Overview
- Headquarters
- Greenwich, CT
- Total Firm Assets
- $293 million
- Average High-Net-Worth Client Portfolio Size
- $4.6 million
- Minimum Account Size
- $1,000,000
Fee Structure
Primary Fee Schedule (FORM ADV PART 2A: FIRM BROCHURE)
| Min | Max | Marginal Fee Rate |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $2,000,000 | 0.75% |
| $2,000,001 | $5,000,000 | 0.50% |
| $5,000,001 | and above | 0.35% |
Illustrative Fee Rates
| Total Assets | Annual Fees | Average Fee Rate |
|---|---|---|
| $1 million | $7,500 | 0.75% |
| $5 million | $30,000 | 0.60% |
| $10 million | $47,500 | 0.48% |
| $50 million | $187,500 | 0.38% |
| $100 million | $362,500 | 0.36% |
Clients
- High-Net-Worth Share of Firm Assets
- 57.98%
- Number of High-Net-Worth Clients
- 37
- Total Client Accounts
- 211
- Discretionary Accounts
- 183
- Non-Discretionary Accounts
- 28
Services Offered
Services: Financial Planning, Portfolio Management for Individuals, Portfolio Management for Institutional Clients
Regulatory Filings
- SEC CRD Number
- 165892
Primary Brochure: FORM ADV PART 2A: FIRM BROCHURE (2026-06-30)
View Document Text
Greenwich Advisors, LLC
112 Mason Street
Greenwich, CT 06830
Telephone: 203-489-0700
Website: http://www.greenwichadvisors.com
June 30, 2026
FORM ADV PART 2A
BROCHURE
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Greenwich
Advisors, LLC. If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, contact us at 203-489-
0700. 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 Greenwich Advisors, LLC is available on the SEC's website at
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Greenwich Advisors, LLC is a registered investment adviser. Registration with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission or any state securities authority does not imply a certain level of
skill or training.
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Item 2 Summary of Material Changes
Form ADV Part 2 requires registered investment advisers to amend their brochure when information
becomes materially inaccurate. If there are any material changes to an adviser's disclosure brochure,
the adviser is required to notify you and provide you with a description of the material changes.
Since the filing of our last annual updating amendment, dated March 3, 2025, we have no material
changes to report.
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Item 3 Table of Contents
Item 1 Cover Page
Item 2 Summary of Material Changes
Item 3 Table of Contents
Item 4 Advisory Business
Item 5 Fees and Compensation
Item 6 Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
Item 7 Types of Clients
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Item 9 Disciplinary Information
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading
Item 12 Brokerage Practices
Item 13 Review of Accounts
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation
Item 15 Custody
Item 16 Investment Discretion
Item 17 Voting Client Securities
Item 18 Financial Information
Item 19 Requirements for State-Registered Advisers
Item 20 Additional Information
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Item 4 Advisory Business
Description of Firm
Greenwich Advisors, LLC is a registered investment adviser primarily based in Old Greenwich, CT. We
are organized as a limited liability company ("LLC") under the laws of the State of Delaware. We have
been providing investment advisory services since May 2012. We are primarily owned by D. Chris
Tucker.
The following paragraphs describe our services and fees. Refer to the description of each investment
advisory service listed below for information on how we tailor our advisory services to your individual
needs. As used in this brochure, the words "we," "our," and "us" refer to Greenwich Advisors, LLC and
the words "you," "your," and "client" refer to you as either a client or prospective client of our firm.
Portfolio Management Services
We offer discretionary portfolio management services. Our investment advice is tailored to meet our
clients' needs and investment objectives.
If you participate in our discretionary portfolio management services, we require you to grant us
discretionary authority to manage your account. Subject to a grant of discretionary authorization, we
have the authority and responsibility to formulate investment strategies on your behalf. Discretionary
authorization will allow us to determine the specific securities, and the amount of securities, to be
purchased or sold for your account without obtaining your approval prior to each transaction. We will
also have discretion over the broker or dealer to be used for securities transactions, and over the
commission rates to be paid. Discretionary authority is typically granted by the investment advisory
agreement you sign with our firm, a power of attorney, or trading authorization forms.
You may limit our discretionary authority (for example, limiting the types of securities that can be
purchased or sold for your account) by providing our firm with your restrictions and guidelines in
writing.
We may also offer non-discretionary portfolio management services. If you enter into non-discretionary
arrangements with our firm, we must obtain your approval prior to executing any transactions on behalf
of your account. You have an unrestricted right to decline to implement any advice provided by our firm
on a non-discretionary basis.
Financial Planning Services
We offer financial planning services which typically involve providing a variety of advisory services to
clients regarding the management of their financial resources based upon an analysis of their
individual needs. These services can range from broad-based financial planning to consultative or
single subject planning. If you retain our firm for financial planning services, we will meet with you to
gather information about your financial circumstances and objectives. We may also use financial
planning software to determine your current financial position and to define and quantify your long-term
goals and objectives. Once we specify those long-term objectives (both financial and non-financial), we
will develop shorter-term, targeted objectives. Once we review and analyze the information you provide
to our firm and the data derived from our financial planning software, we will deliver a written plan to
you, designed to help you achieve your stated financial goals and objectives.
Financial plans are based on your financial situation at the time we present the plan to you, and on the
financial information you provide to us. You must promptly notify our firm if your financial situation,
goals, objectives, or needs change.
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You are under no obligation to act on our financial planning recommendations. Should you choose to
act on any of our recommendations, you are not obligated to implement the financial plan through any
of our other investment advisory services. Moreover, you may act on our recommendations by placing
securities transactions with any brokerage firm.
Types of Investments
We offer advice primarily on United States government securities, equity securities and mutual fund
shares.
Additionally, we may advise you on various types of investments based on your stated goals and
objectives. We may also provide advice on any type of investment held in your portfolio at the inception
of our advisory relationship.
Since our investment strategies and advice are based on each client's specific financial situation, the
investment advice we provide to you may be different or conflicting with the advice we give to other
clients regarding the same security or investment.
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2025, we provide continuous management services for $255,559,414 in client
assets on a discretionary basis, and $37,632,381 in client assets on a non-discretionary basis.
Item 5 Fees and Compensation
Portfolio Management Services
Our fee for portfolio management services is based on a percentage of the assets in your account and
is set forth in the following annual fee schedule:
Annual Fee Schedule
Assets Under Management Annual Fee
Up to $2,000,000
0.75%
$2,000,000 to $5,000,000
0.50%
$5,000,000 and above
0.35%
In general, we require a minimum of $1,000,000 to open and maintain an advisory account. At our
discretion, we may waive this minimum account size. For example, we may waive the minimum if you
appear to have significant potential for increasing your assets under our management.
