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Form ADV Part 2A
Item 1 – Cover Page
BostonPremier Wealth, LLC
51 Mill Street, Suite 1
Hanover, MA 02339
(617) 934-1100
https://www.bostonpremierwealth.com
February 28, 2025
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of BostonPremier
Wealth, LLC. If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us at (617)
934-1100 or mbossey@bpwealthllc.com. 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 BostonPremier Wealth, LLC
Is also available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
BostonPremier Wealth, LLC is a registered investment adviser. Registration as an investment adviser
does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
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Item 2 – Material Changes
There have been no material changes made to this Brochure since the firm’s initial SEC registration filing
on June 21, 2024.
You may request a copy of our current Brochure at any time, without charge, by contacting us using the
contact information listed on the cover page of this brochure.
Additional information about BostonPremier Wealth, LLC is available via the SEC’s Investment Adviser
Public Disclosure website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. The SEC’s website also provides information about
any persons affiliated with BostonPremier Wealth, LLC who are registered, or are required to be
registered, as Investment Adviser Representatives of BostonPremier Wealth, LLC.
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Item 3 – Table of Contents
Contents
Item 1 – Cover Page ...................................................................................................................................... 1
Item 2 – Material Changes ............................................................................................................................ 2
Item 3 – Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 3
Item 4 – Advisory Business .......................................................................................................................... 4
Item 5 – Fees and Compensation ................................................................................................................ 11
Item 6 – Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management ........................................................... 20
Item 7 – Types of Clients ............................................................................................................................ 20
Item 8 – Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss ..................................................... 20
Item 9 – Disciplinary Information .............................................................................................................. 26
Item 10 – Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations .................................................................. 26
Item 11 – Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading .............. 27
Item 12 – Brokerage Practices .................................................................................................................... 27
Item 13 – Review of Accounts .................................................................................................................... 31
Item 14 – Client Referrals and Other Compensation .................................................................................. 31
Item 15 – Custody ....................................................................................................................................... 32
Item 16 – Investment Discretion ................................................................................................................. 33
Item 17 – Voting Client Securities .............................................................................................................. 34
Item 18 – Financial Information ................................................................................................................. 34
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Item 4 – Advisory Business
About Us
BostonPremier Wealth, LLC (“BPW”) is a registered investment adviser offering financial planning and
asset management services to clients. BPW has been in business since 2012, and its principal owners are
Mark Bossey and Ryan Marini.
This Brochure is designed to provide detailed and clear information relating to each item noted in the
table of contents. Certain disclosures are repeated in one or more items, and/or other items are referred
to in an effort to be as comprehensive as possible on the broad subject matters discussed. Within this
Brochure, certain terms in either upper- or lowercase are used as follows:
“We,” “us,” and “our” refer to BPW.
“Advisor” refers to persons who provide investment recommendations or advice on behalf of
BPW.
“You,” “yours,” and “client” refer to clients of BPW and its advisors.
Description of Services Available
BPW offers a suite of investment advisory services and programs to its advisors for use with their clients.
Our investment advisory services and programs are designed to accommodate a wide range of client
investment philosophies, goals, needs, and investment objectives. Through these various advisory
programs and services, clients have access to a wide range of securities products, including, but not limited
to, common and preferred stocks; municipal, corporate, and government fixed income securities; mutual
funds; exchange-traded products (“ETPs”); options and derivatives; unit investment trusts (“UITs”); and
variable and fixed-indexed insurance products, as well as other products and services, including a variety
of asset allocation services, financial planning, and consulting services. Our advisors may also offer advice
related to direct participation programs, private placements, and other alternative investments, such as
alternative energy programs, research and development programs, leasing programs, real estate
programs, and pooled commodities futures programs.
BPW offers the following programs:
Financial Planning Services
BPW provides a variety of financial planning and consulting services to clients, pursuant to a written
financial planning agreement. Services are offered in several areas of a client’s financial situation,
depending on their goals, objectives and financial situation. Generally, such financial planning services
involve preparing a formal financial plan or rendering a specific financial consultation based on the client’s
financial goals and objectives. This planning or consulting engagement may encompass one or more areas
of need, including but not limited to, tax planning, investment planning, retirement planning, real estate
planning, education planning, insurance needs, cash flow/budget planning and other areas of a client’s
financial situation. Generally, the Advisor will provide an initial financial plan to the client, after which the
client may choose to renew the engagement with the Advisor for reviews and updates every twelve (12)
months. The initial financial plan will be completed within six months of the start of the engagement. If
the client chooses to renew the engagement, the firm’s review and amendment of the plan will be
completed within six months of the renewal date. A financial plan developed for or financial consultation
rendered to the client will usually include general recommendations for a course of activity or specific
actions to be taken by the client. For example, recommendations may be made that the client start or
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revise their investment programs, commence or alter retirement savings, establish education savings
and/or charitable giving programs. BPW may also refer Clients to an accountant, attorney or another
specialist, as appropriate for their unique situation. For certain financial planning engagements, the
Advisor will provide a written summary of Client’s
financial situation, observations, and
recommendations. For consulting or ad-hoc engagements, the Advisor may not provide a written
summary. Plans or consultations are typically completed within six months of contract date, assuming all
information and documents requested are provided promptly.
Commonwealth Financial Network (“Commonwealth”), an SEC-registered investment adviser, makes
available certain consulting services programs to BPW as part of its contract with Commonwealth for
platform services. These consulting services programs are described below. In cases where we offer
Commonwealth’s consulting services programs to you, BPW remains responsible for the suitability and
appropriateness of the investment advisory services provided. It is our responsibility to comply with all
laws, rules, and regulations governing the provision of investment advice to you, including, but not limited
to, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”), as amended, and the rules promulgated
thereunder, as well as all applicable state statutes, rules, and regulations that apply to our business. BPW
is responsible for the accuracy of all records that reflect your financial condition, risk tolerance, and
investment objectives.
BPW has entered into an agreement with Commonwealth to offer Commonwealth’s Wealth Management
Consulting, Retirement Plan Consulting and Plan Participant Consulting programs.
Wealth Management Consulting: We provide advisory consulting services on a wide range of topics,
including, but not limited to, comprehensive financial planning, budgeting and cash flow analysis, major
purchases, education planning, retirement income/longevity planning, portfolio analysis, estate planning
analysis, investment analysis, business succession planning, and fringe benefit analysis. Clients may also
elect to enter into consulting or financial planning engagements with advisors separately from, in addition
to, or as part of their managed account program, as may be agreed between the client and advisor.
Retirement Plan Consulting: We provide a fee-for-service consulting program whereby our advisors offer
onetime or ongoing advisory services to qualified retirement plans. Through the Retirement Plan
Consulting Program, advisors assist plan sponsors with their fiduciary duties and provide individualized
advice based upon the needs of the plan and/or plan participants regarding investment management
matters, such as:
Investment policy statement support
Plan menu design and monitoring
Service provider support
Participant advice programs
Plan Participant Consulting: We provide a fee-for-service consulting program whereby advisors offer
ongoing advisory services to an individual retirement account (“IRA”) formed under a SIMPLE IRA Plan.
Through the Plan Participant Consulting Program, advisors are able to assist a client with a variety of
advisory services such as:
Financial planning and portfolio analysis
Education on the options available through the SIMPLE IRA Plan
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Recommended asset allocation
Clients who participate in one or more of Commonwealth’s programs will receive Commonwealth’s Form
ADV Part 2 and/or Wrap Fee Brochure, in addition to BPW’s Form ADV Part 2. Clients should refer to
Commonwealth’s Form ADV Part 2 and/or Wrap Fee Brochure for detailed information about
Commonwealth and Commonwealth’s programs.
Asset Management Services
Commonwealth makes available certain asset management programs to BPW as part of its contract with
Commonwealth for platform services. These asset management programs are described below. In such
cases where we offer Commonwealth’s asset management programs to you, BPW remains responsible
for the suitability and appropriateness of the investment advisory services provided. This arrangement
does not create an advisory relationship between Commonwealth and BPW or Commonwealth and you.
It is our responsibility to comply with all laws, rules, and regulations governing the provision of investment
advice to you, including, but not limited to, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”), as
amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder, as well as all applicable state statutes, rules, and
regulations that apply to our business. BPW is responsible for the accuracy of all records that reflect your
financial condition, risk tolerance, and investment objectives of your account(s), that the orders that we
place with or through Commonwealth on your behalf are suitable for you and consistent with our fiduciary
duty to you, and that the investment advice and advisory services provided to you in general are and
remain appropriate for you. Commonwealth will provide, or cause to be provided, to clients’ trade
confirmations and custodial account statements. Commonwealth will provide or will otherwise make
available to the advisor duplicate trade confirmations and custodial account statements.
BPW has entered into an agreement to offer clients access to the following asset management programs:
PPS Custom: The PPS Custom Program enables an advisor to assist the client in developing a personalized
investment portfolio using one or more investment types, including, but not limited to, stocks, bonds,
mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), UITs, variable and fixed-indexed annuities, and alternative
investments. The advisor typically acts as portfolio manager, with full investment discretion, although
clients may elect to have the advisor manage the account on a nondiscretionary basis.
PPS Select: The PPS Select Program offers a variety of model portfolios from which investors may choose.
The PPS Select model portfolios are created and managed on a discretionary basis by Commonwealth’s
Investment Management and Research team. The advisor will help the client determine which PPS Select
models are best suited for the client based on his or her risk profile, investment objectives, and
preferences, leaving the actual trading decisions to the Investment Management and Research team. PPS
Select offers a variety of model portfolios with varying investment product types, including mutual fund
and ETF portfolios, equity portfolios, fixed income portfolios, and variable annuity subaccount portfolios.
