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ROCKPORT WEALTH, LLC
doing business as
“Rockport Wealth Advisors”
CLIENT BROCHURE
This Brochure provides information about the qualifications and business
practices of Rockport Wealth, LLC (doing business as “Rockport Wealth
Advisors”). If you have any questions about the contents of this Brochure, please
contact us (216) 226-4560 or via email to compliance@rockportwealth.com.
The information in this Brochure has not been approved or verified by or the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or any state
securities regulator. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or
training. Additional information about Rockport Wealth is available on the
SEC’s Advisor Search website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Rockport Wealth’s CRD number is: 297122
22730 Fairview Center Dr Suite# 150
Fairview Park, OH 44126
(216) 226-4560
7227 Glenwood Avenue
Youngstown, OH 44512
Phone: (330) 965-9890
compliance@rockportwealth.com
https://www.rockportwealth.com
February 17, 2026
Item 1: Cover page
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ITEM 2: MATERIAL CHANGES
Registered Investment Advisers are required to update their Form ADV 2 Brochures
promptly with material changes and annually, within 90 days of each fiscal year end.
Rockport Wealth, LLC dba “Rockport Wealth Advisors” filed its 2025 fiscal year end
ADV 2A Brochure amendment with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) on March 27, 2025. There were no material changes to report.
Brochure updates in the past one year
Our Youngstown, OH office address has since been updated. The office’s phone
number is unchanged:
7227 Glenwood Avenue
Youngstown, OH 44512
Phone: (330) 965-9890
The firm has updated its Chief Compliance Officer to Thomas V. David.
Since its last amendment filed on October 14, 2025, the following material changes
have been made:
Item 4: Advisory Business
The following information was added to A. Description of the Advisory Firm
regarding the purchase of J Arnold Wealth Management:
In February of 2024, RWA purchased another registered investment advisor firm, J
Arnold Wealth Management (“JAWM”). As of that date, the owner of JAWM, Jon
Arnold, had no ownership role in RWA. A conflict of interest existed because a
portion of the compensation paid to Mr. Arnold for the sale of his firm was
dependent upon whether a significant number of the assets under management by
JAWM transferring to RWA as part of the purchase. Mr. Arnold was to continue to
work with RWA as an Investment Advisor Representative under RWA’s supervision
and as a consultant with RWA, participating in the Investment Committee alongside
Joseph Kovach and Adam Stalnaker.
Later, it was discovered that JAWM’s Form ADV Part 2A and Investment
Management Agreement stated that fees would be charged according to total
assets under management by household rather than by account. As part of our
standard onboarding and account transition process, we may review certain
historical account records relating to advisory services previously provided by
another investment adviser. Based solely on the documentation made available to
us, the fee calculations reflected in those records may not correspond in all respects
with the billing methodology described in the applicable written advisory agreement
between the client and the prior adviser.
Our firm was not involved in the prior adviser’s fee calculation or billing processes
and did not supervise or oversee such activities. Our review is limited in scope and
is not conducted as an audit, verification, or comprehensive analysis of the prior
adviser’s records or practices. Accordingly, we make no representation regarding
the accuracy, completeness, or appropriateness of any prior fee calculations.
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Clients with questions regarding historical advisory fees should contact the prior
investment adviser directly for clarification regarding the billing methodology
applied.
This disclosure is provided for informational and transparency purposes only.
Mr. Arnold is no longer an Investment Advisor Representative of RWA, but he does
currently act as a promoter of the firm.
Also, as Jon Arnold is no longer affiliated as an Investment Advisor Representative
of Rockport Wealth Advisors, all references to J Arnold Wealth Management and
Jon Arnold have been removed from this Brochure.
The following clarification was added in B. Types of Advisory Services regarding
the treatment of billing and fees incurred for private placements not recommended
by Rockport Wealth Advisors:
RWA will not hold outside private placements not recommended by the firm;
RWA will assist in the facilitation of redemptions of these assets as needed and
upon client request. For any legacy private placements not recommended by
the Advisor but being held by RWA, these assets are not included in the wrap
program. The Advisor will not bill the client on these assets, and the client is
responsible for the alternative asset maintenance fee.
Additionally in B. Types of Advisory Services, covered calls and inverse ETF
derivatives were added as investments that may be recommended by the firm (as
appropriate based on each client’s situation).
The following information was added regarding our Wrap Fee Program Disclosures
in B. Types of Advisory Services
All new accounts will be opened under our Wrap Fee Program.
Some legacy accounts are not currently in a wrap program, but RWA will convert
all accounts to wrap accounts in the near future.
Item 5: Fees, Compensation and Termination of Services
Under A. Fee Schedules, the fee schedule for all new accounts was updated to the
following:
Account Value
Standard Fee Schedule
$0 - $500.000
$500,001 and above
1.25%
1.00% or negotiable
All fees are negotiable
The fees are charged based on a flat percentage using total account value (including
cash and cash equivalent positions such as money market funds), as opposed to a
tiered rate. The account value will be based upon the total value of all accounts
attributable to the same household, so the same fee rate will be applied to each of
those accounts. Different accounts within a household may have a different fee
structure based on the assets involved. The agreed upon fee schedule and cadence
will be established in the Advisor’s Client Agreement.
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For all new accounts, fees are paid monthly in advance, and fees will not be billed
for the month in which the account was initiated.
Please refer to Item 4.A for our discussion titled, “Wrap Fee Program
Disclosures”.
RWA has had different fee schedules in place in the past and, as stated above, our
fees are negotiable at our discretion, which means that not all RWA clients are
paying the same fees. Should moving to the fee schedule stated above lower your
fees, we will automatically move you to the new, lower fee schedule. However, if
moving to the above listed fee schedule would raise your fees, your legacy agreed
upon fee will remain in place; if your fee was a negotiated fixed rate, your legacy
agreed upon fee will remain in place. Please refer to your Client Agreement or reach
out to RWA if you are unsure as to your agreed upon fee schedule. Your fees are
paid monthly and according to the payment timing (arrears or advance) as specified
in your Client Agreement.
The section titled 4. Fee Treatment of Alternative Investments and Private
Placements was added to further discuss the treatment of billing and fees incurred for
private placements not recommended by Rockport Wealth Advisors
If the Advisor recommends any alternative investments or private placements for a
client’s portfolio (typically these will be investments in products such as Delaware
Statutory Trusts or Opportunity Zones), the investment will be included as a part of
the client’s AUM for purposes of determining the fee charged; however any costs
incurred by the alternative investment will be covered by the Advisor under our wrap
program.
Any outside alternative investments or private placements not recommended by the
Advisor, that are currently being held in an RWA account, will be excluded from
billing. The client will be responsible for any additional costs or alternative asset
maintenance fees for these products, even if these products are included within a
wrap account, as the only service provided by RWA for these accounts would be to
facilitate redemptions as requested by the client. The firm will no longer accept
holding new outside private placements within RWA accounts that were not
recommended by the Advisor; RWA will continue to help facilitate redemptions of
these products as needed and upon client request.
Item 7: Types of Clients and Minimum Conditions
This section was updated to disclosure the firm’s minimum account size:
The suggested account minimum for investment management services is $250,000
but can be negotiated based upon individual circumstances.
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
The following risks were added in C. Risks of Specific Securities Used as some
strategies utilized by RWA under certain circumstances may include the use of
covered calls or inverse ETFs.
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Covered Call Options. While this strategy can provide income, it limits your
ability to participate in any increase in the price of the underlying security above
the strike price. Furthermore, a covered call strategy does not eliminate the risk
of market-based losses on the underlying stock. In fact, if the stock price
declines, the premium received from the option may not be sufficient to offset
the loss in the value of the underlying security. Additionally, the option can be
exercised at any time, requiring you to sell the underlying security at the strike
price, potentially below the market price. Market conditions can negatively
impact option values or the ability to close positions favorably and the forced
sale of shares upon assignment may trigger taxable events.
Inverse ETFs. This strategy is used to hedge client portfolios against market
downturns or to seek returns that are the inverse of a specific benchmark on a
daily basis. They are designed to achieve their investments objectives on a daily
basis. They are not intended to track the underlying index over periods longer
than a single day. Due to the effect of daily compounding, performance over
longer periods can differ significantly from the inverse of the underlying index.
In volatile markets, an inverse ETF may lose money even if the underlying index
decreases over time. Holding inverse ETFs for longer than one trading session
increases risk due to the compounding of returns. As such, these investments
are generally considered unsuitable for long-term holding. These products may
not achieve their stated objectives. If the market rises, the inverse ETF will lose
value, and you may lose a significant portion or all of your principal investment.
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
In C. Registration Relationships Material to this Advisory Business and Conflicts
of Interest, the following was added regarding the accounting firm owned by Andrew
Smith, a RWA Investment Advisor Representative.
Investment Advisor Representative, Andrew Smith, is the owner of an
accounting firm and receives separate and customary payment for delivering
any accounting related services. Some advisory clients may also be accounting
clients of Mr. Smith. This creates a conflict in that Mr. Smith has an incentive to
recommend his accounting firm to RWA clients and RWA to accounting clients.
Clients are under no obligation to utilize Mr. Smith for any accounting services.
Item 12: Brokerage Practices
References to AXOS Clearing, WBI and Orion as custodians have been removed, as
RWA is no longer utilizing these custodians for any new accounts. Also, it was added
that for any investments in American Funds mutual funds, those will be held directly
with the fund company.
The section titled B. Aggregation and (Block) Trading for Multiple Client
Accounts was updated to disclose that, when in the best interest of the client, the
firm will utilize block trading.
We can elect to purchase or sell the same securities for several clients at
approximately the same time. This process is referred to as aggregating orders,
batch trading or block trading and is used by our firm when RWA believes such
action can prove advantageous to clients. If and when we aggregate client orders,
allocating securities among client accounts is done on a fair and equitable basis.
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
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transaction fees or other transaction costs that might be obtained when orders are
placed independently.
RWA uses the average price allocation method for transaction allocation. Under this
procedure RWA will calculate the average price and transaction charges for each
transaction included in a block order and assign the average price and transaction
charge to each allocated transaction executed for the client’s account.
Item 17: Voting Client Securities (Proxies)
This item was updated to reflect that as a matter of policy and practice, RWA will not
vote proxies on behalf of clients for any new accounts.
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ITEM 3: TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cover Page
1
Item 2: Material Changes
2
Item 3: Table of Contents
7
Item 4: Advisory Business
9
A. Description of the Advisory Firm
9
B. Types of Advisory Services
10
C. Client Tailored Services and Client Imposed Restrictions
15
D. Wrap Fee Programs
16
E. Amounts Under Management
17
Item 5: Fees and Compensation
17
A. Fee Schedules
17
B. Payment of Fees
19
C. Other Types of Fees or Expenses
20
D. Prepayment of Fees
20
E. Compensation for Sales of Securities or Other Investment Products
21
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
22
Item 7: Types of Clients
23
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies, and Risk of Loss
23
A. Methods of Analysis and Investment Strategies
23
B. Material Risks
24
C. Types of Securities – Material Risks
27
Item 9: Disciplinary Information
29
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
30
A. Registration as a Broker/Dealer or Broker/Dealer Representative
30
B. Registration as a Futures Commission Merchant, Commodity Pool
31
Operator, or a Commodity Trading Advisor
C. Relationships Material to this Advisory Business and Possible
31
Conflicts of Interests / Other Business Activities
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D. Selection of Other Advisers
31
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client
32
Transactions and Personal Trading
A. Code of Ethics
32
B. Recommendations Involving Material Financial Interests
33
C. Trading in Securities – Conflicts of Interest
33
D. Trading in Securities – Timing and Conflicts of Interest
33
Item 12: Brokerage Practices
34
A. Factors in the Selection of Broker/Dealers
1. Research and Other Soft-Dollar Benefits
2. Brokerage for Client Referrals
3. Directed Brokerage
34
35
37
37
B. Aggregation – Purchase or Sale of Securities
37
Item 13: Reviews of Accounts
37
A. Frequency and Nature of Periodic Reviews and Reviewers
37
B. Non-Periodic Reviews
38
C. Regular Reports
38
Item 14: Client Referrals and Other Compensation
38
A. Economic Benefits Received from Non-Clients for Advice or
Other Advisory Services
38
B. Compensation for Client Referrals
38
Item 15: Custody
39
Item 16: Investment Discretion
39
Item 17: Voting Client Securities
39
Item 18: Financial Information
40
40
A. Balance Sheet
B. Financial Conditions Reasonably Likely to Impair Contractual
41
Commitments to Clients
C. Bankruptcy Petitions During the Past Ten Years
41
Privacy Policy follows this Brochure
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ITEM 4: ADVISORY BUSINESS
A. DESCRIPTION OF THE ADVISORY FIRM
Rockport Wealth, LLC, doing business as “Rockport Wealth Advisors” (hereinafter referred to
as the “Advisor” or “RWA”) was formed in May 2018. The Advisor is an Ohio limited liability
company headquartered in Fairview Park, Ohio. The principal owners are ARS Capital Inc.
and JJK Financial Inc. Adam R Stalnaker is the owner of ARS Capital Inc and Joseph John
Kovach is the owner of JJK Financial Inc. Thomas V. David is the Advisor’s Chief Compliance
Officer.
The Advisor is a registered investment adviser and as such is a fiduciary to each of its clients.
