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Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure
Item 1: Cover Page
October 2025
2333 SAN RAMON VALLEY BLVD., SUITE 200
SAN RAMON, CA 94583
P: (925) 314-8500
FIRM CONTACT: ANDREW AGOSTA, CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICER
FIRM WEBSITE ADDRESS: WWW.PROSPERITYFG.COM
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Prosperity
Financial Group, Inc. If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact
our firm by telephone at (925) 314-8500 or by email at Andrew@prosperityfg.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 Prosperity Financial Group, Inc. also is available on the SEC’s website
at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov by searching CRD#: 145540.
Please note that the use of the term “registered investment adviser” and description of Prosperity
Financial Group, Inc. and/or our associates as “registered” does not imply a certain level of skill or
training. You are encouraged to review this Brochure and Brochure Supplements for our firm’s
associates who advise you for more information on the qualifications of our firm and its employees.
Item 2: Material Changes
Prosperity Financial Group, Inc. is required to advise you of any material changes to our Firm
Brochure (“Brochure”) from our last annual update, identify those changes on the cover page of our
Brochure or on the page immediately following the cover page, or in a separate communication
accompanying our Brochure. We must state clearly that we are discussing only material changes
since the last annual update of our Brochure, and we must provide the date of the last annual update
of our Brochure.
Since our last Annual Amendment filing, Derek Hebert and Andrew Agosta have assumed principal
control of the firm and Mr. Agosta has been named Chief Compliance Officer.
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Prosperity Financial Group, Inc.
Item 3: Table of Contents
Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure ............................................................................................................................. 1
Item 2: Material Changes ...................................................................................................................................................... 2
Item 3: Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................................... 3
Item 4: Advisory Business.................................................................................................................................................... 4
Item 5: Fees & Compensation ............................................................................................................................................. 5
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management ........................................................................... 7
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss ................................................................... 7
Item 9: Disciplinary Information..................................................................................................................................... 10
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations .................................................................................. 10
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation, or Interest in .............................................................................................. 11
Client Transactions & Personal Trading ...................................................................................................................... 11
Item 12: Brokerage Practices ........................................................................................................................................... 11
Item 13: Review of Accounts or Financial Plans ....................................................................................................... 15
Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation ..................................................................................................... 16
Item 15: Custody .................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Item 16: Investment Discretion ....................................................................................................................................... 18
Item 17: Voting Client Securities ..................................................................................................................................... 18
Item 18: Financial Information ........................................................................................................................................ 18
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Item 4: Advisory Business
Prosperity Financial Group, Inc. is dedicated to providing clients with a wide array of investment
advisory services. We specialize in Asset Management, Financial Planning and Consulting, and
Referrals to Third Party Money Managers. Our firm is a corporation formed in the State of California.
We have been conducting business as an investment adviser since 2010, and are owned as follows:
Derek Hebert – 55% owner
Andrew Agosta – 45% owner
Asset Management:
We emphasize continuous and regular account supervision. As part of our asset management service,
we generally create a portfolio, consisting of individual stocks or bonds, exchange traded funds (“ETFs”),
options, mutual funds and other public and private securities or investments. The client’s individual
investment strategy is tailored to their specific needs and may include some or all the previously
mentioned securities. Each portfolio will be initially designed to meet a particular investment goal,
which we determine to be suitable to the client’s circumstances. Once the appropriate portfolio has been
determined, we review the portfolio at least quarterly and if necessary, rebalance the portfolio based
upon the client’s individual needs, stated goals, and objectives. Each client has the opportunity to place
reasonable restrictions on the types of investments to be held in the portfolio.
Our firm utilizes the sub-advisory services of a third party investment advisory firm or individual
advisor to aid in the implementation of an investment portfolio designed by our firm. Before selecting
a firm or individual, our firm will ensure that the chosen party is properly licensed or registered. Our
firm will not offer advice on any specific securities or other investments in connection with this service.
We will provide initial due diligence on third party money managers and ongoing reviews of their
management of client accounts. In order to assist in the selection of a third party money manager, our
firm will gather client information pertaining to financial situation, investment objectives, and
reasonable restrictions to be imposed upon the management of the account.
Our firm will periodically review third party money manager reports provided to the client at least
annually. Our firm will contact clients from time to time in order to review their financial situation
and objectives; communicate information to third party money managers as warranted; and, assist
the client in understanding and evaluating the services provided by the third party money manager.
Clients will be expected to notify our firm of any changes in their financial situation, investment
objectives, or account restrictions that could affect their financial standing.