PPS Direct: The PPS Direct Program offers clients access to a variety of model portfolios involving a range
of risk levels from which they may choose. Generally, apart from the PPS Direct Third-Party Fund Strategist
Program and the PPS Direct Mutual Fund/ETF Program, the PPS Direct portfolios are not managed by
Commonwealth or the l advisor. Rather, PPS Direct model portfolios are managed by one or more third-
party portfolio managers on a discretionary basis. PPS Direct portfolios may consist of mutual funds or
ETFs, or they may be made up of individual equities, fixed income securities, or other types of investments.
There are four types of PPS Direct Program accounts, which are broadly described as follows:
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PPS Direct Mutual Fund/ETF: As the name suggests, these accounts will be allocated among
mutual funds or ETFs.
PPS Direct Separately Managed Account (“SMA”): This separately managed account strategy
invests in individual securities (e.g., stocks and bonds).
PPS Direct Third-Party Fund Strategist (“Strategist”): Third-party investment advisers provide
asset allocation model strategies comprising mutual funds and ETFs.
PPS Direct Unified Managed Account (“UMA”): This is best described as multiple SMAs in a
single account.
The specific advisory program you select may cost you more or less than purchasing program services
separately. Factors that bear upon the cost of a particular advisory program in relation to the cost of the
same services purchased separately include, but may not be limited to, the type and size of the account;
the historical or expected size or number of trades for the account; the types of securities and strategies
involved; the amount of fees, commissions, and other charges that apply at the account or transaction
level; and the number and range of supplementary advisory and client-related services provided to the
account. Lower fees for comparable services may be available from other sources. You are under no
obligation to engage us for services and are free to use the firm of your choice.
Investment recommendations and advice offered by BPW and its advisors do not constitute legal, tax, or
accounting advice. Clients should coordinate and discuss the impact of the financial advice they receive
from their advisor with their attorney and accountant. Clients should also inform their advisor promptly
of any changes in their financial situation, investment goals, needs, or objectives. Failure to notify the
advisor of any material changes could result in investment advice not meeting the changing needs of the
client.
IRA Rollover Considerations
As part of our financial planning and advisory services, we may provide you with recommendations and
advice concerning your employer retirement plan or other qualified retirement account. When
appropriate, we may recommend that you withdraw the assets from your employer’s retirement plan or
other qualified retirement account and roll the assets over to an individual retirement account (“IRA”) to
be managed by our firm. If you elect to roll the assets to an IRA under our management, we will charge
you an asset-based fee as described in Item 5. This practice presents a conflict of interest because we
have an incentive to recommend a rollover to you for the purpose of generating compensation rather
than solely based on your needs. You are under no obligation, contractually or otherwise, to complete the
rollover. Furthermore, if you do complete the rollover, you are under no obligation to have your IRA
assets managed under our program. You have the right to decide whether to complete the rollover and
the right to consult with other financial professionals.
Some employers permit former employees to keep their retirement assets in their company plan. Also,
current employees can sometimes move assets out of their company plan before they retire or change
jobs. In determining whether to complete the rollover to an IRA, and to the extent the following options
are available, you should consider the costs and benefits of each.
An employee will typically have four options:
1. Leave the funds in your employer’s (former employer’s) plan.
2. Roll over the funds to a new employer’s retirement plan.
3. Cash out and take a taxable distribution from the plan.
4. Roll the funds into an IRA rollover account.
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Each of these options has advantages and disadvantages. Before making a change, we encourage you to
speak with your financial advisor, CPA and/or tax attorney.
Before rolling over your retirement funds to an IRA for us to manage, carefully consider the following.
NOTE: This list is not exhaustive.
1. Determine whether the investment options in your employer’s retirement plan address your
needs or whether other types of investments are needed.
a. Employer retirement plans generally have a more limited investment menu than IRAs.
b. Employer retirement plans may have unique investment options not available to the
public, such as employer securities or previously closed funds.
2. Your current plan may have lower fees than our fee.
a. If you are interested in investing only in mutual funds, you should understand the cost
structure of the share classes available in your employer’s retirement plan and how the costs
of those share classes compare with those available in an IRA.
3. You should understand the various products and services available through an IRA provider and
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their costs.
It is likely you will not be charged a management fee and will not receive ongoing asset
management services unless you elect to have such services. If your plan offers management
services, the fee associated with the service may be more or less than our fee.
5. Our management strategy may have higher risk than the options provided to you in your plan.
6. Your current plan may offer financial advice, guidance, management and/or portfolio options at
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no additional cost.
If you keep your assets titled in a 401(k) or retirement account, you could potentially delay your
required minimum distribution beyond retirement age.
8. Your 401(k) may offer more liability protection than a rollover IRA; each state varies. Generally,
Federal law protects assets in qualified plans from creditors. Since 2005, IRA assets have been
generally protected from creditors in bankruptcies; however, there can be exceptions. Consult an
attorney if you are concerned about protecting your retirement plan assets from creditors.
9. You may be able to take out a loan on your 401(k), but not from an IRA.
10. IRA assets can be accessed any time; however, distributions are subject to ordinary income tax
and may also be subject to a 10% early distribution penalty unless they qualify for an exception
such as disability, higher education expenses or a home purchase.
11. If you own company stock in your plan, you may be able to liquidate those shares at a lower capital
gains tax rate.
12. Your plan may allow you to hire us or another firm as the manager and keep the assets titled in
the plan name.
It is important that you understand your options, their features, and their differences, and decide whether
a rollover is best for you. If you have questions, contact us at our main number listed on the cover page
of this brochure.
In addition to complying with applicable SEC rules, BPW is subject to certain rules and regulations adopted
by the U.S. Department of Labor when we provide nondiscretionary investment advice to retirement plan
participants and IRA owners. When these DOL rules apply, our advisors and BPW are “fiduciaries,” for
purposes of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), as amended, and the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (“the Code”), as amended. Therefore, BPW and our advisors may not
receive payments that create conflicts of interest when providing fiduciary investment advice to plan
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sponsors, plan participants, and IRA owners, unless we comply with a prohibited transaction exemption
(“PTE”). Beginning December 20, 2021, BPW and our advisors will comply with ERISA and the Code by
using PTE 2020-02. As fiduciaries under ERISA and the Code, we render advice that is in plan participants’
and IRA customers’ best interest. BPW’s and our advisors’ status as an ERISA/Code fiduciary is limited to
ERISA/Code covered nondiscretionary advice and recommendations regarding rolling over a retirement
account and does not extend to all situations.
Individualized Services and Client-Imposed Restrictions
The investment advisory services provided by our advisors depend largely on the personal information
the client provides to the advisor. In order for our advisors to provide appropriate investment advice to,
or, in the case of discretionary accounts, make tailored investment decisions for, the client, it is very
important that clients provide accurate and complete responses to their advisor’s questions about their
financial condition, needs, goals, and objectives and notify the advisor of any reasonable restrictions they
wish to apply to the securities or types of securities to be bought, sold, or held in their managed account.
It is also important that clients promptly inform their advisor of any changes in their financial condition,
investment objectives, personal circumstances, or reasonable investment restrictions pertaining to the
management of their account, if any, that may affect their overall investment goals and strategies or the
investment advice provided or investment decisions made by their advisor.
Wrap Fee Programs
Certain programs offered by BPW are considered “wrap fee” programs in which the client pays a specified
fee (known as a “wrap fee”) for portfolio management services and trade execution. Wrap fee programs
differ from non-wrap fee programs in that the asset management fee structure for wrap programs is
intended to be largely all-inclusive, whereas non-wrap fee programs assess trade execution costs that are
typically in addition to the asset management fee. The following programs offered by BPW are wrap fee
programs: PPS Select and PPS Direct.
PPS Direct and PPS Select are considered “wrap fee” programs in which the client pays specified fees for
portfolio management services and trade execution. Wrap fee programs differ from other programs in
that the asset-based fee structure for wrap programs is intended to be largely all inclusive, whereas non-
wrap fee programs typically assess trade-by-trade execution costs that are in addition to the asset-based
fees. For example, BPW does not consider the PPS Custom Program to be a wrap fee program because
clients generally pay trade-by-trade transaction costs that are in addition to the asset-based fees they pay
when they participate in the program. The PPS Select and PPS Direct programs, however, are considered
wrap fee programs because clients pay an annual asset management fee as well as an asset-based
program fee that generally covers transaction costs and maintenance fees.
PPS Direct program accounts are managed in accordance with the investment methodology and
philosophy used by the respective third-party portfolio manager, investment adviser, or strategist. The
PPS Select Program is managed in accordance with the investment methodology and philosophy of
Commonwealth’s own Investment Management and Research team.
For the investment advisory services provided to you by Commonwealth and BPW, Commonwealth and
BPW receive a portion of the wrap fees you pay when you participate in the PPS Select or PPS Direct
programs. Commonwealth receives a higher portion of the wrap fees you pay when you participate in
Commonwealth’s PPS Select programs to compensate for the investment management and research
services provided by the Commonwealth Investment Management and Research team.
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Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2024, BPW manages $351,098,560.20 in assets, all of which is managed on a
discretionary basis.
Program Choice Conflicts of Interest
Clients should be aware that the compensation to BPW and your advisor will differ according to the
specific advisory programs or services provided. This compensation to BPW and your advisor may be more
than the amounts we would otherwise receive if you participated in another program or paid for
investment advice, brokerage, or other relevant services separately. Lower fees for comparable services
may be available through our firm or from other sources. BPW and your advisor have a financial incentive
to recommend advisory programs or services that provide us higher compensation over other comparable
programs or services available from our firm or elsewhere that may cost you less. For example, the costs
you will incur to have your account managed by our firm may be more than what other similar firms may
charge. It’s important to understand all the associated costs and benefits the program and services you
select so you can decide which programs and services are best suited for your unique financial goals,
investment objective, and time horizon. We encourage you to review our Form CRS and to discuss your
options with your advisor.
