Firm Description
Wooster Corthell Wealth Management, Inc. (Wooster Corthell) was founded
in 1992.
Wooster Corthell is a fee-only investment management firm. The firm is not
affiliated with entities that sell financial products or securities. No
commissions or finder’s fees are accepted.
The client always maintains asset control. Wooster Corthell does not act as a
qualified custodian of client assets. Wooster Corthell places trades for clients
under a limited power of attorney granted by the client.
Principal Owners
The following individual owns 25% or more of Wooster Corthell stock:
Alan D. Wooster
Types of Advisory Services
Wooster Corthell provides personalized confidential investment management
services to individuals, families, retirement plans, trusts, charitable
organizations, and small businesses. Advice is provided through consultation
with the client and includes a review of the client’s goals, time horizons and
comfort level with investing. For clients whose assets are managed by
Wooster Corthell, high level financial reviews including cash flow, college
planning, retirement planning and estate planning are provided.
Wooster Corthell provides investment supervisory services, also known as
asset management. As part of this service, Wooster Corthell works with the
client to determine an appropriate allocation of assets and assists the client
with implementation.
Wooster Corthell does not provide a timing service.
As of December 31, 2023 Wooster Corthell manages approximately $453
million in assets for approximately 324 clients. All assets are managed on a
discretionary basis.
Tailored Relationships
The initial meeting, which is in person, by telephone or video conferencing, is
free of charge and is considered an exploratory interview to determine the
extent to which investment management could be beneficial for the client.
A written evaluation of each client’s initial situation is provided to the client,
which often includes a net worth statement. Personalized recommendations
are provided to the client, who is under no obligation to implement them.
Clients may impose restrictions on investing in certain securities or types of
securities.
Types of Agreements
Advisory Agreements may not be assigned without client consent.
The following agreements define the typical client relationships.
Investment Management Agreement
The fees for investment management services are provided to the client in
writing prior to the start of the relationship.
Assets are invested primarily in exchange traded funds and no-load mutual
funds. Depending on client circumstances, Wooster Corthell can
accommodate individual stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit, US Treasuries
and municipal securities. For annuities under Wooster Corthell’s
management, assets are invested in sub-accounts of life insurance products.
Wooster Corthell does not recommend equity securities traded over-the-
counter, warrants, commercial paper, hard assets such as gold,
cryptocurrencies, options contracts on securities or commodities and/or
partnerships investing in real estate, oil or gas interests, but may provide
advice on these topics at the client’s request.
Wooster Corthell does not provide financial consulting on an hourly or project
basis.
Cash Management Program Agreement
The fees for cash management services are provided to the client in writing
prior to enrollment in the program.
The minimum opening deposit for this program is $100,000. For more
information on minimums please see our Fee Dispersion disclosure under the
Fees and Compensation section of this document.
Cash management assets are invested in exchange traded funds targeting
short-term government bonds.
Termination of Agreement
The client or Wooster Corthell is allowed to terminate their agreement upon
written notice to the other party. At termination, fees are billed on a pro rata
basis for services provided but not yet paid through the date of termination.
Use of Pontera Platform
Wooster Corthell uses an investment platform made available by Pontera
Solutions, Inc. (“Pontera”), a third-party online platform, to assist with
management of clients’ “held-away” accounts, including 401(k)s, 403(b)s,
annuities, and 529 education savings plans. The Pontera platform permits
advisers to manage held-away assets without having to reflect that it has
custody of such assets on Part 1 of Form ADV. The advisory fee charged by
Wooster Corthell for the management of held-away assets is established in
the client’s Investment Advisory Agreement. Pontera charges Wooster
Corthell an annual fee based upon the percentage of assets managed in the
held- away accounts. Other than Wooster Corthell’s advisory fee, clients do
not pay any additional fee to Pontera or to Wooster Corthell in connection
with the use of the Pontera platform.
Miscellaneous Disclosures
Limitations of Financial Planning and Non-Investment
Consulting/Implementation Services: To the extent requested by a client,
Wooster Corthell offers to provide financial planning and related consulting
services regarding non-investment related matters, such as estate planning,
tax planning, insurance, etc. to clients whose assets we manage. Wooster
Corthell does not serve as a law firm, accounting firm, or insurance agency,
and no portion of Wooster Corthell’s services should be construed as legal,
accounting, or insurance implementation services. Accordingly, Wooster
Corthell does not prepare estate planning documents, tax returns or sell
insurance products. Clients should discuss any recommendations from
Wooster Corthell with their legal, tax and/or insurance professionals prior to
implementation. To the extent requested by a client, Wooster Corthell will
recommend the services of other professionals for certain non-investment
implementation
purposes (i.e., attorneys, accountants, insurance agents,
etc.). Clients are reminded that they are 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 made by Wooster Corthell or its representatives.