The Advisor is registered with and regulated by the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC). The Advisor is not a broker/dealer or insurance agency and therefore
does not accept commissions. The Advisor is only compensated in the form of advisory fees
paid by its clients.
In February of 2024, RWA purchased another registered investment advisor firm, J Arnold
Wealth Management (“JAWM”). As of that date, the owner of JAWM, Jon Arnold, had no
ownership role in RWA. A conflict of interest existed because a portion of the compensation
paid to Mr. Arnold for the sale of his firm was dependent upon whether a significant number of
the assets under management by JAWM transferring to RWA as part of the purchase. Mr.
Arnold was to continue to work with RWA as an Investment Advisor Representative under
RWA’s supervision and as a consultant with RWA, participating in the Investment Committee
alongside Joseph Kovach and Adam Stalnaker.
Later, it was discovered that JAWM’s Form ADV Part 2A and Investment Management
Agreement stated that fees would be charged according to total assets under management by
household rather than by account. As part of our standard onboarding and account transition
process, we may review certain historical account records relating to advisory services
previously provided by another investment adviser. Based solely on the documentation made
available to us, the fee calculations reflected in those records may not correspond in all
respects with the billing methodology described in the applicable written advisory agreement
between the client and the prior adviser.
Our firm was not involved in the prior adviser’s fee calculation or billing processes and did not
supervise or oversee such activities. Our review is limited in scope and is not conducted as an
audit, verification, or comprehensive analysis of the prior adviser’s records or practices.
Accordingly, we make no representation regarding the accuracy, completeness, or
appropriateness of any prior fee calculations.
Clients with questions regarding historical advisory fees should contact the prior investment
adviser directly for clarification regarding the billing methodology applied.
This disclosure is provided for informational and transparency purposes only.
Mr. Arnold is no longer an Investment Advisor Representative of RWA, but he does currently
act as a promoter of the firm.
“Investment Advisor Representatives” are those persons who are appropriately registered and
authorized to deliver investment advisory services on behalf of the Advisor. Three of the
Advisor’s investment advisor representatives, Adam Stalnaker, Joseph Kovach, and Michael
Curley are separately engaged as registered representatives of an unaffiliated broker/dealer
and are independently licensed insurance agents and as such can accept commissions for
securities and insurance representatives in these capacities. These activities are discussed at
Item 10.C of this Brochure.
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B. TYPES OF ADVISORY SERVICES
The Advisor offers fee-based Financial Planning, Investment Management, and
Consultation Services. The Advisor offers an initial, complimentary consultation to discuss
the advisory services available; to give a prospective client an opportunity to review services
desired; and to determine the possibility of a potential Client-Advisor relationship.
Stand-Alone Financial Planning Services
The Advisor’s’ Financial Planning Services may be comprehensive in nature or can be
tailored to address one or more components of financial planning. The services requested
may include short-term and/or long-term goal planning as directed by the client. Financial
Planning Services are available on an hourly basis, where services terminate at the
conclusion of services, or the Advisor can be engaged to provide ongoing services. The
services to be provided and the Advisor’s fee(s) are agreed upon at the time of engagement
and may include (as requested):
1. Initial Consultation (Free)
a. Assess current financial situation and discuss the planning process and the
Advisor's services.
2. Detailed meeting to review the client’s financial situation in depth in an effort to
determine our client’s objectives, goals, and concerns.
3. Prepare and deliver recommendations
a. Delivery of a financial plan including current net worth (balance sheet),
documented goals, action items and more.
b. Recommendations
c. Client walkthrough of plan and any questions
Included in the ongoing planning services:
1. Regular check-ins with our client to assess the financial plan, implementation of
the plan, limitations, adjustments needed and assess new variables in a client’s
financial picture.
2. Year-end review and discussion pertaining to the plan and identify necessary
updates based on input from our client,
3. A new/updated financial plan annually.
Financial Planning Services can include the following topics (as agreed at engagement):
1. Income/Spending/Budgeting Analysis
2. Savings
3. Debt Strategies
4. Credit Card Reward Analysis
5. Tax Planning
6. Estate Planning
7. Retirement Planning
8. Education Planning
9. Employee Benefits Planning
10. Insurance Planning
11. Charitable Gift Planning
When financial planning services or information are limited, clients must understand that
comprehensive planning needs and or objectives may not be fully considered due to the
client’s option to receive limited services, the lack of information received, and/or client
disclosure.
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When providing a review or advice on investments within retirement plans, the advice and any
recommendations are limited to plan offerings and the service provider(s) selected by the plan
providers.
Implementation of any advice or recommendations pertaining to securities or non-securities
matters, in whole or in part, is entirely at the client’s discretion via the service provider(s) of
the client’s choice.
Clients requiring assistance on issues relating to matters outside of financial and investment
advisory topics should consult their personal tax adviser, legal counsel, or other professionals
for expert opinions.
Financial Planning Services will not include any portfolio monitoring, investment reviews, or
investment management. investment management services may be available via a new client
agreement.
Investment Management Services
The Advisor’s investment management services are ongoing in nature, focus solely on
portfolio management, and include financial planning services. This service does not include
consultation services outside the scope of the managed investments. Investment
Management Services are ongoing until terminated in writing by either party. These services
are normally provided within this Rockport Wrap Fee Program, (as discussed in Appendix 1 of
this Brochure), which provides for portfolio management fees for all assets including private
placements recommended by the Advisor, as well as commissions, trade execution costs,
custody, and other standard brokerage services within a single, bundled fee.
RWA will not hold outside private placements not recommended by the firm; RWA will assist
in the facilitation of redemptions of these assets as needed and upon client request. For any
legacy private placements not recommended by the Advisor but being held by RWA, these
assets are not included in the wrap program. The Advisor will not bill the client on these
assets, and the client is responsible for the alternative asset maintenance fee. Please be
certain to read this Brochure as it discusses the Program as well as conflict of interest
information and other important considerations.
Investment Management Services begin only after the Client and Advisor formalize the
relationship with a properly executed client agreement. After the formal engagement and
depending upon the scope of the engagement, the Advisor and client will share in a data
gathering and discovery process in an effort to determine the client’s stated needs, goals,
intentions, time horizons, risk tolerance and investment objectives, based upon information
provided by the client and the nature of services requested. The Advisor and its client will
normally complete a risk assessment, investment policy statement (“IPS”) or similar
document, depending upon the scope of services to be provided.
After an analysis and data-gathering process and depending upon the nature of services
requested, The Advisor may prepare reviews, analysis, asset allocation recommendations,
and may recommend specific investments. The Advisor utilizes the information provided by
the client to prepare portfolio recommendations or adjustments in an existing portfolio. The
Advisor can tailor services as desired by the client, however where Investment Management
Services or information are limited, clients must understand that comprehensive investment
needs and or objectives may not be fully considered due to the client’s option not to receive
limited services, the lack of information received, and/or client disclosure.
The Advisor’s financial planning services include all of the services outlined in the stand-alone
service described above with the following exceptions: estate planning, charitable gift
planning and credit card reward analysis. All financial planning services are client-initiated and
are not transferrable (if not utilized).
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Recommendations may include planning for long-range goals (i.e., retirement planning or
college funding) or other segments of an investment plan that may be desired. Recommended
investments will normally include (as appropriate for each client’s stated situation): exchange
traded index funds, mutual funds, other similar equity related index funds, stocks, bonds, real
estate investment trusts, master limited partnerships, money market funds, U.S. treasury
funds, cash sweep accounts, covered calls, inverse ETF derivatives and other liquid cash and
cash-like vehicles.
Strategic Models
Certain RWA investment management services, referred to as the Strategic Models, provide
for an alternative management style. The designed strategy utilized may involve certain
investments being held for short terms. This approach is similar to a short-term market timing
strategy and is not appropriate for every type of investor. It is also unlike a typical “style-box”
strategy that remains fully invested in all market environments regardless of the risk/reward
potential. The asset allocation model determines the percentage of assets that are
appropriate to invest in equities, exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), bonds and cash and/or
fixed income at any given time. From time to time, these management strategies may result in
over-weighted positions in particular market sectors and/or industries, which can be more
volatile and/or underperform relative to the market as a whole. Please refer to Item 8.A of this
Brochure for further investment strategy information.
The strategy of the Strategic Models is limited to the types of investments noted in the
previous page. While the firm attempts to accommodate certain reasonable investment
restrictions such as amounts invested in the types of investments, the other investment
strategies available through RWA may be more appropriate for investors who would prefer an
alternative to a more active risk on - risk off strategy with limited classes of investments.
Performance results for this investment style are best analyzed over a market cycle due to the
fact that the strategies may not correlate to the broader market. As with most investment
strategies, it may be possible that the value of a managed account may depreciate in value
over periods of time when the overall market may (be up) (appreciate in value). The strategies
seek to obtain consistent returns in a bull or bear market. There is no assurance that a
model’s goal will be realized. Obviously long-term or choppy markets can persist. As at Item 8
of this Brochure, no investment strategy can guarantee profits, and all investors must be
prepared for an investment loss.
Investors should not expect to be fully invested at all times, as these strategies maintain the
ability to move into money market or defensive positions either partially or fully (such as fixed
income or money market funds). When in a money market, the investor loses the potential for
market appreciation within the account. Further, after the application of advisory fees, the
account will lose value. If during the engagement a client directs the Advisor to move all or a
portion of assets into a money market fund, the Advisor takes no responsibility on timing the
move out or back into the designed investment strategy as the client is electing to self-direct
the account during that time.
Frequent trading may impact investment performance and tax implications. Investors should
consult with their personal tax adviser in connection with securities transactions and/or any
particular investment(s) held in their account(s).
These strategies may not be appropriate for every type of investor. The strategies may deploy
short-term trading strategies in an effort to capitalize on shorter-term market moves and as a
result, a higher number of transactions may occur over a relatively short period of time. More
transactions could result in higher fees in individual accounts which is why the Advisor’s wrap
fee program is utilized, as discussed below and at Item 5 of this Brochure. Some mutual funds
/ fund families impose redemption charges on funds held for less than the required minimum
period, as determined by the fund (ref. prospectus). While best efforts are made to avoid
these charges, clients may incur them from time to time.
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Wrap Fee Program Disclosures
In order to evaluate whether a wrap [or bundled] fee arrangement is appropriate for you,
you should compare the agreed-upon Wrap Program Fee and any other costs associated
with participating in our Wrap Fee Program with the amounts that would be charged by
other advisers, broker-dealers, and custodians, for advisory fees, brokerage and
execution costs, and custodial services comparable to those provided under the Wrap
Fee Program.
All new accounts will be opened under our Wrap Fee Program.
Some legacy accounts are not currently in a wrap program, but RWA will convert all
accounts to wrap accounts in the near future.
Relative Cost of Wrap Fee Program
A wrap fee is not based directly on the number of transactions in your account. Various
factors influence the relative cost of the Program to clients, including the cost of our
investment advice, custody, and brokerage services if you purchased them separately, the
types of investments held in your account, and the frequency, type and size of trades in your
account. The program could cost you more or less than purchasing our investment advice and
custody/brokerage services separately.
Conflict of Interest
When managing a client's account on a wrap fee basis, we receive as compensation for our
investment advisory services, the balance of the total wrap [or program] fee you pay after
custodial, trading, and other management costs (including execution and transaction fees)
have been deducted.
The Advisor does not charge clients higher advisory fees based on their trading activity, but
you should be aware that we have an incentive to limit our trading in your account(s) because
we are charged for executed trades.
We encourage you to review Schwab’s pricing to compare the total costs of entering into a
wrap fee arrangement versus a non-wrap fee arrangement. If you choose to enter into a wrap
fee arrangement, your total cost to invest could exceed the cost of paying for brokerage and
advisory services separately. To see what you would pay for transactions in a non-wrap
account please refer to Schwab’s most recent pricing schedules available at
https://www.schwab.com/aspricingguide.
Betterment Services
In addition to its in-house investment management services, the Advisor has entered into an
agreement with Betterment, LLC (“Betterment”) to utilize among other things, Betterment’s
software, advice, and digital services on a sub-advisory basis. This means the Advisor
maintains its role as your primary investment adviser while utilizing the investment platform
available through Betterment. In order to utilize this program, clients will sign a client
agreement with Betterment. Betterment’s services are not included in the Advisor’s wrap fee
program.
Betterment’s program will recommend an investment plan via the digital interface that is
based on Betterment’s investment methodology regarding asset allocation strategies, ongoing
portfolio management, and certain information and preferences provided by the Advisor
and/or our client information (via the IPS). The Advisor and our client may adjust the IPS via
the available options in the interface in order to provide further input for Betterment’s
discretionary investment management. The IPS memorializes the investment goals and
strategic management policies governing our client’s account.
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Betterment may also make available certain model investment portfolios developed by third-
party provides (each, a “Model Portfolio Provider”) with products and/or allocations (a “Model
Portfolio”) that differ from the products and/or allocations Betterment has selected based on
Betterment’s investment methodology. These investment opportunities are outside the realm
of Betterment’s IPS, and management and certain features of Betterment’s digital interface
may not work in conjunction with a given model portfolio. In such cases, The Advisor shall be
responsible for managing the assets in a selected model portfolio.
