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Item 1: Cover Page
Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure
February 2026
8944 Blue Ash Road
Cincinnati, OH 45242
www.kellettwealth.com
Firm Contact:
Brian Kellett
Chief Compliance Officer
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Kellett Wealth
Advisors, LLC. If clients have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us at
513-554-1472. The information in this brochure has not been approved or verified by the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission or by any State Securities Authority. Additional
information about our firm is also available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov by
searching CRD #287571.
Please note that the use of the term “registered investment adviser” and description of our firm
and/or our associates as “registered” does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Clients are
encouraged to review this Brochure and Brochure Supplements for our firm’s associates who advise
clients for more information on the qualifications of our firm and our employees.
Item 2: Material Changes
Kellett Wealth Advisors, LLC is required to make clients aware of information that has changed since
the last annual update to the Firm Brochure (“Brochure”) and that may be important to them. Clients
can then determine whether to review the brochure in its entirety or to contact us with questions
about the changes.
/202
our firm does not have any material
Since our firms last annual amendment on 01/1
changes to disclose.
3
5
ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
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 ....................................................................................................................... 4
Item 5: Fees & Compensation ................................................................................................................. 6
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management ....................................................... 7
Item 7: Types of Clients & Account Requirements ............................................................................. 7
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss ................................................ 8
Item 9: Disciplinary Information ......................................................................................................... 18
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations ............................................................ 18
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in ........................................................................ 18
Client Transactions & Personal Trading ............................................................................................ 18
Item 12: Brokerage Practices ............................................................................................................... 19
Item 13: Review of Accounts or Financial Plans ............................................................................... 23
Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation ............................................................................. 23
Item 15: Custody ...................................................................................................................................... 23
Item 16: Investment Discretion............................................................................................................ 24
Item 17: Voting Client Securities .......................................................................................................... 25
Item 18: Financial Information ............................................................................................................ 25
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
Item 4: Advisory Business
Our firm is dedicated to providing individuals and other types of clients with a wide array of
investment advisory services. Our firm is a limited liability company formed under the laws of the
State of Ohio in 2012 and has been in business as an investment adviser since 2017. Our firm is
primarily owned by Brian Kellett (66%), Jared Kline (22%
David Bodnar (4%)
.
),
, Pasquale Gentile
(4%) and Rosemary Keiser (4%)
Our firm provides asset management and investment consulting services for many different types
of clients to help meet their financial goals while remaining sensitive to risk tolerance and
time horizons. As a fiduciary it is our duty to always act in the client’s best interest. This is
accomplished in part by knowing the client. Our firm has established a service-oriented advisory
practice with open lines of communication. Working with clients to understand their
investment objectives while educating them about our process, facilitates the kind of working
relationship we value.
Types of Advisory Services Offered
Asset Management (SIMPLE IRA):
As part of our Asset Management service, a portfolio is created, consisting of individual stocks, bonds,
exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), options, mutual funds and other public and private securities or
investments. The client’s individual investment strategy is tailored to their specific needs and may
include some or all of the previously mentioned securities. Portfolios will be designed to meet a
particular investment goal, determined to be suitable to the client’s circumstances. Once the appropriate
portfolio has been determined, portfolios are continuously and regularly monitored, and if necessary,
rebalanced based upon the client’s individual needs, stated goals and objectives.
Comprehensive Portfolio Management:
As part of our Comprehensive Portfolio Management service clients will be provided asset
management and financial planning or consulting services. This service is designed to assist clients
in meeting their financial goals through the use of a financial plan or consultation. Our firm conducts
client meetings to understand their current financial situation, existing resources, financial goals, and
tolerance for risk. Based on what is learned, an investment approach is presented to the client,
consisting of individual stocks, bonds, ETFs, options, mutual funds and other public and private
securities or investments. Once the appropriate portfolio has been determined, portfolios are
continuously and regularly monitored, and if necessary, rebalanced based upon the client’s individual
needs, stated goals and objectives. Upon client request, our firm provides a summary of observations
and recommendations for the planning or consulting aspects of this service.
In addition to the Comprehensive Portfolio Management offering to our clients, our firm will assist in
the preparation, calculation and filing of Tax returns on behalf of our clients at no cost. This service
is performed by one of our firms Investment Adviser Representatives who is also an Enrolled Agent.
Please note that this service is only available to clients who subscribe to our Comprehensive Portfolio
Management Service and will not be provided on a standalone basis.
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
Retirement Plan Consulting:
Our firm provides retirement plan consulting services to employer plan sponsors on an ongoing
basis. Generally, such consulting services consist of assisting employer plan sponsors in establishing,
monitoring and reviewing their company's participant-directed retirement plan. As the needs of the
plan sponsor dictate, areas of advising may include:
•
•
Establishing an Investment Policy Statement – Our firm will assist in the development of a
statement that summarizes the investment goals and objectives along with the broad
strategies to be employed to meet the objectives.
Investment Options – Our firm will work with the Plan Sponsor to evaluate existing
investment options and make recommendations for appropriate changes.
•
•
• Asset Allocation and Portfolio Construction – Our firm will develop strategic asset allocation
models to aid Participants in developing strategies to meet their investment objectives, time
horizon, financial situation and tolerance for risk.
Investment Monitoring – Our firm will monitor the performance of the investments and
notify the client in the event of over/underperformance and in times of market volatility.
Participant Education – Our firm will provide opportunities to educate plan participants
about their retirement plan offerings, different investment options, and general guidance on
allocation strategies.
In providing services for retirement plan consulting, our firm does not provide any advisory services
with respect to the following types of assets: employer securities, real estate (excluding real estate
funds and publicly traded REITS), participant loans, non-publicly traded securities or assets, other
illiquid investments, or brokerage window programs (collectively, “Excluded Assets”). All retirement
plan consulting services shall be in compliance with the applicable state laws regulating retirement
consulting services. This applies to client accounts that are retirement or other employee benefit
plans (“Plan”) governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended
(“ERISA”). If the client accounts are part of a Plan, and our firm accepts appointment to provide
services to such accounts, our firm acknowledges its fiduciary standard within the meaning of Section
3(21) or 3(38) of ERISA as designated by the Retirement Plan Consulting Agreement with respect to
the provision of services described therein.
Tailoring of Advisory Services
Our firm offers individualized investment advice to our Portfolio Management clients. General
investment advice will be offered to our Financial Planning & Consulting. Each Portfolio Management
client has the opportunity to place reasonable restrictions on the types of investments to be held in the
portfolio. Restrictions on investments in certain securities or types of securities may not be possible
due to the level of difficulty this would entail in managing the account.
Participation in Wrap Fee Programs
Our firm does not offer or sponsor a wrap fee program.
Regulatory Assets Under Management
, our firm manages $280,689,202
on a discretionary basis
As of December 31, 202
and $2
for a total of $3
in Assets Under Management.
