Overview

Assets Under Management: $194 million
Headquarters: WOODLAND HILLS, CA
High-Net-Worth Clients: 90
Average Client Assets: $2 million

Services Offered

Services: Financial Planning, Portfolio Management for Individuals, Portfolio Management for Institutional Clients, Pension Consulting, Investment Advisor Selection

Fee Structure

Primary Fee Schedule (ADV 2A FIRM BROCHURE)

MinMaxMarginal Fee Rate
$0 and above 3.00%
Illustrative Fee Rates
Total AssetsAnnual FeesAverage Fee Rate
$1 million $30,000 3.00%
$5 million $150,000 3.00%
$10 million $300,000 3.00%
$50 million $1,500,000 3.00%
$100 million $3,000,000 3.00%

Clients

Number of High-Net-Worth Clients: 90
Percentage of Firm Assets Belonging to High-Net-Worth Clients: 56.78
Average High-Net-Worth Client Assets: $2 million
Total Client Accounts: 612
Discretionary Accounts: 606
Non-Discretionary Accounts: 6

Regulatory Filings

CRD Number: 286235
Last Filing Date: 2024-06-20 00:00:00
Website: https://hhretirement.com

Form ADV Documents

Primary Brochure: ADV 2A FIRM BROCHURE (2025-03-28)