The ongoing Investment Management Services provided are based upon the client’s stated
individual needs and objectives. In each case, the stated individual needs, goals, and desires
of clients are taken into consideration. Clients utilizing the Betterment program will grant
Betterment limited discretionary authority to implement securities transactions via the
Betterment service agreement. The Advisor may also maintain limited discretion (with the
client’s authorization in the Advisor’s client agreement) in order to assist clients with the
implementation of the investment recommendations and portfolio changes. Within the
Betterment program, the Advisor is not permitted to make withdrawals or deposits of funds,
establish any sources for funding an account or destinations for withdrawals from an account,
and will not have the authority to establish new Betterment accounts on a client’s behalf.
Throughout its engagement, the Advisor will remain available for ongoing consultation,
advice, and recommendations. The Advisor will provide ongoing monitoring of the portfolio in
accordance with the directives provided. The underlying portfolio assets will be reviewed
internally on a frequent basis (often daily), the client’s portfolio will be internally reviewed no
less than annually, but reviews may occur more frequently, depending upon the types of
investments, market conditions, when the client reports (actual or potential) changes in their
financial condition, at the discretion of the Advisor, and in conjunction with significant deposits
or withdrawals. The review process is discussed at Item 13 of this Brochure.
Clients engaging in investment advisory services must play an active role. The Advisor
requires its client to participate in the formation of the investment plan, the development of
investment advice and recommendations and the ongoing services provided. Clients may call
the office during regular business hours to discuss their portfolio or ask questions, but the
Advisor recommends that clients initiate a meeting with the Advisor no less than annually.
However, clients are obligated to immediately inform the Advisor of any changes in their
financial situation to provide the Advisor with the opportunity to review the new data to ensure
the portfolio continues to be structured to help meet the client’s stated needs and objectives.
The Advisor is a fiduciary to its clients. As such, the Advisor is responsible for gathering an
appropriate amount of information pertaining to its clients’ financial situation, investment
objectives, and any reasonable restrictions imposed (as well as changes thereto) When a
client is utilizing our services with Betterment’s management offerings, the Advisor is
responsible for ensuring client data (and any material changes in data) is promptly provided to
Betterment. The Advisor is also responsible for monitoring the client’s account(s) on an
ongoing basis. The Advisor will also help to ensure that its clients’ personal data is accurate
and current in-house and in Betterment’s digital records. Betterment is solely responsible for
investment management, best execution, portfolio reporting, fee calculation and withdrawals,
and other services it agrees to provide within its respective program. Betterment’s services
are independent of any other services the Advisor may agree to provide to its client.
Delaware Statutory Trusts (DST) Investments:
DST sponsors control the day-to-day operations of assets held under trust. Sponsors also are
responsible for distributing monthly cash flow distributions, quarterly reporting, tax returns and
performance reviews of the assets under their management. The Advisor will monitor the
sponsor’s regular reporting and asset performance updates and Client is responsible to
ensure that the Advisor receives copies of all DST reports.
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Investment Reports:
If the Client has simultaneously engaged the Advisor for investment management services for
other assets, the Advisor can include the assets under advisement in Advisor-generated
reports, if requested and where we have been granted access to or receive copies of the
account statements.
Throughout the Advisement engagement, the Advisor will remain available by appointment to
provide consultation services pertaining to the client’s assets under advisement. Investment
reviews will occur at client’s request versus the ongoing and continuous monitoring and
management of assets provided under the Advisor’s investment management services.
The client should initiate a discussion with the Advisor at least annually to review important
financial information so we can continue to ensure our Advisement services continue to be
appropriate based on what we know about our client. Clients should otherwise promptly
inform the Advisor of any financial issue that may arise which could materially affect the
client’s investment objectives and/or strategies as may be reported to the Advisor. The
Advisor will promptly review the new information provided by the client to determine if the
existing consultation services continue to align with changes in the client’s stated situation.
3(21) Retirement Plan Services
The Advisor may act as a co-fiduciary 3(21) adviser to retirement plan sponsors. In our role as
a 3(21) adviser, we typically provide advice to the plan sponsor, who is free to accept or reject
those recommendations and who must then execute the decisions for the plan. Services are
available through a negotiated fee as part of a written Agreement with the plan sponsor.
C. CLIENT TAILORED SERVICES AND CLIENT IMPOSED RESTRICTIONS
The Advisor focuses on providing individualized services. The Advisor can tailor services to
focus only on certain portfolio components, depending upon the client’s wishes and/or the
nature of the engagement. However, where client services or information are limited, clients
must understand that comprehensive investment needs and objectives may not be fully
considered due to the client’s option to receive limited services, the lack of information
received, and/or client disclosure. The Advisor and the client will share in a data gathering
and discovery process in an effort to determine the client’s stated needs, goals, intentions,
time horizons, risk tolerance and investment objectives, based upon information provided by
the client and the nature of services requested. The client and Advisor may complete a risk
assessment, investment policy statement (“IPS”) or similar documentation, depending upon
the nature of services to be provided.
Clients may impose reasonable restrictions pertaining to certain securities or types of
securities in accordance with their values or beliefs and such instructions will be agreed to in
writing between the client and the Advisor.
As noted at Item 4.A, The investment strategies utilized within the Strategic Modelsare
generally limited to certain types of investments. While the firm attempts to accommodate
certain reasonable investment restrictions such as amounts invested in the types of
investments, the other investment strategies available through RWA may be more appropriate
for investors who would prefer an alternative to a more active strategy with limited classes of
investments.
Important Note About Retirement Plan Rollovers
As noted throughout this Brochure, the Advisor is a fiduciary to each of its clients. This
includes when we provide investment advice to you regarding your retirement plan account or
individual retirement account, within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable, which are laws
governing retirement accounts. The way we make money creates some conflicts with your
interests, so we operate under a special rule that requires us to act in your best interest and
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not put our interests ahead of yours. At the time of a rollover recommendation, we will provide
you with a written disclosure discussing the reasons the rollover is in your best interests. Also,
under this special rule’s provisions, we must:
* Meet a professional standard of care when making investment recommendations (give
prudent advice).
* Never put our financial interests ahead of yours when making recommendations (give
loyal advice).
* Avoid misleading statements about conflicts of interest, fees, and investments
* Follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that we give advice that is in your
best interest.
* Charge no more than is reasonable for our services; and
* Give you basic information about conflicts of interest.
Self-Directed Assets
Clients may desire to place or keep certain assets within client’s account(s) that have been /
are selected by the client and are not the subject of investment advice by the Advisor. These
are known as “self-directed” assets. The Advisor will not manage this facet of the client’s
portfolio. The Advisor will therefore have no responsibility to provide consultation, suitability
reviews, due diligence research or any other services relating to the self-directed assets in
client’s account(s) and will therefore have no liability for any loss relating to self-directed
assets. Should the Advisor ever agree to assist a client with a transaction involving a self-
directed asset, it will do so only as a value-added service.
D. WRAP FEE PROGRAM
The Advisor is the portfolio manager and sponsor of the Rockport Wealth Wrap Fee Program.
(the “Program”). The Program combines portfolio management and trade execution costs
within a single investment management fee. Rockport Wealth, as the Program’s manager is
responsible for research, security selection, and implementation of transaction orders in the
Client's account.
Schwab’s Brokerage Services
In addition to the advisory services, the wrap fee program includes certain brokerage services
of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”) a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and
Exchange Commission and a member of FINRA and SIPC. We are independently owned
and operated and not affiliated with Schwab. Schwab will act solely as a broker-dealer and
not as an investment advisor to you. It will have no discretion over your account and will act
solely on instructions it receives from us [or you]. Schwab has no responsibility for our
services and undertakes no duty to you to monitor our management of your account or other
services we provide to you. Schwab will hold your assets in a brokerage account and buy
and sell securities and execute other transactions when we [or you] instruct them to. The
Advisor and the Program will not open the account for you.
Fees We Pay Schwab
In addition to compensating the Advisor for advisory services, the wrap fee clients pay allows
the Advisor to pay for brokerage services provided by Schwab.
The Program fee does not include mark-ups. and mark-downs, dealer spreads or other costs
associated with the purchase or sale of securities, interest, taxes, or other costs, such as
charges for transactions not executed through Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., costs associated
with exchanging currencies, wire transfer fees, or other fees required by law or imposed by
third parties. The investor’s account will be responsible for these additional fees and
expenses.
As a fiduciary, an investment adviser must have a reasonable basis to believe that a wrap fee
program is in the best interest of participating clients since high management fees normally
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apply to such programs. Further, depending on the level of trading required for the Client’s
account[s] in a particular year, the client may pay total fees that are more or less than if the
client paid its own transaction fees.
Pre-existing clients who engaged the Advisor’s investment management services prior to
January 1, 2024, were grandfathered under the Advisor’s prior fee schedule, as disclosed at
Item 5 of this Brochure. For these clients, participation in the Program is optional. The
Program may not be recommended / appropriate for pre-existing clients, due to low or non-
existent transaction costs associated with their existing portfolio. Further, recommending the
Program may potentially increase the Advisor’s compensation from this set of clients. If a pre-
existing client wishes to participate in the Program due to changes in their investment profile
and the transition is deemed appropriate by the Advisor, the Advisor and the client will enter
into a new or amended investment management agreement and the current fee schedule
would apply.
Detailed information about The Rockport Wealth Wrap Fee Program is provided in the Form
ADV Part 2A, Appendix 1 (Wrap Fee Program Brochure) which is attached to this Form ADV
Part 2A Disclosure Brochure.
E. AMOUNTS OF ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT
The Advisor managed $568,661,116 in 2748 discretionary accounts as of December 31, 2024.
ITEM 5: FEES, COMPENSATION AND TERMINATION OF SERVICES
A. FEE SCHEDULES
Financial Planning
The Advisor’s negotiable hourly fee ranges between $200 - $400. The fee rate will be
determined and agreed upon at engagement, based on the scope and/or complexity of
services.
Investment Management Services
As discussed in Item 4.D of this Brochure (and in Appendix 1, the Program Brochure), the
Advisor’s Investment Management fees are calculated as a percentage of assets under
management by household and combines portfolio management, commissions, trade
execution costs, custody, and other standard brokerage services within a single investment
management fee under The Rockport Wealth Wrap Fee Program. The wrap fee does not
include separate administrative costs that may be charged by sponsors of mutual funds or
excluded funds held in the account. The agreed upon annual fee is negotiable, based on the
nature, complexity, and scope of services as well as the amount and nature of assets to be
managed, pre-existing relationships, and other factors, at the discretion of the Advisor as
follows:
Account Value
Standard Fee Schedule
$0 - $500.000
$500,001 and above
1.25%
1.00% or negotiable
All fees are negotiable
The fees are charged based on a flat percentage using total account value (including cash and
cash equivalent positions such as money market funds), as opposed to a tiered rate. The
account value will be based upon the total value of all accounts attributable to the same
household, so the same fee rate will be applied to each of those accounts. Different accounts
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within a household may have a different fee structure based on the assets involved. The
agreed upon fee schedule and cadence will be established in the Advisor’s Client Agreement.
For all new accounts, fees are paid monthly in advance, and fees will not be billed for the
month in which the account was initiated.
Please refer to Item 4.A for our discussion titled, “Wrap Fee Program Disclosures”.
RWA has had different fee schedules in place in the past and, as stated above, our fees are
negotiable at our discretion, which means that not all RWA clients are paying the same fees.
Should moving to the fee schedule stated above lower your fees, we will automatically move
you to the new, lower fee schedule. However, if moving to the above listed fee schedule would
raise your fees, your legacy agreed upon fee will remain in place; if your fee was a negotiated
fixed rate, your legacy agreed upon fee will remain in place. Please refer to your Client
Agreement or reach out to RWA if you are unsure as to your agreed upon fee schedule. Your
fees are paid monthly and according to the payment timing (arrears or advance) as specified in
your Client Agreement.
The investment management fee may be revised during the engagement, particularly if
different needs and/or complexities arise, or the scope of services should change. In such
cases, the Advisor will notify the client of its intention to modify the fee with at least 30 days’
written notice. Should the client decide not to accept the amended fee terms, the client is
welcome to terminate services with 5 days’ written notice prior to the effective date of the fee
modification.
While the Advisor takes the position that its fees are competitive, fees may be higher or lower
than fees charged by other financial services providers for similar services.
Fee Treatment of Alternative Investments and Private Placements
If the Advisor recommends any alternative investments or private placements for a client’s
portfolio (typically these will be investments in products such as Delaware Statutory Trusts or
Opportunity Zones), the investment will be included as a part of the client’s AUM for purposes
of determining the fee charged; however any costs incurred by the alternative investment will
be covered by the Advisor under our wrap program.
Any outside alternative investments or private placements not recommended by the Advisor,
that are currently being held in an RWA account, will be excluded from billing. The client will be
responsible for any additional costs or alternative asset maintenance fees for these products,
even if these products are included within a wrap account, as the only service provided by
RWA for these accounts would be to facilitate redemptions as requested by the client. The firm
will no longer accept holding new outside private placements within RWA accounts that were
not recommended by the Advisor; RWA will continue to help facilitate redemptions of these
products as needed and upon client request.
