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SEC Form
ADV Part 2A Firm Brochure
1201 Western Ave
Suite 600
Seattle, WA 98101
206-462-6100 P
kbbsfinancial.com
This brochure provides information about our firm, our professional qualifications and important aspects of
how we provide advice and charge our clients. In this brochure, “we” means our firm, KUTSCHER BENNER
BARSNESS & STEVENS, INC., (“KBBS”).
We are a registered investment advisor (“RIA”) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The
information in this brochure has not been approved or verified by the SEC or any state securities authority.
Registration itself does not imply any level of skill or training.
If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact Cameron Barsness, Chief
Compliance Officer, at (206) 462-6100 and/or cbarsness@kbbsfinancial.com.
Additional information about our firm also is available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. The
CRD number for KBBS is 107475. The SEC’s website also provides information about any persons affiliated
with KUTSCHER BENNER BARSNESS & STEVENS, INC., who are registered or are required to be registered as
investment advisor representatives of our firm.
SEC Form ADV Part 2A
ITEM 2 – MATERIAL CHANGES
This summary of our brochure, dated January 29, 2026, amends our previous brochure, dated February 20,
2025.
As of this date, we have the following material changes to our business and brochure:
As of January 1, 2026 our primary office location has moved to 1201 Western Ave, Suite 600 Seattle,
Washington 98101.
We will continue to provide our clients with summaries if there are any material changes to this and
subsequent brochures within 120 days of the close of our firm’s fiscal year.
Please contact Cameron Barsness by mail, phone (206-462-6100) or email (cbarsness@kbbsfinancial.com) for
any of the following reasons:
To request our brochure.
To obtain answers to any questions you may have.
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SEC Form ADV Part 2A
ITEM 3 – TABLE OF CONTENTS
Item 2 – Material Changes ..................................................................................................................... 2
Item 3 – Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... 3
Item 4 – Advisory Business .................................................................................................................... 4
Item 5 – Fees and Compensation ........................................................................................................... 8
Item 6 – Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management ....................................................... 11
Item 7 – Types of Clients ...................................................................................................................... 12
Item 8 – Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss ................................................. 13
Item 9 – Disciplinary Information ........................................................................................................ 16
Item 10 – Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations ............................................................... 17
Item 11 – Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading ........... 18
Item 12 – Brokerage Practices ............................................................................................................. 20
Item 13 – Review of Accounts .............................................................................................................. 22
Item 14 – Client Referrals and Other Compensation ............................................................................ 23
Item 15 – Custody ................................................................................................................................ 24
Item 16 – Investment Discretion .......................................................................................................... 25
Item 17 – Voting Client Securities ........................................................................................................ 26
Item 18 – Financial Information ........................................................................................................... 27
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SEC Form ADV Part 2A
ITEM 4 – ADVISORY BUSINESS
Insurance and risk management (identify gaps
and suggest improvements)
Estate planning and charitable goals (identify
and suggest potential improvements)
KUTSCHER BENNER BARSNESS & STEVENS, INC. (“KBBS”)
has counseled individuals, families and trustees
since 1992. From our origins we were an early
adopter of integrated financial planning under an
exclusively fee-for-service arrangement (no
commissions). Scott Benner, Cameron Barsness,
Ryan Stevens, Gianna Giusti and Kyle O’Connor are
the firm shareholders. Professional and
educational backgrounds are described in detail in
the attached brochure supplement (Form ADV Part
2B). The firm has non-discretionary regulatory
assets under management of $627,791,127 as of
December 31, 2025.
We emphasize routine financial planning with a
distinctively in-depth review and written report,
involving and integrating these important
determinants of financial success:
Balance sheet (prepare and updated to include
all assets)
The advice we provide is customized for each
client. The investment advice for each client is
integrated with other financial planning
considerations (described above) and affects all of
a client’s investment assets. For example,
recommendations often involve bank accounts,
regular brokerage accounts, employer retirement
plans, commercial real estate, private equity
and/or debt, annuities, mutual funds, legacy stocks
and bonds holdings. Special facets of our advice
may touch on environmental, social and
governance (“ESG”) investments, private
placement funds, insider stock with certain
investment restrictions, and other investment
approaches that might be unique to a client’s
wishes or circumstances.
Budgeting and cash flow (12-month forward-
looking projection)
Tax analysis and issue spotting (12-month
forward-looking forecast)
Savings analysis, both for retirement and
regular assets
Portfolio sustainability analysis and spending
targets
Investment policy (establish, review and revise
as appropriate)
We believe the success of clients’ financial planning
is enhanced when they understand and are
involved in their investment strategies. Therefore,
we encourage communication as well as client
oversight and review of our investment
recommendations we make. Accordingly, we seek
approval prior to affecting changes to a client’s
investment portfolio. In this way, the client retains
absolute discretion over all such implementation
decisions and is free to accept or reject any
recommendations.
Asset allocation (integrate across entire balance
sheet as appropriate for investment policy)
Selection of subadvisors and investment
strategies
Strategies for harvesting employee stock
options and dealing with other stock
concentration situations
Performance reports, if feasible for entire
investment portfolio
In our role as financial counsel, we do not serve as
an attorney, accountant or insurance agent, and no
portion of our services should be construed as
legal, accounting or insurance services.
Accordingly, we do not prepare estate planning
documents or tax returns and we do not sell
insurance products. To the extent requested by a
client, we may recommend the services of other
professionals for certain non-investment
implementation purposes (e.g., attorneys,
accountants, insurance, etc.), including certain
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SEC Form ADV Part 2A
INVESTMENT RISK
Different types of investments involve varying
degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that
future performance of any specific investment or
investment strategy (including the investments
and/or investment strategies recommended or
undertaken by our firm) will be profitable or equal
any specific performance level(s).
KBBS representatives in their separate capacities as
attorneys (for more information see Item 10
below). If the client engages any recommended
unaffiliated professional, and a dispute arises
thereafter relative to such engagement, the client
agrees to seek recourse exclusively from and
against the engaged professional, and the engaged
licensed professional will be exclusively responsible
for the quality and competency of the services they
provided.
PRIVATE INVESTMENT FUNDS
FIDUCIARY DUTY AND PORTFOLIO ACTIVITY
Our firm has a fiduciary duty to provide services
consistent with our clients’ best interests. As part
of our investment advisory services, we review
client portfolios on an ongoing basis to determine if
any changes are appropriate based upon various
factors, including, but not limited to, investment
performance, fund manager tenure, style drift,
and/or a change in the clients’ investment
objectives. Based upon these factors, there may be
extended periods of time when we determine that
changes to a client’s portfolio are neither necessary
nor prudent.
CLIENT PARTNERSHIP AND ENGAGEMENT
In performing our services, we are not required to
verify information received from clients or from
their other professionals. We rely on our clients to
notify us promptly if there is ever any change in
their situations or investment objectives for the
purpose of reviewing/evaluating/revising our
previous recommendations and/or services. We
believe that it is important for the client to address
financial planning issues on an ongoing basis. Our
advisory fees, as set forth in Item 5 below, will
remain the same regardless of whether or not the
client engages with us on matters that fall within
the scope of our relationship.
As noted above, we may provide investment advice
regarding unaffiliated private investment funds.
Our role relative to these funds is limited to the
initial and ongoing due diligence and investment
monitoring services. These private investment
funds will be considered in the investment
portfolio base for purposes of our investment
advisory fee. Our clients are under absolutely no
obligation to consider or make an investment in
private investment funds, and in fact, many of our
clients are not invested in such funds. We
acknowledge and make considerable effort to
inform clients that private investment funds
involve various risk factors, including, but not
limited to, potential for complete loss of principal,
liquidity constraints, lack of transparency, conflicts
and additional fees, including incentive
compensation (as laid out in such funds’ offering
documents, which will be provided to each client
for review and consideration). Unlike liquid
investments that a client may own, private
investment funds do not provide daily liquidity or
pricing. Each prospective client investor will be
required to complete a Subscription Agreement,
pursuant to which the client shall establish
themselves as qualified for investment in the fund,
and acknowledging and accepting the various risk
factors that are associated with such an
investment. For valuation purposes, both for client
reporting and calculation of our fees, we use the
most recent value reported by the fund sponsor.
