Overview

Assets Under Management: $357 million
Headquarters: PRINCETON, NJ
High-Net-Worth Clients: 74
Average Client Assets: $4 million

Services Offered

Services: Portfolio Management for Individuals, Portfolio Management for Institutional Clients

Fee Structure

Primary Fee Schedule (20250625 CLA ADV PART 2A)

MinMaxMarginal Fee Rate
$0 and above 1.50%
Illustrative Fee Rates
Total AssetsAnnual FeesAverage Fee Rate
$1 million $15,000 1.50%
$5 million $75,000 1.50%
$10 million $150,000 1.50%
$50 million $750,000 1.50%
$100 million $1,500,000 1.50%

Clients

Number of High-Net-Worth Clients: 74
Percentage of Firm Assets Belonging to High-Net-Worth Clients: 85.61
Average High-Net-Worth Client Assets: $4 million
Total Client Accounts: 396
Discretionary Accounts: 370
Non-Discretionary Accounts: 26

Regulatory Filings

CRD Number: 330024
Last Filing Date: 2024-12-18 00:00:00
Website: https://swayzellc.com

Form ADV Documents

Primary Brochure: 20250625 CLA ADV PART 2A (2025-06-27)

View Document Text
Item 1: Cover Page Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure June 25, 2025 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC 100 Overlook Center, 2nd Floor Princeton, NJ 08540 609-955-3667 http://carnegielakeadvisorsllc.com Firm Contact: Ashleigh Swayze Chief Compliance Officer This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC. If clients have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us at 609-955-3667. 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 also available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov by searching CRD #330024. Please note that the use of the term “registered investment adviser” and description of our firm and/or our associates as “registered” does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Clients are encouraged to review this Brochure and Brochure Supplements for our firm’s associates who advise clients for more information on the qualifications of our firm and our employees. Item 2: Material Changes Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC is required to notify clients of any information that has changed since the last annual update of the Firm Brochure (“Brochure”) that may be important to them. Clients can request a full copy of our Brochure or contact us with any questions that they may have about the changes. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 2 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC Item 3: Table of Contents 1 2 3 4 5 6 6 6 13 13 13 14 18 19 19 20 20 21 Item 1: Cover Page ................................................................................................................................................................... Item 2: Material Changes ....................................................................................................................................................... Item 3: Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................................................... Item 4: Advisory Business .................................................................................................................................................... Item 5: Fees & Compensation .............................................................................................................................................. Item 6: Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management ............................................................................ Item 7: Types of Clients & Account Requirements ..................................................................................................... Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss ..................................................................... Item 9: Disciplinary Information .................................................................................................................................... Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations .................................................................................. Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in ................................................................................................................. Item 12: Brokerage Practices ........................................................................................................................................... Item 13: Review of Accounts or Financial Plans ...................................................................................................... Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation ..................................................................................................... Item 15: Custody .................................................................................................................................................................... Item 16: Investment Discretion ....................................................................................................................................... Item 17: Voting Client Securities ..................................................................................................................................... Item 18: Financial Information ........................................................................................................................................ ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 3 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC Item 4: Advisory Business Our firm is dedicated to providing individuals and other types of clients with a wide array of investment advisory services. Our firm is a limited liability company formed under the laws of the State of New Jersey in 2024 and has been in business as an investment adviser since that time. Our firm is owned by Eckart Weeck (50%) and Ellen Sandler (50%). The purpose of this Brochure is to disclose the conflicts of interest associated with the investment transactions, compensation and any other matters related to investment decisions made by our firm or its representatives. As a fiduciary, it is our duty to always act in the client’s best interest. This is accomplished in part by knowing our client. Our firm has established a service-oriented advisory practice with open lines of communication for many different types of clients to help meet their financial goals while remaining sensitive to risk tolerance and time horizons. Working with clients to understand their investment objectives while educating them about our process, facilitates the kind of working relationship we value. Types of Advisory Services Offered Asset Management: As part of our Asset Management service, a portfolio is created, consisting of individual stocks, bonds, exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), options, mutual funds and other public and private securities or investments. The client’s individual investment strategy is tailored to their specific needs and may include some or all of the previously mentioned securities. Portfolios will be designed to meet a particular investment goal, determined to be suitable to the client’s circumstances. Once the appropriate portfolio has been determined, portfolios are continuously and regularly monitored, and if necessary, rebalanced based upon the client’s individual needs, stated goals and objectives. Tailoring of Advisory Services Our firm offers individualized investment advice to our Asset Management clients. Our firm does not usually allow Asset Management clients to impose restrictions on investing in certain securities or types of securities due to the level of difficulty this would entail in managing their account. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis. Participation in Wrap Fee Programs Our firm does not offer or sponsor a wrap fee program. Regulatory Assets Under Management As of January 20, 2025 our firm has $374,441,960 in assets under management. Of this total, $328,118,033 is managed on a discretionary basis. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 4 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC Item 5: Fees & Compensation Compensation for Our Advisory Services Asset Management: The maximum annual fee charged for this service will not exceed 1.50%. Fees to be assessed will be outlined in the advisory agreement to be signed by the client. Our firm bills on cash unless indicated otherwise in writing. Annualized fees are billed on a pro-rata basis quarterly in arrears based on the value of the account(s) on the last day of the quarter. Fees are negotiable and will be deducted from client account(s). Adjustments will be made for deposits and withdrawals during the quarter. In rare cases, our firm will agree to directly invoice. As part of this process, Clients understand the following: a) b) c) The client’s independent custodian sends statements at least quarterly showing the market values for each security included in the Assets and all account disbursements, including the amount of the advisory fees paid to our firm; Clients will provide authorization permitting our firm to be directly paid by these terms. Our firm will send an invoice directly to the custodian; and If our firm sends a copy of our invoice to the client, a legend urging the comparison of information provided in our statement with those from the qualified custodian will be included. Other Types of Fees & Expenses Clients will incur transaction fees for trades executed by their chosen custodian, either based on a percentage of the dollar amount of assets in the account(s) or via individual transaction charges. These transaction fees are separate from our firm’s advisory fees and will be disclosed by the chosen custodian. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”) does not charge transaction fees for U.S. listed equities and exchange traded funds. Clients may also pay holdings charges imposed by the chosen custodian for certain investments, charges imposed directly by a mutual fund, index fund, or exchange traded fund, which shall be disclosed in the fund’s prospectus (e.g., fund management fees and other fund expenses), distribution fees, surrender charges, variable annuity fees, IRA and qualified retirement plan fees, mark-ups and mark-downs, spreads paid to market makers, fees for trades executed away from custodian, wire transfer fees and other fees and taxes on brokerage accounts and securities transactions. Our firm does not receive a portion of these fees. Termination & Refunds Either party may terminate the advisory agreement signed with our firm for Asset Management service in writing at any time. Upon notice of termination pro-rata advisory fees for services rendered to the point of termination will be charged. If advisory fees cannot be deducted, our firm will send an invoice for due advisory fees to the client. Commissionable Securities Sales Our firm and representatives do not sell securities for a commission in advisory accounts. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 5 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC Item 6: Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management Our firm does not charge performance-based fees. Item 7: Types of Clients & Account Requirements Our firm has the following types of clients: • • • • Individuals and High Net Worth Individuals; Trusts, Estates or Charitable Organizations; Pension and Profit Sharing Plans; Corporations, Limited Liability Companies and/or Other Business Types • Our requirements for opening and maintaining accounts or otherwise engaging us: Our firm generally requires a minimum account balance of $250,000 for our Asset Management service. Generally, this minimum account balance requirement is reserved at the discretion of our firm. Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss Methods of Analysis We use the following methods of analysis in formulating our investment advice and/or managing client assets: Cyclical Analysis: Statistical analysis of specific events occurring at a sufficient number of relatively predictable intervals that they can be forecasted into the future. Cyclical analysis asserts that cyclical forces drive price movements in the financial markets. Risks include that cycles may invert or disappear and there is no expectation that this type of analysis will pinpoint turning points, instead be used in conjunction with other methods of analysis. Fundamental Analysis: The analysis of a business's financial statements (usually to analyze the business's assets, liabilities, and earnings), health, and its competitors and markets. When analyzing a stock, futures contract, or currency using fundamental analysis there are two basic approaches one can use: bottom up analysis and top down analysis. The terms are used to distinguish such analysis from other types of investment analysis, such as quantitative and technical. Fundamental analysis is performed on historical and present data, but with the goal of making financial forecasts. There are several possible objectives: (a) to conduct a company stock valuation and predict its probable price evolution; (b) to make a projection on its business performance; (c) to evaluate its management and make internal business decisions; (d) and/or to calculate its credit risk.; and (e) to find out the intrinsic value of the share. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 6 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC When the objective of the analysis is to determine what stock to buy and at what price, there are two basic methodologies investors rely upon: (a) Fundamental analysis maintains that markets may misprice a security in the short run but that the "correct" price will eventually be reached. Profits can be made by purchasing the mispriced security and then waiting for the market to recognize its "mistake" and reprice the security.; and (b) Technical analysis maintains that all information is reflected already in the price of a security. Technical analysts analyze trends and believe that sentiment changes predate and predict trend changes. Investors' emotional responses to price movements lead to recognizable price chart patterns. Technical analysts also analyze historical trends to predict future price movement. Investors can use one or both of these different but complementary methods for stock picking. This presents a potential risk, as the price of a security can move up or down along with the overall market regardless of the economic and financial factors considered in evaluating the stock. Qualitative Analysis: A securities analysis that uses subjective judgment based on unquantifiable information, such as management expertise, industry cycles, strength of research and development, and labor relations. Qualitative analysis contrasts with quantitative analysis, which focuses on numbers that can be found on reports such as balance sheets. The two techniques, however, will often be used together in order to examine a company's operations and evaluate its potential as an investment opportunity. Qualitative analysis deals with intangible, inexact concerns that belong to the social and experiential realm rather than the mathematical one. This approach depends on the kind of intelligence that machines (currently) lack, since things like positive associations with a brand, management trustworthiness, customer satisfaction, competitive advantage and cultural shifts are difficult, arguably impossible, to capture with numerical inputs. A risk in using qualitative analysis is that subjective judgment may prove incorrect. Investment Strategies We Use We use the following strategies in managing client accounts, provided that such strategies are appropriate to the needs of the client and consistent with the client's investment objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizons, among