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Bright Financial Advisors, Inc.
450 W. Centre
Suite C
Portage, MI 49024
269-373-2700 Phone
269-345-5712 Facsimile
www.brightfinancialadvisors.com
January 23, 2026
FORM ADV PART 2A
BROCHURE
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Bright Financial
Advisors, Inc. If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us at (269)
373-2700. 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 Bright Financial Advisors, Inc. is also available on the SEC's website at
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. The searchable IARD/CRD number for Bright Financial Advisors, Inc. is
107931.
Bright Financial Advisors, Inc. is a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission or any state securities authority does not imply a certain level of
skill or training.
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Item 2 Summary of 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.
Since our last annual updating amendment filing, dated February 13, 2025, we have the following
material changes to report.
• The Firm has updated their breakpoint for advisory fees. Please see Item 4 for additional
information.
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Item 3 Table Of Contents
Item 1 Cover Page
Item 2 Summary of Material Changes
Item 3 Table Of Contents
Item 4 Advisory Business
Item 5 Fees and Compensation
Item 6 Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
Item 7 Types of Clients
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Item 9 Disciplinary Information
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading
Item 12 Brokerage Practices
Item 13 Review of Accounts
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation
Item 15 Custody
Item 16 Investment Discretion
Item 17 Voting Client Securities
Item 18 Financial Information
Item 19 Requirements for State Registered Advisers
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Item 4 Advisory Business
Description of Services and Fees
We are a registered investment adviser based in Portage, Michigan. We are organized as a
corporation under the laws of the State of Michigan. We have been providing investment advisory
services since 1996. Andrew M. Price is the principal owner. Currently, we offer the following
investment advisory services, which are personalized to each individual client:
• Portfolio Management Services
• Financial Planning Services
• Selection of Other Advisers
Bright Financial Advisors, Inc. is a fee-only independent financial advisor that provides wealth
management services by incorporating financial planning, investment portfolio management and
aggregated financial services. The combination of industry experience and comprehensive research
allows our firm to provide quality advisory services to our clients.
The following paragraphs describe our services and fees. Please refer to the description of each
investment advisory service listed below for information on how we tailor our advisory services to your
individual needs. As used in this brochure, the words "we", "our" and "us" refer to Bright Financial
Advisors, Inc. and the words "you", "your" and "client" refer to you as either a client or prospective
client of our firm. Also, you may see the term Associated Person throughout this Brochure. As used in
this Brochure, our Associated Persons are our firm's officers, employees, and all individuals providing
investment advice on behalf of our firm.
Portfolio Management Services
We offer discretionary portfolio management services. Our investment advice is tailored to meet our
clients' needs and investment objectives. If you retain our firm for portfolio management services, we
will meet with you to determine your investment objectives, risk tolerance, and other relevant
information (the "suitability information") at the beginning of our advisory relationship. We will use the
suitability information we gather to develop a strategy that enables our firm to give you continuous and
focused investment advice and/or to make investments on your behalf. As part of our portfolio
management services, we may customize an investment portfolio for you in accordance with your risk
tolerance and investing objectives. We may also invest your assets using a predefined strategy, or we
may invest your assets according to one or more model portfolios developed by our firm. Once we
construct an investment portfolio for you, or select a model portfolio, we will monitor your portfolio's
performance on an ongoing basis, and will rebalance the portfolio as required by changes in market
conditions and in your financial circumstances.
If you participate in our discretionary portfolio management services, we require you to grant our firm
discretionary authority to manage your account. Discretionary authorization will allow our firm to
determine the specific securities, and the amount of securities, to be purchased or sold for your
account without your approval prior to each transaction. Discretionary authority is typically granted by
the investment advisory agreement you sign with our firm, a limited power of attorney, or trading
authorization forms.
Our fee for portfolio management services is based on a percentage of your assets we manage and is
set forth in the following fee schedule:
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Assets Under Management Annual Fee
$0 to $1,000,000 1.00%
$1,000,001 to $2,000,000 0.75%
Over $2,000,000 0.50%
Our annual portfolio management fee is billed and payable quarterly in advance based on the value of
your account on the last day of the previous quarter. All flows of capital into the accounts will be billed
on a pro-rata basis for the amount of time managed during the previous quarter.
If the portfolio management agreement is executed 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 you are a client. Our advisory fee is
negotiable, depending on individual client circumstances.