In addition, Commonwealth offers our firm and our advisors one or more forms of financial benefits based
on our total assets under management held at Commonwealth or in Commonwealth’s PPS Program
accounts. The types of financial benefits that your advisor may receive from Commonwealth include, but
are not limited to, forgivable or unforgivable loans, enhanced payouts, and discounts or waivers on
transaction, platform, and account fees, technology fees, research package fees, financial planning
software fees, administrative fees, brokerage account fees, account transfer fees, licensing and insurance
costs, and the cost of attending conferences and events. The enhanced payouts, discounts, and other
forms of financial benefits that your advisor may have the opportunity to receive from Commonwealth
provide a financial incentive for our firm and your advisor to select Commonwealth as broker/dealer for
your accounts over other broker/dealers from which they may not receive similar financial benefits.
Please see items 12 and 14 of this Brochure for more detailed information about these types of conflicts
and our relationship with Commonwealth.
Commonwealth charges BPW an administrative fee at the same time clients are charged asset-based fees
for their managed accounts. The administrative fee is charged to and paid by BPW rather than the BPW’s
clients and is calculated as a percentage of the total managed account assets, including cash and money
market positions, held by the advisor’s clients. The administrative fee is used to offset Commonwealth’s
maintenance costs associated with account reporting and reconciliation.
In the same manner as many advisors offer asset management fee discounts to their larger clients,
Commonwealth offers those advisors to whom it charges administrative fees discounts based on their
total assets under management. As these advisors grow their business, Commonwealth’s economies of
scale are shared with those advisors by reducing the percentage amount of administrative fees that would
otherwise be charged to the advisors.
The PPS Custom Program assesses transaction charges for the purchase and sale of certain securities in
the account. The advisor may elect to pay the transaction charges on a client’s behalf. PPS Custom
Program (Transactions) clients should understand that BPW may elect to pay transaction charges for the
accounts of other clients, but not for them, and vice versa. If BPW elects to pay transaction charges, clients
should understand that the annual management fee they pay may be higher than what they would
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otherwise pay if BPW did not elect to pay transaction charges for their account. Depending on the
frequency of trading activity, the types of securities products bought and sold, and whether BPW uses no-
transaction-fee mutual funds that do not assess transaction charges, the advisor’s election to pay
transaction charges may cost a client more or cost BPW less, which is a conflict of interest. Further, BPW’s
ability to choose whether to pay the transaction charges for one client but not another presents a conflict
of interest because BPW has a financial incentive to trade less for the accounts of clients for whom BPW
pays transaction charges than for those clients who are responsible for paying their own transaction
charges. Regardless of whether BPW or client pays the transaction charges, clients should understand that
the mere existence of transaction charges could cause BPW to reduce, delay, or avoid executing certain
transactions in an effort to reduce, delay, or avoid trading costs.
Clients who choose to open a PPS Custom Program account should carefully consider these factors and
discuss the costs and benefits of whether they or BPW should pay transaction charges, as well as the
extent to which the existence of transaction charges (regardless of who pays) impacts BPW’s investment
decisions. PPS Custom Program clients should consider the annual fees, administrative and other charges,
and other compensation that Commonwealth and BPW receive in making a fair and reasonable
assessment of the total costs associated with their decision to open and maintain a PPS Custom Program
account.
Item 5 – Fees and Compensation
Asset Management Programs
Clients who elect to receive asset management services through one or more of BPW’s asset management
programs will generally pay BPW for those services with an annual asset management fee based on a
percentage of assets under management, including cash and money market positions. The maximum
account management fee that can be charged in any of our firm’s managed account program is listed in
the fee schedule below. Certain managed account programs have lower maximum annual fee amounts,
and fee schedules will vary among programs. Clients are urged to carefully review and discuss the contents
of this Brochure with their advisor, including descriptions of the various programs and services offered,
the fees and charges clients will pay, the means by which BPW and your advisor are compensated, and
the conflicts of interest that exist between the client and BPW and your advisor in respect to each program
or service offered, to determine the most appropriate programs or services for your specific needs.
Commonwealth PPS Program Fee Schedules
Following are the maximum allowable fee schedules for Commonwealth’s various PPS programs.
PPS Custom Program
The maximum allowable annual management fee schedule for a new PPS Custom Program account is:
In addition to the annual management fee, and unless otherwise agreed between the client and the
advisor, clients participating in the PPS Custom Program will pay transaction charges as described in the
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“Other Fees and/or Costs” section below. Clients participating in the PPS Custom Program may pay more
or less than clients might otherwise pay if purchasing the services separately. There are several factors
that determine whether such costs would be more or less, including, but not limited to, the following:
Size of the account
Types of securities and strategies involved
Amount of trading effected by the advisor
Actual costs of such services if purchased separately
The advisory fees charged for the services provided by Commonwealth and BPW, including research,
supplemental advisory, and client-related services offered through the PPS Custom Program, may exceed
those of other similar programs.
Transaction charges. In addition to the platform fee, transaction charges of $15 for buys and sells and a
maximum of $3 for periodic investment plans and systematic withdrawal plans will apply in the following
mutual fund families: Dodge & Cox, Vanguard, and Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA), except that DFA
sells are $0. For trader-assisted transactions, an additional $5 fee is charged to BPW. A transaction charge
of $1 per contract for purchases and sales of options will apply. A $5 quarterly paper document fee will
apply account by account to all accounts not enrolled in electronic delivery of statements and
confirmations
PPS Select Program
Clients participating in the PPS Select Program will pay a total account fee that consists of a combination
of an advisor fee and a program fee. The maximum allowable advisor fee in the PPS Select Program is as
follows:
In addition to the annual advisor fee, all clients participating in PPS Select will pay an annual program fee.
There are several different PPS Select model portfolios with program fees that vary; however, the
maximum fee within the PPS Select program is as follows:
1 The maximum annual advisor fee for certain account sizes and types may be negotiated.
2 Commonwealth will charge a minimum annual program fee of $600 ($150 quarterly) for certain accounts, which
may exceed the maximum annual program fee percentage based on account size.
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PPS Direct Program
Clients participating in the PPS Direct Program will pay an annual fee that consists of a combination of an
advisor fee and a program fee not to exceed 3%. In the event the combination of the advisor fee and the
program fee for a particular money manager and investment strategy exceeds 3%, the advisor fee will be
reduced such that the annual fee will not exceed 3%.
The maximum allowable advisor fee in the PPS Direct Program is as follows:
The maximum program fee in the PPS Direct Program is as follows:
Commonwealth performs fee billing on our firm’s behalf. In most cases, the annual account management
fees are payable quarterly in advance and are computed as one-quarter of the annual fee based on the
account’s AUM on the last business day of the previous calendar quarter. In some cases, the annual
account management fee will be payable monthly in advance computed as one-twelfth of the annual fee
based on the AUM on the last business day of the previous month-end, and in other cases, clients will pay
an annual flat dollar fee, payable quarterly in advance.
To the extent that you hold positions in your account for which pricing data is not readily available,
Commonwealth receives quarter-end values from alternative investment issuers or other service
providers which are used when calculating billable AUM for our clients. Neither BPW nor Commonwealth
engages in an independent valuation of your account assets and relies on valuations provided by the
investment issuers or other service providers. BPW (via Commonwealth and further via the account
custodian) will provide periodic account statements which include the market value of the alternative
investment based on information received from the investment issuer or other service provider. In
providing these account statements, or any other valuation information to you, (i) BPW relies on the
valuation information provided by the manager of the alternative investment or other service provider,
(ii) the valuation information used to determine the billing fee is based on estimates that may be outdated
as of the dates of the account statements, (iii) the products final valuations may be higher or lower than
the values reflected in the periodic account statements and (iv) while Commonwealth will adjust material
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estimated fee billings on a best efforts basis on BPW’s behalf, neither BPW nor Commonwealth is under
no obligation to provide notice or compensation to you for differences in estimated alternative
investment valuations.
*Account values in the Commonwealth reporting system will be used for our firm’s quarterly fee
calculations for advisory accounts custodied at National Financial Services (NFS). Although account
holdings and asset valuations should generally match, month-end market values reflected
in
Commonwealth's Practice 360 reporting system sometimes differ from those provided by NFS on their
month-end statements. The three most common reasons why these values may differ are (i) differences in
the manner in which accrued interest is calculated, (ii) differences in the date upon which "as of" dividends
and capital gains are reported, and (iii) differences in whether settlement date valuations or trade date
valuations are used. If you have any questions or believe there are material discrepancies between your
NFS custodial statement and Commonwealth's reporting system, please contact us. The Commonwealth
report valuations are available online via your Investor360 account or you may request a copy from your
advisory representative.
Clients who elect to open a margin account acknowledge and agree that margin may be exercised against
their account for purposes including, but not limited to, covering debits, management fees, and/or other
billing and administrative costs. Management fees on margin accounts will be assessed on the equity (e.g.,
ownership) portion of the account and not on the account’s total market value.
All BPW advisory program fees are negotiable. Program and/or platform fees (if applicable), transaction
charges and other account-related fees assessed by the account custodian or Commonwealth are not
negotiable. BPW may waive all or a portion of the advisory program and/or platform fee, whether on an
ongoing or a one-time basis, in its sole discretion. In the event a client terminates an advisory agreement
with BPW, any unearned fees resulting from payments made by clients in advance will be refunded to the
client. Likewise, in the event BPW bills clients in arrears for services that have already been rendered,
BPW will prorate such fees up to the termination date of the advisory agreement.
