, the client will also receive the written
disclosure brochure of the designated third-party manager. Certain third-party managers
can impose more restrictive account requirements and varying billing practices than
Bluespring. In such instances, Bluespring can alter its corresponding account
requirements and/or billing practices to accommodate those of the third-party manager.
H. Third Party Management Services (aka Sub-Advisory Services)
Institutional clients and other registered investment advisors will retain us as a third-party
manager to provide ongoing portfolio management through provision of a model or
discretionary management of select accounts. Pursuant to a third-party management
agreement, the primary adviser will engage our firm to provide investment advice generally
or to manage specific accounts identified by the primary adviser and accepted by our firm.
The assets of each third-party account will be held by a qualified custodian acceptable to
our firm. The client is responsible for establishing and maintaining the third-party account
with their custodian of choice.
I. Third-Party Referrals
We have entered into referral arrangements with various third-party investment advisers
that participate in, manage, or sponsor different types of money management services and
investment advisory programs. These referral arrangements are structured in accordance
with the Marketing Rule 206(4)-1 under the Advisers Act which requires, among other
things, that we disclose to you the compensation we will receive for referring you to a third-
party adviser, whether your Advisor is a client of the third-party manager and any other
conflicts that can exist between your Advisor and the third-party manager.
Where we act solely as a referrer, you will not enter into an agreement directly with us. In
such an arrangement, you will establish a direct relationship with the third-party
investment adviser, and we will receive a referral fee from the adviser based on a
percentage of the advisory fee they charge you. This compensation creates a conflict of
interest and serves as an incentive for your Advisor to recommend the services of third-
party investment advisers with which we maintain these referral relationships. The referral
disclosure you receive when you establish an account with the third-party adviser will
10
specify the total fee you will be charged, and what portion of that fee is payable to the third-
party adviser. The amount of the fee varies by the referral arrangement with a maximum fee
of 2.5%. You should read the third-party adviser’s brochure, and any compensation
disclosure statements provided in connection with these referral arrangements, for
information regarding the services of the third-party adviser and applicable fees and
charges.
J. Individual Retirement Planning Services
Our Advisors also provide services in connection with clients’ retirement accounts, such as
individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Our services to IRA clients include those described
above.
If you are participating in an employer sponsored retirement plan (such as 401(k) plan) and
are no longer with that employer, you typically have four options (and can 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 a new employer’s plan, if one is available and rollovers
are permitted, iii) rollover to an IRA, or iv) cash out the account value (which could,
depending on your age, result in adverse tax consequences). To the extent you are a
retirement plan client, please refer to our Retirement Plan Brochure.
Based on your stated investment objectives, our Advisors will recommend that you roll over
plan assets to an IRA under our management. As a result, we generally earn an asset-based
fee.
If you leave plan assets with your old employer’s plan or roll the assets to a plan sponsored
by a new employer, we cannot manage the assets and will earn no compensation unless
we are engaged to monitor or consult on your assets in the retirement plan. We have a
financial incentive to encourage you to roll plan assets into an IRA that we will manage.
There are various factors you should consider before rolling over assets from a retirement
plan to an IRA. These factors include: 1) the investment options available in the plan versus
the investment options available in an IRA; 2) fees and expenses in the plan versus the fees
and expenses in an IRA; 3) the services and responsiveness of the plan’s investment
professionals versus ours; 4) strategies for the protection of assets from creditors and legal
judgments; 5) required minimum distributions and age considerations; and 6) employer
stock tax consequences, if any. No client is under any obligation to roll over plan assets to
an IRA managed by us or to engage our Advisors to monitor and/or consult on an account
maintained in an existing retirement plan. A recommendation to roll assets out of an
employer-sponsored plan into an IRA will most likely result in more expenses and charges
than if the assets were to remain in the plan.
11
K. Other Information About Advisory Services
We offer a wide variety of products and services to clients. As a general matter, Advisors
are free to choose the products and services they make available to clients, subject to
applicable rules and regulations, suitability, appropriate licensure and other policies and
procedures. Some Advisors can not consider or be able to offer all of the products and
services available through our company.
We and our Advisors advise numerous clients with similar or identical investment
objectives or advise clients with different objectives that can trade in the same securities.
Despite such similarities, portfolio recommendations relating to your investments and the
performance resulting from such recommendations will differ from client to client. In some
instances, we can independently consider a security a client is trying to sell appropriate for
another one of our clients. We will not necessarily recommend, purchase, or sell the same
securities at the same time or in the same amounts for all eligible clients. In some cases,
such as the recommendations of private placements or oversubscribed public offerings,
due to the availability of, or qualifications necessary to buy the investment, it can not be
possible or feasible for you to buy a certain security. Therefore, you will not necessarily be
able to participate in the same investment opportunities or participate on the same basis
as our other clients. To the extent our Advisors have investment discretion over your
account, it is our policy that the Advisor allocate, to the extent practicable, investment
opportunities on a basis that the Advisor in good faith believes is fair and equitable to each
client over time.
You should promptly notify us if there is ever any change in your financial situation or
investment objectives since it can cause us to review, evaluate or revise our previous
recommendations and services to you.
L. Regulatory Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2025, we manage $5,430,907,207 in client assets on a discretionary
basis and $29,926,402 on a non-discretionary basis.
Item 5: Fees and Compensation
A. GENERAL INFORMATION ON OUR FEES
Bluespring Wealth charges Plan clients for the services above as either a flat fee or an
asset-based charge. Fees for services are negotiable and vary depending on the facts and
circumstances of a specific Plan, such as the scope of services to be provided, the
duration of services and the size of the Plan client, such as the number of employees,
12
amount of assets and other demographic factors. Our flat fees generally range from $1,000
to $100,000 but can be more or less as agreed; asset-based fees are based upon the
market value of the Plan assets and generally range from 0.25 percent to 1.5 percent of
Plan assets.
In accordance with ERISA and corresponding interpretations, we will offset our fees by the
amount of payments, if any, received from other sources. All retirement plan
compensation, both received in connection with the establishment and servicing of a
retirement plan must be level and can not exceed the amounts set forth above.
Direct payments from the employer plan sponsor that are not deducted out of plan assets
do not factor into the maximum compensation amount; however, the total of all
compensation from plan and non-plan assets must be reasonable in comparison to the
services provided. This does not apply to SEPs and SIMPLE IRAs, or Individual/Solo 401(k)
plans, nor are those account types contemplated in this brochure. Please request the
appropriate ADV 2A brochure from your Advisor.
You pay an asset-based fee typically on a quarterly basis in advance or arrears, as agreed.
All fees are negotiable, subject to the maximum amounts set forth above. We can waive or
charge a lesser fee from time to time for our services. The fees we charge can be higher or
lower than those charged by other advisers for comparable services. The fees that we
charge to manage assets in your account can be more than the amount you would pay us
to buy or sell securities on a commission basis in a non-managed account.
When an agreement is terminated, any services set forth in our Retirement Plan Advisory
and Consulting Agreement are no longer being performed by Bluespring Wealth. As a
Covered Service Provider as defined by ERISA, and in accordance with 408(b)2 disclosure
rules, we will notify you of our change in fiduciary status to the plan; Bluespring Wealth will
no longer be acting in 3(21) and/or 3(38) capacities to the plan.
