OJM is an investment adviser providing financial planning, consulting, and investment management
services to individuals and their related entities, high net worth individuals, pension and profit sharing
plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations and other business entities. Prior to engaging OJM to
provide any of the foregoing investment advisory services, the client is required to enter into one or
more written agreements with OJM setting forth the terms and conditions under which OJM renders its
services (collectively the “Agreement”).
In addition, OJM provides advisory services to individuals and their related entities through a website
based program titled the OJM Group Intelligent Portfolios (the “Program”). Clients and prospective
clients of the Program are provided with a separate disclosure brochure. OJM has been in business as a
registered investment adviser since October 27, 2007. The principal owners of OJM are Jason M.
O’Dell, David B. Mandell, and Carole C. Foos.
OJM has $721,687,543 of assets under management as of December 31, 2023, all of which are managed
on a discretionary basis. As of December 31, 2023, the OJM Group Intelligent Portfolios has $1,533,013
in discretionary assets under management, which is included in the total assets listed above.
This disclosure brochure describes the business of OJM. Certain sections will also describe the activities
of Supervised Persons. Supervised Persons are any of OJM’s officers, partners, directors (or other
persons occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), or employees, or any other person
who provides investment advice on OJM’s behalf and is subject to OJM’s supervision or control.
Financial Planning and Consulting Services
OJM may provide its clients with a broad range of comprehensive financial planning and consulting
services. These services seek to address education and retirement planning needs of the client.
In performing its services, OJM is not required to verify any information received from the client or
from the client’s other professionals (e.g., attorney, accountant, etc.) and is expressly authorized to rely
on such information. OJM may recommend the services of itself, its Supervised Persons in their
individual capacities as registered representatives of a broker-dealer, and/or other professionals to
implement its recommendations. Clients are advised that a conflict of interest exists if OJM recommends
its own services. The client is under no obligation to act upon any of the recommendations made by
OJM under a financial planning or consulting engagement or to engage the services of any such
recommended professional, including OJM itself. The client retains absolute discretion over all such
implementation decisions and is free to accept or reject any of OJM’s recommendations. Clients are
advised that it remains their responsibility to promptly notify OJM if there is ever any change in their
financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing, evaluating, or revising OJM’s
previous recommendations and/or services.
Investment Management and Wealth Management Services
Investment Management
Clients can engage OJM to manage all or a portion of their assets on a discretionary basis or non-
discretionary basis. OJM’s investment management service include an ongoing and continuous portfolio
management and review in the delivery of initial and ongoing services. OJM may include a review of
the overall aspects of a client’s current financial situation and consider both long- and short-term
objectives. OJM can also tailor its services to focus only on certain portfolio components, depending
upon the client’s wishes and/or the nature of the engagement. OJM welcomes the opportunity to provide
individualized services. However, where investment management services or information are limited,
clients must understand that comprehensive investment needs and/or objectives may not be fully
considered due to the client’s direction to receive focus only on certain portfolio components, more
comprehensive services, the lack of information provided by the client, and/or other client directives.
Clients engaging OJM for investment management services must play an active role. OJM requires the
client to participate in the formation of the investment plan, investment advice, and recommendations.
Clients may call OJM at any time to inquire about or discuss their portfolio, but OJM recommends that
clients initiate a meeting with OJM no less than annually.
Wealth Management
In addition, OJM may provide clients with wealth management services which may seek to maximize
investment options and financial performance, as well as: budget analysis; cash flow and retirement
issues and/or projections; financial planning recommendations; wealth protection; and other areas that
may be desired, which can be tailored to suit the needs of the client.
When wealth management services strictly focus on limited areas of the clients’ interest or needs, clients
must recognize that their overall financial and investment needs and objectives may not be considered as a
result of service constraints placed on OJM’s services. Clients requiring assistance with issues relating to
matters outside of investment advisory topics should consult their personal tax adviser, legal counsel, or
other professionals for expert opinions. If requested, OJM can work in conjunction with the client’s
selected legal counsel or certified public accountant.
OJM primarily allocates clients’ investment management assets among Independent Managers (as
defined below), mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), individual debt and equity securities
and/or options as well as the securities components of variable annuities and variable life insurance
contracts in accordance with the investment objectives of the client. OJM also may provide advice about
any type of investment held in clients' portfolios.