Financial Planning Programs
Our standard fees for financial planning services are as follows:
Financial Planning Services: BPW offers financial planning services either on an hourly basis or a fixed
engagement fee. Hourly engagements range up to $400 per hour. Fixed fee engagement fees range from
$500 to $15,000, which may be payable in advance of the engagement, pursuant to the financial planning
agreement. Fees are negotiable based on the nature and complexity of the services to be provided and
the overall relationship with BPW. An estimate for total hours and/or total costs will be provided to the
client prior to engaging for these services.
Wealth Management Consulting: The Wealth Management Consulting Program provides clients with the
option of paying an annual fee for ongoing services, a flat or fixed fee, or an hourly rate not to exceed
$500. The fee amount a client will pay is negotiable between the client and his or her advisor and may
either be paid at the time of service, in advance of service, or after services have been rendered (“in
arrears”). Annual fees may be paid in monthly, quarterly, semiannual, or annual installments as agreed
between the client and BPW.
Retirement Plan Consulting: The Commonwealth Retirement Plan Consulting Program provides clients
with the option of paying an annual fee for ongoing services based on a percentage of assets under
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advisement, a flat fee, or an hourly rate not to exceed $500. The fee amount a client will pay is negotiable
between the client and BPW and will be associated with all services provided by the advisor under the
Retirement Plan Consulting Agreement. Fees may be paid directly from qualified plan assets or may be
direct billed, as agreed between the client and BPW. Where discretionary investment management
services are selected to be provided by Commonwealth, clients will pay an additional annual flat
percentage fee according to the following fee schedule:
Total Plan Assets
Less than $250,000
$250,000–$2,999,999
$3,000,000–$9,999,999
$10,000,000–$49,999,999
$50,000,000–$99,999,999
$100,000,000 or more
Fee
$300
0.12%
0.09%
0.05%
0.03%
0.02%
Plan Participant Consulting: The Commonwealth Plan Participant Consulting Program calls for
clients to pay an annual flat percentage fee according to the following fee schedule:
Managed Account Fee Collection Process
Managed account fees are typically automatically charged to the client’s account pursuant to instructions
provided to the account custodian by BPW. Rather than automatic fee debiting from an account, clients
also have the ability to be direct billed by writing a check to BPW for the fee amount or instructing BPW
to charge the fee to one of the client’s other BPW accounts.
Managed account clients will generally pay fees quarterly, in advance or in arrears, based on the specific
program selected. In some cases, the annual account management fee may be payable monthly in
advance based on the AUM on the last business day of the previous month-end. Financial planning
program clients will pay fees at time of service, in advance of service, or in arrears, as well as in monthly,
quarterly, semiannual, or annual installments, as agreed to between the client and BPW.
Your initial quarterly fee will be prorated based on the number of billing days in the initial quarter. Fees
are based on account value and account type and are negotiable. Other methods of fee calculation exist
or are possible, depending on the specific program, the services provided, client circumstances, and the
account size. These methods include, but are not limited to, hourly, flat, breakpoint, and blended fee
billing. Additional deposits of funds and/or securities during a particular calendar quarter are subject to
billing on a pro rata basis. Clients who withdraw funds from a managed account during a billing period are
not generally entitled to a pro rata refund unless they are terminating their managed account program
client agreement.
BPW allows for the aggregation of assets among a client’s “related” managed accounts for purposes of
determining the value of AUM and the applicable advisory fee to be paid by a client. BPW reserves the
right to determine whether client accounts are “related” for purposes of aggregating a client’s accounts
together for a reduction in the percentage fee amount.
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Clients participating in wrap fee programs will pay an annual asset-based platform or program fee that is
in addition to the asset management fee. In most cases, the annual platform or program fee is payable
quarterly in advance and is computed as one-quarter of the annual fee based on the total value of your
account on the last business day of the previous quarter. Other methods of fee calculation exist or are
possible, depending on the specific program, services provided, client circumstances, and the account
size.
Other Fees and Costs
Apart from wrap fee programs, when Commonwealth effects securities transactions for a client’s account,
Commonwealth passes on to our clients the securities clearance and settlement fees charged by its
clearing broker/dealer with a substantial markup that is retained by Commonwealth. Commonwealth
adds a markup to the transaction fees assessed by its clearing firm and paid by clients or clients’ advisors
to compensate Commonwealth for the cost of its resources utilized in processing the transaction(s) and
to generate additional revenue for Commonwealth. BPW typically passes on the securities clearance and
settlement fees charged by Commonwealth and its clearing broker/dealer. The maximum charges are as
follows:
Transaction Charges
Stocks, ETFs, and Closed-End Funds
Online order entry (including block trades)
Trader assisted
$7.951/$4.952
$251
Bonds, CDs, CMOs, and Structured products
$301
UITs
$201
Options
Online order entry (including block trades)
Trader assisted
$15 + $1 per contract1
$20 + $1.25 per contract1
Alternative Investments
Precious Metals
$50
$501
Mutual Funds
Buy
Sell
No Transaction Fee
(NTF)
$0
$07
$0
Supporting3
$122/$151
$122/$151
$0
Nonsupporting4,5
$301/$351,6
$301/$351,6
$30/$356
Exchange
PIP/SWP8
$0
$0
$3
1Plus service fee of $4 for accounts not enrolled in all available e-notification (e-delivery) options (excluding tax documents).
2Account must be enrolled in all available e-delivery options (excluding tax documents).
3Represents more than 500 supporting fund families from which Commonwealth receives revenue-sharing payments from NFS.
4Commonwealth does not receive revenue-sharing payments derived from investments in nonsupporting funds. NFS assesses
Commonwealth a transaction surcharge for buys, sells, and exchanges of nonsupporting funds. Commonwealth’s transaction
charges are substantially higher for nonsupporting funds to compensate Commonwealth for the absence of revenue sharing
and the assessment of a transaction surcharge by NFS. These nonsupporting fund families are CGM, Dodge & Cox, and
Vanguard.
5While Commonwealth does receive revenue-sharing payments from NFS that are derived from Dimensional Fund Advisors
(DFA) fund assets, these payments are substantially less as a percentage of fund assets than amounts paid by supporting fund
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families. Commonwealth therefore classifies DFA funds as nonsupporting funds. Unlike other nonsupporting funds, NFS does
not assess Commonwealth a transaction surcharge for transactions in DFA funds. Nevertheless, Commonwealth assesses the
same surcharges for buy transactions in DFA funds that are noted in footnote 4 for nonsupporting funds. DFA sell transaction
surcharges are identified in footnote 3 which are lower than sell transactions for other nonsupporting funds identified in
footnote 4. DFA sell transactions processed through the Commonwealth’s trade desk shall be $20. Commonwealth’s receipt of
revenue-sharing payments from DFA fund assets (albeit substantially less than from supporting funds), combined with the
higher transaction charges for buys generates greater revenue for Commonwealth relative to DFA fund assets than the other
nonsupporting funds identified in footnote 4.
6If processed by Commonwealth’s Trade Desk.
7Funds purchased prior to their NTF effective date will still incur a transaction charge.
8Periodic investment plans (PIPs) and systematic withdrawal plans (SWPs) carry a $100 minimum
Commonwealth assesses confirmation fees to clients to offset the asset-based fees it pays to its clearing
broker/dealer and to generate additional revenue for Commonwealth.
In addition to the charges noted above, clients incur certain charges in connection with certain
investments, transactions, and services in your account. In many cases, Commonwealth will receive a
portion of these fees and charges or add a markup to the charges clients would otherwise pay to generate
additional revenue for Commonwealth. The actual fees and charges that clients will incur are dependent
upon the type of account and the nature and quantity of the transactions that occur, the services that are
provided, or the positions that are held in the account. Additional fees and charges that clients will
typically pay include, but are not limited to:
• Mutual fund or money market 12b-1 fees, subtransfer agent fees, and distributor fees
• Mutual fund and ETF money market management fees and administrative expenses
• Mutual fund transaction and redemption fees
• Certain deferred sales charges on mutual funds purchased or transferred into the account
• Other transaction charges and service fees
•
IRA and qualified retirement plan fees
• Other charges that may be required by law
• Brokerage account fees and charges
Information describing the brokerage fees and charges that are applicable to a Commonwealth
brokerage or BPW managed account is provided on Commonwealth’s Schedule of Miscellaneous
Account and Service Fees, which is available on Commonwealth’s website at
www.commonwealth.com/clients/media/Commonwealth_Brokerage_Fee_Schedule.pdf.
BPW advisors may select share classes of mutual funds that pay advisors 12b-1 fees when lower-cost
institutional or advisory share classes of the same mutual fund exist that do not pay BPW or your advisor
additional fees. As a matter of policy, Commonwealth (on BPW’s behalf) credits the mutual fund 12b-1
fees it receives from mutual funds purchased or held in BPW managed accounts back to the client
accounts paying such 12b-1 fees.
In most cases, mutual fund companies offer multiple share classes of the same mutual fund. Some share
classes of a fund charge higher internal expenses, whereas other share classes of a fund charge lower
internal expenses. Institutional and advisory share classes typically have lower expense ratios and are less
costly for a client to hold than Class A shares or other share classes that are eligible for purchase in an
advisory account. Mutual funds that offer institutional share classes, advisory share classes, and other
share classes with lower expense ratios are available to investors who meet specific eligibility
requirements that are described in the mutual fund’s prospectus or its statement of additional
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information. These eligibility requirements include, but may not be limited to, investments meeting
certain minimum dollar amounts and accounts that the fund considers qualified fee-based programs. The
lowest-cost mutual fund share class for a fund may not be offered through our clearing firm or made
available by BPW for purchase within our managed accounts. Clients should never assume that they will
be invested in the share class with the lowest possible expense ratio or cost.
