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Item 1: Cover Page for Part 2A of
Form ADV: Firm Brochure
February 2026
Cosner Financial Group, LLC
628 Main Street
Windsor, CO 80550
(970) 482‐3922
1030 Andrews Hwy Suite 112
Midland, TX 79701
(432) 682‐0326
Firm Website:
www.cosnerfinancialgroup.com
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Cosner
Financial Group, LLC (CRD #147942). If you have any questions about the contents of this
brochure, please contact our firm by telephone at (970) 482‐3922. 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 Cosner Financial Group, LLC also is available on the SEC’s
website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov .
Please note that the use of the term “registered investment adviser” and description of Cosner
Financial Group, LLC and/or our associates as “registered” does not imply a certain level of
skill or training. You are encouraged to review this Brochure and Brochure Supplements for
our firm’s associates who advise you for more information on the qualifications of our firm
and its employees.
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Item 2: Material Changes to Our Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure
Cosner Financial Group, LLC is required to advise you of any material changes to our Firm Brochure
(“Brochure”) from our last annual update, identify those changes on the cover page of our Brochure
or on the page immediately following the cover page, or in a separate communication accompanying
our Brochure. We must state clearly that we are discussing only material changes since the last
annual update of our Brochure, and we must provide the date of the last annual update of our
Brochure.
A modification to our proxy voting policy was made in 2025. This only affected Legacy FDM clients
who participated in a Wrap Program.
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Item 3: Table of Contents
Section:
Page(s):
Item 1: Cover Page for Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure ............................................................................... 1
Item 2: Material Changes to Our Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure ........................................................... 2
Item 3: Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................................... 3
Item 4: Advisory Business .................................................................................................................................................... 4
Item 5: Fees & Compensation ............................................................................................................................................. 8
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management ......................................................................... 11
Item 7: Types of Clients & Account Requirements .................................................................................................. 11
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss ................................................................. 12
Item 9: Disciplinary Information ..................................................................................................................................... 15
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations .................................................................................. 15
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions & Personal Trading ............. 16
Item 12: Brokerage Practices ........................................................................................................................................... 17
Item 13: Review of Accounts or Financial Plans ....................................................................................................... 21
Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation ..................................................................................................... 21
Item 15: Custody .................................................................................................................................................................... 22
Item 16: Investment Discretion ....................................................................................................................................... 23
Item 17: Voting Client Securities ..................................................................................................................................... 23
Item 18: Financial Information ........................................................................................................................................ 24
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Item 4: Advisory Business
We specialize in the following types of services: asset management and financial planning and
consulting.
A. Description of our advisory firm, including how long we have been in business and our principal
owner(s).
We are dedicated to providing individuals and other types of clients with an array of investment
advisory services. Our firm is a limited liability company formed in the State of Colorado. Our firm
has been in business as an investment adviser since 2008. Cosner Financial Group is presently
owned by Ryan Cosner.
Description of the types of advisory services we offer.
(i) (a) Asset Management:
We emphasize continuous and regular account supervision. As part of our asset management
service, we generally create a portfolio, consisting of individual stocks or 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. We utilize models as a guideline, but each portfolio
will be initially designed to meet a particular investment goal, which we determine to be suitable
to the client’s circumstances. Once the appropriate portfolio has been determined, we review the
portfolio at least annually and if necessary, rebalance the portfolio based upon the client’s
individual needs, stated goals and objectives. Each client has the opportunity to place reasonable
restrictions on the types of investments to be held in the portfolio.
This service can include portfolio monitoring for clients that want to manage an account or
certain funds on their own. This service does not include on-going supervision or
discretionary trading with respect to securities transactions. Clients are responsible for
determining their own investment ideas, but we can provide a sounding board for the idea
and help place and execute the client’s trades at their direction.
(b) Gateway Financial Strategies (GFS)
The Gateway Financial Strategy is a tactical allocation program open to John Alpers, III clients
only. The account, which is part of FD&M Legacy Account is managed on a limited
discretionary basis in an attempt to increase returns and/or to reduce risk. Therefore, we will
make all trade decisions without first conferring with you. Techniques employed by us
include overweighting and underweighting of asset classes, active replacement of
underperforming investments or sub accounts and moving up to 100% of each asset type to
cash for defensive purposes. This service utilizes models as a guideline but customizes the
portfolio taking into consideration your financial situation, goals, objectives and any account
limitations or restrictions.
If both a transaction fee and no transaction fee (NTF) option is available for the same security,
GFS will purchase the lowest cost share class (NTF) if it will reduce the client’s overall cost
over the securities anticipated holding period.
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(ii) Financial Planning and Consulting:
We offer a variety of financial planning and consulting services to individuals, families, and
other clients regarding the management of their financial resources based upon an analysis
of client’s current situation, goals, and objectives. Generally, such financial planning services
will involve preparing a financial plan or rendering a financial consultation for clients based
on the client’s financial goals and objectives. This planning or consulting may encompass one
or more of the following areas: Investment Planning, Retirement Planning, Estate Planning,
Charitable Planning, Education Planning, Corporate and Personal Tax Planning, Cost
Segregation Study, Corporate Structure, Real Estate Analysis, Mortgage/Debt Analysis,
Insurance Analysis, Lines of Credit Evaluation, Business and Personal Financial Planning.
Our written financial plans or financial consultations rendered to clients usually include
general recommendations for a course of activity or specific actions to be taken by the clients.