At our discretion, we may combine the account values of family members living in the same household
to determine the applicable advisory fee. For example, we may combine account values for you and
your minor children, joint accounts with your spouse, and other types of related accounts. Combining
account values may increase the asset total, which may result in your paying a reduced advisory fee
based on the available breakpoints in our fee schedule stated above.
We will deduct our fee directly from your account through the qualified custodian holding your funds
and securities. We will deduct our advisory fee only when you have given our firm written authorization
permitting the fees to be paid directly from your account. Further, the qualified custodian will deliver an
account statement to you at least quarterly. These account statements will show all disbursements
from your account. You should review all statements for accuracy. We will also receive a duplicate
copy of your account statements. On occasion, we may invoice you directly for our portfolio
management fees
You may terminate the portfolio management agreement upon written notice to our firm without penalty
within five (5) business days after entering into the agreement. After 5 business days, if you terminate,
you will incur a pro rata charge for services rendered prior to the termination of the portfolio
management agreement, which means you will incur advisory fees only in proportion to the number of
days in the quarter for which you are a client. If you have pre-paid advisory fees that we have not yet
earned, you will receive a prorated refund of those fees.
Financial Planning Services
We offer broad-based, modular, and consultative financial planning services. Financial planning will
typically involve providing a variety of advisory services to clients regarding the management of their
financial resources based upon an analysis of their individual needs. If you retain our firm for financial
planning services, we will meet with you to gather information about your financial circumstances and
objectives. We may also use financial planning software to determine your current financial position
and to define and quantify your long-term goals and objectives. Once we specify those long-term
objectives (both financial and non-financial), we will develop shorter-term, targeted objectives. After we
review and analyze the information you provide to our firm and the data derived from our financial
planning software, we will deliver a written plan to you, designed to help you achieve your stated
financial goals and objectives.
Financial plans are based on your financial situation at the time we present the plan to you, and on the
financial information you provide to our firm. You must promptly notify our firm if your financial
situation, goals, objectives, or needs change.
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You are under no obligation to act on our financial planning recommendations. Should you choose to
act on any of our recommendations, you are not obligated to implement the financial plan through any
of our other investment advisory services. Moreover, you may act on our recommendations by placing
securities transactions with any brokerage firm.
We charge a fixed fee for financial planning services, which generally ranges between $500 to $5,000.
The fee is negotiable depending upon the complexity and scope of the plan, your financial situation,
and your objectives. Fees are payable upon completion of the contracted services.
If you only require advice on a single aspect of your finances, we offer modular financial planning or
general consulting services on an hourly basis. Our rate for such services range from $100 to $200 per
hour. This fee is negotiable depending on the scope and complexity of the plan, your financial
situation, and your objectives. An estimate of the total time/cost will be determined at the start of the
advisory relationship. In limited circumstances, the cost/time could potentially exceed the initial
estimate. In such cases, we will notify you in advance and request that you approve the additional fee.
The fees for these services are payable upon completion of the contracted services. Depending upon
the scope and complexity of the hourly services to be rendered, we may ask for a deposit.
We will not require prepayment of a fee more than six months in advance and in excess of $1,200.
You may terminate the financial planning agreement by providing written notice to our firm. You will
incur a pro rata charge for services rendered prior to the termination of the agreement.
IRA Rollover Recommendations
Effective December 20, 2021 (or such later date as the US Department of Labor ("DOL") Field
Assistance Bulletin 2018-02 ceases to be in effect), for purposes of complying with the DOL's
Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2020-02 ("PTE 2020-02") where applicable, we are providing the
following acknowledgment to you. When we provide investment advice to you regarding your
retirement plan account or individual retirement account, we are fiduciaries within the meaning of Title I
of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable,
which are laws governing retirement accounts. The way we make money creates some conflicts with
your interests, so we operate under a special rule that requires us to act in your best interest and not
put our interest ahead of yours. Under this special rule's provisions, we must:
• Meet a professional standard of care when making investment recommendations (give prudent
advice);
• Never put our financial interests ahead of yours when making recommendations (give loyal
advice);
• Avoid misleading statements about conflicts of interest, fees, and investments;
• Follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that we give advice that is in your best
interest;
• Charge no more than is reasonable for our services; and
• Give you basic information about conflicts of interest.
We benefit financially from the rollover of your assets from a retirement account to an account that we
manage or provide investment advice to, because the assets increase our Assets Under Management
and, in turn, our advisory fees. As a fiduciary, we only recommend a rollover when we believe it is in
your best interest.