Financial Planning and Consulting:
We provide a variety of financial planning and consulting services to individuals, families, and other
clients regarding the management of their financial resources based upon an analysis of client’s
current situation, goals, and objectives. Generally, such financial planning services will involve
preparing a financial plan or rendering a financial consultation for clients based on the client’s
financial goals and objectives. This planning or consulting may encompass one or more of the
following areas: Investment Planning, Retirement Planning, Estate Planning, Charitable Planning,
Education Planning, Corporate and Personal Tax Planning, Cost Segregation Study, Corporate
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Structure, Real Estate Analysis, Mortgage/Debt Analysis, Insurance Analysis, Lines of Credit
Evaluation, Business and Personal Financial Planning.
Our written financial plans or financial consultations rendered to clients usually include general
recommendations for a course of activity or specific actions to be taken by the clients. For example,
recommendations may be made that the clients begin or revise investment programs, create or revise
wills or trusts, obtain or revise insurance coverage, commence or alter retirement savings, or
establish education or charitable giving programs. It should also be noted that we refer clients to an
accountant, attorney, or other specialist, as necessary for non-advisory related services. For written
financial planning engagements, we provide our clients with a written summary of their financial
situation, observations, and recommendations. For financial consulting engagements, we usually do
not provide our clients with a written summary of our observations and recommendations as the
process is less formal than our planning service. Plans or consultations are typically completed
within six (6) months of the client signing a contract with us, assuming that all the information and
documents we request from the client are provided to us promptly. Implementation of the
recommendations will be at the discretion of the client.
Clients should be aware that a conflict of interest may exist between our firm and the client, as some
recommendations may result in the compensation of our representatives. Clients are under no
obligation to act upon our recommendation and if the client elects to act on any of the
recommendations, the client is under no obligation to affect the transaction through our firm.
Tailoring of Advisory Services
We offer individualized investment advice to clients utilizing our firm’s portfolio management
service offered through our Asset Management offering. We offer general investment advice to
clients utilizing the following services offered by our firm: Financial Planning, and Referrals to Third
Party Money Managers.
Each Asset Management client has the opportunity to place reasonable restrictions on the types of
investments to be held in the portfolio. Restrictions on certain securities or types of securities may
not be possible due to the level of difficulty this would entail in managing the account.
Participation in Wrap Fee Programs
We do not offer any wrap fee programs.
Regulatory Assets Under Management
We manage $358,866,365 on a discretionary basis and $0 on a non-discretionary basis as of
December 31, 2024.
Item 5: Fees & Compensation
We are required to describe our brokerage, custody, fees, and fund expenses so you will know how
much you are charged and by whom for our advisory services provided to you. Please note that lower
fees for comparable services may be available from other sources.
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Compensation for Our Advisory Services
Asset Management:
Assets Under Management
Up to $250,000
$250,001 to $500,000
$500,001 to $1.000.000
$1,000,001 - $3,000,000
$3,000,001 to $5,00,000
$5,000,001 to $10,000,000
$10,000,001 +
Annual Percentage of Assets Charge
2.00%
1.50%
1.25%
1.00%
0.90%
0.80%
0.70%
Fees are negotiable and will be charged quarterly in advance at a rate of one quarter of the annual
fee based on the value of your account on the last day of the previous quarter. Adjustments will be
made for any deposits and withdrawals in excess of $500,000 made during the quarter. Unless
otherwise agreed to in writing, fees will be assessed on cash and cash equivalents. Fees will generally
be automatically deducted from your managed account but in rare cases we may agree to directly
invoice clients. As part of this process, you understand and acknowledge the following:
(1) The client’s independent custodian sends statements at least quarterly showing the
market values for each security included in the Assets and all account disbursements,
including the amount of the advisory fees paid to our firm;
(2) Clients will provide authorization permitting our firm to be directly paid by these terms.
Our firm will send an invoice directly to the custodian; and
(3) If our firm sends a copy of our invoice to the client, legend urging the comparison of
information provided in our statement with those from the qualified custodian will be
included.
Financial Planning and Consulting:
We charge on an hourly or flat fee basis for financial planning and consulting services. The total
estimated fee, as well as the ultimate fee that we charge you, is negotiable based on the scope and
complexity of our engagement with you. Our hourly fees are $250. Flat fees generally range from up
to $10,000.
The total fee for financial planning and consulting services will be deducted from your managed
account or will be directly billed to you. For direct billing, we require a retainer of fifty percent (50%)
of the ultimate financial planning or consulting fee with the remainder of the fee directly billed to you
and due to us within thirty (30) days of your financial plan being delivered or consultation rendered
to you. In all cases, we will not require a retainer exceeding $1,200 when services cannot be rendered
within 6 (six) months.
Other Types of Fees & Expenses
Fees for third party advisors are separate and in addition to our firm’s advisory fees. These fees and
the investment strategy risks are disclosed to the client via provision of the third party advisor’s
regulatory disclosure documents.