Our annual advisory fee schedule is described above; however, our fee is negotiable depending on
individual client circumstances. We also offer fixed fees for our portfolio management services which
is also negotiable depending on individual client circumstances. Factors to consider when fees are
negotiable can include the type and complexity of the asset management services provided, as well as
the level of administration requested either directly or assumed by the client. Assets in each of your
account(s) are included in the fee assessment unless specifically identified in writing for exclusion.
Our annual portfolio management fee is billed and payable, quarterly in arrears, based on the average
daily balance.
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If the portfolio management agreement is executed at any time other than the first day of a calendar
quarter, our fees will apply on a pro rata basis, which means that the advisory fee is payable in
proportion to the number of days in the quarter for which you are a client.
At our discretion, we may combine the account values of family members living in the same household
to determine the applicable advisory fee. For example, we may combine account values for you and
your minor children, joint accounts with your spouse, and other types of related accounts. Combining
account values may increase the asset total, which may result in your paying a reduced advisory fee
based on the available breakpoints in our fee schedule stated above.
We will deduct our fee directly from your account through the qualified custodian holding your funds
and securities. We will deduct our advisory fee only when you have given our firm written authorization
permitting the fees to be paid directly from your account. We will send you an invoice showing the
amount of the fee. Further, the qualified custodian will deliver an account statement to you at least
quarterly. These account statements will show all disbursements from your account. You should review
all statements for accuracy.
We encourage you to reconcile our invoices with the statement(s) you receive from the qualified
custodian. If you find any inconsistent information between our invoice and the statement(s) you
receive from the qualified custodian call our main office number located on the cover page of this
brochure.
You may terminate the portfolio management agreement upon 10 days written notice. You will incur a
pro rata charge for services rendered prior to the termination of the portfolio management agreement,
which means you will incur advisory fees only in proportion to the number of days in the quarter for
which you are a client. If you have pre-paid advisory fees that we have not yet earned, you will receive
a prorated refund of those fees.
Financial Planning Services
We charge an hourly fee of $375 for financial planning services, which is negotiable depending on the
scope and complexity of the plan, your situation, and your financial objectives. An estimate of the total
time/cost will be determined at the start of the advisory relationship. In limited circumstances, the
cost/time could potentially exceed the initial estimate. In such cases, we will notify you and request that
you approve the additional fee.
We also offer advice on single subject financial planning/general consulting services at the same
hourly rate.
We will not require prepayment of a fee more than six months in advance and in excess of $1,200.
Our financial planning fees are negotiable and payable on completion of the contracted services.
You may terminate the financial planning agreement upon Written notice to our firm. If you have pre-
paid financial planning fees that we have not yet earned, you will receive a prorated refund of those
fees. If financial planning fees are payable in arrears, you will be responsible for a prorated fee based
on services performed prior to termination of the financial planning agreement.
Additional Fees and Expenses
As part of our investment advisory services to you, we may invest, or recommend that you invest, in
mutual funds and exchange traded funds. The fees that you pay to our firm for investment advisory
services are separate and distinct from the fees and expenses charged by mutual funds or exchange
traded funds (described in each fund's prospectus) to their shareholders. These fees will generally
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include a management fee and other fund expenses. You will also incur transaction charges and/or
brokerage fees when purchasing or selling securities. These charges and fees are typically imposed by
the broker-dealer or custodian through whom your account transactions are executed. We do not
share in any portion of the brokerage fees/transaction charges imposed by the broker-dealer or
custodian. To fully understand the total cost you will incur, you should review all the fees charged by
mutual funds, exchange traded funds, our firm, and others. For information on our brokerage practices,
refer to the Brokerage Practices section of this brochure.
Item 6 Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
We do not accept performance-based fees or participate in side-by-side management. Performance-
based fees are fees that are based on a share of a capital gains or capital appreciation of a client's
account. Side-by-side management refers to the practice of managing accounts that are charged
performance-based fees while at the same time managing accounts that are not charged performance-
based fees. Our fees are calculated as described in the Fees and Compensation section above, and
are not charged on the basis of a share of capital gains upon, or capital appreciation of, the funds in
your advisory account.
Item 7 Types of Clients
We offer investment advisory services to individuals (other than high net worth individuals), high net
worth individuals and corporations or other businesses not listed above.
The minimum initial investment is $1,000,000, subject to reduction at the sole discretion of the Adviser.
We may also combine account values for you and your minor children, joint accounts with your
spouse, and other types of related accounts to meet the stated minimum.
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Our Methods of Analysis and Investment Strategies
We use one or more of the following methods of analysis or investment strategies when providing
investment advice to you:
Charting Analysis - involves the gathering and processing of price and volume pattern information for
a particular security, sector, broad index or commodity. This price and volume pattern information is
analyzed. The resulting pattern and correlation data is used to detect departures from expected
performance and diversification and predict future price movements and trends.
Risk: Our charting analysis may not accurately detect anomalies or predict future price
movements. Current prices of securities may reflect all information known about the security and
day-to-day changes in market prices of securities may follow random patterns and may not be
predictable with any reliable degree of accuracy.
Technical Analysis - involves studying past price patterns, trends and interrelationships in the
financial markets to assess risk-adjusted performance and predict the direction of both the overall
market and specific securities.
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Risk: The risk of market timing based on technical analysis is that our analysis may not accurately
detect anomalies or predict future price movements. Current prices of securities may reflect all
information known about the security and day-to-day changes in market prices of securities may
follow random patterns and may not be predictable with any reliable degree of accuracy.
Fundamental Analysis - involves analyzing individual companies and their industry groups, such as a
company's financial statements, details regarding the company's product line, the experience and
expertise of the company's management, and the outlook for the company and its industry. The
resulting data is used to measure the true value of the company's stock compared to the current
market value.
Risk: The risk of fundamental analysis is that information obtained may be incorrect and the
analysis may not provide an accurate estimate of earnings, which may be the basis for a stock's
value. If securities prices adjust rapidly to new information, utilizing fundamental analysis may not
result in favorable performance.
Cyclical Analysis - a type of technical analysis that involves evaluating recurring price patterns and
trends. Economic/business cycles may not be predictable and may have many fluctuations between
long-term expansions and contractions.
Risk: The lengths of economic cycles may be difficult to predict with accuracy and therefore the
risk of cyclical analysis is the difficulty in predicting economic trends and consequently the
changing value of securities that would be affected by these changing trends.
Modern Portfolio Theory - a theory of investment which attempts to maximize portfolio expected
return for a given amount of portfolio risk, or equivalently minimize risk for a given level of expected
return, by carefully diversifying the proportions of various assets.
Risk: Market risk is that part of a security's risk that is common to all securities of the same
general class (stocks and bonds) and thus cannot be eliminated by diversification.
Long-Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that the value of those securities
will grow over a relatively long period of time, generally greater than one year.
