Overview
- Headquarters
- Wynnewood, PA
- Average Client Assets
- $13.6 million
- SEC CRD Number
- 152963
Fee Structure
Primary Fee Schedule (FORM ADV PART 2A 2026-03-31)
| Min | Max | Marginal Fee Rate |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $50,000,000 | 0.50% |
| $50,000,001 | $300,000,000 | 0.25% |
| $300,000,001 | $500,000,000 | 0.20% |
| $500,000,001 | $600,000,000 | 0.15% |
| $600,000,001 | $700,000,000 | 0.10% |
| $700,000,001 | $900,000,000 | 0.07% |
| $900,000,001 | and above | 0.05% |
Minimum Annual Fee: $12,000
Illustrative Fee Rates
| Total Assets | Annual Fees | Average Fee Rate |
|---|---|---|
| $1 million | $12,000 | 1.20% |
| $5 million | $25,000 | 0.50% |
| $10 million | $50,000 | 0.50% |
| $50 million | $250,000 | 0.50% |
| $100 million | $375,000 | 0.38% |
Clients
- HNW Share of Firm Assets
- 16.19%
- Total Client Accounts
- 38
- Discretionary Accounts
- 37
- Non-Discretionary Accounts
- 1
Services Offered
Services: Financial Planning, Portfolio Management for Individuals, Portfolio Management for Institutional Clients, Investment Advisor Selection
Regulatory Filings
Additional Brochure: FORM ADV PART 2A 2026-03-31 (2026-03-24)
View Document Text
ITEM 1. COVER PAGE
FORM ADV PART 2A: FIRM BROCHURE
INDEPENDENCE ASSET ADVISORS, LLC
308 E. Lancaster Avenue | Suite 305 | Wynnewood, PA 19096
(484) 433-0848
Email: katie@iaadvisors.com
March 31, 2026
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Independence Asset
Advisors, LLC, (“IAA”, the “Advisor”, or “Firm”). If you have any questions about the contents of this
brochure, please contact us at (484) 433-0848, or via email at katie@iaadvisors.com. 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.
Independence Asset Advisors, LLC is a registered investment advisor. Registration of an Investment
Advisor does not imply any level of skill or training. The oral and written communications of an advisor
provides you with information to assist you when determining to hire or retain an advisor.
Additional information about IAA is also available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. You
can search this site by a unique identifying number, known as a CRD number. Our Firm’s CRD number
is 152963.
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ITEM 2. MATERIAL CHANGES
Initially, we will provide you with this brochure which highlights information about our qualifications,
business practices, and potential conflicts of interest. Thereafter, on an annual basis, if there have been
any material changes to the information in the brochure during the previous year, we will provide you
with one of the following:
An updated annual brochure along with a summary of material changes which will be provided
within 120 days of the close of our business fiscal year. Our business fiscal year-end is December
31st.
A summary of material changes within 120 days of the close of our business fiscal year-end that
includes an offer to provide a copy of the full annual updated brochure and information on how
you may obtain the brochure from us.
Throughout any calendar year, we will also provide you with an updated interim amendment to our
brochure under the following circumstances:
We report any new information in response to Item 9 of Part 2A regarding disciplinary information
about the Firm or any of its management personnel.
Any material change that could affect the relationship between you and us.
We will provide, free of charge, a new brochure any time at your request, or as may become necessary
based on material changes as outlined above.
You may request our brochure by contacting us at (484) 433-0848 or via email at katie@iaadvisors.com.
You may also receive this and any other disclosure documents via electronic delivery, where allowed, by
signing and returning to us an authorization to deliver disclosure and other documents electronically. This
authorization may be included in any agreement you enter into with the Firm.
Additional information about the Firm is also available via the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
The SEC’s website also provides information about any persons affiliated with our Firm who are
registered, or are required to be registered, as investment adviser representatives of the Firm.
MATERIAL CHANGES SINCE LAST UPDATE
1) Added language regarding non-discretionary investment management services to Item 4 –
Advisory Business and Item 16 – Investment Discretion.
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ITEM 3. TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1. COVER PAGE ................................................................................................................................. 1
ITEM 2. MATERIAL CHANGES .................................................................................................................... 2
ITEM 3. TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................................... 3
ITEM 4. ADVISORY BUSINESS ..................................................................................................................... 5
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT SERVICES ....................................................... 5
FINANCIAL PLANNING SERVICES ............................................................................................................. 7
ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................................ 8
ITEM 5. FEES AND COMPENSATION ........................................................................................................... 8
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT SERVICES ....................................................... 8
PRICING OF INVESTMENTS ....................................................................................................................... 9
CONDITIONS AND OTHER EXPENSES ........................................................................................................ 9
FINANCIAL PLANNING SERVICES ........................................................................................................... 10
ITEM 6. PERFORMANCE-BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT ............................................. 11
ITEM 7. TYPES OF CLIENTS ...................................................................................................................... 11
ITEM 8. METHODS OF ANALYSIS, INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, AND RISK OF LOSS ......................................... 12
METHODS OF ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................................... 12
INVESTMENT STRATEGIES ...................................................................................................................... 13
RISK OF LOSS ......................................................................................................................................... 14
ITEM 9. DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION ..................................................................................................... 15
ITEM 10. OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATIONS .............................................. 15
ITEM 11. CODE OF ETHICS, PARTICIPATION OR INTEREST IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS, AND PERSONAL TRADING ...... 16
CODE OF ETHICS .................................................................................................................................... 16
INTEREST IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS ..................................................................................................... 17
PERSONAL TRADING .............................................................................................................................. 17
ITEM 12. BROKERAGE PRACTICES .......................................................................................................... 18
RESEARCH AND SOFT DOLLAR BENEFITS .............................................................................................. 18
BROKERAGE FOR CLIENT REFERRALS .................................................................................................... 19
CUSTODIANS AND DIRECTED BROKERAGE............................................................................................. 19
TRADE AGGREGATION AND ALLOCATION .............................................................................................. 20
ITEM 13. REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS ............................................................................................................. 21
INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES ........................................................................................................ 21
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ITEM 14. CLIENT REFERRALS AND OTHER COMPENSATION .................................................................. 22
ITEM 15. CUSTODY ................................................................................................................................... 22
ITEM 16. INVESTMENT DISCRETION ........................................................................................................ 22
ITEM 17. VOTING CLIENT SECURITIES .................................................................................................... 23
ITEM 18. FINANCIAL INFORMATION ........................................................................................................ 23
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ITEM 4. ADVISORY BUSINESS
Our Firm is a SEC-registered investment adviser with its principal place of business located in
Pennsylvania. The Firm began conducting business in 2010.
