VB&T WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC

Item 1: Cover Page Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure March 2025 Zenith Wealth Advisors 4900 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 1500 Scottsdale, AZ 85251 Firm Contact: Jenifer Warnhoff Chief Compliance Officer This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of VB&T Wealth Management LLC dba Zenith Wealth Advisors. If clients have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us at (480) 999-9900. 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 our firm is also available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov by searching CRD #318330. Please note that the use of the term “registered investment adviser” and description of our firm and/or our associates as “registered” does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Clients are encouraged to review this Brochure and Brochure Supplements for our firm’s associates who advise clients for more information on the qualifications of our firm and our employees.  Item 2: Material Changes Zenith Wealth Advisors is required to notify clients of any information that has changed since the last annual update of the Firm Brochure (“Brochure”) that may be important to them. Clients can request a full copy of our Brochure or contact us with any questions that they may have about the changes. Since the last annual amendment filed on 02/22/2024, the following changes have been made: Our firm now offers Family Office services to clients. Please see Items 4 and 5 for additional information. Our firm engages in bill pay for certain client accounts through our Family Office service and our affiliation with Zenith Bank & Trust. Please see Item 15 for additional information. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 2 Zenith Wealth Advisors  Item 3: Table of Contents Item 1: Cover Page ....................................................................................................................................... 1 Item 2: Material Changes ............................................................................................................................ 2 Item 3: Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 3 Item 4: Advisory Business .......................................................................................................................... 4 Item 5: Fees & Compensation ..................................................................................................................... 6 Item 6: Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management .............................................................. 8 Item 7: Types of Clients & Account Requirements ................................................................................... 8 Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss ........................................................ 8 Item 9: Disciplinary Information .............................................................................................................. 14 Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations .................................................................... 14 Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in .............................................................................. 15 Item 12: Brokerage Practices ................................................................................................................... 16 Item 13: Review of Accounts or Financial Plans ..................................................................................... 18 Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation ................................................................................... 19 Item 15: Custody ....................................................................................................................................... 20 Item 16: Investment Discretion ............................................................................................................... 21 Item 17: Voting Client Securities .............................................................................................................. 21 Item 18: Financial Information ................................................................................................................ 22 ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 3 Zenith Wealth Advisors  Item 4: Advisory Business Our firm is dedicated to providing individuals and other types of clients with a wide array of investment advisory services. Our firm is a limited liability company or corporation formed under the laws of the State of Arizona in 2022 and has been in business as an investment adviser since 2022. Our firm is wholly owned by VB&T Holding Company LLC and has elected Daniel C. Thompson as Manager and Jenifer Warnhoff as Chief Compliance Officer. The purpose of this Brochure is to disclose the conflicts of interest associated with the investment transactions, compensation and any other matters related to investment decisions made by our firm or its representatives. As a fiduciary, it is our duty to always act in the client’s best interest. This is accomplished in part by knowing our client. Our firm has established a service-oriented advisory practice with open lines of communication for many different types of clients to help meet their financial goals while remaining sensitive to risk tolerance and time horizons. Working with clients to understand their investment objectives while educating them about our process, facilitates the kind of working relationship we value. Types of Advisory Services Offered Comprehensive Portfolio Management: As part of our Comprehensive Portfolio Management service, a portfolio is created, consisting of individual stocks, bonds, exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), options, mutual funds and other public and private securities or investments. The client’s individual investment strategy is tailored to their specific needs and may include some or all of the previously mentioned securities. Portfolios will be designed to meet a particular investment goal, determined to be suitable to the client’s circumstances. Once the appropriate portfolio has been determined, portfolios are continuously and regularly monitored, and if necessary, rebalanced based upon the client’s individual needs, stated goals and objectives. Our firm utilizes the sub-advisory services of a third party investment advisory firm or individual advisor to aid in the implementation of an investment portfolio designed by our firm. Before selecting a firm or individual, our firm will ensure that the chosen party is properly licensed or registered. Our firm will provide initial due diligence on third party money managers and ongoing reviews of their management of client accounts. In order to assist in the selection of a third party money manager, our firm will gather client information pertaining to financial situation, investment objectives, and reasonable restrictions to be imposed upon the management of the account. Our firm will periodically review third party money manager reports provided to the client at least annually. Our firm will contact clients from time to time in order to review their financial situation and objectives; communicate information to third party money managers as warranted; and assist the client in understanding and evaluating the services provided by the third party money manager. Clients will be expected to notify our firm of any changes in their financial situation, investment objectives, or account restrictions that could affect their financial standing. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 4 Zenith Wealth Advisors  Financial Planning & Consulting: Our firm provides a variety of standalone financial planning and consulting services to clients for the management of financial resources based upon an analysis of current situation, goals, and objectives. Financial planning services will typically involve preparing a financial plan or rendering a financial consultation for clients based on the client’s financial goals and objectives. This planning or consulting may encompass Investment Planning, Retirement Planning, Estate Planning, Charitable Planning, Education Planning, Corporate and Personal Tax Planning, Cost Segregation Study, Corporate Structure, Real Estate Analysis, Mortgage/Debt Analysis, Insurance Analysis, Lines of Credit Evaluation, or Business and Personal Financial Planning. Written financial plans or financial consultations rendered to clients usually include general recommendations for a course of activity or specific actions to be taken by the clients. Implementation of the recommendations will be at the discretion of the client. Our firm provides clients with a summary of their financial situation, and observations for financial planning engagements. Financial consultations are not typically accompanied by a written summary of observations and recommendations, as the process is less formal than the planning service. Assuming that all the information and documents requested from the client are provided promptly, plans or consultations are typically completed within 6 months of the client signing a contract with our firm. Family Office Services: Our firm provides customized Family Office services to a select group of clients. We manage the comprehensive execution and integration of Family Office activities, which include accounting, bookkeeping, tax and business consulting, philanthropic support, family dynamics coaching, and concierge services. As part of our advisory business, we may directly manage client investments. Additionally, we offer oversight of third-party investment advisors and their activities to ensure alignment with client objectives and best practices. Tailoring of Advisory Services Our firm offers individualized investment advice to our Comprehensive Portfolio Management clients. General investment advice will be offered to our Financial Planning & Consulting, Family Office and Referrals to Third Party Money Management clients. Each Comprehensive Portfolio Management client has the opportunity to place reasonable restrictions on the types of investments to be held in the portfolio. Restrictions on investments in certain securities or types of securities may not be possible due to the level of difficulty this would entail in managing the account. Participation in Wrap Fee Programs Our firm does not offer or sponsor a wrap fee program. Regulatory Assets Under Management As of December 31, 2024, our firm manages $303,049,547 on a discretionary basis and $0 on a non- discretionary basis. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 5 Zenith Wealth Advisors  Item 5: Fees & Compensation Compensation for Our Advisory Services Comprehensive Portfolio Management: Investment Advisory Fee Schedule Annual Portfolio Fee* Market Value of Assets Under Management First $1,000,000 Next $2,000,000 Next $2,000,000 Next $2,500,000 Next $2,500,000 Next $10,000,000 Next $10,000,000 Above $30,000,000 1.25% 0.90% 0.60% 0.50% 0.45% 0.40% 0.35% 0.30% *Our firm generally charges according to our Investment Advisory Fee Schedule (above) for assets under management or an annual flat fee of $10,000 per year (whichever is greater). The minimum annual flat fee will not exceed 3% of a client’s assets under management. Our firm may waive this account minimum at our firm’s discretion Fees to be assessed will be outlined in the advisory agreement to be signed by the Client. Annualized fees are billed on a pro-rata basis quarterly in advance based on the value of the account(s) on the last day of the previous quarter. Our firm bills on cash balances unless otherwise agreed in writing. Fees are negotiable and will be deducted from client account(s). Adjustments will be made for deposits and withdrawals during the quarter. Our firm does not offer direct invoicing. Our firm has established agreements with third-party manager(s) to assist in the investment management of client accounts. Third-party manager’s management fee, platform/administration fees, or other fees are separate from and in addition to our firm’s advisory fee and will be outlined in the third-party manager’s ADV Part 2A and other required disclosure documents. Our firm will debit fees for this service as disclosed in the executed advisory agreement between the client and our firm. The third-party money managers we recommend will not directly charge you a higher fee than they would have charged without us introducing you to them. Third party money managers establish and maintain their own separate billing processes over which we have no control. In general, they will directly bill you and describe how this works in their separate written disclosure documents. As part of this process, Clients understand the following: a) The client’s independent custodian sends statements at least quarterly showing the market values for each security included in the Assets and all account disbursements, including the amount of the advisory fees paid to our firm; b) Clients will provide authorization permitting our firm to be directly paid by these terms. Our firm will send an invoice directly to the custodian; and c) If our firm sends a copy of our invoice to the client, a legend urging the comparison of information provided in our statement with those from the qualified custodian will be included. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 6 Zenith Wealth Advisors  Financial Planning & Consulting: Our firm charges on an hourly or flat fee basis for financial planning and consulting services. The total estimated fee, as well as the ultimate fee charged, is based on the scope and complexity of our engagement with the client. Flat fees range from $2,500 to $10,000. If engaged on an hourly fee basis, the maximum hourly fee is $350. The fee-paying arrangements will be determined on a case-by-case basis and will be detailed in the signed consulting agreement. Our firm will not require a retainer exceeding $1,200 when services cannot be rendered within 6 months.. Family Office Services and Personalized Chief Investment Officer Services: Family Office service fees encompass activities, including accounting and bookkeeping, tax and family dynamics coaching, concierge service business consulting, philanthropic support, management, and oversight of third-party investment advisors and their activities. Fees are determined based on the scope, complexity, time commitment, and resources required. Zenith’s Family Office service fee for the full range of services generally ranges from $100,000 to $750,000 on an annual fixed fee basis. Our firm reserves the right to charge on an hourly fee basis, with a maximum hourly fee of $2,500. Comprehensive Portfolio Management services will be billed separately. Fees are based on the specific scope and complexity of the engagement. The final fee structure will be outlined in the Family Office Agreement, which must be signed by the client. Fees may be deducted directly from the client's account(s). Other Types of Fees & Expenses Clients will incur transaction fees for trades executed by their chosen custodian, either based on a percentage of the dollar amount of assets in the account(s) or via individual transaction charges. These transaction fees are separate from our firm’s advisory fees and will be disclosed by the chosen custodian. Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. (“Schwab”) does not currently charge transaction fees for U.S. listed equities and exchange traded funds. Clients may also pay holdings charges imposed by the chosen custodian for certain investments, charges imposed directly by a mutual fund, index fund, or exchange traded fund, which shall be disclosed in the fund’s prospectus (e.g., fund management fees and other fund expenses), distribution fees, surrender charges, variable annuity fees, IRA and qualified retirement plan fees, mark-ups and mark-downs, spreads paid to market makers, fees for trades executed away from custodian, wire transfer fees and other fees and taxes on brokerage accounts and securities transactions. Our firm does not receive a portion of these fees. Clients may pay holding charges, performance-based fees or other fees on investments in private equity or other private investments. Our firm will ensure that clients are accredited investors, and that the investment is suitable for the Client prior to Our firm recommending said investment. The exact fee-paying arrangements will be disclosed in the fund’s prospectus or other disclosure documents. Termination & Refunds Either party may terminate the advisory agreement signed with our firm for Comprehensive Portfolio Management service in writing at any time. Upon notice of termination our firm will process a pro-rata refund of the unearned portion of the advisory fees charged in advance. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 7 Zenith Wealth Advisors  Financial Planning & Consulting clients may terminate their agreement at any time before the delivery of a financial plan by providing written notice. For purposes of calculating refunds, all work performed by us up to the point of termination shall be calculated at the hourly fee currently in effect. Clients will receive a pro-rata refund of unearned fees based on the time and effort expended by our firm. Family Office Services clients may terminate their agreement at any time by providing written notice. In the event the client terminates Zenith family office services, the balance of the unearned fees shall be refunded to the client in a timely manner. For the purposes of calculating refunds all work performed by us up to the point of termination shall be calculated at the hourly fee currently in effect. Clients will receive a pro-rate refund of unearned fees based on the time and effort expended by our firm. Commissionable Securities Sales Our firm and representatives do not sell securities for a commission in advisory accounts. Item 6: Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management Our firm does not charge performance-based fees. However, third-party managers selected to assist in managing client assets may assess performance-based fees based on a share of capital gains on or capital appreciation of the clients’ assets under their management. Performance-based fees can only be assessed to a Qualified Client with at least $1.1 million in assets under management with the third- party manager or a net worth of $2.2 million. Any performance-based fees assessed by the third- party manager(s) will be detailed in their separate disclosure documents and/or advisory agreement. Item 7: Types of Clients & Account Requirements Our firm has the following types of clients: • Individuals and High Net Worth Individuals; • Trusts, Estates or Charitable Organizations; • Pension and Profit Sharing Plans; • Corporations, Limited Liability Companies and/or Other Business Types Our firm does not have or require a minimum account balance for engaging us for services. However, for clients that utilize our Comprehensive Portfolio Management service, our firm generally charges a minimum annual flat fee of $10,000. The minimum annual flat fee will not exceed 3% of a client’s assets under management and can be waived at our firm’s discretion. Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss Methods of Analysis ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 8 Zenith Wealth Advisors  We use the following methods of analysis in formulating our investment advice and/or managing client assets: Charting: In this type of technical analysis, our firm reviews charts of market and security activity in an attempt to identify when the market is moving up or down and to predict how long the trend may last and when that trend might reverse. Cyclical Analysis: Statistical analysis of specific events occurring at a sufficient number of relatively predictable intervals that they can be forecasted into the future. Cyclical analysis asserts that cyclical forces drive price movements in the financial markets. Risks include that cycles may invert or disappear and there is no expectation that this type of analysis will pinpoint turning points, instead be used in conjunction with other methods of analysis. Third-Party Money Manager Analysis: The analysis of the experience, investment philosophies, and past performance of independent third-party investment managers in an attempt to determine if that manager has demonstrated an ability to invest over a period of time and in different economic conditions. Analysis is completed by monitoring the manager’s underlying holdings, strategies, concentrations and leverage as part of our overall periodic risk assessment. Additionally, as part of the due-diligence process, the manager’s compliance and business enterprise risks are surveyed and reviewed. A risk of investing with a third-party manager who has been successful in the past is that they may not be able to replicate that success in the future. In addition, as our firm does not control the underlying investments in a third-party manager’s portfolio, there is also a risk that a manager may deviate from the stated investment mandate or strategy of the portfolio, making it a less suitable investment for our clients. Moreover, as our firm does not control the manager’s daily business and compliance operations, our firm may be unaware of the lack of internal controls necessary to prevent business, regulatory or reputational deficiencies. Technical Analysis: A security analysis methodology for forecasting the direction of prices through the study of past market data, primarily price and volume. A fundamental principle of technical analysis is that a market's price reflects all relevant information, so their analysis looks at the history of a security's trading pattern rather than external drivers such as economic, fundamental and news events. Therefore, price action tends to repeat itself due to investors collectively tending toward patterned behavior – hence technical analysis focuses on identifiable trends and conditions. Technical analysts also widely use market indicators of many sorts, some of which are mathematical transformations of price, often including up and down volume, advance/decline data and other inputs. These indicators are used to help assess whether an asset is trending, and if it is, the probability of its direction and of continuation. Technicians also look for relationships between price/volume indices and market indicators. Technical analysis employs models and trading rules based on price and volume transformations, such as the relative strength index, moving averages, regressions, inter-market and intra-market price correlations, business cycles, stock market cycles or, classically, through recognition of chart patterns. Technical analysis is widely used among traders and financial professionals and is very often used by active day traders, market makers and pit traders. The risk associated with this type of analysis is that analysts use subjective judgment to decide which pattern(s) a particular instrument reflects at a given time and what the interpretation of that pattern should be. Investment Strategies We Use ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 9 Zenith Wealth Advisors  We use the following strategies in managing client accounts, provided that such strategies are appropriate to the needs of the client and consistent with the client's investment objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizons, among other considerations: Alternative Investments: Hedge funds, commodity pools, Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”), Business Development Companies (“BDCs”), and other alternative investments involve a high degree of risk and can be illiquid due to restrictions on transfer and lack of a secondary trading market. They can be highly leveraged, speculative and volatile, and an investor could lose all or a substantial amount of an investment. Alternative investments may lack transparency as to share price, valuation and portfolio holdings. Complex tax structures often result in delayed tax reporting. Compared to mutual funds, hedge funds and commodity pools are subject to less regulation and often charge higher fees. Alternative investment managers typically exercise broad investment discretion and may apply similar strategies across multiple investment vehicles, resulting in less diversification. Long-Term Purchases: Our firm