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FORM ADV PART 2A
March 2026
227 W. Monroe Street
Suite 4650
Chicago, IL, 60606
Form ADV Part 2A (the “Brochure”) provides information about the qualifications and
business practices of Doyenne Wealth Advisors LLC (the “Firm”, “we”, “us”, or “our”).
If you have any questions about the contents of this Brochure, please contact Kate Warner
at (312) 380-0755. The information in this Brochure has not been approved or verified by
the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or by any state securities
authority. Additional information about the Firm is also available on the SEC’s website at
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Please note that any reference to or use of the terms “registered investment advisor” or
“registered” in this document does not imply that the Firm has achieved a certain level of
skill or training.
Item 2: Material Changes
Form ADV Part 2 requires registered investment advisers to amend their brochure when
information becomes materially inaccurate. If there are any material changes to our
disclosure brochure, we are required to notify you and provide you with a description of the
material changes.
Since our most recent annual updating amendment of Form ADV in March 2025, we have
made the following material changes:
Item 4 Advisory Services - Effective January 1, 2026, the Firm updated Item 4 (Advisory
Business) to disclose that, while our advisory services are generally provided on a
non-discretionary basis, clients may elect to grant the Firm limited discretionary authority
solely with respect to transactions in money market funds. This discretionary authority is
optional, is granted only pursuant to a written addendum to the client’s Financial Counseling
Agreement and may be revoked by the client at any time.
Item 5 (Fees and Compensation) and Item 15 (Custody) were updated to clarify our billing
practices, including that clients will no longer receive Firm-generated invoices/billing
statements each quarter; however, fees continue to be billed quarterly in advance, and
clients continue to receive custodian account statements reflecting fee deductions.
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Item 3: Table of Contents
Form ADV Part 2A: Brochure
Item 4: Description of Our Advisory Business ............................................................................................................ 4
Item 5. Fees and Compensation ......................................................................................................................................... 6
Item 6: Performance-based Fees ....................................................................................................................................... 8
Item 7: Types of Clients .............................................................................................................................................................. 8
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss ........................................................ 8
Item 9: Disciplinary Information ......................................................................................................................................... 12
Item 10: Other Financial Affiliations.................................................................................................................................. 12
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Transactions and Personal Trading ............................................................................ 12
Item 12: Brokerage Practices ................................................................................................................................................ 13
Item 13: Review of Accounts .................................................................................................................................................. 15
Item 14: Client Referrals and Other Compensation ............................................................................................... 15
Item 15: Custody ............................................................................................................................................................................ 15
Item 16: Investment Discretion ........................................................................................................................................... 16
Item 17: Voting Client Securities ......................................................................................................................................... 16
Item 18: Financial Information ............................................................................................................................................. 16
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Item 4: Description of Our Advisory Business
Doyenne Wealth Advisors LLC (Doyenne) was established in 2021 to provide customized
wealth advisory services for high-net-worth individuals and families. The Firm is owned and
controlled by the following four owners (Managing Directors) who are experienced in
delivering custom advisory services to high-net-worth clients:
▪ Mary Claire Allvine
▪ Kristin Balon
▪ Katherine Donaldson
▪ Anne Petty
All four owners have worked together since 2015, while two out of the four have worked
together more than 20 years as principals in another registered investment advisory firm.
Advisory Services
• Non-discretionary Authority
We provide personalized financial counseling and investment advisory services on a fee-only
basis to high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals, senior corporate executives and
their related parties and their entities, such as, trusts, estates, private foundations, and
endowments.
Our advisory services are generally provided on a non-discretionary basis, meaning clients
retain decision-making authority over all investment transactions in their accounts. In
addition, we provide financial counseling non-continuous advisory services. We may also
provide project-based consultation services to clients for an additional fee if such
consultation is appropriate under the circumstances.
• Discretionary Authority
In limited circumstances, clients may elect to grant us discretionary authority solely with
respect to transactions in money market funds. This discretionary authority is optional, is not
required as a condition of engaging our services and is granted only pursuant to a written
addendum to the client’s Financial Counseling Agreement.
When discretionary authority is granted, we may execute money market transactions on
your behalf without obtaining your prior approval for each transaction, consistent with the
scope of authority described in the addendum. We do not exercise discretionary authority
over any other securities or investment strategies.