Risk: Using a long-term purchase strategy generally assumes the financial markets will go up in
the long-term which may not be the case. There is also the risk that the segment of the market
that you are invested in or perhaps just your particular investment will go down over time even if
the overall financial markets advance. Purchasing investments long-term may create an
opportunity cost - "locking-up" assets that may be better utilized in the short-term in other
investments.
Short-Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that they will be sold within a
relatively short period of time, generally less than one year, to take advantage of the securities' short-
term price fluctuations.
Risk: Using a short-term purchase strategy generally assumes that we can predict how financial
markets will perform in the short-term which may be very difficult and will incur a disproportionately
higher amount of transaction costs compared to long-term trading. There are many factors that
can affect financial market performance in the short-term (such as short-term interest rate
changes, cyclical earnings announcements, etc.) but may have a smaller impact over longer
periods of times.
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Our investment strategies and advice may vary depending upon each client's specific financial
situation. As such, we determine investments and allocations based upon your predefined objectives,
risk tolerance, time horizon, financial information, liquidity needs and other various suitability factors.
Your restrictions and guidelines may affect the composition of your portfolio. It is important that you
notify us immediately with respect to any material changes to your financial circumstances,
including for example, a change in your current or expected income level, tax circumstances, or
employment status.
Cash Management
In managing the cash maintained in your account, we use cash vehicles (money market & bank sweep
accounts) made available by the custodian. There may be other cash management options away from
the custodian available to you with higher yields or safer underlying investments.
We manage cash balances in your account based on the yield, and the financial soundness of the
money markets and other short-term instruments.
Tax Considerations
Our strategies and investments may have unique and significant tax implications. However, unless we
specifically agree otherwise, and in writing, tax efficiency is not our primary consideration in the
management of your assets. Regardless of your account size or any other factors, we strongly
recommend that you consult with a tax professional regarding the investing of your assets.
Custodians and broker-dealers must report the cost basis of equities acquired in client accounts. We
recommend a tax minimization accounting method for calculating the cost basis of your investments.
You are responsible for contacting your tax advisor to determine if this accounting method is the right
choice for you. If your tax advisor believes another accounting method is more advantageous, provide
written notice to our firm immediately and we will alert your account custodian of your individually
selected accounting method. Decisions about cost basis accounting methods will need to be made
before trades settle, as the cost basis method cannot be changed after settlement.
Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves risk of loss that you should be prepared to bear. We do not represent or
guarantee that our services or methods of analysis can or will predict future results, successfully
identify market tops or bottoms, or insulate clients from losses due to market corrections or declines.
We cannot offer any guarantees or promises that your financial goals and objectives will be met. Past
performance is in no way an indication of future performance.
Other Risk Considerations
When evaluating risk, financial loss may be viewed differently by each client and may depend on many
different risks, each of which may affect the probability and magnitude of any potential losses. The
following risks may not be all-inclusive, but should be considered carefully by a prospective client
before retaining our services.
Liquidity Risk: The risk of being unable to sell your investment at a fair price at a given time due to
high volatility or lack of active liquid markets. You may receive a lower price or it may not be possible
to sell the investment at all.
Credit Risk: Credit risk typically applies to debt investments such as corporate, municipal, and
sovereign fixed income or bonds. A bond issuing entity can experience a credit event that could impair
or erase the value of an issuer's securities held by a client.
Inflation and Interest Rate Risk: Security prices and portfolio returns will likely vary in response to
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changes in inflation and interest rates. Inflation causes the value of future dollars to be worthless and
may reduce the purchasing power of a client's future interest payments and principal. Inflation also
generally leads to higher interest rates which may cause the value of many types of fixed income
investments to decline.
Horizon and Longevity Risk: The risk that your investment horizon is shortened because of an
unforeseen event, for example, the loss of your job. This may force you to sell investments that you
were expecting to hold for the long term. If you must sell at a time that the markets are down, you may
lose money. Longevity Risk is the risk of outliving your savings. This risk is particularly relevant for
people who are retired, or are nearing retirement.
Recommendation of Particular Types of Securities
We recommend various types of securities and we do not primarily recommend one particular type of
security over another since each client has different needs and different tolerance for risk. Each type of
security has its own unique set of risks associated with it and it would not be possible to list here all of
the specific risks of every type of investment. Even within the same type of investment, risks can vary
widely. However, in very general terms, the higher the anticipated return of an investment, the higher
the risk of loss associated with the investment. A description of the types of securities we may
recommend to you and some of their inherent risks are provided below.
Money Market Funds: A money market fund is technically a security. The fund managers attempt to
keep the share price constant at $1/share. However, there is no guarantee that the share price will stay
at $1/share. If the share price goes down, you can lose some or all of your principal. The U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") notes that "While investor losses in money market
funds have been rare, they are possible." In return for this risk, you should earn a greater return on
your cash than you would expect from a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") insured
savings account (money market funds are not FDIC insured). Next, money market fund rates are
variable. In other words, you do not know how much you will earn on your investment next month. The
rate could go up or go down. If it goes up, that may result in a positive outcome. However, if it goes
down and you earn less than you expected to earn, you may end up needing more cash. A final risk
you are taking with money market funds has to do with inflation. Because money market funds are
considered to be safer than other investments like stocks, long-term average returns on money market
funds tends to be less than long term average returns on riskier investments. Over long periods of
time, inflation can eat away at your returns.
Certificates of Deposit: Certificates of deposit ("CD") are generally a safe type of investment since
they are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Company ("FDIC") up to a certain amount.
However, because the returns are generally low, there is risk that inflation outpaces the return of the
CD. Certain CDs are traded in the marketplace and not purchased directly from a banking institution. In
addition to trading risk, when CDs are purchased at a premium, the premium is not covered by the
FDIC.
Municipal Securities: Municipal securities, while generally thought of as safe, can have significant
risks associated with them including, but not limited to: the credit worthiness of the governmental entity
that issues the bond; the stability of the revenue stream that is used to pay the interest to the
bondholders; when the bond is due 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 amount of interest or yield to maturity.
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Bonds: 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; 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.
Stocks: There are numerous ways of measuring the risk of equity securities (also known simply as
"equities" or "stock"). In very broad terms, the value of a stock depends on the financial health of the
company issuing it. However, stock prices can be affected by many other factors including, but not
limited to the class of stock (for example, preferred or common); the health of the market sector of the
issuing company; and, the overall health of the economy. In general, larger, better- established
companies ("large cap") tend to be safer than smaller start-up companies ("small cap") are but the
mere size of an issuer is not, by itself, an indicator of the safety of the investment.
Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds: Mutual funds and exchange traded funds ("ETF") are
professionally managed collective investment systems that pool money from many investors and invest
in stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments, other mutual funds, other securities, or any
combination thereof. The fund will have a manager that trades the fund's investments in accordance
with the fund's investment objective. While mutual funds and ETFs generally provide diversification,
risks can be significantly increased if the fund is concentrated in a particular sector of the market,
primarily invests in small cap or speculative companies, uses leverage (i.e., borrows money) to a
significant degree, or concentrates in a particular type of security (i.e., equities) rather than balancing
the fund with different types of securities. ETFs differ from mutual funds since they can be bought and
sold throughout the day like stock and their price can fluctuate throughout the day. The returns on
mutual funds and ETFs can be reduced by the costs to manage the funds. Also, while some mutual
funds are "no load" and charge no fee to buy into, or sell out of, the fund, other types of mutual funds
do charge such fees which can also reduce returns. Mutual funds can also be "closed end" or "open
end". So-called "open end" mutual funds continue to allow in new investors indefinitely whereas
"closed end" funds have a fixed number of shares to sell which can limit their availability to new
investors.
ETFs may have tracking error risks. For example, the ETF investment adviser may not be able to
cause the ETF's performance to match that of its Underlying Index or other benchmark, which may
negatively affect the ETF's performance. In addition, for leveraged and inverse ETFs that seek to track
the performance of their Underlying Indices or benchmarks on a daily basis, mathematical
compounding may prevent the ETF from correlating with performance of its benchmark. In addition, an
ETF may not have investment exposure to all of the securities included in its Underlying Index, or its
weighting of investment exposure to such securities may vary from that of the Underlying Index. Some
ETFs may invest in securities or financial instruments that are not included in the Underlying Index, but
which are expected to yield similar performance.
Leveraged Exchange Traded Funds: Leveraged Exchange Traded Funds ("Leveraged ETFs" or "L-
ETF") seeks investment results for a single day only, not for longer periods. A "single day" is measured
from the time the L-ETF calculates its net asset value ("NAV") to the time of the L-ETF's next NAV
calculation. The return of the L-ETF for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day's
returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from multiplying the return by the
stated leverage for that period. For periods longer than a single day, the L-ETF will lose money when
the level of the Index is flat, and it is possible that the L-ETF will lose money even if the level of the
Index rises. Longer holding periods, higher index volatility and greater leverage both exacerbate the
impact of compounding on an investor's returns. During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility
of the Index may affect the L-ETF's return as much as or more than the return of the Index. Leveraged
ETFs are different from most exchange-traded funds in that they seek leveraged returns relative to the
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applicable index and only on a daily basis. The L-ETF also is riskier than similarly benchmarked
exchange-traded funds that do not use leverage. Accordingly, the L-ETF may not be suitable for all
investors and should be used only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential
consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results.
Leveraged ETF Leveraged Risk: The L-ETF obtains investment exposure in excess of its assets
in seeking to achieve its investment objective — a form of leverage — and will lose more money in
market environments adverse to its daily objective than a similar fund that does not employ such
leverage. The use of such leverage could result in the total loss of an investor's investment. For
example: a 2X fund will have a multiplier of two times (2x) the Index. A single day movement in the
Index approaching 50% at any point in the day could result in the total loss of a shareholder's
investment if that movement is contrary to the investment objective of the L-ETF, even if the Index
subsequently moves in an opposite direction, eliminating all or a portion of the earlier movement.
This would be the case with any such single day movements in the Index, even if the Index
maintains a level greater than zero at all times.
Leveraged ETF Compounding Risk: Compounding affects all investments, but has a more
significant impact on a leveraged fund. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility,
compounding will cause results for periods longer than a single day to vary from the stated
multiplier of the return of the Index. This effect becomes more pronounced as volatility increases.
Leveraged ETF Use of Derivatives: The L-ETF obtains investment exposure through derivatives.
Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the L-ETF to greater risks
than investing directly in the reference asset(s) underlying those derivatives. These risks include
counterparty risk, liquidity risk and increased correlation risk (each as discussed below). When the
L-ETF uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference
asset(s) and the derivative, which may prevent the L-ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives also may
expose the L-ETF to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested. The L-ETF may use a
combination of swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF that is designed to track the
performance of the Index. The performance of an ETF may not track the performance of the Index
due to embedded costs and other factors. Thus, to the extent the L-ETF invests in swaps that use
an ETF as the reference asset, the L-ETF may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not
achieve as high a degree of correlation with the Index as it would if the L-ETF only used swaps on
the Index. Moreover, with respect to the use of swap agreements, if the Index has a dramatic
intraday move that causes a material decline in the L-ETF's net assets, the terms of a swap
agreement between the L-ETF and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately
close out the transaction with the L-ETF. In that event, the L-ETF may be unable to enter into
another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve the desired exposure consistent
with the L-ETF's investment objective. This, in turn, may prevent the L-ETF from achieving its
investment objective, even if the Index reverses all or a portion of its intraday move by the end of
the day. Any costs associated with using derivatives will also have the effect of lowering the L-
ETF's return.
Commercial Paper: Commercial paper ("CP") is, in most cases, an unsecured promissory note that is
issued with a maturity of 270 days or less. Being unsecured the risk to the investor is that the issuer
may default. There is less risk in asset based commercial paper (ABCP). The difference between
ABCP and CP is that instead of being an unsecured promissory note representing an obligation of the
issuing company, ABCP is backed by securities. Therefore, the perceived quality of the ABCP
depends on the underlying securities.
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Real Estate: Real estate is increasingly being used as part of a long-term core strategy due to
increased market efficiency and increasing concerns about the future long-term variability of stock and
bond returns. In fact, real estate is known for its ability to serve as a portfolio diversifier and inflation
hedge. However, the asset class still bears a considerable amount of market risk. Real estate has
shown itself to be very cyclical, somewhat mirroring the ups and downs of the overall economy. In
addition to employment and demographic changes, real estate is also influenced by changes in
interest rates and the credit markets, which affect the demand and supply of capital and thus real
estate values. Along with changes in market fundamentals, investors wishing to add real estate as part
of their core investment portfolios need to look for property concentrations by area or by property type.
Because property returns are directly affected by local market basics, real estate portfolios that are too
heavily concentrated in one area or property type can lose their risk mitigation attributes and bear
additional risk by being too influenced by local or sector market changes.
Real Estate Investment Trust: A real estate investment trust ("REIT") is a corporate entity which
invests in real estate and/or engages in real estate financing. A REIT reduces or eliminates corporate
income taxes. REITs can be publicly or privately held. Public REITs may be listed on public stock
exchanges. REITs are required to declare 90% of their taxable income as dividends, but they actually
pay dividends out of funds from operations, so cash flow has to be strong or the REIT must either dip
into reserves, borrow to pay dividends, or distribute them in stock (which causes dilution). After 2012,
the IRS stopped permitting stock dividends. Most REITs must refinance or erase large balloon debts
periodically. The credit markets are no longer frozen, but banks are demanding, and getting, harsher
terms to re-extend REIT debt. Some REITs may be forced to make secondary stock offerings to repay
debt, which will lead to additional dilution of the stockholders. Fluctuations in the real estate market can
affect the REIT's value and dividends.
