Overview
- Headquarters
- Red Bank, NJ
- Average Client Assets
- $5.3 million
- SEC CRD Number
- 144116
Fee Structure
Primary Fee Schedule (STEMBROOK ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC ADV BROCHURE)
| Min | Max | Marginal Fee Rate |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $2,000,000 | 1.00% |
| $2,000,001 | $5,000,000 | 0.80% |
| $5,000,001 | and above | 0.50% |
Illustrative Fee Rates
| Total Assets | Annual Fees | Average Fee Rate |
|---|---|---|
| $1 million | $10,000 | 1.00% |
| $5 million | $44,000 | 0.88% |
| $10 million | $69,000 | 0.69% |
| $50 million | $269,000 | 0.54% |
| $100 million | $519,000 | 0.52% |
Clients
- HNW Share of Firm Assets
- 97.64%
- Total Client Accounts
- 153
- Discretionary Accounts
- 153
Services Offered
Services: Financial Planning, Portfolio Management for Individuals, Portfolio Management for Institutional Clients, Investment Advisor Selection
Regulatory Filings
Additional Brochure: STEMBROOK ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC ADV BROCHURE (2026-03-31)
View Document Text
Stembrook Asset Management, LLC
212 Maple Avenue, Suite 201
Red Bank, NJ 07701
Telephone: (201) 484-0063
Facsimile: (201) 484-0070
www.stembrook.com
March 31, 2026
FORM ADV PART 2A
BROCHURE
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Stembrook Asset
Management, LLC (the “Adviser” or “Stembrook”). If you have any questions about the contents of this
brochure, please contact us at (201) 484-0063 or via e-mail at thomas.kosinski@stembrook.com. The
information in this brochure has not been approved or verified by the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or by any state securities authority.
information about
the Adviser
is also available on
the SEC's website at
Additional
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. The searchable IARD/CRD number for the Adviser is 144116.
The Adviser is a registered investment adviser with the SEC. Registration with the SEC or any state
securities authority does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
1
Item 2 – Summary of Material Changes
Form ADV Part 2 requires registered investment advisers to amend their brochure when information
becomes materially inaccurate. If there are any material changes to an adviser's disclosure brochure,
the adviser is required to notify you and provide you with a description of the material changes.
Since the filing of our last annual updating amendment dated March 25, 2025, we no longer accept
authority to vote proxies (or to provide ongoing proxy voting services) for client securities. Accordingly,
we have instructed the custodians that maintain client accounts to deliver proxy materials directly to
clients, and clients are responsible for voting their own proxies.
Our current and future clients are encouraged to read this brochure, as well as all of the governing
documents applicable to their current or prospective investment, in their entirety.
2
Item 3 – Table of Contents
Item 2 – Summary of Material Changes ................................................................................ 2
Item 3 – Table of Contents .................................................................................................... 3
Item 4 – Advisory Business ................................................................................................... 4
Item 5 – Fees and Compensation .......................................................................................... 6
Item 6 – Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management ..................................... 8
Item 7 – Types of Clients ....................................................................................................... 8
Item 8 – Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss ................................ 9
Item 9 – Disciplinary Information ......................................................................................... 11
Item 10 – Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations ............................................... 12
Item 11 – Code of Ethics ..................................................................................................... 12
Item 12 – Brokerage Practices ............................................................................................ 13
Item 13 – Review of Accounts ............................................................................................. 17
Item 14 – Client Referrals and Other Compensation ........................................................... 17
Item 15 – Custody ................................................................................................................ 18
Item 16 – Investment Discretion .......................................................................................... 18
Item 17 – Voting Client Securities ........................................................................................ 18
Item 18 – Financial Information ........................................................................................... 18
Additional Information .......................................................................................................... 20
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Item 4 – Advisory Business
Description of Services and Fees
Stembrook Asset Management, LLC is a registered investment adviser primarily based in Red Bank,
New Jersey. We are organized as a limited liability company under the laws of the State of New Jersey.
We have been providing investment advisory services since 2007. Peter D. D'Agati, CFA, is our principal
owner. Currently, we offer the following investment advisory services, which are personalized to each
individual client:
• Portfolio Management Services
• Selection of Other Advisers
• Financial Planning and Consulting Services
The following paragraphs describe our services and fees. Please refer to the description of each
investment advisory service listed below for information on how we tailor our advisory services to your
individual needs. As used in this brochure, the words "we", "our" and "us" refer to Stembrook Asset
Management, LLC and the words "you", "your" and "client" refer to you as either a client or prospective
client of our firm. Also, you may see the term Associated Person throughout this brochure. As used in
this brochure, our Associated Persons are our firm's officers, employees, and all individuals providing
investment advice on behalf of our firm.
Portfolio Management Services
We provide discretionary portfolio management services where the investment advice provided is
custom tailored to meet your needs and investment objectives. Subject to any written guidelines which
you may provide, we will be granted discretion and authority to manage the account. Accordingly, we
are authorized to perform various functions, at your expense, without further approval from you. Such
functions include the determination of securities to be purchased/sold and the amount of securities to be
purchased/sold. Once the portfolio is constructed, we provide continuous supervision and rebalancing
of the portfolio as changes in market conditions and your circumstances may require.
