This Disclosure document is being offered to you by Ratio Wealth Group LLC (“Ratio Wealth Group”
“RWG” or “Firm”) about the investment advisory services we provide. It discloses information about our
services and the way those services are made available to you, the client.
We are a wealth management firm located in Denver, Colorado. We specialize in investment advisory
services for individuals, high net worth individuals, foundations, employer sponsored retirement plans,
trusts, and estates. Our Firm became a registered investment adviser in November 2019 and is owned by
Derek Scarth and Graham Gerlach. Joshua Freedman is the Chief Compliance Officer.
We are committed to helping clients build, manage and preserve their wealth. Our Firm provides services
that help clients to achieve their stated financial goals. We will offer an initial, complimentary meeting at
our discretion; however, investment advisory services are initiated only after you and Ratio Wealth Group
execute an Investment Management Agreement.
INVESTMENT AND WEALTH MANAGEMENT AND SUPERVISION SERVICES
We manage advisory accounts on a discretionary and non-discretionary basis. For discretionary accounts,
once we have created a profile and investment plan with a client, we will execute the day-to-day
transactions without seeking prior client consent, but within the expected investment guidelines. Account
management is guided by the client’s written profile and investment plan. We may accept accounts with
certain restrictions, if circumstances warrant. We primarily allocate client assets among various
Exchanged Traded Funds (“ETFs”), cash, bonds, CDs, equities, no-load or load-waived mutual funds, or
alternative investments in accordance with clients’ stated investment objectives.
During personal discussions and planning meetings, we determine a client’s objectives, time horizons, risk
tolerance, and liquidity needs. As appropriate, we also review a client’s prior investment history, as well
as family composition and background. Based on client needs, we develop a personal profile and
investment plan. We then allocate and manage the client’s investments based on that profile and plan. It
is the client’s obligation to notify us immediately if circumstances have changed with respect to their
goals.
Once we have determined the types of investments to be included in a client’s portfolio and have
allocated the assets, we provide ongoing investment review and management services.
With our discretionary relationships, we will make changes to the portfolios, as we deem appropriate, to
meet clients’ financial objectives and manage risk. We trade these portfolios based on the combination of
our market views and each client’s objectives. We tailor our advisory services to meet the needs of each
client and seek to ensure that your portfolio is managed in a manner consistent with those needs. Clients
have the ability to provide us with standing instructions to avoid investment in particular industries or
securities.
If a non-discretionary relationship is in place, we will contact you to present recommendations made, and
only upon your authorization will any action be taken on your behalf.
In all cases, clients have direct ownership of their securities, rather than an undivided interest in a pool of
securities. We do have limited authority to direct the Custodian to deduct our investment advisory fees
from your accounts, but only with your written authorization. We also have limited authority to act on
standing letters of authorization (SLOAs) on your behalf, if these are established according to the
custodian’s process and consistent with SEC regulations.
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Where appropriate, we will provide advice related to legacy positions held in client portfolios. Sometimes,
these are assets that are ineligible to be custodied at our primary custodian. Clients will engage us to
advise on certain investment products that are not maintained at their primary custodian, such as variable
life insurance, annuity contracts, and assets held in employer sponsored retirement plans and qualified
tuition plans (i.e., 529 plans).
You are advised, and are expected to understand, that our past performance is not a guarantee of future
results. Certain market and economic risks exist that adversely affect an account’s performance. This
could result in losses in your account.
FINANCIAL PLANNING
Through the financial planning process, our team strives to engage our clients in conversations around the
client’s goals, objectives, priorities, vision, and legacy – both for the near term as well as for future
generations. With the unique goals and circumstances of each client in mind, our team will offer financial
planning ideas and strategies to address the client’s holistic financial picture, including their estate,
income tax, charitable giving, cash flow, wealth transfer, and family legacy objectives. Our team partners
with our client’s other advisors (CPAs, Enrolled Agents, Estate Attorneys, Insurance Brokers, etc.) to
ensure a coordinated effort of all parties toward the client’s stated goals. Such services include various
reports on specific goals and objectives or general investment and/or planning recommendations,
guidance on outside assets, and periodic updates.