other considerations: Asset Allocation: The implementation of an investment strategy that attempts to balance risk versus reward by adjusting the percentage of each asset in an investment portfolio according to the investor's risk tolerance, goals and investment time frame. Asset allocation is based on the principle that different assets perform differently in different market and economic conditions. A fundamental justification for asset allocation is the notion that different asset classes offer returns that are not perfectly correlated, hence diversification reduces the overall risk in terms of the variability of returns for a given level of expected return. Although risk is reduced as long as correlations are not perfect, it is typically forecast (wholly or in part) based on statistical relationships (like correlation and variance) that existed over some past period. Expectations for return are often derived in the same way. An asset class is a group of economic resources sharing similar characteristics, such as riskiness and return. There are many types of assets that may or may not be included in an asset allocation strategy. The "traditional" asset classes are stocks (value, dividend, growth, or sector-specific [or a "blend" of any two or more of the preceding]; large-cap versus mid-cap, small-cap or micro-cap; domestic, foreign [developed], emerging or frontier markets), bonds (fixed income securities more generally: investment-grade or junk [high-yield]; government or corporate; short-term, intermediate, long- term; domestic, foreign, emerging markets), and cash or cash equivalents. Allocation among these three provides a starting point. Usually included are hybrid instruments such as convertible bonds ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 7 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC and preferred stocks, counting as a mixture of bonds and stocks. Other alternative assets that may be considered include: commodities: precious metals, nonferrous metals, agriculture, energy, others.; Commercial or residential real estate (also REITs); Collectibles such as art, coins, or stamps; insurance products (annuity, life settlements, catastrophe bonds, personal life insurance products, etc.); derivatives such as long-short or market neutral strategies, options, collateralized debt, and futures; foreign currency; venture capital; private equity; and/or distressed securities. • There are several types of asset allocation strategies based on investment goals, risk tolerance, time frames and diversification. The most common forms of asset allocation are: strategic, dynamic, tactical, and core-satellite. • • • Strategic Asset Allocation: The primary goal of a strategic asset allocation is to create an asset mix that seeks to provide the optimal balance between expected risk and return for a long- term investment horizon. Generally speaking, strategic asset allocation strategies are agnostic to economic environments, i.e., they do not change their allocation postures relative to changing market or economic conditions. Dynamic Asset Allocation: Dynamic asset allocation is similar to strategic asset allocation in that portfolios are built by allocating to an asset mix that seeks to provide the optimal balance between expected risk and return for a long-term investment horizon. Like strategic allocation strategies, dynamic strategies largely retain exposure to their original asset classes; however, unlike strategic strategies, dynamic asset allocation portfolios will adjust their postures over time relative to changes in the economic environment. Tactical Asset Allocation: Tactical asset allocation is a strategy in which an investor takes a more active approach that tries to position a portfolio into those assets, sectors, or individual stocks that show the most potential for perceived gains. While an original asset mix is formulated much like strategic and dynamic portfolio, tactical strategies are often traded more actively and are free to move entirely in and out of their core assetclasses Core-Satellite Asset Allocation: Core-Satellite allocation strategies generally contain a 'core' strategic element making up the most significant portion of the portfolio, while applying a dynamic or tactical 'satellite' strategy that makes up a smaller part of the portfolio. In this way, core-satellite allocation strategies are a hybrid of the strategic and dynamic/tactical allocation strategies mentioned above. Duration Constraints: Our firm adhere to a discipline of generally maintaining duration within a narrow band around benchmark duration in order to limit exposure to market risk. Our portfolio management team rebalances client portfolios to their current duration targets on a periodic basis. The risk of constraining duration is that the client may not participate fully in a large rally in bond prices. Exchange Traded Funds (“ETFs”): An ETF is a type of Investment Company (usually, an open-end fund or unit investment trust) whose primary objective is to achieve the same return as a particular market index. The vast majority of ETFs are designed to track an index, so their performance is close to that of an index mutual fund, but they are not exact duplicates. A tracking error, or the difference between the returns of a fund and the returns of the index, can arise due to differences in composition, management fees, expenses, and handling of dividends. ETFs benefit from continuous pricing; they can be bought and sold on a stock exchange throughout the trading day. Because ETFs trade like stocks, you can place orders just like with individual stocks - such as limit orders, good- until-canceled orders, stop loss orders etc. They can also be sold short. Traditional mutual funds are bought and redeemed based on their net asset values (“NAV”) at the end of the day. ETFs are bought and sold at the market prices on the exchanges, which resemble the underlying NAV but are independent of it. However, arbitrageurs will ensure that ETF prices are kept very close to the NAV ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 8 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC of the underlying securities. Although an investor can buy as few as one share of an ETF, most buy in board lots. Anything bought in less than a board lot will increase the cost to the investor. Anyone can buy any ETF no matter where in the world it trades. This provides a benefit over mutual funds, which generally can only be bought in the country in which they are registered. One of the main features of ETFs are their low annual fees, especially when compared to traditional mutual funds. The passive nature of index investing, reduced marketing, and distribution and accounting expenses all contribute to the lower fees. However, individual investors must pay a brokerage commission to purchase and sell ETF shares; for those investors who trade frequently, this can significantly increase the cost of investing in ETFs. That said, with the advent of low-cost brokerage fees, small or frequent purchases of ETFs are becoming more cost efficient. Fixed Income: Fixed income is a type of investing or budgeting style for which real return rates or periodic income is received at regular intervals and at reasonably predictable levels. Fixed-income investors are typically retired individuals who rely on their investments to provide a regular, stable income stream. This demographic tends to invest heavily in fixed-income investments because of the reliable returns they offer. Fixed-income investors who live on set amounts of periodically paid income face the risk of inflation eroding their spending power. Some examples of fixed-income investments include treasuries, money market instruments, corporate bonds, asset-backed securities, municipal bonds and international bonds. The primary risk associated with fixed-income investments is the borrower defaulting on his