If you participate in our discretionary portfolio management services, we require you to grant our firm
discretionary authority to manage your account. Discretionary authorization will allow our firm to
determine the specific securities, and the amount of securities, to be purchased or sold for your account
without your approval prior to each transaction. Discretionary authority is typically granted by the
investment advisory agreement you sign with our firm, a power of attorney, or trading authorization forms.
You may limit our discretionary authority (for example, limiting the types of securities that can be
purchased for your account) by providing our firm with your restrictions and guidelines in writing.
As part of our portfolio management services, we may use one or more sub-advisers to manage a portion
of your account on a discretionary basis. The sub-adviser(s) may use one or more of their model
portfolios to manage your account. We will regularly monitor the performance of your accounts managed
by sub-adviser(s), and may hire and fire any sub-adviser without your prior approval. Our ability to hire
and fire sub-advisers on your behalf is based on you granting our firm discretionary authority, which is
typically granted by the investment advisory agreement you sign with our firm, a power of attorney, or
trading authority forms. Fees charged by sub-advisors will be charged to your account.
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Financial Planning and Consulting Services
We engage in modular and consultative financial planning and consulting services. Such advice will
typically involve providing a variety of services, principally advisory in nature, to you regarding the
management of your financial resources based upon an analysis of your individual needs. Financial
plans will be limited to specific, targeted areas of concern such as retirement planning and educational
planning. The process typically begins with an initial consultation. During or after the initial consultation,
if you decide to engage us for financial planning or consulting services, pertinent information about your
personal and financial circumstances and objectives is collected. As required, we will conduct follow up
interviews for the purpose of reviewing and/or collecting financial data. Once such information has been
studied and analyzed, a written financial plan - designed to achieve your expressed financial goals and
objectives - will be produced and presented to you.
Financial plans are based on your financial situation at the time the plan is presented and on the financial
information disclosed by you to us. We make certain assumptions with respect to interest and inflation
rates and also consider past trends and performance of the market and economy. Past performance is
in no way an indication of future performance. We cannot offer any guarantees or promises that your
financial goals and objectives will be met. As your financial situation, goals, objectives, or needs change,
you must notify us promptly.
Types of Investments
We primarily offer advice on equity securities, municipal securities, investment company securities,
options contracts on securities and commodities, and interest in partnerships investing in real estate, oil
and gas interests, and others.
Additionally, we may advise you on any type of investment that we deem appropriate based on your
stated goals and objectives. We may also provide advice on any type of investment held in your portfolio
at the inception of our advisory relationship.
You may request that we refrain from investing in particular securities or certain types of securities. You
must provide these restrictions to our firm in writing.
Selection of Other Advisers
As part of our investment advisory services, we may recommend that you use the services of a third-
party investment adviser ("TPA") to manage your entire, or a portion of, your investment portfolio. After
gathering information about your financial situation and objectives, we will recommend that you engage
a specific TPA or investment program. Factors that we take into consideration when making our
recommendation(s) include, but are not limited to, the following: the TPA's performance, methods of
analysis, fees, your financial needs, investment goals, risk tolerance, and investment objectives. We will
periodically monitor the TPA(s)' performance to ensure its management and investment style remains
aligned with your investment goals and objectives. We do not pay referral fees or other compensation
to TPAs for client referrals, and TPAs do not pay us referral fees or other compensation for referring
clients to their services. Our TPA recommendations are based solely on the factors described above.
The TPA(s) will actively manage your portfolio and will assume discretionary investment authority over
your account. We will assume discretionary authority to hire and fire TPA(s) and/or reallocate your assets
to other TPA(s) where we deem such action appropriate.
IRA Rollover Recommendations
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Effective December 20, 2021 (or such later date as the US Department of Labor (“DOL”) Field Assistance
Bulletin 2018-02 ceases to be in effect), for purposes of complying with the DOL’s Prohibited Transaction
Exemption 2020-02 (“PTE 2020-02”) where applicable, we are providing the following acknowledgment
to you.
When we provide investment advice to you regarding your retirement plan account or individual
retirement account, we are fiduciaries within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable, which are laws governing retirement
accounts. The way we make money creates some conflicts with your interests, so we operate under a
special rule that requires us to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. Under
this special rule’s provisions, we must:
• Meet a professional standard of care when making investment recommendations (give prudent
advice);
• Never put our financial interests ahead of yours when making recommendations (give loyal
advice);
• Avoid misleading statements about conflicts of interest, fees, and investments;
• Follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that we give advice that is in your best
interest;
• Charge no more than is reasonable for our services; and
• Give you basic information about conflicts of interest.
We benefit financially from the rollover of your assets from a retirement account to an account that we
manage or provide investment advice, because the assets increase our assets under management and,
in turn, our advisory fees. As a fiduciary, we only recommend a rollover when we believe it is in your best
interest.
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2025, we provide continuous management services for $147,516,006 in client
assets, all of which are managed on a discretionary basis. We do not manage assets on a non-
discretionary basis.
