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Item 1
Cover Page
MATERETSKY FINANCIAL GROUP
ADV Part 2A
Dated: March 19, 2026
Contact: Ira Materetsky, Chief Compliance Officer
Principal Office:
2240 Woolbright Road, Suite 354
Boynton Beach, Florida
New York Office:
200 Broadhollow Road, Suite 207
Melville, New York 11747
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Materetsky
Financial Group, Inc. (dba Materetsky Financial Group) (“Registrant”). If you have any questions
about the contents of this brochure, please contact us at 561-735-9227. 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.
information about Registrant also
is available on
the SEC’s website at
Additional
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
References herein to Registrant as a “registered investment adviser” or any reference to being
“registered” does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
Item 2
Material Changes
Since its Annual Amendment filing on March 18, 2025, there have been no material changes to this
Disclosure Brochure. The Firm has made disclosure changes, enhancements and additions at Items 4 and
14.
ANY QUESTIONS: The Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, Ira Materetsky, remains available to
address any questions regarding the above or any other issue pertaining to this Brochure.
Item 3
Table of Contents
Item 1 Cover Page .................................................................................................................................... 1
Item 2 Material Changes .......................................................................................................................... 2
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... 2
Item 3
Item 4 Advisory Business ........................................................................................................................ 3
Fees and Compensation .............................................................................................................. 11
Item 5
Item 6
Performance-Based Fees and Side-by-Side Management .......................................................... 13
Types of Clients .......................................................................................................................... 14
Item 7
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss ................................................... 14
Item 9 Disciplinary Information ............................................................................................................ 17
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 .................................................................................................................... 19
Item 13 Review of Accounts .................................................................................................................... 21
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation .................................................................................. 21
Item 15 Custody ....................................................................................................................................... 22
Item 16
Investment Discretion ................................................................................................................. 22
Item 17 Voting Client Securities .............................................................................................................. 22
Item 18 Financial Information ................................................................................................................. 23
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Item 4
Advisory Business
A. Materetsky Financial Group, Inc. d/b/a Materetsky Financial Group (hereinafter referred
to as “Registrant,” “we,” or “us”) is a registered investment adviser based in Boynton
Beach, Florida and Melville, New York. We are organized as a corporation under the laws
of the State of Florida. We have been providing investment advisory services since April
2018. We are soley owned by Ira S. Materetsky.
B. As discussed below, the Registrant only offers to its clients (individuals, high net worth
individuals, retirement plans, and charitable organizations) investment advisory services
on a non-discretionary wrap fee basis and, to the extent specifically requested by a client,
financial planning and related consulting services. Registrant also provides retirement plan
consulting services, for no additional fee, to qualified retirement plans and their
participants.
MATERETSKY FINANCIAL WRAP FEE PROGRAM
The Registrant provides investment management services on a wrap fee basis in
accordance with the Registrant’s investment management wrap fee program (the
“Program”) The services offered under, and the corresponding terms and conditions
pertaining to, the Program are discussed in the Wrap Fee Program Brochure a copy of
which is presented to all prospective and existing Program participants in accordance with
the disclosure requirements of Part 2A Appendix 1 of Form ADV. Under the Program, the
Registrant is able to offer participants non-discretionary investment management services,
for a single specified annual Program fee, inclusive of trade execution (excluding mark-
ups and mark-downs), custody, reporting, and investment management fees. All
prospective Program participants should read both the Registrant’s Brochure and the Wrap
Fee Program Brochure, and ask any corresponding questions that they may have, prior to
participation in the Program.
Pershing, LLC (“Pershing”) and Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”) serve as the
custodians for Program accounts (see disclosure at Item 12 below).
FINANCIAL PLANNING AND CONSULTING SERVICES
To the extent specifically requested by a client, the Registrant generally provides financial
planning and/or consulting services (including investment and non-investment related
matters, including, e.g., estate planning, insurance planning, etc.) inclusive of the Program
fee. Registrant believes that it is important for the client to address financial planning issues
on an ongoing basis. Registrant’s advisory fee, as set forth at Item 5 below, will remain the
same regardless of whether or not the client determines to address financial planning issues
with Registrant. Registrant believes that it is important for the client to address financial
planning issues on an ongoing basis. Registrant’s Program fee, as set forth at Item 5 below,
will remain the same whether or not the client determines to address financial planning
issues with Registrant. Please Note: The Registrant does not serve as an attorney or
accountant, and no portion of our services should be construed as legal or accounting
services. Accordingly, we do not prepare estate planning documents or tax returns. If
requested by the client, Registrant may recommend the services of other professionals for
implementation purposes, including the services of the Registrant’s representatives, in their
individual capacities, as registered representatives of Private Client Services (“PCS”) or as
licensed insurance agents. (See disclosure below at Item 5 and 10C, including
corresponding conflict of interest). The client is under no obligation to engage the services
of any such recommended professional. The client retains absolute discretion over all such
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implementation decisions and is free to accept or reject any recommendation from the
Registrant. Moreover, it remains the client’s responsibility to promptly notify the
Registrant if there is ever any change in the client’s financial situation or investment
objectives for the purpose of reviewing/evaluating/revising Registrant’s previous
recommendations and/or services. Please Note: If the client engages any professional,
recommended or otherwise, and a dispute arises thereafter relative to such engagement, the
client agrees to seek recourse exclusively from the engaged professional. At all times, the
engaged licensed professional(s), and not Registrant, shall be responsible for the quality
and competency of the services provided.
RETIREMENT PLAN CONSULTING
1.
Participant Directed Retirement Plans.
Registrant may also provide investment advisory and consulting services to participant
directed retirement plans pursuant to the terms and conditions of a Retirement Plan
Services Agreement between Registrant and the Plan which will include any compensation
to be paid to the Registrant. For such engagements, Registrant shall assist the Plan sponsor
with the selection of an investment platform from which Plan participants shall make their
respective investment choices (which may include investment strategies devised and
managed by Registrant), and, to the extent engaged to do so, may also provide
corresponding education to assist the participants with their decision-making process.
Personalized investment advice will not be provided to Plan participants regarding their
plan assets.
2.
Client Retirement Plan Assets.
If requested to do so, Registrant shall provide investment advisory services relative to
401(k) plan assets maintained by the client in conjunction with the retirement plan
established by the client’s employer. In such event, Registrant shall allocate (or recommend
that the client allocate) the retirement account assets among the investment options
available on the 401(k) platform. Registrant’s ability shall be limited to the allocation of
the assets among the investment alternatives available through the plan. Registrant will not
receive any communications from the plan sponsor or custodian, and it shall remain the
client’s exclusive obligation to notify Registrant of any changes in investment alternatives,
restrictions, etc. pertaining to the retirement account. Unless expressly indicated by the
Registrant to the contrary, in writing, the client’s 401(k) plan assets shall be included as
assets under management for purposes of Registrant calculating its advisory fee. The
Registrant shall not maintain client passwords for such accounts.