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SEC Form ADV Part 2A
INTERVAL FUNDS
As noted above, we may provide investment advice
regarding interval funds. An interval fund is a non-
traditional type of closed-end mutual fund that
periodically offers to buy back a percentage of
outstanding shares from shareholders. These
investment funds will be considered in the
investment portfolio base for purposes of our
investment advisory fee. Our clients are under
absolutely no obligation to consider or make an
investment in interval funds, and in fact, many of
our clients are not invested in such funds. We
acknowledge and make considerable effort to
inform clients that interval funds involve various
risk factors, including, but not limited to, potential
for complete loss of principal, liquidity constraints
(similar to a private investment) and lack of
transparency.
safeguards the environment); Social (i.e., the
manner in which a company manages relationships
with its employees, customers, and the
communities in which it operates); and Governance
(i.e., company management considerations
through transparency, accounting standards,
diversity and inclusion and shareholder
engagement). The number of companies that meet
an acceptable E, S or G mandate can be limited
when compared to those that do not, and could
underperform broad market indices. Investors
must accept these limitations, including the
potential for underperformance. Correspondingly,
the number of mutual funds and exchange-traded
funds using values or ESG metrics are limited when
compared to those that do not maintain such a
mandate. As with any type of investment
(including any investment and/or investment
strategies recommended and/or undertaken by
us), there can be no assurance that investment in
securities or funds using values-based or ESG
metrics will be profitable, or prove successful. We
generally rely on the assessments undertaken by
the unaffiliated mutual fund, exchange traded fund
or separate account portfolio manager to
determine that the fund’s or portfolio’s underlying
company securities meet a socially responsible
mandate.
SEPARATE ACCOUNT MANAGERS/INDEPENDENT MANAGERS
We typically recommend that clients allocate a
portion of their investment assets to investment
managers—most typically open-end mutual funds,
index funds, closed end funds, and ETFs—who are
not affiliated with us and are independent from us,
while we render investment supervisory services
relative to the ongoing monitoring and review of
account performance, asset allocation and clients’
investment objectives. Those managers have
separate written agreements with their clients and
they have day-to-day responsibility for the active
discretionary management of assets under their
care, including, to the extent applicable, proxy
voting responsibility. The investment management
fees charged by independent managers are
separate from, and in addition to, KBBS’ advisory
fee as set forth in the fee schedule at Item 5 below.
MARGIN
We do not recommend the use of margin for
investment purposes. A margin account is a
brokerage account that allows clients to borrow
money to buy securities and/or for other non-
investment borrowing purposes. The custodian
then charges the client interest for the right to
borrow money and uses the securities as collateral.
The use of margin can magnify both account gains
and losses. For fee related calculations, we use the
net account value after reducing for margin. For
regulatory AUM reporting purposes, we use the
gross account value as instructed by the SEC.
“VALUES”, IMPACT OR “ESG” INVESTING
Investing using “ESG” metrics incorporates a set of
criteria/factors used in evaluating potential
investments: Environmental (i.e., how a company
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SEC Form ADV Part 2A
RETIREMENT ROLLOVERS-POTENTIAL FOR CONFLICT OF
INTEREST
damage to respond to regulatory obligations, other
costs associated with corrective measures, and loss
from damage or interruption to systems. Although
we have established processes to reduce the risk of
cybersecurity incidents, there is no guarantee that
these efforts will always be successful, especially
considering that we do not directly control the
cybersecurity measures and policies employed by
third-party service providers. Clients could incur
similar adverse consequences resulting from
cybersecurity incidents that more directly affect
issuers of securities in which those clients invest,
qualified custodians, governmental and other
regulatory authorities, exchange and other
financial market operators, or other financial
institutions.
CASH FUNDS
A client or prospective client leaving an employer
typically has four options regarding an existing
retirement plan (and may engage in a combination
of these options): (i) leave the money in the former
employer’s plan, if permitted, (ii) roll over the
assets to the new employer’s plan, if one is
available and rollovers are permitted, (iii) roll over
to an Individual Retirement Account (“IRA”), or (iv)
cash out the account value (which could,
depending upon the client’s age, result in adverse
tax consequences). If we recommend that a client
roll over their retirement plan assets into an
account to be newly managed by us, such a
recommendation could create a conflict of interest
if we will earn new (or increased) compensation as
a result of the rollover. If we provide a
recommendation as to whether a client should
engage in a rollover or not (whether it is from an
employer’s plan or an existing IRA), we are acting
as a fiduciary 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. No client
is under any obligation to roll over retirement plan
assets to an account managed by us, whether it is
from an employer’s plan or an existing IRA.
Custodians, including Schwab, often place cash
proceeds from account transactions and deposits
into a cash “sweep” account. At Schwab, this
sweep is actually an internal transfer to Schwab
Bank, which is then covered up to $250,000 via
FDIC insured banks. The yield on the sweep cash is
generally lower than what is available via position
traded money market funds. We regularly work
with clients to manage their cash between sweep
and position traded funds, taking into account any
yield dispersion between the sweep cash and a
money market funds, an indication from the client
of an imminent need for such cash, if the client has
a demonstrated history of writing checks from the
account, and/or whether cash is held for fee billing
purposes. Our clients remain responsible for yield
dispersion/cash balance decisions and
corresponding transactions for cash balances
maintained in any unmanaged accounts and away
from our primary custodians (i.e., Schwab).
FOR QUESTIONS: Our Chief Compliance Officer, Cameron
Barsness, remains available to address any questions that
a client or prospective client may have regarding our
advisory business or related issues.
CYBERSECURITY RISKS
The information technology systems and networks
that we and our third-party service providers (e.g.,
ShareFile, Tamarac, RightCapital) use to provide
services to clients employ various controls, which
are designed to prevent cybersecurity incidents
stemming from intentional or unintentional actions
that could cause significant interruptions in our
operations and result in the unauthorized
acquisition or use of clients’ confidential or non-
public personal information. Therefore, we
acknowledge that we are subject to the risk of
cybersecurity incidents that could ultimately cause
our firm and our clients to incur losses, including
for example: financial losses, cost and reputational
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SEC Form ADV Part 2A
ITEM 5 – FEES AND COMPENSATION
FEE ARRANGEMENTS
account statements issued by the custodian may
differ from the value used by us for advisory fee
calculation purposes.
STANDARD SCHEDULE
Portfolio Value
Advisory Fee
Base Component
First $500,000
Next $1,500,000
Next $2,000,000
Next $5,000,000
Next $9,000,000
$500
0.80%
0.70%
0.60%
0.50%
0.20%
Most of our clients compensate us with a fee that
is recalculated when we conduct our portfolio
review and/or financial planning process. Our
standard fee arrangement covers financial
planning services including phone calls, meetings,
and activities associated with financial counseling
and appropriate monitoring of their accounts
throughout the year. This “fixed fee”
arrangement has served us and our clients well
through time, allowing us to consider special
factors for fair and reasonable compensation. In
assessing what is a fair fee, we typically apply the
standard schedule to a client’s “investment
portfolio” and then adjust as appropriate.
SET-UP FEE (INITIAL YEAR)
This one-time fee covers initial information-
gathering, issue identification, reports, letters and
meetings associated with our becoming acquainted
with a client’s overall financial situation. The fee is
generally equal to 35% of the annual fee, subject to
a $2,000 minimum and a cap of $10,000. It may be
waived in some cases if we determine that the
typical set-up process is not required.
On occasion, when making more substantial
adjustments from the schedule, we consider the
complexity of the relationship, the time, effort
and skill required to perform the necessary work,
anticipated future earning capacity, as well as the
responsibility entailed in providing financial
counseling services. As a result of the above,
similarly situated clients could pay different fees
and similar advisory services may be available
from another investment advisor for similar or
lower fees.
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
Limited Scope. We also provide some clients with a
more limited scope engagement, which typically
focuses less on financial planning and more on
investment advice. Under this arrangement, we
waive the base component and simply charge
clients 0.7% of the investment portfolio.
In cases where the family relationship exceeds $5
million, a limited scope engagement may be
charged 0.5% of the investment portfolio. Note
that this discount does not carry over to our
standard schedule for financial planning
relationships.
“INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO” BASE
Subject to the negotiated adjustments described
above, the following standard schedule is applied
to a client’s “investment portfolio,” which typically
includes all assets held predominantly for
investment return, including cash, which we view
as an asset class. An investment portfolio does not
include a client’s residence, personal use vacation
home, cars or other property held solely for
personal use. Client-owned businesses are usually
excluded, and client-owned rental/investment real
estate may be considered part of the portfolio
depending on the need for related financial
counsel. The market value reflected on periodic
Inflation Adjustment. In some instances, our
fixed fee compensation arrangement is adjusted
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SEC Form ADV Part 2A
at the time of the review/report based solely on
changes in inflation (CPI) rather than changes in a
client’s investment portfolio.
Other Arrangements. We don’t typically provide
financial counseling services for limited-duration
projects, and generally we don’t charge by the
hour. We make exceptions from time to time at
these hourly rates:
Professional Financial Planner: $500
Financial Associates: $350
DISCOUNTED, DONATED AND PRO BONO SERVICES
PAYMENT AND TIMING OF FEES
The specific manner in which fees are charged is
established in a client’s written agreement with us,
and we provide any update to our fees in our
financial reviews. Fees are generally withdrawn in
advance of each calendar quarter directly from
client accounts, and notice of the fee withdrawal is
noted in the client’s custodian’s account
statement. In some cases, clients are billed for fees
already incurred but not yet collected. Client
relationships initiated or terminated during a
calendar quarter will be charged a prorated fee.
Upon termination of a client relationship with us,
any prepaid, unearned fees will be promptly
refunded, and any earned, unpaid fees will be due
and payable at that time.
We may provide pro bono advice to non-profit
organizations, individuals, family members, and/or
may provide planning or advice to employees (of
our firm or of the KHBB Law Firm or “KHBB Law”) at
a reduced cost. In addition, certain pre-existing
clients have agreed to a service offering different
from those described above.
EXPENSE RATIOS
Mutual funds, private funds, and exchange-traded
funds also charge internal management fees, which
are disclosed in the funds’ prospectuses. Such
charges, fees and commissions are exclusive of and
in addition to our fee, and we do not receive any
portion of these commissions, fees, or costs. We
routinely recommend no-load, institutional share
class funds as we endeavor to reduce portfolio
costs where possible. The average-weighted
expense ratio for a client portfolio is typically
around 0.7%.
OTHER COSTS/FEES
We receive no other fees or costs from clients or
third parties including commissions or other
arrangements. Clients pay their brokerage firm
transaction fees and subadvisor expenses (for
example mutual funds, exchange traded funds,
private equity and/or debt funds) directly or
indirectly, custodial fees, deferred sales charges,
odd-lot differentials, transfer taxes, wire transfer
and electronic fund fees, and other fees and taxes
on brokerage accounts and securities transactions.
Since these third-party charges affect net
investment performance, we quantify them in the
reviews and written reports we provide to clients.
Clients have the option of purchasing securities
recommended by us through other brokers or
agents that are not affiliated with us (called
directed brokerage). Please see Item 12,
“Brokerage Practices” for additional information.
CUSTODIAN FEES
As discussed in Item 12 below, when requested to
recommend a custodian for client accounts, we
generally recommend Schwab. Broker-dealers
such as Schwab charge brokerage commissions,
transaction, and/or other fees for effecting certain
types of securities transactions (i.e., including
transaction fees for certain mutual funds, and
mark-ups and mark-downs charged for fixed
income transactions, etc.). The types of securities
for which transaction fees, commissions, and/or
other type fees (as well as the amount of those
fees) shall differ depending upon the custodian.
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SEC Form ADV Part 2A
While certain custodians, including Schwab,
generally do not currently charge fees on individual
equity transactions (including ETFs), others do.
There can be no assurance that Schwab will not
change its transaction fee pricing in the future.
These fees and charges are in addition to our
investment advisory fee and we receive no portion
of these fees/charges.
CASH POSITIONS
We have treated and will continue to treat cash as
an asset class. As such, unless determined to the
contrary, all cash positions (sweep, money market
funds, checking, saving etc.) shall continue to be
included as part of assets under management for
purposes of calculating our advisory fee. At any
specific point in time, depending upon perceived or
anticipated market conditions/events (there being
no guarantee that such anticipated market
conditions/events will occur), we may maintain
cash positions for defensive purposes. In addition,
while assets are maintained in cash, such amounts
could miss market advances. Depending upon
current yields, at any point in time, our advisory fee
could exceed the interest paid by the client’s
money market fund.
FOR QUESTIONS: Our Chief Compliance Officer, Cameron
Barsness, remains available to address any questions that
a client or prospective client may
have regarding compensation-related issues.
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SEC Form ADV Part 2A
ITEM 6 – PERFORMANCE-BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT
We do not charge performance-based fees, meaning fees that are based on a share of the appreciation in or
returns on clients’ investments.
FOR QUESTIONS: Our Chief Compliance Officer, Cameron Barsness, remains available to address any questions that a client or
prospective client may have regarding fee-related issues.
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SEC Form ADV Part 2A
ITEM 7 – TYPES OF CLIENTS
DESCRIPTION
Our clients are generally individuals, families and trustees. New clients are accepted on the basis of their
alignment with our philosophy and process. New clients generally must have sufficient assets to support an
annual fee of $10,000; however, we may accept new clients with a smaller amount of investment assets
where clients have a reasonable prospect of adding significantly to their investment portfolios over time (i.e.,
anticipated future earning capacity, anticipated future additional assets, dollar amount of assets to be
managed), are related to existing clients, or where we determine the relationship is otherwise merited on
both sides.
FOR QUESTIONS: Our Chief Compliance Officer, Cameron Barsness, remains available to address any questions that a client or
prospective client may have regarding client-related issues.
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SEC Form ADV Part 2A
ITEM 8 – METHODS OF ANALYSIS, INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISK OF LOSS
INVESTMENT PHILOSOPHY
2 Balance Sheet & Asset Allocation Reports. We
We believe successful investing is built on a
foundation of financial fitness, paired with
reasonable expectations and fidelity to enduring
principles.
distill their information into preliminary reports
that assist us (and them) in understanding their
current situations.
3 Forecast Cash Flow & Taxes. We develop a
realistic forward-looking cash flow forecast
(usually 12 months) and a tax forecast.
4
Issue Identification. We analyze themes and
relevant challenges to frame the financial issues
that we observe or that are of particular
concern to clients.
Investor failure is often rooted in lack of
understanding of their goals, their underlying
financial fitness and market behavior. It can be
countered by giving attention consistently to an
array of interrelated financial planning topics, not
just focusing on investments. Our outreach,
accessibility and disciplined review process often
reduce anxiety and help clients stay on course,
despite the ever-present sirens of media hype,
superstition, mythology, cocktail-party chatter and
the dangerous effects these play on human
emotions.
5 Determining Goals & Expectations. We work
with clients to establish reasonable financial
goals and develop reasonable expectations.
We prepare an assessment of their savings
needs or anticipated cash flow in retirement.
We typically use multiple scenarios to compare
our conclusions and make recommendations.
6 Asset Allocation & Optimization. We
We want clients and potential clients to
understand this philosophy, which can be
customized to fit clients’ varied experiences and
views. Substantial alignment of philosophy is
important because investment advising is a two-
way process. It only really works if the advisor
understands the client and vice versa.
INVESTMENT PROCESS
One of our goals is to make the investment process
as simple as clients desire without neglecting
important issues, remembering that investments
are just one aspect, albeit an important one, of
their whole financial plan. Typically, the process
involves the following steps:
1
Initial Information Gathering. We begin by
gathering information about the client’s current
financial affairs, needs, constraints and unique
circumstances. We seek their participation and
help by asking them to prepare a confidential
fact sheet prior to our first meeting.
recommend a mixture of investments after
analyzing clients’ goals and their tolerances for
such unknowns as market volatility, inflation,
interest rate and currency fluctuations and
credit risk. We use proprietary asset allocation
models that incorporate modern portfolio
theory and take into account behavioral
economics, asset location, and costs.
