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Item 1 – Cover Page
Wealth Advisors Network, Inc.
CRD #113836
201 Foundation Place Ste. 100
Hastings, NE 68901
402-463-6769
August 1, 2025
www.wealthadvisorsnetwork.net
www.laurelvalleyadvisors.com
This Brochure provides information about the qualifications and business
practices of Wealth Advisors Network, Inc. (WAN) as required by Part 2A of
Form ADV. Form ADV is the form we file to register and be licensed to do
business as investment advisers and comply with federal and/or state
securities laws. The information presented is responsive according to the
sequential “Items” of the form. Please contact our Chief Compliance Officer,
Jeni Charron at (402) 463-6769, if you have questions about the contents of
this Brochure. 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 Wealth Advisors Network, Inc. is also available on
the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
We are a Registered Investment Adviser. Our registration as an Investment
Adviser does not imply any level of skill or training. The oral and written
communications we provide to you, including this Brochure, is information you
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use to evaluate us (and other advisers) which are factors in your decision to
hire us or to continue to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship.
Our last Annual Update of our Brochure was dated November 21, 2024 Since
then, we have made the following material changes:
Item 2 – Material Changes – We no longer have a Buffalo, NY location.
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Item 3 -Table of Contents
Item 1 – Cover Page ...................................................................................................... i
Item 2 – Material Changes ........................................................................................... ii
Item 3 - Table of Contents ........................................................................................... iii
Item 4 – Advisory Business .......................................................................................... 1
Item 5 – Fees and Compensation ................................................................................. 6
Item 6 – Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management .............................. 11
Item 7 – Types of Clients ............................................................................................ 11
Item 8 – Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss ....................... 11
Item 9 – Disciplinary Information ............................................................................... 12
Item 10 – Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations ..................................... 13
Item 11 – Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal
Trading ...................................................................................................................... 13
Item 12 – Brokerage Practices .................................................................................... 14
Item 13 – Review of Accounts ..................................................................................... 15
Item 14 – Client Referrals and Other Compensation .................................................. 16
Item 15 – Custody ...................................................................................................... 17
Item 16 – Investment Discretion ................................................................................ 17
Item 17 – Voting Client Securities (i.e., Proxy Voting) ................................................. 17
Item 18 – Financial Information ................................................................................. 17
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Item 4 – Advisory Business
Wealth Advisors Network, Inc. (WAN) was established in 1997 to provide
comprehensive wealth care services. Another d/b/a, Laurel Valley Advisors in 2020.
The majority owner of WAN is Jeff S. Anderson. Many of our adviser representatives
(IARs”) are registered representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. (CIR),
a registered broker/dealer and member of FINRA/SIPC, are licensed to sell
insurance and are also certified public accountants (CPAs) with Contryman
Associates, P.C. (CAPC), or other CPA firms. WAN is headquartered in Hastings,
Nebraska and has offices throughout Nebraska, in Greeley, CO, and Johnstown, PA
(d/b/a Laurel Valley Advisors [LVA]). Wealth Advisors Network may also use their
d/b/a Contryman Wealth Advisors. Drawing on other institutional resources, such
as Cambridge Investment Research, we develop and implement customized
investment strategies for individuals, high net worth individuals, charitable
organizations, trusts and closely held businesses. Our independence allows us the
ability to utilize a variety of investment approaches including money market funds,
unit investment trusts (UIT) , institutional funds, certificates of deposit, stocks,
corporate debt, commercial paper, U.S. government securities, municipal securities,
mutual funds, closed-end funds, exchange traded funds (ETFs), mortgage related
and other asset backed securities, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS), Business
Development Corporations (BDCs), Direct Participation Programs (DPPs) and
separate account managers.
Our main service and goal is to provide sound, quality investment services. The rest
of our business is comprised of furnishing advice to clients on financial matters that
may not involve securities, including income planning and asset preservation,
insurance, general business planning, retirement planning, succession planning,
and estate planning. Our IARs are either employees of WAN or are independent
contractors of WAN. The services offered by the adviser representatives may overlap
with their respective accounting firm services.
We offer a variety of financial planning and investment advisory services to our
clients. Depending on the program or options our clients have selected, the
investment services may be provided on a discretionary basis or non-discretionary
basis. Through CIR, we make available to client’s investment programs that use
managers whose investment style and expertise may be appropriate for the specific
needs of certain clients. Fidelity Clearing & Custody Solutions (FCCS) maintains
custody of most funds and securities, and we will never have direct access to client
funds and securities. We work hard to fully explain the options available to our
clients and advise them to carefully examine the various investment programs and
underlying options available, particularly the fee structure. We are aware that
services provided under some, or all of the options may be available from other
providers for lesser or higher fees.
