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KEYSTONE FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
6849 PEACHTREE DUNWOODY ROAD
BUILDING A1
ATLANTA, GA 30328
Tel (770) 698-9816
Fax (770) 698-9503
WWW.KEYSTONEFG.COM
July 22, 2025
FORM ADV PART 2
BROCHURE
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Keystone
Financial Group, Inc. If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us
at (770) 698-9816. 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 Keystone Financial Group, Inc. is available on the SEC's website at
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. The searchable IARD/CRD number for Keystone Financial Group, Inc. is
129301.
Keystone Financial Group, Inc. is a registered investment adviser. Registration with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission or any state securities authority does not imply a certain level of
skill or training.
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Item 2 Summary of Material Changes
Form ADV Part 2 requires registered investment advisers to amend their brochure when information
becomes materially inaccurate. If there are any material changes to an adviser's disclosure brochure,
the adviser is required to notify you and provide you with a description of the material changes.
Since our last annual updating amendment dated February 4, 2025, we have the following material
change to report on our Form ADV:
• Our firm's business address (specifically only the building number) has changed to 6849
Peachtree Dunwoody Road, Building A1, Atlanta, GA 30328 effective July 21, 2025.
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Item 3 Table Of Contents
Item 1 Cover Page
Item 2 Summary of Material Changes
Item 3 Table Of Contents
Item 4 Advisory Business
Item 5 Fees and Compensation
Item 6 Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
Item 7 Types of Clients
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Item 9 Disciplinary Information
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading
Item 12 Brokerage Practices
Item 13 Review of Accounts
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation
Item 15 Custody
Item 16 Investment Discretion
Item 17 Voting Client Securities
Item 18 Financial Information
Item 19 Requirements for State Registered Investment Advisers
Item 20 Additional Information
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Item 4 Advisory Business
Description of Firm
Keystone Financial Group, Inc. is a registered investment adviser based in Atlanta, Georgia. We are
organized as a corporation under the laws of the State of Georgia. We have been providing investment
advisory services since July 1999. We are owned by Rhonda Gilbert, Thomas Savage, Gary Fortier,
Andrew Gilbert, and Ryan McCafferty.
The following paragraphs describe our services and fees. Refer to the description of each investment
advisory service listed below for information on how we tailor our advisory services to your individual
needs. As used in this brochure, the words "we," "our," and "us" refer to Keystone Financial Group,
Inc. and the words "you," "your," and "client" refer to you as either a client or prospective client of our
firm.
Portfolio Management Services
We offer discretionary portfolio management services. Our investment advice is tailored to meet our
clients' needs and investment objectives. If you participate in our discretionary portfolio management
services, we require you to grant our firm discretionary authority to manage your account.
Discretionary authorization will allow us to determine the specific securities, and the amount of
securities, to be purchased or sold for your account without your approval prior to each transaction.
Discretionary authority is typically granted by the investment advisory agreement you sign with our firm
and the appropriate trading authorization forms.
You may limit our discretionary authority (for example, limiting the types of securities that can be
purchased or sold for your account) by providing our firm with your restrictions and guidelines in
writing.
We also offer non-discretionary portfolio management services. If you enter into non-discretionary
arrangements with our firm, we must obtain your approval prior to executing any transactions on behalf
of your account. You have an unrestricted right to decline to implement any advice provided by our firm
on a non-discretionary basis.
As part of our portfolio management services, in addition to other types of investments (see
disclosures below in this section), we may invest your assets according to one or more
model portfolios developed by our firm. These models are designed for investors with varying degrees
of risk tolerance ranging from a more aggressive investment strategy to a more conservative
investment approach. Clients whose assets are invested in model portfolios may not set restrictions on
the specific holdings or allocations within the model, nor the types of securities that can be purchased
in the model. Nonetheless, clients may impose restrictions on investing in certain securities or types of
securities in their account. In such cases, this may prevent a client from investing in certain models
that are managed by our firm.
We offer comprehensive financial planning services at no additional cost for clients who utilize our
portfolio management services.
Financial Planning and Consulting Services
Keystone Financial Group offers financial planning and consulting services which typically involve providing
a variety of advisory services to clients regarding the management of their financial resources based upon
an analysis of their individual needs on an ongoing or periodic basis. These services typically involve a
variety of advisory services regarding the management of the client's financial resources based upon an
analysis of their individual needs and includes but is not limited to: asset allocation, financial planning, trust
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and estate planning, tax planning, retirement planning, philanthropic planning, income/cash flow analysis,
budget analysis, 401k plan review, business owner services, and insurance and risk management.
If you retain our firm for financial planning and consulting services, we will meet with you to gather
information about your financial circumstances and objectives. As required, we will conduct follow-up
interviews for the purpose of reviewing and/or collecting additional financial data. Once such information
has been reviewed and analyzed, we will provide you with our financial planning recommendations
designed to help you achieve your stated financial goals and objectives.
Financial planning recommendations are based on your financial situation at the time we provide our
recommendations, and on the financial information you provide to our firm. You have the right to
accept or reject our financial planning recommendations, and you may choose any firm to assist you
with implementing our recommendations. While we endeavor at all times to offer our clients specialized
services at reasonable costs, the fees charged by other advisers for comparable services may be
lower than the fees charged by our firm.
Pension Consulting Services
We offer pension consulting services to employee benefit plans and their fiduciaries based upon the
needs of the plan and the services requested by the plan sponsor or named fiduciary. In general, these
services may include an existing plan review and analysis, plan-level advice regarding fund selection
and investment options, education services to plan participants, participant enrollment meetings,
assistance in developing an investment policy statement for the plan, investment performance
monitoring, and/or ongoing consulting. The specific services to be performed will be included in a
written services agreement. The provided pension consulting services are non-discretionary and
advisory in nature. The ultimate decision to act on behalf of the plan shall remain with the plan sponsor
or other named fiduciary.
