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The Norden Group LLC
CRD# 323988
5255 N Edgewood Drive
Suite 225
Provo, UT 84604
Telephone: 801-331-5511
July 15, 2025
FORM ADV PART 2A
BROCHURE
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of The Norden
Group LLC (“TNG”). If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, contact us at 801-
331-5511 or Renn@thenordengroup.com. 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 The Norden Group LLC is available on the SEC's website at
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
The Norden Group LLC is a 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.
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Item 2 Summary of Material Changes
Form ADV Part 2 requires registered investment advisers to amend their brochure when information
becomes materially inaccurate. If there are any material changes to an adviser's disclosure brochure,
the adviser is required to notify you and provide you with a description of the material changes.
We have updated Item 4 Advisory Business with our year end Assets Under Management numbers as
of 12/31/2024.
We have added language to Item 4 Advisory Business, where we have added General Consulting
Services as an offering.
We have added language to Item 5 Fees and Compensation, where we describe our fees around
General Consulting Services.
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Item 3 Table of Contents
Item 1 Cover Page
Item 2 Summary of Material Changes
Item 3 Table of Contents
Item 4 Advisory Business
Item 5 Fees and Compensation
Item 6 Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
Item 7 Types of Clients
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Item 9 Disciplinary Information
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading
Item 12 Brokerage Practices
Item 13 Review of Accounts
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation
Item 15 Custody
Item 16 Investment Discretion
Item 17 Voting Client Securities
Item 18 Financial Information
Item 19 Additional Information
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Privacy Policy
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Item 4 Advisory Business
Description of Firm
The Norden Group LLC is a registered investment adviser based in Provo, UT. We are organized as a
limited liability company ("LLC") under the laws of the State of Utah. We are owned by Garen T.
Winn and Seth L. Merrill.
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 The Norden Group LLC 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 us
discretionary authority to manage your account. Subject to a grant of discretionary authorization, we
have the authority and responsibility to formulate investment strategies on your behalf. Discretionary
authorization will allow us to determine the specific securities, and the amount of securities, to be
purchased or sold for your account without obtaining your approval prior to each transaction. We will
also have discretion over the broker or dealer to be used for securities transactions in your account.
Discretionary authority is typically granted by the investment advisory agreement which is titled
Discretionary Asset Management Agreement (‘DAMA’) that you sign with our firm, a power of
attorney, and 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.
We may also offer non-discretionary portfolio management services. If you enter into non-discretionary
arrangements with our firm, we must obtain your approval prior to executing any transactions on behalf
of your account. You have an unrestricted right to decline to implement any advice provided by our firm
on a non-discretionary basis.
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. Nonetheless, clients may impose restrictions on investing in certain securities or types of
securities in their account. In such cases, this may prevent a client from investing in certain models
that are managed by our firm.
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Financial Planning Services
We offer financial planning services which typically involve 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
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 to be updated.
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.
Turnkey Asset Management Program (“TAMP”)
We have partnered with Townsquare Capital, LLC (“Townsquare”) who is a TAMP service provider.
Clients typically work directly with their primary investment advisor (The Norden Group) to determine
their investment needs given their unique circumstances. We transmit instructions and rely on
Townsquare to purchase and sell securities, monitor investments, and perform various other functions.
This enables us to focus our efforts on the individual needs of our clients. We also engage in a sub-
advisory relationship with Townsquare.
In our use of Townsquare’s services, Townsquare assists in the operational aspects of account opening
and administration. These services include but are not limited to account opening and closing, all
interactions with the custodian, maintenance of account paperwork, processing of contributions and
withdrawals, Roth conversions/IRA recharacterizations, account transfers, advisory fee calculation and
billing, platform support and training, access to Townsquare investment models, access to additional 3rd
party investment managers and strategies, access to more institutionally funded investment advice as
part of being on the Townsquare platform, access to portfolio management and portfolio analysis
software, and performance reporting.
This relationship does not increase the fee a client pays to us, we as the investment advisor pay a fee
to Townsquare for access to these tools.
Types of Investments
We offer advice on equity securities, corporate debt securities (other than commercial paper),
commercial paper, certificates of deposit, municipal securities, variable life insurance, variable
annuities, mutual fund shares, United States government securities, options contracts on securities,
private placements, money market funds, real estate, REITs, structured products, ETFs, interests in
partnerships investing in real estate and interests in partnerships investing in oil and gas interests.
