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Hofer & Associates, Inc.
d/b/a: Hofer & Associates Wealth Management
CRD # 282005
90 E Thousand Oaks Blvd
Suite 310
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Telephone: 805-557-8054
Fax: 805-557-8064
www.hoferwm.com
February 20, 2026
FORM ADV PART 2A
BROCHURE
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Hofer &
Associates, Inc.. If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, contact us at 805-557-
8054. 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 Hofer & Associates, Inc. is available on the SEC's website at
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Hofer & Associates, Inc. is a registered investment adviser. Registration with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission or any state securities authority does not imply a certain level of
skill or training.
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Item 2 Summary of Material Changes
Form ADV Part 2 requires registered investment advisers to amend their brochure when information
becomes materially inaccurate. If there are any material changes to an adviser's disclosure brochure,
the adviser is required to notify you and provide you with a description of the material changes.
Since the filing of our last annual updating amendment, dated January 31, 2025 we have no material
changes to report.
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Item 3 Table of Contents
Item 1 Cover Page
Item 2 Summary of Material Changes
Item 3 Table of Contents
Item 4 Advisory Business
Item 5 Fees and Compensation
Item 6 Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
Item 7 Types of Clients
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Item 9 Disciplinary Information
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading
Item 12 Brokerage Practices
Item 13 Review of Accounts
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation
Item 15 Custody
Item 16 Investment Discretion
Item 17 Voting Client Securities
Item 18 Financial Information
Item 19 Requirements for State-Registered Advisers
Item 20 Additional Information
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Item 4 Advisory Business
Description of Firm
Hofer & Associates, Inc. d/b/a Hofer & Associates Wealth Management is a registered investment
adviser primarily based in Thousand Oaks, California. We are organized as a corporation under the
laws of the State of California. We have been providing investment advisory services since January
2016. We are owned by Jeremy Robert Hofer.
The following paragraphs describe our services and fees. Refer to the description of each investment
advisory service listed below for information on how we tailor our advisory services to your individual
needs. As used in this brochure, the words "we," "our," and "us" refer to Hofer & Associates Wealth
Management and the words "you," "your," and "client" refer to you as either a client or prospective
client of our firm.
Portfolio Management Services
We offer discretionary portfolio management services. Our investment advice is tailored to meet our
clients' needs and investment objectives.
If you participate in our discretionary portfolio management services, we require you to grant our firm
discretionary authority to manage your account. Discretionary authorization will allow us to determine
the specific securities, and the amount of securities, to be purchased or sold for your account without
your approval prior to each transaction. Discretionary authority is typically granted by the investment
advisory agreement you sign with our firm and the appropriate trading authorization forms.
You may limit our discretionary authority (for example, limiting the types of securities that can be
purchased or sold for your account) by providing our firm with your restrictions and guidelines in
writing.
We may also offer non-discretionary portfolio management services. If you enter into non-discretionary
arrangements with our firm, we must obtain your approval prior to executing any transactions on behalf
of your account. You have an unrestricted right to decline to implement any advice provided by our firm
on a non-discretionary basis.
As part of our portfolio management services, in addition to other types of investments (see
disclosures below in this section), we may invest your assets according to one or more
model portfolios developed by our firm. These models are designed for investors with varying degrees
of risk tolerance ranging from a more aggressive investment strategy to a more conservative
investment approach. Clients whose assets are invested in model portfolios may not set restrictions on
the specific holdings or allocations within the model, nor the types of securities that can be purchased
in the model.
Financial Planning Services
We offer financial planning services which typically involve providing a variety of advisory services to
clients regarding the management of their financial resources based upon an analysis of their
individual needs. These services can range from broad-based financial planning to consultative or
single subject planning. If you retain our firm for financial planning services, we will meet with you to
gather information about your financial circumstances and objectives. We may also use financial
planning software to determine your current financial position and to define and quantify your long-term
goals and objectives. Once we specify those long-term objectives (both financial and non-financial), we
will develop shorter-term, targeted objectives. Once we review and analyze the information you provide
to our firm and the data derived from our financial planning software, we will deliver a written plan to
you, designed to help you achieve your stated financial goals and objectives.
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Financial plans are based on your financial situation at the time we present the plan to you, and on the
financial information you provide to us. You must promptly notify our firm if your financial situation,
goals, objectives, or needs change.
While the firm endeavor at all times to offer clients its specialized services at reasonable costs, the
fees charged by other advisers for comparable services may be lower than the fees charged by Hofer
& Associates Wealth Management.
Wrap Fee Programs
We do not participate in any wrap fee program.
Types of Investments
We offer advice on equity securities, fixed income securities, mutual fund shares and exchange traded
funds ("ETFs").
Additionally, we may advise you on various types of investments based on your stated goals and
objectives. We may also provide advice on any type of investment held in your portfolio at the inception
of our advisory relationship.
We manage accounts on either a discretionary or a non-discretionary basis, and may use different
investment strategies. Since our investment strategies and advice are based on each client's specific
financial situation, the investment advice we provide to you may be different or conflicting with the
advice we give to other clients regarding the same security or investment.
IRA Rollover Recommendations
Effective December 20, 2021 (or such later date as the US Department of Labor ("DOL") Field
Assistance Bulletin 2018-02 ceases to be in effect), for purposes of complying with the DOL's
Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2020-02 ("PTE 2020-02") where applicable, we are providing the
following acknowledgment to you. When we provide investment advice to you regarding your
retirement plan account or individual retirement account, we are fiduciaries within the meaning of Title I
of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable,
which are laws governing retirement accounts. The way we make money creates some conflicts with
your interests, so we operate under a special rule that requires us to act in your best interest and not
put our interest ahead of yours. Under this special rule's provisions, we must:
• Meet a professional standard of care when making investment recommendations (give prudent
advice);
• Never put our financial interests ahead of yours when making recommendations (give loyal
advice);
• Avoid misleading statements about conflicts of interest, fees, and investments;
• Follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that we give advice that is in your best
interest;
• Charge no more than is reasonable for our services; and
• Give you basic information about conflicts of interest.
