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Navigo Wealth Management
8905 Myranda Ct.
North Richland Hills, TX 76182
Mailing Address:
401 N. Carroll Ave. Suite 410
Southlake, TX 76092
817-330-5875
FORM ADV PART 2A
Client Brochure
www.navigowealth.com
March 2026
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Navigo Wealth -
Management, LLC. If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us
at 817-330-5875 or by email at: mcawyer@navigowealth.com. The information in this brochure has not
been approved or verified by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or by any state
securities authority.
Additional information about Navigo Wealth Management, LLC is also available on the SEC's website at
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. Navigo Wealth Management, LLC's CRD number is: 146265
Navigo Wealth Management is a registered investment adviser. Registration with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission or any state securities authority does not imply a certain level of
skill or training.
Item 2 Material Changes
Form ADV Part 2 requires registered investment advisers to amend their brochure when information
becomes materially inaccurate. If there are any material changes to an adviser's disclosure brochure, the
adviser is required to notify you and provide you with a description of the material changes.
In March 2026, Navigo received notification of becoming a registered investment advisor with the
Securities and Exchange Commission
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 ..................................................................................................... 11
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies, and Risk of Investment Loss ............. 12
Item 9 Disciplinary Information .......................................................................................... 16
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations ................................................ 16
Item 11 Code of Ethics ...................................................................................................... 17
Item 12 Brokerage Practices ............................................................................................. 18
Item 13 Reviews of Accounts ............................................................................................ 19
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation ............................................................ 20
Item 15 Custody ................................................................................................................ 21
Item 16 Investment Discretion ........................................................................................... 21
Item 17 Voting Client Securities (Proxy Voting) ................................................................. 21
Item 18 Financial Information ............................................................................................ 22
Additional Information ....................................................................................................... 22
Item 4 Advisory Business
A. Description of the Advisory Firm
Navigo Wealth Management is a registered investment adviser primarily based in North Richland Hills,
TX. We are organized as a limited liability company ("LLC") under the laws of the State of Texas. This
firm has been in business since March 5, 2008. The Managing Principal and largest interest owner is
Mark Lee Cawyer, with Christel Walker, Shabana Nathoo, Doug Reifel, Chase Cawyer, and Rory
Robertson each having a minority ownership interest in the firm.
The following paragraphs describe our services and fees. Refer to the description of each investment
advisory service listed below for information on how we tailor our advisory services to your individual
needs. As used in this brochure, the words "we," "our," and "us" refer to Navigo Wealth Management and
the words "you," "your," and "client" refer to you as either a client or prospective client of our firm.
B. Types of Advisory Services
Navigo Wealth Management, LLC (hereinafter "NWM") offers the following services to advisory clients:
Investment Supervisory Services
NWM offers ongoing portfolio management services based on the individual goals, objectives, time
horizon, and risk tolerance of each client. NWM creates an Investment Policy Statement for each client,
which outlines the client's current situation and then constructs a plan (the Investment Policy Statement)
to aid in the selection of a portfolio that matches each client's specific situation. Investment Supervisory
Services include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Investment strategy
• Personal investment policy
• Asset allocation
• Asset selection
• Risk tolerance
• Regular portfolio monitoring
NWM evaluates the current investments of each client with respect to their risk tolerance levels and time
horizon. NWM will request discretionary authority from clients in order to select securities and execute
transactions without permission from the client prior to each transaction.
We may also offer non-discretionary portfolio management services. If you enter into non-discretionary
arrangements with our firm, we must obtain your approval prior to executing any transactions on behalf of
your account. You have an unrestricted right to decline to implement any advice provided by our firm on a
non-discretionary basis.
As part of our portfolio management services, in addition to other types of investments (see disclosures
below in this section), we may invest your assets according to one or more model portfolios developed by
our firm. These models are designed for investors with varying degrees of risk tolerance ranging from a
more aggressive investment strategy to a more conservative investment approach. Clients whose assets
are invested in model portfolios may not set restrictions on the specific holdings or allocations within the
model, nor the types of securities that can be purchased in the model. Nonetheless, clients may impose
restrictions on investing in certain securities or types of securities in their account. In such cases, this may
prevent a client from investing in certain models that are managed by our firm.
Financial Planning Services
We offer financial planning services which typically involve providing a variety of advisory services to
clients regarding the management of their financial resources based upon an analysis of their individual
needs. These services can range from broad-based financial planning to consultative or single subject
planning. If you retain our firm for financial planning services, we will discuss with you to gather
information about your financial circumstances and objectives. We may also use financial planning
software to determine your current financial position and to define and quantify your long-term goals and
objectives. Once we specify those long-term objectives (both financial and non-financial), we will develop
shorter-term, targeted objectives. Once we review and analyze the information you provide to our firm
and the data derived from our financial planning software, we will deliver a written plan to you, designed
to help you achieve your stated financial goals and objectives.
Financial plans are based on your financial situation at the time we present the plan to you, and on the
financial information you provide to us. You must promptly notify our firm if your financial situation, goals,
objectives, or needs change.
You are under no obligation to act on our financial planning recommendations. Should you choose to act
on any of our recommendations, you are not obligated to implement the financial plan through any of our
other investment advisory services. Moreover, you may act on our recommendations by placing securities
transactions with any brokerage firm.
Sub-Advisory Services to Registered Investment Advisers
We offer sub-advisory services to unaffiliated third party money managers (the "Primary Investment
Adviser") per the terms and conditions of a written Sub-Advisory Agreement. As part of these services,
we will provide model portfolios, which the Primary Investment Adviser selects for their clients. While we
are responsible for the overall management of the assets delegated to our firm, we will not communicate
investment recommendations or selections directly to the Primary Investment Adviser's individual clients.
Additionally, the Primary Investment Adviser will be responsible for selecting the appropriate model for its
clients.
Services Limited to Specific Types of Investments
NWM limits its money management to mutual funds, equities, bonds, fixed income, debt securities, ETFs,
hedge funds, REITs, private placements, and government securities. NWM may use other securities as
well to help diversify a portfolio when applicable.
Additionally, we may advise you on various types of investments based on your stated goals and
objectives. We may also provide advice on any type of investment held in your portfolio at the inception of
our advisory relationship.