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.
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Since our investment strategies and advice are based on each client's specific financial situation, the
investment advice we provide to you may be different or conflicting with the advice we give to other
clients regarding the same security or investment.
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 acknowledgment to you. When we provide investment advice to you regarding your
retirement plan account or individual retirement account, we are fiduciaries within the meaning of Title I
of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable,
which are laws governing retirement accounts. The way we make money creates some conflicts with
your interests, so we operate under a special rule that requires us to act in your best interest and not
put our interest ahead of yours. Under this special rule's provisions, we must:
• Meet a professional standard of care when making investment recommendations (give prudent
advice);
• Never put our financial interests ahead of yours when making recommendations (give loyal
advice);
• Avoid misleading statements about conflicts of interest, fees, and investments;
• Follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that we give advice that is in your best
interest;
• Charge no more than is reasonable for our services; and
• Give you basic information about conflicts of interest.
We benefit financially from the rollover of your assets from a retirement account to an account that we
manage or provide investment advice, because the assets increase our assets under management
and, in turn, our advisory fees. As a fiduciary, we only recommend a rollover when we believe it is in
your best interest.
General Consulting Services
We also offer general consulting services primarily involving advising clients on specific financial-related
topics. The topics we address may include but are not limited to, risk assessment/management,
investment planning, financial organization, or financial decision-making/negotiation, among others.
Our advice is based on your financial situation and the financial information you provide to our firm at
that time. You may choose to accept or reject our recommendations. If you decide to proceed with our
recommendations, you may do so either through our firm or by using the advisory/brokerage firm of your
choice.
Note: Information related to legal consequences that are provided as part of a plan is for informative
purposes only. Clients are instructed to contact their attorneys for legal advice.
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2024, we provide continuous management services for $1,739,496,789 in client
assets on a discretionary basis, and $0 in client assets on a non-discretionary basis. We have 3913
accounts.
Item 5 Fees and Compensation
Portfolio Management Services
Our annual fee for portfolio management services varies between 0% to 2.50% depending upon the
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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.
Our annual portfolio management fee is billed and payable, quarterly in advance, based on the
balance at end of billing period.
If the Discretionary Asset Management Agreement (‘DAMA’) 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. Our
advisory fee is negotiable, depending on individual client circumstances.
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. When
combining the assets across your household for billing purposes, you should expect to pay a lower fee
than if the accounts were not combined. If you have questions, please reach out to your TNG
investment professional.
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 you have given our firm written authorization
permitting the fees to be paid directly from your account. Further, the qualified custodian will deliver an
account statement to you at least quarterly. These account statements will show all disbursements
from your account. You should review all statements for accuracy.
You may terminate the Discretionary Asset Management Agreement (‘DAMA’) upon written notice. You
will incur a pro rata charge for services rendered prior to the termination of the Discretionary Asset
Management Agreement (‘DAMA’), 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.
Turnkey Asset Management Program (“TAMP”)
As discussed previously in Item 4, we partner with Townsquare to assist us with billing on advisory
accounts.
This relationship does not increase the fee a client pays to us, we as the investment advisor pay a fee
to Townsquare for this assistance.
Financial Planning Services
We charge a fixed fee for financial planning services, which generally ranges between $0 to
$75,000. The first half of the estimated fee is due in advance of services rendered with the remaining
balance payable upon completion of the contracted services. The fee is negotiable depending upon the
complexity and scope of the plan, your financial situation, and your objectives. We will not require
prepayment of $1,200 six months or months in advance. Should the engagement last longer than six
months between acceptance of financial planning agreement and delivery of the financial plan, any
prepaid unearned fees will be promptly returned to you less a pro rata charge for bona fide financial
planning services rendered to date.
You may terminate the financial planning agreement upon written notice to our firm. If you have pre-
paid financial planning fees that we have not yet earned, you will receive a prorated refund of those
fees. If financial planning fees are payable in arrears, you will be responsible for a prorated fee based
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on services performed prior to termination of the financial planning agreement.
Selection of Other Advisers
Advisory fees charged by TPMMs are separate and apart from our advisory fees. Assets managed by
TPMMs will be included in calculating our advisory fee, which is based on the fee schedule set forth in
the Portfolio Management Services section in this brochure. Advisory fees that you pay to the 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.
