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Item 1 – Cover Page
Form ADV Part 2A
Stonebridge Financial Planning Group, LLC
203 Hillcrest Street
Orlando, FL 32801
(407) 695-7100
www.stonebridgefpg.com
January 23, 2026
This Brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Stonebridge
Financial Planning Group, LLC (“SFPG,” “us,” “we,” “our”). SFPG ’s IARD firm number is 154616.
If clients (“you,” “your”) have any questions about the contents of this Brochure, please contact
us at (407) 695-7100. 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.
We are a registered investment adviser with the SEC. Our registration as an Investment Adviser
does not imply any level of skill or training. Additional information about SFPG is available on the
SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov (click on the link, select “investment adviser firm” and
type in our firm name). The results will provide you with both Parts 1 and 2 of our Form ADV.
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Item 2 – Material Changes
There have been no material changes made to this brochure since the firm’s last brochure update
on 11/26/2025.
This section of the Disclosure Brochure will address only those “material changes” that have been
incorporated since our last delivery or posting of this Brochure on the SEC’s public disclosure
website (IAPD) at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. We may, at any time, update this Disclosure
Brochure and send a copy to you with a summary of material changes, or send you only a
summary of material changes that includes an offer to send you a copy of the full brochure [either
by electronic means (email) or in hard copy form].
If you would like another copy of this Disclosure Brochure, please download it from the SEC
website as indicated above or contact our Chief Compliance Officer, Rebecca Robey at (407) 695-
7100 or via email at brobey@stonebridgefpg.com.
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Item 3 – Table of Contents
Item 1 – Cover Page .................................................................................................................................. 1
Item 2 – Material Changes ........................................................................................................................ 2
Item 3 – Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... 3
Item 4 – Advisory Business ...................................................................................................................... 4
Item 5 – Fees and Compensation ......................................................................................................... 10
Item 6 – Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management ............................................... 18
Item 7 – Types of Clients ........................................................................................................................ 19
Item 8 – Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss .......................................... 19
Item 9 – Disciplinary Information ........................................................................................................... 25
Item 10 – Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations............................................................. 25
Item 11 – Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading ...... 26
Item 12 – Brokerage Practices ............................................................................................................... 27
Item 13 – Review of Accounts ................................................................................................................ 30
Item 14 – Client Referrals and Other Compensation .......................................................................... 31
Item 15 – Custody .................................................................................................................................... 32
Item 16 – Investment Discretion ............................................................................................................ 32
Item 17 – Voting Client Securities (i.e., Proxy Voting) ........................................................................ 33
Item 18 – Financial Information .............................................................................................................. 33
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Item 4 – Advisory Business
Stonebridge Financial Planning Group, LLC (“SFPG” or the “Firm”) was organized as a limited
liability company under the laws of the State of Florida on October 11, 2007, and is principally
owned by Dianne M. Webb and Rebecca Robey. We are registered as an investment adviser with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to provide investment advisory services.
Individuals associated with us who are qualified will provide advisory services on our behalf. Such
individuals are known as Investment Advisor Representatives (IARs). SFPG will require the IARs
to be properly licensed and registered, unless exempt, in states in which such individuals are
conducting investment advisory business.
This Brochure is designed to provide detailed information relating to each item noted in the table
of contents. Certain disclosures are repeated in one or more items, and/or other items are referred
to in an effort to be as comprehensive as possible on the subject matters discussed. Within this
Brochure, certain terms in either upper- or lowercase are used as follows:
•
“Stonebridge”, “SFPG”, “We,” “us,” “the firm” and “our” refer to Stonebridge Financial
Planning Group, LLC.
•
“Advisor” refers to persons who provide investment advisory services on behalf of
Stonebridge Financial Planning Group, LLC.
•
“You,” “yours,” and “client” refer to clients of Stonebridge Financial Planning Group, LLC
and its advisors.
Please contact Rebecca Robey, Chief Compliance Officer, if you have any questions about this
Disclosure Brochure.
Description of Services Available
SFPG offers a suite of investment advisory services and programs to its advisors for use with
their clients. Our investment advisory services and programs are designed to accommodate a
wide range of client investment philosophies, goals, needs, and investment objectives. Through
these various advisory programs and services, clients have access to a wide range of securities
products, including, but not limited to, common and preferred stocks; municipal, corporate, and
government fixed income securities; mutual funds; exchange-traded products (“ETPs”); options
and derivatives; unit investment trusts (“UITs”); and variable and fixed-indexed insurance
products, as well as other products and services, including a variety of asset allocation services,
financial planning, and consulting services. Our advisors may also offer advice related to direct
participation programs, private placements, and other alternative investments, such as alternative
energy programs, research and development programs, leasing programs, real estate programs,
and pooled commodities futures programs. For more details on any product or service, please
reference your PPS Custom Program Account Form and/or your Financial Planning Services
Engagement Agreement or speak with your SFPG IAR.
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SFPG offers the following programs:
Financial Planning Services
SFPG’s advisors provide advisory consulting services on a wide range of topics, including, but
not limited to:
Investment Analysis and Planning
Insurance/LTC Planning
•
• Estate Planning
• Retirement Income Planning
• Tax Planning
• Risk Management
• Education Planning
•
• Divorce Financial Analysis & Planning
• Survivor/Widowhood Adjustment
Financial planning information will be obtained through personal interviews concerning your
current financial status, future goals and attitudes towards risk. Related documents that you
supply are carefully reviewed, along with data gathered from you. During the financial planning
process, we create a comprehensive financial plan for each planning client. In addition, when a
client pays for financial planning services, the client receives online access to their financial plan
as long they remain an advisory client.
Advice to Clients on Matters Not Involving Securities
We also offer divorce planning services. All clients interested in divorce planning services are
required to sign a separate Divorce Planning Retainer Agreement outlining the terms and scope
of these services.
We have a conflict of interest when we provide divorce financial analysis and planning for existing
advisory clients. If we provide investment advisory services to a married couple and we learn that
they are in the process of a divorce, each individuals’ interest will be in conflict with one another.
We resolve this conflict by, upon notice of a finalized divorce, terminating our relationship with
one or both of the individuals and verbally explaining the conflict to each client.
Educational Seminars, Workshops and Newsletter
SFPG engages in the delivery of Educational Workshops and Seminars. These services focus on
general education only and do not provide for individualized advice or recommendations. There
is generally no cost for attendance at these workshops and seminars, although in certain cases
SFPG may charge a nominal fee. SFPG also provides periodic newsletters to its clients and
prospective clients with general information regarding investment-related topics and financial
planning, as well as general lifestyle items related to health and wellbeing. The newsletter also
contains information on any client events or other firm news. SFPG does not charge for this
service.
SFPG has entered into an agreement with Commonwealth Financial Network (“Commonwealth”)
an SEC Registered Investment Adviser, to offer their consulting and asset management
programs. Specifically, Commonwealth’s Retirement Plan Consulting Program, PPS Custom
Account Program and PPS Select Account Program are available to our clients as appropriate for
the client’s individual situation.
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Retirement Plan Consulting
We provide a fee-for-service consulting program whereby our advisors offer one-time or ongoing
advisory services to qualified retirement plans. Advisors assist plan sponsors with their fiduciary
duties and provide individualized advice based upon the needs of the plan regarding investment
management matters, such as:
Investment policy statement support
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• Plan menu design and monitoring
• Service provider support
• Participant advice programs
Asset Management Services
PPS Custom: The PPS Custom Program enables an advisor to assist the client in developing a
personalized investment portfolio using one or more investment types, including, but not limited
to, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), UITs, variable and fixed-
indexed annuities, and alternative investments. The advisor typically acts as portfolio manager,
with full investment discretion, although clients may elect to have the advisor manage the account
on a nondiscretionary basis.
Clients who participate
in one or more of Commonwealth’s programs will receive
Commonwealth’s Form ADV Part 2A, in addition to SFPG’s Form ADV Part 2. Clients should refer
to Commonwealth’s Form ADV Part 2A for detailed information about Commonwealth and
Commonwealth’s programs.
PPS Select: The PPS Select Program offers a variety of model portfolios from which investors
may choose. The PPS Select model portfolios are created and managed on a discretionary basis
by Commonwealth’s Investment Management and Research team. The client’s advisor will help
the client determine which PPS Select models are best suited for the client based on his or her
risk profile, investment objectives, and preferences, leaving the actual trading decisions to
Commonwealth’s Investment Management and Research team. PPS Select offers a variety of
model portfolios with varying investment product types, including mutual fund and ETF portfolios,
equity portfolios, fixed income portfolios, and variable annuity subaccount portfolios.
It is generally SFPG’s policy to utilize PPS Select model portfolios for accounts that do not exceed
$100,000 in total value. SFPG in consultation with the client, reserves the right to make exceptions
to this policy based on the needs of each client.
Wrap Fee Programs: Certain programs offered by SFPG are considered “wrap fee” programs in
which the client pays a specified fee (known as a “wrap fee”) for portfolio management services
and trade execution. Wrap fee programs differ from non-wrap fee programs in that the asset
management fee structure for wrap programs is intended to be largely all-inclusive, whereas non-
wrap fee programs assess trade execution costs that are typically in addition to the asset
management fee. Commonwealth’s PPS Select programs are considered “wrap fee”. Wrap fee
programs differ from other programs in that the asset-based fee structure for wrap programs is
intended to be largely all inclusive, whereas non-wrap fee programs typically assess trade-by-
trade execution costs that are in addition to the asset-based fees.
The PPS Select Program is managed in accordance with the investment methodology and
philosophy of Commonwealth’s own Investment Management and Research team.
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for the
investment management and research services provided by
For the investment advisory services provided to you by Commonwealth and your advisor,
Commonwealth and your advisor receive a portion of the wrap fees you pay when you participate
in any wrap fee program through Commonwealth. Commonwealth receives a higher portion of
the wrap fees you pay when you participate in Commonwealth’s PPS Select programs to
compensate
the
Commonwealth Investment Management and Research team. For more information relating to
PPS Select wrap fee programs, please refer to Appendix 1 of Commonwealth’s brochure.