Web-Based Portfolio Management Services
We manage client investment portfolios on a discretionary basis. We allocate client assets among various
mutual funds and/or exchange-traded funds in accordance with their stated investment objectives. We
have engaged Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC (“Fidelity”) to provide our firm with access to an
investment account platform user
interface, WealthScape/eMoney platform (or any
automated
replacement or successor platform) (the “Platform”). We will provide discretionary portfolio management
services in model portfolios which are sponsored by Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC. The granting of
discretionary authorization to our firm permits us to buy, sell, and trade in such portfolios, and to retain
one or more sub-advisers to provide all or a portion of the discretionary management services with
respect to your account. We will have the discretion to hire and fire any sub-advisers without your prior
consent.
We offer discretionary portfolio management services that are delivered to you through an automated and
interactive web-based investment management system (i.e., "robo-advisory" services). The investment
advice rendered under this program is tailored to meet with your individual investment needs and
objectives and is delivered exclusively based upon information you submit via a web-based investment
questionnaire. Your responses to the electronic investment questionnaire are used by the web-based
system to determine whether the available investment programs offered are appropriate for you generally,
and, if so, to select a particular investment option that fits with your unique investment profile.
After submission of the online investment questionnaire, the web-based system will select an investment
option for you that employs a model investment portfolio ("model"), the underlying holdings of which have
been selected by our firm. We have diversified the models available within this program across various
investment styles and/or asset classes and designed them, in part, to reduce the transaction costs
incurred within client accounts. While the proprietary models offered are generally designed to consider
and mitigate transaction based charges, there may be instances where transaction fees and other
costs are incurred within your account. The investment and reinvestment of your assets within the
program is managed on a discretionary basis by our firm, and will occur automatically in accordance
with the investment model(s) you have selected via the web-based system. As the discretionary advisor
to your account, our firm will automatically re-balance your holdings on a periodic basis to maintain the
target asset allocation percentages within the selected models. You can change your investment
allocations and/or investment strategy at any time by going online and updating your web-based
information. You may incur additional transaction charges whenever the model is re-balanced including if
such re-balancing is due to changes in your profile.
You may withdraw assets from your account at any time directly via the web-based portal, subject to the
usual and customary securities settlement procedures. Our investment models typically rely on long-term
investment strategies and asset withdrawals may therefore impair the achievement of your specific
investment objectives.
If you participate in our web-based discretionary portfolio management services, you will be required
to grant our firm discretionary authority to manage your account. Discretionary authorization will allow our
firm to determine the specific securities, and the amount of securities, to be purchased or sold for your
account without your approval prior to each transaction. Discretionary authority is typically granted by the
investment advisory agreement you sign with our firm and/or the appropriate trading authorization
forms. Clients participating in this investment program may not impose any restrictions on the
management of their accounts or otherwise limit any discretionary authority granted.
In providing the portfolio management services under this program, all information will be provided
through the web-based portal. Our firm will not verify any information we receive from you, or your
agent(s), and we will rely on the information you provide. It is your responsibility to promptly update your
account application through the web-based portal if there are ever any changes in your financial situation
or investment objectives for the purpose of reallocating and/or re-balancing your account.
In addition to providing investment advisory and financial planning services to individually managed client
accounts, the Adviser may, at times, bring clients (prospective investors) other investment ideas
(including but not limited to; private equity funds, limited partnerships, other special purpose vehicles) that
are outside of the scope of the client’s investment management agreement. These outside investments
are to be made by means of offering memoranda (or similar), which the issuer will provide the prospective
investors prior to investing and will contain all material facts including additional risk factors relating to any
such investment. These prospective investors are advised to carefully review information in the offering
memorandum and consult with their own legal, accounting, tax, and other advisors in order to
independently assess the merits of such an investment. While these outside investments are not formally
part of the client’s managed assets, the Adviser fulfills its fiduciary obligation to the client by conducting
appropriate due diligence on each respective investment and disclosing all relevant conflicts of interest.
There is a potential for conflict as the Advisor or its representatives may have an inherent interest in the
success of the underlying investment. If/when a client decides to invest in an opportunity that may relate
to the interests of the advisor or its representatives, the firm will make documented efforts to ensure any
such outside investments are in-line with the fiduciary duty of care & loyalty. More specifically, that
Adviser: (a) ensures any such outside investment is in the best interest of the client; (b) fulfills its
obligation to subordinate its interest to that of the client; and (c) has fully and fairly disclosed all material
conflicts of interest that could impact the relationship. In certain circumstances, the adviser may receive
compensation for recommending the purchase or sale of these securities directly from the issuer. At no
point will the adviser charge a client an advisory fee for any investment made in these outside investment
vehicles. Require Client to sign one-page disclosure that acknowledges this conflict of interest.
C. Client Tailored Services and Client Imposed Restrictions
NWM offers the same suite of services to all of its clients. However, specific client financial plans and their
implementation are dependent upon the client Investment Policy Statement which outlines each client's
current situation (income, tax levels, and risk tolerance levels) and is used to construct a client specific
plan to aid in the selection of a portfolio that matches restrictions, needs, and targets.
Clients may impose restrictions in investing in certain securities or types of securities in accordance with
their values or beliefs. However, if the restrictions prevent NWM from properly servicing the client
account, or if the restrictions would require NWM to deviate from its standard suite of services, NWM
reserves the right to end the relationship.
IRA Rollover Recommendations
Effective December 20, 2021 (or such later date as the US Department of Labor (“DOL”) Field Assistance
Bulletin 2018-02 ceases to be in effect), for purposes of complying with the DOL’s Prohibited Transaction
Exemption 2020-02 (“PTE 2020-02”) where applicable, we are providing the following acknowledgment to
you. When we provide investment advice to you regarding your retirement plan account or individual
retirement account, we are fiduciaries within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable, which are laws governing retirement
accounts. The way we make money creates some conflicts with your interests, so we operate under a
special rule that requires us to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. Under this
special rule’s provisions, we must:
• Meet a professional standard of care when making investment recommendations (give prudent
advice);
• Never put our financial interests ahead of yours when making recommendations (give loyal
advice);
• Avoid misleading statements about conflicts of interest, fees, and investments;
• Follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that we give advice that is in your best interest;
• Charge no more than is reasonable for our services; and
• Give you basic information about conflicts of interest.
We benefit financially from the rollover of your assets from a retirement account to an account that we
manage or provide investment advice, because the assets increase our assets under management and,
in turn, our advisory fees. As a fiduciary, we only recommend a rollover when we believe it is in your best
interest.
D. Wrap Fee Programs
NWM does not participate in any wrap fee programs.