For example, recommendations may be made that the clients begin or revise investment
programs, create or revise wills or trusts, obtain or revise insurance coverage, commence or
alter retirement savings, or establish education or charitable giving programs. It should also
be noted that we refer clients to an accountant, attorney or other specialist, as necessary for
non-advisory related services. For written financial planning engagements, we would
generally provide our clients with a written summary of their financial situation,
observations, and recommendations. For financial consulting engagements, we typically do
not provide our clients with a written summary of our observations and recommendations
as the process is less formal than our planning service. Plans or consultations are typically
completed within six (6) months of the client signing a contract with us, assuming that all the
information and documents we request from the client are provided to us promptly.
Implementation of the recommendations will be at the discretion of the client.
IRA Rollover Considerations
As part of our consulting and advisory services, we may provide you recommendations and
advice concerning your employer retirement plan or other qualified retirement account. We
may recommend you consider withdrawing the assets from your employer's retirement plan
or other qualified retirement account and roll the assets over to an individual retirement
account ("IRA") that we manage. If you elect to roll the assets to an IRA that we manage, we
will charge you an asset-based fee as described in Item 5. This presents a conflict of interest
because persons providing investment advice on our behalf have an incentive to recommend
a rollover to you for the purpose of generating an asset management fee rather than solely
based on your needs. You are under no obligation, contractually or otherwise, to complete
the rollover. Furthermore, if you do complete the rollover, you are under no obligation to
have the assets in an IRA managed by us.
Many employers permit former employees to keep their retirement assets in their company
plan. Current employees can sometimes move assets out of their company plan before they
retire or change jobs. In determining whether to complete the rollover to an IRA, and to the
extent the following options are available, you should consider the costs and benefits of each.
An employee will typically have four options:
1. Leave the funds in your employer's (former employer's) plan.
2. Rollover the funds to a new employer's retirement plan.
3. Cash out and taking a taxable distribution from the plan.
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4. Roll the funds into an IRA rollover account.
Each of these options has advantages and disadvantages and before making a change we
encourage you to speak with your CPA and/or tax attorney.
If you are considering rolling over your retirement funds to an IRA for us to manage, you
should carefully consider the following:
1. Determine whether the investment options in your employer's retirement plan
address your needs or whether you might want to consider other types of
investments.
a. Employer retirement plans generally have a more limited investment menu
than IRAs.
b. Employer retirement plans may have unique investment options not available
to the public such as employer securities, or previously closed funds.
2. Your current plan may have lower fees than our fees.
a.
If you are interested in investing only in mutual funds, you should understand
the cost structure of the share classes available in your employer's retirement
plan and how the costs of those share classes compare with those available in
an IRA.
c.
b. You should understand the various products and services you might take
advantage of at an IRA provider and the costs of those products and services.
It is likely you will not be charged a management fee and will not receive
ongoing asset management services unless you elect to have such services. In
the event your plan offers asset management or model management, there
may be a fee associated with the services that is more or less than our asset
management fee.
3. Our strategy may have higher risk than the option(s) provided to you in your current
plan.
4. Your current plan may offer financial advice, guidance, and/or model management or
portfolio options at no additional cost.
5. If you keep your assets in a 401k or retirement account and you are still working, you
could potentially delay your required minimum distribution beyond age 73.
6. Your 401k may offer more liability protection than a rollover IRA; each state varies.
Generally, federal law protects assets in qualified plans from creditors. Since 2005,
IRA assets have been generally protected from creditors in bankruptcies. However,
there can be some exceptions to the general rules so you should consult an attorney
if you are concerned about protecting your retirement plan assets from creditors.
7. You may be able to take out a loan on your 401k, but not from an IRA and you may be
able to make penalty free withdrawals from your 401K as early as age 55.
8. IRA assets can be accessed any time; however, distributions are subject to ordinary
income tax and may also be subject to a 10% early distribution penalty unless they
qualify for an exception such as disability, higher education expenses or home
purchase.
9. If you own highly appreciated company stock in your plan, you may be able to
liquidate those shares at a lower capital gains tax rate.
10. Your plan may allow you to hire us as the manager and keep the assets titled in the
plan name.
It is important that you understand the differences between these types of accounts and to
decide whether a rollover is best for you. Prior to proceeding, if you have questions contact
your investment adviser representative, or call our main number as listed on the cover page
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of this brochure.
B. Explanation of whether (and, if so, how) we tailor our advisory services to the individual needs
of clients, whether clients may impose restrictions on investing in certain securities or types of
securities.
(i) Individual Tailoring of Advice to Clients:
We offer individualized investment advice to clients utilizing the following services offered
by our firm: Asset Management. Additionally, we offer general investment advice to clients
utilizing the following services offered by our firm: Financial Planning and Consulting.
(ii) Ability of Clients to Impose Restrictions on Investing in Certain Securities or Types of
Securities:
We usually do not allow 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. In
the rare instance that we would allow restrictions, it would be limited to the following
services: Asset Management. We do not manage assets through our other services.
C. Participation in wrap fee programs.
We only offer Wrap Fee Program to clients previously with Financial Design & Management,
Inc. (FDM Legacy). The program is designed to assist you in clarifying your investment needs
and obtaining professional asset management for a convenient single "wrap" fee on a
discretionary or non-discretionary basis. Clients participating in a wrap fee arrangement pay
a single fee for advisory, brokerage, clearance custodial, and administrative services. Clients’
portfolio transactions will be executed without a commissions-charge in a wrap fee
arrangement.
We typically manage wrap fee accounts similarly to non-wrap fee accounts. However, several
factors may influence the selection of the account structure, including but not limited to:
1) The client’s preference for a “wrap” vs. transaction charges per trade.
2) Account size.
3) Anticipated trading frequency.
4) Anticipated securities to be traded.
