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Item 1: Cover Page
Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure
October 2025
9675 Montgomery Road
STE 201
Cincinnati, OH, 45242
Firm Contact:
Loni Adams
Chief Compliance Officer
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of DayMark
Wealth Partners, LLC. If clients have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact
us at (513) 838-2520. 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 #320878.
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
DayMark Wealth Partners, 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.
Since our last annual filing on February 27, 2024, we have the following material changes to
disclose.
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Item 3: Table of Contents
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Item 1: Cover Page ......................................................................................................................................................................
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Item 2: Material Changes .........................................................................................................................................................
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Item 3: Table of Contents .........................................................................................................................................................
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Item 4: Advisory Business ........................................................................................................................................................
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Item 5: Fees & Compensation ................................................................................................................................................
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Item 6: Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management ...............................................................................
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Item 7: Types of Clients & Account Requirements ......................................................................................................
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Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss ........................................................................
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Item 9: Disciplinary Information .......................................................................................................................................
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Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations .......................................................................................
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Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in ....................................................................................................
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Item 12: Brokerage Practices ...............................................................................................................................................
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Item 13: Review of Accounts or Financial Plans ..........................................................................................................
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Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation ..........................................................................................................
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Item 15: Custody .....................................................................................................................................................................
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Item 16: Investment Discretion .........................................................................................................................................
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Item 17: Voting Client Securities .......................................................................................................................................
Item 18: Financial Information ..........................................................................................................................................
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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 Delaware in 2022 and has been in business as an investment adviser since that time. Our firm
is wholly owned by DMWP Holdings, LLC. We also perform advisory business under the business
names Compass Group of DayMark Wealth Partners and Hofstetter Baron Group of DayMark Wealth
Partners.
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.
Comprehensive Portfolio Management:
As part of our Comprehensive Portfolio Management service clients will be provided
asset management and financial planning or consulting services. This service is designed to
assist clients in meeting their financial goals through the use of a financial plan or consultation. Our
firm conducts client meetings to understand their current financial situation, existing resources,
financial goals, and tolerance for risk. Based on what is learned, an investment approach is presented
to the client, consisting of individual stocks, bonds, ETFs, options, mutual funds and other public and
private securities or investments. 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. Upon client request, our firm provides a summary of observations
and recommendations for the planning or consulting aspects of this service.
Dynasty Network
We have entered a contractual relationship with Dynasty Financial Partners, LLC ("Dynasty"), which
provides us with operational and back-office support including access to a network of service
providers. Through the Dynasty network of service providers, we may receive preferred pricing on
trading technology, reporting, custody, brokerage, compliance, and other related services.
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Dynasty charges a "Platform Fee," which is included as part of your annual investment management
fee, as described in Item 5 below. In addition, Dynasty's subsidiary, Dynasty Wealth Management, LLC
("DWM") is an SEC registered investment adviser, that provides access to a range of investment
services including separately managed accounts (“SMA”), mutual fund and ETF asset allocation
strategies, and unified managed accounts ("UMA") managed by external Third-Party Managers
(collectively, the "Investment Programs"). We may separately engage the services of Dynasty and/or
its subsidiaries to access the Investment Programs. Under the SMA and UMA programs, we will
maintain the ability to select the specific, underlying Third Party Managers that will, in turn, have
day-to-day discretionary trading authority over the requisite client assets.
DWM sponsors an investment management platform (the "Platform" or the "TAMP") that is available
to the advisers in the Dynasty Network, such as our firm. Through the Platform, DWM and Dynasty
collectively provide certain technology, administrative, operations and advisory support services that
allow us to manage our client portfolios and access Third-Party Managers that provide discretionary
services in the form of traditional managed accounts and investment models. We can allocate all or a
portion of Client assets among the different Third-Party Managers via the Platform. We may also use
the model management feature of the TAMP by creating our own asset allocation model and
underlying investments that comprise the model. Through the model management feature, we may
be able to outsource the implementation of trade orders and periodic rebalancing of the model when
needed.
We will maintain the direct contractual relationship with the Client and obtain, through such
agreements, the authority to engage independent third-party managers, DWM and/or Dynasty, as
applicable, for services rendered through the Platform in service to the Client. We may delegate
discretionary trading authority to DWM and/or independent Third-Party Managers to effect
investment and reinvestment of Client assets with the ability to buy, sell or otherwise effect
investment transactions and allocate client assets. If the Client participates in certain Investment
Programs, DWM or the designated manager, as applicable, is also authorized without prior
consultation with either us or the Client to buy, sell, trade, or allocate Client assets in accordance with
the Client’s designated portfolio and to deliver instructions to the designated broker-dealer and/or
custodian of the Client’s assets.
Financial Planning & Consulting:
Our firm provides a variety of standalone financial planning and consulting services to clients for the
management of financial resources based upon an analysis of current situation, goals, and objectives.
Financial planning services will typically 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 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, or Business and Personal Financial Planning.
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.
Implementation of the recommendations will be at the discretion of the client. Our firm provides
clients with a summary of their financial situation, and observations for financial planning
engagements. Financial consultations are not typically accompanied by a written summary of
observations and recommendations, as the process is less formal than the planning service. Assuming
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that all the information and documents requested from the client are provided promptly, plans or
consultations are typically completed within 6 months of the client signing a contract with our firm.
Retirement Plan Consulting:
Our firm provides retirement plan consulting services to employer plan sponsors on an ongoing basis.
Generally, such consulting services consist of assisting employer plan sponsors in establishing,
monitoring and reviewing their company's participant-directed retirement plan. As the needs of the
plan sponsor dictate, areas of advising may include:
•
•
•
•
•
Establishing an Investment Policy Statement – Our firm will assist in the development of a
statement that summarizes the investment goals and objectives along with the broad
strategies to be employed to meet the objectives.
Investment Options – Our firm will work with the Plan Sponsor to evaluate existing
investment options and make recommendations for appropriate changes.
Asset Allocation and Portfolio Construction – Our firm will develop strategic asset allocation
models to aid Participants in developing strategies to meet their investment objectives, time
horizon, financial situation and tolerance for risk.
Investment Monitoring – Our firm will monitor the performance of the investments and notify
the client in the event of over/underperformance and in times of market volatility.
Participant Education – Our firm will provide opportunities to educate plan participants
about their retirement plan offerings, different investment options, and general guidance on
allocation strategies.
In providing services for retirement plan consulting, our firm does not provide any advisory services
with respect to the following types of assets: employer securities, real estate (excluding real estate
funds and publicly traded REITS), participant loans, non-publicly traded securities or assets, other
illiquid investments, or brokerage window programs (collectively, “Excluded Assets”). All retirement
plan consulting services shall be in compliance with the applicable state laws regulating retirement
consulting services. This applies to client accounts that are retirement or other employee benefit
plans (“Plan”) governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended
(“ERISA”). If the client accounts are part of a Plan, and our firm accepts appointment to provide
services to such accounts, our firm acknowledges its fiduciary standard within the meaning of Section
3(21) or 3(38) of ERISA as designated by the Retirement Plan Consulting Agreement with respect to
the provision of services described therein.