Our educational seminars may include other investment-related topics specific to the particular plan.
We may also provide additional types of pension consulting services to plans on an individually
negotiated basis. All services, whether discussed above or customized for the plan based upon
requirements from the plan fiduciaries (which may include additional plan-level or participant-level
services) shall be detailed in a written agreement and be consistent with the parameters set forth in the
plan documents.
Either party to the pension consulting agreement may terminate the agreement upon written notice to
the other party in accordance with the terms of the agreement for services. The pension consulting
fees will be prorated for the quarter in which the termination notice is given and any unearned fees will
be refunded to the client.
Wrap Fee Program
We do not participate in or sponsor a wrap fee program.
Types of Investments
We primarily offer advice on exchange traded funds ("ETFs") and mutual funds. Additionally, we will
advise you on various types of investments based on your stated goals and objectives. We will also
provide advice on any type of investment held in your portfolio at the inception of our advisory
relationship. Refer to the Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss below for
additional disclosures on this topic.
Since our investment strategies and advice are based on each client's specific financial situation, the
investment advice we provide to you may be different or conflicting with the advice we give to other
clients regarding the same security or investment.
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IRA Rollover Recommendations
Effective December 20, 2021 (or such later date as the US Department of Labor ("DOL") Field
Assistance Bulletin 2018-02 ceases to be in effect), for purposes of complying with the DOL's
Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2020-02 ("PTE 2020-02") where applicable, we are providing the
following acknowledgment to you.
When we provide investment advice to you regarding your retirement plan account or individual
retirement account, we are fiduciaries within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable, which are laws governing retirement
accounts. The way we make money creates some conflicts with your interests, so we operate under a
special rule that requires us to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. Under
this special rule's provisions, we must:
• Meet a professional standard of care when making investment recommendations (give prudent
advice);
• Never put our financial interests ahead of yours when making recommendations (give loyal
advice);
• Avoid misleading statements about conflicts of interest, fees, and investments;
• Follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that we give advice that is in your best
interest;
• Charge no more than is reasonable for our services; and
• Give you basic information about conflicts of interest.
We benefit financially from the rollover of your assets from a retirement account to an account that we
manage or provide investment advice, because the assets increase our assets under management
and, in turn, our advisory fees. As a fiduciary, we only recommend a rollover when we believe it is in
your best interest.
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2024, we provide continuous management services for $199,395,277 in client
assets on a discretionary basis, and $192,278 in client assets on a non-discretionary basis. We also
manage $56,922,387 in client assets on a non-continuous basis.
Item 5 Fees and Compensation
Portfolio Management Services
Our fee for portfolio management services is based on a percentage of the assets in your account and
generally range from 0.50% to1.50%. Our advisory fee is negotiable, depending on individual client
circumstances.
Our annual portfolio management fee is billed and payable quarterly in advance based on the value of
your account on the last day of the previous quarter. If the portfolio management agreement is
executed at any time other than the first day of a calendar quarter, our fees will apply on a pro rata
basis, which means that the advisory fee is payable in proportion to the number of days in the quarter
for which you are a client.
At our discretion, we may combine the account values of family members living in the same household
to determine the applicable advisory fee. For example, we may combine account values for you and
your minor children, joint accounts with your spouse, and other types of related accounts. Combining
account values may increase the asset total, which may result in your paying a reduced advisory fee.
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We will send you an invoice for the payment of our advisory fee, or we will deduct our fee directly from
your account through the qualified custodian holding your funds and securities. We will deduct our
advisory fee only when you have given our firm written authorization permitting the fees to be paid
directly from your account. Further, the qualified custodian will deliver an account statement to you at
least quarterly. These account statements will show all disbursements from your account. You should
review all statements for accuracy.
We encourage you to reconcile our invoices with the statement(s) you receive from the qualified
custodian. If you find any inconsistent information between our invoice and the statement(s) you
receive from the qualified custodian, call our main office number located on the cover page of this
brochure.
If you did not receive this brochure at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to signing the portfolio
management agreement you may terminate the agreement without penalty and receive a full refund
within five (5) business days of signing the agreement. You may terminate the portfolio management
agreement by providing written notice. You will incur a pro rata charge for services rendered prior to
the termination of the portfolio management agreement, which means you will incur advisory fees only
in proportion to the number of days in the quarter for which you are a client. If you have pre-paid
advisory fees that we have not yet earned, you will receive a prorated refund of those fees.
Financial Planning and Consulting Services
We offer financial planning and consulting services on both a fixed fee basis and an hourly fee
basis. Our fixed fees range between $1,500 and $7,500 and our hourly fee is $250. Our fees are
negotiable depending upon the scope and complexity of the services rendered.
Where the client is charged a fixed fee for services, the first half of the estimated fee is due in advance of
services rendered with the remaining balance is payable upon completion. Where the client is charged an
hourly rate, the fees are due upon the completion of the contracted services. We will provide you with an
estimate of the total time/cost at the start of the advisory relationship. In limited circumstances, the
cost/time could potentially exceed the initial estimate. In such cases, we will notify you and request that
you approve the additional fee. All terms of our engagement will be evidenced in the agreement that
you sign with our firm. Under no circumstances will we require prepayment of a fee in excess of
$1,200. for services not performed within six months of the advanced payment.
You may terminate the financial planning and/or consulting agreement upon thirty (30) days written notice to
our firm. You may terminate the Agreement within five (5) days of the date of acceptance without penalty to
the termination. After the five-day period, either party may terminate the financial planning agreement by
providing written notice to the other party. Upon termination, any prepaid fees will be pro-rated to the date of
termination and any unearned portion thereof will be refunded to you.
Pension Consulting Services
Our advisory fees for these customized services will be negotiated with the plan sponsor or named
fiduciary on a case-by-case basis.