We are a community-based firm positioned to provide high quality local service and
value, with immediate availability and accessibility. You will have the assurance
that qualified professionals are considering your entire financial picture and know
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that your financial plan has been designed and customized to meet your specific
needs. Our independent in-depth research and advice are provided by advisers with
breadth of knowledge evidenced by years of experience and training. This allows us
to provide you with the best of both worlds: local availability and value with the
depth of a national firm.
Your Financial Professional can provide investment advice to you regarding your
retirement plan account or individual retirement account (“IRA”). In doing so, your
Financial Professional must act as a fiduciary 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. Fiduciary responsibility
requires that Financial Professionals put your interests ahead of their own. In acting
in your best interest your Financial Professional will adhere to consumer protection
standards that require compensation not to be excessive based on the market value
of the particular services, rights and benefits delivered to you.
Recommendations made by your Financial Professional regarding rollover options,
from a retirement plan to another plan or IRA, from an IRA to a plan, from an IRA
to another IRA or from one account type to another (e.g., commission-based to fee-
based), will require your Financial Professional to document the reasons for the
recommendation and specify why the recommendation is in your best interest.
The way that your Financial Professional and Cambridge 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 services; and
Give you basic information about conflicts of interest.
You should discuss with your Financial Professional the costs and benefits of each
Investment management service and then select the one that you believe best
supports your investment goals and style and provides the most cost-effective
means of executing your investment strategy.
WAN has actively managed recommended portfolios that we make available to our
advisers for use although they are not required to use them. We have a
recommended portfolio for accounts over $150,000 and one for accounts under
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$150,000. In the under $150,000 portfolio, we attempt to use ETFs and Mutual
Funds with no ticket charges to reduce the expense of smaller trades.
CMAP Program
In our CMAP Program, our IAR’s determine the appropriate mix of assets for the
client based on the results of the Risk Profile Questionnaire or agreed upon portfolio
parameters. Investments can include, but are not limited to, money market funds,
UITs, institutional funds, certificates of deposit, stocks, corporate debt, commercial
paper, U.S. government securities, municipal securities, mutual funds, ETFs,
mortgage related, and other asset backed securities, REITS, BDCs and DPPs. WAN
has developed recommended portfolios based on risk tolerance that it may use but
is not required to use. For non-discretionary accounts, the IAR will monitor market
conditions and the portfolio and will obtain client approval for repositioning the
assets. For discretionary accounts, the IAR will monitor market conditions and the
portfolio and will reposition the assets when needed.
Our investment strategies utilize primarily mutual funds (both index and actively
managed), as well as ETFs and, in some instances, individual stocks and bonds. As
registered representatives, through CIR, our IARs can sell securities to any client for
commissions. However, we do not engage in securities transactions where our IAR
would receive a commission when we have already charged an advisory management
fee. Any fees or other compensation received by the IARs in their separate capacities
as registered representatives will be received to the extent permitted by applicable
law.
Fee Based Pension Platform
For pension, profit sharing and 401(k) Plan clients that have individual accounts with
participants exercising control over assets in their own account, we may, at the
request of the Plan trustees, conduct educational investment meetings designed for
Plan participants. The nature of the topics to be covered will be determined by us
and the client under the guidelines established in ERISA.
WealthPort Advisor-Directed Wrap Program
WAN participates, under a co-advisory relationship with Cambridge Investment
Research Advisors, Inc. (CIRA), in fee-based services sponsored through CIRA’s
WealthPort Wrap Programs. CIR serves as the introducing broker‐dealer for
accounts in the WealthPort Advisor-Directed Wrap Program and clears securities
transactions on a fully disclosed basis through FCCS. The following information
provides a brief summary of WealthPort Advisor-Directed Wrap Program. A full and
complete description of this Program is provided in the WealthPort Wrap Brochure.
All investors participating in WealthPort Advisor-Directed Wrap Program will be
provided with and should review the WealthPort Wrap Brochure prior to investing.
In the WealthPort Advisor-Directed Wrap Program, your IAR provides investment
management services, defined as managed on a discretionary trading basis.
Through the Program, your IAR is responsible for determining investment
recommendations and implementing transactions. Your IAR actively manages your
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account(s) in accordance with your individual needs, objectives, and risk tolerance.
WAN serves as portfolio manager for those clients that have established a
WealthPort Advisor-Directed Wrap account giving continuous investment advice to
you and making investments based on your individual needs.
CMAP Program versus WealthPort Advisor-Directed Wrap Program
IARs provide asset management services through both a traditional management
program and a wrap fee program. Under our traditional CMAP management
program, we charge an investment advisory fee for advisory services. Clients will
also incur annual custodial fees and ticket charges for each transaction by our
introducing broker/dealer, when applicable.