Performance-Based Fee Arrangements
For Qualified clients, as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Advisor may
negotiate a fee based on a combination of a percentage of assets under management and a
performance fee. In such cases, the Advisor charges a maximum asset management fee of
10% of the annual gross profits for the account in performance fees. The performance fee is
invoiced directly to the client and is payable annually, in arrears. No performance fee will be
charged, except to the extent that the amount of capital increase exceeds the sum of any
cumulative loss in the account on a yearly basis. In the event the client makes a complete
withdrawal from the account on a date other than the end of the year, fees will be due at the
time of withdrawal. Annual gross profits are defined as the difference in the value of the
account for the previous 4 quarters, adjusted for deposits and withdrawals made during the
year. Please see important disclosures in Item 6 of this Brochure which discusses side-by-side
management.
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For Clients Utilizing Betterment’s Services
Betterment collects the total investment management fee of .75% and retains .25% for its sub-
advisory services in accordance with its separate agreement with our clients. The Advisor is
compensated for its investment management services at annual rate of .50% of the assets
under management. Fees associated with this program are invoiced quarterly in arrears and
are based on the portfolio value on the last market day of the prior quarter, as determined by
the client’s custodian. Each quarter’s fee is calculated by multiplying the portfolio value by the
annual fee and dividing the sum by 4. A pro-rata fee is calculated for services initiated at any
time other than at the beginning of a calendar quarter.
Consultation Services
The Advisor’s negotiable hourly fee ranges between $200 - $400. For larger projects, the
Advisor may propose a project fee, using the Advisor’s hourly rate as a guide. The Advisor’s
fee for consultation on Delaware Statutory Trusts (DSTs) involves a minimum fee of $5000.
The services and the fee will be agreed upon at engagement, based on the scope and/or
complexity of services.
If the Advisor agrees to provide ongoing consultations for Assets under Advisement, the
Advisor and our client will agree on a negotiable annual fee based on the percentage of the
Assets under Advisement.
DSTs have no readily available market value throughout the year. These investments may
experience asset appreciation or depreciation, but RWA and Client agree to base RWA’s
advisement fee on the asset value at the time of the initial investment.
B. PAYMENT OF FEES
Financial Planning
The Advisor’s fees are paid directly to the Advisor.
Investment Management and Assets Under Advisement
For Investment Management Services, the Advisor’s contractually agreed fees will be
deducted from clients’ custodial accounts with our client’s authorization. The Advisor adheres
to the following required criteria when payment is deducted from the client’s account via a
qualified custodian, as required by the SEC as follows: 1) The client provides written
authorization permitting the fees to be paid directly from the client’s account held by the
independent qualified custodian and the authorization is limited to withdrawing contractually
agreed upon investment advisor fees; (2) The client will directly receive regular account
statements directly from the qualified custodian which reflect the Advisor’s fee deduction; (3)
The frequency of fee withdrawal shall be specified in the written authorization/client agreement;
4) The custodian of the account shall be advised in writing of the limitation on the Advisor’s
access to the account and; (5) The client shall be able to terminate the written billing
authorization or agreement at any time.
Betterment’s separate agreements with clients and the Advisor provide authority for Betterment
to directly debit advisory fees from clients’ accounts via the qualified custodian holding clients’
funds and securities, and to disburse the Advisor’s portion to the Advisor. Betterment is
required to follow the same criteria outlined in the above paragraph when deducting fees via
client accounts held at a qualified custodian.
It is important to note that custodial firms do not verify advisory fees. Therefore, clients should
review their custodial statements carefully. If a client should have any questions or concerns in
connection with an advisory fee deduction, they should promptly contact the Advisor and
Betterment. If at any time during the engagement, the client fails to receive the regular
statements produced by the custodian or they have new address information to report, it is
important for the client to promptly notify the Advisor and their custodian.
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Consultation Services
The Advisor’s consultation fees are paid directly to the Advisor. For project-based services, the
Advisor may request ½ of the proposed fee at the time of engagement, with the balance due at
the conclusion of services. Because services relating to Delaware Statutory Trusts are time
sensitive, the entire project fee may be due at engagement However, the Advisor does not
collect fees of $1200 or more for services to be performed six or more months in advance.
C. FEES ASSOCIATED WITH INVESTING
Clients who do not participate in The Rockport Wealth Wrap Fee Program are responsible for
the payment of all third-party fees associated with investing and pay transaction and brokerage
commissions to their broker/dealer or other service providers (“Financial Institution[s]”). Clients
are responsible for any other fees associated with their particular accounts (e.g., account
opening, maintenance, transfer, termination, wire transfer, electronic funds transfer, retirement
plan, trust fees, taxes, and all such applicable third party fees.
All fees paid to the Advisor for advisory services are separate from the fees and expenses
charged to shareholders of exchange traded funds (ETFs) or mutual fund shares offered by
mutual fund companies. A complete explanation of the expenses charged by a mutual fund or
ETF is contained in the respective fund prospectus. Clients are encouraged to read each
prospectus and securities offering document. If a mutual fund previously purchased by or
selected by a client should impose a sales charge, a client may pay an initial or deferred sales
charge. The Advisor does not receive any portion of these investment-related fees. Such
charges, fees and commissions are exclusive of and in addition to the Advisor’s fees.
However, in their separate capacities as registered representatives of an unaffiliated
broker/dealer, certain of the Advisor’s investment advisor representatives accept commissions
for securities recommendations as discussed at Item 5.E of this Brochure.
The Advisor recommends certain brokerage firms and custodians as discussed at Item 12.A of
this Brochure.
D. PREPAYMENT OF FEES
Financial Planning
Either party may terminate the financial planning agreement by written notice to the other.
Clients may terminate the financial planning agreement without penalty or fees due within five
business days of signing the Financial Planning Agreement if the Advisor’s Form ADV 2A
Brochure was not provided at least 48 hours prior to engagement. Thereafter, clients may
terminate the Financial Planning Agreement upon written notice to the Advisor. Where services
are terminated prior to the end of the conclusion of hourly services, the Advisor will only invoice
for time and effort up until the effective date of termination. If the ongoing planning services are
terminated by the client prior to the end of the pre-paid monthly billing, the fee will not be
refunded. If the Advisor terminates the ongoing services prior to the end of the pre-paid billing,
a pro-rated fee will be refunded.
Investment Management
The client may terminate services within five business days of signing the investment
management agreement and without penalty or fees due if the Advisor’s Form ADV 2 Brochure
(and Betterment’s Brochure, if applicable) was not delivered at least 48 hours prior to
engagement. Thereafter, clients or the Advisor may terminate investment management
services with five business days’ written notice. Where fees are charged in arrears, no refund
policy is necessary. For accounts where fees are charged in advance, the Advisor will promptly
return a pro-rated refund of unearned fees accompanied by documentation of the refund
calculation.
Where services are terminated prior to the end of the billing period, the Advisor will return a
pro-rated refund (where fees are invoiced in advance of services).
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Betterment’s services can be terminated in accordance with the termination provisions in the
Betterment client agreement.
Consultation Services
Clients may terminate consultation services and receive a full refund of any pre-paid fees
within five business days of signing the Consultation Agreement if the Advisor’s Form ADV 2
Brochure was not delivered at least 48 hours prior to engagement. Alternatively, either party
(the Client or the Advisor) may immediately terminate consultation services at any time with
written notice to the other. The Advisor will only charge the agreed upon fee for services
provided up until the effective date of termination. If any portion of the Advisor’s fees were pre-
paid, the Advisor will provide a prompt refund of unearned fees accompanied by information as
to how the refund was calculated. For services provided to Assets under Advisement, the
Advisor will promptly return a pro-rated refund of prepaid but unearned fees accompanied by
documentation of the refund calculation.
E. OTHER COMPENSATION FOR THE SALE OF SECURITIES OR OTHER
INVESTMENT PRODUCTS TO CLIENTS
The Advisor is a fee-based Registered Investment Advisor and only receives compensation in
the form of investment advisory fees paid directly by clients.
Outside business activities (financial and investment related):
Adam R. Stalnaker, Joseph J. Kovach, and Michael A. Curley are separately engaged as
registered representatives of an unaffiliated broker/dealer (Private Client Services LLC) and
receive commissions for securities transactions placed with this broker/dealer.
Adam R. Stalnaker, Joseph J. Kovach, and Michael A. Curley are separately engaged as
independently licensed insurance agents and receive normal commissions paid by insurance
companies when clients purchase insurance through them.
Investment Advisor Representative, Andrew Smith, is the owner of an accounting firm and
receives separate and customary payment for delivering any accounting related services.
The outside business activities described above present a conflict of interest. The
Advisor’s investment advisor representatives who are dually registered with an unaffiliated
broker/dealer receive commissions for the sale of investment products, including asset-based
sales charges or service fees from the sale of mutual funds to investors in connection with these
outside activities. In addition, if clients purchase insurance products from our personnel members
who are licensed insurance agents, they will receive normal commissions paid by insurance
companies. These activities present a conflict of interest and give our registered personnel an
incentive to recommend products based on the compensation received rather than the client’s
needs.
It would be rare for the Advisor’s insurance licensed personnel to recommend annuity products
to the Advisor’s clients.
The Advisor is a fiduciary to each of its clients. When making a recommendation to utilize
the services associated with our investment advisor representatives’ outside business activities
to the Advisor client, we must act in the best interest of that client and must exercise reasonable
due diligence, care, and skill in making such a recommendation, without placing financial or other
interest ahead of our client’s interests. The Advisor would infrequently recommend a security
product that involves a commission to an investor who is a client of the Advisor. However, certain
clients, such as those who are new to investing and do not have investable assets of a size that
is appropriate for investment management services may have engaged the Advisor for
consultation or financial planning services. The Advisor would normally recommend that the
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investor establish an account with Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. and may provide specific
recommendations (as to no-load mutual funds, etc.), depending on the scope of the engagement.
In the rare instance a former planning or consultation client desires to purchase a commission-
based product, a written commission disclosure statement is provided at the time of the
recommendation.
Care obligation: In making annuity recommendations, the representative who is insurance
licensed must exercise reasonable diligence, care, and skill to 1. Know the consumer’s financial
situation, insurance needs and financial objectives; 2. Understand the available recommendation
options after making a reasonable inquiry into options available to the agent; 3. Have a
reasonable basis to believe the recommended option effectively addresses the consumer’s
financial situation, insurance needs and financial objectives over the life of the product, as
evaluated in light of the consumer profile information; and 4. Communicate the basis or bases of
the recommendation. In the case of an exchange or replacement of an annuity, insurance agents
must consider the whole transaction, which includes taking into consideration whether: 1. The
advisory client / consumer will incur a surrender charge, be subject to the commencement of a
new surrender period, lose existing benefits, such as death, living or other contractual benefits,
or be subject to increased fees, investment advisory fees or charges for riders and similar product
enhancements; 2. The replacing product would substantially benefit the consumer in comparison
to the replaced product over the life of the product; and 3. The consumer has had another annuity
exchange or replacement and, in particular, an exchange or replacement within the preceding
60 months.
Commission Disclosure: As noted above, in the rare instance a former planning or consultation
client desires to purchase a commission-based product, a written commission disclosure
statement is provided at the time of the recommendation. As to insurance products, the licensed
agent will provide the commission and/or fee information to the client on a fully disclosed basis
and the disclosure will include a statement referring the client to the disclosure documents and
buyer's guide (prepared by the annuity company, which may be particular to Ohio and other
states that adopt similar disclosure requirements) provided to the consumer at time of purchase
as it these materials provide additional information about the annuity.
The Advisor has established, maintains, and enforces written policies and procedures
reasonably designed to address conflicts of interest and fiduciary responsibilities. Further, the
Advisor will maintain appropriate records pertaining to client recommendations and how the
conflicts of interest were addressed.
Clients Have the Option to Purchase Recommended Products from Other Brokers. Clients
are never obligated to purchase recommended products or services. Clients always have the
option to purchase recommended products through other brokers or insurance agents that are
not affiliated with the Advisor. Clients are also welcome to disregard recommendations in whole
or in part, entirely at their discretion.
The Advisor does not accept commissions. Only those investment advisor representatives
who are appropriately registered or licensed (as discussed in this section) are eligible to receive
commissions associated with their outside business activities. Commissions are not our
investment advisor representative’s primary source of revenue and any securities commissions
associated with advisory clients would be negligible.
Advisory Fees in Addition to Commissions or Markups. The Advisor’s fees charged to its
clients are not reduced to offset the commissions associated with investment and insurance
products that may be recommended to clients.
ITEM 6: PERFORMANCE-BASED FEES
AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT
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As disclosed in Items 4 and 5 of this Brochure, the Advisor may enter into performance-based
fee arrangements with qualified clients. The Advisor may receive incentive fees based on a
share of capital gains or capital appreciation of the assets or any portion of the assets of an
advisory Client, in accordance with the investment management agreement executed between
the client and Advisor, in compliance with the requirements set forth in applicable laws and
regulations. The performance fees charged by the Advisor may be higher or lower than fees
charged by other advisers for comparable services.
Clients should be aware that a performance-based fee arrangement can create an incentive for
the Advisor to recommend investments that are riskier or more speculative than those
recommended under a different fee arrangement. The Advisor works to mitigate this conflict by
selecting investments that we believe are appropriate for clients in accordance with the
Advisor’s and the client’s investment strategies; The Advisor has established procedures
designed and implemented to (i) ensure that all clients are treated fairly and equally, and (ii)
prevent potential conflicts with respect to allocations of investment opportunities among clients.