If you did not receive this brochure at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to signing the pension consulting
agreement you may terminate the agreement without penalty and receive a full refund within five (5)
business days of signing the agreement. You may terminate the pension consulting
services agreement by providing written notice to our firm. You will incur a pro rata charge for services
rendered prior to the termination of the agreement, which means you will incur advisory fees only in
proportion to the number of days in the quarter for which you are a client. If you have pre-paid advisory
fees that we have not yet earned, you will receive a prorated refund of those fees.
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Additional Fees and Expenses
As part of our investment advisory services to you, we may invest, or recommend that you invest, in
mutual funds and exchange traded funds. The fees that you pay to our firm for investment advisory
services are separate and distinct from the fees and expenses charged by mutual funds or exchange
traded funds (described in each fund's prospectus) to their shareholders. These fees will generally
include a management fee and other fund expenses. You will also incur transaction charges and/or
brokerage fees when purchasing or selling securities. These charges and fees are typically imposed by
the broker-dealer or custodian through whom your account transactions are executed. We do not
share in any portion of the brokerage fees/transaction charges imposed by the broker-dealer or
custodian. To fully understand the total cost you will incur, you should review all the fees charged by
mutual funds, exchange traded funds, our firm, and others. For information on our brokerage practices,
refer to the Brokerage Practices section of this brochure.
Compensation for the Sale of Securities or Other Investment Products
Persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm are licensed as independent insurance
agents. These persons will earn commission-based compensation for selling insurance products,
including insurance products they sell to you. Insurance commissions earned by these persons are
separate and in addition to our advisory fees. This practice presents a conflict of interest because
persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm who are insurance agents have an incentive
to recommend insurance products to you for the purpose of generating commissions rather than solely
based on your needs. You are under no obligation, contractually or otherwise, to purchase insurance
products through any person affiliated with our firm.
Item 6 Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
We do not accept performance-based fees or participate in side-by-side management. Performance-
based fees are fees that are based on a share of a capital gains or capital appreciation of a client's
account. Side-by-side management refers to the practice of managing accounts that are charged
performance-based fees while at the same time managing accounts that are not charged performance-
based fees. Our fees are calculated as described in the Fees and Compensation section above, and
are not charged on the basis of a share of capital gains upon, or capital appreciation of, the funds in
your advisory account.
Item 7 Types of Clients
We offer investment advisory services to individuals, including high net worth individuals, pension and
profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities.
In general, we require a minimum of $250,000 to open and maintain an advisory account. At our
discretion, we may waive this minimum account size. For example, we may waive the minimum if you
appear to have significant potential for increasing your assets under our management. We may also
combine account values for you and your minor children, joint accounts with your spouse, and other
types of related accounts to meet the stated minimum.
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
We may use one or more of the following methods of analysis or investment strategies when providing
investment advice to you:
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Fundamental Analysis - involves analyzing individual companies and their industry groups, such as a
company's financial statements, details regarding the company's product line, the experience and
expertise of the company's management, and the outlook for the company and its industry. The
resulting data is used to measure the true value of the company's stock compared to the current
market value.
Risk- The risk of fundamental analysis is that information obtained may be incorrect and the
analysis may not provide an accurate estimate of earnings, which may be the basis for a stock's
value. If securities prices adjust rapidly to new information, utilizing fundamental analysis may not
result in favorable performance.
Technical Analysis - involves studying past price patterns and trends and interrelationships in the
financial markets to assess risk-adjusted performance and to predict the direction of both the overall
market and specific stocks.
Risk-The risk of market timing based on technical analysis is that our analysis may not accurately
detect anomalies or predict future price movements. Current prices of securities may reflect all
information known about the security and day-to-day changes in market prices of securities may
follow random patterns and may not be predictable with any reliable degree of accuracy.
Modern Portfolio Theory - a theory of investment which attempts to maximize portfolio expected return
for a given amount of portfolio risk, or equivalently minimize risk for a given level of expected return, by
carefully diversifying the proportions of various assets.
Risk- Market risk is that part of a security's risk that is common to all securities of the same
general class (stocks and bonds) and thus cannot be eliminated by diversification.
Long-Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that the value of those securities will
grow over a relatively long period of time, generally greater than one year.
Risk- Using a long-term purchase strategy generally assumes the financial markets will go up in
the long-term which may not be the case. There is also the risk that the segment of the market
that you are invested in or perhaps just your particular investment will go down over time even if
the overall financial markets advance. Purchasing investments long-term may create an
opportunity cost - "locking-up" assets that may be better utilized in the short-term in other
investments.
Short-Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that they will be sold within a
relatively short period of time, generally less than one year, to take advantage of the securities' short
term price fluctuations.
Risk - Using a short-term purchase strategy generally assumes that we can predict how financial
markets will perform in the short-term which may be very difficult and will incur a
disproportionately higher amount of transaction costs compared to long-term trading. There are
many factors that can affect financial market performance in the short-term (such as short-term
interest rate changes, cyclical earnings announcements, etc.) but may have a smaller impact over
longer periods of times.
Note: We may use short-term trading (in general, selling securities within 30 days of purchasing the
same securities) as an investment strategy when managing your account(s). Short-term trading is not
a fundamental part of our overall investment strategy, but we may use this strategy occasionally when
we determine that it is suitable given your stated investment objectives and tolerance for risk.
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Our investment strategies and advice may vary depending upon each client's specific financial
situation. As such, we determine investments and allocations based upon your predefined objectives,
risk tolerance, time horizon, financial information, liquidity needs, and other various suitability factors.
Your restrictions and guidelines may affect the composition of your portfolio. It is important that you
notify us immediately with respect to any material changes to your financial circumstances, including
for example, a change in your current or expected income level, tax circumstances, or employment
status.
