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Item 1 – Cover Page
Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors Inc.
4900 N Scottsdale Road, Suite 2600
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 890
8088
www.stokerostler.com
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Adviser Brochure (Part 2A of Form ADV)
October 20, 2025
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Stoker
Ostler Wealth Advisors Inc. If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure,
please call us at (480) 890
8088.
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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.
Additional information about Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors Inc. is also available on the SEC’s
website at http://www.adviserinfo.sec.gov/. Our CRD number is 111320.
Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors Inc. is a registered investment adviser. Registration of an adviser
with the SEC does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors Inc.
Form ADV, Part 2A
Item 2 – Material Changes
There have been no material changes to our brochure since our last update dated
September 23, 2025.
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Item 3 – Table of Contents
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Item 1 – Cover Page....................................................................................................... 1
Material Changes ……………………………………………………………………………………….…… 2
Item 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 ................................................................................................ 9
Item 8 – Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss .......................... 10
Item 9 – Disciplinary Information ................................................................................. 15
Item 10 – Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations ........................................ 16
Item 11 – Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal
Trading................................................................................................................. 17
Item 12 – Brokerage Practices ..................................................................................... 19
Item 13 – Review of Accounts ...................................................................................... 21
Item 14 – Client Referrals and Other Compensation ..................................................... 22
Item 15 – Custody ....................................................................................................... 24
Item 16 – Investment Discretion .................................................................................. 25
Item 17 – Voting Client Securities ................................................................................ 26
Item 18 – Financial Information ................................................................................... 27
Additional Information ................................................................................................ 28
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Item 4 – Advisory Business
owned subsidiary of BMO Financial Corp., a wholly
owned
Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors, Inc. (referred to as “Stoker Ostler,” “our,” “us,” “we”) was
formed as Private Wealth Management Inc., in June 1997. Our principal place of business is in
Scottsdale, Arizona. We are a wholly
subsidiary of Bank of Montreal (“BMO”).
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We operate under our legal name, Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors, Inc., as well as under the
brand name “BMO Wealth Management” and “BMO Private Wealth.” This brand is discussed
more fully in Item 10 “Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations.”
We offer investment management, financial planning, and consulting services to high net- worth
individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and other entities.
Investment Management
We provide discretionary and non-discretionary investment management services based on the
individual needs of our clients. We develop a personalized Investment Policy Statement (“IPS”)
based on data that we gather through personal discussions with our clients. During these
discussions, we determine clients’ individual goals and objectives, investment time horizon, risk
tolerance, asset allocation targets, investment guidelines, and liquidity needs. Clients can also
impose reasonable restrictions for investing in certain securities or types of securities. We then
build a customized and diversified portfolio that meets the parameters outlined in the IPS.
We generally recommend that clients allocate investments among various asset classes. Asset
classes include fixed income, domestic and international equities, real estate investment trusts,
and alternative investments. Within these asset classes, we generally recommend that clients
allocate investments among various issuers and types of issuers.
Client funds are deposited with a custodian. Depending on the breadth of our investment
management authority, we select investment funds and purchase and sell securities.
When we provide investment advice to clients regarding client retirement plan accounts or
individual retirement accounts (IRAs or Roth IRAs), 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 clients’ interests, so we operate under a special rule that requires us to act
in clients’ best interest and not put our interests ahead of clients’ interests.
Financial Planning and Consulting
We also provide financial planning and consulting services to clients. We gather information
about clients’ current financial status and tax status, future goals, return objectives, and risk
tolerance. We carefully review documents supplied by clients, and prepare financial reports
designed to help clients achieve their financial goals and objectives. When requested we can
recommend the services of other professionals, such as attorneys or accountants. Our clients
retain discretion over any implementation decisions and are free to accept or reject any of our
recommendations.
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Wrap Fee Disclosure
Stoker Ostler does not participate in or sponsor any wrap fee programs.
Assets under Management
As of December 31, 2024, we had approximately $2.99 billion of discretionary assets under
management and approximately $105.5 million of non
discretionary assets under management.
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Item 5 – Fees and Compensation
Investment Management
Our standard fees are based on a specified annual percentage rate of the client’s assets under
management. Our standard fees are listed below. However, our fees are negotiable and will
vary. Further, previous fee schedules are still in effect for some clients. These previous fee
schedules include fees that are higher and lower than the current fee schedule.
Current fee schedule (billable on total assets under management):
1% on the first $3 million
0.85% on the next $2 million
0.65% on the next $5 million
0.55% on assets above $10 million
Each agreement for investment advisory services contains the effective fee schedule. Our fees
are prorated and paid monthly, in arrears, and are based on the market value of the assets on
the last business day of the previous month. After fees are calculated, they are rounded to the
nearest dollar. Negative cash balances (margin) will not be deducted from the value of clients’
billable assets and therefore included in the calculation of the advisory fee paid to us. Most
commonly, fees are debited directly from the client’s account. However, with special approval,
the clients are invoiced directly. A client agreement can be terminated by either party for any
reason by written notice. If a client terminates their client agreement, the client is still obligated
to pay advisory fees prorated through the date of termination.