7 Manager Recommendations. We typically
recommend two or more specific asset
managers for each asset class represented in
our recommended allocation. We use a mix of
active and passive management, open end
mutual funds, closed end funds, and ETFs and
may recommend other specialized investments
depending on investment opportunities,
liquidity needs and other factors. We may
provide counsel regarding investments in
private equity and/or debt, hedge funds, fund-
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SEC Form ADV Part 2A
volatility in their portfolio. That exploration leads
to the selection of an investment policy articulated
in terms of broad allocations to cash, debt (bonds)
and equity (stocks); although on a tactical level,
other assets, such as real estate, private assets, and
commodities may also be used. If clients misjudge
their sensitivity to market volatility, there is a
significant risk of loss if, for emotional reasons or
otherwise, they reduce exposure to securities
(especially equity) after a decline.
of-funds, and other private placements. In
reviewing and monitoring managers, we use
third-party research, interviews with fund
managers and our own in-house research.
8 Reports. We strive to prepare reports every 12
to 18 months, providing a plan that details
clients’ financial data. These reports may
include a balance sheet, investment returns,
expected cash flow and taxes for the coming 12
months, long-term investment policy
(allocation), historical returns and volatility,
specific manager recommendations,
recommended use of tax-deferred accounts,
spending and savings forecasts, stock options
and restricted stock strategies and summaries
of insurance coverage, estate planning, and
charitable giving strategies. This report is
sometimes provided in separate parts as
elements of the plan are reviewed and
implemented throughout the year.
9
Because our investment work for clients is focused
on investing their assets (including assets in 401(k)
and other tax-deferred accounts) in primarily liquid
investments, the presence of large, illiquid assets
(such as employee stock options, private
companies or investment real estate properties) in
client portfolios will have the effect of diminishing
overall reliability of return and volatility
expectations of our investment models. This is a
matter that we address with clients who have such
assets, yet the increased risk associated with those
assets remains until they are sold. Unfortunately,
because the assets are illiquid, the true effect of
holding them cannot be known until they are sold.
Implementation. Upon approval from the
clients, we coordinate the opening of any
brokerage or custodian accounts, communicate
trade information to the broker and custodian,
and otherwise assist clients in implementing
the agreed upon recommendations.
RISKS OF OUR APPROACH
Although a systematic, disciplined approach to
investing minimizes the risk of loss over long
periods of time, clearly, all investing involves risk of
loss that clients should be prepared to bear.
Our investment policy models and the description
of risk and return are based on historical data. We
acknowledge that certain financial developments
have no direct precedent in history, and thus
historical models must be used with care. Clients
risk placing undue reliance on average returns and
overlooking the significant differences (either
higher or lower) in returns that can persist for long
periods, such as 10 years. Likewise, there is a
tendency among investors to ignore or over-
emphasize extreme returns, such as the stock
market crash from 2007-2009, because such events
are rare.
In our experience, poor outcomes for clients are
most often the result of their spending habits in
relation to the size of their investment portfolios as
opposed to investment loss. So, although our
approach will improve transparency in clients’
financial affairs, they must still exercise discipline in
their spending in order to benefit from our
services, or the services of any financial advisor.
TAMARAC AND RIGHTCAPITAL
In the event that we provide clients with access to
an unaffiliated vendor’s website and the site
provides access to information and concepts,
including financial planning, the client should not
The first step in our investment approach is to
explore the client’s need for returns and their
financial and emotional ability to withstand
Page 14 of 27
SEC Form ADV Part 2A
infer that such access is a substitute for services
provided by us. Rather, if the client utilizes any
such content, the client does so separately and
independently from our more tailored services.
FOR QUESTIONS: Our Chief Compliance Officer, Cameron
Barsness, remains available to address any questions that
a client or prospective client may have regarding analysis-
and process-related issues.
Page 15 of 27
SEC Form ADV Part 2A
ITEM 9 – DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION
None. Our owners, staff and affiliates have no legal or disciplinary events that would be material to your
evaluation of our firm or the integrity of our management.
FOR QUESTIONS: Our Chief Compliance Officer, Cameron Barsness, remains available to address any questions that a client or
prospective client may have regarding disciplinary-related issues.
Page 16 of 27
SEC Form ADV Part 2A
ITEM 10 – OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATIONS
FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES
None of our owners or staff is registered as a broker dealer or a registered representative of a broker dealer,
and none of us has an application pending to register.
AFFILIATIONS AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Scott Benner maintains a law practice through a law firmKutscher Law, PLLC. Mr. Benner’s law practice, which
constitutes about one tenth of his professional time, focuses on estate planning, “angel” investments and
other privately negotiated investment and business transactions.
The law practice of Mr. Benner is useful to our clients and the complexion of advice that the firm can give
because many clients have issues and concerns that intersect finance and the law. A number of our clients
find it convenient or preferable to use the legal services of Mr. Benner through Kutscher Law, while many
other clients use other law firms for their legal needs.
Confusion about whether Mr. Benner is acting as financial advisor or as lawyer is substantially reduced by (1)
his using a separate email address, electronic signature and printed letterhead for written communications in
the law and financial practices; and (2) his standard protocol that a person execute an engagement letter with
KUTSCHER Law describing service and fees, if they wish to obtain the legal services of Mr. Benner. No client is
under any obligation to engage Mr. Benner or any other member of Kutscher Law to provide legal services.
Our potential offer to a client to engage him or another member of Kutscher Law for legal services presents a
conflict of interest because they may derive an economic benefit from such engagement. Clients are
reminded that they may obtain legal services from any other law firm of their choice (or that we may
recommend). Any client engagement of Kutscher Law is separate and independent of our services, per the
terms and conditions of a separate written agreement between the client and Kutscher Law. There is no fee
sharing arrangement between our firm and Kutscher Law.
FOR QUESTIONS: Our Chief Compliance Officer, Cameron Barsness, remains available to address any questions that a client or
prospective client may have regarding affiliation-related issues.
Page 17 of 27
SEC Form ADV Part 2A
FIDUCIARY DUTY
ITEM 11 – CODE OF ETHICS, PARTICIPATION OR INTEREST IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS & PERSONAL TRADING
wishes to purchase or subscribe to an IPO, private
placement, semi-liquid interval fund or a company
stock of which a client is employed, the employee
must get pre-clearance from our firm CCO.
As a fiduciary, our firm has a duty of utmost good
faith to act solely in the best interests of each of
our clients. Our clients entrust us with their assets,
which in turn places a high standard on our
conduct and integrity. Our fiduciary duty compels
all employees to act with the utmost integrity in all
of our dealings. This fiduciary duty is the core
principle underlying this Code of Ethics Policy, and
represents the expected basis of all of our dealings
with our clients.
CODE OF ETHICS
In all circumstances, our employees must comply
with the Code of Ethics when trading for their own
account. Subject to satisfying this policy and
applicable laws, our officers, directors and
employees may trade for their own accounts in
securities which are recommending to and/or
purchasing for our clients. The Code of Ethics is
designed to assure that the personal securities
transactions, activities and interests of our
employees will not interfere with (i) making
decisions in the best interest of advisory clients and
(ii) implementing such decisions while, at the same
time, allowing employees to invest for their own
accounts. Employee trading is continually
monitored under the Code of Ethics to reasonably
prevent conflicts of interest between our clients
and us.
The Code of Ethics includes provisions relating to
the confidentiality of client information, a
prohibition of insider trading, restrictions on the
acceptance of significant gifts, the reporting of
certain gifts and business entertainment items, and
personal securities trading procedures, among
other things. All supervised persons at our firm
must acknowledge and agree to the terms of the
Code of Ethics upon their hire or when the Code of
Ethics is amended.
Our clients or prospective clients may request a
copy of the firm's Code of Ethics by contacting
Cameron Barsness.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (“AI”)
We do not use Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) for
aiding in the formulation of any investment
recommendations for clients. In order to protect
the privacy of our clients and potential clients (as
discussed further below), employees are
specifically prohibited from inputting to an AI
service or platform any personally identifiable
information (“PII”), which includes name, social
security number, face, home address, email, ID
number, passport number, vehicle plate number,
driver's license, fingerprints or handwriting, credit
card number, digital identity, date of birth,
birthplace, genetic information, phone number,
login name or screen name, or biometric records,
etc. We do use an AI “notetaker” (Zocks) to aid in
the formulation of notes and tasks during client
meetings. The third party vendor does not record
meetings or use information from the meeting to
“learn” outside of the platform.