Limited Partnerships: A limited partnership is a financial affiliation that includes at least one general
partner and a number of limited partners. The partnership invests in a venture, such as real estate
development or oil exploration, for financial gain. The general partner has management authority and
unlimited liability. The general partner runs the business and, in the event of bankruptcy, is responsible
for all debts not paid or discharged. The limited partners have no management authority and their
liability is limited to the amount of their capital commitment. Profits are divided between general and
limited partners according to an arrangement formed at the creation of the partnership. The range of
risks are dependent on the nature of the partnership and disclosed in the offering documents if
privately placed. Publicly traded limited partnership have similar risk attributes to equities. However,
like privately placed limited partnerships their tax treatment is under a different tax regime from
equities. You should speak to your tax adviser in regard to their tax treatment.
Warrants: A warrant is a derivative (security that derives its price from one or more underlying
assets) that confers the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a security – normally an equity – at a
certain price before expiration. The price at which the underlying security can be bought or sold is
referred to as the exercise price or strike price. Warrants that confer the right to buy a security are
known as call warrants; those that confer the right to sell are known as put warrants. Warrants are in
many ways similar to options. The main difference between warrants and options is that warrants are
issued and guaranteed by the issuing company, whereas options are traded on an exchange and are
not issued by the company. Also, the lifetime of a warrant is often measured in years, while the lifetime
of a typical option is measured in months. Warrants do not pay dividends or come with voting rights.
Options Contracts: Options are complex securities that involve risks and are not suitable for
everyone. Option trading can be speculative in nature and carry substantial risk of loss. It is generally
recommended that you only invest in options with risk capital. An option is a contract that gives the
buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset at a specific price on or before
a certain date (the "expiration date"). The two types of options are calls and puts:
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A call gives the holder the right to buy an asset at a certain price within a specific period of time. Calls
are similar to having a long position on a stock. Buyers of calls hope that the stock will increase
substantially before the option expires.
A put gives the holder the right to sell an asset at a certain price within a specific period of time. Puts
are very similar to having a short position on a stock. Buyers of puts hope that the price of the stock
will fall before the option expires.
Selling options is more complicated and can be even riskier.
The option trading risks pertaining to options buyers are:
• Risk of losing your entire investment in a relatively short period of time.
• The risk of losing your entire investment increases if, as expiration nears, the stock is below the
strike price of the call (for a call option) or if the stock is higher than the strike price of the put
(for a put option).
• European style options which do not have secondary markets on which to sell the options prior
to expiration can only realize their value upon expiration.
• Specific exercise provisions of a specific option contract may create risks.
• Regulatory agencies may impose exercise restrictions, which stops you from realizing value.
The option trading risks pertaining to options sellers are:
• Options sold may be exercised at any time before expiration.
• Covered Call traders forgo the right to profit when the underlying stock rises above the strike
price of the call options sold and continue to risk a loss due to a decline in the underlying stock.
• Writers of Naked Calls risk unlimited losses if the underlying stock rises.
• Writers of Naked Puts risk substantial losses if the underlying stock drops.
• Writers of naked positions run margin risks if the position goes into significant losses. Such
risks may include liquidation by the broker.
• Writers of call options could lose more money than a short seller of that stock could on the
same rise on that underlying stock. This is an example of how the leverage in options can work
against the option trader.
• Writers of Naked Calls are obligated to deliver shares of the underlying stock if those call
options are exercised.
• Call options can be exercised outside of market hours such that effective remedy actions
cannot be performed by the writer of those options.
• Writers of stock options are obligated under the options that they sold even if a trading market
is not available or that they are unable to perform a closing transaction.
• The value of the underlying stock may surge or decline unexpectedly, leading to automatic
exercises.
Other option trading risks are:
• The complexity of some option strategies is a significant risk on its own.
• Option trading exchanges or markets and option contracts themselves are open to changes at
all times.
• Options markets have the right to halt the trading of any options, thus preventing investors from
realizing value.
If an options brokerage firm goes insolvent, investors trading through that firm may be affected.
• Risk of erroneous reporting of exercise value.
•
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Internationally traded options have special risks due to timing across borders.
•
Risks that are not specific to options trading include market risk, sector risk and individual stock risk.
Option trading risks are closely related to stock risks, as stock options are a derivative of stocks.
PIPES: In a Private Investment in Public Equity ("PIPE") transaction, investors typically purchase
securities directly from a publicly traded company in a private placement. Depending on the structure
of the transaction, this can be done at a premium to or at a discount from the market price of the
company's common stock. Because the sale of the securities is not pre-registered with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), the securities are "restricted" and cannot be
immediately resold by the investors into the public markets. Accordingly, the company will usually
agree as part of the PIPE transaction to register the restricted securities with the SEC. Thus, the PIPE
transaction can offer the company the speed and predictability of a private placement, while providing
investors with a nearly liquid security. Risks of investing in PIPES include but may not be limited to
substantial entry requirements, limited liquidity, limited investor control, potential for unfunded
commitments, and loss of investment.
Derivatives: Derivatives are types of investments where the investor does not own the underlying
asset. There are many different types of derivative instruments, including, but not limited to, options,
swaps, futures, and forward contracts. Derivatives have numerous uses as well as various risks
associated with them, but they are generally considered an alternative way to participate in the market.
Investors typically use derivatives for three reasons: to hedge a position, to increase leverage, or to
speculate on an asset's movement. The key to making a sound investment is to fully understand the
characteristics and risks associated with the derivative, including, but not limited to counterparty,
underlying asset, price, and expiration risks. The use of a derivative only makes sense if the investor is
fully aware of the risks and understands the impact of the investment within a portfolio strategy. Due to
the variety of available derivatives and the range of potential risks, a detailed explanation of derivatives
is beyond the scope of this disclosure.