5
6,740,441
44,003,237
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
Item 5: Fees & Compensation
Compensation for Our Advisory Services
Asset Management (SIMPLE IRA):
The maximum annual fee charged for this service will not exceed 1%. Fees to be assessed will be
outlined in the advisory agreement to be signed by the Client. Annualized fees are billed on a pro-
rata basis monthly in advance based on the value of the account(s) on the last day of the previous
month. Fees are negotiable and will be deducted from client account(s). In rare cases, our firm will
agree to directly invoice. As part of this process, Clients understand the following:
a) The client’s independent custodian sends statements at least quarterly showing the market
values for each security included in the Assets and all account disbursements, including the
amount of the advisory fees paid to our firm;
b) Clients will provide authorization permitting our firm to be directly paid by these terms. Our
firm will send an invoice directly to the custodian; and
c) If our firm sends a copy of our invoice to the client, a legend urging the comparison of
information provided in our statement with those from the qualified custodian will be
included.
Comprehensive Portfolio Management:
The maximum annual fee charged for this service will not exceed 1.15%. The exact fee agreed to is
negotiable and will be indicated on the signed client agreement. Fees to be assessed will be outlined
in the advisory agreement to be signed by the client. Annualized fees are billed on a pro-rata basis
monthly in advance based on the value of the account(s) on the last day of the previous quarter. Fees
are negotiable and will be deducted from client account(s). In rare cases, our firm will agree to
directly invoice. Furthermore, it is important to note that our firm bills on cash and cash equivalents
held in clients managed accounts unless specified in writing. As part of this process, Clients
understand the following:
d) The client’s independent custodian sends statements at least quarterly showing the market
values for each security included in the Assets and all account disbursements, including the
amount of the advisory fees paid to our firm;
e) Clients will provide authorization permitting our firm to be directly paid by these terms. Our
f)
firm will send an invoice directly to the custodian; and
If our firm sends a copy of our invoice to the client, a legend urging the comparison of
information provided in our statement with those from the qualified custodian will be
included.
Please note that the Tax preparation service is a complimentary addition to this offering and is
exclusively available to Comprehensive Portfolio Management service clients at no cost.
Retirement Plan Consulting:
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
Our Retirement Plan Consulting services are billed on an fee based on the percentage of Plan assets
under management. The total estimated fee, as well as the ultimate fee charged, is based on the scope
and complexity of our engagement with the client. Fees based on a percentage of managed Plan assets
will not exceed 0.8%. The fee-paying arrangements will be determined on a case-by-case basis and
will be detailed in the signed consulting agreement.
Other Types of Fees & Expenses
Clients will incur transaction charges for trades executed in their accounts. These transaction fees
are separate from our firm’s advisory fees and will be disclosed by the chosen custodian. It is
important to note that Schwab does not charge transaction fees for U.S. listed equities and exchange
traded funds. Clients may also pay holdings charges imposed by the chosen custodian for certain
investments, charges imposed directly by a mutual fund, index fund, or exchange traded fund, which
shall be disclosed in the fund’s prospectus (i.e., fund management fees, initial or deferred sales
charges, mutual fund sales loads, 12b-1 fees, surrender charges, variable annuity fees, IRA and
qualified retirement plan fees, and other fund expenses). Our firm does not receive a portion of these
fees.
Termination & Refunds
Either party may terminate the advisory agreement signed with our firm for Comprehensive
Portfolio Management services in writing at any time. Upon notice of termination our firm will
process a pro-rata refund of the unearned portion of the advisory fees charged in advance at the
beginning of the quarter.
Either party to a Retirement Plan Consulting Agreement may terminate at any time by providing
written notice to the other party. Full refunds will only be made in cases where cancellation occurs
within 5 business days of signing an agreement. After 5 business days from initial signing, either
party must provide the other party 30 days written notice to terminate billing. Billing will terminate
30 days after receipt of termination notice. Clients will be charged on a pro-rata basis, which takes
into account work completed by our firm on behalf of the client. Clients will incur charges for bona
fide advisory services rendered up to the point of termination (determined as 30 days from receipt
of said written notice) and such fees will be due and payable.
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management
Our firm does not charge performance-based fees.
Item 7: Types of Clients & Account Requirements
Our firm has the following types of clients:
Individuals and High Net Worth Individuals;
•
• Trusts or Estates
• Retirement Plans
• Corporations, Limited Liability Companies and/or Other Business Types
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
Our firm does not impose requirements for opening and maintaining accounts or otherwise engaging
us.
It is important to note that our Asset Management services are only available for SIMPLE IRA
accounts. All other types of accounts/clients will be offered Comprehensive Portfolio Management
Services.
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss
The following methods of analysis and investment strategies may be utilized in formulating our
investment advice and/or managing client assets, provided that such methods and/or strategies are
appropriate to the needs of the client and consistent with the client's investment objectives, risk
tolerance, and time horizons, among other considerations.
General Risks of Owning Securities
The prices of securities held in client accounts and the income they generate may decline in response
to certain events taking place around the world. These include events directly involving the issuers
of securities held as underlying assets of mutual funds in a client’s account, conditions affecting the
general economy, and overall market changes. Other contributing factors include local, regional, or
global political, social, or economic instability and governmental or governmental agency responses
to economic conditions. Finally, currency, interest rate, and commodity price fluctuations may also
affect security prices and income.
The prices of, and the income generated by, most debt securities held by a client’s account may be
affected by changing interest rates and by changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of
these securities. For example, the prices of debt securities in the client’s account generally will decline
when interest rates rise and increase when interest rates fall. In addition, falling interest rates may
cause an issuer to redeem, “call” or refinance a security before its stated maturity, which may result
in our firm having to reinvest the proceeds in lower yielding securities. Longer maturity debt
securities generally have higher rates of interest and may be subject to greater price fluctuations than
shorter maturity debt securities. Debt securities are also subject to credit risk, which is the possibility
that the credit strength of an issuer will weaken and/or an issuer of a debt security will fail to make
timely payments of principal or interest and the security will go into default.
The guarantee of a security backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the U.S.
government only covers the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity. This
means that the current market values for these securities will fluctuate with changes in interest rates.
Investments in securities issued by entities based outside the United States may be subject to
increased levels of the risks described above. Currency fluctuations and controls, different
accounting, auditing, financial reporting, disclosure, regulatory and legal standards and practices
could also affect investments in securities of foreign issuers. Additional factors may include
expropriation, changes in tax policy, greater market volatility, different securities market structures,
and higher transaction costs.
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
Finally, various administrative difficulties, such as delays in clearing and settling portfolio
transactions, or in receiving payment of dividends can increase risk. Finally, investments in securities
issued by entities domiciled in the United States may also be subject to many of these risks.
Methods of Analysis
Securities analysis methods rely on the assumption that the companies whose securities are
purchased and/or sold, the rating agencies that review these securities, and other publicly-available
sources of information about these securities, are providing accurate and unbiased data. While our
firm is alert to indications that data may be incorrect, there is always a risk that our firm’s analysis
may be compromised by inaccurate or misleading information.
Charting: In this type of technical analysis, our firm reviews charts of market and security activity in
an attempt to identify when the market is moving up or down and to predict when how long the trend
may last and when that trend might reverse.
Cyclical Analysis: Statistical analysis of specific events occurring at a sufficient number of relatively
predictable intervals that they can be forecasted into the future. Cyclical analysis asserts that cyclical
forces drive price movements in the financial markets. Risks include that cycles may invert or
disappear and there is no expectation that this type of analysis will pinpoint turning points, instead
be used in conjunction with other methods of analysis.
