A. WPG Advisers, LLC (the “Registrant”) is a limited liability company formed in July 2017
in the state of Maryland. The Registrant became registered as an Investment Adviser Firm
in September 2018. The Registrant is owned by Todd Paradise and Steven Gessner.
B.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES
The Registrant provides discretionary and/or non-discretionary investment advisory
services on a fee basis. The Registrant’s annual investment advisory fee shall be based
upon a percentage (%) of the market value and type of assets placed under the Registrant’s
management, generally between negotiable and 1.00%.
Registrant’s annual investment advisory fee shall include investment advisory services,
and, to the extent specifically requested by the client, financial planning and consulting
services. In the event that the client requires extraordinary planning and/or consultation
services (to be determined in the sole discretion of the Registrant), the Registrant may
determine to charge for such additional services, the dollar amount of which shall be set
forth in a separate written notice to the client.
FINANCIAL PLANNING AND CONSULTING SERVICES (STAND-ALONE)
The Registrant may be engaged to provide financial planning and/or consulting services
(including investment and non-investment related matters, including estate planning,
insurance planning, etc.) on a stand-alone separate fee basis.
Prior to engaging the Registrant to provide planning or consulting services, clients are
generally required to enter into a Financial Planning and Consulting Agreement with
Registrant setting forth the terms and conditions of the engagement (including
termination), describing the scope of the services to be provided, and the portion of the fee
that is due from the client prior to Registrant commencing services.
If requested by the client, Registrant may recommend the services of other professionals
for implementation purposes, including certain of the Registrant’s Principals and
representatives in their individual capacities as licensed insurance agents. (See disclosure
at Item 10.C). The client is under no obligation to engage the services of any such
recommended professional. The client retains absolute discretion over all such
implementation decisions and is free to accept or reject any recommendation from the
Registrant.
If the client engages any recommended unaffiliated professional, and a dispute arises
thereafter relative to such engagement, the client agrees to seek recourse exclusively from
and against the engaged professional. At all times, the engaged licensed professional (i.e.,
attorney, accountant, insurance agent, etc.), and not the Registrant, shall be responsible for
the quality and competency of the services provided.
It remains the client’s responsibility to promptly notify the Registrant if there is ever any
change in their financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing,
evaluating or revising Registrant’s previous recommendations and/or services.
RETIREMENT PLAN SERVICES
The Registrant also provides pension consulting services, pursuant to which it assists
sponsors of self-directed retirement plans with the selection and/or monitoring of
investment alternatives (generally open-end mutual funds) from which plan participants
shall choose in self-directing the investments for their individual plan retirement accounts.
In addition, to the extent requested by the plan sponsor, the Registrant shall also provide
participant education designed to assist participants in identifying the appropriate
investment strategy for their retirement plan accounts. The terms and conditions of the
engagement shall generally be set forth in a Retirement Plan Consulting Agreement
between the Registrant and the plan sponsor.
To the extent requested by the plan sponsor, the Registrant may provide managed portfolios
as an investment option to plan participants. The Registrant manages these portfolios on a
discretionary and/or non-discretionary basis and therefore may be providing services as
either a 3(21) or a 3(38) fiduciary.
MISCELLANEOUS
Limitations of Financial Planning and Non-Investment Consulting/Implementation
Services. As indicated above, to the extent requested by a client, Registrant may provide
financial planning and related consulting services. Neither the Registrant nor its investment
adviser representatives assist clients with the implementation of any financial plan, unless
they have agreed to do so in writing. The Registrant does not monitor a client’s financial
plan, and it is the client’s responsibility to revisit the financial plan with the Registrant, if
desired.
The Registrant may provide financial planning and related consulting services regarding
non-investment related matters, such as estate planning, tax planning, insurance, etc.
Registrant does not serve as an attorney or accountant, and no portion of its services should
be construed as legal or accounting services. Accordingly, Registrant does not prepare
estate planning documents or tax returns.
To the extent requested by a client, Registrant may recommend the services of other
professionals for certain non-investment implementation purpose (i.e., attorneys,
accountants, insurance agents, etc.), including representatives of Registrant in their
separate individual capacities as licensed insurance agents. The client is under no
obligation to engage the services of any such recommended professional. The client retains
absolute discretion over all such implementation decisions and is free to accept or reject
any recommendation from Registrant and/or its representatives.