Item 5 – Fees and Compensation
Portfolio Management Services
The annual fee for portfolio management services is billed quarterly in arrears based on the last business
day of the previous calendar quarter. Fees will be assessed pro rata in the event the portfolio
management agreement is executed at any time other than the first day of a calendar quarter. On an
annualized basis, our fees for portfolio management services, subject to negotiation, are based on the
following fee schedule:
Assets Under Management
First $2,000,000
Next $3,000,000
Over $5,000,000
Annualized Fee
1.00%
0.80%
0.50%
For all managed liquidity assets held at the request of the client, fees will be based on the following
percentages of account assets under management:
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Assets Under Management
All Managed Liquidity
Annualized Fee
0.25%
At our discretion, we may allow accounts of members of the same household to be aggregated for
purposes of determining the advisory fee. We may allow such aggregation, for example, where we
service accounts on behalf of your minor children, individual and joint accounts for a spouse, and other
types of related accounts. This consolidation practice is designed to allow you the benefit of an increased
asset total, which could potentially cause the accounts to be assessed a reduced advisory fee based on
the breakpoints available in our fee schedule as stated above.
We will either invoice you directly for payment of management fees or payment will be made by the
custodian holding your funds and securities as follows:
• We deliver quarterly fee invoices to you and your custodian by mail, email, or other agreed
means.
• Unless you instruct your custodian otherwise, your custodian is authorized to automatically
withdraw invoiced fees from your account without requiring separate written authorization for
each payment.
• You are responsible for verifying fee calculations and may dispute any amount by promptly
notifying us and your custodian in writing before withdrawal.
• Your custodian provides account statements at least quarterly, showing all disbursements
including advisory fees paid to us.
Selection of Other Advisers
Advisory fees charged by Third Party Investment Advisers ("TPA") are separate and apart from our
advisory fees. Assets managed by TPAs will be included in calculating our advisory fee, which is based
on the fee schedule set forth in the "Portfolio Management Services" section in this brochure. Advisory
fees that you pay to the TPA are established and payable in accordance with the brochure provided by
each TPA to whom you are referred. These fees may or may not be negotiable. You should review the
recommended TPA's brochure and take into consideration the TPA's fees along with our fees to
determine the total amount of fees associated with this program. Therefore, you will pay advisory fees
to both us and directly to the TPA, resulting in multiple layers of advisory fees. We do not charge
performance-based fees.
Our recommendations to use third party investment advisers are included in our portfolio management
fee. We do not charge you a separate fee for the selection of other advisers nor will we share in the
advisory fee you pay directly to the TPA. Advisory fees that you pay to the TPA are established and
payable in accordance with the Form ADV Part II or other equivalent disclosure document provided by
each TPA to whom you are referred. These fees may or may not be negotiable. You should review the
recommended TPA's brochure for information on its fees and services.
You will be required to sign an agreement directly with the recommended TPA(s). You may terminate
your advisory relationship with the TPA according to the terms of your agreement with the TPA. You
should review each TPA's brochure for specific information on how you may terminate your advisory
relationship with the TPA and how you may receive a refund, if applicable. You should contact the TPA
directly for questions regarding your advisory agreement with the TPA.
Financial Planning and Consulting Services
We charge a fixed fee for financial planning and consulting services which generally ranges between
$5,000 and $20,000 and is negotiable depending upon the complexity and scope of the plan, services,
7
your financial situation, and your objectives. An estimate of the total cost is determined at the start of the
advisory relationship. In some circumstances the cost/time could potentially exceed the initial estimate.
In such cases, we will notify you and may request that you approve the additional fee. A portion of the
estimated fee may be requested in advance, with the remainder due upon completion of services. The
amount and timing of any advance payment will be agreed upon based on the scope and estimated
timeline of services.
If this disclosure brochure is not delivered to you within 48 hours prior to you entering into the financial
planning agreement, you may terminate the agreement within five business days of the date of
acceptance without penalty. If you received the disclosure documents 48 hours in advance or if the five-
day grace period has expired, either party may terminate the agreement upon written notice to the other
party. In the event there are any prepaid unearned fees at the time of termination, we will promptly refund
a pro rata share to you. With respect to fixed fees, earned fees will be based on the number of hours
spent on the plan at the time of termination calculated at the current hourly rate. The amount of fee
collected exceeding the earned value will be considered unearned.
Additional Fees and Expenses
As part of our investment advisory services to you, we may invest, or recommend that you invest in
mutual funds and exchange traded funds. The fees that you pay to our firm for investment advisory
services are separate and distinct from the fees and expenses charged by mutual funds or exchange
traded funds (described in each fund's prospectus) to their shareholders. These fees will generally
include a management fee and other fund expenses. You will also incur transaction charges and/or
brokerage fees when purchasing or selling securities. These charges and fees are typically imposed by
the broker-dealer or custodian through whom your account transactions are executed. We do not share
in any portion of the brokerage fees/transaction charges imposed by the broker-dealer or custodian. To
fully understand the total cost you will incur, you should review all the fees charged by mutual funds,
exchange traded funds, our firm, and others. For information on our brokerage practices, please refer to
the "Brokerage Practices" section of this brochure.
Item 6 – Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
We do not accept performance-based fees or participate in side-by-side management. Side-by-side
management refers to the practice of managing accounts that are charged performance-based fees
while at the same time managing accounts that are not charged performance-based fees. Additionally,
we do not currently allocate client assets to TPAs that charge performance-based fees, nor do we
anticipate doing so in the future.
Performance-based fees are fees that are based on a share of capital gains or capital appreciation of a
client's account. Our fees are calculated as described in the Advisory Business section above, and are
not charged on the basis of a share of capital gains upon, or capital appreciation of, the funds in your
advisory account.
Item 7 – Types of Clients
We offer investment advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations,
corporations, and other business entities.
In general, we do not require a minimum dollar amount to open and maintain an advisory account.
