A. The Registrant is a limited liability company formed on May 3, 1999 in the State of New
Jersey. The Registrant became registered as an Investment Adviser Firm on December 21,
2001. The Registrant is principally owned by J. Joseph Roman, who is the Registrant’s
Managing Member and Chief Compliance Officer.
B. As discussed below, the Registrant offers to its clients (individuals, business entities, trusts,
estates, and charitable organizations, etc.) investment management services, and, to the
extent specifically engaged to do so, tax, insurance, and accountancy consulting services.
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT SERVICES ONLY
The Registrant may be engaged to provide discretionary and/or non-discretionary
investment management services on a fee-based basis. Before Registrant provides
investment management services, an investment adviser representative will ascertain each
client’s investment objectives and, for a separate initial fixed fee, develop a financial plan.
The Registrant will then allocate and/or recommend that the client allocate investment
assets consistent with the designated investment objectives, risk tolerance and financial
plan. Once allocated, the Registrant provides ongoing monitoring and review of account
performance and asset allocation as compared to client investment objectives. The
Registrant’s annual investment management fee is based upon a percentage (%) of the
market value of the assets placed under the Registrant’s management. Prior to engaging
Registrant to provide investment advisory services, clients are required to enter into an
Investment Advisory Agreement with Registrant setting forth the terms and conditions of
the engagement (including termination), describing the scope of the services to be
provided, and the fee that is due from the client.
TAX RETURN PREPARATION SERVICES
The Registrant may be engaged to provide tax preparation services in conjunction with its
Investment Management and Financial Planning services. The Registrant’s Investment
Advisory Agreement shall indicate if the client has determined to engage the Registrant to
provide tax preparation services. Tax preparation services may also be provided by certain
of Registrant’s employees in their separate capacity as a CPA with the accounting firm,
Roman & Kulpa, LLC (“R & K”), (See Item 10. C. below for additional details regarding
this service and the potential conflicts of interest). The client is under no obligation to
engage the services of any such recommended professional and retains absolute discretion
over all such implementation decisions and is free to accept or reject any recommendation
from the Registrant. However, if the client engages any such recommended professional,
and a dispute arises thereafter relative to such engagement, the client agrees to seek
recourse exclusively from and against the engaged professional.
At all times, the engaged licensed professional[s] and not the Registrant, shall be
responsible for the quality and competency of the services provided. Please Also Note: It
remains the client’s responsibility to promptly notify the Registrant if there is ever any
change in their financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing,
evaluating or revising Registrant’s previous recommendations and/or services.
FINANCIAL PLANNING
The Registrant does not offer Financial Planning services
Please note: Registrant may recommend other professionals, including certain of its
investment advisor representatives (“IARs”), in their separate and individual capacity as
an IAR for Carson Wealth Management, LLC (“CWM”), to provide Financial Planning
and Consulting Services The client is under no obligation to engage the services of any
such recommended professional and retains absolute discretion over all such
implementation decisions and is free to accept or reject any recommendation from the
Registrant.
However, if the client engages any such recommended professional, and a dispute arises
thereafter relative to such engagement, the client agrees to seek recourse exclusively from
and against the engaged professional. At all times, the engaged licensed professional[s]
(i.e. attorney, accountant, insurance agent, etc.), and not the Registrant, shall be responsible
for the quality and competency of the services provided. Please Also Note: It remains the
client’s responsibility to promptly notify the Registrant if there is ever any change in their
financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing, evaluating or
revising Registrant’s previous recommendations and/or services.