The fees billed to your account for advisory services will stop when the account is
converted. In the event your account has been billed in advance, and your advisory
agreement is terminated prior to the end of the term for which fees have been collected, we
will return any unearned fees to you. Where your assets are invested with Third Party
Strategists, Third Party Asset Management Platforms, or Separately Managed Accounts,
your account will continue to be managed and billed advisory fees.
B. FEES FOR FINANCIAL PLANNING AND FINANCIAL CONSULTING
Bluespring Wealth charges fees for financial planning and financial consulting on an hourly
basis, a percentage of assets, or a negotiated flat fee basis. These fees will vary based on
13
the services provided and are negotiable. A flat fee charge can result in a total fee that is,
on a percentage basis, greater than our typical maximum asset-based fee.
You can purchase any recommended security or investment product from a broker-dealer
that is not affiliated with us or our Advisor. Should you choose to utilize your Advisor to
implement the recommendations in your financial plan, your Advisor can act as an asset
manager for your portfolio and receive advisory fees. Please refer to the Brokerage
Practices section for additional information.
C. OTHER INFORMATION ON FEES AND COMPENSATION
You can pay advisory fees to us by check, wire, or by authorizing the deduction of fees from
your or another authorized account. If you authorize us to deduct fees from your account,
you are responsible for fees, charges and other costs associated with the fee deduction, as
well any tax impact associated with the deduction. When fees are deducted from
accounts, the account custodian will send you information reflecting the amount of fees
deducted. You will receive a statement at least quarterly from your account custodian,
showing all amounts disbursed from your account, including the advisory fees paid to us.
Bluespring Wealth offers a wide variety of products and services. Your Advisors are free to
choose the products and services they make available to you subject to applicable rules of
suitability, appropriate licensing, and our policies and procedures. Some Advisors can not
consider or be able to offer all of the products and services available through our company
or our affiliates.
Although we are affiliated with an insurance agency, we do not sell fixed or general account
life insurance products or annuities other than certain fixed indexed annuities. Some of our
Advisors, in their individual capacities as insurance agents, can recommend you purchase
fixed or general account insurance products or annuities on a commission basis. We do
not oversee and are not responsible for these insurance sales, however, we do refer our
Advisors to certain third-party broker general agencies (BGAs) and our affiliated insurance
agencies receive compensation from the BGAs if our Advisors use the services of these
BGAs. Our Advisors are not required to utilize the services of any BGA to whom we refer
business.
Bluespring Wealth recommends various third-party investment vehicles that are subject to
initial and ongoing expenses and fees, such as sales loads, servicing fees and management
fees. An example of these collective investments and financial products are mutual funds.
The initial and ongoing expenses and fees of these investment vehicles are disclosed in the
applicable offering document of the investment and are payable by you in addition to any
fee we charge. If you purchased investments through another firm and transfer them to an
14
account with us, you will pay ongoing fees and expenses to the investment product
sponsor, or its affiliates, in addition to the fees we charge. For example, if you purchase
mutual funds through another company and subsequently transfer those mutual funds to
an advisory account with us, you will pay ongoing fees and expenses to the mutual fund
company in addition to the fees we charge.
The Net Asset Value (“NAV”) for illiquid alternative investments in your advisory account
can be calculated as often as quarterly but no less frequently than annually. In the case
where an alternative investment is valued annually, the underlying value of the asset can
fluctuate, but the NAV will continue to serve as the basis for the AUM calculation. This
could result in you experiencing higher or lower fees than if the NAV were calculated more
frequently.
Subject to the capabilities of the account custodian, you can direct certain investments to
be held within your account that are not to be included in the management of your
portfolio. If you identify such assets in advance, we will not manage those assets or include
them for purposes of calculating your advisory fee; however, you still can be subject to
applicable platform or program fees on such assets. In addition, we can choose not to
manage or charge advisory fees on assets held in an advisory account that we determine
are not suitable for management by Bluespring Wealth based on the nature or liquidity of
the asset.
We use third parties to provide you the services described in this document, and such third
parties can compensate us for training, marketing efforts, staffing and ongoing education
related to such third parties. This financial and non-financial support incentivizes us to
utilize the services of these third parties, which is a conflict of interest. Please refer to the
Client Referrals and Other Compensation section below.
Some of the third-party money managers and strategists we make available can be
accessed through different advisory platforms and programs, and your advisory fee will
vary depending on the platform or program selected to access the manager or strategist.
While we have an incentive to recommend a higher priced platform because we earn
additional advisory fees, the cost of a particular platform or program used to access a
specified manager or strategist is only one component of the overall cost and, therefore,
the total fees you pay could be higher or lower in the aggregate. You should discuss with us
the platform and program pricing relative to a specific manager or strategist for additional
information.
Bluespring Wealth’s Advisors receive travel and other forms of non-cash compensation
based on the amount of their sales and services through Bluespring Wealth, non-affiliated
15
marketing groups, or product manufacturers. To the extent your Advisor receives forms of
non-cash compensation, a conflict of interest exists in connection with the Advisor’s
recommendation of products and services for which they receive these additional
economic benefits. Bluespring Wealth allows representatives to receive marketing
reimbursements from product providers to help defray these expenses. There is no
requirement or expectation that an Advisor refer clients to or place assets with such
providers.
We or our affiliates utilize third parties to fulfill services we provide or make available to you
such as printing, mailing, planning software, and trading. We can factor these costs into
the advisory fees you are charged.
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
Bluespring Wealth does not charge performance-based fees (i.e., fees based on a share of
the capital gains or capital appreciation of client assets). We also do not engage in side-by-
side management, which refers to managing accounts that pay performance-based fees
alongside accounts that do not.
Item 7: Types of Clients
Bluespring Wealth provides investment advice to Plan clients qualified under Sections
401(a), 401(k), 403(b) or 457(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and/or subject to the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) or which are otherwise
considered nonqualified.
We also provide investment management services primarily to individuals, individual
retirement accounts (“IRAs”), pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations and other
business entities, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. More information on the
services we provide non-Plan clients is found in our other Client Brochure.
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies, and Risk of Loss
Bluespring Wealth serves as portfolio manager and constructs portfolios designed to
address clients’ investment objectives. We manage and rebalance portfolios on a
discretionary, ongoing basis. Our investment team determines the appropriate asset
allocation, selects securities, and establishes weightings, adjusting positions as needed.
In certain cases, Bluespring Wealth engages third-party investment advisers to provide
recommendations regarding asset allocation or security selection.
16
Before engaging a third-party adviser, Bluespring Wealth conducts due diligence using
information obtained from internal and external sources and directly from the adviser. This
review typically considers factors such as investment philosophy and style, manager
tenure, historical performance and volatility, risk measures, asset-class correlations, fees,
operational resources, and regulatory history. Bluespring Wealth does not independently
calculate or verify performance data, and such data can not be prepared on a uniform or
consistent basis.
Bluespring Wealth has an Investment Due Diligence Committee which determines which
securities are approved to implement allocation strategies for clients.
Bluespring Wealth’s Advisors at times perform their own research on securities and
programs through third-party resources available to the public, and employ various forms
of analysis such as charting, fundamental analysis, technical analysis and cyclical
analysis. Sources of information we use include financial newspapers and magazines,
inspections of corporate activities, research materials prepared by others, corporate rating
services, timing services, annual reports, prospectuses, filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission and company press releases. Performance reports vary and can
use a Modified Dietz, Money Weighted Rate of Return, Time Weighted Rate of Return, or
Internal Rate of Return for performance calculations.
