General Description of Advisory Firm
Certeza Fund Advisors, LLC dba Certeza(“Certeza,” or the “Adviser”) is a Utah limited liability
company founded on July 27, 2020, owned by Certeza Asset Management, LLC (“CAM”). Certeza
is state-licensed investment adviser. We may provide investment advisory services to clients on
both a discretionary and non-discretionary basis.
General Description of Advisory Services
Certeza provides wealth management and financial planning services to our clients. For more
information on the advisory services offered by Certeza, please see Item 5 of the Form ADV Part 1.
Prior to Certeza rendering any of the foregoing services, clients are required to enter into one or
more written agreements with Certeza setting forth the relevant terms and conditions of the
advisory relationship (the ‘Advisory Agreement’). Certeza generally seeks to manage investment
portfolios for individuals, high net worth individuals, trusts, foundations, businesses and
corporations. Certeza will work with a client to determine the client's investment objectives and
investor risk profile. These investment objectives may be set forth in a written Investment Policy
Statement (IPS) or suitability documentation that describes an asset allocation that conforms to a
client’s risk tolerance level and expected rate of return requirements. Investment and portfolio
allocation software is used to evaluate alternative portfolio designs. Certeza evaluates clients’
existing investments with respect to their IPS and works with new clients to develop a plan to
transition from a client’s existing portfolio to the portfolio recommended by Certeza. Certeza then
monitors clients’ portfolio holdings and holds regular review meetings with clients regarding their
accounts, as necessary.
The following paragraphs describe the services offered by our firm. Please refer to the following
paragraphs for more detail about the specific service, and how we tailor our services to your
individual needs. As used in this Brochure, the words "our", “we”, and "us" also refer to Certeza.
The words "you," "your" or "client" refer to our clients and prospective clients. Other terms are
defined later in this Brochure as well.
Wealth Management Services
Our firm offers continuous and ongoing investment advice and portfolio management services.
Investment planning is designed to provide a retirement roadmap of income and expenses over the
client's life. Our advice and services are tailored to meet our client's individual needs, life
circumstances and investment goals. We conduct at least one, but sometimes more than one
meeting (in person, telephone, video conference, or via email) with clients in order to understand
their current financial situation, existing resources, financial goals, investment objectives, risk
tolerance, time horizons and liquidity needs.
You have the ability to impose reasonable restrictions and guidelines on investing in certain
securities, types of securities or industry sectors. We expect all such restrictions to be timely
communicated to us. You should be aware that restrictions and guidelines could negatively affect
investment performance.
You should immediately inform us of any changes to your financial circumstances, investment
objectives or risk tolerance, or of any modifications or restrictions that are imposed on the
management of your account. This allows our firm to better serve your needs.
Account management and supervision is guided by the client and market conditions. We manage
clients' investment accounts on a discretionary and non-discretionary basis. We will monitor the
portfolio's performance on an ongoing and continuous basis, unless otherwise agreed, and will
make adjustments and reallocations as necessary due to changes in market conditions and the
client's circumstances, as communicated to us.
For our discretionary asset management services, we will receive a limited power of attorney to
effect securities transactions on behalf of a client. You retain the ability to limit our discretionary
authority by providing us with a written communication that details restrictions and other
guidelines. If we agree to manage your account on a non-discretionary basis, we will have the
ongoing responsibility to make investment recommendations based on your individualized
investment strategy or we will develop and implement an asset allocation strategy, which we will
continuously monitor and supervise. However, unlike discretionary accounts, we would first be
required to obtain your approval before executing transactions. Requests for approval will be
communicated via electronic mail to an authorized account or via a telephone call to an authorized
phone number. You will then be responsible for responding in a timely manner.
Our services encompass asset management designed to assist clients in meeting their financial
goals using financial investments. We explore different types of investment options and strategies
in the design of a client's circumstances. Our investment recommendations are not limited by any
specific product or service offered by a broker-dealer or custodian. Most commonly, these
recommendations will generally include,
• Options; and
• Money market funds and other cash instruments
Less commonly, we will also provide advice regarding the following security types:
• Exchange listed securities, and securities traded over the counter
• Mutual funds
• Exchange-traded fund shares
• Separate accounts
• Closed end fund shares
• Certificates of deposit
• Corporate debt securities
• Municipal securities
• U.S. governmental securities
• Private fund and Private Placements
Each type of security or product has its own unique set of risks associated with it, and it would not
be possible to list all the specific risks of every type of investment. Even within the same type of
investment, risks can vary widely. However, in very general terms, the higher the anticipated
return of an investment, the higher the risk of loss associated with it.
Because some types of investments involve certain additional degrees of risk, they will only be
recommended and implemented when consistent with your risk tolerance, investment objectives,
and where the investment is determined to be suitable.
Financial Planning Services
Our firm also provides financial planning and consulting services. We are currently not charging a
fee for financial planning services.
Depending on your particular circumstance, such services could include a comprehensive
evaluation of your financial situation by using currently known facts and variables, or it might
focus on a few items of particular importance to you. Generally, such financial planning services
will involve preparing a financial plan or rendering a financial consultation for clients based on the
client's current situation, financial goals, and objectives. Regardless of the nature of the service,
the implementation of all recommendations will be at the client's discretion.
A financial plan or financial consultation will address one or more of the following areas:
• Financial Position: Understanding of a client's current financial situation. Sources of
evaluation include income, expenses, assets, liabilities, etc.