Institutional Consulting Services:
Our firm also provides consulting services to Clients in various areas of need. Services are custom to
the scope of each engagement. For certain engagements, we will provide a formal report or deliverable.
Assets Held Away From Our Firm:
We may leverage an Order Management System through Pontera to implement investment selection
and rebalancing strategies on behalf of the client in held away accounts (i.e., accounts not directly
held with our recommended custodian). These are primarily 401(k) accounts, HSAs, 403(b), 529
education savings plans, 457 plans, profit sharing plans, and other assets not custodied with our
recommended custodian. We regularly review the available investment options in these accounts,
monitor them, and rebalance and implement our strategies in the same way we do other accounts,
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though using different tools as necessary. There may be a difference in the performance of our
strategies of an account using Pontera in comparison to accounts held at our recommended custodian.
Fee based Insurance:
The Firm may use a third party company to handle insurance needs of the Client. This third party will
offer fee based insurance products for Clients and the Firm will charge an annual advisory fee on the
value of the insurance product. Generally, this third party will be the insurance agent of record on the
insurance product and our Firm will manage the insurance product as part of our wealth management
process.
Private Fund Management:
DayMark Wealth Partners acts as a sub-adviser to one or more private funds (the "Funds" or each a
Specifically, we serve as an investment adviser
"Fund") or separately managed accounts ("SMAs").
to Funds and provide advice with respect to actions pertaining to the Fund's securities holdings in
the manner and subject to the terms and conditions in the Fund's Fund Agreement.
We manage the assets of these Funds on a discretionary basis in accordance with the overall
investment objectives of each such Fund. Different strategies may be carried out for each Fund and
therefore, there should be no expectation that the performance of any individual Fund would or
should be similar to that of any other Fund.
You should refer to the subscription agreement and
other offering documents for a complete description of the fees, investment objectives, risks, and
other relevant information associated with investing in the Funds.
Investments in the Funds are not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and are
only offered after delivery of a private placement memorandum and execution of the subscription
agreement and other offering documents. Investments in the Funds are offered only to accredited
investors within the meaning of SEC Rule 501 of Regulation D of the Securities Act of 1933. Some
Funds are offered only to qualified purchasers as defined within the meaning of Section 2(a)(51) of
the Investment Company Act of 1940. Investments in the Funds are offered by private offering
memorandum which provides investors with full disclosure regarding the objectives of the Funds,
the risks involved with the offering and the minimum initial capital contribution or commitment
Tailoring of Advisory Services:
Our firm offers individualized investment advice to our Asset Management and Comprehensive
clients. General investment advice will be offered to our Financial Planning & Consulting, Retirement
Plan Consulting clients.
Our firm does not usually allow Asset Management or Comprehensive Portfolio 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 December 31, 2024, our firm manages $3,939,833,944 dollars on a discretionary basis and 0
dollars on a non-discretionary basis.
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Item 5: Fees & Compensation
Fees for Our Advisory Services
Asset Management:
The maximum annual fee charged for this service will not exceed 1.75%. Fees to be assessed will be
outlined in the advisory agreement to be signed by the Client. Our firm bills on cash unless otherwise
indicated in writing. Annualized fees are billed on a pro-rata basis quarterly in advance based on the
value of the account(s) on the last day of the previous quarter. Fees are negotiable and will be
deducted from client account(s). Adjustments will be made for deposits and withdrawals during the
quarter that are more than $50,000. In rare cases, our firm will agree to directly invoice.
As part of this process, Clients understand the following:
a)
b)
c)
Comprehensive Portfolio Management:
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 invoice 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.
The maximum annual fee charged for this service will not exceed 2.00%. Fees to be assessed will be
outlined in the advisory agreement to be signed by the Client. Our firm bills on cash unless otherwise
indicated in writing. Annualized fees are billed on a pro-rata basis quarterly in advance based on the
value of the account(s) on the last day of the previous quarter. Fees are negotiable and will be
deducted from client account(s). Adjustments will be made for deposits and withdrawals during the
quarter that are more than $50,000. 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.
Dynasty Network:
As discussed above in Item 4, we use Dynasty's TAMP services. While the Dynasty Platform Fee is
included in the annual investment management fee, the Third-Party Manager related charges are not
included in the investment management fee you pay to us. Clients will be charged, separate from and
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in addition to their investment management fee, any applicable Third-Party Manager fees. We do not
receive any portion of the fees paid directly to Dynasty or the service providers made available
through its platform, including the Third-Party Managers.
The Third-Party Manager fees are determined by the particular program(s) and manager(s) with
which the Client’s assets are invested and are calculated based upon a percentage of Client assets
under management, as applicable. Independent fixed income manager fees generally range from 0 -
0.90% annually, and independent equity manager fees generally range from 0.00% - 1.50% annually.
Client will note the total fee reflected on their custodial statement will represent the sum of our
investment management fee, Platform Fee(s), and Third-Party Manager fee(s), accordingly. The
Client should review such statements to determine the total amount of fees associated with their
requisite investments, and Clients should review their investment management agreement with us
Financial Planning & Consulting:
to determine the investment management fee the Client pays to us.
Our firm charges on an hourly or flat fee basis for financial planning and consulting services. The total
estimated fee, as well as the ultimate fee charged, is based on the scope and complexity of our
engagement with the client. The maximum hourly fee to be charged will not exceed $350. Flat fees
range from $1,500 to $10,000. The fee-paying arrangements will be determined on a case-by-case
basis and will be detailed in the signed consulting agreement. Our firm will not require a retainer
Retirement Plan Consulting:
exceeding $1,200 when services cannot be rendered within 6 months.
Our Retirement Plan Consulting services are billed on a flat fee basis or a fee based on the percentage
of Plan assets under management. The total estimated fee, as well as the ultimate fee charged, is based
on the scope and complexity of our engagement with the client. Our flat fees range from $750 to
$25,000. Fees based on a percentage of managed Plan assets will not exceed 1.00%. The fee-paying
arrangements will be determined on a case-by-case basis and will be detailed in the signed consulting
agreement.
Institutional Consulting Services:
The fee for our Institutional Consulting Services program and other terms of the Client Agreement
are negotiable. Fees paid by Clients who have selected the same payment option will vary,
depending on several factors. Those factors include, among other things, the size and type of the
Account, the relative complexity of servicing the Account, and/or the level of customization.
“Fixed Fee” Arrangements
Under a “Fixed Fee” arrangement, you agree to pay us (1) one or more agreed-upon amounts on one
or more agreed-upon dates. Fees payable for “Fixed Fee” arrangements cover only the consulting
services provided by us and do not cover any securities transactions effected for your Account with
or through us or investment management fees for investment advisers retained by you.
“Percentage Fee” Arrangements
Under a “Percentage Fee” arrangement, you agree to pay us a quarterly fee, covering all charges for
consulting services provided by us under the Client Agreement. Each pro rata quarterly fee will be
payable in advance or arrears for the period for which services are to be rendered. The initial fee
will be based on the value of the Account as of the commencement date of the Client Agreement.