Cash Management
In managing the cash maintained in your account, we utilize the cash vehicle (money market) made
available by the custodian. There may be other cash management options away from the custodian
available to you with higher yields or safer underlying investments. For example, we will also
utilize treasury bills and short-term certificates of deposit ("cd's) in managing cash maintained in your
account, if suitable.
Tax Considerations
Our strategies and investments may have unique and significant tax implications. However, unless we
specifically agree otherwise, and in writing, tax efficiency is not our primary consideration in the
management of your assets. Regardless of your account size or any other factors, we strongly
recommend that you consult with a tax professional regarding the investing of your assets.
Custodians and broker-dealers must report the cost basis of equities acquired in client accounts. Your
custodian will default to the First-In First-Out ("FIFO") accounting method for calculating the cost basis
of your investments. You are responsible for contacting your tax advisor to determine if this accounting
method is the right choice for you. If your tax advisor believes another accounting method is more
advantageous, provide written notice to our firm immediately and we will alert your account custodian
of your individually selected accounting method. Decisions about cost basis accounting methods will
need to be made before trades settle, as the cost basis method cannot be changed after settlement.
Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves risk of loss that you should be prepared to bear. We do not represent or
guarantee that our services or methods of analysis can or will predict future results, successfully
identify market tops or bottoms, or insulate clients from losses due to market corrections or declines.
We cannot offer any guarantees or promises that your financial goals and objectives will be met. Past
performance is in no way an indication of future performance.
Other Risk Considerations
When evaluating risk, financial loss may be viewed differently by each client and may depend on many
different risks, each of which may affect the probability and magnitude of any potential losses. The
following risks may not be all-inclusive but should be considered carefully by a prospective client
before retaining our services.
Liquidity Risk -The risk of being unable to sell your investment at a fair price at a given time due to high
volatility or lack of active liquid markets. You may receive a lower price, or it may not be possible to sell
the investment at all.
Credit Risk - Credit risk typically applies to debt investments such as corporate, municipal, and
sovereign fixed income or bonds. A bond issuing entity can experience a credit event that could impair
or erase the value of an issuer's securities held by a client.
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Inflation and Interest Rate Risk - Security prices and portfolio returns will likely vary in response to
changes in inflation and interest rates. Inflation causes the value of future dollars to be worth less and
may reduce the purchasing power of a client's future interest payments and principal. Inflation also
generally leads to higher interest rates which may cause the value of many types of fixed income
investments to decline.
Horizon and Longevity Risk- The risk that your investment horizon is shortened because of an
unforeseen event, for example, the loss of your job. This may force you to sell investments that you
were expecting to hold for the long term. If you must sell at a time that the markets are down, you may
lose money. Longevity Risk is the risk of outliving your savings. This risk is particularly relevant for
people who are retired or are nearing retirement.
Recommendation of Particular Types of Securities
We primarily recommend mutual funds and exchange traded funds ("ETFs"). However, we may advise
on other types of investments as appropriate for you since each client has different needs and different
tolerance for risk. Each type of security has its own unique set of risks associated with it and it would
not be possible to list here all of the specific risks of every type of investment. Even within the same
type of investment, risks can vary widely. However, in very general terms, the higher the anticipated
return of an investment, the higher the risk of loss associated with the investment.
Money Market Funds: A money market fund is technically a security. The fund managers attempt to
keep the share price constant at $1 per share. However, there is no guarantee that the share price will
stay at $1 per share. If the share price goes down, you can lose some or all of your principal. The U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") notes that "While investor losses in money market
funds have been rare, they are possible." In return for this risk, you should earn a greater return on
your cash than you would expect from a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") insured
savings account (money market funds are not FDIC insured). Next, money market fund rates are
variable. In other words, you do not know how much you will earn on your investment next month. The
rate could go up or go down. If it goes up, that may result in a positive outcome. However, if it goes
down and you earn less than you expected to earn, you may end up needing more cash. A final risk
you are taking with money market funds has to do with inflation. Because money market funds are
considered to be safer than other investments like stocks, long-term average returns on money market
funds tends to be less than long term average returns on riskier investments. Over long periods of
time, inflation can eat away at your returns.
Stocks: There are numerous ways of measuring the risk of equity securities (also known simply as
"equities" or "stock"). In very broad terms, the value of a stock depends on the financial health of the
company issuing it. However, stock prices can be affected by many other factors including, but not
limited to the class of stock (for example, preferred or common); the health of the market sector of the
issuing company; and, the overall health of the economy. In general, larger, better established
companies ("large cap") tend to be safer than smaller start-up companies ("small cap") are but the
mere size of an issuer is not, by itself, an indicator of the safety of the investment.
Bonds: Corporate debt securities (or "bonds") are typically safer investments than equity securities,
but their risk can also vary widely based on: the financial health of the issuer; the risk that the issuer
might default; when the bond is set to mature; and, whether or not the bond can be "called" prior to
maturity. When a bond is called, it may not be possible to replace it with a bond of equal character
paying the same rate of return.
Municipal Securities: Municipal securities, while generally thought of as safe, can have significant
risks associated with them including, but not limited to: the credit worthiness of the governmental entity
that issues the bond; the stability of the revenue stream that is used to pay the interest to the
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bondholders; when the bond is due to mature; and, whether or not the bond can be "called" prior to
maturity. When a bond is called, it may not be possible to replace it with a bond of equal character
paying the same amount of interest or yield to maturity.