If the client engages any recommended unaffiliated professional, and a dispute arises
thereafter relative to such engagement, the client agrees to seek recourse exclusively from
and against the engaged professional. At all times, the engaged licensed professional[s]
(i.e., attorney, accountant, insurance agent, etc.), and not the Registrant, shall be
responsible for the quality and competency of the services provided.
Retirement Plan Rollovers – No Obligation / Conflict of Interest. A client or
prospective client leaving an employer typically has four options regarding an existing
retirement plan (and may engage in a combination of these options): (i) leave the money in
the former employer’s plan, if permitted, (ii) roll over the assets to the new employer’s
plan, if one is available and rollovers are permitted, (iii) roll over to an Individual
Retirement Account (“IRA”), or (iv) cash out the account value (which could, depending
upon the client’s age, result in adverse tax consequences). If Registrant recommends that a
client roll over their retirement plan assets into an account to be managed by Registrant,
such a recommendation creates a conflict of interest if Registrant will earn new (or increase
its current) compensation as a result of the rollover. If Registrant provides a
recommendation as to whether a client should engage in a rollover or not, Registrant is
acting 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. No client is under any obligation to roll over retirement plan assets
to an account managed by Registrant.
Use of Mutual Funds. While the Registrant may recommend allocating investment assets
to mutual funds that are not available directly to the public, the Registrant may also
recommend that clients allocate investment assets to publicly-available mutual funds that
the client could obtain without engaging Registrant as an investment adviser. However, if
a client or prospective client determines to allocate investment assets to publicly-available
mutual funds without engaging Registrant as an investment adviser, the client or
prospective client would not receive the benefit of Registrant’s initial and ongoing
investment advisory services.
Affiliated Private Investment Funds. The Registrant is the General Partner of the Zebra
Municipal Bond Arbitrage Fund, LP (the “affiliated private funds”). The Registrant, on a
non-discretionary basis, may recommend that qualified clients consider allocating a portion
of their investment assets to the affiliated private fund. The terms and conditions for
participation in the affiliated private fund, including management and incentive fees,
conflicts of interest, and risk factors, are set forth in the fund’s offering documents.
Registrant’s clients are under absolutely no obligation to consider or make an investment
in a private investment fund(s).
Unaffiliated Private Investment Funds. Registrant may also recommend that certain
qualified clients consider an investment in unaffiliated private investment funds.
Registrant’s role relative to the private investment funds shall be limited to its initial and
ongoing due diligence and investment monitoring services. Registrant’s clients are under
absolutely no obligation to consider or make an investment in a private investment fund(s).
Fund Risk Factors Private investment funds, including the affiliated private investment
fund, generally involve various risk factors, including, but not limited to, potential for
complete loss of principal, liquidity constraints and lack of transparency, a complete
discussion of which is set forth in each fund’s offering documents, which will be provided
to each client for review and consideration. Unlike liquid investments that a client may
own, private investment funds do not provide daily liquidity or pricing.
Each prospective client investor will be required to complete a Subscription Agreement,
pursuant to which the client shall establish that he/she is qualified for investment in the
fund, and acknowledges and accepts the various risk factors that are associated with such
an investment.
Fund Valuation. In the event that the Registrant references the affiliated private investment
fund, or any unaffiliated private investment fund owned by the client on any supplemental
account reports, the values for all private investment fund investments will generally reflect
the most recent value. The current value of the any private investment fund could be
significantly more or less than the original purchase price or the price reflected in any
supplemental account report. Furthermore, if the affiliated private investment fund has
invested in a third-party fund, the investment manager of that fund is responsible for
determining the value of interests in that fund. The Registrant will rely on values provided
by the third-party fund’s manager.
Non-Discretionary Service Limitations. Clients that determine to engage the Registrant
on a non-discretionary investment advisory basis must be willing to accept that the
Registrant cannot effect any account transactions without obtaining prior consent to any
such transaction(s) from the client. Therefore, in the event of a market correction during
which the client is unavailable, the Registrant will be unable to effect any account
transactions (as it would for its discretionary clients) without first obtaining the client’s
consent.
Structured Notes. Registrant may purchase Structured Notes for client accounts. A
Structured Note is a financial instrument that combines two elements, a debt security and
exposure to an underlying asset or assets. It is essentially a note, carrying counter party
risk of the issuer. However, the return on the note is linked to the return of an underlying
asset or assets (such as the S&P 500 Index or commodities). It is this latter feature that
makes structured products unique, as the payout can be used to provide some degree of
principal protection, leveraged returns (but usually with some cap on the maximum return),
and be tailored to a specific market or economic view. Structured Notes will generally be
subject to liquidity constraints, such that the sale thereof before maturity will be limited,
and any sale before the maturity date could result in a substantial loss. There can be no
assurance that the Structured Notes investment will be profitable, equal any historical
performance level(s), or prove successful.