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Subsequent fees will be based on the value of the Account as of the prior quarter’s ending value. The
Client Agreement may provide for the payment of a minimum quarterly fee. Fees payable under
“Percentage Fee” arrangements cover the consulting services provided by us and, as specified in the
agreement, will not cover any securities transactions effected for your Account with or through us
or investment management fees for investment advisers retained by you.
Assets Held Away From Our Firm:
For assets held at a custodian that is not directly accessible by our firm ("Held Away Accounts"), we
may, but are not required to, manage these Held Away Accounts using the Pontera Order
Management System ("Pontera") that allows our firm to view and manage assets. Our annual fee for
investment management services for held away accounts will follow our portfolio management fee
schedule and termination instructions as noted in the Investment Management Agreement.
Our advisory fees will not be deducted directly from the accounts managed through the Pontera
Order Management System. Clients will give written authorization to deduct the fee from another
non-qualified account managed by our firm, in which case, the advisory fee would be deducted from
this account each quarter. Fees will be based upon your negotiated fee in accordance to our portfolio
management fee schedule and your Agreement. The client does not pay an additional fee for Pontera.
Further, the qualified custodian will deliver an account statement to you at least quarterly. These
account statements will show all disbursements from your account. You should review all statements
and invoices for accuracy.
We pay 0.25% from our advisory fee to Pontera. Due to the use of Pontera, you will not pay our firm
a higher advisory fee other than what is listed in the Agreement.
Fee based Insurance
The fee charged for using fee based insurance products will be part of the Firm’s Investment
Management Agreement.
Private Fund Management
Each Fund pays DayMark Wealth Partners, as a sub-advisor manager and/or investment manager, an
investment management fee (the "Management Fee"). These fees are calculated in accordance with
the relevant governing documents and are typically a percentage of capital commitments or capital
contributions, or a percentage of net asset value. Management Fees are generally payable quarterly in
advance as a Fund expense.
We are also entitled to receive performance-based fees as further described under Item 6 below.
Other Types of Fees & Expenses
Clients will incur transaction fees for trades executed by their chosen custodian, based on 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
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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 and
Comprehensive Portfolio Management services in writing at any time. Upon notice of termination our
firm will process a pro-rata refund of the unearned portion of the advisory fees charged in advance.
Financial Planning & Consulting clients may terminate their agreement at any time before the
delivery of a financial plan by providing written notice. For purposes of calculating refunds, all work
performed by us up to the point of termination shall be calculated at the hourly fee currently in effect.
Clients will receive a pro-rata refund of unearned fees based on the time and effort expended by our
firm.
Either party to a Retirement Plan Consulting Agreement may terminate at any time by providing
written notice to the other party. Full refunds will only be made in cases where cancellation occurs
within 5 business days of signing an agreement. After 5 business days from initial signing, either party
must provide the other party 30 days written notice to terminate billing. Billing will terminate 30
days after receipt of termination notice. Clients will be charged on a pro-rata basis, which takes into
account work completed by our firm on behalf of the client. Clients will incur charges for bona fide
advisory services rendered up to the point of termination (determined as 30 days from receipt of said
written notice) and such fees will be due and payable.
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management
As disclosed in Item 5 of this Brochure, our Firm receives incentive or performance-based fee from a
Fund (i.e., carried interest). Such incentive or performance-based fees are calculated based on a
share of capital gains or capital appreciation of the assets of the private fund. Certain Funds are
subject to hurdle rates prior to the earning of carried interest, as disclosed in the Fund's offering
documents. To qualify for an investment in a private fund and its performance based fee
arrangement, an investor to the private fund must be a qualified investor, either as an accredited
investor (who is also a qualified client) or qualified purchaser as applicable to the corresponding
private fund offering documents.
Clients should be aware that incentive or performance-based fee arrangements create an incentive
for our Firm to recommend investments which may be riskier or more speculative than those which
would be recommended under a different fee arrangement. Furthermore, we have clients who do
not pay incentive or performance-based fees which could create an incentive for us to favor
accounts that do pay such fees because compensation received from performance-based fee clients
is more directly tied to the performance of their accounts. As fiduciary of the Funds, it is a
requirement we not place our interests before its clients' interests when managing the Funds, and
consequently we do not consider the potential receipt of incentive or other performance-based fees
in our investment decision making process for our Fund clients.
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Item 7: Types of Clients & Account Requirements
Individuals
Charitable Organizations
Institutional Clients; Pension
High Net Worth Individuals
Retirement Plans
Estates
Trusts
Profit Sharing Plans
;
,
Other Business Types
Our firm has the following types of clients:
Limited Liability Companies
Corporations
;
or
and
,
, and
;
,
and/or
.
Our firm does not impose requirements for opening and maintaining accounts or otherwise engaging
us. For Clients investing in Funds, there will be a minimum dollar amount imposed by the Fund’s
documentation. Each Fund will have its own minimum dollar amount.
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
Charting:
client assets:
In this type of technical analysis, our firm reviews charts of market and security activity in
an attempt to identify when the market is moving up or down and to predict how long the trend may
last and when that trend might reverse.
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.
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Investing
– Environmental, social, and governance
criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to
screen potential investments.
Environmental criteria consider how a company performs as a steward of nature and its ability to
sustain operations over the macro-scale. Environmental criteria may include a company’s energy
use, waste, pollution, natural resource conservation, and treatment of animals. The criteria can also
be used in evaluating any environmental risks a company might face and how the company is
managing those risks.
Social criteria examine how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the
communities where it operates. Does it work with suppliers that hold the same values as it claims to
hold? Does the company donate a percentage of its profits to the local community or encourage
employees to perform volunteer work there? Do the company’s working conditions show high regard
for its employees’ health and safety? Are other stakeholders’ interests taken into account?
Governance specifically concerns a company’s leadership, executive pay, audits internal controls, and
shareholder rights. Investors may want to know that a company uses accurate and transparent
accounting methods and that stockholders are allowed to vote on important issues. They may also
want assurances that companies avoid conflicts of interest in their choice of board members, don’t
use political contributions to obtain unduly favorable treatment and, of course, don’t engage in illegal
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practices.
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.
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.
Mutual Fund and/or Exchange Traded Fund (“ETF”) Analysis:
Analysis of the experience and
track record of the manager of the mutual fund or ETF in an attempt to determine if that manager has
demonstrated an ability to invest over a period of time and in different economic conditions. The
underlying assets in a mutual fund or ETF are also reviewed in an attempt to determine if there is
significant overlap in the underlying investments held in another fund(s) in the Client’s portfolio. The
funds or ETFs are monitored in an attempt to determine if they are continuing to follow their stated
investment strategy. A risk of mutual fund and/or ETF analysis is that, as in all securities investments,
past performance does not guarantee future results. A manager who has been successful may not be
able to replicate that success in the future. In addition, as our firm does not control the underlying
investments in a fund or ETF, managers of different funds held by the Client may purchase the same
security, increasing the risk to the Client if that security were to fall in value. There is also a risk that
a manager may deviate from the stated investment mandate or strategy of the fund or ETF, which
could make the holding(s) less suitable for the Client’s portfolio.