5) Management style.
6) Long term investment goals.
The overall cost you will incur if you participate in our wrap fee program may be higher or
lower than you might incur by paying transaction costs separately with another advisor. To
compare the cost of the wrap fee program with non-wrap fee portfolio management services,
you should consider the frequency of trading activity associated with our investment
strategies, the brokerage commissions charged by broker-dealers, and the advisory fees
charged by investment advisers. We will review with clients any separate program fees that
may be charged to clients.
As we absorb certain transaction costs in wrap fee accounts, we may have a financial
incentive not to place transaction orders in those accounts since doing so increases its
transaction costs. Thus, an incentive exists to place trades less frequently in a wrap fee
arrangement. To minimize this conflict, we manage accounts similarly, whether in a wrap
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program or not, and periodically review the activity and associated costs to assess whether
the wrap account is in the clients’ best interest.
D. Disclosure of the amount of client assets we manage on a discretionary basis and the amount of
client assets we manage on a non-discretionary basis.
We manage $359,878,674 on a discretionary basis and $1,796,671 on a non-discretionary basis
as of December 31, 2025.
Item 5: Fees & Compensation
We are required to describe our brokerage, custody, fees and fund expenses so you will know how
much you are charged and by whom for our advisory services provided to you. Our fees may be
negotiable. Therefore, clients with similar assets under management and investment objectives may
pay higher or lower fees than other clients.
A. Description of how we are compensated for our advisory services provided to you.
(i) (a) Asset Management:
Annual Percentage of assets charge*:
Assets under management
$0-$4,999,999
$5,000,000+
1.00 %
Negotiable
*Our firm’s fees are billed on a pro-rata annualized basis quarterly in arrears based on the
value of your account on the last day of the quarter. Fees in excess of 2% are in excess of
industry standards. Similar advisory services can be obtained for less.
(b) FD&M Legacy Account:
Advisory fees will be charged in advance of each calendar quarter. The quarterly advisory fee
will be based on the value of the account on the last business day of previous quarter. We
reserve the right to adjust billing for material interim additions to or withdrawals from the
account during the quarter. Fee adjustments for additions and withdrawals made from an
account will be reflected on the next billing cycle. The adjustment is calculated based on the
number of days the money was under management and your fee schedule.
To simplify accounting, your fee each quarter will be rounded up/down to the nearest dollar.
Some quarters a client may pay slightly more and some quarters slightly less than the exact
formula amount. Over time, such rounding will tend to average out to the exact formula
amount.
Portfolio Size
First $100,000
Next $150,000
Next $250,000
Next $500,000
Next $1,000,000
Next $3,000,000
Quarterly Fee
0.40 - .45%
0.35 - .45%
0.325 - .35%
0.275%
0.2 - .25%
0.1625 - 0.1875%
Annual Fee
1.6 - 1.8%
1.4 - 1.8%
1.3 - 1.4%
1.1%
0.8 - 1%
0.65% - 0.75%
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If the value of your portfolio is less than $150,000, in addition to the advisory fees above, you
will pay trading fees for securities transactions executed in your account in accordance with
the custodian’s transaction fee schedule. The current fee schedule is included in your
Advisory Agreement.
(c) Gateway Financial Strategies (GFS)
Fees are based on a percentage of assets being managed. This fee is for ongoing account
monitoring, for initiating appropriate changes in investments, for quarterly reporting of
portfolio results and for personal discussions to ensure your financial objectives are being
met. To simplify accounting, your fee each quarter will be rounded up/down to the nearest
dollar. Some quarters a client may pay slightly more and some quarters slightly less than the
exact formula amount. Over time, such rounding will tend to average out to the exact formula
amount.
Portfolio Size
First $500,000
Next $500,000
Next $1,000,000
Next $3,000,000
Next $5,000,000
Quarterly Fee
0.3375%
0.2750%
0.2500%
0.1875%
Negotiable
Annual Fee
1.35%
1.10%
1.00%
0.75%
Negotiable
We do not retain a management fee based on the amount of assets being managed, instead it
is reimbursed for operational and compliance costs associated with the GFS.
(ii)
Financial Planning and Consulting:
We charge on an hourly or flat fee basis for financial planning and consulting services. The
total estimated fee, as well as the ultimate fee that we charge you, is based on the scope and
complexity of our engagement with you. Our hourly fees are $175 for financial advisors. Flat
fees generally range from $500 to $10,000.
B. Description of whether we deduct fees from clients’ assets or bill clients for fees incurred.
(i)
(a) Asset Management:
Our firm’s fees are billed on a pro-rata annualized basis quarterly in arrears based on the
value of your account on the last day of the quarter. Fees will generally be automatically
deducted from your managed account. In rare cases, we will agree to directly bill clients.
(b) FD&M Legacy Account:
Our fees are billed on a pro-rata annualized basis quarterly in advance. The quarterly
advisory fee will be based on the value of the account on the last business day of previous
quarter. Fees will generally be automatically deducted from your managed account. In rare
cases, we will agree to directly bill clients.
(c) Gateway Financial Strategies (GFS)
Our fees are billed on a pro-rata annualized basis quarterly in advance based on the value of
your account on the last day of the quarter.
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(ii)
Financial Planning and Consulting:
We require a retainer of fifty-percent (50%) of the ultimate financial planning or consulting
fee with the remainder of the fee directly billed to you and due to us within thirty (30) days
of your financial plan being delivered or consultation rendered to you. In all cases, we will not
require a retainer exceeding $500 when services cannot be rendered within 6 (six) months.
(iii) Wrap Fee Program:
Details are separately disclosed in our Wrap Brochure.