E. Assets Under Management
As of December, 31 2025, we provide continuous management services for $129,578,751 in client assets
on a discretionary basis, and $332,436 in client assets on a non-discretionary basis. Additionally, the firm
has 10,506,000 in Assets Under Advisement.
Item 5 Fees and Compensation
A. Fee Schedule
Investment Supervisory Services Fees
Our fee for portfolio management services is based on a percentage of the assets in your accounts and is
set forth in the following annual fee schedule:
Annual Fee Schedule
Assets Under Management Annual Fee
Under $100,000
$100,000 to $5,000,000
Over $5,000,000*
Foreign/International Assets
1.25%
1.00%
1.00% on first $5,000,000,
0.75% on next $5,000,000,
0.50% over $10,000,000
1.75%
*For Example, an account's value is $10,000,000.00 as of March 31. The fee for the quarter is calculated
below:
The first $5 million is charged 1.00% ($5,000,000 X 0.01)
$50,000
Second $5 million is charged 0.75% ($5,000,000 X 0.75)
$37,500
$87,500
These charges are totaled ($50,000 + $37,500)
The total is divided by four to arrive at the quarterly fee ($87,500 ÷ 4) $21,875
In this example, the fee for the quarter ended March 31 is $21,875.
The final fee schedule is attached as Exhibit II of the Investment Advisory Contract. Fees are billed and
payable quarterly in advance, based on the balance at end of billing period. Clients may terminate their
contracts with thirty days' written notice. Refunds are given on a prorated basis, based on the number of
days remaining in a quarter at the point of termination. Clients may terminate their contracts without
penalty, for full refund, within 5 business days of signing the advisory contract. Advisory fees are
withdrawn directly from the client's accounts with client written authorization.
In states that require it, the custodian will send quarterly invoices to the client wherein NWM fees are
itemized.
If the portfolio management agreement is executed at any time other than the first day of a calendar
quarter, our fees will apply on a pro rata basis, which means that the advisory fee is payable in proportion
to the number of days in the quarter for which you are a client. Our advisory fee is negotiable, depending
on individual client circumstances.
At our discretion, we may combine the account values of family members living in the same household to
determine the applicable advisory fee. For example, we may combine account values for you and your
minor children, joint accounts with your spouse, and other types of related accounts. Combining account
values may increase the asset total, which may result in your paying a reduced advisory fee based on the
available breakpoints in our fee schedule stated above.
We will deduct our fee directly from your account through the qualified custodian holding your funds and
securities. We will deduct our advisory fee only when the following requirements are met:
• You provide our firm with written authorization permitting the fees to be paid directly from your
account held by the qualified custodian.
• The qualified custodian agrees to send you a statement, at least quarterly, indicating all amounts
disbursed from your account including the amount of the advisory fee paid directly to our firm.
If you have any questions about the statement(s) you receive from the qualified custodian call our main
office number located on the cover page of this brochure.
Financial Planning Services
We generally charge a fixed fee for standard financial planning services, which ranges between $500 and
$2,500 for a set amount of completion hours. For more specialized services, including but not limited to
divorce financial analyst consulting and end of life advising, an hourly rate is assessed for the number of
hours worked at a rate of $150 per hour. At the firm's discretion, this fee can be negotiated or waived if
assets under management is expected to be over $100,000 within 12 months or at discretion of advisor.
The fee is negotiable depending upon the complexity and scope of the plan, your financial situation, and
your objectives. We do not require you to pay fees six or more months in advance. Should the
engagement last longer than six months between acceptance of financial planning agreement and
delivery of the financial plan, any prepaid unearned fees will be promptly returned to you less a pro rata
charge for bona fide financial planning services rendered to date.
We will not require prepayment of a fee more than six months in advance and in excess of $500.
At our discretion, we may offset our financial planning fees to the extent you implement the financial plan
through our Portfolio Management Service.
You may terminate the financial planning agreement upon written notice to our firm. If you have pre-paid
financial planning fees that we have not yet earned, you will receive a prorated refund of those fees. If
financial planning fees are payable in arrears, you will be responsible for a prorated fee based on
services performed prior to termination of the financial planning agreement.
Sub-Advisory Services for Registered Investment Advisers
Our annual fee for sub-advisory services is 1.0%. Our annual sub-advisory fee is billed and
payable quarterly in advance. If the sub-advisory agreement is executed at any time other than the first
day of a calendar month, our fees will apply on a pro rata basis, which means that the advisory fee is
payable in proportion to the number of days in the month for which you are a client. The method of fee
payment will be detailed in the sub-advisory agreement. Fees and payment arrangements are negotiable
and will vary on a case-by-case basis.
You may terminate the sub-advisory agreement by providing written notice to our firm. If you have pre-
paid advisory fees that we have not yet earned, you will receive a prorated refund of those fees.
Web-Based Portfolio Management Services Fees
Our annual advisory fee for web-based portfolio management services consists of an asset-based
management fee equal to 0.65% of the market value of your assets under our management, which
includes the amount payable to Fidelity. This advisory fee is billed quarterly in advance based on the
balance at the end of the billing period. The terms and conditions of this program shall be set forth in a
written portfolio management agreement executed by the client and our firm. A portion of the advisory
fee equal to 0.15% of the market value of the account is paid to Fidelity for their services, subject to a
minimum account fee.
Our advisory fee will be deducted directly from your account through the qualified custodian holding your
funds and securities. We will deduct our advisory fee only when you have given our firm written
authorization permitting the fees to be paid directly from your account. Further, the qualified custodian will
deliver an account statement to you at least quarterly. These account statements will show all
disbursements from your account. You should review all statements for accuracy.
Our agreement for services will continue in effect until terminated by either party. You may terminate the
management agreement upon written notice to our firm. You will incur a pro-rata charge for services
rendered prior to the termination of the agreement, which means you will incur advisory fees only in
proportion to the number of days in the calendar month during which you were a client. You have a right
to terminate your agreement with our firm within 5 business days of entering into the agreement, without
penalty.
B. Payment of Fees
Payment of Investment Supervisory Fees
Advisory fees are withdrawn directly from the client's accounts with client written authorization. Fees are
paid quarterly in advance.
Under certain circumstances, advisory fees may also be invoiced and billed directly to the client with
payments due at the beginning of the quarter.
Payment of Financial Planning Services
Unless a client chooses to pre-pay these fees in full, we require that you pay 50% of the fee in advance
and the remaining portion upon the completion of the services rendered.