payment. Other considerations include exchange rate risk for international bonds and interest rate risk for longer- dated securities. The most common type of fixed-income security is a bond. Bonds are issued by federal governments, local municipalities and major corporations. Fixed-income securities are recommended for investors seeking a diverse portfolio; however, the percentage of the portfolio dedicated to fixed income depends on your own personal investment style. There is also an opportunity to diversify the fixed-income component of a portfolio. Riskier fixed-income products, such as junk bonds and longer-dated products, should comprise a lower percentage of your overall portfolio. The interest payment on fixed-income securities is considered regular income and is determined based on the creditworthiness of the borrower and current market rates. In general, bonds and fixed- income securities with longer-dated maturities pay a higher rate, also referred to as the coupon rate, because they are considered riskier. The longer the security is on the market, the more time it has to lose its value and/or default. At the end of the bond term, or at bond maturity, the borrower returns the amount borrowed, also referred to as the principal or par value. Long-Term Purchases: Our firm may buy securities for your account and hold them for a relatively long time (more than a year) in anticipation that the security’s value will appreciate over a long horizon. The risk of this strategy is that our firm could miss out on potential short-term gains that could have been profitable to your account, or it’s possible that the security’s value may decline sharply before our firm makes a decision to sell. Mutual Funds : A mutual fund is a company that pools money from many investors and invests that money in a variety of differing security types based on the objectives of the fund. The portfolio of the fund consists of the combined holdings it owns. Each share represents an investor’s proportionate ownership of the fund’s holdings and the income those holdings generate. The price that investors pay for mutual fund shares are the fund’s per share net asset value (“NAV”) plus any shareholder fees that the fund imposes at the time of purchase (such as sales loads). Investors typically cannot ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 9 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC ascertain the exact make-up of a fund’s portfolio at any given time, nor can they directly influence which securities the fund manager buys and sells or the timing of those trades. With an individual stock, investors can obtain real-time (or close to real-time) pricing information with relative ease by checking financial websites or by calling a broker or your investment adviser. Investors can also monitor how a stock’s price changes from hour to hour—or even second to second. By contrast, with a mutual fund, the price at which an investor purchases or redeems shares will typically depend on the fund’s NAV, which is calculated daily after market close. The benefits of investing through mutual funds include: (a) Mutual funds are professionally managed by an investment adviser who researches, selects, and monitors the performance of the securities purchased by the fund; (b) Mutual funds typically have the benefit of diversification, which is an investing strategy that generally sums up as “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” Spreading investments across a wide range of companies and industry sectors can help lower the risk if a company or sector fails. Some investors find it easier to achieve diversification through ownership of mutual funds rather than through ownership of individual stocks or bonds.; (c) Some mutual funds accommodate investors who do not have a lot of money to invest by setting relatively low dollar amounts for initial purchases, subsequent monthly purchases, or both.; and (d) At any time, mutual fund investors can readily redeem their shares at the current NAV, less any fees and charges assessed on redemption. Mutual funds also have features that some investors might view as disadvantages: (a) Investors must pay sales charges, annual fees, and other expenses regardless of how the fund performs. Depending on the timing of their investment, investors may also have to pay taxes on any capital gains distributions they receive. This includes instances where the fund performed poorly after purchasing shares.; (b) Investors typically cannot ascertain the exact make-up of a fund’s portfolio at any given time, nor can they directly influence which securities the fund manager buys and sells or the timing of those trades.; and (c) With an individual stock, investors can obtain real-time (or close to real- time) pricing information with relative ease by checking financial websites or by calling a broker or your investment adviser. Investors can also monitor how a stock’s price changes from hour to hour— or even second to second. By contrast, with a mutual fund, the price at which an investor purchases or redeems shares will typically depend on the fund’s NAV, which the fund might not calculate until many hours after the investor placed the order. In general, mutual funds must calculate their NAV at least once every business day, typically after the major U.S. exchanges close. When investors buy and hold an individual stock or bond, the investor must pay income tax each year on the dividends or interest the investor receives. However, the investor will not have to pay any capital gains tax until the investor actually sells and makes a profit. Mutual funds, however, are different. When an investor buys and holds mutual fund shares, the investor will owe income tax on any ordinary dividends in the year the investor receives or reinvests them. Moreover, in addition to owing taxes on any personal capital gains when the investor sells shares, the investor may have to pay taxes each year on the fund’s capital gains. That is because the law requires mutual funds to distribute capital gains to shareholders if they sell securities for a profit, and cannot use losses to offset these gains. Options : An option is a financial derivative that represents a contract sold by one party (the option writer) to another party (the option holder, or option buyer). The contract offers the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a security or other financial asset at an agreed-upon price (the strike price) during a certain period of time or on a specific date (exercise date). Options are extremely versatile securities. Traders use options to speculate, which is a relatively risky practice, ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 10 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC while hedgers use options to reduce the risk of holding an asset. In terms of speculation, option buyers and writers have conflicting views regarding the outlook on the performance of a: • Call Option : Call options give the option to buy at certain price, so the buyer would want the stock to go up. Conversely, the option writer needs to provide the underlying shares in the event that the stock's market price exceeds the strike due to the contractual obligation. An option writer who sells a call option believes that the underlying stock's price will drop relative to the option's strike price during the life of the option, as that is how he will reap maximum profit. This is exactly the opposite outlook of the option buyer. The buyer believes that the underlying stock will rise; if this happens, the buyer will be able to acquire the stock for a lower price and then sell it for a profit. However, if the underlying stock does not close above the strike price on the expiration date, the option buyer would lose the premium paid for the call option. • Put Option : Put options give the option to sell at a certain price, so the buyer would want the stock