• Investment Planning: Determining the most suitable way to structure investments to
meet financial goals, and determine the appropriate account type (e.g., joint tenants,
IRA, Roth IRA, etc.)
• Personal Tax Planning: Evaluating the current tax situation to help minimize a
client's taxes and find more profitable ways to use the extra income generated.
• Retirement Planning: Assessing retirement needs to help a client determine how
much to accumulate, as well as distribution strategies designed to create a source of
income during retirement years.
• Credit Planning: Evaluating a client's credit needs.
• Insurance Planning and Risk Management: Evaluating the client's insurance
needs and reviewing insurance policies and the like.
• Estate Planning: Reviewing the client's cash needs at death, income needs of
surviving dependents and estate planning goals.
• Education Planning: Reviewing the educational needs for the client and his/her
family, along with planning for educational expenses.
• Charitable Planning: Providing strategic charitable giving plans for clients and
researching and evaluating charitable entities and private foundations.
• Mortgage/Debt Analysis: Analyzing client's current mortgage debt, home equity, and
financing alternatives.
• Review of Employee Benefit Plans: Reviewing the client's investment options,
allocation models and historical performance of client assets held through employee
benefit plans.
• Business Consulting: We offer consulting and advisory services for business owners
and entrepreneurs. Services can include advice on business structure, cash flow
analysis, projections, growth & strategic planning, employee benefits, risk analysis, and
advice pertaining to loans pursuant to operations and payroll.
We gather information through interviews and review of documents provided by the client,
including questionnaires. Information gathered includes the client's current financial status,
future goals, investment objectives, risk tolerance and family circumstances.
Typical financial planning or financial consultation services include one or more of each of the
service components. A financial plan could require the services of a specialist such as an insurance
specialist, attorney or tax accountant. We will recommend third-party service providers if we feel it
is appropriate and in your best interest, but the client is under no obligation to use any service
provider recommended by us. Likewise, the client is under no obligation to act on our financial
planning recommendations. We do not receive referrals or other fees from third-party service
providers.
Financial plans and consultations are based on the client's financial situation at the time we
present the financial plan or consultation to the client, and on the information provided to us. The
client must promptly notify us if his/her financial situation, goals, objectives or needs change.
Certain assumptions are made with respect to interest rates, inflation rates, and use of past trends
and performance of the market and economy. Past performance is in no way an indication of future
performance. We do not offer any guarantees or promises that a client's financial goals will be met.
Separately Managed Accounts
Clients may also access our investment management services directly through separately managed
accounts (“SMAs”) for retail investors, investment companies (other than RICs), and other
investment advisers. A separately managed account is an investment portfolio owned by an
investor and managed by a professional investment firm. Generally, when we act as an investment
adviser in a SMA, we will enter into a written agreement with you expressly acknowledging our
investment advisory relationship and describing our obligations to you. At the beginning of our
advisory relationship, we will give you our Form ADV brochure(s) and Form CRS which provides
detailed information about, among other things, the advisory services we provide, our fees, our
personnel, our other business activities and financial industry affiliations and conflicts between
our interests and your interests. Services provided are tailed to meet your individual needs as they
are disclosed to us. If you participate in the SMA program, we will charge you a fee determined as
a percentage of the amount of assets held in your advisory account. We describe our fees and
compensation in Item 5 of this Brochure.
Wrap Fee
We do not participate in a wrap fee program.
Client Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2022, our total assets under management was $ 20,164,350. This amount
consists entirely of discretionary assets, there was $0 in non-discretionary assets.
Information Regarding Potential Conflicts of Interest
Although we seek to avoid them, our firm has actual or potential conflicts of interest arising from
our advisory services. These include, but are not limited to:
• Conflicts related to allocating time and resources between client accounts, allocation of
brokerage commissions and investment opportunities generally. For further information
on our brokerage and allocation policies, and related conflicts of interest, please refer to
Item 12 below.
• Conflicts related to asset-based fees. At times our investment professionals will
recommend that a client move assets form another investment account to one managed
by our firm. This would result in a higher total advisory fee for that investment
professional and generate revenue for the firm. There is therefore a conflict of interest
whenever we encourage clients to move their assets to our firm. For further information,
please refer to Item 5 which discusses the fees we earn when providing advisory
services.
• Conflicts related to investing in securities recommended to clients and contemporaneous
trading of securities (i.e., personal trading) by the firm and its related persons. Please
refer to Item 11 for further information.
• Conflicts related to third parties. When appropriate, we will recommend third parties to
advise a client on matters including but not limited to: legal, tax or accounting advice.
These recommendations are sometimes made because of existing relationships our firm
and its employees have with these groups or individuals. We do not currently have any
formal solicitor or referral arrangements.
Actual or potential conflicts of interest generally can be addressed in several ways, including
prohibiting the conduct that gives to the conflict of interest, implementing procedures to prevent a
person from gaining or utilizing knowledge that potentially give rise to a conflict; establishing
parameters for conduct that are designed to protect client interests or limit the benefit that creates
the conflict of interest, or disclosing the conflict of interest to our clients.
Our firm has adopted a Code of Ethics. (Please refer to Item 11 below for further information on
our Code of Ethics) and we also have policies and procedures in place to mitigate and address
conflicts of interest. We believe that such policies and procedures are reasonably designed to treat
clients equitably and to advance the best interests of the clients. The clients' best interest is
paramount in any situation involving a conflict of interest.