Clients may revoke this discretionary authority at any time by providing written notice to the
Firm.
Except for transactions executed pursuant to authorized money market discretion, the Firm
obtains client approval prior to executing any investment transaction.
We do not receive commissions, finders’ fees, or remuneration from the sales of securities or
other financial products, including but not limited to annuities, insurance, stocks, bonds,
mutual funds, and limited partnerships. Furthermore, we are not affiliated with entities that
sell financial products or securities. Other professionals (e.g., lawyers, accountants, insurance
agents) will be engaged directly by you on an as-needed basis.
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Our financial counsel and investment advice are provided through consultation with the
client. The terms of our services will be memorialized in a Financial Counseling Agreement
between you and the Firm. Services typically include one or more of the following: providing
ongoing investment and asset allocation recommendations; determination of financial
objectives, identification of financial obstacles, cash flow analysis, tax planning, insurance
review, education funding, estate and wealth transfer planning, family governance,
charitable giving, comprehensive reporting, and retirement and estate counseling. Your
primary advisor will provide you with investment recommendations and you will make the
final decision whether to accept those recommendations, For non-discretionary trade orders,
Doyenne does not execute recommended trades in your account without your prior
authorization.
• Tailored Relationships
Our financial counsel and investment advice is customized and tailored to your unique goals,
objectives, and needs. Our initial meeting with a prospective client, which may be conducted
by telephone or video, is free of charge and is considered an exploratory interview to
determine the extent to which our financial counseling and investment advisory services
provided may be beneficial to the prospective client.
At the outset of the Firm-client relationship, we will conduct an in-depth discovery of your
goals, objectives, and attitudes based on information provided by you. Your advisor will then
generate a written evaluation of your current financial situation. Our written evaluation also
includes your stated objectives and specifications, which reflect your overall recommended
financial and investment program. We will personalize this investment program for each
client, incorporating and adapting to any applicable client-imposed restrictions.
Wrap Fee Program
We do not participate in wrap fee programs.
IRA Rollover Recommendations
For purposes of complying with the US Department of Labor Prohibited Transaction
Exemption 2020-02 (PTE 2020-02”) where applicable, we are providing the following
acknowledgment to you.
When we provide investment advice to you regarding your retirement plan account or
individual retirement account, we are fiduciaries within the meaning of Title I of the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable,
which are laws governing retirement accounts. The way we make money creates some
conflicts with your interests, so we operate under a special rule that requires us to act in your
best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. Under this special rule’s provisions, we
must:
• Meet a professional standard of care when making investment recommendations
(give prudent advice);
• Never put our financial interests ahead of yours when making recommendations (give
loyal advice);
• Avoid misleading statements about conflicts of interest, fees, and investments;
• Follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that we give advice that is in your
best interest;
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• Charge no more than is reasonable for our services; and
• Give you basic information about conflicts of interest.
We may benefit financially from the rollover of your assets from a retirement account that we
do not manage on your behalf to an account that we manage or provide investment advice,
because such assets increase the amount of assets on which we receive advisory fees. As a
fiduciary, we only recommend a rollover when we believe it is in your best interest.
Additional resources about IRA Rollovers are available to investors through FINRA’s web site
at www.finra.org.
Continuous and Non-Continuous Assets
As of December 31, 2025, Doyenne provided continuous management services for
$2,044,364,737 in client assets on a non-discretionary basis. The Firm also provided financial
counseling services including non-continuous, non-discretionary advisory services on an
additional $1,525,191,337 in client assets.
Item 5: Fees and Compensation
Annual Fees
The Firm charges an annual fee for its financial counseling services, including its continuous
and non-continuous advisory services. Annual fees are typically calculated as a percentage of
client assets in addition to consideration of a variety of factors, which may include, but are
not limited to, the market value of assets subject to investment advisory and financial
counseling services, the scope and complexity of financial counseling services provided, and
the nature of the client relationship.
Base Fee Schedule
The following fee schedule is provided as a guideline:
Assets Subject to Financial Counseling Services Annual Advisory Fee
First $20 million
50 basis points (0.50%)
Next $30 million
40 basis points (0.40%)
Over $50 million
30 basis points (0.30%)
Over $100 million
Negotiable
The Firm generally maintains a minimum annual advisory fee of $50,000.