Our recommendations to use third party money managers are included in our portfolio management
fee. We do not charge you a separate fee for the selection of other advisers nor will we share in the
advisory fee you pay directly to the TPMM. Advisory fees that you pay to the TPMM are established
and payable in accordance with the Form ADV Part 2 or other equivalent disclosure document
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 for information on its fees and services.
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.
General Consulting Fees
We offer consulting services for a fixed fee. If you decide to engage us for consulting services, we
charge a fixed fee that will vary and will be determined on a case-by-case basis. The fee will depend on
a number of factors not limited to: the scope and complexity of your situation and the scope of the
services to be provided. The fee is negotiable depending on the nature, complexity, and time involved in
providing the you with the requested services.
Prior to engaging The Norden Group LLC to provide consulting services, you will be required to enter
into a written agreement with our firm. The agreement will set forth the terms and conditions of the
engagement and describe the scope of the services to be provided and the portion of the fee that is due
from you. Fees are typically due (no less than 48 hours after signing the agreement) and are payable as
invoiced. We do not require the prepayment of more than $500 in fees six or more months in advance.
You may terminate the agreement within five days of entering into the agreement without penalty. After
the five-day period, either party may terminate the agreement by written notice to the other. Any
prepaid, unearned fees will be promptly refunded to you.
Additional Fees and Expenses
As part of our investment advisory services to you, we may invest, or recommend that you invest, in
mutual funds and exchange traded funds. The fees that you pay to our firm for investment advisory
services are separate and distinct from the fees and expenses charged by mutual funds or exchange
traded funds (described in each fund's prospectus) to their shareholders. These fees will generally
include a management fee and other fund expenses. You will also incur transaction charges and/or
brokerage fees when purchasing or selling securities. These charges and fees are typically imposed by
the broker-dealer or custodian through whom your account transactions are executed. We do not
share in any portion of the brokerage fees/transaction charges imposed by the broker-dealer or
custodian. To fully understand the total cost you will incur, you should review all the fees charged by
mutual funds, exchange traded funds, our firm, and others. For information on our brokerage practices,
refer to the Brokerage Practices section of this brochure.
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We have a fiduciary duty to act in our client's best interest including the duty to seek best execution.
Therefore, our mutual fund selection and recommendation process takes into consideration several
factors in order to meet this requirement. See the Brokerage Practices section for additional
information on our mutual fund share class selection process.
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, charitable
organizations, corporations and 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.
We may also combine account values for you and your minor children, joint accounts with your
spouse, and other types of related accounts to meet the stated minimum.
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Our Methods of Analysis and Investment Strategies
We 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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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.
Margin Transactions - a securities transaction in which an investor borrows money to purchase a
security, in which case the security serves as collateral on the loan.
Risk: If the value of the shares drops sufficiently, the investor will be required to either deposit
more cash into the account or sell a portion of the stock in order to maintain the margin
requirements of the account. This is known as a "margin call." An investor's overall risk includes
the amount of money invested plus the amount that was loaned to them.
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 a call option, he or she must
deliver to the buyer a specified number of shares if the buyer exercises the option. When an investor
sells a put option, he or she must pay the strike price per share if the buyer exercises the option, and
will receive the specified number of shares. 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.
ESG Criteria - ESG Investing maintains a focus on Environmental, Social, and Governance issues.
ESG investing may be referred to in many different ways, such as sustainable investing, socially
responsible investing, and impact investing. ESG practices can include, but are not limited to,
strategies that select companies based on their stated commitment to one or more ESG factors; for
example, companies with policies aimed at minimizing their negative impact on the environment, social
issues, or companies that focus on governance principles and transparency. ESG practices may also
entail screening out companies in certain sectors or that, in the view of the investor, demonstrate poor
management of ESG risks and opportunities or are involved in issues that are contrary to the investor's
own principals.