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2025, we provide continuous management services for $216,385,585 in client
assets on a discretionary basis, and $0 in client assets on a non-discretionary basis.
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Item 5 Fees and Compensation
Portfolio Management Services
Our fee for portfolio management services is based on a percentage of the assets in your account and
is set forth in the following annual fee schedule:
Annual Fee Schedule
Assets Under Management
$0 - $250,000
$250,000 - $1,000,000
$1,000,000 - $2,000,000
$2,000,000 - $4,000,000
$4,000,000 - $6,000,000
$6,000,000 +
Annual Fee
1.15%
1.00%
0.90%
0.80%
0.70%
0.60%
Our annual portfolio management fee is billed and payable, monthly in advance, based on the balance
at end of billing period. Please note that, on occasion, the asset values used to calculate fees as
reflected on your billing invoice may differ from the asset values on the custodian/broker-dealer's
monthly statement. This discrepancy is due to securities excluded from billing, and/or dividends,
interest or other purchases or sales that may not have settled as of the preparation date of the billing
invoice. In all cases, the fee charged to your account is as reflected on the billing invoice. If you have
any questions concerning these differences, please contact us at the number listed on the cover page
of this brochure.
If the portfolio management agreement is executed at any time other than the first day of a calendar
month, our fees will apply on a pro rata basis, which means that the advisory fee is payable in
proportion to the number of days in the month for which you are a client. The first monthly fee charged
will include this pro rata amount. Our advisory fee is negotiable, depending on individual client
circumstances.
At our discretion, we may combine the account values of family members living in the same household
to determine the applicable advisory fee. For example, we may combine account values for you and
your minor children, joint accounts with your spouse, and other types of related accounts. Combining
account values may increase the asset total, which may result in your paying a reduced advisory fee
based on the available breakpoints in our fee schedule stated above.
We will deduct our fee directly from your account through the qualified custodian holding your funds
and securities. We will deduct our advisory fee only when the following requirements are met:
• You provide our firm with written authorization permitting the fees to be paid directly from your
account held by the qualified custodian.
• We send you an invoice showing the amount of the fee, the value of the assets on which the
fee is based, and the specific manner in which the fee was calculated at the same time we send
a copy to the custodian.
• The qualified custodian agrees to send you a statement, at least quarterly, indicating all
amounts dispersed from your account including the amount of the advisory fee paid directly to
our firm.
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We encourage you to reconcile our invoices with the statement(s) you receive from the qualified
custodian. If you find any inconsistent information between our invoice and the statement(s) you
receive from the qualified custodian call our main office number located on the cover page of this
brochure.
You may terminate the portfolio management agreement upon 30 days written notice. You will incur a
pro rata charge for services rendered prior to the termination of the portfolio management agreement,
which means you will incur advisory fees only in proportion to the number of days in the month for
which you are a client. If you have pre-paid advisory fees that we have not yet earned, you will receive
a prorated refund of those fees.
Financial Planning Services
We charge a fixed fee for financial planning services, which generally ranges between $1,000 - $5,000.
The fee is negotiable depending upon the complexity and scope of the plan, your financial situation,
and your objectives. We do not require you to pay fees six or more months in advance. Fees are
payable on completion of the contracted services.
Depending on the arrangements made at the time of the engagement we may also agree to charge an
hourly fee ranging from $60 to $350 for financial planning services. This fee is also negotiable
depending on the scope and complexity of the plan, your situation, and your financial objectives. An
estimate of the total time/cost will be determined at the start of the advisory relationship. In limited
circumstances, the cost/time could potentially exceed the initial estimate. In such cases, we will notify
you and request that you approve the additional fee.
We also offer advice on single subject financial planning/general consulting services at the same
hourly rate.
We will not require prepayment of a fee more than six months in advance and in excess of $1,200.
At our discretion, we may offset our financial planning fees to the extent you implement the financial
plan through our Portfolio Management Service.
Our financial planning fees are negotiable and payable on completion of the contracted services. You
may terminate the financial planning agreement by providing written notice to our firm. Since fees are
payable in arrears, you will be responsible for a prorated fee based on services performed.
Additional Fees and Expenses
As part of our investment advisory services to you, we may invest, or recommend that you invest, in
mutual funds and exchange traded funds. The fees that you pay to our firm for investment advisory
services are separate and distinct from the fees and expenses charged by mutual funds or exchange
traded funds (described in each fund's prospectus) to their shareholders. These fees will generally
include a management fee and other fund expenses. You will also incur transaction charges and/or
brokerage fees when purchasing or selling securities. These charges and fees are typically imposed by
the broker-dealer or custodian through whom your account transactions are executed. We do not
share in any portion of the brokerage fees/transaction charges imposed by the broker-dealer or
custodian. To fully understand the total cost you will incur, you should review all the fees charged by
mutual funds, exchange traded funds, our firm, and others. For information on our brokerage practices,
refer to the Brokerage Practices section of this brochure.
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Compensation for the Sale of Securities or Other Investment Products
Persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm are licensed as independent insurance
agents. These persons will earn commission-based compensation for selling insurance products,
including insurance products they sell to you. Insurance commissions earned by these persons are
separate and in addition to our advisory fees. This practice presents a conflict of interest because
persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm who are insurance agents have an incentive
to recommend insurance products to you for the purpose of generating commissions rather than solely
based on your needs. You are under no obligation, contractually or otherwise, to purchase insurance
products through any person affiliated with our firm.