Under the WealthPort Advisor-Directed Wrap Program, advisory services, custodial
fees and transaction services are provided for one fee to the client. From a
management perspective, there is not a fundamental difference in the way our IARs
manage wrap fee accounts versus traditional management accounts. The significant
difference is the way in which transaction services are paid.
Financial Planning and Consulting
Our IARs may provide advisory services in the form of financial planning or
consulting services. Financial planning and/or consulting services do not involve
the active management of client accounts. Financial planning can be described as
helping individuals determine and set their long-term financial goals, through
investments, tax planning, asset allocation, risk management, retirement planning,
and other areas. The role of a financial planner is to find ways to help the client
understand their overall financial situation and help the client set financial
objectives.
Consulting services include consulting clients in the management of their money,
investment options and asset reallocation. Consulting services can be narrow in scope
and not take into consideration all areas of a client’s financial situation.
Referral of Third-Party Money Managers
We sometimes offer advisory services by referring clients to a third-party money
manager offering asset management and other investment advisory services. We
perform a due diligence review on these third-party money managers that looks at
management continuity, management tenure, disciplinary history, performance
history, financial condition, conflicts, costs, and operations. The third-party money
managers are responsible for continuously monitoring client accounts and making
trades, or directing us to make trades, in client accounts when necessary. As a
result of the referral, we are paid a portion of the fee charged and collected by the
third-party money managers in the form of promoter fees. Each solicitation
arrangement is performed pursuant to a written solicitation agreement and is in
compliance with SEC Rule 206(4)-3 and applicable state securities rules and
regulations.
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Under this service, we assist you with identifying your risk tolerance and investment
objectives. We recommend third-party money managers in relation to your stated
investment objectives and risk tolerance, and you may select a recommended third-
party money manager or model portfolio based upon your needs. You must enter
into an agreement directly with the third-party money manager who provides your
designated account with asset management services.
We are available to answer questions that you may have regarding your account and
act as the communication conduit between you and the third-party money
manager. The third-party money manager may take discretionary authority to
determine the securities to be purchased and sold for your account. We do not have
any trading authority with respect to your designated account managed by the
third-party money manager.
Although we review the performance of numerous third-party money managers, we
enter into only a select number of relationships with third-party money managers
that have agreed to pay us a portion of the overall fee charged to our
clients. Therefore, we have a conflict of interest in that we will only recommend
third-party money managers that will agree to compensate us for referrals of
our clients.
Clients are advised that there may be other third-party money managers not
recommended by our firm that are suitable for the client and that may be more or
less costly than arrangements recommended by our firm. No guarantees can be
made that a client’s financial goals or objectives will be achieved by a third-party
money manager recommended by our firm. Further, no guarantees of performance
can ever be offered by our firm.
Because of these compensation arrangements, a conflict of interest exists in
connection with the IARs recommending particular investments for a client's
account. Clients have sole discretion whether to implement any or all of the IAR’s
recommendations (except where discretion has been given by the client to the IAR).
Use of Sub-Advisors
For some Clients we may engage other investment advisors (“Sub-Advisors”) to assist
us in managing their account under an Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement with
such Sub-Advisors. This sometimes occurs when the Client decides to transfer the
management of their portfolios to us from another investment advisor and as part of
the transition to us, we and the Client decide it is in our and the Client’s best interest
to permit the former investment advisor to continue to manage the accounts as a
Sub-Advisor. In other cases, due to the nature and complexity of a client’s portfolio,
we and the Client may decide to engage a Sub-Advisor to manage the portion of the
Client’s portfolio that presents complexities that we do not have experience dealing
with.
In establishing Investment Sub-Advisory Agreements with such Sub-Advisers, we
perform a due diligence review that looks at management continuity, management
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tenure, experience, disciplinary history, performance history, financial condition,
conflicts, costs, and operations. If engaged, the Sub-Advisor will continuously
monitor the Client assets in the accounts assigned to them. As a result, when a Sub-
Advisor is engaged, we and the broker/dealer (such as CIR) holding the assets will
ask Clients to execute a Privacy Waiver and Consent to Disclose Account Information
to expressly permit the broker dealer and us to provide the Sub-Advisor real time
access to the Client’s account information and holdings.
Such Sub-Advisors have no discretionary authority to select broker/dealers or
directly place trades for the Client but will advise us to make trades in Client accounts
when necessary. We reserve the right to follow or reject any trade direction from the
Sub-Advisor. The Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement is between us and the Sub-
Advisor and as part of our expense in managing the account we pay the Sub-Advisor
directly for managing the Client assets from the fees we receive from the Client.
Unless the Client otherwise agrees, the Client will pay no additional compensation for
our use of Sub-Advisors.
Client Assets Managed
As of September 30, 2024, we manage client assets on a discretionary basis in an
amount equal to approximately $283,437,106and client assets on a non-
discretionary basis in an amount equal to approximately $13,578,233.