C. Description of any other types of fees or expenses clients may pay in connection with our
advisory services, such as custodian fees or mutual fund expenses.
The fees described above do not include charges resulting from trades effected with or through
broker-dealer(s), markups or markdowns by such other broker-dealers, electronic fund and wire
transfer fees, custodial fees, as well as other fees, taxes, and governmental charges imposed. Such
fees are the responsibility of the client. See Section 12 for a discussion of our brokerage practices.
In addition, these fees do not include the underlying fund expenses, which the client bears as a
shareholder of the funds. These fees and expenses are disclosed in the fund’s prospectus (i.e.,
fund management fees and other fund expenses).
D. Client’s advisory fees are due quarterly.
We charge our advisory fees quarterly in arrears. FD&M Legacy/GFS Accounts charge in advance.
Upon cancellation, you will be entitled to a prorated refund of prepaid advisory fees. Refunds will
be calculated as of the date following the thirty (30) days after receipt of termination notification,
or the date we terminate management, if shorter. We will refund a pro-rata portion of the advisory
fee for the quarter from the date of termination to the end of the calendar quarter.
If you wish to terminate our services, you need to contact us in writing and state that you wish to
cancel your asset management agreement. Upon receipt of your letter of termination, we will
proceed to close out your account and charge you a pro-rata advisory fee(s) for services rendered
up to the point of termination.
E. Commissionable securities sales.
We may sell securities for a commission in non-advisory accounts. In order to sell securities for
a commission, certain supervised persons are registered representatives of Osaic Wealth, Inc.
(“Osaic”), member FINRA/SIPC. These supervised persons may accept compensation for the sale
of securities or other investment products, including distribution or service (“trail”) fees from the
sale of mutual funds. You should be aware that the practice of accepting commissions for the sale
of securities:
1) Presents a conflict of interest and gives our firm and/or our supervised persons an incentive
to recommend investment products based on the compensation received, rather than on your
needs. We generally address commissionable sales conflicts that arise:
a) when explaining to clients that commissionable securities sales creates an incentive
to recommend products based on the compensation, we and/or our supervised
persons may earn and may not necessarily be in the best interests of the client;
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b) when recommending commissionable mutual funds, explaining that “no-load” funds
are available through our firm if the client wishes to become an investment advisory
client.
2) In no way prohibits you from purchasing investment products recommended by us through
other brokers or agents which are not affiliated with us.
Item 6: Performance‐Based Fees & Side‐By‐Side Management
We do not offer performance based fees or side-by-side management.
Item 7: Types of Clients & Account Requirements
We have the following types of clients:
Individuals;
High-Net Worth Individuals;
Pension and profit sharing plans;
Corporations or other businesses.
We do not require a minimum account balance for our asset management service.
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss
A. Description of the methods of analysis and investment strategies we use in formulating
investment advice or managing assets.
We may use one or more of the following methods of analysis in formulating our investment
advice and/or managing client assets:
Fundamental Analysis. We attempt to measure the intrinsic value of a security by looking at
economic and financial factors (including the overall economy, industry conditions, and the
financial condition and management of the company itself) to determine if the company is
underpriced (indicating it may be a good time to buy) or overpriced (indicating it may be time to
sell). Fundamental analysis does not attempt to anticipate market movements. 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.
Technical Analysis. We analyze past market movements and apply that analysis to the present
in an attempt to recognize recurring patterns of investor behavior and potentially predict future
price movement. Technical analysis does not consider the underlying financial condition of a
company. This presents a risk in that a poorly managed or financially unsound company may
underperform regardless of market movement.
Cyclical Analysis. In this type of technical analysis, we measure the movements of a particular
stock against the overall market in an attempt to predict the price movement of the security.
Charting. In this type of technical analysis, we review charts of market and security activity in an
attempt to identify when the market is moving up or down and to predict when how long the
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trend may last and when that trend might reverse.
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.
Long‐term purchases. When utilizing this strategy, we may purchase securities with the idea of
holding them for a relatively long time (typically held for at least a year). A risk in a long-term
purchase strategy is that by holding the security for this length of time, we may not take
advantages of short-term gains that could be profitable to a client. Moreover, if our predictions
are incorrect, a security may decline sharply in value before we make the decision to sell.
Short‐term purchases. When utilizing this strategy, we may also purchase securities with the
idea of selling them within a relatively short time (typically a year or less). We do this in an
attempt to take advantage of conditions that we believe will soon result in a price swing in the
securities we purchase.
Short Sales Trading. We purchase securities with the idea of selling them very quickly (typically
within 30 days or less). We do this in an attempt to take advantage of our predictions of brief price
swings. We borrow shares of a stock for your portfolio from someone who owns the stock on a
promise to replace the shares on a future date at a certain price. Those borrowed shares are then
sold. On the agreed-upon future date, we buy the same stock and return the shares to the original
owner. We engage in short selling based on our determination that the stock will go down in price
after we have borrowed the shares. If we are correct and the stock price has gone down since the
shares were purchased from the original owner, the client account realizes the profit.
Margin transactions. We may purchase stocks for your portfolio with money borrowed from
your brokerage account. This allows you to purchase more stock than you would be able to with
your available cash and allows us to purchase stock without selling other holdings.
Option writing. We may use options as an investment strategy. An option is a contract that gives
the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an asset (such as a share of stock) at a
specific price on or before a certain date. An option, just like a stock or bond, is a security. An
option is also a derivative, because it derives its value from an underlying asset.