Fixed Income Securities: Fixed income investments generally pay a return on a fixed schedule,
though the amount of the payments can vary. Fixed income securities are subject to the risk of the
issuer's or guarantor's inability to meet principal and interest payments on its obligations and to price
volatility. In addition, fixed income securities will be negatively impacted if the general level of market
interest rates increases. This type of investment can include corporate and government debt securities,
leveraged loans, high yield, and investment grade debt and structured products, such as mortgage and
other asset-backed securities, although individual bonds may be the best-known type of fixed income
security. Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk, liquidity risk, call risk, and credit and default
risks for both issuers and counterparties. The risk of default on treasury inflation protected/inflation
linked bonds is dependent upon the U.S. Treasury defaulting; however, they carry a potential risk of
losing share price value. Refer to " Inflation and Interest Rate Risk" section above for further
information.
Certificates of Deposit: Certificates of deposit ("CD") are generally a safe type of investment since
they are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Company ("FDIC") up to a certain amount.
However, because the returns are generally low, there is risk that inflation outpaces the return of the
CD. Certain CDs are traded in the market place and not purchased directly from a banking institution.
In addition to trading risk, when CDs are purchased at a premium, the premium is not covered by the
FDIC.
Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds: Mutual funds and exchange traded funds ("ETFs") are
professionally managed collective investment systems that pool money from many investors and invest
in stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments, other mutual funds, other securities or any
combination thereof. The fund will have a manager that trades the fund's investments in accordance
with the fund's investment objective. While mutual funds and ETFs generally provide diversification,
risks can be significantly increased if the fund is concentrated in a particular sector of the market,
primarily invests in small cap or speculative companies, uses leverage (i.e., borrows money) to a
significant degree, or concentrates in a particular type of security (i.e., equities) rather than balancing
the fund with different types of securities. ETFs differ from mutual funds since they can be bought and
sold throughout the day like stock and their price can fluctuate throughout the day. The returns on
mutual funds and ETFs can be reduced by the costs to manage the funds. Also, while some mutual
funds are "no load" and charge no fee to buy into, or sell out of, the fund, other types of mutual funds
do charge such fees which can also reduce returns. Mutual funds can also be "closed end" or "open
end". So-called "open end" mutual funds continue to allow in new investors indefinitely whereas
"closed end" funds have a fixed number of shares to sell which can limit their availability to new
investors.
ETFs may have tracking error risks. For example, the ETF investment adviser may not be able to
cause the ETF's performance to match that of its Underlying Index or other benchmark, which may
negatively affect the ETF's performance. In addition, for leveraged and inverse ETFs that seek to track
the performance of their Underlying Indices or benchmarks on a daily basis, mathematical
compounding may prevent the ETF from correlating with performance of its benchmark. In addition, an
ETF may not have investment exposure to all of the securities included in its Underlying Index, or its
weighting of investment exposure to such securities may vary from that of the Underlying Index. Some
ETFs may invest in securities or financial instruments that are not included in the Underlying Index, but
which are expected to yield similar performance.
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Item 9 Disciplinary Information
We are required to disclose the facts of any legal or disciplinary events that are material to a client's
evaluation of our advisory business or the integrity of our management. We do not have any required
disclosures under this item.
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Licensed Insurance Agency
Our firm is also licensed as an insurance agency. Therefore, persons providing investment advice on
behalf of our firm may be licensed as insurance agents. These persons will earn commission-based
compensation for selling insurance products, including insurance products they sell to you. Insurance
commissions earned by these persons are separate from our advisory fees. See the Fees and
Compensation section in this brochure for more information on the compensation received by
insurance agents who are affiliated with our firm.
Arrangements with Affiliated Entities
We are affiliated with Large & Gilbert, Inc. through common control and ownership. If you require
accounting services, we will recommend that you use the services of our affiliate. Our advisory
services are separate and distinct from the compensation paid to our affiliate for their services. This
affiliated firm is otherwise regulated by the professional organizations to which it belongs and must
comply with the rules of those organizations. These rules may prohibit paying or receiving referral fees
to or from investment advisers that are not members of the same organization.
Referral arrangements with an affiliated entity present a conflict of interest for us because we may
have a direct or indirect financial incentive to recommend an affiliated firm's services. While we believe
that compensation charged by an affiliated firm is competitive, such compensation may be higher than
fees charged by other firms providing the same or similar services. You are under no obligation to use
the services of any firm we recommend, whether affiliated or otherwise, and may obtain comparable
services and/or lower fees through other firms.
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and
Personal Trading
Description of Our Code of Ethics
We strive to comply with applicable laws and regulations governing our practices. Therefore, our Code
of Ethics includes guidelines for professional standards of conduct for persons associated with our
firm. Our goal is to protect your interests at all times and to demonstrate our commitment to our
fiduciary duties of honesty, good faith, and fair dealing with you. All persons associated with our firm
are expected to adhere strictly to these guidelines. Persons associated with our firm are also required
to report any violations of our Code of Ethics. Additionally, we maintain and enforce written policies
reasonably designed to prevent the misuse or dissemination of material, non-public information about
you or your account holdings by persons associated with our firm.
Clients or prospective clients may obtain a copy of our Code of Ethics by contacting us at the
telephone number on the cover page of this brochure.
Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
Neither our firm nor any persons associated with our firm has any material financial interest in client
transactions beyond the provision of investment advisory services as disclosed in this brochure.
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Personal Trading Practices
Our firm or persons associated with our firm may buy or sell the same securities that we recommend to
you or securities in which you are already invested. A conflict of interest exists in such cases because
we have the ability to trade ahead of you and potentially receive more favorable prices than you will
receive. To mitigate this conflict of interest, it is our policy that neither our firm nor persons associated
with our firm shall have priority over your account in the purchase or sale of securities.
Aggregated Trading
Our firm or persons associated with our firm may buy or sell securities for you at the same time we or
persons associated with our firm buy or sell such securities for our own account. We may also combine
our orders to purchase securities with your orders to purchase securities ("aggregated trading"). Refer
to the Brokerage Practices section in this brochure for information on our aggregated trading practices.