OJM also may render non-discretionary investment management services to clients relative to variable
life/annuity products that they may own, their individual employer-sponsored retirement plans, and/or
529 plans or other products that may not be held by the client’s primary custodian. In so doing, OJM
either directs or recommends the allocation of client assets among the various investment options that
are available through that product or retirement plan. Client assets are maintained at the specific
insurance company or custodian designated by the product or retirement plan.
OJM tailors its advisory services to the individual needs of clients. OJM consults with clients initially
and on an ongoing basis to determine risk tolerance, time horizon and other factors that may impact the
clients’ investment needs. OJM ensures that clients’ investments are suitable for their investment
needs,
goals, objectives and risk tolerance.
Clients are advised to promptly notify OJM if there are changes in their financial situation or investment
objectives, or if they wish to impose any reasonable restrictions upon OJM’s management services.
Retirement Plan Consulting
OJM offers advisory services to 401k and other qualified retirement plans (“Plans”) for businesses,
which may include, depending on the needs of the Plan client, recommending investment options for
Plans to offer to participants, ongoing monitoring of a Plan’s investment options, assisting plan
fiduciaries in creating and/or updating the Plan’s written investment policy statements, working with
Plan service providers, and providing general investment education to Plan participants.
Other Services for Employee Benefit Plans: As part of providing investment services to Plans, OJM
may provide certain information and services to the Plan and the Plan sponsor/trustees. These other
services are designed to assist the Plan sponsor/trustees in meeting their obligations to the Plan.
Retirement Rollovers Conflict of Interest: 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.
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). In
the event OJM recommends that a client roll over their retirement plan assets into an account to be
managed by OJM, such a recommendation creates a conflict of interest if OJM will earn an advisory
fee on the rolled over assets. When acting in such capacity, OJM serves as a fiduciary under the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
There is a conflict of interest when an OJM representative makes a recommendation that a participant
roll over assets from a retirement account into a new or existing account or investment (e.g. rollover
IRA) managed by OJM. The conflict of interest exists because OJM will receive compensation (e.g.,
management fees) if the money is rolled over, but it will not if the recommendation is not accepted.
No client is under any obligation to rollover retirement plan assets to an account managed by OJM.
OJM's Chief Compliance Officer remains available to address any questions that a client or prospective
client may have regarding the potential for conflict of interest presented by such rollover
recommendation.
Use of Independent Managers
As mentioned above, OJM may recommend that certain clients authorize the active discretionary
management of a portion of their assets by and/or among certain independent investment managers
(“Independent Managers”), based upon the stated investment objectives of the client. The terms and
conditions under which the client engages the Independent Managers shall be set forth in a separate
written agreement between OJM or the client and the designated Independent Managers. OJM may
render services to the client relative to the discretionary selection of Independent Managers. OJM also
monitors and reviews the account performance of any designated Independent Manager. OJM receives
an annual advisory fee which is based upon a percentage of the market value of the assets being
managed by the designated Independent Managers.
When recommending an Independent Manager for a client, OJM reviews information about the
Independent Manager such as its disclosure statement and/or material supplied by the Independent
Manager or independent third parties for a description of the Independent Manager’s investment
strategies, past performance and risk results to the extent available.
Factors that OJM considers in recommending an Independent Manager include the client’s stated
investment objectives, management style, performance, reputation, financial strength, reporting, pricing,
and research. The investment management fees charged by the designated Independent Managers,
together with the fees charged by the corresponding designated broker-dealer/ custodian of the client’s
assets, may be exclusive of, and in addition to, OJM’s investment advisory fees detailed below in Item
5. As discussed above, the client may incur additional fees than those charged by OJM, the designated
Independent Managers, and corresponding broker-dealer and custodian.
In addition to OJM’s written disclosure statement, the client also receives the written disclosure
statement of the designated Independent Managers. Certain Independent Managers may impose more
restrictive account requirements and varying billing practices than OJM. In such instances, OJM may
alter its corresponding account requirements and/or billing practices to accommodate those of the
Independent Managers.
If OJM refers a client to an Independent Manager where OJM’s compensation is included in the
advisory fee charged by such Independent Manager and the client engages the Independent Manager,
OJM shall be compensated for its services by receipt of a fee to be paid directly by the Independent
Manager to OJM in accordance with the requirements of Rule 206(4)-3 of the Investment Advisers
Act of 1940, as amended, and any corresponding state securities laws, rules, regulations, or
requirements. Any such fee is paid solely from the Independent Manager’s investment management
fee and does not result in any additional charge to the client.