Advisory Services and Fees
Charter Oak Capital Management, LLC (hereinafter “Charter Oak”), managed since 2002 is
formed under the laws of Delaware. Charter Oak is registered with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, and the States of Maine and New Hampshire as an investment adviser where
physical offices exist. Charter Oak is a fee-based investment management and financial planning
firm. The firm does not sell securities on a commission basis. The firm is not affiliated with
entities that sell financial products or securities. Charter Oak’s primary services are managing
investment portfolios on behalf of clients who grant Charter Oak discretionary investment
authority, providing comprehensive financial planning services for clients, including furnishing
advice to clients on matters not involving securities. Individuals who offer investment advisory
services are known as Investment Adviser Representatives (IARs). These individuals are
appropriately licensed, qualified, and authorized to provide advisory services on Charter Oak’s
behalf.
Portfolio Management Services
Charter Oak provides discretionary portfolio management services on a continuous basis where
the investment advice is based on the individual needs of the particular client as set forth in the
client’s Investment Policy Statement (“IPS”) or other guiding investment principals. Charter
Oak performs various functions without further approval from the client. Such functions include
assessment of the clients’ goals and risk tolerance, preparation of an investment plan based on
the client goals and constraints, execution of trades in accordance with the investment plan.
Once the portfolio is constructed, Charter Oak provides continuous supervision and re-
optimization of the portfolio as changes in market conditions and client circumstances may
require. In addition, Charter Oak provides quarterly reporting of portfolio positions and
performance. Charter Oak provides one on one reviews with clients to review their portfolios,
reassess their goals and risk tolerance. In limited circumstances, Charter Oak may enter into
non-discretionary arrangements with its clients where Charter Oak obtains client approval prior
to the execution of a trade. Generally, the Account assets shall be held by Fidelity or Schwab as
custodian (the “Custodian”), however, Charter Oak can utilize the services of other custodians
Custody of assets are pursuant to a separate agreement between the Custodian and the Client. In
addition to the advisory fee, there may be transaction charges involved when purchasing or
selling securities or annual maintenance fees that encompass transaction costs. A complete
disclosure of all fees charged to clients will be provided in a supplemental disclosure document
provided with the account opening documents. A written confirmation of each transaction
including all transaction charges will be sent to the client immediately following execution either
by mail or electronically, unless the client has given written approval not to receive such
notification. The Custodian will also provide to client, at least quarterly, a written or electronic
statement showing beginning and ending portfolio values as well as all advisory fees, and any
and all monthly fees deducted from the Account. The Custodian will provide such statements to
both the client and the Adviser. The fee for Charter Oak planning, investing, and guidance
services is assessed quarterly in advance based on the value of the assets under management on
the last day of the preceding quarter, or based on flat fee, which is prorated in the event the
portfolio management agreement is executed at any time other than the first day of a billing
period. Fees based on portfolio values are also prorated for withdrawals and additions over each
quarter. In addition, the Adviser may also reduce or waive management fees for its personnel,
household members of the Adviser’s personnel, the family or friends of the Adviser’s personnel,
or any other entity. Generally, Charter Oak requires a minimum quarterly fee of $1,250. On an
annualized basis, Charter Oak’s fee for portfolio management is subject to negotiation, not to
exceed 1.50% of assets under management.
Fee Schedule per Relationship
(Minimum Fee is $1,250 per quarter)
Assets under Management Fee
First 350,000 1.50%
$350,000 to $1,000,000 0.85%
$1,000,000 to $1,500,000 0.75%
$1,500,000 to $2,000,000 0.65%
$2,000,000 to $3,000,000 0.55%
$3,000,000 to $4,000,000 0.50%
$4,000,000 TO $7,500,000 0.40%
$7,500,000 AND UP 0.30%
Clients are subject to Charter Oak’s fee schedule in effect at the time the client entered into the
advisory relationship. Clients who entered into the advisory relationship with Charter Oak prior
to this revised fee schedule are grandfathered under the pre-existing fee schedule as evidenced in
the Investment Advisory Agreement executed at the initial engagement of services.
The fees charged are calculated as described above and are not charged on the basis of a share of
capital gains upon, or capital appreciation of, the funds or any portion of the funds of an advisory
client (SEC Rule 205(a)(1)).
Charter Oak will either invoice the client directly for management fees or payment will be made
by the qualified custodian holding the client’s funds and securities provided the client provides
written authorization permitting the fees to be paid directly from their account. Charter Oak will
not have access to client funds for payment of fees without client consent in writing. Either
party, upon written notice to the other, may terminate the management agreement. The
management fee will be pro-rated for the quarter in which the cancellation notice was given, and
any unearned fees will be returned.
Fees are subject to change upon the Adviser giving the Client thirty days written notice. The
Client has the option of accepting the new fee schedule or terminating this Agreement pursuant
to the termination provisions set forth in their Investment Advisory Agreement.
Charter Oak’s fees are exclusive of brokerage commissions, transaction fees, and other related
costs and expenses which shall be incurred by the client. Clients incur certain charges imposed
by custodians, brokers, third party investment and other third parties such as fees charged by
managers, custodial fees, deferred sales charges, odd-lot differentials, transfer taxes, wire
transfer and electronic fund fees, and other fees and taxes on brokerage accounts and securities
transactions. Advice offered by Charter Oak may involve investment in mutual funds or
Exchange Traded Funds. Clients are hereby advised that all fees paid to Charter Oak for
investment advisory services are separate and distinct from the fees and expenses charged by
mutual funds or Exchange Traded Funds (described in each Mutual Fund’s prospectus) to their
shareholders. These fees will generally include a management fee and other fund expenses.