MISCELLANEOUS
Non-Investment Consulting/Implementation Services. To the extent requested by the
client, the Registrant shall generally provide consulting services regarding non-investment
related matters, such as estate planning, tax planning, insurance, etc. Neither the
Registrant, nor any of its representatives, serves as an attorney or accountant, and no
portion of the Registrant’s services should be construed as same. Accordingly, Registrant
does not prepare estate planning documents or tax returns. To the extent requested by a
client, the Registrant may recommend the services of other professionals for certain non-
investment implementation purposes (i.e., attorneys, accountants, insurance agents, etc.),
including representatives of the Registrant in their separate registered and/or licensed
capacities as discussed below at Items 5 and 10 below, including corresponding conflicts
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of interest. The client is under no obligation to engage the services of any such
recommended professional. The client retains absolute discretion over all such
implementation decisions and is free to accept or reject any recommendation from the
Registrant. Please Note: If the client engages any professional, recommended or otherwise,
and a dispute arises thereafter relative to such engagement, the client agrees to seek
recourse exclusively from the engaged professional. At all times, the engaged licensed
professional(s), and not Registrant, shall be responsible for the quality and competency of
the services provided. Please Also Note: It remains the client’s responsibility to promptly
notify the Registrant if there is ever any change in his/her/its financial situation or
investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing/evaluating/revising Registrant’s
previous recommendations and/or services.
Non-Discretionary Service Limitations. Clients that determine to engage Registrant on a
non-discretionary investment advisory basis must be willing to accept that Registrant
cannot effect any account transactions without obtaining prior consent to such
transaction(s) from the client. Thus, in the event that Registrant 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, the Registrant will be unable to effect the
account transaction(s) without first obtaining the client’s consent.
Retirement Plan Rollovers – No Obligation / Potential for Conflict of Interest. 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 Registrant recommends that a
client roll over their retirement plan assets into an account to be managed by Registrant,
such a recommendation creates a conflict of interest if Registrant will earn new (or increase
its current) compensation as a result of the rollover. If Registrant provides 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), Registrant is 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
Registrant, whether it is from an employer’s plan or an existing IRA. The Registrant’s
Chief Compliance Officer, Ira Materetsky, remains available to address any
questions that a client or prospective client may have regarding retirement plan
rollovers.
Custodian Charges-Additional Fees. The specific broker-dealer/custodian could depend
upon the scope and nature of the services required by the client and/or the direction of the
client. As discussed below at Item 12 below, when requested to recommend a broker-
dealer/custodian for client accounts, Registrant generally recommends that Pershing or
Schwab serve as the broker-dealer/custodian for client investment management assets. The
specific broker-dealer/custodian recommended could depend upon the scope and nature of
the services required by the client. Broker-dealers such as Pershing and Schwab charge
brokerage commissions, transaction, and/or other type fees for effecting certain types of
securities transactions (i.e., including transaction fees for certain mutual funds, dealer
spreads, 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
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as the amount of those fees) shall differ depending upon the broker-dealer/custodian. While
certain custodians, including Pershing and Schwab generally (with exceptions) do not
currently charge fees on individual equity transactions (including ETFs), others do. Please
Note: there can be no assurance that Pershing or Schwab will not change its transaction
fee pricing in the future. Please Also Note: Pershing and Schwab may also assess fees to
clients who elect to receive trade confirmations and account statements by regular mail
rather than electronically.
Please Note – Use of Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds: Registrant utilizes
mutual funds and exchange traded funds for its client portfolios. In addition to Registrant’s
investment advisory fee described below, and transaction and/or custodial fees discussed
above, clients will also incur, relative to all mutual fund and exchange traded fund
purchases, charges imposed at the fund level (e.g., management fees and other fund
expenses). The mutual funds and exchange traded funds utilized by the Registrant are
generally available directly to the public. Thus, a client can generally obtain the funds
recommended and/or utilized by Registrant independent of engaging Registrant as an
investment advisor. However, if a prospective client does so, then they will not receive
Registrant's initial and ongoing investment advisory services. Registrant’s Chief
Compliance Officer, Ira Materetsky, remains available to address any questions that
a client or prospective client may have regarding the above.
Cash Positions. Registrant continues to treat cash as an asset class. As such, unless
determined to the contrary by Registrant, all cash positions (money markets, etc.) shall
continue to be included as part of assets under management for purposes of calculating
Registrant’s 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), Registrant 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, Registrant’s advisory fee
could exceed the interest paid by the client’s money market fund. ANY QUESTIONS:
The Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, Ira Materetsky, remains available to
address any questions that a client or prospective may have regarding the above fee
billing practice.
Cash Sweep Accounts. Certain account custodians can require that cash proceeds from
account transactions or new deposits, be swept to and/or initially maintained in a specific
custodian designated sweep account. The yield on the sweep account will generally be
lower than those available for other money market accounts. When this occurs, to help
mitigate the corresponding yield dispersion, Registrant shall (usually within 30 days
thereafter) generally (with exceptions) purchase a higher yielding money market fund (or
other type security) available on the custodian’s platform, unless Registrant reasonably
anticipates that it will utilize the cash proceeds during the subsequent 30-day period to
purchase additional investments for the client’s account. Exceptions and/or modifications
can and will occur with respect to all or a portion of the cash balances for various reasons,
including, but not limited to the amount of dispersion between the sweep account and a
money market fund, the size of the cash balance, an indication from the client of an
imminent need for such cash, or the client has a demonstrated history of writing checks
from the account. Please Note: The above does not apply to the cash component
maintained within a Registrant actively managed investment strategy (the cash balances
for which shall generally remain in the custodian designated cash sweep account), an
indication from the client of a need for access to such cash, assets allocated to an
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unaffiliated investment manager, and cash balances maintained for fee billing purposes.
Please Also Note: The client shall remain exclusively responsible for yield dispersion/cash
balance decisions and corresponding transactions for cash balances maintained in any
Registrant unmanaged accounts. ANY QUESTIONS: Registrant’s Chief Compliance
Officer, Ira Materetsky, remains available to address any questions that a client or
prospective client may have regarding the above.
Socially Responsible Investing Limitations. Socially Responsible Investing involves the
incorporation of Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) considerations into the
investment due diligence process. ESG investing incorporates a set of criteria/factors used
in evaluating potential investments: Environmental (i.e., considers how a company
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). The number of companies
that meet an acceptable ESG mandate can be limited when compared to those that do not,
and could underperform broad market indices. Investors must accept these limitations,
including potential for underperformance. Correspondingly, the number of ESG mutual
funds and exchange-traded funds 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 Registrant), there can be no
assurance that investment in ESG securities or funds will be profitable or prove
successful. Registrant does not maintain or advocate an ESG investment strategy, but will
seek to employ ESG if directed by a client to do so. If implemented, Registrant shall rely
upon 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.