Negotiability of Fees
Advisory fees are negotiated on a client-by-client basis based on a variety of factors, including
asset levels, the scope and complexity of services provided, and the nature and duration of
the client relationship. As a result, similarly situated clients, including newer and
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long-standing clients, may pay different advisory fees. All fee arrangements are documented
and agreed upon in writing in the client’s Financial Counseling Agreement.
Aggregation of Assets
For purposes of determining the applicable fee schedule, the Firm may aggregate related
client assets, such as assets held by members of the same household or related entities.
Aggregation is used solely to determine the appropriate pricing tier and does not result in a
maximum fee or fee cap unless expressly agreed to in writing.
Fee Changes
The Firm’s annual advisory fee may be changed upon written agreement between the Firm
and the client. In addition, the Firm reserves the right to adjust fees in response to changes in
inflation, asset levels, market values, the scope of services provided, or other factors affecting
the Firm or the client. Any such changes are communicated to the client in advance and
documented in writing. The Firm reserves the right to terminate our services at any time in
accordance with the Financial Counseling Agreement.
Other Fee Arrangements
Fees for project-based, episodic, or other types of advisory services are negotiated separately
in advance and agreed upon in writing in advance with the client.
Billing
We typically charge fees quarterly in advance in January, April, July, and October for one-
quarter the amount of the annual fee. You can pay our fee by:
▪ authorizing the Firm to deduct fees directly from your Charles Schwab custodian
account(s) or
▪
sending payment via check or wire transfer.
We may require fees to be deducted automatically at certain fee levels. To authorize a fee
deduction, you must execute a Charles Schwab written fee payment withdrawal
authorization (“Withdrawal Authorization” or “Authorization to Pay Fees to Investment
Advisors”), which will authorize withdrawal of the agreed-upon fee and permit you to
terminate the fee deduction authorization at any time. Charles Schwab will provide you with
a statement at least quarterly indicating separate line items for all amounts disbursed from
your account(s).
Our fees are billed in advance. As a result, in the event you terminate your relationship with
us, we will refund a pro-rated portion of your fees paid for the period. Your refund will be pro-
rated for the number of days of service during that final period, based on a 365-day year.
Except for our client fees, Doyenne does not charge or accept any other form of
compensation or revenue of any kind.
Other Expenses
You may incur other fees and expenses depending on services and investments utilized.
Expenses may include, but are not limited to, transaction fees, IRA fees, third party manager
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fees and expenses, and any custodian expenses such as alternative investment fees or
platform fees. Typically, there will be a transaction fee or commission involved in purchasing
or selling investments. In addition, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and private
investment vehicles often include embedded expenses such as management fees,
performance fees, administrative expenses, trading costs and other fees. These fees are
required to be disclosed in greater detail in each mutual fund and exchange-traded fund
prospectus and statement of additional information and each private investment fund’s
offering documents. Because we are not affiliated with any custodian or broker, clients can
choose their custodian or broker in order to reduce transaction costs.
Item 6: Performance-based Fees
We do not employ performance-based fees.
Item 7: Types of Clients
We provide personalized financial counseling and investment advisory services on a fee-only
basis to high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals, related party individuals, senior
corporate executives and their trusts, estates, private foundations, and endowments. Client
advised assets also include related entities such as charitable funds, foundations, and special
trusts when applicable.
Generally, Doyenne offers ongoing advisory relationships to clients with at least $10 million in
assets subject to ongoing advisory services. However, under certain circumstances, this
minimum asset level may be waived or lowered. Doyenne may, in its sole discretion, accept
clients with smaller asset levels based upon certain criteria, including anticipated future
earning capacity, anticipated future additional assets, related accounts and pre-existing
client relationships. Legacy clients have assets below the $10 million minimum.
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Investment Strategies
Overall investment strategies recommended to each client tend to emphasize long-term
investment in a diversified portfolio of marketable and non-marketable investments.
Strategies are designed to consider and mitigate the impact of taxes, inflation, and fees.
We generally recommend broad diversification via a long-term asset allocation strategy.