Risk: "ESG Investing" is not defined in federal securities laws, may be subjective, and may be
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defined in different ways by different managers, advisers or investors. There is no SEC "rating" or
"score" of ESG investments that could be applied across a broad range of companies, and while
many different private ratings based on different ESG factors exist, they often differ significantly
from each other. Different managers may weight environmental, social, and governance factors
differently. Some ESG managers may consider data from third party providers which could include
"scoring" and "rating" data compiled to help managers compare companies. Some of the data
used to compile third party ESG scores and ratings may be subjective. Other data may be
objective in principle, but are not verified or reliable. Third party scores also may consider or
weight ESG criteria differently, meaning that companies can receive widely different scores from
different third party providers. A portfolio manager's ESG practices may significantly influence
performance. Because securities may be included or excluded based on ESG factors rather than
traditional fundamental analysis or other investment methodologies, the account's performance
may differ (either higher or lower) from the overall market or comparable accounts that do not
employ similar ESG practices. Some mutual funds or ETFs that consider ESG may have different
expense ratios than other funds that do not consider ESG factors. Paying more in expenses will
reduce the value of your investment over time.
Trading - We may use frequent trading (in general, selling securities within 30 days of purchasing the
same securities) as an investment strategy when managing your account(s). Frequent trading is not a
fundamental part of our overall investment strategy, but we may use this strategy occasionally when
we determine that it is suitable given your stated investment objectives and tolerance for risk. This may
include buying and selling securities frequently in an effort to capture significant market gains and
avoid significant losses.
Risk: When a frequent trading policy is in effect, there is a risk that investment performance within
your account may be negatively affected, particularly through increased brokerage and other
transactional costs and taxes.
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.
Cash Management
We manage cash balances in your account based on the yield, and the financial soundness of the
money markets and other short term instruments.
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.
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Custodians and broker-dealers must report the cost basis of equities acquired in client accounts. 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.
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.
Other Risk Considerations
When evaluating risk, financial loss may be viewed differently by each client and may depend on many
different risks, each of which may affect the probability and magnitude of any potential losses. The
following risks may not be all-inclusive, but should be considered carefully by a prospective client
before retaining our services.
Liquidity Risk: The risk of being unable to sell your investment at a fair price at a given time due to
high volatility or lack of active liquid markets. You may receive a lower price or it may not be possible
to sell the investment at all.
Credit Risk: Credit risk typically applies to debt investments such as corporate, municipal, and
sovereign fixed income or bonds. A bond issuing entity can experience a credit event that could impair
or erase the value of an issuer's securities held by a client.
Inflation and Interest Rate Risk: Security prices and portfolio returns will likely vary in response to
changes in inflation and interest rates. Inflation causes the value of future dollars to be worth less and
may reduce the purchasing power of a client's future interest payments and principal. Inflation also
generally leads to higher interest rates which may cause the value of many types of fixed income
investments to decline.
Horizon and Longevity Risk: The risk that your investment horizon is shortened because of an
unforeseen event, for example, the loss of your job. This may force you to sell investments that you
were expecting to hold for the long term. If you must sell at a time that the markets are down, you may
lose money. Longevity Risk is the risk of outliving your savings. This risk is particularly relevant for
people who are retired, or are nearing retirement.
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
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at $1/share. If the share price goes down, you can lose some or all of 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.
Certificates of Deposit: Certificates of deposit ("CD") are generally a safe type of investment since
they are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Company ("FDIC") up to a certain amount.
However, because the returns are generally low, there is risk that inflation outpaces the return of the
CD. Certain CDs are traded in the market place and not purchased directly from a banking institution.
In addition to trading risk, when CDs are purchased at a premium, the premium is not covered by the
FDIC.
Municipal Securities: Municipal securities, while generally thought of as safe, can have significant
risks associated with them including, but not limited to: the credit worthiness 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 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
paying the same amount of interest or yield to maturity.
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
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
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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.
ETFs may have tracking error risks. For example, the ETF investment adviser may not be able to
cause the ETF's performance to match that of its Underlying Index or other benchmark, which may
negatively affect the ETF's performance. In addition, for leveraged and inverse ETFs that seek to track
the performance of their Underlying Indices or benchmarks on a daily basis, mathematical
compounding may prevent the ETF from correlating with performance of its benchmark. In addition, an
ETF may not have investment exposure to all of the securities included in its Underlying Index, or its
weighting of investment exposure to such securities may vary from that of the Underlying Index. Some
ETFs may invest in securities or financial instruments that are not included in the Underlying Index, but
which are expected to yield similar performance.