Technical Analysis:
A security analysis methodology for forecasting the direction of prices through
the study of past market data, primarily price and volume. A fundamental principle of technical
analysis is that a market's price reflects all relevant information, so their analysis looks at the history
of a security's trading pattern rather than external drivers such as economic, fundamental and news
events. Therefore, price action tends to repeat itself due to investors collectively tending toward
patterned behavior – hence technical analysis focuses on identifiable trends and conditions. Technical
analysts also widely use market indicators of many sorts, some of which are mathematical
transformations of price, often including up and down volume, advance/decline data and other
inputs. These indicators are used to help assess whether an asset is trending, and if it is, the
probability of its direction and of continuation. Technicians also look for relationships between
price/volume indices and market indicators. Technical analysis employs models and trading rules
based on price and volume transformations, such as the relative strength index, moving averages,
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regressions, inter-market and intra-market price correlations, business cycles, stock market cycles
or, classically, through recognition of chart patterns. Technical analysis is widely used among traders
and financial professionals and is very often used by active day traders, market makers and pit
traders. The risk associated with this type of analysis is that analysts use subjective judgment to
decide which pattern(s) a particular instrument reflects at a given time and what the interpretation
of that pattern should be.
Third-Party Money Manager Analysis:
The analysis of the experience, investment philosophies,
and past performance of independent third-party investment managers in an attempt to determine if
that manager has demonstrated an ability to invest over a period of time and in different economic
conditions. Analysis is completed by monitoring the manager’s underlying holdings, strategies,
concentrations and leverage as part of our overall periodic risk assessment. Additionally, as part of
the due-diligence process, the manager’s compliance and business enterprise risks are surveyed and
reviewed. A risk of investing with a third-party manager who has been successful in the past is that
they may not be able to replicate that success in the future. In addition, as our firm does not control
the underlying investments in a third-party manager’s portfolio, there is also a risk that a manager
may deviate from the stated investment mandate or strategy of the portfolio, making it a less suitable
investment for our clients. Moreover, as our firm does not control the manager’s daily business and
compliance operations, our firm may be unaware of the lack of internal controls necessary to prevent
business, regulatory or reputational deficiencies.
Quantitative Analysis:
The use of models, or algorithms, to evaluate assets for investment. The
process usually consists of searching vast databases for patterns, such as correlations among liquid
assets or price-movement patterns (trend following or mean reversion). The resulting strategies may
involve high-frequency trading. The results of the analysis are taken into consideration in the decision
to buy or sell securities and in the management of portfolio characteristics. A risk in using
quantitative analysis is that the methods or models used may be based on assumptions that prove to
be incorrect.
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.
Security Analysis
: Analysis of tradeable financial instruments called securities. These can be
classified into debt securities, equities, or some hybrid of the two. More broadly, futures contracts
and tradeable credit derivatives are sometimes included. Security analysis is typically divided into
fundamental analysis, which relies upon the examination of fundamental business factors such as
financial statements, and technical analysis, which focuses upon price trends and momentum.
Sector Analysis
Quantitative analysis may use indicators from both areas.
: Sector analysis involves identification and analysis of various industries or
economic sectors that are likely to exhibit superior performance. Academic studies indicate that the
health of a stock's sector is as important as the performance of the individual stock itself. In other
words, even the best stock located in a weak sector will often perform poorly because that sector is
out of favor. Each industry has differences in terms of its customer base, market share among firms,
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industry growth, competition, regulation and business cycles. Learning how the industry operates
provides a deeper understanding of a company's financial health. One method of analyzing a
company's growth potential is examining whether the amount of customers in the overall market is
expected to grow. In some markets, there is zero or negative growth, a factor demanding careful
consideration. Additionally, market analysts recommend that investors should monitor sectors that
are nearing the bottom of performance rankings for possible signs of an impending turnaround.
Investment Strategies & Asset Classes
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
Alternative Investments:
tolerance, and time horizons, among other considerations:
Hedge funds, commodity pools, Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”),
Business Development Companies (“BDCs”), and other alternative investments involve a high degree
of risk and can be illiquid due to restrictions on transfer and lack of a secondary trading market. They
can be highly leveraged, speculative and volatile, and an investor could lose all or a substantial
amount of an investment. Alternative investments may lack transparency as to share price, valuation
and portfolio holdings. Complex tax structures often result in delayed tax reporting. Compared to
mutual funds, hedge funds and commodity pools are subject to less regulation and often charge higher
fees and may require “capital calls” which would require additional investment. Alternative
investment managers typically exercise broad investment discretion and may apply similar strategies
across multiple investment vehicles, resulting in less diversification.
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
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.
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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 asset classes
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.
Cryptocurrency Products:
We may recommend investment in digital (crypto) currency products.
These products may be an illiquid private placement or structured as a trust or exchange traded fund
which pool capital together to purchase holdings of digital currencies or derivatives based on their
value. Such products are extremely volatile and are suitable only as a means of diversification for
investors with high risk tolerances. Furthermore, these securities carry very high internal expense
ratios, and may use derivatives to achieve leverage or exposure in lieu of direct cryptocurrency
holdings. This can result in tracking errors and may sell at a premium or discount to the market
value of their underlying holdings. Security is also a concern for digital currency investments which
make them subject to the additional risk of theft.
Digital Assets:
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Digital Assets generally refers to an asset that is issued and/or transferred using
distributed ledger or blockchain technology, including, “virtual currencies” (also known as crypto-
currencies), “coins”, and “tokens”. We may invest client accounts in and/or advise clients on the
purchase or sale of digital assets. This advice or investment may be in actual digital
coins/tokens/currencies or via investment vehicles such as exchange traded funds (ETFs) or
separately managed accounts (SMAs). The investment characteristics of Digital Assets generally
differ from those of traditional securities, currencies. Digital Assets are not backed by a central bank
or a national, international organization, any hard assets, human capital, or other form of credit and
are relatively new to the market place. Rather, Digital Assets are market-based: a Digital Asset’s value
is determined by (and fluctuates often, according to) supply and demand factors, its adoption in the
traditional commerce channels, and/or the value that various market participants place on it through
their mutual agreement or transactions. The lack of history to these types of investments entail
certain unknown risks, are speculative and are appropriate for all investors.
Price Volatility of Digital Assets: A principal risk in trading Digital Assets is the rapid
fluctuation of market price. The value of client portfolios relates in part to the value of the
Digital Assets held in the client portfolio and fluctuations in the price of Digital Assets could
adversely affect the value of a client’s portfolio. There is no guarantee that a client will be able
to achieve a better than average market price for Digital Assets or will purchase Digital Assets
at the most favorable price available. The price of Digital Assets achieved by a client may be
affected generally by a wide variety of complex factors such as supply and demand;
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availability and access to Digital Asset service providers (such as payment processors),
exchanges, miners or other Digital Asset users and market participants; perceived or actual
security vulnerability; and traditional risk factors including inflation levels; fiscal policy;
interest rates; and political, natural and economic events.
Digital Asset Service Providers: Service providers that support Digital Assets and the Digital
Asset marketplace(s) may not be subject to the same regulatory and professional oversight
as traditional securities service providers. Further, there is no assurance that the availability
of and access to virtual currency service providers will not be negatively affected by
government regulation or supply and demand of Digital Assets. Accordingly, companies or
financial institutions that currently support virtual currency may not do so in the future.