Financial Planning and Consulting
For clients receiving investment management services, most ongoing financial planning and
consulting services are included in the investment management fees. However, we will charge
investment management clients for extraordinary financial planning or consulting services in
certain circumstances. We will provide written notice to the client in these situations. We
typically charge hourly fees to non-investment management clients for financial planning and
consulting services and to investment management clients for extraordinary financial planning
and consulting services. Fees charged will depend on the level and scope of the services
required and the professionals rendering these services. Hourly fees will generally range from
$250 to $400 per hour plus any expenses incurred. We bill hourly fees monthly in arrears. If the
circumstances warrant, we charge a fixed fee for financial planning and consulting services.
lot differentials, transfer taxes, wire transfer and
fund level charges, odd
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Other Fees
Clients will incur charges from custodians, broker-dealers, and other third parties including
custodial fees, mutual
electronic funds fees, and other fees and taxes on brokerage accounts and securities
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transactions. Mutual funds, closed-end funds, and exchange-traded funds also charge internal
management fees, which are disclosed in each fund’s prospectus. Such charges, fees, and
commissions are exclusive of and in addition to our fees. We do not receive any portion of
these charges, fees, or commissions.
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We select and recommend mutual fund share classes that are available to the client and in the
client’s best interest. In most cases, this means the lowest expense share class in which the
client qualifies to invest.
We can negotiate with the fund to gain access to lower fee share classes for the benefit of
clients. For example, for clients that would normally only have access to investor share classes
with higher fees, we attempt to negotiate access to institutional share classes (or equivalents)
that have a lower expense ratio. However, we are not always successful in negotiating
institutional share class access for all our clients.
Access to institutional or equivalent share classes are not available to all clients. Client access
will be limited to investor or higher fee classes if the client cannot meet the minimum fund
investment level for a lower fee share class, the lower fee share class is not available on the
client’s investment platform, or if there are other requirements of the specific share class that
the client does not meet. We will still recommend an investment in such a fund if the available
share class is in the client’s best interest. In making this determination, we will consider, among
other things, whether the investment is not available in an institutional share class or other no
load option, offers the best fee for clients in situations where an institutional share class is not
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available, and charges fees that are reasonable given the fund’s strategy and other factors.
Please refer to Item 12—Brokerage Practices which further describes the factors that we
consider in selecting or recommending custodians or broker
dealers for client transactions.
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Item 6 – Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
based fees (fees based on a share of capital gains on, or
We do not charge any performance
capital appreciation of, the client’s assets).
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Item 7 – Types of Clients
We provide investment management services to the following types of clients:
charitable organizations
• high net-worth individuals
•
trusts
• estates
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• other entities
Our account minimum is typically $500,000. However, we can choose to reduce the account
minimum based on certain criteria. These criteria include anticipated future earnings capacity,
anticipated future additional assets, assets to be managed, related accounts, account
composition, and negotiations with clients.
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Item 8 – Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves risk of loss that clients should be prepared to bear. Investment
products are not insured by the FDIC, have no bank guarantee, and may lose value. We make
no guarantee or representation of performance. Past performance is not indicative of future
results.
Methods of Analysis
We meet with each client to determine their unique portfolio objectives and wealth
management needs. Through this process, we work with the client to develop an appropriate
ratio of investments by asset class suitable to the client’s investment goals and risk tolerance.
Currently, we allocate client investment assets primarily among individual securities. We
maintain working lists of securities that we select for use in client portfolios, and we conduct
and document investment due diligence on the working lists. Reviews of securities included on
the working lists include both qualitative and quantitative factors. We also utilize working lists
or other research provided by several of our affiliates to identify securities that we are allowed
to recommend to our clients. We review the securities on these working lists to identify and
avoid any securities that pose potential conflicts of interest. We also perform investment due
diligence on these securities before approving them for potential recommendation to our
clients, which likely include consideration of research and other information provided by our
affiliates.
Our securities analysis methods rely on the assumption that the issuers of the securities we
recommend, the rating agencies that review these securities, and other publicly available
sources of information about these securities are providing accurate and unbiased data. While
we are alert to any indications that data could be incorrect, there is always a risk that our
analysis could be compromised by inaccurate or misleading information.
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We attempt to offset this risk by reviewing and rebalancing each client’s portfolio as outlined in
moving nature of the markets, unanticipated new risks
the IPS. Because of the dynamic and fast
can arise at any time. Maintaining a highly diversified investment portfolio helps to offset these
types of risks but cannot eliminate them altogether.
Individual Securities:
While we do not focus primarily on individual securities, we do recommend and purchase
individual securities, both equities and fixed income, to achieve optimal asset allocation for our
clients.
Individual securities expose our clients to certain risks. The prices of securities held in client
accounts and the income they generate could decline in response to local and global events.