Risks. Investing in securities involves risk of loss that clients should be prepared to bear. While
the stock market may increase and your account(s) could enjoy a gain, it is also possible that the
stock market may decrease, and your account(s) could suffer a loss. It is important that you
understand the risks associated with investing in the stock market, are appropriately diversified
in your investments, and ask us any questions you may have. Examples of risks that may be
present in investing include:
Capitalization Risk. The risk that mid-capitalization and small-capitalization stocks may be more
volatile than the large-capitalization stocks and may at times underperform as compared to large-
capitalization stocks.
Company Risk. The risk that a particular company’s stock will suffer losses for reasons unique to
that company (also known as “unsystematic risk”).
Credit Risk. The risk that a bond issuer fails to pay interest and/or principal on their obligations
in a timely fashion.
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Currency Risk. The risk that investments in stocks denominated in other currencies will lose
value because of a rise in the value of the dollar relative to those currencies.
Foreign Exposure Risk. The risk that investments in foreign markets, including emerging
markets may be more volatile than the U.S. markets due to fluctuations in currency exchange
rates or political or economic conditions in a particular country. Investing in emerging markets
countries may involve risks greater than the risks of investing in more developed foreign
countries.
Inflation Risk. The risk that in the future, your investments or proceeds from your investments
will not be worth what they are today due to the rising costs of goods and services. Said another
way, a dollar tomorrow will likely get you less than what it can today.
Interest Rate Risk. The risk that the price of bond holdings will decline due to a rise in interest
rates. Changes in price will generally be greater for longer-maturity bonds than for bonds with
shorter maturities.
Legal/Regulatory Risk. The risk that changes in state or federal laws and/or regulations will
negatively impact the performance or tax treatment of certain investments.
Liquidity Risk. The risk that certain investments may not be readily converted into cash due to
the nature of those investments or changes in market conditions. This may negatively impact the
ultimate price at which an investment is sold.
Management Strategy Risk. The risk that the strategies and techniques utilized by the outside
managers who oversee different parts of our clients’ portfolios will not achieve their intended
results, leading to underperformance against a conventional index or benchmark and/or other
funds with a similar investment objective.
Market Risk. The risk that the value of investments can fall, sometimes sharply, in response to
economic changes or other events that affect the capital markets as a whole (also known as
“systematic risk”).
Prepayment Risk. The risk that a bond may be repurchased or redeemed by the issuer before
maturity. Depending upon the redemption price, the investor may receive a lower than expected
return on the security.
Reinvestment Risk. The risk that bond proceeds (principal and/or interest) may have to be
reinvested at a lower yield than what the investor received from the original security due to
intervening changes in interest rates.
ETF and Mutual Funds Risk. ETFs and mutual funds are subject to investment advisory and other
expenses, which will be indirectly paid by clients. As a result, the cost of our investment strategies
will be higher than the cost of investing directly in ETFs or mutual funds, as there are two levels
of fees. ETFs and mutual funds are subject to specific risks, depending on the nature of the fund.
ETFs are professionally managed pooled vehicles that invest in stocks, bonds, short-term money
market instruments, other mutual funds, other securities or any combination thereof. ETF
managers trade fund investments in accordance with fund investment objectives. ETF risk can be
significantly increased for funds concentrated in a particular sector of the market, or that
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primarily invest in small cap or speculative companies, use leverage (i.e., borrow money) to a
significant degree, or concentrate in a particular type of security (i.e., equities), rather than
balancing the fund with different types of securities.
ETFs can be bought and sold throughout the day like stocks, and their price can fluctuate
throughout the day. During times of extreme market volatility, ETF pricing may lag versus the
actual underlying asset values. This lag usually resolves itself in a short period of time (usually
less than one day); however, there is no guarantee this relationship will always occur.
Shorting, Margin and Use of Leverage. We, with the client’s consent, may open client accounts
as margin accounts and if we elect to use margin, such use can magnify risk to client’s accounts.
As these are separately managed accounts, use of margin should be discussed with your IAR.
Separately managed accounts wishing to use margin are required to complete a margin
agreement. Other forms of leverage which we may use, includes options, short sales, and other
inverse or leveraged derivative instruments. We also have the ability to short stocks in the client
portfolios, and a high level of risk is associated with this strategy. Shorting securities requires the
use of margin. We believe shorting can provide additional opportunities to make money for
margin approved clients if we believe a stock is overvalued. In rare circumstances, structured
products may be offered to certain clients. These products often involve a significant amount of
risk and should only be offered to clients who have carefully read and considered the products’
offering documents, as they are often times based on derivatives. Structured products are
intended to be "buy and hold" investments and are not liquid instruments.
B. Our practices regarding cash balances in client accounts, including whether we invest cash
balances for temporary purposes and, if so, how.
We generally invest client’s cash balances in money market funds, FDIC Insured Certificates of
Deposit, high-grade commercial paper and/or government backed debt instruments. Ultimately,
we try to achieve the highest return on our client’s 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 asset
management services, as applicable.
Item 9: Disciplinary Information
We are required to disclose whether there are legal or disciplinary events that are material to a
client’s or prospective client’s evaluation of our advisory business or the integrity of our
management. There are a number of specific legal and disciplinary events that we must presume are
material for this Item. If our advisory firm or a management person has been involved in one of these
events, we must disclose it under this Item for ten years following the date of the event, unless (1)
the event was resolved in our or the management person’s favor, or was reversed, suspended or
vacated, or (2) the event is not material. For purposes of calculating this ten-year period, the “date”
of an event is the date that the final order, judgment, or decree was entered, or the date that any
rights of appeal from preliminary orders, judgments or decrees lapsed.