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Clients will incur transaction fees for trades executed by their chosen custodian, via individual
transaction charges, or as a percentage of assets. These transaction fees are separate from our firm’s
advisory fees and will be disclosed by the chosen custodian. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”),
does not charge transaction fees for U.S. listed equities and exchange traded funds.
You may pay charges imposed directly by a mutual fund, index fund, or exchange traded fund which
shall be disclosed in the fund’s prospectus (i.e., fund management fees and other fund expenses),
mark-ups and mark-downs, spreads paid to market makers, wire transfer fees and other fees and
taxes on brokerage accounts and securities transactions. These fees are not included within the fee
you are charged by our firm.
Termination & Refunds
We charge our advisory fees quarterly in advance. In the event that you wish to terminate our
services, we will refund the unearned portion of our advisory fee to you. You need to contact us in
writing and state that you wish to terminate our services. Upon receipt of your letter of termination,
we will proceed to close out your account and process a pro-rata refund of unearned advisory fees.
Commissionable Securities Sales
We do not sell securities for a commission in any of our advisory accounts.
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management
We do not accept performance-based fees.
Item 7: Types of Clients & Account Requirements
We have the following types of clients:
•
Individuals and High Net Worth Individuals;
• Trusts, Estates or Charitable Organizations;
• Corporations, limited liability companies and/or other business types.
Our requirements for opening and maintaining accounts or otherwise engaging us:
• We generally charge a minimum fee of $500 for written financial plans.
Each of these items may be waived at the discretion of management.
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss
Methods of Analysis:
Charting. In this type of technical analysis, we review charts of market and security activity in an
attempt to identify when the market is moving up or down and to predict when how long the
trend may last and when that trend might reverse.
Fundamental Analysis. We attempt to measure the intrinsic value of a security by looking at
economic and financial factors (including the overall economy, industry conditions, and the
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financial condition and management of the company itself) to determine if the company is
underpriced (indicating it may be a good time to buy) or overpriced (indicating it may be time to
sell). Fundamental analysis does not attempt to anticipate market movements. This presents a
potential risk, as the price of a security can move up or down along with the overall market
regardless of the economic and financial factors considered in evaluating the stock.
Technical Analysis. We analyze past market movements and apply that analysis to the present
in an attempt to recognize recurring patterns of investor behavior and potentially predict future
price movement. Technical analysis does not consider the underlying financial condition of a
company. This presents a risk in that a poorly managed or financially unsound company may
underperform regardless of market movement.
Cyclical Analysis. In this type of technical analysis, we measure the movements of a particular
stock against the overall market in an attempt to predict the price movement of the security.
Investment Strategies We Use:
When utilizing this strategy, we may purchase securities with the idea of holding them for a
relatively long time (typically held for at least a year). A risk in a long-term purchase strategy is
that by holding the security for this length of time, we may not take advantages of short-term
gains that could be profitable to a client. Moreover, if our predictions are incorrect, a security may
decline sharply in value before we make the decision to sell.
Please note:
Investing in securities involves risk of loss that clients should be prepared to bear. While the
stock market may increase and your account(s) could enjoy a gain, it is also possible that the
stock market may decrease, and your account(s) could suffer a loss. It is important that you
understand the risks associated with investing in the stock market, are appropriately diversified
in your investments, and ask us any questions you may have.
Capital Risk: Capital risk is one of the most basic, fundamental risks of investing; it is the risk
that you may lose 100% of your money. All investments carry some form of risk and the loss of
capital is generally a risk for any investment instrument.
Company Risk: When investing in stock positions, there is always a certain level of company or
industry specific risk that is inherent in each investment. This is also referred to as unsystematic
risk and can be reduced through appropriate diversification. There is the risk that the company
will perform poorly or have its value reduced based on factors specific to the company or its
industry. For example, if a company’s employees go on strike or the company receives
unfavorable media attention for its actions, the value of the company may be reduced.
Economic Risk: The prevailing economic environment is important to the health of all
businesses. Some companies, however, are more sensitive to changes in the domestic or global
economy than others. These types of companies are often referred to as cyclical businesses.
Countries in which a large portion of businesses are in cyclical industries are thus also very
economically sensitive and carry a higher amount of economic risk. If an investment is issued by
a party located in a country that experiences wide swings from an economic standpoint or in
situations where certain elements of an investment instrument are hinged on dealings in such
countries, the investment instrument will generally be subject to a higher level of economic risk.
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Equity (Stock) Market Risk: Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market
fluctuations and, volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and
perceptions of their issuers change. If you held common stock, or common stock equivalents, of
any given issuer, you would generally be exposed to greater risk than if you held preferred stocks
and debt obligations of the issuer.