These events often affect the issuers of the securities, the general economy, and the financial
markets. Other factors affecting individual securities include local, regional, or global political,
social, or economic instability and governmental or governmental agency responses to
economic conditions. Finally, currency, interest rate, and commodity price fluctuations also
affect security prices.
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Individual Equity Securities – Common stocks are the most common individual equity
securities we recommend and purchase for our clients. Common stocks represent an
ownership interest in a company. The prices of common stocks and the income they
generate fluctuate based on events specific to the issuing company, conditions affecting
the general economy, overall market changes, changes or weakness in applicable
business sectors, and other factors.
Fixed Income Securities – Investment-grade corporate bonds and municipal bonds are
the most common fixed income investments we recommend and purchase for our
clients. Prices of fixed income securities rise and fall in response to changes in the
applicable interest rates. Generally, when interest rates rise, prices of fixed income
securities fall. Changes in a fixed income security’s value usually will not affect the
amount of interest income paid. Interest rate changes have a greater effect on the price
of fixed income securities with longer maturities. Fixed income investments have a
stated maturity date when the issuer must repay the principal amount. Some fixed
income securities, known as callable bonds, are allowed to repay the principal earlier
than the stated maturity date. Bonds are most likely to be called when interest rates
are falling because the issuer can refinance at a lower rate.
The credit rating or financial condition of an issuer often affects the value of a bond.
Generally, a lower quality rating for a bond means there is a greater risk that the issuer
will fail to pay interest fully and return principal in a timely manner. The issuer of an
investment-grade bond is more likely to pay interest and repay principal than an issuer
of a lower rated bond. Credit ratings are not an absolute standard of quality, but rather
general indicators that reflect only the rating agency’s view. If an issuer defaults or
becomes unable to honor its financial obligations, the bond is likely to lose some or all
its value.
Municipal Bonds – Municipal bonds are subject to risks based on many factors, including
economic and regulatory developments, changes or proposed changes in the federal
and state tax structure, deregulation, court rulings and other factors. The value of
municipal securities is affected more by supply and demand factors or the
creditworthiness of the issuer than by market interest rates. Repayment of municipal
securities depends on the ability of the issuer or project backing such securities to
generate taxes or revenues. There is also a risk that the interest on an otherwise tax-
exempt municipal bond could also be subject to federal income tax.
Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds – We look at the experience and
performance record of the fund manager to determine if the manager of a mutual fund
or exchange traded fund (“ETF”) has demonstrated an ability to invest successfully over
a period of time and in different economic conditions. We also look at whether the fund
has no
load or low
load features, the fund’s return, and the fund’s cost efficiency.
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A risk of investing in mutual funds and ETFs is that a manager who has been successful
might not be able to replicate that success in the future. The risk and value of a mutual
fund or ETF investment is directly related to the risk and value of the securities invested
in by the fund. Fund investors rely on the fund manager to make investment decisions
for the fund as neither we nor the investor can direct the underlying investments in a
mutual fund or ETF. Managers of different funds held by a single client could purchase
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the same security, increasing the risk to the client if that security were to fall in value.
There is also a risk that a manager deviates from the stated investment mandate or
strategy of the mutual fund or ETF, which could make the holding less suitable for the
client’s portfolio.
Closed-End Interval Funds – An interval fund is a type of closed-end fund that
periodically (every three, six, or twelve months as disclosed in the fund’s prospectus and
annual report) offers to repurchase its shares from shareholders at a price based on net
asset value. Interval funds differ from traditional closed-end funds in that shares
typically do not trade on the secondary market. Shareholders are not required to
accept interval fund repurchase offers. However, these periodic repurchase offers are
constraints on liquidity. There is no assurance that an investor will be able to sell shares
of the interval fund when or in the amount desired, and the fund has the right to
suspend or postpone repurchases.
Interval funds share many of the same risks as other closed-end funds and mutual funds.
In addition to these risks, interval funds often have liquidity constraints that result from
the lack of a secondary market and the fact that repurchase offers are only made
periodically. Because of these potential liquidity constraints, interval funds might not be
appropriate for investors with a short-term investment horizon. Our portfolio managers
evaluate the suitability of interval funds relative to the client’s investment strategy and
time horizon as captured in the client’s IPS.
Real Estate Investment Trusts – We could recommend the inclusion of Real Estate
Investment Trusts (REITs) in some of our client’s accounts, when appropriate. REITs
allow individuals to invest in large-scale, income-producing real estate and provide a
way for individual investors to earn a share of the income produced through
commercial real estate ownership. A REIT is a company that owns and typically
operates income-producing real estate or related assets. REITs are subject to risks
similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate which include, but are
not limited to, economic conditions, declines in real estate values, changes in
government regulations, increases in interest rates, property taxes and defaults by
borrowers. In addition, due to their concentration in the real estate industry, REIT
portfolios are riskier and more volatile than a portfolio of common stocks that is not
concentrated in a particular industry. REITs offer many features, benefits and risks that
are unique.