Fundamental Analysis: The analysis of a business's financial statements (usually to analyze the
business's assets, liabilities, and earnings), health, and its competitors and markets. When analyzing
a stock, futures contract, or currency using fundamental analysis there are two basic approaches one
can use: bottom up analysis and top down analysis. The terms are used to distinguish such analysis
from other types of investment analysis, such as quantitative and technical. Fundamental analysis is
performed on historical and present data, but with the goal of making financial forecasts. There are
several possible objectives: (a) to conduct a company stock valuation and predict its probable price
evolution; (b) to make a projection on its business performance; (c) to evaluate its management and
make internal business decisions; (d) and/or to calculate its credit risk.; and (e) to find out the
intrinsic value of the share.
When the objective of the analysis is to determine what stock to buy and at what price, there are two
basic methodologies investors rely upon: (a) Fundamental analysis maintains that markets may
misprice a security in the short run but that the "correct" price will eventually be reached. Profits can
be made by purchasing the mispriced security and then waiting for the market to recognize its
"mistake" and reprice the security.; and (b) Technical analysis maintains that all information is
reflected already in the price of a security. Technical analysts analyze trends and believe that
sentiment changes predate and predict trend changes. Investors' emotional responses to price
movements lead to recognizable price chart patterns. Technical analysts also analyze historical
trends to predict future price movement. Investors can use one or both of these different but
complementary methods for stock picking. This presents a potential risk, as the price of a security
can move up or down along with the overall market regardless of the economic and financial factors
considered in evaluating the stock.
Mutual Fund and/or Exchange Traded Fund (“ETF”) Analysis: Analysis of the experience and
track record of the manager of the mutual fund or ETF in an attempt to determine if that manager
has demonstrated an ability to invest over a period of time and in different economic conditions. The
underlying assets in a mutual fund or ETF are also reviewed in an attempt to determine if there is
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
significant overlap in the underlying investments held in another fund(s) in the Client’s portfolio. The
funds or ETFs are monitored in an attempt to determine if they are continuing to follow their stated
investment strategy. A risk of mutual fund and/or ETF analysis is that, as in all securities investments,
past performance does not guarantee future results. A manager who has been successful may not be
able to replicate that success in the future. In addition, as our firm does not control the underlying
investments in a fund or ETF, managers of different funds held by the Client may purchase the same
security, increasing the risk to the Client if that security were to fall in value. There is also a risk that
a manager may deviate from the stated investment mandate or strategy of the fund or ETF, which
could make the holding(s) less suitable for the Client’s portfolio.
Technical Analysis: A security analysis methodology for forecasting the direction of prices through
the study of past market data, primarily price and volume. A fundamental principle of technical
analysis is that a market's price reflects all relevant information, so their analysis looks at the history
of a security's trading pattern rather than external drivers such as economic, fundamental and news
events. Therefore, price action tends to repeat itself due to investors collectively tending toward
patterned behavior – hence technical analysis focuses on identifiable trends and conditions.
Technical analysts also widely use market indicators of many sorts, some of which are mathematical
transformations of price, often including up and down volume, advance/decline data and other
inputs. These indicators are used to help assess whether an asset is trending, and if it is, the
probability of its direction and of continuation. Technicians also look for relationships between
price/volume indices and market indicators. Technical analysis employs models and trading rules
based on price and volume transformations, such as the relative strength index, moving averages,
regressions, inter-market and intra-market price correlations, business cycles, stock market cycles
or, classically, through recognition of chart patterns. Technical analysis is widely used among traders
and financial professionals and is very often used by active day traders, market makers and pit
traders. The risk associated with this type of analysis is that analysts use subjective judgment to
decide which pattern(s) a particular instrument reflects at a given time and what the interpretation
of that pattern should be.
Investment Strategies & Asset Classes
Asset Allocation: The implementation of an investment strategy that attempts to balance risk versus
reward by adjusting the percentage of each asset in an investment portfolio according to the
investor's risk tolerance, goals and investment time frame. Asset allocation is based on the principle
that different assets perform differently in different market and economic conditions. A fundamental
justification for asset allocation is the notion that different asset classes offer returns that are not
perfectly correlated, hence diversification reduces the overall risk in terms of the variability of
returns for a given level of expected return. Although risk is reduced as long as correlations are not
perfect, it is typically forecast (wholly or in part) based on statistical relationships (like correlation
and variance) that existed over some past period. Expectations for return are often derived in the
same way.
An asset class is a group of economic resources sharing similar characteristics, such as riskiness and
return. There are many types of assets that may or may not be included in an asset allocation strategy.
The "traditional" asset classes are stocks (value, dividend, growth, or sector-specific [or a "blend" of
any two or more of the preceding]; large-cap versus mid-cap, small-cap or micro-cap; domestic,
foreign [developed], emerging or frontier markets), bonds (fixed income securities more generally:
investment-grade or junk [high-yield]; government or corporate; short-term, intermediate, long-
term; domestic, foreign, emerging markets), and cash or cash equivalents. Allocation among these
three provides a starting point. Usually included are hybrid instruments such as convertible bonds
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
and preferred stocks, counting as a mixture of bonds and stocks. Other alternative assets that may be
considered include: commodities: precious metals, nonferrous metals, agriculture, energy, others.;
Commercial or residential real estate (also REITs); Collectibles such as art, coins, or stamps;
insurance products (annuity, life settlements, catastrophe bonds, personal life insurance products,
etc.); derivatives such as long-short or market neutral strategies, options, collateralized debt, and
futures; foreign currency; venture capital; private equity; and/or distressed securities.
There are several types of asset allocation strategies based on investment goals, risk tolerance, time
frames and diversification. The most common forms of asset allocation are: strategic, dynamic,
tactical, and core-satellite.
• Strategic Asset Allocation: The primary goal of a strategic asset allocation is to create an asset
mix that seeks to provide the optimal balance between expected risk and return for a long-
term investment horizon. Generally speaking, strategic asset allocation strategies are
agnostic to economic environments, i.e., they do not change their allocation postures relative
to changing market or economic conditions.
• Dynamic Asset Allocation: Dynamic asset allocation is similar to strategic asset allocation in
that portfolios are built by allocating to an asset mix that seeks to provide the optimal balance
between expected risk and return for a long-term investment horizon.[3] Like strategic
allocation strategies, dynamic strategies largely retain exposure to their original asset
classes; however, unlike strategic strategies, dynamic asset allocation portfolios will adjust
their postures over time relative to changes in the economic environment.
• Tactical Asset Allocation: Tactical asset allocation is a strategy in which an investor takes a
more active approach that tries to position a portfolio into those assets, sectors, or individual
stocks that show the most potential for perceived gains. While an original asset mix is
formulated much like strategic and dynamic portfolio, tactical strategies are often traded
more actively and are free to move entirely in and out of their core asset classes
• Core-Satellite Asset Allocation: Core-Satellite allocation strategies generally contain a 'core'
strategic element making up the most significant portion of the portfolio, while applying a
dynamic or tactical 'satellite' strategy that makes up a smaller part of the portfolio. In this
way, core-satellite allocation strategies are a hybrid of the strategic and dynamic/tactical
allocation strategies mentioned above.