View Document Text
Item 1: Cover Page Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure March 2025 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists 21031 Ventura Blvd, Ste #424 Woodland Hills, CA 91364 www.HHretirement.com Firm Contact: Mitchell Hesen Chief Compliance Officer This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Hesen & Haslam, LLC dba Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists. If clients have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us at 818-200-1107. The information in this brochure has not been approved or verified by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or by any State Securities Authority. Additional information about our firm is also available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov by searching CRD #286235. Please note that the use of the term “registered investment adviser” and description of our firm and/or our associates as “registered” does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Clients are encouraged to review this Brochure and Brochure Supplements for our firm’s associates who advise clients for more information on the qualifications of our firm and our employees. Item 2: Material Changes Hesen & Haslam, LLC is required to make clients aware of information that has changed since the last annual update to the Firm Brochure (“Brochure”) and that may be important to them. Clients can then determine whether to review the brochure in its entirety or to contact us with questions about the changes. Since our last amendment filed on 03/12/2024, we have no material changes to disclose. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 2 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Item 3: Table of Contents Item 1: Cover Page ....................................................................................................................................... 1 Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure ........................................................................................................ 1 Item 2: Material Changes ............................................................................................................................ 2 Item 3: Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 3 Item 4: Advisory Business .......................................................................................................................... 4 Item 5: Fees & Compensation ..................................................................................................................... 7 Item 6: Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management .............................................................. 9 Item 7: Types of Clients & Account Requirements ................................................................................... 9 Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss ...................................................... 10 Item 9: Disciplinary Information .............................................................................................................. 15 Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations .................................................................... 15 Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation, or Interest in ............................................................................. 15 Item 12: Brokerage Practices ................................................................................................................... 16 Item 13: Review of Accounts or Financial Plans ..................................................................................... 20 Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation ................................................................................... 21 Item 15: Custody ....................................................................................................................................... 22 Item 16: Investment Discretion ............................................................................................................... 23 Item 17: Voting Client Securities .............................................................................................................. 23 Item 18: Financial Information ................................................................................................................ 23 ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 3 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Item 4: Advisory Business Our firm is dedicated to providing individuals and other types of clients with a wide array of investment advisory services. Our firm is a limited liability company formed under the laws of the State of California in 2014 and has been in business as an investment adviser since that time. Our firm is owned by Mitchell Hesen and Ryan Haslam. Our firm provides asset management and investment consulting services for many different types of clients to help meet their financial goals while remaining sensitive to risk tolerance and time horizons. As a fiduciary it is our duty to always act in the client’s best interest. This is accomplished in part by knowing the client. Our firm has established a service-oriented advisory practice with open lines of communication. Working with clients to understand their investment objectives while educating them about our process, facilitates the kind of working relationship we value. Types of Advisory Services Offered Wrap Wealth Management & Wrap Comprehensive Wealth Management: Please see our Form ADV Part 2A: Appendix 1 Wrap Brochure for further description of this service. Financial Planning & Consulting: Our firm provides a variety of standalone financial planning and consulting services to clients for the management of financial resources based upon an analysis of current situation, goals, and objectives. Financial planning services will typically involve preparing a financial plan or rendering a financial consultation for clients based on the client’s financial goals and objectives. This planning or consulting may encompass Investment Planning, Retirement Planning, Estate Planning, Charitable Planning, Education Planning, Corporate and Personal Tax Planning, Cost Segregation Study, Corporate Structure, Real Estate Analysis, Mortgage/Debt Analysis, Insurance Analysis, Lines of Credit Evaluation, or Business and Personal Financial Planning. Written financial plans or financial consultations rendered to clients usually include general recommendations for a course of activity or specific actions to be taken by the clients. Implementation of the recommendations will be at the discretion of the client. Our firm provides clients with a summary of their financial situation, and observations for financial planning engagements. Financial consultations are not typically accompanied by a written summary of observations and recommendations, as the process is less formal than the planning service. Assuming that all the information and documents requested from the client are provided promptly, plans or consultations are typically completed within 6 months of the client signing a contract with our firm. Retirement Plan Consulting: Our firm provides retirement plan consulting services to employer plan sponsors on an ongoing basis. Generally, such consulting services consist of assisting employer plan sponsors in establishing, monitoring and reviewing their company's participant-directed retirement plan. As the needs of the plan sponsor dictate, areas of advising could include: investment options, plan structure and participant education. Retirement Plan Consulting services typically include: ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 4 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists   Establishing an Investment Policy Statement – Our firm will assist in the development of a statement that summarizes the investment goals and objectives along with the broad strategies to be employed to meet the objectives. Investment Options – Our firm will work with the Plan Sponsor to evaluate existing investment options and make recommendations for appropriate changes.   Asset Allocation and Portfolio Construction – Our firm will develop strategic asset allocation models to aid Participants in developing strategies to meet their investment objectives, time horizon, financial situation, and tolerance for risk. Investment Monitoring – Our firm will monitor the performance of the investments and notify the client in the event of over/underperformance and in times of market volatility. In providing services for retirement plan consulting, our firm does not provide any advisory services with respect to the following types of assets: employer securities, real estate (excluding real estate funds and publicly traded REITS), participant loans, non-publicly traded securities or assets, other illiquid investments, or brokerage window programs (collectively, “Excluded Assets”). All retirement plan consulting services shall be in compliance with the applicable state laws regulating retirement consulting services. This applies to client accounts that are retirement or other employee benefit plans (“Plan”) governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”). If the client accounts are part of a Plan, and our firm accepts appointment to provide services to such accounts, our firm acknowledges its fiduciary standard within the meaning of Section 3(21) or 3(38) of ERISA as designated by the Retirement Plan Consulting Agreement with respect to the provision of services described therein. LPL Sponsored Advisory Programs: When appropriate we have the ability to provide advisory services through certain programs sponsored by LPL Financial, LLC (“LPL”). Below is a brief description of each LPL advisory program available to us. Annualized fees for participation in LPL advisory programs vary up to maximum of 3.00%. For more information regarding the LPL programs, including more information on the advisory services and fees that apply, the types of investments available in the programs and the potential conflicts of interest presented by the programs please see the LPL Financial Form ADV Part 2 or the applicable LPL program’s Wrap Fee Program Brochure and the applicable LPL Financial client agreement.  Manager Access Select Program (“MAS”): MAS provides clients access to the investment advisory services of professional portfolio management firms for the individual management of client accounts. We will assist client in identifying a third-party portfolio manager (Portfolio Manager) from a list of Portfolio Managers made available by LPL Financial. The Portfolio Manager manages client’s assets on a discretionary basis. We will provide initial and ongoing assistance regarding the Portfolio Manager selection process. A minimum account value of $100,000 is required for Manager Access Select, however, in certain instances, the minimum account size may be lower or higher.  Model Wealth Portfolios Program (“MWP”): MWP offers clients a professionally managed mutual fund asset allocation program. We will obtain the necessary financial data from the client, assist the client in determining the ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 5 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists suitability of the MWP program and assist the client in setting an appropriate investment objective. We initiate the steps necessary to open an MWP account and have discretion to select a model portfolio designed by LPL Financial’s Research Department consistent with the client’s stated investment objective. LPL Financial’s Research Department is responsible for selecting the mutual funds within a model portfolio and for making changes to the mutual funds selected. The client will authorize LPL Financial to act on a discretionary basis to purchase and sell mutual funds, including in certain circumstances exchange traded funds and to liquidate previously purchased securities. The client will also authorize LPL Financial to effect rebalancing for MWP accounts. The MWP program may make available model portfolios designed by strategists other than LPL’s Research Department. If such models are made available, we will have discretion to choose among the available models designed by LPL and outside strategists. A minimum account value of $100,000 is required for MWP.  Optimum Market Portfolios Program (“OMP”): OMP offers clients the ability to participate in a professionally managed asset allocation program using Optimum Funds Class I shares. Under OMP, the client will authorize LPL Financial on a discretionary basis to purchase and sell Optimum Funds pursuant to investment objectives chosen by the client. We will assist the client in determining the suitability of OMP for the client and assist the client in setting an appropriate investment objective. Adviser will have discretion to select a mutual fund asset allocation portfolio designed by LPL consistent with the client’s investment objective. LPL Financial will have discretion to purchase and sell Optimum Funds pursuant to the portfolio selected for the client. LPL Financial will also have authority to rebalance the account. A minimum account value of $15,000 is required for OMP.  Personal Wealth Portfolios Program (“PWP”): PWP offers clients an asset management account using asset allocation model portfolios designed by LPL Financial. We will have discretion for selecting the asset allocation model portfolio based on client’s investment objective. We will also have discretion for selecting third party money managers (PWP advisors) or mutual funds within each asset class of the model portfolio. LPL Financial will act as the overlay portfolio manager on all PWP accounts and will be authorized to purchase and sell on a discretionary basis mutual funds and equity and fixed income securities. A minimum account value of $250,000 is required for PWP. Referrals to Third Party Money Managers: Our firm may utilize the services of a third-party money manager for the management of client accounts. Investment advice and trading of securities will only be offered by or through the chosen third party money manager. Our firm will not offer advice on any specific securities or other investments in connection with this service. Prior to referring clients, our firm will provide initial due diligence on third party money managers and ongoing reviews of their management of client accounts. In order to assist in the selection of a third-party money manager, our firm will gather client information pertaining to financial situation, investment objectives, and reasonable restrictions to be imposed upon the management of the account. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 6 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Our firm will periodically review third party money manager reports provided to the client at least annually. Our firm will contact clients from time to time in order to review their financial situation and objectives; communicate information to third party money managers as warranted; and, assist the client in understanding and evaluating the services provided by the third party money manager. Clients will be expected to notify our firm of any changes in their financial situation, investment objectives, or account restrictions that could affect their financial standing. Tailoring of Advisory Services Our firm offers individualized investment advice to our Wrap Asset Management and Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management clients. General investment advice will be offered to our Financial Planning & Consulting, Retirement Plan Consulting, and Referrals to Third Party Money Management clients. Each Wrap Asset Management and Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management client has the opportunity to place reasonable restrictions on the types of investments to be held in the portfolio. Restrictions on investments in certain securities or types of securities may not be possible due to the level of difficulty this would entail in managing the account. Participation in Wrap Fee Programs Our firm only offers wrap fee accounts to our clients, which are managed on an individualized basis according to the client’s investment objectives, financial goals, risk tolerance, etc. Please see our Part 2A, Appendix 1 (the “Wrap Fee Program Brochure”) for more information. Regulatory Assets Under Management Our firm manages $209,170,133 on a discretionary basis and $40,804,898 on a non-discretionary basis as of December 31, 2024, totaling an aggregate $249,975,031 in Assets Under Management. Item 5: Fees & Compensation Compensation for Our Advisory Services Wrap Wealth Management & Wrap Comprehensive Wealth Management: Please see our Form ADV Part 2A: Appendix 1 Wrap Brochure for further information on the fees and compensation earned by our firm for this service. Financial Planning & Consulting: Our firm charges on an hourly or flat fee basis for financial planning and consulting services. The total estimated fee, as well as the ultimate fee charged, is based on the scope and complexity of our engagement with the client. The maximum hourly fee to be charged will not exceed $350. Flat fees will not exceed $10,000. Our firm requires a retainer of 50% of the ultimate financial planning or consulting fee at the time of signing. The remainder of the fee will be directly billed to the client and due within 30 days of a financial plan being delivered or consultation rendered. Our firm will not require a retainer exceeding $500 when services cannot be rendered within 6 months. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 7 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Retirement Plan Consulting: Our Retirement Plan Consulting services are billed on an hourly or flat fee basis, or a fee based on the percentage of Plan assets under management. The total estimated fee, as well as the ultimate fee charged, is based on the scope and complexity of our engagement with the client. Fees based on a percentage of managed Plan assets will not exceed 1.25%. The fee-paying arrangements for Retirement Plan Consulting service will be determined on a case-by-case basis and will be detailed in the signed consulting agreement. Clients will be invoiced directly for the fees. LPL Sponsored Advisory Programs: The account fee charged to the client for each LPL advisory program is negotiable, subject to the following maximum account fees: Advisory Program Manager Access Select Model Wealth Portfolio Optimum Market Portfolio Personal Wealth Portfolio Annual Fee Up to 3.00% Up to 2.50% Up to 2.50% Up to 2.50% Referrals to Third Party Money Managers: The total annual advisory fee for this service shall not exceed 3.00%. A portion of this fee will be paid to our firm and will be outlined in the third-party money manager’s advisory agreement to be signed by the client. Clients will be provided with a copy of the chosen third-party money manager’s Form ADV Part 2, all relevant Brochures, a solicitation disclosure statement detailing the fees to be paid to both firms and the third-party money manager’s privacy policy. All fees that our firm receives from the third-party money managers and the written separate disclosures made to clients regarding these fees comply with applicable state statutes and rules. The billing procedures for this service vary based on the chosen third party money manager. The total fee to be charged, as well as the billing cycle, will be detailed in the third-party money manager’s ADV Part 2A and separate advisory agreement to be signed by the client. Other Types of Fees & Expenses Wrap clients will not incur transaction costs for trades. LPL Financial offers a trading platform with select exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) that do not charge transaction fees. The no-transaction-fee ETF trading platform is available to clients participating in LPL Financial’s Strategic Wealth Management (“SWM”) and Strategic Asset Management (“SAM”) programs. Clients will be subject to transaction fees charged by LPL Financial for ETFs not included in LPL Financial’s platform and for other types of securities. The limited number of ETFs available on LPL Financial’s no-transaction fee platform may have higher overall expenses than other types of securities and ETFs not included in the platform. Other major custodians have eliminated transaction fees for all ETFs and U.S. listed equities, so clients may pay more for investing in the same securities at LPL Financial. More information about this can be found in our separate Wrap Fee Program Brochure. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 8 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Termination & Refunds Financial Planning & Consulting clients may terminate their agreement at any time before the delivery of a financial plan by providing written notice. For the purpose of calculating refunds, all work performed by us up to the point of termination shall be calculated at the hourly fee currently in effect. Clients will receive a pro-rata refund of unearned fees based on the time and effort expended by our firm. Either party to a Retirement Plan Consulting Agreement may terminate at any time by providing written notice to the other party. Full refunds will only be made in cases where cancellation occurs within 5 business days of signing an agreement. After 5 business days from initial signing, either party must provide the other party with 30 days’ written notice to terminate billing. Billing will terminate 30 days after receipt of termination notice. Clients will be charged on a pro-rata basis, which takes into account work completed by our firm on behalf of the client. Clients will incur charges for bona fide advisory services rendered up to the point of termination (determined as 30 days from receipt of said written notice) and such fees will be due and payable. Commissionable Securities Sales Representatives of our firm are registered representatives of LPL, member FINRA/SIPC. As such they are able to accept compensation for the sale of securities or other investment products, including distribution or service (“trail”) fees from the sale of mutual funds. Clients should be aware that the practice of accepting commissions for the sale of securities presents a conflict of interest and gives our firm and/or our representatives an incentive to recommend investment products based on the compensation received. Our firm generally addresses commissionable sales conflicts that arise when explaining to clients these sales create an incentive to recommend based on the compensation to be earned and/or when recommending commissionable mutual funds, explaining that “no-load” funds are also available. Our firm does not prohibit clients from purchasing recommended investment products through other unaffiliated brokers or agents. Item 6: Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management Our firm does not charge performance-based fees. Item 7: Types of Clients & Account Requirements Our firm has the following types of clients:  Individuals and High Net Worth Individuals;  Trusts, Estates or Charitable Organizations;  Pension and Profit Sharing Plans;  Corporations, Limited Liability Companies and/or Other Business Types. Our firm does not impose requirements for opening and maintaining accounts or otherwise engaging us. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 9 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss Methods of Analysis We use the following methods of analysis in formulating our investment advice and/or managing client assets: Charting: In this type of technical analysis, we review charts of market and security activity in an attempt to identify when the market is moving up or down and to predict when how long the trend may last and when that trend might reverse. Cyclical Analysis: In this type of technical analysis, we measure the movements of a particular stock against the overall market in an attempt to predict the price movement of the security. Fundamental Analysis: We attempt to measure the intrinsic value of a security by looking at economic and financial factors (including the overall economy, industry conditions, and the financial condition and management of the company itself) to determine if the company is underpriced (indicating it may be a good time to buy) or overpriced (indicating it may be time to sell). Fundamental analysis does not attempt to anticipate market movements. This presents a potential risk, as the price of a security can move up or down along with the overall market regardless of the economic and financial factors considered in evaluating the stock. Investment Strategies We Use We use the following strategies in managing client accounts, provided that such strategies are appropriate to the needs of the client and consistent with the client's investment objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizons, among other considerations: Alternative Investments: Hedge funds, commodity pools Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”), Business Development Companies (“BDCs”), and other alternative investments involve a high degree of risk and can be illiquid due to restrictions on transfer and lack of a secondary trading market. They can be highly leveraged, speculative, and volatile, and an investor could lose all or a substantial amount of an investment. Alternative investments may lack transparency as to share price, valuation, and portfolio holdings. Complex tax structures often result in delayed tax reporting. Compared to mutual funds, hedge funds and commodity pools are subject to less regulation and often charge higher fees. Alternative investment managers typically exercise broad investment discretion and may apply similar strategies across multiple investment vehicles, resulting in less diversification. Asset Allocation: Rather than focusing primarily on securities selection, we attempt to identify an appropriate ratio of securities, fixed income, and cash suitable to the client’s investment goals and risk tolerance. A risk of asset allocation is that the client may not participate in sharp increases in a particular security, industry, or market sector. Another risk is that the ratio of securities, fixed income, and cash will change over time due to stock and market movements and, if not corrected, will no longer be appropriate for the client’s goals. Debt Securities (Bonds): Issuers use debt securities to borrow money. Generally, issuers pay investors periodic interest and repay the amount borrowed either periodically during the life of the ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 10 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists security and/or at maturity. Alternatively, investors can purchase other debt securities, such as zero- coupon bonds, which do not pay current interest, but rather are priced at a discount from their face values and their values accrete over time to face value at maturity. The market prices of debt securities fluctuate depending on such factors as interest rates, credit quality, and maturity. In general, market prices of debt securities decline when interest rates rise and increase when interest rates fall. Bonds with longer rates of maturity tend to have greater interest rate risks (duration risk). Fixed Income Portfolio Management Investment Strategies: We believe that a conservative, risk- averse approach to fixed income management will provide both steady incremental outperformance, and low relative volatility. The disciplined process we employ in an effort to realize this philosophy is generally grounded in four key decisions:  Constraint of portfolio duration within a narrow range relative to the benchmark in order to limit exposure to market and interest rate risk.  Strategic allocations to key sectors to add value relative to the benchmark.  Proactive management of term structure to add value in different yield curve environments.  Security selection based on rigorous credit and relative value analysis and broad diversification of nongovernment issuers. Within our Fixed Income strategy, we use the following sub-strategies in managing client accounts, provided that such sub-strategies are appropriate to the needs of the client and consistent with the client's investment objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizons, among other considerations. Mutual Fund and/or ETF Analysis: We look at the experience and track record of the manager of the mutual fund or ETF in an attempt to determine if that manager has demonstrated an ability to invest over a period of time and in different economic conditions. We also look at the underlying assets in a mutual fund or ETF in an attempt to determine if there is significant overlap in the underlying investments held in another fund(s) in the client’s portfolio. We also monitor the funds or ETFs in an attempt to determine if they are continuing to follow their stated investment strategy. A risk of mutual fund and/or ETF analysis is that, as in all securities investments, past performance does not guarantee future results. A manager who has been successful may not be able to replicate that success in the future. In addition, as we do not control the underlying investments in a fund or ETF, managers of different funds held by the client may purchase the same security, increasing the risk to the client if that security were to fall in value. There is also a risk that a manager may deviate from the stated investment mandate or strategy of the fund or ETF, which could make the holding(s) less suitable for the client’s portfolio. Option Writing: We may use options as an investment strategy. An option is a contract that gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an asset (such as a share of stock) at a specific price on or before a certain date. An option, just like a stock or bond, is a security. An option is also a derivative, because it derives its value from an underlying asset. The two types of options are calls and puts. A call gives us the right to buy an asset at a certain price within a specific period of time. We will buy a call if we have determined that the stock will increase substantially before the option expires. A put gives us the holder the right to sell an asset at a certain price within a specific period of time. We will buy a put if we have determined that the price of the stock will fall before the option expires. We will use options to "hedge" a purchase of the underlying security; in other words, we will use an option purchase to limit the potential upside and downside of a security we have purchased for your portfolio. We use "covered calls", in which we sell an option on security you own. In this strategy, you receive a fee for making the option available, and the person purchasing the option has the right to buy the security from you at an agreed-upon price. We use a "spreading strategy", in ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 11 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists which we purchase two or more option contracts (for example, a call option that you buy and a call option that you sell) for the same underlying security. This effectively puts you on both sides of the market, but with the ability to vary price, time, and other factors. The potential risks associated with these transactions are that (1) all options expire. The closer the option gets to expiration, the quicker the premium in the option deteriorates; and (2) Prices can move very quickly. Depending on factors such as time until expiration and the relationship of the stock price to the option’s strike price, small movements in a stock can translate into big movements in the underlying options. Real estate investment trusts (REITs): REITs primarily invest in real estate or real estate-related loans. Equity REITs own real estate properties, while mortgage REITs hold construction, development and/or long-term mortgage loans. REITs involve a high degree of risk and can be illiquid due to restrictions on transfer and lack of a secondary trading market. Changes in the value of the underlying property of the trusts, the creditworthiness of the issuer, property taxes, interest rates, tax laws, and regulatory requirements, such as those relating to the environment all can affect the values of REITs. Both types of REITs are dependent upon management skill, the cash flows generated by their holdings, the real estate market in general, and the possibility of failing to qualify for any applicable pass-through tax treatment or failing to maintain any applicable exempted status afforded under relevant laws. Third-Party Money Manager Analysis: We examine the experience, expertise, investment philosophies, and past performance of independent third-party investment managers in an attempt to determine if that manager has demonstrated an ability to invest over a period of time and in different economic conditions. We monitor the manager’s underlying holdings, strategies, concentrations, and leverage as part of our overall periodic risk assessment. Additionally, as part of our due-diligence process, we survey the manager’s compliance and business enterprise risks. A risk of investing with a third-party manager who has been successful in the past is that he/she may not be able to replicate that success in the future. In addition, as we do not control the underlying investments in a third-party manager’s portfolio, there is also a risk that a manager may deviate from the stated investment mandate or strategy of the portfolio, making it a less suitable investment for our clients. Moreover, as we do not control the manager’s daily business and compliance operations, we may be unaware of the lack of internal controls necessary to prevent business, regulatory or reputational deficiencies. Variable Annuities: A variable annuity is a type of annuity contract that allows for the accumulation of capital on a tax-deferred basis. As opposed to a fixed annuity that offers a guaranteed interest rate and a minimum payment at annuitization, variable annuities offer investors the opportunity to generate higher rates of returns by investing in equity and bond subaccounts. If a variable annuity is annuitized for income, the income payments can vary based on the performance of the subaccounts. Risks associated with VAs may include:  Taxes and federal penalties for early withdrawal  Surrender charges for early withdrawal can last for years  Earnings taxed at ordinary income tax rates  Mortality expense to compensate the insurance company for insurance risks  Fees and expenses imposed for the subaccounts  Other features with additional fees and charges ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 12 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Risk of Loss Investing in securities involves risk of loss that clients should be prepared to bear. While the stock market may increase and the account(s) could enjoy a gain, it is also possible that the stock market may decrease, and the account(s) could suffer a loss. It is important that clients understand the risks associated with investing in the stock market, are appropriately diversified in investments, and ask any questions. Capital Risk: Capital risk is one of the most basic, fundamental risks of investing; it is the risk that you may lose 100% of your money. All investments carry some form of risk and the loss of capital is generally a risk for any investment instrument. Company Risk: When investing in stock positions, there is always a certain level of company or industry specific risk that is inherent in each investment. This is also referred to as unsystematic risk and can be reduced through appropriate diversification. There is the risk that the company will perform poorly or have its value reduced based on factors specific to the company or its industry. For example, if a company’s employees go on strike or the company receives unfavorable media attention for its