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Form ADV Part 2A
Item 1 – Cover Page
4018 Oleander Drive
Suite 102
Wilmington, NC 28403
121 Edinburgh South
Suite 208
Cary, NC 27511
December 15, 2025
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Pathfinder Wealth Consulting. If
you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us at (910) 793-0616 or
clientservices@pathfinderwc.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 Pathfinder Wealth Consulting also is available on the SEC’s website at
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Pathfinder Wealth Consulting is a registered investment adviser. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a
certain level of skill or training.
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Item 2 – Material Changes
The following is a summary of the changes made to this Brochure since the initial filing on August 1, 2025:
• We have updated Item 4 to reflect the firm’s current assets under management
You may request a copy of our current Brochure at any time, without charge, by calling us (910) 793-0616 or emailing
clientservices@pathfinderwc.com.
Additional information about Pathfinder Wealth Consulting is available via the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure
website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. The SEC’s website also provides information about any persons affiliated with the
firm who are registered, or are required to be registered, as Investment Adviser Representatives of Pathfinder Wealth
Consulting.
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Item 3 – Table of Contents
Item 1 – Cover Page ................................................................................................................................................................ 1
Item 2 – Material Changes ...................................................................................................................................................... 2
Item 3 – Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................................................... 3
Item 4 – Advisory Business .................................................................................................................................................... 4
Item 5 – Fees and Compensation ............................................................................................................................................ 8
Item 6 – Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management ..................................................................................... 16
Item 7 – Types of Clients ...................................................................................................................................................... 16
Item 8 – Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss ............................................................................... 16
Item 10 – Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations ............................................................................................ 23
Item 11 – Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading ........................................ 24
Item 12 – Brokerage Practices .............................................................................................................................................. 25
Item 13 – Review of Accounts .............................................................................................................................................. 28
Item 14 – Client Referrals and Other Compensation ............................................................................................................ 28
Item 15 – Custody ................................................................................................................................................................. 29
Item 16 – Investment Discretion ........................................................................................................................................... 29
Item 17 – Voting Client Securities ........................................................................................................................................ 30
Item 18 – Financial Information ........................................................................................................................................... 30
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Item 4 – Advisory Business
About Us
Pathfinder Wealth Consulting is a registered investment adviser offering financial planning and asset management services
to clients. The firm has been in business since 2005, and its principal owner is Jason Wheeler. The firm filed for registration
as an investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2025.
This Brochure is designed to provide detailed and clear information relating to each item noted in the table of contents.
Certain disclosures are repeated in one or more items, and/or other items are referred to in an effort to be as
comprehensive as possible on the broad subject matters discussed. Within this Brochure, certain terms in either upper-
or lowercase are used as follows:
•
•
•
“We,” “us,” and “our” refer to Pathfinder Wealth Consulting.
“Advisor” refers to persons who provide investment recommendations or advice on behalf of Pathfinder Wealth
Consulting.
“You,” “yours,” and “client” refer to clients of Pathfinder Wealth Consulting and its advisors.
Description of Services Available
Pathfinder Wealth Consulting offers a suite of investment advisory services and programs to its advisors for use with their
clients. Our investment advisory services and programs are designed to accommodate a wide range of client investment
philosophies, goals, needs, and investment objectives. Through these various advisory programs and services, clients have
access to a wide range of securities products, including, but not limited to, common and preferred stocks; municipal,
corporate, and government fixed income securities; mutual funds; exchange-traded products (“ETPs”); options and
derivatives; unit investment trusts (“UITs”); and variable and fixed-indexed insurance products, as well as other products
and services, including a variety of asset allocation services, financial planning, and consulting services. Our advisors may
also offer advice related to direct participation programs, private placements, and other alternative investments, such as
alternative energy programs, research and development programs, leasing programs, real estate programs, and pooled
commodities futures programs.
Commonwealth Financial Network (“Commonwealth”) makes available certain investment advisory programs to our firm
as part of our contract with Commonwealth for platform services. These programs are described below. In such cases
where we offer Commonwealth’s programs to you, Pathfinder Wealth Consulting remains responsible for the suitability
and appropriateness of the investment advisory services provided. This arrangement does not create an advisory
relationship between Commonwealth and Pathfinder Wealth Consulting or Commonwealth and you. It is our responsibility
to comply with all laws, rules, and regulations governing the provision of investment advice to you, including, but not
limited to, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”), as amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder, as
well as all applicable state statutes, rules, and regulations that apply to our business. Our firm is responsible for the
accuracy of all records that reflect your financial condition, risk tolerance, and investment objectives of your account(s);
that the orders that we place with or through Commonwealth on your behalf are suitable for you and consistent with our
fiduciary duty to you; and that the investment advice and advisory services provided to you in general are and remain
appropriate for you. Commonwealth will provide, or cause to be provided to clients trade confirmations and custodial
account statements. Commonwealth will provide or will otherwise make available to the advisor duplicate trade
confirmations and Client custodial account statements.
We have entered into an agreement with Commonwealth to offer the following programs:
PPS Custom: The PPS Custom Program enables an advisor to assist the client in developing a personalized investment
portfolio using one or more investment types, including, but not limited to, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded
funds (“ETFs”), UITs, variable and fixed-indexed annuities, and alternative investments. The advisor typically acts as
portfolio manager, with full investment discretion, although clients may elect to have the advisor manage the account on
a nondiscretionary basis.
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PPS Select: The PPS Select Program offers a variety of model portfolios from which investors may choose. The PPS Select
model portfolios are created and managed on a discretionary basis by Commonwealth’s Investment Management and
Research team and in the case of Personalized Indexing, Orion Portfolio Solutions, LLC. The advisor will help the client
determine which PPS Select models are best suited for the client based on his or her risk profile, investment objectives,
and preferences, leaving the actual trading decisions to the Investment Management and Research team. PPS Select offers
a variety of model portfolios with varying investment product types, including mutual fund and ETF portfolios, equity
portfolios, fixed income portfolios, and variable annuity subaccount portfolios.
PPS Direct: The PPS Direct Program offers clients access to a variety of model portfolios involving a range of risk levels
from which they may choose. Generally, apart from the PPS Direct Third-Party Fund Strategist Program and the PPS Direct
Mutual Fund/ETF Program, the PPS Direct portfolios are not managed by Commonwealth or the l advisor. Rather, PPS
Direct model portfolios are managed by one or more third-party portfolio managers on a discretionary basis. PPS Direct
portfolios may consist of mutual funds or ETFs, or they may be made up of individual equities, fixed income securities, or
other types of investments. There are four types of PPS Direct Program accounts, which are broadly described as follows:
• PPS Direct Mutual Fund/ETF: As the name suggests, these accounts will be allocated among mutual funds or ETFs.
• PPS Direct Separately Managed Account (“SMA”): This separately managed account strategy invests in individual
securities (e.g., stocks and bonds).
• PPS Direct Third-Party Fund Strategist (“Strategist”): Third-party investment advisers provide asset allocation
model strategies comprising mutual funds and ETFs.
• PPS Direct Unified Managed Account (“UMA”): This is best described as multiple SMAs in a single account.
Wealth Management Consulting: We provide advisory consulting services on a wide range of topics, including, but not
limited to, comprehensive financial planning, budgeting and cash flow analysis, major purchases, education planning,
retirement income/longevity planning, portfolio analysis, estate planning analysis, investment analysis, business
succession planning, and fringe benefit analysis. Clients may also elect to enter into consulting or financial planning
engagements with advisors separately from, in addition to, or as part of their managed account program, as may be agreed
between the client and advisor.
Retirement Plan Consulting: We provide a fee-for-service consulting program whereby our advisors offer onetime or
ongoing advisory services to qualified retirement plans. Through the Retirement Plan Consulting Program, advisors assist
plan sponsors with their fiduciary duties and provide individualized advice based upon the needs of the plan and/or plan
participants regarding investment management matters, such as:
Investment policy statement support
•
• Plan menu design and monitoring
• Service provider support
• Participant advice programs
Plan Participant Consulting: We provide a fee-for-service consulting program whereby advisors offer ongoing advisory
services to an individual retirement account (“IRA”) formed under a SIMPLE IRA Plan. Through the Plan Participant
Consulting Program, advisors are able to assist a client with a variety of advisory services such as:
• Financial planning and portfolio analysis
• Education on the options available through the SIMPLE IRA Plan
• Recommended asset allocation
Health Savings Account (“HSA”) Consulting for Employers: Advisors provide a fee-for-service consulting program whereby
advisors offer onetime or ongoing investment consulting and related HSA consulting services to employers. Through the
HSA Consulting for Employers Program, advisors assist employers with matters such as:
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• Consultation with the employer on the selection and monitoring of the HSA program’s service provider
• Collaboration with the company’s benefits consultant regarding the HSA program design
• Development of an employee education strategy
• Delivery of employee education
Clients who participate in one or more of Commonwealth’s programs will receive Commonwealth’s Form ADV Part 2
and/or Wrap Fee Brochure, in addition to Pathfinder Wealth Consulting’s Form ADV Part 2. Clients should refer to
Commonwealth’s Form ADV Part 2 and/or Wrap Fee Brochure for detailed information about Commonwealth and
Commonwealth’s programs.
The specific advisory program you select may cost you more or less than purchasing program services separately. Factors
that bear upon the cost of a particular advisory program in relation to the cost of the same services purchased separately
include, but may not be limited to, the type and size of the account; the historical or expected size or number of trades
for the account; the types of securities and strategies involved; the amount of fees, commissions, and other charges that
apply at the account or transaction level; and the number and range of supplementary advisory and client-related services
provided to the account. Lower fees for comparable services may be available from other sources. You are under no
obligation to engage us for services and are free to use the firm of your choice.
Investment recommendations and advice offered by our firm and its advisors do not constitute legal, tax, or accounting
advice. Clients should coordinate and discuss the impact of the financial advice they receive from their advisor with their
attorney and accountant. Clients should also inform their advisor promptly of any changes in their financial situation,
investment goals, needs, or objectives. Failure to notify the advisor of any material changes could result in investment
advice not meeting the changing needs of the client.
