A. Kistler-Tiffany Advisors (the “Registrant”) is a limited liability company formed on
August 14, 1995 in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Registrant became registered
as an Investment Adviser Firm in 2007. The Registrant is owned by James Arnold, Andrew
Reder, David Kovach, and Michael Conner all of whom are the Registrant’s Managing
Members.
B. As discussed below, the Registrant offers to its clients (individuals, high net worth
individuals, pension and profit sharing plans, and charitable organizations etc.), also to the
extent specifically requested by a client, financial planning and related consulting services.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES
The client can determine to engage the Registrant to provide discretionary and/or non-
discretionary investment advisory services on a negotiable fee basis. The Registrant’s
annual investment advisory fee is based upon a percentage (%) of the market value of the
assets placed under the Registrant’s management. Prior to engaging the Registrant to
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. Before Registrant provides investment advisory services, an
investment adviser representative will ascertain each client’s investment objectives.
Thereafter, the Registrant will allocate and/or recommend that the client allocate
investment assets consistent with the designated investment objectives. Once allocated,
the Registrant provides ongoing monitoring and review of account performance and asset
allocation as compared to client investment objectives, and may periodically execute or
recommend execution of account transactions based upon such reviews. To the extent
engaged to do so and specifically requested by a client, financial planning and related
consulting services may be included in the engagement.
INVESTMENT CONSULTING
Registrant may, in its sole discretion, determine to provide non-discretionary investment-
related consulting services on a stand-alone basis. The Registrant’s annual consulting fee
shall be based upon a percentage (%) of the market value of the assets placed under the
Registrant’s consulting service, and shall be set forth in the Financial Planning and
Consulting Agreement between the Registrant and the client. The client maintains absolute
discretion as to whether or not to accept any of the Registrant’s investment
recommendations. The Registrant’s investment consulting service does not include
investment implementation. Registrant’s investment consulting service is generally
intended to provide non-discretionary investment advice to those individuals who do not
wish to engage the Registrant for comprehensive ongoing discretionary investment
advisory services described above. (Please See Non-Discretionary Limitations below).
RETIREMENT PLAN CONSULTING SERVICES
The Registrant also provides discretionary and/or non-discretionary pension/retirement
plan consulting services, in the capacity of a 3(21) and 3(38) advisor, pursuant to which it
assists sponsors of self-directed retirement plans with the selection and/or monitoring of
investment alternatives (generally open-end mutual funds) from which plan participants
shall choose in self-directing the investments for their individual plan retirement accounts.
In addition, to the extent requested by the plan sponsor, the Registrant shall also provide
participant education designed to assist participants in identifying the appropriate
investment strategy for their retirement plan accounts. The terms and conditions of the
engagement shall generally be set forth in a Retirement Plan Consulting Agreement
between the Registrant and the plan sponsor.
FINANCIAL PLANNING AND CONSULTING SERVICES (STAND-ALONE)
The Registrant may be engaged to provide financial planning and/or consulting services
(including investment and non-investment related matters, including estate planning,
insurance planning, etc.) on a stand-alone separate fee basis. Registrant’s fees, as set forth
in Item 5 below, are negotiable and may vary depending upon the level and scope of the
service(s) required and the professional(s) rendering the service(s). Prior to engaging the
Registrant to provide planning or consulting services, clients are generally required to enter
into a Financial Planning and Consulting 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 portion of the fee that is due from the client prior to
Registrant commencing services. If requested by the client, Registrant may recommend the
services of other professionals for implementation purposes, including the Registrant’s
representatives in their individual capacities as licensed insurance agents. (See disclosure
at Item 10.C.). 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 the
Registrant. Please Note: 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. If, and when, the Registrant is
involved in a specific matter (i.e. estate planning, insurance, accounting-related
engagement, etc.), it is the engaged licensed professionals (i.e. attorney, accountant,
insurance agent, etc.), and not the Registrant, that is 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.
MISCELLANEOUS
Limitations of Financial Planning and Non-Investment Consulting/Implementation
Services. As indicated above, to the extent requested by a client, Registrant may provide
financial planning and related consulting services regarding non-investment related
matters, such as estate planning, tax planning, insurance, etc. Registrant will generally
provide such consulting services inclusive of its advisory fee set forth at Item 5 below
(exceptions could occur based upon assets under management, special projects, stand-alone
planning engagements, etc. for which Firm may charge a separate or additional fee). Please
Note. Registrant believes that it is important for the client to address financial planning
issues on an ongoing basis. Registrant’s advisory fee, as set forth at Item 5 below, will
remain the same regardless of whether or not the client determines to address financial
planning issues with Registrant. Registrant does not serve as an attorney or accountant,
and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting services. Neither
the Registrant nor its investment adviser representatives assist clients with the
implementation of any financial plan, unless they have agreed to do so in
writing. Accordingly, Registrant does not prepare estate planning documents or tax
returns. In addition, the Registrant does not monitor a client’s financial plan, and it is the
client’s responsibility to revisit the financial plan with the Registrant, if desired. To the
extent requested by a client, Registrant may recommend the services of other professionals
for certain non-investment implementation purposes (i.e. attorneys, accountants, insurance
agents, etc.), including representatives of Registrant in their separate individual capacities
as licensed insurance agents. 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 Registrant, shall be responsible for the quality and competency of the services
provided. Please Also Note-Conflict of Interest: The recommendation by Registrant that
a client purchase a securities or insurance commission product through one of Registrant’s
representatives in their separate and individual capacity as an insurance agent, presents a
conflict of interest, as the receipt of commissions may provide an incentive to recommend
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 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.
Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, Andrew M. Reder, remains available to address
any questions that a client or prospective client may have regarding the above conflict of
interest.
Retirement Plan Rollovers – No Obligation / 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) 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. Registrant will earn new
(or increase its current) compensation 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, whether it is from an employer’s plan or an existing IRA. The Registrant’s
Chief Compliance Officer, Andrew M. Reder, 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.
Trustee Directed Plans. Registrant may be engaged to provide discretionary investment
advisory services to ERISA retirement plans, whereby the Firm shall manage Plan assets
consistent with the investment objective designated by the Plan trustees. In such
engagements, Registrant will serve as an investment fiduciary as that term is defined under
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”). Registrant will
generally provide services on an “assets under management” fee basis per the terms and
conditions of an Investment Advisory Agreement between the Plan and the Firm.
Participant Directed Retirement Plans. Registrant may also provide investment advisory
and consulting services to participant directed retirement plans per the terms and conditions
of a Retirement Plan Services Agreement between Registrant and the plan. For such
engagements, Registrant shall assist the Plan sponsor with the selection of an investment
platform from which Plan participants shall make their respective investment choices
(which may include investment strategies devised and managed by Registrant), and, to the
extent engaged to do so, may also provide corresponding education to assist the participants
with their decision making process.
Custodian Charges-Additional Fees. As discussed below at Item 12 below, when
requested to recommend a broker-dealer/custodian for client accounts, Registrant generally
recommends that Charles Schwab and Co. (“Schwab”) or Pershing, LLC (“Pershing”)
serve as the broker-dealer/custodian for client investment management assets. Broker-
dealers such as Schwab and Pershing charge brokerage commissions, transaction, and/or
other type fees Custodian for effecting certain types of securities transactions (i.e.,
including transaction fees for certain mutual funds, and mark-ups and mark-downs charged
for fixed income transactions, etc.). The types of securities for which transaction fees,
commissions, and/or other type fees (as well as the amount of those fees) shall differ
depending upon the broker-dealer/custodian (while certain custodians, including Schwab
and Pershing do not currently charge fees on individual equity and ETF transactions, others
do). When beneficial to the client, individual fixed‐income and/or equity transactions may
be effected through broker‐dealers with whom Registrant and/or the client have entered
into arrangements for prime brokerage clearing services, including effecting certain client
transactions through other SEC registered and FINRA member broker‐dealers (in which
event, the client generally will incur both the transaction fee charged by the executing
broker‐dealer and a “trade-away” fee charged by Schwab and/or Pershing). These
fees/charges are in addition to Registrant’s investment advisory fee at Item 5 below.
Registrant does not receive any portion of these fees/charges. ANY QUESTIONS:
Registrant’s Chief Compliance Officer, Andrew Reder, remains available to address
any questions that a client or prospective client may have regarding the above.
However, Schwab (as do its primary competitors that provide similar pricing
arrangements) require that cash proceeds to be automatically be swept into a Schwab
proprietary or affiliated money market mutual funds or cash sweeps accounts,
which proprietary/affiliated Schwab funds/accounts do not provide the highest return
available.
Use of Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds: While the Registrant may
recommend allocating investment assets to mutual funds that are not available directly to
the public, the Registrant may also recommend that clients allocate investment assets to
publicly available mutual funds and exchange traded funds that the client could obtain
without engaging Registrant as an investment adviser. However, if a client or prospective
client determines to allocate investment assets to publicly-available mutual funds and
exchange traded funds without engaging Registrant as an investment adviser, the client or
prospective client would not receive the benefit of Registrant’s initial and ongoing
investment advisory services. 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).
Other mutual funds, such as those issued by Dimensional Fund Advisors (“DFA”), are
generally only available through selected registered investment advisers. Registrant may
allocate client investment assets to DFA mutual funds. Therefore, upon the termination of
Registrant’s services to a client, restrictions regarding transferability and/or additional
purchases of, or reallocation among DFA funds will apply. Registrant’s Chief Compliance
Officer, Andrew Reder, remains available to address any questions that a client or
prospective client may have regarding the above.