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Types of Investments
We offer advice on equity securities, warrants, corporate debt securities, certificates of deposit,
municipal securities, investment company securities, US Government securities, options contracts on
securities and interest in partnerships investing in real estate.
Additionally, we may advise you on any type of investment that we deem appropriate based on your
stated goals and objectives. We may also provide advice on any type of investment held in your
portfolio at the inception of our advisory relationship.
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2025, we provide continuous management services for $725,469,127 in client
assets on a discretionary basis.
Item 5 Fees and Compensation
Refer to the Advisory Business section in this Brochure for information on our advisory fees, fee
deduction arrangements, and refund policy according to each service we offer.
Additional Fees and Expenses
As part of our investment advisory services to you, we may invest, or recommend that you invest, in
mutual funds and exchange traded funds. The fees that you pay to our firm for investment advisory
services are separate and distinct from the fees and expenses charged by mutual funds or exchange
traded funds (described in each fund's prospectus) to their shareholders. These fees will generally
include a management fee and other fund expenses. You will also incur transaction charges and/or
brokerage fees when purchasing or selling securities. These charges and fees are typically imposed by
the broker-dealer or custodian through which your account transactions are executed. We do not share
in any portion of the brokerage fees/transaction charges imposed by the broker-dealer or custodian. To
fully understand the total cost you will incur, you should review all the fees charged by mutual funds,
exchange traded funds, our firm, and others. For information on our brokerage practices, please refer
to the "Brokerage Practices" section of this Disclosure Brochure.
Compensation for the Sale of Other Investment Products
Persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm are licensed as independent insurance
agents. These persons will earn commission-based compensation for selling insurance products,
including insurance products they sell to you. Insurance commissions earned by these persons are
separate and in addition to our advisory fees. This practice presents a conflict of interest because
persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm who are insurance agents have an incentive
to recommend insurance products to you for the purpose of generating commissions rather than solely
based on your needs. However, you are under no obligation, contractually or otherwise, to purchase
insurance products through any person affiliated with our firm.
Any material conflicts of interest between you and our firm, or our employees are disclosed in this
Disclosure Brochure. If at any time, additional material conflicts of interest develop, we will provide you
with written notification of the material conflicts of interest or an updated Disclosure Brochure.
Item 6 Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
We do not accept performance-based fees or participate in side-by-side management. Performance-
based fees are fees that are based on a share of capital gains or capital appreciation of a client's
account. Side-by-side management refers to the practice of managing accounts that are charged
performance-based fees while at the same time managing accounts that are not charged performance-
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based fees. Our fees are calculated as described in the Advisory Business section above, and are not
charged on the basis of a share of capital gains upon, or capital appreciation of, the funds in your
advisory account.
Item 7 Types of Clients
We offer investment advisory services to individuals, pension and profit sharing plans, trusts, estates,
charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities.
In general, we require a minimum fee of $500 for financial planning services. Additionally, we charge a
$5,000 annual minimum fee to open and maintain an advisory account. At our discretion, we may
waive this minimum account size. For example, we may waive the minimum if you appear to have
significant potential for increasing your assets under our management. We may also combine account
values for you and your minor children, joint accounts with your spouse, and other types of related
accounts to meet the stated minimum.
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Our Methods of Analysis and Investment Strategies
We have a long-term investment philosophy. In order to take full advantage of our investment
philosophy, you are advised that it is best for you to remain with our firm for at least a full market cycle
-- typically three to five years.
We may use one or more of the following methods of analysis or investment strategies when providing
investment advice to you:
• Fundamental Analysis - involves analyzing individual companies and their industry groups, such
as a company's financial statements, details regarding the company's product line, the
experience and expertise of the company's management, and the outlook for the company's
industry. The resulting data is used to measure the true value of the company's stock compared
to the current market value.
• Long Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that the value of those
securities will grow over a relatively long period of time, generally greater than one year.
• Short Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that they will be sold within a
relatively short period of time, generally less than one year, to take advantage of the securities'
short-term price fluctuations.
• Margin Transactions - a securities transaction in which an investor borrows money to purchase
a security, in which case the security serves as collateral on the loan.
Our investment strategies and advice may vary depending upon each client's specific financial
situation. As such, we determine investments and allocations based upon your predefined objectives,
risk tolerance, time horizon, financial horizon, financial information, liquidity needs, and other various
suitability factors. Your restrictions and guidelines may affect the composition of your portfolio.