If the issuer of the Structured Note defaults, the entire value of the investment could be
lost.
Interval Funds. Where appropriate, Registrant may utilize interval funds (and other types
of securities that could pose additional risks, including lack of liquidity and restrictions on
withdrawals). An interval fund is a non-traditional type of closed-end mutual fund that
periodically offers to buy back a percentage of outstanding shares from shareholders.
Investments in an interval fund involve additional risk, including lack of liquidity and
restrictions on withdrawals.
During any time periods outside of the specified repurchase offer window(s), investors will
be unable to sell their shares of the interval fund. There is no assurance that an investor
will be able to tender shares when or in the amount desired. There can also be situations
where an interval fund has a limited amount of capacity to repurchase shares and may not
be able to fulfill all purchase orders. In addition, the eventual sale price for the interval
fund could be less than the interval fund value on the date that the sale was requested.
While an internal fund periodically offers to repurchase a portion of its securities, there is
no guarantee that investors may sell their shares at any given time or in the desired amount.
As interval funds can expose investors to liquidity risk, investors should consider interval
fund shares to be an illiquid investment. Typically, the interval funds are not listed on any
securities exchange and are not publicly traded. Therefore, there is no secondary market
for the fund’s shares.
Because these types of investments involve certain additional risk, these funds will only be
utilized when consistent with a client’s investment objectives, individual situation,
suitability, tolerance for risk and liquidity needs. Investment should be avoided where an
investor has a short-term investing horizon and/or cannot bear the loss of some, or all, of
the investment. There can be no assurance that an interval fund investment will prove
profitable or successful. In light of these enhanced risks, a client may direct Registrant, in
writing, not to purchase interval funds for the client’s account.
Closed-end Funds. Closed-end funds generally do not continually offer their shares for
sale. Rather, they sell a fixed number of shares at one time, after which the shares typically
trade on a secondary market, such
as the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ Stock
Market. Risk factors pertaining to closed-end funds vary from fund to fund. The following
list of risk factors provides a review of those associated with generalized closed-end fund
investing. Not every risk factor in this list will pertain to each closed-end fund.
• Valuation Risk Common: shares may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount)
the net asset value (NAV) of the trust/fund’s portfolio. At times, discounts could widen
or premiums could shrink, and could either dilute positive performance or compound
negative performance. There is no assurance that discounted funds will appreciate to
their NAV.
• Interest Rate Risk Generally: when market interest rates rise, bond prices fall, and vice
versa. Interest rate risk is the risk that the bonds and/or other income-related
instruments in a fund’s portfolio will decline in value because of increases in market
interest rates. The prices of longer-maturity securities tend to fluctuate more than
shorter-term security prices.
• Credit Risk: one or more securities in a trust/fund’s portfolio could decline or fail to
pay interest or principal when due. Income-related securities of below investment
grade quality are predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay
interest and repay principal when due and, therefore, involve a greater risk of default.
• Concentration Risk: a trust/fund that invests a substantial portion of its assets in
securities within a single industry or sector of the economy may be subject to greater
price volatility or adversely affected by the performance of securities in that particular
sector or industry.
• Reinvestment Risk Income: from a trust/fund’s bond portfolio will decline when the
trust/fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded, or called bonds at market interest
rates that are below the portfolio's current earnings rate. A decline in income could
affect the common shares' market price or their overall returns.
• Leverage Risk: the use of leverage may lead to increased volatility of a trust/fund’s
NAV and market price relative to its common shares. Leverage is likely to magnify
any losses in the trust/fund’s portfolio, which may lead to increased market price
declines. Fluctuations in interest rates on borrowings or the dividend rates on preferred
shares that take place from changes in short-term interest rates may reduce the return
to common shareholders or result in fluctuations in the dividends paid on common
shares. There is no assurance that a leveraging strategy will be successful.
• Foreign Investment Risk: investment in foreign securities (both governmental and
corporate) may involve a high degree of risk. Trusts/funds invested in foreign securities
are subject to additional risks such as, but not limited to, currency risk and exchange-
rate risk, political instability, and economic instability of the countries from where the
securities originate. In regards to debt securities, such risks may impair the timely
payment of principal and/or interest. Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) A trust/fund
may invest in securities subject to the alternative minimum tax.