PERSONAL TRADING
Our investment recommendations consist of
publicly available mutual funds, ETFs, publicly
available funds-of-funds and privately subscribed
registered investments. Because the publicly
traded mutual funds and ETFs have no significant
supply constraints within the context of the
quantity of assets for which we advise or which are
located in our employee’s accounts and are priced
at fair market value of the underlying securities,
they are identified as “exempt securities” in our
Code of Ethics. As exempt securities, employees
may trade in such securities without preclearance
from the Firm’s compliance officer. If an employee
Page 18 of 27
SEC Form ADV Part 2A
PRIVACY POLICY
providing information to children about a parent’s
account.
We respect the privacy of all clients and
prospective clients (collectively termed “clients”),
both past and present. It is recognized that you
have entrusted our firm with non-public personal
information, and it is important that both access
persons and clients are aware of firm policy
concerning what may be done with that
information.
To ensure security and confidentiality, we maintain
physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to
protect the privacy of customer information.
Cameron Barsness, Chief Compliance Officer,
remains available to address any questions that a
client or prospective client may have regarding the
above arrangement. Please contact Cameron to
request a separate copy of the above referenced
privacy policy.
We collect personal information about clients from
the following sources:
Information clients provide to complete their
financial plan or investment recommendations;
FOR QUESTIONS: Our Chief Compliance Officer, Cameron
Barsness, remains available to address any questions that
a client or prospective client may have regarding ethics-
related issues.
Information clients provide in engagement
agreements, questionnaires and other
documents completed in connection with the
opening and maintenance of an account;
Information clients provide verbally; and
Information received from service providers,
such as custodians, about client transactions.
We do not disclose non-public personal
information about our clients to anyone, except in
the following circumstances:
When required to provide services our clients
have requested;
When our clients have specifically authorized us
to do so;
When required during the course of a firm
assessment (i.e., independent audit); or
When permitted or required by law (i.e.,
periodic regulatory examination).
Within our firm, access to client information is
restricted to personnel that need to know that
information. All access persons and service
providers understand that everything handled in
our offices is confidential and they are instructed
not to discuss customer information with someone
else that may request information about an
account unless they are specifically authorized by
the client to do so. This includes, for example,
Page 19 of 27
SEC Form ADV Part 2A
ITEM 12 – BROKERAGE PRACTICES
SELECTING BROKERAGE FIRMS
For clients in need of brokerage and custodial
services, we routinely recommend Charles Schwab
and Company, Inc. (“Schwab”), but we do not
require clients to use this custodian, and we have
no affiliation with any brokerage firm as our
preferred custodian. Custodians, like Schwab, do
not charge separately for custody relationships but
are typically compensated by account holders
through commissions or other transaction-related
fees for securities trades that are executed through
the custodian or that settle into custodian
accounts. We endeavor to advise clients as to all
costs and benefits of alternative arrangements.
We are not a broker-dealer and do not receive
commissions, services, economic benefits, or other
compensation for making such recommendations.
We do not receive a fee or any material form of
compensation for recommending client
relationships with a certain custodian.
payment of our fees from its clients’ accounts, and
assistance with back-office functions,
recordkeeping and client reporting. Many of these
services generally may be used to service all or a
substantial number of our accounts, including
accounts not maintained with the custodians.
Schwab also makes available various support
services. These services may include consulting,
publications and conferences on management,
information technology, business succession,
regulatory compliance, and marketing. In addition,
the custodian may make available, arrange, and/or
pay for these types of services rendered to us by
independent third parties. The custodian may
discount or waive fees they would otherwise
charge for some of these services or pay all or part
of the fees of a third-party providing these services
to us. Some of those services help us manage or
administer our clients’ accounts, while others help
us manage and grow our business. These may also
benefit our advisory firm but may not directly
benefit a client account beyond addressing our
firm’s operational stability.
Clients do not pay more for investment
transactions effected and/or assets maintained at
Schwab. There is no corresponding commitment
made by us to Schwab or any other any entity to
invest any specific amount or percentage of client
assets in any specific mutual funds, securities or
other investment products as result of the above
arrangement
While as a fiduciary we endeavor to act in our
clients’ best interests, our recommendation that
clients maintain their assets in accounts at the
custodian could be influenced by availability of
some of the foregoing products and services and
not solely on the nature, cost or quality of custody
and brokerage services provided by the custodian,
which can create a potential conflict of interest.
ORDER AGGREGATION
On occasion, when initiating a transaction in all
client portfolios, trades in the same security will be
bunched in a single order (a “block”) in an effort to
obtain best execution at the best security price
available. When employing a block trade:
We will attempt to fill client orders by day end;
If the block order is not filled by day-end,
shares will be allocated to underlying accounts
NON-SOFT DOLLARS ECONOMIC BENEFITS
We do not accept referral compensation from a
service provider that we may recommend to our
clients. We receive a range of additional services
and discounts from Schwab through their
institutional brokerage platform. These include
software and other technology that provide access
to client account data (such as trade confirmations
and account statements), trade execution
facilitation (and allocation of aggregated trade
orders for multiple client accounts), research,
pricing information and other market data,
Page 20 of 27
SEC Form ADV Part 2A
on a pro rata basis, adjusted as necessary to
keep client transaction costs to a minimum and
in accordance with specific account guidelines;
If a block order is filled (full or partial fill) at
several prices through multiple trades, an
average price and commission will be used for
all trades executed;
All accounts receiving securities from the block
trade will receive the average price; and
Only trades executed within the block on the
single day may be combined for purposes of
calculating the average price.
DIRECTED BROKERAGE
We do not accept directed brokerage
arrangements (when a client requires that account
transactions be effected through a broker other
than Schwab). In such client arrangements, a client
may pay higher commissions or other transaction
costs or greater spreads, may receive less favorable
net prices, may have reduced access to institutional
share classes than would otherwise be the case.
Transactions for directed accounts will generally be
executed following the execution of portfolio
transactions for non-directed accounts.
FOR QUESTIONS: Our Chief Compliance Officer, Cameron
Barsness, remains available to address any questions that
a client or prospective client may have regarding brokerage-
related issues.
Page 21 of 27
SEC Form ADV Part 2A
ITEM 13 – REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS
Our clients’ financial plans, including their accounts and asset allocations are generally reviewed annually. We
are primarily responsible for communications with clients regarding these matters, unless explicitly agreed
upon from the start of an engagement, and most written reports are reviewed by at least two shareholders of
the firm prior to being issued to the client.
Clients’ reports usually, but not always, cover a review of recent financial market activity, investment
performance of accounts (including benchmark data), cash flow forecast (budget), federal tax forecast,
investment policy restatement and statistical profile, projection of portfolio value in the future (including
retirement), reallocation of accounts, client balance sheet, proposed trading plan, insurance coverage profile
and summary of estate plan. Additional significant financial issues relevant to the client may also be included.
Clients under our more limited scope agreement receive a briefer report (possibly in letter or email form)
focused on investment management and portfolio reallocation in lieu of the larger report described
previously.
Clients can, and are encouraged to, contact us anytime for advice on financial topics without any additional
charge, except those under which the agreement specifically charges hourly. In the course of dealing with
specific issues, account reviews will often be undertaken.
As discussed previously, we will review client portfolios on an ongoing basis to determine if any changes are
necessary based upon various factors, including, but not limited to, investment performance, fund manager
tenure, style drift, and/or a change in the client’s investment objective. Based upon these factors, there may
be extended periods of time when our firm determines that changes to a client’s portfolio are neither
necessary nor prudent, and as such, there may be extended periods of time when we do not communicate
these findings to clients individually. Of course, as indicated below, there can be no assurance that
investment decisions made by us will be profitable or equal any specific performance level(s).
FOR QUESTIONS: Our Chief Compliance Officer, Cameron Barsness, remains available to address any questions that a client or
prospective client may have regarding review-related issues.
Page 22 of 27
SEC Form ADV Part 2A
ITEM 14 – CLIENT REFERRALS AND OTHER COMPENSATION
INCOMING REFERRALS
We are pleased that the majority of our new clients are generated by existing client referrals. We do not
directly compensate a referrer, nor do we maintain any arrangements to compensate non-employees for new
client introductions.