COMPREHENSIVE REPORTING
The Registrant may also provide comprehensive reporting services which can incorporate
all of the client’s investment assets, including those investment assets that are not part of
the assets managed by the Registrant (the “Excluded Assets”). The client and/or their other
advisors, and not the Registrant, shall maintain trading authority and will be exclusively
responsible for the investment performance of the Excluded Assets. The Registrant’s
service relative to the Excluded Assets is limited to reporting and non- discretionary
consulting services only, which does not include investment implementation. The
Registrant does not have trading authority for the Excluded Assets. As such, to the extent
applicable to the nature of the Excluded Assets (assets over which the client maintains
trading authority vs. trading authority designated to another investment professional), the
client (and/or the other investment professional), and not the Registrant, shall be
exclusively responsible for directly implementing any recommendations relative to the
Excluded Assets. The Registrant shall not be responsible for any implementation error
(timing, trading, etc.) relative to the Excluded Assets. In the event the client desires that
the Registrant provide non-discretionary investment management services (whereby the
Registrant would have trading authority) with respect to the Excluded Assets, the client
may engage the Registrant to do so pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Investment
Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and the client.
Independent Managers. The Registrant may allocate (and/or recommend that the client
allocate) a portion of a client’s investment assets among unaffiliated independent
investment managers (“Independent Manager(s)”) 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. The
Registrant shall continue to render investment supervisory services to the client relative to
the ongoing monitoring and review of account performance, asset allocation and client
investment objectives, for which Registrant shall receive an annual advisory fee which is
based upon a percentage of the market value of the assets being managed by the designated
Independent Manager(s) (See Item 5 below). Registrant generally considers the following
factors when considering its recommendation to allocate investment assets to Independent
Manager(s): the client’s designated investment objective(s), management style, performance,
reputation, financial strength, reporting, pricing, and research. The Independent Managers fee is
separate from, and in addition to, the Registrant’s annual advisory fee. Additionally, client’s
review each Independent Manager’s Form ADV 2A Disclosure Brochure and either the contract
the client signs with the Independent Manager or their Statement of Investment Selection for
information about additional fees and expenses charged.
MISCELLANEOUS
Limitations of Non-Investment Consulting/Implementation Services. As indicated
above, to the extent requested by a client, the Registrant may provide consulting services
regarding non-investment related matters, such as estate planning, tax planning, insurance,
etc. Please Note: We do not serve as an attorney and no portion of our services should be
construed as legal services. Accordingly, we do not prepare estate planning document or
tax returns, unless the client has specifically engaged us pursuant to an All-Inclusive
Investment Advisory Agreement. To the extent requested by a client, we may recommend
the services of other professionals for certain non-investment implementation purpose (i.e.
attorneys, accountants, insurance, etc.), including representatives of Registrant in their
separate individual capacities as a licensed insurance agent or Certified Public Accountant.
The client is 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 from Registrant and/or its
representatives. Please Note: If the client engages any recommended unaffiliated
professional, and a dispute arises thereafter relative to such engagement, the client agrees
to seek recourse exclusively from and against the engaged professional. At all times, the
engaged licensed professional[s] (i.e. attorney, accountant, insurance agent, etc.), and not
the Registrant, shall be responsible for the quality and competency of the services provided.
Please Also Note-Conflict of Interest: The recommendation by Registrant’s
representative that a client purchase an insurance commission product through Registrant’s
representative in his separate and individual capacity as an insurance agent, presents a
conflict of interest, as the receipt of commissions may provide an incentive to recommend
investment or insurance products based on commissions to be received, rather than on a
particular client’s need. No client is under any obligation to purchase any securities or
insurance commission products through such a representative. Clients are reminded that
they may purchase insurance products recommended by Registrant through other non-
affiliated insurance agencies/agents and/or engage an unaffiliated Registrant to provide
accounting services. Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, J. Joseph Roman remains
available to address any questions that a client or prospective client may have
regarding the above conflict of interest.
Disclosure Statement. A copy of the Registrant’s written Privacy Notice, Disclosure
Brochure as set forth on Parts 2A and 2B of Form ADV and Form CRS (also referred to as
Client Relationship Summary) shall be provided to each prospective client or client before,
or contemporaneously with, the execution of the Investment Advisory Agreement.
Portfolio Activity. Registrant has a fiduciary duty to provide services consistent with the
client’s best interest. As part of its investment advisory services, Registrant 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, fund manager
tenure, style drift, account additions/withdrawals, and/or a change in the client’s investment
objective. Based upon these factors, there may be extended periods of time when Registrant
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 made by Registrant
will be profitable or equal any specific performance level(s). Clients nonetheless remain
subject to the fees described in Item 5 below during periods of account inactivity.