Custody of Digital Assets: Under the Advisers Act, SEC registered investment advisers are
required to hold securities with “qualified custodians,” among other requirements. Certain
Digital Assets may be deemed to be securities. Many Digital Assets do not currently fall under
the SEC definition of security and therefore many of the companies providing Digital Assets
custodial services fall outside of the SEC’s definition of “qualified custodian”. Accordingly,
clients seeking to purchase actual digital coins/tokens/currencies may need to use
nonqualified custodians to hold all or a portion of their Digital Assets.
Government Oversight of Digital Assets: Regulatory agencies and/or the constructs responsible for
oversight of Digital Assets or a Digital Asset network may not be fully developed and subject to
change. Regulators may adopt laws, regulations, policies or rules directly or indirectly affecting
Digital Assets their treatment, transacting, custody, and valuation.
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 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
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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.
Equity Securities:
Equity securities represent an ownership position in a company. Equity securities
typically consist of common stocks. The prices of equity securities fluctuate based on, among other
things, events specific to their issuers and market, economic and other conditions. For example, prices
of these securities can be affected by financial contracts held by the issuer or third parties (such as
derivatives) relating to the security or other assets or indices. There may be little trading in the
secondary market for particular equity securities, which may adversely affect our firm 's ability to
value accurately or dispose of such equity securities. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions,
whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the value and/or liquidity of equity
securities. Investing in smaller companies may pose additional risks as it is often more difficult to
value or dispose of small company stocks, more difficult to obtain information about smaller
companies, and the prices of their stocks may be more volatile than stocks of larger, more established
companies. Clients should have a long-term perspective and, for example, be able to tolerate
potentially sharp declines in 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.
Margin Transactions:
Our firm may purchase securities 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 securities without selling other holdings. Margin
accounts and transactions are risky and not necessarily appropriate for every client. It should be
noted that our firm bills advisory fees on securities purchased on margin which creates a financial
incentive for us to utilize margin in client accounts.
The potential risks associated with these transactions are (1) You can lose more funds than are
deposited into the margin account; (2) the forced sale of securities or other assets in your account;
(3) the sale of securities or other assets without contacting you; (4) you may not be entitled to
choose which securities or other assets in your account(s) are liquidated or sold to meet a margin
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call; and (5) custodians charge interest on margin balances which will reduce your returns over
time.
Margin Loans:
Our firm may allow or recommend that you to pledge securities from your portfolio
as collateral for a loan by using margin in brokerage account. This allows you to own more stock than
you would be able to with your available cash. Margin accounts and transactions are risky and not
necessarily appropriate for every client.
The potential risks associated with these transactions are (1) You can lose more funds than are
deposited into the margin account; (2) the forced sale of securities or other assets in your account;
(3) the sale of securities or other assets without contacting you; (4) you may not be entitled to
choose which securities or other assets in your account(s) are liquidated or sold to meet a margin
call; and (5) custodians charge interest on margin balances which will reduce your returns over
time. 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
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.
In addition, our policy is to purchase institutional share classes of those mutual funds selected for the
client’s portfolio. The institutional share class generally has the lowest expense ratio. The expense
ratio is the annual fee that all mutual funds charge their shareholders. It expresses the percentage of
assets deducted each fiscal year for funds expenses, including 12b-1 fees, management fees,
administrative fees, operating costs, and all other asset-based costs incurred by the fund. Some fund
families offer different classes of the same fund, and one share class may have a lower expense ratio
than another share class. These expenses come from client assets which could impact the client’s
account performance. Mutual fund expense ratios are in addition to our fee, and we do not receive
any portion of these charges. If an institutional share class is not available for the mutual fund
selected, the adviser will purchase the least expensive share class available for the mutual fund. As
share classes with lower expense ratios become available, Our firm may use them in the client’s
portfolio, and/or convert the existing mutual fund position to the lower cost share class. Clients who
transfer mutual funds into their accounts with our firm would bear the expense of any contingent or
deferred sales loads incurred upon selling the product. If a mutual fund has a frequent trading policy,
the policy can limit a client’s transactions in shares of the fund (e.g., for rebalancing, liquidations,
deposits or tax harvesting). All mutual fund expenses and fees are disclosed in the respective mutual
fund prospectus.
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
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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,
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
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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.
Private Equity
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: Private equity is an equity investment into non-quoted companies. The private equity
investor looks at an investment prospect as investing in a company as opposed to investing in a
company's stock. Private equity funds hold illiquid positions (for which there is no active secondary
market) and typically only invest in the equity and debt of target companies, which are generally
taken private and brought under the private equity manager's control. Risks associated with private
equity include:
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Funding Risk: The unpredictable timing of cash flows poses funding risks to investors.
Commitments are contractually binding and defaulting on payments results in the loss of
private equity partnership interests. This risk is also commonly referred to as default risk.
Liquidity Risk: The illiquidity of private equity partnership interests exposes investors to
asset liquidity risk associated with selling in the secondary market at a discount on the
reported NAV.
Market Risk: The fluctuation of the market has an impact on the value of the investments held
in the portfolio.
Capital Risk: The realization value of private equity investments can be affected by numerous
factors, including (but not limited to) the quality of the fund manager, equity market
exposure, interest rates and foreign exchange.
Private Funds:
A private fund is an investment vehicle that pools capital from a number of
investors and invests in securities and other instruments. In almost all cases, a private fund is a
private investment vehicle that is typically not registered under federal or state securities laws. So
that private funds do not have to register under these laws, issuers make the funds available only to
certain sophisticated or accredited investors and cannot be offered or sold to the general public.
Private funds are generally smaller than mutual funds because they are often limited to a small
number of investors and have a more limited number of eligible investors. Many but not all private
funds use leverage as part of their investment strategies. Private funds management fees typically
include a base management fee along with a performance component. In many cases, the fund’s
managers may become “partners” with their clients by making personal investments of their own
assets in the fund. Most private funds offer their securities by providing an offering memorandum
or private placement memorandum, known as “PPM” for short.
The PPM covers important information for investors and investors should review this document
carefully and should consider conducting additional due diligence before investing in the private
fund. The primary risks of private funds include the following: (a) Private funds do not sell publicly
and are therefore illiquid. An investor may not be able to exit a private fund or sell its interests in
the fund before the fund closes.; and (b) Private funds are subject to various other risks, including
risks associated with the types of securities that the private fund invests in or the type of business
issuing the private placement.
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Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”):
REITs primarily invest in real estate or real estate-
related loans. Equity REITs own real estate properties, while mortgage REITs hold construction,
development and/or long-term mortgage loans. Changes in the value of the underlying property of
the trusts, the creditworthiness of the issuer, property taxes, interest rates, tax laws, and regulatory
requirements, such as those relating to the environment all can affect the values of REITs. REITs are
dependent upon management skill, the cash flows generated by their holdings, the real estate market
in general, and the possibility of failing to qualify for any applicable pass-through tax treatment or
failing to maintain any applicable exempted status afforded under relevant laws.