actions, the value of the company may be reduced. Economic Risk: The prevailing economic environment is important to the health of all businesses. Some companies, however, are more sensitive to changes in the domestic or global economy than others. These types of companies are often referred to as cyclical businesses. Countries in which a large portion of businesses are in cyclical industries are thus also very economically sensitive and carry a higher amount of economic risk. If an investment is issued by a party located in a country that experiences wide swings from an economic standpoint or in situations where certain elements of an investment instrument are hinged on dealings in such countries, the investment instrument will generally be subject to a higher level of economic risk. Equity (Stock) Market Risk: Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and, volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. If you held common stock, or common stock equivalents, of any given issuer, you would generally be exposed to greater risk than if you held preferred stocks and debt obligations of the issuer. ETF & Mutual Fund Risk: When investing in an ETF or mutual fund, you will bear additional expenses based on your pro rata share of the ETF’s or mutual fund’s operating expenses, including the potential duplication of management fees. The risk of owning an ETF or mutual fund generally reflects the risks of owning the underlying securities, the ETF, or mutual fund holds. Clients will also incur brokerage costs when purchasing ETFs. Financial Risk: Financial risk is represented by internal disruptions within an investment or the issuer of an investment that can lead to unfavorable performance of the investment. Examples of financial risk can be found in cases like Enron or many of the dot com companies that were caught up in a period of extraordinary market valuations that were not based on solid financial footings of the companies. Fixed Income Securities Risk: Typically, the values of fixed-income securities change inversely with prevailing interest rates. Therefore, a fundamental risk of fixed-income securities is interest rate risk, which is the risk that their value will generally decline as prevailing interest rates rise, which may cause your account value to likewise decrease, and vice versa. How specific fixed income securities ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 13 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists may react to changes in interest rates will depend on the specific characteristics of each security. Fixed-income securities are also subject to credit risk, prepayment risk, valuation risk, and liquidity risk. Credit risk is the chance that a bond issuer will fail to pay interest and principal in a timely manner, or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such payments will cause the price of a bond to decline. Inflation Risk: Inflation risk involves the concern that in the future, your investment or proceeds from your investment will not be worth what they are today. Throughout time, the prices of resources and end-user products generally increase and thus, the same general goods and products today will likely be more expensive in the future. The longer an investment is held, the greater the chance that the proceeds from that investment will be worth less in the future than what they are today. Said another way, a dollar tomorrow will likely get you less than what it can today. Interest Rate Risk: Certain investments involve the payment of a fixed or variable rate of interest to the investment holder. Once an investor has acquired or has acquired the rights to an investment that pays a particular rate (fixed or variable) of interest, changes in overall interest rates in the market will affect the value of the interest-paying investment(s) they hold. In general, changes in prevailing interest rates in the market will have an inverse relationship to the value of existing, interest-paying investments. In other words, as interest rates move up, the value of an instrument paying a particular rate (fixed or variable) of interest will go down. The reverse is generally true as well. Legal/Regulatory Risk: Certain investments or the issuers of investments may be affected by changes in state or federal laws or in the prevailing regulatory framework under which the investment instrument or its issuer is regulated. Changes in the regulatory environment or tax laws can affect the performance of certain investments or issuers of those investments and thus, can have a negative impact on the overall performance of such investments. Market Risk: The value of your portfolio may decrease if the value of an individual company or multiple companies in the portfolio decreases or if our belief about a company’s intrinsic worth is incorrect. Further, regardless of how well individual companies perform, the value of your portfolio could also decrease if there are deteriorating economic or market conditions. It is important to understand that the value of your investment may fall, sometimes sharply, in response to changes in the market, and you could lose money. Investment risks include price risk as may be observed by a drop in a security’s price due to company specific events (e.g. earnings disappointment or downgrade in the rating of a bond) or general market risk (e.g. such as a “bear” market when stock values fall in general). For fixed-income securities, a period of rising interest rates could erode the value of a bond since bond values generally fall as bond yields go up. Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Strategy Risk: There is no guarantee that the investment strategies discussed herein will work under all market conditions and each investor should evaluate his/her ability to maintain any investment he/she is considering in light of his/her own investment time horizon. Investments are subject to risk, including possible loss of principal. Description of Material, Significant or Unusual Risks Our firm generally invests client cash balances in money market funds, FDIC Insured Certificates of Deposit, high-grade commercial paper and/or government backed debt instruments. Ultimately, our firm tries to achieve the highest return on client cash balances through relatively low-risk conservative investments. In most cases, at least a partial cash balance will be maintained in a money ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 14 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists market account so that our firm may debit advisory fees for our services related to our Wrap Asset Management and Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management services, as applicable. Item 9: Disciplinary Information There are no legal or disciplinary events that are material to the evaluation of our advisory business or the integrity of our management. Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations Representatives of our firm are registered representatives of LPL, member FINRA/SIPC, and licensed insurance agents. As a result of these transactions, they receive normal and customary commissions. A conflict of interest exists as these commissionable securities sales create an incentive to recommend products based on the compensation earned. To mitigate this potential conflict, our firm will act in the client’s best interest. form of fees or services. To minimize this conflict our Please see Item 4 above for more information about the selection of third-party money managers. The compensation paid to our firm by third party managers may vary, and thus, creates a conflict of interest in recommending a manager who shares a larger portion of its advisory fees over another manager. Prior to referring clients to third party advisors, our firm will ensure that third party advisors are licensed, or notice filed with the respective authorities. A potential conflict of interest in utilizing third party advisors may be an incentive to us in selecting a particular advisor over another in the firm will make our recommendations/selections in the best interest of our clients. Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation, or Interest in Client Transactions & Personal Trading As a fiduciary, it is an investment adviser’s responsibility to provide fair and full disclosure of all material facts and to act solely in the best interest of each of our clients at all times. Our fiduciary duty is the underlying principle for our firm’s Code of Ethics, which includes procedures for personal securities transaction and insider trading. Our firm requires all representatives to conduct business with the highest level of ethical standards and to comply with all federal and state securities laws at all times. Upon employment with our firm, and at least annually thereafter, all representatives of our firm will acknowledge receipt, understanding and compliance with our firm’s Code of Ethics. Our firm and representatives must conduct business in an honest, ethical, and fair manner and avoid all circumstances that might negatively affect or appear to affect our duty of complete loyalty to all clients. This disclosure is provided to give all clients a summary of our Code of Ethics. If a client or a potential client wishes to review our Code of Ethics in its entirety, a copy will be provided promptly upon request. Our firm recognizes that the personal investment transactions of our representatives demands the application of a Code of Ethics with high standards and requires that all such transactions be carried out in a way that does not endanger the interest of any client. At the same time, our firm also believes that if ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 15 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists investment goals are similar for clients and for our representatives, it is logical, and even desirable, that there be common ownership of some securities. To prevent conflicts of interest, our firm has established procedures for transactions effected by our representatives for their personal accounts1. To monitor compliance with our personal trading policy, our firm has pre-clearance requirements and a quarterly securities transaction reporting system for all of our representatives. Neither our firm nor a related person recommends, buys, or sells for client accounts, securities in which our firm or a related person has a material financial interest without prior disclosure to the client. Related persons of our firm may buy or sell securities and other investments that are also recommended to clients. To minimize this conflict of interest, our related persons will place client interests ahead of their own interests and adhere to our firm’s Code of Ethics, a copy of which is available upon request. Likewise, related persons of our firm buy or sell securities for themselves at or about the same time they buy or sell the same securities for client accounts. To minimize this conflict of interest, our related persons will place client interests ahead of their own interests and adhere to our firm’s Code of Ethics, a copy of which is available upon request. Further, our related persons will refrain from buying or selling the same securities prior to buying or selling for our clients in the same day unless included in a block trade. Item 12: Brokerage Practices Selecting a Brokerage Firm Our firm does not maintain custody of client assets. Client assets must be maintained by a qualified custodian. Our firm seeks to recommend a custodian who will hold client assets and execute transactions on terms that are overall most advantageous when compared to other available providers and their services. The factors considered, among others, are these:  Timeliness of execution  Timeliness and accuracy of trade confirmations  Research services provided  Ability to provide investment ideas  Execution facilitation services provided  Record keeping services provided  Custody services provided  Frequency and correction of trading errors  Ability to access a variety of market venues  Expertise as it relates to specific securities  Financial condition 1 For purposes of the policy, our associate’s personal account generally includes any account (a) in the name of our associate, his/her spouse, his/her minor children or other dependents residing in the same household, (b) for which our associate is a trustee or executor, or (c) which our associate controls, including our client accounts which our associate controls and/or a member of his/her household has a direct or indirect beneficial interest in. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 16 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists  Business reputation  Quality of services Our firm may recommend that clients establish brokerage accounts with LPL Financial, LLC (“LPL”), member FINRA/SIPC. Clients are advised that they are under no obligation to implement our recommendations and may choose a broker-dealer at their discretion. Clients may pay commissions or fees that are higher or lower than those that may be obtained from elsewhere for similar services. Our firm does not receive soft dollars generated by client securities transactions. The term "soft dollars" refers to funds which are generated by client trades “commission rebates or credits” being used by our firm to purchase products or services (such as research and enhanced brokerage services) from or through the broker-dealers whom our firm engages to execute securities transactions. In addition, neither our firm nor our related person(s) have authority to determine, without specific client consent, the broker-dealer to be used in any securities transaction or the commission rate to be paid. fiduciary, our firm endeavors to act in its clients’ best Our firm, however, does receive some “eligible” products and services under safe harbor as determined under the Securities and Exchange Act, Section 28(e). These products and services include: national, regional or investment adviser specific educational events organized and/or sponsored by LPL Financial; professional compliance; legal and business consulting; publications and conferences on practice management; information technology; business succession; employee benefits providers; human capital consultants; insurance; and marketing. In addition, LPL may make available, arrange and/or pay vendors for these types of services rendered to our firm by independent third parties. LPL 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 our firm. While, as a interests, our recommendation/requirement that clients maintain their assets in accounts at LPL may be based in part on the benefit to our firm of the availability of some of the foregoing products and services and other arrangements, and not solely on the nature, cost, or quality of custody and brokerage services provided by LPL, which may create a potential conflict of interest. As a result of receiving such “eligible” products and services for no cost, our firm may have an incentive to continue to place client trades through broker-dealers that offer those products and services. This interest conflicts with the clients' interest of obtaining the lowest commission rate available. Therefore, our firm must determine in good faith, that such commissions are reasonable in relation to the value of the services provided by such executing broker-dealers. Our firm examined this potential conflict of interest when deciding to enter into the relationship with LPL and have determined that the relationship is in the best interest of our firm’s clients and satisfies our client obligations, including our duty to seek best execution. In seeking “best execution”, the determinative factor is not the lowest possible commission cost, but whether the transaction represents the best qualitative execution. LPL also takes into consideration the full range of a broker-dealer's services including execution capability, commission rates, and responsiveness. Although LPL will seek competitive commission rates, it may not necessarily obtain the lowest possible commission rates for all account transactions. Over-the-Counter (OTC) securities transactions are generally effected based on two (2) separate broker-dealers: (1) a “dealer” or “principal” acting as market-maker; and (2) the executing broker- dealer that acts in an agency capacity. Dealers executing principal transactions typically include a mark-up/down, which is included in the offer or bid price of the securities purchased or sold. In ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 17 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists addition to the dealer mark-up/down, the client may also incur the transaction fee imposed by the executing broker-dealer. We do not receive any portion of the dealer mark-up/down or the executing broker-dealer transaction fee. Transactions for each client account will be affected independently. We individually review each client’s account and place trades accordingly. Despite being purchased or sold at approximately the same time all clients’ transactions will incur individual transaction fees. Our firm provides investment management services for various clients. There are occasions on which portfolio transactions may be executed as part of concurrent authorizations to purchase or sell the same security for numerous accounts served by our firm, which involve accounts with similar investment objectives. Although such concurrent authorizations potentially could be either advantageous or disadvantageous to any one or more particular accounts, they are affected only when our firm believes that to do so will be in the best interest of the effected accounts. When such concurrent authorizations occur, the objective is to allocate the executions in a manner which is deemed equitable to the accounts involved. In any given situation, our firm attempts to allocate trade executions in the most equitable manner possible, taking into consideration client objectives, current