Client assets are advised using fundamental analysis. The risk of fundamental analysis is that
information obtained may be incorrect and the analysis may not provide an accurate estimate of
earnings, which may be the basis for a stock's value. If securities prices adjust rapidly to new
information, utilizing fundamental analysis may not result in favorable performance.
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We may use short-term trading (in general, selling securities within 30 days of purchasing the same
securities) as an investment strategy when managing your account(s). Short-term trading is not a
fundamental part of our overall investment strategy, but we may use this strategy occasionally when
we determine that it is suitable given your stated investment objectives and tolerance for risk.
Our strategies and investments may have unique and significant tax implications. However, unless we
specifically agree otherwise, and in writing, tax efficiency is not our primary consideration in the
management of your assets. Regardless of your account size or any other factors, we strongly
recommend that you continuously consult with a tax professional prior to and throughout the investing
of your assets.
Moreover, as a result of revised IRS regulations, custodians and broker-dealers will begin reporting the
cost basis of equities acquired in client accounts on or after January 1, 2011. Our firm uses the FIFO
accounting method for calculating the cost basis of your investments. You are responsible for
contacting your tax advisor to determine if this accounting method is the right choice for you. If your tax
advisor believes another accounting method is more advantageous, please provide written notice to
our firm immediately and we will alert your account custodian of your individually selected accounting
method. Please note that decisions about cost basis accounting methods will need to be made before
trades settle, as the cost basis method cannot be changed after settlement.
Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves risk of loss that you should be prepared to bear. We do not represent or
guarantee that our services or methods of analysis can or will predict future results, successfully
identify market tops or bottoms, or insulate clients from losses due to market corrections or declines.
We cannot offer any guarantees or promises that your financial goals and objectives will be met. Past
performance is in no way an indication of future performance.
Recommendation of Particular Types of Securities
As disclosed under the "Advisory Business" section in this Brochure, we recommend all types of
securities. However, we do primarily recommend mutual funds. Each type of security has its own
unique set of risks associated with it and it would not be possible to list here all of the specific risks of
every type of investment. Even within the same type of investment, risks can vary widely. However, in
very general terms, the higher the anticipated return of an investment, the higher the risk of loss
associated with it.
Mutual funds are professionally managed collective investment systems that pool money from many
investors and invest in stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments, other mutual funds, other
securities or any combination thereof. The fund will have a manager that trades the fund's investments
in accordance with the fund's investment objective. While mutual funds generally provide
diversification, risks can be significantly increased if the fund is concentrated in a particular sector of
the market, primarily invests in small cap or speculative companies, uses leverage (i.e., borrows
money) to a significant degree, or concentrates in a particular type of security (i.e., equities) rather than
balancing the fund with different types of securities. The returns on mutual funds can be reduced by
the costs to manage the funds. Also, while some mutual funds are "no load" and charge no fee to buy
into, or sell out of, the fund, other types of mutual funds do charge such fees which can also reduce
returns. Mutual funds can also be "closed end" or "open end". So-called "open end" mutual funds
continue to allow in new investors indefinitely which can dilute other investors' interests.
Item 9 Disciplinary Information
Bright Financial Advisors, Inc. has been registered and providing investment advisory services since
1996. Neither our firm nor any of our Associated Persons has any reportable disciplinary information.
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Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Arrangements with Affiliated Entities
In addition to being registered as an investment adviser, our firm is also licensed as an insurance
agency. Therefore, persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm are licensed as
insurance agents. These persons will earn commission-based compensation for selling insurance
products, including insurance products they sell to you. Insurance commissions earned by these
persons are separate from our advisory fees. Please see the "Fees and Compensation" section in this
Brochure for more information on the compensation received by insurance agents who are affiliated
with our firm.
The referral arrangements we have with our insurance agency present a conflict of interest because
we may have a financial incentive to recommend insurance products and services. While we believe
that compensation charged by our affiliates are competitive, such compensation may be higher than
fees charged by other firms providing the same or similar services. You are under no obligation to use
our insurance agency's services and may obtain comparable services and/or lower fees through other
firms.
Certain associated persons our firm are licensed as a certified public accountant. If you require tax
services, we may recommend that you use the services of the CPA that is associated with our firm.
Our advisory services are separate and distinct from the compensation paid for tax services. You are
not required to use the tax services offered by us and may obtain comparable services and/or lower
fees through other firms.