Commercial Paper: Commercial paper ("CP") is, in most cases, an unsecured promissory note that is
issued with a maturity of 270 days or less. Being unsecured the risk to the investor is that the issuer
may default. There is less risk in asset based commercial paper (ABCP). The difference between
ABCP and CP is that instead of being an unsecured promissory note representing an obligation of the
issuing company, ABCP is backed by securities. Therefore, the perceived quality of the ABCP
depends on the underlying securities.
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 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. Earnings in a variable annuity do not provide all the tax advantages
of 401(k)s and other before-tax retirement plans. Once the investor starts withdrawing money from
their variable annuity, earnings are taxed at the ordinary income rate, rather than at the lower capital
gains rates applied to other non-tax-deferred vehicles which are held for more than one year. Proceeds
of most variable annuities do not receive a "step-up" in cost basis when the owner dies like stocks,
bonds and mutual funds do. Some variable annuities offer "bonus credits." These are usually not free.
In order to fund them, insurance companies typically impose mortality and expense charges and
surrender charge periods. In an exchange of an existing annuity for a new annuity (so-called 1035
exchanges), the new variable annuity may have a lower contract value and a smaller death benefit;
may impose new surrender charges or increase the period of time for which the surrender charge
applies; may have higher annual fees; and provide another commission for the broker.
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
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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.
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 are dependent on the nature of the partnership and disclosed in the offering documents if
privately placed. Publicly traded limited partnership 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 (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
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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 substantial 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.
• 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 decline 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.
Structured Products: A structured product, also known as a market-linked product, is generally a pre-
packaged 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. They have a
fixed maturity, and 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
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right to buy the security or securities from the investor at a predetermined price. A feature of some
structured products is a "principal guarantee" function, which offers protection of principal if held to
maturity. However, these products are not always Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured; 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; 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.
Private Placements: A private placement (nonpublic offering) is an illiquid security sold to qualified
investors and are not publicly traded nor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Risk: Private placements generally carry a higher degree of risk due to illiquidity. Most securities
that are acquired in a private placement will be restricted securities and must be held for an
extended amount of time and therefore cannot be sold easily. The range of risks are dependent
on the nature of the partnership and are disclosed in the offering documents.
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
We have not provided information on other financial industry activities and affiliations because we do
not have any relationship or arrangement that is material to our advisory business or to our clients with
any of the types of entities listed below.
1. broker-dealer, municipal securities dealer, or government securities dealer or broker;
2. investment company or other pooled investment vehicle (including a mutual fund, closed-end
investment company, unit investment trust, private investment company or "hedge fund," and
offshore fund);
3. other investment adviser or financial planner;
4. futures commission merchant, commodity pool operator, or commodity trading adviser;
5. banking or thrift institution;
6. accountant or accounting firm;
7. lawyer or law firm;
8. insurance company or agency;
9. pension consultant;
10. real estate broker or dealer; and/or
11. sponsor or syndicator of limited partnerships.
Conflicts of Interest
Due to the firm’s financial planning philosophy, it is common for our financial professionals to
recommend that clients utilize insurance products (for example, a fixed index annuity (“FIA”) as part of
the client’s overall financial plan in lieu of separately managed accounts (specifically, in lieu of cash and
fixed income asset classes). You should be aware that there are a number of conflicts of interest that
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are present due to our planning philosophy and recommendations to utilize insurance products in this
nature.
As an estimate, our financial professionals that are registered as investment advisor representatives
spend approximately half of their time on insurance sales and services and half of their time on
investment advisory services. Please refer to Item 5 – Fees and Compensation and Item 14 – Client
Referrals and Other Compensation for more details.
You may therefore work with your financial professional in both their capacity as an investment adviser
representative of Norden Group LLC, as well as in their capacity as an insurance agent through the
normal course of business with you. As such, your financial professional, in their dual capacity as an
IAR and insurance agent, may advise you to purchase insurance products (life insurance, annuities,
long term care, indexed universal life policies, and other insurance products), and then assist you in
implementing the recommendations by selling you those same products.
In exchange for selling you those products, the financial professional will typically be paid a commission.
This recommendation that a client purchase an insurance product through them as an insurance agent
presents a conflict of interest, as the receipt of commissions is an incentive to recommend products that
could potentially be based on commissions rather than your personal needs and objectives.