A conflict of interest exists in such cases because we have the ability to trade ahead of you and
potentially receive more favorable prices than you will receive. To eliminate this conflict of interest, it is
our policy that neither our firm nor persons associated with our firm shall have priority over your
account in the purchase or sale of securities.
Item 12 Brokerage Practices
The custodian and brokers we use - Charles Schwab (Schwab)
We do not maintain custody of your assets that we manage or on which we advise, although we may
be deemed to have custody of your assets if you give us authority to withdraw assets from your
account (see Item 15—Custody, below). Your assets must be maintained in an account at a "qualified
custodian," generally a broker-dealer or bank. We require that our clients use Charles Schwab & Co.,
Inc. (Schwab), a registered broker-dealer, member SIPC, as the qualified custodian, when investing in
the Adviser's model portfolios.
We are independently owned and operated and are not affiliated with Schwab. Schwab will hold your
assets in a brokerage account and buy and sell securities when we instruct them to. While
we recommend that you use Schwab as custodian/broker, you will decide whether to do so and will
open your account with Schwab by entering into an account agreement directly with them. Conflicts of
interest associated with this arrangement are described below as well as in Item 14 (Client referrals
and other compensation). You should consider these conflicts of interest when selecting your
custodian.
We do not open the account for you, although we may assist you in doing so. Not all advisors require
their clients to use a particular broker-dealer or other custodian selected by the advisor. Even though
your account is maintained at Schwab, and we anticipate that most trades will be executed through
Schwab, we can still use other brokers to execute trades for your account as described below (see
"Your brokerage and custody costs").
How we select brokers/custodians
We seek to use Schwab, a custodian/broker that will hold your assets and execute transactions. When
considering whether the terms that Schwab provides are, overall, most advantageous to you when
compared with other available providers and their services, we take into account a wide range of
factors, including:
• Combination of transaction execution services and asset custody services (generally without a
separate fee for custody)
• Capability to execute, clear, and settle trades (buy and sell securities for your account)
• Capability to facilitate transfers and payments to and from accounts (wire transfers, check
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requests, bill payment, etc.)
• Breadth of available investment products (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds
("ETFs"), etc.)
• Availability of investment research and tools that assist us in making investment decisions
• Quality of services
• Competitiveness of the price of those services (commission rates, margin interest rates, other
fees, etc.) and willingness to negotiate the prices
• Reputation, financial strength, security and stability
• Prior service to us and our clients
• Services delivered or paid for by Schwab
• Availability of other products and services that benefit us, as discussed below (see "Products
and services available to us from Schwab")
Your brokerage and custody costs
For our clients' accounts that Schwab maintains, Schwab generally does not charge you separately for
custody services but is compensated by charging you commissions or other fees on trades that it
executes or that settle into your Schwab account. Certain trades (for example, many mutual funds and
ETFs) may not incur Schwab commissions or transaction fees. Schwab is also compensated by
earning interest on the un invested cash in your account in Schwab's Cash Features Program. Schwab
charges you a flat dollar amount as a "prime broker" or "trade away" fee for each trade that we have
executed by a different broker-dealer but where the securities bought or the funds from the securities
sold are deposited (settled) into your Schwab account. These fees are in addition to the commissions
or other compensation you pay the executing broker-dealer. Because of this, in order to minimize your
trading costs, we have Schwab execute most trades for your account.
We are not required to select the broker or dealer that charges the lowest transaction cost, even if that
broker provides execution quality comparable to other brokers or dealers.
Although we are not required to execute all trades through Schwab, we have determined that having
Schwab execute most trades is consistent with our duty to seek "best execution" of your trades. Best
execution means the most favorable terms for a transaction based on all relevant factors, including
those listed above (see "How we select brokers/custodians"). By using another broker or dealer you
may pay lower transaction costs.
Products and services available to us from Schwab
Schwab Advisor Services™ is Schwab's business serving independent investment advisory firms like
us. They provide us and our clients with access to their institutional brokerage services (trading,
custody, reporting, and related services), many of which are not typically available to Schwab retail
customers. However, certain retail investors may be able to get institutional brokerage services from
Schwab without going through us.
Schwab also makes available various support services. Some of those services help us manage or
administer our clients' accounts, while others help us manage and grow our business. Schwab's
support services are generally available on an unsolicited basis (we don't have to request them) and at
no charge to us. Following is a more detailed description of Schwab's support services:
Services that benefit you
Schwab's institutional brokerage services include access to a broad range of investment products,
execution of securities transactions, and custody of client assets.
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The investment products available through Schwab include some to which we might not otherwise
have access or that would require a significantly higher minimum initial investment by our
clients. Schwab's services described in this paragraph generally benefit you and your account.
Services that do not directly benefit you. Schwab also makes available to us other products and
services that benefit us but do not directly benefit you or your account. These products and services
assist us in managing and administering our clients' accounts and operating our firm. They include
investment research, both Schwab's own and that of third parties. We use this research to service all
or a substantial number of our clients' accounts, including accounts not maintained at Schwab. In
addition to investment research, Schwab also makes available software and other technology that:
Provide access to client account data (such as duplicate trade confirmations and account statements)
• Facilitate trade execution and allocate aggregated trade orders for multiple client accounts
• Provide pricing and other market data
• Facilitate payment of our fees from our clients' accounts
• Assist with back-office functions, recordkeeping, and client reporting
Services that generally benefit only us. Schwab also offers other services intended to help us manage
and further develop our business enterprise. These services include:
• Educational conferences and events
• Consulting on technology and business needs
• Consulting on legal and related compliance needs
• Publications and conferences on practice management and business succession
• Access to employee benefits providers, human capital consultants, and insurance providers
• Marketing consulting and support
Schwab provides some of these services itself. In other cases, it will arrange for third-party vendors to
provide the services to us. Schwab also discounts or waives its fees for some of these services or pays
all or a part of a third party's fees. Schwab also provides us with other benefits, such as occasional
business entertainment of our personnel. If you did not maintain your account with Schwab, we would
be required to pay for these services from our own resources.