Recommendation of Other Advisers
We may recommend that you use a third party adviser ("TPA") based on your needs and suitability.
We will receive compensation from the TPA for recommending that you use their services. These
compensation arrangements present a conflict of interest because we have a financial incentive to
recommend the services of the third party adviser. You are not obligated, contractually or otherwise, to
use the services of any TPA we recommend.
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and
Personal Trading
Description of Our Code of Ethics
We strive to comply with applicable laws and regulations governing our practices. Therefore, our Code
of Ethics includes guidelines for professional standards of conduct for our Associated Persons. Our
goal is to protect your interests at all times and to demonstrate our commitment to our fiduciary duties
of honesty, good faith, and fair dealing with you. All of our Associated Persons are expected to adhere
strictly to these guidelines. Our Code of Ethics also requires that certain persons associated with our
firm submit reports of their personal account holdings and transactions to a qualified representative of
our firm who will review these reports on a periodic basis. Persons associated with our firm are also
required to report any violations of our Code of Ethics. Additionally, we maintain and enforce written
policies reasonably designed to prevent the misuse or dissemination of material, non-public
information about you or your account holdings by persons associated with our firm.
Our Code of Ethics is available to you upon request. You may obtain a copy of our Code of Ethics by
contacting us at the phone number listed on the cover of this brochure.
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Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
Neither our firm nor any of our Associated Persons has any material financial interest in client
transactions beyond the provision of investment advisory services as disclosed in this Brochure.
Personal Trading Practices
Our firm or persons associated with our firm may recommend securities to you at the same time we or
persons associated with our firm purchase such securities for our own account.
A conflict of interest exists in such cases because we have the ability to trade ahead of you and
potentially receive more favorable prices than you will receive. To eliminate this conflict of interest, it is
our policy that neither our Associated Persons nor we shall have priority over your account in the
purchase or sale of securities.
Item 12 Brokerage Practices
We recommend the brokerage and custodial services of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
("Schwab") (whether one or more "Custodian"). Your assets must be maintained in an account at a
"qualified custodian," generally a broker-dealer or bank. In recognition of the value of the services the
Custodian provides, you may pay higher commissions and/or trading costs than those that may be
available elsewhere. Our selection of custodian is based on many factors, including the level of
services provided, the custodian's financial stability, and the cost of services provided by the custodian
to our clients, which includes the yield on cash sweep choices, commissions, custody fees and other
fees or expenses.
We seek to recommend a custodian/broker that will hold your assets and execute transactions on
terms that are, overall, the most favorable compared to other available providers and their services.
We consider various factors, including:
• Capability to buy and sell securities for your account itself or to facilitate such services.
• The likelihood that your trades will be executed.
• Availability of investment research and tools.
• Overall quality of services.
• Competitiveness of price.
• Reputation, financial strength, and stability.
• Existing relationship with our firm and our other clients.
Research and Other Soft Dollar Benefits
We do not have any soft dollar arrangements.
Economic Benefits
As a registered investment adviser, we have access to the institutional platform of your account
custodian. As such, we will also have access to research products and services from your account
custodian and/or other brokerage firm. These products may include financial publications, information
about particular companies and industries, research software, and other products or services that
provide lawful and appropriate assistance to our firm in the performance of our investment decision-
making responsibilities. Such research products and services are provided to all investment advisers
that utilize the institutional services platforms of these firms, and are not considered to be paid for with
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soft dollars. However, you should be aware that the commissions charged by a particular broker for a
particular transaction or set of transactions may be greater than the amounts another broker who did
not provide research services or products might charge.
The custodian and brokers we use - Charles Schwab (Schwab)
We do not maintain custody of your assets that we manage or on which we advise, although we may
be deemed to have custody of your assets if you give us authority to withdraw assets from your
account (see Item 15—Custody, below). Your assets must be maintained in an account at a "qualified
custodian," generally a broker-dealer or bank.
We are independently owned and operated and are not affiliated with Schwab. Schwab will hold your
assets in a brokerage account and buy and sell securities when we instruct them to. While
we recommend that you use Schwab as custodian/broker, you will decide whether to do so and will
open your account with Schwab by entering into an account agreement directly with them. Conflicts of
interest associated with this arrangement are described below as well as in Item 14 (Client referrals
and other compensation). You should consider these conflicts of interest when selecting your
custodian.