C. Clients Are Responsible For Third Party Fees
Clients are responsible for the payment of all third party fees (i.e., custodian fees, mutual fund fees,
transaction fees, etc.). Those fees are separate and distinct from the fees and expenses charged by
NWM. Please see Item 12 of this brochure regarding broker/custodian.
D. Prepayment of Fees
NWM collects fees in advance. Fees that are collected in advance will be refunded based on the prorated
amount of work completed at the point of termination and the total days during the billing period. Fees will
be returned within the same quarter to the client via check or a rebate in fees paid directly into their
accounts.
E. Outside Compensation For the Sale of Securities to Clients
Neither NWM nor its supervised persons accept any compensation for the sale of securities or other
investment products, including asset-based sales charges or services fees from the sale of mutual funds.
Item 6 Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
NWM does not accept performance-based fees or other fees based on a share of capital gains on or
capital appreciation of the assets of a client. Side-by-side management refers to the practice of
managing accounts that are charged performance-based fees while at the same time managing accounts
that are not charged performance-based fees. Our fees are calculated as described in the Fees and
Compensation section above, and are not charged on the basis of a share of capital gains upon, or
capital appreciation of, the funds in your advisory account.
Item 7 Types of Clients
NWM generally provides management supervisory services to the following types of clients:
Individuals
High-Net-Worth Individuals
Corporations or Business Entities
Minimum Account Size
There is an account minimum, $100,000 per household, which may be waived by the investment advisor,
based on the needs of the client and the complexity of the situation. For example, we may waive the
minimum if you appear to have significant potential for increasing your assets under our management.
We also charge a minimum fee in the amount of $1,000 per year for account management. We may
reduce or waive the minimum fee if anticipated household AUM during the following 12 months will be at
least $100,000 to open and maintain an advisory account or for any other reason solely at the discretion
of the adviser.
We may also combine account values for you and your minor children, joint accounts with your spouse,
and other types of related accounts to meet the stated minimum.
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies, and Risk of Investment
Loss
A. Methods of Analysis and Investment Strategies
Methods of Analysis
NWM's methods of analysis include charting analysis, fundamental analysis, technical analysis, and
cyclical analysis.
Charting Analysis - involves the gathering and processing of price and volume pattern information for a
particular security, sector, broad index or commodity. This price and volume pattern information is
analyzed. The resulting pattern and correlation data are used to detect departures from expected
performance and diversification and predict future price movements and trends.
Risk: Our charting analysis may not accurately detect anomalies or predict future price movements.
Current prices of securities may reflect all information known about the security and day-to-day changes
in market prices of securities may follow random patterns and may not be predictable with any reliable
degree of accuracy.
Fundamental Analysis - involves analyzing individual companies and their industry groups, such as a
company's financial statements, details regarding the company's product line, the experience and
expertise of the company's management, and the outlook for the company and its industry. The resulting
data is used to measure the true value of the company's stock compared to the current market value.
Risk: The risk of fundamental analysis is that information obtained may be incorrect and the analysis may
not provide an accurate estimate of earnings, which may be the basis for a stock's value. If securities
prices adjust rapidly to new information, utilizing fundamental analysis may not result in favorable
performance.
Technical Analysis - involves studying past price patterns, trends and interrelationships in the financial
markets to assess risk-adjusted performance and predict the direction of both the overall market and
specific securities.
Risk: The risk of market timing based on technical analysis is that our analysis may not accurately detect
anomalies or predict future price movements. Current prices of securities may reflect all information
known about the security and day-to-day changes in market prices of securities may follow random
patterns and may not be predictable with any reliable degree of accuracy.
Cyclical Analysis - a type of technical analysis that involves evaluating recurring price patterns and
trends. Economic/business cycles may not be predictable and may have many fluctuations between long-
term expansions and contractions.
Risk: The lengths of economic cycles may be difficult to predict with accuracy and therefore the risk of
cyclical analysis is the difficulty in predicting economic trends and consequently the changing value of
securities that would be affected by these changing trends.
Modern Portfolio Theory - a theory of investment which attempts to maximize portfolio expected return
for a given amount of portfolio risk, or equivalently minimize risk for a given level of expected return, by
carefully diversifying the proportions of various assets.
Risk: Market risk is that part of a security's risk that is common to all securities of the same general class
(stocks and bonds) and thus cannot be eliminated by diversification.
Investment Strategies
NWM uses long term trading, short term trading, margin transactions, options writing (including covered
options, uncovered options, or spreading strategies), and short sales.
Investing in securities involves a risk of loss that you, as a client, should be prepared to bear.
Long term trading is designed to capture market rates of both return and risk. Frequent trading, when
done, can affect investment performance, particularly through increased brokerage and other transaction
costs and taxes.
Short term trading, margin transactions, options writing, and short sales generally hold greater risk and
clients should be aware that there is a material risk of loss using any of those strategies.
Short-Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that they will be sold within a
relatively short period of time, generally less than one year, to take advantage of the securities' short-term
price fluctuations.
Risk: Using a short-term purchase strategy generally assumes that we can predict how financial markets
will perform in the short-term which may be very difficult and will incur a disproportionately higher amount
of transaction costs compared to long-term trading. There are many factors that can affect financial
market performance in the short-term (such as short-term interest rate changes, cyclical earnings
announcements, etc.) but may have a smaller impact over longer periods of times.
Margin Transactions - a securities transaction in which an investor borrows money to purchase a
security, in which case the security serves as collateral on the loan.
Risk: If the value of the shares drops sufficiently, the investor will be required to either deposit more cash
into the account or sell a portion of the stock in order to maintain the margin requirements of the account.
This is known as a "margin call." An investor's overall risk includes the amount of money invested plus the
amount that was loaned to them.
Option Writing - a securities transaction that involves selling an option. An option is a contract that gives
the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a particular security at a specified price on or
before the expiration date of the option. When an investor sells a call option, he or she must deliver to the
buyer a specified number of shares if the buyer exercises the option. When an investor sells a put option,
he or she must pay the strike price per share if the buyer exercises the option, and will receive the
specified number of shares. The option writer/seller receives a premium (the market price of the option at
a particular time) in exchange for writing the option.
Risk: Options are complex investments and can be risky, especially if the investor does not own the
underlying stock. In certain situations, an investor's risk can be unlimited.
Trading - We may use frequent trading (in general, selling securities within 30 days of purchasing the
same securities) as an investment strategy when managing your account(s). Frequent trading is not a
fundamental part of our overall investment strategy, but we may use this strategy occasionally when we
determine that it is suitable given your stated investment objectives and tolerance for risk. This may
include buying and selling securities frequently in an effort to capture significant market gains and avoid
significant losses.