REFERRALS OUT
We refer business to estate planning attorneys, accountants and insurance brokers. However, we do not
receive monetary compensation or other material forms of compensation for referring clients to such
professionals. We also do not pay any person or firm commissions or other items of material value for
referring clients to us. If we receive or offer an introduction to a client, we do not pay or earn referral fees,
nor are there established quid pro quo arrangements. Each client retains the option to accept or deny such
referral or subsequent services.
NON-REFERRAL LEAD GENERATION
Individuals of our firm may hold individual memberships or serve on boards or committees of professional
industry associations. Generally, participation in any of these entities requires membership fees to be paid,
adherence to ethical guidelines, as well as in meeting experiential and educational requirements. A benefit
these entities may provide to the investing public is the availability of online search tools that allow
prospective clients to search for individual advisors within a selected state or region. These passive websites
may provide means for prospective clients to contact an advisor via electronic mail, telephone, or other
contact information, in order to interview the participating member. A portion of these participants’
membership fees may be used so that their names will be listed on some or all of these entities’ websites (or
other listings). Prospective clients locating our advisory firm or an associate via these methods are not actively
marketed by the noted associations. Clients who find our firm in this way do not pay more for their services
than clients referred in any other fashion. Although the firm may pay the employee’s membership fee, the
firm does not pay these entities for prospective client referrals, nor is there a fee-sharing arrangement
reflective of solicitor engagement.
CUSTODIAL RELATIONSHIP BENEFITS
As noted in Item 12, we receive a range of additional services, products and discounts from Schwab and other
custodians through the institutional brokerage platform and advisor services. Our clients do not pay more for
investment transactions effected and/or assets maintained at Schwab (or any other institution) as a result of
this arrangement. There is no corresponding commitment made by us to Schwab, or to any other entity, to
invest any specific amount or percentage of client assets in any specific mutual funds, securities or other
investment products as the result this arrangement.
FOR QUESTIONS: Our Chief Compliance Officer, Cameron Barsness, remains available to address any questions that a client or
prospective client may have regarding referral-related issues.
Page 23 of 27
SEC Form ADV Part 2A
ITEM 15 – CUSTODY
Most client assets are held at independent, qualified custodians.
Clients receive at least quarterly statements from the broker dealer, bank or other qualified custodian that
holds and maintains client’s investment assets. Clients should contact us if they do not receive statements at
least quarterly from their qualified custodian. We urge clients to review their statements carefully against any
reports provided by our firm. Our reports may vary from custodial statements based on accounting
procedures, reporting dates, or valuation methodologies of certain securities.
In addition, certain clients have established asset transfer authorizations that permit the qualified custodian to
rely upon our instructions to transfer client funds or securities to third parties. These arrangements are
disclosed at Item 9 of Part 1 of Form ADV. However, in accordance with the guidance provided in the SEC’s
February 21, 2017 Investment Adviser Association No-Action Letter, the affected accounts are not subject to
an annual surprise CPA examination.
FOR QUESTIONS: Our Chief Compliance Officer, Cameron Barsness, remains available to address any questions that a client or
prospective client may have regarding custody-related issues.
Page 24 of 27
SEC Form ADV Part 2A
ITEM 16 – INVESTMENT DISCRETION
We seek prior approval to effect changes to a client’s investment portfolio. In this way, the client retains
absolute discretion over all such implementation decisions and is free to accept or reject any
recommendations.
Clients engage us on a non-discretionary investment advisory basis and thus must be willing to accept that we
cannot effect any account transactions without obtaining clients’ prior consent. Therefore, in the event that
we would like to make a transaction for a client's account (including in the event of an individual holding or
general market correction), and the client is unavailable, we will be unable to effect the account transaction.
Trading authority is routinely obtained pursuant to a Limited Power of Attorney.
FOR QUESTIONS: Our Chief Compliance Officer, Cameron Barsness, remains available to address any questions that a client or
prospective client may have regarding discretion-related issues.
Page 25 of 27
SEC Form ADV Part 2A
ITEM 17 – VOTING CLIENT SECURITIES
Our clients may periodically receive proxies or other similar solicitations sent directly from their custodians or
transfer agents. Should we receive a duplicate copy, we do not forward these or any correspondence relating
to the voting of our clients’ securities, class action litigation, or other corporate actions.
We do not vote proxies on behalf of our clients’ accounts. We do not offer unsolicited guidance on how to
vote proxies, nor do we offer guidance involving any claim or potential claim in any bankruptcy proceeding,
class action securities litigation or other litigation or proceeding relating to securities held at any time in
clients’ accounts, including, without limitation, to file proofs of claim or other documents related to such
proceeding, or to investigate, initiate, supervise or monitor class action or other litigation involving clients’
assets.
We will answer limited questions with respect to what a proxy voting request or other corporate matter may
be and how to reach the issuer or its legal representative.
Clients maintain exclusive responsibility for directing the manner in which proxies solicited by issuers of
securities that are beneficially owned by them shall be voted, as well as making all other elections relative to
mergers, acquisitions, tender offers or other legal matters or events pertaining to their holdings. Clients
should consider contacting the issuer or their legal counsel involving specific questions they may have with
respect to a particular proxy solicitation or corporate action.
FOR QUESTIONS: Our Chief Compliance Officer, Cameron Barsness, remains available to address any questions that a client or
prospective client may have regarding voting-related issues.
Page 26 of 27
SEC Form ADV Part 2A
ITEM 18 – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
We do not have a financial condition likely to impair our ability to meet commitments to our clients, nor have
we or our owners been the subject of a bankruptcy petition. Due to the nature of our firm’s advisory services
and operational practices, an audited balance sheet is not required nor included in this brochure.
BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN
Our firm maintains a business continuity and succession contingency plan that is integrated within the
organization to ensure it appropriately responds to events that pose a risk of significant disruption to its
operations. A statement concerning the current plan is available and can be provided under separate cover.
FOR QUESTIONS: Our Chief Compliance Officer, Cameron Barsness, remains available to address any questions that a client or
prospective client may have regarding voting-related issues.
FOR QUESTIONS: OUR CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICER, CAMERON BARSNESS, REMAINS AVAILABLE
TO ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS PART 2A.
Page 27 of 27
SEC Form
ADV Part 2B
Brochure Supplements
February 2025
Scott D. Benner
Cameron J. Barsness
Ryan V. Stevens
Kyle O’Connor
Gianna Giusti
1201 Western Ave
Suite 600
Seattle, WA 98101
206-462-6100 P
kbbsfinancial.com
This brochure supplement provides information about our personnel that supplements the KUTSCHER BENNER
BARSNESS & STEVENS, INC. (“the Firm” or “KBBS”) brochure. Please contact Cameron Barsness, Principal, if you did
not receive our brochure or if you have any questions about the contents of this supplement.
If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact Cameron Barsness, Chief
Compliance Officer, at (206) 462-6100 and/or cbarsness@kbbsfinancial.com.
Additional information about KUTSCHER BENNER BARSNESS & STEVENS, INC. also is available on the SEC’s website at
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. The CRD number for KBBS is 107475.
SEC Form ADV Part 2B
SCOTT D BENNER, JD
Vashon Allied Arts, the performing and visual arts hub for
Vashon, and is a past trustee and chair of the Northwest
Entrepreneur Network and trustee of MS Society of
Washington. Scott has given of his professional time to the
endowment efforts of the Vashon Schools Foundation and
Gage Academy of Art. Scott continues to practice law
through Kutscher Law PLLC (previously KHBB Law) to handle
client legal matters related to his work as a financial advisor.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND AND BUSINESS
EXPERIENCE
Scott (1966) helps entrepreneurs, professionals and other
clients bring transparency, coherence and careful attention to
their financial affairs. Common challenges for these clients
involve obtaining liquidity for private businesses,
understanding the full value of their human capital, reducing
concentrations in employer equity, and when and how to
distribute deferred compensation.
DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION
None.
OTHER BUSINESS ACTIVITIES
Lawyer, Kutscher Law, PLLC, a law firm
ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION
None.
After many years’ organizing investment funds, structuring
venture capital deals, and advising on equity compensation
arrangements, Scott plays a distinctive role in assisting our
clients with the integration of their restricted stock, stock
options, real estate and other alternative investments into
their overall financial picture. He also takes a lead role in
examining private funds and other alternative investments
for the firm in his role as chair of the investment committee.
SUPERVISION
Kutscher Benner Barsness & Stevens, Inc. uses a team
supervision system. The primary supervisors are Scott
Benner, Cameron Barsness and Ryan Stevens.