Subject to your risk tolerance and investment objectives, we will typically recommend
multiple asset classes (both liquid and illiquid), market capitalizations, market styles, and
geographic regions to provide diversification.
Client portfolios with similar investment objectives and asset allocation goals may own
different securities and investments. Your portfolio size, tax sensitivity, desire for simplicity,
long-term wealth transfer objectives, time horizon, and choice of custodian are all factors
that we consider when making investment recommendations to you.
We will typically maintain a long-term target asset allocation strategy within your portfolio,
subject to your individual investment goals and objectives. At each periodic meeting, we will
review with you the extent to which the actual allocation matches the target allocation. If we
feel it is appropriate and in your best interest, we will provide recommendations to you to
bring the actual allocation within an acceptable range of the target. This process, known as
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“rebalancing,” offers a systematic and disciplined way to trim investment classes that have
been in favor and redeploy capital to assets classes that have been out of favor.
Investment advice given to clients often includes recommending long-term
purchases/holds. However, shorter-term investment strategies may also be recommended
when consistent with your investment objectives and goals, including short-term purchases,
and margin transactions.
Marketable investment vehicles recommended by the Firm primarily include no-load mutual
funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). We may also recommend that you invest in one or
more managed accounts that are separately managed by a third-party manager as
appropriate. Recommended asset classes and sectors typically managed by third-party
managers include but are not limited to domestic equities, foreign equities, warrants,
corporate debt securities, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, municipal securities, and
U.S. government securities. The specific terms and conditions under which you engage any
third-party manager are in a separate written agreement with the designated independent
manager. In addition to our Brochure, you should typically receive the independent
manager’s written disclosure documents from the independent manager directly.
Mutual fund and ETF recommendations are developed with the objective of selecting a well-
diversified fund, or group of funds, with historical performance and historical volatility (risk)
that we believe are appropriate for each client given their individual investment objectives.
Recommendations of mutual funds and ETFs are made based on data provided by various
sources, including both internal and third-party research and analytics.
We may also advise clients who are corporate officers or employees of publicly traded
companies on the merits of and strategies for diversifying large holdings of shares of their
employers’ stocks and on other forms of compensation which may be payable in their
employers’ stocks.
We periodically recommend third-party sponsored private investment vehicles that are not
available to the broad public to clients when appropriate and consistent with the client’s
investment objectives. These private investment vehicles may include, but are not limited to,
direct and secondary private equity and credit funds and fund of funds, diversified hedge
funds, hedge fund of funds, private investment real estate funds, diversified leveraged
buyout fund of funds, distressed opportunities fund of funds, and venture capital fund of
funds. Virtually every private investment is unique and requires a careful evaluation of the
specific investment offering. Evaluation of privately negotiated investments and limited
partnerships of all varieties are based on an in-depth, fundamental evaluation of the
business, management, markets, risks, liquidity, tax considerations, and other factors
affecting the economic and investment viability of each individual venture. We rely on third
party consultants, appraisers, accountants, lawyers, and others as necessary for specialized
assistance when providing you with these recommendations.
We do not represent, imply, or guarantee that the services or methods of analysis that we use
to make investment recommendations can or will produce profitable results, successfully
identify market peaks or troughs, or insulate clients from losses due to market corrections or
crashes. No guarantee can be offered that your goals or objectives will be achieved. Past
performance is not an indication or guarantee of future results.
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You are advised that the recommendations offered by the Firm are not legal or tax advice.
You are advised to promptly notify us with respect to any changes in your financial situation
and/or financial goals and objectives. Failure to do so could result in our recommendations
not meeting your objectives and/or needs.
Risk of Loss
All investments and investment programs have a variety of risks that are borne by the
investor. As such, there can be no assurance that any investment strategy will prove
profitable or successful. Below is a summary of the most common material risks associated
with the investment strategies that we typically recommend:
Interest-Rate Risk: Fluctuations in interest rates may cause investment prices to fluctuate.
For example, when interest rates rise, yields on existing bonds become less attractive,
causing their market value to decline.
Market Risk: The price of a security, bond, or mutual fund may drop in reaction to tangible
and intangible events and conditions. This type of risk is caused by external factors
independent of a security’s particular underlying circumstances. For example, political,
economic, and social conditions may trigger market events.
