About Our Firm
Cottonwood Capital Advisors, LLC, doing business as Cottonwood Wealth Strategies, LLC
(“Cottonwood Wealth Strategies”) is a fee-only registered investment adviser that provides
investment management and financial advisory services to individual and institutional investors to
help them achieve their financial needs and goals. Founded in 2020, the firm is solely owned by
Thomas Pappas and Matthew Pappas.
Our firm takes pride in providing personalized service to our clients and acknowledges that it is held
to a fiduciary standard of care.
Types of Advisory Services We Offer
Cottonwood Wealth Strategies offers a variety of advisory services to individuals, high net worth
individuals, trusts, businesses, and corporations. These services include:
• Investment and wealth management
• Selection of Independent Managers
• Financial planning and consulting
• Fiduciary and non-fiduciary services for plan sponsors
We work with our clients to determine their investment objectives and risk profile and develop a
customized investment plan based on their individual needs and goals. Cottonwood Wealth
Strategies will utilize the financial information provided by the client to analyze and develop
strategies and solutions to assist the client in meeting their financial goals.
Prior to Cottonwood Wealth Strategies rendering any of the foregoing services, clients are required
to enter into one or more written advisory agreements with Cottonwood Wealth Strategies setting
forth the relevant terms and conditions of the advisory relationship.
Investment and Wealth Management Services
Cottonwood Wealth Strategies manages our clients’ portfolios on a discretionary and, in limited
circumstances, non-discretionary basis. Our investment and wealth management services are
tailored to the needs of our clients and are based on a comprehensive understanding of each client’s
current situation, past experiences, and future goals. With this acquired knowledge we create,
analyze, strategize, and implement goal-oriented investment solutions. These solutions become our
clients’ investment policy. This policy and our matched strategies are designed to be risk
appropriate, cost effective and tax efficient.
Our wealth management services generally include a broad range of comprehensive financial
planning and/or consulting services, as well as discretionary or, in limited circumstances, non-
discretionary management of investment portfolios.
Client assets are primarily allocated among exchange-traded funds ("ETFs"), individual equity and
debt securities, and mutual funds in accordance with the client's stated investment objective and
risk/volatility parameters. We may also recommend clients allocate a certain portion of their assets
to independent investment managers ("Independent Managers"). Where appropriate, Cottonwood
Wealth Strategies may also provide advice about many types of legacy positions or other
investments held in client portfolios. Clients may also engage Cottonwood Wealth Strategies to
manage and/or advise on certain investment products that are not maintained at their primary
custodian, such as variable life insurance and annuity contracts (to the extent permissible without an
insurance license) and assets held in employer sponsored retirement plans and qualified tuition
plans (i.e., 529 plans). In these situations, Cottonwood Wealth Strategies will direct or make
recommendations on a non-discretionary basis for the allocation of client assets among the various
investment options available with the product. These assets are generally maintained at the
underwriting insurance company or custodian for the plan trustee or administrator and clients retain
responsibility for effecting trades in these accounts.
Cottonwood Wealth Strategies consults with clients on an initial and ongoing basis to assess their
specific risk tolerance, time horizon, liquidity constraints and other related factors relevant to the
management of their portfolios. You should promptly notify us if there are changes in your financial
situation or if you wish to place any limitations on the management of your account. You may
impose reasonable restrictions or mandates on the management of your account if Cottonwood
Wealth Strategies determines, in our sole discretion, the conditions would not materially impact the
performance of a management strategy or prove overly burdensome to the firm's management
efforts.
To the extent a client decides to invest with an Independent Manager or in a particular fund, those
managers and funds will have their own investment practices. Those investment practices are
described in each manager’s Form ADV or fund’s prospectus, or in its offering or other disclosure
documents. In addition, selected money managers or funds typically have discretion to determine
the type and amount of securities to be purchased or sold for the portion of the assets managed by
the money manager or fund.
Selection of Independent Managers
Cottonwood Wealth Strategies may select certain Independent Managers to actively manage all or a
portion of its clients' assets. Pursuant to the terms of the investment advisory agreement,
Cottonwood Wealth Strategies shall have the discretion to appoint and terminate these third-party
advisers. The specific terms and conditions under which a client engages an Independent Manager
may also be set forth in a separate written agreement with the designated Independent Manager.
Certain Independent Managers require a separate investment advisory agreement with the
Independent Manager, while others do not. In addition to this brochure, clients will also receive the
written disclosure documents of the respective Independent Managers engaged to manage their
assets.
Cottonwood Wealth Strategies evaluates a variety of information about Independent Managers,
which may include the Independent Managers' public disclosure documents, materials supplied by
the Independent Managers themselves and other third-party analyses it believes are reputable. To
the extent possible, Cottonwood Wealth Strategies seeks to assess the Independent Managers'
investment strategies, past performance, and risk results in relation to its clients' individual portfolio
allocations and risk exposure. Cottonwood Wealth Strategies also takes into consideration each
Independent Manager's management style, returns, reputation, financial strength, reporting, pricing,
and research capabilities, among other factors. Independent Managers utilized by Cottonwood
Wealth Strategies include:
• Unified managed account and separate account managers available through Wells Fargo
Advisors.
Programs Offered Through Wells Fargo Advisors
When utilizing the programs offered by Wells Fargo Advisors, investment management services are
provided by third-party money managers through the Personalized Unified Managed Account
Program and Private Advisor Network Program. Wells Fargo Advisors and/or the third-party
manager require clients to sign an investment advisory agreement for access to the programs in
addition to our investment management agreement.
Cottonwood Wealth Strategies continues to provide services relative to the discretionary or non-
discretionary selection of the Independent Managers. On an ongoing basis, Cottonwood Wealth
Strategies monitors the performance of those accounts
being managed by Independent Managers.