IRA Rollover Considerations
As part of our investment advisory services to you, we may recommend that you withdraw the assets
from your employer's retirement plan and roll the assets over to an individual retirement account
("IRA") that we will manage on your behalf. If you elect to roll the assets to an IRA that is subject to our
management, we will charge you an asset based fee as set forth in the agreement you executed with
our firm. This practice presents a conflict of interest because persons providing investment advice on
our behalf have an incentive to recommend a rollover to you for the purpose of generating fee based
compensation rather than solely based on your needs. You are under no obligation, contractually or
otherwise, to complete the rollover. Moreover, if you do complete the rollover, you are under no
obligation to have the assets in an IRA managed by our firm.
Many employers permit former employees to keep their retirement assets in their company plan. Also,
current employees can sometimes move assets out of their company plan before they retire or change
jobs. In determining whether to complete the rollover to an IRA, and to the extent the following options
are available, you should consider the costs and benefits of:
An employee will typically have four options:
1. Leaving the funds in your employer's (former employer's) plan.
2. Moving the funds to a new employer's retirement plan.
3. Cashing out and taking a taxable distribution from the plan.
4. Rolling the funds into an IRA rollover account.
Each of these options has advantages and disadvantages and before making a change we encourage
you to speak with your CPA and/or tax attorney.
If you are considering rolling over your retirement funds to an IRA for us to manage here are a few
points to consider before you do so:
1. Determine whether the investment options in your employer's retirement plan address your
needs or whether you might want to consider other types of investments.
a. Employer retirement plans generally have a more limited investment menu than IRAs.
b. Employer retirement plans may have unique investment options not available to the
public such as employer securities, or previously closed funds.
2. Your current plan may have lower fees than our fees.
a. If you are interested in investing only in mutual funds, you should understand the cost
structure of the share classes available in your employer's retirement plan and how the
costs of those share classes compare with those available in an IRA.
b. You should understand the various products and services you might take advantage of
at an IRA provider and the potential costs of those products and services.
3. Our strategy may have higher risk than the option(s) provided to you in your plan.
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4. Your current plan may also offer financial advice.
5. If you keep your assets titled in a 401k or retirement account, you could potentially delay your
required minimum distribution beyond age 73.
6. Your 401k may offer more liability protection than a rollover IRA; each state may vary.
a. Generally, federal law protects assets in qualified plans from creditors. Since 2005, IRA
assets have been generally protected from creditors in bankruptcies. However, there
can be some exceptions to the general rules so you should consult with an attorney if
you are concerned about protecting your retirement plan assets from creditors.
7. You may be able to take out a loan on your 401k, but not from an IRA.
8. IRA assets can be accessed any time; however, distributions are subject to ordinary income tax
and may also be subject to a 10% early distribution penalty unless they qualify for an exception
such as disability, higher education expenses or the purchase of a home.
9. If you own company stock in your plan, you may be able to liquidate those shares at a lower
capital gains tax rate.
10.Your plan may allow you to hire us as the manager and keep the assets titled in the plan name.
It is important that you understand the differences between these types of accounts and to decide
whether a rollover is best for you. Prior to proceeding, if you have questions contact your investment
adviser representative, or call our main number as listed on the cover page of this brochure.
Item 6 Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
We do not accept performance-based fees or participate in side-by-side management. Performance-
based fees are fees that are based on a share of a capital gains or capital appreciation of a client's
account. Side-by-side management refers to the practice of managing accounts that are charged
performance-based fees while at the same time managing accounts that are not charged performance-
based fees. Our fees are calculated as described in the Fees and Compensation section above, and
are not charged on the basis of a share of capital gains upon, or capital appreciation of, the funds in
your advisory account.
Item 7 Types of Clients
We offer investment advisory services to individuals (other than high net worth individuals), high net
worth individuals, charitable organizations and corporations or other businesses not listed above.
In general, we do not require a minimum dollar amount to open and maintain an advisory account;
however, we have the right to terminate your Account if it falls below a minimum size which, in our sole
opinion, is too small to manage effectively.
We may also combine account values for you and your minor children, joint accounts with your
spouse, and other types of related accounts to meet the stated minimum.
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Our Methods of Analysis and Investment Strategies
We may use one or more of the following methods of analysis or investment strategies when providing
investment advice to you:
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Charting Analysis - involves the gathering and processing of price and volume pattern information for
a particular security, sector, broad index or commodity. This price and volume pattern information is
analyzed. The resulting pattern and correlation data is used to detect departures from expected
performance and diversification and predict future price movements and trends.
• Risk: Our charting analysis may not accurately detect anomalies or predict future price
movements. Current prices of securities may reflect all information known about the security
and day-to-day changes in market prices of securities may follow random patterns and may not
be predictable with any reliable degree of accuracy.
Technical Analysis - involves studying past price patterns, trends and interrelationships in the
financial markets to assess risk-adjusted performance and predict the direction of both the overall
market and specific securities.
• Risk: The risk of market timing based on technical analysis is that our analysis may not
accurately detect anomalies or predict future price movements. Current prices of securities may
reflect all information known about the security and day-to-day changes in market prices of
securities may follow random patterns and may not be predictable with any reliable degree of
accuracy.
Fundamental Analysis - involves analyzing individual companies and their industry groups, such as a
company's financial statements, details regarding the company's product line, the experience and
expertise of the company's management, and the outlook for the company and its industry. The
resulting data is used to measure the true value of the company's stock compared to the current
market value.
• Risk: The risk of fundamental analysis is that information obtained may be incorrect and the
analysis may not provide an accurate estimate of earnings, which may be the basis for a stock's
value. If securities prices adjust rapidly to new information, utilizing fundamental analysis may
not result in favorable performance.
Cyclical Analysis - a type of technical analysis that involves evaluating recurring price patterns and
trends. Economic/business cycles may not be predictable and may have many fluctuations between
long-term expansions and contractions.