Inflation Risk: When any type of inflation is present, a dollar today will not buy as much as a
dollar next year, because purchasing power is eroding at the rate of inflation.
Currency Risk: Overseas investments are subject to fluctuations in the value of the dollar
against the currency of the investment’s originating country. This fluctuation is also referred
to as exchange rate risk.
Cybersecurity Risk: Doyenne’s information and technology systems may be vulnerable to
damage or interruption from computer viruses, network failures, computer and
telecommunication failures, infiltrations by unauthorized persons and security breaches,
usage errors by its professionals, power outages and catastrophic events such as fires,
tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes. The failure of these systems and/or business
continuity disaster recovery plans for any reason could cause interruptions in Doyenne’s
operations and result in a failure to maintain the security, confidentiality or privacy or
sensitive data, including personal information relating to clients. Such a failure could harm
Doyenne’s reputation or subject it to legal claims and otherwise affect their business and
financial performance. Additionally, any failure of the Firm’s information, technology or
security systems could have an adverse impact on its ability to provide the services referred
to herein.
Reinvestment Risk: This risk is that future proceeds from investments may have to be
reinvested at a potentially lower rate of return (i.e., interest rate). This risk primarily relates to
fixed income securities.
Business Risk: These risks are associated with a particular industry or a particular company
within an industry. For example, oil production companies depend on the lengthy process of
finding, extracting, transporting, and then selling oil before they can generate a profit. As a
result, an oil production company carries a higher risk of profitability than an electric utility
company, which generates its income from a steady stream of customers who buy electricity
no matter what the economic environment.
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Liquidity Risk: Liquidity is the ability to readily convert an investment into cash. Generally,
assets are more liquid if many traders are interested in a standardized product. For example,
Treasury Bills are highly liquid, while real estate properties or private investment vehicles are
not. Only investors who are financially able to maintain their investment without a need for
immediate liquidity should consider investing in illiquid investments.
Financial Risk: Excessive borrowing to finance a business’s operations increases the risk of
profitability, because the company must meet the terms of its obligations in good times and
bad times. During periods of financial stress, the inability to meet loan obligations may result
in bankruptcy and/or a declining market value.
Regulatory/Legislative Developments Risk: Regulators and/or legislators may promulgate
rules or pass legislation that places restrictions on, adds procedural hurdles to, affects the
liquidity of, and/or alters the risk associated with certain investment transactions or the
securities underlying such investment transactions. Such rules/legislation could affect the
performance associated with those investment transactions.
Risks of Investments:
• Equity (Stock) Risks. Common stocks are subject to general stock market fluctuations
and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence and perception
of their issuers change. There is also a certain level of company or industry specific risk
that is inherent in each investment. There is the risk that the company will perform
poorly or have its value reduced based on factors specific to the company or its
industry.
• ETF Risks. The performance of ETFs is subject to market risk, including the possible
loss of principal. The price of the ETFs will fluctuate with the price of the underlying
securities that make up the funds. In addition, ETFs have a trading risk based on the
loss of cost efficiency if the ETFs are traded actively and a liquidity risk if an ETF has a
large bid-ask spread and low trading volume. The price of an ETF fluctuates based
upon the market movements and may dissociate from the index being tracked by the
ETF or the price of the underlying investments. An ETF purchased or sold at one point
in the day may have a different price than the same ETF purchased or sold a short
time later.
• Mutual Fund Risks. The performance of mutual funds is subject to market risk,
including the possible loss of principal. The price of the mutual funds will fluctuate
with the value of the underlying securities that make up the funds. The price of a
mutual fund is typically set daily therefore a mutual fund purchased at one point in
the day will typically have the same price as a mutual fund purchased later that same
day.
• Fixed Income (Bonds) Risks. Corporate debt securities (or "bonds") are typically safer
investments than equity securities, but their risk can also vary widely based on the
financial health of the issuer; the risk that the issuer might default; interest rate
movements (Interest Rate Risk); when the bond is set to mature; and, whether or not
the bond can be "called" prior to maturity. When a bond is called, it may not be
possible to replace it with a bond of equal character paying the same rate of return.