REITs involve a high degree of risk and can be illiquid due to restrictions on transfer and lack of a
secondary trading market. They can be highly leveraged, speculative and volatile, and an investor
could lose all or a substantial amount of an investment. Additionally, they may lack transparency as
to share price, valuation and portfolio holdings as they are subject to less regulation and often charge
Structured Products:
higher fees.
Structured products are designed to facilitate highly customized risk-return
objectives. While structured products come in many different forms, they typically consist of a debt
security that is structured to make interest and principal payments based upon various assets, rates
or formulas. Many structured products include an embedded derivative component. Structured
products may be structured in the form of a security, in which case these products may receive
benefits provided under federal securities law, or they may be cast as derivatives, in which case they
are offered in the over-the-counter market and are subject to no regulation.
Investing in structured products includes significant risks, including valuation, lack of liquidity, price,
credit and market risks. The relative lack of liquidity is due to the highly customized nature of the
investment and the fact that the full extent of returns from the complex performance features is often
not realized until maturity.
Another risk with structured products is the credit quality of the issuer. Although the cash flows are
derived from other sources, the products themselves are legally considered to be the issuing financial
institution's liabilities. The vast majority of structured products are from high-investment-grade
issuers only. Also, there is a lack of pricing transparency. There is no uniform standard for pricing,
making it harder to compare the net-of-pricing attractiveness of alternative structured product
offerings than it is, for instance, to compare the net expense ratios of different mutual funds or
commissions among broker-dealers.
Variable Annuities (“VA”):
A variable annuity is a type of annuity contract that allows for the
accumulation of capital on a tax-deferred basis. As opposed to a fixed annuity that offers a guaranteed
interest rate and a minimum payment at annuitization, variable annuities offer investors the
opportunity to generate higher rates of returns by investing in equity and bond subaccounts. If a
variable annuity is annuitized for income, the income payments can vary based on the performance
of the subaccounts. Risks associated with VAs may include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Taxes and federal penalties for early withdrawal
Surrender charges for early withdrawal can last for years
Earnings taxed at ordinary income tax rates
Mortality expense to compensate the insurance company for insurance risks
Fees and expenses imposed for the subaccounts
Other features with additional fees and charges
Investment losses
22
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.
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.
ESG Risk:
• Lack of Standardization Risk:
The risks associated with ESG Investing include the following:
•
Variability and imprecision of industry ESG definitions and
terms can create confusion among investors if investment advisers and funds have not clearly
and consistently articulated how they define ESG criteria and how they use ESG-related terms,
especially when offering products or services to retail investors. Additionally, actual portfolio
management practices of investment advisers and funds may not be consistent with their
Implementation Risk:
disclosed ESG investing processes or investment goals.
o
Actual implementation of ESG investment practices may result in:
e.g.
, Form ADV Part 2A) and other Client/investor-facing documents (
o
o
e.g.
o
o
• Proxy Voting Risk
e.g.
The actual implementation practices differing from Client disclosures in required
,
documents (
advisory agreements, offering materials, responses to requests for proposals, and due
diligence questionnaires). For example, a firm that claims adherence to global ESG
frameworks may lack adherence to these standards during their day-to-day trading
activities.
A firm holding funds that are predominated by issuers with low ESG scores.
A firm not having adequate controls around implementation and monitoring of
Clients’ negative screens (
, prohibitions on investments in certain industries, such
as alcohol, tobacco, or firearms), especially if the directives were ill-defined, vague, or
inconsistent.
A firm not having adequate systems to consistently and reasonably track and update
Clients’ negative screens leading to the risk that prohibited securities could be
included in Client portfolios.
Client preferences to favor certain industries or issuers not being effectuated because
of challenges with implementation and monitoring, despite contrary marketing
claims touting processes for implementing Clients’ positive screens.
• Disclosure Risk:
: Inconsistencies between public ESG-related proxy voting claims and
internal proxy voting policies and practices may occur such as public statements that ESG-
related proxy proposals would be independently evaluated on a case-by-case basis to
maximize value, while internal guidelines generally do not provide for such case-by-case
analysis.
Lack of policies and procedures to ensure firms obtained reasonable support
for ESG-related marketing claims, and inadequate policies and procedures regarding
oversight of ESG-focused sub-advisers is also a risk. Firms have also had difficulties in
23
i.e.
substantiating adherence to stated investment processes, such as supporting claims made to
Clients that each fund investment had received a high score for each separate component of
ESG (
, environmental, social, and governance), when relying instead on composite ESG
scores provided by a sub-adviser.
Equity (Stock) Market Risk:
Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations
and, volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers
change. If you held common stock, or common stock equivalents, of any given issuer, you would
generally be exposed to greater risk than if you held preferred stocks and debt obligations of the
issuer.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk:
Typically, the values of fixed-income securities change inversely with
prevailing interest rates. Therefore, a fundamental risk of fixed-income securities is interest rate risk,
which is the risk that their value will generally decline as prevailing interest rates rise, which may
cause your account value to likewise decrease, and vice versa. How specific fixed income securities
may react to changes in interest rates will depend on the specific characteristics of each security.
Fixed-income securities are also subject to credit risk, prepayment risk, valuation risk, and liquidity
risk. Credit risk is the chance that a bond issuer will fail to pay interest and principal in a timely
manner, or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such payments will cause the
price of a bond to decline.
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.
Interest Rate Risk:
Certain investments involve the payment of a fixed or variable rate of interest to
the investment holder. Once an investor has acquired or has acquired the rights to an investment that
pays a particular rate (fixed or variable) of interest, changes in overall interest rates in the market
will affect the value of the interest-paying investment(s) they hold. In general, changes in prevailing
interest rates in the market will have an inverse relationship to the value of existing, interest paying
investments. In other words, as interest rates move up, the value of an instrument paying a particular
rate (fixed or variable) of interest will go down. The reverse is generally true as well.
Legal/Regulatory Risk:
Certain investments or the issuers of investments may be affected by
changes in state or federal laws or in the prevailing regulatory framework under which the
investment instrument or its issuer is regulated. Changes in the regulatory environment or tax laws
can affect the performance of certain investments or issuers of those investments and thus, can have
24
a negative impact on the overall performance of such investments.
Liquidity Risk:
Certain assets may not be readily converted into cash or may have a very limited
market in which they trade. This can create a substantial delay in the receipt of proceeds from an
investment. Liquidity risk can also result in unfavorable pricing when exiting (i.e. not being able to
quickly get out of an investment before the price drops significantly) a particular investment and
therefore, can have a negative impact on investment returns.
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
Market Risk:
objective.
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.
Options Risk
: Options on securities may be subject to greater fluctuations in value than an
investment in the underlying securities. Additionally, options have an expiration date, which makes
them “decay” in value over the amount of time they are held and can expire worthless. Purchasing
and writing put and call options are highly specialized activities and entail greater than ordinary
investment risks.
Past Performance:
Charting and technical analysis are often used interchangeably. Technical
analysis generally attempts to forecast an investment’s future potential by analyzing its past
performance and other related statistics. In particular, technical analysis often times involves an
evaluation of historical pricing and volume of a particular security for the purpose of forecasting
where future price and volume figures may go. As with any investment analysis method, technical
analysis runs the risk of not knowing the future and thus, investors should realize that even the most
diligent and thorough technical analysis cannot predict or guarantee the future performance of any
particular investment instrument or issuer thereof.