ITEM 7: TYPES OF CLIENTS AND MINIMUM CONDITIONS
The Advisor offers investment advisory services to individuals and high net worth individuals.
The suggested account minimum for investment management services is $250,000 but can be
negotiated based upon individual circumstances.
A client seeking performance-based services, as discussed at Item 5.A of this brochure, must
meet the definition of a qualified client as established by the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission (assets under the Advisor’s management of at least $1,100,000, or a
minimum liquid net worth of $2,200,000).
Since ongoing investment management services may not be appropriate for some investors,
the Advisor reserves the right to decline to provide services to any person or firm and for any
reason.
ITEM 8: METHODS OF ANALYSIS, INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES AND RISK OF LOSS
A. METHODS OF ANALYSIS AND INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Advisor provides personalized investment management services to its clients and portfolio
advice is available for clients interested in conservative to moderately aggressive strategies;
with advice designed to meet varying needs of and within the direction set forth by the
investors. The Advisor seeks to design advice that is best suited to a client’s stated unique
needs after clients have defined their objectives, risk tolerance and time horizons and the
selection is approved by the client.
Based on information provided by the client, the Advisor seeks to evaluate an investor’s risk
tolerance, time horizon, goals and objectives through an interview and data-gathering process
in an effort to determine an investment strategy and portfolio design to best fit the investor’s
profile. The Advisor may recommend the investment management services offered by
Betterment or the model portfolio offerings within Betterment’s service offerings.
Client participation and the client’s delivery of accurate and complete information are critical to
the Advisor’s process. In performing its services, the Advisor is not required to verify any
information received from the client or from the client’s other professionals (e.g., attorney,
accountant, etc.) and is expressly authorized to rely on such information.
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The Advisor considers securities investments based on its professional judgment and the
experience of its investment advisor representatives coupled with publicly available research
and analysis. Asset allocation software and historical performance modeling software may also
be utilized. Of course, no method of analysis can guarantee success. The Advisor’s
recommended investment strategies may be based upon a number of concepts and
determined by the type of investor. This process attempts to coordinate the client’s objectives
for risk vs. return with the Advisor’s analysis of the macro environment. Registered funds are
researched and monitored internally by the Advisor with a process that emphasizes investment
philosophy, management quality, and overall expense ratios. Portfolio holdings or
recommendations are generally judged by track record and performance of like-kind
investments. While pure market timing strategies are generally not used, Selected Models from
RWA may employ risk on strategies when indicators and market conditions warrant as well as
risk reduction strategies during times of heightened market volatility.
Changing conditions in the client’s financial life or significant changes in market conditions may
warrant a collaborative effort with the client to modify their strategic investment framework,
which consequently may also trigger changes to investment holdings within the portfolio.
The Advisor may recommend the services of itself as Investment Advisor, its Investment
Advisor Representatives in their individual capacities as investment managers, and the
services of other industry entities to implement recommendations (such as an unaffiliated sub-
adviser and unaffiliated brokerage and custodial firms). Any other professional referrals (i.e.,
accounting professionals, tax preparers, legal professionals, etc.) may be provided but solely a
courtesy and the Advisor and its personnel receive no direct or indirect compensation as a
result of referrals. Clients are welcome but are never under any obligation to act upon any of
the recommendations made by the Advisor or to engage the services of any recommended
service firm or professional including the Advisor itself. Clients should appropriately research
other service providers before engaging those services.
Investors may prefer to utilize the investment management styles offered via the
Strategic Models. These strategies fall within one of 3 general categories: conservative,
moderate/balanced and growth. Each model generally holds the same positions but with
different percentages based on the amount of risk involved. These positions may include the
use of stocks, exchange traded funds, and mutual funds. The tactical nature of the strategy
allows the flexibility to move away from equity positions to cash or bonds when risk is deemed
high. Please reference Item 4.B of this Brochure for additional information provided about
these strategies.
Investment analysis is both Fundamental and Technical in nature. Stock market indexes,
individual stocks. and ETFs are monitored for buy and sell zones as well as confirming over-
bought or oversold conditions. Fundamental analysis involves a close review of economic
indicators such as employment trends, Leading Economic Index and the Yield Curve most of
which can be found in Y Charts software.
No strategy can promise a positive result or guard against loss. Frequent trading may impact
investment performance and tax implications. Investors should consult with their personal tax
adviser in connection with securities transactions and/or any particular investment(s) held in
their account(s).
It is important to understand that investing in securities involves a risk of loss that a client
should be prepared to bear.
B. MATERIAL RISKS INVOLVED
The Advisor takes the general position that investors with diverse portfolios have a better
chance of making a profit because it is difficult to accurately predict the movement of the
economy. However, no single strategy can be relied upon to outperform the market.
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RWA does not attempt to time the market. Frequent trading is not recommended as it can
affect investment performance, particularly through increased brokerage and other transaction
costs and taxes. RWA does not generally recommend short sales and margin transactions as
they are generally associated with greater risk. In contrast, the Strategic Models, as
discussed at Items 4 and 8 of this Brochure, do seek to time investments. Please refer to these
sections for important information concerning this manager’s strategies.
Clients may make additions to and withdrawals from the account at any time, subject to
customary securities settlement procedures and the Advisor’s right to terminate services (such
as when assets dip so low as to make investment management inappropriate for the client).
Asset withdrawals may impair the achievement of a client’s investment objectives.
All investment strategies involve risk and may result in a loss of an investor’s original
investment. Many of these risks apply equally to stocks, bonds and any other investment or
security. Identified material risks associated with the Advisor’s investment strategies include:
Defensive Risk: To the extent that the strategy attempts to hedge or take defensive measures
such as holding a significant portion of its assets in cash or cash equivalents, the objective
may not be achieved.
External Events: As we know from recent events, the market can be impacted by external
events such as pandemic, supply chain issues, natural disasters, terrorism, war, etc.
Fixed Income Risk: Fixed income securities are subject to the risk of the issuer’s or a
guarantor’s inability to meet principal and interest payments on its obligations and to price
volatility. Fixed-income securities are generally subject to the following risks:
• Interest Rate Risk. The value of investments in fixed-income securities will change based
on changes in interest rates. If interest rates increase, the value of these investments
generally decline. Securities with greater interest rate sensitivity and longer maturities
generally are subject to greater fluctuations in value.
• Extension Risk. If interest rates rise, repayments of principal on certain fixed-income
securities may occur at a slower-than-expected rate and, as a result, the expected maturity
of such securities could lengthen which could cause their value to decline.
• Credit Risk. Fixed income investments are subject to the risk that issuers and/or
counterparties will fail to make payments when due or default completely. Prices of the
investments may be adversely affected if any of the issuers or counterparties are subject to
an actual or perceived deterioration in their credit quality. Credit spreads may increase,
which may reduce the market values of fixed income securities. Credit spread risk is the risk
that economic and market conditions or any actual or perceived credit deterioration may
lead to an increase in the credit spread (i.e., the difference in yield between two securities of
similar maturity but different credit quality) and a decline in price of the issuer’s securities.
• Prepayment Risk. Issuers of certain fixed income securities may be able to prepay
principal due on these securities, particularly during periods of declining interest rates, and
Villere may have to invest the proceeds in lower-yielding securities.
Inflation: Inflation may erode the buying-power of your investment portfolio, even if the dollar
value of your investments remains the same.
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International Investing Risk: Investing in the securities of non-U.S. companies involves special
risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. companies. Foreign securities tend to be
more volatile and less liquid than investments in U.S. securities, and may lose value because
of adverse political, social, or economic developments overseas or due to changes in the
exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. In addition, foreign
investments are subject to settlement practices, and regulatory and financial reporting
standards, which differ from those of the U.S.
Investment Strategy Risk: This risk exists when an Advisor’s strategy may fail to produce the
intended results.
Large-Sized Companies Risk: Larger, more established companies may be unable to respond
quickly to new competitive challenges like changes in consumer tastes or innovative smaller
competitors. In addition, large-cap companies are sometimes unable to attain the high growth
rates of successful, smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic
expansion.
Legal or Legislative Risk: Legislative changes or court rulings may impact the value of
investments, or the securities’ claim on the issuer’s assets and finances.
Margin Transactions: Investors utilizing margin accounts must carefully review the margin
agreement provided by the selected brokerage firm. These firms charge interest on the funds
loaned to purchase securities on margin and an investor needs to understand the additional
charges he or she may incur by opening a margin account. Additionally, risks associated with
margin accounts include: The loss of more funds that an investor deposits into the margin
which may require the investor to deposit additional funds to avoid the forced sale of securities
in the account. Additionally, if the equity in the account falls below the maintenance margin
requirements under the law or the firm’s higher "house" requirements, the firm can sell the
securities in the account to cover the margin deficiency. Investors are also responsible for any
short fall in the account after such a sale. Additionally, the selected firm can sell the securities
in the account without contacting the investor (although as a courtesy many firms do attempt
contact). Investors are not entitled to a time extension on margin calls. While extensions are
sometimes given under certain conditions, investors do not automatically have a right to time
extensions. An investor does not have a right to an extension of time to meet a maintenance
margin call.
Market Risk: Market risk involves the possibility that an investment’s current market value will
decline due to general market decline, thus reducing the value of the investment regardless of
the operational success of the issuer’s operations or its financial condition.
Market Capitalization Risk: Securities of companies with small and medium market
capitalizations are often more volatile and less liquid than investments in larger companies.
Small and medium cap companies may face a greater risk of business failure, which could
increase the volatility of the clients’ portfolios.
Small- and Medium-Sized Companies Risk: Investing in securities of smaller companies
including micro-cap, small-cap, medium-cap and less seasoned companies often involve
greater volatility than investing in larger, more established companies and these securities may
be less liquid than other securities.
Political Risk: The chance that a change in government may affect stock prices of domestic or
international stocks.
Sector/Industry Risk: In connection with Jon Arnold’s management strategy, from time to time,
client portfolios may have overweighted positions in particular market sectors and/or industries,
which can be more volatile and/or underperform relative to the market as a whole.
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Style Risk: The Advisor’s strategy may consist of “value” and or “growth” investments. With
respect to securities and investments considered undervalued by the Advisor, market prices
may not reflect our determination that the security is undervalued, and its price may not
increase to what we believe to be its full value and may even decrease in value. With respect
to “growth” investments, the underlying earnings or operational growth anticipated may not
occur, or the market price of the security may not increase as anticipated.
In connection with the investment strategies associated with the Strategic Models, the risk of a
risk-on/ risk-off based analysis is that technical analysis might not accurately predict future
price movements. Current prices of securities can reflect all information known about the
security and day-to-day changes in market prices of securities, can follow random patterns and
might not be predictable with any reliable degree of accuracy.
Tax Considerations: The Advisor’s strategies and investments can have unique and significant
tax implications. However, unless we specifically agree otherwise, and in writing, tax efficiency
is not our primary consideration in the management of your assets. Regardless of your account
size or any other factors, we strongly recommend that you continuously consult with a tax
professional prior to and throughout the investing of your assets.
Unaffiliated Money Managers: If a portion of your assets is managed by a third-party money
manager (such as Betterment), we will not determine the investments to be made for your
account, but we will monitor the investments in the accounts and advise you on those holdings
for so long as we are providing investment management services.
Other (non-securities)
Annuities are retirement products for those who may have the ability to pay a premium now
and want to guarantee they will receive certain monthly payments or a return on investment
later in the future. Annuities are contracts issued by a life insurance company designed to meet
requirements or other long-term goals. An annuity is not a life insurance policy. Variable
annuities are designed to be long-term investments, to meet retirement and other long-range
goals. Variable annuities are not suitable for meeting short-term goals because substantial
taxes and insurance company charges may apply if you withdraw your money early. Variable
annuities also involve investment risks, just as mutual funds do.
Clients are hereby advised to read each offering document carefully before investing. Past
performance is not a guarantee of future returns.
Investing in securities involves a risk of loss that all clients should be prepared to bear.
C. RISKS OF SPECIFIC SECURITIES UTILIZED
The Advisor generally seeks investment management strategies that do not involve significant
or unusual risk beyond that of the general domestic and / or international equity markets.
Investing in the financial markets, including the securities The Advisor recommends to clients,
involves the risk of loss—including loss of principal. While the Advisor attempts to manage
risks associated with the financial markets and the securities it recommends to clients, the
Advisor makes no guarantee or promise that advice given will not result in losses. Past
investment performance of any investment is not a guarantee of future results.
Investments in mutual funds may bear a risk of investment loss. Clients who invest should also
be prepared to bear a loss of investment proceeds. While the Advisor monitors underlying fund
investments, it is possible that a fund manager’s strategy will not provide desired results.