IRA Rollover Considerations
As part of our financial planning and advisory services, we may provide you with recommendations and advice concerning
your employer retirement plan or other qualified retirement account. When appropriate, we may recommend that you
withdraw the assets from your employer’s retirement plan or other qualified retirement account and roll the assets over
to an individual retirement account (“IRA”) to be managed by our firm or a Third-Party Manager that we recommend. If
you elect to roll the assets to an IRA under our management, we will charge you an asset-based fee as described in Item
5. This practice presents a conflict of interest because our Advisory Representative has 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. Furthermore, if you do complete the rollover,
you are under no obligation to have your IRA assets managed under our program or a Third-Party Managed Program. You
have the right to decide whether to complete the rollover and the right to consult with other financial professionals.
Some 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 each.
An employee will typically have four options:
1. Leave the funds in your employer’s (former employer’s) plan.
2. Roll over the funds to a new employer’s retirement plan.
3. Cash out and take a taxable distribution from the plan.
4. Roll the funds into an IRA rollover account.
Each of these options has advantages and disadvantages. Before making a change, we encourage you to speak with your
financial advisor, CPA and/or tax attorney.
Before rolling over your retirement funds to an IRA for us to manage or to a Third-Party Managed Program, carefully
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consider the following. NOTE: This list is not exhaustive.
1. Determine whether the investment options in your employer’s retirement plan address your needs or whether
other types of investments are needed.
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 fee and/or the Third-Party Manager’s fee combined.
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.
3. You should understand the various products and services available through an IRA provider and their costs.
4.
It is likely you will not be charged a management fee and will not receive ongoing asset management services
unless you elect to have such services. If your plan offers management services, the fee associated with the service
may be more or less than our fee and/or the Third-Party Manager’s fee combined.
5. The Third-Party Manager’s or our management strategy may have higher risk than the options provided to you in
your plan.
6. Your current plan may offer financial advice, guidance, management and/or portfolio options at no additional
7.
cost.
If you keep your assets titled in a 401(k) or retirement account, you could potentially delay your required minimum
distribution beyond age 73.
8. Your 401(k) may offer more liability protection than a rollover IRA; each state varies. 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 exceptions. Consult an attorney if you are concerned about
protecting your retirement plan assets from creditors.
9. You may be able to take out a loan on your 401(k), but not from an IRA.
10. 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 a home purchase.
11. If you own company stock in your plan, you may be able to liquidate those shares at a lower capital gains tax rate.
12. Your plan may allow you to hire us or another firm as the manager and keep the assets titled in the plan name.
It is important that you understand your options, their features, and their differences, and decide whether a rollover is
best for you. If you have questions, contact us at our main number listed on the cover page of this brochure.
In addition to complying with applicable SEC rules, Pathfinder Wealth Consulting is subject to certain regulations adopted
by the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) when we provide discretionary investment advice to retirement plan sponsors,
plan participants, and IRA owners. To the extent that your advisor exercises discretionary authority with respect to the
management of your account, the firm and your advisor will be deemed a “fiduciary” for purposes of the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), as amended, and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (“Code”), as
amended under Section 3(21) of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, as applicable, with respect to such advisory services.
The firm and your advisor will also be deemed a “fiduciary” when we make nondiscretionary account recommendations
or otherwise provide “investment advice” as defined under Section 3(21) of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code with respect
to your account. The firm and our advisors may not receive payments that create conflicts of interest when providing
fiduciary investment advice to plan sponsors, plan participants, and IRA owners, unless we comply with a prohibited
transaction exemption (“PTE”). When providing nondiscretionary investment advice, the firm and its advisors will comply
with ERISA and the Code by utilizing PTE 2020-02. As fiduciaries under ERISA and the Code, we render advice that is in
plan participants’ and IRA customers’ best interest. The firm’s and its advisors’ status as an ERISA/Code fiduciary is limited
to discretionary advisory services as described above and ERISA/Code-covered nondiscretionary advice and
recommendations regarding rolling over a retirement account and does not extend to all situations.
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Individualized Services and Client-Imposed Restrictions
The investment advisory services provided by our advisors depend largely on the personal information the client provides
to the advisor. In order for our advisors to provide appropriate investment advice to, or, in the case of discretionary
accounts, make tailored investment decisions for, the client, it is very important that clients provide accurate and
complete responses to their advisor’s questions about their financial condition, needs, goals, and objectives and notify
the advisor of any reasonable restrictions they wish to apply to the securities or types of securities to be bought, sold, or
held in their managed account. It is also important that clients promptly inform their advisor of any changes in their
financial condition, investment objectives, personal circumstances, or reasonable investment restrictions pertaining to
the management of their account, if any, that may affect their overall investment goals and strategies, or the investment
advice provided or investment decisions made by their advisor.
In general, the advisor is responsible for delivering investment advisory services to clients, and clients generally deal with
matters relating to their accounts by contacting their advisor directly. Of course, clients may contact us directly with
questions about the advisory services offered by our firm.
Wrap Fee Programs
Pathfinder Wealth Consulting does not offer wrap fee programs.
Assets Under Management
As of November 1, 2025 Pathfinder Wealth Consulting manages $847,420,810.10 in assets on a discretionary basis.
Program Choice Conflicts of Interest
Clients should be aware that the compensation to the firm and your advisor will differ according to the specific advisory
programs or services provided and the account custodians used for your accounts. This compensation to the firm and your
advisor may be more than the amounts we would otherwise receive if you participated in another program, used a
different custodian, or paid for investment advice, brokerage, or other relevant services separately. Lower fees for
comparable services may be available through our firm or from other sources. The firm and your advisor have a financial
incentive to recommend advisory programs, services and custodians that provide us higher compensation over other
comparable programs or services available from our firm or elsewhere that may cost you less. For example, the costs you
will incur to have your account managed by our firm may be more than what other similar firms may charge. It’s important
to understand all the associated costs and benefits the program and services you select so you can decide which programs
and services are best suited for your unique financial goals, investment objective, and time horizon. We encourage you to
review our Form CRS and to discuss your options with your advisor.
We offer advisors a choice of advisory programs to recommend to clients, including, for example, PPS Custom and PPS
Select. In PPS Custom, the advisor provides the investment management services directly and therefore receives a greater
percentage of the total client fee when compared to PPS Select and other third-party managed advisory programs. This
creates an incentive for advisors to recommend to clients that they manage accounts directly, even in a situation when
the client may benefit from the investment management services of a third party or outsourcing services to
Commonwealth.
Item 5 – Fees and Compensation
Asset Management Programs
Clients who elect to receive asset management services through one or more of our asset management programs will
generally pay the firm and their advisor for those services with an annual asset management fee based on a percentage
of assets under management, including cash and money market positions. The maximum account management fee that
can be charged in any of our firm’s managed account program is listed in the fee schedule below. Certain managed account
programs have lower maximum annual fee amounts, and fee schedules will vary among programs. Clients are urged to
carefully review and discuss the contents of this Brochure with their advisor, including descriptions of the various
programs and services offered, the fees and charges clients will pay, the means by which the firm and your advisor are
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compensated, and the conflicts of interest that exist between the client and the firm and your advisor in respect to each
program or service offered, to determine the most appropriate programs or services for your specific needs.
Commonwealth PPS Program Fee Schedules
The following are the maximum allowable fee schedules for Commonwealth’s various PPS programs.
PPS Custom Program
The maximum allowable annual management fee schedule for a new PPS Custom Program account is:
In addition to the annual management fee, and unless otherwise agreed between the client and the advisor, clients
participating in the PPS Custom Program will pay transaction charges as described in the “Other Fees and/or Costs” section
below.
Clients participating in the PPS Custom Program may pay more or less than clients might otherwise pay if purchasing the
services separately. There are several factors that determine whether such costs would be more or less, including, but not
limited to, the following:
• Size of the account
• Types of securities and strategies involved
• Amount of trading placed by the advisor
• The actual costs of such services if purchased separately
The advisory fees charged for the services provided by Commonwealth and Pathfinder Wealth Consulting, including
research, supplemental advisory, and client-related services offered through the PPS Custom Program may exceed those
of other similar programs.
PPS Select Program
Clients participating in the PPS Select Program will pay a total account fee that consists of a combination
of an advisor fee and a program fee.
The maximum allowable advisor fee in the PPS Select Program is as follows:
In addition to the annual advisor fee, all clients participating in PPS Select will pay an annual program fee.
There are several different PPS Select model portfolios with program fees that vary, however, the
maximum fee within the PPS Select program is as follows:
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1 The maximum annual advisor fee for certain account sizes and types may be negotiated.
2 Commonwealth will charge a minimum annual program fee of $600 ($150 quarterly) for certain accounts, which may exceed the
maximum annual program fee percentage based on account size.
PPS Direct Program
Clients participating in the PPS Direct Program will pay an annual fee that consists of a combination of an advisor fee and
a program fee not to exceed 3.00%. In the event the combination of the advisor fee and the program fee for a particular
money manager and investment strategy exceeds 3.00%, the advisor fee will be reduced such that the annual fee will not
exceed 3.00%.
The maximum allowable advisor fee in the PPS Direct Program is as follows:
The maximum program fee in the PPS Direct Program is as follows:
Commonwealth performs fee billing on our firm’s behalf. In most cases, the annual account management fees are payable
quarterly in advance and are computed as one quarter of the annual fee based on the account’s AUM on the last business
day of the previous calendar quarter. Other forms of billing may be available as agreed to by the firm and the client.
To the extent that you hold positions in your account for which pricing data is not readily available, Commonwealth
receives quarter-end values from alternative investment issuers or other service providers which are used when
calculating billable AUM for our clients. Neither our firm nor Commonwealth engages in an independent valuation of your
account assets and relies on valuations provided by the investment issuers or other service providers. We (via
Commonwealth and further via the account custodian) will provide periodic account statements which include the market
value of the alternative investment based on information received from the investment issuer or other service provider.
In providing these account statements, or any other valuation information to you, (i) we rely on the valuation information
provided by the manager of the alternative investment or other service provider, (ii) the valuation information used to
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determine the billing fee is based on estimates that may be outdated as of the dates of the account statements, (iii) the
products final valuations may be higher or lower than the values reflected in the periodic account statements and (iv)
while Commonwealth will adjust material estimated fee billings on our behalf, neither we nor Commonwealth is under no
obligation to provide notice or compensation to you for differences in estimated alternative investment valuations.
*Account values in the Commonwealth reporting system will be used for our firm’s quarterly fee calculations for advisory
accounts custodied at National Financial Services (NFS). Although account holdings and asset valuations should generally
match, month-end market values reflected in Commonwealth's Practice 360 reporting system sometimes differ from
those provided by NFS on their month-end statements. The three most common reasons why these values may differ are
(i) differences in the manner in which accrued interest is calculated, (ii) differences in the date upon which "as of"
dividends and capital gains are reported, and (iii) differences in whether settlement date valuations or trade date
valuations are used. If you have any questions or believe there are material discrepancies between your NFS custodial
statement and Commonwealth's reporting system, please contact us. The Commonwealth report valuations are available
online via your Investor360 account or you may request a copy from your advisory representative.