Business Continuity Plan
WAN has established a Business Continuity Plan (BCP). The BCP describes how
WAN will respond to significant business disruptions and provide investors with
alternative contact information in the event of a significant business disruption. The
BCP Summary can be found at www.wealthadvisosnetwork.net.
Item 5 – Fees and Compensation
CMAP
Fees for Investment Advisory services payable to us are based on the amount of
assets under management (AUM), including cash balances deposited in a Federal
Deposit Insured Corporation (“FDIC”) insured multi bank program and/or Money
Market positions. The annual fee for this program ranges from .55% (55 basis
points) up to 1.5% (150 basis points). These fees can be paid through a variety of
options determined by you and your Adviser. The exact fee arrangement should be
expressed in Appendix A of the Financial Planning and Investment Management
Services Agreement.
The fee arrangements include:
Flat percentage:
Less than $249,999
$250,000 - $499,999
$500,000 - $999,999
$1,000,000 - $1,999,999
1.50%
1.45%
1.35%
1.10%
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$2,000,000 - $2,999,999
$3,000,000 - $3,999,999
$4,000,000 - $4,999,999
$5,000,000 - $5,999,999
$6,000,000 - $6,999,999
$7,000,000 - $7,999,999
$8,000,000 - $9,999,999
Over $10,000,000
1.00%
.90%
.80%
.75%
.70%
.65%
.60%
.55%
The formula used for calculating the fee is market value multiplied by Client fee
percentage as defined in Exhibit A of WAN’s Financial Planning and Investment
Management Services Agreement, multiplied by the number of days in the billing
cycle divided by the number of days in the year.
Flat Hourly Fee – This is a set hourly fee for services provided. Fees typically range
from $100-$500 depending on the complexity and nature of the engagement, as well
as the level of expertise required by adviser of the respective engagement.
Flat Fee – This is a set fee charged for services provided.
Fees are charged in advance or in arrears depending upon the agreement between
us and your IAR. The frequency of the calculation and payment of fees is
determined when you establish or update your account agreement and is
documented in Appendix A of the Financial Planning and Investment Management
Services Agreement. We reserve the right to calculate fees either based on the
market value of the account(s) on the last day of the previous month or quarter if
fees are billed in advance or on the last day of the month or quarter in which
services were rendered if fees are billed in arrears. You should discuss with your
IAR the fee calculation formula in effect at the time you establish your account.
Additional deposits of funds are subject to a fee when deposited. The fee for
additional deposits is pro-rated for the remainder of the reporting period. The fee is
determined on an account-by-account basis. You should discuss with your IAR if or
when this fee will apply to your account(s).
Fees are typically deducted directly from your CMAP account. You can also decide to
have the fee deducted from an alternate CMAP account held at the same custodian.
Generally, fees from a non-qualified account must be debited from a non-qualified
account on a platform approved for fee debiting. You must provide the custodian
with written authorization to have fees deducted from the account and paid to us.
The custodian will send you statements, at least quarterly, showing all
disbursements for the account including the amount of the advisory fee, if deducted
directly from the account. It is our and your responsibility to verify the accuracy of
fee calculations. The qualified custodian will not determine whether the fee has been
properly calculated.
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Varying mutual fund share classes are used in your account. We and your IAR will
make every attempt to use the most cost-effective share class available. This may
not always be the least expensive share class but because of other factors we may
feel it is the most suitable. You should discuss the factors of direct and indirect
expenses borne as a result of the mutual fund fees. As WAN has chosen CIR/FCCS
as their broker-dealer and clearing firm, we are limited to CIR’s preferred share
class of choice which may not be the cheapest share class. Your IAR determines
whether or not the transaction ticket fees charged by the broker-dealer and/or
custodian are charged to you. If we choose to absorb the ticket charge, a conflict of
interest is created due to the increased expense that we may incur.
CIR is a participant in NFS’ Institutional FundsNetwork® (IFN) ticket charge
program. This program offers select mutual funds to be purchased by you with no
transaction fees (“NTF Shares”). NFS receives revenue directly from the mutual fund
companies that support the IFN program. Through formal agreements, the broker-
dealer receives revenue for assets that are held within the IFN program. The NTF
Shares can be more expensive for you over time because of the higher ongoing
internal operating expenses, such as 12b-1 fees. You pay a higher transaction
charge for transaction fee funds; however, the transaction fee funds can be less
expensive to you over time because of lower ongoing operation expenses. You and
your IAR should discuss and understand these additional indirect expenses borne
as a result of the mutual fund fees. Restrictions apply in certain situations. Even
though these payments are not shared with your IAR, the receipt of these additional
payments creates a conflict of interest because of the increased compensation to the
broker-dealer.