WE DON’T RECOMMEND Cryptocurrency: For clients who have advised the
Registrant that they want to consider a potential investment in cryptocurrencies, including
Bitcoin (“together, Crypto”) the Registrant, will advise the client that Crypto is a digital
currency that can be used for various purposes including to purchase goods, services and
investments. Crypto uses an online ledger with strong cryptography (i.e., a method of
protecting information and communications with codes) to secure online transactions.
Unlike conventional currencies issued by monetary authorities, Crypto generally operates
without centralized control, and their value is determined by market supply and demand.
While regulatory oversight of Crypto has evolved since its inception, Crypto remains
subject to unequal global regulatory treatment which could impact Crypto’s risks and
liquidity. Please Note: The Registrant does not recommend or advocate the purchase of,
or investment in Crypto. The Registrant considers such an investment to be speculative.
Please Also Note: Clients who purchase Crypto must be prepared for potential liquidity
constraints, extreme price volatility, regulatory risk, technology risk custody risk,
and complete loss of principal.
Portfolio Activity. Registrant has a fiduciary duty to provide services consistent with the
client’s best interest. Registrant 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, market conditions, fund manager tenure, style drift,
account additions/withdrawals, and/or a change in the client’s investment objective. Based
upon these factors, there may be extended periods of time when Registrant determines that
changes to a client’s portfolio are unnecessary. Clients remain subject to the fees described
in Item 5 below during periods of portfolio inactivity. Of course, as indicated below, there
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can be no assurance that investment decisions made by the Registrant will be profitable or
equal any specific performance level(s).
Other Assets. A client may:
the client’s engagement of
hold securities that were purchased at the request of the client or acquired prior
to
the Registrant. Generally, with potential
exceptions, the Registrant does not/would not recommend nor follow such
securities, and absent mitigating tax consequences or client direction to the
contrary, would prefer to liquidate such securities. Please Note: If/when
liquidated, it should not be assumed that the replacement securities purchased by
the Registrant will outperform the liquidated positions. To the contrary, different
types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no
assurance that future performance of any specific investment or investment
strategy (including the investments and/or investment strategies recommended or
undertaken by the Registrant) will be profitable or equal any specific
performance level(s)In addition, there may be other securities and/or accounts
owned by the client for which the Registrant does not maintain custodian access
and/or trading authority; and,
hold other securities and/or own accounts for which the Registrant does not
maintain custodian access and/or trading authority.
Corresponding Services/Fees: When agreed to by the Registrant, the Registrant shall:
(1) remain available to discuss these securities/accounts on an ongoing basis at the request
of the client; (2) monitor these securities/accounts on a regular basis, including, where
applicable, rebalancing with client consent;(3) shall generally consider these securities as
part of the client’s overall asset allocation; and, (4) report on such securities/accounts as
part of regular reports that may be provided by the Registrant; and, (5) include the market
value of all such securities for purposes of calculating advisory fee.
Borrowing Against Assets/Risks. A client who has a need to borrow money could
determine to do so by using:
Margin-The account custodian or broker-dealer lends money to the client. The
custodian charges the client interest for the right to borrow money, and uses the
assets in the client’s brokerage account as collateral or
Pledged Assets Loan- In consideration for a lender (i.e., a bank, etc.) to make a
loan to the client, the client pledges its investment assets held at the account
custodian as collateral.
These above-described collateralized loans are generally utilized because they typically
provide more favorable interest rates than standard commercial loans. These types of
collateralized loans can assist with a pending home purchase, permit the retirement of more
expensive debt, or enable borrowing in lieu of liquidating existing account positions and
incurring capital gains taxes. However, such loans are not without potential material risk
to the client’s investment assets. The lender (i.e., custodian, bank, etc.) will have recourse
against the client’s investment assets in the event of loan default or if the assets fall below
a certain level. For this reason, Registrant does not recommend such borrowing unless it is
for specific short-term purposes (i.e., a bridge loan to purchase a new residence). Registrant
does not recommend such borrowing for investment purposes (i.e., to invest borrowed
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funds in the market). Regardless, if the client was to determine to utilize margin or a
pledged assets loan, the following economic benefits would inure to Registrant:
by taking the loan rather than liquidating assets in the client’s account, Registrant
continues to earn a fee on such Account assets;
if the client invests any portion of the loan proceeds in an account to be managed
by Registrant, Registrant will receive an advisory fee on the invested amount;
and,
if Registrant’s advisory fee is based upon the higher margined account value (see
margin disclosure at Item 5 below), Registrant will earn a correspondingly higher
advisory fee. This could provide Registrant with a disincentive to encourage the
client to discontinue the use of margin.
Please Note: The Client must accept the above risks and potential corresponding
consequences associated with the use of margin or a pledged assets loan.
financial
situation or
investment objectives
for
Client Obligations. In performing its services, Registrant shall not be required to verify
any information received from the client or from the client’s other professionals and is
expressly authorized to rely thereon. Moreover, each client is advised that it remains
his/her/its responsibility to promptly notify the Registrant if there is ever any change in
his/her/its
the purpose of
reviewing/evaluating/revising Registrant’s previous recommendations and/or services.
Please Note: 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 Registrant) will be profitable or equal any specific performance level(s).
Client Privacy and Confidentiality. The Registrant maintains policies and procedures designed
to help protect the confidentiality and security of client nonpublic personal information (“NPPI”).
NPPI includes, but is not limited to, social security numbers, credit or debit card numbers, state
identification card numbers, driver’s license number and account numbers. The Registrant
maintains administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect such information
from unauthorized access, use, loss, or destruction. These safeguards include controls relating to
data access, information security, and incident response, and are reviewed to address changes in
risk and business. Client information may be disclosed in response to regulatory requests, legal
obligations, or as otherwise permitted by law, and any such disclosure is made in accordance with
applicable privacy and confidentiality requirements.
The Registrant may engage non-affiliated service providers in connection with providing
advisory services, and such providers may have access to client NPPI, as necessary, to
perform their functions. The Registrant confirms that service providers maintain
safeguards designed to protect client information from unauthorized access or use and
provide notice to the Registrant in the event of a cybersecurity incident involving client
information maintained by the service provider. While the Registrant maintains policies
and procedures designed to protect client information, such measures cannot eliminate all
risk. The Registrant will notify clients in the event of a data breach involving their NPPI
as may be required by applicable state and federal laws.