BPW urges clients to discuss with their advisor whether lower-cost share classes are available in their
program account. Clients should also ask their advisor why the funds or other investments that will be
purchased or held in their managed account are appropriate for them in consideration of their expected
holding period, investment objective, risk tolerance, time horizon, financial condition, amount invested,
trading frequency, the amount of the advisory fee charged, whether the client will pay transaction charges
for fund purchases and sales, whether clients will pay higher internal fund expenses in lieu of transaction
charges that could adversely affect long-term performance, and relevant tax considerations. Your advisor
may recommend, select, or continue to hold a fund share class that charges you higher internal expenses
than other available share classes for the same fund.
The purchase or sale of transaction-fee (“TF”) funds available for investment through BPW will result in
the assessment of transaction charges to you, your advisor, BPW or Commonwealth. Although no-
transaction-fee (“NTF”) funds do not assess transaction charges, most NTF funds have higher internal
expenses than funds that do not participate in an NTF program. These higher internal fund expenses are
assessed to investors who purchase or hold NTF funds. Depending upon the frequency of trading and hold
periods, NTF funds may cost you more, or may cost BPW, Commonwealth or your advisor less, than
mutual funds that assess transaction charges but have lower internal expenses. In addition, the higher
internal expenses charged to clients who hold NTF funds will adversely affect the long-term performance
of their accounts when compared to share classes of the same fund that assess lower internal expenses.
The existence of various fund share classes with lower internal expenses that BPW may not make available
for purchase in its managed account programs present a conflict of interest between clients and BPW. A
conflict of interest exists because BPW and your advisor have a greater incentive to make available,
recommend, or make investment decisions regarding investments that provide additional compensation
to BPW that cost clients more than other available share classes in the same fund that cost you less. For
those advisory programs that assess transaction charges to clients or to BPW, a conflict of interest exists
because BPW and your advisor have a financial incentive to recommend or select NTF funds that do not
assess transaction charges but cost you more in internal expenses than funds that do assess transaction
charges but cost you less in internal expenses.
Other Forms of Compensation
As mentioned above, an ongoing asset management fee, billed quarterly in advance, is the most common
method of payment for the client and compensation to BPW. In some cases, the annual account fee may
be payable monthly in advance, and certain managed account programs charge fees in arrears or will have
differing methods of fee calculation. Please refer to the respective program description in this Brochure
or to your client agreement for specific information about the maximum fee allowed, the varying fee
schedules of each program, and the methods of fee billing for the program(s) you select. In addition to
the annual asset management fee, clients participating in wrap fee programs will pay an annual platform
or program fee. In most cases, the annual platform or program fee is payable quarterly in advance and is
computed as one-quarter of the annual fee based on the total value of your account on the last business
day of the previous quarter. In addition to the annual asset management fee, and unless otherwise agreed
between advisor and client, clients participating in Commonwealth’s PPS Custom program will pay
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transaction charges as set forth in the Other Fees and/or Costs section above and may be modified from
time to time by Commonwealth.
Clients should be aware that, when assets are invested in shares of mutual funds, variable insurance
products, and certain alternative investments within a managed account program, clients will pay
investment advisory fees to BPW for advisory services in connection with the investments. In addition to
the payments received by BPW, clients will also pay management fees, mutual fund and money market
12b-1 fees, subtransfer agent fees, mutual fund and money market administrative expenses, mutual fund
transaction fees, certain deferred sales charges and redemption fees on previously purchased mutual
funds, annuity internal expenses and fees, and other fees charged by the investment company, insurance
product, or alternative investment sponsor, which are typically charged to clients as an internal expense
of the product. These internal expenses are described in the prospectus or offering document for the
specific product. Clients may be able to invest directly in the investment company, insurance product, or
alternative investment without incurring the investment advisory fees, platform fees, or transaction
charges assessed by BPW. If a client’s assets are invested in a fee-based annuity, the client will pay both
the direct management fee to BPW for the advisory services provided by BPW in connection with that
investment and, indirectly, the management and other fees charged by the underlying annuity investment
options, as well as the charges assessed by the insurance company for the product. Clients should also be
aware of the tax implications of investing, as well as of the existence of deferred sales charges or
redemption fees charged by some product sponsors for positions the client subsequently sells in BPW
managed accounts.
For California Residents: Subsection (j) of Rule 260.238 of the California Code of Regulations requires that
all investment advisers disclose to their advisory clients that lower fees for comparable services may be
available from other sources.
For District of Columbia Residents: Section 1811.1 Subsection (j) of the DC Rules requires BPW to disclose
that lower fees for comparable services may be available from other sources. Subsection (k) requires BPW
to indicate that all material conflicts of interest that relate to the advisor or to any of its employees, and
that would cause BPW not to render unbiased and objective advice, have been disclosed to the client in
writing via the disclosure provided in this Form ADV Part 2.
For Massachusetts Residents: Massachusetts General Law Section 203A requires disclosure that
information about the disciplinary history and the registration of BPW and its associated persons may be
obtained by contacting the Public Reference Branch of the SEC at 202.942.8090, or by contacting the
Massachusetts Securities Division at One Ashburton Place, 17th Floor, Boston, MA 02108 or at
617.727.3548.
Special Disclosures for ERISA Plans:
In this Brochure, BPW has disclosed conflicts of interest, such as receiving additional compensation from
third parties (e.g., 12b-1 fees, subtransfer agent fees, and revenue sharing) for providing marketing,
recordkeeping, or other services in connection with certain investments. BPW, however, has adopted
policies and procedures that are designed to ensure compliance with the prohibited transaction rules
under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), as amended. For example, BPW
has taken several steps to address the conflict of interest associated with BPW’s receipt of compensation
for services provided to ERISA plans.
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First, an advisor negotiates the compensation with ERISA plan sponsors or participants (“ERISA clients”)
and the compensation is either an annual fee for ongoing services based on a percentage of assets under
advisement, a flat fee, or an hourly rate. Second, to the extent that an advisor receives additional
compensation from a third party, the advisor must report it to BPW to enable the additional compensation
to be offset against the fees that the ERISA clients would otherwise pay for the advisor’s services. Third,
BPW has established a policy not to influence any advisor’s advice or management of assets at any time
or for any reason based on any compensation that BPW might receive from third parties. In no event will
BPW allow advisors to provide advice or manage assets for ERISA clients if they have conflicts of interest
that BPW believes are prohibited by ERISA.
As a covered service provider to ERISA plans, BPW will comply with the U.S. Department of Labor
regulations on fee disclosures, effective July 16, 2011 (or such other date as provided by the Department).
Thus, BPW will disclose (i) direct compensation received from ERISA clients; (ii) indirect compensation
(e.g., 12b-1 fees) received from third parties; and (iii) transaction-based compensation (e.g., commissions)
or other similar compensation shared with related parties servicing the ERISA plan. These fee disclosures
will be made reasonably in advance of entering into, renewing, or extending the advisory service
agreement with the ERISA client.
Item 6 – Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
BPW does not charge any 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
BPW generally provides advisory services to the following types of clients:
Individuals (other than high net worth individuals)
High net worth individuals
Charitable organizations
Corporations or other businesses not listed above
BPW’s managed account programs generally require a minimum investment of $100,000. In some cases,
account balances may be combined at the household level to satisfy the account minimum. BPW may
waive this minimum investment requirement in its sole discretion.
Item 8 – Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves risk of loss that investors should be sure they understand and should be
prepared to bear. There is no investment strategy that will guarantee a profit or prevent loss.
BPW primarily serves retail investors. In doing so, the firm primarily employs the use of model portfolios
developed and managed on an ongoing basis by our team. Clients choosing to invest with us will work
closely with their advisor to select the model portfolio or portfolios that best meet the client’s goals,
objectives and needs. Model portfolios can also be customized to meet various considerations as agreed
to by the client and their advisor. In limited cases, if a model portfolio or a customized version of a model
portfolio does not meet a client’s goals and objectives, BPW allows for the creation and use of client-
specific portfolios.
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BPW builds portfolios from the top down by determining the client’s risk level, desired asset allocation,
and determining what sector weightings are suitable for each portfolio. The firm’s goal in using this
approach is to avoid chasing individual fund performance which often impairs returns and success in
meeting the client’s goals. In constructing portfolios, we consider the various criteria when selecting
individual investments, including (as applicable depending on the type of security) but not necessarily
limited to the following:
Asset allocation and client mandates
Manager Turnover
Expense of ownership
Focus and flexibility of investment policy
Concentration and composition of holdings
Tax Efficiency
Upside/Downside Capture
Risk Management
Correlation against other portfolio assets
Performance - Against Benchmarks/Peers and in varied market conditions
PPS Select Methods of Analysis and Investment Strategies
Commonwealth’s PPS Select Program is based on asset allocation concepts and modern portfolio theory.
The PPS Select portfolios are designed to provide long-term, risk-adjusted returns for investors across the
risk/return spectrum. Depending on the program and model selected by a client, the program may invest
in open-end mutual funds, closed-end funds, ETFs, individual municipal fixed income securities, and
individual equity securities managed by Commonwealth’s Investment Management and Research team.
When selecting investments for inclusion or removal from the PPS Select portfolios, the Investment
Management and Research team conducts extensive due diligence.
Commonwealth’s investment philosophy process has five steps: (1) screening, (2) evaluation, (3) analysis,
(4) portfolio construction, and (5) ongoing monitoring:
Step 1—Screening: An initial screening process based on quantitative criteria is used as a starting
point for further research. Its purpose is to narrow down the universe of investments that meet
Commonwealth’s objective criteria.
Step 2—Evaluation: After screening, the
investment (or group of
investments) under
consideration is evaluated by applying a scoring system based on returns that are adjusted to take
into account quantifiable risk. The investment is also evaluated based on its peer group ranking,
benchmark relative performance, and consistency of investment management style.
Step 3—Analysis: The objective of this step is to build a solid understanding of how the
investment operates. During this stage, the Investment Management team spends a great deal of
time evaluating the investment’s philosophy and process to ensure that they are consistent. After
the in-depth quantitative and qualitative analysis is complete, the team meets with the potential
investment’s key decision makers—either on-site or over the phone—to gain a greater
understanding of their process for managing the portfolio.
Step 4—Portfolio Construction: After Commonwealth’s portfolio managers have determined that
the investment is attractive on a stand-alone basis, they assess how well the investment
complements and fits with other PPS Select portfolio holdings. A review of certain metrics, such
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as excess-return correlation, is performed to reasonably ensure that holdings will perform as
expected in different market environments.
Step 5—Ongoing Monitoring: The PPS Select portfolios are monitored on an ongoing basis. The
Investment Management and Research team continually conducts performance reviews,
holdings-based attribution analysis, firm commentary reviews, and conference calls and meetings
to determine whether a portfolio is meeting the team’s risk-adjusted return expectations and an
investment’s stated objective.
Risks of Loss
Regardless of what investment strategy or analysis is undertaken, investing in securities involves risk of
loss that clients must be prepared to bear; in fact, some investment strategies could result in total loss of
your investment. Some risks may be avoided or mitigated, while others are completely unavoidable. Some
of the common risks you should consider prior to investing include, but are not limited to:
Market risks: The prices of, and the income generated by, the common stocks, bonds, and other securities
you own may decline in response to certain events taking place around the world, including those directly
involving the issuers; conditions affecting the general economy; overall market changes; local, regional,
or global political, social, or economic instability; governmental or governmental agency responses to
economic conditions; and currency, interest rate, and commodity price fluctuations.
Interest rate risks: The prices of, and the income generated by, most debt and equity securities will most
likely be affected by changing interest rates and by changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings
of these securities. For example, the prices of debt securities generally decline when interest rates rise
and increase when interest rates fall. In addition, falling interest rates may cause an issuer to redeem,
“call,” or refinance a security before its stated maturity date, which would typically result in having to
reinvest the proceeds in lower-yielding securities.
Credit risks: Debt securities are also subject to credit risk, which is the possibility that the credit strength
of an issuer will weaken and/or an issuer of a debt security will fail to make timely payments of principal
or interest and the security will go into default.
Risks of investing outside the U.S.: Investments in securities issued by entities based outside the United
States are often subject to the risks described above to a greater extent.
Margin transactions: Securities transactions in which an investor borrows money to purchase a security,
in which case the security serves as collateral on the loan, inherently have more risk than cash purchases.
If the value of the shares drops sufficiently, the investor will be required to either deposit more cash into
the account or sell a portion of the stock in order to maintain the margin requirements of the account.
This is known as a “margin call.” An investor’s overall risk in accounts utilizing margin includes the amount
of money invested plus the amount that was loaned to them.
Pledging Assets: Pledging assets in an account to secure a loan involves additional risks. The bank holding
the loan has the authority to liquidate all or part of the securities at any time without prior notice in order
to maintain required maintenance levels, or to call the loan at any time, and this may cause you to sell
assets and realize losses in a declining market. In addition, because of collateral requirements imposed by
the bank, investment decisions for the account may be restricted. These restrictions, or a forced
liquidation, may interfere with your long-term investment goals and/or result in adverse tax
consequences.
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Tax considerations: Our strategies and investments may have unique and significant tax implications.
Unless specifically agreed otherwise, and in writing, however, tax efficiency is not our primary
consideration in the management of your assets. Regardless of your account size or any other factors, it
is strongly recommended 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 equity investments and average-cost for mutual fund positions. 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 advantageous, provide written notice to our firm
immediately, and Commonwealth 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.
Commonwealth and your advisor 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.
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. Certain structured products, interval funds, and alternative investments are less
liquid than securities traded on an exchange, and you should be aware of the fact that you may not be
able sell these products outside of prescribed time periods. You should consult your advisor prior to
purchasing products considered illiquid and in instances where changes in your financial situation and
objectives may increase your need for liquidity.
Inflation 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.
Time horizon and longevity risk: Time horizon risk is the risk that your investment horizon is shortened
because of an unforeseen event (e.g., 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 nearing retirement.
Recommendation of particular types of securities: We will recommend various types of securities and 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. In very general terms, however, the higher the anticipated
return of an investment, the higher the risk of loss associated with the investment. Descriptions of the
types of securities we may recommend to you and some of their inherent risks are provided below:
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Money market funds: A money market fund is technically a security, and, as such, there is a risk
of loss of principal, although it is generally rare. 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 variable. In other words, you do not know how much you will earn on your
investment next month. The rate could go up or down. If it goes up, that may result in a positive
outcome. If it goes down, however, and you earn less than you expected to, 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 tend to be less than long-term average returns on
riskier investments. Over long periods of time, inflation can eat away at your returns.
Municipal securities: Municipal securities, while generally thought of as safe, can have significant
risks associated with them, including, but not limited to, the creditworthiness 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 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: Also known as corporate debt securities, 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 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 “stocks”). In very broad terms, the value of a stock depends on the financial
health of the company issuing it. Stock prices, however, can be affected by many other factors,
including, but not limited to, the class of stock (e.g., preferred or common), the health of the
market sector of the issuing company, and the overall health of the economy. In general, larger,
more well-established companies (i.e., large-caps) tend to be safer than smaller start-up
companies (i.e., small-caps), but the mere size of an issuer is not, by itself, an indicator of the
safety of the investment.
Mutual funds and ETFs: Mutual funds and ETFs 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) 29 rather than balancing the fund
with different types of securities. ETFs differ from mutual funds in that 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,” meaning there’s 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.” Open-end mutual funds continue to allow new investors
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indefinitely, whereas closed-end funds have a fixed number of shares to sell, which can limit their
availability to new investors.
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 will be 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.
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. The asset class still bears a considerable amount of market risk, however.
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 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.
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 is dependent on the
nature of the partnership and disclosed in the offering documents if privately placed. Publicly
traded limited partnerships 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.
Structured products: A structured product is generally a prepackaged investment strategy based
on derivatives, such as a single security, a basket of securities, options, indices, commodities,
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debt issuances, and/or foreign currencies, and, to a lesser extent, swaps. Structured products
are usually issued by investment banks or affiliates thereof. In addition to a fixed maturity, they
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. These products are not always FDIC
insured, however; 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. They also involve the risk of 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
Investments may also be affected by currency controls; different accounting, auditing, financial reporting,
disclosure, and regulatory and legal standards and practices; expropriation (occurs when governments
take away a private business from its owners); changes in tax policy; greater market volatility; different
securities market structures; higher transaction costs; and various administrative difficulties, such as
delays in clearing and settling portfolio transactions or in receiving payment of dividends. These risks may
be heightened in connection with investments in developing countries. Investments in securities issued
by entities domiciled in the United States may also be subject to many of these risks.
Any of the common risks described above could adversely affect the value of your portfolio and account
performance, and you can lose money. Even though these risks exist, BPW will still earn the fees and other
compensation described in this Brochure. Clients should carefully consider the risks of investing and the
potential that they may lose principal while BPW continues to earn fees and other forms of compensation.
Your investments are not bank deposits and are not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any other
governmental agency, entity, or person, unless otherwise noted and explicitly disclosed as such, and as
such may lose value.
Item 9 – Disciplinary Information
Neither BPW nor its personnel have any disciplinary information to report in this section.
Item 10 – Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
BPW is a licensed insurance agency. Substantially all individuals associated with the firm are licensed to
sell insurance products through our insurance agency. As such, we may recommend the purchase of
insurance products when you engage us for services. Should you choose to purchase an insurance product
through BPW and/or your advisor, BPW and/or your advisor will receive commission compensation. This
compensation is separate from and in addition to any fees you pay for investment advisory services. This
is a conflict of interest. Clients are under no obligation to purchase insurance products through BPW or
your advisor. If clients wish to purchase insurance products, clients are free to use the insurance agent of
their choice to do so.
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BPW does not have a related person, nor does the firm or its management personnel have a relationship
with any individual or entity who is a broker dealer, investment company or pooled investment vehicle,
other investment adviser or financial planner, futures commission merchant or commodity pool operator,
banking or thrift institution, accountant or accounting firm, lawyer or law firm, pension consultant, real
estate broker, or sponsor or syndicator of a limited partnership.
BPW has chosen to partner with Commonwealth to provide certain services, including but not limited to
fee billing and account performance reporting, to our firm and our clients. For the services it provides,
Commonwealth charges our advisors an administrative fee at the same time clients are charged asset-
based management fees. The administrative fee is charged to and paid by the advisor rather than the
advisor’s clients. and is calculated as a percentage of the total account assets, including cash and money
market positions, held by the advisor’s clients.
Item 11 – Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client
Transactions and Personal Trading
Pursuant to Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, BPW has adopted a
Code of Ethics that governs a number of conflicts of interest we have when providing our advisory services
to you. Our Code of Ethics is designed to ensure that we meet our fiduciary obligations to you and to
foster a culture of compliance throughout our firm.
Our Code of Ethics sets forth certain standards of conduct, addresses conflicts of interest between our
firm, our employees, our agents, our advisors, and our advisory clients. The Code is designed to help us
detect and prevent violations of securities laws and to help ensure that we keep your interests first at all
times. We distribute our Code of Ethics to each supervised person at the time of his or her initial affiliation
with our firm and ensure it remains available to each supervised person for as long as he or she remains
associated with our firm. Updates to our Code of Ethics are communicated to each supervised person as
changes are made.
Clients and prospective clients may request a copy of our Code of Ethics at any time.
BPW and its advisors often invest in the same securities that we recommend to clients. BPW and its
advisors also recommend securities to, and buy and sell securities for, client accounts at or about the
same time that we buy or sell the same securities for our own accounts. These activities create a conflict
of interest between us and our clients. Our firm policy prohibits “trading ahead” of clients’ transactions
to the detriment of clients. When BPW and its advisors are purchasing or selling securities for their own
accounts, priority will be given to client transactions, or trades will be aggregated together to obtain an
average execution price for the benefit of all parties. BPW has implemented surveillance and exception
reports that are designed to identify and correct situations in which firm or advisor transactions are placed
ahead of client transactions to the detriment of clients.
Item 12 – Brokerage Practices
The Custodians and Brokers We Use
BPW does not maintain physical custody of your assets. However, we will be deemed to have custody of
your assets under SEC rules if you give us authority to withdraw advisory fees from your account or if you
provide us with authorization for money movement to third parties (see Item 15 - Custody below). Your
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assets must be maintained in an account at a “qualified custodian”, generally a broker dealer or other
financial institution. We primarily recommend that our clients use National Financial Services, a registered
broker-dealer, member SIPC, as a qualified custodian. At times, we may utilize other qualified custodians
to hold your assets. We are independently owned and operated and are not affiliated with National
Financial Services or any other qualified custodian. The qualified custodian will hold your assets in a
brokerage account and buy and sell securities with our instruction. While we will recommend a qualified
custodian to hold your assets, you will decide whether to do so and will open the account directly at the
qualified custodian with our assistance. Not all advisers require their client to use a particular broker-
dealer or other custodian selected by the Advisor. However, if you choose not to open an account with
one of the qualified custodians we recommend, we will not be able to provide asset management services
to you. Consulting services not including asset management will be available in such cases if you desire.
How We Select Brokers/Custodians
We seek to use a custodian/broker who will hold your assets and execute transactions on terms that are,
overall, most advantageous when compared to other available providers and their services. We consider
a wide range of factors, including, among others:
Combination of transaction execution services and asset custody services
Capability to execute, clear and settle trades (buy and sell securities for your account)
Capability to facilitate transfers and payments to and from accounts (wire transfers, check
requests, etc.)
Breadth of available investment products (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds
[ETFs], limited partnerships)
Availability of investment research and tools that assist us in making investment decisions.
Quality of services
Competitiveness of the price of those services and willingness to negotiate the prices
Reputation, financial strength, and stability
Prior service to us and our other clients
Availability of other products and services that benefit us
Your Brokerage and Custody Costs
For our clients’ accounts that BPW maintains via National Financial Services, BPW and National Financial
Services generally do not charge you separately for custody services but are compensated by charging you
commissions or other fees on trades that are executed or settled into your account. Commonwealth’s
commission rates applicable to our client accounts were negotiated based on the condition that our
clients collectively maintain a total of at least $50,000,000 of their assets in accounts at National Financial
Services. For client accounts at Commonwealth, this commitment benefits you because the overall
commission rates you pay are lower than they would be otherwise. Because of these factors, in order to
minimize your trading costs, we have Commonwealth (via NFS) execute most trades for your account(s).
We have determined that having Commonwealth/NFS execute most trades is consistent with our duty to
seek “best execution” of your trades. Best execution means the most favorable terms for a transaction
based on all relevant factors, including those listed above (see “How We Select Brokers/Custodians”).
Periodically, we will review alternative broker-dealers and custodians in the marketplace to ensure that
the custodians we use are meeting our duty to provide best execution for our clients. Best execution does
not simply mean the lowest transaction cost. When examining firms, we will compare overall expertise,
cost competitiveness and financial condition. The quality of execution by the custodians we use will be
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reviewed using publicly available trade execution data and other sources as needed. No single criteria will
validate nor invalidate a custodian, but rather, all criteria taken together will be used in evaluating the
currently utilized custodian.
Products and Services Available to Us from Commonwealth and Our Custodians
Commonwealth Financial Network provides BPW with various products and services that enable us to
both serve our clients and grow our business. Commonwealth (through their disclosed clearing
relationships with National Financial Services) provide us and our clients with access to its brokerage
services— trading, custody, reporting, and related services. Commonwealth also makes available various
support services. Some of those services help us manage or administer our client accounts, while others
help us manage and grow our business. Following is a more detailed description of Commonwealth’s
support services:
Services That Benefit You
Commonwealth’s brokerage services include access to a broad range of investment products, execution
of securities transactions by Commonwealth’s clearing firms, and custody of client assets via their clearing
firms. The investment products available through Commonwealth include some to which we might not
otherwise have access or that would require a significantly higher minimum initial investment by our
clients.
Services That Do Not Directly Benefit You
Commonwealth also makes available to us other products and services that benefit our firm and our
advisors but do not directly benefit you or your account. These products and services assist us in managing
and administering our clients’ accounts. They include investment research, both Commonwealth’s and
that of third parties. We use this research to service substantially all our client accounts, including
accounts not maintained at Commonwealth. In addition to investment research, Commonwealth also
makes available software and other technology that:
Provide access to client account data (such as duplicate trade confirmations and account
statements)
Facilitate trade execution
Provide pricing and other market data
Facilitate payment of our fees from our client accounts
Assist with back-office functions, recordkeeping and client reporting
Services That Generally Benefit Only Us
Commonwealth also offers other services intended to help us manage and further develop our business
enterprise. These services include:
Complementary or discounted attendance at conferences and events
Consulting on technology, compliance, legal and business needs
Publications and conferences on practice management and business succession
Our Interest in Commonwealth’s Services
Our relationship with Commonwealth requires that we maintain a certain level of assets within
Commonwealth’s PPS program and/or our own asset management program. This creates an incentive to
recommend that you establish and maintain your account with Commonwealth, based on our interest in
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receiving Commonwealth’s services that benefit our business rather than based on your interest in
receiving the best value in custody services and the most favorable execution of your transactions. This is
a conflict of interest. To mitigate the conflict, this disclosure is provided to you. As a fiduciary, we must
act in your best interests. We believe that our selection of National Financial Services or Pershing (via
Commonwealth) as custodian and broker is in the best interests of our clients and conduct regular reviews
of our relationship with Commonwealth to ensure this remains the case. Our choice to maintain a
relationship with Commonwealth
is primarily supported by the scope, quality, and price of
Commonwealth’s services (see “How We Select Brokers/Custodians”) and not Commonwealth’s services
that benefit only us.
Block Trading Policy
BPW may aggregate (“bunch”) transactions in the same security on behalf of more than one client in an
effort to strive for best execution and to possibly reduce the price per share. However, aggregated or
bunched orders will not reduce the transaction costs to participating clients. Typically, the process of
aggregating client orders is done in order to achieve better execution, to negotiate more favorable
commission rates or to allocate orders among clients on a more equitable basis in order to avoid
differences in prices and transaction fees or other transaction costs that might be obtained when orders
are placed independently. BPW conducts aggregated transactions in a manner designed to ensure that no
participating client is favored over another client.
Participating clients will obtain the average share price per share for the security executed that day. To
the extent the aggregated order is not filled in its entirety and when possible, securities purchased or sold
in an aggregated transaction will be allocated pro-rata to the participating client accounts in proportion
to the size of the orders placed for each account. The amount of securities maybe increased or decreased
to avoid holding odd-lot or a small number of shares for particular clients. It should be noted, BPW does
not receive any additional compensation or remuneration as a result of aggregation. Advisory clients
purchase funds at net asset value.
Soft Dollars
BPW does not use commissions to pay for research and brokerage services (i.e., soft dollar transactions).
Research, along with other products and services other than trade execution, are available to BPW on a
cash basis from various vendors.
Core Account Sweep Programs (“CASPs”)
Through our relationship with Commonwealth, our firm has access to a core account sweep program
(“CASP”). CASP is the core account investment vehicle for eligible accounts used to hold cash balances
while awaiting reinvestment. The cash balance in your eligible accounts will be deposited automatically
or “swept” into interest-bearing FDIC-insurance eligible deposit accounts at one or more FDIC-insured
financial institutions The interest rates for your eligible accounts may be obtained from at
www.commonwealth.com/clients/deposit-sweep-program.aspx. Specific features and account eligibility
of CASP are further explained in the Disclosure Document provided to clients that participate in CASP. A
current version of the CASP Disclosure Document is available at
www.commonwealth.com/clients/media/BankSweepDisclosureDocument.pdf.
Clients should note that, though the default options for cash held in accounts are the core account
investment vehicles, clients may at any time seek higher yields in other available investment options.
Commonwealth keeps a portion of the interest paid by the bank(s) participating in CASP as a fee for
providing bank sweep services. This fee reduces the rate of interest you receive on your cash in the bank
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sweep program. BPW receives no financial benefits from the CASP program. We encourage our clients to
review CASP program details to understand how Commonwealth and the program banks get paid for the
sweep program and to discuss other available investment options should you wish to do so.
NTF Program
Additionally, NFS offers an NTF program composed of no-load mutual funds. Participating mutual fund
sponsors pay a fee to NFS to participate in this program, and a portion of this fee is shared with
Commonwealth. None of these additional payments is paid to BPW or any advisors who sell these funds.
NTF mutual funds may be purchased within an investment advisory account at no charge to the client.
Clients, however, should be aware that funds available through the NTF program often contain higher
internal expenses than mutual funds that do not participate in the NTF program. Commonwealth’s receipt
of a portion of the fees associated with the NTF program creates a conflict of interest because
Commonwealth has an incentive to make available those products that provide such compensation to
NFS and Commonwealth over those mutual fund sponsors that do not make such payments to NFS and
Commonwealth. While BPW does not receive additional compensation from NFS or Commonwealth
based on the particular investment (potentially including one or more NTF funds), BPW’s menu of
investment options is limited to investments made available by Commonwealth. Thus, clients may be
impacted by the conflict of interest previously described in this paragraph. As stated previously, BPW
regularly evaluates our relationship with Commonwealth to ensure it remains appropriate for the firm
and our clients.
The investment advisory services provided by BPW may cost the client more or less than purchasing
similar services separately. Clients should consider whether the appointment of Commonwealth as the
sole broker/dealer may result in certain costs or disadvantages to the client as a result of possibly less
favorable executions. Factors to consider include the type and size of the account and the client’s
historical and expected account size or number of trades.
Item 13 – Review of Accounts
All asset management client accounts are reviewed by an Investment Advisor Representative (IAR) of the
firm on no less than an annual basis, or when changes in client circumstances or market conditions
warrant. Securities held in the firm’s model portfolios are regularly reviewed by the firm’s investment
committee.
Clients will be provided statements at least quarterly directly from account custodian where your assets
are maintained. Additionally, you will receive confirmations of all transactions directly from account
custodian. All non-retirement accounts and retirement accounts for those clients taking distributions will
receive an annual tax reporting statement. In addition, managed account clients may receive additional
performance reports from BPW. You should compare such reports to statements received directly from
the account custodian(s). Should there be any discrepancy, the account custodian’s report will prevail.
Item 14 – Client Referrals and Other Compensation
BPW receives an economic benefit from Commonwealth in the form of the support, products and services
Commonwealth makes available to BPW and other investment advisers whose clients maintain their
accounts on Commonwealth’s platform. These products and services, how they
benefit us, and the related conflicts of interest are described in Item 12 of this brochure.
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Our access to Commonwealth’s products and services is not conditioned on our firm or our advisors giving
particular investment advice, such as buying particular securities for our clients. Product vendors
recommended by BPW may provide monetary and non-monetary assistance for the purposes of funding
marketing, distribution, business and client development, educational enhancement and/or due diligence
reviews incurred by BPW or our advisors relating to the promotion or sale of the product vendor’s
products or services. We do not select products as a result of the receipt or potential receipt of any
monetary or non-monetary assistance. BPW’s due diligence of a product does not take into consideration
any assistance it may receive. While the receipt of products or services is a benefit for you and us, it also
presents a conflict of interest. We attempt to mitigate this conflict of interest by:
•
•
•
Informing you of conflicts of interest in our disclosure document and agreement;
Maintaining and abiding by our Code of Ethics which requires us to place your interests first
and foremost;
Advising you of the right to decline to implement our recommendations and the right to
choose other financial professionals for implementation.
Use of Promoters
BPW utilizes a referral program designed to compensate outside professionals or firms, such as attorneys,
accountants, or other broker/dealers and investment advisers, for referring your advisory business to
BPW. These professionals or firms are known as “promoters.” If your advisory account is referred by a
promoter, BPW will pay a portion of the advisory fee you pay us to the promoter, typically for as long as
you maintain an advisory relationship with us, to compensate the promoter for the referral. BPW will not
charge a client who is referred to our firm by a promoter any amount for the cost of obtaining the client
that is in addition to the fee normally charged by BPW for its investment advisory services.
All promotional arrangements are disclosed to clients at the time of the promotion via execution of a
Disclosure Statement or similar document that outlines the nature and amount of the compensation we
pay to the promoter and whether or not the promoter is affiliated with or related to BPW.
Item 15 – Custody
BPW does not maintain physical custody of your assets. Under SEC rules, we are deemed to have custody
of your assets if you authorize us to instruct your account custodian to deduct our advisory fees directly
from your account, or if you provide us with authorization to transfer funds from your account to a third
party. BPW maintains a relationship with Commonwealth who, as described previously in this brochure,
maintains a primary clearing relationship for the execution of client transactions with NFS as the account
custodian, and a secondary clearing relationship for the execution of client transactions with Pershing as
the account custodian. Substantially all of our advisory clients must select Commonwealth as the
broker/dealer of record and NFS as the clearing firm for their managed accounts. In all cases, the name
and address of the account custodian will be identified in the respective managed account client
agreement.
Clients who establish a managed account with BPW utilizing Commonwealth as the broker/dealer of
record will receive custodial account statements directly from the respective custodian that holds those
assets, such as NFS, Pershing, or a direct product sponsor. Clients should carefully review the statements
they receive from their account custodians and should promptly report material discrepancies to BPW.
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BPW clients may also receive portfolio summary or performance reporting for their managed accounts
from BPW or their advisor that are in addition to the account statements clients receive directly from the
respective account custodian. BPW urges you to compare the account statements you receive from your
account custodian with any account summary statements or reports you receive from us or your advisor.
Although account holdings and asset valuations should generally match, for purposes of calculating
performance and account valuations on your account, our summary or performance reporting month-end
market values sometimes differ from custodial account statement month-end market values. The three
most common reasons why these values may differ are differences in the manner in which accrued
interest is calculated, the date upon which “as of” dividends and capital gains are reported, and settlement
date versus trade date valuations.
Item 16 – Investment Discretion
BPW renders investment advice to the vast majority of its managed account clients on a discretionary
basis, pursuant to written authorization granted by the client to the firm. This authorization grants to BPW
the discretion to buy, sell, exchange, convert, or otherwise trade in securities and/or insurance products,
and to execute orders for such securities and/or insurance products with or through any distributor,
issuer, or broker/dealer as BPW or your advisor may select. Your advisor may, without obtaining your
consent, determine which products to purchase or sell for your managed account, as well as when to
purchase or sell such products, and the prices to be paid. Neither BPW nor your advisor, however, is
granted authority to take possession of your assets. You may terminate this discretionary authorization
at any time by providing written notice to us.
Clients may impose reasonable restrictions on their managed account, including, but not limited to, the
type, nature, or specific names of securities to be bought, sold, or held in their managed account, as well
as the type, nature, or specific names of securities that may not be bought, sold, or held in their managed
account. Clients generally grant BPW discretionary trading authority over their managed accounts. If not
specifically requested otherwise by the client, discretionary authority will be established at the time the
account is first opened. Our managed account program does, however, permit the client to choose to
have BPW and the advisor provide investment advice and recommendations to the client on a
nondiscretionary basis. Clients who wish to receive advice with respect to their managed account on a
nondiscretionary basis would need to execute an amendment to modify the client agreement to be
nondiscretionary. Clients may request a copy of the nondiscretionary amendment form from their advisor
if they desire to exercise this option.
As a matter of firm policy, BPW will not have or accept the authority to file class action claims on behalf
of clients. This policy reflects BPW’s recognition that it does not have the requisite expertise to advise
clients with regard to participating in class actions. BPW and its advisors have no obligation to determine
if securities held by the client are subject to a pending or resolved class action settlement or verdict. BPW
and its advisors also have no duty to evaluate a client’s eligibility or to submit a claim to participate in the
proceeds of a securities class action settlement or verdict. Further, BPW and its advisors have no
obligation or responsibility to initiate litigation to recover damages on behalf of clients who may have
been injured because of actions, misconduct, or negligence by corporate management of issuers whose
securities are held by clients. The decision to participate in a class action or to sign a release of claims
when submitting a proof of claim may involve the exercise of legal judgment, which is beyond the scope
of services provided to clients by BPW or your advisor. In all cases, clients retain the responsibility for
evaluating whether it is prudent to join a class action or to opt out.
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Item 17 – Voting Client Securities
As a matter of firm policy, and in accordance with this Brochure and our advisory client agreements,
neither BPW nor our advisors have or will accept the authority to vote proxies on behalf of clients. BPW
or our advisors may, but are not obligated to, provide advice to clients regarding the clients’ voting of
proxies. In all cases, clients must either retain the responsibility for receiving and voting proxies for any
and all securities maintained in their managed accounts, or they must appoint a third-party investment
adviser or other person who is not associated with BPW to vote proxies for their managed accounts.
In the event the advisor chooses to provide advice to clients designed to assist the client in making a
decision as to how to vote their proxies, the advisor has a fiduciary duty to disclose to the client any
material conflicts of interest the advisor may have with respect to such advice. In all cases, BPW or the
advisor will send, or will cause to be sent, all such proxy and legal proceedings information and documents
it receives to the client, so that the client may take whatever action the client deems advisable under the
circumstances.
Item 18 – Financial Information
BPW does not require prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees six months or more in advance. BPW
maintains custody of certain client assets and in certain instances, as defined in SEC Rule 206(4)-2.
Additionally, pursuant to the trading authorization granted by BPW managed account clients, BPW has
discretionary trading authority over the funds and securities of clients.
BPW neither has a financial commitment that would impair its ability to meet its contractual and fiduciary
commitments to clients, nor has BPW been the subject of a bankruptcy proceeding.
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