may buy securities for your account and hold them for a relatively long time (more than a year) in anticipation that the security’s value will appreciate over a long horizon. The risk of this strategy is that our firm could miss out on potential short-term gains that could have been profitable to your account, or it’s possible that the security’s value may decline sharply before our firm makes a decision to sell. Margin Transactions: Our firm may purchase securities for your portfolio with money borrowed from your brokerage account. This allows you to purchase more stock than you would be able to with your available cash and allows us to purchase securities without selling other holdings. Margin accounts and transactions are risky and not necessarily appropriate for every client. It should be noted that our firm bills advisory fees on securities purchased on margin which creates a financial incentive for us to utilize margin in client accounts. The potential risks associated with these transactions are (1) You can lose more funds than are deposited into the margin account; (2) the forced sale of securities or other assets in your account; (3) the sale of securities or other assets without contacting you; (4) you may not be entitled to choose which securities or other assets in your account(s) are liquidated or sold to meet a margin call; and (5) custodians charge interest on margin balances which will reduce your returns over time. Private Equity: Private equity is an equity investment into non-quoted companies. The private equity investor looks at an investment prospect as investing in a company as opposed to investing in a company's stock. Private equity funds hold illiquid positions (for which there is no active secondary market) and typically only invest in the equity and debt of target companies, which are generally taken private and brought under the private equity manager's control. Risks associated with private equity include: • Funding Risk: The unpredictable timing of cash flows poses funding risks to investors. Commitments are contractually binding and defaulting on payments results in the loss of private equity partnership interests. This risk is also commonly referred to as default risk. • Liquidity Risk: The illiquidity of private equity partnership interests exposes investors to asset liquidity risk associated with selling in the secondary market at a discount on the reported NAV. • Market Risk: The fluctuation of the market has an impact on the value of the investments held in the portfolio. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 10 Zenith Wealth Advisors  • Capital Risk: The realization value of private equity investments can be affected by numerous factors, including (but not limited to) the quality of the fund manager, equity market exposure, interest rates and foreign exchange. Short-Term Purchases: When utilizing this strategy, our firm may also purchase securities with the idea of selling them within a relatively short time (typically a year or less). Our firm does this in an attempt to take advantage of conditions that our firm believes will soon result in a price swing in the securities our firm purchase. Short Sales: A short sale is a transaction in which an investor sells borrowed securities in anticipation of a price decline and is required to return an equal number of shares at some point in the future. These transactions have a number of risks that make it highly unsuitable for the novice investor. This strategy has a slanted payoff ratio in that the maximum gain is limited, but the maximum loss is theoretically infinite. The following risks should be considered: (1) In addition to trading commissions, other costs with short selling include that of borrowing the security to short it, as well as interest payable on the margin account that holds the shorted security. (2) The short seller is responsible for making dividend payments on the shorted stock to the entity from whom the stock has been borrowed. (3) Stocks with very high short interest may occasionally surge in price. This usually happens when there is a positive development in the stock, which forces short sellers to buy the shares back to close their short positions. Heavily shorted stocks are also susceptible to “buy-ins,” which occur when a broker closes out short positions in a difficult-to-borrow stock whose lenders are demanding it back. (4) Regulators may impose bans on short sales in a specific sector or even in the broad market to avoid panic and unwarranted selling pressure. Such actions can cause a spike in stock prices, forcing the short seller to cover short positions at huge losses. Options: An option is a financial derivative that represents a contract sold by one party (the option writer) to another party (the option holder, or option buyer). The contract offers the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a security or other financial asset at an agreed-upon price (the strike price) during a certain period of time or on a specific date (exercise date). Options are extremely versatile securities. Traders use options to speculate, which is a relatively risky practice, while hedgers use options to reduce the risk of holding an asset. In terms of speculation, option buyers and writers have conflicting views regarding the outlook on the performance of a: ❖ Covered Calls: The risks associated with this type of strategy involve having the underlying stock called away. Each contract has a strike price at which the writer of the contract agrees to allow the purchaser call the stock away from the writer. This can create a taxable event whereby the writer of the option is required to recognize a capital gain on the underlying security. Furthermore, the market price could appreciate beyond the strike price, forcing the writer to sell their holdings below current market value. ❖ Uncovered Options: Uncovered option writing is suitable only for the knowledgeable investor who understands the risks, has the financial capacity and willingness to incur potentially substantial losses, and has sufficient liquid assets to meet applicable margin requirements. If the value of the underlying instrument moves against an uncovered writer’s options position, our firm may request significant additional margin payments. If an investor does not make such margin payments, we may be forced to close stock or options positions in the investor’s account. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 11 Zenith Wealth Advisors  The potential loss of uncovered call writing is unlimited. The writer of an uncovered call is in an extremely risky position and may incur large losses if the value of the underlying instrument increases above the exercise price. As with writing uncovered calls, the risk of writing uncovered put options is substantial. The writer of an uncovered put option bears a risk of loss if the value of the underlying instrument declines below the exercise price. Such loss could be substantial if there is a significant decline in the value of the underlying instrument. Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”): REITs primarily invest in real estate or real estate- related loans. Equity REITs own real estate properties, while mortgage REITs hold construction, development and/or long-term mortgage loans. Changes in the value of the underlying property of the trusts, the creditworthiness of the issuer, property taxes, interest rates, tax laws, and regulatory requirements, such as those relating to the environment all can affect the values of REITs. Both types of REITs are dependent upon management skill, the cash flows generated by their holdings, the real estate market in general, and the possibility of failing to qualify for any applicable pass-through tax treatment or failing to maintain any applicable exempted status afforded under relevant laws. REITs involve a high degree of risk and can be illiquid due to restrictions on transfer and lack of a secondary trading market. They can be highly leveraged, speculative and volatile, and an investor could lose all or a substantial amount of an investment. Additionally, they may lack transparency as to share price, valuation and portfolio holdings as they are subject to less regulation and often charge higher fees. Risk of Loss Investing in securities involves risk of loss that clients should be prepared to bear. While the stock market may increase and the account(s) could enjoy a gain, it is also possible that the stock market may decrease and the account(s) could suffer a loss. It is important that clients understand the risks associated with investing in the stock market, and that their assets are appropriately diversified in investments. Clients are encouraged to ask our firm any questions regarding their risk tolerance. Alternative Investment Risk: Hedge funds, commodity pools, Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”), Business Development Companies (“BDCs”), and other alternative investments involve a high degree of risk and can be illiquid due to restrictions on transfer and lack of a secondary trading market. They can be highly leveraged, speculative and volatile, and an investor could lose all or a substantial amount of an investment. Alternative investments may lack transparency as to share price, valuation and portfolio holdings. Complex tax structures often result in delayed tax reporting. Compared to mutual funds, hedge funds and commodity pools are subject to less regulation and often charge higher fees. Alternative investment managers typically exercise broad investment discretion and may apply similar strategies across multiple investment vehicles, resulting in less diversification. Capital Risk: Capital risk is one of the most basic, fundamental risks of investing; it is the risk that you may lose 100% of your money. All investments carry some form of risk, and the loss of capital is generally a risk for any investment instrument. Economic Risk: The prevailing economic environment is important to the health of all businesses. Some companies, however, are more sensitive to changes in the domestic or global economy than others. These types of companies are often referred to as cyclical businesses. Countries in which a large portion of businesses are in cyclical industries are thus also very economically sensitive and ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 12 Zenith Wealth Advisors  carry a higher amount of economic risk. If an investment is issued by a party located in a country that experiences wide swings from an economic standpoint or in situations where certain elements of an investment instrument are hinged on dealings in such countries, the investment instrument will generally be subject to a higher level of economic risk. Equity (Stock) Market Risk: Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and, volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. If you held common stock, or common stock equivalents, of any given issuer, you would generally be exposed to greater risk than if you held preferred stocks and debt obligations of the issuer. ETF & Mutual Fund Risk: When investing in an ETF or mutual fund, you will bear additional expenses based on your pro rata share of the ETF’s or mutual fund’s operating expenses, including the potential duplication of management fees. The risk of owning an ETF or mutual fund generally reflects the risks of owning the underlying securities, the ETF, or mutual fund holds. Clients will also incur brokerage costs when purchasing ETFs. Inflation Risk: Inflation risk involves the concern that in the future, your investment or proceeds from your investment will not be worth what they are today. Throughout time, the prices of resources and end-user products generally increase and thus, the same general goods and products today will likely be more expensive in the future. The longer an investment is held, the greater the chance that the proceeds from that investment will be worth less in the future than what they are today. Said another way, a dollar tomorrow will likely get you less than what it can today. Interest Rate Risk: Certain investments involve the payment of a fixed or variable rate of interest to the investment holder. Once an investor has acquired or has acquired the rights to an investment that pays a particular rate (fixed or variable) of interest, changes in overall interest rates in the market will affect the value of the interest-paying investment(s) they hold. In general, changes in prevailing interest rates in the market will have an inverse relationship to the value of existing, interest paying investments. In other words, as interest rates move up, the value of an instrument paying a particular rate (fixed or variable) of interest will go down. The reverse is generally true as well. Legal/Regulatory Risk: Certain investments or the issuers of investments may be affected by changes in state or federal laws or in the prevailing regulatory framework under which the investment instrument or its issuer is regulated. Changes in the regulatory environment or tax laws can affect the performance of certain investments or issuers of those investments and thus, can have a negative impact on the overall performance of such investments. Fixed Income Securities Risk: Typically, the values of fixed-income securities change inversely with prevailing interest rates. Therefore, a fundamental risk of fixed-income securities is interest rate risk, which is the risk that their value will generally decline as prevailing interest rates rise, which may cause your account value to likewise decrease, and vice versa. How specific fixed income securities may react to changes in interest rates will depend on the specific characteristics of each security. Fixed-income securities are also subject to credit risk, prepayment risk, valuation risk, and liquidity risk. Credit risk is the chance that a bond issuer will fail to pay interest and principal in a timely manner, or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such payments will cause the price of a bond to decline. Liquidity Risk: Certain assets may not be readily converted into cash or may have a very limited market in which they trade. This can create a substantial delay in the receipt of proceeds from an ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 13 Zenith Wealth Advisors  investment. Liquidity risk can also result in unfavorable pricing when exiting (i.e. not being able to quickly get out of an investment before the price drops significantly) a particular investment and therefore, can have a negative impact on investment returns. Market Risk: The value of your portfolio may decrease if the value of an individual company or multiple companies in the portfolio decreases or if our belief about a company’s intrinsic worth is incorrect. Further, regardless of how well individual companies perform, the value of your portfolio could also decrease if there are deteriorating economic or market conditions. It is important to understand that the value of your investment may fall, sometimes sharply, in response to changes in the market, and you could lose money. Investment risks include price risk as may be observed by a drop in a security’s price due to company specific events (e.g. earnings disappointment or downgrade in the rating of a bond) or general market risk (e.g. such as a “bear” market when stock values fall in general). For fixed-income securities, a period of rising interest rates could erode the value of a bond since bond values generally fall as bond yields go up. Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Strategy Risk: There is no guarantee that the investment strategies discussed herein will work under all market conditions and each investor should evaluate his/her ability to maintain any investment he/she is considering in light of his/her own investment time horizon. Investments are subject to risk, including possible loss of principal. Description of Material, Significant or Unusual Risks Our firm generally invests client cash balances in money market funds, FDIC Insured Certificates of Deposit, high-grade commercial paper and/or government backed debt instruments, which may include proprietary money market instruments. Ultimately, our firm tries to achieve the highest return on client cash balances through relatively low-risk conservative investments. In most cases, at least a partial cash balance will be maintained in a money market account so that our firm may debit advisory fees for our services related to our Comprehensive Portfolio Management services, as applicable. Item 9: Disciplinary Information There are no legal or disciplinary events that are material to the evaluation of our advisory business or the integrity of our management. Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations Our firm may receive compensation paid to us by third-party managers may vary, and thus, there is a conflict of interest in recommending a manager who shares a larger portion of the advisory fees charged to a client over another third-party manager. Client’s fees may be higher than they would be if our client obtained services directly from the third-party money manager. There is a conflict of interest in utilizing third-party managers, as there is an incentive to us in selecting a particular manager over another in the form of fees or services. In order to minimize this conflict, our firm seeks to make our selections in the best interest of our clients. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 14 Zenith Wealth Advisors  Banking and trust services are provided through Zenith Bank & Trust, an affiliate of our firm. These services are independent of our investment advisory, financial planning, and family office services and are governed under a separate agreement. Clients may be solicited to utilize these services, however, they are under no obligation to do so. Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions & Personal Trading As a fiduciary, it is an investment adviser’s responsibility to provide fair and full disclosure of all material facts and to act solely in the best interest of each of our clients at all times. Our fiduciary duty is the underlying principle for our firm’s Code of Ethics, which includes procedures for personal securities transaction and insider trading. Our firm requires all representatives to conduct business with the highest level of ethical standards and to comply with all federal and state securities laws at all times. Upon employment with our firm, and at least annually thereafter, all representatives of our firm will acknowledge receipt, understanding and compliance with our firm’s Code of Ethics. Our firm and representatives must conduct business in an honest, ethical, and fair manner and avoid all circumstances that might negatively affect or appear to affect our duty of complete loyalty to all clients. This disclosure is provided to give all clients a summary of our Code of Ethics. If a client or a potential client wishes to review our Code of Ethics in its entirety, a copy will be provided promptly upon request. Our firm recognizes that the personal investment transactions of our representatives demands the application of a Code of Ethics with high standards and requires that all such transactions be carried out in a way that does not endanger the interest of any client. At the same time, our firm also believes that if investment goals are similar for clients and for our representatives, it is logical, and even desirable, that there be common ownership of some securities. In order to prevent conflicts of interest, our firm has established procedures for transactions effected by our representatives for their personal accounts1. In order to monitor compliance with our personal trading policy, our firm has pre-clearance requirements and a quarterly securities transaction reporting system for all of our representatives. Neither our firm nor a related person recommends, buys or sells for client accounts, securities in which our firm or a related person has a material financial interest without prior disclosure to the client. Related persons of our firm may buy or sell securities and other investments that are also recommended to clients. In order to minimize this conflict of interest, our related persons will place client interests ahead of their own interests and adhere to our firm’s Code of Ethics, a copy of which is available upon request. Likewise, related persons of our firm buy or sell securities for themselves at or about the same time they buy or sell the same securities for client accounts. In order to minimize this conflict of interest, our 1 For purposes of the policy, our associate’s personal account generally includes any account (a) in the name of our associate, his/her spouse, his/her minor children or other dependents residing in the same household, (b) for which our associate is a trustee or executor, or (c) which our associate controls, including our client accounts which our associate controls and/or a member of his/her household has a direct or indirect beneficial interest in. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 15 Zenith Wealth Advisors  related persons will place client interests ahead of their own interests and adhere to our firm’s Code of Ethics, a copy of which is available upon request. Further, our related persons will refrain from buying or selling securities that will be bought or sold in client accounts unless done so after the client execution or concurrently as a part of a block trade. Item 12: Brokerage Practices Selecting a Brokerage Firm Custodian & Brokers Used Our firm does not maintain custody of client assets (although our firm may be deemed to have custody of client assets if give the authority to withdraw assets from client accounts. See Item 15 Custody, below). Client assets must be maintained in an account at a “qualified custodian,” generally a broker-dealer or bank. Our firm recommends that clients use the Schwab Advisor Services division of Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. (“Schwab”), a FINRA-registered broker-dealer, member SIPC, as the qualified custodian. Our firm is independently owned and operated, and not affiliated with Schwab. Schwab will hold client assets in a brokerage account and buy and sell securities when instructed. While our firm recommends that clients use Schwab as custodian/broker, clients will decide whether to do so and open an account with Schwab by entering into an account agreement directly with them. Our firm does not open the account. Even though the account is maintained at Schwab, our firm can still use other brokers to execute trades, as described in the next paragraph. How Brokers/Custodians Are Selected Our firm seeks to recommend a custodian/broker who will hold client assets and execute transactions on terms that are overall most advantageous when compared to other available providers and their services. A wide range of factors are considered, including, but not limited to: • • • combination of transaction execution services along with asset custody services (generally without a separate fee for custody) capability to execute, clear and settle trades (buy and sell securities for client accounts) capabilities to facilitate transfers and payments to and from accounts (wire transfers, check requests, bill payment, etc.) • breadth of investment products made available (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange traded funds (ETFs), etc.) • availability of investment research and tools that assist in making investment decisions • quality of services competitiveness of the price of those services (commission rates, margin interest rates, other fees, etc.) and willingness to negotiate them reputation, financial strength and stability of the provider • • prior service to our firm and our other clients • availability of other products and services that benefit our firm, as discussed below (see “Products & Services Available from Schwab”) Custody & Brokerage Costs ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 16 Zenith Wealth Advisors  Schwab generally does not charge a separate fee for custody services, but is compensated by charging commissions or other fees to clients on trades that are executed or that settle into the Schwab account. For some accounts, Schwab may charge your account a percentage of the dollar amount of assets in the account in lieu of commissions. Schwab’s commission rates and/or asset-based fees applicable to client accounts