Please Note: If the client engages any unaffiliated recommended
professional, and a dispute arises thereafter relative to such engagement, the
client agrees to seek recourse exclusively from and against the engaged
professional.
Fees for unaffiliated professionals are the responsibility of the client and are
not included in the investment management fee paid to Wooster Corthell.
Conflicts of interest are disclosed to the client in the event they should occur.
Retirement Rollovers - Potential for 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)
withdraw the account value (which could, depending upon the client’s age,
result in adverse tax consequences and/or penalties). If Wooster Corthell
recommends that a client roll over their retirement plan assets into an account
to be managed by Wooster Corthell, such a recommendation creates a
conflict of interest if Wooster Corthell will earn an advisory fee on the rolled
over assets. No client is under any obligation to roll over retirement plan
assets to an account managed by Wooster Corthell.
ERISA / IRC Fiduciary Acknowledgment: If the client is: (i) a participant or
beneficiary of a Plan subject to Title I of the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) or described in section 4975(e)(1)(A) of the
Internal Revenue Code, with authority to direct the investment of assets in his
or her Plan account or to take a distribution; (ii) the beneficial owner of an IRA
acting on behalf of the IRA; or (iii) a Retail Fiduciary with respect to a plan
subject to Title I of ERISA or described in section 4975(e)(1)(A) of the Internal
Revenue Code: then Wooster Corthell represents that it and its
representatives are fiduciaries under ERISA or the Internal Revenue Code, or
both, with respect to any investment advice provided by Wooster Corthell or
its representatives or with respect to any investment recommendations
regarding an ERISA Plan or participant or beneficiary account.
Portfolio Activity: Wooster Corthell has a fiduciary duty to provide services
consistent with the client’s best interest. As part of its investment advisory
services, Wooster Corthell 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, mutual fund manager
tenure, style drift, and/or a change in the client’s investment objective. Based
upon these factors, there can be extended periods of time when Wooster
Corthell determines that changes to a client’s portfolio are neither necessary
nor prudent. Of course, as indicated below, there can be no assurance that
investment decisions or recommendations made by Wooster Corthell will be
profitable or equal any specific performance level(s).
Please Note - Use of Mutual Funds: Most mutual funds are available
directly to the public. Thus, a prospective client can purchase many of the
mutual funds that are recommended and/or utilized by Wooster Corthell
directly without paying an advisory fee to Wooster Corthell. However, if a
prospective client determines to do so, he/she will not receive Wooster
Corthell’s initial and ongoing investment advisory services.
Client Obligations: In performing its services, Wooster Corthell shall not be
required to verify any information received from the client or from the client’s
other designated professionals and is expressly authorized to rely thereon.
Moreover, each client is advised that it remains their responsibility to promptly
notify Wooster Corthell if there is ever any change in their financial situation
or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing/evaluating/revising
Wooster Corthell’s previous recommendations and/or services.
Disclosure Statement: A copy of Wooster Corthell’s written disclosure
statement as set forth on Part 2 of Form ADV shall be provided to each client
prior to, or contemporaneously with, the execution of the Investment Advisory
Agreement.
Cash Management Program Disclosure: Clients who participate in this
program should understand that assets are invested in exchange traded
funds. Therefore, they are not completely liquid and are subject to SEC
required settlement periods. Wooster Corthell cannot assure that the cash
management services will result in an after-fee yield that is higher than the
purchase of the money market fund offered by the account custodian or
traditional banking institution. Potential Loss of Principal - Clients invested
in the cash management program are still exposed to market volatility and
therefore have the potential to suffer a loss of principal. Conflict of Interest –
The cash management program may not be appropriate for all clients or
prospective clients. If Wooster Corthell recommends that a client or
prospective client’s financial situation would benefit from participating in the
cash management program, such a recommendation creates a conflict of
interest due to Wooster Corthell earning an advisory fee on the assets in the
program. No client or prospective client is under any obligation to
participate in the cash management program managed by Wooster
Corthell.