8
Item 8 – Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Our Methods of Analysis and Investment Strategies
We may use one or more of the following methods of analysis or investment strategies when providing
investment advice to you:
• Fundamental Analysis - involves analyzing individual companies and their industry groups, such
as a company's financial statements, details regarding the company's product line, the
experience and expertise of the company's management, and the outlook for the company's
industry. The resulting data is used to measure the true value of the company's stock compared
to the current market value. The risk of fundamental analysis is that information obtained may be
incorrect and the analysis may not provide an accurate estimate of earnings, which may be the
basis for a stock's value. If securities prices adjust rapidly to new information, utilizing
fundamental analysis may not result in favorable performance.
• Technical Analysis - involves studying past price patterns and trends in the financial markets to
predict the direction of both the overall market and specific stocks. The risk of market timing
based on technical analysis is that this method may not accurately predict future price
movements. Current prices of securities may reflect all information known about the security and
day to day changes in market prices of securities may follow random patterns and may not be
predictable with any reliable degree of accuracy.
• Cyclical Analysis - a type of technical analysis that involves evaluating recurring price patterns
and trends. Economic/business cycles may not be predictable and may have many fluctuations
between long-term expansions and contractions. The lengths of economic cycles may be difficult
to predict with accuracy and therefore the risk of cyclical analysis is the difficulty in predicting
economic trends and consequently the changing value of securities that would be affected by
these changing trends.
• Long Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that the value of those
securities will grow over a relatively long period of time, generally greater than one year.
• Short Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that they will be sold within a
relatively short period of time, generally less than one year, to take advantage of the securities'
short-term price fluctuations. We may use short-term trading (in general, selling securities within
30 days of purchasing the same securities) as an investment strategy when managing your
account(s). Short-term trading is not a fundamental part of our overall investment strategy, but
we may use this strategy occasionally when we determine that it is suitable given your stated
investment objectives and tolerance for risk.
• Option Transactions - Options are complex securities that involve risks and are not suitable for
everyone. Option trading can be speculative in nature and carry substantial risk of loss. It is
generally recommended that you only invest in options with risk capital. An option is a
contract that gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset at
a specific price on or before a certain date (the "expiration date"). The two types of options are
calls and puts:
A call gives the holder the right to buy an asset at a certain price within a specific period of time. Calls
are similar to having a long position on a stock. Buyers of calls hope that the price of the stock will
increase substantially before the option expires.
9
A put gives the holder the right to sell an asset at a certain price within a specific period of time. Puts are
very similar to having a short position on a stock. Buyers of puts hope that the price of the stock will fall
before the option expires.
Risks that are not specific to options trading include: market risk, sector risk and individual stock risk.
Option trading risks are closely related to stock risks as stock options are a derivative of stocks.
Our investment strategies and advice may vary depending upon each client's specific financial situation.
As such, we determine investments and allocations based upon your predefined objectives, risk
tolerance, time horizon, financial horizon, financial information, liquidity needs, and other various
suitability factors. Your restrictions and guidelines may affect the composition of your portfolio.
TPAs and sub-advisers are reviewed for their overall quality as well as their appropriateness in light of
your objectives. Factors such as manager experience, philosophy and process and historical
performance are considered in the research process.
Our strategies and investments may have unique and significant tax implications. However, unless we
specifically agree otherwise, and in writing, tax efficiency, while a factor, 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.
Custodians and broker dealers must report the cost basis of equities acquired in client accounts. We will
instruct your custodian to default to the Tax Lot Optimizer™ accounting method for calculating the cost
basis of your investments. You are responsible for contacting your tax advisor to determine if this
accounting method is the right choice for you. If your tax advisor believes another accounting method is
more advantageous, provide written notice to our firm immediately and we will alert your account
custodian of your individually selected accounting method. Decisions about cost basis accounting
methods will need to be made before trades settle, as the cost basis method cannot be changed after
settlement.
Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves risk of loss that you should be prepared to bear. We do not represent or
guarantee that our services or methods of analysis can or will predict future results, successfully identify
market tops or bottoms, or insulate clients from losses due to market corrections or declines. We cannot
offer any guarantees or promises that your financial goals and objectives will be met. Past performance
is in no way an indication of future performance.
Recommendation of Particular Types of Securities
As disclosed in Item 4 – Advisory Business, we primarily recommend equity securities, municipal
securities, investment company securities, options contracts on securities and commodities, and interest
in partnerships investing in real estate, oil and gas interests, and others. However, we may recommend
other types of investments as appropriate for you since each client has different needs and different
tolerance for risk. Each type of security has its own unique set of risks associated with it and it would not
be possible to list here all of the specific risks of every type of investment. Even within the same type of
investment, risks can vary widely. However, in very general terms, the higher the anticipated return of
an investment, the higher the risk of loss associated with it. We have included risks for
cryptocurrency/digital assets below as this is a new type of investment utilized by the Advisors and
warrants a more detailed explanation.