Clients will bear, in addition to the Program Fee, a proportionate share of any fees and
expenses associated with ETFs and REITs in which their assets are invested. Selecting
strategies that use these types of investments causes the client to incur these additional
fees and expenses on assets the client designates for management according to such
strategy. These fees and expenses include investment advisory, management,
administrative, distribution, transfer agent, custodial, legal, audit and other customary fees
and expenses.
Alternative Investments – An alternative investment is a financial asset that does not
fall into one of the conventional investment categories. Conventional categories
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include stocks, bonds, and cash. Since alternative investments is a very broad
description can include investments like private equity or venture capital, hedge funds,
managed futures, commodities, and derivatives contracts. As with any other
investment type, alternative investment strategies present a significant number of risks.
Some of the key risks, include illiquidity, volatility, and complexity. We encourage
investors to ask questions to ensure that they fully understand what types of specific
alternatives are being considered for use in their accounts and the specific risks involved
to allow you determine if an investment strategy is appropriate for your circumstances.
Investment Strategies
Our investment advice is based on several factors, including, but not limited to, the client’s
investment objectives, risk tolerance, tax positions and objectives, asset class preferences, time
horizons, liquidity needs, and expected returns. Our investment advice is also based on an
assessment of current economic and market views expressed by economic analysts, banks and
securities firms. As stated in Item 4—Advisory Business, we will develop the client’s IPS based
on these factors. The IPS outlines recommended investment allocations among various asset
classes and prepares a proposed asset allocation plan appropriate for that profile.
A risk of this asset allocation approach is that the client might not participate in sharp increases
in a particular security, industry, or market sector. In addition, there is a risk that the ratio of
investments by asset class will change materially over time due to market movements. In this
case, we will rebalance the asset allocation to be consistent with client’s goals.
term (one year or more) due to preferential tax
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We utilize a variety of investment strategies, taking into consideration the client’s best interest.
Ideally, we prefer to hold investments long
treatment in taxable accounts. However, we sometimes hold investments for shorter periods of
time depending on the security, market environment, and economic conditions.
term investment strategy is that we could miss taking advantage of short
term
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term investment strategy is more frequent
related costs. In
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A risk in a long
gains that could be profitable to a client. Moreover, a security could decline sharply in value
before we make the decision to sell. A risk in a short
trading, which results in an increase in brokerage and other transaction
addition, short
term capital gains typically receive less favorable tax treatment.
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In taxable accounts we try to offset realized gains with realized losses. When market declines
occur, we often “harvest” losses to be used to offset future gains. Using these strategies could
increase a client’s after
tax rate of return.
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Other investment strategies we are allowed to use include short sales, margin transactions and
option trading. However, these are used rarely or at the request of our clients. The risk of using
these types of strategies is disclosed, in writing, and we require clients to sign additional
custodial forms prior to implementation.
Risks of Loss
As mentioned above, regardless of the strategy or analysis used, all investments carry the risk of
loss including the loss of principal invested. Some risks could be avoided or mitigated, while
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others are completely unavoidable. Some common risks you should consider prior to investing
include, but are not limited to the following:
Cybersecurity Risks – Cybersecurity is the process of defending Stoker Ostler by identifying risks
and leveraging intelligence to direct operations in order to protect against, detect, respond to
and recover from cyber-attacks. A cybersecurity breach could result in the loss of theft of
customer data or funds, the inability to access electronic systems (“denial of services”), loss or
theft of proprietary information or corporate data, physical damage to computer or network
systems, or costs associated with system repairs. Such incidents could cause the advisor or other
service providers to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance
costs or financial losses. We use BMO Bank Corporate Security to provide cybersecurity for the
purpose of protecting our customers, employees and business from cybersecurity breaches.
Legal, Regulatory and Tax Risks – Client investments could be adversely impacted by legal,
regulatory and tax changes that could occur in the future. New and existing regulations,
changing regulatory schemes and the burdens of regulatory compliance all could have a material
negative impact on investment performance.
Political, Social and Economic Uncertainty – Social, political, economic, and other conditions and
events (such as natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts, and social
unrest) will occur that create uncertainty and have significant impacts on industries,
governments, and other systems, including the financial markets, to which clients are exposed.
As global systems, economies and financial markets are increasingly interconnected, events that
once had only local impact are now more likely to have regional or even global effects. Events
that occur in one country, region or financial market will, more frequently, adversely impact
those in other countries, regions, or markets, including in established markets such as the
United States. There can be no assurance that such events will not cause clients to suffer losses
and/or negatively impact returns.
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Item 9 – Disciplinary Information
We are required to disclose any legal or disciplinary events that are material to a client's or
prospective client's evaluation of our advisory business or the integrity of our management. We
have no reportable disciplinary events to disclose.
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Item 10 – Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
dealer or
We have no management persons registered or applying for registration as a broker
dealer.
registered representative of a broker
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We have no management persons registered or applying for registration as a futures
commission merchant, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, or an associated
person of the forgoing entities.
