Description of Advisory Firm
Powers Advisory Group, LLC is a Limited Liability Company organized in the State of Illinois and
registered as an Investment Adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We were
founded in June of 2014. Matthew Powers and Richard Ringwald are the principal owners of
Powers Advisory Group, LLC. As of December 2022, Powers Advisory Group, LLC managed
$162,963,386.00 on a discretionary basis.
Types of Advisory Services
Investment Management Services
Our firm provides Investment management services to clients with specific regards to asset
allocation and security selection.
Investment advice is customized for each client’s specific needs by determining an appropriate
asset allocation. In order to design a client’s allocation, we take into consideration liquidity
needs, risk tolerance, rate of return goals, tax considerations, and the client’s investment
history.
With regards to security selection, we put an emphasis on quality, income, and keeping costs
and internal expenses low. We focus the majority of our research on the simplicity of investing
in securities that provide current and potentially future income – and compounding this income
over time (dividend reinvestment strategies). This is the core strategy within the firm’s
investment philosophy and we believe creating a growing income stream will give our client’s a
higher opportunity of success.
We design and manage ETF portfolios with asset allocation in mind based off our client’s risk
profile. These portfolios are periodically rebalanced to maintain the appropriate allocation.
We manage advisory accounts on a discretionary, fee-only basis – representing a percentage of
assets under management, further described below in Item 5.
Investment Management Services of Held Away Assets
Our firm may provide an additional service to facilitate management of held away assets such
as defined contribution plan participant accounts, with discretion. The platform allows us to
avoid being considered to have custody of Client funds since we do not have direct access to
Client log-in credentials to affect trades. We are not affiliated with the platform in any way and
receive no compensation from them for using their platform. A link will be provided to the
Client allowing them to connect an account(s) to the platform. Once Client account(s) is
connected to the platform, we will review the current account allocations. When deemed
necessary, we will rebalance the account considering client investment goals and risk tolerance,
and any change in allocations will consider current economic and market trends. We regularly
review the available investment options in these accounts, monitor them, and rebalance and
implement our strategies in the same way we do other accounts, though using different tools
as necessary.
Independent Managers
We may allocate (and/or recommend that the client allocate) a portion of a client’s investment
assets among unaffiliated independent investment managers in accordance with the client’s
designated investment objective(s). In such situations, the Independent Manager(s) shall have
day-to-day responsibility for the active discretionary management of the allocated assets. We
will continue to render investment
advisory services to the client relative to the ongoing
monitoring and review of account performance, asset allocation and client investment
objectives. Factors which we will consider in recommending Independent Manager(s) include
the client’s designated investment objective(s), management style, performance, reputation,
financial strength, reporting, pricing, and research. The investment management fees charged
by the designated Independent Manager(s), are exclusive of, and in addition to, our ongoing
investment advisory fee.
Financial Planning
Financial planning is a comprehensive evaluation of a client’s current and future financial state
by using currently known variables to predict future cash flows, asset values and withdrawal
plans. The key defining aspect of financial planning is that through the financial planning
process, all questions, information and analysis will be considered as they impact and are
impacted by the entire financial and life situation of the client. Clients utilizing this service will
receive a written or an electronic report, providing the client with a detailed financial plan
designed to achieve his or her stated financial goals and objectives.
In general, the financial plan will address any or all of the following areas of concern. The client
and advisor will work together to select the specific areas to cover. These areas may include,
but are not limited to, the following:
• Retirement Planning: Our retirement planning services typically include projections
of your likelihood of achieving your financial goals, typically focusing on financial
independence as the primary objective. For situations where projections show less
than the desired results, we may make recommendations, including those that may
impact the original projections by adjusting certain variables (i.e., working longer,
saving more, spending less, taking more risk with investments).
If you are near retirement or already retired, advice may be given on appropriate
distribution strategies to minimize the likelihood of running out of money or having
to adversely alter spending during your retirement years.
• College Savings: Includes projecting the amount that will be needed to achieve
college or other post-secondary education funding goals, along with advice on ways
for you to save the desired amount. Recommendations as to savings strategies are
included, and, if needed, we will review your financial picture as it relates to
eligibility for financial aid or the best way to contribute to grandchildren (if
appropriate).
• Financial Goals: We will help clients identify financial goals and develop a plan to
reach them. We will identify what you plan to accomplish, what resources you will
need to make it happen, how much time you will need to reach the goal, and how
much you should budget for your goal.
• Investment Analysis: This may involve developing an asset allocation strategy to
meet clients’ financial goals and risk tolerance, providing information on investment
vehicles and strategies, reviewing employee stock options, as well as assisting you in
establishing your own investment account at a selected broker/dealer or custodian.
The strategies and types of investments we may recommend are further discussed in