ETF & Mutual Fund Risk: When investing in an ETF or mutual fund, you will bear additional
expenses based on your pro rata share of the ETF’s or mutual fund’s operating expenses,
including the potential duplication of management fees. The risk of owning an ETF or mutual
fund generally reflects the risks of owning the underlying securities, the ETF, or mutual fund
holds. Clients will also incur brokerage costs when purchasing ETFs.
Financial Risk: Financial risk is represented by internal disruptions within an investment or the
issuer of an investment that can lead to unfavorable performance of the investment. Examples of
financial risk can be found in cases like Enron or many of the dot com companies that were caught
up in a period of extraordinary market valuations that were not based on solid financial footings
of the companies.
Fixed Income Securities Risk: Typically, the values of fixed-income securities change inversely
with prevailing interest rates. Therefore, a fundamental risk of fixed-income securities is interest
rate risk, which is the risk that their value will generally decline as prevailing interest rates rise,
which may cause your account value to likewise decrease, and vice versa. How specific fixed
income securities may react to changes in interest rates will depend on the specific
characteristics of each security. Fixed-income securities are also subject to credit risk,
prepayment risk, valuation risk, and liquidity risk. Credit risk is the chance that a bond issuer will
fail to pay interest and principal in a timely manner, or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s
ability to make such payments will cause the price of a bond to decline.
Inflation Risk: Inflation risk involves the concern that in the future, your investment or proceeds
from your investment will not be worth what they are today. Throughout time, the prices of
resources and end-user products generally increase and thus, the same general goods and
products today will likely be more expensive in the future. The longer an investment is held, the
greater the chance that the proceeds from that investment will be worth less in the future than
what they are today. Said another way, a dollar tomorrow will likely get you less than what it can
today.
Interest Rate Risk: Certain investments involve the payment of a fixed or variable rate of
interest to the investment holder. Once an investor has acquired or has acquired the rights to an
investment that pays a particular rate (fixed or variable) of interest, changes in overall interest
rates in the market will affect the value of the interest-paying investment(s) they hold. In general,
changes in prevailing interest rates in the market will have an inverse relationship to the value
of existing, interest paying investments. In other words, as interest rates move up, the value of an
instrument paying a particular rate (fixed or variable) of interest will go down. The reverse is
generally true as well.
Legal/Regulatory Risk: Certain investments or the issuers of investments may be affected by
changes in state or federal laws or in the prevailing regulatory framework under which the
investment instrument or its issuer is regulated. Changes in the regulatory environment or tax
laws can affect the performance of certain investments or issuers of those investments and thus,
can have a negative impact on the overall performance of such investments.
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Manager Risk: There is always the possibility that poor security selection will cause your
investments to underperform relative to benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment
objective.
Strategy Risk: There is no guarantee that the investment strategies discussed herein will work
under all market conditions and each investor should evaluate his/her ability to maintain any
investment he/she is considering in light of his/her own investment time horizon. Investments
are subject to risk, including possible loss of principal.
We generally invest client’s cash balances in money market funds, FDIC Insured Certificates of
Deposit, high-grade commercial paper and/or government backed debt instruments. Ultimately,
we try to achieve the highest return on our client’s cash balances through relatively low-risk
conservative investments. In most cases, at least a partial cash balance will be maintained in a
money market account so that our firm may debit advisory fees for our services as applicable to
our client’s project.
Item 9: Disciplinary Information
There are no legal or disciplinary events that are material to the evaluation of our advisory business
or the integrity of our management.
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations
Representatives of our firm are registered representatives of Fortune Financial Services, Inc., and
other broker dealers who are members FINRA/SIPC. As a result of these transactions, they receive
normal and customary commissions. A conflict of interest exists as these commissionable securities
sales create an incentive to recommend products based on the compensation earned. To mitigate this
potential conflict, our firm will act in the client’s best interest.
Our firm’s investment adviser representatives are also licensed insurance agents through various
insurance companies. In such capacity, they may offer insurance products and receive normal and
customary commissions as a result of such a purchase. This presents a conflict of interest to the extent
that they recommend the purchase of an insurance products which results in a commission being
paid to them as an insurance agent. Clients are under no obligation to purchase insurance products
through our firm’s representatives and the representatives are bound by our code of ethics to always
act in the client’s best interest.
Elliot Kallen serves as Chief Compliance Officer and 33% owner of a related adviser, Prosperity
Wealth Management, Inc. (“PWM”). In such capacity, he may offer advisory services and receive
normal and customary fees, which are fully disclosed in PFG’s Form ADV, which is available on
request. He spends 50% of his time in this capacity.
We provide clients with a list of investment advisory services of third-party professional portfolio
management firms for the individual management of client accounts. As part of this process, we assist
clients in identifying an appropriate third-party money manager. Prior to referring clients to third party
money managers, we ensure that third party money managers are properly licensed, or notice filed with
the Department of Corporations. We provide initial due diligence on third party money managers and
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ongoing reviews of their management of your account. Please see Item 4 and Item 5 of this Brochure for
more information on this service.