The SEC and/or State Regulators have not provided us with an exclusive list of material disciplinary
events, which need to be disclosed. If our advisory firm or a management person has been involved
in a legal or disciplinary event that is not specifically required to be disclosed, but nonetheless is
material to a client's or prospective client's evaluation of our advisory business or the integrity of our
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management, we must disclose the event. Similarly, even if more than ten years has passed since the
date of the event, we must disclose the event if it is so serious that it remains currently material to a
client’s or prospective client’s evaluation of our firm or management.
We have determined that our firm and management have nothing to disclose under the
aforementioned standard.
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations
A. Our firm or our management persons are registered, or have an application pending to register,
as a broker-dealer or a registered representative of a broker-dealer. The details are as follows:
Certain investment adviser representatives of our firm are registered representatives of Osaic as
broker-dealer and our firm will be compensated on the normal and customary commission
schedule for general securities business. Clients should be aware that these services involve a
possible conflict of interest, as commissionable products can influence the recommendations
made by our IARs.
In their capacities as registered representatives, one may receive distribution or service (“trail”)
fees from the sale of certain mutual funds (including money market funds pursuant to a 12(b)-1
distribution plan or other such plan as compensation for distribution or administrative services
which are distributed from the fund’s total assets). These fee arrangements will be disclosed upon
request of a client and are available in the applicable fund’s prospectus.
B. If we recommend or select other investment advisers for our clients and we receive
compensation directly or indirectly from those advisers, or we have other business relationships
with those advisers, we are required to describe these practices and discuss the conflicts of
interest these practices create and how we address them.
We do not currently recommend other investment advisers to our clients.
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client
Transactions & Personal Trading
A. Brief description of our Code of Ethics adopted and offers to provide a copy of our Code of Ethics
to any client or prospective client upon request.
We recognize that the personal investment transactions of members and employees of our firm
demand the application of a high Code of Ethics and require that all such transactions be carried out
in a way that does not endanger the interest of any client. At the same time, we believe that if
investment goals are similar for clients and for members and employees of our firm, it is logical and
even desirable that there be common ownership of some securities.
Therefore, in order to prevent conflicts of interest, we have in place a set of procedures with respect
to transactions effected by our members, officers and employees for their personal accounts1. In
order to monitor compliance with our personal trading policy, we have a quarterly securities
transaction reporting system for all of our associates.
Furthermore, our firm has established a Code of Ethics which applies to all of our associated persons.
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An investment adviser is considered a fiduciary. As a fiduciary, it is an investment adviser’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. We have a fiduciary duty to all clients. Our fiduciary duty
is considered the core underlying principle for our Code of Ethics which also includes Insider Trading
and Personal Securities Transactions Policies and Procedures. We require all of our supervised
persons 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 or affiliation and at least annually
thereafter, all supervised persons will sign an acknowledgement that they have read, understand,
and agree to comply with our Code of Ethics. Our firm and supervised persons 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. However, 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.
B. If our firm or a related person invests in the same securities (or related securities, e.g., warrants,
options or futures) that our firm or a related person recommends to clients, we are required to
describe our practice and discuss the conflicts of interest this presents and generally how we
address the conflicts that arise in connection with personal trading.
See Item 11.A of this Brochure. 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.
C. If our firm or a related person recommends securities to clients, or buys or sells securities for
client accounts, at or about the same time that you or a related person buys or sells the same
securities for our firm’s (or the related person's own) account, we are required to describe our
practice and discuss the conflicts of interest it presents. We are also required to describe
generally how we address conflicts that arise.
See Item 11.A of this brochure. Related persons of our firm may 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. Although we rarely
submit block trades, if related persons’ accounts are included in a block trade, our related persons
will always trade personal accounts last.
D. Donations to Charities
From time to time, we may donate to charitable organizations that are affiliated with clients, are
supported by clients, and/or are supported by an individual employed by one of our clients. In
general, such donations are made in response to requests from clients, or their personnel. Because
our contributions may result in the recommendation of our services, such contributions may raise a
potential conflict of interest. As a result, we require that all contributions are made directly to the
charitable organization (normally a 501(c)(3) organization). No contribution will be made if the
contribution implies that continued or future business with us depends on making such contribution.
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.
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Item 12: Brokerage Practices
A. Description of the factors that we consider in selecting or recommending broker-dealers for
client transactions and determining the reasonableness of their compensation (e.g.,
commissions).
1) Research and Other Soft Dollar Benefits. If we receive research or other products or services
other than execution from a broker-dealer or a third party in connection with client securities
transactions (“soft dollar benefits”), we are required to disclose our practices and discuss the
conflicts of interest they create. Please note that we must disclose all soft dollar benefits we
receive, including, in the case of research, both proprietary research (created or developed
by the broker-dealer) and research created or developed by a third party.
Our firm has an arrangement with Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services (“FIWS”) through
Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (CRD # 108476), Member FINRA/SIPC which provides our
firm with FIWS’s “platform” services. The platform services include, among others, brokerage,
custodial, administrative support, record keeping and related services that are intended to
support our firm in conducting business and in serving the best interests of our clients but that
may benefit our firm.
a. Explanation of when we use client brokerage commissions (or markups or markdowns)
to obtain research or other products or services, and how we receive a benefit because
our firm does not have to produce or pay for the research, products or services.