Use of Margin or Securities Based Loans Registrant does not generally recommend the
use of margin loans or securities based loans (collectively, “SBLs”) as an investment
strategy, in which the client would leverage borrowed assets as collateral for the purchase
of additional securities. However, Registrant may recommend that a client establish a
margin account with the client’s broker-dealer/custodian or their affiliated banks (each, an
“SBL Lender”) to access SBLs for financial planning and cash flow management purposes.
For example, Registrant may deem it advisable for a client to borrow money on margin to
pay bills or other expenses such as financing the purchase, construction, or maintenance of
a real estate project. Unlike a traditional real estate-backed loan, an SBL has the potential
benefit of: enabling borrowers to access to funds in a shorter period of time, providing
greater repayment flexibility, and may also result in the borrower receiving certain tax
benefits. Clients interested in learning more about the potential tax benefits of borrowing
money on margin should consult with an accountant or tax advisor.
The terms and conditions of each SBL are contained in a separate agreement between the
client and the SBL Lender selected by the client, which terms and conditions may vary
from client to client. Borrowing funds on margin is not suitable for all clients and is subject
to certain risks, including but not limited to: increased market risk, increased risk of loss,
especially in the event of a significant downturn; liquidity risk; the potential obligation to
post collateral or repay the SBL if the SBL Lender determines that the value of
collateralized securities is no longer sufficient to support the value of the SBL; the risk that
the SBL Lender may liquidate the client’s securities to satisfy its demand for additional
collateral or repayment / the risk that the SBL Lender may terminate the SBL at any time.
Before agreeing to participate in an SBL program, clients should carefully review the
applicable SBL agreement and all risk disclosures provided by the SBL Lender including
the initial margin and maintenance requirements for the specific program in which the
client enrolls, and the procedures for issuing “margin calls” and liquidating securities and
other assets in the client’s accounts.
Sub-Advisory Arrangements. The Registrant may engage sub-advisors for the purpose
of assisting the Registrant with the management of its client accounts. The sub-advisor(s)
shall have discretionary authority for the day-to-day management of the assets that are
allocated to it by the Registrant. The sub-advisor shall continue in such capacity until such
arrangement is terminated or modified by the Registrant. The Registrant will render
ongoing and continuous advisory services to the client relative to the monitoring and
review of account performance, client investment objectives, and asset allocation. The
Registrant shall pay a portion of the investment advisory fee received for these allocated
assets to the sub-advisor for its sub-advisory services. The Registrant’s Chief Compliance
Officer, Andrew M. Reder, remains available to address any questions concerning the
Registrant’s sub-advisory arrangements.
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 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 few 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.
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.
ByAllAccounts. In conjunction with the services provided by ByAllAccounts, Inc., the
Registrant may also provide periodic 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 Registrant’s
service relative to the Excluded Assets is limited to reporting services only, which does not
include investment implementation. Because the Registrant does not have trading authority
for the Excluded Assets, 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 client and/or their other advisors
that maintain trading authority, and not the Registrant, shall be exclusively responsible for
the investment performance of the Excluded Assets. Without limiting the above, 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
investment management services 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. 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.
The client is under no obligation to engage an Independent Manager[s]. have day-to- day
responsibility for the active discretionary management of the allocated assets. 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. Factors which Registrant shall consider in recommending Independent
Manager[s] include the client’s designated investment objective(s), management style,
performance, reputation, financial strength, reporting, pricing, and research. Please Note:
The investment management fee charged by the Independent Manager[s]is separate from,
and in addition to Registrant’s advisory fee as set forth in the fee schedule at Item 5 below
and which will be disclosed to the client before entering into the Independent Manager
engagement and/or subject to the terms and conditions of a separate agreement between
the client and the Independent Manager(s).
Please Note: 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 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.
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, market conditions,
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.
Please Note: 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 of a market correction during
which 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.
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.
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.
Client Obligations. In performing its services, 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 or revising
Registrant’s previous recommendations and/or services.
Disclosure Statement. A copy of the Registrant’s written Brochure as set forth on Part 2A
of Form ADV, along with our Form CRS Relationship Summary, shall be provided to each
client prior to, or contemporaneously with, the execution of the Investment Advisory
Agreement, Retirement Plan Consulting Agreement or Financial Planning and Consulting
Agreement.
C. The Registrant shall provide investment advisory services specific to the needs of each
client. Prior to providing investment advisory services, an investment adviser
representative will ascertain each client’s investment objective(s). Thereafter, the
Registrant shall allocate and/or recommend that the client allocate investment assets
consistent with the designated investment objective(s). The client may, at anytime, impose
reasonable restrictions, in writing, on the Registrant’s services.
D. The Registrant does not participate in a wrap fee program.
E. As of December 31, 2022, the Registrant had $ 983,073,736 in assets under management
on a discretionary basis and $8,855,227 in assets under management on a non-
discretionary basis.