While we do not have a firm-wide investment strategy, many of our Advisors recommend
various forms of strategic asset allocation. An investment strategy is based upon objectives
you define in consultation with your Advisor. Other strategies an Advisor can use include
long-term buy and hold, short-term purchases, trading, short sales, margin transactions
and option writing (including covered options, uncovered options or spreading strategies).
We treat cash as an asset class. As such, unless determined to the contrary by you or your
Advisor, all cash positions (money markets, etc.) shall continue to be included as part of
assets under management for purposes of calculating Bluespring Wealth’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), Bluespring Wealth can recommend maintaining cash
positions for defensive purposes. In addition, when assets are maintained in cash, such
amounts could miss market advances. Depending upon current yields, at any point in time,
Bluespring’s advisory fee can exceed the interest paid by the client’s money market fund.
A margin transaction occurs when you borrow against your invested assets to make
additional investments. The securities used as collateral on the margin loan are subject to
sale if capital requirements aren’t met.
17
Because of the effect of the leverage of borrowing, gains or losses from the security you
purchased on margin can be magnified.
Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves the risk of loss, and clients should be prepared to bear that
risk. Examples of risks that affect portfolios include:
Investment Risks
• Alternative Investments Risk: Alternative investments, including hedge funds,
commodity pools, real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), business development
companies (“BDCs”), and other similar vehicles involve a high degree of risk and
can be illiquid due to transfer restrictions and the absence of an active secondary
market. These investments can be highly leveraged, speculative, and volatile, and
investors can lose all or a substantial portion of their investment. Alternative
investments often provide limited transparency with respect to valuation, pricing,
and underlying holdings and can involve complex tax structures that result in
delayed tax reporting. Compared to mutual funds, certain alternative investments
are subject to less regulatory oversight and typically charge higher fees.
• Cryptocurrency and Digital Asset Products Risk: Investments in cryptocurrency or
other digital asset–related products, including private placements, trusts, or
exchange-traded products that seek exposure to digital currencies or related
derivatives are highly speculative, extremely volatile, and can result in substantial or
total loss of capital. They are generally suitable only for investors with a high risk
tolerance and are typically used, if at all, as a limited diversification component of a
portfolio.
Cryptocurrency products can be illiquid, subject to transfer or redemption
restrictions, and often carry high internal fees and expenses. Some products use
derivatives or other instruments instead of holding digital assets directly, which can
increase leverage, volatility, and tracking error. Such products can trade at a
premium or discount to the value of their underlying holdings. Digital asset
investments are also subject to unique operational, cybersecurity, and theft risks,
as well as regulatory uncertainty, any of which can adversely affect their value.
• ETF Risk: ETFs involve inherent risks generally associated with investments in a
portfolio of common stocks, including the risk that the general level of stock prices
can decline, thereby adversely affecting the value of each unit of the ETF. An ETF can
not fully replicate the performance of its benchmark index because of the temporary
18
unavailability of certain index securities in the secondary market or discrepancies
between the ETF and the index with respect to the weighting of securities or the
number of stocks held. Investing in ETFs, which are investment companies, can
involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. ETFs can trade at
premiums or discounts to net asset value.
• High-Yield Bond Risk: High yield (junk) bonds involve greater credit risk, including
the risk of default, than investment grade bonds, and are considered predominantly
speculative with respect to the issuer’s ability to make principal and interest
payments. The prices of high yield bonds can fall dramatically in response to bad
news about the issuer or its industry, or the economy in general.
•
International and Emerging Market Risk: Emerging markets tend to be more volatile
and less liquid than the markets of more mature economies and generally have less
diverse and less mature economic structures and less stable political systems than
those of developed countries. The securities of issuers located or doing substantial
business in emerging markets are often subject to rapid and large changes in price.
Emerging markets can have relatively unstable governments, presenting the risk of
sudden adverse government or regulatory action and even nationalization of
businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership, prohibitions of repatriation of assets,
and can have less protection of property rights than more developed countries. The
economies of emerging market countries can be based predominantly on only a few
industries and can be highly vulnerable to changes in local or global trade
conditions and can suffer from extreme debt burdens or volatile inflation rates.
Local securities markets can trade a small number of securities and can be unable
to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt
liquidation of substantial holdings difficult. Transaction settlement and dividend
collection procedures can be less reliable in emerging markets than in developed
markets.
•
Investment Company Risk: To the extent a client account invests in ETFs or other
investment companies (known as mutual funds), its performance will be affected by
the performance of those investment companies. Investments in ETFs and other
investment companies are subject to the risks of the investment company’s
investments, as well as to the investment company’s expenses. If a client account
invests in investment companies, the client account can receive distributions of
taxable gains from portfolio transactions by that investment company and can
recognize taxable gains from transactions in shares of that investment company,
which would be taxable when distributed.
19
•
Investment Style Risk: Clients should recognize that investment style risk can result
in periods of underperformance relative to other strategies or benchmarks. Market
conditions, economic cycles, and investor sentiment can cause certain styles to
outperform or underperform at different times. These fluctuations can affect
portfolio returns and could lead to losses.
• Options: Trading in options involves several risks. Specific market movements of the
option and the instruments underlying an option cannot be predicted. No assurance
can be given that a liquid offset market will exist for any particular option or at any
particular time. If no liquid offset market exists, the strategy might not be able to
effect an offsetting transaction in a particular option. To realize any profit in the case
of an option, therefore, the option holder would need to exercise the option and
comply with any margin requirements for the underlying instrument. The writer of an
option could not terminate the obligation until the option expired or the writer was
assigned an exercise notice. The purchaser of an option is subject to the risk of
losing the entire purchase price (premium) of the option along with any related
transaction costs. The writer of an option is subject to the risk of loss resulting from
the difference between the premium received for the option and the price of the
underlying security of the option that the writer must purchase or deliver upon
exercise of the option. The writer of a naked option can have to purchase the
underlying contract in the market for substantially more than the exercise price of
the option in order to satisfy his delivery obligations. This could result in a large net
loss.
• Private Collective Investment Vehicles: Investments in private collective investment
vehicles, such as private funds or pooled investment entities, involve unique risks.
These vehicles are often illiquid, meaning interests cannot be easily sold or
redeemed, and can require long holding periods. They typically lack transparency
compared to publicly traded securities and are subject to limited regulatory
oversight. Valuations can be infrequent or based on estimates, increasing the risk of
pricing uncertainty. Additionally, these investments can employ leverage or complex
strategies, which can amplify losses. Investors should be prepared for potential
delays in distributions and the possibility of losing their entire investment.
• Real Estate Sector Risk: The securities of issuers that are principally engaged in the
real estate sector can be subject to risks similar to those associated with the direct
ownership of real estate. These include: declines in real estate values, defaults by
mortgagors or other borrowers and tenants, increases in property taxes and
20
operating expenses, overbuilding, fluctuations in rental income, changes in interest
rates, possible lack of availability of mortgage advisers or financing, extended
vacancies of properties, changes in tax and regulatory requirements (including
zoning laws and environmental restrictions), losses due to costs resulting from the
clean-up of environmental problems, liability to third parties for damages resulting
from environmental problems, and casualty or condemnation losses. In addition,
the performance of the economy in each of the regions and countries in which the
real estate owned by a portfolio company is located affects occupancy, market
rental rates and expenses and, consequently, has an impact on the income from
such properties and their underlying values.