to go down. The opposite is true for put option writers. For example, a put option buyer is bearish on the underlying stock and believes its market price will fall below the specified strike price on or before a specified date. On the other hand, an option writer who sells a put option believes the underlying stock's price will increase about a specified price on or before the expiration date. If the underlying stock's price closes above the specified strike price on the expiration date, the put option writer's maximum profit is achieved. Conversely, a put option holder would only benefit from a fall in the underlying stock's price below the strike price. If the underlying stock's price falls below the strike price, the put option writer is obligated to purchase shares of the underlying stock at the strike price. The potential risks associated with these transactions are that (1) all options expire. The closer the option gets to expiration, the quicker the premium in the option deteriorates; and (2) Prices can move very quickly. Depending on factors such as time until expiration and the relationship of the stock price to the option’s strike price, small movements in a stock can translate into big movements in the underlying options. Short-Term Purchases: When utilizing this strategy, our firm may also purchase securities with the idea of selling them within a relatively short time (typically a year or less). Our firm does this in an attempt to take advantage of conditions that our firm believes will soon result in a price swing in the securities our firm purchase. Risk of Loss Investing in securities involves risk of loss that clients should be prepared to bear. While the stock market may increase and the account(s) could enjoy a gain, it is also possible that the stock market may decrease and the account(s) could suffer a loss. It is important that clients understand the risks associated with investing in the stock market, and that their assets are appropriately diversified in investments. Clients are encouraged to ask our firm any questions regarding their risk tolerance. Capital Risk: Capital risk is one of the most basic, fundamental risks of investing; it is the risk that you may lose 100% of your money. All investments carry some form of risk and the loss of capital is generally a risk for any investment instrument. Company Risk: When investing in stock positions, there is always a certain level of company or industry specific risk that is inherent in each investment. This is also referred to as unsystematic risk ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 11 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC and can be reduced through appropriate diversification. There is the risk that the company will perform poorly or have its value reduced based on factors specific to the company or its industry. For example, if a company’s employees go on strike or the company receives unfavorable media attention for its actions, the value of the company may be reduced. Economic Risk: The prevailing economic environment is important to the health of all businesses. Some companies, however, are more sensitive to changes in the domestic or global economy than others. These types of companies are often referred to as cyclical businesses. Countries in which a large portion of businesses are in cyclical industries are thus also very economically sensitive and carry a higher amount of economic risk. If an investment is issued by a party located in a country that experiences wide swings from an economic standpoint or in situations where certain elements of an investment instrument are hinged on dealings in such countries, the investment instrument will generally be subject to a higher level of economic risk. ETF & Mutual Fund Risk : When investing in an ETF or mutual fund, you will bear additional expenses based on your pro rata share of the ETF’s or mutual fund’s operating expenses, including the potential duplication of management fees. The risk of owning an ETF or mutual fund generally reflects the risks of owning the underlying securities, the ETF, or mutual fund holds. Clients will also incur brokerage costs when purchasing ETFs. Financial Risk: Financial risk is represented by internal disruptions within an investment or the issuer of an investment that can lead to unfavorable performance of the investment. Examples of financial risk can be found in cases like Enron or many of the dot com companies that were caught up in a period of extraordinary market valuations that were not based on solid financial footings of the companies. Inflation Risk : Inflation risk involves the concern that in the future, your investment or proceeds from your investment will not be worth what they are today. Throughout time, the prices of resources and end-user products generally increase and thus, the same general goods and products today will likely be more expensive in the future. The longer an investment is held, the greater the chance that the proceeds from that investment will be worth less in the future than what they are today. Said another way, a dollar tomorrow will likely get you less than what it can today. Manager Risk: There is always the possibility that poor security selection will cause your investments to underperform relative to benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective. Market Risk: The value of your portfolio may decrease if the value of an individual company or multiple companies in the portfolio decreases or if our belief about a company’s intrinsic worth is incorrect. Further, regardless of how well individual companies perform, the value of your portfolio could also decrease if there are deteriorating economic or market conditions. It is important to understand that the value of your investment may fall, sometimes sharply, in response to changes in the market, and you could lose money. Investment risks include price risk as may be observed by a drop in a security’s price due to company specific events (e.g. earnings disappointment or downgrade in the rating of a bond) or general market risk (e.g. such as a “bear” market when stock values fall in general). For fixed-income securities, a period of rising interest rates could erode the value of a bond since bond values generally fall as bond yields go up. Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 12 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC Operational Risk: Operational risk can be experienced when an issuer of an investment product is unable to carry out the business it has planned to execute. Operational risk can be experienced as a result of human failure, operational inefficiencies, system failures, or the failure of other processes critical to the business operations of the issuer or counter party to the investment. Strategy Risk: There is no guarantee that the investment strategies discussed herein will work under all market conditions and each investor should evaluate his/her ability to maintain any investment he/she is considering in light of his/her own investment time horizon. Investments are subject to risk, including possible loss of principal. Description of Material, Significant or Unusual Risks Our firm generally invests client cash balances in money market funds, FDIC Insured Certificates of Deposit, high-grade commercial paper and/or government backed debt instruments. Ultimately, our firm tries to achieve the highest return on client cash balances through relatively low-risk conservative investments. In most cases, at least a partial cash balance will be maintained in a money market account so that our firm may debit advisory fees for our services related to our Comprehensive Portfolio Management services, as applicable. Item 9: Disciplinary Information In 2017, our Chief Compliance Officer, Ashleigh Swayze, signed a Consent Order with the Connecticut Department of Banking and Insurance. The underlying matter involved a client of Ms. Swayze’s that failed to register as an investment adviser representative in Connecticut. The state felt that Ms. Swayze’s firm should have followed this client’s activities and required her to register, despite not being engaged to do so. Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations Representatives of our firm may be insurance agents/brokers. They will not, however, be offering insurance products to clients of our firm nor will they receive customary fees as a result of insurance sales. Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions & Personal Trading As a fiduciary, it is an investmentadviser’s responsibility to provide fair and full disclosure of all material facts and to act solely in the best interest of each of our clients at all times. Our fiduciary duty is the underlying principle for our firm’s Code of Ethics, which includes procedures for personalsecurities ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 13 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC transaction and insider trading. Our firm requires all representatives to conduct business with the highest level of ethical standards and to comply with all federal and state securities laws at all times. Upon employment with our firm, and at least annually thereafter, all representatives of our firm will acknowledge receipt, understanding and compliance with our firm’s Code of Ethics. Our firm and representatives must conduct business in an honest, ethical, and fair manner and avoid all circumstances that might negatively affect or appear to affect our duty of complete loyalty to all clients. This disclosure is provided to give all clients a summary of our Code of Ethics. If a client or a potential client wishes to review our Code of Ethics in its entirety, a copy will be provided promptly upon request. Our firm recognizes that the personal investment transactions of our representatives demands the application of a Code of Ethics with high standards and requires that all such transactions be carried out in a way that does not endanger the interest of any client. At the same time, our firm also believes that if investment goals are similar for clients and for our representatives, it is logical, and even desirable, that there be common ownership of some securities. In order to prevent conflicts of interest, our firm has established procedures for transactions effected by 1 our representatives for their personal accounts . In order to monitor compliance with our personal trading policy, our firm has pre-clearance requirements and a quarterly securities transaction reporting system for all of our representatives. Neither our firm nor a related person recommends, buys or sells for client accounts, securities in which our firm or a related person has a material financial interest without prior disclosure to the client. Related persons of our firm may buy or sell securities and other investments that are also recommended to clients. In order to minimize this conflict of interest, our related persons will place client interests ahead of their own interests and adhere to our firm’s Code of Ethics, a copy of which is available upon request. Likewise, related persons of our firm buy or sell securities for themselves at or about the same time they buy or sell the same securities for client accounts. In order to minimize this conflict of interest, our related persons will place client interests ahead of their own interests and adhere to our firm’s Code of Ethics, a copy of which is available upon request. Further, our related persons will refrain from buying or selling securities that will be bought or sold in client accounts unless done so after the client execution or concurrently as a part of a block trade. Item 12: Brokerage Practices Custodian & Brokers Used Item 15 Our firm does not maintain custody of client assets (although our firm may be deemed to have Custody custody of client assets if give the authority to withdraw assets from client accounts. See , below). Client assets must be maintained in an account at a “qualified custodian,” generally a broker-dealer or bank. Our firm recommends that clients use the Schwab Advisor Services division 1 For purposes of the policy, our associate’s personal account generally includes any account (a) in the name of our associate, his/her spouse, his/her minor children or other dependents residing in the same household, (b) for which our associate is a trustee or executor, or (c) which our associate controls, including our client accounts which our associate controls and/or a member of his/her household has a direct or indirect beneficial interest in. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 14 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC of Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. (“Schwab”), a FINRA-registered broker-dealer, member SIPC, as the qualified custodian. Our firm is independently owned and operated, and not affiliated with Schwab. Schwab will hold client assets in a brokerage account and buy and sell securities when instructed. While our firm recommends that clients use Schwab as custodian/broker, clients will decide whether to do so and open an account with Schwab by entering into an account agreement directly with them. Our firm does not open the account. Even though the account is maintained at Schwab, our firm can still use other brokers to execute trades, as described in the next paragraph. How Brokers/Custodians Are Selected • Our firm seeks to recommend a custodian/broker who will hold client assets and execute transactions on terms that are overall most advantageous when compared to other available providers and their services. A wide range of factors are considered, including, but not limited to: • • • • • • • • combination of transaction execution services along with asset custody services (generally without a separate fee for custody) capability to execute, clear and settle trades (buy and sell securities for client accounts) capabilities to facilitate transfers and payments to and from accounts (wire transfers, check requests, bill payment, etc.) breadth of investment products made available (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange traded funds (ETFs), etc.) availability of investment research and tools that assist 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 them reputation, financial strength and stability of the provider prior service to our firm and our other clients Products & Services Available from Schwab availability of other products and services that benefit our firm, as discussed below (see ”) “ Custody & Brokerage Costs Schwab generally does not charge a separate for custody services, but is compensated by charging commissions or other fees to clients on trades that are executed or that settle into the Schwab account. For some accounts, Schwab may charge your account a percentage of the dollar amount of assets in the account in lieu of commissions. Schwab’s commission rates and/or asset-based fees applicable to client accounts were negotiated based on our firm’s commitment to maintain a minimum threshold of assets statement equity in accounts at Schwab. This commitment benefits clients because the overall commission rates and/or asset-based fees paid are lower than they would be if our firm had not made the commitment. In addition to commissions or asset-based fees, Schwab charges a flat dollar amount as a “prime broker” or “trade away” fee for each trade that our firm has executed by a different broker-dealer but where the securities bought or the funds from the securities sold are deposited (settled) into a Schwab account. These fees are in addition to the commissions or other compensation paid to the executing broker-dealer. Because of this, in order to minimize client trading costs, our firm has Schwab execute most trades for the accounts. Products & Services Available from