We have written policies and procedures, which include
the use of investment policy statements, reviews of client
financial reports by another supervisor, restrictions on
employee personal trading and prohibitions against trading
based on material non-public information. As CCO, Cameron
Barsness regularly monitors these and other elements of
the firm’s policies and procedures to ensure compliance. For
specific supervision questions, please contact Cameron
Barsness, CCO, at (206) 462-6100.
Scott graduated magna cum laude from Pacific Lutheran
University in 1988 with departmental honors in economics
and significant coursework in finance. He earned a law
degree, cum laude, from New York University in 1991. Scott
started his law practice in Seattle at Bogle & Gates LLP and
joined Heller Ehrman LLP in 1994, focusing on public company
work, venture capital financings, mutual fund organization
and investment advisor compliance. After briefly serving as
general counsel of publicly-traded Ride, Inc., he returned to
Heller in 1996, served clients from its Singapore and Hong
Kong offices, became a partner, and concentrated his practice
on hedge funds and venture capital formation and
investment. Scott returned to the U.S. in 2003 to practice in
Heller's Seattle and San Francisco offices as part of Heller’s
private funds group. In 2006, Scott joined KBBS with a view
to integrating financial, tax and legal considerations in the
service of the unique needs of entrepreneurs and business
owners.
Scott has served in leadership of several community
organizations, including as a board member and treasurer of
Page 2 of 6
SEC Form ADV Part 2B
CAMERON J BARSNESS, CFP®
• Experience – Complete 6,000 hours of professional
experience related to the personal financial planning
process, or 4,000 hours of apprenticeship experience that
meets additional requirements.
• Ethics – Satisfy the Fitness Standards for Candidates for
CFP® Certification and Former CFP® Professionals Seeking
Reinstatement and agree to be bound by CFP Board’s Code
of Ethics and Standards of Conduct (“Code and Standards”),
which sets forth the ethical and practice standards for CFP®
professionals.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND AND BUSINESS
EXPERIENCE
In her work as a primary financial planner to many clients,
Cam (1982) is drawn to the financial coaching aspect of the
business. She leads conversations around values, goals and
the integration of these facets into clients’ investment
portfolios and broader financial lives. These conversations
often lead to strategies around charitable giving, impact
investing and environmental, social and governance (ESG)
issues. Cam then develops tax-advantaged giving plans and,
together with the firm’s investment committee, identifies
suitable investments.
Cam joined the firm in 2006 as an Associate and became a
shareholder and Principal in 2015. In addition to her work
with clients, she serves as the firm’s Chief Compliance Officer
and, with her human resources hat on, its Chief Happiness
Officer. Cam graduated magna cum laude from Santa Clara
University in 2004 with a degree in marketing.
Individuals who become certified must complete the
following ongoing education and ethics requirements to
remain certified and maintain the right to continue to use
the CFP Board Certification Marks:
• Ethics – Commit to complying with CFP Board’s Code and
Standards. This includes a commitment to CFP Board, as
part of the certification, to act as a fiduciary, and therefore,
act in the best interests of the client, at all times when
providing financial advice and financial planning. CFP Board
may sanction a CFP® professional who does not abide by
this commitment, but CFP Board does not guarantee a CFP®
professional's services. A client who seeks a similar
commitment should obtain a written engagement that
includes a fiduciary obligation to the client.
Outside of work, you can find Cam and her husband Erik
watching their daughter perform in musical theatre
productions and their two boys play baseball and basketball
(or really any sport).
• Continuing Education – Complete 30 hours of continuing
education every two years to maintain competence,
demonstrate specified levels of knowledge, skills, and
abilities, and keep up with developments in financial
planning. Two of the hours must address the Code and
Standards.
DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION
None.
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional
Cam is certified for financial planning services in the United
States by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.
(“CFP Board”). Therefore, she may refer to herself as a CERTIFIED
FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional or a CFP® professional, and
may use these and CFP Board’s other certification marks (the
“CFP Board Certification Marks”). The CFP® certification is
voluntary. No federal or state law or regulation requires financial
planners to hold the CFP® certification. You may find more
information about the CFP® certification at www.cfp.net.
OTHER BUSINESS ACTIVITIES
None.
ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION
None.
SUPERVISION
CFP® professionals have met CFP Board’s high standards for
education, examination, experience, and ethics. To become a CFP®
professional, an individual must fulfill the following requirements:
• Education – Earn a bachelor’s degree or higher from an
accredited college or university and complete CFP Board-
approved coursework at a college or university through a CFP
Board Registered Program. The coursework covers the
financial planning subject areas CFP Board has determined are
necessary for the competent and professional delivery of
financial planning services, as well as a comprehensive
financial plan development capstone course. A candidate may
satisfy some of the coursework requirement through other
qualifying credentials.
Kutscher Benner Barsness & Stevens, Inc. uses a team
supervision system. The primary supervisors are Scott
Benner, Cameron Barsness and Ryan Stevens.
We have written policies and procedures, which include
the use of investment policy statements, reviews of client
financial reports by another supervisor, restrictions on
employee personal trading and prohibitions against trading
based on material non-public information. As CCO, Cameron
Barsness regularly monitors these and other elements of
the firm’s policies and procedures to ensure compliance. For
specific supervision questions, please contact Cameron
Barsness, CCO, at (206) 462-6100.
• Examination – Pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification
Examination. The examination is designed to assess an
individual’s ability to integrate and apply a broad base of
financial planning knowledge in the context of real-life
financial planning situations.
Page 3 of 6
SEC Form ADV Part 2B
RYAN V STEVENS, CFA, CAIA
submit reference letters describing work experience and
personal character; and 4) apply to and join the CFA Institute
as regular members. CFA charterholders also commit to
abide by, and annually reaffirm their adherence to, the CFA
Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional
Conduct.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND AND BUSINESS
EXPERIENCE
Ryan (1981) is dedicated to bringing clarity and cohesion to
clients’ financial lives. He serves as lead financial planner on
client engagements and is an architect of client reporting.
Ryan’s portfolio management work for clients, as part of the
firm’s investment committee, includes model composition
and analysis, research and manager due diligence, and
supervision of model application and execution.
An English major, MBA and CFA and CAIA charterholder,
Ryan’s work is driven by an interest in the interplay of
seemingly independent perspectives--e.g., fundamental and
behavioral, financial capital and human capital, shareholder
and stakeholder--and their intersection with wealth
accumulation, risk management and investment themes such
as ESG and alternative investing.
The Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA)
designation is administered by the CAIA Association, which is
considered the global authority in alternative investment
education. The association has 13,000+ members in 35+
chapters and 100+ countries. To become a CAIA
charterholder, candidates must: 1) pass two sequential
examinations covering everything from the characteristics of
various strategies within each alternative asset class to
portfolio management concepts central to alternative
investments; and 2) apply to and become a member in the
CAIA Association. The CAIA curriculum aligns with the CFA
Institute Standards of Practice Handbook.
DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION
None.
OTHER BUSINESS ACTIVITIES
Prior to joining KBBS in 2011, Ryan was a consultant with a
forensic accounting firm, where he prepared business
valuations and analyzed claims, liquidation and fraud
scenarios. He also worked in secondary loan sales at a
regional mortgage bank. Before finding his financial career
path, he started out in non-profit adolescent behavioral
health.
None.
ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION
None.
Ryan earned an MBA in Global Finance from Thunderbird
School of Global Management. He’s also a graduate of the
University of Washington, magna cum laude with college
honors.
SUPERVISION
Ryan and his wife Grace, a fellow Husky English major, live in
University Place with their two children. In their free time,
they enjoy travel, being outdoors, supporting local teams and
attending the Seattle Symphony.
Kutscher Benner Barsness & Stevens, Inc. uses a team
supervision system. The primary supervisors are Scott
Benner, Cameron Barsness and Ryan Stevens.
We have written policies and procedures, which include
the use of investment policy statements, reviews of client
financial reports by another supervisor, restrictions on
employee personal trading and prohibitions against trading
based on material non-public information. As CCO, Cameron
Barsness regularly monitors these and other elements of
the firm’s policies and procedures to ensure compliance. For
specific supervision questions, please contact Cameron
Barsness, CCO, at (206) 462-6100.