• Risk: The lengths of economic cycles may be difficult to predict with accuracy and therefore the
risk of cyclical analysis is the difficulty in predicting economic trends and consequently the
changing value of securities that would be affected by these changing trends.
Modern Portfolio Theory - a theory of investment which attempts to maximize portfolio expected
return for a given amount of portfolio risk, or equivalently minimize risk for a given level of expected
return, by carefully diversifying the proportions of various assets.
• Risk: Market risk is that part of a security's risk that is common to all securities of the same
general class (stocks and bonds) and thus cannot be eliminated by diversification.
Long-Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that the value of those securities
will grow over a relatively long period of time, generally greater than one year.
• Risk: Using a long-term purchase strategy generally assumes the financial markets will go up
in the long-term which may not be the case. There is also the risk that the segment of the
market that you are invested in or perhaps just your particular investment will go down over
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time even if the overall financial markets advance. Purchasing investments long-term may
create an opportunity cost - "locking-up" assets that may be better utilized in the short-term in
other investments.
Short-Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that they will be sold within a
relatively short of time, generally less than one year, to take advantage of the securities' short-term
price fluctuations.
• Risk: Using a short-term purchase strategy generally assumes that we can predict how
financial markets will perform in the short-term which may be very difficult and will incur a
disproportionately higher amount of transaction costs compared to long-term trading. There are
many factors that can affect financial market performance in the short-term (such as short-term
interest rate changes, cyclical earnings announcements,A but may have a smaller impact over
longer periods of times.
Trading - We may use frequent trading (in general, selling securities within 30 days of purchasing the
same securities) as an investment strategy when managing your account(s). Frequent trading is not a
fundamental part of our overall investment strategy, but we may use this strategy occasionally when
we determine that it is suitable given your stated investment objectives and tolerance for risk. This may
include buying and selling securities frequently in an effort to capture significant market gains and
avoid significant losses.
• Risk: When a frequent trading policy is in effect, there is a risk that investment performance
within your account may be negatively affected, particularly through increased brokerage and
other transactional costs and taxes.
Our investment strategies and advice may vary depending upon each client's specific financial
situation. As such, we determine investments and allocations based upon your predefined objectives,
risk tolerance, time horizon, financial information, liquidity needs and other various suitability factors.
Your restrictions and guidelines may affect the composition of your portfolio. It is important that you
notify us immediately with respect to any material changes to your financial circumstances,
including for example, a change in your current or expected income level, tax circumstances, or
employment status.
Tax Considerations
Our strategies and investments may have unique and significant tax implications. However, unless we
specifically agree otherwise, and in writing, tax efficiency is not our primary consideration in the
management of your assets. Regardless of your account size or any other factors, we strongly
recommend that you consult with a tax professional regarding the investing of your assets.
Moreover, custodians and broker-dealers must report the cost basis of equities acquired in client
accounts on or after January 1, 2011. Your custodian will default to the First-In First-Out ("FIFO")
accounting method for calculating the cost basis of your investments. You are responsible for
contacting your tax advisor to determine if this accounting method is the right choice for you. If your tax
advisor believes another accounting method is more advantageous, provide written notice to our firm
immediately and we will alert your account custodian of your individually selected accounting method.
Decisions about cost basis accounting methods will need to be made before trades settle, as the cost
basis method cannot be changed after settlement.
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Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves risk of loss that you should be prepared to bear. We do not represent or
guarantee that our services or methods of analysis can or will predict future results, successfully
identify market tops or bottoms, or insulate clients from losses due to market corrections or declines.
We cannot offer any guarantees or promises that your financial goals and objectives will be met. Past
performance is in no way an indication of future performance.
Recommendation of Particular Types of Securities
We offer advice on equity securities, mutual fund shares and exchange traded funds ("ETFs").
Additionally, we may advise you on various types of investments based on your stated goals and
objectives. We may also provide advice on any type of investment held in your portfolio at the inception
of our advisory relationship. Each type of security has its own unique set of risks associated with it and
it would not be possible to list here all of the specific risks of every type of investment. Even within the
same type of investment, risks can vary widely. However, in very general terms, the higher the
anticipated return of an investment, the higher the risk of loss associated with the investment. A
description of the types of securities we may recommend to you and some of their inherent risks are
provided below.
Money Market Funds: A money market fund is technically a security. The fund managers attempt to
keep the share price constant at $1/share. However, there is no guarantee that the share price will stay
at $1/share. If the share price goes down, you can lose some of or your principal. The US Securities
and Exchange Commission ("SEC") notes that "While investor losses in money market funds have
been rare, they are possible." In return for this risk, you should earn a greater return on your cash than
you would expect from a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") insured savings account
(money market funds are not FDIC insured). Next, money market fund rates are variable. In other
words, you do not know how much you will earn on your investment next month. The rate could go up
or go down. If it goes up, that may result in a positive outcome. However, if it goes down and you earn
less than you expected to earn, you may end up needing more cash. A final risk you are taking with
money market funds has to do with inflation. Because money market funds are considered to be safer
than other investments like stocks, long-term average returns on money market funds tends to be less
than long term average returns on riskier investments. Over long periods of time, inflation can eat away
at your returns.
Stocks: There are numerous ways of measuring the risk of equity securities (also known simply as
"equities" or "stock"). In very broad terms, the value of a stock depends on the financial health of the
company issuing it. However, stock prices can be affected by many other factors including, but not
limited to the class of stock (for example, preferred or common); the health of the market sector of the
issuing company; and, the overall health of the economy. In general, larger, better established
companies ("large cap") tend to be safer than smaller start-up companies ("small cap") are but the
mere size of an issuer is not, by itself, an indicator of the safety of the investment.
Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds: Mutual funds and exchange traded funds ("ETF") are
professionally managed collective investment systems that pool money from many investors and invest
in stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments, other mutual funds, other securities, or any
combination thereof. The fund will have a manager that trades the fund's investments in accordance
with the fund's investment objective. While mutual funds and ETFs generally provide diversification,
risks can be significantly increased if the fund is concentrated in a particular sector of the market,
primarily invests in small cap or speculative companies, uses leverage (i.e., borrows money) to a
significant degree, or concentrates in a particular type of security (i.e., equities) rather than balancing
the fund with different types of securities. ETFs differ from mutual funds since they can be bought and
sold throughout the day like stock and their price can fluctuate throughout the day. The returns on
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mutual funds and ETFs can be reduced by the costs to manage the funds. Also, while some mutual
funds are "no load" and charge no fee to buy into, or sell out of, the fund, other types of mutual funds
do charge such fees which can also reduce returns. Mutual funds can also be "closed end" or "open
end". So-called "open end" mutual funds continue to allow in new investors indefinitely whereas
"closed end" funds have a fixed number of shares to sell which can limit their availability to new
investors.
Digital Assets: Generally refers to an asset that is issued and/or transferred using distributed ledger
or blockchain technology, including, "virtual currencies (also known as crypto-currencies)," "coins," and
"tokens". We may invest in and/or advise clients on the purchase or sale of digital assets. This advice
or investment may be in actual digital coins/tokens/currencies or via investment vehicles such as
exchange traded funds (ETFs) or separately managed accounts (SMAs). The investment
characteristics of Digital Assets generally differ from those of traditional securities, currencies,
commodities. Digital Assets are not backed by a central bank or a national, international organization,
any hard assets, human capital, or other form of credit and are relatively new to the market place.
Rather, Digital Assets are market-based: a Digital Asset's value is determined by (and fluctuates often,
according to) supply and demand factors, its adoption in the traditional commerce channels, and/or the
value that various market participants place on it through their mutual agreement or transactions. The
lack of history to these types of investments entail certain unknown risks, are very speculative and are
not appropriate for all investors.
Price Volatility of Digital Assets Risk: A principal risk in trading Digital Assets is the rapid fluctuation
of market price. The value of client portfolios relates in part to the value of the Digital Assets held in the
client portfolio and fluctuations in the price of Digital Assets could adversely affect the value of a
client's portfolio. There is no guarantee that a client will be able to achieve a better than average
market price for Digital Assets or will purchase Digital Assets at the most favorable price available. The
price of Digital Assets achieved by a client may be affected generally by a wide variety of complex
factors such as supply and demand; availability and access to Digital Asset service providers (such as
payment processors), exchanges, miners or other Digital Asset users and market participants;
perceived or actual security vulnerability; and traditional risk factors including inflation levels; fiscal
policy; interest rates; and political, natural and economic events.
Digital Asset Service Providers Risk: Service providers that support Digital Assets and the Digital
Asset marketplace(s) may not be subject to the same regulatory and professional oversight as
traditional securities service providers. Further, there is no assurance that the availability of and access
to virtual currency service providers will not be negatively affected by government regulation or supply
and demand of Digital Assets. Accordingly, companies or financial institutions that currently support
virtual currency may not do so in the future.
Custody of Digital Assets Risk: Under the Advisers Act, SEC registered investment advisers are
required to hold securities with "qualified custodians," among other requirements. Certain Digital
Assets may be deemed to be securities. Some Digital Assets do not currently fall under the SEC
definition of security and therefore many of the companies providing Digital Assets custodial services
fall outside of the SEC's definition of "qualified custodian". Accordingly, clients seeking to purchase
actual digital coins/tokens/currencies may need to use nonqualified custodians to hold all or a portion
of their Digital Assets.
Government Oversight of Digital Assets Risk: Regulatory agencies and/or the constructs
responsible for oversight of Digital Assets or a Digital Asset network may not be fully developed and
subject to change. Regulators may adopt laws, regulations, policies or rules directly or indirectly
affecting Digital Assets their treatment, transacting, custody, and valuation.
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Item 9 Disciplinary Information
We are required to disclose the facts of any legal or disciplinary events that are material to a client's
evaluation of our advisory business or the integrity of our management. We do not have any required
disclosures under this item.
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
We have not provided information on other financial industry activities and affiliations because we do
not have any relationship or arrangement that is material to our advisory business or to our clients with
any of the types of entities listed below.
1. broker-dealer, municipal securities dealer, or government securities dealer or broker.
2. investment company or other pooled investment vehicle (including a mutual fund, closed-end
investment company, unit investment trust, private investment company or "hedge fund," and
offshore fund).
3. other investment adviser financial planner.
4. futures commission merchant, commodity pool operator, or commodity trading advisor.
5. banking or thrift institution.
6. accountant or accounting firm.
7. lawyer or law firm.
8. insurance company or agency.
9. pension consultant.
10.real estate broker or dealer.
11.sponsor or syndicator of limited partnerships.
Neither we, nor any of our management persons, are registered, or have an application pending to
register, as a futures commission merchant, commodity pool operator, a commodity trading advisor, or
an associated person of the foregoing entities.
Licensed Insurance Agents
Certain Supervised Persons of Hofer & Associates Wealth Management are also licensed insurance
agents and offer certain insurance products on a fully-disclosed commissionable basis. A conflict of
interest exists to the extent that Hofer & Associates Wealth Management recommends the purchase of
insurance products where its Supervised Persons are entitled to insurance commissions or other
additional compensation. The Company has procedures in place whereby it seeks to ensure that all
recommendations are made in its clients' best interest regardless of any such affiliations.