Debt Securities (Bonds): Issuers use debt securities to borrow money. Generally, issuers pay
investors periodic interest and repay the amount borrowed either periodically during the life of the
security and/or at maturity. Alternatively, investors can purchase other debt securities, such as zero
coupon bonds, which do not pay current interest, but rather are priced at a discount from their face
values and their values accrete over time to face value at maturity. The market prices of debt
securities fluctuate depending on such factors as interest rates, credit quality, and maturity. In
general, market prices of debt securities decline when interest rates rise and increase when interest
rates fall. Bonds with longer rates of maturity tend to have greater interest rate risks.
Certain additional risk factors relating to debt securities include: (a) When interest rates are
declining, investors have to reinvest their interest income and any return of principal, whether
scheduled or unscheduled, at lower prevailing rates.; (b) Inflation causes tomorrow’s dollar to be
worth less than today’s; in other words, it reduces the purchasing power of a bond investor’s future
interest payments and principal, collectively known as “cash flows.” Inflation also leads to higher
interest rates, which in turn leads to lower bond prices.; (c) Debt securities may be sensitive to
economic changes, political and corporate developments, and interest rate changes. Investors can
also expect periods of economic change and uncertainty, which can result in increased volatility of
market prices and yields of certain debt securities. For example, prices of these securities can be
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
affected by financial contracts held by the issuer or third parties (such as derivatives) relating to the
security or other assets or indices. (d) Debt securities may contain redemption or call provisions
entitling their issuers to redeem them at a specified price on a date prior to maturity. If an issuer
exercises these provisions in a lower interest rate market, the account would have to replace the
security with a lower yielding security, resulting in decreased income to investors. Usually, a bond is
called at or close to par value. This subjects investors that paid a premium for their bond risk of lost
principal. In reality, prices of callable bonds are unlikely to move much above the call price if lower
interest rates make the bond likely to be called.; (e) If the issuer of a debt security defaults on its
obligations to pay interest or principal or is the subject of bankruptcy proceedings, the account may
incur losses or expenses in seeking recovery of amounts owed to it.; (f) There may be little trading in
the secondary market for particular debt securities, which may affect adversely the account's ability
to value accurately or dispose of such debt securities. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions,
whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the value and/or liquidity of debt
securities.
Our firm attempts to reduce the risks described above through diversification of the client’s portfolio
and by credit analysis of each issuer, as well as by monitoring broad economic trends and corporate
and legislative developments, but there can be no assurance that our firm will be successful in doing
so. Credit ratings for debt securities provided by rating agencies reflect an evaluation of the safety of
principal and interest payments, not market value risk. The rating of an issuer is a rating agency's
view of past and future potential developments related to the issuer and may not necessarily reflect
actual outcomes. There can be a lag between the time of developments relating to an issuer and the
time a rating is assigned and updated.
Cash & Cash Equivalents: Cash and cash equivalents generally refer to either United States dollars
or highly liquid short-term debt instruments such as, but not limited to, treasury bills, bank CD’s and
commercial papers. Generally, these assets are considered nonproductive and will be exposed to
inflation risk and considerable opportunity cost risk. Investments in cash and cash equivalents will
generally return less than the advisory fee charged by our firm. Our firm may recommend cash and
cash equivalents as part of our clients’ asset allocation when deemed appropriate and in their best
interest. Our firm considers cash and cash equivalents to be an asset class. Therefore, our firm assess
an advisory fee on cash and cash equivalents unless indicated otherwise in writing.
Exchange Traded Funds (“ETFs”): An ETF is a type of Investment Company (usually, an open-end
fund or unit investment trust) whose primary objective is to achieve the same return as a particular
market index. The vast majority of ETFs are designed to track an index, so their performance is close
to that of an index mutual fund, but they are not exact duplicates. A tracking error, or the difference
between the returns of a fund and the returns of the index, can arise due to differences in
composition, management fees, expenses, and handling of dividends. ETFs benefit from continuous
pricing; they can be bought and sold on a stock exchange throughout the trading day. Because ETFs
trade like stocks, you can place orders just like with individual stocks - such as limit orders, good-
until-canceled orders, stop loss orders etc. They can also be sold short. Traditional mutual funds are
bought and redeemed based on their net asset values (“NAV”) at the end of the day. ETFs are bought
and sold at the market prices on the exchanges, which resemble the underlying NAV but are
independent of it. However, arbitrageurs will ensure that ETF prices are kept very close to the NAV
of the underlying securities. Although an investor can buy as few as one share of an ETF, most buy in
board lots. Anything bought in less than a board lot will increase the cost to the investor. Anyone can
buy any ETF no matter where in the world it trades. This provides a benefit over mutual funds, which
generally can only be bought in the country in which they are registered.
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One of the main features of ETFs are their low annual fees, especially when compared to traditional
mutual funds. The passive nature of index investing, reduced marketing, and distribution and
accounting expenses all contribute to the lower fees. However, individual investors must pay a
brokerage commission to purchase and sell ETF shares; for those investors who trade frequently,
this can significantly increase the cost of investing in ETFs. That said, with the advent of low-cost
brokerage fees, small or frequent purchases of ETFs are becoming more cost efficient.
Equity Securities: Equity securities represent an ownership position in a company. Equity securities
typically consist of common stocks. The prices of equity securities fluctuate based on, among other
things, events specific to their issuers and market, economic and other conditions. For example,
prices of these securities can be affected by financial contracts held by the issuer or third parties
(such as derivatives) relating to the security or other assets or indices. There may be little trading in
the secondary market for particular equity securities, which may adversely affect Our firm 's ability
to value accurately or dispose of such equity securities. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions,
whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the value and/or liquidity of equity
securities. Investing in smaller companies may pose additional risks as it is often more difficult to
value or dispose of small company stocks, more difficult to obtain information about smaller
companies, and the prices of their stocks may be more volatile than stocks of larger, more established
companies. Clients should have a long-term perspective and, for example, be able to tolerate
potentially sharp declines in value.
Fixed Income: Fixed income is a type of investing or budgeting style for which real return rates or
periodic income is received at regular intervals and at reasonably predictable levels. Fixed-income
investors are typically retired individuals who rely on their investments to provide a regular, stable
income stream. This demographic tends to invest heavily in fixed-income investments because of the
reliable returns they offer. Fixed-income investors who live on set amounts of periodically paid
income face the risk of inflation eroding their spending power.
Some examples of fixed-income investments include treasuries, money market instruments,
corporate bonds, asset-backed securities, municipal bonds and international bonds. The primary risk
associated with fixed-income investments is the borrower defaulting on his payment. Other
considerations include exchange rate risk for international bonds and interest rate risk for longer-
dated securities. The most common type of fixed-income security is a bond. Bonds are issued by
federal governments, local municipalities and major corporations. Fixed-income securities are
recommended for investors seeking a diverse portfolio; however, the percentage of the portfolio
dedicated to fixed income depends on your own personal investment style. There is also an
opportunity to diversify the fixed-income component of a portfolio. Riskier fixed-income products,
such as junk bonds and longer-dated products, should comprise a lower percentage of your overall
portfolio.
The interest payment on fixed-income securities is considered regular income and is determined
based on the creditworthiness of the borrower and current market rates. In general, bonds and fixed-
income securities with longer-dated maturities pay a higher rate, also referred to as the coupon rate,
because they are considered riskier. The longer the security is on the market, the more time it has to
lose its value and/or default. At the end of the bond term, or at bond maturity, the borrower returns
the amount borrowed, also referred to as the principal or par value.