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Use of No Transaction Fee (“NTF”) Funds. The purchase or sale of transaction-fee
(“TF”) funds available for investment through the Registrant will result in the assessment
of transaction charges to you, your Advisor, or the Registrant. Although no- transaction-
fee (“NTF”) funds do not assess transaction charges, most NTF funds have higher internal
expenses than funds that do not participate in an NTF program. These higher internal fund
expenses are assessed to investors who purchase or hold NTF funds. Depending upon the
frequency of trading and hold periods, NTF funds may cost you more, or may cost the
Registrant or your Advisor less, than mutual funds that assess transaction charges but have
lower internal expenses. In addition, the higher internal expenses charged to clients who
hold NTF funds will adversely affect the long-term performance of their accounts when
compared to share classes of the same fund that assess lower internal expenses. It is
important to note that the Registrant will only purchase NTF funds when no other share
class is available for purchase. The administrative fees charged for each NTF fund trade is
the same as the administrative fees for all other funds. For those advisory programs that
assess transaction charges to clients, to the Registrant, or the Advisor, a conflict of interest
exists because the Registrant and your Advisor have a financial incentive to recommend or
select NTF funds that do not assess transaction charges but cost you more in internal
expenses than funds that do assess transaction charges but cost you less in internal
expenses.
Disclosure Brochure. A copy of the Registrant’s written Privacy Notice, Disclosure
Brochure as set forth on ADV Part 2A, ADV Part 2A Appendix 1 (Wrap Fee Brochure)
ADV Part 2B, and Form CRS (“Client Relationship Summary”) shall be provided to each
client prior to, or contemporaneously with, the execution of the Investment Advisory
Agreement and/or Retirement Planning and Consulting Agreement.
to providing
investment advisory services, an
C. The Registrant shall provide investment advisory services specific to the needs of each
client. Prior
investment adviser
representative will ascertain each client’s investment objective(s). Thereafter, the
Registrant shall allocate and/or recommend that the client allocate investment assets
consistent with the designated investment objective(s). The client may, at any time, impose
reasonable restrictions, in writing, on the Registrant’s services.
D. The Registrant only offers its investment advisory services on a wrap fee basis. When
managing a client’s account on a wrap fee basis, the Registrant shall receive as payment
for its investment advisory services, the balance of the wrap fee after all other costs
incorporated into the wrap fee have been deducted.
Wrap Program-Conflict of Interest. Registrant provides services on a wrap fee basis as
a wrap program sponsor. Under Registrant’s wrap program, the client generally receives
investment advisory services, the execution of securities brokerage transactions, custody
and reporting services for a single specified fee. Participation in a wrap program may cost
the client more or less than purchasing such services separately. The terms and conditions
of the wrap program engagement are more fully discussed in Registrant’s Wrap Fee
Program Brochure. Conflict of Interest: Because wrap program transaction fees and/or
commissions are being paid by Registrant to the account custodian/broker-dealer,
Registrant has an economic incentive to minimize the number of trades in the client's
account. See separate Wrap Fee Program Brochure. Furthermore, certain custodians,
including Schwab, have eliminated transaction fees for online trades of U.S. equities, ETFs,
and options (subject to certain contract fees). This means that, in most cases, when the
Registrant buys and sells these types of securities, the Registrant will not have to pay any
10
commissions to Schwab. ANY QUESTIONS: Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, Ira
Materetsky, remains available to address any questions that a client or prospective client
may have regarding a wrap fee arrangement and the corresponding conflict of interest a
wrap fee arrangement creates.
E. As of December 31, 2025, the Registrant had approximately $720,764,738 in assets under
management on a non-discretionary basis.
Item 5
Fees and Compensation
A. The client can determine to engage the Registrant to provide non-discretionary investment
advisory services on a wrap-fee basis.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES
Registrant’s negotiable annual investment advisory fee shall generally be based upon a
percentage (%) of the market value and type of assets placed under Registrant’s
management and/or advisement, between 0.45% and 1.40%. Fees shall vary depending
upon various objective and subjective factors, including but not limited to: the amount of
assets to be managed; personal and familial relationships; account composition; the scope
and complexity of the engagement; the anticipated number of meetings and servicing
needs; related accounts; future earning capacity; anticipated future additional assets; the
professional(s) rendering the service(s); courtesy accounts, negotiations with the client;
prior fee schedules; and competition. Please Note: As a result of these factors, similarly
situated clients could pay different fees, and the services to be provided by the Registrant
to any particular client could be available from other advisers at lower fees. Please Also
Note: Conflict of Interest. The Registrant’s representative shall receive a portion of the
advisory fee charged to the client. As a result, a material conflict of interest arises because
the representative has an incentive to seek a higher investment advisory fee to potentially
increase the representative’s compensation. ANY QUESTIONS: Registrant’s Chief
Compliance Officer, Ira Materetsky, remains available to address any questions that a
client or prospective client may have regarding the above fee disparity, impact on account
performance, and conflict of interest.
Registrant's annual investment advisory fee shall include investment advisory services,
and, to the extent specifically requested by the client, financial planning and consulting
services. In the event that the client requires extraordinary planning and/or consultation
services (to be determined in the sole discretion of the Registrant), the Registrant may
determine to charge for such additional services, the dollar amount of which shall be set
forth in a separate written notice to the client. Please Note: The Registrant does not serve
as an attorney or accountant, and no portion of our financial planning or consulting services
should be construed as legal or accounting services. Accordingly, we do not prepare estate
planning documents or tax returns. Please Further Note. Registrant believes that it is
important for the client to address financial planning issues on an ongoing basis.
Registrant’s advisory fee will remain the same regardless of whether or not the client
determines to address financial planning issues with the Registrant.
Fee Dispersion. Registrant, in its discretion, may charge a lesser investment advisory fee,
charge a flat fee, waive its fee entirely, or charge fee on a different interval, based upon
certain criteria (i.e., anticipated future earning capacity, anticipated future additional assets,
dollar amount of assets to be managed, related accounts, account composition, complexity
11
of the engagement, anticipated services to be rendered, grandfathered fee schedules,
employees and family members, courtesy accounts, competition, negotiations with client,
etc.). Please Note: As result of the above, similarly situated clients could pay different fees.
In addition, similar advisory services may be available from other investment advisers for
similar or lower fees. ANY QUESTIONS: Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, Ira
Materetsky, remains available to address any questions that a client or prospective client
may have regarding advisory fees.
RETIREMENT PLAN CONSULTING
The terms and conditions of the Registrant’s retirement plan consulting services, including
the applicable fee, shall be set forth in a Retirement Plan Consulting Agreement between
the Registrant and the plan sponsor. Clients can engage Registrant to provide Retirement
Plan Consulting services for a fixed fee or a fee based on a percentage of plan assets, which
fees may be negotiable and may vary depending upon the level and scope of the service(s)
required and the professional(s) rendering the service, and will generally range from 0.40%
to 1.00% of plan assets.