Clients who elect to open a margin account acknowledge and agree that margin may be exercised against their account
for purposes including, but not limited to, covering debits, management fees, and/or other billing and administrative costs.
Management fees on margin accounts will be assessed on the equity (e.g., ownership) portion of the account and not on
the account’s total market value.
All Pathfinder Wealth Consulting advisory program fees are negotiable. This means that advisors can negotiate lower fees
with certain clients when similar services are provided to other clients at a higher fee rate. Program and/or platform fees
(if applicable), transaction charges and other account-related fees assessed by the account custodian or Commonwealth
are not negotiable. We may waive all or a portion of the advisory program and/or platform fee, whether on an ongoing or
a one-time basis, in our sole discretion. In the event a client terminates an advisory agreement with the firm, any unearned
fees resulting from payments made by clients in advance will be refunded to the client. Likewise, in the event the firm bills
clients in arrears for services that have already been rendered, we will prorate such fees up to the termination date of the
advisory agreement.
Financial Planning Programs
Our standard fee schedule for financial planning services is as follows:
Wealth Management Consulting: The program provides clients with the option of paying an annual fee for ongoing
services, a flat or fixed fee, or an hourly rate not to exceed $500. The fee amount a client will pay is negotiable between
the client and his or her advisor and may either be paid at the time of service, in advance of service, or after services have
been rendered (“in arrears”). Annual fees may be paid in monthly, quarterly, semiannual, or annual installments as agreed
between the client and the advisor.
Retirement Plan Consulting: The program provides clients with the option of paying an annual fee for ongoing services
based on a percentage of assets under advisement, a flat fee, or an hourly rate not to exceed $500. The fee amount a
client will pay is negotiable between the client and the advisor and will be associated with all services provided by the
advisor under the Retirement Plan Consulting Agreement. It is the responsibility of the plan sponsor to ensure that these
fees are reasonable. Fees may be paid directly from qualified plan assets or may be direct billed, as agreed between the
client and the Advisor. Where discretionary investment management services are selected to be provided by the
Commonwealth home office, clients will pay an additional annual flat percentage fee according to the following fee
schedule:
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Total Plan Assets
Less than $250,000
$250,000–$2,999,999
$3,000,000–$9,999,999
$10,000,000–$49,999,999
$50,000,000–$99,999,999
$100,000,000 or more
Fee
$300
0.12%
0.09%
0.05%
0.03%
0.02%
HSA Consulting for Employers: This program provides clients with the option of paying an annual fee for ongoing services,
a flat fee, fixed fee, or an hourly rate not to exceed $500. The fee amount a client will pay is negotiable between the client
and the advisor and may be paid at the time of service, in advance of service, or after services have been rendered (“in
arrears”). Annual fees may be direct billed, as agreed between the client and the advisor. It is the responsibility of the
employer to ensure that these fees are reasonable.
Plan Participant Consulting: The program calls for clients to pay an annual flat percentage fee according to the following
fee schedule:
Managed Account Fee Collection Process
Managed account fees are typically automatically charged to the client’s account pursuant to instructions provided to the
account custodian by the firm. Rather than automatic fee debiting from an account, clients may also have the ability to be
direct billed by writing a check to Pathfinder Wealth Consulting for the fee amount or instructing us to charge the fee to
one of the client’s other accounts with us.
Managed account clients will generally pay fees quarterly, in advance or in arrears, based on the specific program selected.
In some cases, the annual account management fee may be payable monthly in advance based on the AUM on the last
business day of the previous month-end. Consulting clients will pay fees at time of service, in advance of service, or in
arrears, as well as in monthly, quarterly, semiannual, or annual installments, as agreed to between the client and the
advisor.
The initial quarterly fee will be prorated based on the number of billing days in the initial quarter. Fees are based on
account value and account type and are negotiable. Other methods of fee calculation exist or are possible, depending on
the specific program, the services provided, client circumstances, and the account size. These methods include, but are
not limited to, hourly, flat, breakpoint, and blended fee billing. Additional deposits of funds and/or securities during a
particular calendar quarter are subject to billing on a pro rata basis. Clients who withdraw funds from a managed account
during a billing period are not generally entitled to a pro rata refund unless they are terminating their managed account
program client agreement.
We allow for the aggregation of assets among a client’s “related” managed accounts for purposes of determining the value
of AUM and the applicable advisory fee to be paid by a client. We reserve the right to determine whether client accounts
are “related” for purposes of aggregating a client’s accounts together for a reduction in the percentage fee amount.
Other Fees and Costs
When Commonwealth effects securities transactions for a client’s account, Commonwealth passes on to our clients the
securities clearance and settlement fees charged by its clearing broker/dealer with a substantial markup that is retained
by Commonwealth. Commonwealth adds a markup to the transaction fees assessed by its clearing firm and paid by clients
or clients’ advisors to compensate Commonwealth for the cost of its resources utilized in processing the transaction(s)
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and to generate additional revenue for Commonwealth. The firm typically passes on the securities clearance and
settlement fees charged by Commonwealth and its clearing broker/dealer. The maximum charges are as follows:
Transaction Charges
Stocks, ETFs, and Closed-End Funds
Online order entry (including block trades)
Trader assisted
$7.951/$4.952
$251
Bonds, CDs, CMOs, and Structured products
$301
UITs
$201
Options
Online order entry (including block trades)
Trader assisted
$15 + $1 per contract1
$20 + $1.25 per contract1
Alternative Investments
Precious Metals
$50
$501
Mutual Funds
Buy
Sell
No Transaction Fee
(NTF)
$0
$07
Supporting3
$122/$151
$122/$151
$0
$0
Nonsupporting4,5
$301/$351,6
$301/$351,6
$30/$356
Exchange
PIP/SWP8
$0
$0
$3
1Plus service fee of $4 for accounts not enrolled in all available e-notification (e-delivery) options (excluding tax documents).
2Account must be enrolled in all available e-delivery options (excluding tax documents).
3Represents more than 500 supporting fund families from which Commonwealth receives revenue-sharing payments from NFS.
4Commonwealth does not receive revenue-sharing payments derived from investments in nonsupporting funds. NFS assesses Commonwealth a
transaction surcharge for buys, sells, and exchanges of nonsupporting funds. Commonwealth’s transaction charges are substantially higher for
nonsupporting funds to compensate Commonwealth for the absence of revenue sharing and the assessment of a transaction surcharge by NFS.
These nonsupporting fund families are CGM, Dodge & Cox, and Vanguard.
5While Commonwealth does receive revenue-sharing payments from NFS that are derived from Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) fund assets,
these payments are substantially less as a percentage of fund assets than amounts paid by supporting fund families. Commonwealth therefore
classifies DFA funds as nonsupporting funds. Unlike other nonsupporting funds, NFS does not assess Commonwealth a transaction surcharge for
transactions in DFA funds. Nevertheless, Commonwealth assesses the same surcharges for buy transactions in DFA funds that are noted in footnote
4 for nonsupporting funds. DFA sell transaction surcharges are identified in footnote 3 which are lower than sell transactions for other
nonsupporting funds identified in footnote 4. DFA sell transactions processed through the Commonwealth’s trade desk shall be $20.
Commonwealth’s receipt of revenue-sharing payments from DFA fund assets (albeit substantially less than from supporting funds), combined with
the higher transaction charges for buys generates greater revenue for Commonwealth relative to DFA fund assets than the other nonsupporting
funds identified in footnote 4.
6If processed by Commonwealth’s Trade Desk.
7Funds purchased prior to their NTF effective date will still incur a transaction charge.
8Periodic investment plans (PIPs) and systematic withdrawal plans (SWPs) carry a $100 minimum
If a client is not enrolled in all available e-notification/e-delivery options, Commonwealth assesses confirmation fees to
clients to offset the asset-based fees it pays to its clearing broker/dealer and to generate additional revenue for
Commonwealth.
In addition to the charges noted above, clients incur certain charges in connection with certain investments, transactions,
and services in your account. In many cases, Commonwealth will receive a portion of these fees and charges or add a
markup to the charges clients would otherwise pay to generate additional revenue for Commonwealth. The actual fees
and charges that clients will incur are dependent upon the type of account and the nature and quantity of the
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transactions that occur, the services that are provided, or the positions that are held in the account. Additional fees and
charges that clients will typically pay include, but are not limited to:
• Mutual fund or money market 12b-1 fees, subtransfer agent fees, and distributor fees
• Mutual fund and ETF money market management fees and administrative expenses
• Mutual fund transaction and redemption fees
• Certain deferred sales charges on mutual funds purchased or transferred into the account
• Other transaction charges and service fees
•
IRA and qualified retirement plan fees
• Other charges that may be required by law
• Brokerage account fees and charges
• HSA account fees.
Information describing the brokerage fees and charges that are applicable to a Commonwealth brokerage or Pathfinder
Wealth Consulting managed account is provided on Commonwealth’s Schedule of Miscellaneous Account and Service
Fees, which is available on Commonwealth’s website at www.commonwealth.com/for-clients in the For Clients section
on the right side of the page.
Our advisors may select share classes of mutual funds that pay advisors 12b-1 fees when lower-cost institutional or
advisory share classes of the same mutual fund exist that do not pay us or your advisor additional fees. As a matter of
policy, Commonwealth (on our behalf) credits the mutual fund 12b-1 fees it receives from mutual funds purchased or held
in the firm’s managed accounts back to the client accounts paying such 12b-1 fees.
In most cases, mutual fund companies offer multiple share classes of the same mutual fund. Some share classes of a fund
charge higher internal expenses, whereas other share classes of a fund charge lower internal expenses. Institutional and
advisory share classes typically have lower expense ratios and are less costly for a client to hold than Class A shares or
other share classes that are eligible for purchase in an advisory account. Mutual funds that offer institutional share classes,
advisory share classes, and other share classes with lower expense ratios are available to
investors who meet specific eligibility requirements that are described in the mutual fund’s prospectus or its statement
of additional information. These eligibility requirements include, but may not be limited to, investments meeting certain
minimum dollar amounts and accounts that the fund considers qualified fee-based programs. The lowest-cost mutual fund
share class for a fund may not be offered through our clearing firm or made available by our firm for purchase within our
managed accounts. Clients should never assume that they will be invested in the share class with the lowest possible
expense ratio or cost.