Risk: When a frequent trading policy is in effect, there is a risk that investment performance within your
account may be negatively affected, particularly through increased brokerage and other transactional
costs and taxes.
Short Sales - Unlike a straightforward investment in stocks where you buy shares with the expectation
that their price will increase so you can sell at a profit, in a "short sale" you borrow stocks from your
brokerage firm and sell them immediately, hoping to buy them later at a lower price. Thus, a short seller
hopes that the price of a stock will go down in the near future. A short seller thus uses declines in the
market to his advantage. The short seller makes money when the stock prices fall and loses when prices
go up. The SEC has strict regulations in place regarding short selling.
Risk: Short selling is risky. Investors should exercise extreme caution before short selling is implemented.
A short seller will profit if the stock goes down in price, but if the price of the shares increase, the potential
losses are unlimited because the stock can keep rising forever. There is no ceiling on how much a short
seller can lose in a trade. The share price may keep going up and the short seller will have to pay
whatever the prevailing stock price is to buy back the shares. However, gains have a ceiling level
because the stock price cannot fall below zero.
Risk: A short seller has to undertake to pay the earnings on the borrowed securities as long as the short
seller chooses to keep the short position open. If the company declares huge dividends or issues bonus
shares, the short seller will have to pay that amount to the lender. Any such occurrence can skew the
entire short investment and make it unprofitable. The broker can use the funds in the short seller's margin
account to buy back the loaned shares or issue a "call away" to get the short seller to return the borrowed
securities. If the broker makes this call when the stock price is much higher than the price at the time of
the short sale, then the investor can end up taking huge losses.
Risk: Margin interest can be a significant expense. Since short sales can only be undertaken in margin
accounts, the interest payable on short trades can be substantial, especially if short positions are kept
open over an extended period.
Risk: Shares that are difficult to borrow – because of high short interest, limited float, or any other reason
– have “hard-to-borrow” fees. These fees are based on an annualized rate that can range from a small
fraction of a percent to more than 100% of the value of the short trade. The hard-to-borrow rate can
fluctuate substantially on a daily basis; therefore, the exact dollar amount of the fee may not be known in
advance, and may be substantial.
Our investment strategies and advice may vary depending upon each client's specific financial situation.
As such, we determine investments and allocations based upon your predefined objectives, risk
tolerance, time horizon, financial information, liquidity needs and other various suitability factors. Your
restrictions and guidelines may affect the composition of your portfolio. It is important that you notify us
immediately with respect to any material changes to your financial circumstances, including for
example, a change in your current or expected income level, tax circumstances, or employment
status.
Investing in securities involves a risk of loss that you, as a client, should be prepared to bear.
C. Risks of Specific Securities Utilized
We recommend various types of securities and we do not primarily recommend one particular type of
security over another since each client has different needs and different tolerance for risk. Each type of
security has its own unique set of risks associated with it and it would not be possible to list here all of the
specific risks of every type of investment. Even within the same type of investment, risks can vary widely.
However, in very general terms, the higher the anticipated return of an investment, the higher the risk of
loss associated with the investment. A description of the types of securities we may recommend to you
and some of their inherent risks are provided below.
Stocks: There are numerous ways of measuring the risk of equity securities (also known simply as
"equities" or "stock"). In very broad terms, the value of a stock depends on the financial health of the
company issuing it. However, stock prices can be affected by many other factors including, but not limited
to the class of stock (for example, preferred or common); the health of the market sector of the issuing
company; and, the overall health of the economy. In general, larger, better established companies ("large
cap") tend to be safer than smaller start-up companies ("small cap") are but the mere size of an issuer is
not, by itself, an indicator of the safety of the investment.
Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds: Mutual funds and exchange traded funds ("ETF") are
professionally managed collective investment systems that pool money from many investors and invest in
stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments, other mutual funds, other securities, or any
combination thereof. The fund will have a manager that trades the fund's investments in accordance with
the fund's investment objective. While mutual funds and ETFs generally provide diversification, risks can
be significantly increased if the fund is concentrated in a particular sector of the market, primarily invests
in small cap or speculative companies, uses leverage (i.e., borrows money) to a significant degree, or
concentrates in a particular type of security (i.e., equities) rather than balancing the fund with different
types of securities. ETFs differ from mutual funds since they can be bought and sold throughout the day
like stock and their price can fluctuate throughout the day. The returns on mutual funds and ETFs can be
reduced by the costs to manage the funds. Also, while some mutual funds are "no load" and charge no
fee to buy into, or sell out of, the fund, other types of mutual funds do charge such fees which can also
reduce returns. Mutual funds can also be "closed end" or "open end". So-called "open end" mutual funds
continue to allow in new investors indefinitely whereas "closed end" funds have a fixed number of shares
to sell which can limit their availability to new investors.
ETFs may have tracking error risks. For example, the ETF investment adviser may not be able to cause
the ETF’s performance to match that of its Underlying Index or other benchmark, which may negatively
affect the ETF's performance. In addition, for leveraged and inverse ETFs that seek to track the
performance of their Underlying Indices or benchmarks on a daily basis, mathematical compounding may
prevent the ETF from correlating with performance of its benchmark. In addition, an ETF may not have
investment exposure to all of the securities included in its Underlying Index, or its weighting of investment
exposure to such securities may vary from that of the Underlying Index. Some ETFs may invest in
securities or financial instruments that are not included in the Underlying Index, but which are expected to
yield similar performance.
NWM generally seeks investment strategies that do not involve significant or unusual risk beyond that of
the general domestic and/or international equity markets. However, it may occasionally utilize margin
transactions, options writing and short sales which generally hold greater risk of capital loss and clients
should be aware that there is a material risk of loss using any of those strategies.
Private Placement Securities: NWM may recommend that certain eligible clients invest in private
placements, including promissory notes, resource exploration, and other non-traditional investments.
Clients should carefully read any offering documents, consider the following risks and disclosures before
investing.
Accredited Investor Requirement. Most private placements operate under Regulation D of the
Securities Act of 1933. Only clients who qualify as "Accredited Investors" as defined under Rule 501 of
Regulation D are eligible to invest. NWM will confirm accredited investor status prior to making any such
recommendation.
Unregistered Securities / No Regulatory Approval. Regulation D offerings have not been registered
with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") or any state securities regulator. No regulatory
authority has reviewed, approved, or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of offering materials.