We do not open the account for you, although we may assist you in doing so. Not all advisors require
their clients to use a particular broker-dealer or other custodian selected by the advisor. Even though
your account is maintained at Schwab, and we anticipate that most trades will be executed through
Schwab, we can still use other brokers to execute trades for your account as described below (see
"Your brokerage and custody costs").
How we select brokers/custodians
We seek to use Schwab, a custodian/broker that will hold your assets and execute transactions. When
considering whether the terms that Schwab provides are, overall, most advantageous to you when
compared with other available providers and their services, we take into account a wide range of
factors, including:
• Combination of transaction execution services and asset custody services (generally without a
separate fee for custody)
• Capability to execute, clear, and settle trades (buy and sell securities for your account)
• Capability to facilitate transfers and payments to and from accounts (wire transfers, check
requests, bill payment, etc.)
• Breadth of available investment products (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds
("ETFs"), etc.)
• Availability of investment research and tools that assist us in making investment decisions
• Quality of services
• Competitiveness of the price of those services (commission rates, margin interest rates, other
fees, etc.) and willingness to negotiate the prices
• Reputation, financial strength, security and stability
• Prior service to us and our clients
• Services delivered or paid for by Schwab
• Availability of other products and services that benefit us, as discussed below (see "Products
and services available to us from Schwab")
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Your brokerage and custody costs
For our clients' accounts that Schwab maintains, Schwab generally does not charge you separately for
custody services but is compensated by charging you commissions or other fees on trades that it
executes or that settle into your Schwab account. Certain trades (for example, many mutual funds and
ETFs) may not incur Schwab commissions or transaction fees. Schwab is also compensated by
earning interest on the un invested cash in your account in Schwab's Cash Features Program. Schwab
charges you a flat dollar amount as a "prime broker" or "trade away" fee for each trade that we have
executed by a different broker-dealer but where the securities bought or the funds from the securities
sold are deposited (settled) into your Schwab account. These fees are in addition to the commissions
or other compensation you pay the executing broker-dealer. Because of this, in order to minimize your
trading costs, we have Schwab execute most trades for your account.
We are not required to select the broker or dealer that charges the lowest transaction cost, even if that
broker provides execution quality comparable to other brokers or dealers.
Although we are not required to execute all trades through Schwab, we have determined that having
Schwab execute most trades is consistent with our duty to seek "best execution" of your trades. Best
execution means the most favorable terms for a transaction based on all relevant factors, including
those listed above (see "How we select brokers/custodians"). By using another broker or dealer you
may pay lower transaction costs.
Products and services available to us from Schwab
Schwab Advisor Services™ is Schwab's business serving independent investment advisory firms like
us. They provide us and our clients with access to their institutional brokerage services (trading,
custody, reporting, and related services), many of which are not typically available to Schwab retail
customers. However, certain retail investors may be able to get institutional brokerage services from
Schwab without going through us.
Schwab also makes available various support services. Some of those services help us manage or
administer our clients' accounts, while others help us manage and grow our business. Schwab's
support services are generally available on an unsolicited basis (we don't have to request them) and at
no charge to us. Following is a more detailed description of Schwab's support services:
Services that benefit you. Schwab's institutional brokerage services include access to a broad range
of investment products, execution of securities transactions, and custody of client assets.
The investment products available through Schwab include some to which we might not otherwise
have access or that would require a significantly higher minimum initial investment by our
clients. Schwab's services described in this paragraph generally benefit you and your account.
Services that do not directly benefit you. Schwab also makes available to us other products and
services that benefit us but do not directly benefit you or your account. These products and services
assist us in managing and administering our clients' accounts and operating our firm. They include
investment research, both Schwab's own and that of third parties. We use this research to service all
or a substantial number of our clients' accounts, including accounts not maintained at Schwab. In
addition to investment research, Schwab also makes available software and other technology that:
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• Provide access to client account data (such as duplicate trade confirmations and account
statements)
• Facilitate trade execution and allocate aggregated trade orders for multiple client accounts
• Provide pricing and other market data
• Facilitate payment of our fees from our clients' accounts
• Assist with back-office functions, recordkeeping, and client reporting
Services that generally benefit only us. Schwab also offers other services intended to help us manage
and further develop our business enterprise. These services include:
• Consulting on technology and business needs
• Publications and conferences on practice management and business succession
• Access to employee benefits providers, human capital consultants, and insurance provider
Schwab provides some of these services itself. In other cases, it will arrange for third-party vendors to
provide the services to us. Schwab also discounts or waives its fees for some of these services or pays
all or a part of a third party's fees. Schwab also provides us with other benefits, such as occasional
business entertainment of our personnel. If you did not maintain your account with Schwab, we would
be required to pay for these services from our own resources.