• Third-Party Managed Account Risk - The use of third-party managed accounts in
investment programs involves additional risks. The success of the third-party
manager depends on the capabilities of its investment management personnel and
infrastructure, all of which may be adversely impacted by the departure of key
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employees and other events. The future results of the third-party manager may differ
significantly from the third-party manager’s past performance. While Doyenne
intends to employ reasonable diligence in evaluating and monitoring third-party
managers, no amount of diligence can eliminate the possibility that a third-party
manager may provide misleading, incomplete, or false information or representations,
or engage in improper or fraudulent conduct, including unauthorized changes in
investment strategy, insider trading, misappropriation of assets and unsupportable
valuations of portfolio securities.
• Private Investment Vehicle Risk - Investments in private funds, including credit, debt
or equity investments in operating and holding companies, investment funds, joint
ventures, royalty streams, commodities, physical assets, and other similar types of
investments, are highly illiquid and long-term. A portfolio's ability to transfer or
dispose of private investments is expected to be highly restricted. The ability to
withdraw funds from limited partnership interests is usually restricted following the
withdrawal provisions contained in an Offering Memorandum. In addition, substantial
withdrawals by investors within a short period could require a fund to liquidate
securities positions and other investments more rapidly than would otherwise be
desirable, possibly reducing the value of the fund's assets or disrupting the fund's
investment strategy.
Prior to entering into an investment, a client should carefully consider:
1. Investing in securities involves the risk of loss which clients should be prepared to
bear;
2. Securities markets experience varying degrees of volatility, which can become
extreme in periods of severe market decline;
3. Over time, assets will fluctuate and, at any time, may be worth more or less than the
amount invested;
4. Whether their assets are available for investment on a long-term basis (typically 2 to
5 years or longer); and
5. Carefully reviewing the advisory agreement and subscription and offering
documents of third-party managed account and private investment vehicles
investments.
Item 9: Disciplinary Information
Neither the Firm nor the employees and owners of Doyenne have any events to disclose.
Item 10: Other Financial Affiliations
Doyenne operates as a completely independent firm. We have no affiliations or related
businesses of any kind to disclose.
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Transactions and Personal Trading
We have adopted a code of ethics establishing standards of conduct for our Firm, and for our
owners and employees (together referred to in this section as “employees”). Our code
requires that all employees comply with applicable securities laws. In accordance with
Section 204A of the Advisers Act, our code contains written policies reasonably designed to
prevent the unlawful use of material non-public information by our Firm and employees. Our
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code also requires that employees with access to confidential client information report their
personal securities holdings and transactions and obtain pre-approval of certain investments,
such as initial public offerings and limited offerings.
Our employees are permitted to invest in their own personal accounts. As our investment
recommendations are intended to meet the needs of specific clients, the investment
recommendations to clients could be different from, or similar to, investments made on
behalf of accounts for any employee of our Firm. However, employees may not (1) purchase
or sell for their own account prior to the Firm recommending the securities to any Firm client
if the purchase or sale might disadvantage such client in terms of the price of the security, or
(2) misappropriate any investment opportunity of any Firm client. For example, employees
may not purchase securities for their own account if the purchase would preclude or hinder
any client from purchasing securities that the Firm would otherwise have recommended to
such client.
When we recommend mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, there is no potential
impact on pricing or timing of client transactions from personal trading by our employees.
Nevertheless, we maintain a Restricted Securities list and track personal trading on a
quarterly basis to avoid any potential conflict or other violations of our code of ethics and/or
applicable regulations. Finally, as noted above in “Other Financial Affiliations,” our Firm is
independent without any affiliated entities. Therefore, we experience no impact on
transactions or trading by related parties.
Our code of ethics requires all employees to promptly report any violations of the code to our
Chief Compliance Officer. All employees must acknowledge the terms of the code of ethics
annually, or as amended. You can request a copy of our code of ethics by contacting Kate
Warner, our Chief Compliance Officer at (312) 380-0755 or kwarner@doyenneadvisors.com.
Item 12: Brokerage Practices
Clients are free to choose their own broker-dealer/custodian. The Firm does not require
clients to utilize any particular broker-dealer/custodian. Clients will often request
recommendations, and the Firm will generally recommend Charles Schwab for client
consideration. Recommendations are based upon such factors as the broker-dealer/
custodian’s general reputation, the quality of prior service provided to clients or others
known to the Firm, the broker-dealer/custodians financial strength, the estimated cost and
convenience to the client, and/or the broker-dealer/custodian’s special expertise in areas
such as tax-free bonds, etc.