Our specific services in preparing your plan may include:
Review and clarification of your financial goals
Assessment of your overall financial position
including cash flow, personal balance sheet,
investment strategy, risk management, and estate planning
Creation of a unique plan for each goal you have, including personal and business real estate,
education, retirement or financial independence, charitable giving, estate planning, business
succession, and other personal goals
Development of a goal-oriented investment plan, with input from various advisors (accountants,
attorneys, tax preparers, etc.) related to tax strategies, asset allocation, expenses, risk, and
liquidity factors for each goal. This includes IRAs and qualified plans, taxable, and trust accounts
that require special attention
A written evaluation of each client's initial situation or Financial Plan is provided to the client. An annual
review will be offered by the Advisor, if indicated by the Client and Advisor per the Agreement. More
frequent reviews occur but are not necessarily communicated to the client unless immediate changes are
recommended.
RETIREMENT PLAN SERVICES
For employer-sponsored retirement plans with participant-directed investments, our Firm provides its
advisory services as an investment advisor as defined under Section 3(21) of the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”).
When serving as an ERISA 3(21) investment advisor, the Plan Sponsor and Our Firm share fiduciary
responsibility. The Plan Sponsor retains ultimate decision-making authority for the investments and may
accept or reject the recommendations in accordance with the terms of a separate ERISA 3(21) Plan
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Sponsor Investment Management Agreement between Our Firm and the Plan Sponsor. Under the 3(21)
agreement, Our Firm provides the following services to the Plan Sponsor:
Screen investments and make recommendations
Monitor the investments and suggest replacement investments when appropriate
Assist the plan sponsor in developing an Investment Policy Statement (“IPS”)
Recommend Qualified Default Investment Alternatives (QDIAs)
Recommend non-discretionary model portfolios
We can also be engaged to provide Plan Consulting Services. Plan Consulting Services include: financial
education to Plan participants, benchmarking the Plan services, education to fiduciary committee
members, and monitoring the service provider. The scope of education provided to participants will not
constitute “investment advice” within the meaning of ERISA and participant education will relate to
general principles for investing and information about the investment options currently in the Plan. We
may also participate in initial enrollment meetings and periodic workshops and enrollment meetings for
new participants.
DISCLOSURE REGARDING ROLLOVER RECOMMENDATIONS
We are fiduciaries under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and when we provide investment advice to
you regarding your retirement plan account or individual retirement account, we are also fiduciaries
within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and/or the Internal
Revenue Code, as applicable, which are laws governing retirement accounts. We have to act in your best
interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. At the same time, the way we make money creates some
conflicts with your interests.
A client or prospect 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) rollover 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). Our Firm may
recommend an investor roll over plan assets to an IRA for which our Firm provides investment advisory
services. As a result, our Firm and its representatives may earn an asset-based fee. In contrast, a
recommendation that a client or prospective client leave their plan assets with their previous employer or
roll over the assets to a plan sponsored by a new employer will generally result in no compensation to our
Firm. Our Firm therefore has an economic incentive to encourage a client to roll plan assets into an IRA
that our Firm will manage, which presents a conflict of interest. To mitigate the conflict of interest, there
are various factors that our Firm will consider before recommending a rollover, including but not limited
to: (i) the investment options available in the plan versus the investment options available in an IRA, (ii)
fees and expenses in the plan versus the fees and expenses in an IRA, (iii) the services and responsiveness
of the plan’s investment professionals versus those of our Firm, (iv) protection of assets from creditors
and legal judgments, (v) required minimum distributions and age considerations, and (vi) employer stock
tax consequences, if any. Our Firm’s Chief Compliance Officer remains available to address any questions
that a client or prospective client has regarding the oversight.
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WRAP FEE PROGRAMS
We do not place any client assets into a Wrap Fee Program.
ASSETS
As of December 31, 2023, we have $568,974,972 in discretionary assets and $8,214,827 in non-
discretionary assets under our Firm’s management. We also have $16,542,320 in assets under
advisement.