Margin Accounts: Risks/Conflict of Interest. Registrant does not recommend the use of
margin for investment purposes. A margin account is a brokerage account that allows
investors to borrow money to buy securities and/or for other non-investment borrowing
purposes. The broker/custodian charges the investor interest for the right to borrow money
and uses the securities as collateral. By using borrowed funds, the customer is employing
leverage that will magnify both account gains and losses. Should a client determine to use
margin, Registrant will include the entire market value of the margined assets when
computing its advisory fee. Accordingly, Registrant’s fee shall be based upon a higher
margined account value, resulting in Registrant earning a correspondingly higher advisory
fee. As a result, the potential of conflict of interest arises since Registrant may have an
economic disincentive to recommend that the client terminate the use of margin. Please
Note: The use of margin can cause significant adverse financial consequences in the event
of a market correction. ANY QUESTIONS: Our Chief Compliance Officer, Ira
Materetsky, remains available to address any questions that a client or prospective
client may have regarding the use of margin.
B. Both Registrant's Investment Advisory Agreement and the custodial clearing agreement will
generally authorize the custodian to debit the account for the amount of the Registrant's
investment advisory fee and to directly remit that management fee to the Registrant in
compliance with regulatory procedures. In the limited event that the Registrant bills the
client directly, payment is due upon receipt of the Registrant’s invoice. Registrant's annual
investment advisory fee shall be prorated and paid quarterly, in advance, based upon the
market value (market value or fair market value in the absence of market value) of the
assets on the last business day of the previous quarter.
C. As discussed below, unless the client directs otherwise or an individual client’s
circumstances require, the Registrant shall generally recommend that Pershing or Schwab
serve as the broker-dealer/custodian for client investment management assets. In addition
to Registrant’s investment management fee, brokerage commissions and/or transaction
fees (unless the client engages the Registrant on a wrap fee basis, in which event, the
commissions and transactions fees are included in the Registrant’s wrap fee), the client will
also incur, relative to all mutual fund and exchange traded fund purchases, charges imposed
at the fund level (e.g., management fees and other fund expenses). The fees charged by the
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applicable broker-dealer/custodian, and the charges imposed at the fund level, are in
addition to Adviser’s investment advisory fees referenced in this Item 5.
D. Registrant's annual investment advisory fee shall be prorated and paid quarterly, in
advance, based upon the market value of the assets (market value or fair market value in
the absence of market value) on the last business day of the previous quarter. The
Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and the client will continue in
effect until terminated by either party by written notice in accordance with the terms of the
Investment Advisory Agreement. Upon termination, the Registrant shall refund the pro-
rated portion of the advanced advisory fee paid based upon the number of days remaining
in the billing quarter.
E. Commission Transactions. In the event that the client desires, the client can engage
certain of the Registrant’s representatives, in their separate individual capacities as
registered representatives of PCS, a FINRA member broker-dealer, to implement
investment recommendations on a commission basis. In the event the client chooses to
purchase investment products through PCS, PCS will charge brokerage commissions to
effect securities transactions, a portion of which commissions PCS shall pay to Registrant’s
representatives, as applicable in their separate individual capacities as registered
representatives of PCS. The brokerage commissions charged by PCS may be higher or
lower than those charged by other broker-dealers. In addition, PCS, as well as Registrant’s
representatives can receive ongoing 12b-1 trailing commission with respect to any
commission products sold.
1. Conflict of Interest: The recommendation that a client purchase a commission
product from PCS presents a conflict of interest, as the receipt of commissions
and/or other forms of compensation, such as 12b-1 trailing commissions, may
provide an incentive to recommend investment products based on compensation
to be received, rather than on a particular client’s need. No client is under any
obligation to purchase any commission products from Registrant’s representatives
or PCS. The Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, Ira Materetsky, remains
available to address any questions that a client or prospective may have
regarding the above conflict of interest.
2. Please Note: Clients may purchase investment products recommended by
Registrant through other, non-affiliated broker dealers or agents.
3. The Registrant does not receive more than 50% of its revenue from advisory clients
as a result of commissions or other compensation for the sale of investment
products the Registrant recommends to its clients.
4. When Registrant’s representatives sell an investment product on a commission
basis, the Registrant does not charge an advisory fee in addition to the commissions
paid by the client for such product. When providing services on an advisory fee
basis,
the Registrant’s representatives do not also receive commission
compensation or 12b-1 fees for such advisory services. However, a client may
engage the Registrant to provide investment management services on an advisory
fee basis and separate from such advisory services purchase an investment product
from Registrant’s representatives on a separate commission basis.
Item 6
Performance-Based Fees and Side-by-Side Management
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Registrant is not a party to any performance or incentive-related compensation
arrangements with its clients.
Item 7
Types of Clients
The Registrant’s clients shall generally include individuals, high net worth individuals,
retirement plans, and charitable organizations. In general, Registrant requires a minimum
of $250,000 to open and maintain an advisory account. At Registrant’s 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. Registrant does
not require a minimum fee for its investment management services. Additionally,
Registrant, in its discretion, may charge a lesser investment advisory fee, charge a flat fee,
waive its fee entirely, or charge fee on a different interval, based upon certain criteria (i.e.,
anticipated future earning capacity, anticipated future additional assets, dollar amount of
assets to be managed, related accounts, account composition, complexity of the
engagement, anticipated services to be rendered, grandfathered fee schedules, employees
and family members, courtesy accounts, competition, negotiations with client, etc.). Please
Note: As result of the above, similarly situated clients could pay different fees. In addition,
similar advisory services may be available from other investment advisers for similar or
lower fees. ANY QUESTIONS: Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, Ira Materetsky,
remains available to address any questions that a client or prospective client may have
regarding advisory fees.
Item 8
Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
A. The Registrant may utilize the following methods of security analysis:
Charting - (analysis performed using patterns to identify current trends and trend
reversals to forecast the direction of prices)
Fundamental - (analysis performed on historical and present data, with the goal of
making financial forecasts)
Technical – (analysis performed on historical and present data, focusing on price
and trade volume, to forecast the direction of prices)
The Registrant may utilize the following investment strategies when implementing
investment advice given to clients:
Long Term Purchases (securities held at least a year)
Short Term Purchases (securities sold within a year)
Trading (securities sold within thirty (30) days)
level(s).
Please Note: Investment Risk. Investing in securities involves risk of loss that clients
should be prepared to bear, including the complete loss of principal investment. Past
performance may not be indicative of future results. 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 the Registrant) will be profitable or equal any
specific performance
Investment strategies such as asset allocation,
diversification, or rebalancing do not assure or guarantee better performance and cannot
14
eliminate the risk of investment losses. There is no guarantee that a portfolio employing
these or any other strategy will outperform a portfolio that does not engage in such
strategies. While asset values may increase and client account values could benefit as a
result, it is also possible that asset values may decrease and client account values could
suffer a loss.
B. The Registrant’s methods of analysis and investment strategies do not present any
significant or unusual risks.