A platform fee is charged to us by CIR broker-dealer for services provided in
association with the CMAP and WealthPort platforms. The platform fee is generally
not more than 5.5 basis points for CMAP and not more than 20bps for WealthPort.
The platform fee charged could create a conflict of interest. We could charge a
higher advisory fee in order to offset the platform fee or choose to utilize another
custodian or program that would have lower, or no platform fees charged to the
adviser.
On a client-by-client basis, we offer the consolidation of accounts maintained within
a household for purposes of calculating fees. When appropriate, certain assets, e.g.,
alternatively held investments, B and C shares, will be excluded from the
calculation.
WealthPort Wrap
Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc. (CIRA), an affiliate of CIR, sponsors a
wrap fee program known as WealthPort Advisor-Directed Wrap. WAN and CIRA are
co-advisors in this program. WealthPort Advisor-Directed Wrap may be
recommended to clients. A full and complete description of the WealthPort Advisor-
Directed Wrap Program is provided in the WealthPort Wrap Brochure. All investors
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participating in the WealthPort Wrap Program will be provided with and should
review the WealthPort Wrap Brochure prior to investing.
Negotiation of Fees
The fee schedules set forth above are guidelines and all fees are negotiable. The
actual fee for each client is based on factors such as the client’s financial situation
and circumstances, the amount of assets under management and the time required
to manage the account. The exact fee for our services will be discussed and agreed
upon and be included in a written agreement for services prior to services being
provided.
Third-Party Money Managers
Third-party money managers generally have account minimum requirements that
will vary among third-party money managers. Account minimums are generally
higher on fixed income accounts than for equity-based accounts. A complete
description of the third-party money manager’s services, fee schedules and account
minimums will be disclosed in the third-party money manager’s disclosure brochure
which will be provided to you prior to or at the time an agreement for services is
executed and the account is established. The actual fee charged to you will vary
depending on the third-party money manager. All fees are calculated and collected
by the third-party money manager who will be responsible for delivering our portion
of the fee paid by you to us.
Under this program, you may incur additional charges including but not limited to,
mutual fund sales loads, 12b-1 fees and surrender charges and IRA and qualified
retirement plan fees.
We have a conflict of interest by only offering those third-party money managers
that have agreed to pay a portion of their advisory fee to us.
Product Sponsor Reimbursement
From time to time, we enter into specific arrangements with product sponsors in
which the product sponsor will reimburse us for meeting expenses when we provide
training meetings. For our IARs, while we and our IARs endeavor at all times to put
the interests of their clients first as part of our fiduciary duty to clients, you should
be aware that the receipt of meeting expense reimbursement creates a conflict of
interest that might influence an IARs choice of investments.
Additional Fees and Expenses
Investment advisory fees charged by us are separate and distinct from the fees and
expenses charged by investment company securities that are recommended to you.
A description of these fees and expenses are available in each investment company’s
security prospectus. While not an exhaustive list, an example of these fees and
expenses are mutual fund sales loads, surrender charges, variable annuity fees and
surrender charges and IRA and qualified retirement plan fees. In addition, certain
mutual fund companies, as outlined it the fund’s prospectus, pay 12b-1 fees and
sub-TA fees. These fees come from fund assets, therefore, indirectly from client
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assets. With your managed account, 12b-1 (marketing and distribution) fees and
trail fees earned will be credited back to your account at the clearing firm whenever
possible. When 12b-1 fees and trails are not credited to your account, the
investment advisory fee will be lowered, or offset by that amount.
The following transaction costs may apply:
Transaction fees;
o Equity, ETF and closed end funds – no more than $18.00 per trade
o Mutual Funds – No more than $12.00 per trade (may be waived by fund
company) A $10 surcharge applies to certain funds.
Fixed Income – no more than $39.50 per transaction
Exchange fees;
Custodial fees; fees are disclosed in disclosure documents on custodian
application;
SEC fees;
Advisory fees and administrative fees charged by Mutual Funds (MF), and
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
Advisory fees charged by sub-advisers (if any are used for your account);
Custodial Fees;
Odd-Lot differentials;
Transfer taxes;
Wire transfer and electronic fund processing fees;
Billing:
If a client has more than one portfolio with each program under our services, we
may elect at our sole discretion to aggregate the client’s portfolios for the purposes
of computing management fees.
If the account does not contain sufficient funds to pay Advisory Fees, we have
limited authority to sell or redeem securities in sufficient amounts to pay the
Advisory Fees. Although fees are collected directly from the account, the client will
receive an invoice.
Clients have the right to cancel their agreement with us at any time by notifying us
in writing. We also may cancel this agreement at any time with thirty days prior
written notice to you. If services are terminated within five business days of
executing the agreement, services will be terminated without penalty and all pre-
paid fees will be refunded to the client. If services are terminated after the initial
five-day period, unearned fees will be prorated and refunded to the client except if
terminated in the last 15 days of a calendar quarter.