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 Asset
Management and Comprehensive Portfolio Management services, as applicable.
25
Item 9: Disciplinary Information
There are no legal or disciplinary events that are material to the evaluation of our advisory business
or the integrity of our management.
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations
We maintain a business relationship with Dynasty Financial Partners, LLC (“Dynasty”). Dynasty
offers operational and back-office core service support including access to a network of service
providers. Through the Dynasty network of service providers, we may receive preferred pricing on
trading, technology, transition support, reporting, custody, brokerage, compliance, and other related
consulting services.
While we believe this open architecture structure for operational services best serves the interest of
our Clients, this relationship may present certain conflicts of interest due to the fact that Dynasty is
paid by us or our Clients for the services referenced above. In light of the foregoing, we seek at all
times to ensure that any material conflicts are addressed on a fully-disclosed basis and handled in a
manner that is aligned with the Client’s best interest. We do not receive any portion of the fees paid
directly to Dynasty, its affiliates or the service providers made available through Dynasty’s platform.
In addition, we review such relationships, including the service providers engaged through Dynasty,
on a periodic basis in an effort to ensure you are receiving competitive rates in relation to the quality
and scope of the services provided.
Our firm has entered into an agreement with Dynasty Capital Strategies, LLC ("DCS"), a Dynasty
affiliate, to sell an agreed percentage of the revenue generated by our firm via a note to DCS. In
return, DCS receives a fixed amount of funds payable over an agreed time frame. Such funds may be
used for business transition expenses and other costs associated with launching operations and for
business expansion. Our firm is not obligated to enter into such a note in order to obtain other
services from Dynasty. However, such notes are only made available for advisors who are and
remain members of the Dynasty network of registered investment advisors. The notes are subject to
standard underwriting practices by Dynasty and are based on commercially reasonable terms.
These arrangements present certain conflicts of interest due to the fact that our firm may be
incentivized to use the services. In light of the forgoing, our firm seeks at all times to ensure that any
material conflicts are addressed on a fully disclosed basis and handled in a manner that is aligned
with its' clients best interests.
Representatives of our firm are insurance agents. They offer insurance products and receive
customary fees as a result of insurance sales. A conflict of interest exists as these insurance sales
create an incentive to recommend products based on the compensation adviser and/or our
supervised persons may earn. To mitigate this conflict, our firm will act in the client’s best interest.
Certain investment advisor representatives (IAR) and principals affiliated with our firm are also
owners or management persons of DayMark Financial Partners, LLC and DayMark Advisors, LLC.
DayMark Financial Partners, LLC is an entity that is used for acquiring other investment advisors.
Clients are instructed that they may utilize our firm’s services and that they are under no obligation
to use the services of other investment advisors that DayMark Financial Partners, LLC may own.
DayMark Advisors, LLC is an entity intended to provide other investment advisors back office support
26
services.
Side-By-Side Management
DayMark Wealth Partners refers qualified prospective investors to the DayMark Fund I, LP. We do
not act as the investment manager or general partner to the DayMark Fund I, LP. However, we have
been appointed by the DayMark Fund I, LP to review and approve or disapprove certain conflicts of
interest involving the DayMark Fund I, LP and receive a portion of the carried interest distributions
from the DayMark Fund I, LP. You should refer to the offering documents for a complete description
of the fees, investment objectives, risks and other relevant information associated with investing in
Performance-Based Fees
the DayMark Fund I, LP. This presents a conflict of interest as we have a financial incentive to
recommend the DayMark Fund I, LP over other investments. Refer to the
and
section for additional information on the receipt of carried interest.
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in
Client Transactions & Personal Trading
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. Our fiduciary duty is the
underlying principle for our firm’s Code of Ethics, which includes procedures for personal securities
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
. In order to monitor compliance with our personal
our representatives for their personal accounts
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.
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.
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
27
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 Custody
Our firm does not maintain custody of client assets (although our firm may be deemed to have 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 establish their accounts at the Schwab
Advisor Services division of Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. (“Schwab”) or with National Financial Services
LLC and Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (collectively, and together with all affiliates, "Fidelity"), each
a FINRA-registered broker-dealer, member SIPC, as the qualified custodian. Our firm is independently
owned and operated, and not affiliated with Schwab or Fidelity. Schwab and Fidelity will hold client
assets in a brokerage account(s) and buy and sell securities when instructed. While our firm
recommends that clients use Schwab or Fidelity as a custodian/broker, clients will decide whether to
do so and open an account with Schwab or Fidelity by entering into an account agreement directly with
them. Our firm does not open the account. Even though the account is maintained at Schwab or
Fidelity, 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 & Fidelity
availability of other products and services that benefit our firm, as discussed below (see
“
”)
Custody & Brokerage Costs
Schwab and Fidelity generally do not charge a separate fee for custody services, but are compensated
by charging for transactions or other fees to clients on trades that are executed or that settle into the
28
Schwab or Fidelity account. In addition to these transaction fees, Schwab and Fidelity charge 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 transaction charges or
other compensation paid to the executing broker-dealer. Because of this, in order to minimize client
trading costs, our firm has Schwab or Fidelity execute most trades for the accounts.
Products & Services Available from Schwab and Fidelity
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,
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.
Fidelity may make certain research and brokerage services available at no additional cost to our firm.
Research products and services provided by Fidelity 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 Fidelity to our firm in the performance of our investment decision-making
responsibilities. The aforementioned research and brokerage services qualify for the safe harbor
exemption defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Here is a more detailed description of Schwab and Fidelity’s support services:
Services that Benefit Clients
Schwab and Fidelity’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 and Fidelity 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
and Fidelity’s services described in this paragraph generally benefit clients and their accounts.
Services that May Not Directly Benefit Clients
•
Schwab and Fidelity also make 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 and Fidelity 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 or Fidelity. In addition to investment
research, Schwab and Fidelity also make 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 client accounts;
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.
29
Services that Generally Benefit Only Our Firm
Schwab and Fidelity 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 and Fidelity may provide some of these services itself. In other cases, Schwab and Fidelity
will arrange for third-party vendors to provide the services to our firm. Schwab and Fidelity may also
discount or waive fees for some of these services or pay all or a part of a third party’s fees. Schwab
and Fidelity may also provide our firm with other benefits, such as occasional business entertainment
for our personnel. Irrespective of direct or indirect benefits to our clients through Schwab and
Fidelity, 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.
Our Interest in Schwab and Fidelity Services.
The availability of these services from Schwab and Fidelity benefit 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 and Fidelity in trading fees
or assets in custody.
In light of our arrangements with Schwab and Fidelity, a conflict of interest exists as our firm may
have incentive to require that clients maintain their accounts with Schwab and Fidelity based on our
interest in receiving their 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 conflict of interest and may indirectly influence our firm’s choice of Schwab
or Fidelity as a custodial recommendation. Our firm examined this conflict of interest when our firm
chose to recommend Schwab and Fidelity 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 seek
best execution.