Unaffiliated Private Investment Funds. Registrant may recommend that certain qualified
clients consider an investment in unaffiliated private investment funds. Registrant, on a non-
discretionary basis, may recommend that certain qualified clients consider an investment in
private investment funds, the description of which (the terms, conditions, risks, conflicts and
fees, including incentive compensation) is set forth in the fund’s offering documents.
Registrant’s role relative to unaffiliated private investment funds shall be limited to its initial
and ongoing due diligence and investment monitoring services. If a client determines to
become an unaffiliated private fund investor, the amount of assets invested in the fund(s)
shall be included as part of “assets under management” for purposes of Registrant calculating
its investment advisory fee. Registrant’s fee shall be in addition to the fund’s fees.
Registrant’s clients are under absolutely no obligation to consider or make an investment in
any private investment fund(s).
Risk Factors: Private investment funds generally involve various risk factors, including,
but not limited to, potential for complete loss of principal, liquidity constraints and lack of
transparency, a complete discussion of which is set forth in each fund’s offering
documents, which will be provided to each client for review and consideration. Unlike
liquid investments that a client may own, private investment funds do not provide daily
liquidity or pricing. Each prospective client investor will be required to complete a
Subscription Agreement, pursuant to which the client shall establish that he/she is qualified
for investment in the fund and acknowledges and accepts the various risk factors that are
associated with such an investment.
Valuation: In the event that Registrant references private investment funds owned by the
client on any supplemental account reports prepared by Registrant, the value(s) for all
private investment funds owned by the client shall reflect the most recent valuation
provided by the fund sponsor. However, if subsequent to purchase, the fund has not
provided an updated valuation, the valuation shall reflect the initial purchase price, or the
capital called to date. If subsequent to purchase, the fund provides an updated valuation,
then the statement will reflect that updated value. The updated value will continue to be
reflected on the report until the fund provides a further updated value. Please Also Note:
As result of the valuation process, if the valuation reflects initial purchase price or an
updated value subsequent to purchase price, the current value(s) of an investor’s fund
holding(s) could be significantly more or less than the value reflected on the report. Unless
otherwise indicated, the Registrant shall calculate its fee based upon the latest value
provided by the fund sponsor.
Orion Communities Platform: Registrant has entered into an agreement with Orion
Portfolio Solutions, LLC (“OPS”) to provide Registrant with access to its Orion
Communities platform, an interactive marketplace, to access model portfolio allocations
and investment research (“Model Portfolios”) published by third party strategists.
Registrant is not affiliated with OPS, the strategists or their affiliates. Additionally, neither
OPS nor its strategists will exercise investment decisions with respect to client accounts.
Registrant retains investment discretion over the client’s account and recommendations to
invest the client’s account in a Model Portfolio is based upon Registrant’s independent
analysis of the Model Portfolio, including the underlying investments, and the client’s
particular financial circumstances, investment objectives and risk tolerance. The client
retains absolute discretion over all such implementation decisions and is free to accept or
reject any recommendation from Registrant and/or its representatives.
Non-Discretionary Service Limitations. Clients that determine to engage the Registrant
on a non-discretionary investment advisory basis must be willing to accept that the
Registrant cannot effect any account transactions without obtaining prior consent to any
such transaction(s) from the client. Thus, in the event that Registrant would like to make a
transaction for a client's account (including in the event of an individual holding or general
market correction), the client is unavailable, the Registrant will be unable to effect any
account transactions (as it would for its discretionary clients) without first obtaining the
client’s consent.
Use of Mutual and Exchange Traded Funds: Registrant utilizes mutual funds and
exchange traded funds for its client portfolios. In addition to Registrant’s investment
advisory fee described below, and transaction and/or custodial fees discussed below, clients
will also incur, relative to all mutual fund and exchange traded fund purchases, charges
imposed at the fund level (e.g. management fees and other fund expenses).