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation, or Interest in
Client Transactions & Personal Trading
An investment adviser is considered a fiduciary and our firm has a fiduciary duty to all clients. As a
fiduciary, it is an investment adviser’s responsibility to provide fair and full disclosure of all material
facts and to act solely in the best interest of each of our clients at all times. Our fiduciary duty is
considered the core underlying principle for our Code of Ethics which also includes Insider Trading and
Personal Securities Transactions Policies and Procedures. If a client or a potential client wishes to review
our Code of Ethics in its entirety, a copy will be provided upon request.
We recognize that the personal investment transactions of members and employees of our firm demand
the application of a high Code of Ethics and require that all such transactions be carried out in a way that
does not endanger the interest of any client. At the same time, we believe that if investment goals are
similar for clients and for members and employees of our firm, it is logical and even desirable that there
be common ownership of some securities.
Therefore, to prevent conflicts of interest, we have in place a set of procedures (including a pre-clearing
procedure) with respect to transactions effected by our members, officers, and employees for their
personal accounts1. To monitor compliance with our personal trading policy, we have a quarterly
securities transaction reporting system for all our associates. Upon employment or affiliation and at least
annually thereafter, all supervised persons will sign an acknowledgement that they have read,
understand, and agree to comply with our Code of Ethics.
Neither our firm nor a related person recommends to clients, or buys or sells for client accounts,
securities in which our firm or a related person has a material financial interest. Related persons of
our firm may buy or sell securities and other investments that are also recommended to clients. To
minimize this conflict of interest, our related persons will place client interests ahead of their own
interests and adhere to our firm’s Code of Ethics. Further, our related persons will refrain from buying
or selling the same securities prior to buying or selling for our clients in the same day. If related persons’
accounts are included in a block trade, our related persons accounts will be traded in the same manner
every time.
Our firm and supervised persons must conduct business in an honest, ethical, and fair manner and avoid
all circumstances that might negatively affect or appear to affect our duty of complete loyalty to all
clients. This disclosure is provided to give all clients a summary of our Code of Ethics.
Item 12: Brokerage Practices
Custodian & Brokers Used
Our firm does not maintain custody of client assets (although our firm may be deemed to have
custody of client assets if give the authority to withdraw assets from client accounts. See Item 15
1 For purposes of the policy, our associate’s personal account generally includes any account (a) in the name of our associate, his/her spouse,
his/her minor children or other dependents residing in the same household, (b) for which our associate is a trustee or executor, or (c) which our
associate controls, including our client accounts which our associate controls and/or a member of his/her household has a direct or indirect
beneficial interest in.
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Custody, below). Client assets must be maintained in an account at a “qualified custodian,” generally
a broker-dealer or bank. Our firm recommends that clients use the Schwab Advisor Services division
of Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. (“Schwab”), a FINRA-registered broker-dealer, member SIPC, as the
qualified custodian. Our firm is independently owned and operated, and not affiliated with Schwab.
Schwab will hold client assets in a brokerage account and buy and sell securities when instructed.
While our firm recommends that clients use Schwab as custodian/broker, clients will decide whether
to do so and open an account with Schwab by entering into an account agreement directly with them.
Our firm does not open the account. Even though the account is maintained at Schwab, our firm can
still use other brokers to execute trades, as described in the next paragraph.
How Brokers/Custodians Are Selected
Our firm seeks to recommend a custodian/broker who will hold client assets and execute
transactions on terms that are overall most advantageous when compared to other available
providers and their services. A wide range of factors are considered, including, but not limited to:
•
•
•
combination of transaction execution services along with asset custody services (generally
without a separate fee for custody)
capability to execute, clear and settle trades (buy and sell securities for client accounts)
capabilities to facilitate transfers and payments to and from accounts (wire transfers, check
requests, bill payment, etc.)
• breadth of investment products made available (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange
traded funds (ETFs), etc.)
• availability of investment research and tools that assist in making investment decisions
•
quality of services
competitiveness of the price of those services (commission rates, margin interest rates, other
fees, etc.) and willingness to negotiate them
reputation, financial strength and stability of the provider
•
• prior service to our firm and our other clients
• availability of other products and services that benefit our firm, as discussed below (see
“Products & Services Available from Schwab”)
Custody & Brokerage Costs
Schwab generally does not charge a separate for custody services, but is compensated by charging
commissions or other fees to clients on trades that are executed or that settle into the Schwab
account. In addition to commissions or asset-based fees, Schwab charges a flat dollar amount as a
“prime broker” or “trade away” fee for each trade that our firm has executed by a different broker-
dealer but where the securities bought or the funds from the securities sold are deposited (settled)
into a Schwab account. These fees are in addition to the commissions or other compensation paid to
the executing broker-dealer. Because of this, in order to minimize client trading costs, our firm has
Schwab execute most trades for the accounts.