Exchange traded funds (ETFs) - ETF Risks, including Net Asset Valuations and Tracking Error:
ETF performance may not exactly match the performance of the index or market benchmark
that the ETF is designed to track because 1) the ETF will incur expenses and transaction costs
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not incurred by any applicable index or market benchmark; 2) certain securities comprising the
index or market benchmark tracked by the ETF may, from time to time, temporarily be
unavailable; and 3) supply and demand in the market for either the ETF and/or for the
securities held by the ETF may cause the ETF shares to trade at a premium or discount to the
actual net asset value of the securities owned by the ETF. Certain ETF strategies may from
time to time include the purchase of fixed income, commodities, foreign securities, American
Depositary Receipts, or other securities for which expenses and commission rates could be
higher than normally charged for exchange-traded equity securities, and for which market
quotations or valuation may be limited or inaccurate. Clients should be aware that to the extent
they invest in ETF securities they will pay two levels of advisory compensation – advisory fees
charged by the Advisor plus any management fees charged by the issuer of the ETF. This
scenario may cause a higher advisory cost (and potentially lower investment returns) than if a
client purchased the ETF directly. An ETF typically includes embedded expenses that may
reduce the fund's net asset value, and therefore directly affect the fund's performance and
indirectly affect a client’s portfolio performance or an index benchmark comparison. Expenses
of the fund may include investment adviser management fees, custodian fees, brokerage
commissions, and legal and accounting fees. ETF expenses may change from time to time at
the sole discretion of the ETF issuer. ETF tracking error and expenses may vary.
Investments in individual stocks can be risky. Some risks can be controlled, and some risks
can be guarded against, but no investment strategy can carry guarantees from loss. Certain
market risks cannot be controlled, such as market or economic conditions. Certain strategies
may be employed to adjust portfolios, or the Advisor and client may agree to hold the
portfolio’s course. The Advisor designs portfolio strategies for the long-term, unless otherwise
specifically requested in writing. Therefore, the Advisor does not attempt to time the market.
Fixed income investments generally are utilized as a portfolio diversification element as well as
for income-driving investments outside of equity exposure.
There are certain risks involved in investing in bonds: Government, Municipal, and Corporate
and the following is an overview of the types of risks that one should consider: Interest rate
risk; reinvestment risk; inflation risk; mark risk, selection risk, timing risk, and price risk.
Additional risks for some government agency, corporate and municipal bonds may include
Legislative risk (a change in the tax code could affect the value of taxable/tax-exempt interest
income); Call risk (some corporate, municipal and agency bonds have a “call provision”
entitling their issuers to redeem them at a specified price on a date prior to maturity. Declining
interest rates may accelerate the redemption of a callable bond, causing an investor’s principal
to be returned sooner than expected. In that scenario, investors have to reinvest the principal
at the lower interest rates. If the bond is called at or close to par value, as is usually the case,
investors who paid a premium for their bond also risk a loss of principal. In reality, prices of
callable bonds are unlikely to move much above the call price if lower interest rates make the
bond likely to be called. Additionally, there may be a liquidity risk involved if investors may
have difficulty finding a buyer when they want to sell and may be forced to sell at a significant
discount to market value. Liquidity risk is greater for thinly traded securities such as lower-rated
bonds, bonds that were part of a small issue, bonds that have recently had their credit rating
downgraded or bonds sold by an infrequent issuer. Bonds are generally the most liquid during
the period right after issuance when the typical bond has the highest trading volume. Additional
risks for corporate and municipal bonds may include Credit risk; default risk; event risk and
duration risk.
Bank obligations, including bonds and certificates of deposit, may be vulnerable to setbacks or
panics in the banking industry. Banks and other financial institutions are highly dependent
upon short-term interest rates and may be adversely affected by downturns in the U.S. and
foreign economies and/or changes in regulations.
Delaware Statutory Trusts. These investments have a unique set of risks and are only
appropriate for accredited investors. Risks may include but are not limited to: Illiquidity risk
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(investment must be held for an extended period of time), loss of control (no decision making
over property, sponsor controls management and selling of property), regulatory risk (change
in tax rules which could result in tax liabilities), execution risk (operator competence) and
economic risk. There can be no assurance that a property will perform as projected and
Delaware Statutory Trusts are subject to economic volatility, tenants not paying their rent as
expected, and other traditional risks of owning, selling, and operating real estate. The fees and
expenses of each offering should be carefully evaluated. Multiple owner offerings typically
have additional expenses versus owning real estate on your own and these fees should be
weighed against specific capital gains tax liability. All investors are encouraged to have their
tax and legal counsel advise them on taxes including any federal and state capital gains taxes,
depreciation recapture and any other tax issues, which could be applicable.
Covered Call Options. While this strategy can provide income, it limits your ability to
participate in any increase in the price of the underlying security above the strike price.
Furthermore, a covered call strategy does not eliminate the risk of market-based losses on the
underlying stock. In fact, if the stock price declines, the premium received from the option may
not be sufficient to offset the loss in the value of the underlying security. Additionally, the
option can be exercised at any time, requiring you to sell the underlying security at the strike
price, potentially below the market price. Market conditions can negatively impact option
values or the ability to close positions favorably and the forced sale of shares upon assignment
may trigger taxable events.
Inverse ETFs. This strategy is used to hedge client portfolios against market downturns or to
seek returns that are the inverse of a specific benchmark on a daily basis. They are designed
to achieve their investments objectives on a daily basis. They are not intended to track the
underlying index over periods longer than a single day. Due to the effect of daily
compounding, performance over longer periods can differ significantly from the inverse of the
underlying index. In volatile markets, an inverse ETF may lose money even if the underlying
index decreases over time. Holding inverse ETFs for longer than one trading session
increases risk due to the compounding of returns. As such, these investments are generally
considered unsuitable for long-term holding. These products may not achieve their stated
objectives. If the market rises, the inverse ETF will lose value, and you may lose a significant
portion or all of your principal investment.
It is important to understand that investing in securities involves a risk of loss that a client
should be prepared to bear.
ITEM 9: DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION
Registered Investment Advisors are required to disclose legal and disciplinary events that may
be material to a client’s or prospective client’s evaluation of the Advisor’s practice or the
integrity of its management. The Advisor has responded to each item below:
A. A criminal or civil action in a domestic, foreign, or military court of competent
jurisdiction in which your firm or a management person:
1.was convicted of or pled guilty or nolo contendere (“no contest”) to (a) any felony;
(b) a misdemeanor that involved investments or an investment-related business, fraud,
false statements, or omissions, wrongful taking of property, bribery, perjury, forgery,
counterfeiting, or extortion; or (c) a conspiracy to commit any of these offenses. 2. is
the named subject of a pending criminal proceeding that involves an investment-
related business, fraud, false statements or omissions, wrongful taking of property,
bribery, perjury, forgery, counterfeiting, extortion, or a conspiracy to commit any of
these offenses. 3. was found to have been involved in a violation of an investment-
related statute or regulation; or 4. was the subject of any order, judgment, or decree
permanently or temporarily enjoining, or otherwise limiting, your firm or a management
29
person from engaging in any investment- related activity, or from violating any
investment-related statute, rule, or order.
Neither the Advisor nor its management persons have any disclosure information to
report for Item 9.A.1., Item 9.A.2, Item 9.A.3, and Item 9.A.4.
B. An administrative proceeding before the SEC, any other federal regulatory agency,
any state regulatory agency, or any foreign financial regulatory authority in which your
firm or a management person:
1. was found to have caused an investment-related business to lose its authorization to
do business; or 2. was found to have been involved in a violation of an investment-
related statute or regulation and was the subject of an order by the agency or authority
(a) denying, suspending, or revoking the authorization of your firm or a management
person to act in an investment-related business (b) barring or suspending your firm’s or
a management person's association with an investment related business (c) otherwise
significantly limiting your firm’s or a management person's investment-related activities;
or (d) imposing a civil money penalty of more than $2,500 on your firm or a
management person.
Neither the Advisor nor its management persons have any information to report for
Items 9.B.1 and 9.B 2(a-d).
C. A self-regulatory organization (SRO) proceeding in which your firm or a management
person:
1. was found to have caused an investment-related business to lose its authorization to
do business; or 2. was found to have been involved in a violation of the SRO’s rules
and was:(i) barred or suspended from membership or from association with other
members or was expelled from membership; (ii) otherwise significantly limited from
investment-related activities; or (iii) fined more than $2,500.
Neither the Advisor nor its management persons have any information to report for
Items 9.C.1 and 9.C.2.
Note: Individual information about The Advisor’s management persons and investment advisor
representatives is contained in their Form ADV Part 2B Brochures which are attached directly
behind this firm Brochure. One investment advisor representative (Mr. Curley) has a reportable
event from 1972 when he was a college student. If you did not receive these Brochures,
please contact the Advisor via the contact information contained on the cover page of this
Brochure.
ITEM 10: OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY
ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATIONS
A. REGISTRATION AS A BROKER/DEALER OR BROKER/DEALER
REPRESENTATIVE
The Advisor is not registered as a broker/dealer and no such registration is pending.
As disclosed at Item 10.C below, Adam Stalnaker, Joseph Kovach, and Michael Curley are
separately registered as registered representatives of Private Client Services and in this
capacity, they accept commissions for the sale of securities.
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B. REGISTRATION AS A FUTURES COMMISSION MERCHANT, COMMODITY
POOL OPERATOR OR A COMMODITY TRADING ADVISER
Neither the Advisor nor its Investment Advisor Representatives are registered as a Futures
Commission Merchant, Commodity Pool Operator, or a Commodity Trading Advisor and no
such registrations are pending.
C. REGISTRATION RELATIONSHIPS MATERIAL TO THIS ADVISORY BUSINESS
AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Neither the Advisor nor its Investment Advisor Representatives have any registration
relationships, legal affiliations or any association with the following businesses that would
present a possible conflict of interest and no such relationships are pending.
broker-dealer, municipal securities dealer, government securities dealer or broker
investment company or other pooled investment vehicle (including a mutual fund,
closed- end investment company, unit investment trust, private investment company
or “hedge fund,” and offshore fund)
futures commission merchant, commodity pool operator or trading advisor
banking or thrift institution
lawyer or law firm
insurance company or agency*
pension consultant
real estate broker or dealer
sponsor or syndicator of limited partnerships.
The Advisor does not operate and does not have a material relationship with a hedge fund or
other type of private pooled investment vehicle.
As disclosed at Items 5.E and 10.A of this Brochure, Adam Richard Stalnaker, Joseph J.
Kovach and Michael A. Curley are separately engaged and dually registered as registered
representatives of an unaffiliated broker/dealer (Private Client Services LLC) and receive
commissions for securities transactions placed with this broker/dealer.
*Adam R. Stalnaker, Joseph J. Kovach, and Michael A. Curley are separately engaged as
independently licensed insurance agents and receive normal commissions paid by insurance
companies when clients purchase insurance through them.
Investment Advisor Representative, Andrew Smith, is the owner of an accounting firm and
receives separate and customary payment for delivering any accounting related services.
Some advisory clients may also be accounting clients of Mr. Smith. This creates a conflict in
that Mr. Smith has an incentive to recommend his accounting firm to RWA clients and RWA to
accounting clients. Clients are under no obligation to utilize Mr. Smith for any accounting
services.
The Advisor is a fiduciary to each of its clients. The receipt of commissions by its
registrants poses a conflict of interest between the Advisor and its clients. Please refer to the
important disclosure at Item 5.E of this Brochure as it addresses the conflicts of interest, The
Advisor’s fiduciary duty to its clients and how the conflicts are managed.
D. SELECTION OF OTHER ADVISERS OR MANAGERS AND HOW THIS ADVISER
IS COMPENSATED FOR THOSE SELECTIONS
As discussed at Item 4.B, the Advisor has entered into an agreement with Betterment, LLC
(“Betterment”) to utilize among other things, Betterment’s software, advice, and digital services
on a sub-advisory basis. This means the Advisor maintains its role as your primary investment
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adviser while utilizing the investment platform available through Betterment. The annual
investment management fee charged to The Advisor’s clients is 0.75% from which Betterment
receives .25% as set forth in the client service agreement, as discussed in Item 5.A of this
Brochure.
ITEM 11: CODE OF ETHICS, PARTICIPATION
OR INTEREST IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS
AND PERSONAL TRADING
A. CODE OF ETHICS
The Advisor takes the issues of fiduciary duty and regulatory compliance seriously and is
committed to compliance with state and applicable federal securities laws. The Advisor has a
position of public trust, and it is our goal to maintain that trust; provide excellent service, good
investment performance; and advice that is suitable.
The Advisor places great value on ethical conduct. Therefore, the ultimate goal of our internal
policies is to challenge our staff to live up not only to the letter of the law, but also to the ideals
set forth by the Advisor. Clients may be familiar with the roles fiduciaries play in various legal
situations and in certain industries. As a Registered Investment Advisor, the Advisor is a
fiduciary to each and every client. As fiduciaries, Registered Investment Advisors owe their
clients several specific duties. In accordance with the SEC’s Regulation Best Interest, an
Investment Advisor’s fiduciary duties include:
Providing advice that is suitable based on information gathered from the client
Providing full disclosure of material facts and potential conflicts of interest (such that
the client has complete and accurate disclosure in order to make an informed
decision about services of the Advisor and about investment recommendations)
The utmost and exclusive loyalty and good faith
Best execution of transactions under the available circumstances
The Advisor’s reasonable care to avoid ever misleading clients
Only acting in the best interests of clients.
It is The Advisor’s policy to protect the interests of each of our clients and to place clients’
interests first and foremost. The Advisor will abide by honest and ethical business practices to
include, but not limited to:
The Advisor will not induce trading in a client’s account that is excessive in size or
frequency in view of the financial resources and character of the account.