Illiquidity Risk. Regulation D investments are long-term, illiquid investments with no secondary trading
market and no expectation that one will develop. Clients should be prepared to hold their investment to
maturity.
Suitability. Due to the illiquid, higher-risk nature of these securities, NWM will only recommend
Regulation D products to clients for whom such an investment is consistent with their stated investment
objectives, risk tolerance, time horizon, and overall financial situation.
Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Investing in securities involves a risk of
loss that you, as a client, should be prepared to bear.
Item 9 Disciplinary Information
There are no legal or disciplinary events that are material to a client's or prospective client's evaluation of
this advisory business or the integrity of our management.
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
A. Registration as a Broker/Dealer or Broker/Dealer Representative
Neither NWM nor its representatives are registered as a broker/dealer or as representatives of a
broker/dealer.
B. Registration as a Futures Commission Merchant, Commodity Pool Operator, or a Commodity
Trading Advisor
Neither NWM nor its representatives are registered as a Futures Commission Merchant, Commodity Pool
Operator, or a Commodity Trading Advisor.
C. Registration Relationships Material to this Advisory Business and Possible Conflicts of
Interests
Neither NWM nor its representatives have any material relationships to this advisory business that would
present a possible conflict of interest.
D. Selection of Other Advisors or Managers and How This Adviser is Compensated for Those
Selections
NWM does not utilize nor select other advisors or third party managers. All assets are managed by NWM
management.
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and
Personal Trading
A. Code of Ethics
We have a written Code of Ethics that covers the following areas: Prohibited Purchases and Sales,
Insider Trading, Personal Securities Transactions, Exempted Transactions, Prohibited Activities, Conflicts
of Interest, Gifts and Entertainment, Confidentiality, Service on a Board of Directors, Compliance
Procedures, Compliance with Laws and Regulations, Procedures and Reporting, Certification of
Compliance, Reporting Violations, Compliance Officer Duties, Training and Education, Recordkeeping,
Annual Review, and Sanctions. Clients may request a copy of our Code of Ethics from management.
B. Recommendations Involving Material Financial Interests
NWM does not recommend that clients buy or sell any security in which a related person to NWM has a
material financial interest.
C. Investing Personal Money in the Same Securities as Clients
From time to time, representatives of NWM may buy or sell securities for themselves that they also
recommend to clients. This may provide an opportunity for representatives of NWM to buy or sell the
same securities before or after recommending the same securities to clients resulting in representatives
profiting off the recommendations they provide to clients. NWM will always document any transactions
that could be construed as conflicts of interest and will always transact client business before their own
when similar securities are being bought or sold.
D. Trading Securities At/Around the Same Time as Clients' Securities
From time to time, representatives of NWM may buy or sell securities for themselves at or around the
same time as clients. This may provide an opportunity for representatives of NWM to buy or sell securities
before or after recommending securities to clients resulting in representatives profiting off the
recommendations they provide to clients.
Block Trading
Our firm or persons associated with our firm may buy or sell securities for you at the same time we or
persons associated with our firm buy or sell such securities for our own account. We may also combine
our orders to purchase securities with your orders to purchase securities ("block trading"). Refer to
the Brokerage Practices section in this brochure for information on our block trading practices.
A conflict of interest exists in such cases because we have the ability to trade ahead of you and
potentially receive more favorable prices than you will receive. To eliminate this conflict of interest, it is
our policy that neither our firm nor persons associated with our firm shall have priority over your account
in the purchase or sale of securities.
NWM also executes transactions for each client investment model group via aggregated trading. Trades
across all accounts within each group are executed at essentially the same price. This is similar to block
trading, but it is the custodian that allocates the trades across the accounts rather than NWM.
Item 12 Brokerage Practices
A. Factors Used to Select Custodians and/or Broker/Dealers
We recommend the brokerage and custodial services of Fidelity (whether one or more "Custodian"). Your
assets must be maintained in an account at a “qualified custodian,” generally a broker-dealer or bank. In
recognition of the value of the services the Custodian provides, you may pay higher commissions and/or
trading costs than those that may be available elsewhere.
We seek to recommend a custodian/broker that will hold your assets and execute transactions on terms
that are, overall, the most favorable compared to other available providers and their services. We
consider various factors, including:
• Capability to buy and sell securities for your account itself or to facilitate such services.
• The likelihood that your trades will be executed.
• Availability of investment research and tools.
• Overall quality of services.
• Competitiveness of price.
• Reputation, financial strength, and stability.
• Existing relationship with our firm and our other clients.
The custodian was chosen based on their relatively low transaction fees and access to mutual funds and
ETFs. NWM will never charge a premium or commission on transactions, beyond the actual cost imposed
by the custodian.
1.Research and Other Soft-Dollar Benefits
NWM receives no research, product, or service other than execution from a broker-dealer or third-party in
connection with client securities transactions ("soft dollar benefits").
2. Brokerage for Client Referrals
NWM receives no referrals from a broker-dealer or third party in exchange for using that broker-dealer or
third party.
3.Clients Directing Which Broker-Dealer/Custodian to Use
We generally require that you direct our firm to execute transactions through Fidelity. NWM allows clients
to direct brokerage. NWM may be unable to achieve most favorable execution of client transactions if
clients choose to direct brokerage through another broker-dealer that offers the same types of services.
This may cost clients money because without the ability to direct brokerage NWM may not be able to
aggregate orders to reduce transactions costs resulting in higher brokerage commissions and less
favorable prices. Not all investment advisers allow their clients to direct brokerage.
Web-Based Portfolio Management Services
For participation in our web-based portfolio management services, unless otherwise agreed upon, we
require that our clients use Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC ("Fidelity"), a registered broker-dealer and
member of the SIPC, as the qualified custodian. We are independently owned and operated and are not
affiliated with Fidelity. Fidelity will hold your assets in a brokerage account and buy and sell securities
when you instruct them to. While we recommend that you use Fidelity as custodian/broker, you will
decide whether to do so and will open your account with Fidelity by entering into an account agreement
directly with them. We do not open the account for you, although we may assist you in doing so. If you do
not wish to place your assets with Fidelity, then we cannot manage your account on the Fidelity
Automated Managed Platform accessible through the Wealthscape/eMoney platform (or any replacement
or successor platform).