Refund of Fees for Withdrawals
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We will refund you, on a discretionary basis and as facts and circumstances
warrant, when a material withdrawal in the client’s account occurs within the first
45 days of the quarter. A material withdrawal is defined as the higher of 25% of a
client’s assets or $25,000. The refund will be prorated based on the remaining days
in the quarter.
Item 6 – Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
We do not charge performance based advisory fees on a share of the capital
appreciation in the client’s account.
Item 7 – Types of Clients
We provide our services to a number of Clients:
Individuals, including high net worth individuals and business owners
Trusts, estates and charitable organizations
Corporations or other business entities
Pension and profit-sharing plans
Certain schools, government entities, and nonprofit organizations
Minimum Account Size
WAN has a $25,000 minimum balance requirement for new accounts in order to
manage a portfolio for the WAN CMAP Program. WAN may choose to waive these
minimums at its sole discretion as circumstances dictate.
Item 8 – Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of
Loss
Analysis
Security analysis techniques used will vary depending on the needs of the client and
the advice requested in a given situation and any or one of the following techniques
may be used: charting, fundamental analysis, risk vs. return analysis, sentiment
analysis, technical analysis, and cyclical trends and business cycles. Then, using
modeling and research software, we filter for available ETFs, load and no-load funds
or individual stocks and bonds that meet our predetermined parameters (that may
change over time based on portfolio goals) such as the Sharpe ratio, expenses,
returns, past performance, size, rank among peers, price-to-earnings ratios (P/E's),
asset class, industry, sector, financial strength, etc. We also will look at past style
drift and manager tenure to help estimate consistency in future performance when
mutual funds or money market managers are utilized. Various tools will be used for
research including prospectuses, charting software, market news, fund websites,
and information concerning geopolitical events, government fiscal and monetary
conditions, economic conditions, applicable world news, and various analyst provide
information that may become available that are useful and legal.
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Investment Strategies
WAN’s investment philosophy is based on the principles of diversification, relative
value versus risk, and active portfolio management. Diversification is a portfolio
strategy designed to reduce exposure to risk by combining a variety of investments,
such as money market funds, UITs, institutional funds, certificates of deposit, stocks,
corporate debt, commercial paper, U.S. government securities, municipal securities,
mutual funds, ETFs, mortgage related and other asset backed securities, REITS,
BDCs and DPPs.
In addition, Modern Portfolio Theory teaches that a long-term investment strategy
should not necessarily avoid “risky” investments.
Modern Portfolio Theory also states that no investments are “always” imprudent.
Rather, research demonstrates that investment returns correlate strongly with risk
and that it is only by accepting “risk” into the portfolio and satisfactorily diversifying
the portfolio of investments that the owner can truly grow, preserve, and protect
against taxes and inflation in his or her portfolio.
Because risk and return are linked, we believe our main task is not to avoid risk but
to manage it prudently based on current market conditions: in other words, to
define risk and return objectives reasonably suited to the client account and to
evaluate and make decisions respecting asset classes and individual securities in
the context of the portfolio in whole.
Risk of Loss
All investments in securities include a risk of loss of your principal (invested
amount) and any profits that have not been realized (securities not yet sold that
reflect gains). As you know, stock and bond markets fluctuate substantially over
time. In addition, as past global and domestic economic events have indicated,
performance of any investment is not guaranteed. You should understand and be
prepared to face losses and be able to bear them. If you cannot, then our services
are probably not appropriate for you. While we believe that our strategies will
provide opportunities for growth in account value and provide some protection from
loss, we cannot assure that our approaches will work. As a result, there is a risk of
loss of the value of the assets we manage that may be out of our control. We will do
our very best with the management of your assets; however, we cannot guarantee
any level of performance or that you will not experience losses.
Item 9 – Disciplinary Information
Neither WAN, nor any IAR or any management person associated with us have been
found liable in an arbitration claim alleging damages in excess of $2500 involving
any investment related activity or found liable of criminal action or civil action in a
domestic, foreign, or military court of competent jurisdiction, administrative
proceeding before the SEC, any other federal regulatory agency, any state regulatory
agency, or any foreign financial regulatory authority, or a self-regulatory
organization proceeding.
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Item 10 – Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
WAN is also a licensed insurance agency. Some of our IAR’s that are licensed to sell
insurance, spend a portion of their time on analysis of existing policies for clients,
and when needed, researching, and recommending insurance products to clients.