There is only one principal shareholder owning more than 25% of our Firm. The shareholder is:
Scott David Renninger, President
Our Firm offers investment advisory services to you.
As used in this brochure, the words “we,” “our” and “us” refer to Independence Asset Advisors, LLC, and
the words “you”, “your” and “client” refer to you as either a client or prospective client of our Firm.
Prior to engaging IAA to provide any investment advisory services, the client is required to enter into one
or more written investment management agreements (“IMA”) with IAA setting forth the terms and
conditions under which the Firm renders its services.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Our Firm provides continuous outsourced chief investment officer services, investment advisory services,
and portfolio management services to, among others, institutional clients and to individual clients deemed
to be Qualified Purchasers as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940. An individual who is a
Qualified Purchaser owns no less than $5,000,000 in investments. There are other situations in which a
person or entity could be considered a Qualified Purchaser. A more detailed list of customer types we
work with can be found in Item 7 of this brochure.
Generally, we manage advisory accounts and provide portfolio management services on a discretionary
basis. This allows us to authorize the purchase and sale of various investments in keeping with your
investment direction without your prior approval. This discretion allows us to determine the securities to
be purchased or sold and the amount of the securities to be purchased or sold. In addition, we have the
authority, unless specifically restricted in our IMA with you, to select the fund/investment managers or
separate account managers which will be used to manage a portion of your assets. We may also terminate
managers as necessary. You may revoke this discretionary authority in writing in accordance with the
terms set forth in your discretionary IMA.
While we generally manage advisory accounts and provide portfolio management services on a
discretionary basis, we may, at our sole discretion, consider managing your assets on a non-discretionary
basis. Unlike a discretionary IMA which allows us to make investment decisions without your prior
approval, a non-discretionary IMA requires you to approve any recommended transactions in advance
before we execute them. As with a discretionary IMA, you may revoke this non-discretionary authority in
accordance with the terms set forth in your non-discretionary IMA.
Generally, when we select a separate account manager to manage a portion of your assets, you will enter
into a separate written IMA with that separate account manager which will detail the nature of your
relationship and the responsibilities of each party. At the onset of any such relationship with a separate
account manager they should provide you with a copy of their most current Form ADV Part 2A and Form
ADV Part 3-CRS, as applicable.
In all cases our Firm will provide continuous advisory services to you and will continue to provide ongoing
monitoring of your investments and review of your account performance. We will continue to monitor
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and adjust as necessary your asset allocation within established and previously agreed upon ranges as
changes in your portfolio or the market may dictate, and we will evaluate and continue to recommend
changes to your investments which may, in our opinion, be necessary.
We will monitor your account based on your stated objectives. These objectives may include, but are not
limited to items such as:
Preservation of Capital & Income
Growth and Income
Capital Appreciation
Total Return and Tax Considerations
We will develop your investment policy/direction through personal discussions with you in which your
individual or firm’s goals and objectives are established. We then manage your portfolio based on the
investment policy/direction developed with you.
We may from time to time recommend changes to your investment policy/direction based on your
investment objectives and on our research and opinions regarding specific investments or the markets in
general. You may disagree with our assessments and direct us to leave the investment policy/direction as
is or to make broader changes to the investment policy/direction.
Without prior prompting on our part, you may contact us and request changes to your investment
policy/direction. As part of our ongoing responsibility to you we will request additional information from
you and will render our opinion of your requested changes. If we feel that your request is not in your best
interests, we will inform you of that fact.
If either of us feels that we can no longer provide the level of service you require, the IMA can be
terminated with notice as set forth in your IMA.
As part of our investment advisory and portfolio management services we will create an allocation for
your investments managed by us. We will also recommend separate account managers who will manage
your assets on a separate account basis, as well as fund managers (which may include private fund
managers, to the extent suitable for your portfolio). We may also provide investment advice on other
investments held at the onset of your advisory relationship with us or on any other investment on which
you may request our advice.
If you enter into an IMA with our Firm, we will monitor the various investments, fund/investment
managers and separate account managers to ensure their performance is in keeping with our expectations
and with your investment goals and objectives. When necessary, we may add, trim, or remove a specific
investment or fund from your portfolio. We may also add and remove specific separate account managers
as may become necessary.
You may put reasonable restrictions on how your assets are invested. These restrictions could include, for
example, your request that we do not make investments in specific companies, types of securities, industry
sectors, or types of alternative investments.
Our investment recommendations to you are not limited to any specific product or service. However, our
primary focus will generally be on the following types of investments:
Institutional Money Managers and Separate Account Managers
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Mutual Funds and Exchange Trade Funds
Hedge Funds
Partnerships in Private Equity
Private Real Assets
Private Credit Funds
To ensure that our initial determination of an appropriate portfolio remains suitable and that the account
continues to be managed in a manner consistent with your needs and circumstances, we will:
In addition to our regular communication with you we will at least annually contact you to
determine whether there have been any changes in your financial situation or investment
objectives, and whether you wish to revise your investment guidelines/Investment Policy
Statement;
Be available to consult with you; and
Maintain client suitability information in your file.