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ledger or blockchain
technology,
investment may be
Digital Assets: Digital Assets generally refers to an asset that is issued and/or transferred using
including, “virtual currencies” (also known as
distributed
cryptocurrencies), “coins”, and “tokens”. We may invest client accounts in and/or advise clients on the
purchase or sale of digital assets. This advice or
in actual digital
coins/tokens/currencies or via investment vehicles such as exchange traded funds (ETFs) or separately
managed accounts (SMAs). The investment characteristics of Digital Assets generally differ from those
of traditional securities or currencies. Digital Assets are not backed by a central bank or a national, or an
international organization, any hard assets, human capital, or other form of credit and are relatively new
to the marketplace. Rather, Digital Assets are market-based: a Digital Asset’s value is determined by
(and fluctuates often, according to) supply and demand factors, its adoption in the traditional commerce
channels, and/or the value that various market participants place on it through their mutual agreement
or transactions. The lack of history to these types of investments entail certain unknown risks. They
should be considered as very speculative and not appropriate for all investors.
• Price Volatility of Digital Assets Risk: A principal risk in trading Digital Assets is the rapid
fluctuation of market price. The value of client portfolios relates in part to the value of the Digital
Assets held in the client portfolio and fluctuations in the price of Digital Assets could adversely
affect the value of a client’s portfolio. There is no guarantee that a client will be able to achieve a
better than average market price for Digital Assets or will purchase Digital Assets at the most
favorable price available. The price of Digital Assets achieved by a client may be affected
generally by a wide variety of complex factors such as supply and demand; availability and
access to Digital Asset service providers (such as payment processors), exchanges, miners or
other Digital Asset users and market participants; perceived or actual security vulnerability; and
traditional risk factors including inflation levels; fiscal policy; interest rates; and political, natural
and economic events.
• Digital Asset Service Providers Risk: Service providers that support Digital Assets and the Digital
Asset marketplace(s) may not be subject to the same regulatory and professional oversight as
traditional securities service providers. Further, there is no assurance that the availability of and
access to virtual currency service providers will not be negatively affected by government
regulation or supply and demand of Digital Assets. Accordingly, companies or financial
institutions that currently support virtual currency may not do so in the future.
• Custody of Digital Assets Risk: Under the Advisers Act, SEC registered investment advisers are
required to hold securities with “qualified custodians,” among other requirements. Certain Digital
Assets may be deemed to be securities. Many Digital Assets do not currently fall under the SEC
definition of security and therefore many of the companies providing Digital Assets custodial
services fall outside of the SEC’s definition of “qualified custodian”. Accordingly, clients seeking
to purchase actual digital coins/tokens/currencies may need to use non-qualified custodians to
hold all or a portion of their Digital Assets.
• Government Oversight of Digital Assets Risk: Regulatory agencies and/or the constructs
responsible for oversight of Digital Assets or a Digital Asset network may not be fully developed
and subject to change. Regulators may adopt laws, regulations, policies or rules directly or
indirectly affecting Digital Assets and their treatment, transacting, custody, and valuation.
Item 9 – Disciplinary Information
Neither our firm nor any of our Associated Persons has any reportable disciplinary information.
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Item 10 – Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
We have not provided information on other financial industry activities and affiliations because we do not
have any relationship or arrangement that is material to our advisory business or to our clients with any
of the types of entities listed below.
1. broker-dealer, municipal securities dealer, or government securities dealer or broker
2. 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)
3. other investment adviser or financial planner
4. futures commission merchant, commodity pool operator, or commodity trading advisor
5. banking or thrift institution
6. accountant or accounting firm
7. lawyer or law firm
8. insurance company or agency
9. pension consultant
10. real estate broker or dealer
11. sponsor or syndicator of limited partnership
Recommendation of Other Advisers
We may recommend that you use a TPA based on your needs and suitability. We will not receive
compensation from the TPA for recommending that you use their services. We do not pay referral fees
or other compensation to TPAs for client referrals, and TPAs do not pay us referral fees or other
compensation for referring clients to their services. Our TPA recommendations are based on the factors
described above in Item 4 – Advisory Business.
Item 11 – Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
and Personal Trading
Description of Our Code of Ethics
We strive to comply with applicable laws and regulations governing our practices. Therefore, our Code
of Ethics includes guidelines for professional standards of conduct for our Associated Persons. Our goal
is to protect your interests at all times and to demonstrate our commitment to our fiduciary duties of
honesty, good faith, and fair dealing with you. All of our Associated Persons are expected to adhere
strictly to these guidelines. Our Code of Ethics also requires that certain persons associated with our
firm submit reports of their personal account holdings and transactions to a qualified representative of
our firm who will review these reports on a periodic basis. Persons associated with our firm are also
required to report any violations of our Code of Ethics. Additionally, we maintain and enforce written
policies reasonably designed to prevent the misuse or dissemination of material, non-public information
about you or your account holdings by persons associated with our firm.
Clients or prospective clients may obtain a copy of our Code of Ethics by contacting us at the telephone
number on the cover page of this brochure.
Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
Neither our firm nor any of our Associated Persons has any material financial interest in client
transactions beyond the provision of investment advisory services as disclosed in this brochure.
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Personal Trading Practices
Our firm or persons associated with our firm may buy or sell the same securities that we recommend to
you or securities in which you are already invested. A potential conflict of interest exists in such cases
because we have the ability to trade ahead of you and potentially receive more favorable prices than
you will receive. To eliminate this conflict of interest, it is our policy that neither our Associated Persons
nor we shall have priority over your account in the purchase or sale of securities.
Additionally, no Associated Person may place an order for the purchase, sale or short sale of a reportable
security in a personal account without pre-trade clearance approval.