The Advisor will make investment decisions with reasonable grounds to believe that
the decisions are suitable for the client on the basis of information furnished by the
client and we will document suitability.
The Advisor and its Investment Advisor Representatives will not borrow money from
clients, nor will they lend money to clients.
The Advisor will not recommend the purchase of a security without the reasonable
belief that the security is registered, or the security or transaction is exempt from
registration in states where we provide investment advice and based upon
information the Advisor receives.
The Advisor will not recommend that a client place an order to purchase or sell a
security through a broker/dealer or agent, or engage the services of an unlicensed
brokerage firm, based upon information available to the Advisor.
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The Advisor’s Member and staff (if applicable) will report all required personal
securities transactions to Thomas V. David, Chief Compliance Officer as required by
securities rules and regulations. Reportable trades for the Advisor include all but the
following exceptions:
Transactions effected pursuant to an automatic investment plan
Securities held in accounts over which the access person has no direct or
indirect influence or control
Transactions/holdings in direct obligations of the US Government
Money market instruments — bankers' acceptances, bank certificates of
deposit, commercial paper, repurchase agreements and other high- quality
short-term debt instruments
Shares of money market funds
Transactions and holdings in shares of mutual funds, since the Advisor does
not have a material relationship with an investment company
Transactions in units of a unit investment trust are not reportable if the UIT is
invested exclusively in unaffiliated mutual funds.
All applicable securities rules and regulations will be strictly enforced. The Advisor will not
permit and has instituted controls against insider trading. Investment Advisor Representatives
and administrative personnel who do not follow the Advisor’s Code of Ethics or who in any way
violate securities rules and regulations, or who fail to report known or suspected violations will
be disciplined or terminated, depending upon severity. Such persons could also face action by
the SEC and/or state securities regulators.
Clients are welcome to request a copy of the Advisor’s Code of Ethics by contacting Rockport
Wealth’s office.
B. RECOMMENDATIONS INVOLVING MATERIAL FINANCIAL INTERESTS
The Advisor does not recommend that clients buy or sell any security in which any of The
Advisor or its related persons have a material financial interest.
C. INVESTING PERSONAL MONIES IN THE SAME SECURITIES AS CLIENTS
The Advisor and/or individuals associated with the Advisor may have similar investment goals
and objectives and as a result may buy or sell securities for their personal
accounts that may be identical to or different from those recommended to clients. Thus, at
times the interests of staff members’ accounts may coincide with the interests of clients’
accounts. However, at no time will the Advisor or its related persons receive an added benefit
or advantage over clients with respect to these transactions nor will the Advisor or nor its staff
ever place themselves in a position to have added benefit as a result of advice given to clients.
The Advisor’s Chief Compliance Officer monitors access persons’ personal trading activities.
D. TRADING SECURITIES AT / AROUND THE SAME TIME AS CLIENTS
The Advisor acknowledges the Advisor’s fiduciary responsibility to place the investment needs
of clients ahead of the Advisor and its staff. The interests of clients are held in the highest
regard. At no time will the Advisor or its personnel receive an added benefit or advantage over
clients with respect to these transactions. The Advisor and its personnel will not place itself in a
position to have added benefit as a result of advice given to clients. The Advisor and its
personnel will not buy or sell securities for their personal portfolio(s) where their decision is
substantially derived, in whole or in part, by reason of his or her employment unless the
information is also available to the investing public on reasonable inquiry. The Advisor has
established trading policies for its access persons. The Advisor’s Chief Compliance Officer is
responsible for the monitoring of personal trading conducted by staff.
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ITEM 12: BROKERAGE PRACTICES
A. FACTORS USED TO SELECT CUSTODIANS AND/OR BROKER/DEALERS
The Advisor is not a broker/dealer or custodian. In order to manage your assets, you will need
to establish an account with a qualified custodian. Your custodian will take custody of your
funds and securities.
The Advisor considers the full range and quality of a brokerage firm's services including,
among other things, the value of services provided to clients, execution capability, services
provided to the Advisor, commission rate and financial responsibility. In this light, the
determinative factor is not necessarily the lowest possible commission costs but whether the
selection offers the best qualitative execution for the supervised account.
The Advisor uses the brokerage and custodial services of Charles Schwab & Co. a FINRA
registered broker-dealer and Member SIPC (or Schwab). We also recommend MTG, LLC dba
“Betterment Securities”, a FINRA registered broker-dealer and Member SIPC, as the qualified
custodian for clients utilizing the Betterment investment platform. If clients engage in
transactional business via Private Client Services, LLC, this firm clears through Pershing, LLC.
The Advisor recognizes its duty to recommend brokerage firms that execute securities
transactions in such a manner that the clients’ total costs or proceeds in each transaction are
the most favorable under the circumstances. Recommendations are based on the reputation of
the broker, quality and promptness of execution services and quality or account reporting,
commission rates, creditworthiness, financial condition, and business reputation, customer
service, reliability and professionalism, ability to access various market centers, and available
technology. Ultimately, the client will have the final decision on brokerage selection.
The Advisor is independently owned and operated and is not affiliated with the recommended
custodians. Our clients enter into an account agreement directly with their selected custodian.
The Advisor does not maintain authority to open the account for you, although we may assist
you with the paperwork, if requested. Your selected custodian holds your assets in a brokerage
account and securities will be purchased or sold from your account(s) when we and/or you
instruct them to do so.
The Advisor recognizes its duty to recommend brokerage firms that execute securities
transactions in such a manner that the clients’ total costs or proceeds in each transaction are
the most favorable under the circumstances. Recommendations are based on the reputation of
the broker, quality and promptness of execution services and quality or account reporting,
commission rates, creditworthiness, financial condition, and business reputation, customer
service, reliability and professionalism, ability to access various market centers, and available
technology.
The Advisor monitors the recommended service provider’s best execution documentation and
anticipates that current execution information will also be provided on request. The
recommended firms are large and sophisticated order senders. While it is possible that clients
may pay higher commission or transactions fee through the recommended service providers,
the Advisor has determined Schwab and Betterment Securities currently offer the best overall
value to clients for the service, brokerage and technology provided.
For our clients’ accounts that Betterment Securities maintains, Betterment Securities does not
charge you separately for custody/brokerage services but is compensated as part of the
Betterment for Advisors (defined below) platform fee, which is charged for a suite of platform
services, including custody, brokerage, and sub-advisory services provided by Betterment and
access to the Betterment for Advisors platform. The platform fee is an asset-based fee charged
as a percentage of assets in your Betterment account. Clients utilizing the Betterment for
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Advisors platform may pay a higher aggregate fee than if the investment management,
brokerage, and other platform services are purchased separately. Nonetheless, for those
clients participating in the Betterment for Advisors platform, we have determined that having
Betterment Securities execute 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.
For any investments in American Funds mutual funds, those will be held directly with the fund
company. For Delaware Statutory Trusts, the Advisor will generally recommend the services of
Inland Securities Corporation, Member FINRA/SIPC.
1. RESEARCH AND OTHER SOFT DOLLAR BENEFITS
The receipt of support services, investment research products and/or services as well as the
allocation of the benefit of such investment research products and/or services poses a conflict
of interest. The Advisor does not receive research and has not entered into soft dollar
agreements with any of the recommended brokerage firms. Generally speaking, soft dollars
are benefits (primarily investment research and brokerage services) that investment advisors
may receive in exchange for directing trade activity to a particular brokerage firm.
SERVICES AVAILABLE TO THE ADVISOR
Our recommended custodians typically provide various support services which help us to
manage or administer our clients’ accounts, while others help us manage and grow our
business. The Advisor may receive general research, business-related products and back-
office administrative support services in addition to execution from its recommended
broker/dealers in connection with client securities transactions. Therefore, we receive benefits
from its selected custodial firms that it would not otherwise receive if it were not a Registered
Investment Advisor. The Advisor and its clients may pay slightly more than the lowest rate of
commissions available in order to obtain various administrative and research services.
However, the Advisor has determined in good faith and after periodic (and ongoing) review,
that the fees are reasonable in relation to the full range and quality of the brokerage,
administrative and research services provided, viewed in terms of either particular transactions
or the Advisor’s overall responsibilities with respect to the accounts over which it exercises
investment discretion. The determinative factor is whether transaction fees represent the best
qualitative execution services for our managed accounts.
SERVICES THAT BENEFIT YOU
Services that benefit clients include access to a broad range of investment products, execution
of securities transactions and custody of client assets. The investment products available
through our recommended services provides may include some which we might not otherwise
have access or that would require a significantly higher minimum investment by our clients.
Our recommended relationships provide access to many no-load mutual funds without
transaction charges and other no-load funds at nominal transaction charges.
Betterment for Advisors includes access to a globally diversified, low-cost portfolio of ETFs,
execution of securities transactions, and custody of client assets through Betterment
Securities. In addition, a series of model portfolios created by third-party providers are also
available on the platform. Betterment Securities’ services described in this paragraph generally
benefit you and your account.
The Advisor can also expect to receive, without cost to the Advisor, computer software and
related systems support, which allow the Advisor to better monitor client accounts maintained
at the recommended custodian. The Advisor may receive the software and related support at a
discount or without cost because the Advisor renders investment management services to
clients that maintain assets at the recommended custodian(s). The software and related
systems support may benefit the Advisor, but not its clients directly. Additionally, the Advisor
may receive duplicate client confirmations and bundled duplicate statements; access to a
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trading desk that exclusively services its institutional advisor program participants; access to
block trading which provides the ability to aggregate securities transactions and then allocate
the appropriate shares to client accounts; and access to an electronic communication network
for client order entry and account information. These services assist the Advisor in coordinating
its services with the custodial firms in a more efficient manner.
SERVICES THAT MAY NOT DIRECTLY BENEFIT YOU
Our preferred custodians also make available other products and services that benefit us but
may not directly benefit you or your account. These products and services assist us in
managing and administering our clients’ accounts, such as software and technology that may:
Assist with back-office functions, recordkeeping, and client reporting of our
clients’ accounts.
Provide access to client account data (such as duplicate trade confirmations and
account statements).
Provide pricing and other market data.
SERVICES THAT GENERALLY BENEFIT ONLY US
The Advisor may be offered other services intended to help us manage and further develop our
business enterprise. These services include: Consulting (including through webinars) on
technology and business needs and access to publications and conferences on practice
management and business succession.
The availability of services from our preferred custodians benefit us because we do not have to
produce or purchase them. In addition, we do not have to pay for Betterment Securities’
services. However, certain services may be contingent upon us committing a certain amount of
business to Betterment Securities in assets in custody, in which case, such arrangements will
be disclosed when it is applicable. We may have an incentive to recommend that you maintain
your account with our recommended custodian or Betterment Securities, based on our interest
in receiving 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 and
this presents a conflict of interest with our clients. We believe, however, that our selection of
service providers is in the best interests of our clients. (Our selection is primarily supported by
data discussed at Item 12.A of this Brochure).
In fulfilling its duties to its clients, the Advisor endeavors at all times to put the interests of its
clients first. Clients should be aware, however, that the Advisor’s receipt of economic benefits
from a broker-dealer or other service provider(s) creates a conflict of interest since these
benefits may influence the Advisor’s choice of broker-dealer over another broker-dealer that
does not furnish similar software, systems support, or services
BETTERMENT FOR ADVISORS’ TRADING POLICY
When using the Betterment for Advisors platform, we and you are subject to the trading
policies and procedures established by Betterment. These policies and procedures limit our
ability to control, among other things, the timing of the execution of certain trades (including in
response to withdrawals, deposits, or asset allocation changes) within your account.
You should not expect that trading on Betterment is instant, and, accordingly, you should be
aware that Betterment does not permit you or us to control the specific time during a day that
securities are bought or sold in your account (i.e., to “time the market”). Betterment describes
its trading policies in Betterment LLC’s Form ADV Part 2A. As detailed in that document,
Betterment generally trades on the same business day as it receives instructions from you or
us. However, transactions will be subject to processing delays in certain circumstances. In
particular, orders initiated on non-business days and after markets close generally will not
transact until the next business day. Betterment also maintains a general approach of not
placing securities orders during approximately the first thirty minutes after the opening of any
market session. Betterment also generally stops placing orders arising from allocation changes
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in existing portfolios approximately thirty minutes before the close of any market session.
Betterment continues placing orders associated with deposit and withdrawal requests until
market close. Betterment maintains a general approach of not placing orders around the time
of scheduled Federal Reserve interest rate announcements. Furthermore, Betterment may
delay or manage trading in response to market instability. For further information, please
consult Betterment LLC’s Form ADV Part 2A.
2. BROKERAGE FOR CLIENT REFERRALS
The Advisor does not receive referrals from a broker/dealer or third party in exchange for using
that broker/dealer or third party.
3. CLIENTS DIRECTING BROKER/DEALER / CUSTODIAN SELECTIONS
We do not accept directed brokerage for investment management clients. We primarily use
Schwab as our custodian.
Financial Planning only clients are welcome to utilize their preferred service provider and are
welcome to implement recommendations in whole or in part, entirely at their discretion. In such
cases, the client will negotiate terms and arrangements for their account(s) with their service
provider. The client may pay higher or lower commissions or costs or receive less favorable
net pricing than may otherwise be available.