Most of our IARs are also registered representatives of CIR, a registered broker-
dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC. Clients are under no obligation to purchase or sell
securities through our IARs that are registered representatives of CIR. Commissions
may be higher or lower at CIR than at other broker-dealers. Advisory representatives
have a conflict of interest in having clients purchase securities and or insurance
related products through CIR in that the higher their production with CIR, the
greater the opportunity to obtain a higher payout on commissions earned. Further,
advisory representatives are restricted to only offering those products and services
that have been reviewed and approved for offering to the public through CIR for
execution. The commissions will be outlined in the product’s prospectus or offering
document or described in detail before the product is sold. Under no circumstances
will clients be charged both a commission and fees when securities are purchased.
Advisory representatives may be certified public accountants with accounting firms
and may also offer various accounting services for a fee. Clients are advised that
fees for accounting services may be in addition to fees paid for advisory services.
The clients to whom WAN provides advisory services frequently are the same as to
whom accounting firms the IARs are associated with, provide accounting services.
Third-Party Money Managers
We have developed several programs, previously described in Item 5 of this
disclosure brochure, designed to allow us to recommend and select third-party
money managers for you. Once you select the third-party money manager to
manage all or a portion of your assets, the third-party money manager will pay us a
portion of the fees you are charged. Please refer to Items 4 and 5 for full details
regarding the programs, fees, conflicts of interest and material arrangements when
WAN selects other third-party money managers.
Item 11 – Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client
Transactions and Personal Trading
We have imposed restrictions upon our advisers, or any person associated with us
in connection with the purchase or sale, directly or indirectly, for their own account
or accounts controlled by them, of securities recommended to or purchased for
clients. We maintain strict guidelines and a Code of Ethics for all our employees
designed to assure that we, or people associated with us, may not benefit, directly,
or indirectly, from transactions made for the accounts of clients and that no other
conflict of interest exists.
Please refer to the WAN Code of Ethics for trading practices.
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IARs are prohibited from investing in Initial Public Offerings (IPO's) unless pre-
approved and disclosed. IAR's, our officers, and our employees are not allowed to
trade ahead of clients when purchasing like securities (as defined in Section 2(a)
(36) of the Investment Company Act of 1940). A copy of our “Code of Ethics” is
available upon request.
For Discretionary accounts, no Advisory Person shall purchase or sell, for his or her
own account, any Security considered to be purchased or sold for client accounts
until after all client purchases or sales in the same security have been completed. In
the case of a block trade, the Advisory Person(s) may be included. This prohibition
applies to all clients for which the Advisory Person knows or should have known, at
the time of Advisory Persons purchase, that the purchase or sale should apply to
the specific client account.
For non-discretionary accounts, Advisers will make available, investment selections
that we use in discretionary accounts, at their discretion as applicable to each
client.
Prohibition on Use of Insider Information
We have also adopted policies and procedures to prevent the misuse of “insider”
information (material, non-public information). A copy of WAN’s Code of Ethics is
available to our clients and prospective clients upon request.
Item 12 – Brokerage Practices
General Considerations – selecting / recommending brokers for Client
transactions and commission charges
We generally request our clients to direct us to use CIR and its clearing firm, FCCS,
as the broker-dealer and custodian for advisory accounts. Clients may choose
another broker/dealer or Investment Advisor and not all advisors require their
clients to direct brokerage. CIR or FCCS transmits customer orders for execution to
various exchanges or market centers based on a number of factors. These include
size of order, trading characteristics of the security, favorable execution prices
(including the opportunity for price improvement), access to reliable market data,
availability of efficient automated transaction processing and reduced execution
costs through price concessions from the market centers, therefore receiving
favorable execution. Certain market centers may execute orders at prices superior to
the publicly quoted market price in accordance with their rules or practices. We
receive a best execution analysis quarterly to review execution within spread, price
improvement, and execution speed.
Research and Other Soft Dollar Benefits
We do not use soft dollars arrangements.
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Trade Aggregation
Transactions implemented for client accounts are generally affected independently,
unless an IAR (in his or her sole discretion) decides to purchase or sell the same
securities for several clients at the same time. This process is referred to as
aggregating orders, batch trading or block trading and is used by an IAR when they
believe such action may prove advantageous to clients. When IARs aggregate client
orders, the allocation of securities among client accounts will be done on a fair and
equitable basis. Typically, the process of aggregating client orders is done in order to
achieve better execution, to negotiate more favorable commission rates or to allocate
orders among clients on a more equitable basis in order to avoid differences in
prices and transaction fees or other transaction costs that might be obtained when
orders are placed independently. Under this procedure, transactions will be
averaged as to price and will be allocated among the IAR’s clients in proportion to
the purchase and sale orders placed for each client account on any given day. When
an IAR determines to aggregate client orders for the purchase or sale of securities,
including securities in which one or more of our associated persons may invest, the
IAR will do so in accordance with the parameters set forth in the SEC No-Action
Letter, SMC Capital, Inc. It should be noted; we do not allow IARs to receive any
additional compensation or remuneration as a result of aggregation.