We are one of several related parties operating under the BMO Wealth Management and BMO
Private Wealth brands. “BMO Wealth Management” is a brand delivering investment
management services, trust, deposit and loan products and services through BMO Bank N.A. , a
national bank with trust powers (“BMO Bank”); family office services and investment advisory
services through BMO Family Office, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser (“BMOFO”);
investment advisory services through Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors, Inc., an SEC-registered
investment advisor; and trust and investment management services through BMO Delaware
Trust Company, a Delaware limited purpose trust company (“BDTC”). “BMO Private Wealth” is a
brand name used by BMO entities providing wealth management products and services in the
United States and Canada. It includes the entities operating under the BMO Wealth
Management brand name in the United States. These entities are all affiliates and owned by
BMO Financial Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of BMO. BMO Wealth Management brand
products and services are not available in every state or location.
It is possible that BMO Bank, BMOFO, and BDTC recommends, purchases, or sells for their
clients the same securities we recommend, purchase, or sell for our clients. It is possible that
other related parties recommend, purchase, or sell the same funds or securities, thus sharing in
the profits and losses of those funds or securities.
We have common management and officers with some of our affiliates. We rely on BMO and
BMO Financial Corp. for various administrative support, including information technology,
human resources, business continuity, compliance and legal, finance, enterprise risk
management, and internal audit. Our affiliates also provide investment research and other
services which we use in servicing our clients, including the working lists and research described
in Item 8—Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss. While these affiliations
can create potential conflicts of interest, we mitigate these potential conflicts of interest
through our corporate governance structure and by maintaining policies and procedures to
identify, mitigate, and disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest.
We do not recommend to our clients any investments in which we or a related person have a
proprietary interest. Our related persons are specifically disclosed in Section 7.A on Schedule D
of Form ADV, Part 1, which can be accessed by following the directions provided on the Cover
Page of this brochure.
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Item 11 – Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal
Trading
We have adopted BMO Wealth Management US Unified Code of Ethics (as supplemented by our
Compliance Manual and other applicable policies and procedures, the “Code”) that describe our
standards of business conduct, fiduciary duty to our clients, and the restrictions and reporting
requirements for our employees’ personal investments. Our employees are subject to the Code
and must acknowledge the terms of the Code annually or as it is amended. Employees are
instructed to place the interests of our clients first, conduct all their personal securities
transactions in a manner consistent with the Code, and not take advantage of their positions.
The Code is intended to promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct.
Among other terms, the Code contains provisions prohibiting fraudulent conduct, market
manipulation, and trading based on material non-public information. The Code contains our
requirements regarding the confidentiality of client information and provisions dealing with gifts
and entertainment.
As a fiduciary to our advisory clients, we owe those clients a duty of loyalty. We always act in
utmost good faith, placing our clients’ interests first and foremost, while making full and fair
disclosure of all material facts. This is especially true in cases of actual or potential conflicts of
interest. We recognize that independence in the investment decision-making process is vital.
The Code strictly prohibits action taken or avoided for the purpose of achieving a personal
benefit rather than a client benefit.
clearance of certain personal securities
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Our firm and our employees will sometimes buy and sell securities identical to or different from
those recommended to our clients for their personal accounts. It is possible that our affiliates
recommend, purchase, sell, or have a position or interest in securities that we recommend,
purchase, or sell for our clients. While these factors create possibilities that our firm, our
employees, or our affiliates will share in the profit or losses of securities held by our clients, we
believe our policies, procedures, and controls, as well as those of our affiliates, are reasonably
designed to ensure that any actual or potential conflicts of interest are addressed appropriately.
The Code requires that our employees obtain pre
transactions, including any acquisition of securities in a limited offering. Employees are
restricted from acquiring any security distributed in an initial public offering until trading of the
security commences in the secondary market. The Code also requires that our employees’
trading be continually monitored to reasonably prevent conflicts of interest with our clients.
Our clients or prospective clients can request a copy of our Code by calling Lee Ann Reitz at
(480) 890
8088 or emailing her at LeeAnn.Reitz@stokerostler.com.
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We do not effect principal or agency cross securities transactions for client accounts or cross
trades between client accounts. Principal transactions are generally defined as transactions
where an adviser, acting as principal for its own account or the account of an affiliated broker
dealer, buys from or sells any security to any advisory client. A principal transaction could also
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be deemed to have occurred if a security trades between an affiliated fund and another client
account. An agency cross transaction is defined as a transaction where a person acts as an
investment adviser in a transaction in which the investment adviser or its affiliate acts as broker-
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dealer or has an affiliated broker
dealer for both parties to a securities transaction. Agency cross transactions can arise where an
adviser is dually registered as a broker
registered as a broker
dealer, and we do not use an affiliated broker
dealer. We are not
dealer for client trades.
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Item 12 – Brokerage Practices
Our clients, regardless of their advisory relationship, are under no obligation to use any of our
affiliated entities to provide brokerage services or act as custodian of assets. While a client can
decide to select an affiliated entity to provide such services, we would not receive compensation
resulting from the client’s decision to utilize the affiliate’s services.