The specific advisory program you select may cost you more or less than purchasing program
services separately. Factors that bear upon the cost of a particular advisory program in relation
to the cost of the same services purchased separately include, but may not be limited to, the type
and size of the account; the historical or expected size or number of trades for the account; the
types of securities and strategies involved; the amount of fees, commissions, and other charges
that apply at the account or transaction level; and the number and range of supplementary
advisory and client-related services provided to the account. Lower fees for comparable services
may be available from other sources.
Investment recommendations and advice offered by SFPG and its advisors do not constitute
legal, tax, or accounting advice. Clients should coordinate and discuss the impact of the financial
advice they receive from their advisor with their attorney and accountant. Clients should also
inform their advisor promptly of any changes in their financial situation, investment goals, needs,
or objectives. Failure to notify the advisor of any material changes could result in investment
advice not meeting the changing needs of the client.
IRA Rollover Considerations
As part of our financial planning and advisory services, we may provide you with
recommendations and advice concerning your employer retirement plan or other qualified
retirement account. When appropriate, we may recommend that you withdraw the assets from
your employer’s retirement plan or other qualified retirement account and roll the assets over to
an individual retirement account (“IRA”) to be managed by our firm. If you elect to roll the assets
to an IRA under our management, we will charge you an asset-based fee as described in Item 5.
This practice presents a conflict of interest because our Advisory Representative has an incentive
to recommend a rollover to you for the purpose of generating fee-based compensation rather than
solely based on your needs. You are under no obligation, contractually or otherwise, to complete
the rollover. Furthermore, if you do complete the rollover, you are under no obligation to have
your IRA assets managed under our program. You have the right to decide whether to complete
the rollover and the right to consult with other financial professionals.
Some employers permit former employees to keep their retirement assets in their company plan.
Also, current employees can sometimes move assets out of their company plan before they retire
or change jobs. In determining whether to complete the rollover to an IRA, and to the extent the
following options are available, you should consider the costs and benefits of each.
An employee will typically have four options:
• Leave the funds in your employer’s (former employer’s) plan.
• Roll over the funds to a new employer’s retirement plan.
• Cash out and take a taxable distribution from the plan.
• Roll the funds into an IRA rollover account.
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Each of these options has advantages and disadvantages. Before making a change, we
encourage you to speak with your financial advisor, CPA and/or tax attorney. Before rolling over
your retirement funds to an IRA for us to manage, carefully consider the following. NOTE: This
list is not exhaustive.
• Determine whether the investment options in your employer’s retirement plan address your
needs or whether other types of investments are needed.
o Employer retirement plans generally have a more limited investment menu than IRAs.
o Employer retirement plans may have unique investment options not available to the
public, such as employer securities or previously closed funds.
• Your current plan may have lower fees than our fee and/or the Third-Party Manager’s fee
•
combined.
If you are interested in investing only in mutual funds, you should understand the cost structure
of the share classes available in your employer’s retirement plan and how the costs of those
share classes compare with those available in an IRA.
• You should understand the various products and services available through an IRA provider
•
and their costs.
It is likely you will not be charged a management fee and will not receive ongoing asset
management services unless you elect to have such services. If your plan offers management
services, the fee associated with the service may be more or less than our fee.
• The Third-Party Manager’s or our management strategy may have higher risk than the options
provided to you in your plan.
• Your current plan may offer financial advice, guidance, management and/or portfolio options
•
at no additional cost.
If you keep your assets titled in a 401(k) or retirement account, you could potentially delay
your required minimum distribution beyond the required minimum distribution age.
• Your 401(k) may offer more liability protection than a rollover IRA; each state varies. Generally,
Federal law protects assets in qualified plans from creditors. Since 2005, IRA assets have been
generally protected from creditors in bankruptcies; however, there can be exceptions. Consult
an attorney if you are concerned about protecting your retirement plan assets from creditors.
• You may be able to take out a loan on your 401(k), but not from an IRA.
•
•
IRA assets can be accessed any time; however, distributions are subject to ordinary income
tax and may also be subject to a 10% early distribution penalty unless they qualify for an
exception such as disability, higher education expenses or a home purchase.
If you own company stock in your plan, you may be able to liquidate those shares at a lower
capital gains tax rate.
• Your plan may allow you to hire us or another firm as the manager and keep the assets titled
in the plan name.
It is important that you understand your options, their features and their differences, and decide
whether a rollover is best for you. If you have questions, contact us at our main number listed on
the cover page of this brochure.
In addition to complying with applicable SEC rules, SFPG is subject to certain rules and
regulations adopted by the U.S. Department of Labor when we provide nondiscretionary
investment advice to retirement plan participants and IRA owners. When these DOL rules apply,
our advisors and SFPG are “fiduciaries,” for purposes of the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), as amended, and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (“the
Code”), as amended. Therefore, SFPG and our advisors may not receive payments that create
conflicts of interest when providing fiduciary investment advice to plan sponsors, plan participants,
and IRA owners, unless we comply with a prohibited transaction exemption (“PTE”). Beginning
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December 20, 2021, SFPG and our advisors will comply with ERISA and the Code by using PTE
2020-02. As fiduciaries under ERISA and the Code, we render advice that is in plan participants’
and IRA customers’ best interest. SFPG’s and our advisors’ status as an ERISA/Code fiduciary
is limited to ERISA/Code covered nondiscretionary advice and recommendations regarding
rolling over a retirement account and does not extend to all situations.
Individualized Services and Client-Imposed Restriction
The investment advisory services provided by our advisors depend largely on the personal
information the client provides to the advisor. In order for our advisors to provide appropriate
investment advice to, or, in the case of discretionary accounts, make tailored investment decisions
for, the client, it is very important that clients provide accurate and complete responses to their
advisor’s questions about their financial condition, needs, goals, and objectives and notify the
advisor of any reasonable restrictions they wish to apply to the securities or types of securities to
be bought, sold, or held in their managed account. It is also important that clients promptly inform
their advisor of any changes in their financial condition, investment objectives, personal
circumstances, or reasonable investment restrictions pertaining to the management of their
account, if any, that may affect their overall investment goals and strategies or the investment
advice provided or investment decisions made by their advisor.
In general, the client’s advisor is responsible for delivering investment advisory services to clients,
and clients generally deal with matters relating to their accounts by contacting their advisor
directly. Of course, clients may contact SFPG directly with questions about the advisory services
offered by our firm.
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2025, we had $329,710,292 in assets under management (“AUM”), of which
$328,607,194 was managed on a discretionary basis and $1,103,098 was managed on a
nondiscretionary basis.
You have the opportunity to place reasonable restrictions or constraints on the way your account is
managed; however, such restrictions may affect the composition and performance of your portfolio.
For these reasons, performance of the portfolio may not be identical with our average client.
Trades are generally cleared through National Financial Services, Inc. (“NFS”), pursuant to the
clearing agreement between NFS and Commonwealth Financial Network, LLC
(“Commonwealth”). Custody of funds and securities are generally maintained by NFS, not by
SFPG.
Program Choice Conflicts of Interest
Clients should be aware that the compensation to SFPG and your advisor will differ according to
the specific advisory programs or services provided. This compensation to SFPG and your
advisor may be more than the amounts we would otherwise receive if you participated in another
program or paid for investment advice, brokerage, or other relevant services separately. Lower
fees for comparable services may be available through our firm or from other sources. SFPG and
your advisor have a financial incentive to recommend advisory programs or services that provide
us higher compensation over other comparable programs or services available from our firm or
elsewhere that may cost you less. For example, the costs you will incur to have your account
managed by our firm may be more than what other similar firms may charge. It’s important to
understand all the associated costs and benefits the program and services you select so you can
decide which programs and services are best suited for your unique financial goals, investment
objective, and time horizon. We encourage you to review our Form CRS and to discuss your
options with your advisor.
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Factors that bear upon the cost of a particular advisory program in relation to the cost of the same
services purchased separately include, but may not be limited to, the type and size of the account;
the historical or expected size or number of trades for the account; the types of securities and
strategies involved; the amount of fees and other charges that apply at the account or transaction
level; and the number and range of supplementary advisory and client-related services provided
to the account. Lower fees for comparable services may be available from other sources. You are
under no obligation to engage us for services and are free to use the firm of your choice.
The PPS Custom Program assesses transaction charges for the purchase and sale of certain
securities in the account. The client’s advisor may elect to pay the transaction charges on a client’s
behalf. PPS Custom Program clients should understand that their advisor may elect to pay
transaction charges for the accounts of other clients, but not for them, and vice versa. If the
advisor elects to pay transaction charges, clients should understand that the annual management
fee they pay may be higher than what they would otherwise pay if their advisor did not elect to
pay transaction charges for their account. Depending on the frequency of trading activity, the
types of securities products bought and sold, and whether the advisor uses no-transaction-fee
mutual funds that do not assess transaction charges, the advisor’s election to pay transaction
charges may cost a client more or cost the advisor less, which is a conflict of interest. Further, the
advisor’s ability to choose whether to pay the transaction charges for one client but not another
presents a conflict of interest because the advisor has a financial incentive to trade less for the
accounts of clients for whom the advisor pays transaction charges than for those clients who are
responsible for paying their own transaction charges. Regardless of whether the advisor or client
pays the transaction charges, clients should understand that the mere existence of transaction
charges could cause an advisor to reduce, delay, or avoid executing certain transactions in an
effort to reduce, delay, or avoid trading costs.
Clients who choose to open a PPS Custom Program account should carefully consider these
factors and discuss the costs and benefits of whether they or their advisor should pay transaction
charges, as well as the extent to which the existence of transaction charges (regardless of who
pays) impacts their advisor’s investment decisions. PPS Custom Program clients should consider
the annual fees, administrative and other charges, revenue-sharing arrangements, and other
compensation that Commonwealth and the advisor receive in making a fair and reasonable
assessment of the total costs associated with their decision to open and maintain a PPS Custom
Program account.
Item 5 – Fees and Compensation
Management Fees
The fees we charge to manage accounts are based on a percentage of the market value of AUM
including cash. In addition, each mutual fund, ETF or third-party investment manager charges
asset management fees, which are in addition to the management fees charged. The fees
charged by such funds or managers are disclosed in each fund’s prospectus or third-party
investment manager’s Form ADV Part 2. Management fees may be negotiable for households
with more than $2,000,000 in advisory assets at our sole discretion. The management fee also
does not cover debit balances, related margin interest or other fees and taxes required by law.