Our Firm provides advice to other clients. In the course of providing advice to you and other clients, we
may provide or initiate investments for you that differ from what we advise other clients. We are not
obligated to recommend to any or all clients any investments that we may recommend, purchase, or sell
for other clients.
All investments involve some level of risk. Investments will only be implemented or recommended when
consistent with your investment objectives, tolerance for risk, liquidity and suitability.
TERMINATION OF INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT
You may terminate any IMA with us at any time by notifying Independence Asset Advisors in writing in
accordance with the terms of your IMA.
FINANCIAL PLANNING SERVICES
As part of the services we provide under a financial planning agreement (“FPA”), you will have access to
the following at any time that the FPA is in effect: 1) Annual tax document aggregation and tracking. This
would include 1099’s and K-1’s; 2) With your written authorization, IAA would coordinate directly with
your applicable subject matter experts on various requested projects. This could include, for example, you
providing IAA with written authorization to speak directly to your tax accountant and providing the
relevant 1099’s and K-1’s as described in item one above. IAA could also communicate directly with your
estate planning attorneys, insurance brokers, etc.; 3) Prepare and present sustainability and longevity
analyses; and 4) With proper authorization by you to custodial accounts/brokerage accounts, designate
IAA to serve as your full power of attorney for the purposes of facilitating capital call management and
movement of cash to/from those accounts.
Other services not outlined herein may be mutually agreed upon and made a part of the financial planning
services provided under the FPA with IAA.
We will provide you with any or all of the specific services outlined in this section, or others that may be
agreed to, at any time during your engagement with us. We shall prepare recommendations we may have
and discuss those recommendations with you. These recommendations may cover topics such as
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insurance, taxes, retirement needs, investments, estate planning, etc. Our recommendations may be
implemented at your sole discretion either as part of your FPA(s) with IAA, or with/through another
subject matter expert of your choosing (including your broker, accountant, attorney, etc.). As it concerns
estate planning and tax planning, our role shall be that of a facilitator between you and your designated
subject matter expert. When performing the services under this FPA, we are not acting as your attorneys
or your accountants, and no portion of the services rendered by us should be interpreted by you as legal
or accounting advice. For those matters we recommend that you seek the advice of a qualified attorney
or accountant.
Our services provided pursuant to a FPA do not include investment management services as such services
are provided as part of your separate IMA(s) with IAA.
When financial planning services are provided, a potential conflict of interest may exist when a client is
charged a separate fee for financial planning services in addition to fees for investment management
services. You are under no obligation to implement any financial planning recommendations made by the
Firm. If you choose to act on a financial planning recommendation, you are not required to do so through
the Firm. However, to the extent the Firm manages your assets pursuant to a discretionary IMA, the Firm
may implement investment decisions on your behalf for accounts subject to that IMA. Recommendations
relating to assets that are not managed by the Firm remain entirely at your discretion to implement or
decline.
TERMINATION OF FINANCIAL PLANNING AGREEMENT
You may terminate any FPA with us at any time by notifying IAA in writing in accordance with the terms
of your FPA.
ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT
As of 12/31/2025, our Firm actively managed approximately $2,191,408,151 of clients' assets. Of that
amount, approximately $2,190,246,844 is managed on a discretionary basis, and approximately
$1,161,307 is managed on a non-discretionary basis.
ITEM 5. FEES AND COMPENSATION
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Our fee is generally calculated based on a percentage of all your assets under management by our Firm
including those invested with separate account managers. Generally, we require a minimum annual fee of
at least $12,000 to be generated by your account. This minimum annual fee is separate and in addition to
the minimum annual fee incurred if you also utilize IAA for financial planning services.
Our annual fee as a percentage of your assets under management by us for Investment Advisory and
Portfolio Management Services is billed as follows:
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Assets Under Management
Annual Fee
On first
$ 50,000,000
0.50%
On next
$250,000,000
0.25%
On next
$200,000,000
0.20%
On next
$100,000,000
0.15%
On next
$100,000,000
0.10%
On next
$100,000,000
0.075%
Amount over
$900,000,000
0.05%
Fees may be negotiable on a client-by-client basis depending on a number of factors, including the type
and nature of services to be provided, the number and complexity of alternative assets managed, the
amount of assets being managed, and/or anticipated future additional assets managed and the complexity
thereof. The specific annual fee schedule for investment management services is identified in the IMA
between us.
FEE CALCULATION
Other than for several existing legacy clients, all clients will be invoiced quarterly in arrears. The actual
calculation of the fee due each quarter may vary from client to client pursuant to the terms of the client’s
IMA.
PRICING OF INVESTMENTS
When we determine the amount of assets under management for the calculation of advisory fees, we utilize
Black Diamond, an Advent product, and rely on the pricing of investments fed directly to our system as
furnished by the custodian, broker-dealer, trust company, or other financial institution that maintains your
account. Where the pricing for your investments is either unavailable from the financial institution or we
deem that pricing for a particular investment is inconsistent with other reliable sources, we may engage
one or more qualified independent pricing services.
Funds invested in public equity or debt generally provide capital account balances and performance data
on a daily, monthly, or quarterly basis. Funds invested in private debt, private equity, or private real assets
may be highly illiquid without a generally public or private market.
For investments without a readily available market and price, we rely on fund/investment managers and
custodians to determine the fair value of the investment. To arrive at the fair value, we may use input from
general partners or managers of the fund and of the underlying investment. We will also review available
financial information including past performance and the manager’s projections for future performance.
In some cases, we may rely on third-party valuation that was obtained by management for other reasons
which we may use as a guideline as opposed to a firm indication of the value of that investment.
CONDITIONS AND OTHER EXPENSES
In the event our IMA with you begins at any time other than the first day of a calendar quarter, the fee for
the initial period will be pro-rated based on the number of days in the quarter that the IMA is effective.
In the event this agreement is terminated for any reason by either of us, the fee shall be pro-rated for any
portion of a quarter that the portfolio is being managed by us. This prorated period would include any
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notice required to be given in accordance with your IMA.