asset allocation and availability of funds using price averaging, proration, and consistently non- arbitrary methods of allocation. LPL provides various benefits and payments to Dually Registered Persons that are new to the LPL platform to assist the representative with the costs (including foregone revenues during account transition) associated with transitioning their business to the LPL platform (collectively referred to as “Transition Assistance”). The proceeds of such Transition Assistance payments are intended to be used for a variety of purposes, including but not necessarily limited to, providing working capital to assist in funding the Dually Registered Person’s business, satisfying any outstanding debt owed to the Dually Registered Person’s prior firm, offsetting account transfer fees (“ACATs”) payable to LPL as a result of the Dually Registered Person’s clients transitioning to LPL’s custodial platform, technology set-up fees, marketing and mailing costs, stationary and licensure transfer fees, moving expenses, office space expenses, staffing support and termination fees associated with moving accounts. The Transition Assistance payment amounts are often significant in relation to the overall revenue earned or compensation received by the Dually Registered Person at their prior firm. Such payments are generally based on the size of the Dually Registered Person’s business established at their prior firm and/or assets under custody on the LPL. Please refer to the relevant Part 2B brochure supplement for more information about the specific Transition Payments each representative receives. Transition Assistance payments and other benefits are provided to associated persons of our firm in their capacity as registered representatives of LPL. The receipt of Transition Assistance creates conflicts of interest relating to our firm’s advisory business because it creates a financial incentive to recommend that Clients maintain their accounts with LPL. In certain instances, the receipt of such benefits is dependent on maintaining Client assets with LPL. As such, our firm and its representatives have an incentive to recommend that clients maintain their account with LPL in order to generate such benefits. Our firm attempts to mitigate these conflicts of interest by evaluating and recommending that Clients use LPL’s services based on the benefits that such services provide, rather than the Transition Assistance earned by any particular Dually Registered Person. Our firm considers LPL’s suite of ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 18 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists services when recommending that Clients maintain accounts with LPL. Clients should, however, be aware of this conflict and take it into consideration in making a decision whether to custody their assets in a brokerage account at LPL. Additionally, our firm has received a loan from LPL in order to assist us with transitioning its business onto the LPL custodial platform. This loan may be forgiven by LPL based on the scope of business our firm engages in with LPL, including the amount of Client assets with LPL. This presents a conflict of interest in that our firm has a financial incentive to recommend that Clients maintain their accounts with LPL in order to benefit by having the loan forgiven. To the extent our firm recommends Client use of LPL for such services, it is because our firm believes that it is in the Client’s best interest to do so based on the quality and pricing of the execution, benefits of an integrated platform for brokerage and advisory accounts, and other services provided by LPL. Our firm has also received a repayable loan from LPL in order to assist with transitioning business onto the LPL custodial platform. This also presents a conflict of interest in that our firm has a financial incentive to recommend that Clients maintain accounts with LPL. To the extent our firm recommends the use of LPL for such services, it is because our firm believes that it is in the Client’s best interest to do so based on the quality and pricing of the execution, benefits of an integrated platform for brokerage and advisory accounts, and other services provided by LPL. Soft Dollars Our firm does not receive soft dollars in excess of what is allowed by Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The safe harbor research products and services obtained by our firm will generally be used to service all of our clients but not necessarily all at any one particular time. Client Brokerage Commissions Our firm does not refer clients to particular broker-dealers in exchange for client referrals from those broker-dealers. Client Transactions in Return for Soft Dollars Our firm does not direct client transactions to a particular broker-dealer in return for soft dollar benefits. Brokerage for Client Referrals Our firm does not receive brokerage for client referrals. Directed Brokerage Neither our firm nor any of our firm’s representatives have discretionary authority in making the determination of the brokers-dealers and/or custodians with whom orders for the purchase or sale of securities are placed for execution, and the commission rates at which such securities transactions are affected. Our firm routinely recommends that clients direct us to execute through a specified broker-dealer. Our firm recommends the use of LPL. Each client will be required to establish their account(s) with LPL if not already done. Please note that not all advisers have this requirement. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 19 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Special Considerations for ERISA Clients A retirement or ERISA plan client may direct all or part of portfolio transactions for its account through a specific broker or dealer to obtain goods or services on behalf of the plan. Such direction is permitted provided that the goods and services provided are reasonable expenses of the plan incurred in the ordinary course of its business for which it otherwise would be obligated and empowered to pay. ERISA prohibits directed brokerage arrangements when the goods or services purchased are not for the exclusive benefit of the plan. Consequently, our firm will request that plan sponsors who direct plan brokerage provide us with a letter documenting that this arrangement will be for the exclusive benefit of the plan. Client-Directed Brokerage Our firm allows clients to direct brokerage outside our recommendation. Our firm may be unable to achieve the most favorable execution of client transactions. Client directed brokerage may cost clients more money. For example, in a directed brokerage account, clients may pay higher brokerage commissions because our firm may not be able to aggregate orders to reduce transaction costs, or clients may receive less favorable prices. Aggregation of Purchase or Sale Our firm provides investment management services for various clients. There are occasions on which portfolio transactions may be executed as part of concurrent authorizations to purchase or sell the same security for numerous accounts served by our firm, which involve accounts with similar investment objectives. Although such concurrent authorizations potentially could be either advantageous or disadvantageous to any one or more particular accounts, they are affected only when our firm believes that to do so will be in the best interest of the effected accounts. When such concurrent authorizations occur, the objective is to allocate the executions in a manner which is deemed equitable to the accounts involved. In any given situation, our firm attempts to allocate trade executions in the most equitable manner possible, taking into consideration client objectives, current asset allocation and availability of funds using price averaging, proration and consistently non-arbitrary methods of allocation. Item 13: Review of Accounts or Financial Plans Our management personnel or financial advisors review accounts on at least an annual basis for our Wrap Asset Management, Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management, and Third-Party Money Management clients. The nature of these reviews is to learn whether client accounts are in line with their investment objectives, appropriately positioned based on market conditions, and investment policies, if applicable. Our firm does not provide written reports to clients, unless asked to do so. Verbal reports to clients take place on at least an annual basis when our Wrap Asset Management, Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management, and Third-Party Money Management clients are contacted. Our firm may review client accounts more frequently than described above. Among the factors which may trigger an off-cycle review are major market or economic events, the client’s life events, requests by the client, etc. Financial Planning clients do not receive reviews of their written plans unless they take action to schedule a financial consultation with us. Our firm does not provide ongoing services to financial planning clients, but are willing to meet with such clients upon their request to discuss updates to ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 20 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists their plans, changes in their circumstances, etc. Financial Planning clients do not receive written or verbal updated reports regarding their financial plans unless they separately engage our firm for a post-financial plan meeting or update to their initial written financial plan. Retirement Plan Consulting clients receive reviews of their retirement plans for the duration of the service. Our firm also provides ongoing services where clients are met with upon their request to discuss updates to their plans, changes in their circumstances, etc. Retirement Plan Consulting clients do not receive written or verbal updated reports regarding their plans unless they choose to engage our firm for ongoing services. Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation LPL Financial, LLC Our firm may receive from LPL or a third party, without cost and/or at a discount non-soft-dollar support services and/or products, to assist us to better monitor and service client accounts maintained at such institutions. Included within the support services our firm may receive investment-related research, pricing information and market data, software and other technology that provide access to client account data, compliance and/or practice management-related publications, discounted or gratis consulting services, discounted and/or gratis attendance at conferences, meetings, and other educational and/or social events, marketing support, reimbursements for marketing events/seminars, computer hardware and/or software and/or other products used by us to assist us in our investment advisory business operations. Our clients do not pay more for investment transactions effected and/or assets maintained at LPL as result of this arrangement. There is no commitment made by us to LPL or any other institution as a result of the above arrangement. A conflict of interest may arise as these services/products may create an incentive to recommend products. To mitigate this potential conflict, our firm, as a fiduciary, will act in the client’s best interest. Our firm and its Dually Registered Persons are incented to join and remain affiliated with LPL and to recommend that Clients establish accounts with LPL through the provision of Transition Assistance (discussed in Item 12 above). LPL also provides other compensation to our firm and its Dually Registered Persons, including but not limited to, bonus payments, repayable and forgivable loans, stock awards and other benefits. The receipt of any such compensation creates a financial incentive for your representative to recommend LPL as custodian for the assets in your advisory account. Our firm encourages you to discuss any such conflicts of interest with your representative before making a decision to custody your assets at LPL. Product Sponsor Funded Events Various product wholesalers provide financial assistance to allow us to sponsor client educational seminars, or attend such seminars hosted by the product sponsor. This money is not directly tied to our use of their products, nor it is contingent upon any future business to be directed to their products, nonetheless it creates a conflict of interest that may incentivize us to utilize their products. Our firm has a substantial portion of client assets invested in products offered by sponsors of our marketing events. Our firm will adhere to our fiduciary duty to act in our client’s best interest when selecting what products to use in client accounts. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 21 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Representatives of our firm will occasionally accept travel expense reimbursement provided by product sponsors to attend their educational events. The reimbursement is not directly dependent upon the recommendation of any specific product. Although we may be incentivized to recommend products from product sponsors that reimburse our travel, our representatives will always adhere to their fiduciary duty in recommending appropriate investments for our clients. Referral Fees Our firm does not pay referral fees (non-commission based) to independent solicitors (non- registered representatives) for the referral of their clients to our firm in accordance with Rule 206 (4)-3 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Item 15: Custody Deduction of Advisory Fees: While our firm does not maintain physical custody of client assets (which are maintained by a qualified custodian, as discussed above), we are deemed to have custody of certain client assets if given the authority to withdraw assets from client accounts, as further described below under “Third Party Money Movement.” All of our clients receive account statements directly from their qualified custodian(s) at least quarterly upon opening of an account. We urge our clients to carefully review these statements. Additionally, if our firm decides to send its own account statements to clients, such statements will include a legend that recommends the client compare the account statements received from the qualified custodian with those received from our firm. Clients are encouraged to raise any questions with us about the custody, safety or security of their assets and our custodial recommendations. Third Party Money Movement: On February 21, 2017, the SEC issued a no-action letter (“Letter”) with respect to Rule 206(4) -2 (“Custody Rule”) under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”). The letter provided guidance on the Custody Rule as well as clarified that an adviser who has the power to disburse client funds to a third party under a standing letter of authorization (“SLOA”) is deemed to have custody. As such, our firm has adopted the following safeguards in conjunction with our custodian:  The client provides an instruction to the qualified custodian, in writing, that includes the client’s signature, the third party’s name, and either the third party’s address or the third party’s account number at a custodian to which the transfer should be directed.  The client authorizes the investment adviser, in writing, either on the qualified custodian’s form or separately, to direct transfers to the third party either on a specified schedule or from time to time.  The client’s qualified custodian performs appropriate verification of the instruction, such as a signature review or other method to verify the client’s authorization and provides a transfer of funds notice to the client promptly after each transfer.  The client has the ability to terminate or change the instruction to the client’s qualified custodian. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 22 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists  The investment adviser has no authority or ability to designate or change the identity of the third party, the address, or any other information about the third party contained in the client’s instruction.  The investment adviser maintains records showing that the third party is not a related party of the investment adviser or located at the same address as the investment adviser.  The client’s qualified custodian sends the client, in writing, an initial notice confirming the instruction and an annual notice reconfirming the instruction. Item 16: Investment Discretion Clients have the option of providing our firm with investment discretion on their behalf, pursuant to an executed investment advisory client agreement. By granting investment discretion, our firm is authorized to execute securities transactions, determine which securities are bought and sold, and the total amount to be bought and sold. Limitations may be imposed by the client in the form of specific constraints on any of these areas of discretion with our firm’s written acknowledgement. Item 17: Voting Client Securities Our firm does not accept the proxy authority to vote client securities. Clients will receive proxies or other solicitations directly from their custodian or a transfer agent. In the event that proxies are sent to our firm, our firm will forward them to the appropriate client and ask the party who sent them to mail them directly to the client in the future. Clients may call, write or email us to discuss questions they may have about particular proxy votes or other solicitations. Item 18: Financial Information Our firm is not required to provide financial information in this Brochure because:  Our firm does not require the prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees when services cannot be rendered within 6 months.  Our firm does not take custody of client funds or securities.  Our firm has never been the subject of a bankruptcy proceeding. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 23 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists

Additional Brochure: ADV 2A WRAP BROCHURE (2025-03-28)

View Document Text
Item 1: Cover Page Part 2A Appendix 1 of Form ADV: Wrap Fee Program Brochure March 2025 Hesen & Haslam Wrap Program Sponsored By: Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists 21031 Ventura Blvd, Ste #424 Woodland Hills, CA 91364 www.HHretirement.com Firm Contact: Mitchell Hesen Chief Compliance Officer This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Hesen & Haslam, LLC dba Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists. If clients have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us at 818-200-1107. The information in this brochure has not been approved or verified by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or by any State Securities Authority. Additional information about our firm is also available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov by searching CRD #286235. Please note that the use of the term “registered investment adviser” and description of our firm and/or our associates as “registered” does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Clients are encouraged to review this Brochure and Brochure Supplements for our firm’s associates who advise clients for more information on the qualifications of our firm and our employees. Item 2: Material Changes Hesen & Haslam, LLC is required to make clients aware of information that has changed since the last annual update to the Wrap Brochure (“Wrap Brochure”) and that may be important to them. Clients can then determine whether to review the brochure in its entirety or to contact us with questions about the changes. Since our last amendment filed on 03/12/2024, we have no material changes to disclose. ADV Part 2A, Appendix 1 – Wrap Fee Brochure Page 2 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Item 3: Table of Contents Item 1: Cover Page .................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Part 2A Appendix 1 of Form ADV: Wrap Fee Program Brochure ........................................................................ 1 Item 2: Material Changes ...................................................................................................................................................... 2 Item 3: Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................................... 3 Item 4: Services, Fees & Compensation .......................................................................................................................... 4 Item 5: Account Requirements & Types of Clients .................................................................................................... 6 Item 6: Portfolio Manager Selection & Evaluation ..................................................................................................... 6 Item 7: Client Information Provided to Portfolio Manager(s) ...................................................................... 1112 Item 8: Client Contact with Portfolio Manager(s) .................................................................................................... 12 Item 9: Additional Information ........................................................................................................................................ 12 ADV Part 2A, Appendix 1 – Wrap Fee Brochure Page 3 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Item 4: Services, Fees & Compensation Our firm manages assets for many different types of clients to help meet their financial goals while remaining sensitive to risk tolerance and time horizons. As a fiduciary it is our duty to always act in the client’s best interest. This is accomplished in part by knowing the client. Our firm has established a service-oriented advisory practice with open lines of communication. Working with clients to understand their investment objectives while educating them about our process, facilitates the kind of working relationship we value. Our wrap fee program allows clients to pay a single fee for investment advisory services and associated custodial transaction costs. Because our firm absorbs client transaction fees, an incentive exists to limit trading activities in client accounts. Custodial transaction costs, however, are not included in the advisory fee charged by our firm for non-wrap services and are to be paid by the client to their chosen custodian. Depending on the client’s account or portfolio trading activity, clients may pay more for using our wrap fee services than they would for using our non-wrap services. LPL Financial offers a trading platform with select exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) that do not charge transaction fees. The no-transaction-fee ETF trading platform is available to clients participating in LPL Financial’s Strategic Wealth Management (“SWM”) and Strategic Asset Management (“SAM”) programs. Since our firm pays the transaction fees charged by LPL Financial to clients participating in our wrap fee program, we are incentivized to recommend no-transaction-fee ETFs over other types of securities and ETFs in order to reduce our costs. This presents a conflict of interest because the limited number of ETFs available on the no-transaction fee platform may have higher overall expenses than other types of securities and ETFs not included in the platform. In addition, other major custodians have eliminated transaction fees for all ETFs and U.S. equities, so clients may pay more for investing in the same securities at LPL Financial. Our Wrap Advisory Services Wealth Management Services: As part of our Wealth Management Services, a portfolio is created, consisting of individual stocks, bonds, exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), options, mutual funds and other public and private securities or investments. The client’s individual investment strategy is tailored to their specific needs and may include some or all of the previously mentioned securities. Portfolios will be designed to meet a particular investment goal, determined to be suitable to the client’s circumstances. Once the appropriate portfolio has been determined, portfolios are continuously and regularly monitored, and if necessary, rebalanced based upon the client’s individual needs, stated goals and objectives. Fee Schedule The maximum annual fee to be charged to the client’s account(s) will not exceed 2.00%. The fee to be assessed to each account will be detailed in the client’s signed advisory agreement, LPL Account Application or LPL Tiered Fee Authorization form. Fees are billed on a pro-rata basis quarterly in advance based on the value of the account(s) on the last day of the previous quarter. Fees are negotiable and will be deducted from the account(s). Please note that fees will be adjusted for deposits and withdrawals made during the quarter and that our firm bills on cash ADV Part 2A, Appendix 1 – Wrap Fee Brochure Page 4 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists unless otherwise agreed in writing. If accounts are opened during the quarter, the pro-rata advisory fees will be deducted during the next regularly scheduled billing cycle. As part of this process, Clients understand the following: a) LPL as the client’s custodian sends statements at least quarterly, showing all disbursements for each account, including the amount of the advisory fees paid to our firm; b) Clients provide authorization permitting LPL to deduct these fees; c) LPL calculates the advisory fees for all fee schedules and deducts them from the client’s account. Comprehensive Wealth Management Services: As part of our Comprehensive Wealth Management Services, clients will be provided asset management and financial planning or consulting services. This service is designed to assist clients in meeting their financial goals through the use of a financial plan or consultation. Our firm conducts client meetings to understand their current financial situation, existing resources, financial goals, and tolerance for risk. Based on what is learned, an investment approach is presented to the client, consisting of individual stocks, bonds, ETFs, options, mutual funds and other public and private securities or investments. Once the appropriate portfolio has been determined, portfolios are continuously and regularly monitored, and if necessary, rebalanced based upon the client’s individual needs, stated goals and objectives. Upon client request, our firm provides a summary of observations and recommendations for the planning or consulting aspects of this service. Fee Schedule The maximum annual fee to be charged to the client’s account(s) will not exceed 2.00%. The fee to be assessed to each account will be detailed in the client’s signed advisory agreement, LPL Account Application or LPL Tiered Fee Authorization form. Fees are billed on a pro-rata basis quarterly in advance based on the value of the account(s) on the last day of the previous quarter. Fees are negotiable and will be deducted from the account(s). Please note that fees will be adjusted for deposits and withdrawals made during the quarter. If accounts are opened during the quarter, the pro-rata advisory fees will be deducted during the next regularly scheduled billing cycle. As part of this process, Clients understand the following: a) LPL as the client’s custodian sends statements at least quarterly, showing all disbursements for each account, including the amount of the advisory fees paid to our firm; b) Clients provide authorization permitting LPL to deduct these fees; c) LPL calculates the advisory fees for all fee schedules and deducts them from the client’s account. Other Types of Fees & Expenses: The fees not included in the advisory fee for our wrap services are charges imposed directly by a mutual fund, index fund, or exchange traded fund which shall be disclosed in the fund’s prospectus (i.e., fund management fees and other fund expenses), mark-ups and mark-downs, spreads paid to market makers, wire transfer fees and other fees and taxes on brokerage accounts and securities transactions. ADV Part 2A, Appendix 1 – Wrap Fee Brochure Page 5 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Wrap Fee Program Recommendations Our firm does not recommend or offer the wrap program services of other providers. Item 5: Account Requirements & Types of Clients Our firm does not impose requirements for opening and maintaining accounts or otherwise engaging us. Our firm has the following types of clients:  Individuals and High Net Worth Individuals;  Trusts, Estates or Charitable Organizations;  Pension and Profit Sharing Plans;  Corporations, Limited Liability Companies and/or Other Business Types Item 6: Portfolio Manager Selection & Evaluation Selection of Portfolio Managers Our firm’s investment adviser representatives (“IARs”) act as portfolio manager(s) for this wrap fee program. A conflict arises in that other investment advisory firms may charge the same or lower fees than our firm for similar services. Our IARs are subject to individual licensing requirements as imposed by state securities boards. Our firm is required to confirm or update each IAR’s Form U4 on an annual basis. IAR supervision is conducted by our Chief Compliance Officer or management personnel. Advisory Business: Information about our wrap fee services can be found in Item 4 of this brochure. Our firm offers individualized investment advice to our Wealth Management Services and Comprehensive Wealth Management Services clients. Each Wealth Management Services and Comprehensive Wealth Management Services client has the opportunity to place reasonable restrictions on the types of investments to be held in the portfolio. Restrictions on investments in certain securities or types of securities may not be possible due to the level of difficulty this would entail in managing the account. Participation in Wrap Fee Programs: Our firm does not manage wrap fee accounts in a different fashion than non-wrap fee accounts. All accounts are managed on an individualized basis according to the client’s investment objectives, financial goals, risk tolerance, etc. Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management: Our firm does not charge performance-based fees. ADV Part 2A, Appendix 1 – Wrap Fee Brochure Page 6 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss: The following methods of analysis are utilized by our firm when formulating investment advice and/or managing client assets: Charting: In this type of technical analysis, we review charts of market and security activity in an attempt to identify when the market is moving up or down and to predict when how long the trend may last and when that trend might reverse. Cyclical Analysis: In this type of technical analysis, we measure the movements of a particular stock against the overall market in an attempt to predict the price movement of the security. Fundamental Analysis: We attempt to measure the intrinsic value of a security by looking at economic and financial factors (including the overall economy, industry conditions, and the financial condition and management of the company itself) to determine if the company is underpriced (indicating it may be a good time to buy) or overpriced (indicating it may be time to sell). Fundamental analysis does not attempt to anticipate market movements. This presents a potential risk, as the price of a security can move up or down along with the overall market regardless of the economic and financial factors considered in evaluating the stock. The following investment strategies are used managing client accounts, provided that such strategies are appropriate to the needs of the client and consistent with the client's investment objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizons, among other considerations: Alternative Investments: Hedge funds, commodity pools Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”), Business Development Companies (“BDCs”), and other alternative investments involve a high degree of risk and can be illiquid due to restrictions on transfer and lack of a secondary trading market. They can be highly leveraged, speculative and volatile, and an investor could lose all or a substantial amount of an investment. Alternative investments may lack transparency as to share price, valuation and portfolio holdings. Complex tax structures often result in delayed tax reporting. Compared to mutual funds, hedge funds and commodity pools are subject to less regulation and often charge higher fees. Alternative investment managers typically exercise broad investment discretion and may apply similar strategies across multiple investment vehicles, resulting in less diversification. Asset Allocation: Rather than focusing primarily on securities selection, we attempt to identify an appropriate ratio of securities, fixed income, and cash suitable to the client’s investment goals and risk tolerance. A risk of asset allocation is that the client may not participate in sharp increases in a particular security, industry, or market sector. Another risk is that the ratio of securities, fixed income, and cash will change over time due to stock and market movements and, if not corrected, will no longer be appropriate for the client’s goals. Debt Securities (Bonds): Issuers use debt securities to borrow money. Generally, issuers pay investors periodic interest and repay the amount borrowed either periodically during the life of the security and/or at maturity. Alternatively, investors can purchase other debt securities, such as zero coupon bonds, which do not pay current interest, but rather are priced at a discount from their face values and their values accrete over time to face value at maturity. The market prices of debt securities fluctuate depending on such factors as interest rates, credit quality, and maturity. In general, market prices of debt securities decline when interest rates rise and increase when interest rates fall. Bonds with longer rates of maturity tend to have greater interest rate risks (duration risk). ADV Part 2A, Appendix 1 – Wrap Fee Brochure Page 7 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Fixed Income Portfolio Management Investment Strategies: We believe that a conservative, risk- averse approach to fixed income management will provide both steady incremental outperformance, and low relative volatility. The disciplined process we employ in an effort to realize this philosophy is generally grounded in four key decisions:  Constraint of portfolio duration within a narrow range relative to the benchmark in order to limit exposure to market and interest rate risk.  