Products & Services Available from Schwab
Schwab Advisor Services is Schwab’s business serving independent investment advisory firms like
our firm. They provide our firm and clients with access to its institutional brokerage – trading,
custody, reporting and related services – many of which are not typically available to Schwab retail
customers. Schwab also makes available various support services. Some of those services help
manage or administer our client accounts while others help manage and grow our business. Schwab’s
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support services are generally available on an unsolicited basis (our firm does not have to request
them) and at no charge to our firm. The availability of Schwab’s products and services is not based
on the provision of particular investment advice, such as purchasing particular securities for clients.
Here is a more detailed description of Schwab’s support services:
Services that Benefit Clients
Schwab’s institutional brokerage services include access to a broad range of investment products,
execution of securities transactions, and custody of client assets. The investment products available
through Schwab include some to which our firm might not otherwise have access or that would
require a significantly higher minimum initial investment by firm clients. Schwab’s services
described in this paragraph generally benefit clients and their accounts.
Services that May Not Directly Benefit Clients
Schwab also makes available other products and services that benefit our firm but may not directly
benefit clients or their accounts. These products and services assist in managing and administering
our client accounts. They include investment research, both Schwab’s and that of third parties. This
research may be used to service all or some substantial number of client accounts, including accounts
not maintained at Schwab. In addition to investment research, Schwab also makes available software
and other technology that:
• provides access to client account data (such as duplicate trade confirmations and account
statements);
facilitates trade execution and allocate aggregated trade orders for multiple client accounts;
facilitates payment of our fees from our clients’ accounts; and
•
• provides pricing and other market data;
•
• assists with back-office functions, recordkeeping and client reporting.
Services that Generally Benefit Only Our Firm
Schwab also offers other services intended to help manage and further develop our business
enterprise. These services include:
technology, compliance, legal, and business consulting;
• educational conferences and events
•
• publications and conferences on practice management and business succession; and
• access to employee benefits providers, human capital consultants and insurance providers.
Schwab may provide some of these services itself. In other cases, Schwab will arrange for third-party
vendors to provide the services to our firm. Schwab may also discount or waive fees for some of these
services or pay all or a part of a third party’s fees. Schwab may also provide our firm with other
benefits, such as occasional business entertainment for our personnel.
Irrespective of direct or indirect benefits to our client through Schwab, our firm strives to enhance
the client experience, help clients reach their goals and put client interests before that of our firm or
associated persons.
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Our Interest in Schwab’s Services.
The availability of these services from Schwab benefits our firm because our firm does not have to
produce or purchase them. Our firm does not have to pay for these services, and they are not
contingent upon committing any specific amount of business to Schwab in trading commissions or
assets in custody.
In light of our arrangements with Schwab, a conflict of interest exists as our firm may have incentive
to require that clients maintain their accounts with Schwab based on our interest in receiving
Schwab’s services that benefit our firm rather than based on client interest in receiving the best value
in custody services and the most favorable execution of transactions. As part of our fiduciary duty to
our clients, our firm will endeavor at all times to put the interests of our clients first. Clients should
be aware, however, that the receipt of economic benefits by our firm or our related persons creates
a potential conflict of interest and may indirectly influence our firm’s choice of Schwab as a custodial
recommendation. Our firm examined this potential conflict of interest when our firm chose to
recommend Schwab and have determined that the recommendation is in the best interest of our firm’s
clients and satisfies our fiduciary obligations, including our duty to seek best execution.
In seeking best execution, the determinative factor is not the lowest possible cost, but whether the
transaction represents the best qualitative execution, taking into consideration the full range of a
broker-dealer’s services, including the value of research provided, execution capability, commission
rates, and responsiveness. Although our firm will seek competitive rates, to the benefit of all clients,
our firm may not necessarily obtain the lowest possible commission rates for specific client account
transactions. Our firm believes that the selection of Schwab as a custodian and broker is the best
interest of our clients. It is primarily supported by the scope, quality and price of Schwab’s services,
and not Schwab’s services that only benefit our firm.
Soft Dollars
Our firm does not receive soft dollars in excess of what is allowed by Section 28(e) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934. The safe harbor research products and services obtained by our firm will
generally be used to service all of our clients but not necessarily all at any one particular time.
Client Brokerage Commissions
Schwab does not make client brokerage commissions generated by client transactions available for
our firm’s use.