The fee that you are being charged by us for the investment management of your assets is exclusive of,
and in addition to, brokerage commissions, transaction fees, custodial fees, and any other related costs and
expenses. We do not receive any portion of these commissions, fees, other costs, and expenses.
A portion, or all of your assets that we, or a separate account manager manages may be invested in mutual
funds or exchange traded funds. Each fund may charge an annual internal management fee as outlined in
their prospectus. This management fee is deducted directly from the account balance you have invested
in that specific fund. We do not receive any of these fees. These fees represent additional fees that you are
paying above that being charged by us.
Individual separate account or private fund managers that we use may also charge a fee based on the
portion of your assets that they manage. These fees are also in addition to the fee that we charge. Our Firm
is not compensated separately in any manner by either the funds or the separate account managers in any
investment made by you in any fund or any separate account.
In addition, private investments may involve additional fees and expenses, such as management fees,
performance-based compensation, fund expenses, and other costs, as described in the applicable offering
documents. These fees and expenses are separate from and in addition to the fees charged by our Firm and
will reduce the overall return on your investment. We do not receive any of these fees.
Accordingly, you should review both the fees charged by the funds, by separate account managers, and
our fees to fully understand the total amount of fees to be paid by you and to thereby evaluate the advisory
services provided.
When we determine that any part of your assets that we manage will be invested in a third-party mutual
fund, we will always attempt to purchase the lowest cost share class given the size of your investment and
any “relationship” benefit, meaning the total assets we have invested with the fund, for which our Firm
may qualify. If the size of your investment does not meet the necessary minimums, or we do not qualify
for a “relationship” benefit, your assets may be invested in a fund that is not the lowest cost share class
available for that fund. However, at no time will we invest your assets in a higher cost share class in order
to secure any residual payment for the benefit of IAA or its employees, directly or indirectly, such as a
12b-1 fee.
Our employees and their family members may be exempt from management fees charged by us to manage
their personal accounts.
ADVISORY FEES IN GENERAL
Similar advisory services may (or may not) be available from other registered (or unregistered) investment
advisers for similar or lower fees.
FINANCIAL PLANNING SERVICES
Our fee for financial planning services is generally calculated based on a percentage of all your assets
under management by our Firm, including those invested with separate account managers and funds.
Generally, we require a minimum annual fee of at least $10,000 to be generated by your account for
financial planning services. This minimum annual fee is separate and in addition to the minimum annual
fee incurred for investment management services.
Fees may be negotiable on a client-by-client basis depending on a number of factors, including the type
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and nature of services to be provided, the number and complexity of alternative assets managed, the
amount of assets being managed, and/or anticipated future additional assets managed and the complexity
thereof. The specific annual fee for financial planning services is identified in the FPA between us.
FEE CALCULATION
All clients utilizing our financial planning services will be invoiced quarterly in arrears. The actual
calculation of the fee due each quarter may vary from client to client pursuant to the terms of the client’s
FPA.
ITEM 6. PERFORMANCE-BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT
Our Firm does not charge performance-based fees or engage in side-by-side Management.
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. Performance-
based fees are fees that are based on a share of capital gains or capital appreciation of a client’s account.
ITEM 7. TYPES OF CLIENTS
Our Firm provides advisory services and portfolio management services to the following types of clients:
Corporations
Charitable Organizations
Foundations and Endowments
Family Offices and High Net-Worth Individuals
Individuals
Trusts and Estates
Other Businesses not listed above
We do not require a minimum account size, however, we do require a minimum quarterly or annual fee.
The minimum annual fee is at least $12,000 for investment management services and $10,000 for financial
planning services (which corresponds to the applicable quarterly minimum when divided by four). We
may choose to increase or decrease the minimum fee requirement at any time at our sole discretion. Any
increase in the minimum fee will not be applied retroactively and will only take effect at the next
anniversary of our IMA and/or FPA with you.
Examples of reasons we may increase or decrease the minimum annual fee would include the value of all
accounts we manage for you which are controlled by you, or which are part of your household, the
anticipation of additional accounts you may open with us, or the level of complexity required to manage
your account(s).
We may also manage assets for employees or family members, and we may not charge investment
management fees or financial planning services fees on those accounts.
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ITEM 8. METHODS OF ANALYSIS, INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, AND RISK OF LOSS
METHODS OF ANALYSIS
In the course of our investment advisory services we perform on your behalf, we will evaluate many facets
of an investment. We make an initial determination as to which asset classes are most appropriate based
on your objectives and expectations and then we will determine what the allocation will be for any specific
asset class including alternative investments. Some of the items we evaluate in the investment decision
making process include:
Absolute and relative performance of funds and separate account managers
Investment concentrations of funds and separate account managers
Risk management capabilities of fund managers and separate account managers
Trading strategies and systems used by fund managers and separate account managers
Risk level utilized to capture return
Use of leverage to enhance returns
We also review operational aspects of potential investments, as may be applicable, including:
Custodial Relationships
Prime Broker Relationships
Administrative Services
Audit and Legal Advisors of Funds and Separate Account Managers
Individual fund managers and separate account managers may use any number of methods of analysis in
determining how they manage your assets. In addition to their methods, we may also use one or more of
the following methods of analysis in formulating our investment advice and/or managing your assets:
Asset Allocation – Rather than focusing primarily on securities selection, we attempt to identify an
appropriate ratio of equity securities, fixed income, alternative investments and cash suitable to your
investment goals and risk tolerance. Once we have determined what we feel is the proper broad allocation,
we then identify the sectors, investment styles, funds, managers, sub-advisors, securities, etc., to make up
that allocation.
A risk of asset allocation is that you may not participate in sharp increases in a particular investment,
security, industry or market sector. Another risk is that the ratio of equity securities, fixed income,
alternative investments and cash will change over time due to market movements and, if not rebalanced,
will no longer be allocated in the manner appropriate for your goals.