We urge clients to discuss with their advisor whether lower-cost share classes are available in their program account.
Clients should also ask their advisor why the funds or other investments that will be purchased or held in their managed
account are appropriate for them in consideration of their expected holding period, investment objective, risk tolerance,
time horizon, financial condition, amount invested, trading frequency, the amount of the advisory fee charged, whether
the client will pay transaction charges for fund purchases and sales, whether clients will pay higher internal fund expenses
in lieu of transaction charges that could adversely affect long-term performance, and relevant tax considerations. Your
advisor may recommend, select, or continue to hold a fund share class that charges you higher internal expenses than
other available share classes for the same fund.
The purchase or sale of transaction-fee (“TF”) funds available for investment through our firm will result in the assessment
of transaction charges to you, your advisor, the firm or Commonwealth. 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 our firm, Commonwealth or your
advisor less, than mutual funds that assess transaction charges but have lower internal expenses. In addition, the higher
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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.
The existence of various fund share classes with lower internal expenses that we may not make available for purchase in
its managed account programs present a conflict of interest between clients and the firm or its advisors. A conflict of
interest exists because the firm and your advisor have a greater incentive to make available, recommend, or make
investment decisions regarding investments that provide additional compensation to the firm that cost clients more than
other available share classes in the same fund that cost you less. For those advisory programs that assess transaction
charges to clients or to the firm or the advisor, a conflict of interest exists because the firm 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.
Prorated Rebate of Fees Paid in Advance
In the event a client terminates an advisory agreement with the firm and his or her advisor, any unearned fees resulting
from advanced payments will be refunded to the client. Likewise, in the event the firm bills clients in arrears for services
that have already been rendered, we will prorate such fees up to the termination date of the advisory agreement.
Other Forms of Compensation
As mentioned above, an ongoing asset management fee, billed quarterly in advance, is the most common method of
payment for the client and compensation to Pathfinder Wealth Consulting and the advisor. In some cases, the annual
account fee may be payable monthly in advance, and certain managed account programs charge fees in arrears or will
have differing methods of fee calculation. Please refer to the respective program description in this Brochure, to the
respective client agreement, and to the respective TPAM Program Brochure (if applicable) for specific information about
the maximum fee allowed, the varying fee schedules of each program, and the methods of fee billing for the program(s)
you select.
Clients should be aware that, when assets are invested in shares of mutual funds, variable insurance products, and certain
alternative investments within a managed account program, clients will pay investment advisory fees to the firm and to
the advisor for their advisory services in connection with the investments. In addition to the payments received by the
firm and the advisor, clients will also pay management fees, mutual fund and money market 12b-1 fees, subtransfer agent
fees, mutual fund and money market administrative expenses, mutual fund transaction fees, certain deferred sales
charges and redemption fees on previously purchased mutual funds, annuity internal expenses and fees, and other fees
charged by the investment company, insurance product, or alternative investment sponsor, which are typically charged
to clients as an internal expense of the product. These internal expenses are described in the prospectus or offering
document for the specific product. Clients may be able to invest directly in the investment company, insurance product,
or alternative investment without incurring the investment advisory fees, platform fees, or transaction charges assessed
by the firm or their advisor. If a client’s assets are invested in a fee-based annuity, the client will pay both the direct
management fee to the firm and their advisor for the advisory services provided by the firm and the advisor in connection
with that investment and, indirectly, the management and other fees charged by the underlying annuity investment
options, as well as the charges assessed by the insurance company for the product. Of course, clients should also be aware
of the tax implications of investing, as well as of the existence of deferred sales charges or redemption fees charged by
some product sponsors for positions the client subsequently sells in the firm’s managed accounts.
For California Residents: Subsection (j) of Rule 260.238 of the California Code of Regulations requires that all investment
advisers disclose to their advisory clients that lower fees for comparable services may be available from other sources.
For Massachusetts Residents: Massachusetts General Law Section 203A requires disclosure that information about the
disciplinary history and the registration of the firm and its associated persons may be obtained by contacting the Public
Reference Branch of the SEC at 202.942.8090, or by contacting the Massachusetts Securities Division at One Ashburton
Place, 17th Floor, Boston, MA 02108 or at 617.727.3548.
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Special Disclosures for ERISA Plans:
In this Brochure, Pathfinder Wealth Consulting has disclosed conflicts of interest, such as receiving additional
compensation from third parties for providing marketing, recordkeeping, or other services in connection with certain
investments. The firm has taken steps to identify and address the conflict of interest associated with our or our advisors’
receipt of compensation for services provided to ERISA plans.
Item 6 – Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
Pathfinder Wealth Consulting does not charge any performance-based fees (fees based on a share of capital gains on or
capital appreciation of the assets of a client).
Item 7 – Types of Clients
Pathfinder Wealth Consulting generally provides advisory services to the following types of clients:
Individuals (other than high net worth individuals)
•
• High net worth individuals
• Small businesses
• Pension and profit-sharing plans
• Charitable organizations
Our managed account programs generally require a minimum investment of $750,000. Account balances may be
combined at the household level to satisfy the account minimum. We reserve the right to waive the minimum investment
requirement at our sole discretion.
Item 8 – Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves risk of loss that investors should be sure they understand and should be prepared to bear.
Our firm primarily serves retail investors. Our advisors have the independence to take the approach he or she believes is
most appropriate when analyzing investment products and strategies for clients. The firm does create model portfolios
for use by its advisors, but advisors are free to customize portfolios and use the model portfolios either in whole, in part
or not at all based on individual client needs, desires and objectives. There are several sources of information that the firm
and the advisor may use as part of the investment analysis process. These sources include, but are not limited to:
• Prospectuses and offering materials
• Product and sponsor sales materials
• Sponsor due diligence meetings and product presentations
• Financial publications
• Research, software, and materials prepared by third parties
• Corporate rating services
• SEC filings (annual reports, prospectus, 10-K, etc.)
• Company press releases
As a firm, we do not favor any specific method of analysis over another and, therefore, would not be considered to have
one approach deemed to be a “significant strategy.” There are, however, a few common approaches that may be used by
the firm or your advisor, individually or collectively, in the course of providing advice to clients. It is important to note
that there is no investment strategy that will guarantee a profit or prevent loss. Following are some common strategies
employed by advisors in the management of client accounts:
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• Dollar Cost Averaging (“DCA”): The technique of buying a fixed dollar amount of a particular investment on a
regular schedule, regardless of the share price. More shares are purchased when prices are low, and fewer shares
are bought when prices are high. DCA is believed to lessen the risk of investing a large amount in a single
investment at higher price. DCA strategies are not effective and do not prevent loss in declining markets.
• Asset Allocation: An investment strategy that aims to balance risk and reward by allocating assets among a variety
of asset classes. At a high level, there are three main asset classes—equities (stocks), fixed income (bonds), and
cash/cash equivalents—each of which has different risk and reward profiles/behaviors. Asset classes are often
further divided into domestic and foreign investments, and equities are often divided into small, intermediate,
and large capitalization. The general theory behind asset allocation is that each asset class will perform differently
from the others in different market conditions. By diversifying a portfolio of investments among a wide range of
asset classes, advisors seek to reduce the overall volatility and risk of a portfolio through avoiding overexposure
to any one asset class during various market cycles. Asset allocation does not guarantee a profit or protect against
loss.
• Technical Analysis (aka “Charting”): A method of evaluating securities by analyzing statistics generated by market
activity, such as past prices and volume. Technical analysts do not attempt to measure a security’s intrinsic value.
Instead, they use charts and other tools to identify patterns that can suggest future activity. When looking at
individual equities, a person using technical analysis generally believes that performance of the stock, rather than
performance of the company itself, has more to do with the company’s future stock price. It is important to
understand that past performance does not guarantee future results.
• Fundamental Analysis: A method of evaluating a security that entails attempting to measure its intrinsic value by
examining related economic, financial, and other qualitative and quantitative factors. Fundamental analysts
attempt to study everything that can affect the security’s value, including macroeconomic factors (e.g., the overall
economy and industry conditions) and company-specific factors (e.g., financial condition and management). The
end goal of performing fundamental analysis is to produce a value that an investor can compare with the security’s
current price, with the aim of figuring out what sort of position to take with that security (underpriced = buy,
overpriced = sell or short). This method of security analysis is considered to be the opposite of technical analysis.
• Quantitative Analysis: An analysis technique that seeks to understand behavior by using complex mathematical
and statistical modeling, measurement, and research. By assigning a numerical value to variables, quantitative
analysts try to replicate reality mathematically. Some believe that it can also be used to predict real-world events,
such as changes in a share price.
• Qualitative Analysis: Securities analysis that uses subjective judgment based on non-quantifiable information,
such as management expertise, industry cycles, strength of research and development, and labor relations. This
type of analysis technique is different from quantitative analysis, which focuses on numbers. The two techniques,
however, are often used together.
• Tax harvesting: Commonwealth, on behalf of our firm, accommodates requests in certain PPS Select and PPS
Direct strategies to perform tax harvesting, with the intention to offset gains or losses in the client’s account to
reduce tax liabilities. All PPS Select Personalized Indexing accounts utilize tax harvesting.
PPS Select Methods of Analysis and Investment Strategies
Commonwealth’s PPS Select Program is based on asset allocation concepts and modern portfolio theory. The PPS Select
portfolios are designed to provide long-term, risk-adjusted returns for investors across the risk/return spectrum.
Depending on the program and model selected by a client, the program may invest in open-end mutual funds, closed-end
funds, ETFs, individual municipal fixed income securities, and individual equity securities managed by Commonwealth’s
Investment Management and Research team and in the case of Personalized Indexing, Orion Portfolio Solutions, LLC.
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When selecting investments for inclusion or removal from the PPS Select portfolios, the Investment Management and
Research team conducts extensive due diligence.
Commonwealth’s investment philosophy process has five steps: (1) screening, (2) evaluation, (3) analysis, (4) portfolio
construction, and (5) ongoing monitoring:
• Step 1—Screening: An initial screening process based on quantitative criteria is used as a starting point for further
research. Its purpose is to narrow down the universe of investments that meet Commonwealth’s objective criteria.