General Risks
Bluespring Wealth invests client funds in a variety of securities and derivatives and
employs a number of investment techniques that involve certain risks. Investments involve
risk of loss that clients should be prepared to bear. We do not guarantee or represent that
our investment program will be successful. Our past results are not necessarily indicative
of our future performance and our investment results can vary over time. We cannot assure
you that our investment decisions will be profitable and, in fact, you could incur substantial
losses.
• Asset Allocation and Rebalancing Risk: Allocation decisions rely on assumptions
that can not reflect future market conditions. Failure to rebalance or delays in
rebalancing can result in unintended risk exposures, such as overconcentration in
certain asset classes or deviation from target allocations. Rebalancing can occur
less frequently than expected. These factors can lead to increased volatility or
performance that differs from expectations.
• Bankruptcy Risk: Investments in individual issuers, including corporate bonds or
equities, carry the risk that the issuer can become insolvent or file for bankruptcy. In
such cases, the value of the investment can decline significantly or become
worthless, and recovery of principal or interest can be limited or delayed.
Bankruptcy proceedings can also result in prolonged uncertainty and additional
costs.
• Business Risk: Investments in individual companies are subject to business risk,
which is the possibility that a company’s operations, management decisions,
competitive position, or industry conditions can negatively impact its profitability
and financial stability. Factors such as regulatory changes, supply chain
21
disruptions, or technological shifts can lead to reduced earnings, declining stock
prices, or even insolvency.
• Commodity Risk: Investments in commodities or commodity-related instruments
are subject to significant price volatility driven by factors such as supply and
demand imbalances, geopolitical events, weather conditions, and regulatory
changes. Commodity markets can experience sharp and unpredictable movements,
which can result in substantial losses. Additionally, commodities do not typically
generate income, and their value can be adversely affected by global economic
conditions.
• Concentration Risk: Concentrating a client’s investments in issuers within the same
country, state, industry or economic sector can result in an adverse economic,
business or political development affecting the value of a client’s investments more
than if such investments were not so concentrated. To the extent a client is invested
in a larger percentage of a relatively small number of issuers, the client is subject to
greater risk than a more diversified account.
• Credit Risk: Credit risk is the possibility that an issuer or counterparty will fail to
meet its financial obligations, such as interest or principal payments. A downgrade
in credit ratings or default, or perception of a decline, can lead to a decline in the
value of debt securities and can result in partial or total loss of invested capital.
• Currency Risk: Investments in securities denominated in foreign currencies or in
markets outside the United States are subject to currency risk. Fluctuations in
exchange rates can increase or decrease the value of these investments when
converted to U.S. dollars. Currency movements can be influenced by interest rates,
economic conditions, and political events and can result in unexpected losses even
if the underlying investment performs well.
• Cybersecurity Risk: Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of Bluespring, its
service providers, securities market participants, or the issuers of securities can
cause significant losses for investors. Unintentional cyber events, such as the
inadvertent release of confidential information, could also adversely impact an
investment account. Any cyber event could result in the loss or theft of investor data
or cause investors financial loss and expense.
22
• Economic Conditions Risk: The performance of investments can be significantly
affected by overall economic conditions, including changes in interest rates,
inflation, employment levels, fiscal and monetary policies, and global events.
Adverse economic developments can lead to market volatility, reduced corporate
earnings, and declining asset values, which can negatively impact portfolio
performance.
• Environmental Risk: Assets can be subject to numerous laws, rules, and regulations
relating to environmental protection. Under environmental statutes, rules, and
regulations, a current or previous owner or operator of real property can be liable for
non-compliance with applicable environmental and health and safety requirements
and for the costs of investigation, monitoring, removal, or remediation of hazardous
materials. A client can be exposed to substantial risk of loss from environmental
claims, and such loss can exceed the value of the investment.
• Financial Risk: Financial risk refers to the possibility that an issuer’s financial
structure or leverage can impair its ability to meet obligations or sustain operations.
Companies with high debt levels or weak cash flow are more vulnerable to adverse
market conditions, rising interest rates, or declining revenues. These factors can
lead to reduced asset values, credit downgrades, or insolvency, resulting in
potential losses for investors.
•
Inflation Risk: Inflation risk is the possibility that the purchasing power of investment
returns will decline over time due to rising prices. When inflation increases, the real
value of future cash flows and fixed-income investments can be eroded, potentially
reducing overall portfolio performance.
•
Interest Rate Risk: This is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value
because of an increase in interest rates. A bond or fixed income fund with a longer
duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a bond or bond fund
with a shorter duration.
• Liquidity Risk: Some securities can be difficult to sell quickly without a loss in value.
When there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities, it can
become more difficult to sell securities at or near their perceived value. In such a
market, the value of such securities can fall dramatically. Liquidity risk also exists
when a particular derivative instrument is difficult to purchase or sell.
23
• Long Term Purchase Risk: Holding securities for extended periods can expose
clients to prolonged market declines, issuer-specific problems, and changing
economic or regulatory conditions. Long-term positions can experience volatility
and can not recover from losses. Because these holdings are traded infrequently,
the portfolio can react more slowly to adverse developments.
• Market Risk: The market value of a security can decline due to general market
conditions not specifically related to a particular company. These conditions can
include adverse economic developments, changes in interest or currency rates,
natural disasters, pandemics, terrorism, conflicts, social unrest, or adverse investor
sentiment. Global interconnectedness can cause events in one region to adversely
affect markets elsewhere.
• Portfolio Construction Risk: Portfolio construction risk refers to the possibility of
errors or limitations in the methods and assumptions used to build and allocate an
investment portfolio. Implementation factors such as timing, liquidity, and
transaction costs can affect results. As a result, portfolios can underperform
benchmarks or experience losses that differ from anticipated outcomes.
• Portfolio Turnover Risk: A strategy can engage in short-term trading, which could
produce higher transaction costs and taxable distributions and lower after-tax
performance.
• Regulatory Risk: Regulatory risk is the possibility that changes in laws, regulations,
or government policies can adversely affect investments or the markets in which
they operate. Such changes can impact pricing, liquidity, or the ability to execute
certain strategies and can result in increased compliance costs or restrictions.
• Reinvestment Risk: Reinvestment risk is the possibility that cash flows from interest,
dividends, or matured securities will be reinvested at lower prevailing interest rates
or less favorable market conditions, reducing overall portfolio returns.
• Short Term Trading Risk: Short-term purchases involve the risk that frequent trading
can not produce expected returns and can increase the impact of market volatility.
Short-term trading can also increase transaction costs and, in taxable accounts,
can result in higher taxes.
24
• Third Party Vendor Data: We rely on data provided by third-party vendors in
connection with advisory services, including pricing, valuation, and corporate
actions processing. Errors or delays in vendor data can adversely impact advisory
services or client investments.
• Use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Advances in artificial intelligence
and machine learning technology can pose risks, including reliance on large data
sets that can contain inaccuracies, limited transparency, and evolving regulatory
and operational risks. Use of such technology by Bluespring or third-party service
providers can adversely impact operations or investment outcomes.
The level and type of risk will vary based on the portfolio selected, the investment strategy
applied, and each client’s overall investment objectives and risk tolerance. Affiliated
Professionals assist clients in determining whether a portfolio’s risk profile aligns with their
investment goals and circumstances.