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 or Fidelity as a custodian and broker is
the best interest of our clients. It is primarily supported by the scope, quality and price of Schwab or
Fidelity’s services, and not Schwab or Fidelity’s services that only benefit our firm.
Transition Assistance
Schwab and Fidelity have offered transition assistance to reimburse our firm for a variety of costs,
including Account Termination Fees (“ACAT Fees”) for client accounts transferred to the custodial
platform. In addition, Schwab and Fidelity have offered to assist our firm for eligible expenses that
include marketing, technology, consulting, or research expenses. The receipt of transition assistance
creates a conflict of interest for our firm to recommend clients use Schwab or Fidelity to custody their
30
assets. In attempt to mitigate this conflict of interest, our firm has evaluated Schwab and Fidelity’s
full suite of services and recommends the use of Schwab or Fidelity based on the overall value of such
services.
Aside from this, our firm does not receive soft dollars more than what is allowed by Section 28(e) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The safe harbor research products and services obtained by our
Client Brokerage Fees
firm will generally be used to service all our clients but not necessarily all at any one particular time.
Schwab and Fidelity do not make client brokerage fees 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.
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 effected. Our firm routinely recommends that clients direct us to execute through a specified
broker-dealer. Our firm recommends the use of Schwab or Fidelity. Each client will be required to
establish their account(s) with Schwab or Fidelity if not already done. Please note that not all advisers
have this requirement.
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, our firm will request that plan
sponsors who direct a plan brokerage provide us with a letter documenting that this arrangement
will be for the exclusive benefit of the plan.
Client-Directed Brokerage
Our firm allows clients to direct brokerage outside our recommendation. Our firm may be unable to
achieve the most favorable execution of client transactions. Client directed brokerage may cost clients
more money. For example, in a directed brokerage account, clients may pay higher brokerage fees
because our firm may not be able to aggregate orders to reduce transaction costs, or clients may
receive less favorable prices.
31
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 an annual basis for our
Asset Management and Comprehensive Portfolio 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, Comprehensive Portfolio 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.
Financial Planning clients do not receive reviews of their written plans unless they take action to
schedule a financial consultation with us. Our firm does 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. Financial Planning clients do not receive written or
verbal updated reports regarding their financial plans unless they separately engage our firm for a
post-financial plan meeting or update to their initial written financial plan.
Retirement Plan Consulting clients receive reviews of their retirement plans for the duration of the
service. Our firm also provides ongoing services where clients are met with upon their request to
discuss updates to their plans, changes in their circumstances, etc. Retirement Plan Consulting clients
do not receive written or verbal updated reports regarding their plans unless they choose to engage
our firm for ongoing services.
Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation
Schwab
Our firm receives economic benefits 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 conflicts of interest are described above (see Item 12 – Brokerage Practices).
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The availability of Schwab’s products and services is not based on our firm giving particular
investment advice, such as buying particular securities for our clients.
Fidelity
Except for the arrangements outlined in Item 12 of Form ADV Part 2A, our firm has no additional
arrangements to disclose.
Product Sponsors
Our firm occasionally sponsors events in conjunction with our product providers in an effort to
keep our clients informed as to the services we offer and the various financial products we utilize.
These events are educational in nature and are not dependent upon the use of any specific product.
While a conflict of interest may exist because these events are at least partially funded by product
sponsors, all funds received from product sponsors are used for the education of our clients. We will
always adhere to our fiduciary duty in recommending appropriate investments for our clients.
Representatives of our firm will occasionally accept travel expense reimbursement provided by
product sponsors in order to attend their educational events. The reimbursement is not directly
dependent upon the recommendation of any specific product. Although we may be incentivized to
recommend products from product sponsors that reimburse our travel, our representatives will
always adhere to their fiduciary duty in recommending appropriate investments for our clients.
Referral Fees
Our firm may directly compensate non-employee (outside) consultants, individuals, and/or entities
(solicitors) for client referrals. Our firm also may participate in Dynasty Connect, a referral program
offered through Dynasty Wealth Management, LLC., an affiliate of Dynasty Financial Partners, LLC.
In order to receive a cash referral fee from us, promoters must comply with the requirements of the
jurisdictions in which they operate. If you become a client, the promoter that referred you to our
firm will receive a percentage of the advisory fee you pay our firm for as long as you are our client, or
until such time as our agreement with the promoter expires. You will not pay additional fees
because of this referral arrangement. Referral fees paid to a promoter are contingent upon your
entering into an advisory agreement with our firm. Therefore, a promoter has a financial incentive
to recommend our firm to you for advisory services. This creates a conflict of interest; however, you
are not obligated to retain our firm for advisory services. Comparable services and/or lower fees
may be available through other firms.
Recommendations of Private Funds
Performance Based Fees
Side-By-Side Management
DayMark Wealth Partners refers qualified prospective investors to the DayMark Fund I, LP. We do
not act as the investment manager or general partner to the DayMark Fund I, LP. However, we are a
referring adviser and have been appointed by the DayMark Fund I, LP to review and approve or
disapprove certain conflicts of interest involving the DayMark Fund I, LP and receive a portion of the
carried interest distributions from the DayMark Fund I, LP. You should refer to the offering
documents for a complete description of the fees, investment objectives, risks and other relevant
information associated with investing in the DayMark Fund I, LP. This presents a conflict of interest
as we have a financial incentive to recommend the DayMark Fund I, LP over other investments.
Refer to the
and
section for additional
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information on the receipt of carried interest.
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
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
Our firm manages accounts on a discretionary basis. After you sign an agreement with our firm, we’re
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allowed to buy and sell investments in your account without asking you in advance. Any limitations
will be described in the signed advisory agreement. We will have discretion until the advisory
agreement is terminated by you or our firm.
Item 17: Voting Client Securities
We generally vote proxy ballots for our clients using a proxy voting service to help fulfill our voting
obligations, some clients may choose to retain voting responsibility. Unless otherwise instructed by
you, we will undertake voting proxies for your account. In the event you wish to direct our firm on
voting a particular proxy, you should contact our main office at the phone number on the cover page
of this brochure with your instruction.
We must make proxy voting decisions solely in the best interests of our clients and will place our
clients' interests above our own interests. Conflicts of interest between you and our firm, or a principal
of our firm, regarding certain proxy issues could arise. If we determine that a material conflict of
interest exists, we will take the necessary steps to resolve the conflict before voting the proxies. For
example, we may disclose the existence and nature of the conflict to you, and seek direction from you
as to how to vote on a particular issue; we may abstain from voting, particularly if there are conflicting
interests for you; or we will take other necessary steps designed to ensure that a decision to vote is in
your best interest and was not the product of the conflict. We have engaged a third party vendor to
provide us with access to a selection of proxy voting recommendations and research. Votes are cast
through the third party vendor's system which provides access to proxy voting recommendations and
historical voting information.
We keep certain records required by applicable law in connection with our proxy voting activities. You
may obtain information on how we voted proxies and/or obtain a full copy of our proxy voting policies
and procedures by making a written or oral request to our firm.
Item 18: Financial Information
•
Our firm is not required to provide financial information in this Brochure because:
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•
•
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.
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