For the avoidance of doubt, pre-clearance shall not be required where an Associated Person’s personal
brokerage account participates in a block or aggregated trade that is placed by the Company for one or
more client accounts, provided that (i) the allocation to the personal account is determined
contemporaneously with allocations to client accounts and on a fair and equitable basis, and pursuant
to the Company’s trade aggregation and allocation procedures and (ii) appropriate records of the
transaction and allocation are maintained in the Company’s books and records. All such transactions
remain subject to post-trade reporting and the other requirements of this Code of Ethics.
Item 12 – Brokerage Practices
We recommend the brokerage and custodial services of Charles Schwab (whether one or more, a
"Custodian"). Your assets must be maintained in an account at a “qualified custodian,” generally a
broker-dealer or bank. In recognition of the value of the services the Custodian provides, you may pay
higher commissions and/or trading costs than those that may be available elsewhere.
Our selection of a Custodian is based on many factors, including the level of services provided, the
Custodian’s financial stability, and the cost of services provided by the Custodian to our clients, which
includes the yield on cash sweep choices, commissions, custody fees and other fees or expenses.
We seek to recommend a custodian/broker that will hold your assets and execute transactions on terms
that are, overall, the most favorable compared to other available providers and their services. We
consider various factors, including:
• Capability to buy and sell securities for your account itself or to facilitate such services.
• The likelihood that your trades will be executed.
• Availability of investment research and tools.
• Overall quality of services.
• Competitiveness of price.
• Reputation, financial strength, and stability.
• Existing relationship with our firm and our other clients.
Research and Other Soft Dollar Benefits
We receive research and other products or services from broker-dealers in connection with client
securities transactions ("soft dollar benefits"). These arrangements are structured to comply with Section
28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which provides a safe harbor for investment advisers to
use client commissions to obtain research and brokerage services that provide lawful and appropriate
assistance in the performance of investment decision-making responsibilities.
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The research and services we may receive include market research, economic surveys, software and
other technology that provide analyses of securities portfolios, risk measurement technology, and other
research services that assist us in making investment decisions for our clients.
Economic Benefits
You should be aware that we have an incentive to select broker-dealers based on our interest in receiving
research or other products and services, rather than on our clients' interest in obtaining the most
favorable execution. When we use client brokerage commissions to obtain soft dollar benefits, we may
pay higher commissions than might otherwise be available from other broker-dealers that do not provide
such research and services.
We believe that the research and services we receive assist us in providing investment advice to our
clients and that all clients benefit from such research, even if not all clients' transactions directly generate
the commissions that pay for the research.
The custodian and brokers we use
We do not maintain custody of your assets that we manage, although we may be deemed to have
custody of your assets if you give us authority to withdraw assets from your account (see Item 15—
Custody, below). Your assets must be maintained in an account at a “qualified custodian,” generally a
broker-dealer or bank. We recommend that our clients use Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Schwab), a
registered broker- dealer, member SIPC, as the qualified custodian.
We are independently owned and operated and are not affiliated with Schwab. Schwab will hold your
assets in a brokerage account and buy and sell securities when we instruct them to. While we
recommend that you use Schwab as custodian/broker, you will decide whether to do so and will open
your account with Schwab by entering into an account agreement directly with them. Conflicts of interest
associated with this arrangement are described below as well as in Item 14 (Client referrals and other
compensation). You should consider these conflicts of interest when selecting your custodian.
How we select brokers/custodians
We recommend a custodian/broker that will hold your assets and execute transactions. When
considering whether the terms that Schwab provides are, overall, most advantageous to you when
compared with other available providers and their services, we consider a wide range of factors,
including:
• Combination of transaction execution services and asset custody services (generally
without a separate fee for custody)
• Capability to execute, clear, and settle trades (buy and sell securities for your account)
• Capability to facilitate transfers and payments to and from accounts (wire transfers, check
requests, bill payment, etc.)
• Breadth of available investment products (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, etc.)
• Availability of investment research and tools that assist us in making investment decisions
• Quality of services
• Competitiveness of the price of those services (commission rates, margin interest rates,
other fees, etc.) and willingness to negotiate the prices
• Reputation, financial strength, security, and stability
• Prior service to us and our clients
• Availability of other products and services that benefit us, as discussed below (see
“Products and services available to us from Schwab”)
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Your Custody and Brokerage Costs
For our clients’ accounts that Schwab maintains, Schwab generally does not charge you separately for
custody services but is compensated by charging you commissions or other fees on trades that it
executes or that settle into your Schwab account. Certain trades (for example, many mutual funds and
ETFs) may not incur Schwab commissions or transaction fees. Schwab is also compensated by earning
interest on the uninvested cash in your account in Schwab’s Cash Features Program. Schwab charges
you a flat dollar amount as a “prime broker” or “trade away” fee for each trade that we have executed by
a different broker-dealer but where the securities bought or the funds from the securities sold are
deposited (settled) into your Schwab account. These fees are in addition to the commissions or other
compensation you pay the executing broker-dealer. Because of this, in order to minimize your trading
costs, we have Schwab execute most trades for your account.
We are not required to select the broker or dealer that charges the lowest transaction cost, even if that
broker provides execution quality comparable to other brokers or dealers.
Although we are not required to execute all trades through Schwab, we have determined that having
Schwab execute most trades is consistent with our duty to seek “best execution” of your trades. Best
execution means the most favorable terms for a transaction based on all relevant factors, including those
listed above (see “How we select brokers/custodians”). By using another broker or dealer you may pay
lower transaction costs.