Termination of Contracts
The PPS Custom account paperwork may be terminated by either party at any time by written
notice. Termination shall be effective when received by all other parties to the agreement. Fees
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paid in advance will be prorated to the date of termination and any unearned portion of the fee
will be refunded to you.
We provide a current copy of this brochure to prospective clients before entering into an advisory
contract or, at the latest, at the time of entering into the contract. Detailed information on the
termination terms and fees can be found in the applicable advisory or client agreement.
How You’re Charged and How We’re Compensated
Clients who elect to receive asset management services through one or more of SFPG’s asset
management programs will generally pay SFPG and their advisor for those services with an
annual asset management fee based on a percentage of AUM, including cash and money market
positions. The maximum account management fee that can be charged in any of our firm’s
managed account program is listed in the fee schedule below. Clients are urged to carefully
review and discuss the contents of this Brochure with their advisor, including descriptions of the
various programs and services offered, the fees and charges clients will pay, the means by which
SFPG and your advisor are compensated, and the conflicts of interest that exist between the
client and SFPG and your advisor in respect to each program or service offered, to determine the
most appropriate programs or services for your specific needs.
SFPG advisory program and service fees may be negotiable based on certain criteria. SFPG may
waive a particular fee, whether on an ongoing or a one-time basis, in its sole discretion. Program
and/or platform fees (if applicable), transaction charges and other account-related fees assessed
by the account custodian or Commonwealth are not negotiable. In the event a client terminates
an advisory agreement with SFPG, any unearned fees resulting from payments made by clients
in advance will be refunded to the client. Likewise, in the event SFPG bills clients in arrears for
services that have already been rendered, SFPG will prorate such fees up to the termination date
of the advisory agreement.
Our standard fee schedule for asset management is as follows:
PPS Custom Program
Clients participating in the PPS Custom Program will pay an annual advisory management fee
charged by SFPG. The annual advisory management fee is based on a percentage of assets
under management and generally will not exceed 1.5% of assets. Your total account fee will be
shown in your PPS Custom Transactions Blended Fee Schedule. The fee schedule for your
account is as follows:
Portfolio Value
Annual Management Fee
On the first $500,000
1.50%
On the next $250,000
1.40%
On the next $250,000
1.25%
On the next $1,000,000
1.00%
On the next $3,000,000
0.80%
Above $5,000,000
0.60%
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In addition to the annual management fee, and unless otherwise agreed between the client and
the advisor, clients participating in the PPS Custom Program will pay transaction charges as
described in the “Other Fees and/or Costs” section below.
Clients participating in the PPS Custom Program may pay more or less than clients might
otherwise pay if purchasing the services separately. There are several factors that determine
whether such costs would be more or less, including, but not limited to, the following:
• Size of the account
• Types of securities and strategies involved
• Amount of trading effected by the advisor
• Actual costs of such services if purchased separately
The advisory fees charged for the services provided by Commonwealth and SFPG, including
research, supplemental advisory, and client-related services offered through the PPS Custom
Program may exceed those of other similar programs.
PPS Select
Clients participating in the PPS Select Program will pay a total account fee that consists of a
combination of an advisory management fee and a program fee. For clients who have both PPS
Select and PPS Custom accounts, the advisory management fee for the PPS Select account will
be a fixed fee based on the PPS Custom fee schedule listed above.
In addition to the annual advisory management fee, all clients participating in PPS Select pay an
annual program fee as listed below. The total account fee will generally not exceed 1.5% of assets
under management.
Client Account Size
Program Fee1
First $250,000
0.25%
Next $250,000
0.20%
Next $500,000
0.15%
Above $1,000,000
0.10%
1 Commonwealth will charge a minimum annual program fee of $35 for all PPS Select models.
Commonwealth performs fee billing on SFPG’s behalf. In most cases, the annual account
management fee is payable monthly in advance and is computed as one-twelfth of the annual fee
based on the AUM on the last business day of the previous calendar month. In limited
circumstances, estimated month-end values of alternative investments provided by the product
issuer may be used when calculating billable AUM. Please refer to the respective program
description in this Brochure, Commonwealth’s brochure or to the respective client agreement for
specific information about the maximum fee allowed, the varying fee schedules of each program,
and the methods of fee billing for the program(s) you select.
To the extent that you hold positions in your account for which pricing data is not readily available,
Commonwealth receives quarter-end values from alternative investment issuers or other service
providers which are used when calculating billable AUM for our clients. Neither SFPG nor
Commonwealth engages in an independent valuation of your account assets and relies on
valuations provided by the investment issuers or other service providers. SFPG (via Commonwealth
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and further via the account custodian) will provide periodic account statements which include the
market value of the alternative investment based on information received from the investment issuer
or other service provider. In providing these account statements, or any other valuation information
to you, (i) SFPG relies on the valuation information provided by the manager of the alternative
investment or other service provider, (ii) the valuation information used to determine the billing fee
is based on estimates that may be outdated as of the dates of the account statements, (iii) the
products final valuations may be higher or lower than the values reflected in the periodic account
statements and (iv) while Commonwealth will adjust material estimated fee billings on a best efforts
basis on SFPG’s behalf, neither SFPG nor Commonwealth is under no obligation to provide notice
or compensation to you for differences in estimated alternative investment valuations.
Clients who elect to open a margin account acknowledge and agree that margin may be exercised
against their account for purposes including, but not limited to, covering debits, management fees,
and/or other billing and administrative costs. Management fees on margin accounts will be assessed
on the equity (e.g., ownership) portion of the account and not on the account’s total market value.
Furnishing Advice to Clients on Matters Not Involving Securities
For a full financial plan, we charge a flat fee starting at $3,000. The fee could exceed that amount
based on the complexity of the plan as well as the extent of the service you desire. The fee will be
quoted prior to the contract being executed. Fees may be negotiable or waived at our discretion. In
lieu of a flat fee, fees may be charged on an hourly rate up to $275 per hour.
Financial planning fees are paid in advance of the planning services by invoice or check made
payable to SFPG and are non-refundable unless otherwise agreed upon between us. We will
complete all financial plans no later than six months after receipt of the fee and all required
documents from the client. The contract may be terminated by either party at any time by written
notice.
We also offer divorce planning for Women in Transition, a separate service in which separate fees
will be charged should you utilize this service. Divorce planning fees are based on the complexity
of the situation and the estimated amount of time spent working on the client's situation. Divorce
planning fees will be quoted prior to the execution of the client retainer agreement. Hourly rates are
$275, with a minimum retainer of $825 paid in advance by invoice or check made payable to SFPG.
These amounts may vary depending on the services provided and the client’s situation. Fees may
be negotiable. The remainder is due within 30 days of the final invoice. Any part of the retainer that
is not used will be refunded after an initial $825 minimum fee. Invoices unpaid 30 days past the
billing date may be deemed delinquent and are subject to an interest charge of 1.5% per month
plus cost of collection. A $25 late fee may be assessed if minimum payments are not received by
the due date each month.
You are not obligated to use these services. There is a conflict of interest in recommending divorce
planning to our clients as we have an incentive to recommend our own services to receive fees.
This conflict is managed by ensuring that all recommendations are in the best interest of the client.
Retirement Plan Consulting
The Commonwealth Retirement Plan Consulting Program provides clients with the option of paying
an annual fee for ongoing services based on a percentage of assets under advisement, a flat fee,
or an hourly rate not to exceed $500. The fee amount a client will pay is negotiable between the
client and the advisor and will be associated with all services provided by the advisor under the
Retirement Plan Consulting Agreement. Fees may be paid directly from qualified plan assets or
may be direct billed, as agreed between the client and the advisor. The maximum annual consulting
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fee, when stated as a percentage of assets, is 1.50% and is negotiable. It is the responsibility of the
plan sponsor to ensure these fees are reasonable. Fees may be paid at the time of service, in
advance of service, or after service has been rendered.
Educational Seminars & Workshops
SFPG may charge a nominal fee for its Educational Workshops and Seminars. Any such fee will
be clearly communicated to clients and prospective clients in the flier or other communication
describing the event. Attendance of these events is entirely voluntary, and as a client you are not
required to attend Educational Workshops or Seminars provided by our firm.
Managed Account Fee Collection Process
Managed account fees are typically automatically charged to the client’s account pursuant to
instructions provided to the account custodian by SFPG. Managed account clients will generally
pay fees monthly, in advance, based on the AUM on the last business day of the previous month-
end. Consulting clients will pay fees at time of service, in advance of service, or in arrears, as well
as in monthly, quarterly, semiannual, or annual installments, as agreed to between the client and
the advisor.
The initial monthly fee will be prorated based on the number of billing days in the initial month. Fees
are based on account value and account type and are negotiable. Other methods of fee calculation
exist or are possible, depending on the specific program, the services provided, client
circumstances, and the account size. These methods include, but are not limited to, hourly, flat,
breakpoint, and blended fee billing. Additional deposits of funds and/or securities during a particular
calendar month are subject to billing on a pro rata basis. Clients who withdraw funds from a
managed account during a billing period are not generally entitled to a pro rata refund unless they
are terminating their managed account program client agreement.
SFPG allows for the aggregation of assets among a client’s “related” managed accounts for
purposes of determining the value of AUM and the applicable advisory fee to be paid by a client.
SFPG reserves the right to determine whether client accounts are “related” for purposes of
aggregating a client’s accounts together for a reduction in the percentage fee amount.
Other Fees and Costs
When Commonwealth effects securities transactions for a client’s account, Commonwealth passes on
to our clients the securities clearance and settlement fees charged by its clearing broker/dealer with a
substantial markup that is retained by Commonwealth. Commonwealth adds a markup to the transaction
fees assessed by its clearing firm and paid by clients or clients’ advisors to compensate Commonwealth
for the cost of its resources utilized in processing the transaction(s) and to generate additional revenue
for Commonwealth. SFPG typically passes on the securities clearance and settlement fees charged by
Commonwealth and its clearing broker/dealer. The maximum charges are as follows:
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1 Plus service fee of $4 for accounts not enrolled in all available e-notification (e-delivery) options (excluding tax documents).