Our Interest in Schwab's Services
The availability of these services from Schwab benefits us because we do not have to produce or
purchase them. We don't have to pay for Schwab's services.The fact that we receive these benefits
from Schwab is an incentive for us to recommend the use of Schwab rather than making such a
decision based exclusively on your interest in receiving the best value in custody services and the
most favorable execution of your transactions. This is a conflict of interest. We believe, however, that
taken in the aggregate, our selection of Schwab as custodian and broker is in the best interests of our
clients. Our selection is primarily supported by the scope, quality, and price of Schwab's services (see
"How we select brokers/ custodians") and not Schwab's services that benefit only us.
Directed Brokerage
We do not permit directed brokerage. Rather, we require all trades to be executed through Schwab .
As such, we may be unable to achieve the most favorable execution of your transactions and you may
pay higher brokerage commissions than you might otherwise pay through another broker-dealer that
offers the same types of services.
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Research and Other Soft Dollar Benefits
As a registered investment adviser, we may have access to research products and services from your
account custodian and/or other brokerage firm. These products may include financial publications,
information about particular companies and industries, research software, and other products or
services that provide lawful and appropriate assistance to our firm in the performance of our
investment decision-making responsibilities. Such research products and services are provided to all
investment advisers that utilize the service platforms of these firms, and are not considered to have
been paid with soft dollars. However, you should be aware that the commissions charged by a
particular broker for a particular transaction or set of transactions may be greater than the amounts
another broker who did not provide research services or products might charge.
Brokerage for Client Referrals
We do not receive client referrals from broker-dealers in exchange for cash or other compensation,
such as brokerage services or research.
Block Trades
We may combine multiple orders for shares of the same securities purchased for advisory accounts we
manage (this practice is commonly referred to as "block trading"). We will then distribute a portion of
the shares to participating accounts in a fair and equitable manner. The distribution of the shares
purchased is typically proportionate to the size of the account, but it is not based on account
performance or the amount or structure of management fees. Subject to our discretion regarding
factual and market conditions, when we combine orders, each participating account pays an average
price per share for all transactions and pays a proportionate share of all transaction costs.
Where we block trade accounts, we do so only for discretionary accounts. We do not combine orders
for non-discretionary accounts. Accordingly, non-discretionary accounts may pay different costs than
discretionary accounts pay. If you enter into non-discretionary arrangements with our firm, we may not
be able to buy and sell the same quantities of securities for you and you may pay higher commissions,
fees, and/or transaction costs than clients who enter into discretionary arrangements with our firm.
Trade Errors
In the event a trading error occurs in your account, our policy is to restore your account to the position
it should have been in had the trading error not occurred. Depending on the circumstances, corrective
actions may include canceling the trade, adjusting an allocation, and/or reimbursing the account.
Item 13 Review of Accounts
Portfolio Management Review
Andrew Gilbert, Chief Investment Officer, will monitor your accounts on an ongoing basis and will
conduct account reviews at least annually to ensure the advisory services provided to you and/or that
the portfolio mix is consistent with your stated investment needs and objectives. Additional reviews
may be conducted based on various circumstances, including, but not limited to: contributions and
withdrawals, year-end tax planning, market moving events, security specific events, and/or, changes in
your risk/return objectives.
We will provide you with performance reports on a quarterly basis in conjunction with account reviews.
You will receive trade confirmations and monthly or quarterly statements from your account
custodian(s).
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Financial Plan Review
Andrew Gilbert, Chief Investment Officer, will review financial plans as needed, depending on the
arrangements made with you at the inception of your advisory relationship to ensure that the advice
provided is consistent with your investment needs and objectives. Generally, we will contact you
periodically to determine whether any updates may be needed based on changes in your
circumstances. Changed circumstances may include, but are not limited to marriage, divorce, birth,
death, inheritance, lawsuit, retirement, job loss and/or disability, among others. We recommend
meeting with you at least annually to review and update your plan if needed. Additional reviews will be
conducted upon your request. Such reviews and updates may be subject to our then current fees. We
will not provide regular written reports for financial planning and consulting services. If you implement
financial planning advice, you will receive trade confirmations and monthly or quarterly statements from
relevant custodians.
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation
We receive an economic benefit from Schwab in the form of the support products and services it
makes available to us and other independent investment advisors whose clients maintain their
accounts at Schwab. We benefit from the products and services provided because the cost of these
services would otherwise be borne directly by us, and this creates a conflict. You should consider
these conflicts of interest when selecting a custodian. These products and services, how they benefit
us, and the related conflicts of interest are described above (see Item 12—Brokerage Practices).
As disclosed under the Fees and Compensation section in this brochure, persons providing investment
advice on behalf of our firm are licensed insurance agents. For information on the conflicts of interest
this presents, and how we address these conflicts, refer to the Fees and Compensation section.
We do not receive any compensation from any third party in connection with providing investment
advice to you nor do we compensate any individual or firm for client referrals.
Refer to the Brokerage Practices section above for disclosures on research and other benefits we may
receive resulting from our relationship with your account custodian.
Item 15 Custody
Your independent custodian will directly debit your account(s) for the payment of our advisory fees.
This ability to deduct our advisory fees from your accounts causes our firm to exercise limited custody
over your funds or securities. We do not have physical custody of any of your funds and/or securities.
Your funds and securities will be held with a bank, broker-dealer, or other qualified custodian. You will
receive account statements from the qualified custodian(s) holding your funds and securities at least
quarterly. The account statements from your custodian(s) will indicate the amount of our advisory fees
deducted from your account(s) each billing period. You should carefully review account statements for
accuracy.