For clients in need of brokerage or custodial services, we recommend that clients establish
accounts with the following broker-dealers to maintain custody of their assets and to effect
trades for their accounts:
• Schwab Advisor Services (“Schwab”), division of Charles Schwab & Company, Inc., an
independent and unaffiliated registered broker
dealer and FINRA member;
• National Financial Services, Inc. (“Fidelity”), an independent and unaffiliated registered
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broker
dealer and FINRA member; and
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When recommending or selecting a broker-dealer for any transaction or series of transactions,
we are under a duty to seek the best qualitative execution for the client’s account. We consider
many factors including, without limitation, the broker-dealer’s commission rate, convenience,
execution capabilities and quality, clearance and settlement capabilities, our experience with
the broker-dealer, reputation, error resolution, back- office efficiency, research services, and
financial stability. We endeavor to select broker-dealers with transaction fees that are
reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and overall service.
Schwab’s and Fidelity’s services generally are available to independent investment advisors on
an unsolicited basis at no charge to them. These services are not contingent upon our firm
committing to these custodians any specific amount of business. These custodians’ brokerage
services include the execution of securities transactions, custody, research, and access to mutual
funds and other investments that are otherwise generally available only to institutional
investors or would require a significantly higher minimum initial investment.
Schwab and Fidelity provide us with access to institutional trading and custody services which
are typically not available to retail investors. They can provide products and services that assist
us in managing and administering clientsʹ accounts, including software and other technology
that (i) provide access to client account data (such as trade confirmations and account
statements); (ii) facilitate trade execution and allocate aggregated trade orders for multiple
client accounts; (iii) provide research, pricing, and other market data; (iv) facilitate payment of
our fees from its clientsʹ accounts; and (v) assist with back
office functions, recordkeeping and
client reporting.
‐
party vendors for the
‐
Schwab and Fidelity also offer other services intended to help us manage and further develop
our business enterprise. These services often include: (i) compliance, legal, and business
consulting; (ii) publications and conferences on practice management and business succession;
and (iii) access to employee benefits providers, human capital consultants, and insurance
providers. Schwab and Fidelity make available, arrange, and pay third
types of services rendered to us. They are allowed to discount or waive fees they would
otherwise charge for some of these services or pay all or a part of the fees of a third
party
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Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors Inc.
Form ADV, Part 2A
providing these services to our firm. They also provide other benefits such as educational
events or occasional business entertainment for our personnel. In evaluating whether to
recommend Schwab or Fidelity we consider the availability of the foregoing products and
services and other arrangements as part of the total mix of factors we consider and not solely
the nature, cost, or quality of custody and brokerage services. This creates a potential conflict
of interest.
dealer with whom we have contracted for prime brokerage clearing services. Certain
When beneficial to the client, individual fixed income transactions are effected through a
broker
account minimums apply for a client to be eligible for prime brokerage services.
‐
Client Referrals
Neither we, nor any of our principals or associated persons receive any portion of the brokerage
commissions or transactions fees charged to clients. As noted in Item 14—Client Referrals and
Other Compensation, we participate in the Schwab Advisor Network® referral program. Schwab
also provides client referrals to us; however, we are under no obligation to, and do not, direct
trades to Schwab in return for client referrals.
Aggregated Trades
As a matter of policy and practice, we do not generally aggregate client trades; we implement
client transactions separately for each account. Consequently, certain client trades are
executed before others at a different price or commission rate. Additionally, our clients might
not receive volume discounts available to advisers who aggregate client trades.
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Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors Inc.
Form ADV, Part 2A
Item 13 – Review of Accounts
Investment Management
Client portfolios are reviewed at least annually and rebalanced to the investment objective
found in the client’s IPS. In reviewing a client’s portfolio, we assess diversification by asset class,
and compare the portfolio with the investment strategy in the IPS. The annual review form is
completed by Operations and reviewed by the assigned portfolio manager. If the review results
in action items, the assigned portfolio manager is responsible to address the action items.
We provide an inventory of assets showing market value and cost of each security to each client
on at least an annual basis unless directed otherwise by the client. The custodian provides
detailed transactions and holdings at least quarterly. We calculate and provide portfolio
performance information to clients on at least an annual basis, unless directed otherwise by the
client.
Financial Planning and Consulting
Our financial planning and consulting clients receive a Retirement Model which includes
financial objectives and a net worth statement. We provide and update additional analyses and
reports as needed and requested by the client. We review and update Retirement Models as
necessary. Reviews are conducted by either the portfolio manager or a dedicated financial
planner, and sometimes both.
More comprehensive financial planning reviews are done at the client’s request, if the client
relocates to a new state or country, or if the client’s estate planning documents are outdated.
In these cases, we typically recommend the client review and update those documents with
their attorney.
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Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors Inc.
Form ADV, Part 2A
Item 14 – Client Referrals and Other Compensation
Our referral agreements comply with Rule 206(4)-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940
as applicable. Referral payments are made at our expense solely and do not result in additional
fees to our advisory clients. Referral fees are based on a percentage or portion of the advisory
fees we earn or on the dollar amount of the self-reported investable assets of a referral or
matched client that originates from a lead-matching service.