However, every method of analysis has its own inherent risks. To perform an accurate
market analysis the Registrant must have access to current/new market information. The
Registrant has no control over the dissemination rate of market information; therefore,
unbeknownst to the Registrant, certain analyses may be compiled with outdated market
information, severely limiting the value of the Registrant’s analysis. Furthermore, an
accurate market analysis can only produce a forecast of the direction of market values.
There can be no assurances that a forecasted change in market value will materialize into
actionable and/or profitable investment opportunities.
The Registrant’s primary investment strategies - Long Term Purchases, Short Term
Purchases, and Trading - are fundamental investment strategies. However, every
investment strategy has its own inherent risks and limitations. For example, longer term
investment strategies require a longer investment time period to allow for the strategy to
potentially develop. Shorter term investment strategies require a shorter investment time
period to potentially develop but, as a result of more frequent trading, may incur higher
transactional costs when compared to a longer term investment strategy. Trading, an
investment strategy that requires the purchase and sale of securities within a thirty (30) day
investment time period involves a very short investment time period but will incur higher
transaction costs when compared to a short term investment strategy and substantially
higher transaction costs than a longer term investment strategy.
C. Currently, the Registrant allocates client investment assets on a non-discretionary basis
primarily among mutual funds and exchange traded funds in accordance with the client’s
designated investment objective(s). Each type of security has its own unique set of risks
associated with it. The following provides a short description of some of the underlying
risks associated with investing in these types of securities:
Market Risk. The price of a security may drop in reaction to tangible and intangible events
and conditions. This type of risk may be caused by external factors (such as economic or
political factors) but may also be incurred because of a security’s specific underlying
investments. Additionally, each security’s price can fluctuate based on market movement,
which may or may not be due to the security’s operations or changes in its true value. For
example, political, economic and social conditions may trigger market events which are
temporarily negative, or temporarily positive.
Unsystematic Risk. Unsystematic risk is the company-specific or industry-specific risk in
a portfolio that the investor bears. Unsystematic risk is typically addressed through
diversification. However, as indicated above, diversification does not guarantee better
performance and cannot eliminate the risk of investment losses.
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Value Investment Risk. Value stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole
and following a value-oriented investment strategy may cause a portfolio to underperform
growth stocks.
Growth Investment Risk. Prices of growth stocks tend to be higher in relation to their
companies’ earnings and may be more sensitive to market, political and economic
developments than other stocks, making their prices more volatile.
Small Company Risk. Securities of small companies are often less liquid than those of
large companies and this could make it difficult to sell a small company security at a desired
time or price. As a result, small company stocks may fluctuate relatively more in price. In
general, small capitalization companies are more vulnerable than larger companies to
adverse business or economic developments and they may have more limited resources.
Commodity Risk. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected
by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest
rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods,
weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs, and international economic, political, and
regulatory developments.
Foreign Securities and Currencies Risk. Foreign securities prices may decline or fluctuate
because of: (i) economic or political actions of foreign governments, and/or (ii) less
regulated or liquid securities markets. Investors holding these securities are also exposed
to foreign currency risk (the possibility that foreign currency will fluctuate in value against
the U.S. dollar).
Interest Rate Risk. Fixed income securities and fixed income-based securities are subject
to interest rate risk because the prices of fixed income securities tend to move in the
opposite direction of interest rates. When interest rates rise, fixed income security prices
tend to fall. When interest rates fall, fixed income security prices tend to rise. In general,
fixed income securities with longer maturities are more sensitive to these price changes.
Inflation Risk. When any type of inflation is present, a dollar at present value will not carry
the same purchasing power as a dollar in the future, because that purchasing power erodes
at the rate of inflation.
Reinvestment Risk. Future proceeds from investments may have to be reinvested at a
potentially lower rate of return (i.e., interest rate), which primarily relates to fixed income
securities.
Credit Risk. The issuer of a security may be unable to make interest payments and/or repay
principal when due. A downgrade to an issuer’s credit rating or a perceived change in an
issuer’s financial strength may affect a security’s value and impact performance. Credit
risk is considered greater for fixed income securities with ratings below investment grade.
Fixed income securities that are below investment grade involve higher credit risk and are
considered speculative.
Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, a bond issuer will call or repay a higher-
yielding bond before its maturity date, forcing the investment to reinvest in bonds with
lower interest rates than the original obligations.
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Regulatory Risk. Changes in laws and regulations from any government can change the
market value of companies subject to such regulations. Certain industries are more
susceptible to government regulation. For example, changes in zoning, tax structure or laws
may impact the return on investments.
Mutual Fund Risk. Mutual funds are operated by investment companies that raise money
from shareholders and invests it in stocks, bonds, and/or other types of securities. Each
fund will have a manager that trades the fund’s investments in accordance with the fund’s
investment objective. Mutual funds charge a separate management fee for their services,
so the returns on mutual funds are reduced by the costs to manage the funds. While mutual
funds generally provide diversification, risks can be significantly increased if the fund is
concentrated in a particular sector of the market. Mutual funds that are sold through brokers
are called load funds, and those sold to investors directly from the fund companies are
called no-load funds. Mutual funds come in many varieties. Some invest aggressively for
capital appreciation, while others are conservative and are designed to generate income for
shareholders. In addition, the client’s overall portfolio may be affected by losses of an
underlying fund and the level of risk arising from the investment practices of an underlying
fund (such as the use of derivatives).
Exchange Traded Fund Risk. ETFs are marketable securities that are designed to track,
before fees and expenses, the performance or returns of a relevant index, commodity, bonds
or basket of assets, like an index fund. Unlike mutual funds, ETFs trade like common stock
on a stock exchange. ETFs experience price changes throughout the day as they are bought
and sold. In addition to the general risks of investing, there are specific risks to consider
with respect to an investment in ETFs, including, but not limited to: (i) an ETF’s shares
may trade at a market price that is above or below its net asset value; (ii) the ETF may
employ an investment strategy that utilizes high leverage ratios; or (iii) trading of an ETF’s
shares may be halted if the listing exchange’s officials deem such action appropriate, the
shares are de-listed from the exchange, or the activation of market-wide “circuit breakers”
(which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) halts stock trading generally.
Item 9
Disciplinary Information
The Registrant has not been the subject of any material disciplinary actions.
Item 10
Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
A. As disclosed above in item 5.E, certain of Registrant’s representatives are registered
representatives of PCS, a FINRA member broker-dealer.
B. Neither the Registrant, nor its representatives, are registered or have an application pending
to register, as a futures commission merchant, commodity pool operator, a commodity
trading advisor, or a representative of the foregoing.
C. Registered Representatives of PCS. As disclosed above in Item 5 E, certain of
Registrant’s representatives are registered representatives of PCS and may effect securities
brokerage transactions on a fully disclosed commission basis.