Cottonwood Wealth Strategies seeks to ensure the Independent Managers' strategies and target
allocations remain aligned with its clients' investment objectives and overall best interests.
Financial Planning and Consulting Services
Cottonwood Wealth Strategies offers different levels of financial planning and consulting services to
help our clients identify, prioritize and work towards their goals and objectives. Our consulting
services give our clients the ability to receive a broad range of financial advice and services,
including specific security recommendations, for the duration of the advisory agreement.
Our process starts with an extensive review of a client's family situation, which includes assets and
liabilities as well as estate, tax, and insurance needs. We then employ a risk tolerance and risk
capacity-focused simulation to get a detailed cash flow analysis and proposed asset allocation.
Together, this information is analyzed to develop a proposed financial plan, which is designed to be
dynamic in nature, ever-evolving due to life changes, along with changes in cash flow needs, risk
tolerance, time horizon, or investment objectives.
Cottonwood Wealth Strategies’ financial planning and consulting services may include any of the
following topics:
• Cash Flow Analysis
• Financial Record Organizing
• Estate Planning
• Charitable Giving
• Education Planning
• Business Planning
• Concentrated Stock
• Federal Benefits & Health Care
• Death & Disability
• Divorce Planning
• Liability Management
• Investment Consulting
• Tax Planning
• Insurance Review
• Family Governance
• Retirement Plan Consulting and
Employee Benefits Analysis
While each of these services is available on a stand-alone basis, certain services may also be
rendered in conjunction with investment portfolio management services as part of a comprehensive
wealth management engagement. In performing these services, Cottonwood Wealth Strategies is
not required to verify any information received from the client or from the client's other
professionals (e.g., attorneys, accountants, etc.), and is expressly authorized to rely on such
information. Cottonwood Wealth Strategies may recommend clients engage the firm for additional
related services, or we may recommend other professionals to implement our recommendations.
These additional services by Cottonwood Wealth Strategies or another professional are provided at
an additional cost to you, which is based on the nature, extent, complexity, and other characteristics
of the services. This creates a conflict of interest because we will have an incentive to recommend
additional services based on the compensation to be received, rather than solely based on your
needs, and in some cases, based on the prospect of cross-referrals of advisory clients from the other
professional or his or her firm. Implementation of financial planning recommendations is entirely at
your discretion. You have complete freedom in selecting a financial adviser to assist you with
implementing the recommendations made in your financial plan and are under no obligation to act
on the advice of Cottonwood Wealth Strategies. Financial planning recommendations are of a
generic nature and are not limited to any specific product or service offered by a broker dealer or
insurance company. Should you choose to implement the recommendations contained in the plan,
Cottonwood Wealth Strategies suggests you work closely with your attorney, accountant and/or
insurance agent.
Cottonwood Wealth Strategies will act solely in our capacity as a registered investment adviser and
does not provide any legal, accounting or tax advice. You should seek the counsel of a qualified
accountant and/or attorney when necessary. As part of our advisory services, we may assist clients
with tax harvesting and will work with the client’s tax specialist to answer any questions related to
the client’s portfolio.
Fiduciary and Non-Fiduciary Services for Plan Sponsors
Retirement plan sponsors may retain our firm to provide advisory and consulting services for plan
assets. Fiduciary services available to plan sponsors include:
• Reviewing and assisting in the establishment of investment policies and objectives on behalf
of the plan
• Assistance with development of an Investment Policy Statement
• Recommending core investments to be offered to plan participants for selection by the plan
sponsor
• Recommending investment managers, within the meaning of ERISA Section 3(38), on
behalf of the plan, to be offered as investment options for plan participants
• Monitoring of the plan’s investments or investment managers in accordance with the plan’s
Investment Policy Statement or other relevant guidelines
Non-fiduciary consulting services available to plan sponsors include:
• Educating plan participants on investment options available within the plan
• Preparation of periodic performance reports for the plan’s investments
• Assistance with monitoring the reasonableness of the fees and expenses of the plan’s
investments or investment managers in accordance with the plan’s Investment Policy
Statement or other relevant guidelines
• Benchmarking existing plan service providers to industry peers, and where appropriate,
conducting a search for new providers for the plan sponsor’s consideration and providing our
recommendation.
Portfolio Management Services for Wrap Fee Program
Cottonwood Wealth Strategies offers portfolio management services through a wrap fee program. A
bundled or “wrap fee” program is an advisory fee program under which you pay one bundled fee to
compensate Cottonwood Wealth Strategies for portfolio management and trade execution. A wrap
fee program may not be the lowest cost option if you would like to restrict your investments to open-
end mutual funds or other long-term investment products.
Private Investment Fund
As of January 2022, Cottonwood Wealth Strategies serves as the managing manager of the Asymm
Venture Fund, LLC (the “Asymm Venture Fund”), a Delaware limited liability company, and in
such capacity is responsible for the management of the fund’s assets. Clients of Cottonwood Wealth
Strategies are solicited to invest in the Asymm Venture Fund, based on the investment objectives
and risk profile of the client and pursuant to the subscription documents of the fund.
Amount of Assets We Manage
As of December 2022, Cottonwood Wealth Strategies managed approximately $186,640,919 on a
discretionary basis and $30,110,106 on a non-discretionary basis. Discretionary assets under
management are those for which we have an ongoing responsibility to select and make securities
recommendations that are in line with your financial needs and objectives and then effect those
securities transactions without first consulting you. Non-discretionary assets under management are
those for which we have an ongoing responsibility to select and make securities recommendations
that are in line with your financial needs and objectives and then effect those securities transactions
only after consulting with you to inform you of the transaction(s) and obtaining your approval to
move forward.