We receive client referrals from Schwab through our participation in Schwab Advisor Network®
(the “Service”) mentioned in Item 12 – Brokerage Practices. We pay Schwab a referral fee
(“Participation Fee”) quarterly at an annualized rate of 0.1050% to 0.2625% of the average daily
total assets we manage for each client referred to us through the Service, subject to a minimum
Participation Fee. Different fee schedules exist for previously referred Schwab clients. Under
these previous Schwab referral fee schedules, we pay Schwab a Participation Fee equal to 15%
of the amount collected from referred clients during the previous quarter. The Service is
designed to help investors find an independent investment advisor. Schwab is a broker-dealer
independent of and unaffiliated with us. Schwab does not supervise us and has no responsibility
for our management other advice or services to our clients.
We pay Schwab a Participation Fee on all referred clients’ accounts that are maintained in
custody at Schwab and a Non-Schwab Custody Fee on all accounts that are maintained at, or
transferred to, another custodian. We pay Schwab the Participation Fee for so long as the
referred client’s account remains in custody at Schwab. The Participation Fee is billed to us
quarterly and can be increased, decreased, or waived by Schwab from time to time. The
Participation Fee is paid by us and not by the client. We do not charge clients referred through
the Service fees or costs greater than the fees or costs we charge clients with similar portfolios
who were not referred through the Service.
We pay Schwab a Non-Schwab Custody Fee if custody of a referred client’s account is not
maintained by, or assets in the account are transferred from Schwab. This fee does not apply if
the client was solely responsible for the decision to maintain custody outside of Schwab. The
Non-Schwab Custody Fee is a one-time payment equal to a percentage of the assets placed with
a custodian other than Schwab. The Non-Schwab Custody Fee is higher than the Participation
Fees we generally would pay in a single year. Thus, we have an incentive to recommend that
client accounts be held in custody at Schwab.
The Participation and Non-Schwab Custody Fees will be based on assets in accounts of our
clients who were referred by Schwab and those referred clients’ family members living in the
same household. Accordingly, we have an incentive to encourage household members of clients
referred through the Service to maintain custody of their accounts and execute transactions at
Schwab and to instruct Schwab to debit our fees directly from the accounts.
For accounts of our clients maintained in custody at Schwab, Schwab does not charge the client
separately for custody but receives compensation from our clients in the form of commissions
or other transaction-related compensation on trades executed through Schwab. Schwab also
receives fees (generally lower than the applicable commission on trades it executes) for
clearance and settlement of trades executed through broker-dealers other than Schwab.
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Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors Inc.
Form ADV, Part 2A
Schwab’s fees for trades executed at other broker-dealers are in addition to the other broker-
dealer’s fees. Thus, we have an incentive to cause trades to be executed through Schwab rather
than another broker-dealer. We nevertheless seek best execution of trades for client accounts.
Trades for client accounts held in custody at Schwab can be executed through a different
broker-dealer than trades for our other clients. Accordingly, trades for accounts custodied at
Schwab can sometimes be executed at different times and different prices than trades for other
accounts that are executed at other broker-dealers. Different fee schedules exist for previously
referred clients.
We also receive client referrals from SmartAsset Advisors, LLC (“SmartAsset”), through
SmartAsset’s proprietary lead-matching process (“Leads Service”). The Leads Service is designed
to match investors based on specific criteria selected by the investors and us, which includes
geography, minimum asset requirements, and types of services offered and desired. We pay
SmartAsset a set amount for each matched lead (“Contracted lead Fee”). The Contracted Lead
Fee is paid by us and not the investor and is based on the self-reported investable assets such
matched investor has convey to SmartAsset. SmartAsset is a registered investment advisor
independent of and unaffiliated with us. SmartAsset does not supervise us and has no
responsibility for our management or services to our clients.
We enter into referral agreements with and make payments to our affiliates’ employees for
client referrals. Similarly, our employees enter into referral agreements with our affiliates and
receive payment for client referrals or otherwise marketing products and services of those
affiliates. Certain employees of Stoker Ostler or our affiliates will be compensated for client
referrals which could include the introduction of new clients or the retention of existing clients.
This compensation is paid directly or through a discretionary bonus.
Our Portfolio Managers are paid a base salary and have potential to earn additional
compensation based on a percentage of fees collected from the accounts they manage. We do
not charge you additional fees to pay the Portfolio Managers. The more assets in your advisory
account, the more we will make in fees. We do not receive any compensation for the specific
investments used in your portfolios.
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Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors Inc.
Form ADV, Part 2A
Item 15 – Custody
We are deemed to have custody of clients’ funds or securities when the clients authorize us to
deduct our management fees directly from clients’ accounts. We are also deemed to have
custody of clients’ funds or securities when clients have a standing letter of authorization
(“SLOA”) with their custodian to allow us to move money from clients’ accounts to a third-party
and designate the amount or timing of transfers with the custodian.