Errors
In light of the above investment risks, the Firm’s operations are inherently complex and
errors will happen on occasion, including with respect to investment decisions, portfolio
construction and trade execution and reconciliation.
Bluespring Wealth’s goal is to avoid errors by taking preventive measures. However, when
errors do occur, after the errors have been corrected, the Firm’s practice is to examine its
procedures and if necessary, implement revised practices to limit the likelihood of
recurrence. The Firm is generally responsible for its own errors and not the errors of other
persons, including but not limited to third party brokers and custodians, unless otherwise
expressly agreed to by the Firm. The Firm, in its sole discretion, can assist, to the extent
possible, with the appropriate correction of errors committed by third parties.
Bluespring Wealth takes an active role in all error corrections and requires that all errors be
promptly corrected. The Firm’s policy is that we can not use other client accounts, a
client’s brokerage account or any proprietary account of the Firm or of its affiliates to
correct an error. In addition, the Firm requires that no client be disadvantaged as the result
of an error we have caused.
Pursuant to our error policy, the Firm will offer to reimburse clients for any losses resulting
from an error caused by the Firm. If it is determined that the Firm has made an error in a
client’s account, we will typically offer to compensate the client for the direct monetary
25
losses (if any) the error caused in the client’s account. Unless prohibited by applicable law
or a specific agreement with the client, we can net gains and losses from the error or a
series of related errors with the same root cause and offer to compensate the client for the
net loss.
Item 9: Disciplinary Information
Registered investment advisers are required to disclose any legal or disciplinary events that
are material to a client’s evaluation of the advisory business or the integrity of
management. Bluespring Wealth has no legal or disciplinary events to disclose.
Clients should review the Form ADV of our affiliates for information regarding any
disciplinary events that can apply to those entities.
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Bluespring Wealth is a subsidiary of Kestra Holdings, which owns, directly or indirectly,
numerous other businesses, including investment advisers, insurance agencies, broker-
dealers, trust companies, and other service providers (collectively, “Kestra Affiliates”).
Certain Kestra Affiliates that are registered investment advisers or trust companies are
referred to throughout this Brochure as the “Affiliated Professionals.”
The breadth of these affiliations and Kestra Holdings’ ongoing acquisitions create potential
conflicts of interest. Within the Kestra organization, production incentives are commonly
established to maximize earnings. As a result, associated persons employed by or
registered with Kestra Affiliates can have an incentive both to maximize their own
production and to recommend products and services offered by Kestra Affiliates.
From time to time, our Advisors will recommend that you purchase or sell products and
services of or through the Kestra Affiliates, and these Kestra Affiliates receive
compensation as a result. Such a recommendation creates a conflict of interest since it
results in increased compensation to a Kestra Affiliate and your Advisor. As an example,
your Advisor can recommend that you purchase variable insurance or fixed indexed
annuities through Kestra Affiliates, and if you do then the Kestra Affiliate and your Advisor
receive compensation. Such compensation is in addition to any advisory fees you pay to
the firm.
Our affiliation with certain insurance agencies and the additional compensation an Advisor
receives, irrespective of our affiliation, creates a conflict of interest to the extent our
affiliates or Advisors receive compensation in addition to the advisory fees you pay us.
26
Certain Bluespring Wealth Advisors, in their individual capacities, are also licensed
insurance agents and in such capacity they can recommend, on a fully-disclosed
commission basis, the purchase of certain fixed insurance products. As part of Bluespring
Wealth’s services, Bluespring Wealth makes available the option to analyze insurance
protection and secure insurance products in line with the client’s agreement. Clients can
also choose to use an outside agent of their choice to secure insurance protection.
We are affiliated with Comprehensive Brokerage Services, LLC, also referred to as Kestra
Insurance Planning (CBS), a brokerage general insurance agency that supports insurance
agents using their services to sell life insurance and annuity products. We use CBS to assist
us in placing insurance products where such products are appropriate for our clients. Our
use of CBS to provide you insurance and annuity products creates a conflict of interest
since our affiliate would receive additional compensation as a result of using their services.
Additionally, compensation our Advisors earn through sales of insurance through CBS
Brokerage is credited toward award trips Advisors can qualify for, which is also conflict of
interest since it creates an incentive to place insurance business through CBS Brokerage.
We are affiliated with Arden Trust Company (Arden), a Delaware limited purpose trust
company providing corporate trustee services. The recommendation of Arden for trust or
other services creates a conflict of interest since our affiliate would receive additional
compensation as a result of using their services. You are under no obligation to use Arden
as a corporate trustee.
We are affiliated with Kestra Investment Management, LLC (Kestra IM). Kestra IM provides
ongoing discretionary investment management services to clients through programs and
platforms offered by or through affiliated registered investment advisers. Kestra IM is a
Portfolio Manager offered through our Unified Managed Account program. The
recommendation of Kestra IM as Portfolio Manager creates a conflict of interest since our
affiliate receives compensation for managing your assets in addition to the advisory fee we
receive. You are under no obligation to use Kestra IM as a Portfolio Manager.
From time to time, Kestra IM can be asked to contribute financial support for marketing or
client appreciation events hosted by our Advisors. These events can include, but are not
limited to, seminars, educational workshops, and community or charitable events such as
golf tournaments. These payments are typically made to help cover event-related expenses
and are not directly tied to specific client accounts. However, because our Advisors benefit
from this financial support, they can have an incentive to promote or recommend Kestra IM
model portfolios over those of other third-party providers. This creates a conflict of interest,
as our Advisors can favor Kestra IM portfolios to obtain or maintain Kestra IM support,
27
rather than basing their recommendations solely on the client’s best interest. Clients
should be aware of this potential conflict when evaluating the recommendation of Kestra
IM.
Stone Point Capital, LLC (“Stone Point”) owns a majority interest of the ultimate parent
company of Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (“KAS”), Kestra Private Wealth Services, LLC
(“KPWS”) and Kestra Investment Services, LLC (together with KAS and KPWS, “Kestra”).
Kestra makes available an investment fund affiliated with Stone Point. The
recommendation of such a fund creates a conflict of interest since the holder of a majority
interest in Kestra’s ultimate parent company would directly or indirectly benefit from an
investment in the fund.
Bluespring Wealth attempts to mitigate this conflict by applying the same due diligence
process we use for unaffiliated alternatives, not paying or receiving additional
compensation or revenue sharing tied to sales of this product, applying fiduciary or best
interest standards to the sale of all investment products, evaluating all sales through a
supervisory process to ensure sales are aligned with client’s investment profiles and
clients are encouraged to ask questions and consider alternatives.
Additional information regarding funds affiliated with Stone Point or advised by an affiliate
of Stone Point is available at https://www.kestrafinancial.com/disclosures/company-
information.
Bluespring Wealth and the Kestra Affiliates are ultimately owned by Kingfisher Topco
Holdings, LP (Kingfisher). Some of our Advisors and associated persons own equity in
Kingfisher and stand to benefit if the Kestra Affiliates perform well financially. This
ownership creates a conflict of interest since Advisors owning equity in Kingfisher have an
incentive to recommend the services of the Kestra Affiliates.
A. Personnel and Information Sharing
All Bluespring Affiliates share Kestra Holdings as the ultimate parent company. Affiliates
also share senior management teams and have the same or similar operating policies and
procedures. Bluespring Wealth’s Affiliates provide services to each other which help each
other deliver and enhance the services offered to clients. The services provided by affiliates
include, for example, marketing, human resources, IT systems and support, administrative,
and accounting services.