B. Aggregating (Block) Trading for Multiple Client Accounts
We combine multiple orders for shares of the same securities purchased for discretionary advisory
accounts we manage (this practice is commonly referred to as "block trading"). We will then distribute a
portion of the shares to participating accounts in a fair and equitable manner. Generally, participating
accounts will pay a fixed transaction cost regardless of the number of shares transacted. In certain cases,
each participating account pays an average price per share for all transactions and pays a proportionate
share of all transaction costs on any given day. In the event an order is only partially filled, the shares will
be allocated to participating accounts in a fair and equitable manner, typically in proportion to the size of
each client’s order. Accounts owned by our firm or persons associated with our firm may participate in
block trading with your accounts; however, they will not be given preferential treatment.
We do not block trade for non-discretionary accounts. Accordingly, non-discretionary accounts may pay
different costs than discretionary accounts pay. If you enter into non-discretionary arrangements with our
firm, we may not be able to buy and sell the same quantities of securities for you and you may pay higher
commissions, fees, and/or transaction costs than clients who enter into discretionary arrangements with
our firm.
NWM also executes transactions for each client investment model group via aggregated trading. Trades
across all accounts within each group are executed at essentially the same price. This is similar to block
trading, but it is the custodian that allocates the trades across the accounts rather than NWM.
Mutual Fund Share Classes
Mutual funds are sold with different share classes, which carry different cost structures. Each available
share class is described in the mutual fund's prospectus. When we purchase, or recommend the
purchase of, mutual funds for a client, we select the share class that is deemed to be in the client’s best
interest, taking into consideration cost, tax implications, and other factors. When the fund is available for
purchase at net asset value, we will purchase, or recommend the purchase of, the fund at net asset
value. We also review the mutual funds held in accounts that come under our management to determine
whether a more beneficial share class is available, considering cost, tax implications, and the impact of
contingent deferred sales charges.
Item 13 Reviews of Accounts
Client accounts are reviewed at least annually by a Wealth Management Advisor. The primary advisors
are instructed to review clients' accounts with regards to their investment policies and risk tolerance
levels. The individuals conducting reviews may vary from time to time, as personnel join or leave our firm.
We may provide you with additional or regular written reports in conjunction with account reviews.
Reports we provide to you will contain relevant account and/or market-related information such as an
inventory of account holdings and account performance, etc. You will receive trade confirmations and
monthly or quarterly statements from your account custodian(s).
Reviews may be triggered by material market, economic or political events, or by changes in client's
financial situations (such as retirement, termination of employment, physical move, or inheritance).
For clients with financial plans, a Wealth Management Advisor will review financial plans as needed.
These reviews are provided as part of the contracted services. We do not assess additional fees for
financial plan reviews. Generally, we will contact you periodically to determine whether any updates may
be needed based on changes in your circumstances. Changed circumstances may include, but are not
limited to marriage, divorce, birth, death, inheritance, lawsuit, retirement, job loss and/or disability, among
others. We recommend meeting with you at least annually to review and update your plan if needed.
Additional reviews will be conducted upon your request. Written updates to the financial plan may be
provided in conjunction with the review. Updates to your financial plan may be subject to our then current
fixed fee rate, which you must approve in writing and in advance of the update.
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation
A. Economic Benefits Provided by Third Parties for Advice Rendered to Clients (Includes Sales
Awards or Other Prizes)
the relationship.
In certain circumstances, the adviser may receive compensation
In addition to providing investment advisory and financial planning services to individually managed client
accounts, the Adviser may, at times, bring clients (prospective investors) other investment ideas
(including but not limited to; private equity funds, Regulation D offerings, limited partnerships, promissory
notes, other special purpose vehicles) that are outside of the scope of the client’s investment
management agreement. These outside investments are to be made by means of offering memoranda
(or similar), which the issuer will provide the prospective investors prior to investing and will contain all
material facts including additional risk factors relating to any such investment. These prospective
investors are advised to carefully review information in the offering memorandum and consult with their
own legal, accounting, tax, and other advisors in order to independently assess the merits of such an
investment. While these outside investments are not formally part of the client’s managed assets, the
Adviser fulfills its fiduciary obligation to the client by conducting appropriate due diligence on each
respective investment and disclosing all relevant conflicts of interest. There is a potential for conflict as
the Advisor or its representatives may have an inherent interest in the success of the underlying
investment. If/when a client decides to invest in an opportunity that may relate to the interests of the
advisor or its representatives, the firm will make documented efforts to ensure any such outside
investments are in-line with the fiduciary duty of care & loyalty. More specifically, that Adviser: (a) ensures
any such outside investment is in the best interest of the client; (b) fulfills its obligation to subordinate its
interest to that of the client; and (c) has fully and fairly disclosed all material conflicts of interest that could
for
impact
recommending the purchase or sale of these securities directly from the issuer. At no point will the
adviser charge a client an advisory fee for any investment made in these outside investment vehicles.
Require Client to sign one-page disclosure that acknowledges this conflict of interest. See Item 4 –
Advisory Business for details.
B. Compensation to Non-Advisory Personnel for Client Referrals
We may receive compensation from any third party in connection with providing investment advice and
we may compensate individuals or firms for client referrals with a one-time fee.
Refer to the Brokerage Practices section above for disclosures on research and other benefits we may
receive resulting from our relationship with your account custodian.
Item 15 Custody
NWM does not take custody of client accounts at any time. Custody of client's accounts is held primarily
at the custodian.
Your independent custodian will directly debit your account(s) for the payment of our advisory fees. This
ability to deduct our advisory fees from your accounts causes our firm to exercise limited custody over
your funds or securities. We do not have physical custody of any of your funds and/or securities. Your
funds and securities will be held with a bank, broker-dealer, or other qualified custodian. You will receive
account statements from the qualified custodian(s) holding your funds and securities at least quarterly.
The account statements from your custodian(s) will indicate the amount of our advisory fees deducted
from your account(s) each billing period. You should carefully review account statements for accuracy.
Item 16 Investment Discretion
For those clients' accounts where NWM provides ongoing supervision, the client has given NWM written
discretionary authority over the client's accounts with respect to securities to be bought or sold and the
amount of securities to be bought or sold. Details of this relationship are fully disclosed to the client before
any advisory relationship has commenced. The client provides NWM discretionary authority via a limited
power of attorney in the Investment Advisory Contract and in the contract between the client and the
custodian.
If you enter into non-discretionary arrangements with our firm, we will obtain your approval prior to the
execution of any transactions for your account(s). You have an unrestricted right to decline to implement
any advice provided by our firm on a non-discretionary basis.