Technical Analysis – We analyze past market movements and apply that analysis to the present in an
attempt to recognize recurring patterns of investor behavior and potentially predict future price movement.
Technical Analysis does not consider the underlying financial condition of an investment. The risk of this
type of analysis is that a poorly managed or financially unsound investment may underperform regardless
of market movement.
Cyclical Analysis – In this type of technical analysis, we measure the movements of a particular
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investment against the overall market in an attempt to predict the price movement of the investment.
Cyclical Analysis carries the risk that a particular investment may perform counter to previous
occurrences.
Mutual Fund/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 successfully 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 a
significant overlap in the underlying investments which may be held in another fund or funds in your
portfolio. We also monitor the mutual fund(s)or ETF(s) in an attempt to determine if they are continuing
to follow their stated investment strategy.
A specific 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 you may purchase the same security, increasing the risk to you if that specific 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 your portfolio.
Separate Account Manager Analysis – We examine the experience, expertise, investment philosophies,
and past performance of separate account managers in an attempt to determine if that manager has
demonstrated an ability to successfully invest over a period of time and in different economic conditions.
We monitor the separate account manager’s underlying holdings, strategies, concentrations and leverage
as part of our overall risk assessment. Additionally, as part of our due diligence process, we survey the
separate account manager’s compliance and business enterprise risks.
A risk of investing with separate account managers who have been successful in the past is that they may
not be able to replicate that success in the future. In addition, as we do not control the underlying
investments in a separate account manager’s portfolio, there is also a risk that a separate account manager
may deviate from the stated investment mandate or strategy of the portfolio, making it a less suitable
investment for you. Moreover, as we do not control the separate account 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.
Risks for all forms of analysis – All of the above investment analysis methods rely on the assumption
that the rating agencies reviewing these investments, and other publicly-available sources of information
about these investments, are providing accurate and unbiased data.
While we try to be aware of any indications that data may be incorrect, there is always a risk that any
analysis, as a result of incorrect data, may be compromised and therefore incorrect. This may result in the
poor performance of your investments or a loss of your principal.
INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
We may direct the use of a single strategy or multiple strategies in managing your account(s). We review
any strategy used for your account(s) to make sure that they are appropriate to your needs and are
consistent with your investment objectives, risk tolerance, time horizons, and other considerations. The
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following are the primary types of investment strategies utilized in the management of your account(s).
Asset Allocation – We will use asset allocation, tactical allocation, and rebalancing as primary investment
tools to generate return. Leverage may also be used on a limited basis to augment return. We will also
take into account other considerations in selecting appropriate investments including capitalization, credit
quality, capital structure, currency exposure and risk and return ratios.
Tactical Rebalancing – We will use rebalancing as a tool to enhance return and manage risk based on the
concept of Regression to the Mean (RTM). We will take into account other considerations in selecting
appropriate changes to asset allocation, including valuations based on market price to earnings or
capitalization, credit quality, liquidity, capital structure, currency exposure and other risk and return ratios.
Fund and Separate Account Manager Selection – We may recommend that as part of your investment
strategy, you allocate a portion of your assets among certain fund and separate account managers that are
aligned with your investment objectives and expectations. We will look for certain attributes when
selecting managers for recommendation to you including their management style, performance,
reputation, financial strength, reporting capabilities and their compliance program and adherence to its
policies and procedures.
Alternative/Private Investments – We may use alternative investments as part of the overall investment
strategy. These alternative investments will be managed by third-party managers in the form of funds or
may be managed by sub-advisors in separate account portfolios.
Long-term purchases – Investments are purchased with the idea of holding them in your account for
twelve (12) months or longer. Typically, this strategy is employed when:
It is believed the investments are currently undervalued, and/or
It is thought that exposure to a particular asset class over time is desirable, regardless of the current
projection for this class.
A risk in a long-term purchase strategy is that by holding the security for this length of time, it may not
be possible to take advantage of short-term gains that could be profitable to you. Moreover, if the
projections are incorrect, an investment may decline in value before the decision is made to sell, resulting
in loss to your portfolio.
Short-term purchases – When utilizing this strategy, investments are purchased with the idea of selling
them within a relatively short time which is typically twelve (12) months or less. This is done in an attempt
to take advantage of conditions that are believed will soon result in a price swing in the investments
purchased.
A risk in this strategy is that an investment is sold before it has made the move upward that was anticipated,
or that after the investment is sold it continues to move higher.
RISK OF LOSS
Investments in most any type of securities involve the risk of loss. The types of risks that you may
experience include:
Loss of Principal Risk
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Interest Rate Risk
Market Risk
Inflation Risk
Currency Risk
Liquidity Risk
Business Risk
Financial Risk
Past performance of any security does not guarantee future results.
ITEM 9. DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION
We are required to disclose any legal or disciplinary events that are material to your evaluation of our
advisory business or the integrity of our management personnel.
Our Firm and our management personnel have no reportable disciplinary events to disclose.
ITEM 10. OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATIONS
AFFILIATIONS
Scott D. Renninger, our President, is the Chief Investment Officer of Captive Resources, LLC. Captive
Resources, LLC is the sub-advisor to The Captive Investors Fund, a mutual fund with approximately $11
billion in assets under management that manages investments for offshore captive insurance companies.
Mr. Renninger is also a director and chairman of The Captive Investors Fund.
We do not recommend to any of our clients that they invest in or with Captive Resources, LLC, or in The
Captive Investors Fund. None of our clients is an investor with Captive Resources, LLC, or in The Captive
Investors Fund. Furthermore, The Captive Investors Fund is restricted to only Cayman Island domiciled
insurance companies and is only offered through a formal offering memorandum to clients of Captive
Resources, LLC.
Scott D. Renninger currently spends a considerable amount of time in his role as Chief Investment Officer
of Captive Resources, LLC.