Broker-dealer/custodians typically do not charge Firm clients separately for custody.
However, they may receive compensation from Firm clients through interest earned on non-
invested cash balances and/or transaction fees on certain securities trades. While these
transaction fees may be higher or lower than those charged by other broker-dealer/
custodians, the transaction fees charged by the institutional broker-dealer/custodians that
cater to independent financial advisors are typically discounted rates that are often lower
than the rates available to the general public. The Firm does not share in interest earned,
transaction fees, commissions, or any other fees charged by our clients’ broker-dealer/
custodians.
Because we manage our client accounts primarily on a non-discretionary basis, other than
for certain client’s money market transactions (see “Investment Discretion” section below),
we generally do not have authority to place trades for our clients without first obtaining
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client approval. Therefore, we are not able to direct trades to any specific brokerage firm and
there is no economic benefit earned by the Firm in the form of “soft dollars,” where
brokerage firms sometimes provide research or other products for the benefit of investment
advisors.
The vast majority of our purchase/sale transactions consist of mutual funds and exchange-
traded funds. We do not typically recommend Individual securities (e.g., stocks and bonds) in
our recommended strategies, but clients may retain individual securities to maintain asset
class exposure or for other reasons. Since there is no economic advantage, we do not
aggregate transactions in trading.
We do not receive any referrals of prospective clients from broker-dealer, custodians or other
parties.
We recommend discount broker-dealer/custodian, Charles Schwab. Clients are not
required to work with Charles Schwab.
Other Benefits
The Firm receives operational efficiencies and certain economic benefits (referred to as
“other benefits”) from our clients’ selection of Charles Schwab. Specifically, Charles Schwab
makes available to the Firm products and services that we use to provide our services to all or
a substantial number of our clients’ accounts, such as the following:
•
• access to client accounts, statements, confirmations, and tax reports;
•
facilitation of trade execution for client-authorized transactions;
• assistance with recordkeeping and client reporting;
• access to quotes, pricing, and other market data;
• access to back-office support personnel exclusively for investment advisor clients;
• access to "institutional" mutual funds that are otherwise generally available only to
institutional investors, or would require a significantly higher minimum initial
investment;
facilitation of fee payment of the Firm’s fees from client accounts, as authorized by
the client.
Charles Schwab may also give the Firm discounts on portfolio accounting and performance
reporting software, which may or may not benefit the Firm’s clients directly. In addition, they
make available to the Firm various other ancillary services at no charge intended to help the
Firm manage and further develop its business enterprise. These services include
technological support and strategic guidance as well as training webinars and presentations
regarding such topics as practice management, investment recommendations, and
regulatory compliance, which in some cases may be rendered by independent third parties
to the Firm. Charles Schwab may discount or waive fees it would otherwise charge for some
of these services or pay all or a part of the fees of a third-party providing these services to the
Firm.
The Firm, as a fiduciary, endeavors to act in its clients’ best interests. That said, we have an
incentive to recommend or suggest that clients maintain their assets in accounts at Charles
Schwab or a similar broker-dealer/custodians based in part on the benefit to the Firm of the
availability of some of the foregoing products and services and not solely on the nature, cost,
or quality of custody and brokerage services. Thus, our recommendation creates a potential
conflict of interest. To address this conflict, we have adopted policies and procedures to
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monitor the quality of the services provided by our recommended broker-dealer/custodian
and to seek best execution for our clients.