• Step 2—Evaluation: After screening, the investment (or group of investments) under consideration is evaluated
by applying a scoring system based on returns that are adjusted to take into account quantifiable risk. The
investment is also evaluated based on its peer group ranking, benchmark relative performance, and consistency
of investment management style.
• Step 3—Analysis: The objective of this step is to build a solid understanding of how the investment operates.
During this stage, the Investment Management team spends a great deal of time evaluating the investment’s
philosophy and process to ensure that they are consistent. After the in-depth quantitative and qualitative analysis
is complete, the team meets with the potential investment’s key decision makers—either on-site or over the
phone—to gain a greater understanding of their process for managing the portfolio.
• Step 4—Portfolio Construction: After Commonwealth’s portfolio managers have determined that the investment
is attractive on a stand-alone basis, they assess how well the investment complements and fits with other PPS
Select portfolio holdings. A review of certain metrics, such as excess-return correlation, is performed to reasonably
ensure that holdings will perform as expected in different market environments.
• Step 5—Ongoing Monitoring: The PPS Select portfolios are monitored on an ongoing basis. The Investment
Management and Research team continually conducts performance reviews, holdings-based attribution analysis,
firm commentary reviews, and conference calls and meetings to determine whether a portfolio is meeting the
team’s risk-adjusted return expectations and an investment’s stated objective.
Risks of Loss
Regardless of what investment strategy or analysis is undertaken, investing in securities involves risk of loss that clients
must be prepared to bear; in fact, some investment strategies could result in total loss of your investment. Some risks may
be avoided or mitigated, while others are completely unavoidable. When evaluating risk, financial loss may be viewed
differently by each client and may depend on many different risks, each of which may affect the probability and magnitude
of any potential losses. The following risks may not be all inclusive but should be considered carefully by a prospective
client before retaining our services.
Some of the common risks you should consider prior to investing include, but are not limited to:
Market risks: The prices of, and the income generated by, the common stocks, bonds, and other securities you own may
decline in response to certain events taking place around the world, including those directly involving the issuers;
conditions affecting the general economy; overall market changes; local, regional, or global political, social, or economic
instability; governmental or governmental agency responses to economic conditions; and currency, interest rate, and
commodity price fluctuations.
Interest rate risks: The prices of, and the income generated by, most debt and equity securities will most likely be affected
by changing interest rates and by changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of these securities. For example,
the prices of debt securities generally decline when interest rates rise and increase when interest rates fall. In addition,
falling interest rates may cause an issuer to redeem, “call,” or refinance a security before its stated maturity date, which
would typically result in having to reinvest the proceeds in lower-yielding securities.
Credit risks: Debt securities are also subject to credit risk, which is the possibility that the credit strength of an issuer will
weaken and/or an issuer of a debt security will fail to make timely payments of principal or interest and the security will
go into default.
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Risks of investing outside the U.S.: Investments in securities issued by entities based outside the United States are often
subject to the risks described above to a greater extent.
Margin transactions: Securities transactions in which an investor borrows money to purchase a security, in which case the
security serves as collateral on the loan, inherently have more risk than cash purchases. 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 in accounts
utilizing margin includes the amount of money invested plus the amount that was loaned to them.
Pledging Assets: Pledging assets in an account to secure a loan involves additional risks. The bank holding the loan has the
authority to liquidate all or part of the securities at any time without prior notice in order to maintain required
maintenance levels, or to call the loan at any time, and this may cause you to sell assets and realize losses in a declining
market. In addition, because of collateral requirements imposed by the bank, investment decisions for the account may
be restricted. These restrictions, or a forced liquidation, may interfere with your long-term investment goals and/or result
in adverse tax consequences.
Tax considerations: Our strategies and investments may have unique and significant tax implications. Unless specifically
agreed otherwise, and in writing, however, tax efficiency is not our primary consideration in the management of your
assets. Regardless of your account size or any other factors, it is strongly recommended that you consult a tax professional
regarding the investment of your assets. Custodians and broker/dealers must report the cost basis of equities acquired in
client accounts. Your custodian will default to average-cost for mutual fund positions and the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”)
accounting method for calculating the cost basis of your equity investments or, for PPS Select Personalized Indexing, the
short-term tax sensitive accounting method. You are responsible for contacting your tax advisor to determine if this
accounting method is the right choice for you. If your tax advisor believes another accounting method is more
advantageous, provide written notice to our firm immediately, and Commonwealth will alert your account custodian of
your individually selected accounting method. Decisions about cost basis accounting methods will need to be made before
trades settle, as the cost basis method cannot be changed after settlement.
Risk of loss: Investing in securities involves risk of loss that you should be prepared to bear. Commonwealth and your
advisor do not represent or guarantee that our services or methods of analysis can or will predict future results,
successfully identify market tops or bottoms, or insulate clients from losses due to market corrections or declines. We
cannot offer any guarantees or promises that your financial goals and objectives will be met.
Liquidity risk: The risk of being unable to sell your investment at a fair price at a given time due to high volatility or lack of
active liquid markets. You may receive a lower price, or it may not be possible to sell the investment at all. Certain
structured products, interval funds, and alternative investments are less liquid than securities traded on an exchange, and
you should be aware of the fact that you may not be able to sell these products outside of prescribed time periods. You
should consult your advisor prior to purchasing products considered illiquid and in instances where changes in your
financial situation and objectives may increase your need for liquidity.
Inflation risk: Security prices and portfolio returns will likely vary in response to changes in inflation and interest rates.
Inflation causes the value of future dollars to be worth less and may reduce the purchasing power of a client’s future
interest payments and principal. Inflation also generally leads to higher interest rates which may cause the value of many
types of fixed income investments to decline.
Time horizon and longevity risk: Time horizon risk is the risk that your investment horizon is shortened because of an
unforeseen event (e.g., the loss of your job). This may force you to sell investments that you were expecting to hold for
the long term. If you must sell at a time when the markets are down, you may lose money. Longevity risk is the risk of
outliving your savings. This risk is particularly relevant for people who are retired or nearing retirement.
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Recommendation of particular types of securities: We will recommend various types of securities and 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. In very
general terms, however, the higher the anticipated return of an investment, the higher the risk of loss associated with the
investment. Descriptions of the types of securities we may recommend to you and some of their inherent risks are
provided below:
• Money market funds: A money market fund is technically a security, and, as such, there is a risk of loss of
principal, although it is generally rare. In return for this risk, you should earn a greater return on your cash than
you would expect from a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insured savings account (money market
funds are not FDIC insured). Next, money market fund rates are variable. In other words, you do not know how
much you will earn on your investment next month. The rate could go up or down. If it goes up, that may result
in a positive outcome. If it goes down, however, and you earn less than you expected to, you may end up needing
more cash. The final risk you are taking with money market funds has to do with inflation. Because money market
funds are considered to be safer than other investments like stocks, long-term average returns on money market
funds tend to be less than long-term average returns on riskier investments. Over long periods of time, inflation
can eat away at your returns.
• Municipal securities: Municipal securities, while generally thought of as safe, can have significant risks associated
with them, including, but not limited to, the creditworthiness of the governmental entity that issues the bond,
the stability of the revenue stream that is used to pay the interest to the bondholders, when the bond is due to
mature, and whether the bond can be “called” prior to maturity. When a bond is called, it may not be possible
to replace it with a bond of equal character paying the same amount of interest or yield to maturity.
• Bonds: Also known as corporate debt securities, bonds are typically safer investments than equity securities, but
their risk can also vary widely based on the financial health of the issuer, the risk that the issuer might default,
when the bond is set to mature, and whether the bond can be “called” prior to maturity. When a bond is called,
it may not be possible to replace it with a bond of equal character paying the same rate of return.
• Stocks: There are numerous ways of measuring the risk of equity securities (also known simply as “equities” or
“stocks”). In very broad terms, the value of a stock depends on the financial health of the company issuing it.
Stock prices, however, can be affected by many other factors, including, but not limited to, the class of stock
(e.g., preferred or common), the health of the market sector of the issuing company, and the overall health of
the economy. In general, larger, more well-established companies (i.e., large-caps) tend to be safer than smaller
start-up companies (i.e., small-caps), but the mere size of an issuer is not, in itself, an indicator of the safety of
the investment.
o Mutual funds and ETFs: Mutual funds and ETFs are professionally managed collective investment systems that
pool money from many investors and invest in stocks, bonds, short term money market instruments, other
mutual funds, other securities, or any combination thereof. The fund will have a manager that trades the fund’s
investments in accordance with the fund’s investment objective. While mutual funds and ETFs generally provide
diversification, risks can be significantly increased if the fund is concentrated in a particular sector of the market,
primarily invests in small-cap or speculative companies, uses leverage (i.e., borrows money) to a significant
degree, or concentrates in a particular type of security (i.e., equities) 29 rather than balancing the fund with
different types of securities. ETFs differ from mutual funds in that 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,” meaning there’s 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.” Open-end mutual funds continue to allow new
investors indefinitely, whereas closed-end funds have a fixed number of shares to sell, which can limit their
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availability to new investors. ETFs are investment companies that are usually classified as open-end or UITs.
Some ETFs, particularly those that invest in commodities, are not registered as an investment company and may
be closed and liquidated at the discretion of the issuing company. Active ETFs are different from traditional
passive index ETFs in that there is a portfolio manager who makes buy/sell decisions on the underlying holdings.
Certain ETF sponsors also offer actively managed mutual funds with different fees and expenses even though
they have the same or substantially similar objectives, strategies, and holdings. The impact of such fees and
expenses will vary depending on whether you invest in an ETF or mutual fund based on the size of your initial
investment, the length of time you hold the investment, and other factors. In certain situations, mutual fund
fees and expenses you pay will be more than in a significantly similar ETF.
• Variable annuities: A variable annuity is a form of insurance where the seller or issuer (typically an insurance
company) makes a series of future payments to a buyer (annuitant) in exchange for the immediate payment of a
lump sum (single-payment annuity) or a series of regular payments (regular-payment annuity). The payment
stream from the issuer to the annuitant has an unknown duration based principally upon the date of death of
the annuitant. At this point, the contract will terminate, and the remainder of the funds accumulated will be
forfeited unless there are other annuitants or beneficiaries in the contract. Annuities can be purchased to provide
an income during retirement. Unlike fixed annuities that make payments in fixed amounts or in amounts that
increase by a fixed percentage, variable annuities pay amounts that vary according to the performance of a
specified set of investments, typically bond and equity mutual funds. Many variable annuities typically impose
asset-based sales charges or surrender charges for withdrawals within a specified period. Variable annuities may
impose a variety of fees and expenses, in addition to sales and surrender charges, such as mortality and expense
risk charges, administrative fees, underlying fund expenses, and charges for special features, all of which can
reduce the return.