OTHER ACTIVITIES AND COMPENSATION ARRANGEMENTS
Our Firm does not receive any additional compensation for services or products from any other entity. In
addition, we do not receive any additional compensation for placing your assets in a mutual fund,
exchange-traded fund, or with a separate account manager.
In the future if a conflict were to arise with regard to our other Financial Industry Activities or Affiliations,
including the receipt of compensation from those sources we would:
Disclose in this section to you the existence of all material conflicts of interest, including the
potential for our Firm and our employees to earn compensation in addition to our Firm's stated
advisory fees;
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Disclose to you that you are not obligated to purchase recommended investment products from our
employees or affiliated companies;
Require that our employees seek prior approval of any outside employment activity so that we may
ensure that any conflicts of interests in such activities are properly addressed; and
Periodically monitor outside employment activities of our employees to verify that any conflicts
of interest continue to be properly addressed by our Firm.
ITEM 11. CODE OF ETHICS, PARTICIPATION OR INTEREST IN CLIENT
TRANSACTIONS, AND PERSONAL TRADING
CODE OF ETHICS
Our Firm has adopted a Code of Ethics which sets forth high ethical standards of business conduct that
we require of our employees, including compliance with applicable federal securities laws.
We feel that our Firm and its employees owe a duty of loyalty, fairness, and good faith towards all of our
clients, and have an obligation to adhere not only to the specific provisions of our Code of Ethics but to
the general principles that guide the Code of Ethics.
The purpose of our Code of Ethics is to reinforce the fiduciary principles that govern the conduct of our
Firm and the actions of our advisory personnel. Each member of the Firm is instructed to act in the best
interests of all of our clients, to avoid any real or potential conflicts of interest, and to conduct their
personal activities with the utmost of integrity.
Our Code of Ethics has been distributed to all members of the Firm. The following is a summary of the
policies contained in our Code of Ethics:
Standards of Business Conduct
Compliance with Federal Securities Law
Review and/or Approval of Personal Securities Transactions of all Access Persons. For the
purposes of Independence Asset Advisors, all full-time employees are considered to be Access
Persons.
Ability to Purchase the Same Securities Recommended to or Owned by Firm Clients Subject to
Approval
Obligation to Report Violations and Enforcement of Sanctions Where Necessary
Annual Employee Certification Required if material changes are made.
Our Code of Ethics includes policies and procedures for the review of proposed transactions, quarterly
securities reporting, initial and annual securities holdings reports that must be submitted by the Firm’s
Access Persons, and restrictions on the acceptance of significant gifts and the reporting of gifts and
business entertainment items incurred by our personnel. Our code also provides for oversight,
enforcement, and recordkeeping provisions.
Our Code of Ethics also prohibits the use of material non-public information. We do not believe that we
have any particular access to non-public information, however, employees are reminded such information,
if received, may not be used in any manner.
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You may receive a free copy of our Code of Ethics by sending your request to katie@iaadvisors.com, or
by calling us at 484-433-0848.
INTEREST IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS
Our Firm does not participate in Principal Trades. Principal transactions are those where our Firm, acting
on behalf of our own account, would buy or sell a security to you or another client.
An Agency Cross transaction is one in which our Firm acts as a broker for both the buyer and seller of a
security, both parties who are clients of our Firm. Generally, we do not participate in Agency Cross
transactions, however, should we feel that such a transaction is in the best interests of both our
participating clients, we will do so without receiving any compensation and in accordance with the
following guidelines:
The advisory client must execute written consent in advance of the trade that authorizes agency
cross-transactions. This written consent must come after full written disclosure that the investment
advisor will act as a broker for and have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and
responsibilities to both parties to the transaction.
The advisor must send each client a written confirmation at or before the completion of each
transaction that includes (1) a statement of the nature of this transaction, (2) the date this
transaction took place, (3) an offer to furnish upon request the time when this transaction took
place and (4) the source and amount of any other remuneration received or to be received by the
investment advisor.
The advisor must send each client an annual statement identifying the total number of these
transactions since the last summary, and the total amount of all remuneration received or to be
received by the investment advisor. Each written statement must conspicuously disclose that
consent may be revoked.
We do not recommend to you or other clients that you take a position in a security in which our Firm, our
employees, or our related persons has a material financial interest.
PERSONAL TRADING
Our Code of Ethics is designed to assure that the personal securities transactions by our employees, and
the activities and interests of our employees will not interfere with:
Making decisions in your best interests; and
Implementing such decisions while, at the same time, allowing our employees to invest for their
own accounts.
Our Firm and employees of our Firm may make recommendations to you for the purchase or sale of
securities that we either may:
Already have an interest in; or
Subsequently may invest in
Our Firm and our employees may buy or sell for their personal accounts securities identical to or different
from those recommended to you. In addition, any related person(s) may have an interest or position in
securities which may be recommended to you or which you may own.
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It is the written policy of our Firm that no person employed by us may purchase or sell any security
immediately prior to the purchase or sale of that same security in your account if we have knowledge that
a trade in that same security is being executed for your account.
The exception to this is the purchase or sale by our employees of open-end mutual funds and open-end
exchange traded funds that are not unit investment trusts and for whom we are unaffiliated, direct
obligations of the U.S. Government, banker’s acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper,
high-quality short-term debt instruments, and money market funds. This policy generally prevents the
employee(s) from benefiting from transactions placed on behalf of your account(s).
However, because we utilize fund managers and separate account managers to manage the assets of your
account and to execute transactions for your account, as a practical matter we generally would have no
knowledge of the timing or specifics of any transaction they would be making for your account.
Nonetheless, if any employee did have knowledge or any information regarding the timing or specificity
of a proposed transaction for your account, other than as indicated above, the employee would not be
allowed to enter into that trade until your transaction had been completed.
As situations like these may represent actual or potential conflicts of interest to you, we have established
the following policies and procedures as part of our Code of Ethics to ensure we comply with our
regulatory obligations and to provide you, other clients, and other potential clients, with full and fair
disclosure of such conflicts or potential conflicts of interest:
No principal or employee of our Firm may put his or her own interest above the interest of your
account(s).
No principal or employee of our Firm may buy or sell securities for their personal portfolio(s)
where their decision is based on information received because of his or her employment unless the
information is available to the investing public.
We may ban or otherwise require prior approval for any IPO or private placement investments by
any employee or related persons of the Firm.
We maintain a list of what we consider to be a “Reportable Fund” or “Reportable” securities
holdings for our Firm, our employees, and anyone associated with our Firm that has access to our
investment recommendations. This person is referred to as an "Access Person".
Any individual who violates any of the above restrictions may be subject to varying levels of
disciplinary action including termination.
We will maintain all records regarding personal securities transactions as detailed in Rule 204A-1
of the Investment Advisors Act of 1940.
ITEM 12. BROKERAGE PRACTICES
RESEARCH AND SOFT DOLLAR BENEFITS
Our Firm does not maintain any third-party soft dollar arrangements or agreements with any broker-dealer.
Fund and separate account managers may have soft-dollar arrangements with broker-dealers. Those
arrangements should be disclosed in their Form ADV Part 2A.
Normally, if not directed by you to use a specific custodian/broker dealer, we may recommend one to you.
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In our process of recommending a custodian and/or broker dealer, we will take into consideration a number
of different factors. This includes:
Types of investments held by your account;
Fees, expenses and cost of services;
Execution of investment transactions;
Custody services;
Research;
Access to mutual funds and other investments generally available only to institutional investors or
individual investors with significantly higher minimum initial investment requirements;
Administrative support;
Record-keeping and related services intended to support intermediaries like us in conducting
business and in serving the best interests of our clients; and
Responsiveness in their communications with us.
We will generally consider several different options and will keep you informed of our decision. You will
maintain the ability to request that we utilize someone different than who we ultimately may recommend.
While we generally will seek a custodian and/or broker-dealer with competitive rates, you may pay a
commission or other charges to the custodian and/or broker-dealer that may be higher than another
qualified custodian and/or broker-dealer might charge to maintain custody or effect the transactions where
we determine in good faith that the charges and commission is reasonable relative to the value of custodial
and brokerage services received.
In seeking best execution, the determinative factor is not the lowest possible cost, but whether the
transaction represents the best qualitative execution, taking into consideration the full range of a
custodian/broker-dealer’s services, including the execution capability, commission rates, bid/ask spreads,
and responsiveness.
Fund and separate account managers may also use specific broker-dealers with whom they may receive
certain benefits such as research. This information will be disclosed in the manager’s Form ADV Part 2A.
The fund or separate account managers use of certain broker-dealers for your account may result in
benefits for their other clients even though the other clients may not use the same broker-dealers.
BROKERAGE FOR CLIENT REFERRALS
Our Firm does not receive or participate in any program whereby we receive client referrals in exchange
for using any particular broker-dealer.
We do not receive any form of compensation from any custodian or broker-dealer.
CUSTODIANS AND DIRECTED BROKERAGE
You are under no obligation to use any particular custodian or broker-dealer. We are regularly asked if we
can recommend a custodian or a particular broker-dealer. We may have existing relationships with
custodians or broker-dealers that we feel will provide you with a high level of quality service and we may
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recommend those firms to you.
However, you are free to use any custodian or broker-dealer that you may choose. If you should request
that we utilize a specific broker-dealer that is someone we do not utilize on a regular basis you should be
aware that your choice may interfere with our third-party manager’s and sub-advisor’s ability to obtain
the most competitive pricing for your purchase or sale of investments. This may impact the price at which
your investment is bought or sold and may impact the commission cost you pay for your order.
If you allow us, or the fund and separate account managers to choose the custodian and/or broker-dealer
for your account, your IMA will reflect that you are providing our Firm or the fund managers and separate
account managers with the authority to determine the custodian and/or broker-dealer to use. In addition,
you will be allowing our Firm or the fund or separate account managers to negotiate the fees on your
behalf or to choose the commission costs that will be charged to you for these investments.
You may change your custodian or broker-dealer at any time, as well as amend or revoke discretionary
authority at any time by providing our Firm, the fund manager or the separate account manager with
written notice as may be detailed in your IMA with them.
TRADE AGGREGATION AND ALLOCATION
We may execute specific transactions for your account. However, we generally do not aggregate and
allocate trades, although in very limited instances we may do so at our sole discretion.
We may recommend fund managers and separate account managers that may aggregate and allocate your
investment transactions with like transactions for their other clients. If these fund and separate account
managers do aggregate and allocate some or all of their transactions in order to seek “best execution” that
information should be disclosed in their Form ADV Part 2A.
The process of combining or “batching” these orders oftentimes allows us, the fund manager or separate
account manager, to negotiate more favorable commission rates. This process allows for the allocation
equitably among you and other clients, the differences between prices, commissions, and other transaction
costs that you and other clients may not have received had each trade been placed independently. This
allows you to receive the average price paid or received as well as to share in the purchase or sale pro-rata
in the event that an order is only partially completed.
Even though we, the fund manager and/or separate account manager may aggregate trades, each may also
choose not to aggregate orders for a number of different reasons. Reasons that an order may not be
aggregated include:
Only a small percentage of an order is completed and thus the shares may be assigned to the
account with the smallest order or position, or that is out of line with respect to a security or sector
weightings.
Allocations may be given to one account when that account has investment limitations which
restrict it from purchasing other investments which are expected to produce similar investment
results.
If an account reaches an investment guideline limit and cannot participate in an allocation which
may occur due to unforeseen changes in account assets after an order is placed.
Sale allocations may be given to accounts that are low in cash.
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When a pro rata allocation would result in a de minimis allocation in one or more accounts.
In the case where a proportion of an order is filled in all accounts, shares may be allocated to one
or more accounts on a random basis.