Products and services available to us from Schwab
Schwab Advisor Services™ is Schwab’s business serving independent investment advisory firms like
us. They provide us and our clients with access to their institutional brokerage services (trading, custody,
reporting, and related services), many of which are not typically available to Schwab retail customers.
However, certain retail investors may be able to get institutional brokerage services from Schwab without
going through us.
Schwab also makes available various support services. Some of those services help us manage or
administer our clients’ accounts, while others help us manage and grow our business. Schwab’s support
services are generally available on an unsolicited basis (we don’t have to request them) and at no charge
to us. Following is a more detailed description of Schwab’s support services:
Services that benefit you. Schwab’s institutional brokerage services include access to a broad range
of investment products, execution of securities transactions, and custody of client assets.
The investment products available through Schwab include some to which we might not otherwise have
access or that would require a significantly higher minimum initial investment by our clients. Schwab’s
services described in this paragraph generally benefit you and your account.
Services that do not directly benefit you. Schwab also makes available to us other products and
services that benefit us but do not directly benefit you or your account. These products and services
assist us in managing and administering our clients’ accounts and operating our firm. They include
investment research, both Schwab’s own and that of third parties. We use this research to service all or
a substantial number of our clients’ accounts, including accounts not maintained at Schwab. In addition
to investment research, Schwab also makes available software and other technology that:
• Provide access to client account data (such as duplicate trade confirmations and account
statements)
• Facilitate trade execution and allocate aggregated trade orders for multiple client accounts
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• Provide pricing and other market data
• Facilitate payment of our fees from our clients’ accounts
• Assist with back-office functions, recordkeeping, and client reporting
Services that generally benefit only us. Schwab also offers other services intended to help us manage
and further develop our business enterprise. These services include:
• Educational conferences and events
• Consulting on technology and business needs
• Consulting on legal and related compliance needs
• Publications and conferences on practice management and business succession
• Access to employee benefits providers, human capital consultants, and insurance providers
• Marketing consulting and support
Schwab provides some of these services itself. In other cases, it will arrange for third-party vendors to
provide the services to us. Schwab also discounts or waives its fees for some of these services or pays
all or a part of a third party’s fees. Schwab also provides us with other benefits, such as occasional
business entertainment of our personnel. If you did not maintain your account with Schwab, we would
be required to pay for these services from our own resources.
The availability of these services from Schwab benefits us because we do not have to produce or
purchase them. We don’t have to pay for Schwab’s services. These services are not contingent upon us
committing any specific amount of business to Schwab in trading commissions or assets in custody. The
fact that we receive these benefits from Schwab is an incentive for us to recommend the use of Schwab
rather than making such a decision based exclusively on your interest in receiving the best value in
custody services and the most favorable execution of your transactions. This is a conflict of interest. We
believe, however, that taken in the aggregate, our recommendation of Schwab as custodian and broker
is in the best interests of our clients. Our selection is primarily supported by the scope, quality, and price
of Schwab’s services (see “How we select brokers/ custodians”) and not Schwab’s services that benefit
only us.
Brokerage for Client Referrals
We do not receive client referrals from broker-dealers in exchange for cash or other compensation, such
as brokerage services or research.
Directed Brokerage
We routinely recommend that you direct our firm to execute transactions through one of the broker-
dealers with whom we have a relationship. As such, we may be unable to achieve the most favorable
execution of your transactions and you may pay higher brokerage commissions than you might otherwise
pay through another broker-dealer that offers the same types of services. Not all advisers require their
clients to direct brokerage.
In limited circumstances, and at our discretion, some clients may instruct our firm to use one or more
particular brokers for the transactions in their accounts. If you choose to direct our firm to use a particular
broker, you should understand that this might prevent us from effectively negotiating brokerage
commissions on your behalf. This practice may also prevent our firm from obtaining favorable net price
and execution. Thus, when directing brokerage business, you should consider whether the commission
expenses, execution, clearance, and settlement capabilities that you will obtain through your broker are
adequately favorable in comparison to those that we would otherwise obtain for you.
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Held Away Accounts
We may use Pontera, a third-party service provider, for accounts not directly held with our recommended
custodian. In such cases, will leverage Pontera's platform to directly manage 401(k) accounts, 403(b)
accounts, 529 plans, and other accounts not held with our recommended custodian. We do not have
access to client credentials, client assets, or the ability to withdraw/transfer funds and therefore we do
not have custody. We will periodically review these accounts and make changes on behalf of our clients
in accordance with our investment policy statement. We will provide our clients with reporting on these
accounts on a quarterly basis. The client does not pay an additional fee for Pontera. Fees will be based
upon your negotiated fee in accordance to our portfolio management fee schedule and your
Agreement. Refer to Item 5 - Fees and Compensation, Item 13- Review of Accounts and Item 15-
Custody for further information.
Block Trades
Transactions for each client generally will be effected independently, unless we decide to purchase or
sell the same securities for several clients at approximately the same time. We may, but are not obligated
to, combine multiple orders for shares of the same securities purchased for advisory accounts we
manage (this practice is commonly referred to as "block trading"). We will then distribute a portion of the
shares to participating accounts in a fair and equitable manner. The distribution of the shares purchased
is typically proportionate to the size of the account, but it is not based on account performance or the
amount or structure of management fees. Subject to our discretion regarding factual and market
conditions, when we combine orders, each participating account pays an average price per share for all
transactions and pays a proportionate share of all transaction costs on any given day. Accounts owned
by our firm or persons associated with our firm may participate in block trading with your accounts;
however, they will not be given preferential treatment.