Long-Term Purchases: Our firm may buy securities for your account and hold them for a relatively
long time (more than a year) in anticipation that the security’s value will appreciate over a long
horizon. The risk of this strategy is that our firm could miss out on potential short-term gains that
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
could have been profitable to your account, or it’s possible that the security’s value may decline
sharply before our firm make a decision to sell.
Mutual Funds: A mutual fund is a company that pools money from many investors and invests the
money in a variety of differing security types based the objectives of the fund. The portfolio of the
fund consists of the combined holdings it owns. Each share represents an investor’s proportionate
ownership of the fund’s holdings and the income those holdings generate. The price that investors
pay for mutual fund shares is the fund’s per share net asset value (“NAV”) plus any shareholder fees
that the fund imposes at the time of purchase (such as sales loads). Investors typically cannot
ascertain the exact make-up of a fund’s portfolio at any given time, nor can they directly influence
which securities the fund manager buys and sells or the timing of those trades. With an individual
stock, investors can obtain real-time (or close to real-time) pricing information with relative ease by
checking financial websites or by calling a broker or your investment adviser. Investors can also
monitor how a stock’s price changes from hour to hour—or even second to second. By contrast, with
a mutual fund, the price at which an investor purchases or redeems shares will typically depend on
the fund’s NAV, which is calculated daily after market close.
The benefits of investing through mutual funds include: (a) Mutual funds are professionally managed
by an investment adviser who researches, selects, and monitors the performance of the securities
purchased by the fund; (b) Mutual funds typically have the benefit of diversification, which is an
investing strategy that generally sums up as “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” Spreading
investments across a wide range of companies and industry sectors can help lower the risk if a
company or sector fails. Some investors find it easier to achieve diversification through ownership of
mutual funds rather than through ownership of individual stocks or bonds.; (c) Some mutual funds
accommodate investors who do not have a lot of money to invest by setting relatively low dollar
amounts for initial purchases, subsequent monthly purchases, or both.; and (d) At any time, mutual
fund investors can readily redeem their shares at the current NAV, less any fees and charges assessed
on redemption.
Mutual funds also have features that some investors might view as disadvantages: (a) Investors must
pay sales charges, annual fees, and other expenses regardless of how the fund performs. Depending
on the timing of their investment, investors may also have to pay taxes on any capital gains
distribution they receive. This includes instances where the fund went on to perform poorly after
purchasing shares.; (b) Investors typically cannot ascertain the exact make-up of a fund’s portfolio at
any given time, nor can they directly influence which securities the fund manager buys and sells or
the timing of those trades.; and (c) With an individual stock, investors can obtain real-time (or close
to real-time) pricing information with relative ease by checking financial websites or by calling a
broker or your investment adviser. Investors can also monitor how a stock’s price changes from hour
to hour—or even second to second. By contrast, with a mutual fund, the price at which an investor
purchases or redeems shares will typically depend on the fund’s NAV, which the fund might not
calculate until many hours after the investor placed the order. In general, mutual funds must calculate
their NAV at least once every business day, typically after the major U.S. exchanges close.
When investors buy and hold an individual stock or bond, the investor must pay income tax each year
on the dividends or interest the investor receives. However, the investor will not have to pay any
capital gains tax until the investor actually sells and makes a profit. Mutual funds are different. When
an investor buys and holds mutual fund shares, the investor will owe income tax on any ordinary
dividends in the year the investor receives or reinvests them. Moreover, in addition to owing taxes
on any personal capital gains when the investor sells shares, the investor may have to pay taxes each
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
year on the fund’s capital gains. That is because the law requires mutual funds to distribute capital
gains to shareholders if they sell securities for a profit, and cannot use losses to offset these gains.
Options: An option is a financial derivative that represents a contract sold by one party (the option
writer) to another party (the option holder, or option buyer). The contract offers the buyer the right,
but not the obligation, to buy or sell a security or other financial asset at an agreed-upon price (the
strike price) during a certain period of time or on a specific date (exercise date). Options are
extremely versatile securities. Traders use options to speculate, which is a relatively risky practice,
while hedgers use options to reduce the risk of holding an asset. In terms of speculation, option
buyers and writers have conflicting views regarding the outlook on the performance of a:
• Call Option: Call options give the option to buy at certain price, so the buyer would want the
stock to go up. Conversely, the option writer needs to provide the underlying shares in the
event that the stock's market price exceeds the strike due to the contractual obligation. An
option writer who sells a call option believes that the underlying stock's price will drop
relative to the option's strike price during the life of the option, as that is how he will reap
maximum profit. This is exactly the opposite outlook of the option buyer. The buyer believes
that the underlying stock will rise; if this happens, the buyer will be able to acquire the stock
for a lower price and then sell it for a profit. However, if the underlying stock does not close
above the strike price on the expiration date, the option buyer would lose the premium paid
for the call option.
Short-Term Purchases: When utilizing this strategy, our firm may also purchase securities with the
idea of selling them within a relatively short time (typically a year or less). Our firm do this in an
attempt to take advantage of conditions that our firm believe will soon result in a price swing in the
securities our firm purchase. The potential risk associated with this investment strategy is associated
with the currency or exchange rate. Currency or exchange rate risk is a form of risk that arises from
the change in price of one currency against another. The constant fluctuations in the foreign currency
in which an investment is denominated vis-à-vis one's home currency may add risk to the value of a
security. Currency risk is greater for shorter term investments, which do not have time to level off
like longer term foreign investments.
Trading: Our firm purchase securities with the idea of selling them very quickly (typically within 30
days or less). Our firm do this in an attempt to take advantage of our predictions of brief price swings.
Trading involves risk that may not be suitable for every investor, and may involve a high volume of
trading activity. Each trade generates a commission and the total daily commission on such a high
volume of trading can be considerable. Active trading accounts should be considered speculative in
nature with the objective being to generate short-term profits. This activity may result in the loss of
more than 100% of an investment.
Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves risk of loss that clients should be prepared to bear. While the stock
market may increase and the account(s) could enjoy a gain, it is also possible that the stock market
may decrease and the account(s) could suffer a loss. It is important that clients understand the risks
associated with investing in the stock market, are appropriately diversified in investments, and ask
any questions.
Covered Calls: The risks associated with this type of strategy involve having the underlying stock
called away. Each contract has a strike price at which the writer of the contract agrees to allow the
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
purchaser call the stock away from the writer. This can create a taxable event whereby the writer of
the option is required to recognize a capital gain on the underlying security. Furthermore, the market
price could appreciate beyond the strike price, forcing the writer to sell their holdings below current
market value.
Capital Risk: Capital risk is one of the most basic, fundamental risks of investing; it is the risk that
you may lose 100% of your money. All investments carry some form of risk and the loss of capital is
generally a risk for any investment instrument.
Currency Risk: Fluctuations in the value of the currency in which your investment is denominated
may affect the value of your investment and thus, your investment may be worth more or less in the
future. All currency is subject to swings in valuation and thus, regardless of the currency
denomination of any particular investment you own, currency risk is a realistic risk measure. That
said, currency risk is generally a much larger factor for investment instruments denominated in
currencies other than the most widely used currencies (U.S. dollar, British pound, German mark,
Euro, Japanese yen, French franc, etc.).