Again, you should review Form ADV Part 2A for each of your fund managers and separate account
managers for specifics regarding their policies for Trade Aggregation and Allocation.
ITEM 13. REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS
INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES
REVIEW OF ACCOUNT(S)
We continually monitor your account. On at least a monthly basis, we will monitor your account with
regard to cash, compliance with your investment objectives and or investment policy/direction, and the
appropriateness of the investments used to meet your objectives.
We will conduct portfolio reviews to evaluate whether portfolio performance, diversification, and risk
levels are appropriate in accordance with your investment objectives and guidelines.
We will conduct periodic reviews of fund managers and separate account managers to evaluate their
performance in absolute terms and relative to other managers managing to a similar style.
We will monitor their adherence to their investment mandate and review the underlying assets that make
up their portfolio. We will also review certain operational capabilities including their compliance program.
We will periodically conduct a due diligence review of each fund and separate account manager.
Your specific account is also reviewed in the context of material events which may impact your stated
investment objectives and guidelines. These material events may include:
Market driven events;
Economic events; and
Political events.
In addition to our reports, you should receive at least a quarterly report from the qualified custodian of
your accounts.
We generally perform reviews of your account(s) on a monthly or quarterly basis.
REGULAR REPORTS
On a monthly or quarterly basis you will receive a report that details the securities held, security cost,
current security market values, an estimated value for restricted securities, and a summary of account
activity in the current period, as well as performance returns directly from your custodian(s), the funds in
which you may be invested, and/or any separate account manager that manages a portion of your assets
for each account you may have.
We will also provide at least a quarterly information package to you that will include qualitative reports
and analysis regarding the performance of your investments with fund and separate account managers, as
well as accounts that IAA may manage directly.
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ITEM 14. CLIENT REFERRALS AND OTHER COMPENSATION
Our Firm does not engage solicitors or pay any related or non-related persons for referring potential clients
to our Firm.
It is our policy not to accept or allow our employees and related persons to accept any form of
compensation, including cash, sales awards, or other prizes, from a non-client in conjunction with the
advisory services we provide to you.
ITEM 15. CUSTODY
Our Firm has accepted custody for several client relationships where one or more of our employees acts
as a trustee for one or more underlying accounts within that relationship. We may do this for other accounts
in the future at our sole discretion. Where we are deemed to have custody due to this operating relationship,
we will cause a surprise financial audit of those accounts to be performed by a firm under the oversight of
PCAOB. Other than as detailed in this paragraph, we do not maintain or accept physical custody of any
client accounts.
We previously disclosed in the "Fees and Compensation" section (Item 5) of this Brochure that we request
you direct your custodian to allow our Firm to directly debit your management fees from your account(s).
Again, the approval of the direct debit of fees is solely your choice. You have no obligation to allow us to
do so. Technically, SEC rules consider the action of direct debiting of fees to be considered maintaining
custody. However, if this is the only manner in which we are considered to have custody and certain
conditions are met, we will not be subject to the requirements established for true custody of your assets.
If you agree to allow us to direct debit fees from your account(s), we will require authorization in writing
from you. Each billing period we will notify your custodian of the amount of the fee to be deducted from
your account(s). On at least a quarterly basis, the custodian is required to send to you and us a statement
showing all transactions, including management fees disbursed from your account during the reporting
period.
Because the custodian does not calculate the amount of the fee to be deducted from your account, it is
important you carefully review the custodial statements to verify the accuracy of the calculation, among
other things. You should contact us directly if you believe there may be an error in your statement.
In addition to the periodic statements that you receive directly from your qualified custodians, funds, and
separate account managers, we may also send or provide portfolio summaries or analyses on a monthly or
quarterly basis via electronic format.
We urge you to carefully compare the information provided on these statements to the statements
you receive from the qualified custodian to ensure that all account transactions, holdings, and values
are correct and current.
ITEM 16. INVESTMENT DISCRETION
Generally, accounts are discretionary in nature. We request that we be given discretionary authority from
the outset of our advisory relationship so that we may provide discretionary asset management services
for your accounts. You may deny such authority. If that authority is denied or revoked in the future we
may, at our sole discretion, choose not to enter into, or to terminate any advisory relationship with you.
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When you agree to give us discretionary authority we can place or authorize others to place trades in your
account(s) without contacting you prior to each trade to obtain your permission.
Our discretionary authority includes the ability to do the following without contacting you:
Determine the security to buy or sell;
Determine the amount of the investment to buy or sell; and
Determine the funds or separate account managers to use to manage your account.
In all cases this discretion is to be used in a manner consistent with the stated investment objectives for
your account.
When we select investments and determine the amount of an investment to buy or sell, we will observe
the investment policies and any limitations or restrictions which you may have given us to follow.
You give us discretionary authority when you sign a discretionary IMA with our Firm, and you may limit
this authority by giving us written instructions in advance of entering into an IMA. You may also limit
this authority at any time after entering into an agreement while that IMA remains in effect by once again
providing us with written instructions. These limitations and other instructions will become a part of your
permanent file.
In any instance where we enter into a non-discretionary IMA, you will be required to approve any
recommended transactions in advance prior to such transaction being executed on your behalf.
ITEM 17. VOTING CLIENT SECURITIES
We will not vote proxies for your account. You retain the right and responsibility for voting any proxies
or corporate actions.
ITEM 18. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Under no circumstances do we require or solicit payment of fees in excess of $1,200 per client more than
six months in advance of services rendered. Therefore, we are not required to include a financial statement.
If we maintain discretionary authority for your account or are deemed to have actual or constructive
custody of your assets or collect fees as described in the preceding paragraph, we are required to disclose
any financial condition that is reasonably likely to impair our ability to meet our contractual obligations.
Our Firm has no financial circumstances to report. Additionally, our Firm has not been the subject of a
bankruptcy proceeding at any time.
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