• Real estate: Real estate is increasingly being used as part of a long-term core strategy due to increased market
efficiency and increasing concerns about the future long-term variability of stock and bond returns. In fact, real
estate is known for its ability to serve as a portfolio diversifier and inflation hedge. The asset class still bears a
considerable amount of market risk, however. Real estate has shown itself to be very cyclical, somewhat
mirroring the ups and downs of the overall economy. In addition to employment and demographic changes, real
estate is also influenced by changes in interest rates and the credit markets, which affect the demand and supply
of capital and, thus, real estate values. Along with changes in market fundamentals, investors wishing to add real
estate as part of their core investment portfolios need to look for property concentrations by area or by property
type. Because property returns are directly affected by local market basics, real estate portfolios that are too
heavily concentrated in one area or property type can lose their risk mitigation attributes and bear additional
risk by being too influenced by local or sector market changes.
•
Limited partnerships: A limited partnership is a financial affiliation that includes at least one general partner and
a number of limited partners. The partnership invests in a venture, such as real estate development or oil
exploration, for financial gain. The general partner has management authority and unlimited liability. The general
partner runs the business and, in the event of bankruptcy, is responsible for all debts not paid or discharged. The
limited partners have no management authority, and their liability is limited to the amount of their capital
commitment. Profits are divided between general and limited partners according to an arrangement formed at
the creation of the partnership. The range of risks is dependent on the nature of the partnership and disclosed
in the offering documents if privately placed. Publicly traded limited partnerships have similar risk attributes to
equities; however, like privately placed limited partnerships, their tax treatment is under a different tax regime
from equities. You should speak to your tax adviser in regard to their tax treatment.
• Options contracts: Options are complex securities that involve risks and are not suitable for everyone. Option
trading can be speculative in nature and carry substantial risk of loss. It is generally recommended that you only
invest in options with risk capital. An option is a contract that gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to
buy or sell an underlying asset at a specific price on or before a certain date (i.e., the expiration date). The two
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types of options are calls and puts. A call gives the holder the right to buy an asset at a certain price within a
specific period of time. Calls are similar to having a long position on a stock. Buyers of calls hope that the stock
will increase substantially before the option expires. A put gives the holder 30 the right to sell an asset at a certain
price within a specific period of time. Puts are very similar to having a short position on a stock. Buyers of puts
hope that the price of the stock will fall before the option expires. Selling options is more complicated and can
be even riskier. Option trading risks are closely related to stock risks, as stock options are a derivative of stocks.
• Private Equity: Private equity investments are speculative and involve significant risks. These investments offer
limited diversification, use leverage, and have limited liquidity. The investment timeline for private equity can be
a decade or more. Some issuers or general partners may penalize limited partners who redeem before holding
units for a specified amount of time or may disallow redemptions entirely.
• Structured products: A structured product is generally a prepackaged investment strategy based on derivatives,
such as a single security, a basket of securities, options, indices, commodities, debt issuances, and/or foreign
currencies, and, to a lesser extent, swaps. Structured products are usually issued by investment banks or affiliates
thereof. In addition to a fixed maturity, they have two components: a note and a derivative. The derivative
component is often an option. The note provides for periodic interest payments to the investor at a
predetermined rate, and the derivative component provides for the payment at maturity. Some products use the
derivative component as a put option written by the investor that gives the buyer of the put option the right to
sell to the investor the security or securities at a predetermined price. Other products use the derivative
component to provide for a call option written by the investor that gives the buyer of the call option the right to
buy the security or securities from the investor at a predetermined price. A feature of some structured products
is a “principal guarantee” function, which offers protection of principal if held to maturity. These products are
not always FDIC insured, however; they may only be insured by the issuer and, thus, have the potential for loss
of principal in the case of a liquidity crisis or other solvency problems with the issuing company. Investing in
structured products involves a number of risks, including, but not limited to, fluctuations in the price, level, or
yield of underlying instruments; interest rates; currency values; and credit quality. They also involve the risk of
substantial loss of principal, limits on participation in any appreciation of the underlying instrument, limited
liquidity, credit risk of the issuer, conflicts of interest, and other events that are difficult to predict
• Leveraged/inverse ETFs, ETNs, and mutual funds: Leveraged products seek to deliver multiples (e.g., 2x) of the
performance of the index or benchmark they track. Some leveraged products are inverse or short funds, meaning
they seek to deliver the opposite of the performance of the index or benchmark they track. They can track broad
indices, sector-specific, or are linked to commodities or currencies. Leveraged and inverse products have unique
characteristics and can be riskier than traditional ETFs, ETNs, and mutual funds. Most leveraged and inverse
products “reset” daily, meaning they are designed to achieve their stated objectives on a daily basis. To
accomplish these objectives, these products may not be diversified and use a range of strategies, including swaps,
future contracts, and other derivatives. Due to fund expenses, continuous resetting of returns and other factors,
these products may not be able to replicate the index or benchmark they are tracking, also known as tracking
error. In addition, for leveraged products, compounding of the returns can produce a divergence over time, which
could be amplified in a volatile market with large positive and negative swings.
• Value-based investing risk: Value-based investing is also sometimes referred to as “environmental, social, and
governance (ESG) investing,” “socially responsible investing,” or “sustainable investing.” These types of strategies
may seek to achieve value-based outcomes to achieve exposure to particular goals or themes, and/or to screen
out certain companies and industries. Advisors may consider social or environmental goals, including but not
limited to corporate governance structures and international, domestic or industry agreements, when
determining which securities to include in a portfolio. These investment strategies may reduce or increase a
portfolio’s exposure to certain companies or industries and the portfolio may forego certain investment
opportunities as a result. Investing in value-based investments or strategies may underperform the market as a
whole or underperform other strategies that employ a different type of focus or screening methodology. Fund
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managers, portfolio managers, advisors, and investors likely define the criteria for a particular value-based goal,
such as ESG, differently. Review fund prospectuses and other materials to gain an understanding of how the term
is being used in connection with their investment offerings.
Investments may also be affected by currency controls; different accounting, auditing, financial reporting, disclosure, and
regulatory and legal standards and practices; expropriation (occurs when governments take away a private business from
its owners); changes in tax policy; greater market volatility; different securities market structures; higher transaction costs;
and various administrative difficulties, such as delays in clearing and settling portfolio transactions or in receiving payment
of dividends. These risks may be heightened in connection with investments in developing countries. Investments in
securities issued by entities domiciled in the United States may also be subject to many of these risks.
Any of the common risks described above could adversely affect the value of your portfolio and account performance,
and you can lose money. Even though these risks exist, the firm and your advisor will still earn the fees and other
compensation described in this Brochure. Clients should carefully consider the risks of investing and the potential that
they may lose principal while the firm and your advisor continue to earn fees and other forms of compensation.
Your investments are not bank deposits and are not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any other governmental agency,
lose value.
entity, or person, unless otherwise noted and explicitly disclosed as such, and as such may
Item 9 – Disciplinary Information
Neither Pathfinder Wealth Consulting nor its registered persons have any disciplinary information to disclose.
Item 10 – Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Pathfinder Wealth Consulting does not have a related person, nor does the firm or its management personnel have a
relationship with any individual or entity who is a broker dealer, investment company or pooled investment vehicle, other
investment adviser or financial planner, futures commission merchant or commodity pool operator, banking or thrift
institution, accountant or accounting firm, lawyer or law firm, pension consultant, real estate broker, or sponsor or
syndicator of a limited partnership.
Some of our advisors are also licensed insurance agents and offer various insurance products for which they will be paid
a commission. Should you choose to purchase an insurance product on which our advisor is paid a commission, there will
be no advisory fee associated with the product. Insurance commissions are earned in addition to other forms of
compensation described in this brochure. You are under no obligation to purchase insurance products from Pathfinder
Wealth Consulting or its advisors and may use the broker of your choice to do so.
Pathfinder Wealth Consulting has chosen to partner with Commonwealth to provide certain services, including but not
limited to fee billing and account performance reporting, to our firm and our clients. For the services it provides,
Commonwealth charges our advisors an administrative fee at the same time clients are charged asset-based management
fees. The administrative fee is charged to and paid by the advisor rather than the advisor’s clients. and is calculated as a
percentage of the total account assets, including cash and money market positions, held by the advisor’s clients.
In addition, Commonwealth offers our firm and our advisors one or more forms of financial benefits based on our total
assets under management held at Commonwealth or in Commonwealth’s PPS Program accounts, as well as financial
assistance for transitioning from another firm to Commonwealth. The types of financial benefits that your advisor may
receive from Commonwealth include, but are not limited to, forgivable or unforgivable loans, enhanced payouts, and
discounts or waivers on transaction, platform, and account fees; technology fees; research package fees; financial planning
software fees; administrative fees; brokerage account fees; account transfer fees; licensing and insurance costs; and the
cost of attending conferences and events. The enhanced payouts, discounts, and other forms of financial benefits that
your advisor may have the opportunity to receive from Commonwealth provide a financial incentive for our firm and your
advisor to select Commonwealth as broker/dealer for your accounts over other broker/dealers from which they may not
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receive similar financial benefits. Please see items 12 and 14 of this Brochure for more detailed information about these
types of conflicts and our relationship with Commonwealth.
Commonwealth charges our advisors an administrative fee at the same time clients are charged asset-based fees for their
managed accounts. The administrative fee is charged to and paid by the advisor rather than the advisor’s clients and is
calculated as a percentage of the total managed account assets, including cash and money market positions, held by the
advisor’s clients. The administrative fee is used to offset Commonwealth’s maintenance costs associated with account
reporting and reconciliation.
In the same manner as many advisors offer asset management fee discounts to their larger clients, Commonwealth offers
those advisors to whom it charges administrative fees discounts based on their total assets under management. As these
advisors grow their business, Commonwealth’s economies of scale are shared with those advisors by reducing the
percentage amount of administrative fees that would otherwise be charged to the advisors. The advisors receive discounts
on the administrative fee when they reach specified asset levels, starting at $10 million. As the amount of the advisors’
client assets grows above certain levels, the advisors receive larger percentage discounts to the administrative fees. Some
advisors have negotiated a flat administrative fee with Commonwealth. Others may have negotiated a specific payout for
a period of time as part of their agreement to join the firm.