Furthermore, commissions may vary by product, and each individual product may have different
commission rates, encouraging the financial professional to recommend products that may pay higher
commissions over the products that make the most sense for you.
In addition, insurance products may also have different payment schedules depending on the nature of
the product, and the timing of the payments is likely to differ from that of the advisory options offered by
Norden Group LLC. This timing difference has the potential to create a conflict of interest since some
financial professionals may have the incentive to recommend a product that pays commissions now,
over an advisory product that pays commissions over a relatively longer period. As an example, all other
variables held equal, a 5% commission paid by an insurance company upon sale of a $100,000 annuity
product, may be more attractive to a financial professional than a one percent (1%) advisory fee
charged on a $100,000 account paid over a period of five (5) years, despite the overall pre-tax
compensation paid to the financial professional being equal.
We have taken a number of steps to manage this conflict of interest. As a fiduciary, we expect and
require that each investment adviser representative only recommend insurance and annuities when in
the best interest of the client. The sale of commission-based products is supervised by the firm’s
Managing Members, and the firm makes periodic reviews of its insurance recommendations to ensure
that our financial professionals act in accordance with our fiduciary duty. If you have any questions or
concerns about annuity recommendations made during the financial planning process, we encourage
you to immediately bring it to the attention of your investment professional or the CCO.
Finally, you should be aware that there are other insurance products that are offered by other insurance
agents other than those recommended by our financial professionals. You are under no obligation to
implement any insurance or annuity transaction through Norden Group LLC.
Recommendation of Other Advisers
We may recommend that you use a third party money manager ("TPMM") based on your needs and
suitability. We will not receive separate compensation, directly or indirectly, from the TPMM for
recommending that you use their services. Moreover, 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.
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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, nonpublic 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.
Aggregated Trading
Our firm or persons associated with our firm may buy or sell securities for you at the same time we or
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 ("aggregated trading"). Refer
to the Brokerage Practices section in this brochure for information on our aggregated 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 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., and Trade-PMR
Inc. (whether one or more "Custodian"). Your assets must be maintained in an account at a "qualified
custodian," generally a broker-dealer or bank. In recognition of the value of the services the Custodian
provides, you may pay higher commissions and/or trading costs than those that may be available
elsewhere. Our selection of custodian is based on many factors, including the level of services
provided, the custodian's financial stability, and the cost of services provided by the custodian to our
clients, which includes the yield on cash sweep choices, commissions, custody fees and other fees or
expenses.
We seek to recommend a custodian/broker that will hold your assets and execute transactions on
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terms that are, overall, the most favorable compared to other available providers and their services.
We consider various factors, including:
• Capability to buy and sell securities for your account itself or to facilitate such services.
• The likelihood that your trades will be executed.
• Availability of investment research and tools.
• Overall quality of services.
• Competitiveness of price.
• Reputation, financial strength, and stability.
• Existing relationship with our firm and our other clients.
Research and Other Soft Dollar Benefits
We 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 require that you direct our firm to execute transactions through , Charles Schwab & Co.,
Inc., and Trade-PMR Inc.. 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.
Aggregated 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 "aggregated trading"). We will then
distribute a 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 aggregated trading with your accounts; however, they will
not be given preferential treatment.
We do not aggregate trades 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
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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
Your advisor , will monitor your accounts on an ongoing basis and will conduct account reviews at
least quarterly, to ensure the advisory services provided to you are consistent with your investment
needs and objectives. Additional reviews may be conducted based on various circumstances,
including, but not limited to:
• contributions and withdrawals;
• year-end tax planning;
• market moving events;
• security specific events; and/or
• changes in your risk/return objectives.
The individuals conducting reviews may vary from time to time, as personnel join or leave our firm.
We will not provide you with regular written reports. You will receive trade confirmations and monthly or
quarterly statements from your account custodian(s).
Your advisor, will review financial plans as needed. These reviews are provided as part of the
contracted services. We do not assess additional fees for financial plan reviews. 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. Written updates to the financial plan may be
provided in conjunction with the review. Updates to your financial plan may be subject to our then
current hourly rate, which you must approve in writing and in advance of the update. 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.
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.
Turnkey Asset Management Program (“TAMP”)
We have partnered with Townsquare Capital, LLC (“Townsquare”) who is a TAMP service provider.