Economic Risk: The prevailing economic environment is important to the health of all businesses.
Some companies, however, are more sensitive to changes in the domestic or global economy than
others. These types of companies are often referred to as cyclical businesses. Countries in which a
large portion of businesses are in cyclical industries are thus also very economically sensitive and
carry a higher amount of economic risk. If an investment is issued by a party located in a country that
experiences wide swings from an economic standpoint or in situations where certain elements of an
investment instrument are hinged on dealings in such countries, the investment instrument will
generally be subject to a higher level of economic risk.
Financial Risk: Financial risk is represented by internal disruptions within an investment or the
issuer of an investment that can lead to unfavorable performance of the investment. Examples of
financial risk can be found in cases like Enron or many of the dot com companies that were caught
up in a period of extraordinary market valuations that were not based on solid financial footings of
the companies.
Fixed Income Securities Risk: Typically, the values of fixed-income securities change inversely with
prevailing interest rates. Therefore, a fundamental risk of fixed-income securities is interest rate risk,
which is the risk that their value will generally decline as prevailing interest rates rise, which may
cause your account value to likewise decrease, and vice versa. How specific fixed income securities
may react to changes in interest rates will depend on the specific characteristics of each security.
Fixed-income securities are also subject to credit risk, prepayment risk, valuation risk, and liquidity
risk. Credit risk is the chance that a bond issuer will fail to pay interest and principal in a timely
manner, or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such payments will cause the
price of a bond to decline.
Inflation Risk: Inflation risk involves the concern that in the future, your investment or proceeds
from your investment will not be worth what they are today. Throughout time, the prices of resources
and end-user products generally increase and thus, the same general goods and products today will
likely be more expensive in the future. The longer an investment is held, the greater the chance that
the proceeds from that investment will be worth less in the future than what they are today. Said
another way, a dollar tomorrow will likely get you less than what it can today.
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Interest Rate Risk: Certain investments involve the payment of a fixed or variable rate of interest to
the investment holder. Once an investor has acquired or has acquired the rights to an investment that
pays a particular rate (fixed or variable) of interest, changes in overall interest rates in the market
will affect the value of the interest-paying investment(s) they hold. In general, changes in prevailing
interest rates in the market will have an inverse relationship to the value of existing, interest paying
investments. In other words, as interest rates move up, the value of an instrument paying a particular
rate (fixed or variable) of interest will go down. The reverse is generally true as well.
Legal/Regulatory Risk: Certain investments or the issuers of investments may be affected by
changes in state or federal laws or in the prevailing regulatory framework under which the
investment instrument or its issuer is regulated. Changes in the regulatory environment or tax laws
can affect the performance of certain investments or issuers of those investments and thus, can have
a negative impact on the overall performance of such investments.
Liquidity Risk: Certain assets may not be readily converted into cash or may have a very limited
market in which they trade. Thus, you may experience the risk that your investment or assets within
your investment may not be able to be liquidated quickly, thus, extending the period of time by which
you may receive the proceeds from your investment. Liquidity risk can also result in unfavorable
pricing when exiting (i.e. not being able to quickly get out of an investment before the price drops
significantly) a particular investment and therefore, can have a negative impact on investment
returns.
Manager Risk: There is always the possibility that poor security selection will cause your
investments to underperform relative to benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment
objective.
Market Risk: The value of your portfolio may decrease if the value of an individual company or
multiple companies in the portfolio decreases or if our belief about a company’s intrinsic worth is
incorrect. Further, regardless of how well individual companies perform, the value of your portfolio
could also decrease if there are deteriorating economic or market conditions. It is important to
understand that the value of your investment may fall, sometimes sharply, in response to changes in
the market, and you could lose money. Investment risks include price risk as may be observed by a
drop in a security’s price due to company specific events (e.g. earnings disappointment or downgrade
in the rating of a bond) or general market risk (e.g. such as a “bear” market when stock values fall in
general). For fixed-income securities, a period of rising interest rates could erode the value of a bond
since bond values generally fall as bond yields go up. Past performance is not a guarantee of future
returns.
Market Timing Risk: Market timing can include high risk of loss since it looks at an aggregate market
versus a specific security. Timing risk explains the potential for missing out on beneficial movements
in price due to an error in timing. This could cause harm to the value of an investor's portfolio because
of purchasing too high or selling too low.
Past Performance: Charting and technical analysis are often used interchangeably. Technical
analysis generally attempts to forecast an investment’s future potential by analyzing its past
performance and other related statistics. In particular, technical analysis often times involves an
evaluation of historical pricing and volume of a particular security for the purpose of forecasting
where future price and volume figures may go. As with any investment analysis method, technical
analysis runs the risk of not knowing the future and thus, investors should realize that even the most
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
diligent and thorough technical analysis cannot predict or guarantee the future performance of any
particular investment instrument or issuer thereof.
Description of Material, Significant or Unusual Risks
Our firm generally invests client cash balances in money market funds, FDIC Insured Certificates of
Deposit, high-grade commercial paper and/or government backed debt instruments. Ultimately, our
firm tries to achieve the highest return on client cash balances through relatively low-risk
conservative investments. In most cases, at least a partial cash balance will be maintained in a money
market account so that our firm may debit advisory fees for our services related to our Portfolio
Management services, as applicable.
Item 9: Disciplinary Information
There are no legal or disciplinary events that are material to the evaluation of our advisory business
or the integrity of our management.
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations
Representatives of our firm are licensed insurance agents. As a result of these transactions, they
receive commissions. A conflict of interest exists as these sales create an incentive to recommend
products based on the compensation earned. To mitigate this potential conflict, our firm will act in
the client’s best interest.
Mr. Schaffner provides tax preparation services as an outside business activity. These services are
independent of our firm’s advisory services and will be governed under a separate engagement.
Clients have the option of engaging Mr. Schaffner for tax preparation services, however, they are
under no obligation to do so.
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in
Client Transactions & Personal Trading
As a fiduciary, it is an investment adviser’s responsibility to provide fair and full disclosure of all material
facts and to act solely in the best interest of each of our clients at all times. Our fiduciary duty is the
underlying principle for our firm’s Code of Ethics, which includes procedures for personal securities
transaction and insider trading. Our firm requires all representatives to conduct business with the
highest level of ethical standards and to comply with all federal and state securities laws at all times.
Upon employment with our firm, and at least annually thereafter, all representatives of our firm will
acknowledge receipt, understanding and compliance with our firm’s Code of Ethics. Our firm and
representatives must conduct business in an honest, ethical, and fair manner and avoid all circumstances
that might negatively affect or appear to affect our duty of complete loyalty to all clients. This disclosure
is provided to give all clients a summary of our Code of Ethics. If a client or a potential client wishes to
review our Code of Ethics in its entirety, a copy will be provided promptly upon request.
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
Our firm recognizes that the personal investment transactions of our representatives demands the
application of a Code of Ethics with high standards and requires that all such transactions be carried out
in a way that does not endanger the interest of any client. At the same time, our firm also believes that if
investment goals are similar for clients and for our representatives, it is logical, and even desirable, that
there be common ownership of some securities.
In order to prevent conflicts of interest, our firm has established procedures for transactions effected by
our representatives for their personal accounts1. In order to monitor compliance with our personal
trading policy, our firm has pre-clearance requirements and a quarterly securities transaction reporting
system for all of our representatives.
Neither our firm nor a related person recommends, buys or sells for client accounts, securities in
which our firm or a related person has a material financial interest without prior disclosure to the
client.
Related persons of our firm may buy or sell securities and other investments that are also
recommended to clients. In order to minimize this conflict of interest, our related persons will place
client interests ahead of their own interests and adhere to our firm’s Code of Ethics, a copy of which
is available upon request.
Likewise, related persons of our firm buy or sell securities for themselves at or about the same time they
buy or sell the same securities for client accounts. In order to minimize this conflict of interest, our
related persons will place client interests ahead of their own interests and adhere to our firm’s Code of
Ethics, a copy of which is available upon request. Further, our related persons will refrain from buying
or selling the same securities prior to buying or selling for our clients in the same day unless included in
a block trade.
Item 12: Brokerage Practices
Selecting a Brokerage Firm
Our firm does not maintain custody of client assets. Client assets must be maintained by a qualified
custodian. Our firm seeks to recommend a custodian who will hold client assets and execute
transactions on terms that are overall most advantageous when compared to other available
providers and their services. The factors considered, among others, are these:
• Timeliness of execution
• Timeliness and accuracy of trade confirmations
• Research services provided
• Ability to provide investment ideas
• Execution facilitation services provided
• Record keeping services provided
• Custody services provided
• Frequency and correction of trading errors
1 For purposes of the policy, our associate’s personal account generally includes any account (a) in the name of our associate, his/her spouse,
his/her minor children or other dependents residing in the same household, (b) for which our associate is a trustee or executor, or (c) which our
associate controls, including our client accounts which our associate controls and/or a member of his/her household has a direct or indirect
beneficial interest in.
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
• Ability to access a variety of market venues
• Expertise as it relates to specific securities
• Financial condition
• Business reputation
• Quality of services
Our firm does not maintain custody of client assets (although our firm may be deemed to have
custody of client assets if give the authority to withdraw assets from client accounts (see Item 15
Custody, below). Client assets must be maintained in an account at a “qualified custodian,” generally
a broker-dealer or bank. Our firm recommends that clients use Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”),
a FINRA-registered broker-dealer, member SIPC, as the qualified custodian. Our firm is
independently owned and operated, and not affiliated with Schwab. Schwab will hold client assets in
a brokerage account and buy and sell securities when instructed. While our firm recommends that
clients use Schwab as custodian/broker, clients will decide whether to do so and open an account
with Schwab by entering into an account agreement directly with them. Our firm does not open the
account. Even though the account is maintained at Schwab, our firm can still use other brokers to
execute trades, as described in the next paragraph.
How Brokers/Custodians Are Selected
Our firm seeks to recommend a custodian/broker who will hold client assets and execute
transactions on terms that are overall most advantageous when compared to other available
providers and their services. A wide range of factors are considered, including, but not limited to:
•
•
•
combination of transaction execution services along with asset custody services (generally
without a separate fee for custody)
capability to execute, clear and settle trades (buy and sell securities for client accounts)
capabilities to facilitate transfers and payments to and from accounts (wire transfers, check
requests, bill payment, etc.)
• breadth of investment products made available (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange
traded funds (ETFs), etc.)
• availability of investment research and tools that assist 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 them
reputation, financial strength and stability of the provider
•
• prior service to our firm and our other clients
• availability of other products and services that benefit our firm, as discussed below (see
“Products & Services Available from Schwab”)
Custody & Brokerage Costs
Schwab generally does not charge a separate for custody services, but is compensated by charging
commissions or other fees to clients on trades that are executed or that settle into the Schwab
account. For some accounts, Schwab may charge your account a percentage of the dollar amount of
assets in the account in lieu of commissions. Schwab’s commission rates and/or asset-based fees
applicable to client accounts were negotiated based on our firm’s commitment to maintain a
minimum threshold of assets statement equity in accounts at Schwab. It’s important to note that
Schwab will waive its asset-based pricing on Domestic Stocks and Exchange Traded Funds. This
commitment benefits clients because the overall commission rates and/or asset-based fees paid are
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
lower than they would be if our firm had not made the commitment. In addition to commissions or
asset-based fees Schwab charges a flat dollar amount as a “prime broker” or “trade away” fee for each
trade that our firm has executed by a different broker-dealer but where the securities bought or the
funds from the securities sold are deposited (settled) into a Schwab account. These fees are in
addition to the commissions or other compensation paid to the executing broker-dealer. Because of
this, in order to minimize client trading costs, our firm has Schwab execute most trades for the
accounts.
Products & Services Available from Schwab
Schwab Advisor Services (formerly called Schwab Institutional) is Schwab’s business serving
independent investment advisory firms like our firm. They provide our firm and clients with access
to its institutional brokerage – trading, custody, reporting and related services – many of which are
not typically available to Schwab retail customers. Schwab also makes available various support
services. Some of those services help manage or administer our client accounts while others help
manage and grow our business. Schwab’s support services are generally available on an unsolicited
basis (our firm does not have to request them) and at no charge as long as out firm keeps a total of at
least $10 million of client assets in accounts at Schwab. If out firm has less than $10 million in client
assets at Schwab, our firm may be charged quarterly service fees. Here is a more detailed description
of Schwab’s support services:
Services that Benefit Clients
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 out firm might not otherwise have access or that would
require a significantly higher minimum initial investment by firm clients. Schwab’s services
described in this paragraph generally benefit clients and their accounts.
In certain instances Schwab has agreed to reimburse clients ACAT transfer fees, this benefits the
clients as this reduces the impact from transferring their assets for custody at Schwab. Our firm does
not receive a portion of this reimbursement.
Services that May Not Directly Benefit Clients
Schwab also makes available other products and services that benefit our firm but may not directly
benefit clients or their accounts. These products and services assist in managing and administering
our client accounts. They include investment research, both Schwab’s and that of third parties. This
research may be used to service all or some substantial number of client accounts, including accounts
not maintained at Schwab. In addition to investment research, Schwab also makes available software
and other technology that:
• provides access to client account data (such as duplicate trade confirmations and account
statements);
facilitates trade execution and allocate aggregated trade orders for multiple client accounts;
facilitates payment of our fees from our clients’ accounts; and
•
• provides pricing and other market data;
•
• assists with back-office functions, recordkeeping and client reporting.
Services that Generally Benefit Only Our Firm
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Schwab also offers other services intended to help manage and further develop our business
enterprise. These services include:
technology, compliance, legal, and business consulting;
• educational conferences and events
•
• publications and conferences on practice management and business succession; and
• access to employee benefits providers, human capital consultants and insurance providers.
Schwab may provide some of these services itself. In other cases, Schwab will arrange for third-party
vendors to provide the services to our firm. Schwab may also discount or waive fees for some of these
services or pay all or a part of a third party’s fees. Schwab may also provide our firm with other
benefits, such as occasional business entertainment for our personnel.
Irrespective of direct or indirect benefits to our client through Schwab, our firm strives to enhance
the client experience, help clients reach their goals and put client interests before that of our firm or
associated persons.