Typically, Clients will be placed in a traditional transaction-based pricing (TBP) structure where each
trade is charged an agreed upon fee set forth in the custodial account agreement. However, Clients
may be offered the option to participate in an asset-based pricing (ABP) structure which allows for a
flat asset-based rate to be assessed on the dollar value in their accounts. An ABP structure is only
appropriate for clients with a high degree of trading activity, and our firm will regularly review all
clients in an ABP arrangement to ensure that such pricing remains in their best interest.
Client Transactions in Return for Soft Dollars
We do not receive nor have any soft dollar relationships and do not direct client transactions to a
particular broker-dealer in return for soft dollar benefits.
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Prosperity Financial Group, Inc.
Brokerage for Client Referrals
Our firm does not receive brokerage compensation for client referrals.
Directed Brokerage
We or any of our firm’s related person do not have discretionary authority in making the
determination of the brokers with whom orders for the purchase or sale of securities are placed for
execution, and the commission rates at which such securities transactions are affected.
Special Considerations for ERISA Clients
A retirement or ERISA plan client may direct all or part of portfolio transactions for its account
through a specific broker or dealer in order to obtain goods or services on behalf of the plan. Such
direction is permitted provided that the goods and services provided are reasonable expenses of the
plan incurred in the ordinary course of its business for which it otherwise would be obligated and
empowered to pay. ERISA prohibits directed brokerage arrangements when the goods or services
purchased are not for the exclusive benefit of the plan. Consequently, we will request that plan
sponsors who direct plan brokerage provide us with a letter documenting that this arrangement will
be for the exclusive benefit of the plan.
Client-Directed Brokerage
We do not allow client-directed brokerage outside our custodial recommendations.
Aggregation of Purchase or Sale
We perform investment management services for various clients. There are occasions on which
portfolio transactions may be executed as part of concurrent authorizations to purchase or sell the same
security for numerous accounts served by our firm, which involve accounts with similar investment
objectives. Although such concurrent authorizations potentially could be either advantageous or
disadvantageous to any one or more particular accounts, they are affected only when we believe that to
do so will be in the best interest of the effected accounts. When such concurrent authorizations occur,
the objective is to allocate the executions in a manner which is deemed equitable to the accounts
involved. In any given situation, we attempt to allocate trade executions in the most equitable manner
possible, taking into consideration client objectives, current asset allocation and availability of funds
using price averaging, proration, and consistently non-arbitrary methods of allocation.
Item 13: Review of Accounts or Financial Plans
We review accounts on at least a quarterly basis for our clients subscribing to our firm’s Asset
Management and Third-Party Money Management service. The nature of these reviews is to learn
whether clients’ accounts are in line with their investment objectives, appropriately positioned based
on market conditions, and investment policies, if applicable. We do not provide written reports to
clients, unless asked to do so. Verbal reports to clients take place on at least an annual basis when
we contact clients who subscribe to our firm’s Asset Management and Third-Party Money
Management services. A licensed IAR of PFG on the account will conduct all reviews.
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Prosperity Financial Group, Inc.
We may review client accounts more frequently than described above. Among the factors which may
trigger an off-cycle review are major market or economic events, the client’s life events, requests by
the client, etc.
Financial planning clients do not receive reviews of their written plans unless they take action to
schedule a financial consultation with us. We do not provide ongoing services to financial planning
clients, but are willing to meet with such clients upon their request to discuss updates to their plans,
changes in their circumstances, etc. Financial planning clients do not receive written or verbal
updated reports regarding their financial plans unless they separately contract with us for a post-
financial plan meeting or update to their initial written financial plan.
Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Our firm receives economic benefit from Schwab in the form of the support products and services
made available to our firm and other independent investment advisors that have their clients
maintain accounts at Schwab. These products and services, how they benefit our firm, and the related
conflicts of interest are described above (see Item 12 – Brokerage Practices). The availability of
Schwab’s products and services is not based on our firm giving particular investment advice, such as
buying particular securities for our clients.
Product Sponsors
Our firm occasionally sponsors events in conjunction with our product providers in an effort to keep
our clients informed as to the services we offer and the various financial products we utilize. These
events are educational in nature and are not dependent upon the use of any specific product. While
a conflict of interest may exist because these events are at least partially funded by product sponsors,
all funds received from product sponsors are used for the education of our clients. We will always
adhere to our fiduciary duty in recommending appropriate investments for our clients.
Representatives of our firm will occasionally accept travel expense reimbursement provided by
product sponsors to attend their educational events. The reimbursement is not directly dependent
upon the recommendation of any specific product. Although we may be incentivized to recommend
products from product sponsors that reimburse our travel, our representatives will always adhere
to their fiduciary duty in recommending appropriate investments for our clients.