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and
Personal Trading
Description of Our Code of Ethics
We strive to comply with applicable laws and regulations governing our practices. Therefore, our Code
of Ethics includes guidelines for professional standards of conduct for persons associated with our
firm. Our goal is to protect your interests at all times and to demonstrate our commitment to our
fiduciary duties of honesty, good faith, and fair dealing with you. All persons associated with our firm
are expected to adhere strictly to these guidelines. Persons associated with our firm are also required
to report any violations of our Code of Ethics. Additionally, we maintain and enforce written policies
reasonably designed to prevent the misuse or dissemination of material, non-public information about
you or your account holdings by persons associated with our firm.
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Clients or prospective clients may obtain a copy of our Code of Ethics by contacting us at the
telephone number on the cover page of this brochure.
Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
Neither our firm nor any persons associated with our firm has any material financial interest in client
transactions beyond the provision of investment advisory services as disclosed in this brochure.
Personal Trading Practices
Our firm or persons associated with our firm may buy or sell the same securities that we recommend to
you or securities in which you are already invested. A conflict of interest exists in such cases because
we have the ability to trade ahead of you and potentially receive more favorable prices than you will
receive. To mitigate this conflict of interest, it is our policy that neither our firm nor persons associated
with our firm shall have priority over your account in the purchase or sale of securities.
Block Trading
Our firm or persons associated with our firm may buy or sell securities for you at the same time we or
persons associated with our firm buy or sell such securities for our own account. We may also combine
our orders to purchase securities with your orders to purchase securities ("block trading"). Refer to the
Brokerage Practices section in this brochure for information on our block trading practices.
A conflict of interest exists in such cases because we have the ability to trade ahead of you and
potentially receive more favorable prices than you will receive. To eliminate this conflict of interest, it is
our policy that neither our firm nor persons associated with our firm shall have priority over your
account in the purchase or sale of securities.
Item 12 Brokerage Practices
We maintain relationships with several broker-dealers/custodians. While you are free to implement our
investment advice with any broker-dealer or other service provider as your custodian, if you decide to
engage us for portfolio management, we will require that you establish an account with Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. (Schwab), the brokerage firm with which we have an existing relationship
and direct our firm to execute transactions through such broker-dealer/custodian.
The custodian and brokers we use - Charles Schwab (Schwab)
We do not maintain custody of your assets that we manage or on which we advise, although we may
be deemed to have custody of your assets if you give us authority to withdraw assets from your
account (see Item 15—Custody, below). Your assets must be maintained in an account at a "qualified
custodian," generally a broker-dealer or bank. We require that our clients use Charles Schwab & Co.,
Inc. (Schwab), a registered broker-dealer, member SIPC, as the qualified custodian, when investing in
the Adviser's model portfolios.
We are independently owned and operated and are not affiliated with Schwab. Schwab will hold your
assets in a brokerage account and buy and sell securities when we instruct them to. While
we recommend that you use Schwab as custodian/broker, you will decide whether to do so and will
open your account with Schwab by entering into an account agreement directly with them. Conflicts of
interest associated with this arrangement are described below as well as in Item 14 (Client referrals
and other compensation). You should consider these conflicts of interest when selecting your
custodian.
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We do not open the account for you, although we may assist you in doing so. Not all advisors require
their clients to use a particular broker-dealer or other custodian selected by the advisor. Even though
your account is maintained at Schwab, and we anticipate that most trades will be executed through
Schwab, we can still use other brokers to execute trades for your account as described below (see
"Your brokerage and custody costs").
How we select brokers/custodians
We seek to use Schwab, a custodian/broker that will hold your assets and execute transactions. When
considering whether the terms that Schwab provides are, overall, most advantageous to you when
compared with other available providers and their services, we take into account a wide range of
factors, including:
• Combination of transaction execution services and asset custody services (generally without a
separate fee for custody)
• Capability to execute, clear, and settle trades (buy and sell securities for your account)
• Capability to facilitate transfers and payments to and from accounts (wire transfers, check
requests, bill payment, etc.)
• Breadth of available investment products (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds
("ETFs"), etc.)
• Availability of investment research and tools that assist us in making investment decisions
• Quality of services
• Competitiveness of the price of those services (commission rates, margin interest rates, other
fees, etc.) and willingness to negotiate the prices
• Reputation, financial strength, security and stability
• Prior service to us and our clients
• Services delivered or paid for by Schwab
• Availability of other products and services that benefit us, as discussed below (see "Products
and services available to us from Schwab")
Your brokerage and custody costs
For our clients' accounts that Schwab maintains, Schwab generally does not charge you separately for
custody services but is compensated by charging you commissions or other fees on trades that it
executes or that settle into your Schwab account. Certain trades (for example, many mutual funds and
ETFs) may not incur Schwab commissions or transaction fees. Schwab is also compensated by
earning interest on the un invested cash in your account in Schwab's Cash Features Program. Schwab
charges you a flat dollar amount as a "prime broker" or "trade away" fee for each trade that we have
executed by a different broker-dealer but where the securities bought or the funds from the securities
sold are deposited (settled) into your Schwab account. These fees are in addition to the commissions
or other compensation you pay the executing broker-dealer. Because of this, in order to minimize your
trading costs, we have Schwab execute most trades for your account.
We are not required to select the broker or dealer that charges the lowest transaction cost, even if that
broker provides execution quality comparable to other brokers or dealers.
Although we are not required to execute all trades through Schwab, we have determined that having
Schwab execute most trades is consistent with our duty to seek "best execution" of your trades. Best
execution means the most favorable terms for a transaction based on all relevant factors, including
those listed above (see "How we select brokers/custodians"). By using another broker or dealer you
may pay lower transaction costs.
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Products and services available to us from Schwab
Schwab Advisor Services™ is Schwab's business serving independent investment advisory firms like
us. They provide us and our clients with access to their institutional brokerage services (trading,
custody, reporting, and related services), many of which are not typically available to Schwab retail
customers. However, certain retail investors may be able to get institutional brokerage services from
Schwab without going through us.