Item 17 Voting Client Securities (Proxy Voting)
NWM acknowledges its fiduciary obligation to vote proxies on behalf of those clients that have delegated
to it, or for which it is deemed to have, proxy voting authority. NWM will vote proxies on behalf of a client
solely in the best interest of the relevant client. NWM has established general guidelines for voting
proxies. NWM may also abstain from voting if, based on factors such as expense or difficulty of exercise,
it determines that a client's interests are better served by abstaining. Further, because proxy proposals
and individual company facts and circumstances may vary, NWM may vote in a manner that is contrary to
the general guidelines if it believes that it would be in a client's best interest to do so. If a proxy proposal
presents a conflict of interest between NWM and a client, then NWM will disclose the conflict of interest to
the client prior to the proxy vote and, if participating in the vote, will vote in accordance with the client's
wishes.
We will determine how to vote proxies based on our reasonable judgment of the vote most likely to
produce favorable financial results for you. Proxy votes generally will be cast in favor of proposals that
maintain or strengthen the shared interests of shareholders and management, increase shareholder
value, maintain or increase shareholder influence over the issuer's board of directors and management,
and maintain or increase the rights of shareholders. Generally, proxy votes will be cast against proposals
having the opposite effect. However, we will consider both sides of each proxy issue. Unless we receive
specific instructions from you, we will not base votes on social considerations.
NWM will generally not vote proxies in the following situations:
• Where the Company and client have agreed in advance to limit the conditions under which the
Company would exercise voting authority;
• Proxies are received for equity securities where, at the time of receipt, the Company’s position,
across all clients that it advises, is less than, or equal to, 1% of the total outstanding voting equity
(an "immaterial position").
• Proxies are received for equity securities where, at the time of receipt, the Company’s clients no
longer hold that position.
• Where the Company has determined that refraining is in the best interest of the client, such as
when the cost to the client of voting the proxy is greater than the expected benefit of voting (e.g.,
voting a foreign security that is required to be made in person).
In the event you wish to direct our firm on voting a particular proxy, you should contact our main office at
the phone number on the cover page of this brochure with your instruction.
We keep certain records required by applicable law in connection with our proxy voting activities. You
may obtain information on how we voted proxies and/or obtain a full copy of our proxy voting policies and
procedures by making a written or oral request to our firm.
Item 18 Financial Information
A. Balance Sheet
NWM does not require nor solicit prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees per client, six months or more
in advance and therefore does not need to include a balance sheet with this brochure.
B. Financial Conditions Reasonably Likely to Impair Ability to Meet Contractual Commitments to
Clients
Neither NWM nor its management have any financial conditions that are likely to reasonably impair our
ability to meet contractual commitments to clients.
C. Bankruptcy Petitions in Previous Ten Years
NWM has not been the subject of a bankruptcy petition in the last ten years.
Additional Information
Trade Errors
In the event a trading error occurs in your account, our policy is to restore your account to the position it
should have been in had the trading error not occurred. Depending on the circumstances, corrective
actions may include canceling the trade, adjusting an allocation, and/or reimbursing the account.
Class Action Lawsuits
We do not determine if securities held by you are the subject of a class action lawsuit or whether you are
eligible to participate in class action settlements or litigation nor do we initiate or participate in litigation to
recover damages on your behalf for injuries as a result of actions, misconduct, or negligence by issuers of
securities held by you.
IRA Rollover Considerations
As part of our investment advisory services to you, we may recommend that you withdraw the assets from
your employer's retirement plan and roll the assets over to an individual retirement account ("IRA") that
we will manage on your behalf. If you elect to roll the assets to an IRA that is subject to our management,
we will charge you an asset based fee as set forth in the agreement you executed with our firm. This
practice presents a conflict of interest because persons providing investment advice on our behalf have
an incentive to recommend a rollover to you for the purpose of generating fee based compensation rather
than solely based on your needs. You are under no obligation, contractually or otherwise, to complete the
rollover. Moreover, if you do complete the rollover, you are under no obligation to have the assets in an
IRA managed by our firm.
Many employers permit former employees to keep their retirement assets in their company plan. Also,
current employees can sometimes move assets out of their company plan before they retire or change
jobs. In determining whether to complete the rollover to an IRA, and to the extent the following options are
available, you should consider the costs and benefits of:
1. Leaving the funds in your employer's (former employer's) plan.
2. Moving the funds to a new employer’s retirement plan.
3. Cashing out and taking a taxable distribution from the plan.
4. Rolling the funds into an IRA rollover account.
Each of these options has advantages and disadvantages and before making a change we encourage
you to speak with your CPA and/or tax attorney.
If you are considering rolling over your retirement funds to an IRA for us to manage here are a few points
to consider before you do so:
1. Determine whether the investment options in your employer's retirement plan address your needs
or whether you might want to consider other types of investments.
a. Employer retirement plans generally have a more limited investment menu than IRAs.
b. Employer retirement plans may have unique investment options not available to the public
such as employer securities, or previously closed funds.
2. Your current plan may have lower fees than our fees.
a. If you are interested in investing only in mutual funds, you should understand the cost
structure of the share classes available in your employer's retirement plan and how the
costs of those share classes compare with those available in an IRA.
b. You should understand the various products and services you might take advantage of at
an IRA provider and the potential costs of those products and services.
3. Our strategy may have higher risk than the option(s) provided to you in your plan.
4. Your current plan may also offer financial advice.
5. If you keep your assets titled in a 401k or retirement account, you could potentially delay your
required minimum distribution beyond age 73.
6. Your 401k may offer more liability protection than a rollover IRA; each state may vary.
a. Generally, federal law protects assets in qualified plans from creditors. Since 2005, IRA
assets have been generally protected from creditors in bankruptcies. However, there can
be some exceptions to the general rules so you should consult with an attorney if you are
concerned about protecting your retirement plan assets from creditors.
7. You may be able to take out a loan on your 401k, but not from an IRA.
8. IRA assets can be accessed any time; however, distributions are subject to ordinary income tax
and may also be subject to a 10% early distribution penalty unless they qualify for an exception
such as disability, higher education expenses or the purchase of a home.
9. If you own company stock in your plan, you may be able to liquidate those shares at a lower
capital gains tax rate.
10.
Your plan may allow you to hire us as the manager and keep the assets titled in the plan
name.
It is important that you understand the differences between these types of accounts and to decide
whether a rollover is best for you. Prior to proceeding, if you have questions contact your investment
adviser representative, or call our main number as listed on the cover page of this brochure.
We offer sub-advisory services to unaffiliated third party money managers