Use of Dimensional Fund Advisors
Mutual Funds: Registrant utilizes the mutual funds
issued by Dimensional Fund Advisors (“DFA”). DFA funds are generally only available
through registered investment advisers approved by DFA. If the client decides to terminate
Registrant’s services, and transition to another adviser who has not been approved by DFA
to utilize DFA funds, restrictions regarding additional purchases of, or reallocation among
other DFA funds, will generally apply. Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, J. Joseph
Roman, remains available to address any questions that a client or prospective client
may have regarding the above
Retirement Plan Rollovers – No Obligation / 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) cash out the account value (which could, depending
upon the client’s age, result in adverse tax consequences). If the Registrant recommends
that a client roll over their retirement plan assets into an account to be managed by the
Registrant, such a recommendation creates a conflict of interest if the Registrant will earn
a new (or increase its current) advisory fee as a result of the rollover. If Registrant provides
a recommendation as to whether a client should engage in a rollover or not (whether it is
from an employer’s plan or an existing IRA), Registrant is acting as a fiduciary 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. No client is
under any obligation to roll over retirement plan assets to an account managed by
Registrant. The Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, J. Joseph Roman, remains
available to address any questions that a client or prospective client may have regarding
the conflict of interest presented by such rollover recommendation.
eMoney Advisor Platform and Orion Advisor Services. In conjunction with the services
provided by eMoney Advisor (“eMoney”) and Orion Advisor Services (“Orion”),
Registrant may also provide access to account aggregation services, which can incorporate
all of the client’s investment assets,” including those investment assets that are not part of
the assets that we manage (the “Excluded Assets”). The client and/or their other advisors
that maintain trading authority, and not us, shall be exclusively responsible for the
investment performance of the Excluded Assets. In addition, eMoney also provides
access to other types of information which should not, in any manner whatsoever, be
construed as services, advice or recommendations provided by Registrant. The Registrant
shall not be held responsible for any adverse results a client may experience if the client
engages in other functions available on the eMoney platform without Registrant’s
assistance or oversight. Registrant does not provide investment management, monitoring
or implementation services for the Excluded Assets. If Registrant is asked to make a
recommendation as to any Excluded Assets, the client is under absolutely no obligation to
accept the recommendation, and Registrant shall not be responsible for any implementation
error (timing, trading, etc.) relative to the Excluded Assets. The client may engage
Registrant to provide investment management services for the Excluded Assets pursuant
to the terms and conditions of the Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and
the client.
Borrowing Against Assets/Risks. A client who has a need to borrow money could
determine to do so by using:
• Margin-The account custodian or broker-dealer lends money to the client. The
custodian charges the client interest for the right to borrow money, and uses the
assets in the client’s brokerage account as collateral or
• Pledged Assets Loan- In consideration for a lender (i.e., a bank, etc.) to make a
loan to the client, the client pledges its investment assets held at the account
custodian as collateral.
These above-described collateralized loans are generally utilized because they typically
provide more favorable interest rates than standard commercial loans. These types of
collateralized loans can assist with a pending home purchase, permit the retirement of more
expensive debt, or enable borrowing in lieu of liquidating existing account positions and
incurring capital gains taxes. However, such loans are not without potential material risk to
the client’s investment assets. The lender (i.e. custodian, bank, etc.) will have recourse
against the client’s investment assets in the event of loan default or if the assets fall below a
certain level. For this reason, Registrant does not recommend such borrowing unless it is for
specific short-term purposes (i.e. a bridge loan to purchase a new residence). Registrant does
not recommend such borrowing for investment purposes (i.e. to invest borrowed funds in the
market). Regardless, if the client was to determine to utilize margin or a pledged assets loan,
the following economic benefits would inure to Registrant:
• by taking the loan rather than liquidating assets in the client’s account, Registrant
continues to earn a fee on such Account assets;
• if the client invests any portion of the loan proceeds in an account to be managed
by Registrant, Registrant will receive an advisory fee on the invested amount; and,
• if Registrant’s advisory fee is based upon the higher margined account value (see
margin disclosure at Item 5 below), Registrant will earn a correspondingly higher
advisory fee. This could provide Registrant with a disincentive to encourage the
client to discontinue the use of margin.