As part of the arrangement described in Item 12.A(1), FIWS also makes certain research
and brokerage services available at no additional cost to our firm. These services include
certain research and brokerage services, including research services obtained by FIWS
directly from independent research companies, as selected by our firm (within specific
parameters). Research products and services provided by FIWS to our firm may include
research reports on recommendations or other information about, particular companies or
industries; economic surveys, data and analyses; financial publications; portfolio evaluation
services; financial database software and services; computerized news and pricing services;
quotation equipment for use in running software used in investment decision-making; and
other products or services that provide lawful and appropriate assistance by FIWS to our
firm in the performance of our investment decision-making responsibilities. The
aforementioned research and brokerage services are used by our firm to manage
accounts for which we have investment discretion. Without this arrangement, our firm
might be compelled to purchase the same or similar services at our own expense.
b. Incentive to select or recommend a broker-dealer based on our interest in receiving the
research or other products or services, rather than on our clients’ interest in receiving
best execution.
As a result of receiving the services discussed in 12.A(1) (a) of this Firm Brochure for no
additional cost, we may have an incentive to continue to use or expand the use of FIWS’s
services. Our firm examined this potential conflict of interest when we chose to enter into the
relationship with FIWS and we have determined that the relationship is in the best interest
of our firm’s clients and satisfies our client obligations, including our duty to seek best
execution.
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FIWS charges brokerage commissions and transaction fees for effecting certain securities
transactions (i.e., transaction fees are charged for certain no-load mutual funds,
commissions are charged for individual equity and debt securities transactions). FIWS
enables us to obtain many no-load mutual funds without transaction charges and other
no-load funds at nominal transaction charges. FIWS’s commission rates are generally
discounted from customary retail commission rates. However, the commission and
transaction fees charged by FIWS may be higher or lower than those charged by other
custodians and broker-dealers.
c. Causing clients to pay commissions (or markups or markdowns) higher than those
charged by other broker-dealers in return for soft dollar benefits (known as paying-up).
Our clients may pay a commission to FIWS that is higher than another qualified broker
dealer might charge to effect the same transaction where we determine in good faith that
the commission is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research
services received. 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.
Accordingly, although we will seek competitive rates, to the benefit or all clients, we may
not necessarily obtain the lowest possible commission rates for specific client account
transactions.
d. Disclosure of whether we use soft dollar benefits to service all of our clients’ accounts or
only those that paid for the benefits, as well as whether we seek to allocate soft dollar
benefits to client accounts proportionately to the soft dollar credits the accounts
generate.
Although the investment research products and services that may be obtained by our firm
will generally be used to service all of our clients, a brokerage commission paid by a
specific client may be used to pay for research that is not used in managing that specific
client’s account. In addition, we do not have any formal soft-dollar agreements in place
where we must trade a certain volume in order to receive soft dollar credits or specific
research or services.
2) Brokerage for Client Referrals.
If we consider, in selecting or recommending broker-dealers, whether our firm or a related
person receives client referrals from a broker-dealer or third party, we are required to
disclose this practice and discuss the conflicts of interest it creates.
Our firm does not consider referrals from a broker-dealer or third party in selecting or
recommending broker-dealers.
3) Directed Brokerage.
a.
If we routinely recommend, request or require that a client directs us to execute
transactions through a specified broker-dealer, we are required to describe our practice
or policy. Further, we must explain that not all advisers require their clients to direct
brokerage. If our firm and the broker-dealer are affiliates or have another economic
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relationship that creates a material conflict of interest, we are further required to
describe the relationship and discuss the conflicts of interest it presents by explaining
that through the direction of brokerage we may be unable to achieve best execution of
client transactions, and that this practice may cost our clients more money.
In certain instances, clients may seek to limit or restrict our discretionary authority in
making the determination of the brokers with whom orders for the purchase or sale of
securities are placed for execution, and the commission rates at which such securities
transactions are effected. Any such client direction must be in writing (often through our
asset management agreement) and may contain a representation from the client that the
arrangement is permissible under its governing laws and documents if this is relevant.
We provide appropriate disclosure in writing to clients who direct trades to particular
brokers, that with respect to their directed trades, they will be treated as if they have
retained the investment discretion that we otherwise would have in selecting brokers to
effect transactions and in negotiating commissions and that such direction may adversely
affect our ability to obtain best price and execution. In addition, we will inform you in
writing that your trade orders may not be aggregated with other clients’ orders and that
direction of brokerage may hinder best execution.
Special Considerations for ERISA Clients
A retirement or ERISA plan client may direct all or part of portfolio transactions for its
account through a specific broker or dealer in order to obtain goods or services on behalf
of the plan. Such direction is permitted provided that the goods and services provided are
reasonable expenses of the plan incurred in the ordinary course of its business for which
it otherwise would be obligated and empowered to pay. ERISA prohibits directed
brokerage arrangements when the goods or services purchased are not for the exclusive
benefit of the plan. Consequently, we will request that plan sponsors who direct plan
brokerage provide us with a letter documenting that this arrangement will be for the
exclusive benefit of the plan.
b. If we permit a client to direct brokerage, we are required to describe our practice. If
applicable, we must also explain that we may be unable to achieve best execution of your
transactions. Directed brokerage may cost clients more money. For example, in a directed
brokerage account, you may pay higher brokerage commissions because we may not be
able to aggregate orders to reduce transaction costs, or you may receive less favorable
prices on transactions.
See Item 12.A(3) of this Brochure.
B. Discussion of whether, and under what conditions, we aggregate the purchase or sale of securities
for various client accounts in quantities sufficient to obtain reduced transaction costs (known as
bunching). If we do not bunch orders when we have the opportunity to do so, we are required to
explain our practice and describe the costs to clients of not bunching.
We perform 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 effected only
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when we believe that to do so will be in the best interest of the affected 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, we attempt 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
A. Review of client accounts or financial plans, along with a description of the frequency and nature
of our review, and the titles of our employees who conduct the review.