Further, there may be transaction charges involved with purchasing or selling of securities.
Charter Oak does not share in any portion of the brokerage fees/transaction charges
imposed by
the custodian holding the client funds or securities. The client should review all fees charged by
mutual funds, Charter Oak, and others to fully understand the total amount of fees to be paid by
the client. Such charges, fees and commissions are exclusive of and in addition to Charter Oak’s
fee, and Charter Oak shall not receive any portion of these fees and costs.
Charter Oak does not represent warranty or imply that the services or methods of analysis
employed by the firm can or will predict future results, successfully identify market tops or
bottoms, or insulate clients from losses due to market corrections or declines.
Clients may impose restrictions in investing in certain securities or types of securities in
accordance with their values or beliefs. However, if the restrictions prevent Charter Oak from
properly servicing the client account, or if the restrictions would require Charter Oak to deviate
from its standard suite of services, Charter Oak reserves the right to end the relationship.
Retirement Plan Consulting Services
Charter Oak provides consulting services to individual participants of Retirement plans, and
other qualified plans. In general, these services will consist of asset allocation advice,
investment monitoring, or on-going management services. The annual fee for these consulting
services is billed quarterly in advance based upon the market value of the assets on the beginning
of the first day of the quarter. On an annualized basis, Charter Oak’s fee is subject to
negotiation, not to exceed 1.50% of assets under management. Fees will be assessed pro rata in
the event the agreement is executed at any time other than the first day of a billing period.
Charter Oak will provide consulting services to the plan participants as described above.
Typically, the named plan fiduciary must make the ultimate decision as to retaining the services
of such investment advisers as Charter Oak recommends. Either party may terminate the
agreement by providing written notice to the other party. In the event there are any prepaid
unearned fees, Charter Oak will promptly refund a pro rata share to the client.
Charter Oak does not have custody of any client funds or securities, as the services of an
independent custodian will be used for these asset management services. Except, as relates to
Charter Oak’s contractual ability to authorize the deduction of investment management fees from
certain accounts, or by virtue of certain authorizations that allow Charter Oak to facilitate the
movement of funds on behalf of clients.
Charter Oak may use a third-party platform, Pontera, to facilitate management of held away assets
such as 401k accounts, with discretion. The platform allows Charter Oak to avoid being considered
to have custody of client funds since Charter Oak does not have direct access to client log-in
credentials to affect trades. Charter Oak is not affiliated with the platform in any way and receives
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,
Charter Oak will review the current account allocations. When deemed necessary, Charter Oak
will rebalance the account considering client investment goals and risk tolerance, and any change
in allocations will consider current economic and market trends.
Financial Planning and Consulting Services
Charter Oak also provides financial planning and consulting services, which typically involves
providing advice to clients on matters such as cash flow & budgeting, retirement goal setting,
insurance and risk management needs analysis, wealth transfer strategies, and tax and estate
planning. Charter Oak may also provide investment-related consulting services to clients that
may include, but are not limited to, advice on existing or potential investment products, account
re-balancing, education funding, and/or asset allocation. As part of the services provided, various
life, health, and disability insurance policies may be reviewed. Charter Oak does not typically
charge a separate fee when providing financial planning services to portfolio management
clients. However, when Charter Oak deems it appropriate to charge a fee, the fee for such
services would be a negotiated hourly rate or another mutually agreed upon compensation
structure. When the scope of the financial planning or consulting services has been agreed upon,
a determination will be made as to the applicable fee. The final fee, subject to negotiation, is
directly dependent upon the facts and circumstances of the client’s financial situation and the
complexity of the financial plan or service(s) requested. In limited circumstances, the cost/time
could potentially exceed the initial estimate. In such cases, Charter Oak will notify the client and
may request that the client pay an additional fee. Either party may terminate the financial
planning agreement by providing written notice to the other party. In the event there are any
prepaid unearned fees, Charter Oak will return a pro rata share to the client.
Seminars
Seminars may be presented for the general public from time-to-time at no charge.
Amount of Assets upon Which Investment Advice is Provided. As of December 31, 2023,
Charter Oak provides advice on approximately $1,109,715,192 of discretionary assets under
management for total of approximately 1,257 family households. Family households may
consist of more than one client (i.e., client and spouse, plus one or more adult or minor children,
trusts, and defined benefit plans for which the client serves as a sponsor). Of these family
households, approximately 312 contain a “high net worth” client (i.e., generally, more than $1
million of assets under advisement or net worth exceeding $2.1 million (not including the
primary residence)). These statistics do not include assets upon which advice is given for
Charter Oak associated persons and their immediate families.
Written Acknowledgement of Fiduciary Status
When we provide investment advice to you regarding your retirement plan account or individual
retirement account, we are fiduciaries 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. The way we make money creates some conflicts with your interests, so we
operate under a special rule that requires us to act in your best interest and not put our interest
ahead of yours. Under this special rule’s provisions, we must:
• Meet a professional standard of care when making investment recommendations (give
prudent advice);
• Never put our financial interests ahead of yours when making recommendations (give
loyal advice);
• Avoid misleading statements about conflicts of interest, fees, and investments;
• Follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that we give advice that is in your best
interest;
• Charge no more than is reasonable for our services; and
• Give you basic information about conflicts of interest.