Please Note: The client must accept the above risks and potential corresponding
consequences associated with the use of margin or a pledged assets loans.
Client Obligations. In performing its services, Registrant, through the use of eMoney, will
monitor the client’s information as it changes during the engagement. However, Registrant
shall not be required to verify any information received from the client or from the client’s
other professionals and is expressly authorized to rely thereon. Moreover, each client is
advised that it remains their responsibility to promptly notify the Registrant if there is ever
any change in their financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of
reviewing, evaluating, revising Registrant’s previous recommendations and/or services.
Consulting Services. Registrant’s investment management is generally inclusive of any
investment-related consulting services. In limited situations (i.e., non-investment
management clients, and investment management clients that require a disproportionate
amount of consulting services), Registrant may charge a fixed fee or hourly fee for
investment-related consulting services, which shall be agreed upon before rendering the
consultation services.
Cash Positions. Registrant continues to treat cash as an asset class. As such, unless
determined to the contrary by Registrant, all cash positions (money markets, etc.) shall
continue to be included as part of assets under management for purposes of calculating
Registrant’s advisory fee. At Registrant’s discretion, Registrant may treat cash held for
short term needs as non-managed assets and may not charge a fee on said cash. At any
specific point in time, depending upon perceived or anticipated market conditions/events
(there being no guarantee that such anticipated market conditions/events will occur),
Registrant may maintain cash positions for defensive purposes. In addition, while assets
are maintained in cash, such amounts could miss market advances. Depending upon current
yields, at any point in time, Registrant’s advisory fee could exceed the interest paid by the
client’s money market fund. ANY QUESTIONS: The Registrant’s Chief Compliance
Officer, Joe Roman, remains available to address any questions that a client or
prospective may have regarding the above fee billing practice.
Cash Sweep Accounts. Account custodians generally require that cash proceeds from
account transactions or cash deposits be swept into and/or initially maintained in the
custodian’s sweep account. The yield on the sweep account is generally lower than those
available in money market accounts. To help mitigate this issue, Registrant shall generally
purchase a higher yielding money market fund available on the custodian’s platform with
cash proceeds or deposits, unless Registrant reasonably anticipates that it will utilize the
cash proceeds during the subsequent 30-day period to purchase additional investments for
the client’s account. Exceptions and/or modifications can and will occur with respect to all
or a portion of the cash balances for various reasons, including, but not limited to, the amount
of dispersion between the sweep account and a money market fund, an indication from the
client of an imminent need for such cash, or the client has a demonstrated history of writing
checks from the account. ANY QUESTIONS: Registrant’ Chief Compliance Officer,
Joseph Roman, remains available to address any questions that a client or prospective client
may have regarding the above.
Other Assets. To the extent that the Registrant provides advisory monitoring or review
services for client investment assets for which the Registrant does not maintain custodian
access or trading authority (including initial and ongoing consideration of such assets as
part of the client’s asset allocation), the registrant may determine to include such assets in
its advisory fee calculation per Item 5 below.
Cybersecurity Risk. The information technology systems and networks that Registrant
and its third-party service providers use to provide services to Registrant’s clients employ
various controls, which are designed to prevent cybersecurity incidents stemming from
intentional or unintentional actions that could cause significant interruptions in Registrant’s
operations and result in the unauthorized acquisition or use of clients’ confidential or non-
public personal information. Clients and Registrant are nonetheless subject to the risk of
cybersecurity incidents that could ultimately cause them to incur losses, including for
example: financial losses, cost and reputational damage to respond to regulatory
obligations, other costs associated with corrective measures, and loss from damage or
interruption to systems. Although Registrant has established its systems to reduce the risk
of cybersecurity incidents from coming to fruition, there is no guarantee that these efforts
will always be successful, especially considering that Registrant does not directly control
the cybersecurity measures and policies employed by third-party service providers. Clients
could incur similar adverse consequences resulting from cybersecurity incidents that more
directly affect issuers of securities in which those clients invest, broker-dealers, qualified
custodians, governmental and other regulatory authorities, exchange and other financial
market operators, or other financial institutions.