Mutual Fund Share Class Selection
Mutual funds generally offer multiple share classes available for investment based upon
certain eligibility and/or purchase requirements. For instance, in addition to retail share
classes (typically referred to as class A, class B and class C shares), funds may also offer
institutional share classes or other share classes that are specifically designed for purchase by
investors who meet certain specified eligibility criteria, including, for example, whether an
account meets certain minimum dollar amounts. Institutional share classes usually have a
lower expense ratio than other share classes. When recommending investments in mutual
funds, it is our policy to review and consider available share classes. The Firm’s policy is to
select the most appropriate share classes based on various factors including but not limited
to: minimum investment requirements, trading restrictions, internal expense structure,
transaction charges, availability and other factors. When considering all the appropriate
factors, we can select a share class other than the ‘lowest cost’ share class. In order to select
the most appropriate share class, we consider retail, institutional or other share classes of the
same mutual fund. Regardless of such considerations, Clients should not assume that they
will be invested in the share class with the lowest possible expense ratio. Clients should ask
their adviser whether a lower cost share class is available instead of those selected by the
Advisor. The Firm typically, at least annually, reviews the mutual funds held in Client
accounts to select the most appropriate share classes in light of its duty to obtain best
execution.
Item 13: Review of Accounts
Doyenne’s advisors conduct comprehensive financial reviews for our clients. Typically, each
client receives a minimum of one annual review per year, while most clients usually receive
multiple reviews per year.
Generally, every 3-4 months, we meet with our clients and typically deliver comprehensive
reporting that includes asset allocation, holdings, positions and performance. Reports may
include periodically customized analysis, such as cash flow reports or asset and tax
projections.
Item 14: Client Referrals and Other Compensation
The Firm’s primary source of economic compensation is generated through our annual client
fee, as discussed above in the “Fees and Compensation” section. The Firm also receives
certain non-cash benefits from Charles Schwab, as described in Item 12. No other
relationships provide any other economic benefit (except for what is already disclosed in this
Brochure), nor do we pay compensation to individuals or firms, for referrals of prospective
clients.
Item 15: Custody
Doyenne does not maintain physical possession of clients’ cash and/or securities. Your assets
will be maintained by an unaffiliated, qualified custodian, such as a bank, broker/dealer (e.g.,
Charles Schwab), mutual fund company, or transfer agent. With your authorization, your
independent custodian will directly debit your account(s) for the payment of our fees or
maintain Standing Letters of Authorization to move money. This ability to deduct our
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advisory fees or to move money from your accounts under Standing Letters of Authorization
causes our Firm to exercise limited custody over your funds or securities.
You should receive account statements from the qualified custodian(s) holding your funds
and securities at least quarterly. The account statements from your custodian(s) will indicate
the amount of our advisory fees and any other cash distributions deducted from your
account(s) each billing period. You should carefully review account statements for accuracy.
Item 16: Investment Discretion
Doyenne’s advisory services are generally provided on a non-discretionary basis, meaning
that clients retain decision-making authority over all investment transactions in their
accounts.
In limited circumstances, clients may elect to grant Doyenne discretionary authority solely
with respect to transactions in money market funds. This discretionary authority is optional, is
granted only pursuant to written client authorization, and may be revoked by the client at
any time upon written notice.
Except for transactions executed pursuant to authorized money market discretion, Doyenne
obtains client approval prior to executing any investment transaction.
If Doyenne recommends that a client invest in a private investment vehicle or a third-party
managed account, and the client accepts such recommendation, the client is required to
execute the applicable subscription documents or third-party investment management
agreements. In all cases, clients retain the unrestricted right to accept or decline any
investment recommendation made by our Firm, except as otherwise authorized under
limited money market discretion.
Item 17: Voting Client Securities
Doyenne Wealth Advisors LLC does not accept authority to vote proxies for clients. You will
receive proxies directly from your independent custodian and may contact us using the
contact information on the cover of this brochure about any such issuer solicitations. If
Doyenne inadvertently receives proxy voting information, it has policies and procedures to
deliver to the client or other designated third party with proxy voting authority the
information in a reasonable amount of time.
Additionally, Doyenne does not advise nor act on its clients’ behalf in legal proceedings
involving companies whose securities are held in client accounts, including, but not limited
to, the filing of "Proofs of Claim" in class action settlements. If desired, you may direct us to
transmit copies of class action notices to you or a third party. Upon such direction, we will
make commercially reasonable efforts to forward such notices to you in a timely manner.
Item 18: Financial Information
As a registered investment adviser, we must provide you with certain financial information or
disclosures about our financial condition if we have financial commitments that impair our
ability to meet contractual and fiduciary commitments to you. We have not been the subject
of a bankruptcy proceeding and do not have any financial commitments that would impair
our ability to meet any contractual or fiduciary commitments to you.
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