A. Catherine V. (Kay) Quinn founded Kay Quinn Financial as a sole proprietorship on April 15, 2002.
Effective On December 18, 2008, the Registrant changed from a sole proprietorship to a Limited
Liability Corporation, Kay Quinn Financial, LLC. On January 1, 2011, the Registrant changed its
name to Quinn Financial Partners, LLC. Effective February 25, 2016, the Registrant changed its
name to Quinn Stauffer Financial, LLC. Effective August 1, 2022, the Registrant changed its name
to Kay Quinn Financial, LLC.
The Registrant is wholly owned by Catherine V. (Kay) Quinn.
B. As discussed below, the Registrant offers to its clients (individuals, high net worth individuals,
pension and profit sharing plans, trusts, estates and charitable organizations, etc.) investment
advisory services, and, to the extent specifically requested by a client, financial planning and related
consulting services.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES
The client can engage the Registrant to provide discretionary and/or non-discretionary investment
advisory services on a 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. Before
engaging the 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.
Registrant’s annual investment advisory fee shall include investment advisory services, and, to the
extent specifically requested by the client, financial planning and consulting services. In the event
that the client requires extraordinary planning and/or consultation services (to be determined in the
sole discretion of the Registrant), the Registrant may determine to charge for such additional
services pursuant to a stand-alone Financial Planning Agreement (see below).
To commence the investment advisory process, an investment adviser representative will first
ascertain each client’s investment objectives and then allocate the client’s 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 account transactions based upon such reviews.
RETIREMENT PLAN SERVICES
Trustee Directed Plans: Registrant may be engaged to provide discretionary or non-discretionary
investment advisory services to workplace retirement plans, whereby the Registrant manages
retirement 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
Section 3(21) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), as amended.
In discretionary engagements, Registrant will also serve as an investment manager, as that term is
defined under Section 3(38) of ERISA.
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 Consulting Agreement between Registrant and the plan. For such engagements,
Registrant 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 can choose
in self-directing the investments for their individual plan retirement accounts. In addition, to the
extent requested by the plan sponsor, the Registrant may also provide participant education
designed to assist participants in identifying the appropriate investment strategy for their retirement
plan accounts.
FINANCIAL PLANNING AND CONSULTING SERVICES (STAND-ALONE)
To the extent specifically requested by a client, the Registrant may determine 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
planning and consulting fees are negotiable but are generally provided on an hourly rate basis at a
rate of $200.00 per hour.
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 certain of 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. 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. It remains the client’s responsibility to
promptly notify the Registrant if there is ever any change in his/her/its financial situation or
investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing/evaluating/revising Registrant’s previous
recommendations and/or services.
MISCELLANEOUS
Non-Investment Consulting/Implementation Services. To the extent requested by the client, the
Registrant may provide consulting services regarding matters such as estate planning, tax planning,
insurance, etc. Neither the Registrant, nor any of its representatives, serves as an attorney or
accountant, and no portion of the Registrant’s services should be construed as same. To the extent
requested by a client, the Registrant may recommend the services of other professionals (e.g.,
attorneys, accountants, insurance,
etc.), including certain of the representatives of the Registrant in
their separate licensed capacities as discussed below. 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. 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. It remains the client’s responsibility to promptly notify the Registrant if there
is ever any change in his/her/its financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of
reviewing/evaluating/revising Registrant’s previous recommendations and/or services.
Periods of Portfolio Inactivity. 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, the client’s financial circumstances, and changes in the client’s
investment objectives. Based upon these and other factors, there may be extended periods of time
when Registrant determines that changes to a client’s portfolio are neither necessary nor prudent.
Notwithstanding, there can be no assurance that investment decisions made by Registrant will be
profitable or equal any specific performance level(s). Clients remain subject to the fees described
in Item 5 below during periods of account inactivity.
Cash Positions. Registrant considers cash and cash equivalents (e.g., money market funds, etc.) to
be a material component of a client’s investment allocation. As a result, 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), the Registrant may maintain cash and/or
cash equivalent positions for defensive, liquidity, or other purposes. Unless otherwise agreed, all
such cash and cash equivalent positions shall be included as part of assets under management for
purposes of calculating Registrant‘s advisory fee. Clients are advised that, at any particular time,
Registrant’s asset-based advisory fee may exceed the yield earned on cash and cash equivalent
positions.
Trade Error Policy. Registrant shall reimburse accounts for losses resulting from the Registrant’s
trade errors, but shall not credit accounts for such errors resulting in market gains. The gains and
losses are reconciled within the Registrant’s custodian firm account and Registrant retains the net
losses and distributes all net gains to a charitable organization.
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 his/her/its responsibility
to promptly notify the Registrant if there is ever any change in his/her/its financial situation or
investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing/evaluating/revising Registrant’s previous
recommendations and/or services.
Retirement Rollovers. 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. No client is under any obligation to roll over
retirement plan assets to an account managed by Registrant.
ERISA / IRC Fiduciary Acknowledgment. When Registrant provides investment advice to a
client regarding the client’s retirement plan account or individual retirement account, it does so as
a fiduciary within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act
(“ERISA”) and/or the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”), as applicable, which are laws governing
retirement accounts. The way Registrant makes money creates some conflicts with client interests,
so Registrant operates under a special rule that requires it to act in the client’s best interest and not
put its interests ahead of the client’s.
Under this special rule's provisions, Registrant must:
• Meet a professional standard of care when making investment recommendations (give
prudent advice);
• Never put its financial interests ahead of the client’s when making recommendations (give
loyal advice);
• Avoid misleading statements about conflicts of interest, fees, and investments;
• Follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that Registrant gives advice that is in
the client’s best interest;
• Charge no more than is reasonable for Registrant’s services; and
• Give the client basic information about conflicts of interest.
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 any time, 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 approximately $100,288,659 in assets under
management on a discretionary basis.