Independent Managers. For those clients that require an enhanced and/or specialized
level of investment management services, Registrant may also recommend that certain
clients authorize the Registrant to allocate, on a non-discretionary basis, the active
discretionary management of a portion of their assets by and/or among certain independent
investment manager(s) to be selected by the Registrant (the “Independent Manager(s)”),
based upon the stated investment objectives of the client and according to the terms and
conditions of a separate agreement executed between the client and the Independent
Manager. The Registrant shall continue to render ongoing and continuous advisory services
to the client relative to the monitoring and review of account performance, client
investment objectives, and asset allocation, for which Registrant shall receive an annual
advisory fee which is based upon a percentage of the market value of the assets being
managed by the designated Independent Manager(s).
Factors which the Registrant shall consider in recommending Independent Manager(s)
include the client’s stated investment objective(s), management style, performance,
reputation, financial strength, reporting, pricing, and research. The Registrant generally
has the authority to determine the broker-dealer/custodian to be used by the designated
Independent Manager(s) relative to those accounts for which the Independent Manager(s)
provide discretionary investment management services for Registrant’s clients. The
investment management fees charged by the designated Independent Manager(s), together
with the fees charged by the corresponding designated broker-dealer/custodian of the
client’s assets, are exclusive of, and in addition to, Registrant’s ongoing investment
advisory fee. Fees charged by Registrant pursuant to the use of Independent Manager(s)
may be either in advance or arrears depending upon the specific Independent Manager
relationship, and will be disclosed to the client at the point of entering into the advisory
relationship.
Socially Responsible (ESG) Investing Limitations. Socially Responsible Investing
involves the incorporation of Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”)
considerations into the investment due diligence process. ESG investing incorporates a set
of criteria/factors used in evaluating potential investments: Environmental (i.e., considers
how a company safeguards the environment); Social (i.e., the manner in which a company
manages relationships with its employees, customers, and the communities in which it
operates); and Governance (i.e., company management considerations). The number of
companies that meet an acceptable ESG mandate can be limited when compared to those
that do not and could underperform broad market indices. Investors must accept these
limitations, including potential for underperformance. Correspondingly, the number of
ESG mutual funds and exchange-traded funds are limited when compared to those that do
not maintain such a mandate. As with any type of investment (including any investment
and/or investment strategies recommended and/or undertaken by Registrant), there can be
no assurance that investment in ESG securities or funds will be profitable or prove
successful. Registrant does not maintain or advocate an ESG investment strategy but will
seek to employ ESG if directed by a client to do so. If implemented, Registrant shall rely
upon the assessments undertaken by the unaffiliated mutual fund, exchange traded fund or
separate account portfolio manager to determine that the fund’s or portfolio’s underlying
company securities meet a socially responsible mandate.
Cryptocurrency. For clients who want exposure to cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin,
the Registrant, will advise the client to consider a potential investment in corresponding
exchange traded securities, or an allocation to separate account managers and/or private
funds that provide cryptocurrency exposure. Crypto is a digital currency that can be used
to buy goods and services but uses an online ledger with strong cryptography (i.e., a
method of protecting information and communications through the use of codes) to secure
online transactions. Unlike conventional currencies issued by a monetary authority,
cryptocurrencies are generally not controlled or regulated and their price is determined by
the supply and demand of their market. Because cryptocurrency is currently considered
to be a speculative investment, the Registrant will not exercise discretionary authority to
purchase a cryptocurrency investment for client accounts. Rather, a client must expressly
authorize the purchase of the cryptocurrency investment.
The Registrant does not recommend or advocate the purchase of, or investment in,
cryptocurrencies. The Registrant considers such an investment to be speculative.
Clients who authorize the purchase of a cryptocurrency investment must be prepared for
the potential for liquidity constraints, extreme price volatility and complete loss of
principal.
Account Aggregation Services. The Registrant, in conjunction with the services provided
by other professionals and/or services, may also provide periodic comprehensive reporting
services which can incorporate the client’s investment assets, including those investment
assets that are not part of the assets managed by the Registrant (the “Excluded Assets”).
The client and/or their other advisors that maintain trading authority, and not the Registrant,
shall be exclusively responsible for the investment performance of the Excluded Assets.
The Registrant’s service relative to the Excluded Assets is limited to reporting and non-
discretionary consulting services only, which does not include investment implementation.