2 Account must be enrolled in all available e-delivery options (excluding tax documents).
3 Represents more than 500 supporting fund families from which Commonwealth receives revenue-sharing payments from NFS.
4 Commonwealth does not receive revenue-sharing payments derived from investments in nonsupporting funds. NFS assesses
Commonwealth a transaction surcharge for buys, sells, and exchanges of nonsupporting funds. Commonwealth’s transaction
charges are substantially higher for nonsupporting funds to compensate Commonwealth for the absence of revenue sharing and
the assessment of a transaction surcharge by NFS. These nonsupporting fund families are CGM, Dodge & Cox, and Vanguard.
5 While Commonwealth does receive revenue-sharing payments from NFS that are derived from Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA)
fund assets, these payments are substantially less as a percentage of fund assets than amounts paid by supporting fund families.
Commonwealth therefore classifies DFA funds as nonsupporting funds. Unlike other nonsupporting funds, NFS does not assess
Commonwealth a transaction surcharge for transactions in DFA funds. Nevertheless, Commonwealth assesses the same
surcharges for buy transactions in DFA funds that are noted in footnote 4 for nonsupporting funds. DFA sell transaction surcharges
are identified in footnote 3 which are lower than sell transactions for other nonsupporting funds identified in footnote 4. DFA sell
transactions processed through the Commonwealth’s trade desk shall be $20. Commonwealth’s receipt of revenue-sharing
payments from DFA fund assets (albeit substantially less than from supporting funds), combined with the higher transaction
charges for buys generates greater revenue for Commonwealth relative to DFA fund assets than the other nonsupporting funds
identified in footnote 4.
6 If processed by Commonwealth’s Trade Desk.
7 Funds purchased prior to their NTF effective date will still incur a transaction charge.
8 Periodic investment plans (PIPs) and systematic withdrawal plans (SWPs) carry a $100 minimum.
Commonwealth assesses confirmation fees to clients to offset the asset-based fees it pays to its
clearing broker/dealer and to generate additional revenue for Commonwealth.
In addition to the charges noted above, clients incur certain charges in connection with certain
investments, transactions, and services in your account. In many cases, Commonwealth will
receive a portion of these fees and charges or add a markup to the charge’s clients would
otherwise pay to generate additional revenue for Commonwealth. The actual fees and charges
that clients will incur are dependent upon the type of account and the nature and quantity of the
transactions that occur, the services that are provided, or the positions that are held in the
account. Additional fees and charges that clients will typically pay include, but are not limited to:
• Mutual fund or money market 12b-1 fees, subtransfer agent fees, and distributor fees
• Mutual fund and money market management fees and administrative expenses
• Mutual fund transaction and redemption fees
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• Certain deferred sales charges on mutual funds purchased or transferred into the account
• Other transaction charges and service fees
•
IRA and qualified retirement plan fees
• Other charges that may be required by law
• Brokerage account fees and charges
Information describing the brokerage fees and charges that are applicable to a Commonwealth
brokerage or SFPG managed account
is provided on Commonwealth’s Schedule of
Miscellaneous Account and Service Fees, which is available on Commonwealth’s website at
www.commonwealth.com/for-clients in the For Clients under Account Fees on the right side of
the page.
SFPG advisors may select share classes of mutual funds that pay advisors 12b-1 fees when
lower-cost institutional or advisory share classes of the same mutual fund exist that do not pay
SFPG or your advisor additional fees. As a matter of policy, Commonwealth (on SFPG’s behalf)
credits the mutual fund 12b-1 fees it receives from mutual funds purchased or held in SFPG
managed accounts back to the client accounts paying such 12b-1 fees.
In most cases, mutual fund companies offer multiple share classes of the same mutual fund.
Some share classes of a fund charge higher internal expenses, whereas other share classes of
a fund charge lower internal expenses. Institutional and advisory share classes typically have
lower expense ratios and are less costly for a client to hold than Class A shares or other share
classes that are eligible for purchase in an advisory account. Mutual funds that offer institutional
share classes, advisory share classes, and other share classes with lower expense ratios are
available to investors who meet specific eligibility requirements that are described in the mutual
fund’s prospectus or its statement of additional information. These eligibility requirements include,
but may not be limited to, investments meeting certain minimum dollar amounts and accounts
that the fund considers qualified fee-based programs. The lowest-cost mutual fund share class
for a fund may not be offered through our clearing firm or made available by SFPG for purchase
within our managed accounts. Clients should never assume that they will be invested in the share
class with the lowest possible expense ratio or cost.
SFPG urges clients to discuss with their advisor whether lower-cost share classes are available
in their program account. Clients should also ask their advisor why the funds or other investments
that will be purchased or held in their managed account are appropriate for them in consideration
of their expected holding period, investment objective, risk tolerance, time horizon, financial
condition, amount invested, trading frequency, the amount of the advisory fee charged, whether
the client will pay transaction charges for fund purchases and sales, whether clients will pay higher
internal fund expenses in lieu of transaction charges that could adversely affect long-term
performance, and relevant tax considerations. Your advisor may recommend, select, or continue
to hold a fund share class that charges you higher internal expenses than other available share
classes for the same fund.
The purchase or sale of transaction-fee (“TF”) funds available for investment through SFPG will
result in the assessment of transaction charges to you, your advisor, SFPG or Commonwealth.
Although no-transaction-fee (“NTF”) funds do not assess transaction charges, most NTF funds
have higher internal expenses than funds that do not participate in an NTF program. These higher
internal fund expenses are assessed to investors who purchase or hold NTF funds. Depending
upon the frequency of trading and hold periods, NTF funds may cost you more, or may cost SFPG,
Commonwealth or your advisor less, than mutual funds that assess transaction charges but have
lower internal expenses. In addition, the higher internal expenses charged to clients who hold
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NTF funds will adversely affect the long-term performance of their accounts when compared to
share classes of the same fund that assess lower internal expenses.
The existence of various fund share classes with lower internal expenses that SFPG may not
make available for purchase in its managed account programs present a conflict of interest
between clients and SFPG or its advisors. A conflict of interest exists because SFPG and your
advisor have a greater incentive to make available, recommend, or make investment decisions
regarding investments that provide additional compensation to SFPG that cost clients more than
other available share classes in the same fund that cost you less. For those advisory programs
that assess transaction charges to clients or to SFPG or the advisor, a conflict of interest exists
because SFPG and your advisor have a financial incentive to recommend or select NTF funds
that do not assess transaction charges but cost you more in internal expenses than funds that do
assess transaction charges but cost you less in internal expenses.
Prorated Rebate of Fees Paid in Advance
In the event a client terminates an advisory agreement with SFPG and his or her advisor, any
unearned fees resulting from advanced payments will be refunded to the client.
Additional Compensation
In addition to the annual asset management fee, and unless otherwise agreed between advisor
and client, clients participating in Commonwealth’s PPS Custom program will pay transaction
charges as set forth in the Other Fees and/or Costs section above and may be modified from time
to time by Commonwealth. Please be aware that you have the option to purchase investment
products that we recommend through other brokers or agents that are not affiliated with SFPG.
When SFPG provides financial planning services, the client typically pays for services rendered on
a one-time basis, but compensation may be ongoing. The fee is typically an hourly, flat, or fixed fee.
Payment may be made either at the time of the service or in advance. Clients should make checks
payable to SFPG only in relation to Financial Planning services.
When SFPG provides Retirement Plan Consulting, the fee may be an hourly, flat, fixed, or asset-
based fee for providing one-time, or ongoing, advisory services to a plan. Checks for Retirement
Plan Consulting Services should be made payable to Commonwealth. Checks should never be
made payable to the advisor or any other entity under the control of the advisor in relation to any
programs or services offered through SFPG. Clients who are asked or instructed by their advisor to
make checks payable to the advisor or any entity under control of the advisor should contact
Rebecca Robey directly for verification.
Clients should be aware that, when assets are invested in shares of mutual funds, variable
insurance products, and certain alternative investments within a managed account program, clients
will pay investment advisory fees to SFPG and to the advisor for their advisory services in
connection with the investments. In addition to the payments received by SFPG and the advisor,
clients will also pay management fees, mutual fund and money market 12b-1 fees, subtransfer
agent fees, mutual fund and money market administrative expenses, mutual fund transaction fees,
certain deferred sales charges and redemption fees on previously purchased mutual funds, annuity
internal expenses and fees, and other fees charged by the investment company, insurance product,
or alternative investment sponsor, which are typically charged to clients as an internal expense of
the product. These internal expenses are described in the prospectus or offering document for the
specific product. Clients may be able to invest directly in the investment company, insurance
product, or alternative investment without incurring the investment advisory fees, platform fees, or
transaction charges assessed by SFPG or their advisor. If a client’s assets are invested in a fee-
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based annuity, the client will pay both the direct management fee to SFPG and their advisor for the
advisory services provided by SFPG and the advisor in connection with that investment and,
indirectly, the management and other fees charged by the underlying annuity investment options,
as well as the charges assessed by the insurance company for the product. Of course, clients
should also be aware of the tax implications of investing, as well as of the existence of deferred
sales charges or redemption fees charged by some product sponsors for positions the client
subsequently sells in SFPG managed accounts.
Certain IARs are licensed insurance agents to service legacy products, although SFPG will
receive trail compensation. You are under no obligation to purchase insurance products
through any particular insurance agency and may affect any such transactions where you
desire. Insurance products may be available to you elsewhere at lower cost.
Special Disclosures for ERISA Plans
In this Brochure, SFPG has disclosed conflicts of interest, such as receiving additional compensation
from third parties (e.g., 12b-1 fees, subtransfer agent fees, and revenue sharing) for providing
marketing, recordkeeping, or other services in connection with certain investments. SFPG, however,
has adopted policies and procedures that are designed to ensure compliance with the prohibited
transaction rules under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), as
amended. For example, SFPG has taken several steps to address the conflict of interest associated
with SFPG’s or SFPG’s advisors’ receipt of compensation for services provided to ERISA plans.
First, an advisor negotiates the compensation with ERISA plan sponsors or participants (“ERISA
clients”) and the compensation is either an annual fee for ongoing services based on a percentage of
assets under advisement, a flat fee, or an hourly rate. Second, to the extent that an advisor receives
additional compensation from a third party, the advisor must report it to SFPG to enable the additional
compensation to be offset against the fees that the ERISA clients would otherwise pay for the advisor’s
services. Third, SFPG has established a policy not to influence any advisor’s advice or management
of assets at any time or for any reason based on any compensation that SFPG or the advisor might
receive from third parties. In no event will SFPG allow advisors to provide advice or manage assets for
ERISA clients if they have conflicts of interest that SFPG believes are prohibited by ERISA.
As a covered service provider to ERISA plans, SFPG will comply with the U.S. Department of Labor
regulations on fee disclosures, effective July 16, 2011 (or such other date as provided by the
Department). Thus, SFPG and its advisors will disclose (i) direct compensation received from ERISA
clients; (ii) indirect compensation (e.g., 12b-1 fees) received from third parties; and (iii) transaction-
based compensation (e.g., commissions) or other similar compensation shared with related parties
servicing the ERISA plan. These fee disclosures will be made reasonably in advance of entering into,
renewing, or extending the advisory service agreement with the ERISA client.
Item 6 – Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
We do not charge performance-based fees (i.e., advisory fees on a share of the capital gains or
capital appreciation of the funds or securities in a client account). Our compensation structure is
disclosed in detail in Item 5 above. We also do not engage in side-by-side management of accounts.
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Item 7 – Types of Clients
Individuals (other than high net worth individuals)
We generally provide investment advisory and financial planning services to the following types
of clients:
•
• High net worth individuals
• Pension and profit-sharing plans
• Charitable organizations
• Corporations or other businesses not listed above
Charitable organizations sponsor donor-advised-funds (“DAFs”). DAFs are planned giving
vehicles where clients make an irrevocable gift into an account owned by a charitable organization
and can recommend distributions to charities of their choice thereafter. Clients have the option to
request the firm serves as the investment adviser on the account and pay the firm an investment
advisory fee based on assets in the DAF. In such case, the firm and the advisor have an incentive
to advise a client to make a distribution directly to a DAF in lieu of a charity and advise against
distributions from the DAF to eligible charities because doing so would dilute the amount of assets
managed when the firm and the advisor are paid on a percentage of such assets. However, the
firm and the advisor are obligated to act in the best interest of the client when providing investment
advice to a DAF.
We generally require a household minimum of $300,000 in advisory accounts. We reserve the
right to waive this household minimum requirement in our sole discretion. Please see Item 4 for
the minimum account balance requirements of the PPS programs.
Item 8 – Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Our investment strategies include long-term buy and hold and short-term trading strategies. We
primarily provide investment advice concerning equities, fixed income, certificates of deposit,
investment company securities (mutual funds) and variable insurance products. We also may
provide investment advice concerning partnership interests, including, but not limited to, real
estate, oil and gas interests, and other business or industry.
Each portfolio will be initially designed to meet particular investment goals and objectives taking
into account your financial situation, circumstances, and risk tolerance. You have the opportunity
to place reasonable restrictions or constraints on the way your account is managed; however,
such restrictions may affect the composition and performance of your portfolio.
We base our investment advice in part upon information gathered from financial newspapers,
magazines, and research materials prepared by others. We also utilize Morningstar, which
provides support services in portfolio design and strategy implementation.
In determining the investment advice to give to you, we may utilize charting to determine trends
and project future values. In a fundamental analysis, we analyze the financial statements and
health of a business, its management and competitive advantages, and its competitors and
markets but usually focusing on growth or value (or sometimes a combination of both) to
determine if such security meets your needs and objectives. We will take into consideration when
making investment decisions the stages of the business during a given point in time. We may
also perform a security analysis discipline, known as a technical analysis, in forecasting the
direction of prices through the study of past market data, primarily price and volume.
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There are inherent risks involved in each investment strategy or method of analysis we use and
the particular types of security we recommend. Investing in securities involves risk of loss which
you should be prepared to bear. It is impossible to name all possible types of risks. Among the
risks are the following:
• General Market Risks. Markets can, as a whole, go up or down on various news releases or
for no understandable reason at all. This sometimes means that the price of specific securities
could go up or down without real reason and may take some time to recover any lost value.
Adding additional securities does not help to minimize this risk since all securities may be
affected by market fluctuations.
• Political Risk. Most investments have a global component, even domestic stocks. Political
events anywhere in the world may have unforeseen consequences to markets around the world.
• Currency Risk. Overseas investments are subject to fluctuations in the value of the dollar
against the currency of the investment’s originating country. This is also referred to as
exchange rate risk.
• Regulatory Risk. Changes in laws and regulations from any government can change the
value of a given company and its accompanying securities. Certain industries are more
susceptible to government regulation. Changes in zoning, tax structure or laws impact the
return on these investments.
• Tax Risks Related to Short Term Trading. Clients should note that Adviser may engage in
short-term trading transactions. These transactions may result in short-term gains or losses
for federal and state tax purposes, which may be taxed at a higher rate than long-term
strategies. Adviser endeavors to invest client assets in a tax efficient manner, but all clients
are advised to consult with their tax professionals regarding the transactions in client
accounts. Frequent trading can affect investment performance, particularly through increased
brokerage and other transaction costs and taxes.
• Risks Related to Investment Term. If you require us to liquidate your portfolio during a period
in which the price of the security is low, you will not realize as much value as you would have
had the investment had the opportunity to regain its value, as investments frequently do, or
had we been able to reinvest in another security.
• Purchasing Power Risk. Purchasing power risk is the risk that your investment’s value will
decline as the price of goods rises (inflation). The investment’s value itself does not decline,
but its relative value does, which is the same thing. Inflation can happen for a variety of
complex reasons, including a growing economy and a rising money supply.
• Business Risk. These risks are associated with a particular industry or a particular company
within an industry. For example, oil-drilling companies depend on finding oil and then refining
it, a lengthy process, before they can generate a profit. They carry a higher risk of profitability
than an electric company, which generates its income from a steady stream of customers who
buy electricity no matter what the economic environment is like.
• Liquidity Risk. Liquidity is the ability to readily convert an investment into cash. For example,
Treasury Bills are highly liquid, while real estate properties are not. Some securities are highly
liquid while others are highly illiquid. Illiquid investments carry more risk because it can be
difficult to sell them.
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• Financial Risk. Excessive borrowing to finance a business’ operations decreases the risk of
profitability, because the company must meet the terms of its obligations in good times and
bad. During periods of financial stress, the inability to meet loan obligations may result in
bankruptcy and/or a declining market value.
• Default Risk. This risk pertains to the ability of a company to service their debt. Ratings
provided by several rating services help to identify those companies with more risk.
Obligations of the U.S. government are said to be free of default risk.
• Risks specific to sub-advisors and other managers. If we invest some of your assets with
another adviser, including a private placement, there are additional risks. These include risks
that the other manager is not as qualified as we believe them to be, that the investments they
use are not as liquid as we would normally use in your portfolio, or that their risk management
guidelines are more liberal than we would normally employ.
• Risks of Investments in Mutual Funds, ETFs and Other Investment Pools. As described
above, SFPG may invest client portfolios in mutual funds, ETFs and other investment pools
(“pooled investment funds”). Investments in pooled investment funds are generally less risky
than investing in individual securities because of their diversified portfolios; however, these
investments are still subject to risks associated with the markets in which they invest. In
addition, pooled investment funds’ success will be related to the skills of their particular
managers and their performance in managing their funds. Pooled investment funds are also
subject to risks due to regulatory restrictions applicable to registered investment companies
under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
• Equity Market Risks. SFPG will generally invest portions of client assets directly into equity
investments, either individual stocks or into pooled investment funds that invest in the stock
market. As noted above, while pooled investments have diversified portfolios that may make
them less risky than investments in individual securities, funds that invest in stocks and other
equity securities are nevertheless subject to the risks of the stock market. These risks include,
without limitation, the risks that stock values will decline due to daily fluctuations in the
markets, and that stock values will decline over longer periods (e.g., bear markets) due to
general market declines in the stock prices for all companies, regardless of any individual
security’s prospects.
• Option Risks. The purchaser of a put or call option can lose all of the cost of the option (the
premium). Most options expire “out of the money,” meaning the purchaser will lose his or her
premium on most options purchased. Selling puts and/or calls in a particular equity does not
affect the downside risk of owning that equity, as described in “Equity Market Risks,” above.
There are additional significant risks involved in selling uncovered or “naked” puts or calls,
that is, puts or calls on securities in which you as the client do not already own an underlying
position in the security.
• Risks Related to Alternative Investment Vehicles. From time to time and as appropriate,
SFPG may invest a portion of a client’s portfolio in alternative vehicles. The value of client
portfolios will be based in part on the value of alternative investment vehicles in which they
are invested, the success of each of which will depend heavily upon the efforts of their
respective Managers. When the investment objectives and strategies of a Manager are out of
favor in the market or a Manager makes unsuccessful investment decisions, the alternative
investment vehicles managed by the Manager may lose money. A client account may lose a
substantial percentage of its value if the investment objectives and strategies of many or most
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of the alternative investment vehicles in which it is invested are out of favor at the same time,
or many or most of the Managers make unsuccessful investment decisions at the same time.
• Fixed Income Risks. SFPG may invest portions of client assets directly into fixed income
instruments, such as bonds and notes, or may invest in pooled investment funds that invest
in bonds and notes. While investing in fixed income instruments, either directly or through
pooled investment funds, is generally less volatile than investing in stock (equity) markets,
fixed income investments nevertheless are subject to risks. These risks include, without
limitation, interest rate risks (risks that changes in interest rates will devalue the investments),
credit risks (risks of default by borrowers), or maturity risk (risks that bonds or notes will change
value from the time of issuance to maturity).
• Foreign Securities Risks. SFPG may invest portions of client assets into pooled investment
funds that invest internationally. While foreign investments are important to the diversification
of client investment portfolios, they carry risks that may be different from U.S. investments.
For example, foreign investments may not be subject to uniform audit, financial reporting or
disclosure standards, practices or requirements comparable to those found in the U.S.
Foreign investments are also subject to foreign withholding taxes and the risk of adverse
changes in investment or exchange control regulations. Finally, foreign investments may
involve currency risk, which is the risk that the value of the foreign security will decrease due
to changes in the relative value of the U.S.
Recommendation of particular types of securities: We will recommend various types of
securities and do not primarily recommend one particular type of security over another since each
client has different needs and different tolerance for risk. Each type of security has its own unique
set of risks associated with it, and it would not be possible to list here all of the specific risks of
every type of investment. Even within the same type of investment, risks can vary widely. In very
general terms, however, the higher the anticipated return of an investment, the higher the risk of
loss associated with the investment. Descriptions of the types of securities we may recommend
to you and some of their inherent risks are provided below:
• Money market funds: A money market fund is technically a security, and, as such, there
is a risk of loss of principal, although it is generally rare. In return for this risk, you should
earn a greater return on your cash than you would expect from a Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insured savings account (money market funds are not
FDIC insured). Next, money market fund rates are variable. In other words, you do not
know how much you will earn on your investment next month. The rate could go up or
down. If it goes up, that may result in a positive outcome. If it goes down, however, and
you earn less than you expected to, you may end up needing more cash. A final risk you
are taking with money market funds has to do with inflation. Because money market funds
are considered to be safer than other investments like stocks, long-term average returns
on money market funds tend to be less than long-term average returns on riskier
investments. Over long periods of time, inflation can eat away at your returns.
• Municipal securities: Municipal securities, while generally thought of as safe, can have
significant risks associated with them, including, but not limited to, the creditworthiness of the
governmental entity that issues the bond, the stability of the revenue stream that is used to
pay the interest to the bondholders, when the bond is due to mature, and whether the bond
can be “called” prior to maturity. When a bond is called, it may not be possible to replace it
with a bond of equal character paying the same amount of interest or yield to maturity.
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• Bonds: Also known as corporate debt securities, bonds are typically safer investments
than equity securities, but their risk can also vary widely based on the financial health of
the issuer, the risk that the issuer might default, when the bond is set to mature, and
whether the bond can be “called” prior to maturity. When a bond is called, it may not be
possible to replace it with a bond of equal character paying the same rate of return.
• Stocks: There are numerous ways of measuring the risk of equity securities (also known
simply as “equities” or “stocks”). In very broad terms, the value of a stock depends on the
financial health of the company issuing it. Stock prices, however, can be affected by many
other factors, including, but not limited to, the class of stock (e.g., preferred or common),
the health of the market sector of the issuing company, and the overall health of the
economy. In general, larger, more well-established companies (i.e., large-caps) tend to
be safer than smaller start-up companies (i.e., small-caps), but the mere size of an issuer
is not, by itself, an indicator of the safety of the investment.
• Mutual funds and ETFs: Mutual funds and ETFs are professionally managed collective
investment systems that pool money from many investors and invest in stocks, bonds,
short term money market instruments, other mutual funds, other securities, or any
combination thereof. The fund will have a manager that trades the fund’s investments in
accordance with the fund’s investment objective. While mutual funds and ETFs generally
provide diversification, risks can be significantly increased if the fund is concentrated in
a particular sector of the market, primarily invests in small-cap or speculative companies,
uses leverage (i.e., borrows money) to a significant degree, or concentrates in a particular
type of security (i.e., equities) rather than balancing the fund with different types of
securities. ETFs differ from mutual funds in that they can be bought and sold throughout
the day like stock and their price can fluctuate throughout the day. The returns on mutual
funds and ETFs can be reduced by the costs to manage the funds. Also, while some
mutual funds are “no load,” meaning there’s no fee to buy into or sell out of the fund, other
types of mutual funds do charge such fees, which can also reduce returns. Mutual funds
can also be “closed-end” or “open-end.” Open-end mutual funds continue to allow new
investors indefinitely, whereas closed-end funds have a fixed number of shares to sell,
which can limit their availability to new investors.
• Variable annuities: A variable annuity is a form of insurance where the seller or issuer
(typically an insurance company) makes a series of future payments to a buyer
(annuitant) in exchange for the immediate payment of a lump sum (single-payment
annuity) or a series of regular payments (regular-payment annuity). The payment stream
from the issuer to the annuitant has an unknown duration based principally upon the date
of death of the annuitant. At this point, the contract will terminate, and the remainder of
the funds accumulated will be forfeited unless there are other annuitants or beneficiaries
in the contract. Annuities can be purchased to provide an income during retirement.
Unlike fixed annuities that make payments in fixed amounts or in amounts that increase
by a fixed percentage, variable annuities pay amounts that vary according to the
performance of a specified set of investments, typically bond and equity mutual funds.
Many variable annuities typically impose asset-based sales charges or surrender
charges for withdrawals within a specified period. Variable annuities may impose a variety
of fees and expenses, in addition to sales and surrender charges, such as mortality and
expense risk charges, administrative fees, underlying fund expenses, and charges for
special features, all of which can reduce the return.
• Real estate: Real estate is increasingly being used as part of a long-term core strategy due
to increased market efficiency and increasing concerns about the future long-term variability
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of stock and bond returns. In fact, real estate is known for its ability to serve as a portfolio
diversifier and inflation hedge. The asset class still bears a considerable amount of market
risk, however. Real estate has shown itself to be very cyclical, somewhat mirroring the ups
and downs of the overall economy. In addition to employment and demographic changes,
real estate is also influenced by changes in interest rates and the credit markets, which
affect the demand and supply of capital and, thus, real estate values. Along with changes in
market fundamentals, investors wishing to add real estate as part of their core investment
portfolios need to look for property concentrations by area or by property type. Because
property returns are directly affected by local market basics, real estate portfolios that are
too heavily concentrated in one area or property type can lose their risk mitigation attributes
and bear additional risk by being too influenced by local or sector market changes.
• Limited partnerships: A limited partnership is a financial affiliation that includes at least
one general partner and a number of limited partners. The partnership invests in a venture,
such as real estate development or oil exploration, for financial gain. The general partner
has management authority and unlimited liability. The general partner runs the business
and, in the event of bankruptcy, is responsible for all debts not paid or discharged. The
limited partners have no management authority, and their liability is limited to the amount of
their capital commitment. Profits are divided between general and limited partners according
to an arrangement formed at the creation of the partnership. The range of risks is dependent
on the nature of the partnership and disclosed in the offering documents if privately placed.
Publicly traded limited partnerships have similar risk attributes to equities; however, like
privately placed limited partnerships, their tax treatment is under a different tax regime from
equities. You should speak to your tax adviser in regard to their tax treatment.
• Options contracts: Options are complex securities that involve risks and are not suitable
for everyone. Option trading can be speculative in nature and carry substantial risk of
loss. It is generally recommended that you only invest in options with risk capital. An
option is a contract that gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an
underlying asset at a specific price on or before a certain date (i.e., the expiration date).
The two types of options are calls and puts. A call gives the holder the right to buy an
asset at a certain price within a specific period of time. Calls are similar to having a long
position on a stock. Buyers of calls hope that the stock will increase substantially before
the option expires. A put gives the holder the right to sell an asset at a certain price within
a specific period of time. Puts are very similar to having a short position on a stock. Buyers
of puts hope that the price of the stock will fall before the option expires. Selling options
is more complicated and can be even riskier. Option trading risks are closely related to
stock risks, as stock options are a derivative of stocks.
• Structured products: A structured product is generally a prepackaged investment
strategy based on derivatives, such as a single security, a basket of securities, options,
indices, commodities, debt issuances, and/or foreign currencies, and, to a lesser extent,
swaps. Structured products are usually issued by investment banks or affiliates thereof. In
addition to a fixed maturity, they have two components: a note and a derivative. The
derivative component is often an option. The note provides for periodic interest payments
to the investor at a predetermined rate, and the derivative component provides for the
payment at maturity. Some products use the derivative component as a put option written
by the investor that gives the buyer of the put option the right to sell to the investor the
security or securities at a predetermined price. Other products use the derivative
component to provide for a call option written by the investor that gives the buyer of the call
option the right to buy the security or securities from the investor at a predetermined price.
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A feature of some structured products is a “principal guarantee” function, which offers
protection of principal if held to maturity. These products are not always FDIC insured,
however; they may only be insured by the issuer and, thus, have the potential for loss of
principal in the case of a liquidity crisis or other solvency problems with the issuing
company. Investing in structured products involves a number of risks, including, but not
limited to, fluctuations in the price, level, or yield of underlying instruments; interest rates;
currency values; and credit quality. They also involve the risk of substantial loss of principal,
limits on participation in any appreciation of the underlying instrument, limited liquidity,
credit risk of the issuer, conflicts of interest, and other events that are difficult to predict.
Investments may also be affected by currency controls; different accounting, auditing, financial
reporting, disclosure, and regulatory and legal standards and practices; expropriation (occurs
when governments take away a private business from its owners); changes in tax policy; greater
market volatility; different securities market structures; higher transaction costs; and various
administrative difficulties, such as delays in clearing and settling portfolio transactions or in
receiving payment of dividends. These risks may be heightened in connection with investments
in developing countries. Investments in securities issued by entities domiciled in the United States
may also be subject to many of these risks.
Any of the common risks described above could adversely affect the value of your portfolio and
account performance, and you can lose money. Even though these risks exist, SFPG and your
advisor will still earn the fees and other compensation described in this Brochure. Clients should
carefully consider the risks of investing and the potential that they may lose principal while SFPG
and your advisor continue to earn fees and other forms of compensation.
Your investments are not bank deposits and are not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any
other governmental agency, entity, or person, unless otherwise noted and explicitly disclosed as
such, and as such may lose value.
Item 9 – Disciplinary Information
We are obligated to disclose any disciplinary event that would be material to you when evaluating
us to initiate a Client / Adviser relationship, or to continue a Client / Adviser relationship with us.
Neither our advisory firm nor a management person of our firm has been involved in any material
disciplinary event.
Item 10 – Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
SFPG is not and does not have a related company that is a broker dealer, investment company
or pooled investment vehicle, other investment adviser, futures commission merchant or
commodity pool operator, banking or thrift institution, accountant or accounting firm, lawyer or law
firm, insurance company or agency, pension consultant, real estate broker, or sponsor or
syndicator of a limited partnership.
SFPG has chosen to partner with Commonwealth to provide certain services, including but not
limited to fee billing and account performance reporting, to our firm and our clients. For the
services it provides, Commonwealth charges our advisors an administrative fee at the same time
clients are charged asset-based management fees. The administrative fee is charged to and paid
by the advisor rather than the advisor’s clients. and is calculated as a percentage of the total
account assets, including cash and money market positions, held by the advisor’s clients.
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In the same manner as we offer asset management fee discounts as your account value grows,
Commonwealth offers advisors discounts on administrative fees based on their total assets under
management. As advisors grow their assets, Commonwealth’s economies of scale are shared
with the advisors by reducing the percentage amount of administrative fees that would otherwise
be charged to the advisors. The advisors receive discounts on the administrative fee when they
reach specified asset levels. As the amount of the advisors’ client assets grow above certain
levels, the advisors receive larger percentage discounts to the administrative fees than they would
otherwise receive.
These discounts in administrative fees and higher payouts for reaching various asset levels
present a conflict of interest because they provide a financial incentive for advisors who receive
the discounts to recommend Commonwealth’s PPS programs or our own asset management
program over other available managed account programs that do not offer such discounts or
higher payouts to advisors. On the other hand, because Commonwealth does not assess
administrative fees to advisors when they use advisory programs outside of PPS or our own asset
management program, depending upon the costs and fees of a particular outside program,
advisors may have a financial incentive to use one or more outside programs rather than PPS or
our own program, which also creates a conflict of interest.
Item 11 – Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
and Personal Trading
We have in place Ethics Rules (the “Rules”), which are comprised of the Code of Ethics and
Insider Trading policies and procedures. The Rules are designed to ensure that our personnel (i)
observe applicable legal (including compliance with applicable state and federal securities laws)
and ethical standards in the performance of their duties; (ii) at all times place your interests first;
(iii) disclose all actual or potential conflicts; (iv) adhere to the highest standards of loyalty, candor
and care in all matters relating to you; (v) conduct all personal trading consistent with the Rules
and in such a manner as to avoid any actual or potential conflict of interest or any abuse of their
position of trust and responsibility; and (vi) not use any material non-public information in
securities trading. The Rules also establish policies regarding other matters such as outside
employment, the giving or receiving of gifts, and safeguarding portfolio holdings information.
Under the general prohibitions of the Rules, our personnel may not: 1) effect securities
transactions while in the possession of material, non-public information; 2) disclose such
information to others; 3) participate in fraudulent conduct involving securities held or to be
acquired by any client; and 4) engage in frequent trading activities that create or may create a
conflict of interest, limit their ability to perform their job duties, or violate any provision of the Rules.
Our personnel are required to conduct their personal investment activities in a manner that we
believe is not detrimental to its advisory clients. Our personnel are not permitted to transact in
securities except under circumstances specified in the Code of Ethics. However, as described
below, there may be circumstances where our personnel may buy and sell on behalf of its clients,
securities of issuers or other investments in which they own securities or otherwise have an
interest. The policy requires all Access Persons (defined as investment personnel, which includes
portfolio managers, assistant portfolio managers, research analysts and trading room personnel,
our officers, and other designated persons) to report all personal transactions in securities not
otherwise exempt under the policy. All reportable transactions are reviewed for compliance with
the Code of Ethics. The Ethics Rules are available to you and prospective clients upon request.
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Our IARs may buy or sell for their own accounts securities that you also hold. Conversely, they
may buy and sell securities for your accounts which they themselves may own. This creates a
conflict of interest because it may be possible for us or our associates to receive more favorable
prices than our clients. To mitigate or remedy this conflict of interest, such transactions are
permitted if in compliance with our Policy on Personal Securities Transactions. Reports of
personal transactions in securities by our IARs are reviewed by the firm’s Compliance Department
quarterly or more frequently if required. Nonetheless, we do not, nor does a related person,
recommend that you buy or sell for your account’s securities in which we (or a related person)
have a material financial interest.
Additionally, we may recommend securities to you, or buy or sell securities for your accounts, at
or about the same time that we (or a related person) buy or sell the same securities for our own
(or the related person's own) account. This creates a conflict of interest because it may be
possible for us or our associates to receive more favorable prices than our clients. We monitor
this conflict by ensuring that securities transactions for the accounts of IARs or employees in the
same security as that purchased or sold for our clients are entered only after completion of all
reasonably anticipated trading in that security for client accounts on any given day. In the event
that we make a block trade for multiple clients that includes securities in the accounts of our IARs
or employees, we ensure that the allocation is equitable and fair to all accounts, in accordance
with the allocation procedure described in Item 12 below. We do not execute transactions on a
principal or agency cross basis.
Item 12 – Brokerage Practices
The Custodians and Brokers We Use
SFPG does not maintain physical custody of your assets, although we will be deemed to have
custody of your assets under SEC rules if you give us authority to withdraw advisory fees from
your account or if you provide us with authorization for money movement to third parties (see Item
15 - Custody below). Your assets must be maintained in an account at a “qualified custodian”,
generally a broker dealer or other financial institution. We primarily recommend that our clients
use NFS, a registered broker-dealer, member SIPC, as a qualified custodian. At times, we may
utilize other qualified custodians to hold your assets. We are independently owned and operated
and are not affiliated with NFS or any other qualified custodian. The qualified custodian will hold
your assets in a brokerage account and buy and sell securities with our instruction. While we will
recommend a qualified custodian to hold your assets, you will decide whether to do so and will
open the account directly at the qualified custodian with our assistance. Not all firms require clients
to use a particular broker-dealer or other custodian selected by the firm. However, if you choose
not to open an account with one of the qualified custodians we recommend, we will not be able
to provide asset management services to you. Consulting services not including asset
management will be available in such cases if you desire.
How We Select Brokers/Custodians
We seek to use a custodian/broker who will hold your assets and execute transactions on terms
that are, overall, most advantageous when compared to other available providers and their
services. We consider a wide range of factors, including, among others:
• Combination of transaction execution services and asset custody services
• Capability to execute, clear and settle trades (buy and sell securities for your account)
• Capability to facilitate transfers and payments to and from accounts (wire transfers, check
requests, etc.)
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• Breadth of available investment products (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded
funds
[ETFs], limited partnerships)
• Availability of investment research and tools that assist us in making investment decisions.
• Quality of services
• Competitiveness of the price of those services and willingness to negotiate the prices
• Reputation, financial strength, and stability
• Prior service to us and our other clients
• Availability of other products and services that benefit us
National Financial Services (NFS)
Your Brokerage and Custody Costs
For our clients’ accounts that we maintain via NFS, NFS generally does not charge you separately
for custody services but is compensated by charging you commissions or other fees on trades
that are executed or settled into your account. Commonwealth’s commission rates applicable to
our client accounts were negotiated based on the condition that our clients collectively maintain
a total of at least $50,000,000 of their assets in accounts at NFS. For client accounts at
Commonwealth, this commitment benefits you because the overall commission rates you pay are
lower than they would be otherwise. Because of these factors, in order to minimize your trading
costs, we have Commonwealth (via NFS) execute most trades for your account(s). We have
determined that having Commonwealth/NFS execute most trades is consistent with our duty to
seek “best execution” of your trades. Best execution means the most favorable terms for a
transaction based on all relevant factors, including those listed above (see “How We Select
Brokers/Custodians”).
Periodically, we will review alternative broker-dealers and custodians in the marketplace to ensure
that the custodians we use are meeting our duty to provide best execution for our clients. Best
execution does not simply mean the lowest transaction cost. When examining firms, we will
compare overall expertise, cost competitiveness and financial condition. The quality of execution
by the custodians we use will be reviewed using publicly available trade execution data and other
sources as needed. No single criteria will validate nor invalidate a custodian, but rather, all criteria
taken together will be used in evaluating the currently utilized custodian.
Products and Services Available to Us from Commonwealth and Our Custodians
Commonwealth provides us with various products and services that enable us to both serve our
clients and grow our business. Commonwealth (through their disclosed clearing relationship with
National Financial Services) provide us and our clients with access to its brokerage services—
trading, custody, reporting, and related services. Commonwealth also makes available various
support services. Some of those services help us manage or administer our client accounts, while
others help us manage and grow our business. Following is a more detailed description of
Commonwealth’s support services:
Services That Benefit You
Commonwealth’s brokerage services include access to a broad range of investment products,
execution of securities transactions by Commonwealth’s clearing firms, and custody of client
assets via their clearing firms. The investment products available through Commonwealth include
some to which we might not otherwise have access or that would require a significantly higher
minimum initial investment by our clients.
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Services That Do Not Directly Benefit You
Commonwealth also makes available to us other products and services that benefit our firm and
our advisors but do not directly benefit you or your account. These products and services assist
us in managing and administering our clients’ accounts. They include investment research, both
Commonwealth’s and that of third parties. We use this research to service substantially all our
client accounts, including accounts not maintained at Commonwealth. In addition to investment
research, Commonwealth also makes available software and other technology that:
• Provide access to client account data (such as duplicate trade confirmations and
account statements)
• Facilitate trade execution
• Provide pricing and other market data
• Facilitate payment of our fees from our client accounts
• Assist with back-office functions, recordkeeping and client reporting
Services That Generally Benefit Only Us
Commonwealth also offers other services intended to help us manage and further develop our
business enterprise. These services include:
• Complimentary or discounted attendance at conferences and events
• Consulting on technology, compliance, legal and business needs
• Publications and conferences on practice management and business succession
Our Interest in Commonwealth’s Services
Our relationship with Commonwealth requires that we maintain a certain level of assets within
Commonwealth’s PPS program and/or our own asset management program. This creates an
incentive to recommend that you establish and maintain your account with Commonwealth, based
on our interest in receiving Commonwealth’s services that benefit our business rather than based
on your interest in receiving the best value in custody services and the most favorable execution
of your transactions. This is a conflict of interest. To mitigate the conflict, this disclosure is provided
to you. As a fiduciary, we must act in your best interests. We believe that our selection of NFS
(via Commonwealth) as custodian and broker is in the best interests of our clients and conduct
regular reviews of our relationship with Commonwealth to ensure this remains the case. Our
choice to maintain a relationship with Commonwealth is primarily supported by the scope, quality,
and price of Commonwealth’s services (see “How We Select Brokers/Custodians”) and not
Commonwealth’s services that benefit only us.
Soft Dollars: SFPG does not use commissions to pay for research and brokerage services (i.e.,
soft dollar transactions). Research, along with other products and services other than trade
execution, are available to us on a cash basis from various vendors.
Core Account Sweep Programs (“CASPs”): through our relationship with Commonwealth, our firm
has access to a core account sweep program (“CASP”). CASP is the core account investment vehicle
for eligible accounts used to hold cash balances while awaiting reinvestment. The cash balance in
your eligible accounts will be deposited automatically or “swept” into interest-bearing FDIC-insurance
eligible deposit accounts at one or more FDIC-insured financial institutions. The interest rates for your
eligible accounts may be obtained at www.commonwealth.com/clients/deposit-sweep-program.aspx.
Specific features and account eligibility of CASP are further explained in the Disclosure Document
provided to clients that participate in CASP. A current version of the CASP Disclosure Document is
available at https://www.commonwealth.com/for-clients/disclosure/core-account-sweep-programs.
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Clients should note that, though the default options for cash held in accounts are the core account
investment vehicles, clients may at any time seek higher yields in other available investment options.
Commonwealth keeps a portion of the interest paid by the bank(s) participating in CASP as a fee for
providing bank sweep services. This fee reduces the rate of interest you receive on your cash in the
bank sweep program. SFPG receives no financial benefits from the CASP program. We encourage our
clients to review CASP program details to understand how Commonwealth and the program banks get
paid for the sweep program and to discuss other available investment options should you wish to do so.
Administrative Trade Errors: from time-to-time SFPG may make an error in submitting a trade
order on your behalf. Trading errors may include a number of situations, such as:
• The wrong security is bought or sold for a client
• A security is bought instead of sold
• A transaction is executed for the wrong account
• Securities transactions are completed for a client that had a restriction on such security
• Securities are allocated to the wrong accounts
When this occurs, we may place a correcting trade with the broker-dealer which has custody of
your account. If an investment gain results from the corrective action, the gain will remain in your
account unless it is legally not permissible for you to retain the gain, or we confer with you and
you decide to forego the gain (e.g., due to tax or other reasons).
In the event SFPG aggregates trade orders, the allocation procedure will be equitable and fair to
all accounts. No account will be favored over another account unless reasons, consistent with the
best interests of each account, are documented. All allocation costs are shared on a pro rata
basis based on a client’s participation.
Item 13 – Review of Accounts
Your advisor will generally offer to meet with you to review your accounts at least annually as
mutually agreed upon. A more frequent review of your accounts will be conducted upon your
request. Reviews of investment accounts typically look at portfolio consistency with regards to
your risk tolerance, investment time horizon, performance objectives, and asset allocation
instructions. We will also review account holdings, transactions, charges, and performance as
provided on such statements and other account reports. We monitor the investments that make
up the majority of our clients’ holdings on a weekly basis. If you receive financial planning advice,
reviews are made at least once annually for clients with accounts managed by SFPG, based on
the cooperation of clients. Reviews cover progress toward financial independence, anticipated
distributions toward family legacy goals, anticipated distributions for social capital or charitable
goals, as well as other goals communicated by you. In either type of review, accounts will also be
reviewed upon notice of changes in your circumstances.
You are provided with monthly account statements from the custodian, depending on the activity
in the account. Reports include details of your holdings, asset allocation, and other transaction
information. Comparisons to market indices and account performance may be used to evaluate
account performance in review with you.
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Item 14 – Client Referrals and Other Compensation
SFPG receives an economic benefit from Commonwealth in the form of the support, products and
services Commonwealth makes available to SFPG and other investment advisors whose clients
maintain their accounts on Commonwealth’s platform. These products and services, how they
benefit us, and the related conflicts of interest are described in Item 12 of this brochure.
Our access to Commonwealth’s products and services is not conditioned on our firm or our
advisors giving particular investment advice, such as buying particular securities for our clients.
Product vendors recommended by SFPG may provide monetary and non-monetary assistance
for the purposes of funding marketing, distribution, business and client development, educational
enhancement and/or due diligence reviews incurred by SFPG or our advisors relating to the
promotion or sale of the product vendor’s products or services. We do not select products as a
result of the receipt or potential receipt of any monetary or non-monetary assistance. SFPG’s due
diligence of a product does not take into consideration any assistance it may receive. While the
receipt of products or services is a benefit for you and us, it also presents a conflict of interest.
We attempt to mitigate this conflict of interest by:
Informing you of conflicts of interest in our disclosure document and agreement;
•
• Maintaining and abiding by our Code of Ethics which requires us to place your interests
first and foremost;
• Advising you of the right to decline to implement our recommendations and the right to
choose other financial professionals for implementation.
for advisory
transitioning
from another
firm
Commonwealth offers our firm and our firm’s advisory representatives one or more forms of
financial benefits based on our advisory representatives’ total AUM held at Commonwealth or
financial assistance
to
representatives
Commonwealth. The types of financial benefits that our advisory representatives may receive
from Commonwealth include, but are not limited to, forgivable or unforgivable loans, enhanced
payouts, and discounts or waivers on transaction, platform, and account fees; technology fees;
research package fees; financial planning software fees; administrative fees; brokerage account
fees; account transfer fees; licensing and insurance costs; and the cost of attending conferences
and events. The enhanced payouts, discounts, and other forms of financial benefits that advisory
representatives may receive from Commonwealth are a conflict of interest and provide a financial
incentive for advisory representatives to select Commonwealth as broker/dealer for your accounts
over other broker/dealers from which they may not receive similar financial benefits. We attempt
to mitigate this conflict of interest by disclosing the conflict in this brochure and engaging in a
regular review of our relationship with Commonwealth to ensure the relationship continues to be
appropriate in all respects for our firm’s clients.
In connection with SFPG engaging the services of Commonwealth Financial Network as its
broker-dealer and/or service provider, on 3/1/2022 Commonwealth provided a loan of $785,000
that is forgivable over five years so long as SFPG’s relationship with Commonwealth continues
and is scheduled to be repaid no later than March 1st, 2027 (the “Note”). The existence of the
Note presents a conflict of interest in that our firm and/or our advisors have a financial incentive
to maintain our relationship with Commonwealth. However, to the extent we direct clients to
Commonwealth for such services, it is because the firm believes that it is in that client’s best
interest to do so given our regular review of the firm’s relationship with Commonwealth.
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In connection with the acquisition of Commonwealth by LPL Financial Holdings, Inc. (“LPLH”) on
August 1, 2025, SFPG received a loan that is forgiven over a multi-year term subject to continued
affiliation with Commonwealth, LPL Financial, LLC (“LPL”), a subsidiary of LPLH, or LPLH’s
affiliates after the acquisition. The existence of the loan presents a conflict of interest in that our
firm and/or our advisors have a financial incentive to maintain our relationship with LPL and/or
Commonwealth. However, to the extent we direct clients to LPL and/or Commonwealth for
services, it is because the firm believes that it is in that client’s best interest to do so given our
regular review of the firm’s relationship with Commonwealth and/or LPL.
Other than as described herein, and particularly in Items 5 and 12, we receive no compensation
from third parties for providing advice to our clients, nor do we compensate for client referrals or
receive compensation for client referrals.
You should be aware that the receipt of additional compensation itself creates a conflict of interest
and may affect the judgment of SFPG and its IARs when making recommendations. SFPG
endeavors at all times to put your interest first as part of our fiduciary duty.
Item 15 – Custody
We have custody of client funds or securities because we are granted authority, upon written
consent from you, to deduct the management fees directly from your account and to delegate that
authority to a financial institution. We do not have physical custody of client funds or securities.
We have implemented the safeguard requirements of SEC regulations by requiring safekeeping
of your funds and securities by a qualified custodian. We have further implemented procedures
to comply with the requirements outlined by the SEC in its February 21, 2017 No-Action Letter to
the Investment Adviser Association.
The custodian will send to you, at least quarterly, an account statement identifying the amount of
funds and each security in the account at the end of period and setting forth all transactions in the
account during that period including the amount of management fees paid to SFPG. For accounts
at NFS, the account statement will state the management fee paid to Commonwealth and then
Commonwealth pays SFPG its portion of the fee. You are encouraged to review these account
statements received from the custodian against reports provided by us and immediately inform
us of any discrepancies.
Item 16 – Investment Discretion
SFPG renders investment advice to the vast majority of its managed account clients on a
discretionary basis. Upon receiving written authorization from you, by execution of our Statement
of Investment Selection and related powers of attorney our IARs accept trading authority to assist
you in implementing your investment strategy. You will have the right to place reasonable
restrictions on such authority. Any restrictions must be submitted in writing to us. Our managed
account program does, however, permit the client to choose to have SFPG and the advisor
provide investment advice and recommendations to the client on a nondiscretionary basis. Clients
who wish to receive advice with respect to their managed account on a nondiscretionary basis
would need to execute an amendment to modify the client agreement to be nondiscretionary.
Clients may request a copy of the nondiscretionary amendment form from their advisor if they
desire to exercise this option.
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Item 17 – Voting Client Securities (i.e., Proxy Voting)
Clients receive proxies directly from their Custodians. We do not vote or assist in voting proxies.
Our clients are responsible for directing their own proxies solicited by issuers of securities. Clients
are responsible for making elections relative to mergers, acquisitions, tender offers, bankruptcy
proceedings and other type events pertaining to the securities in Clients’ account. Proxy and other
solicitation information will be mailed to clients from the account custodian. Please follow the
instructions for proxy voting included in the mailing.
Item 18 – Financial Information
We have no financial condition that is reasonably likely to impair our ability to meet contractual
commitments to you. We do not require or solicit prepayment of fees more than $1,200 and six
months or more in advance and therefore are not required to produce a balance sheet. In addition,
we are not currently, nor at any time in the past ten years have been the subject of a bankruptcy
petition.
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