Strategic allocations to key sectors to add value relative to the benchmark.  Proactive management of term structure to add value in different yield curve environments.  Security selection based on rigorous credit and relative value analysis and broad diversification of nongovernment issuers. Within our Fixed Income strategy, we use the following sub-strategies in managing client accounts, provided that such sub-strategies are appropriate to the needs of the client and consistent with the client's investment objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizons, among other considerations. Mutual Fund and/or ETF Analysis: We look at the experience and track record of the manager of the mutual fund or ETF in an attempt to determine if that manager has demonstrated an ability to invest over a period of time and in different economic conditions. We also look at the underlying assets in a mutual fund or ETF in an attempt to determine if there is significant overlap in the underlying investments held in another fund(s) in the client’s portfolio. We also monitor the funds or ETFs in an attempt to determine if they are continuing to follow their stated investment strategy. A risk of mutual fund and/or ETF analysis is that, as in all securities investments, past performance does not guarantee future results. A manager who has been successful may not be able to replicate that success in the future. In addition, as we do not control the underlying investments in a fund or ETF, managers of different funds held by the client may purchase the same security, increasing the risk to the client if that security were to fall in value. There is also a risk that a manager may deviate from the stated investment mandate or strategy of the fund or ETF, which could make the holding(s) less suitable for the client’s portfolio. Option Writing: We may use options as an investment strategy. An option is a contract that gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an asset (such as a share of stock) at a specific price on or before a certain date. An option, just like a stock or bond, is a security. An option is also a derivative because it derives its value from an underlying asset. The two types of options are calls and puts. A call gives us the right to buy an asset at a certain price within a specific period of time. We will buy a call if we have determined that the stock will increase substantially before the option expires. A put gives us the holder the right to sell an asset at a certain price within a specific period of time. We will buy a put if we have determined that the price of the stock will fall before the option expires. We will use options to "hedge" a purchase of the underlying security; in other words, we will use an option purchase to limit the potential upside and downside of a security we have purchased for your portfolio. We use "covered calls", in which we sell an option on security you own. In this strategy, you receive a fee for making the option available, and the person purchasing the option has the right to buy the security from you at an agreed-upon price. We use a "spreading strategy", in which we purchase two or more option contracts (for example, a call option that you buy and a call option that you sell) for the same underlying security. This effectively puts you on both sides of the market, but with the ability to vary price, time and other factors. The potential risks associated with these transactions are that (1) all options expire. The closer the option gets to expiration, the quicker the premium in the option deteriorates; and (2) Prices can move very quickly. Depending on factors such as time until expiration and the relationship of the stock price to the option’s strike price, small movements in a stock can translate into big movements in the underlying options. ADV Part 2A, Appendix 1 – Wrap Fee Brochure Page 8 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): REITs primarily invest in real estate or real estate-related loans. Equity REITs own real estate properties, while mortgage REITs hold construction, development and/or long-term mortgage loans. REITs involve a high degree of risk and can be illiquid due to restrictions on transfer and lack of a secondary trading market. Changes in the value of the underlying property of the trusts, the creditworthiness of the issuer, property taxes, interest rates, tax laws, and regulatory requirements, such as those relating to the environment all can affect the values of REITs. Both types of REITs are dependent upon management skill, the cash flows generated by their holdings, the real estate market in general, and the possibility of failing to qualify for any applicable pass-through tax treatment or failing to maintain any applicable exempted status afforded under relevant laws. Third-Party Money Manager Analysis: We examine the experience, expertise, investment philosophies, and past performance of independent third-party investment managers in an attempt to determine if that manager has demonstrated an ability to invest over a period of time and in different economic conditions. We monitor the manager’s underlying holdings, strategies, concentrations, and leverage as part of our overall periodic risk assessment. Additionally, as part of our due-diligence process, we survey the manager’s compliance and business enterprise risks. A risk of investing with a third-party manager who has been successful in the past is that he/she may not be able to replicate that success in the future. In addition, as we do not control the underlying investments in a third-party manager’s portfolio, there is also a risk that a manager may deviate from the stated investment mandate or strategy of the portfolio, making it a less suitable investment for our clients. Moreover, as we do not control the manager’s daily business and compliance operations, we may be unaware of the lack of internal controls necessary to prevent business, regulatory or reputational deficiencies. Variable Annuities: A variable annuity is a type of annuity contract that allows for the accumulation of capital on a tax-deferred basis. As opposed to a fixed annuity that offers a guaranteed interest rate and a minimum payment at annuitization, variable annuities offer investors the opportunity to generate higher rates of returns by investing in equity and bond subaccounts. If a variable annuity is annuitized for income, the income payments can vary based on the performance of the subaccounts. Risks associated with VAs may include:  Taxes and federal penalties for early withdrawal  Surrender charges for early withdrawal can last for years  Earnings taxed at ordinary income tax rates  Mortality expense to compensate the insurance company for insurance risks  Fees and expenses imposed for the subaccounts  Other features with additional fees and charges Please Note: Investing in securities involves risk of loss that clients should be prepared to bear. While the stock market may increase and your account(s) could enjoy a gain, it is also possible that the stock market may decrease, and your account(s) could suffer a loss. It is important that you understand the risks associated with investing in the stock market, are appropriately diversified in your investments, and ask any questions you may have. Capital Risk: Capital risk is one of the most basic, fundamental risks of investing; it is the risk that you may lose 100% of your money. All investments carry some form of risk and the loss of capital is generally a risk for any investment instrument. ADV Part 2A, Appendix 1 – Wrap Fee Brochure Page 9 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Company Risk: When investing in stock positions, there is always a certain level of company or industry specific risk that is inherent in each investment. This is also referred to as unsystematic risk and can be reduced through appropriate diversification. There is the risk that the company will perform poorly or have its value reduced based on factors specific to the company or its industry. For example, if a company’s employees go on strike or the company receives unfavorable media attention for its actions, the value of the company may be reduced. Economic Risk: The prevailing economic environment is important to the health of all businesses. Some companies, however, are more sensitive to changes in the domestic or global economy than others. These types of companies are often referred to as cyclical businesses. Countries in which a large portion of businesses are in cyclical industries are thus also very economically sensitive and carry a higher amount of economic risk. If an investment is issued by a party located in a country that experiences wide swings from an economic standpoint or in situations where certain elements of an investment instrument are hinged on dealings in such countries, the investment instrument will generally be subject to a higher level of economic risk. Equity (Stock) Market Risk: Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and, volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. If you held common stock, or common stock equivalents, of any given issuer, you would generally be exposed to greater risk than if you held preferred stocks and debt obligations of the issuer. ETF & Mutual Fund Risk: When investing in an ETF or mutual fund, you will bear additional expenses based on your pro rata share of the ETF’s or mutual fund’s operating expenses, including the potential duplication of management fees. The risk of owning an ETF or mutual fund generally reflects the risks of owning the underlying securities, the ETF, or mutual fund holds. Clients will also incur brokerage costs when purchasing ETFs. Financial Risk: Financial risk is represented by internal disruptions within an investment or the issuer of an investment that can lead to unfavorable performance of the investment. Examples of financial risk can be found in cases like Enron or many of the dot com companies that were caught up in a period of extraordinary market valuations that were not based on solid financial footings of the companies. Fixed Income Securities Risk: Typically, the values of fixed-income securities change inversely with prevailing interest rates. Therefore, a fundamental risk of fixed-income securities is interest rate risk, which is the risk that their value will generally decline as prevailing interest rates rise, which may cause your account value to likewise decrease, and vice versa. How specific fixed income securities may react to changes in interest rates will depend on the specific characteristics of each security. Fixed-income securities are also subject to credit risk, prepayment risk, valuation risk, and liquidity risk. Credit risk is the chance that a bond issuer will fail to pay interest and principal in a timely manner, or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such payments will cause the price of a bond to decline. Inflation Risk: Inflation risk involves the concern that in the future, your investment or proceeds from your investment will not be worth what they are today. Throughout time, the prices of resources and end-user products generally increase and thus, the same general goods and products today will likely be more expensive in the future. The longer an investment is held, the greater the chance that the proceeds from that investment will be worth less in the future than what they are today. Said another way, a dollar tomorrow will likely get you less than what it can today. ADV Part 2A, Appendix 1 – Wrap Fee Brochure Page 10 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Interest Rate Risk: Certain investments involve the payment of a fixed or variable rate of interest to the investment holder. Once an investor has acquired or has acquired the rights to an investment that pays a particular rate (fixed or variable) of interest, changes in overall interest rates in the market will affect the value of the interest-paying investment(s) they hold. In general, changes in prevailing interest rates in the market will have an inverse relationship to the value of existing, interest-paying investments. In other words, as interest rates move up, the value of an instrument paying a particular rate (fixed or variable) of interest will go down. The reverse is generally true as well. Legal/Regulatory Risk: Certain investments or the issuers of investments may be affected by changes in state or federal laws or in the prevailing regulatory framework under which the investment instrument or its issuer is regulated. Changes in the regulatory environment or tax laws can affect the performance of certain investments or issuers of those investments and thus, can have a negative impact on the overall performance of such investments. Market Risk: The value of your portfolio may decrease if the value of an individual company or multiple companies in the portfolio decreases or if our belief about a company’s intrinsic worth is incorrect. Further, regardless of how well individual companies perform, the value of your portfolio could also decrease if there are deteriorating economic or market conditions. It is important to understand that the value of your investment may fall, sometimes sharply, in response to changes in the market, and you could lose money. Investment risks include price risk as may be observed by a drop in a security’s price due to company specific events (e.g. earnings disappointment or downgrade in the rating of a bond) or general market risk (e.g. such as a “bear” market when stock values fall in general). For fixed-income securities, a period of rising interest rates could erode the value of a bond since bond values generally fall as bond yields go up. Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Strategy Risk: There is no guarantee that the investment strategies discussed herein will work under all market conditions and each investor should evaluate his/her ability to maintain any investment he/she is considering in light of his/her own investment time horizon. Investments are subject to risk, including possible loss of principal. Voting Client Securities: Our firm does not accept the proxy authority to vote client securities. Clients will receive proxies or other solicitations directly from their custodian or a transfer agent. In the event that proxies are sent to our firm, our firm will forward them to the appropriate client and ask the party who sent them to mail them directly to the client in the future. Clients may call, write, or email us to discuss questions they may have about particular proxy votes or other solicitations. Item 7: Client Information Provided to Portfolio Manager(s) All accounts are managed by our in-house licensed IARs. The IAR selected to manage the client’s account(s) or portfolio(s) will be privy to the client’s investment goals and objectives, risk tolerance, restrictions placed on the management of the account(s) or portfolio(s) and relevant client notes taken by our firm. Please see our firm’s Privacy Policy for more information on how our firm utilizes client information. ADV Part 2A, Appendix 1 – Wrap Fee Brochure Page 11 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists Item 8: Client Contact with Portfolio Manager(s) Clients are always free to directly contact their portfolio manager(s) with any questions or concerns about their portfolios or other matters. Item 9: Additional Information Disciplinary Information There are no legal or disciplinary events that are material to the evaluation of our advisory business or the integrity of our management. Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations Representatives of our firm are registered representatives of LPL, member FINRA/SIPC, and licensed insurance agents. As a result of these transactions, they receive normal and customary commissions. A conflict of interest exists as these commissionable securities sales create an incentive to recommend products based on the compensation earned. To mitigate this potential conflict, our firm will act in the client’s best interest. Code of Ethics, Participation, or Interest in Client Transactions & Personal Trading As a fiduciary, it is an investment adviser’s responsibility to provide fair and full disclosure of all material facts and to act solely in the best interest of each of our clients at all times. Our fiduciary duty is the underlying principle for our firm’s Code of Ethics, which includes procedures for personal securities transaction and insider trading. Our firm requires all representatives to conduct business with the highest level of ethical standards and to comply with all federal and state securities laws at all times. Upon employment with our firm, and at least annually thereafter, all representatives of our firm will acknowledge receipt, understanding and compliance with our firm’s Code of Ethics. Our firm and representatives must conduct business in an honest, ethical, and fair manner and avoid all circumstances that might negatively affect or appear to affect our duty of complete loyalty to all clients. This disclosure is provided to give all clients a summary of our Code of Ethics. If a client or a potential client wishes to review our Code of Ethics in its entirety, a copy will be provided promptly upon request. Our firm recognizes that the personal investment transactions of our representatives demands the application of a Code of Ethics with high standards and requires that all such transactions be carried out in a way that does not endanger the interest of any client. At the same time, our firm also believes that if investment goals are similar for clients and for our representatives, it is logical, and even desirable, that there be common ownership of some securities. In order to prevent conflicts of interest, our firm has established procedures for transactions effected by our representatives for their personal accounts1. In order to monitor compliance with our personal 1 For purposes of the policy, our associate’s personal account generally includes any account (a) in the name of our associate, his/her spouse, his/her minor children or other dependents residing in the same household, (b) for which our associate is a trustee or executor, or (c) which our ADV Part 2A, Appendix 1 – Wrap Fee Brochure Page 12 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists trading policy, our firm has pre-clearance requirements and a quarterly securities transaction reporting system for all of our representatives. Neither our firm nor a related person recommends, buys, or sells for client accounts, securities in which our firm or a related person has a material financial interest without prior disclosure to the client. Related persons of our firm may buy or sell securities and other investments that are also recommended to clients. In order to minimize this conflict of interest, our related persons will place client interests ahead of their own interests and adhere to our firm’s Code of Ethics, a copy of which is available upon request. Likewise, related persons of our firm buy or sell securities for themselves at or about the same time they buy or sell the same securities for client accounts. In order to minimize this conflict of interest, our related persons will place client interests ahead of their own interests and adhere to our firm’s Code of Ethics, a copy of which is available upon request. Further, our related persons will refrain from buying or selling the same securities prior to buying or selling for our clients in the same day. If related persons’ accounts are included in a block trade, our related persons will always trade personal accounts last. Review of Accounts Our management personnel or financial advisors review accounts on at least an annual basis for our Wealth Management and Comprehensive Wealth Management clients. The nature of these reviews is to learn whether clients’ accounts are in line with their investment objectives, appropriately positioned based on market conditions, and investment policies, if applicable. Our firm may review client accounts more frequently than described above. Among the factors which may trigger an off- cycle review are major market or economic events, the client’s life events, requests by the client, etc. Our firm does not provide written reports to clients, unless asked to do so. Verbal reports to clients take place on at least an annual basis when our Wealth Management and Comprehensive Wealth Management clients are contacted. Other Compensation Our firm may recommend that clients establish brokerage accounts with LPL Financial, LLC (“LPL”), member FINRA/SIPC. Clients are advised that they are under no obligation to implement our recommendations and may choose a broker-dealer at their discretion. Clients may pay commissions or fees that are higher or lower than those that may be obtained from elsewhere for similar services. Our firm does not receive soft dollars generated by client securities transactions. The term "soft dollars" refers to funds which are generated by client trades “commission rebates or credits” being used by our firm to purchase products or services (such as research and enhanced brokerage services) from or through the broker-dealers whom our firm engages to execute securities transactions. In addition, neither our firm nor our related person(s) have authority to determine, without specific client consent, the broker-dealer to be used in any securities transaction or the commission rate to be paid. associate controls, including our client accounts which our associate controls and/or a member of his/her household has a direct or indirect beneficial interest in. ADV Part 2A, Appendix 1 – Wrap Fee Brochure Page 13 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists fiduciary, our firm endeavors to act in its clients’ best Our firm, however, does receive some “eligible” products and services under safe harbor as determined under the Securities and Exchange Act, Section 28(e). These products and services include: national, regional or investment adviser specific educational events organized and/or sponsored by LPL Financial; professional compliance; legal and business consulting; publications and conferences on practice management; information technology; business succession; employee benefits providers; human capital consultants; insurance; and marketing. In addition, LPL may make available, arrange and/or pay vendors for these types of services rendered to our firm by independent third parties. LPL 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 our firm. While, as a interests, our recommendation/requirement that clients maintain their assets in accounts at LPL may be based in part on the benefit to our firm of the availability of some of the foregoing products and services and other arrangements, and not solely on the nature, cost, or quality of custody and brokerage services provided by LPL, which may create a potential conflict of interest. As a result of receiving such “eligible” products and services for no cost, our firm may have an incentive to continue to place client trades through broker-dealers that offer those products and services. This interest conflicts with the clients' interest of obtaining the lowest commission rate available. Therefore, our firm must determine in good faith, that such commissions are reasonable in relation to the value of the services provided by such executing broker-dealers. Our firm examined this potential conflict of interest when deciding to enter into the relationship with LPL and have determined that the relationship is in the best interest of our firm’s clients and satisfies our client obligations, including our duty to seek best execution. In seeking “best execution”, the determinative factor is not the lowest possible commission cost, but whether the transaction represents the best qualitative execution. LPL also takes into consideration the full range of a broker-dealer's services including execution capability, commission rates, and responsiveness. Although LPL will seek competitive commission rates, it may not necessarily obtain the lowest possible commission rates for all account transactions. Over-the-Counter (OTC) securities transactions are generally effected based on two (2) separate broker-dealers: (1) a “dealer” or “principal” acting as market-maker; and (2) the executing broker- dealer that acts in an agency capacity. Dealers executing principal transactions typically include a mark-up/down, which is included in the offer or bid price of the securities purchased or sold. In addition to the dealer mark-up/down, the client may also incur the transaction fee imposed by the executing broker-dealer. We do not receive any portion of the dealer mark-up/down or the executing broker-dealer transaction fee. Transactions for each client account will be affected independently. We individually review each client’s account and place trades accordingly. Despite being purchased or sold at approximately the same time all clients’ transactions will incur individual transaction fees. Our firm provides investment management services for various clients. There are occasions on which portfolio transactions may be executed as part of concurrent authorizations to purchase or sell the same security for numerous accounts served by our firm, which involve accounts with similar investment objectives. Although such concurrent authorizations potentially could be either advantageous or disadvantageous to any one or more particular accounts, they are affected only when our firm believes that to do so will be in the best interest of the effected accounts. When such concurrent authorizations occur, the objective is to allocate the executions in a manner which is deemed equitable to the accounts involved. In any given situation, our firm attempts to allocate trade executions in the most equitable manner possible, taking into consideration client objectives, current ADV Part 2A, Appendix 1 – Wrap Fee Brochure Page 14 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists asset allocation and availability of funds using price averaging, proration and consistently non- arbitrary methods of allocation. LPL provides various benefits and payments to Dually Registered Persons that are new to the LPL platform to assist the representative with the costs (including foregone revenues during account transition) associated with transitioning their business to the LPL platform (collectively referred to as “Transition Assistance”). The proceeds of such Transition Assistance payments are intended to be used for a variety of purposes, including but not necessarily limited to, providing working capital to assist in funding the Dually Registered Person’s business, satisfying any outstanding debt owed to the Dually Registered Person’s prior firm, offsetting account transfer fees (“ACATs”) payable to LPL as a result of the Dually Registered Person’s clients transitioning to LPL’s custodial platform, technology set-up fees, marketing and mailing costs, stationary and licensure transfer fees, moving expenses, office space expenses, staffing support and termination fees associated with moving accounts. The Transition Assistance payment amounts are often significant in relation to the overall revenue earned or compensation received by the Dually Registered Person at their prior firm. Such payments are generally based on the size of the Dually Registered Person’s business established at their prior firm and/or assets under custody on the LPL. Please refer to the relevant Part 2B brochure supplement for more information about the specific Transition Payments each representative receives. Transition Assistance payments and other benefits are provided to associated persons of our firm in their capacity as registered representatives of LPL. The receipt of Transition Assistance creates conflicts of interest relating to our firm’s advisory business because it creates a financial incentive to recommend that Clients maintain their accounts with LPL. In certain instances, the receipt of such benefits is dependent on maintaining Client assets with LPL. As such, our firm and its representatives have an incentive to recommend that clients maintain their account with LPL in order to generate such benefits. Our firm attempts to mitigate these conflicts of interest by evaluating and recommending that Clients use LPL’s services based on the benefits that such services provide, rather than the Transition Assistance earned by any particular Dually Registered Person. Our firm considers LPL’s suite of services when recommending that Clients maintain accounts with LPL. Clients should, however, be aware of this conflict and take it into consideration in making a decision whether to custody their assets in a brokerage account at LPL. Additionally, our firm has received a loan from LPL in order to assist us with transitioning its business onto the LPL custodial platform. This loan may be forgiven by LPL based on the scope of business our firm engages in with LPL, including the amount of Client assets with LPL. This presents a conflict of interest in that our firm has a financial incentive to recommend that Clients maintain their accounts with LPL in order to benefit by having the loan forgiven. To the extent our firm recommends Client use of LPL for such services, it is because our firm believes that it is in the Client’s best interest to do so based on the quality and pricing of the execution, benefits of an integrated platform for brokerage and advisory accounts, and other services provided by LPL. Our firm has also received a repayable loan from LPL in order to assist with transitioning business onto the LPL custodial platform. This also presents a conflict of interest in that our firm has a financial incentive to recommend that Clients maintain accounts with LPL. To the extent our firm recommends the use of LPL for such services, it is because our firm believes that it is in the Client’s best interest to ADV Part 2A, Appendix 1 – Wrap Fee Brochure Page 15 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists do so based on the quality and pricing of the execution, benefits of an integrated platform for brokerage and advisory accounts, and other services provided by LPL. Client Referrals Our firm does not pay referral fees (non-commission based) to independent solicitors (non- registered representatives) for the referral of their clients to our firm in accordance with Rule 206 (4)-3 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Financial Information Our firm is not required to provide financial information in this Brochure because:  Our firm does not require the prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees when services cannot be rendered within 6 months.  Our firm has never been the subject of a bankruptcy proceeding.  Our firm does not take custody of client funds or securities. ADV Part 2A, Appendix 1 – Wrap Fee Brochure Page 16 Hesen & Haslam, Retirement Income Specialists