Clients typically work directly with their primary investment advisor (The Norden Group) to determine
their investment needs given their unique circumstances. We transmit instructions and rely on
Townsquare to purchase and sell securities, monitor investments, and perform various other functions.
This enables us to focus our efforts on the individual needs of our clients. We also engage in a sub-
advisory relationship with Townsquare.
In our use of Townsquare’s services, Townsquare assists in the operational aspects of account opening
and administration. These services include but are not limited to account opening and closing, all
interactions with the custodian, maintenance of account paperwork, processing of contributions and
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withdrawals, Roth conversions/IRA recharacterizations, account transfers, advisory fee calculation and
billing, platform support and training, access to Townsquare investment models, access to additional
3rd party investment managers and strategies, access to more institutionally funded investment advice
as part of being on the Townsquare platform, access to portfolio management and portfolio analysis
software, and performance reporting.
This relationship does not increase the fee a client pays to us, we as the investment advisor pay a fee
to Townsquare for access to these tools.
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.
It is Norden's policy not to accept or allow our related persons to accept any form of compensation,
including cash, sales awards or other prizes, from a non-client in conjunction with the advisory services
we provide to our clients.
Item 15 Custody
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.
In limited circumstances, when you instruct us with a Standing Letter of Authorization (SLOA) to send
money at your request to a third party, Norden will be deemed to have custody.
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.
Item 16 Investment Discretion
Before we can buy or sell securities on your behalf, you must first sign our Discretionary Asset
Management Agreement (‘DAMA’) and the appropriate trading authorization forms.
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 determine how to vote proxies based on our reasonable judgment of the vote most likely to
produce favorable financial results for you. Proxy votes generally will be cast in favor of proposals that
maintain or strengthen the shared interests of shareholders and management, increase shareholder
value, maintain or increase shareholder influence over the issuer's board of directors and
management, and maintain or increase the rights of shareholders. Generally, proxy votes will be cast
against proposals having the opposite effect. However, we will consider both sides of each proxy
issue. Unless we receive specific instructions from you, we will not base votes on social
considerations.
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Except in the case of a conflict of interest as described below, we do not accept direction from you on
voting a particular proxy.
Conflicts of interest between you and our firm, or a principal of our firm, regarding certain proxy issues
could arise. If we determine that a material conflict of interest exists, we will take the necessary steps
to resolve the conflict before voting the proxies. For example, we may disclose the existence and
nature of the conflict to you, and seek direction from you as to how to vote on a particular issue; we
may abstain from voting, particularly if there are conflicting interests for you (for example, where your
account(s) hold different securities in a competitive merger situation); or, we will take other necessary
steps designed to ensure that a decision to vote is in your best interest and was not the product of the
conflict.
We keep certain records required by applicable law in connection with our proxy voting activities. You
may obtain information on how we voted proxies and/or obtain a full copy of our proxy voting policies
and procedures by making a written or oral request to our firm.
We will not vote on issuer provided notices of legal proceedings or in class action lawsuits on your
behalf. Any information we receive about legal proceedings or class action lawsuits will be forwarded
to you promptly once we are notified by the issuer(s).
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 do not take physical custody of client funds or securities, and we
do not require the prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees six or more months in advance. Therefore,
we are not required to include a financial statement with this brochure.
We have not filed a bankruptcy petition at any time in the past ten years.
Item 19 Additional Information
Trade Errors
In the event a trading error occurs in your account, our policy is to restore your account to the position
it should have been in had the trading error not occurred. Depending on the circumstances, corrective
actions may include canceling the trade, adjusting an allocation, and/or reimbursing the account.
IRA Rollover Considerations
As part of our investment advisory services to you, we may recommend that you withdraw the assets
from your employer's retirement plan and roll the assets over to an individual retirement account
("IRA") that we will manage on your behalf. If you elect to roll the assets to an IRA that is subject to our
management, we will charge you an asset based fee as set forth in the Discretionary Asset
Management Agreement (‘DAMA’) you executed with our firm. This practice presents a conflict of
interest because persons providing investment advice on our behalf have 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.
Moreover, if you do complete the rollover, you are under no obligation to have the assets in an IRA
managed by our firm.