We review accounts at least annually for our Asset Management clients. The nature of these
reviews is to learn whether clients’ accounts are in line with their investment objectives,
appropriately positioned based on market conditions, and investment policies, if applicable. Only
our Financial Advisors or Portfolio Managers will conduct reviews.
Financial planning clients do not receive reviews of their written plans unless they take action to
schedule a financial consultation with us. We do not provide ongoing services to financial
planning clients, but are willing to meet with such clients upon their request to discuss updates
to their plans, changes in their circumstances, etc.
B. Review of client accounts on other than a periodic basis, along with a description of the factors
that trigger a review.
We 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.
C. Description of the content and indication of the frequency of written or verbal regular reports we
provide to clients regarding their accounts.
We do not provide written reports to clients, unless asked to do so. Verbal reports to Asset
Management clients take place on at least an annual basis.
As also mentioned in Item 13.A of this Brochure, financial planning clients do not receive written
or verbal updated reports regarding their financial plans unless they separately contract with us
for a post-financial plan meeting or update to their initial written financial plan.
Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation
A. If someone who is not a client provides an economic benefit to our firm for providing investment
advice or other advisory services to our clients, we must generally describe the arrangement. For
purposes of this Item, economic benefits include any sales awards or other prizes.
Except for the arrangements outlined in Item 12 of this brochure, we have no additional FIWS
arrangements to disclose.
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Osaic IARs also receive a portion of the compensation that Osaic receives as a member of a selling
syndicate. Thus, Osaic IARs have an incentive to recommend certain mutual funds and to
recommend purchases of sales in certain offerings because the IAR will receive more
compensation in connection with these securities than in connection with other types of
securities.
Advisory representatives of our firm may receive part of the compensation paid to Osaic in the
advisor representative’s capacity as a registered representative of Osaic to the extent permitted
by applicable law. Osaic has policies and procedures to address such conflicts of interest.
In addition, we offer variable insurance products as registered representatives of Osaic.
Therefore, we will receive, as registered representatives of Osaic, compensation for the sale of
such products. The client is under no obligation to purchase insurance products through any
particular insurance agency or IAR and may effect any such transactions where the client desires.
B. If our firm or a related person directly or indirectly compensates any person who is not our
employee for client referrals, we are required to describe the arrangement and the compensation.
We do not pay referral fees (non-commission based) to independent solicitors (non-registered
representatives) for the referral of their clients to our firm.
Item 15: Custody
We do not have custody of client funds or securities; however, we may be granted authority, by
written consent from you, to deduct the advisory fees directly from your account. Client assets
are held at a qualified custodian. However, we are deemed to have limited custody of some of our
clients’ funds or securities when the clients authorize us to deduct our management fees directly
from the client’s account.
In addition, we are also deemed to have custody of clients’ funds or securities when clients have
standing letters of authorizations (“SLOAs”) with their custodian to move money from a client’s
account to a third-party, and under that SLOA it authorizes us to designate the amount or timing
of transfers with the custodian. The SEC has set forth a set of standards intended to protect client
assets in such situations, which we follow.
The qualified custodian will send to you, at least quarterly, your account statements. The account
statements will reveal the funds and securities held with the qualified custodian, any transactions
that occurred in your account at the end of period and setting forth all transactions in the account
during that period including the amount of advisory fees paid directly to us.
We may provide to you reports we prepare regarding your portfolio. You are encouraged to
review these reports and compare them against reports received from the independent custodian
that services your advisory account. You should immediately inform us of any discrepancy noted
between the custodian records and the reports you receive from us. You should notify us if you
do not receive the account statements, at least quarterly, from the qualified custodian.
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Item 16: Investment Discretion
If we accept discretionary authority to manage securities accounts on behalf of clients, we are
required to disclose this fact and describe any limitations our clients may place on our authority. The
following procedures are followed before we assume this authority:
Our clients need to sign a discretionary asset management agreement with our firm for the
management of their account. This type of agreement only applies to our Asset Management clients.
We do not take or exercise discretion with respect to our other clients.
If a client chooses to sign a discretionary asset management agreement, our firm will be authorized,
without prior consultation, to buy, sell, and trade in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other securities
and/or contracts to accounts clients authorizes our firm to manage. Each client has the opportunity
to place reasonable restrictions on the types of investments to be held in the portfolio. Restrictions
on investments in certain securities or types of securities may not be possible due to the level of
difficulty this would entail in managing the account. We do not have discretionary authority to
determine the broker or dealer to be used for a purchase or sale of securities or the commission rates
to be paid to a broker or dealer for a client’s securities transactions.
Item 17: Voting Client Securities
We do not have the authority to vote client security proxies. Clients will receive proxies or other
solicitations directly from their custodian or a transfer agent. If a proxy is sent to our firm, we will
forward it to you and ask the party who sent it to mail directly to you in the future.
Item 18: Financial Information
A. If we require or solicit prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees per client, six months or more in
advance, we must include a balance sheet for our most recent fiscal year.
We do not require, nor do we solicit prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees per client, six months
or more in advance. Therefore, we have not included a balance sheet for our recent fiscal year.
B. If we have discretionary authority or custody of client funds or securities, or we require or solicit
prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees per client, six months or more in advance, we must
disclose any financial condition that is reasonably likely to impair our ability to meet contractual
commitments to clients.
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 six or more months in advance, or
take custody of client funds or securities, or
currently have a financial condition that is reasonably likely to impair our ability to meet
our commitments to you.
C. If we have been the subject of a bankruptcy petition at any time during the past ten years, we
must disclose this fact, the date the petition was first brought, and the current status. We have
nothing to disclose in this regard.
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