Schwab Schwab Advisor Services is Schwab’s business serving independent investment advisory firms like our firm. They provide our firm and clients with access to its institutional brokerage – trading, ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 15 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC custody, reporting and related services – many of which are not typically available to Schwab retail customers. Schwab also makes available various support services. Some of those services help manage or administer our client accounts while others help manage and grow our business. Schwab’s support services are generally available on an unsolicited basis (our firm does not have to request them) and at no charge to our firm. The availability of Schwab’s products and services is not based on the provision of particular investment advice, such as purchasing particular securities for clients. Here is a more detailed description of Schwab’s support services: Services that Benefit Clients 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 our firm might not otherwise have access or that would require a significantly higher minimum initial investment by firm clients. Schwab’s services described in this paragraph generally benefit clients and their accounts. Services that May Not Directly Benefit Clients • Schwab also makes available other products and services that benefit our firm but may not directly benefit clients or their accounts. These products and services assist in managing and administering our client accounts. They include investment research, both Schwab’s and that of third parties. This research may be used to service all or some substantial number of client accounts, including accounts not maintained at Schwab. In addition to investment research, Schwab also makes available software and other technology that: • • • • provides access to client account data (such as duplicate trade confirmations and account statements); facilitates trade execution and allocate aggregated trade orders for multiple clientaccounts; provides pricing and other market data; facilitates payment of our fees from our clients’ accounts; and assists with back-office functions, recordkeeping and client reporting. Services that Generally Benefit Only Our Firm Schwab also offers other services intended to help manage and further develop our business enterprise. These services include: • • • • educational conferences and events technology, compliance, legal, and business consulting; publications and conferences on practice management and business succession; and access to employee benefits providers, human capital consultants and insurance providers. Schwab may provide some of these services itself. In other cases, Schwab will arrange for third-party vendors to provide the services to our firm. Schwab may also discount or waive fees for some of these services or pay all or a part of a third party’s fees. Schwab may also provide our firm with other benefits, such as occasional business entertainment for our personnel. Irrespective of direct or indirect benefits to our client through Schwab, our firm strives to enhance the client experience, help clients reach their goals and put client interests before that of our firm or associated persons. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 16 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC Our Interest in Schwab’s Services. The availability of these services from Schwab benefits our firm because our firm does not have to produce or purchase them. Our firm does not have to pay for these services, and they are not contingent upon committing any specific amount of business to Schwab in trading commissions or assets in custody. In light of our arrangements with Schwab, a conflict of interest exists as our firm may have incentive to require that clients maintain their accounts with Schwab based on our interest in receiving Schwab’s services that benefit our firm rather than based on client interest in receiving the best value in custody services and the most favorable execution of transactions. As part of our fiduciary duty to our clients, our firm will endeavor at all times to put the interests of our clients first. Clients should be aware, however, that the receipt of economic benefits by our firm or our related persons creates a potential conflict of interest and may indirectly influence our firm’s choice of Schwab as a custodial recommendation. Our firm examined this potential conflict of interest when our firm chose to recommend Schwab and have determined that the recommendation is in the best interest of our firm’s clients and satisfies our fiduciary obligations, including our duty to seekbestexecution. 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 broker-dealer’s services, including the value of research provided, execution capability, commission rates, and responsiveness. Although our firm will seek competitive rates, to the benefit of all clients, our firm may not necessarily obtain the lowest possible commission rates for specific client account transactions. Our firm believes that the selection of Schwab as a custodian and broker is the best interest of our clients. It is primarily supported by the scope, quality and price of Schwab’s services, and not Schwab’s services that only benefit our firm. Soft Dollars Our firm receives transition assistance benefits from Schwab. Aside from this, our firm does not receive soft dollars in excess of what is allowed by Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The safe harbor research products and services obtained by our firm will generally be used to service all of our clients but not necessarily all at any one particular time. Client Brokerage Commissions Schwab does not make client brokerage commissions generated by client transactions available for our firm’s use. Client Transactions in Return for Soft Dollars Our firm does not direct client transactions to a particular broker-dealer in return for soft dollar benefits. Brokerage for Client Referrals Our firm does not receive brokerage for client referrals. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 17 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC Directed Brokerage Neither our firm nor any of our firm’s representatives have discretionary authority in making the determination of the brokers-dealers and/or custodians with whom orders for the purchase or sale of securities are placed for execution, and the commission rates at which such securities transactions are affected. Our firm routinely recommends that clients direct us to execute through a specified broker-dealer. Our firm recommends the use of Schwab. Each client will be strongly recommended to establish their account(s) with Schwab if not already done. Please note that not all advisers have this recommendation. Client-Directed Brokerage Our firm generally does not allow client-directed brokerage outside our recommendations. Aggregation of Purchase or Sale Our firm provides investment management services for various clients. There are occasions on which portfolio transactions may be executed as part of concurrent authorizations to purchase or sell the same security for numerous accounts served by our firm, which involve accounts with similar investment objectives. Although such concurrent authorizations potentially could be either advantageous or disadvantageous to any one or more particular accounts, they are affected only when our firm believes that to do so will be in the best interest of the effected accounts. When such concurrent authorizations occur, the objective is to allocate the executions in a manner which is deemed equitable to the accounts involved. In any given situation, our firm attempts to allocate trade executions in the most equitable manner possible, taking into consideration client objectives, current asset allocation and availability of funds using price averaging, proration and consistently non-arbitrary methods of allocation. Item 13: Review of Accounts or Financial Plans Our management personnel or financial advisors review accounts on at least a quarterly basis for our Asset Management clients. The nature of these reviews is to learn whether client accounts are in line with their investment objectives, appropriately positioned based on market conditions, and investment policies, if applicable. Our firm does not provide written reports to clients, unless asked to do so. Verbal reports to clients take place on at least an annual basis when our Asset Management clients are contacted. Our firm may review client accounts more frequently than described above. Among the factors which may trigger an off-cycle review are major market or economic events, the client’s life events, requests by the client, etc. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 18 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. (see Item 12 – Brokerage Practices) Our firm receives economic benefit from Schwab in the form of the support products and services made available to our firm and other independent investment advisors that have their clients maintain accounts at Schwab. These products and services, how they benefit our firm, and the related . The availability of conflicts of interest are described above Schwab’s products and services is not based on our firm giving particular investment advice, such as Client Referrals buying particular securities for our clients. In accordance with Rule 206 (4)-1 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, our firm provides cash or non-cash compensation directly or indirectly to unaffiliated persons for testimonials or endorsements (which include client referrals). Such compensation arrangements will not result in higher costs to the referred client. In this regard, our firm maintains a written agreement with each unaffiliated person that is compensated for testimonials or endorsements in an aggregate amount of $1,000 or more (or the equivalent value in non-cash compensation) over a trailing 12-month period in compliance with Rule 206 (4)-1 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and applicable state and federal laws. The following information will be disclosed clearly and prominently to referred prospective clients at the time of each testimonial or endorsement: • • • Whether or not the unaffiliated person is a current client of our firm, A description of the cash or non-cash compensation provided directly or indirectly by our firm to the unaffiliated person in exchange for the referral, if applicable, and A brief statement of any material conflicts of interest on the part of the unaffiliated person giving the referral resulting from our firm’s relationship with such unaffiliated person. In cases where state law requires licensure of solicitors, our firm ensures that no solicitation fees are paid unless the solicitor is registered as an investment adviser representative of our firm. If our firm is paying solicitation fees to another registered investment adviser, the licensure of individuals is the other firm’s responsibility. Item 15: Custody Deduction of Advisory Fees: While our firm does not maintain physical custody of client assets (which are maintained by a qualified custodian, as discussed above), we are deemed to have custody of certain client assets if given the authority to withdraw assets from client accounts, as further described below under “Third Party Money Movement.” All of our clients receive account statements directly from their qualified custodian(s) at least quarterly upon opening of an account. We urge our clients to carefully review these statements. Additionally, if our firm decides to send its own account statements to clients, such statements will include a legend that recommends the client compare the account statements received from the qualified custodian with those received from our firm. Clients are encouraged to ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 19 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC raise any questions with us about the custody, safety or security of their assets and our custodial recommendations. Third Party Money Movement: On February 21, 2017, the SEC issued a no-action letter (“Letter”) with respect to Rule 206(4)-2 (“Custody Rule”) under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”). The letter provided guidance on the Custody Rule as well as clarified that an adviser who has the power to disburse client funds to a third party under a standing letter of authorization (“SLOA”) is deemed to have custody. As such, our firm has adopted the following safeguards in conjunction with our custodian: • • • • • • • The client provides an instruction to the qualified custodian, in writing, that includes the client’s signature, the third party’s name, and either the third party’s address or the third party’s account number at a custodian to which the transfer should be directed. The client authorizes the investment adviser, in writing, either on the qualified custodian’s form or separately, to direct transfers to the third party either on a specified schedule or from time to time. The client’s qualified custodian performs appropriate verification of the instruction, such as a signature review or other method to verify the client’s authorization, and provides a transfer of funds notice to the client promptly after each transfer. The client has the ability to terminate or change the instruction to the client’s qualified custodian. The investment adviser has no authority or ability to designate or change the identity of the third party, the address, or any other information about the third party contained in the client’s instruction. The investment adviser maintains records showing that the third party is not a related party of the investment adviser or located at the same address as the investment adviser. The client’s qualified custodian sends the client, in writing, an initial notice confirming the instruction and an annual notice reconfirming the instruction. Item 16: Investment Discretion Clients have the option of providing our firm with investment discretion on their behalf, pursuant to an executed investment advisory client agreement. By granting investment discretion, our firm is authorized to execute securities transactions, determine which securities are bought and sold, and the total amount to be bought and sold. Should clients grant our firm non-discretionary authority, our firm would be required to obtain the client’s permission prior to effecting securities transactions. Limitations may be imposed by the client in the form of specific constraints on any of these areas of discretion with our firm’s written acknowledgement. Item 17: Voting Client Securities Our firm will generally vote in favor of routine corporate housekeeping proposals such as the election of directors and selection of auditors absent conflicts of interest raised by an auditors non-audit ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 20 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC services. In practice this very often means that our firm will not vote the proxies. By not voting the proxies, our firm is, in effect, allowing management to vote the proxies. Item 18: Financial Information • Our firm is not required to provide financial information in this Brochure because: • • Our firm does not require the prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees when services cannot be rendered within 6 months. Our firm does not take custody of client funds or securities. Our firm does not have a financial condition or commitment that impairs our ability to meet contractual and fiduciary obligations to clients. Our firm has never been the subject of a bankruptcy proceeding. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 21 Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC