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210 Elmer Street
Westfield, NJ 07090
Telephone: 908-301-1200
www.teppwealth.com
Version date: March 7, 2025
FORM ADV PART 2A
BROCHURE
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Tepp RIA DBA
Tepp Wealth Management an SEC registered investment adviser. Registration with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission or any state securities authority does not imply a certain level of
skill or training.
If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, contact us at 908-301-1200. The
information in this brochure has not been approved or verified by the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission or by any state securities authority.
Additional information about Tepp Wealth Management is available on the SEC's website at
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov by searching for the firm’s CRD#: 283899
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Item 2 Summary of Material Changes
There material changes in this brochure from the last annual updating amendment on 03/05/2024 of
Tepp Wealth Management are described below. Material changes relate
to Tepp Wealth
Management’s policies, practices or conflicts of interests.
• Tepp Wealth Management has transitioned to registration with the United States Securities and
•
•
•
Exchange Commission from its prior registration with the State of New Jersey.
Item 4 – Tepp Wealth Management no longer offers non-discretionary asset management
services
Item 5 – Tepp Wealth Management no longer offers Family Office and Wealth Planning
Services.
Item 12 – Tepp Wealth Management’s custodian is now Fidelity Brokerage Services.
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Item 3 Table of Contents
Item 2 Summary of Material Changes .................................................................................................. 2
Item 3 Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... 3
Item 4 Advisory Business ..................................................................................................................... 4
Item 5 Fees and Compensation ............................................................................................................ 6
Item 6 Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management ..................................................... 9
Item 7 Types of Clients .......................................................................................................................... 9
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss.............................................. 9
Item 9 Disciplinary Information .......................................................................................................... 14
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations ............................................................ 14
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading .. 15
Item 12 Brokerage Practices ............................................................................................................... 16
Item 13 Review of Accounts ............................................................................................................... 17
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation ........................................................................... 17
Item 15 Custody ................................................................................................................................... 18
Item 16 Investment Discretion ............................................................................................................ 18
Item 17 Voting Client Securities ......................................................................................................... 18
Item 18 Financial Information ............................................................................................................. 19
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Item 4 Advisory Business
Description of Firm
Tepp RIA LLC d/b/a Tepp Wealth Management is a registered investment adviser primarily based in
Westfield, New Jersey. We are organized as a limited liability company ("LLC") under the laws of the
State of New Jersey. We have been providing investment advisory services since 2016. We are
primarily owned by David Tepp.
The following paragraphs describe our services and fees. Refer to the description of each investment
advisory service listed below for information on how we tailor our advisory services to your individual
needs. As used in this brochure, the words "we," "our," and "us" refer to Tepp Wealth
Management and the words "you," "your," and "client" refer to you as either a client or prospective
client of our firm.
Portfolio Management Services
We offer discretionary portfolio management services. Our investment advice is tailored to meet our
clients' needs and investment objectives.
If you participate in our discretionary portfolio management services, we require you to grant our firm
discretionary authority to manage your account. Discretionary authorization will allow us to determine
the specific securities, and the amount of securities, to be purchased or sold for your account without
your approval prior to each transaction. Discretionary authority is typically granted by the investment
advisory agreement you sign with our firm and the appropriate trading authorization forms.
You may limit our discretionary authority (for example, limiting the types of securities that can be
purchased or sold for your account) by providing our firm with your restrictions and guidelines in
writing.
As part of our portfolio management services, we may use one or more sub-advisers to manage a
portion of your account on a discretionary basis. The sub-adviser(s) may use one or more of their
model portfolios to manage your account. We will regularly monitor the performance of your accounts
managed by sub-adviser(s) and may hire and fire any sub-adviser without your prior approval. We may
pay a portion of our advisory fee to the sub-adviser(s) we use; however, you will not pay our firm a
higher advisory fee as a result of any sub-advisory relationships.
As part of our portfolio management services, in addition to other types of investments (see
disclosures below in this section), we may invest your assets according to one or more
model portfolios developed by our firm. These models are designed for investors with varying degrees
of risk tolerance ranging from a more aggressive investment strategy to a more conservative
investment approach. Clients whose assets are invested in model portfolios may not set restrictions on
the specific holdings or allocations within the model, nor the types of securities that can be purchased
in the model.
Financial Planning Services
We offer financial planning services which typically involves providing a variety of advisory services to
clients regarding the management of their financial resources based upon an analysis of their
individual needs. These services can range from broad-based financial planning to consultative or
single subject planning. If you retain our firm for financial planning services, we will meet with you to
gather information about your financial circumstances and objectives. We may also use financial
planning software to determine your current financial position and to define and quantify your long-term
goals and objectives. Once we specify those long-term objectives (both financial and non-financial), we
will develop shorter-term, targeted objectives. Once we review and analyze the information you provide
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to our firm and the data derived from our financial planning software, we will deliver a written plan to
you, designed to help you achieve your stated financial goals and objectives.
Financial plans are based on your financial situation at the time we present the plan to you, and on the
financial information you provide to us. You must promptly notify our firm if your financial situation,
goals, objectives, or needs change.
You are under no obligation to act on our financial planning recommendations. Should you choose to
act on any of our recommendations, you are not obligated to implement the financial plan through any
of our other investment advisory services. Moreover, you may act on our recommendations by placing
securities transactions with any brokerage firm.
Pension Consulting Services
We offer pension consulting services to employee benefit plans and their fiduciaries based upon the
needs of the plan and the services requested by the plan sponsor or named fiduciary. In general, these
services may include an existing plan review and analysis, plan-level advice regarding fund selection
and investment options, education services to plan participants, investment performance monitoring,
and/or ongoing consulting. These pension consulting services will generally be non-discretionary and
advisory in nature. The ultimate decision to act on behalf of the plan shall remain with the plan sponsor
or other named fiduciary.
We may also assist with participant enrollment meetings and provide investment-related educational
seminars to plan participants on such topics as:
• Diversification
• Asset allocation
• Risk tolerance
• Time horizon
Our educational seminars may include other investment-related topics specific to the particular plan.
We may also provide additional types of pension consulting services to plans on an individually
negotiated basis. All services, whether discussed above or customized for the plan based upon
requirements from the plan fiduciaries (which may include additional plan-level or participant-level
services) shall be detailed in a written agreement and be consistent with the parameters set forth in the
plan documents.
Either party to the pension consulting agreement may terminate the agreement upon written notice to
the other party in accordance with the terms of the agreement for services. The pension consulting
fees will be prorated for the quarter in which the termination notice is given and any unearned fees will
be refunded to the client.
Selection of Other Advisers
We may recommend that you use the services of a third party money manager ("TPMM") to manage
all, or a portion of, your investment portfolio. After gathering information about your financial situation
and objectives, we may recommend that you engage a specific TPMM or investment program. Factors
that we take into consideration when making our recommendation(s) include, but are not limited to, the
following: the TPMM's performance, methods of analysis, fees, your financial needs, investment goals,
risk tolerance, and investment objectives. We will monitor the TPMM(s)' performance to ensure its
management and investment style remains aligned with your investment goals and objectives.
The TPMM(s) will actively manage your portfolio and will assume discretionary investment authority
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over your account. We will assume discretionary authority to hire and fire TPMM(s) and/or reallocate
your assets to other TPMM(s) where we deem such action appropriate.
Wrap Fee Programs
We do not participate in any wrap fee program.
Types of Investments
We offer advice on equity securities, corporate debt securities (other than commercial paper), United
States government securities, options contracts on securities, interests in partnerships investing in real
estate interests in partnerships investing in oil and gas interests, private equity and private credit.
Additionally, we may advise you on various types of investments based on your stated goals and
objectives. We may also provide advice on any type of investment held in your portfolio at the inception
of our advisory relationship.
IRA Rollover Recommendations
Effective December 20, 2021 (or such later date as the US Department of Labor (“DOL”) Field
Assistance Bulletin 2018-02 ceases to be in effect), for purposes of complying with the DOL’s
Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2020-02 (“PTE 2020-02”) where applicable, we are providing the
following Written Acknowledgment of Fiduciary Status to you.
When we provide investment advice to you regarding your retirement plan account or individual
retirement account, we are fiduciaries within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable, which are laws governing retirement
accounts. The way we make money creates some conflicts with your interests, so we operate under a
special rule that requires us to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. Under
this special rule’s provisions, we must:
• Meet a professional standard of care when making investment recommendations (give prudent
advice);
• Never put our financial interests ahead of yours when making recommendations (give loyal
advice);
• Avoid misleading statements about conflicts of interest, fees, and investments;
• Follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that we give advice that is in your best
interest;
• Charge no more than is reasonable for our services; and
• Give you basic information about conflicts of interest.
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2024, we provide continuous management services for $143,573,680 in client
assets on a discretionary basis and $2,338,539 in client assets on a non-discretionary basis.
Item 5 Fees and Compensation
Portfolio Management Services
Our annual fee for portfolio management services is negotiable and typically varies between 0.5% to
2.0% depending upon the market value of your assets under our management, the type and
complexity of the asset management services provided, as well as the level of administration
requested either directly or assumed by the client. Assets in each of your account(s) are included in
the fee assessment unless specifically identified in writing for exclusion. Where we engage the
services of a sub-advisor, the sub-advisor will receive a percentage of the fee that we receive from you
and you will not pay any additional fee. Our compensation may differ depending upon the individual
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agreement we have with each sub-advisor. As such, a conflict of interest exists where our firm or
persons associated with our firm has an incentive to recommend one sub-advisor over another sub-
advisor with whom we have more favorable compensation arrangements.
Our annual portfolio management fee is billed in arrears on a quarterly basis.. Our fee is based on the
value of your account as of the last business day of the quarter (or as of the last business day of the
prior quarter as may be appropriate).
If the portfolio management agreement is executed at any time other than the first day of a calendar
quarter, our fees will apply on a pro rata basis, which means that the advisory fee is payable in
proportion to the number of days in the quarter for which you are a client.
At our discretion, we may combine the account values of family members living in the same household
to determine the applicable advisory fee. For example, we may combine account values for you and
your minor children, joint accounts with your spouse, and other types of related accounts.
We will deduct our fee directly from your account through the qualified custodian holding your funds
and securities. We will deduct our advisory fee only when the following requirements are met:
• You provide our firm with written authorization permitting the fees to be paid directly from your
account held by the qualified custodian.
• We send you an invoice showing the amount of the fee, the value of the assets on which the
fee is based, and the specific manner in which the fee was calculated.
• The qualified custodian agrees to send you a statement, at least quarterly, indicating all
amounts dispersed from your account including the amount of the advisory fee paid directly to
our firm.
We encourage you to reconcile our invoices with the statement(s) you receive from the qualified
custodian. If you find any inconsistent information between our invoice and the statement(s) you
receive from the qualified custodian call our main office number located on the cover page of this
brochure.
You may terminate the portfolio management agreement upon 30 days written notice. You will incur a
pro rata charge for services rendered prior to the termination of the portfolio management agreement,
which means you will incur advisory fees only in proportion to the number of days in the quarter for
which you are a client. If you have pre-paid advisory fees that we have not yet earned, you will receive
a prorated refund of those fees.
Financial Planning Services
We charge an hourly fee of $595 for financial planning services, which is negotiable depending on the
scope and complexity of the plan, your situation, and your financial objectives. An estimate of the total
time/cost will be determined at the start of the advisory relationship. In limited circumstances, the
cost/time could potentially exceed the initial estimate. In such cases, we will notify you and request that
you approve the additional fee.
We also offer advice on single subject financial planning/general consulting services at the same
hourly rate.
Fees are due upon delivery of the financial plan. You may terminate the agreement at any time upon
written notice. Upon termination, you will be billed for any work that has already begun on your
financial plan based on the actual number of hours expended.
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We will not require prepayment of a fee more than six months in advance and in excess of $500.
Pension Consulting Services
Our advisory fees for these customized services will be based on a percentage of the plan assets as
follows:
Account Value
$0 - $500,000
$500,001 - $1,000,000
$1,000,001 - $3,000,000
Over $3,000,001
AUM Fee
0.50%
0.40%
0.30%
0.25%
You may terminate the pension consulting services agreement in accordance with the terms detailed
within the agreement with our firm. You will incur a pro rata charge for services rendered prior to the
termination of the agreement, which means you will incur advisory fees only in proportion to the
number of days in the quarter for which you are a client. If you have pre-paid advisory fees that we
have not yet earned, you will receive a prorated refund of those fees.
Selection of Other Advisers
We do not charge you a separate fee for the selection of other advisers. We will share in the advisory
fee you pay directly to the TPMM. The advisory fee you pay to the TPMM is established and payable in
accordance with the brochure provided by each TPMM to whom you are referred. These fees may or
may not be negotiable. Our compensation may differ depending upon the individual agreement we
have with each TPMM. As such, a conflict of interest exists where our firm or persons associated with
our firm has an incentive to recommend one TPMM over another TPMM with whom we have more
favorable compensation arrangements or other advisory programs offered by TPMMs with whom we
have less or no compensation arrangements.
Where we have some of your accounts managed by a TPMM and others that we manage ourselves,
the advisory fees charged by the TPMMs are separate and apart from our advisory fees charged on
the assets we separately manage. Advisory fees that you pay to the TPMM are established and
payable in accordance with the brochure provided by each TPMM to whom you are referred. These
fees may or may not be negotiable. You should review the recommended TPMM's brochure and take
into consideration the TPMM's fees along with our fees to determine the total amount of fees
associated with this program.
You may be required to sign an agreement directly with the recommended TPMM(s). You may
terminate your advisory relationship with the TPMM according to the terms of your agreement with the
TPMM. You should review each TPMM's brochure for specific information on how you may terminate
your advisory relationship with the TPMM and how you may receive a refund, if applicable. You should
contact the TPMM directly for questions regarding your advisory agreement with the TPMM.
Additional Fees and Expenses
As part of our investment advisory services to you, we may invest, or recommend that you invest, in
mutual funds and exchange traded funds. The fees that you pay to our firm for investment advisory
services are separate and distinct from the fees and expenses charged by mutual funds or exchange
traded funds (described in each fund's prospectus) to their shareholders. These fees will generally
include a management fee and other fund expenses. You will also incur transaction charges and/or
brokerage fees when purchasing or selling securities. These charges and fees are typically imposed by
the broker-dealer or custodian through whom your account transactions are executed. We do not
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share in any portion of the brokerage fees/transaction charges imposed by the broker-dealer or
custodian. To fully understand the total cost you will incur, you should review all the fees charged by
mutual funds, exchange traded funds, our firm, and others. For information on our brokerage practices,
refer to the Brokerage Practices section of this brochure.
Compensation for the Sale of Securities or Other Investment Products
Persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm are licensed as independent insurance
agents. These persons will earn commission-based compensation for selling insurance products,
including insurance products they sell to you. Insurance commissions earned by these persons are
separate and in addition to our advisory fees. This practice presents a conflict of interest because
persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm who are insurance agents have an incentive
to recommend insurance products to you for the purpose of generating commissions rather than solely
based on your needs. You are under no obligation, contractually or otherwise, to purchase insurance
products through any person affiliated with our firm.
Item 6 Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
We do not accept performance-based fees or participate in side-by-side management. Performance-
based fees are fees that are based on a share of a capital gains or capital appreciation of a client's
account. Side-by-side management refers to the practice of managing accounts that are charged
performance-based fees while at the same time managing accounts that are not charged performance-
based fees. Our fees are calculated as described in the Fees and Compensation section above, and
are not charged on the basis of a share of capital gains upon, or capital appreciation of, the funds in
your advisory account.
Item 7 Types of Clients
We offer investment advisory services to individuals (including high net worth individuals), pension and
profit sharing plans (but not the plan participants), and corporations or other businesses.
In general, we do not require a minimum dollar amount to open and maintain an advisory account;
however, we have the right to terminate your Account if it falls below a minimum size which, in our sole
opinion, is too small to manage effectively.
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Methods of Analysis and Investment Strategies
We may use one or more of the following methods of analysis or investment strategies when providing
investment advice to you:
Fundamental Analysis - involves analyzing individual companies and their industry groups, such as a
company's financial statements, details regarding the company's product line, the experience and
expertise of the company's management, and the outlook for the company and its industry. The
resulting data is used to measure the true value of the company's stock compared to the current
market value.
• Risk: The risk of fundamental analysis is that information obtained may be incorrect and the
analysis may not provide an accurate estimate of earnings, which may be the basis for a stock's
value. If securities prices adjust rapidly to new information, utilizing fundamental analysis may
not result in favorable performance.
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Modern Portfolio Theory - a theory of investment which attempts to maximize portfolio expected
return for a given amount of portfolio risk, or equivalently minimize risk for a given level of expected
return, by carefully diversifying the proportions of various assets.
• Risk: Market risk is that part of a security's risk that is common to all securities of the same
general class (stocks and bonds) and thus cannot be eliminated by diversification.
Long-Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that the value of those securities
will grow over a relatively long period of time, generally greater than one year.
• Risk: Using a long-term purchase strategy generally assumes the financial markets will go up
in the long-term which may not be the case. There is also the risk that the segment of the
market that you are invested in or perhaps just your particular investment will go down over
time even if the overall financial markets advance. Purchasing investments long-term may
create an opportunity cost - "locking-up" assets that may be better utilized in the short-term in
other investments.
Short-Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that they will be sold within a
relatively short period of time, generally less than one year, to take advantage of the securities' short-
term price fluctuations.
• Risk: Using a short-term purchase strategy generally assumes that we can predict how
financial markets will perform in the short-term which may be very difficult and will incur a
disproportionately higher amount of transaction costs compared to long-term trading. There are
many factors that can affect financial market performance in the short-term (such as short-term
interest rate changes, cyclical earnings announcements, etc.) but may have a smaller impact
over longer periods of times.
Option Writing - a securities transaction that involves selling an option. An option is a contract that
gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a particular security at a specified price
on or before the expiration date of the option. When an investor sells an option, he or she must deliver
to the buyer a specified number of shares if the buyer exercises the option. The option writer/seller
receives a premium (the market price of the option at a particular time) in exchange for writing the
option.
• Risk: Options are complex investments and can be very risky, especially if the investor does
not own the underlying stock. In certain situations, an investor's risk can be unlimited.
Our investment strategies and advice may vary depending upon each client's specific financial
situation. As such, we determine investments and allocations based upon your predefined objectives,
risk tolerance, time horizon, financial information, liquidity needs and other various suitability factors.
Your restrictions and guidelines may affect the composition of your portfolio. It is important that you
notify us immediately with respect to any material changes to your financial circumstances,
including for example, a change in your current or expected income level, tax circumstances, or
employment status.
We will not perform quantitative or qualitative analysis of individual securities. Instead, we will advise
you on how to allocate your assets among various classes of securities or third party money
managers. We primarily rely on investment model portfolios and strategies developed by the third party
money managers and their portfolio managers. We may replace/recommend replacing a third party
money manager if there is a significant deviation in characteristics or performance from the stated
strategy and/or benchmark.
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Tax Considerations
Our strategies and investments may have unique and significant tax implications. However, unless we
specifically agree otherwise, and in writing, tax efficiency is not our primary consideration in the
management of your assets. Regardless of your account size or any other factors, we strongly
recommend that you consult with a tax professional regarding the investing of your assets.
Moreover, custodians and broker-dealers must report the cost basis of equities acquired in client
accounts on or after January 1, 2011. Your custodian will default to the First-In First-Out ("FIFO")
accounting method for calculating the cost basis of your investments. You are responsible for
contacting your tax advisor to determine if this accounting method is the right choice for you. If your tax
advisor believes another accounting method is more advantageous, provide written notice to our firm
immediately and we will alert your account custodian of your individually selected accounting method.
Decisions about cost basis accounting methods will need to be made before trades settle, as the cost
basis method cannot be changed after settlement.
Material Risks Involved
Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves risk of loss that you should be prepared to bear. We do not represent or
guarantee that our services or methods of analysis can or will predict future results, successfully
identify market tops or bottoms, or insulate clients from losses due to market corrections or declines.
We cannot offer any guarantees or promises that your financial goals and objectives will be met. Past
performance is in no way an indication of future performance.
Recommendation of Particular Types of Securities
We recommend various types of securities and we 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. However, in very general terms, the higher the anticipated return of an investment, the higher
the risk of loss associated with the investment. A description 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. The fund managers attempt to
keep the share price constant at $1/share. However, there is no guarantee that the share price will stay
at $1/share. If the share price goes down, you can lose some of or your principal. The U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission ("SEC") notes that "While investor losses in money market funds have
been rare, they are possible." 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 go down. If it goes up, that may result in a positive outcome. However, if it goes down and you earn
less than you expected to earn, 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 tends to be less
than long term average returns on riskier investments. Over long periods of time, inflation can eat away
at your returns.
Bonds: Corporate debt securities (or "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 or not 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
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paying the same rate of return.
Stocks: There are numerous ways of measuring the risk of equity securities (also known simply as
"equities" or "stock"). In very broad terms, the value of a stock depends on the financial health of the
company issuing it. However, stock prices can be affected by many other factors including, but not
limited to the class of stock (for example, preferred or common); the health of the market sector of the
issuing company; and, the overall health of the economy. In general, larger, better established
companies ("large cap") tend to be safer than smaller start-up companies ("small cap") are but the
mere size of an issuer is not, by itself, an indicator of the safety of the investment.
Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds: Mutual funds and exchange traded funds ("ETF") 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 since 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" and charge 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". So-called "open end" mutual funds continue to allow in new investors indefinitely whereas
"closed end" funds have a fixed number of shares to sell which can limit their availability to new
investors.
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 of stock and
bond returns. In fact, real estate is known for its ability to serve as a portfolio diversifier and inflation
hedge. However, the asset class still bears a considerable amount of market risk. 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.
Real Estate Investment Trust: A real estate investment trust ("REIT") is a corporate entity which
invests in real estate and/or engages in real estate financing. A REIT reduces or eliminates corporate
income taxes. REITs can be publicly or privately held. Public REITs may be listed on public stock
exchanges. REITs are required to declare 90% of their taxable income as dividends, but they actually
pay dividends out of funds from operations, so cash flow has to be strong or the REIT must either dip
into reserves, borrow to pay dividends, or distribute them in stock (which causes dilution). After 2012,
the IRS stopped permitting stock dividends. Most REITs must refinance or erase large balloon debts
periodically. The credit markets are no longer frozen, but banks are demanding, and getting, harsher
terms to re-extend REIT debt. Some REITs may be forced to make secondary stock offerings to repay
debt, which will lead to additional dilution of the stockholders. Fluctuations in the real estate market can
affect the REIT's value and dividends.
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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 does not usually invest any
capital, but has management authority and unlimited liability. That is, 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 confine their participation to their capital
investment. That is, limited partners invest a certain amount of money and have nothing else to do with
the business. However, their liability is limited to the amount of the investment. In the worst-case
scenario for a limited partner, he/she loses what he/she invested. Profits are divided between general
and limited partners according to an arrangement formed at the creation of the partnership.
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 (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.
The option trading risks pertaining to options buyers are:
• Risk of losing your entire investment in a relatively short period of time.
• The risk of losing your entire investment increases if, as expiration nears, the stock is below the
strike price of the call (for a call option) or if the stock is higher than the strike price of the put
(for a put option).
• European style options which do not have secondary markets on which to sell the options prior
to expiration can only realize its value upon expiration.
• Specific exercise provisions of a specific option contract may create risks.
• Regulatory agencies may impose exercise restrictions, which stops you from realizing value.
The option trading risks pertaining to options sellers are:
• Options sold may be exercised at any time before expiration.
• Covered Call traders forgo the right to profit when the underlying stock rises above the strike
price of the call options sold and continues to risk a loss due to a decline in the underlying
stock.
• Writers of Naked Calls risk unlimited losses if the underlying stock rises.
• Writers of Naked Puts risk unlimited losses if the underlying stock drops.
• Writers of naked positions run margin risks if the position goes into significant losses. Such
risks may include liquidation by the broker.
• Writers of call options could lose more money than a short seller of that stock could on the
same rise on that underlying stock. This is an example of how the leverage in options can work
against the option trader.
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• Writers of Naked Calls are obligated to deliver shares of the underlying stock if those call
options are exercised.
• Call options can be exercised outside of market hours such that effective remedy actions
cannot be performed by the writer of those options.
• Writers of stock options are obligated under the options that they sold even if a trading market
is not available or that they are unable to perform a closing transaction.
• The value of the underlying stock may surge or ditch unexpectedly, leading to automatic
exercises.
Other option trading risks are:
• The complexity of some option strategies is a significant risk on its own.
• Option trading exchanges or markets and option contracts themselves are open to changes at
all times.
• Options markets have the right to halt the trading of any options, thus preventing investors from
realizing value.
• Risk of erroneous reporting of exercise value.
• If an options brokerage firm goes insolvent, investors trading through that firm may be affected.
• Internationally traded options have special risks due to timing across borders.
Risks that are not specific to options trading include market risk, sector risk and individual stock risk.
Option trading risks are closely related to stock risks, as stock options are a derivative of stocks.
Derivatives: Derivatives are types of investments where the investor does not own the underlying
asset, but he makes a bet on the direction of the price movement of the underlying asset via an
agreement with another party. There are many different types of derivative instruments, including
options, swaps, futures, and forward contracts. Derivatives have numerous uses as well as various
risks associated with them, but they are generally considered an alternative way to participate in the
market. Investors typically use derivatives for three reasons: to hedge a position, to increase leverage,
or to speculate on an asset's movement. The key to making a sound investment is to fully understand
the risks associated with the derivative, including, but not limited to counter-party, underlying asset,
price, and expiration risks. The use of a derivative only makes sense if the investor is fully aware of the
risks and understands the impact of the investment within a portfolio strategy. Due to the variety of
available derivatives and the range of potential risks, a detailed explanation of derivatives is beyond
the scope of this disclosure.
Item 9 Disciplinary Information
We are required to disclose the facts of any legal or disciplinary events that are material to a client's
evaluation of our advisory business or the integrity of our management. We do not have any required
disclosures under this item.
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Insurance Agents
Persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm may be licensed as insurance agents. These
persons will earn commission-based compensation for selling insurance products, including insurance
products they sell to you. Insurance commissions earned by these persons are separate from our
advisory fees. See the Fees and Compensation section in this brochure for more information on the
compensation received by insurance agents who are affiliated with our firm.
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Arrangements with Affiliated Entities
We are affiliated with Tepp Accounting and Business Services, Inc. through common control and
ownership. If you require accounting services, we will recommend that you use the services of our
affiliate. Our advisory services are separate and distinct from the compensation paid to our affiliate for
their services. This affiliated firm is otherwise regulated by the professional organizations to which it
belongs and must comply with the rules of those organizations.
Referral arrangements with an affiliated entity present a conflict of interest for us because we may
have a direct or indirect financial incentive to recommend an affiliated firm’s services. While we believe
that compensation charged by an affiliated firm is competitive, such compensation may be higher than
fees charged by other firms providing the same or similar services. You are under no obligation to use
the services of any firm we recommend, whether affiliated or otherwise, and may obtain comparable
services and/or lower fees through other firms.
Recommendation of Other Advisers
We may recommend that you use a third party money manager ("TPMM") based on your needs and
suitability. We will receive compensation from the TPMM for recommending that you use their services.
These compensation arrangements present a conflict of interest because we have a financial incentive
to recommend the services of the third party adviser. You are not obligated, contractually or otherwise,
to use the services of any TPMM we recommend. We do not have any other business relationships
with the recommended TPMM(s). Refer to the Advisory Business section above for additional
disclosures on this topic.
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and
Personal Trading
Description of Our Code of Ethics
We strive to comply with applicable laws and regulations governing our practices. Therefore, our Code
of Ethics includes guidelines for professional standards of conduct for persons associated with our
firm. Our goal is to protect your interests at all times and to demonstrate our commitment to our
fiduciary duties of honesty, good faith, and fair dealing with you. All persons associated with our firm
are expected to adhere strictly to these guidelines. Persons associated with our firm are also required
to report any violations of our Code of Ethics. Additionally, we maintain and enforce written policies
reasonably designed to prevent the misuse or dissemination of material, non-public information about
you or your account holdings by persons associated with our firm.
Clients or prospective clients may obtain a copy of our Code of Ethics by contacting us at the
telephone number on the cover page of this brochure.
Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
Neither our firm nor any persons associated with our firm has any material financial interest in client
transactions beyond the provision of investment advisory services as disclosed in this brochure.
Personal Trading Practices
Our firm or persons associated with our firm may buy or sell the same securities that we recommend to
you or securities in which you are already invested. A conflict of interest exists in such cases because
we have the ability to trade ahead of you and potentially receive more favorable prices than you will
receive. To mitigate this conflict of interest, it is our policy that neither our firm nor persons associated
with our firm shall have priority over your account in the purchase or sale of securities.
Block Trading
Our firm or persons associated with our firm may buy or sell securities for you at the same time we or
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persons associated with our firm buy or sell such securities for our own account. We may also combine
our orders to purchase securities with your orders to purchase securities ("block trading"). Refer to the
Brokerage Practices section in this brochure for information on our block trading practices.
A conflict of interest exists in such cases because we have the ability to trade ahead of you and
potentially receive more favorable prices than you will receive. To eliminate this conflict of interest, it is
our policy that neither our firm nor persons associated with our firm shall have priority over your
account in the purchase or sale of securities.
Item 12 Brokerage Practices
We recommend the brokerage and custodial services of Fidelity Brokerage Services is a securities
broker-dealer and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the Securities Investor
Protection Corporation. We believe that the recommended Custodian provides quality execution
services for you at competitive prices. Price is not the sole factor we consider in evaluating best
execution. We also consider the quality of the brokerage services provided by the Custodian, including
the value of the Custodian's reputation, execution capabilities, commission rates, and responsiveness
to our clients and our firm. In recognition of the value of the services the Custodian provides, you may
pay higher commissions and/or trading costs than those that may be available elsewhere.
We are not affiliated with the custodian and/or broker-dealer we recommend. The custodian and/or
broker-dealer we recommend does not supervise our firm, its agents or activities.
Research and Other Soft Dollar Benefits
We do not have any soft dollar arrangements.
Economic Benefits
As a registered investment adviser, we have access to the institutional platform of your account
custodian. As such, we will also have access to research products and services from your account
custodian and/or other brokerage firm. These products may include financial publications, information
about particular companies and industries, research software, and other products or services that
provide lawful and appropriate assistance to our firm in the performance of our investment decision-
making responsibilities. Such research products and services are provided to all investment advisers
that utilize the institutional services platforms of these firms, and are not considered to be paid for with
soft dollars. However, you should be aware that the commissions charged by a particular broker for a
particular transaction or set of transactions may be greater than the amounts another broker who did
not provide research services or products might charge.
Brokerage for Client Referrals
We do not receive client referrals from broker-dealers in exchange for cash or other compensation,
such as brokerage services or research.
Directed Brokerage
We routinely, but not exclusively, require that you direct our firm to execute transactions through the
broker-dealer/custodian that we recommend. As such, we may be unable to achieve the most
favorable execution of your transactions and you may pay higher brokerage commissions than you
might otherwise pay through another broker-dealer that offers the same types of services. Not all
advisers require their clients to direct brokerage.
Block Trades
We combine multiple orders for shares of the same securities purchased for discretionary advisory
accounts we manage (this practice is commonly referred to as "block trading"). We will then distribute a
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portion of the shares to participating accounts in a fair and equitable manner. Generally, participating
accounts will pay a fixed transaction cost regardless of the number of shares transacted. In certain
cases, each participating account pays an average price per share for all transactions and pays a
proportionate share of all transaction costs on any given day. In the event an order is only partially
filled, the shares will be allocated to participating accounts in a fair and equitable manner, typically in
proportion to the size of each client’s order. Accounts owned by our firm or persons associated with
our firm may participate in block trading with your accounts; however, they will not be given preferential
treatment.
We do not block trade for non-discretionary accounts. Accordingly, non-discretionary accounts may
pay different costs than discretionary accounts pay. If you enter into non-discretionary arrangements
with our firm, we may not be able to buy and sell the same quantities of securities for you and you may
pay higher commissions, fees, and/or transaction costs than clients who enter into discretionary
arrangements with our firm.
Item 13 Review of Accounts
David Tepp, Chief Compliance Officer of Tepp Wealth Management, monitors accounts on an ongoing
basis and will conduct account reviews at least semi-annually to ensure the advisory services provided
are consistent with client stated investment needs and objectives. Additional reviews may be
conducted based on various circumstances, including, but not limited to:
• contributions and withdrawals,
• year-end tax planning,
• market moving events,
• security specific events, and/or,
• changes in your risk/return objectives.
We will provide you with additional or regular written reports in conjunction with account reviews.
Reports we provide to you will contain relevant account and/or market-related information such as an
inventory of account holdings and account performance, etc. You will receive trade confirmations and
monthly or quarterly statements from your account custodian(s).
Mr. Tepp will review financial plans as needed, depending on the arrangements made with you at the
inception of your advisory relationship. Such reviews are typically performed to ensure that the advice
provided is consistent with your investment needs and objectives. Generally, we will contact you
periodically to determine whether any updates may be needed based on changes in your
circumstances. Changed circumstances may include, but are not limited to: marriage, divorce, birth,
death, inheritance, lawsuit, retirement, job loss and/or disability, among others. We recommend
meeting with you at least annually to review and update your plan if needed. Additional reviews will be
conducted upon your request. Such reviews and updates may be subject to our then current hourly
rate. Written updates to the financial plan will be provided in conjunction with the review. If you
implement financial planning advice, you will receive trade confirmations and monthly or quarterly
statements from relevant custodians.
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation
As disclosed under the Fees and Compensation section in this brochure, persons providing investment
advice on behalf of our firm are licensed insurance agents. For information on the conflicts of interest
this presents, and how we address these conflicts, refer to the Fees and Compensation section.
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We do not receive any compensation from any third party in connection with providing investment
advice to you nor do we compensate any individual or firm for client referrals.
Refer to the Brokerage Practices section above for disclosures on research and other benefits we may
receive resulting from our relationship with your account custodian.
Item 15 Custody
As paying agent for our firm, your independent custodian will directly debit your account(s) for the
payment of our advisory fees. This ability to deduct our advisory fees from your accounts causes our
firm to exercise limited custody over your funds or securities. We do not have physical custody of any
of your funds and/or securities. Your funds and securities will be held with a bank, broker-dealer, or
other qualified custodian. You will receive account statements from the qualified custodian(s) holding
your funds and securities at least quarterly. The account statements from your custodian(s) will
indicate the amount of our advisory fees deducted from your account(s) each billing period. You should
carefully review account statements for accuracy.
We will also provide statements to you reflecting the amount of the advisory fee deducted from your
account. You should compare our statements with the statements from your account custodian(s) to
reconcile the information reflected on each statement. If you have a question regarding your account
statement, or if you did not receive a statement from your custodian, contact us immediately at the
telephone number on the cover page of this brochure.
We are not affiliated with the custodian. The custodian does not supervise our firm, its agents or
activities.
Item 16 Investment Discretion
Before we can buy or sell securities on your behalf, you must first sign our discretionary management
agreement and the appropriate trading authorization forms.
You may grant our firm discretion over the selection and amount of securities to be purchased or sold
for your account(s) without obtaining your consent or approval prior to each transaction. You may
specify investment objectives, guidelines, and/or impose certain conditions or investment parameters
for your account(s). For example, you may specify that the investment in any particular stock or
industry should not exceed specified percentages of the value of the portfolio and/or restrictions or
prohibitions of transactions in the securities of a specific industry or security. Refer to the Advisory
Business section in this brochure for more information on our discretionary management services.
If you enter into non-discretionary arrangements with our firm, we will obtain your approval prior to the
execution of any transactions for your account(s). You have an unrestricted right to decline to
implement any advice provided by our firm on a non-discretionary basis.
Item 17 Voting Client Securities
We will not vote proxies on behalf of your advisory accounts. At your request, we may offer you advice
regarding corporate actions and the exercise of your proxy voting rights. If you own shares of
applicable securities, you are responsible for exercising your right to vote as a shareholder.
In most cases, you will receive proxy materials directly from the account custodian. However, in the
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event we were to receive any written or electronic proxy materials, we would forward them directly to
you by mail, unless you have authorized our firm to contact you by electronic mail, in which case, we
would forward any electronic solicitations to vote proxies.
Item 18 Financial Information
Our firm does not have any financial condition or impairment that would prevent us from meeting our
contractual commitments to you.
We have not filed a bankruptcy petition at any time in the past ten years.
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