Structured Products: A structured product, also known as a market-linked product, is generally a pre-
packaged investment strategy based on derivatives, such as a single security, a basket of securities,
options, indices, commodities, debt issuances, and/or foreign currencies, and to a lesser extent,
swaps. Structured products are usually issued by investment banks or affiliates thereof. They have a
fixed maturity, and have two components: a note and a derivative. The derivative component is often
an option. The note provides for periodic interest payments to the investor at a predetermined rate, and
the derivative component provides for the payment at maturity. Some products use the derivative
component as a put option written by the investor that gives the buyer of the put option the right to sell
to the investor the security or securities at a predetermined price. Other products use the derivative
component to provide for a call option written by the investor that gives the buyer of the call option the
right to buy the security or securities from the investor at a predetermined price. A feature of some
structured products is a "principal guarantee" function, which offers protection of principal if held to
maturity. However, these products are not always Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured; they
may only be insured by the issuer, and thus have the potential for loss of principal in the case of a
liquidity crisis, or other solvency problems with the issuing company. Investing in structured products
involves a number of risks including but not limited to: fluctuations in the price, level or yield of
underlying instruments, interest rates, currency values and credit quality; substantial loss of principal;
limits on participation in any appreciation of the underlying instrument; limited liquidity; credit risk of the
issuer; conflicts of interest; and, other events that are difficult to predict.
Futures: Futures are financial contracts obligating the buyer to purchase an asset (or the seller to sell
an asset), such as a physical commodity or a financial instrument, at a predetermined future date and
price. The primary difference between options and futures is that options give the holder the right to
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buy or sell the underlying asset at expiration, while the holder of a futures contract is obligated to fulfill
the terms of his/her contract. Buyers and sellers in the futures market primarily enter into futures
contracts to hedge risk or speculate rather than to exchange physical goods. Futures are not only for
speculating. They may be used for hedging or may be a more efficient instrument to trade than the
underlying asset.
Private Placements: A private placement (nonpublic offering) is an illiquid security sold to qualified
investors and are not publicly traded nor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Risk: Private placements generally carry a higher degree of risk due to illiquidity. Most securities
that are acquired in a private placement will be restricted securities and must be held for an
extended amount of time and therefore cannot be sold easily. The range of risks are dependent
on the nature of the partnership and are disclosed in the offering documents.
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 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,
commodities. 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 very speculative and are
not appropriate for all investors.
Price Volatility of Digital Assets Risk: 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; 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 Risk: 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 Risk: 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. Some Digital Assets do not currently fall under the
SEC definition of security and therefore many of the companies providing Digital Assets custodial
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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 Risk: 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.
Item 9 Disciplinary Information
We are required to disclose the facts of any legal or disciplinary events that are material to a client's
evaluation of our advisory business or the integrity of our management. We do not have any required
disclosures under this item.
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
We have not provided information on other financial industry activities and affiliations because we do
not have any relationship or arrangement that is material to our advisory business or to our clients with
any of the types of entities listed below.
• broker-dealer, municipal securities dealer, or government securities dealer or broker;
•
investment company or other pooled investment vehicle (including a mutual fund, closed-end
investment company, unit investment trust, private investment company or "hedge fund," and
offshore fund);
futures commission merchant, commodity pool operator, or commodity trading adviser;
lawyer or law firm;
insurance company or agency;
real estate broker or dealer; and/or
• other investment adviser or financial planner;
•
• banking or thrift institution;
• accountant or accounting firm;
•
•
• pension consultant;
•
• sponsor or syndicator of limited partnerships.
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and
Personal Trading
Description of Our Code of Ethics
We strive to comply with applicable laws and regulations governing our practices. Therefore, our Code
of Ethics includes guidelines for professional standards of conduct for persons associated with our
firm. Our goal is to protect your interests at all times and to demonstrate our commitment to our
fiduciary duties of honesty, good faith, and fair dealing with you. All persons associated with our firm
are expected to adhere strictly to these guidelines. Persons associated with our firm are also required
to report any violations of our Code of Ethics. Additionally, we maintain and enforce written policies
reasonably designed to prevent the misuse or dissemination of material, nonpublic information about
you or your account holdings by persons associated with our firm.
Clients or prospective clients may obtain a copy of our Code of Ethics by contacting us at the
telephone number on the cover page of this brochure.
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Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
Neither our firm nor any persons associated with our firm has any material financial interest in client
transactions beyond the provision of investment advisory services as disclosed in this brochure.
Personal Trading Practices
Our firm or persons associated with our firm may buy or sell the same securities that we recommend to
you or securities in which you are already invested. A conflict of interest exists in such cases because
we have the ability to trade ahead of you and potentially receive more favorable prices than you will
receive. To mitigate this conflict of interest, it is our policy that neither our firm nor persons associated
with our firm shall have priority over your account in the purchase or sale of securities. Unless
aggregated per below, employee trades will be executed after client trades are completed.
Aggregated Trading
Our firm or persons associated with our firm may buy or sell securities for you at the same time we or
persons associated with our firm buy or sell such securities for our own account. We may also combine
our orders to purchase securities with your orders to purchase securities ("aggregated trading"). Refer
to the Brokerage Practices section in this brochure for information on our aggregated trading practices.
A conflict of interest exists in such cases because we have the ability to trade ahead of you and
potentially receive more favorable prices than you will receive. To eliminate this conflict of interest, it is
our policy that neither our firm nor persons associated with our firm shall have priority over your
account in the purchase or sale of securities.
Item 12 Brokerage Practices
We recommend the brokerage and custodial services of BNY Mellon, Pershing LLC, & Charles
Schwab & Co. (collectively "Custodian"). Your assets must be maintained in an account at a "qualified
custodian," generally a broker-dealer or bank. In recognition of the value of the services the Custodian
provides, you may pay higher commissions and/or trading costs than those that may be available
elsewhere. Our selection of custodian is based on many factors, including the level of services
provided, the custodian's financial stability, and the cost of services provided by the custodian to our
clients, which includes the yield on cash sweep choices, commissions, custody fees and other fees or
expenses.
We seek to recommend a custodian/broker that will hold your assets and execute transactions on
terms that are, overall, the most favorable compared to other available providers and their services.
We consider various factors, including:
• Capability to buy and sell securities for your account itself or to facilitate such services.
• The likelihood that your trades will be executed.
• Availability of investment research and tools.
• Overall quality of services.
• Competitiveness of price.
• Reputation, financial strength, and stability.
• Existing relationship with our firm and our other clients.
Research and Other Soft Dollar Benefits
In selecting or recommending a broker-dealer, we will consider the value of research and additional
brokerage products and services a broker-dealer has provided or will provide to our clients and our
firm. Receipt of these additional brokerage products and services are considered to have been paid for
with "soft dollars." Because such services could be considered to provide a benefit to our firm, we have
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a conflict of interest in directing your brokerage business. We could receive benefits by selecting a
particular broker-dealer to execute your transactions, and the transaction compensation charged by
that broker-dealer might not be the lowest compensation we might otherwise be able to negotiate.
Products and services that we may receive from broker-dealers may consist of research data and
analyses, financial publications, recommendations, or other information about particular companies
and industries (through research reports and otherwise), and other products or services (e.g., software
and data bases) that provide lawful and appropriate assistance to our firm in the performance of our
investment decision-making responsibilities. Consistent with applicable rules, brokerage products and
services consist primarily of computer services and software that permit our firm to affect securities
transactions and perform functions incidental to transaction execution. We use such products and
services in our general investment decision making, not just for those accounts for which commissions
may be considered to have been used to pay for the products or services.