Our Interest in Schwab’s Services.
The availability of these services from Schwab benefits our firm because out firm does not have to
produce or purchase them. Our firm does not have to pay for Schwab’s services so long as a total of
at least $10 million of client assets in accounts are kept at Schwab. Beyond that, these services are
not contingent upon our firm committing any specific amount of business to Schwab in trading
commissions or assets in custody. The $10 million minimum may serve as an incentive to recommend
that clients maintain their account with Schwab based on our interest in receiving Schwab’s services
that benefit our business rather than based on the client’s interest in receiving the best value in
custody services and the most favorable execution of transactions. This is a potential conflict of
interest. Our firm believes, however, that the selection of Schwab as custodian and broker is in the
best interests of our clients. It is primarily supported by the scope, quality and price of Schwab’s
services (based on the factors discussed above – see “How Brokers/Custodians Are Selected”) and not
Schwab’s services that benefit only our firm.
Aggregation of Purchase or Sale
Our firm provides investment management services for various clients. There are occasions on which
portfolio transactions may be executed as part of concurrent authorizations to purchase or sell the same
security for numerous accounts served by our firm, which involve accounts with similar investment
objectives. Although such concurrent authorizations potentially could be either advantageous or
disadvantageous to any one or more particular accounts, they are affected only when our firm believes
that to do so will be in the best interest of the effected accounts. When such concurrent authorizations
occur, the objective is to allocate the executions in a manner which is deemed equitable to the accounts
involved. In any given situation, our firm attempts to allocate trade executions in the most equitable
manner possible, taking into consideration client objectives, current asset allocation and availability of
funds using price averaging, proration and consistently non-arbitrary methods of allocation.
Directed Brokerage
Neither our firm nor any of our firm’s representatives have discretionary authority in making the
determination of the brokers-dealers and/or custodians with whom orders for the purchase or sale
of securities are placed for execution, and the commission rates at which such securities transactions
are effected. Our firm routinely recommends that clients direct us to execute through a specified
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broker-dealer. Our firm recommends the use of Schwab. Each client will be required to establish their
account(s) with Schwab if not already done. Please note that not all advisers have this requirement.
Special Considerations for ERISA Clients
A retirement or ERISA plan client may direct all or part of portfolio transactions for its account
through a specific broker or dealer in order to obtain goods or services on behalf of the plan. Such
direction is permitted provided that the goods and services provided are reasonable expenses of the
plan incurred in the ordinary course of its business for which it otherwise would be obligated and
empowered to pay. ERISA prohibits directed brokerage arrangements when the goods or services
purchased are not for the exclusive benefit of the plan. Consequently, our firm will request that plan
sponsors who direct plan brokerage provide us with a letter documenting that this arrangement will
be for the exclusive benefit of the plan.
Item 13: Review of Accounts or Financial Plans
Our firm’s IARs review accounts on an annual basis for our Asset Management and Comprehensive
Portfolio Management clients. The nature of these reviews is to learn whether client accounts are in
line with their investment objectives, appropriately positioned based on market conditions, and
investment policies, if applicable. Our firm does not provide written reports to clients, unless asked
to do so. Verbal reports to clients take place on at least an annual basis when our Comprehensive
Portfolio Management clients are contacted. Our firm may review client accounts more frequently
than described above. Among the factors which may trigger an off-cycle review are major market or
economic events, the client’s life events, requests by the client, etc.
Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Our firm receives economic benefit from Schwab in the form of the support products and services
made available to our firm and other independent investment advisors that have their clients
maintain accounts at Schwab. These products and services, how they benefit out firm, and the related
conflicts of interest are described above (see Item 12 – Brokerage Practices). The availability of
Schwab’s products and services is not based on our firm giving particular investment advice, such as
buying particular securities for our clients.
Referral Fees
In accordance with Rule 206 (4)-1 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, our firm does not provide
cash or non-cash compensation directly or indirectly to unaffiliated persons for testimonials or
endorsements (which include client referrals).
Item 15: Custody
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
While our firm does not maintain physical custody of client assets (which are maintained by a
qualified custodian, as discussed above), we are deemed to have custody of certain client assets if
given the authority to withdraw assets from client accounts, as further described below under “Third
Party Money Movement.” All our clients receive account statements directly from their qualified
custodian(s) at least quarterly upon opening of an account. We urge our clients to carefully review
these statements. Additionally, if our firm decides to send its own account statements to clients, such
statements will include a legend that recommends the client compare the account statements
received from the qualified custodian with those received from our firm. Clients are encouraged to
raise any questions with us about the custody, safety or security of their assets and our custodial
recommendations.
On February 21, 2017, the SEC issued a no‐action letter (“Letter”) with respect to Rule 206(4)‐2
(“Custody Rule”) under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”). The letter provided
guidance on the Custody Rule as well as clarified that an adviser who has the power to disburse client
funds to a third party under a standing letter of instruction (“SLOA”) is deemed to have custody. As
such, our firm has adopted the following safeguards in conjunction with our custodian:
• The client provides an instruction to the qualified custodian, in writing, that includes the
client’s signature, the third party’s name, and either the third party’s address or the third
party’s account number at a custodian to which the transfer should be directed.
• The client authorizes the investment adviser, in writing, either on the qualified custodian’s
form or separately, to direct transfers to the third party either on a specified schedule or from
time to time.
• The client’s qualified custodian performs appropriate verification of the instruction, such as
a signature review or other method to verify the client’s authorization, and provides a
transfer of funds notice to the client promptly after each transfer.
• The client has the ability to terminate or change the instruction to the client’s qualified
custodian.
• The investment adviser has no authority or ability to designate or change the identity of the
third party, the address, or any other information about the third party contained in the
client’s instruction.
• The investment adviser maintains records showing that the third party is not a related party
of the investment adviser or located at the same address as the investment adviser.
• The client’s qualified custodian sends the client, in writing, an initial notice confirming the
instruction and an annual notice reconfirming the instruction.
Clients are encouraged to raise any questions with us about the custody, safety or security of their
assets and our custodial recommendations.
Item 16: Investment Discretion
Clients have the option of providing our firm with investment discretion on their behalf, pursuant to
an executed investment advisory client agreement. By granting investment discretion, our firm is
authorized to execute securities transactions, determine which securities are bought and sold, and
the total amount to be bought and sold. Limitations may be imposed by the client in the form of
specific constraints on any of these areas of discretion with our firm’s written acknowledgement.
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC
Item 17: Voting Client Securities
Our firm does not accept the proxy authority to vote client securities. Clients will receive proxies or
other solicitations directly from their custodian or a transfer agent. In the event that proxies are sent
to our firm, our firm will forward them to the appropriate client and ask the party who sent them to
mail them directly to the client in the future. Clients may call, write or email us to discuss questions
they may have about particular proxy votes or other solicitations.
Item 18: Financial Information
Our firm is not required to provide financial information in this Brochure because:
• Our firm does not require the prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees when services cannot
be rendered within 6 months.
• Our firm does not take custody of client funds or securities.
• Our firm does not have a financial condition or commitment that impairs our ability to meet
contractual and fiduciary obligations to clients.
Our firm has never been the subject of a bankruptcy proceeding.
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Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC