Overview
Assets Under Management: $173 million
Headquarters: NEW YORK, NY
High-Net-Worth Clients: 13
Average Client Assets: $13 million
Services Offered
Services: Portfolio Management for Individuals
Fee Structure
Primary Fee Schedule (ASCEND INTERPLAY DISCLOSURE BROCHURE)
Min | Max | Marginal Fee Rate |
---|---|---|
$0 | $25,000,000 | 1.00% |
$25,000,001 | $50,000,000 | 0.70% |
$50,000,001 | $100,000,000 | 0.65% |
$100,000,001 | $250,000,000 | 0.55% |
$250,000,001 | and above | 0.50% |
Illustrative Fee Rates
Total Assets | Annual Fees | Average Fee Rate |
---|---|---|
$1 million | $10,000 | 1.00% |
$5 million | $50,000 | 1.00% |
$10 million | $100,000 | 1.00% |
$50 million | $425,000 | 0.85% |
$100 million | $750,000 | 0.75% |
Clients
Number of High-Net-Worth Clients: 13
Percentage of Firm Assets Belonging to High-Net-Worth Clients: 100.00
Average High-Net-Worth Client Assets: $13 million
Total Client Accounts: 13
Non-Discretionary Accounts: 13
Regulatory Filings
CRD Number: 317344
Last Filing Date: 2025-02-05 00:00:00
Website: https://www.ascend.fo/
Form ADV Documents
Primary Brochure: ASCEND INTERPLAY DISCLOSURE BROCHURE (2025-03-18)
View Document Text
Ascend Interplay, LLC CRD# 317344
110 Greene Street
#1202
New York, NY 10012
Telephone: 914-746-0436
March 18, 2025
FORM ADV PART 2A
BROCHURE
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Ascend Interplay,
LLC. If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, contact us at (914)-746- 0436 or
via email at al@ascend.fo . The information in this brochure has not been approved or verified by the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission or by any state securities authority.
Additional information about Ascend Interplay, LLC is available on the SEC's website at
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Ascend Interplay, LLC is a registered investment adviser. Registration with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission or any state securities authority does not imply a certain level of
skill or training.
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Item 2 Summary of Material Changes
Form ADV Part 2 requires registered investment advisers to amend their brochure when information
becomes materially inaccurate. If there are any material changes to an adviser's disclosure brochure,
the adviser is required to notify you and provide you with a description of the material changes.
Since the Annual Amendment ADV filing dated November 18, 2024, the material changes to our
Brochure are described below.
• The firm offers travel planning services. (Item 4)
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Item 3 Table of Contents
Item 1 Cover Page…………………………………………………………………………………………………..1
Item 2 Summary of Material Changes ....................................................................................................... 2
Item 3 Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... 3
Item 4 Advisory Business .......................................................................................................................... 4
Item 5 Fees and Compensation................................................................................................................. 5
Item 6 Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management ............................................................. 7
Item 7 Types of Clients ............................................................................................................................. 7
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss ......................................................... 7
Item 9 Disciplinary Information ................................................................................................................ 17
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations ....................................................................... 18
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading ................. 18
Item 12 Brokerage Practices ................................................................................................................... 18
Item 13 Review of Accounts .................................................................................................................... 20
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation................................................................................... 20
Item 15 Custody ...................................................................................................................................... 20
Item 16 Investment Discretion ................................................................................................................. 20
Item 17 Voting Client Securities .............................................................................................................. 21
Item 18 Financial Information .................................................................................................................. 21
Item 19 Requirements for State-Registered Advisers .............................................................................. 21
Item 20 Additional Information ................................................................................................................. 21
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Item 4 Advisory Business
Description of Firm
Ascend Interplay, LLC is a registered investment adviser based in New York, NY. We are organized
as a limited liability company ("LLC") under the laws of the State of Delaware. We are owned by Mark
Peter Davis and Kevin Tung.
The following paragraphs describe our services and fees. Refer to the description of each investment
advisory service listed below for information on how we tailor our advisory services to your individual
needs. As used in this brochure, the words "we," "our," and "us" refer to Ascend Interplay, LLC and the
words "you," "your," and "client" refer to you as either a client or prospective client of our firm.
Services are broken into two categories: 1) clients that onboard all of their assets ("Members") and 2)
clients that onboard only a portion of their assets ("Partial Members").
Portfolio Management Services
We offer non-discretionary portfolio management services. Our investment advice is tailored to meet
our clients' needs and investment objectives. If you enter into non-discretionary arrangements with our
firm, we must obtain your approval prior to executing any transactions on behalf of your account. You
have an unrestricted right to decline to implement any advice provided by our firm on a non-
discretionary basis.
Travel Planning Services
We provide our clients with comprehensive travel planning services, offering assistance with selecting
destinations, accommodations, flights, activities, and more. This service is provided at no additional
cost. Clients may choose to utilize this service and independently handle their bookings, or they can
opt to have our team manage the bookings on their behalf.
If a client elects to have us book their travel, one of our contractors, who is a professional travel agent,
may receive compensation directly from the hotel chain or other service providers for facilitating the
booking. However, there will never be any markup on the booking cost, and clients will always receive
the best publicly available rates or better.
Types of Investments
We offer advice on equity securities, warrants, corporate debt securities (other than commercial
paper), commercial paper, certificates of deposit, municipal securities, variable life insurance, variable
annuities, mutual fund shares, United States government securities, options contracts on securities,
options contracts on commodities, futures contracts on tangibles, futures contracts on intangibles,
private placements, money market funds, real estate, REITs, PIPEs, derivatives, structured products,
ETFs, leveraged ETFs, digital assets, interests in partnerships investing in real estate and interests in
partnerships investing in oil and gas interests.
We may advise you on various types of investments based on your stated goals and objectives. We
may also provide advice on any type of investment held in your portfolio at the inception of our
advisory relationship.
Since our investment strategies and advice are based on each client's specific financial situation, the
investment advice we provide to you may be different or conflicting with the advice we give to other
clients regarding the same security or investment.
Ascend Interplay may also refer Clients to an accountant, estate attorney or another specialist, as
appropriate for their unique situation. The accountant, attorney and other specialists referred to clients
may be affiliated through common control with Ascend Interplay, which may present certain conflicts of
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interests.
Provisional Members
Clients that only allocate between $250,000 and $2,000,000 of their assets to us are considered
Provisional Members. While an advisory client, the Provisional Member will pay a one-time fee based
upon total committed capital. No other advisory fee is charged. Please refer to Item 5 for further details
on fees. Please note that the Provisional Member's total committed capital may not fall below $250,000
or exceed $2,000,000. If the Provisional Member wishes to exceed the $2,000,000 threshold, a Partial
Membership Agreement must be executed with Ascend Interplay.
IRA Rollover Recommendations
Effective December 20, 2021 (or such later date as the US Department of Labor ("DOL") Field
Assistance Bulletin 2018-02 ceases to be in effect), for purposes of complying with the DOL's
Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2020-02 ("PTE 2020-02") where applicable, we are providing the
following acknowledgment to you.
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.
We benefit financially from the rollover of your assets from a retirement account to an account that we
manage or provide investment advice, because the assets increase our assets under management
and, in turn, our advisory fees. As a fiduciary, we only recommend a rollover when we believe it is in
your best interest.
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2024, we provide continuous management services for $205,775,592 in client
assets on a non-discretionary basis.
Item 5 Fees and Compensation
Member Fee Schedule
Our fee for Member portfolio management services is based on a percentage of the assets in your
account and is set forth in the following annual fee schedule:
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Member Annual Fee Schedule
Assets Under Management
Up to $25 Million
Next $25 Million
Next $50 Million
$100-$250 Million
Over $250 Million
Annual Fee
1.00%
0.70%
0.65%
0.55%
0.50%
Our annual portfolio management fee is billed and payable, monthly in arrears, based on the balance
of assets invested with us minus any equity or profits in the operating companies owned by the client
at the end of the billing period. Some clients choose to exclude real estate assets from the assets
under management with Ascend Interplay. This is delineated in the advisory agreement.
If the portfolio management agreement is executed at any time other than the first day of a calendar
quarter, our fees will apply on a pro rata basis, which means that the advisory fee is payable in
proportion to the number of days in the quarter for which you are a client. Our advisory fee is
negotiable, depending on individual client circumstances.
We will send you an invoice for the payment of our advisory fee. Payment will be due within 30 days of
our invoice and may be paid by check, wire, ACH or other method we agree upon.
We encourage you to reconcile the fee calculation on our invoices with the statement(s) you receive
from the qualified custodian that contain information relative to your accounts values. If you find any
inconsistent information between our calculation and the information on the statement(s) you receive
from the qualified custodian call our main office number located on the cover page of this brochure.
You may terminate the portfolio management agreement upon 30 days written notice. You will incur a
pro rata charge for services rendered prior to the termination of the portfolio management agreement,
which means you will incur advisory fees only in proportion to the number of days in the month for
which you are a client.
Provisional Member Fee Schedule
A one-time fee of 2.0% is calculated based upon capital committed by the Provisional Member and will
be charged upon deployment of capital. No other advisory fee will be charged to the Provisional
Member. If the Provisional Member elects not to invest in any opportunities presented by Ascend
Interplay, no fees will be charged to the Provisional Member.
Additional Fees and Expenses
As part of our investment advisory services to you, we may invest, or recommend that you invest, in
mutual funds and exchange traded funds. The fees that you pay to our firm for investment advisory
services are separate and distinct from the fees and expenses charged by mutual funds or exchange
traded funds (described in each fund's prospectus) to their shareholders. These fees will generally
include a management fee and other fund expenses. You will also incur transaction charges and/or
brokerage fees when purchasing or selling securities. These charges and fees are typically imposed by
the broker-dealer or custodian through whom your account transactions are executed. We do not
share in any portion of the brokerage fees/transaction charges imposed by the broker-dealer or
custodian. To fully understand the total cost you will incur, you should review all the fees charged by
mutual funds, exchange traded funds, our firm, and others. For information on our brokerage practices,
refer to the Brokerage Practices section of this brochure. For investments in private funds, we may
refer the fund’s documents for outside legal review before subscription documents are executed by the
client. If a fund's documents are forwarded for outside legal review, the cost of this review is allocated
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to each client proportionally based on their investment amount as a percentage of the total amount
invested by Ascend clients.
Item 6 Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
We do not charge performance-based fees (fees based on a share of capital gains on, or capital
appreciation of, the assets of a client).
Item 7 Types of Clients
We offer investment advisory services to high-net-worth individuals.
In general, we require a minimum of to open and maintain an advisory account. The minimum
relationship size for Members is $25 million, $5 million for Partial Members, and $250,000 for
Provisional Members. At our discretion, we may waive either minimum account size.
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Our Methods of Analysis and Investment Strategies
We may use one or more of the following methods of analysis or investment strategies when providing
investment advice to you:
Charting Analysis - involves the gathering and processing of price and volume pattern information for
a particular security, sector, broad index or commodity. This price and volume pattern information is
analyzed. The resulting pattern and correlation data is used to detect departures from expected
performance and diversification and predict future price movements and trends.
Risk: Our charting analysis may not accurately detect anomalies or predict future price
movements. Current prices of securities may reflect all information known about the security and
day-to-day changes in market prices of securities may follow random patterns and may not be
predictable with any reliable degree of accuracy.
Technical Analysis - involves studying past price patterns, trends and interrelationships in the
financial markets to assess risk-adjusted performance and predict the direction of both the overall
market and specific securities.
Risk: The risk of market timing based on technical analysis is that our analysis may not accurately
detect anomalies or predict future price movements. Current prices of securities may reflect all
information known about the security and day-to-day changes in market prices of securities may
follow random patterns and may not be predictable with any reliable degree of accuracy.
Fundamental Analysis - involves analyzing individual companies and their industry groups, such as a
company's financial statements, details regarding the company's product line, the experience and
expertise of the company's management, and the outlook for the company and its industry. The
resulting data is used to measure the true value of the company's stock compared to the current
market value.
Risk: The risk of fundamental analysis is that information obtained may be incorrect and the
analysis may not provide an accurate estimate of earnings, which may be the basis for a stock's
value. If securities prices adjust rapidly to new information, utilizing fundamental analysis may not
result in favorable performance.
Cyclical Analysis - a type of technical analysis that involves evaluating recurring price patterns and
trends. Economic/business cycles may not be predictable and may have many fluctuations between
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long-term expansions and contractions.
Risk: The lengths of economic cycles may be difficult to predict with accuracy and therefore the
risk of cyclical analysis is the difficulty in predicting economic trends and consequently the
changing value of securities that would be affected by these changing trends.
Modern Portfolio Theory - a theory of investment which attempts to maximize portfolio expected
return for a given amount of portfolio risk, or equivalently minimize risk for a given level of expected
return, by carefully diversifying the proportions of various assets.
Risk: Market risk is that part of a security's risk that is common to all securities of the same
general class (stocks and bonds) and thus cannot be eliminated by diversification.
Long-Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that the value of those securities
will grow over a relatively long period of time, generally greater than one year.
Risk: Using a long-term purchase strategy generally assumes the financial markets will go up in
the long-term which may not be the case. There is also the risk that the segment of the market
that you are invested in or perhaps just your particular investment will go down over time even if
the overall financial markets advance. Purchasing investments long-term may create an
opportunity cost - "locking-up" assets that may be better utilized in the short-term in other
investments.
Short-Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that they will be sold within a
relatively short period of time, generally less than one year, to take advantage of the securities' short-
term price fluctuations.
Risk: Using a short-term purchase strategy generally assumes that we can predict how financial
markets will perform in the short-term which may be very difficult and will incur a disproportionately
higher amount of transaction costs compared to long-term trading. There are many factors that can
affect financial market performance in the short-term (such as short-term interest rate changes,
cyclical earnings announcements, etc.) but may have a smaller impact over longer periods of times.
Short Sales - Unlike a straightforward investment in stocks where you buy shares with the expectation
that their price will increase so you can sell at a profit, in a "short sale" you borrow stocks from your
brokerage firm and sell them immediately, hoping to buy them later at a lower price. Thus, a short
seller hopes that the price of a stock will go down in the near future. A short seller thus uses declines in
the market to his advantage. The short seller makes money when the stock prices fall and loses when
prices go up. The SEC has strict regulations in place regarding short selling.
Risk: Short selling is very risky. Investors should exercise extreme caution before short selling is
implemented. A short seller will profit if the stock goes down in price, but if the price of the shares
increase, the potential losses are unlimited because the stock can keep rising forever. There is no
ceiling on how much a short seller can lose in a trade. The share price may keep going up and the
short seller will have to pay whatever the prevailing stock price is to buy back the shares.
However, gains have a ceiling level because the stock price cannot fall below zero.
Risks: A short seller has to undertake to pay the earnings on the borrowed securities as long as
the short seller chooses to keep the short position open. If the company declares huge dividends
or issues bonus shares, the short seller will have to pay that amount to the lender. Any such
occurrence can skew the entire short investment and make it unprofitable. The broker can use the
funds in the short seller's margin account to buy back the loaned shares or issue a "call away" to
get the short seller to return the borrowed securities. If the broker makes this call when the stock
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price is much higher than the price at the time of the short sale, then the investor can end up
taking huge losses.
Risk: Margin interest can be a significant expense. Since short sales can only be undertaken in
margin accounts, the interest payable on short trades can be substantial, especially if short
positions are kept open over an extended period.
Risk: Shares that are difficult to borrow – because of high short interest, limited float, or any other
reason – have "hard-to-borrow" fees. These fees are based on an annualized rate that can range
from a small fraction of a percent to more than 100% of the value of the short trade. The hard-to-
borrow rate can fluctuate substantially on a daily basis; therefore, the exact dollar amount of the
fee may not be known in advance and may be substantial.
Option Writing - a securities transaction that involves selling an option. An option is a contract that
gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a particular security at a specified price
on or before the expiration date of the option. When an investor sells a call option, he or she must
deliver to the buyer a specified number of shares if the buyer exercises the option. When an investor
sells a put option, he or she must pay the strike price per share if the buyer exercises the option and
will receive the specified number of shares. The option writer/seller receives a premium (the market
price of the option at a particular time) in exchange for writing the option.
Risk: Options are complex investments and can be very risky, especially if the investor does not
own the underlying stock. In certain situations, an investor's risk can be unlimited.
Our investment strategies and advice may vary depending upon each client's specific financial
situation. As such, we determine investments and allocations based upon your predefined objectives,
risk tolerance, time horizon, financial information, liquidity needs and other various suitability factors.
Your restrictions and guidelines may affect the composition of your portfolio. It is important that you
notify us immediately with respect to any material changes to your financial circumstances, including
for example, a change in your current or expected income level, tax circumstances, or employment
status.
We will not perform quantitative or qualitative analysis of individual securities. Instead, we will advise
you on how to allocate your assets among various classes of securities or third party money
managers. We primarily rely on investment model portfolios and strategies developed by the third party
money managers and their portfolio managers. We may replace/recommend replacing a third party
money manager if there is a significant deviation in characteristics or performance from the stated
strategy and/or benchmark.
Cash Management
Clients are responsible for custodying their own cash. Ascend will make cash management
recommendations to clients based on each client’s individual profile.
Tax Considerations
Our strategies and investments may have unique and significant tax implications. However, unless we
specifically agree otherwise, and in writing, tax efficiency is not our primary consideration in the
management of your assets. Regardless of your account size or any other factors, we strongly
recommend that you consult with a tax professional regarding the investing of your assets.
Custodians and broker-dealers must report the cost basis of equities acquired in client accounts. Your
custodian will default to the First-In First-Out ("FIFO") accounting method for calculating the cost basis
of your investments. You are responsible for contacting your tax advisor to determine if this accounting
method is the right choice for you. If your tax advisor believes another accounting method is more
9
advantageous, provide written notice to our firm immediately and we will alert your account custodian
of your individually selected accounting method. Decisions about cost basis accounting methods will
need to be made before trades settle, as the cost basis method cannot be changed after settlement.
Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves risk of loss that you should be prepared to bear. We do not represent or
guarantee that our services or methods of analysis can or will predict future results, successfully
identify market tops or bottoms, or insulate clients from losses due to market corrections or declines.
We cannot offer any guarantees or promises that your financial goals and objectives will be met. Past
performance is in no way an indication of future performance.
Other Risk Considerations
When evaluating risk, financial loss may be viewed differently by each client and may depend on many
different risks, each of which may affect the probability and magnitude of any potential losses. The
following risks may not be all-inclusive, but should be considered carefully by a prospective client
before retaining our services.
Liquidity Risk: The risk of being unable to sell your investment at a fair price at a given time due to
high volatility or lack of active liquid markets. You may receive a lower price or it may not be possible
to sell the investment at all.
Credit Risk: Credit risk typically applies to debt investments such as corporate, municipal, and
sovereign fixed income or bonds. A bond issuing entity can experience a credit event that could impair
or erase the value of an issuer's securities held by a client.
Inflation and Interest Rate Risk: Security prices and portfolio returns will likely vary in response to
changes in inflation and interest rates. Inflation causes the value of future dollars to be worth less and may
reduce the purchasing power of a client's future interest payments and principal. Inflation also generally
leads to higher interest rates which may cause the value of many types of fixed income investments to
decline.
Horizon and Longevity Risk: The risk that your investment horizon is shortened because of an
unforeseen event, for example, the loss of your job. This may force you to sell investments that you
were expecting to hold for the long term. If you must sell at a time that the markets are down, you may
lose money. Longevity Risk is the risk of outliving your savings. This risk is particularly relevant for
people who are retired, or are nearing retirement.
Recommendation of Particular Types of Securities
We recommend various types of securities and we do not primarily recommend one particular type of
security over another since each client has different needs and different tolerance for risk. Each type of
security has its own unique set of risks associated with it and it would not be possible to list here all of
the specific risks of every type of investment. Even within the same type of investment, risks can vary
widely. However, in very general terms, the higher the anticipated return of an investment, the higher
the risk of loss associated with the investment. A description of the types of securities we may
recommend to you and some of their inherent risks are provided below.
Money Market Funds: A money market fund is technically a security. The fund managers attempt to
keep the share price constant at $1/share. However, there is no guarantee that the share price will stay
at $1/share. If the share price goes down, you can lose some or all of your principal. The U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") notes that "While investor losses in money market
funds have been rare, they are possible." In return for this risk, you should earn a greater return on
your cash than you would expect from a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") insured
savings account (money market funds are not FDIC insured). Next, money market fund rates are
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variable. In other words, you do not know how much you will earn on your investment next month. The
rate could go up or go down. If it goes up, that may result in a positive outcome. However, if it goes
down and you earn less than you expected to earn, you may end up needing more cash. A final risk
you are taking with money market funds has to do with inflation. Because money market funds are
considered to be safer than other investments like stocks, long-term average returns on money market
funds tends to be less than long term average returns on riskier investments. Over long periods of
time, inflation can eat away at your returns.
Certificates of Deposit: Certificates of deposit ("CD") are generally a safe type of investment since
they are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Company ("FDIC") up to a certain amount.
However, because the returns are generally low, there is risk that inflation outpaces the return of the
CD. Certain CDs are traded in the marketplace and not purchased directly from a banking institution. In
addition to trading risk, when CDs are purchased at a premium, the premium is not covered by the
FDIC.
Municipal Securities: Municipal securities, while generally thought of as safe, can have significant
risks associated with them including, but not limited to: the credit worthiness of the governmental entity
that issues the bond; the stability of the revenue stream that is used to pay the interest to the
bondholders; when the bond is due to mature; and, whether or not the bond can be "called" prior to
maturity. When a bond is called, it may not be possible to replace it with a bond of equal character
paying the same amount of interest or yield to maturity.
Bonds: Corporate debt securities (or "bonds") are typically safer investments than equity securities,
but their risk can also vary widely based on: the financial health of the issuer; the risk that the issuer
might default; when the bond is set to mature; and, whether or not the bond can be "called" prior to
maturity. When a bond is called, it may not be possible to replace it with a bond of equal character
paying the same rate of return.
Stocks: There are numerous ways of measuring the risk of equity securities (also known simply as
"equities" or "stock"). In very broad terms, the value of a stock depends on the financial health of the
company issuing it. However, stock prices can be affected by many other factors including, but not
limited to the class of stock (for example, preferred or common); the health of the market sector of the
issuing company; and, the overall health of the economy. In general, larger, better-established
companies ("large cap") tend to be safer than smaller start-up companies ("small cap") are but the
mere size of an issuer is not, by itself, an indicator of the safety of the investment.
Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds: Mutual funds and exchange traded funds ("ETF") are
professionally managed collective investment systems that pool money from many investors and invest
in stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments, other mutual funds, other securities, or any
combination thereof. The fund will have a manager that trades the fund's investments in accordance
with the fund's investment objective. While mutual funds and ETFs generally provide diversification,
risks can be significantly increased if the fund is concentrated in a particular sector of the market,
primarily invests in small cap or speculative companies, uses leverage (i.e., borrows money) to a
significant degree, or concentrates in a particular type of security (i.e., equities) rather than balancing
the fund with different types of securities. ETFs differ from mutual funds since they can be bought and
sold throughout the day like stock and their price can fluctuate throughout the day. The returns on
mutual funds and ETFs can be reduced by the costs to manage the funds. Also, while some mutual
funds are "no load" and charge no fee to buy into, or sell out of, the fund, other types of mutual funds
do charge such fees which can also reduce returns. Mutual funds can also be "closed end" or "open
end". So-called "open end" mutual funds continue to allow in new investors indefinitely whereas
"closed end" funds have a fixed number of shares to sell which can limit their availability to new
investors.
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ETFs may have tracking error risks. For example, the ETF investment adviser may not be able to
cause the ETF's performance to match that of its Underlying Index or other benchmark, which may
negatively affect the ETF's performance. In addition, for leveraged and inverse ETFs that seek to track
the performance of their Underlying Indices or benchmarks on a daily basis, mathematical
compounding may prevent the ETF from correlating with performance of its benchmark. In addition, an
ETF may not have investment exposure to all of the securities included in its Underlying Index, or its
weighting of investment exposure to such securities may vary from that of the Underlying Index. Some
ETFs may invest in securities or financial instruments that are not included in the Underlying Index, but
which are expected to yield similar performance.
Leveraged Exchange Traded Funds:
Leveraged Exchange Traded Funds ("Leveraged ETFs" or "L-ETF") seeks investment results for a
single day only, not for longer periods. A "single day" is measured from the time the L-ETF calculates
its net asset value ("NAV") to the time of the L-ETF's next NAV calculation. The return of the L-ETF for
periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day's returns compounded over the period,
which will very likely differ from multiplying the return by the stated leverage for that period. For periods
longer than a single day, the L-ETF will lose money when the level of the Index is flat, and it is possible
that the L-ETF will lose money even if the level of the Index rises. Longer holding periods, higher index
volatility and greater leverage both exacerbate the impact of compounding on an investor's returns.
During periods of higher Index volatility, the volatility of the Index may affect the L-ETF's return as
much as or more than the return of the Index. Leveraged ETFs are different from most exchange-
traded funds in that they seek leveraged returns relative to the applicable index and only on a daily
basis. The L-ETF also is riskier than similarly benchmarked exchange-traded funds that do not use
leverage. Accordingly, the L-ETF may not be suitable for all investors and should be used only by
knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged
investment results.
Leveraged ETF Leveraged Risk: The L-ETF obtains investment exposure in excess of its assets in
seeking to achieve its investment objective — a form of leverage — and will lose more money in
market environments adverse to its daily objective than a similar fund that does not employ such
leverage. The use of such leverage could result in the total loss of an investor's investment. For
example: a 2X fund will have a multiplier of two times (2x) the Index. A single day movement in the
Index approaching 50% at any point in the day could result in the total loss of a shareholder's
investment if that movement is contrary to the investment objective of the L-ETF, even if the Index
subsequently moves in an opposite direction, eliminating all or a portion of the earlier movement. This
would be the case with any such single day movements in the Index, even if the Index maintains a
level greater than zero at all times.
Leveraged ETF Compounding Risk: Compounding affects all investments but has a more significant
impact on a leveraged fund. Particularly during periods of higher Index volatility, compounding will
cause results for periods longer than a single day to vary from the stated multiplier of the return of the
Index. This effect becomes more pronounced as volatility increases.
Leveraged ETF Use of Derivatives: The L-ETF obtains investment exposure through derivatives.
Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the L-ETF to greater risks than
investing directly in the reference asset(s) underlying those derivatives. These risks include
counterparty risk, liquidity risk and increased correlation risk (each as discussed below). When the L-
ETF uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference asset(s)
and the derivative, which may prevent the L-ETF from achieving its investment objective. Because
derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives also may expose the L-
ETF to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested. The L-ETF may use a combination of
swaps on the Index and swaps on an ETF that is designed to track the performance of the Index. The
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performance of an ETF may not track the performance of the Index due to embedded costs and other
factors. Thus, to the extent the L-ETF invests in swaps that use an ETF as the reference asset, the L-
ETF may be subject to greater correlation risk and may not achieve as high a degree of correlation
with the Index as it would if the L-ETF only used swaps on the Index. Moreover, with respect to the use
of swap agreements, if the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the L-
ETF's net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the L-ETF and its counterparty may permit
the counterparty to immediately close out the transaction with the L-ETF. In that event, the L-ETF may
be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve the desired
exposure consistent with the L-ETF's investment objective. This, in turn, may prevent the L-ETF from
achieving its investment objective, even if the Index reverses all or a portion of its intraday move by the
end of the day. Any costs associated with using derivatives will also have the effect of lowering the L-
ETF's return.
Commercial Paper: Commercial paper ("CP") is, in most cases, an unsecured promissory note that is
issued with a maturity of 270 days or less. Being unsecured the risk to the investor is that the issuer
may default. There is less risk in asset based commercial paper (ABCP). The difference between
ABCP and CP is that instead of being an unsecured promissory note representing an obligation of the
issuing company, ABCP is backed by securities. Therefore, the perceived quality of the ABCP
depends on the underlying securities.
Variable Annuities: A variable annuity is a form of insurance where the seller or issuer (typically an
insurance company) makes a series of future payments to a buyer (annuitant) in exchange for the
immediate payment of a lump sum (single-payment annuity) or a series of regular payments (regular-
payment annuity). The payment stream from the issuer to the annuitant has an unknown duration
based principally upon the date of death of the annuitant. At this point, the contract will terminate and
the remainder of the funds accumulated forfeited unless there are other annuitants or beneficiaries in
the contract. Annuities can be purchased to provide an income during retirement. Unlike fixed annuities
that make payments in fixed amounts or in amounts that increase by a fixed percentage, variable
annuities, pay amounts that vary according to the performance of a specified set of investments,
typically bond and equity mutual funds. Many variable annuities typically impose asset-based sales
charges or surrender charges for withdrawals within a specified period. Variable annuities may impose
a variety of fees and expenses, in addition to sales and surrender charges, such as mortality and
expense risk charges; administrative fees; underlying fund expenses; and charges for special features,
all of which can reduce the return. Earnings in a variable annuity do not provide all the tax advantages
of 401(k)s and other before-tax retirement plans. Once the investor starts withdrawing money from
their variable annuity, earnings are taxed at the ordinary income rate, rather than at the lower capital
gains rates applied to other non-tax-deferred vehicles which are held for more than one year. Proceeds
of most variable annuities do not receive a "step-up" in cost basis when the owner dies like stocks,
bonds and mutual funds do. Some variable annuities offer "bonus credits." These are usually not free.
In order to fund them, insurance companies typically impose mortality and expense charges and
surrender charge periods. In an exchange of an existing annuity for a new annuity (so-called 1035
exchanges), the new variable annuity may have a lower contract value and a smaller death benefit;
may impose new surrender charges or increase the period of time for which the surrender charge
applies; may have higher annual fees; and provide another commission for the broker.
Real Estate: Real estate is increasingly being used as part of a long-term core strategy due to
increased market efficiency and increasing concerns about the future long-term variability of stock and
bond returns. In fact, real estate is known for its ability to serve as a portfolio diversifier and inflation
hedge. However, the asset class still bears a considerable amount of market risk. Real estate has
shown itself to be very cyclical, somewhat mirroring the ups and downs of the overall economy. In
addition to employment and demographic changes, real estate is also influenced by changes in
interest rates and the credit markets, which affect the demand and supply of capital and thus real
estate values. Along with changes in market fundamentals, investors wishing to add real estate as part
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of their core investment portfolios need to look for property concentrations by area or by property type.
Because property returns are directly affected by local market basics, real estate portfolios that are too
heavily concentrated in one area or property type can lose their risk mitigation attributes and bear
additional risk by being too influenced by local or sector market changes.
Real Estate Investment Trust: A real estate investment trust ("REIT") is a corporate entity which
invests in real estate and/or engages in real estate financing. A REIT reduces or eliminates corporate
income taxes. REITs can be publicly or privately held. Public REITs may be listed on public stock
exchanges. REITs are required to declare 90% of their taxable income as dividends, but they actually
pay dividends out of funds from operations, so cash flow has to be strong or the REIT must either dip
into reserves, borrow to pay dividends, or distribute them in stock (which causes dilution). After 2012,
the IRS stopped permitting stock dividends. Most REITs must refinance or erase large balloon debts
periodically. The credit markets are no longer frozen, but banks are demanding, and getting, harsher
terms to re-extend REIT debt. Some REITs may be forced to make secondary stock offerings to repay
debt, which will lead to additional dilution of the stockholders. Fluctuations in the real estate market can
affect the REIT's value and dividends.
Limited Partnerships: A limited partnership is a financial affiliation that includes at least one general
partner and a number of limited partners. The partnership invests in a venture, such as real estate
development or oil exploration, for financial gain. The general partner has management authority and
unlimited liability. The general partner runs the business and, in the event of bankruptcy, is responsible
for all debts not paid or discharged. The limited partners have no management authority, and their
liability is limited to the amount of their capital commitment. Profits are divided between general and
limited partners according to an arrangement formed at the creation of the partnership. The range of
risks are dependent on the nature of the partnership and disclosed in the offering documents if
privately placed. Publicly traded limited partnership have similar risk attributes to equities. However,
like privately placed limited partnerships their tax treatment is under a different tax regime from
equities. You should speak to your tax adviser in regard to their tax treatment.
Warrants: A warrant is a derivative (security that derives its price from one or more underlying
assets) that confers the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a security – normally an equity – at a
certain price before expiration. The price at which the underlying security can be bought or sold is
referred to as the exercise price or strike price. Warrants that confer the right to buy a security are
known as call warrants; those that confer the right to sell are known as put warrants. Warrants are in
many ways similar to options. The main difference between warrants and options is that warrants are
issued and guaranteed by the issuing company, whereas options are traded on an exchange and are
not issued by the company. Also, the lifetime of a warrant is often measured in years, while the lifetime
of a typical option is measured in months. Warrants do not pay dividends or come with voting rights.
Options Contracts: Options are complex securities that involve risks and are not suitable for
everyone. Option trading can be speculative in nature and carry substantial risk of loss. It is generally
recommended that you only invest in options with risk capital. An option is a contract that gives the
buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset at a specific price on or before
a certain date (the "expiration date"). The two types of options are calls and puts:
A call gives the holder the right to buy an asset at a certain price within a specific period of time. Calls
are similar to having a long position on a stock. Buyers of calls hope that the stock will increase
substantially before the option expires.
A put gives the holder the right to sell an asset at a certain price within a specific period of time. Puts
are very similar to having a short position on a stock. Buyers of puts hope that the price of the stock
will fall before the option expires.
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Selling options is more complicated and can be even riskier.
The option trading risks pertaining to options buyers are:
• Risk of losing your entire investment in a relatively short period of time.
• The risk of losing your entire investment increases if, as expiration nears, the stock is below the
strike price of the call (for a call option) or if the stock is higher than the strike price of the put
(for a put option).
• European style options which do not have secondary markets on which to sell the options prior
to expiration can only realize its value upon expiration.
• Specific exercise provisions of a specific option contract may create risks.
• Regulatory agencies may impose exercise restrictions, which stops you from realizing value.
The option trading risks pertaining to options sellers are:
• Options sold may be exercised at any time before expiration.
• Covered Call traders forgo the right to profit when the underlying stock rises above the strike
price of the call options sold and continues to risk a loss due to a decline in the underlying
stock.
• Writers of Naked Calls risk unlimited losses if the underlying stock rises.
• Writers of Naked Puts risk substantial losses if the underlying stock drops.
• Writers of naked positions run margin risks if the position goes into significant losses. Such
risks may include liquidation by the broker.
• Writers of call options could lose more money than a short seller of that stock could on the
same rise on that underlying stock. This is an example of how the leverage in options can work
against the option trader.
• Writers of Naked Calls are obligated to deliver shares of the underlying stock if those call
options are exercised.
• Call options can be exercised outside of market hours such that effective remedy actions
cannot be performed by the writer of those options.
• Writers of stock options are obligated under the options that they sold even if a trading market
is not available or that they are unable to perform a closing transaction.
• The value of the underlying stock may surge or decline unexpectedly, leading to automatic
exercises.
Other option trading risks are:
• The complexity of some option strategies is a significant risk on its own.
• Option trading exchanges or markets and option contracts themselves are open to changes at
all times.
• Options markets have the right to halt the trading of any options, thus preventing investors from
realizing value.
• Risk of erroneous reporting of exercise value.
•
•
If an options brokerage firm goes insolvent, investors trading through that firm may be affected.
Internationally traded options have special risks due to timing across borders.
Risks that are not specific to options trading include market risk, sector risk and individual stock risk.
Option trading risks are closely related to stock risks, as stock options are a derivative of stocks.
PIPES: In a Private Investment in Public Equity ("PIPE") transaction, investors typically purchase
securities directly from a publicly traded company in a private placement. Depending on the structure
of the transaction, this can be done at a premium to or at a discount from the market price of the
company's common stock. Because the sale of the securities is not pre-registered with the U.S.
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Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), the securities are "restricted" and cannot be
immediately resold by the investors into the public markets. Accordingly, the company will usually
agree as part of the PIPE transaction to register the restricted securities with the SEC. Thus, the PIPE
transaction can offer the company the speed and predictability of a private placement, while providing
investors with a nearly liquid security. Risks of investing in PIPES include but may not be limited to
substantial entry requirements, limited liquidity, limited investor control, potential for unfunded
commitments, and loss of investment.
Derivatives: Derivatives are types of investments where the investor does not own the underlying
asset. There are many different types of derivative instruments, including, but not limited to, options,
swaps, futures, and forward contracts. Derivatives have numerous uses as well as various risks
associated with them, but they are generally considered an alternative way to participate in the market.
Investors typically use derivatives for three reasons: to hedge a position, to increase leverage, or to
speculate on an asset's movement. The key to making a sound investment is to fully understand the
characteristics and risks associated with the derivative, including, but not limited to counter-party,
underlying asset, price, and expiration risks. The use of a derivative only makes sense if the investor is
fully aware of the risks and understands the impact of the investment within a portfolio strategy. Due to
the variety of available derivatives and the range of potential risks, a detailed explanation of derivatives
is beyond the scope of this disclosure.
Structured Products: A structured product, also known as a market-linked product, is generally a pre-
packaged investment strategy based on derivatives, such as a single security, a basket of securities,
options, indices, commodities, debt issuances, and/or foreign currencies, and to a lesser extent,
swaps. Structured products are usually issued by investment banks or affiliates thereof. They have a
fixed maturity, and have two components: a note and a derivative. The derivative component is often
an option. The note provides for periodic interest payments to the investor at a predetermined rate, and
the derivative component provides for the payment at maturity. Some products use the derivative
component as a put option written by the investor that gives the buyer of the put option the right to sell
to the investor the security or securities at a predetermined price. Other products use the derivative
component to provide for a call option written by the investor that gives the buyer of the call option the
right to buy the security or securities from the investor at a predetermined price. A feature of some
structured products is a "principal guarantee" function, which offers protection of principal if held to
maturity. However, these products are not always Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured; they
may only be insured by the issuer, and thus have the potential for loss of principal in the case of a
liquidity crisis, or other solvency problems with the issuing company. Investing in structured products
involves a number of risks including but not limited to: fluctuations in the price, level or yield of
underlying instruments, interest rates, currency values and credit quality; substantial loss of principal;
limits on participation in any appreciation of the underlying instrument; limited liquidity; credit risk of the
issuer; conflicts of interest; and, other events that are difficult to predict.
Futures: Futures are financial contracts obligating the buyer to purchase an asset (or the seller to sell
an asset), such as a physical commodity or a financial instrument, at a predetermined future date and
price. The primary difference between options and futures is that options give the holder the right to
buy or sell the underlying asset at expiration, while the holder of a futures contract is obligated to fulfill
the terms of his/her contract. Buyers and sellers in the futures market primarily enter into futures
contracts to hedge risk or speculate rather than to exchange physical goods. Futures are not only for
speculating. They may be used for hedging or may be a more efficient instrument to trade than the
underlying asset.
Private Placements: A private placement (non-public offering) is an illiquid security sold to qualified
investors and are not publicly traded nor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Risk: Private placements generally carry a higher degree of risk due to illiquidity. Most securities
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that are acquired in a private placement will be restricted securities and must be held for an
extended amount of time and therefore cannot be sold easily. The range of risks are dependent
on the nature of the partnership and are disclosed in the offering documents.
Digital Assets: Generally refers to an asset that is issued and/or transferred using distributed ledger
or blockchain technology, including, "virtual currencies (also known as crypto-currencies)," "coins," and
"tokens". We may invest in and/or advise clients on the purchase or sale of digital assets. This advice
or investment may be in actual digital coins/tokens/currencies or via investment vehicles such as
exchange traded funds (ETFs) or separately managed accounts (SMAs). The investment
characteristics of Digital Assets generally differ from those of traditional securities, currencies,
commodities. Digital Assets are not backed by a central bank or a national, international organization,
any hard assets, human capital, or other form of credit and are relatively new to the market place.
Rather, Digital Assets are market-based: a Digital Asset's value is determined by (and fluctuates often,
according to) supply and demand factors, its adoption in the traditional commerce channels, and/or the
value that various market participants place on it through their mutual agreement or transactions. The
lack of history to these types of investments entail certain unknown risks, are very speculative and are
not appropriate for all investors.
Price Volatility of Digital Assets Risk: A principal risk in trading Digital Assets is the rapid
fluctuation of market price. The value of client portfolios relates in part to the value of the Digital
Assets held in the client portfolio and fluctuations in the price of Digital Assets could adversely
affect the value of a client's portfolio. There is no guarantee that a client will be able to achieve a
better than average market price for Digital Assets or will purchase Digital Assets at the most
favorable price available. The price of Digital Assets achieved by a client may be affected
generally by a wide variety of complex factors such as supply and demand; availability and access
to Digital Asset service providers (such as payment processors), exchanges, miners or other
Digital Asset users and market participants; perceived or actual security vulnerability; and
traditional risk factors including inflation levels; fiscal policy; interest rates; and political, natural
and economic events.
Digital Asset Service Providers Risk: Service providers that support Digital Assets and the
Digital Asset marketplace(s) may not be subject to the same regulatory and professional oversight
as traditional securities service providers. Further, there is no assurance that the availability of and
access to virtual currency service providers will not be negatively affected by government
regulation or supply and demand of Digital Assets. Accordingly, companies or financial institutions
that currently support virtual currency may not do so in the future.
Custody of Digital Assets Risk: Under the Advisers Act, SEC registered investment advisers
are required to hold securities with "qualified custodians," among other requirements. Certain
Digital Assets may be deemed to be securities. Some Digital Assets do not currently fall under the
SEC definition of security and therefore many of the companies providing Digital Assets custodial
services fall outside of the SEC's definition of "qualified custodian". Accordingly, clients seeking to
purchase actual digital coins/tokens/currencies may need to use nonqualified custodians to hold
all or a portion of their Digital Assets.
Government Oversight of Digital Assets Risk: Regulatory agencies and/or the constructs
responsible for oversight of Digital Assets or a Digital Asset network may not be fully developed
and subject to change. Regulators may adopt laws, regulations, policies or rules directly or
indirectly affecting Digital Assets their treatment, transacting, custody, and valuation.
Item 9 Disciplinary Information
We are required to disclose the facts of any legal or disciplinary events that are material to a client's
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evaluation of our advisory business or the integrity of our management. We do not have any required
disclosures under this item.
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
We are affiliated with Chelsea Capital, an accounting firm, Interplay Ventures, a venture capital fund,
Bowery Legal, a law firm, and Interplay Blockchain GP I, LLC, a cryptocurrency fund, through common
control and ownership.
We will not recommend that you use the services of either of these entities, but will, on
occasion, recommend investment through Interplay Ventures or Interplay Blockchain GP I, LLC. We
also do not serve as the adviser to Interplay Ventures or Interplay Blockchain GP I, LLC. Our advisory
services are separate and distinct from those our affiliate for their services.
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and
Personal Trading
Description of Our Code of Ethics
We strive to comply with applicable laws and regulations governing our practices. Therefore, our Code
of Ethics includes guidelines for professional standards of conduct for persons associated with our
firm. Our goal is to protect your interests at all times and to demonstrate our commitment to our
fiduciary duties of honesty, good faith, and fair dealing with you. All persons associated with our firm
are expected to adhere strictly to these guidelines. Persons associated with our firm are also required
to report any violations of our Code of Ethics. Additionally, we maintain and enforce written policies
reasonably designed to prevent the misuse or dissemination of material, non-public information about
you or your account holdings by persons associated with our firm.
Clients or prospective clients may obtain a copy of our Code of Ethics by contacting us at the
telephone number on the cover page of this brochure.
Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
Our firm or persons associated with our firm may buy or sell the same securities that we recommend to
you or securities in which you are already invested. A conflict of interest exists in such cases because
we have the ability to trade ahead of you and potentially receive more favorable prices than you will
receive. To mitigate this conflict of interest, it is our policy that neither our firm nor persons associated
with our firm shall have priority over your account in the purchase or sale of securities.
Item 12 Brokerage Practices
We recommend the brokerage and custodial services of Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard. Your assets must
be maintained in an account at a "qualified custodian," generally a broker-dealer or bank. In recognition
of the value of the services the Custodian provides, you may pay higher commissions and/or trading
costs than those that may be available elsewhere. Our selection of custodian is based on many
factors, including the level of services provided, the custodian's financial stability, and the cost of
services provided by the custodian to our clients, which includes the yield on cash sweep choices,
commissions, custody fees and other fees or expenses.
We seek to recommend a custodian/broker that will hold your assets and execute transactions on
terms that are, overall, the most favorable compared to other available providers and their services.
We consider various factors, including:
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• Capability to buy and sell securities for your account itself or to facilitate such services.
• The likelihood that your trades will be executed.
• Availability of investment research and tools.
• Overall quality of services.
• Competitiveness of price.
• Reputation, financial strength, and stability.
• Existing relationship with our firm and our other clients.
Research and Other Soft Dollar Benefits
We do not have any soft dollar arrangements.
Economic Benefits
As a registered investment adviser, we have access to the institutional platform of your account
custodian. As such, we will also have access to research products and services from your account
custodian and/or other brokerage firm. These products may include financial publications, information
about particular companies and industries, research software, and other products or services that
provide lawful and appropriate assistance to our firm in the performance of our investment decision-
making responsibilities. Such research products and services are provided to all investment advisers
that utilize the institutional services platforms of these firms, and are not considered to be paid for with
soft dollars. However, you should be aware that the commissions charged by a particular broker for a
particular transaction or set of transactions may be greater than the amounts another broker who did
not provide research services or products might charge.
Brokerage for Client Referrals
We do not receive client referrals from broker-dealers in exchange for cash or other compensation,
such as brokerage services or research.
Directed Brokerage
We routinely require that you direct our firm to execute transactions through Fidelity, Schwab,
Vanguard. As such, we may be unable to achieve the most favorable execution of your transactions
and you may pay higher brokerage commissions than you might otherwise pay through another
broker-dealer that offers the same types of services. Not all advisers require their clients to direct
brokerage.
Aggregated Trades
We do not combine multiple orders for shares of the same securities purchased for advisory accounts
we manage (the practice of combining multiple orders for shares of the same securities is commonly
referred to as "aggregated trading"). Accordingly, you may pay different prices for the same securities
transactions than other clients pay. Furthermore, we may not be able to buy and sell the same
quantities of securities for you and you may pay higher commissions, fees, and/or transaction costs
than other clients.
Mutual Fund Share Classes
Mutual funds are sold with different share classes, which carry different cost structures. Each available
share class is described in the mutual fund's prospectus. When we purchase, or recommend the
purchase of, mutual funds for a client, we select the share class that is deemed to be in the client's
best interest, taking into consideration cost, tax implications, and other factors. When the fund is
available for purchase at net asset value, we will purchase, or recommend the purchase of, the fund at
net asset value. We also review the mutual funds held in accounts that come under our management
to determine whether a more beneficial share class is available, considering cost, tax implications, and
the impact of contingent deferred sales charges.
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Item 13 Review of Accounts
Andrew Leahy, Chief Compliance Officer will monitor your accounts on an ongoing basis and will
conduct account reviews at least Quarterly, to ensure the advisory services provided to you are
consistent with your investment needs and objectives. Additional reviews may be conducted based on
various circumstances, including, but not limited to:
• contributions and withdrawals;
• year-end tax planning;
• market moving events;
• security specific events; and/or
• changes in your risk/return objectives.
We will provide you with regular written reports. You will receive trade confirmations and monthly or
quarterly statements from your account custodian(s).
Andrew Leahy, Chief Compliance Officer, will review financial plans as needed, depending on the
arrangements made with you at the inception of your advisory relationship to ensure that the advice
provided is consistent with your investment needs and objectives. Generally, we will contact you
periodically to determine whether any updates may be needed based on changes in your
circumstances. Changed circumstances may include, but are not limited to marriage, divorce, birth,
death, inheritance, lawsuit, retirement, job loss and/or disability, among others. We recommend
meeting with you at least annually to review and update your plan if needed. Additional reviews will be
conducted upon your request. Such reviews and updates may be subject to our then current hourly
rate. We will not provide regular written reports for financial planning and consulting services. If you
implement financial planning advice, you will receive trade confirmations and monthly or quarterly
statements from relevant custodians.
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation
We do not receive any compensation from any third party in connection with providing investment
advice to you nor do we compensate any individual or firm for client referrals. Ascend Interplay may
refer Clients to various unaffiliated, non-advisory professionals (e.g. attorneys, accountants, estate
planners) to provide certain financial services necessary to meet the goals of its Clients.
Refer to the Brokerage Practices section above for disclosures on research and other benefits we may
receive resulting from our relationship with your account custodian.
Item 15 Custody
We do not directly debit advisory fees from your account and we do not exercise custody over your
funds or securities. Your funds and securities will be held with a bank, broker-dealer, or other qualified
custodian. You will receive account statements from the qualified custodian(s) holding your funds and
securities. If you have a question regarding your account statement or if you did not receive a
statement from your custodian, contact your custodian directly.
Item 16 Investment Discretion
We do not have discretion over client accounts at any time.
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Item 17 Voting Client Securities
We will not vote proxies on behalf of your advisory accounts. At your request, we may offer you advice
regarding corporate actions and the exercise of your proxy voting rights. If you own shares of
applicable securities, you are responsible for exercising your right to vote as a shareholder.
In most cases, you will receive proxy materials directly from the account custodian. However, in the
event we were to receive any written or electronic proxy materials, we would forward them directly to
you by mail, unless you have authorized our firm to contact you by electronic mail, in which case, we
would forward any electronic solicitations to vote proxies.
Item 18 Financial Information
Our firm does not have any financial condition or impairment that would prevent us from meeting our
contractual commitments to you. We do not take physical custody of client funds or securities, or serve
as trustee or signatory for client accounts, and, we do not require the prepayment of more than $1,200
in fees six or more months in advance. Therefore, we are not required to include a financial statement
with this brochure.
We have not filed a bankruptcy petition at any time in the past ten years.
Item 19 Requirements for State-Registered Advisers
We are a federally registered investment adviser; therefore, we are not required to respond to this
item.
Item 20 Additional Information
Trade Errors
In the event a trading error occurs in your account, our policy is to restore your account to the position
it should have been in had the trading error not occurred. Depending on the circumstances, corrective
actions may include canceling the trade, adjusting an allocation, and/or reimbursing the account.
Class Action Lawsuits
We will assist you, in conjunction with your legal counsel or other professionals, in filing claims with the
claims administrator to participate in any settlement proceeds related to class action settlements
involving a security held in your portfolio. We may also work with your legal counsel to determine
whether you are eligible to participate in class action litigation to recover damages on your behalf for
injuries as a result of actions, misconduct, or negligence by issuers of securities held in your portfolio.
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