Our Interest in Schwab's Services
The availability of these services from Schwab benefits us because we do not have to produce or
purchase them. We don't have to pay for Schwab's services. The fact that we receive these benefits
from Schwab is an incentive for us to recommend the use of Schwab rather than making such a
decision based exclusively on your interest in receiving the best value in custody services and the
most favorable execution of your transactions. This is a conflict of interest. We believe, however, that
taken in the aggregate, our selection of Schwab as custodian and broker is in the best interests of our
clients. Our selection is primarily supported by the scope, quality, and price of Schwab's services (see
"How we select brokers/ custodians") and not Schwab's services that benefit only us.
Brokerage for Client Referrals
We do not receive client referrals from broker-dealers in exchange for cash or other compensation,
such as brokerage services or research.
Directed Brokerage
We routinely recommend that you direct our firm to execute transactions through Schwab. As such, we
may be unable to achieve the most favorable execution of your transactions and you may pay higher
brokerage commissions than you might otherwise pay through another broker-dealer that offers the
same types of services. Not all advisers require their clients to direct brokerage.
In limited circumstances, and at our discretion, some clients may instruct our firm to use one or more
particular brokers for the transactions in their accounts. If you choose to direct our firm to use a
particular broker, you should understand that this might prevent our firm from aggregating trades with
other client accounts or from effectively negotiating brokerage commissions on your behalf. This
practice may also prevent our firm from obtaining favorable net price and execution. Thus, when
directing brokerage business, you should consider whether the commission expenses, execution,
clearance, and settlement capabilities that you will obtain through your broker are adequately favorable
in comparison to those that we would otherwise obtain for you.
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Block Trades
We combine multiple orders for shares of the same securities purchased for advisory accounts we
manage (this practice is commonly referred to as "block trading"). We will then distribute a portion of
the shares to participating accounts in a fair and equitable manner. The distribution of the shares
purchased is typically proportionate to the size of the account, but it is not based on account
performance or the amount or structure of management fees. Subject to our discretion regarding
factual and market conditions, when we combine orders, each participating account pays an average
price per share for all transactions and pays a proportionate share of all transaction costs. Accounts
owned by our firm or persons associated with our firm may participate in block trading with your
accounts; however, they will not be given preferential treatment.
Mutual Fund Share Classes
Mutual funds are sold with different share classes, which carry different cost structures. Each available
share class is described in the mutual fund's prospectus. When we purchase, or recommend the
purchase of, mutual funds for a client, we select the share class that is deemed to be in the client's
best interest, taking into consideration cost (e.g., sales loads, 12b-1 fees), tax implications, transaction
costs, and other factors. When the fund is available for purchase at net asset value, we will purchase,
or recommend the purchase of, the fund at net asset value. We also review the mutual funds held in
accounts that come under our management to determine whether a more beneficial share class is
available, considering cost, tax implications, and the impact of contingent deferred sales charges.
Generally, we will select Institutional share class, which do not have 12b-1 fees or sales load.
However, transaction costs are typically imposed on Institutional share classes; therefore, we will
recommend a higher share class with respect to accounts under $10,000 and/or accounts in which
transaction costs are expected to exceed the fees associated with a higher share class.
The share class selection for 529 college savings plans may be limited to non-institutional share
classes. As such, you may not receive the best share class available for all 529 plans; however, when
a lower-cost share class becomes available within an existing 529 plan, we will recommend the lower
cost share class provided its in the client's best interest taking other costs into consideration.
Item 13 Review of Accounts
Andrew M. Price, CFP, Chief Compliance Officer/President, of Bright Financial Advisors, Inc. will
monitor your accounts on a periodic basis. We recommend a formal account review with clients at
least annually to ensure the advisory services provided to you and that the portfolio mix is consistent
with your current investment needs and objectives. Additional reviews may be conducted based on
various circumstances, including, but not limited to:
• contributions and withdrawals,
• year-end tax planning,
• market moving events,
• security specific events, and/or,
• changes in your risk/return objectives.
We will not provide you with additional or regular written reports in conjunction with account reviews.