The test for determining whether a service, product or benefit obtained from or at the expense of a
broker constitutes "research" under this definition is whether the service, product, or benefit assists our
firm in investment decision-making for discretionary client accounts. Services, products, or benefits
that do not assist in investment decision-making for discretionary client accounts do not qualify as
"research." Also, services, products or benefits that are used in part for investment decision-making for
discretionary client accounts and in part for other purposes (such as accounting, corporate
administration, recordkeeping, performance attribution analysis, client reporting, or investment
decision-making for the firm's own investment accounts) constitute "research" only to the extent that
they are used in investment decision-making for discretionary client accounts.
Before placing orders with a particular broker-dealer, we determine that the commissions to be paid
are reasonable in relation to the value of all the brokerage and research products and services
provided by that broker-dealer. In some cases, the commissions charged by a particular broker for a
particular transaction or set of transactions may be greater than the amounts charged by another
broker-dealer that did not provide research services or products.
We do not exclude a broker-dealer from receiving business simply because the broker-dealer does not
provide our firm with soft dollar research products and services. However, we may not be willing to pay
the same commission to such broker-dealer as we would have paid had the broker-dealer provided
such products and services.
The products and services we receive from broker-dealers will generally be used in servicing all of our
clients' accounts. Our use of these products and services will not be limited to the accounts that paid
commissions to the broker-dealer for such products and services. In addition, we may not allocate soft
dollar benefits to your accounts proportionately to the soft dollar credits the accounts generate. As part
of our fiduciary duties to you, we endeavor at all times to put your interests first. You should be aware
that the receipt of economic benefits by our firm is considered to create a conflict of interest.
We have instituted certain procedures governing soft dollar relationships including preparation of a
brokerage allocation budget, mandated reporting of soft dollar irregularities, annual evaluation of soft
dollar relationships, and an annual review of our brochure to ensure adequate disclosures of conflicts
of interest regarding our soft dollar relationships.
Economic Benefits
As a registered investment adviser, we have access to the institutional platform of your account
custodian. As such, we will also have access to research products and services from your account
custodian and/or other brokerage firm. These products are in addition to any benefits or research we
pay for with soft dollars, and may include financial publications, information about particular companies
19
and industries, research software, and other products or services that provide lawful and appropriate
assistance to our firm in the performance of our investment decision-making responsibilities. Such
research products and services are provided to all investment advisers that utilize the institutional
services platforms of these firms and are not considered to be paid for with soft dollars. However, you
should be aware that the commissions charged by a particular broker for a particular transaction or set
of transactions may be greater than the amounts another broker who did not provide research services
or products might charge.
Recommendation of Prime Broker
In some circumstances, where a client has not previously made custodial arrangements, we may
suggest that the client use a particular broker-dealer to act as custodian for the funds and securities we
manage. In those cases, we generally only recommend broker-dealers capable of acting as a "prime
broker." Under "prime broker" arrangements, the firm may, on a transaction-by-transaction basis, either
use the "prime broker"/custodian or select other broker-dealers, who will execute transactions for
settlement into the client's "prime brokerage" account. In making suggestions as to "prime
broker"/custodians, we will consider, among other things, the clearance and settlement capabilities of
the broker-dealer where other broker-dealers execute transactions, the broker-dealer's ability to
provide effective and efficient reporting to the client and our firm, the broker-dealer's reliability and
financial stability, and the likelihood that the broker-dealer will often be chosen as executing broker-
dealer on the basis of the considerations described above, including the prospects that the broker-
dealer will provide valuable research services and products.
Brokerage for Client Referrals
We do not receive client referrals from broker-dealers in exchange for cash or other compensation,
such as brokerage services or research.
Directed Brokerage
In limited circumstances, and at our discretion, some clients may instruct our firm to use one or more
particular brokers for the transactions in their accounts. If you choose to direct our firm to use a
particular broker, you should understand that this might prevent our firm from aggregating trades with
other client accounts or from effectively negotiating brokerage commissions on your behalf. This
practice may also prevent our firm from obtaining favorable net price and execution. Thus, when
directing brokerage business, you should consider whether the commission expenses, execution,
clearance, and settlement capabilities that you will obtain through your broker are adequately favorable
in comparison to those that we would otherwise obtain for you.
Aggregated Trades
We may combine multiple orders for shares of the same securities purchased for discretionary
advisory accounts we manage (this practice is commonly referred to as "aggregated trading"). We will
then distribute a portion of the shares to participating accounts in a fair and equitable manner.
Generally, participating accounts will pay a fixed transaction cost regardless of the number of shares
transacted. In certain cases, each participating account pays an average price per share for all
transactions and pays a proportionate share of all transaction costs on any given day. In the event an
order is only partially filled, the shares will be allocated to participating accounts in a fair and equitable
manner, typically in proportion to the size of each client's order. Accounts owned by our firm or persons
associated with our firm may participate in aggregated trading with your accounts; however, they will
not be given preferential treatment.
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We may not aggregate trades for non-discretionary accounts. Accordingly, non-discretionary accounts
may pay different costs than discretionary accounts pay. If you enter into non-discretionary
arrangements with our firm, we may not be able to buy and sell the same quantities of securities for
you and you may pay higher commissions, fees, and/or transaction costs than clients who enter into
discretionary arrangements with our firm.
Mutual Fund Share Classes
Mutual funds are sold with different share classes, which carry different cost structures. Each available
share class is described in the mutual fund's prospectus. When we purchase, or recommend the
purchase of, mutual funds for a client, we select the share class that is deemed to be in the client's
best interest, taking into consideration the availability of advisory, institutional or retirement plan share
classes, initial and ongoing share class costs, transaction costs (if any), tax implications, cost basis
and other factors. We also review the mutual funds held in accounts that come under our management
to determine whether a more beneficial share class is available, considering cost, tax implications, and
the impact of contingent or deferred sales charges.
Item 13 Review of Accounts
We monitor your portfolio managed accounts on a periodic basis and will conduct account reviews at
least quarterly to ensure the advisory services provided to you are consistent with your stated
investment needs and objectives. Additional reviews may be conducted based on various
circumstances, including, but not limited to: contributions and withdrawals, year-end tax
planning, market moving events, security specific events, and/or, changes in your risk/return
objectives.
Portfolio managed account reviews are typically conducted by Mr. Tucker. In some cases, Mr.
Tucker may delegate this responsibility to an Associated Person to review your account. All investment
advisory clients are encouraged to discuss their needs, goals, and objectives with us and to keep us
informed of any changes. We contact ongoing investment advisory clients at least annually to review
our previous services and/or recommendations and to discuss the impact resulting from any changes
in your financial situation and/or investment objectives. We will not provide you with additional or
regular written reports in conjunction with account reviews.