These discounts in administrative fees and higher payouts for reaching various AUM levels present a conflict of interest
because they provide a financial incentive for advisors who receive the discounts to recommend PPS programs or other
managed or wrap account programs over other available programs that do not offer such discounts or higher payouts to
the advisors. On the other hand, because Commonwealth does not assess administrative fees to advisors when they use
certain other third party managed account programs depending upon the costs and fees of a particular third party
program, advisors may have a financial incentive to use one or more third party programs, which also creates a conflict of
interest.
Item 11 – Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and
Personal Trading
Pursuant to Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act, the firm has adopted a Code of Ethics that governs a number of conflicts
of interest we have when providing our advisory services to you. Our Code of Ethics is designed to ensure that we meet
our fiduciary obligations to you and to foster a culture of compliance throughout our firm.
Our Code of Ethics is comprehensive and is designed to help us detect and prevent violations of securities laws and to help
ensure that we keep your interests first at all times. We distribute our Code of Ethics to each supervised person at the
time of his or her initial affiliation with our firm; we make sure it remains available to each supervised person for as long
as he or she remains associated with our firm; and we communicate updates to our Code of Ethics as changes are made.
Our Code of Ethics sets forth certain standards of conduct and addresses conflicts of interest between our firm, our
employees, our agents, our advisors, and our advisory clients. Clients and prospective clients of the firm may request a
copy of our Code of Ethics at any time.
The firm and its advisors often invest in the same securities that we recommend to clients. The firm and its advisors also
recommend securities to, and buy and sell securities for, client accounts at or about the same time that we buy or sell the
same securities for our own accounts. These activities create a conflict of interest between us and our clients. Our firm
policy prohibits “trading ahead” of clients’ transactions to the detriment of clients. When the firm and its advisors are
purchasing or selling securities for their own accounts, priority will be given to client transactions, or trades will be
aggregated together to obtain an average execution price for the benefit of all parties.
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Item 12 – Brokerage Practices
The Custodians and Brokers We Use
Pathfinder Wealth Consulting does not maintain physical custody of your assets, although we will be deemed to have
custody of your assets under SEC rules if you give us authority to withdraw advisory fees from your account or if you
provide us with authorization for money movement to third parties (see Item 15 - Custody below). Your assets must be
maintained in an account at a “qualified custodian”, generally a broker dealer or other financial institution. We primarily
recommend that our clients use National Financial Services, a registered broker-dealer, member SIPC, as a qualified
custodian. At times, we may utilize other qualified custodians to hold your assets. We are independently owned and
operated and are not affiliated with National Financial Services or any other qualified custodian. The qualified custodian
will hold your assets in a brokerage account and buy and sell securities with our instruction. While we will recommend a
qualified custodian to hold your assets, you will decide whether to do so and will open the account directly at the qualified
custodian with our assistance. Not all advisers require their Client to use a particular broker-dealer or other custodian
selected by the Advisor. However, if you choose not to open an account with one of the qualified custodians we
recommend, we will not be able to provide asset management services to you. Consulting services not including asset
management will be available in such cases if you desire.
How We Select Brokers/Custodians
We seek to use a custodian/broker who will hold your assets and execute transactions on terms that are, overall, most
advantageous when compared to other available providers and their services. We consider a wide range of factors,
including, among others:
• Combination of transaction execution services and asset custody services
• Capability to execute, clear and settle trades (buy and sell securities for your account)
• Capability to facilitate transfers and payments to and from accounts (wire transfers, check
requests, etc.)
• Breadth of available investment products (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds
[ETFs], limited partnerships)
• Availability of investment research and tools that assist us in making investment decisions.
• Quality of services
• Competitiveness of the price of those services and willingness to negotiate the prices
• Reputation, financial strength, and stability
• Prior service to us and our other clients
• Availability of other products and services that benefit us
Your Brokerage and Custody Costs
For our clients’ accounts that the firm maintains via National Financial Services, we and National Financial Services
generally do not charge you separately for custody services but are compensated by charging you commissions or other
fees on trades that are executed or settled into your account. Commonwealth’s commission rates applicable to our client
accounts were negotiated based on the condition that our clients collectively maintain a total of at least $50,000,000 of
their assets in accounts at National Financial Services. For client accounts at Commonwealth, this commitment benefits
you because the overall commission rates you pay are lower than they would be otherwise. Because of these factors, in
order to minimize your trading costs, we have Commonwealth (via NFS) execute most trades for your account(s). We have
determined that having Commonwealth/NFS execute most trades is consistent with our duty to seek “best execution” of
your trades. Best execution means the most favorable terms for a transaction based on all relevant factors, including those
listed above (see “How We Select Brokers/Custodians”).
Periodically, we will review alternative broker-dealers and custodians in the marketplace to ensure that the custodians
we use are meeting our duty to provide best execution for our clients. Best execution does not simply mean the lowest
transaction cost. When examining firms, we will compare overall expertise, cost competitiveness and financial condition.
The quality of execution by the custodians we use will be reviewed using publicly available trade execution data and other
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sources as needed. No single criteria will validate nor invalidate a custodian, but rather, all criteria taken together will be
used in evaluating the currently utilized custodian.
Products and Services Available to Us from Commonwealth and Our Custodians
Commonwealth provides us with various products and services that enable us to both serve our clients and grow our
business. Commonwealth (through their disclosed clearing relationships with National Financial Services and Pershing)
provide us and our clients with access to its brokerage services— trading, custody, reporting, and related services.
Commonwealth also makes available various support services. Some of those services help us manage or administer our
client accounts, while others help us manage and grow our business. Following is a more detailed description of
Commonwealth’s support services:
Services That Benefit You
Commonwealth’s brokerage services include access to a broad range of investment products, execution of securities
transactions by Commonwealth’s clearing firms, and custody of client assets via their clearing firms. The investment
products available through Commonwealth include some to which we might not otherwise have access or that would
require a significantly higher minimum initial investment by our clients.
Services That Do Not Directly Benefit You
Commonwealth also makes available to us other products and services that benefit our firm and our advisors but do not
directly benefit you or your account. These products and services assist us in managing and administering our clients’
accounts. They include investment research, both Commonwealth’s and that of third parties. We use this research to
service substantially all our client accounts, including accounts not maintained at Commonwealth. In addition to
investment research, Commonwealth also makes available software and other technology that:
• Provide access to client account data (such as duplicate trade confirmations and account
statements)
• Facilitate trade execution
• Provide pricing and other market data
• Facilitate payment of our fees from our client accounts
• Assist with back-office functions, recordkeeping and client reporting
Services That Generally Benefit Only Us
Commonwealth also offers other services intended to help us manage and further develop our business enterprise. These
services include:
• Complimentary or discounted attendance at conferences and events
• Consulting on technology, compliance, legal and business needs
• Publications and conferences on practice management and business succession
Our Interest in Commonwealth’s Services
Our relationship with Commonwealth requires that we maintain a certain level of assets within Commonwealth’s PPS
program and/or our own asset management program. This creates an incentive to recommend that you establish and
maintain your account with Commonwealth, based on our interest in receiving Commonwealth’s services that benefit our
business rather than based on your interest in receiving the best value in custody services and the most favorable
execution of your transactions. This is a conflict of interest. To mitigate the conflict, this disclosure is provided to you. As
a fiduciary, we must act in your best interests. We believe that our selection of National Financial Services or Pershing (via
Commonwealth) as custodian and broker is in the best interests of our clients and conduct regular reviews of our
relationship with Commonwealth to ensure this remains the case. Our choice to maintain a relationship with
Commonwealth is primarily supported by the scope, quality, and price of Commonwealth’s services (see “How We Select
Brokers/Custodians”) and not Commonwealth’s services that benefit only us.
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Block Trading Policy
The firm may aggregate transactions in the same security on behalf of more than one client in an effort to strive for best
execution and to possibly reduce the price per share. This practice is referred to as “block trading” However, aggregated
or bunched orders will not reduce the transaction costs to participating clients. Typically, the process of aggregating client
orders is done in order to achieve better execution, to negotiate more favorable commission rates or to allocate orders
among clients on a more equitable basis in order to avoid differences in prices and transaction fees or other transaction
costs that might be obtained when orders are placed independently. The firm conducts aggregated transactions in a
manner designed to ensure that no participating client is favored over another client.
Participating clients will obtain the average share price per share for the security executed that day. To the extent the
aggregated order is not filled in its entirety and when possible, securities purchased or sold in an aggregated transaction
will be allocated pro-rata to the participating client accounts in proportion to the size of the orders placed for each
account. The amount of securities maybe increased or decreased to avoid holding odd-lot or a small number of shares for
particular clients. It should be noted that the firm does not receive any additional compensation or remuneration as a
result of aggregation. Advisory clients purchase funds at net asset value.
Soft Dollars
The firm does not use commissions to pay for research and brokerage services (i.e., soft dollar transactions). Research,
along with other products and services other than trade execution, is available to us on a cash basis from various vendors.
Core Account Sweep Programs (“CASPs”)
Through our relationship with Commonwealth, our firm has access to a core account sweep program (“CASP”). CASP is
the core account investment vehicle for eligible accounts used to hold cash balances while awaiting reinvestment. The
cash balance in your eligible accounts will be deposited automatically or “swept” into interest-bearing FDIC-insurance
eligible deposit accounts at one or more FDIC-insured financial institutions The interest rates for your eligible accounts
may be obtained from at www.commonwealth.com/clients/deposit-sweep-program.aspx. Specific features and account
eligibility of CASP are further explained in the Disclosure Document provided to clients that participate in CASP. A current
version of the CASP Disclosure Document is available at https://www.commonwealth.com/for-clients/disclosure/core-
account-sweep-programs.
Clients should note that, though the default options for cash held in accounts are the core account investment vehicles,
clients may at any time seek higher yields in other available investment options. Commonwealth keeps a portion of the
interest paid by the bank(s) participating in CASP as a fee for providing bank sweep services. This fee reduces the rate of
interest you receive on your cash in the bank sweep program. The firm receives no financial benefits from the CASP
program. We encourage our clients to review CASP program details to understand how Commonwealth and the program
banks get paid for the sweep program and to discuss other available investment options should you wish to do so.
NTF Program
Additionally, NFS offers an NTF program composed of no-load mutual funds. Participating mutual fund sponsors pay a fee
to NFS to participate in this program, and a portion of this fee is shared with Commonwealth. None of these additional
payments is paid to the firm or any advisors who sell these funds. NTF mutual funds may be purchased within an
investment advisory account at no charge to the client. Clients, however, should be aware that funds available through
the NTF program often contain higher internal expenses than mutual funds that do not participate in the NTF program.