Please Note: Socially Responsible Investing Limitations. Socially Responsible
Investing involves the incorporation of Environmental, Social and Governance
considerations into the investment due diligence process (“ESG). There are potential
limitations associated with allocating a portion of an investment portfolio in qualifying
ESG securities (i.e., securities that have a mandate to avoid, when possible, investments in
such products as alcohol, tobacco, firearms, oil drilling, gambling, etc.). The number of
these securities may be limited when compared to those that do not maintain such a
mandate. ESG securities could underperform broad market indices. Investors must accept
these limitations, including potential for underperformance. Correspondingly, the number
of ESG mutual funds and exchange traded funds are fewer when compared to those that do
not maintain such a mandate. As with any type of investment (including any investment
and/or investment strategies recommended and/or undertaken by Registrant), there can be
no assurance that investment in ESG securities or funds will be profitable, or prove
successful. The Registrant does not maintain or advocate an ESG investment strategy, but
will seek to employ ESG if directed by a client to do so.
WE DON’T RECOMMEND Cryptocurrency: For clients who want exposure to
cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, the Registrant, will advise the client to consider a
potential investment in corresponding exchange traded securities, or an allocation to
separate account managers and/or private funds that provide cryptocurrency
exposure. Crypto is a digital currency that can be used to buy goods and services, but uses
an online ledger with strong cryptography (i.e., a method of protecting information and
communications through the use of codes) to secure online transactions. Unlike
conventional currencies issued by a monetary authority, cryptocurrencies are generally not
controlled or regulated and their price is determined by the supply and demand of their
market. Because cryptocurrency is currently considered to be a speculative investment, the
Registrant will not exercise discretionary authority to purchase a cryptocurrency
investment for client accounts. Rather, a client must expressly authorize the purchase of
the cryptocurrency investment. Please Note: The Registrant does not recommend or
advocate the purchase of, or investment in, cryptocurrencies. The Registrant considers such
an investment to be speculative. Please Also Note: Clients who authorize the purchase of
a cryptocurrency investment must be prepared for the potential for liquidity constraints,
extreme price volatility and complete loss of principal.
C. Wrap / Separately Managed Account Programs: In the event that Registrant is engaged
to provide investment advisory services as part of an unaffiliated wrap-fee program,
Registrant will be unable to negotiate commissions and/or transaction costs. Under a wrap
program, the wrap program sponsor arranges for the investor participant to receive
investment advisory services, the execution of securities brokerage transactions, custody
and reporting services for a single specified fee. Participation in a wrap program may cost
the participant more or less than purchasing such services separately. In the event that
Registrant is engaged to provide investment advisory services as part of an unaffiliated
managed account program/platform, Registrant will likewise be unable to negotiate
commissions and/or transaction costs. The program sponsor will determine the broker-
dealer though which transactions must be effected, and the amount of transaction fees
and/or commissions to be charged to the participant investor accounts. Please Note: In
these type of engagements, the unaffiliated investment advisers that engage Registrant's
services shall maintain both the initial and ongoing day-to-day relationship with the
underlying investor, including initial and ongoing determination of the of the investor’s
suitability for Registrant's designated investment strategies. In addition, since the
custodian/broker-dealer is determined by the unaffiliated program/platform sponsor,
Registrant will be unable to negotiate commissions and/or transaction costs, and/or seek
better execution. As a result, the investor may pay higher commissions or other transaction
costs or greater spreads, or receive less favorable net prices, on transactions for the account
than would otherwise be the case through alternative clearing arrangements recommended
by Registrant. Higher transaction costs adversely impact account performance.
Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, J. Joseph Roman, remains available to
address any questions that a client may have regarding participation in a wrap fee
program. Client is advised to review the Program Sponsor’s Form ADV Disclosure
Brochure and Wrap Fee Brochure for detailed information on their wrap fee program and
the related fees.
D. As of December 31, 2022, the Registrant had $63,139,204 in assets under management on a
discretionary basis and $254,507 in assets under management on a non-discretionary basis.