Referral Fees
In accordance with Rule 206 (4)-1 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, our firm provides cash or
non-cash compensation directly or indirectly to unaffiliated persons for testimonials or
endorsements (which include client referrals). Such compensation arrangements will not result in
higher costs to the referred client. In this regard, our firm maintains a written agreement with each
unaffiliated person that is compensated for testimonials or endorsements in an aggregate amount of
$1,000 or more (or the equivalent value in non-cash compensation) over a trailing 12-month period
in compliance with Rule 206 (4)-1 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and applicable state and
federal laws. The following information will be disclosed clearly and prominently to referred
prospective clients at the time of each testimonial or endorsement:
• Whether or not the unaffiliated person is a current client of our firm,
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Prosperity Financial Group, Inc.
• A description of the cash or non-cash compensation provided directly or indirectly by our
firm to the unaffiliated person in exchange for the referral, if applicable, and
• A brief statement of any material conflicts of interest on the part of the unaffiliated person
giving the referral resulting from our firm’s relationship with such unaffiliated person.
In cases where state law requires licensure of solicitors, our firm ensures that no solicitation fees are
paid unless the solicitor is registered as an investment adviser representative of our firm. If our firm
is paying solicitation fees to another registered investment adviser, the licensure of individuals is the
other firm’s responsibility.
Item 15: Custody
Deduction of Advisory Fees:
Our firm does not have custody of client funds or securities, except for in the limited case of standing
letters of authorization as described below. All our clients receive account statements directly from
their qualified custodians at least quarterly upon opening of an account. If our firm decides to also
send account statements to clients, such notice and account statements include a legend that
recommends that the client compare the account statements received from the qualified custodian
with those received from our firm. Clients are encouraged to raise any questions with us about the
custody, safety or security of their assets and our custodial recommendations.
Third Party Money Movement:
The SEC issued a no‐action letter (“Letter”) with respect to the Rule 206(4) ‐2 (“Custody Rule”) under
the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”). The letter provided guidance on the Custody
Rule as well as clarified that an adviser who has the power to disburse client funds to a third party
under a standing letter of authorization (“SLOA”) is deemed to have custody. As such, our firm has
adopted the following safeguards in conjunction with our custodian:
• The client provides an instruction to the qualified custodian, in writing, that includes
the client’s signature, the third party’s name, and either the third party’s address or the
third party’s account number at a custodian to which the transfer should be directed.
• The client authorizes the investment adviser, in writing, either on the qualified
custodian’s form or separately, to direct transfers to the third party either on a specified
schedule or from time to time.
• The client’s qualified custodian performs appropriate verification of the instruction,
such as a signature review or other method to verify the client’s authorization and
provides a transfer of funds notice to the client promptly after each transfer.
• The client has the ability to terminate or change the instruction to the client’s qualified
custodian.
• The investment adviser has no authority or ability to designate or change the identity
of the third party, the address, or any other information about the third party contained
in the client’s instruction.
• The investment adviser maintains records showing that the third party is not a related
party of the investment adviser or located at the same address as the investment
adviser.
• The client’s qualified custodian sends the client, in writing, an initial notice confirming
the instruction and an annual notice reconfirming the instruction.
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Prosperity Financial Group, Inc.
Item 16: Investment Discretion
Clients provide our firm with investment discretion on their behalf, pursuant to an executed
investment advisory client agreement. By granting investment discretion, we are authorized to
execute securities transactions, which securities are bought and sold, and the total amount to be
bought and sold. Limitations may be imposed by the client in the form of specific constraints on any
of these areas of discretion with our firm’s written acknowledgement.
Item 17: Voting Client Securities
We do not accept proxy authority to vote client securities. Clients will receive proxies or other
solicitations directly from their custodian or a transfer agent. In the event that proxies are sent to our
firm, we will forward them on to you and ask the party who sent them to mail them directly to you in
the future. Clients may call, write, or email us to discuss questions they may have about particular
proxy votes or other solicitations.
Third party money managers selected or recommended by our firm may vote proxies for clients.
Therefore, except in the event a third-party money manager votes proxies, clients maintain exclusive
responsibility for: (1) directing the manner in which proxies solicited by issuers of securities
beneficially owned by the client shall be voted, and (2) making all elections relative to any mergers,
acquisitions, tender offers, bankruptcy proceedings or other type events pertaining to the client’s
investment assets. Therefore (except for proxies that may be voted by a third-party money manager),
our firm and/or you shall instruct your qualified custodian to forward to you copies of all proxies and
shareholder communications relating to your investment assets.
Item 18: Financial Information
We are not required to provide financial information in this Brochure because:
• We do not require the prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees and six or more months in
advance.
• We do not take custody of client funds or securities.
• We do not have a financial condition that is likely to impair our ability to meet contractual
commitments.
• We have never been the subject of a bankruptcy proceeding.
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Prosperity Financial Group, Inc.