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation
We directly compensate non-employee (outside) consultants, individuals, and/or entities (solicitors) for
client referrals. In order to receive a cash referral fee from us, solicitors must comply with the
requirements of the jurisdictions in which they operate. If you were referred to us by a solicitor, you
should have received a copy of this brochure along with the solicitor's disclosure statement at the time
of the referral. If you become a client, the solicitor that referred you to us will receive either a one-time
fixed referral fee at the time you enter into an advisory agreement with us or a percentage of the
advisory fee you pay us for as long as you are our client, or until such time as our agreement with the
solicitor expires. You will not pay additional fees because of this referral arrangement. Referral fees
paid to a solicitor are contingent upon your entering into an advisory agreement with us. Therefore, a
solicitor has a financial incentive to recommend us to you for advisory services. This creates a conflict
of interest; however, you are not obligated to retain us for advisory services. Comparable services
and/or lower fees may be available through other firms.
Solicitors that refer business to more than one investment adviser may have a financial incentive to
recommend advisers with more favorable compensation arrangements. We request that our solicitors
disclose to you whether multiple referral relationships exist and that comparable services may be
available from other advisers for lower fees and/or where the solicitor's compensation is less favorable.
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We have entered into contractual arrangements with employees of our firm, under which the individual
receives compensation from us for the establishment of new client relationships. Employees who refer
clients to us must comply with the requirements of the jurisdictions where they operate. The
compensation is a percentage of the advisory fee you pay us for as long as you are our client, or until
such time as our agreement with the solicitor expires. You will not be charged additional fees based on
this compensation arrangement. Incentive based compensation is contingent upon you entering into an
advisory agreement with us. Therefore, the individual has a financial incentive to recommend us to you
for advisory services. This creates a conflict of interest; however, you are not obligated to retain us for
advisory services. Comparable services and/or lower fees may be available through other firms.
Item 15 Custody
Your independent custodian will directly debit your account(s) for the payment of our advisory fees.
This ability to deduct our advisory fees from your accounts causes our firm to exercise limited custody
over your funds or securities. We do not have physical custody of any of your funds and/or securities.
Your funds and securities will be held with a bank, broker-dealer, or other qualified custodian. You will
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
deducted from your account(s) each billing period. You should carefully review account statements for
accuracy.
We will also provide statements to you reflecting the amount of the advisory fee deducted from your
account. You should compare our statements with the statements from your account custodian(s) to
reconcile the information reflected on each statement. If you have a question regarding your account
statement, or if you did not receive a statement from your custodian, contact us immediately at the
telephone number on the cover page of this brochure.
Trustee Services
Persons associated with our firm may serve as trustees to certain accounts for which we also provide
investment advisory services. In all cases, the persons associated with our firm have been appointed
trustee as a result of a family or personal relationship with the trust grantor and/or beneficiary and not
as a result of employment with our firm. Therefore, we are not deemed to have custody over the
advisory accounts for which persons associated with our firm serve as trustee.
Wire Transfer and/or Standing Letter of Authorization
Our firm, or persons associated with our firm, may effect wire transfers from client accounts to one or
more third parties designated, in writing, by the client without obtaining written client consent for each
separate, individual transaction, as long as the client has provided us with written authorization to do
so. Such written authorization is known as a Standing Letter of Authorization. An adviser with authority
to conduct such third party wire transfers has access to the client's assets, and therefore has custody
of the client's assets in any related accounts.
However, we do not have to obtain a surprise annual audit, as we otherwise would be required to by
reason of having custody, as long as we meet the following criteria:
1. You provide a written, signed instruction to the qualified custodian that includes the third party's
name and address or account number at a custodian;
2. You authorize us in writing to direct transfers to the third party either on a specified schedule or
from time to time;
3. Your qualified custodian verifies your authorization (e.g., signature review) and provides a
transfer of funds notice to you promptly after each transfer;
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4. You can terminate or change the instruction;
5. We have no authority or ability to designate or change the identity of the third party, the
address, or any other information about the third party;
6. We maintain records showing that the third party is not a related party to us nor located at the
same address as us; and
7. Your qualified custodian sends you, in writing, an initial notice confirming the instruction and an
annual notice reconfirming the instruction.
We hereby confirm that we meet the above criteria.
Item 16 Investment Discretion
Before we can buy or sell securities on your behalf, you must first sign our discretionary management
agreement and the appropriate trading authorization forms.
You may grant our firm discretion over the selection and amount of securities to be purchased or sold
for your account(s), the broker or dealer to be used for each transaction, and over the commission
rates to be paid without obtaining your consent or approval prior to each transaction. You may specify
investment objectives, guidelines, and/or impose certain conditions or investment parameters for your
account(s). For example, you may specify that the investment in any particular stock or industry should
not exceed specified percentages of the value of the portfolio and/or restrictions or prohibitions of
transactions in the securities of a specific industry or security. Refer to the Advisory Business section
in this Brochure for more information on our discretionary management services.
If you enter into non-discretionary arrangements with our firm, we will obtain your approval prior to the
execution of any transactions for your account(s). You have an unrestricted right to decline to
implement any advice provided by our firm on a non-discretionary basis.
Item 17 Voting Client Securities
We will not vote proxies on behalf of your advisory accounts. At your request, we may offer you advice
regarding corporate actions and the exercise of your proxy voting rights. If you own shares of
applicable securities, you are responsible for exercising your right to vote as a shareholder.
It is your responsibility to ensure proxy materials are sent to you directly from the account custodian. In
the event, we were to receive any written or electronic proxy materials, we would forward them directly
to you by mail, unless you have authorized our firm to contact you by electronic mail, in which case, we
would forward any electronic solicitations to vote proxies.
Item 18 Financial Information
Our firm does not have any financial condition or impairment that would prevent us from meeting our
contractual commitments to you. We do not take physical custody of client funds or securities, or serve
as trustee or signatory for client accounts, and, we do not require the prepayment of more than $1,200
in fees six or more months in advance. Therefore, we are not required to include a financial statement
with this brochure.
We have not filed a bankruptcy petition at any time in the past ten years.
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Item 19 Requirements for State-Registered Advisers
We are a federally registered investment adviser; therefore, we are not required to respond to this
item.
Item 20 Additional Information
Trade Errors
In the event a trading error occurs in your account, our policy is to assess each trade error on a case-
by-case basis.
Class Action Lawsuits
We do not determine if securities held by you are the subject of a class action lawsuit or whether you
are eligible to participate in class action settlements or litigation nor do we initiate or participate in
litigation to recover damages on your behalf for injuries as a result of actions, misconduct, or
negligence by issuers of securities held by you.
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