The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation is the
culmination of a graduate-level investment curriculum
established in 1962 and administered by the CFA Institute – a
professional association of 1690,000+ members in 160+
countries and regions. To become a CFA charterholder,
candidates must: 1) pass three sequential six-hour
examinations; 2) have at least four years of professional work
experience in the investment decision-making process; 3)
Page 4 of 6
SEC Form ADV Part 2B
KYLE O’CONNOR, CFP®
• Experience – Complete 6,000 hours of professional
experience related to the personal financial planning
process, or 4,000 hours of apprenticeship experience that
meets additional requirements.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND AND BUSINESS
EXPERIENCE
Kyle (1990) is involved in all aspects of the financial planning
process. His passion is focused on goals: helping clients
understand and define objectives, then partnering with them
to chart paths to success.
• Ethics – Satisfy the Fitness Standards for Candidates for
CFP® Certification and Former CFP® Professionals Seeking
Reinstatement and agree to be bound by CFP Board’s Code
of Ethics and Standards of Conduct (“Code and Standards”),
which sets forth the ethical and practice standards for CFP®
professionals.
In addition to his financial planning work, Kyle is a member of
the KBBS investment committee and directs the firm’s trading
operations and its administration of alternative investments.
Individuals who become certified must complete the
following ongoing education and ethics requirements to
remain certified and maintain the right to continue to use
the CFP Board Certification Marks:
Kyle graduated magna cum laude from Gonzaga University
with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and
concentrations in finance and economics. He continues to
cheer enthusiastically for Gonzaga basketball.
Kyle and his wife Ali live in Kirkland with their sons, John and
Finn, and golden retriever. They enjoy visiting extended
family around the Puget Sound area and in Kyle’s native city,
Sacramento. Time spent outdoors or around a table with
family and friends is particularly valued. Kyle describes
himself as a novice cook, avid skier, and poor but enthusiastic
golfer.
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional
• Ethics – Commit to complying with CFP Board’s Code and
Standards. This includes a commitment to CFP Board, as
part of the certification, to act as a fiduciary, and therefore,
act in the best interests of the client, at all times when
providing financial advice and financial planning. CFP Board
may sanction a CFP® professional who does not abide by
this commitment, but CFP Board does not guarantee a CFP®
professional's services. A client who seeks a similar
commitment should obtain a written engagement that
includes a fiduciary obligation to the client.
• Continuing Education – Complete 30 hours of continuing
education every two years to maintain competence,
demonstrate specified levels of knowledge, skills, and
abilities, and keep up with developments in financial
planning. Two of the hours must address the Code and
Standards.
DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION
Kyle is certified for financial planning services in the United
States by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.
(“CFP Board”). Therefore, he may refer to himself as a CERTIFIED
FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional or a CFP® professional, and
may use these and CFP Board’s other certification marks (the
“CFP Board Certification Marks”). The CFP® certification is
voluntary. No federal or state law or regulation requires financial
planners to hold the CFP® certification. You may find more
information about the CFP® certification at www.cfp.net.
None.
OTHER BUSINESS ACTIVITIES
None.
CFP® professionals have met CFP Board’s high standards for
education, examination, experience, and ethics. To become a CFP®
professional, an individual must fulfill the following requirements:
ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION
None.
SUPERVISION
• Education – Earn a bachelor’s degree or higher from an
accredited college or university and complete CFP Board-
approved coursework at a college or university through a CFP
Board Registered Program. The coursework covers the
financial planning subject areas CFP Board has determined are
necessary for the competent and professional delivery of
financial planning services, as well as a comprehensive
financial plan development capstone course. A candidate may
satisfy some of the coursework requirement through other
qualifying credentials.
• Examination – Pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification
Examination. The examination is designed to assess an
individual’s ability to integrate and apply a broad base of
financial planning knowledge in the context of real-life
financial planning situations.
Kutscher Benner Barsness & Stevens, Inc. uses a team
supervision system. The primary supervisors are Scott
Benner, Cameron Barsness and Ryan Stevens.
We have written policies and procedures, which include
the use of investment policy statements, reviews of client
financial reports by another supervisor, restrictions on
employee personal trading and prohibitions against trading
based on material non-public information. As CCO, Cameron
Barsness regularly monitors these and other elements of
the firm’s policies and procedures to ensure compliance. For
specific supervision questions, please contact Cameron
Barsness, CCO, at (206) 462-6100.
Page 5 of 6
SEC Form ADV Part 2B
GIANNA GIUSTI, CFP®
• Ethics – Satisfy the Fitness Standards for Candidates for
CFP® Certification and Former CFP® Professionals Seeking
Reinstatement and agree to be bound by CFP Board’s Code
of Ethics and Standards of Conduct (“Code and Standards”),
which sets forth the ethical and practice standards for CFP®
professionals.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND AND BUSINESS
EXPERIENCE
Initially an intern with KBBS, Gianna (1993) joined the firm
full-time in 2015 upon graduation from Chapman University,
where she received a Bachelor of Arts with honors in English
and political science.
Individuals who become certified must complete the
following ongoing education and ethics requirements to
remain certified and maintain the right to continue to use
the CFP Board Certification Marks:
In her financial planning work, Gianna is motivated by the
human aspects of the process—meeting clients where they
are and establishing a common language of goals and
strategies. She prioritizes and finds particular joy in the “what
ifs” of clients’ lives as she helps to model diverging paths so
clients can make informed choices with confidence. The
resulting plans are built around each client’s unique view of
financial success.
Gianna became a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certificant
in 2021. In addition to her work with clients, she also plays a
key role in our firm’s regulatory compliance program.
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional
• Ethics – Commit to complying with CFP Board’s Code and
Standards. This includes a commitment to CFP Board, as
part of the certification, to act as a fiduciary, and therefore,
act in the best interests of the client, at all times when
providing financial advice and financial planning. CFP Board
may sanction a CFP® professional who does not abide by
this commitment, but CFP Board does not guarantee a CFP®
professional's services. A client who seeks a similar
commitment should obtain a written engagement that
includes a fiduciary obligation to the client.
• Continuing Education – Complete 30 hours of continuing
education every two years to maintain competence,
demonstrate specified levels of knowledge, skills, and
abilities, and keep up with developments in financial
planning. Two of the hours must address the Code and
Standards.
DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION
Gianna is certified for financial planning services in the United
States by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.
(“CFP Board”). Therefore, she may refer to herself as a CERTIFIED
FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional or a CFP® professional, and
may use these and CFP Board’s other certification marks (the
“CFP Board Certification Marks”). The CFP® certification is
voluntary. No federal or state law or regulation requires financial
planners to hold the CFP® certification. You may find more
information about the CFP® certification at www.cfp.net.
None.
OTHER BUSINESS ACTIVITIES
None.
CFP® professionals have met CFP Board’s high standards for
education, examination, experience, and ethics. To become a CFP®
professional, an individual must fulfill the following requirements:
ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION
None.
SUPERVISION
• Education – Earn a bachelor’s degree or higher from an
accredited college or university and complete CFP Board-
approved coursework at a college or university through a CFP
Board Registered Program. The coursework covers the
financial planning subject areas CFP Board has determined are
necessary for the competent and professional delivery of
financial planning services, as well as a comprehensive
financial plan development capstone course. A candidate may
satisfy some of the coursework requirement through other
qualifying credentials.
• Examination – Pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification
Examination. The examination is designed to assess an
individual’s ability to integrate and apply a broad base of
financial planning knowledge in the context of real-life
financial planning situations.
Kutscher Benner Barsness & Stevens, Inc. uses a team
supervision system. The primary supervisors are Scott
Benner, Cameron Barsness and Ryan Stevens.
We have written policies and procedures, which include
the use of investment policy statements, reviews of client
financial reports by another supervisor, restrictions on
employee personal trading and prohibitions against trading
based on material non-public information. As CCO, Cameron
Barsness regularly monitors these and other elements of
the firm’s policies and procedures to ensure compliance. For
specific supervision questions, please contact Cameron
Barsness, CCO, at (206) 462-6100.
• Experience – Complete 6,000 hours of professional
experience related to the personal financial planning
process, or 4,000 hours of apprenticeship experience that
meets additional requirements.
Page 6 of 6