Because we do not require our IARs aggregate trades, not all trades are aggregated
even when there is an opportunity to do so. When trades are not aggregated, clients
may not enjoy the effects of lower commission per share costs that often occur as a
result of aggregating trades. As a result, clients may pay a higher transaction cost
than could be received elsewhere.
Item 13 – Review of Accounts
Account Reviews and Reviewers
Managed accounts are reviewed at least annually. Account reviews will verify
investment strategy and objectives are consistent with positions held in your
portfolio. Reviews are conducted by the Chief Compliance Officer of WAN and your
advisor, with reviews performed in accordance with your investment goals and
objectives. While account reviews are conducted at least annually, we modify
portfolio positions throughout the year and make changes when we feel they are
appropriate.
Accounts established and maintained with other third-party money managers are
reviewed at least annually, usually when statements and/or reports are received
from the third-party money manager. These reviews are conducted by the IAR of
record and the CCO.
When financial planning services are provided, we will generally not monitor or
review the plans unless agreed upon between the IAR and client to do so.
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Statements and Reports
For our asset management services, you are provided with transaction confirmation
notices and regular monthly or quarterly account statements directly from the
qualified custodian and written quarterly performance reports from us that include
performance for fee-based accounts. Whether reports by a third-party money
manager are provided to you will depend upon the policies of the third-party money
manager.
Financial planning clients do not receive any report other than the written plan
originally contracted for and provided by WAN.
You are encouraged to compare any reports or statements provided by us, a sub-
adviser or third-party money manager against the account statements delivered
from the qualified custodian. When you have questions about your account
statement, you should contact us and the qualified custodian preparing the
statement.
Item 14 – Client Referrals and Other Compensation
Our IARs and other associated persons may also be separately employed as
employees, officers, CPAs or may be owners of the accounting firms they are
associated with. Clients may be referred by WAN to those accounting firms;
however, WAN clients are under no obligation to use the services of the accounting
firm. Employees of the CPA firms that are not WAN IARs may refer accounting
clients to WAN for investment advisory services and receive referral fees from WAN
in the event that the referral chooses to engage WAN and IARs that may or may not
be associated with the accounting firm. We and/or our IARs may also receive client
referrals from other parties (usually attorneys, CPAs, or other professionals) for
which they receive referral fees.
The foregoing relationships and affiliations may result in conflicts of interest that
may affect the independent judgment of us or our IARs. Material conflicts of
interest will be disclosed to clients in writing and all efforts will be made to put the
interest of the client first.
Referral fees are set from time to time by WAN and are typically calculated as a
percentage of the advisory fees paid to WAN or a set time frame, which could be
indefinite. Referral fees are not paid in addition to the investment advisory fee paid
by the client. Referral fees are paid by WAN and are an expense paid by WAN from
its overall revenue and profits.
Proper licensing, if required by the states in which the person receiving the referral
fee, will be maintained by the promoter and full disclosure will be made to the client
in writing.
We have received payments from CIR in connection with the transition of an
Investment Adviser Representative of another broker-dealer/Registered Investment
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Adviser. These payments are intended to assist with the costs associated with the
transition such as staff and termination fees. This presents a potential conflict of
interest in that an IAR has a financial incentive to recommend that a client engage
with the IAR and/or CIR for financial services in order for the grant to be received.
However, an IAR may only recommend a broker-dealer/Registered Investment
Adviser or service that he or she believes is suitable for you. WAN has systems in
place to review suitability for the accounts we manage.
Item 15 – Custody
We do not have custody of our client’s assets.
Item 16 – Investment Discretion
Clients may grant us sole and absolute discretion in the management of their
portfolio in the CMAP and WealthPort Wrap Platforms by granting us the authority
in the Financial Planning and Investment Management Services Agreement. The
client may put limitations on their discretionary authority with us (e.g., “Do not sell
a particular security.” or “Don’t invest in companies that invest in third world
countries”, etc.). We believe that accounts can be managed more efficiently and
effectively by being discretionary therefore most of our clients have chosen this
option.
Item 17 – Voting Client Securities (i.e., Proxy Voting)
Neither we nor our IARs will vote or give advice about how to vote proxies for
securities held in client accounts. Clients will receive their proxies or other
solicitations directly from their custodian or a transfer agent. If you have questions
regarding proxies, you may contact us at (402) 463-6769.
Item 18 – Financial Information
This item is not applicable to our Disclosure Brochure. WAN does not allow, require,
or solicit prepayment of more than $1200 in fees per client, six months or more in
advance. Therefore, WAN is not required to include a balance sheet for its more
recent fiscal year. WAN is not subject to a financial condition that is reasonable
likely to impair our ability to meet contractual commitments to clients. Finally, we
have not been the subject of a bankruptcy petition at any time.
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