Commonwealth’s receipt of a portion of the fees associated with the NTF program creates a conflict of interest because
Commonwealth has an incentive to make available those products that provide such compensation to NFS and
Commonwealth over those mutual fund sponsors that do not make such payments to NFS and Commonwealth. While
Pathfinder Wealth Consulting does not receive additional compensation from NFS or Commonwealth based on the
particular investment (potentially including one or more NTF funds), our menu of investment options is limited to
investments made available by Commonwealth. Thus, clients may be impacted by the conflict of interest previously
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described in this paragraph. As stated previously, the firm regularly evaluates our relationship with Commonwealth to
ensure it remains appropriate for the firm and our clients.
The investment advisory services provided by the firm may cost the client more or less than purchasing similar services
separately. Clients should consider whether the appointment of Commonwealth as the sole broker/dealer may result in
certain costs or disadvantages to the client as a result of possibly less favorable executions. Factors to consider include
the type and size of the account and the client’s historical and expected account size or number of trades.
Item 13 – Review of Accounts
All asset management client accounts are reviewed by an Investment Advisor Representative (IAR) of the firm on a
quarterly basis, or when changes in client circumstances or market conditions warrant.
Clients will be provided statements at least quarterly directly from account custodian where your assets are maintained.
Additionally, you will receive confirmations of all transactions directly from account custodian. All non-retirement
accounts and retirement accounts for those clients taking distributions will receive an annual tax reporting statement. In
addition, we may provide a performance report for your account(s). You should compare such reports with statements
received directly from the account custodian(s). Should there be any discrepancy, the account custodian’s report will
prevail.
Item 14 – Client Referrals and Other Compensation
Our firm receives an economic benefit from Commonwealth in the form of the support, products and services
Commonwealth makes available to us and other investment advisors whose clients maintain their accounts on
Commonwealth’s platform. These products and services, how they benefit us, and the related conflicts of interest are
described in Item 12 of this brochure.
Our access to Commonwealth’s products and services is not conditioned on our firm or our advisors giving particular
investment advice, such as buying particular securities for our clients. Product vendors recommended by the firm may
provide monetary and non-monetary assistance for the purposes of funding marketing, distribution, business and client
development, educational enhancement and/or due diligence reviews incurred by the firm or our advisors relating to the
promotion or sale of the product vendor’s products or services. We do not select products as a result of the receipt or
potential receipt of any monetary or non-monetary assistance. Our due diligence of a product does not take into
consideration any assistance it may receive. While the receipt of products or services is a benefit for you and us, it also
presents a conflict of interest. We attempt to mitigate this conflict of interest by:
Informing you of conflicts of interest in our disclosure document and agreement;
•
• Maintaining and abiding by our Code of Ethics which requires us to place your interests first
and foremost;
• Advising you of the right to decline to implement our recommendations and the right to
choose other financial professionals for implementation.
Commonwealth offers our firm and our firm’s advisory representatives one or more forms of financial benefits based on
our advisory representatives’ total AUM held at Commonwealth or financial assistance for advisory representatives
transitioning from another firm to Commonwealth. The types of financial benefits Commonwealth provides include, but
may not be limited to forgivable or unforgivable loans provided at below-market rates, equity ownership investments into
our firm’s business, discounts or waivers on transaction, platform, and account fees, technology fees, research package
fees, financial planning software fees, administrative fees, brokerage account fees, account transfer fees, licensing and
insurance costs, referral fees for recruiting new advisors to Commonwealth, and the cost of attending conferences and
events. The financial benefits that our firm or our advisory representatives may receive from Commonwealth are a conflict
of interest and provide a financial incentive for our firm and our advisory representatives to select Commonwealth as
broker/dealer for your accounts over other broker/dealers from which we may not receive similar financial benefits. We
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attempt to mitigate this conflict of interest by disclosing the conflict in this brochure and engaging in a regular review of
our relationship with Commonwealth to ensure the relationship continues to be appropriate in all respects for our firm’s
clients.
Our Use of Promoters
Our firm utilizes a referral program designed to compensate outside professionals or firms, such as attorneys, accountants,
or other broker/dealers and investment advisers, for referring your advisory business to Pathfinder Wealth Consulting.
These professionals or firms are known as “promoters.” If your advisory account is referred by a promoter to us, we will
pay a portion of the advisory fee you pay us to the promoter, typically for as long as you maintain an advisory relationship
with us, to compensate the promoter for the referral. The firm will not charge a client who is referred to our firm by a
promoter any amount for the cost of obtaining the client in addition to the fee normally charged by our firm for its
investment advisory services.
All promotional arrangements are disclosed to clients at the time of the promotion via execution of a Disclosure Statement
or similar document that outlines the nature and amount of the compensation we pay to the promoter and whether or
not the promoter is affiliated with or related to the firm. Promoters are required to provide prospective clients with a
current copy of Pathfinder Wealth Consulting’s Form ADV Part 2 no later than the date on which the client enters into an
advisory relationship with the firm and the advisor.
Item 15 – Custody
Pathfinder Wealth Consulting does not maintain physical custody of your assets. Under SEC rules, we are deemed to have
custody of your assets if you authorize us to instruct your account custodian to deduct our advisory fees directly from your
account, or if you provide us with authorization to transfer funds from your account to a third party. The firm maintains a
relationship with Commonwealth who, as described previously in this brochure, maintains a primary clearing relationship
for the execution of client transactions with NFS as the account custodian, and a secondary clearing relationship for the
execution of client transactions with Pershing as the account custodian. Substantially all of our advisory clients must select
Commonwealth as the broker/dealer of record and NFS as the clearing firm for their managed accounts. In all cases, the
name and address of the account custodian will be identified in the respective managed account client agreement.
Clients who establish a managed account with the firm utilizing Commonwealth as the broker/dealer of record will receive
custodial account statements directly from the respective custodian that holds those assets, such as NFS, Pershing, or a
direct product sponsor. Clients should carefully review the statements they receive from their account custodians and
should promptly report material discrepancies to us at the telephone number listed on the cover page of this brochure.
Our clients may also receive portfolio summary or performance reporting for their managed accounts from the firm or
their advisor that are in addition to the account statements clients receive directly from the respective account custodian.
We urge you to compare the account statements you receive from your account custodian with any account summary
statements or reports you receive from us or your advisor. Although account holdings and asset valuations should
generally match, for purposes of calculating performance and account valuations on your account, our summary or
performance reporting month-end market values sometimes differ from custodial account statement month-end market
values. The three most common reasons why these values may differ are differences in the manner in which accrued
interest is calculated, the date upon which “as of” dividends and capital gains are reported, and settlement date versus
trade date valuations.
If you believe there are material discrepancies between your custodial statement and the summary statements or reports
you receive from the firm or your advisor, please contact us immediately.
Item 16 – Investment Discretion
We render investment advice to the vast majority of its managed account clients on a discretionary basis, pursuant to
written authorization granted by the client to the firm. This authorization grants to Pathfinder Wealth Consulting and your
advisor the discretion to buy, sell, exchange, convert, or otherwise trade in securities and/or insurance products, and to
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execute orders for such securities and/or insurance products with or through any distributor, issuer, or broker/dealer as
the firm or your advisor may select. Your advisor may, without obtaining your consent, determine which products to
purchase or sell for your managed account, as well as when to purchase or sell such products, and the prices to be paid.
Neither the firm nor your advisor, however, is granted authority to take possession of your assets.
Clients may impose reasonable restrictions on their managed account, including, but not limited to, the type, nature, or
specific names of securities to be bought, sold, or held in their managed account, as well as the type, nature, or specific
names of securities that may not be bought, sold, or held in their managed account. Clients generally grant the firm and
their advisor discretionary trading authority over their managed accounts. If not specifically requested otherwise by the
client, discretionary authority will be established at the time the account is first opened.
As a matter of firm policy, neither the firm nor its advisors have or will accept the authority to file class action claims on
behalf of clients. This policy reflects our recognition that we do not have the requisite expertise to advise clients with
regard to participating in class actions. Our firm and its advisors have no obligation to determine if securities held by the
client are subject to a pending or resolved class action settlement or verdict. The firm and its advisors also have no duty
to evaluate a client’s eligibility or to submit a claim to participate in the proceeds of a securities class action settlement or
verdict.
Furthermore, the firm and its advisors have no obligation or responsibility to initiate litigation to recover damages on
behalf of clients who may have been injured because of actions, misconduct, or negligence by corporate management of
issuers whose securities are held by clients. The decision to participate in a class action or to sign a release of claims when
submitting a proof of claim may involve the exercise of legal judgment, which is beyond the scope of services provided to
clients by the firm or your advisor. In all cases, clients retain the responsibility for evaluating whether it is prudent to join
a class action or to opt out.
Item 17 – Voting Client Securities
As a matter of firm policy, and in accordance with this brochure and our advisory client agreements, neither the firm nor
our advisors have or will accept the authority to vote proxies on behalf of advisory clients in any situation where the firm
or the adviser acts as investment adviser to the client. We or our advisors may, but are not obligated to, provide advice to
clients regarding the clients’ voting of proxies. In all cases, clients must either retain the responsibility for receiving and
voting proxies for any and all securities maintained in their managed accounts, or they must appoint a third-party
investment adviser or other person who is not associated with the firm to vote proxies for their managed accounts.
In the event the advisor chooses to provide advice to clients designed to assist the client in making a decision as to how
to vote their proxies, the advisor has a fiduciary duty to disclose to the client any material conflicts of interest the advisor
may have with respect to such advice. In all cases, our firm or the advisor will send, or will cause to be sent, all such proxy
and legal proceedings information and documents it receives to the client, so that the client may take whatever action the
client deems advisable under the circumstances.
Item 18 – Financial Information
Our firm does not require prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees six (6) months or more in advance. The firm maintains
custody of certain client assets in certain instances, as defined in SEC Rule 206(4)-2. Additionally, pursuant to the trading
authorization granted by the firm’s managed account clients to the firm and their advisor, the firm has discretionary
trading authority over the funds and securities of clients.
The firm neither has a financial commitment that would impair its ability to meet its contractual and fiduciary
commitments to clients, nor has it been the subject of a bankruptcy proceeding.
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Revised 12.15.25