Item 13 – Review of Accounts
The Stembrook team will monitor your accounts on a continuous basis and will conduct account
reviews at least annually to ensure the advisory services provided to you and/or that the portfolio mix
are consistent with your stated investment needs and objectives. Additional reviews may be conducted
based on various circumstances, including, but not limited to:
• contributions and withdrawals,
• year-end tax planning,
• market moving events,
• security specific events, and/or,
• changes in your risk/return objectives.
The Firm will provide Clients with periodic performance reports. Clients will also receive statements
directly from their account custodian(s) on a quarterly basis.
Item 14 – Client Referrals and Other Compensation
We receive an economic benefit from Schwab 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
Schwab. We benefit from the products and services provided because the cost of these services would
otherwise be borne directly by us, and this creates a conflict. You should consider these conflicts of
interest when selecting a custodian. These products and services, how they benefit us, and the related
conflicts of interest are described above (see Item 12 – Brokerage Practices).
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We currently do not compensate any person who is not our supervised person (including non-employee
consultants, individuals, or entities) for client referrals. We currently do not have any referral-fee, solicitor,
or promoter arrangements.
Item 15 – Custody
As paying agent for our firm, your independent custodian will directly debit your account(s) for the
payment of our advisory fees. This ability to deduct our advisory fees from your accounts causes our
firm to exercise limited custody over your funds or securities. We do not have physical custody of any of
your funds and/or securities. Your funds and securities will be held with a bank, broker-dealer, or other
independent, qualified custodian. You will receive account statements from the independent, qualified
custodian(s) holding your funds and securities at least quarterly. The account statements from your
custodian(s) will indicate the amount of our advisory fees deducted from your account(s) each billing
period. You should carefully review account statements for accuracy. We will also provide statements to
you reflecting the amount of advisory fee deducted from your account.
You should compare our statements with the statements from your account custodian(s) to reconcile the
information reflected on each statement. If you have a question regarding your account statement, or if
you did not receive a statement from your custodian, please contact us directly at the telephone number
on the cover page of this brochure.
Item 16 – Investment Discretion
Before we can buy or sell securities on your behalf, you must first sign our discretionary management
agreement, a power of attorney, and/or trading authorization forms.
You may grant our firm discretion over the selection and amount of securities to be purchased or sold
for your account(s) without obtaining your consent or approval prior to each transaction. You may specify
investment objectives, guidelines, and/or impose certain conditions or investment parameters for your
account(s). For example, you may specify that the investment in any particular stock or industry should
not exceed specified percentages of the value of the portfolio and/or restrictions or prohibitions of
transactions in the securities of a specific industry or security. Please refer to Item 3 – Advisory Business
for more information on our discretionary management services.
Item 17 – Voting Client Securities
We do not have, nor will we accept, authority to vote client securities. You retain the responsibility for
receiving and voting proxies for any and all securities maintained in your portfolio. We have instructed
the qualified custodian to forward all proxy materials directly to you. We do not provide proxy voting
services or recommendations regarding proxy voting matters.
For additional information about the Adviser’s proxy voting policies and procedures, please contact
Thomas Kosinski, Chief Compliance Officer, at (201) 484-0063 or thomas.kosinski@stembrook.com.
Item 18 – Financial Information
We are not required to provide financial information to our clients because we do not:
• require the prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees and six or more months in advance, or
• take custody of client funds or securities, or
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• have a financial condition that is reasonably likely to impair our ability to meet our commitments
to you.
Moreover, we have never been the subject of a bankruptcy petition.
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Additional Information
Your Privacy
We view protecting your private information as a top priority. Pursuant to applicable privacy
requirements, we have instituted policies and procedures to ensure that we keep your personal
information private and secure.
We do not disclose any nonpublic personal information about you to any nonaffiliated third parties, except
as permitted by law. In the course of servicing your account, we may share some information with our
service providers, such as transfer agents, custodians, broker-dealers, accountants, consultants, and
attorneys.
We restrict internal access to nonpublic personal information about you to employees who need that
information in order to provide products or services to you. We maintain physical and procedural
safeguards that comply with regulatory standards to guard your nonpublic personal information and to
ensure our integrity and confidentiality. We will not sell information about you or your accounts to anyone.
We do not share your information unless it is required to process a transaction, at your request, or
required by law.
You will receive a copy of our privacy notice prior to or at the time you sign an advisory agreement with
our firm. Thereafter, we will deliver a copy of the current privacy policy notice to you on an annual basis.
Please contact our main office at the telephone number on the cover page of this brochure if you have
any questions regarding this policy.
Trade Errors
In the event a trading error occurs in your account, our policy is to restore your account to the position it
should have been in had the trading error not occurred. Depending on the circumstances, corrective
actions may include canceling the trade, adjusting an allocation, and/or reimbursing the account. If a
trade error results in a profit, you will keep the profit.
Class Action Lawsuits
We do not determine if securities held by you are the subject of a class action lawsuit or whether you
are eligible to participate in class action settlements or litigation nor do we initiate or participate in
litigation to recover damages on your behalf for injuries as a result of actions, misconduct, or negligence
by issuers of securities held by you.
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