Licensed Insurance Agents. Certain of Registrant’s representatives, in their individual
capacities, are licensed insurance agents and may recommend the purchase of certain
17
insurance-related products on a commission basis. As referenced in Item 4 above, clients
can engage certain of Registrant’s representatives, in their individual capacities as licensed
insurance agents, to effect insurance transactions on a commission basis.
Conflict of Interest: The recommendation by Registrant’s representatives that a client
purchase a securities or insurance commission product presents a conflict of interest, as
the receipt of commissions may provide an incentive to recommend investment products
based on commissions received, rather than on a particular client’s need. No client is under
any obligation to purchase any commission products from Registrant’s representatives.
Clients are reminded that they may purchase investment and/or insurance products
recommended by Registrant and/or its representatives through other, non-affiliated
registered representatives or insurance agents.
MFG Tax Preparation, Inc. Registrant’s representatives, Ira Materetsky, Joseph
Carpenito, and Matthew Welsh, provide separate tax preparation services through MFG
Tax Preparation, Inc. and may recommend the tax preparation services to Registrant’s
clients. To the extent a client determines to engage to provide tax preparation services, such
services shall be provided by Mr. Materetsky, Mr. Carpenito, Mr. Welsh, in their individual
capacity as tax preparers, independent of Registrant. Registrant will not receive any portion
of fees charged by Mr. Materetsky, Mr. Carpenito, or Mr. Welsh for such services.
Conflict of Interest: The recommendation by Mr. Materetsky, Mr. Carpenito, or Mr. Welsh
that a client elect the tax preparation and/or accounting services of MFG Tax Preparation,
Inc. presents a conflict of interest, as the receipt of fees for tax preparation and/or
accounting services may provide an incentive to recommend such services, rather than
recommending such services based upon a particular client’s needs. No client is under any
obligation to utilize Mr. Materetsky, Mr. Carpenito, Mr. Welsh, or MFG Tax Preparation,
Inc. for tax preparation and/or accounting services. Clients are reminded that they may
elect to obtain tax preparation and/or accounting services recommended by Registrant
through other non-affiliated tax preparers.
The Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, Ira Materetsky, remains available to
address any questions that a client or prospective may have regarding the above
conflict of interest.
D. The Registrant does not receive, directly or indirectly, compensation from investment
advisors that it recommends or selects for its clients.
Item 11
Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and
Personal Trading
A. The Registrant maintains an investment policy relative to personal securities transactions.
This investment policy is part of Registrant’s overall Code of Ethics, which serves to
establish a standard of business conduct for all of Registrant’s representatives that is based
upon fundamental principles of openness, integrity, honesty and trust, a copy of which is
available upon request.
In accordance with Section 204A of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Registrant
also maintains and enforces written policies reasonably designed to prevent the misuse of
material non-public information by the Registrant or any person associated with the
Registrant.
18
B. Neither the Registrant nor any related person of Registrant recommends, buys, or sells for
client accounts, securities in which the Registrant or any related person of Registrant has a
material financial interest.
C. The Registrant and/or representatives of the Registrant may buy or sell securities that are
also recommended to clients. This practice may create a situation where the Registrant
and/or representatives of the Registrant are in a position to materially benefit from the sale
or purchase of those securities. Therefore, this situation creates a potential conflict of
interest. Practices such as “scalping” (i.e., a practice whereby the owner of shares of a
security recommends that security for investment and then immediately sells it at a profit
upon the rise in the market price which follows the recommendation) could take place if
the Registrant did not have adequate policies in place to detect such activities. In addition,
this requirement can help detect insider trading, “front-running” (i.e., personal trades
executed prior to those of the Registrant’s clients) and other potentially abusive practices.
The Registrant has a personal securities transaction policy in place to monitor the personal
securities transactions and securities holdings of each of the Registrant’s “Access Persons”.
The Registrant’s securities transaction policy requires that Access Person of the Registrant
must provide the Chief Compliance Officer or his/her designee with a written report of
their current securities holdings within ten (10) days after becoming an Access Person.
Additionally, each Access Person must provide the Chief Compliance Officer or his/her
designee with a written report of the Access Person’s current securities holdings at least
once each twelve (12) month period thereafter on a date the Registrant selects; provided,
however that at any time that the Registrant has only one Access Person, he or she shall
not be required to submit any securities report described above.
D. The Registrant and/or representatives of the Registrant may buy or sell securities, at or
around the same time as those securities are recommended to clients. This practice creates
a situation where the Registrant and/or representatives of the Registrant are in a position to
materially benefit from the sale or purchase of those securities. Therefore, this situation
creates a potential conflict of interest. As indicated above in Item 11.C, the Registrant has
a personal securities transaction policy in place to monitor the personal securities
transaction and securities holdings of each of Registrant’s Access Persons.
Item 12
Brokerage Practices
A. In the event that the client requests that the Registrant recommend a broker-
dealer/custodian for execution and/or custodial services (exclusive of those clients that may
direct the Registrant to use a specific broker-dealer/custodian), Registrant generally
recommends that investment management accounts be maintained at Pershing or Schwab.
Prior to engaging Registrant to provide investment management services, the client will be
required to enter into a formal Investment Advisory Agreement with Registrant setting forth
the terms and conditions under which Registrant shall manage the client's assets, and a
separate custodial/clearing agreement with each designated broker-dealer/custodian.
Factors that the Registrant considers in recommending Pershing, Schwab, or another
broker-dealer/custodian, investment platform and/or mutual fund sponsor include
historical relationship with the Registrant, financial strength, reputation, execution
capabilities, pricing, research, and service. To the extent that a transaction fee is payable,
Registrant shall have a duty to obtain best execution for such transaction. However, that
does not mean that the client will not pay a transaction fee that is higher than another
19
qualified broker-dealer might charge to effect the same transaction where Registrant
determines, in good faith, that the transaction fee is reasonable. In seeking best execution,
the determinative factor is not the lowest possible cost, but whether the transaction
represents the best qualitative execution, taking into consideration the full range of a
broker-dealer’s services, including the value of research provided, execution capability,
transaction rates, and responsiveness. . Accordingly, although Registrant will seek
competitive rates, it may not necessarily obtain the lowest possible commission rates for
client account transactions. In the event that a client is not in the Wrap-Fee Program, the
transaction fees charged by the designated broker-
brokerage commissions or
dealer/custodian are exclusive of, and in addition to, Registrant's investment management
fee. The Registrant’s best price execution responsibility is qualified if securities that it
purchases for client accounts are mutual funds that trade at net asset value as determined
at the daily market close.
1. Non-Soft Dollar Research and Benefits
Although not a material consideration when determining whether to recommend that a
client utilize the services of a particular broker-dealer/custodian, Registrant may
receive from Pershing, Schwab, or from another broker-dealer/custodian, investment
platform and/or mutual fund sponsor without cost (and/or at a discount) support
services and/or products, certain of which assist the Registrant to better monitor and
service client accounts maintained at such institutions. Included within the support
services that can be obtained by the Registrant may be investment-related research,
pricing information and market data, software and other technology that provide access
to client account data, compliance and/or practice management-related publications,
discounted or gratis consulting services, discounted and/or gratis attendance at
conferences, meetings, and other educational and/or social events, marketing support,
computer hardware and/or software and/or other products used by Registrant in
furtherance of its investment advisory business operations.