You will receive trade confirmations and monthly or quarterly statements from your account
custodian(s).
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Reviews of financial plans are available at the client's request. Updates to written financial plans may
be provided in conjunction with the review. Such reviews and updates may be subject to our current
hourly rate.
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation
We do not compensate any individual or firm for client referrals.
Refer to the Brokerage Practices section above for disclosures on research and other benefits we may
receive resulting from our relationship with Schwab.
As disclosed under the Fees and Compensation section in this Brochure, persons providing investment
advice on behalf of our firm are licensed insurance agents. For information on the conflicts of interest
this presents, and how we address these conflicts, refer to the Fees and Compensation section.
Item 15 Custody
We directly debit your account(s) for the payment of our advisory fees. This ability to deduct our
advisory fees from your accounts causes our firm to exercise limited custody over your funds or
securities. We do not have physical custody of any of your funds and/or securities. Your funds and
securities will be held with a bank, broker-dealer, or other independent, qualified custodian. You will
receive account statements from the independent, qualified custodian(s) holding your funds and
securities at least quarterly. The account statements from your custodian(s) will indicate the amount of
our advisory fees deducted from your account(s) each billing period. You should carefully review
account statements for accuracy
You should compare our statements with the statements from your account custodian(s) to reconcile
the information reflected on each statement. If you have a question regarding your account statement
or if you did not receive a statement from your custodian, please contact us at the phone number listed
on the cover page of this brochure.
Use of Client Log-in Credentials
Our firm or persons associated with our firm may be in possession of client log-on information to the
client's investment accounts. In general, where our account access gives us the ability to control client
funds and securities, we are deemed to have custody. We do not have physical custody of any of your
funds and/or securities. Your funds and securities will be held with a bank, broker-dealer or other
independent, qualified custodian.
Item 16 Investment Discretion
Before we can buy or sell securities on your behalf, you must first sign our discretionary management
agreement, and a limited power of attorney and/or trading authorization forms from your account
custodian.
You may grant our firm discretion over the selection and amount of securities to be purchased or sold
for your account(s) without obtaining your consent or approval prior to each transaction. Refer to the
Advisory Business section in this Brochure for more information on our discretionary management
services.
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Item 17 Voting Client Securities
Proxy Voting
We will not vote proxies on behalf of your advisory accounts. At your request, we may offer you advice
regarding corporate actions and the exercise of your proxy voting rights. If you own shares of common
stock or mutual funds, you are responsible for exercising your right to vote as a shareholder.
In most cases, you will receive proxy materials directly from the account custodian. However, in the
event we were to receive any written or electronic proxy materials, we would forward them directly to
you by mail, unless you have authorized our firm to contact you by electronic mail, in which case, we
would forward any electronic solicitation to vote proxies.
Item 18 Financial Information
We are not required to provide financial information to our clients because we do not:
require the prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees and six or more months in advance, or
take custody of client funds or securities, or
•
•
• have a financial condition that is reasonably likely to impair our ability to meet our commitments
to you.
Item 19 Requirements for State Registered Advisers
Bright Financial Advisors, Inc. is SEC registered.
Additional Information
Your Privacy
We view protecting your private information as a top priority. Pursuant to applicable privacy
requirements, we have instituted policies and procedures to ensure that we keep your personal
information private and secure.
We do not disclose any nonpublic personal information about you to any nonaffiliated third parties,
except as permitted by law. In the course of servicing your account, we may share some information
with our service providers, such as transfer agents, custodians, broker-dealers, accountants,
consultants, and attorneys.
We restrict internal access to nonpublic personal information about you to employees, who need that
information in order to provide products or services to you. We maintain physical and procedural
safeguards that comply with regulatory standards to guard your nonpublic personal information and to
ensure our integrity and confidentiality. We will never sell information about you or your accounts to
anyone. We do not share your information unless it is required to process a transaction, at your
request, or required by law.
You will receive a copy of our privacy notice prior to or at the time you sign an advisory agreement with
our firm. Thereafter, we will deliver a copy of the current privacy policy notice to you on an annual
basis. Please contact us at the number listed on the cover of this brochure if you have any questions
regarding this policy.
Trade Errors
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In the event a trading error occurs in your account, our policy is to restore your account to the position
it should have been in had the trading error not occurred. Depending on the circumstances, corrective
actions may include canceling the trade, adjusting an allocation, and/or reimbursing the account. If a
trade error results in a profit, you will keep the profit.
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