All client assets are held at unaffiliated qualified custodians. Clients sign an account application
with a custodian upon opening their investment advisory account with us. The custodian will
notify us of the custody account number and other pertinent information.
At least quarterly, clients should receive statements directly from the qualified custodian that
holds and maintains their investment assets. We urge clients to carefully review such
statements and compare the custodian’s statements to the reports that we provide.
In some situations, our reports vary from the custodian’s statements based on accounting
procedures, reporting dates, or valuation methodologies of certain securities.
As is stated in Item 12—Brokerage Services, our clients are under no obligation to use any of our
affiliated entities to provide custodial services. If a client selects an affiliated entity to provide
custodial services, we do not receive any compensation based upon the client’s selection and
use of the affiliated entity’s custodial services.
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Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors Inc.
Form ADV, Part 2A
Item 16 – Investment Discretion
We have discretionary authority to manage securities accounts on behalf of our clients.
Discretionary authority includes the authority to select securities to buy or sell, the number of
securities to buy or sell, and the timing of the purchase or sale. We exercise investment
discretion in accordance with the investment objectives for each client account. If the client
imposes any investment restrictions and we agree to them, these supersede our investment
discretion.
discretionary accounts will be limited and
Under the terms of our standard investment advisory agreement and the custodian account
agreements, clients grant us a limited power of attorney with discretionary authority over their
investments and have the right to limit this authority either under the IPS or by providing us
with separate written instructions. Authority on non
is based on the preferences selected on the account application.
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Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors Inc.
Form ADV, Part 2A
Item 17 – Voting Client Securities
voting policies with certain of our affiliates (together and
‐
We have developed joint proxy
individually, the “BMO Organization”). When acting as a fiduciary, the BMO Organization votes
proxies in the sole interest of its fiduciary clients. Unless the client has directed otherwise, the
BMO Organization generally votes proxies for securities held in client accounts and has adopted
policies and procedures designed to help ensure that those proxies are voted in the best
interests of fiduciary clients.
The BMO Organization has contracted with Columbia Threadneedle Investment’s (“CTI”)
Responsible Engagement Overlay (“REO”) team, a third party, to provide proxy voting services
for the BMO Organization. The BMO Organization retains the ability to override all votes
instructed by REO through read-write access on the voting platform. Through a Business
Relationship Agreement with our affiliate, BMO Asset Management, Inc., we can instruct the
BMO Organization to override votes directly on our behalf. The BMO Organization’s global
proxy voting process is overseen by BMO Organization’s Responsible Investment (“RI”) Team.
The RI team along with the Proxy Working Group (“PWG”) administer the global proxy voting
framework including interaction with CTI’s REO. Stoker Ostler has representation on the PWG.
The PWG consists of representatives of the BMO Organization and is the vehicle through which
entities such as Stoker Ostler can escalate, override, or opine on proxy votes to ensure they are
cast in the best interest of their respective clients.
Clients can retain the right and obligation to vote any proxies relating to securities held in their
account by providing written notice to us. Any changes to a client’s proxy voting instructions
must be received in writing.
Clients can obtain information regarding how we voted proxies for securities in their account, as
well as our complete proxy voting policies and procedures, by calling Lee Ann Reitz at (480) 890
8088 or via email at LeeAnn.Reitz@stokerostler.com.
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26
Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors Inc.
Form ADV, Part 2A
Item 18 – Financial Information
We are not required to include a balance sheet for our most recent fiscal year end because we
do not require or solicit more than $1,200 in fees per client, six months or more in advance.
We are not experiencing any financial condition that would impair our ability to meet
contractual commitments to clients.
Additionally, we have never been the subject of a bankruptcy petition.
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Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors Inc.
Form ADV, Part 2A
Additional Information
Privacy Notice
Our Privacy Notice, which includes information describing how a client’s information is shared
with BMO, our affiliates and with others, is available by contacting us at (480) 890
8088 or by
emailing Lee Ann Reitz at LeeAnn.Reitz@stokerostler.com.
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Money Laundering
‐
Anti
To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal
law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies
each person that establishes a relationship with the institution.
When individual clients open an account with us, we will ask for their name, address, date of
birth, and other information that will allow us to identify them. We will also ask clients to
provide a copy of their driver’s license or other identifying documents, as needed.
If the client is a corporation, partnership, trust or other legal entity, we will ask for other
information, such as its principal place of business, local office, employer identification number,
organizational documents, government-issued business license, partnership agreement, trust
agreement, or other identifying documents. We will also ask for information identifying the
control persons and beneficial owners of the entity.
The information clients provide is used to verify clients’ identity by using internal sources and
third-party vendors. If the requested information is not provided within thirty calendar days, we
can suspend services to a client’s account.
We are required, if requested, to disclose information collected under our anti-money
laundering program pursuant to applicable laws, rules, or regulations. Otherwise, the
information will be retained in confidence according to our Privacy Notice.
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