Schwab also makes available various support services. Some of those services help us manage or
administer our clients' accounts, while others help us manage and grow our business. Schwab's
support services are generally available on an unsolicited basis (we don't have to request them) and at
no charge to us. Following is a more detailed description of Schwab's support services:
Services that benefit you. Schwab's institutional brokerage services include access to a broad range
of investment products, execution of securities transactions, and custody of client assets.
The investment products available through Schwab include some to which we might not otherwise
have access or that would require a significantly higher minimum initial investment by our
clients. Schwab's services described in this paragraph generally benefit you and your account.
Services that do not directly benefit you. Schwab also makes available to us other products and
services that benefit us but do not directly benefit you or your account. These products and services
assist us in managing and administering our clients' accounts and operating our firm. They include
investment research, both Schwab's own and that of third parties. We use this research to service all
or a substantial number of our clients' accounts, including accounts not maintained at Schwab. In
addition to investment research, Schwab also makes available software and other technology that:
• Provide access to client account data (such as duplicate trade confirmations and account
statements)
• Facilitate trade execution and allocate aggregated trade orders for multiple client accounts
• Provide pricing and other market data
• Facilitate payment of our fees from our clients' accounts
• Assist with back-office functions, recordkeeping, and client reporting
Services that generally benefit only us. Schwab also offers other services intended to help us manage
and further develop our business enterprise. These services include
• Educational conferences and events
• Consulting on technology and business needs
• Consulting on legal and related compliance needs
• Publications and conferences on practice management and business succession
• Access to employee benefits providers, human capital consultants, and insurance providers
• Marketing consulting and support
Schwab provides some of these services itself. In other cases, it will arrange for third-party vendors to
provide the services to us. Schwab also discounts or waives its fees for some of these services or pays
all or a part of a third party's fees. Schwab also provides us with other benefits, such as occasional
business entertainment of our personnel. If you did not maintain your account with Schwab, we would
be required to pay for these services from our own resources.
Our Interest in Schwab's Services
The availability of these services from Schwab benefits us because we do not have to produce or
purchase them. We don't have to pay for Schwab's services. These services are not contingent upon
us committing any specific amount of business to Schwab in trading commissions or assets in
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custody. The fact that we receive these benefits from Schwab is an incentive for us to recommend the
use of Schwab rather than making such a decision based exclusively on your interest in receiving the
best value in custody services and the most favorable execution of your transactions. This is a conflict
of interest. We believe, however, that taken in the aggregate, our selection of Schwab as custodian
and broker is in the best interests of our clients. Our selection is primarily supported by the scope,
quality, and price of Schwab's services (see "How we select brokers/ custodians") and not Schwab's
services that benefit only us.
Research and Other Soft Dollar Benefits
We do not have any soft dollar arrangements.
Economic Benefits
As a registered investment adviser, we have access to the institutional platform of your account
custodian. As such, we will also have access to research products and services from your account
custodian and/or other brokerage firm. These products are in addition to any benefits or research we
pay for with soft dollars, and may include financial publications, information about particular companies
and industries, research software, and other products or services that provide lawful and appropriate
assistance to our firm in the performance of our investment decision-making responsibilities. Such
research products and services are provided to all investment advisers that utilize the institutional
services platforms of these firms, and are not considered to be paid for with soft dollars. However, you
should be aware that the commissions charged by a particular broker for a particular transaction or set
of transactions may be greater than the amounts another broker who did not provide research services
or products might charge.
Brokerage for Client Referrals
We do not receive client referrals from broker-dealers in exchange for cash or other compensation,
such as brokerage services or research.
Directed Brokerage
We routinely require that you direct our firm to execute transactions through . As such, we may be
unable to achieve the most favorable execution of your transactions and you may pay higher
brokerage commissions than you might otherwise pay through another broker-dealer that offers the
same types of services. Not all advisers require their clients to direct brokerage.
Block Trades
We combine multiple orders for shares of the same securities purchased for discretionary advisory
accounts we manage (this practice is commonly referred to as "block trading"). We will then distribute a
portion of the shares to participating accounts in a fair and equitable manner. Subject to our discretion
regarding factual and market conditions, when we combine orders, each participating account pays an
average price per share for all transactions and pays a proportionate share of all transaction costs. In
the event an order is only partially filled, the shares will be allocated to participating accounts in a fair
and equitable manner, typically in proportion to the size of each client's order. Accounts owned by our
firm or persons associated with our firm may participate in block trading with your accounts; however,
they will not be given preferential treatment.
We do not block trade for non-discretionary accounts. Accordingly, non-discretionary accounts may
pay different costs than discretionary accounts pay. If you enter into non-discretionary arrangements
with our firm, we may not be able to buy and sell the same quantities of securities for you and you may
pay higher commissions, fees, and/or transaction costs than clients who enter into discretionary
arrangements with our firm.
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Mutual Fund Share Classes
Mutual funds are sold with different share classes, which carry different cost structures. Each available
share class is described in the mutual fund's prospectus. When we purchase, or recommend the
purchase of, mutual funds for a client, we select the share class that is deemed to be in the client's
best interest, taking into consideration cost, tax implications, and other factors. When the fund is
available for purchase at net asset value, we will purchase, or recommend the purchase of, the fund at
net asset value. We also review the mutual funds held in accounts that come under our management
to determine whether a more beneficial share class is available, considering cost, tax implications, and
the impact of contingent deferred sales charges.
Item 13 Review of Accounts
Jeremy Hofer, owner of Hofer & Associates Wealth Management, will monitor your accounts on a
ongoing basis and will conduct account reviews at least quarterly to ensure the advisory services
provided to you are consistent with your investment needs and objectives. Additional reviews may be
conducted based on various circumstances, including, but not limited to:
• contributions and withdrawals,
• year-end tax planning,
• market moving events,
• security specific events, and/or,
• changes in your risk/return objectives.