Many 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
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are available, you should consider the costs and benefits of:
1. Leaving the funds in your employer's (former employer's) plan.
2. Moving the funds to a new employer's retirement plan.
3. Cashing out and taking a taxable distribution from the plan.
4. Rolling the funds into an IRA rollover account.
Each of these options has advantages and disadvantages and before making a change we encourage
you to speak with your CPA and/or tax attorney.
If you are considering rolling over your retirement funds to an IRA for us to manage here are a few
points to consider before you do so:
1. Determine whether the investment options in your employer's retirement plan address your
needs or whether you might want to consider other types of investments.
a. Employer retirement plans generally have a more limited investment menu than IRAs.
b. Employer retirement plans may have unique investment options not available to the
public such as employer securities, or previously closed funds.
2. Your current plan may have lower fees than our fees.
a. 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.
b. You should understand the various products and services you might take advantage of
at an IRA provider and the potential costs of those products and services.
3. Our strategy may have higher risk than the option(s) provided to you in your plan.
4. Your current plan may also offer financial advice.
5. If you keep your assets titled in a 401k or retirement account, you could potentially delay your
required minimum distribution beyond age 72.
6. Your 401k may offer more liability protection than a rollover IRA; each state may vary.
a. 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 some exceptions to the general rules so you should consult with an attorney if
you are concerned about protecting your retirement plan assets from creditors.
7. You may be able to take out a loan on your 401k, but not from an IRA.
8. 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 the purchase of a home.
9. If you own company stock in your plan, you may be able to liquidate those shares at a lower
capital gains tax rate.
10. Your plan may allow you to hire us as the manager and keep the assets titled in the plan name.
It is important that you understand the differences between these types of accounts and to decide
whether a rollover is best for you. Prior to proceeding, if you have questions contact your investment
adviser representative, or call our main number as listed on the cover page of this brochure.
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PRIVACY POLICY NOTICE for
The Norden Group LLC
The Norden Group LLC has adopted this privacy policy with recognition that protecting the privacy and
security of the personal information we obtain about our customers is an important responsibility. We
also know that you expect us to service you in an accurate and efficient manner. To do so, we must
collect and maintain certain personal information about you. We want you to know what information we
collect and how we use and safeguard that information.
Information We Collect: We collect certain nonpublic information about you ("Customer Information").
The essential purpose for collecting Customer Information is to allow us to provide advisory services to
you. Customer Information we collect may include:
•
•
•
•
Information that you provide on applications or other forms. This Customer Information may
include personal and household information such as income, spending habits, investment
objectives, financial goals, statements of account, and other records concerning your financial
condition and assets, together with information concerning employee benefits and retirement
plan interests, wills, trusts, mortgages and tax returns.
Identifying information such as your name, age, address, social security number, etc.
Information about your transactions with us, or others (e.g., broker-dealers, clearing firms, or
other chosen investment sponsors).
Information we receive from consumer reporting agencies (e.g., credit bureaus), as well as
other various materials we may use to provide an appropriate recommendation or to fill a
service request.
Security of Your Information: We restrict access to your nonpublic personal information to those
employees who need to know that information to service your account. We maintain physical,
electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with applicable federal or state standards to protect
your nonpublic personal information.
Information We Disclose: We do not disclose the nonpublic personal information we collect about our
customers to anyone except: (i) in furtherance of our business relationship with them and then only to
those persons necessary to effect the transactions and provide the authorized services (such as
broker-dealers, custodians, independent managers etc.); (ii) to persons assessing our compliance with
industry standards (e.g., professional licensing authorities, consultants, etc.); (iii) our attorneys,
accountants, and auditors; or (iv) as otherwise provided by law.
We are permitted by law to disclose the nonpublic personal information about you to governmental
agencies and other third parties in certain circumstances (such as third parties that perform
administrative or marketing services on our behalf or for joint marketing programs). These third parties
are prohibited to use or share the information for any other purpose.
Former Clients: If you decide to close your account(s) or become an inactive customer, we will
adhere to our privacy policies, which may be amended from time to time.
Changes to Our Privacy Policy: In the event there were to be a material change to our privacy policy
regarding how we use your confidential information, we will provide written notice to you. Where
applicable, you would be given an opportunity to limit or opt-out of such disclosure arrangements.
Questions: If you have questions about this privacy notice or about the privacy of your customer
information call our main number 801-331-5511 and ask to speak to the Chief Compliance Officer.
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