were negotiated based on our firm’s commitment to maintain a minimum threshold of assets statement equity in accounts at Schwab. This commitment benefits clients because the overall commission rates and/or asset-based fees paid are lower than they would be if our firm had not made the commitment. In addition to commissions or asset-based fees, Schwab charges a flat dollar amount as a “prime broker” or “trade away” fee for each trade that our firm has executed by a different broker-dealer but where the securities bought or the funds from the securities sold are deposited (settled) into a Schwab account. These fees are in addition to the commissions or other compensation paid to the executing broker-dealer. Because of this, in order to minimize client trading costs, our firm has Schwab execute most trades for the accounts. Products & Services Available from Schwab Schwab Advisor Services is Schwab’s business serving independent investment advisory firms like our firm. They provide our firm and clients, with access to its institutional brokerage – trading, custody, reporting and related services – many of which are not typically available to Schwab retail customers. Schwab also makes available various support services. Some of those services help manage or administer our client accounts while others help manage and grow our business. Schwab’s support services are generally available on an unsolicited basis (our firm does not have to request them) and at no charge to our firm. The availability of Schwab’s products and services is not based on the provision of particular investment advice, such as purchasing particular securities for clients. Here is a more detailed description of Schwab’s support services: Services that Benefit Clients Schwab’s institutional brokerage services include access to a broad range of investment products, execution of securities transactions, and custody of client assets. The investment products available through Schwab include some to which our firm might not otherwise have access or that would require a significantly higher minimum initial investment by firm clients. Schwab’s services described in this paragraph generally benefit clients and their accounts. Services that May Not Directly Benefit Clients Schwab also makes available other products and services that benefit our firm but may not directly benefit clients or their accounts. These products and services assist in managing and administering our client accounts. They include investment research, both Schwab’s and that of third parties. This research may be used to service all or some substantial number of client accounts, including accounts not maintained at Schwab. In addition to investment research, Schwab also makes available software and other technology that: • provides access to client account data (such as duplicate trade confirmations and account statements); facilitates trade execution and allocate aggregated trade orders for multiple client accounts; facilitates payment of our fees from our clients’ accounts; and • • provides pricing and other market data; • • assists with back-office functions, recordkeeping and client reporting. Services that Generally Benefit Only Our Firm ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 17 Zenith Wealth Advisors  Schwab also offers other services intended to help manage and further develop our business enterprise. These services include: technology, compliance, legal, and business consulting; • educational conferences and events • • publications and conferences on practice management and business succession; and • access to employee benefits providers, human capital consultants and insurance providers. Schwab may provide some of these services itself. In other cases, Schwab will arrange for third-party vendors to provide the services to our firm. Schwab may also discount or waive fees for some of these services or pay all or a part of a third party’s fees. Schwab may also provide our firm with other benefits, such as occasional business entertainment for our personnel. Irrespective of direct or indirect benefits to our client through Schwab, our firm strives to enhance the client experience, help clients reach their goals and put client interests before that of our firm or associated persons. Our Interest in Schwab’s Services. The availability of these services from Schwab benefits our firm because our firm does not have to produce or purchase them. Our firm does not have to pay for these services, and they are not contingent upon committing any specific amount of business to Schwab in trading commissions or assets in custody. In light of our arrangements with Schwab, a conflict of interest exists as our firm may have incentive to require that clients maintain their accounts with Schwab based on our interest in receiving Schwab’s services that benefit our firm rather than based on client interest in receiving the best value in custody services and the most favorable execution of transactions. As part of our fiduciary duty to our clients, our firm will endeavor at all times to put the interests of our clients first. Clients should be aware, however, that the receipt of economic benefits by our firm or our related persons creates a potential conflict of interest and may indirectly influence our firm’s choice of Schwab as a custodial recommendation. Our firm examined this potential conflict of interest when our firm chose to recommend Schwab and have determined that the recommendation is in the best interest of our firm’s clients and satisfies our fiduciary obligations, including our duty to seek best execution. In seeking best execution, the determinative factor is not the lowest possible cost, but whether the transaction represents the best qualitative execution, taking into consideration the full range of a broker-dealer’s services, including the value of research provided, execution capability, commission rates, and responsiveness. Although our firm will seek competitive rates, to the benefit of all clients, our firm may not necessarily obtain the lowest possible commission rates for specific client account transactions. Our firm believes that the selection of Schwab as a custodian and broker is the best interest of our clients. It is primarily supported by the scope, quality and price of Schwab’s services, and not Schwab’s services that only benefit our firm. Item 13: Review of Accounts or Financial Plans ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 18 Zenith Wealth Advisors  Our management personnel or financial advisors review accounts on at least an annual basis for our Comprehensive Portfolio Management and Third Party Money Management clients. The nature of these reviews is to learn whether client accounts are in line with their investment objectives, appropriately positioned based on market conditions, and investment policies, if applicable. Our firm does not provide written reports to clients, unless asked to do so. Verbal reports to clients take place on at least an annual basis when our Comprehensive Portfolio Management and Third Party Money Management clients are contacted. Our firm may review client accounts more frequently than described above. Among the factors which may trigger an off-cycle review are major market or economic events, the client’s life events, requests by the client, etc. Financial Planning clients do not receive reviews of their written plans unless they take action to schedule a financial consultation with us. Our firm does not provide ongoing services to financial planning clients, but are willing to meet with such clients upon their request to discuss updates to their plans, changes in their circumstances, etc. Financial Planning clients do not receive written or verbal updated reports regarding their financial plans unless they separately engage our firm for a post-financial plan meeting or update to their initial written financial plan. Family Office clients do not receive reviews (written nor verbal) unless they take action to schedule a review with us and we are willing to meet with such clients upon their request to discuss updates, changes in their circumstances, etc. Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation Schwab Our firm receives economic benefit from Schwab in the form of the support products and services made available to our firm and other independent investment advisors that have their clients maintain accounts at Schwab. These products and services, how they benefit our firm, and the related conflicts of interest are described above (see Item 12 – Brokerage Practices). The availability of Schwab’s products and services is not based on our firm giving particular investment advice, such as buying particular securities for our clients. Referral Fees In accordance with Rule 206 (4)-1 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, our firm does not provide cash or non-cash compensation directly or indirectly to unaffiliated persons for testimonials or endorsements (which include client referrals). Other Compensation Our firm has a relationship with GeoWealth Management, LLC(“GeoWealth”) to provide our firm with investment research, asset management, and portfolio allocation. GeoWealth may provide our firm with technology support including client relationship management software, data archiving, and other similar solutions. The receipt of these benefits from GeoWealth creates a conflict of interest because it incentivizes our firm to continue to use GeoWealth’s services. Our firm examined this ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 19 Zenith Wealth Advisors  conflict and determined that the use of this technology support is in the best interest of our clients and satisfies our fiduciary obligations. Item 15: Custody Deduction of Advisory Fees: While our firm does not maintain physical custody of client assets (which are maintained by a qualified custodian, as discussed above), we are deemed to have custody of certain client assets if given the authority to withdraw assets from client accounts, as further described below under “Third Party Money Movement.” All our clients receive account statements directly from their qualified custodian(s) at least quarterly upon opening of an account. We urge our clients to carefully review these statements. Additionally, if our firm decides to send its own account statements to clients, such statements will include a legend that recommends the client compare the account statements received from the qualified custodian with those received from our firm. Clients are encouraged to raise any questions with us about the custody, safety or security of their assets and our custodial recommendations. Bill Pay We engage in bill pay for certain client accounts through our Family Office service and our affiliation with Zenith Bank & Trust. As such, our firm is deemed to have custody under securities laws, even in instances where we do not have actual physical custody of client funds or assets. The client funds and securities of which our firm has custody are verified by actual examination at least once during each calendar year by an independent public accountant (“IPA”) registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), at a time that is chosen by the accountant without prior notice or announcement to our firm and that is irregular from year to year. Clients are encouraged to raise any questions with us about the custody, safety or security of their assets and our custodial recommendations. Trustee for Client Accounts: Our firm is deemed to have custody through our affiliation with Zenith Bank & Trust acting as a trustee to client accounts. The client funds and securities of which our firm has custody are verified by actual examination at least once during each calendar year by an independent public accountant (“IPA”) registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), at a time that is chosen by the accountant without prior notice or announcement to our firm and that is irregular from year to year. Clients are encouraged to raise any questions with us about the custody, safety or security of their assets and our custodial recommendations. Third Party Money Movement: On February 21, 2017, the SEC issued a no‐action letter (“Letter”) with respect to Rule 206(4)‐2 (“Custody Rule”) under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”). The letter provided guidance on the Custody Rule as well as clarified that an adviser who has the power to disburse client funds to a third party under a standing letter of authorization (“SLOA”) is deemed to have custody. As such, our firm has adopted the following safeguards in conjunction with our custodian: ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 20 Zenith Wealth Advisors  • The client provides an instruction to the qualified custodian, in writing, that includes the client’s signature, the third party’s name, and either the third party’s address or the third party’s account number at a custodian to which the transfer should be directed. • The client authorizes the investment adviser, in writing, either on the qualified custodian’s form or separately, to direct transfers to the third party either on a specified schedule or from time to time. • The client’s qualified custodian performs appropriate verification of the instruction, such as a signature review or other method to verify the client’s authorization, and provides a transfer of funds notice to the client promptly after each transfer. • The client has the ability to terminate or change the instruction to the client’s qualified custodian. • The investment adviser has no authority or ability to designate or change the identity of the third party, the address, or any other information about the third party contained in the client’s instruction. • The investment adviser maintains records showing that the third party is not a related party of the investment adviser or located at the same address as the investment adviser. • The client’s qualified custodian sends the client, in writing, an initial notice confirming the instruction and an annual notice reconfirming the instruction. Item 16: Investment Discretion Our firm manages accounts on a discretionary basis. After you sign an agreement with our firm, we’re allowed to buy and sell investments in your account without asking you in advance. Any limitations will be described in the signed advisory agreement. We will have discretion until the advisory agreement is terminated by you or our firm. Item 17: Voting Client Securities Our firm does not accept the proxy authority to vote client securities. Clients will receive proxies or other solicitations directly from their custodian or a transfer agent. In the event that proxies are sent to our firm, our firm will forward them to the appropriate client and ask the party who sent them to mail them directly to the client in the future. Clients may call, write or email us to discuss questions they may have about particular proxy votes or other solicitations. Third party money managers selected or recommended by our firm may vote proxies for clients. Therefore, except in the event a third party money manager votes proxies, clients maintain exclusive responsibility for: (1) directing the manner in which proxies solicited by issuers of securities beneficially owned by the client shall be voted, and (2) making all elections relative to any mergers, acquisitions, tender offers, bankruptcy proceedings or other type events pertaining to the client’s investment assets. Therefore (except for proxies that may be voted by a third party money manager), our firm and/or the client shall instruct the qualified custodian to forward copies of all proxies and shareholder communications relating to the client’s investment assets. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 21 Zenith Wealth Advisors  Item 18: Financial Information Our firm is not required to provide financial information in this Brochure because: • Our firm does not require the prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees when services cannot be rendered within 6 months. • Our firm does not have a financial condition or commitment that impairs our ability to meet contractual and fiduciary obligations to clients. • Our firm has never been the subject of a bankruptcy proceeding. ADV Part 2A – Firm Brochure Page 22 Zenith Wealth Advisors