The individuals conducting reviews may vary from time to time, as personnel join or leave our firm.
We will provide you with additional or regular written reports in conjunction with account reviews.
Reports we provide to you will contain relevant account and/or market-related information such as an
inventory of account holdings and account performance, etc. You will receive trade confirmations and
monthly or quarterly statements from your account custodian(s).
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation
As disclosed under the Fees and Compensation section in this brochure, persons providing investment
advice on behalf of our firm are licensed insurance agents. For information on the conflicts of interest
this presents, and how we address these conflicts, refer to the Fees and Compensation section.
We do not receive any compensation from any third party in connection with providing investment
advice to you nor do we compensate any individual or firm for client referrals.
Refer to the Brokerage Practices section above for disclosures on research and other benefits we may
receive resulting from our relationship with your account custodian.
Item 15 Custody
Your independent custodian will directly debit your account(s) for the payment of our advisory fees.
This ability to deduct our advisory fees from your accounts causes our firm to exercise limited custody
over your funds or securities. We do not have physical custody of any of your funds and/or securities.
Your funds and securities will be held with a bank, broker-dealer, or other qualified custodian. You will
receive account statements from the qualified custodian(s) holding your funds and securities at least
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quarterly. The account statements from your custodian(s) will indicate the amount of our advisory fees
deducted from your account(s) each billing period. You should carefully review account statements for
accuracy.
We will also provide statements to you reflecting the amount of the advisory fee deducted from your
account. You should compare our statements with the statements from your account custodian(s) to
reconcile the information reflected on each statement. If you have a question regarding your account
statement, or if you did not receive a statement from your custodian, contact us immediately at the
telephone number on the cover page of this brochure.
Item 16 Investment Discretion
Before we can buy or sell securities on your behalf, you must first sign our discretionary management
agreement and the appropriate trading authorization forms.
You may grant our firm discretion over the selection and amount of securities to be purchased or sold
for your account(s) without obtaining your consent or approval prior to each transaction. You may
specify investment objectives, guidelines, and/or impose certain conditions or investment parameters
for your account(s). For example, you may specify that the investment in any particular stock or
industry should not exceed specified percentages of the value of the portfolio and/or restrictions or
prohibitions of transactions in the securities of a specific industry or security. Refer to the Advisory
Business section in this brochure for more information on our discretionary management services.
If you enter into non-discretionary arrangements with our firm, we will obtain your approval prior to the
execution of any transactions for your account(s). You have an unrestricted right to decline to
implement any advice provided by our firm on a non-discretionary basis.
Item 17 Voting Client Securities
We will not vote proxies on behalf of your advisory accounts. At your request, we may offer you advice
regarding corporate actions and the exercise of your proxy voting rights. If you own shares of
applicable securities, you are responsible for exercising your right to vote as a shareholder.
In most cases, you will receive proxy materials directly from the account custodian. However, in the
event we were to receive any written or electronic proxy materials, we would forward them directly to
you by mail, unless you have authorized our firm to contact you by electronic mail, in which case, we
would forward any electronic solicitations to vote proxies.
Item 18 Financial Information
Our firm does not have any financial condition or impairment that would prevent us from meeting our
contractual commitments to you. We do not take physical custody of client funds or securities, or serve
as trustee or signatory for client accounts, and, we do not require the prepayment of more than
$1200 in fees six or more months in advance. Therefore, we are not required to include a financial
statement with this brochure.
We have not filed a bankruptcy petition at any time in the past ten years.
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Item 19 Requirements for State-Registered Advisers
We are a federally registered investment adviser; therefore, we are not required to respond to this
item.
Item 20 Additional Information
Your Privacy
We view protecting your private information as a top priority. Pursuant to applicable privacy
requirements, we have instituted policies and procedures to ensure that we keep your personal
information private and secure.
We do not disclose any nonpublic personal information about you to any non-affiliated third parties,
except as permitted by law. In the course of servicing your account, we may share some information
with our service providers, such as transfer agents, custodians, broker-dealers, accountants,
consultants, and attorneys.
We restrict internal access to nonpublic personal information about you to employees, who need that
information in order to provide products or services to you. We maintain physical and procedural
safeguards that comply with regulatory standards to guard your nonpublic personal information and to
ensure our integrity and confidentiality. We will not sell information about you or your accounts to
anyone. We do not share your information unless it is required to process a transaction, at your
request, or required by law.
You will receive a copy of our privacy notice prior to or at the time you sign an advisory agreement with
our firm. Thereafter, we will deliver a copy of the current privacy policy notice to you on an annual
basis. Contact our main office at the telephone number on the cover page of this brochure if you have
any questions regarding this policy.
If you decide to close your account(s) we will adhere to our privacy policies, which may be amended
from time to time.
If we make any substantive changes in our privacy policy that would further permit or require
disclosures of your private information, we will provide written notice to you. Where the change is
based on permitted disclosures, you will be given an opportunity to direct us as to whether such
disclosure is acceptable. Where the change is based on required disclosures, you will only receive
written notice of the change. You may not opt out of the required disclosures.
If you have questions about our privacy policies contact our main office at the telephone number on the
cover page of this brochure and ask to speak to the Chief Compliance Officer.
Trade Errors
In the event a trading error occurs in your account, our policy is to restore your account to the position
it should have been in had the trading error not occurred. Depending on the circumstances, corrective
actions may include canceling the trade, adjusting an allocation, and/or reimbursing the account.
Class Action Lawsuits
We do not determine if securities held by you are the subject of a class action lawsuit or whether you
are eligible to participate in class action settlements or litigation nor do we initiate or participate in
litigation to recover damages on your behalf for injuries as a result of actions, misconduct, or
negligence by issuers of securities held by you.
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