The Registrant does not have trading authority for the Excluded Assets. As such, to the
extent applicable to the nature of the Excluded Assets (assets over which the client
maintains trading authority vs. trading authority designated to another investment
professional), the client (and/or the other investment professional), and not the Registrant,
shall be exclusively responsible for directly implementing any recommendations relative
to the Excluded Assets. The Registrant shall not be responsible for any implementation
error (timing, trading, etc.) relative to the Excluded Assets.
Portfolio Activity. Registrant has a fiduciary duty to provide services consistent with the
client’s best interest. As part of its investment advisory services, Registrant will review
client portfolios on an ongoing basis to determine if any changes are necessary based upon
various factors, including, but not limited to, investment performance, fund manager
tenure, style drift, account additions/withdrawals, and/or a change in the client’s
investment objective. Based upon these factors, there may be extended periods of time
when Registrant determines that changes to a client’s portfolio are neither necessary nor
prudent. Clients nonetheless remain subject to the fees described in Item 5 below during
periods of account inactivity.
Client Obligations. In performing its services, Registrant shall not be required to verify
any information received from the client or from the client’s other professionals, and is
expressly authorized to rely thereon. Moreover, each client is advised that it remains thier
responsibility to promptly notify the Registrant if there is ever any change in their financial
situation or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing, evaluating or revising
Registrant’s previous recommendations and/or services.
Cybersecurity Risk. The information technology systems and networks that Registrant
and its third-party service providers use to provide services to Registrant’s clients employ
various controls, which are designed to prevent cybersecurity incidents stemming from
intentional or unintentional actions that could cause significant interruptions in Registrant’s
operations and result in the unauthorized acquisition or use of clients’ confidential or non-
public personal information. Clients and Registrant are nonetheless subject to the risk of
cybersecurity incidents that could ultimately cause them to incur losses, including for
example: financial losses, cost and reputational damage to respond to regulatory
obligations, other costs associated with corrective measures, and loss from damage or
interruption to systems. Although Registrant has established procedures to reduce the risk
of cybersecurity incidents, there is no guarantee that these efforts will always be successful,
especially considering that Registrant does not directly control the cybersecurity measures
and policies employed by third-party service providers. Clients could incur similar adverse
consequences resulting from cybersecurity incidents that more directly affect issuers of
securities in which those clients invest, broker-dealers, qualified custodians, governmental
and other regulatory authorities, exchange and other financial market operators, or other
financial institutions.
Disclosure Statement. A copy of the Registrant’s written Brochure and Client
Relationship Summary, as set forth on Part 2 of Form ADV and Form CRS respectively,
shall be provided to each client prior to, or contemporaneously with, the execution of an
advisory agreement.
C. The Registrant shall provide investment advisory services specific to the needs of each
client. Prior to providing investment advisory services, an investment adviser
representative will ascertain each client’s investment objective(s). Thereafter, the
Registrant shall allocate and/or recommend that the client allocate investment assets
consistent with the designated investment objective(s). The client may, at any time, impose
reasonable restrictions, in writing, on the Registrant’s services.
D. Wrap / Separately Managed Account Programs). In the event that Registrant is engaged
to provide investment advisory services as part of an unaffiliated wrap-fee program,
Registrant will be unable to negotiate commissions and/or transaction costs. Under a wrap
program, the wrap program sponsor arranges for the investor participant to receive
investment advisory services, the execution of securities brokerage transactions, custody
and reporting services for a single specified fee. Participation in a wrap program may cost
the participant more or less than purchasing such services separately. In the event that
Registrant is engaged to provide investment advisory services as part of an unaffiliated
managed account program, Registrant will likewise be unable to negotiate commissions
and/or transaction costs. If the program is offered on a non-wrap basis, the program sponsor
will determine the broker-dealer though which transactions must be executed, and the
amount of transaction fees and/or commissions to be charged to the participant investor
accounts.
Since the custodian/broker-dealer is determined by the unaffiliated wrap and/or managed
account program sponsor, Registrant will be unable to negotiate commissions and/or
transaction costs, and/or seek better execution. As a result, clients may pay higher
commissions or other transaction costs or greater spreads, or receive less favorable net
prices on transactions for the account than would otherwise be the case through alternative
clearing arrangements recommended by Registrant. Higher transaction costs adversely
impact account performance.
E. As of December 31, 2023, the Registrant had $242,608,267 in assets under management
on a discretionary basis and $58,630,389 in assets under management on a non-
discretionary basis.