If you have a question regarding your account statement or if you did not receive a statement from
your custodian, please contact Gary Fortier at (770) 698-9816 or gfortier@keystonefg.com.
Item 16 Investment Discretion
Before we can buy or sell securities on your behalf, you must first sign our discretionary management
agreement and the appropriate trading authorization forms.
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You may grant our firm discretion over the selection and amount of securities to be purchased or sold
for your account(s) without obtaining your consent or approval prior to each transaction. You may
specify investment objectives, guidelines, and/or impose certain conditions or investment parameters
for your account(s). For example, you may specify that the investment in any particular stock or
industry should not exceed specified percentages of the value of the portfolio and/or restrictions or
prohibitions of transactions in the securities of a specific industry or security. Refer to the Advisory
Business section in this brochure for more information on our discretionary management services.
If you enter into non-discretionary arrangements with our firm, we will obtain your approval prior to the
execution of any transactions for your account(s). You have an unrestricted right to decline to
implement any advice provided by our firm on a non-discretionary basis.
Item 17 Voting Client Securities
We will not vote proxies on behalf of your advisory accounts. At your request, we may offer you advice
regarding corporate actions and the exercise of your proxy voting rights. If you own shares of
applicable securities, you are responsible for exercising your right to vote as a shareholder.
In most cases, you will receive proxy materials directly from the account custodian. However, in the
event we were to receive any written or electronic proxy materials, we would forward them directly to
you by mail, unless you have authorized our firm to contact you by electronic mail, in which case, we
would forward any electronic solicitations to vote proxies.
Item 18 Financial Information
Our firm does not have any financial condition or impairment that would prevent us from meeting our
contractual commitments to you. We do not take physical custody of client funds or securities, or
serve as trustee or signatory for client accounts, and, we do not require the prepayment of more than
$1,200 in fees six or more months in advance. Therefore, we are not required to include a financial
statement with this brochure.
We have not filed a bankruptcy petition at any time in the past ten years.
Item 19 Requirements for State Registered Investment Advisers
We are a federally registered investment adviser; therefore, we are not required to respond to this
item.
Item 20 Additional Information
Trade Errors
In the event a trading error occurs in your account, our policy is to restore your account to the position
it should have been in had the trading error not occurred. Depending on the circumstances, corrective
actions may include canceling the trade, adjusting an allocation, and/or reimbursing the account.
Class Action Lawsuits
We do not determine if securities held by you are the subject of a class action lawsuit or whether you
are eligible to participate in class action settlements or litigation nor do we initiate or participate in
litigation to recover damages on your behalf for injuries as a result of actions, misconduct, or
negligence by issuers of securities held by you.
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IRA Rollover Considerations
As part of our investment advisory services to you, we may recommend that you withdraw the assets
from your employer's retirement plan and roll the assets over to an individual retirement account
("IRA") that we will manage on your behalf. If you elect to roll the assets to an IRA that is subject to our
management, we will charge you an asset-based fee as set forth in the agreement you executed with
our firm. This practice presents a conflict of interest because persons providing investment advice on
our behalf have an incentive to recommend a rollover to you for the purpose of generating fee-based
compensation rather than solely based on your needs. You are under no obligation, contractually or
otherwise, to complete the rollover. Moreover, if you do complete the rollover, you are under no
obligation to have the assets in an IRA managed by our firm.
Many employers permit former employees to keep their retirement assets in their company plan. Also,
current employees can sometimes move assets out of their company plan before they retire or change
jobs. In determining whether to complete the rollover to an IRA, and to the extent the following options
are available, you should consider the costs and benefits of:
1. Leaving the funds in your employer's (former employer's) plan.
2. Moving the funds to a new employer's retirement plan.
3. Cashing out and taking a taxable distribution from the plan.
4. Rolling the funds into an IRA rollover account.
Each of these options has advantages and disadvantages and before making a change we encourage
you to speak with your CPA and/or tax attorney.
If you are considering rolling over your retirement funds to an IRA for us to manage here are a few
points to consider before you do so:
1. Determine whether the investment options in your employer's retirement plan address your
needs or whether you might want to consider other types of investments.
a. Employer retirement plans generally have a more limited investment menu than IRAs.
b. Employer retirement plans may have unique investment options not available to the
public such as employer securities, or previously closed funds.
2. Your current plan may have lower fees than our fees.
a. If you are interested in investing only in mutual funds, you should understand the cost
structure of the share classes available in your employer's retirement plan and how the
costs of those share classes compare with those available in an IRA.
b. You should understand the various products and services you might take advantage of
at an IRA provider and the potential costs of those products and services.
3. Our strategy may have higher risk than the option(s) provided to you in your plan.
4. Your current plan may also offer financial advice.
5. If you keep your assets titled in a 401k or retirement account, you could potentially delay your
required minimum distribution beyond age 72.
6. Your 401k may offer more liability protection than a rollover IRA; each state may vary.
a. Generally, federal law protects assets in qualified plans from creditors. Since 2005, IRA
assets have been generally protected from creditors in bankruptcies. However, there
can be some exceptions to the general rules so you should consult with an attorney if
you are concerned about protecting your retirement plan assets from creditors.
7. You may be able to take out a loan on your 401k, but not from an IRA.
8. IRA assets can be accessed any time; however, distributions are subject to ordinary income tax
and may also be subject to a 10% early distribution penalty unless they qualify for an exception
such as disability, higher education expenses or the purchase of a home.
9. If you own company stock in your plan, you may be able to liquidate those shares at a lower
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capital gains tax rate.
10.Your plan may allow you to hire us as the manager and keep the assets titled in the plan name.
It is important that you understand the differences between these types of accounts and to decide
whether a rollover is best for you. Prior to proceeding, if you have questions contact your investment
adviser representative, or call our main number as listed on the cover page of this brochure.
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