As part of these arrangements confidential information can be shared among Bluespring’s
Affiliates, including information relating to Bluespring Wealth’s clients and their accounts.
28
Bluespring Wealth and its Affiliates have established policies and procedures that are
designed to ensure that any such confidential information is handled securely and in a
manner consistent with Bluespring’s fiduciary duties to its clients.
B. Service as Dual Officers of Bluespring Affiliates
Certain Bluespring Wealth personnel serve in a dual officer capacity for a Bluespring
Wealth Affiliate. Such personnel are subject to Bluespring Wealth’s policies and
procedures when acting as supervised persons of Bluespring. Depending on their role,
Bluespring Wealth personnel serving as officers of affiliated entities can spend a material
portion of their time on these separate activities on behalf of the Bluespring Wealth
Affiliate. Status as a dual officer can present a conflict of interest (for example, competing
priorities between entities) and Bluespring Wealth and its Affiliates have adopted practices
to mitigate such conflicts, such as coordinated supervisory reviews.
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions, and Personal
Trading
We maintain a written code of ethics in accordance with the Advisers Act that is intended
to promote an ethical culture for our firm. Our code of ethics requires our personnel and
Advisors to treat sensitive information confidentially, not misuse material non-public
information about client transactions, report violations of the code, and comply with
federal securities laws. The code of ethics also requires certain personnel and Advisors to
report their personal securities holdings. We will provide a copy of our code of ethics upon
request.
Our personnel and Advisors can invest for their own accounts in interests in investment
partnerships, venture capital vehicles, and hedge funds and other commingled products or
individual investment accounts managed by other advisers we have recommended to you
as well. These entities and managers can also separately buy or sell investments that you
buy or sell for your own account or that we have recommended to you. Generally, our
Advisors and personnel have no ability to influence or control these entities’ transactions in
securities. If such influence or control did exist, our personnel and Advisors would be
subject to policies on employee trading described in our code of ethics and compliance
manual to address this conflict of interest.
Our employees and Advisors can invest for their own accounts in securities which can also
be recommended, purchased, or sold for you as our advisory client. Our code of ethics
requires Advisors to place the interests of clients before their own interests. Our
compliance department reviews personnel and Advisor trades in an effort to ensure that
29
their personal trading does not impact trades for clients and that our clients receive
preferential treatment. Personal trades which consist of mutual funds or exchange-traded
funds will typically not have an impact on client trading or securities markets.
Item 12: Brokerage Practices
Bluespring Wealth generally recommends that clients utilize the brokerage and clearing
services of Schwab. Bluespring Wealth considers the following factors in recommending
Schwab or any other broker-dealer to their clients: financial strength, reputation,
execution, pricing, research and service. Schwab enables Bluespring to obtain many
mutual funds without transaction charges and other securities at nominal transaction
charges. In addition, Schwab has agreed to compensate clients for any transfer fees that
can be assessed for moving their account(s) to Schwab. The transaction fees charged by
Schwab can be higher or lower than those charged by other financial institutions. The trade
fees paid by Bluespring Wealth’s clients comply with Bluespring's fiduciary duty to obtain
“best execution.” Clients can pay transaction fees that are higher than another qualified
financial institution can charge to effect the same transaction where Bluespring Wealth
determines that the trade fees are reasonable in relation to the overall value of the
brokerage. In seeking best execution, the determinative factor is not the lowest possible
cost, but whether the transaction represents the best qualitative execution, taking into
consideration the full range of a financial intuition’s services, including amount others,
execution capability, trade fees, and responsiveness. Bluespring Wealth seeks competitive
rates but can not necessarily obtain the lowest possible trade fees/rates for client
transactions.
Bluespring Wealth utilizes the brokerage and clearing services of Schwab. Bluespring
Wealth can receive the following benefits from Schwab through its institutional division:
receipt of duplicate client confirmations and bundled duplicate statements; access to a
trading desk that exclusively services Schwab Institutional participants; access to block
trading which provides the ability to aggregate securities transactions and then allocate the
appropriate shares to client accounts; and access to an electronic communication
network for client order entry and account information.
Bluespring Wealth can also receive investment research from Schwab, both research
produced by Schwab and research produced by third parties. Schwab also offers other
services intended to help Bluespring manage and further develop its business enterprise.
These services include:
• Educational conferences and events;
• Technology, compliance, legal, and business consulting;
30
• Publications and conferences on practice management and business succession.
Schwab can provide some of these services itself. In other cases, it will arrange for third-
party vendors to provide the services to Bluespring. Schwab can also discount or waive its
fees for some of these services or pay all or a part of a third party’s fees. Schwab can
provide Bluespring Wealth with other benefits such as occasional business entertainment
of Bluespring Wealth’s personnel.
Clients should be aware that this receipt of economic benefits creates a potential conflict
of interest where the benefits create an incentive for Bluespring Wealth to choose Schwab
over another broker-dealer that does not provide such benefits.
Transactions can be cleared through other financial institutions with whom Bluespring has
entered into agreements for prime brokerage clearing services. Bluespring periodically and
systematically reviews its policies and procedures regarding its recommendation of
financial institutions in light of its duty to obtain best execution.
The client can direct Bluespring Wealth in writing to use a particular financial institution to
execute some of all transactions for the client. In that case, the client will negotiate terms
and arrangements for the account with that financial institution, and Bluespring Wealth will
not seek better execution services or prices from other financial institutions or be able to
batch client transactions for execution through other financial institutions with orders for
other accounts managed by Bluespring Wealth (as described below). As a result, the client
can pay higher transaction costs (e.g. brokerage commissions and spreads) or receive less
favorable net prices on transactions for the account than would otherwise be the case.
Subject to its duty of best execution, Bluespring Wealth can decline a client’s request to
direct brokerage if, in Bluespring Wealth’s sole discretion, such directed brokerage
arrangements would result in operational difficulties or violate restrictions imposed by
other broker-dealers.
Transactions for each client generally will be effected independently unless Bluespring
Wealth decides to purchase or sell the same securities for several clients at approximately
the same time. Bluespring Wealth can (but is not obligated to) combine, “batch” or
aggregate such orders to obtain best execution, to negotiate more favorable trade fees, or
to allocate equitably among Bluespring Wealth’s clients differences in prices and trade
fees or other transaction costs that might have been obtained had such orders been placed
independently.
We and our Advisors will aggregate orders for your account where aggregation is
appropriate and practicable or will result in a more favorable overall execution for you. We
31
will allocate such orders at the average price of the aggregated order. You will pay the same
ticket charges on any aggregated orders that you would on non-aggregated orders.
Aggregation does not benefit you when your account has trades in mutual funds or
exchange-traded funds.
To the extent that Bluespring Wealth determines to aggregate client orders for the purchase
or sale of securities, including securities in which Bluespring Wealth’s supervised persons
can invest, Bluespring Wealth does so in accordance with applicable rules promulgated
under the Advisers Act and no-action guidance provided by the staff of the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission. Bluespring Wealth does not receive any additional
compensation or remuneration as a result of the aggregation.
In the event that the full intended block trade order was not filled in the market on a given
day, Bluespring Wealth will allocate partially completed trades either in a pro-rata, random
fill, or other method designed to treat you and all our clients fairly and equitably over time.
Similar to a block order not being fully executed, in the case of limited investment
opportunities allocation can be decided on a number of factors including, but not limited
to, factors such as account size, investment policy, and risk tolerance. Limited investment
opportunities can include orders for securities whose quantity is limited in number such as
an allocation of an initial public offering securities or specific fixed income securities.
We correct our trade errors arising from transactions in your account at our expense;
however, we reserve the right to retain any gains that can arise from correcting such errors.
Agency cross transactions take place when we cause a security to be transferred from one
client account to another. Bluespring Wealth does not allow agency cross transactions in
advisory accounts.
We effect transactions for your account through broker-dealers that refer us advisory
business. The use of such broker-dealers for trades in your account creates a conflict of
interest since we have an incentive to increase referrals to our company. Commissions and
fees can be higher at those broker-dealers than what is charged by other broker-dealers.
Our Advisors will oversee and direct the investments of your accounts subject to the terms
of your advisory agreement and any limitations you can impose on us in writing. We have
an obligation to seek to obtain best execution for transactions in your account. To the
extent you have imposed a limitation on brokerage selection, or have directed us or your
Advisor to utilize a certain broker-dealer, we will not have the ability to negotiate
commissions among various brokers or to obtain volume discounts. We also can not
32
achieve best execution, and you can pay higher commissions and transaction costs and
receive less favorable net pricing than other clients as a result.
A. Mutual Fund Selection
Investment advisers must act in the best interest of their clients, including the selection of
appropriate mutual fund share classes, and disclose fees associated with the
recommended share classes. Many mutual funds offer multiple share classes depending
on certain eligibility and purchase requirements. Each class represents the same interest
in the mutual fund’s portfolio. The principal difference between the classes is that the
mutual fund charges different fees and expenses on the various share classes based often
on the amount invested. For instance, in addition to the more commonly offered retail
share classes (typically, Class A, B and C shares), mutual funds can also offer institutional
share classes and other share classes that are specifically designed for accounts that
participate in fee-based investment advisory programs. Institutional share classes or
classes of shares designed for purchase in an investment advisory program usually have a
lower expense ratio and are less costly than other share classes. Even with respect to a
particular share class, expenses will vary by fund and by fund company. These fees and
expenses negatively impact investment returns.
The brokerage or clearing platforms we utilize, such as those provided by Schwab and the
other custodians, and Bluespring do not make available all mutual fund families or all
share classes of all mutual funds. This means that mutual funds or share classes not
available through these platforms cannot be purchased for advisory clients. Certain share
classes are not eligible to be purchased in connection with an advisory relationship.
Accordingly, clients can not be invested in the lowest cost share class offered by a mutual
fund company. We do not allow B or C share mutual funds to be held in connection with an
advisory relationship.
In an effort to ensure we recommend an appropriate mutual fund share class, we utilize a
subset of the mutual fund families available through our custodians. Thus, the availability
of individual funds and share classes is dependent upon the agreement that the
custodians have with individual fund families. Only one share class is available for each
fund recommended on our platform within the fund families we utilize. These funds are
chosen based on a set of criteria designed to utilize an appropriate share class for the
largest segment of our clients while having consistency across our platforms. This means
that the funds and share classes we recommend can not be the lowest cost share class
available in the marketplace but will meet our criteria of analysis that includes cost,
custodial availability, minimum investment size, and average client trade volume. Clients
33
should not assume they are invested in the share class with the lowest possible expense
ratio or cost.
Mutual funds often impose criteria that must be met in order for certain share classes to be
purchased. Certain mutual funds will waive such criteria if requested by a financial
intermediary, such as an investment adviser. As a general practice, the firm does not
request waivers of the share class criteria set by mutual fund companies even if the
prospectus for a fund states that such a waiver is possible. This means that clients
generally will not receive the benefit of being able to invest in a lower cost share class that
might be obtainable if the firm were to request a waiver of the criteria set by a fund
company to purchase a particular share class.
The list of funds available on our platform is subject to review, and we monitor and update
our funds list at least annually. You can hold mutual funds not available for purchase in our
advisory accounts and those positions will be subject to advisory billing unless specifically
excluded. While other mutual funds can be appropriate and meet your needs and
objectives, mutual fund recommendations will be limited to those funds we have elected
to make available for purchase through our firm and are available on the Schwab platform.
This purchase limitation extends to funds you can hold in your advisory account.
Bluespring Wealth can, consistent with its fiduciary duty of best execution, cause client
accounts to pay transaction fees that are higher than those obtainable from other broker-
dealers when purchasing shares of certain no-load mutual funds through a broker dealer in
order to obtain “research,” known as soft dollars. This research will not be used for the
exclusive benefit of the clients who paid the transaction fees in purchasing the mutual fund
shares that resulted in the accumulation of soft dollars.
You should ask your Advisor why the particular funds or other investments that will be
purchased or held in your advisory account are appropriate for you in consideration of your
expected holding period, investment objective, risk tolerance, time horizon, financial
condition, amount invested, trading frequency, the amount of the advisory fee charged,
whether you will pay transaction charges for fund purchases and sales, whether you will
pay higher internal fund expenses in lieu of transaction charges that could adversely affect
long-term performance, and relevant tax considerations. Your Advisor can recommend,
select, or continue to hold a fund share class that charges you higher internal expenses
than other available share classes for the same fund.
B. Equivalent Strategy Funds
Bluespring identifies mutual funds and ETFs that offer the same underlying investment
strategy, even if the funds have a different fund family or fund name and limits the purchase
34
of the more expensive option. Where mutual funds and ETFs share an equivalent strategy,
Bluespring restricts the purchase of the more expensive option if the difference in expense
ratio is greater than 10 basis points.
Item 13: Review of Accounts
Our Advisors will typically meet with you at least annually to review the performance of
your account, any changes to your financial situation, and investment goals and objectives.
We also require you, in our standard client agreement, to inform your Advisor promptly of
any changes to your information or circumstances, including changes to your financial
condition or investment objectives. Our Advisors are typically available during normal
business hours to answer questions or concerns you can have.
Unless otherwise agreed, clients are provided with transaction confirmation notices and
summary account statements directly from the broker-dealer or custodian for the client
accounts. Clients should compare the account statements they receive from their
custodian with any they receive from Bluespring.
Item 14: Client Referrals and Other Compensation
We compensate various affiliated and unaffiliated third parties called “referrers” to refer us
clients and prospects they believe would benefit from our investment advisory services.
Any such arrangements will be designed to comply with the Advisers Act, which requires,
among other things, that you receive this brochure, we have an agreement with the referrer,
and that you receive a compensation disclosure detailing the amount we will pay the
referrer that referred you.
We can also enter into arrangements wherein we and our Advisors refer you to affiliated
and unaffiliated investment advisers that will provide advisory services to you. When we
make such a referral, we and our Advisor will typically receive a portion of the total fee the
investment adviser charges you for as long as they provide you services. Any such
arrangements will be designed to comply with the Advisers Act.
We have arrangements with various third-party managers or service providers that our
Advisors can refer you to. We receive compensation from these managers or service
providers to support conferences, training, marketing efforts, staffing, ongoing education of
Advisors and the marketing efforts we perform on their behalf. In addition, we receive
compensation from various third-party managers or service providers based upon a
percentage of our client assets under their management.
35
These relationships and the compensation we receive create a conflict of interest because
we have an incentive to recommend the services of these third-party managers versus
other third-party managers. Although they benefit from the conferences, training and other
services supported by these third-party managers, our Advisors do not receive any
monetary compensation associated with these arrangements.
In many circumstances, if a client is introduced to Bluespring Wealth by either an
unaffiliated or affiliated Promoter including Bluespring Wealth’s supervised persons,
Bluespring Wealth pays that Promoter a referral fee in accordance with the requirements of
Rule 206(4)-3 of the Advisors Act and any corresponding state securities law requirements.
Any such referral fee is paid solely from Bluespring Wealth’s investment management fee
and does not result in any additional charge to the client. If the client is introduced to
Bluespring Wealth by an unaffiliated promoter, the prospective client is provided with a
copy of Bluespring Wealth’s written disclosure statement containing the terms and
conditions of the solicitation arrangement including compensation and a brief statement
about the material conflicts of the promoter relationship. Any affiliated promoter of
Bluespring Wealth discloses the nature of their relationship to prospective clients at the
time of the solicitation. The payment of referral compensation can incentivize a person to
provide a positive statement about Bluespring Wealth.
Schwab Advisor Network®
Bluespring Wealth receives referrals from Schwab through participation in the Schwab
Advisor Network® (“the Service”). The Service is designed to help investors find an
independent investment advisor. Schwab is a broker-dealer independent of and
unaffiliated with Bluespring Wealth. Schwab does not supervise Bluespring Wealth’s
Advisors and has no responsibility for Bluespring Wealth’s management of client’s
portfolios or Bluespring Wealth’s other advice or services. Bluespring Wealth pays Schwab
fees to receive client referrals through the Service. Bluespring Wealth’s participation in the
Service can raise potential conflicts of interest as described below.
Bluespring Wealth pays Schwab a Participation Fee on all referred clients’ accounts that
are maintained in custody at Schwab and a Non-Schwab Custody Fee on all accounts that
are maintained at, or transferred to, another custodian. The Participation Fee paid by
Bluespring Wealth is a percentage of the fees the client owes to Bluespring Wealth or a
percentage of the value of the assets in the client’s account, subject to a minimum
Participation Fee. Bluespring Wealth pays Schwab the Participation Fee for so long as the
referred client’s account remains in custody at Schwab. The Participation Fee is billed to
36
Bluespring Wealth quarterly and can be increased, decreased, or waived by Schwab from
time to time. The Participation Fee is paid by Bluespring Wealth and not by the client.
Bluespring Wealth has agreed not to charge clients referred through the Service fees or
costs greater than the fees or costs Bluespring Wealth charges clients with similar
portfolios who were not referred through the Service.
Bluespring Wealth generally pays Schwab a Non-Schwab Custody fee if custody of a
referred client’s account is not maintained by, or assets in the account are transferred
from, Schwab. This Fee does not apply if the client was solely responsible for the decision
not to maintain custody at Schwab. The Non-Schwab Custody Fee is a one-time payment
equal to a percentage of the assets placed with a custodian other than Schwab. The Non-
Schwab Custody Fee is higher than the Participation Fees the Advisor would generally pay
in a single year. Thus, Bluespring Wealth has an incentive to recommend that client
accounts be held in custody at Schwab.
The Participation and Non-Schwab Custody Fees are based on assets in accounts of
Bluespring Wealth’s clients who were referred by Schwab and those referred clients’ family
members living in the same household or any referrals those clients provide. Thus,
Bluespring Wealth has incentives to recommend that client accounts and household
members of clients referred through the Service maintain custody of their accounts at
Schwab.
For accounts of Bluespring Wealth’s clients maintained in custody at Schwab, Schwab will
not charge the client separately for custody but will receive compensation from Bluespring
Wealth’s clients in the form of commissions or other transaction-related compensation on
securities trades executed through Schwab. Schab will also receive a fee (generally lower
than the applicable commission on trades it executes) for clearance and settlement of
trades executed through broker-dealers other than Schwab. Schwab’s fees for trades
executed at other broker-dealers are in addition to the other broker-dealer’s fees. Thus,
Bluespring Wealth has an incentive to cause trades to be executed through Schwab rather
than through another broker-dealer. Bluespring Wealth, nevertheless, acknowledges its
fiduciary duty to see best execution of trades for client accounts. Trades for client accounts
held in custody at Schwab can be executed through a different broker-dealer than trades
for Bluespring Wealth’s other clients. Thus, trades for accounts custodied at Schwab can
be executed at different times and different prices than trades for other accounts that are
executed at other broker-dealers.
37
Bluespring Wealth previously participated in TD Ameritrade’s AdvisorDirect program (the
“referral program”). As a result of the merger between Schwab and TD Ameritrade, all
participation fees previously paid to TD Ameritrade are now being paid to Schwab.
Bluespring Wealth receives economic benefits from non-clients for providing advice or
other advisor services to clients. This type of relationship, described in Item 12 above,
poses a conflict of interest for Bluespring Wealth.
Item 15: Custody
Bluespring and its Advisors do not hold or maintain your assets. Third-party qualified
custodians hold and maintain your assets, and those custodians provide account
statements directly to you at your address of record at least quarterly. We urge you to
compare the account statements you receive from your account custodian with any
performance report or statements we, our service providers, or our Advisors can create for
you and to contact us with any questions.
Though we do not maintain custody of client accounts, we do have custody over certain
assets of clients as defined under the Advisers Act. For example, some of our Advisors act
as a trustee for a trust account of a client or we can take possession of physical security
certificates and forward them to your account custodian as an accommodation.
Item 16: Investment Discretion
In most circumstances, Bluespring Wealth is given the authority to exercise discretion on
behalf of its clients. Bluespring is considered to exercise discretion over a client’s account
if it can effect transactions for the client without first having to see the client’s consent.
Bluespring is given this authority through a power-of-attorney included in the agreement
between Bluespring and the client.
Clients can request a limitation on this authority such as certain securities not to be bought
or sold.
Bluespring takes discretion over the following activities:
• The securities to be purchased or sold;
• The amount of securities to be purchased or sold;
• When transactions are made;
• The financial institutions to be utilized; and
• The independent managers to be hired or fired.
38
Item 17: Voting Client Securities
Bluespring does not, nor do our Advisors, vote proxies for clients.
Item 18: Financial Information
Bluespring does not have any financial condition likely to impair us from meeting our
contractual commitments to you.
Item 19: Miscellaneous
Termination of Accounts
Typically, both you and our company have the option under our standard agreements to
terminate the agreement at any time. In addition, you have the right to terminate the
contract without penalty within five (5) business days after entering into the contract. If you
pay a fee in advance, fees will be pro-rated from the termination date and refunded to you.
ERISA plans are required to give a 30- day written notice delivered to the other party and
depending on upfront costs incurred, can be subject to an early termination clause if
services are terminated within the first year.
Compliance Policies and Procedures
We maintain written compliance policies and procedures as required by the Advisers Act.
Anti-Money Laundering Program
We maintain an anti-money laundering program in accordance with applicable regulations.
Business Continuity Plan
We maintain a business continuity plan designed to minimize the impact of disasters,
emergencies and other unforeseen circumstances on our services and communications. A
description of our Business Continuity Plan is available on our website at
https://www.kestrafinancial.com/disclosures/company-information, or by contacting
your Advisor.
39