Registrant’s clients do not pay more for investment transactions effected and/or assets
maintained at Pershing or Schwab as a result of this arrangement. There is no
corresponding commitment made by the Registrant to Pershing, Schwab, any other
entity to invest any specific amount or percentage of client assets in any specific mutual
funds, securities or other investment products as a result of the above arrangement.
The Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, Ira Materetsky, remains available to
address any questions that a client or prospective client may have regarding the
above arrangement and the corresponding conflict of interest presented by such
arrangement.
2. The Registrant does not receive referrals from broker-dealers.
3. Directed Brokerage. We generally recommend that our clients utilize the brokerage
and custodial services provided by Pershing or Schwab. We may accept directed
brokerage arrangements (when a client requires that account transactions be effected
through a specific broker-dealer). In such client directed arrangements, the client will
negotiate terms and arrangements for their account with that broker-dealer, and we will
not seek better execution services or prices from other broker-dealers or be able to
"batch" the client’s transactions for execution through other broker-dealers with orders
for other accounts managed by us As a result, a client may pay higher commissions or
other transaction costs or greater spreads, or receive less favorable net prices, on
20
transactions for the account than would otherwise be the case. Please Note: In the event
that the client directs us to effect securities transactions for the client’s accounts
through a specific broker-dealer, the client correspondingly acknowledges that such
direction may cause the accounts to incur higher commissions or transaction costs than
the accounts would otherwise incur had the client determined to effect account
transactions through alternative clearing arrangements that we recommend. Higher
transaction costs adversely impact account performance. Please Also Note:
Transactions for directed accounts will generally be executed following the execution
of portfolio transactions for non-directed accounts.
B. Order Aggregation. Transactions for each client account generally will be effected
independently unless we decide to purchase or sell the same securities for several clients
at approximately the same time. We may (but is not obligated to) combine or “bunch” such
orders to obtain best execution, to negotiate more favorable commission rates or to allocate
equitably among our clients differences in prices and commissions or other transaction
costs that might have been obtained had such orders been placed independently. Under this
procedure, transactions will be averaged as to price and will be allocated among clients in
proportion to the purchase and sale orders placed for each client account on any given day.
We shall not receive any additional compensation or remuneration as a result of such
aggregation.
Item 13
Review of Accounts
A. For those clients to whom Registrant provides investment supervisory services, account
reviews are conducted on an ongoing basis by the Registrant's Principal and/or
representatives. All investment supervisory clients are advised that it remains their
responsibility to advise the Registrant of any changes in their investment objectives and/or
financial situation. All clients (in person or via telephone) are encouraged to review
financial planning issues (to the extent applicable), investment objectives and account
performance with the Registrant on an annual basis.
B. The Registrant may conduct account reviews on an other than periodic basis upon the
occurrence of a triggering event, such as a change in client investment objectives and/or
financial situation, market corrections and client request.
C. Clients are provided, at least quarterly, with written transaction confirmation notices and
regular written summary account statements directly from the broker-dealer/custodian
and/or program sponsor for the client accounts. The Registrant may also provide a written
periodic report summarizing account activity and performance.
Item 14
Client Referrals and Other Compensation
A. As referenced in Item 12 above, we can receive from Pershing or Schwab, without cost
(and/or at a discount), support services and/or products. Our clients do not pay more for
investment transactions effected and/or assets maintained at Pershing or Schwab as result
of this arrangement. There is no corresponding commitment made by us to Pershing,
Schwab, or any other entity to invest any specific amount or percentage of client assets in
any specific mutual funds, securities or other investment products as a result of the above
arrangements. The Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, Ira Materetsky, remains
available to address any questions that a client or prospective client may have
21
regarding the above arrangement and the corresponding conflict of interest presented
by such arrangement.
B. The Registrant has entered into a promoter arrangement with Ramsey Solutions in
conjunction with its SmartVestor Pro program, consistent with the Investment Advisers
Act of 1940, and applicable state regulatory requirements, whereby the Registrant
compensates the promoter for prospective client leads on a recurring monthly flat fee basis,
regardless of the success of any such leads. Because the promoter has an economic
incentive to introduce the prospect to the Registrant, a conflict of interest is presented. The
promoter’s introduction shall not result in the prospect’s payment of a higher investment
advisory fee to the Registrant (i.e., if the prospect was to engage the Registrant independent
of the promoter’s introduction).
Item 15
Custody
Registrant shall have the ability to deduct its advisory fee from the client’s custodial
account. Clients are provided with written transaction confirmation notices, and a written
summary account statement directly from the custodian (i.e., Pershing, Schwab) at least
quarterly. Please Note: To the extent that the Registrant provides clients with periodic
account statements or reports, the client is urged to compare any statement or report
provided by the Registrant with the account statements received from the account
custodian. Please Also Note: The account custodian does not verify the accuracy of
Registrant’s advisory fee calculation.
The Registrant can provide other services on behalf of its clients that require disclosure at
ADV Part 1, Item 9 (currently no such disclosure is required). In particular, a client may
sign asset transfer authorizations that permits the qualified custodian to rely upon
instructions from the Registrant to transfer client funds to “third parties.” In the event that
the Registrant was to maintain any such arrangements, it would seek to rely on the guidance
provided in the SEC Staff’s February 21, 2017 Investment Adviser Association No-Action
Letter so that no such affected accounts would be subject to an annual surprise CPA
examination.
Item 16
Investment Discretion
Registrant does not accept discretionary authority to manage securities accounts on behalf
of clients.
Item 17
Voting Client Securities
A. The Registrant does not vote client proxies. Clients maintain exclusive responsibility for:
(1) directing the manner in which proxies solicited by issuers of securities owned by the
client shall be voted, and (2) making all elections relative to any mergers, acquisitions,
tender offers, bankruptcy proceedings or other type events pertaining to the client’s
investment assets.
B. Clients will receive their proxies or other solicitations directly from their custodian. Clients
may contact the Registrant to discuss any questions they may have with a particular
solicitation.
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Item 18
Financial Information
A. The Registrant does not solicit fees of more than $1,200, per client, six months or more in
advance.
B. The Registrant is unaware of any financial condition that is reasonably likely to impair its
ability to meet its contractual commitments relating to its discretionary authority over
certain client accounts.
C. The Registrant has not been the subject of a bankruptcy petition.
ANY QUESTIONS: The Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, Ira Materetsky,
remains available to address any questions that a client or prospective client may have
regarding the above disclosures and arrangements.
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