B. AGGREGATION AND (BLOCK) TRADING FOR MULTIPLE CLIENT ACCOUNTS
We can elect to purchase or sell the same securities for several clients at approximately the
same time. This process is referred to as aggregating orders, batch trading or block trading
and is used by our firm when RWA believes such action can prove advantageous to clients. If
and when we aggregate client orders, allocating securities among client accounts is done on a
fair and equitable basis. 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.
RWA uses the average price allocation method for transaction allocation. Under this procedure
RWA will calculate the average price and transaction charges for each transaction included in
a block order and assign the average price and transaction charge to each allocated
transaction executed for the client’s account.
Any clients utilizing the investment platform offered through Betterment, should refer to the
Betterment Form ADV 2A Brochure for the platform’s trading policies.
ITEM 13: REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS
A. FREQUENCY AND NATURE OF PERIODIC REVIEWS AND WHO CONDUCTS
Hourly or project-based financial planning services do not involve ongoing services or reviews.
Rockport Wealth’s ongoing planning services include:
Quarterly check-ins with our client to assess the financial plan, implementation of
the plan, limitations, adjustments needed and assess new variables in a client’s
financial picture.
Year-end review and discussion pertaining to the plan and identifying necessary
updates based on input from our client
A new/updated financial plan annually
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Investment Management Services involve frequent monitoring of portfolios. Portfolios are
reviewed no less than quarterly and underlying securities are generally reviewed daily.
Reviews are performed by the Advisor’s owners and its Investment Advisor Representatives.
Portfolios are analyzed in relation to the client’s stated investment objectives, risk profile, tax
situation and market conditions.
Individual client reviews are conducted no less than annually in order to provide the client with
the opportunity to review their profile data and investment strategies. Investment Advisor
Representatives conduct periodic client meetings and have frequent telephonic contacts in
which investment objectives, market conditions and other factors are discussed with clients.
Clients are welcome to initiate meetings (telephonically, electronically or in person) throughout
the year. However, clients are obligated to promptly contact the Advisor when there exists a
real or potential change in the clients’ financial condition or if a change in strategy may be
contemplated. This prompt notification gives the Advisor the opportunity to review the clients’
new information and determine if it impacts the advice and recommendations prepared for the
client.
B. FACTORS THAT MAY TRIGGER NON-PERIODIC REVIEWS OF ACCOUNTS
Additional reviews may be triggered by material market, economic or political events or in
conjunction with significant deposits or withdrawals. Reviews may also occur as a result of
reported changes in the client’s financial situation (which may include but are not limited to:
Termination of employment, a change in the family dynamic, relocation, inheritance, or
retirement).
C. CONTENT AND FREQUENCY OF REGULAR REPORTS PROVIDED
Clients can expect to receive confirmation statements from all transactions and a
monthly/quarterly statement, directly from their custodial firm. The custodian’s quarterly reports
detail account value, net change, portfolio holdings, and all account activity.
ITEM 14: CLIENT REFERRALS AND OTHER COMPENSATION
A. ECONOMIC BENEFITS PROVIDED BY THIRD PARTIES FOR ADVICE
RENDERED TO CLIENTS (INCLUDES SALES AWARDS OR OTHER PRIZES)
The Advisor does not receive any economic benefit, directly or indirectly from any third party in
connection with advisory services provided to its clients.
B. COMPENSATION TO NON-ADVISORY PERSONNEL FOR REFERRALS
The Advisor may contract unaffiliated persons or firms to act as solicitors and as such they may
refer prospective clients. The compensation may involve a one-time or ongoing
fee. The terms of services and compensation paid by the Advisor to its solicitors are
established in an agreement between the Advisor and the solicitor. The solicitor compensation
arrangement is disclosed to prospective clients at the time of the referral via a compensation
disclosure document presented by the solicitor along with the Advisor’s Form ADV 2 Brochure,
as required by securities rules which govern referral activities. There is a conflict of interest that
exists between the solicitor and Advisor clients since the solicitor receives the referral-based
compensation from the Advisor when a prospective client engages the Advisor for advisory
services and in most cases, for so long as the client agreement continues. It is important to
understand that The Advisor’s compensation arrangements with contracted solicitors to market
the Advisor’s services do not impact the fees our clients pay to the Advisor for advisory
services.
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The Advisor receives non-economic benefits from Betterment for Advisors and Betterment
Securities in the form of the support products and services it makes available to us and other
independent investment advisors whose clients maintain their accounts at Betterment
Securities. These products and services, how they benefit us, and the related conflicts of
interest are described in Item 12 of this Brochure. The availability to us of Betterment for
Advisors’ and Betterment Securities products and services is not based on us giving particular
investment advice, such as buying particular securities for our clients.
ITEM 15: CUSTODY
The Advisor does not accept custody of client funds or securities. Your selected custodian
maintains actual custody of your assets. The Advisor’s clients have a direct and beneficial
interest in their securities (individual ownership), rather than an undivided interest in a pool of
securities.
The Advisor deducts its contractually agreed investment management fees from clients’
custodial accounts with client authorization. Advisers are deemed to have constructive custody
when fees are deducted directly from custodial accounts. However, the Advisor is not subject
to custody reporting requirements because the Advisor deducts fees via qualified custodians
and clients receive account statements directly from the custodian which reflect account
deductions. Clients should carefully review those statements promptly and report any
questions, concerns, or absence of statements to the Advisor and their custodial firm.
The Advisor does not charge fees of $1200 or more for services to be performed six or more
months in advance of services.
ITEM 16: INVESTMENT DISCRETION
With the client’s authorization as provided in the custodial account forms and the Advisor’s
client agreement, the Advisor will maintain limited discretionary trading authority to execute
securities transactions in the investor’s portfolio within investor’s designated investment
objectives, to include the securities to be bought and sold, and the amount of securities to be
bought and sold. The Advisor will not hold full power of attorney, nor will the Advisor ever
have authority to withdraw funds or to take custody of investor funds or securities other than
the ability to deduct contractually agreed advisory fees via investor’s qualified custodian with
the client’s authorization. Investment Management clients may establish reasonable written
directives to invest in limited amounts of securities and/or refrain from investing in particular
industries.
ITEM 17: VOTING CLIENT SECURITIES (PROXIES)
As a matter of policy and practice, RWA will not vote proxies on behalf of clients. Clients will
retain voting authority and can expect to receive voting materials directly from their custodian.
The Advisor is available to assist clients with questions and concerns relating to proxies. The
Advisor does not engage in proxy-related discussions with non-clients and does not solicit
proxies
For any legacy clients who engaged RWA to vote proxies on their behalf, the Advisor
may be authorized by the client to vote proxies on behalf of managed accounts where it holds
discretionary authority as stated per the currently in effect client agreement. Joe Kovach votes
proxies on behalf of clients, under the supervision of the Advisor's chief compliance officer. In
connection with its voting services:
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It is the Advisor's policy to: 1) votes proxies in the best interests of clients, 2) disclose
information about its proxy voting policies and procedures, 3) disclose how clients may obtain
information regarding individual security proxy votes cast on their behalf, and 4) maintain
appropriate records relating to actual proxy voting.
The Advisor’s policies and procedures are reasonably designed to enable the Advisor to
ethically and effectively discharge its fiduciary obligation to vote all applicable proxies on behalf
of all discretionary client accounts and ensure compliance with all of the requirements. At least
annually, the Advisor's members and chief compliance officer will review, reaffirm and/or
amend guidelines, strategies, and proxy policies for all client accounts.
The Advisor will vote proxies in a manner deemed to be in the best economic interest of its
clients, as a whole, as shareholders and beneficiaries of those actions. Mr. Kovach
recognizes that each proxy vote must be evaluated on its own merits. Factors such as a
company’s organizational structure, executive and operational management, Board of
Directors structure, corporate culture and governance process, and the impact of economic,
environmental, and social implications remain key elements in all voting decisions. However,
in most cases, the Advisor will vote with management. If there were material disagreements
with management, the Advisor would not be likely to continue to recommend holding the
investment in client portfolios.
Exceptions: The Advisor's proxy policies will not be applied where the Advisor has further
delegated discretionary investment management and the authority to vote shares to a client's
properly appointed third-party manager, if applicable. In those situations, proxy votes cast by
the unaffiliated third-party manager may be governed by the manager's proxy voting policies
and procedures.
The Advisor may choose not to vote proxies in certain situations, or for certain accounts, such
as, but not limited to, when the cost of voting would exceed any anticipated benefit to the
respective client(s); when a proxy is received for a client account that has been terminated;
when a proxy is received for a security no longer managed; and/or when the exercise of voting
rights could restrict the ability of an account’s portfolio manager to freely trade the security in
question (for example, in certain foreign jurisdictions known as “blocking markets”).
Conflicts of Interest: Due to its diversified client base, the Advisor may determine a potential
conflict exists in connection with a proxy vote. The Advisors members and its chief compliance
officer will determine how to address the conflict and that may include voting strictly in
accordance with policy, and/or returning proxy voting authority to the client(s) involved.
Although the Advisor does its best to alleviate or diffuse known conflicts, there is no guarantee
that all situations have been or will be mitigated through proxy policy incorporation. Clients may
request to receive a copy of The Advisor’s proxy voting policies and procedures as well as
information concerning votes cast, by submitting a request to the Advisor's Chief Compliance
Officer at the address, email, or telephone number indicated on the cover page of this
Brochure.
The Advisor does not use a third-party proxy service provider and will maintain records relating
to how proxies were voted.
Deviations from these policies will result in a prompt amendment of this Form ADV 2A
Brochure and may require the Advisor to comply with SEC Proxy Registration Rules.
ITEM 18: FINANCIAL INFORMATION
A. BALANCE SHEET
The Advisor does not accept fees for services that involve $500 or more for services to be
performed six or more months in advance. The Advisor does not maintain custody of client
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funds and securities and therefore is not required to include a balance sheet with this
Brochure.
B. FINANCIAL CONDITIONS REASONABLY LIKELY TO IMPAIR THE ADVISER’S
ABILITY TO MEET CONTRACTUAL COMMITMENTS TO CLIENTS
Neither the Advisor nor its management have a financial condition that is reasonably likely to
impair the Advisor’s ability to meet contractual commitments to clients. In light of the recent
COVID-19 pandemic, as a precautionary measure, the entities that own the Advisor applied
for and received a potentially waivable Paycheck Protection Program loan. The decision to
apply for the PPP loan was based upon future uncertainty and volatility in the financial
markets. Further, consideration was given to the potential of long-term financial stress and the
potential for having to hire temporary professional staff in the event Rockport Wealth’s team
succumbed to COVID-19 or complications arising from the disease.
C. BANKRUPTCY PETITIONS IN PREVIOUS TEN YEARS
The Advisor, its owners and its investment adviser representatives have not been party to a
bankruptcy petition during the previous 10 years.
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PRIVACY POLICY
The Advisor is covered under the definition of a “financial institution” as defined by the Federal
Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (the “Act”). The Advisor is therefore subject to Act and the privacy
rules established by the SEC (Regulation S-P known as the “Privacy Rule”).
Privacy and the protection of nonpublic personal information is an issue that the staff of The
Advisor takes seriously. In compliance with privacy rules, The Advisor has adopted policies
and procedures reasonably designed to safeguard client and consumer records and
information.
In its role as Investment Advisor, the Advisor routinely collects nonpublic personal information
from clients and prospective clients. This information generally will include but is not limited to:
Information provided in applications, forms and other data provided to us either
verbally or in writing, and include but are not limited to your name, address,
phone number, account information, social security number, assets, employment,
income and debt, email address, etc.
Information about your transactions, accounts, trading activity and parties to
transactions; health and beneficiary information (such as may pertain to
investment planning issues)
Information from other outside sources and any other data that is deemed to be
nonpublic personal information as defined by the Act and state privacy rules.
The Advisor values our clients’ trust and confidence. We will never sell our client’s nonpublic
personal information. All information provided by clients or prospective clients to the Advisor,
(including the Advisor’s personnel), and information and advice furnished by the Advisor to
clients, shall be treated as confidential and shall not be disclosed to unaffiliated third parties,
except as directed by clients with written authorization, by application to facilitate the
investment advisory services offered by the Advisor via an unaffiliated financial services
provider (such as Betterment and the client’s custodial firm or an unaffiliated broker/dealer), or
as required by any rule, regulation, or law to which the Advisor or its staff may be subject.
The Advisor maintains client’s records in a controlled environment and records (electronic and
otherwise) are only available to authorized persons of the Advisor who have a need to access
client information in order to deliver advisory services, provide administrative support, or to
respond to client requests. The Advisor has made reasonable efforts and conducts periodic
tests to ensure that its electronic workstations are secure.
The Advisor’s position on protecting non-public personal information extends beyond the life of
the client agreement. Client information is retained in a protected manner for the time period
required by regulators (five years from the data of last use) and thereafter is safely destroyed
via electronic means or via in-house shredding.
Consumers (who are not clients) who provide information during an initial consultation or for
other purposes but do not go on to become clients of the Advisor also receive privacy
protection. Original information will be promptly returned in person. Alternatively, if nonpublic
personal information is contained in copies of documents, notes or some other media, this
information will be securely filed for a period of up to one year (depending upon likelihood of
engagement) before being shredded in-house.
Clients are encouraged to discuss any questions regarding The Advisor’s privacy policies and
procedures with Thomas V. David, Chief Compliance Officer.
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