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ITEM 1 – COVER PAGE
Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure
Main Office Location:
9011 Mountain Ridge Drive
Suite 200
Austin, TX 78759
Mailing Address:
5503 S. University Boulevard
Greenwood Village, CO 80121
Office 303-578-7024
www.custosfo.com
March 23, 2025
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Custos Family Office, LLC
(“Custos”). If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us at 303-578-7024 or
audrey@custosfo.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. Custos is a Registered Investment Adviser.
Registration as an Investment Adviser with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or any state
securities authority does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
Additional information about Custos is available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. You can search this
site by a unique identifying number, known as an IARD number. The IARD number for Custos is 294025.
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ITEM 2 – MATERIAL CHANGES
This section of the Brochure will address only those “material changes” that have been
incorporated since our last delivery or posting of this document on the SEC’s public disclosure
website (IAPD) www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. Our last Annual Amendment filing was dated March
20, 2024. There have been the following material changes since the last Annual ADV filing:
• None
If you would like another copy of this Brochure, please download it from the SEC Website as
indicated above or you may contact our Chief Compliance Officer Audrey Soza at 210-318-4903
or audrey@custosfo.com. We encourage you to read this document in its entirety.
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ITEM 3 – TABLE OF 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
9
ITEM 6 - PERFORMANCE BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT
14
ITEM 7 - TYPES OF CLIENTS
15
ITEM 8 - METHODS OF ANALYSIS, INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISK OF LOSS
15
ITEM 9 - DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION
20
ITEM 10 - OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATIONS
20
INSURANCE
20
ITEM 11 - CODE OF ETHICS PARTICIPATION OR INTEREST IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS AND
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PERSONAL TRADING
ITEM 12 - BROKERAGE PRACTICES
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ITEM 13 - REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS
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ITEM 14 – CLIENT REFERRALS AND OTHER COMPENSATION
28
ITEM 15 – CUSTODY
29
ITEM 16 – INVESTMENT DISCRETION
30
ITEM 17 – VOTING CLIENT SECURITIES
30
ITEM 18 – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
30
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ITEM 4 – ADVISORY BUSINESS
This Disclosure document is being offered to you by Custos Family Office, LLC (“Custos” or “Firm”)
about the investment advisory services we provide. It discloses information about our services
and the way those services are made available to you, the client.
We are an investment management firm located in Austin, TX. We specialize in investment
advisory services for individuals, high net worth individuals, charitable organizations, foundations,
trusts and estates. Our Firm became a registered investment adviser in the State of Colorado and
Texas in April 2018. JKG 121416, LLC and Custos Texas, LLC have ownership in the Firm. In July
2019, the firm Registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Audrey Soza
is the firm’s Chief Compliance Officer.
We are committed to helping clients build, manage, and preserve their wealth, and to provide
assistance that helps clients to achieve their stated financial goals. We will offer an initial
complimentary meeting upon our discretion; however, investment advisory services are initiated
only after you and Custos execute an Agreement with the Firm.
Investment Management Services
We manage advisory accounts on a discretionary basis and non-discretionary basis. For
discretionary accounts, once we have determined a profile and investment plan with a client, we
will execute the day-to-day transactions without seeking prior client consent. Account supervision
is guided by the written profile and investment plan of the client. We may accept accounts with
certain restrictions if circumstances warrant. We primarily allocate client assets among various
equities, Exchanged Traded Funds (“ETFs”), mutual funds and debt securities in accordance with
their stated investment objectives.
During personal discussions with clients, we determine the client’s objectives, time horizons, risk
tolerance and liquidity needs. As appropriate, we also review a client’s prior investment history,
as well as family composition and background. Based on client needs, we develop a client’s
personal profile and investment plan. We then create a Plan and manage the client’s portfolio
based on that policy and Plan. It is the client’s obligation to notify us immediately if circumstances
have changed with respect to their goals.
Once we have determined the appropriate strategy for you and your family and executed the
strategy, we will provide ongoing investment review and management services. This approach
requires us to periodically review your portfolio.
With our discretionary relationship, we will make changes to the portfolio, as we deem
appropriate, to meet your financial objectives. We trade these portfolios based on the
combination of our market views and your objectives, using our investment process. We tailor
our advisory services to meet the needs of our clients and seek to ensure that your portfolio is
managed in a manner consistent with those needs and objectives. You will have the ability to leave
standing instructions with us to refrain from investing in particular industries or invest in limited
amounts of securities.
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We do have limited authority to direct the Custodian to deduct our investment advisory fees from
your accounts, but only with the appropriate written authorization from you.
You are advised and are expected to understand that our past performance is not a guarantee of
future results. Certain market and economic risks exist that adversely affect an account’s
performance. This could result in capital losses in your account.
Sub-Advisory Services
Custos may enter into agreements with unaffiliated registered investment advisors (hereafter
referred to as an “Independent RIA”) whereby Independent RIA will maintain discretionary
authority to manage the Client assets through Custos. Custos will provide non-discretionary
supervisory and management services to the Client, with respect to those Client assets specified
from time to time by Independent RIA (collectively, the “Accounts”) in accordance with
Independent RIA and Client executed Client Advisory Agreements. The Independent RIA is
responsible for the administrative paperwork and servicing the accounts. Custos facilitates the
advisory fee billing on behalf of the Independent RIA.
Financial Planning
Through the financial planning process, our team strives to engage our clients in conversations
around the family’s goals, objectives, priorities, vision, and legacy – both for the near term as well
as for future generations. With the unique goals and circumstances of each family in mind, our
team will offer financial planning ideas and strategies to address the client’s holistic financial
picture, including estate, income tax, charitable, cash flow, wealth transfer and family legacy
objectives. Our team partners with our client’s other advisors (CPA, estate attorney, insurance
broker, etc.) to ensure a coordinated effort of all parties toward the client’s stated goals. Such
services include various reports on specific goals and objectives or general investment and/or
planning recommendations, guidance to outside assets and periodic updates.
Our specific services in preparing your plan may include:
• Review and clarification of your financial goals;
• Assessment of your overall financial position including cash flow, balance sheet,
investment strategy, risk management and estate planning;
• Creation of a unique plan for each goal you have, including personal and business real
estate, education, retirement or financial independence, charitable giving, estate
planning, business succession and other personal goals;
• Development of a goal-oriented investment plan, with input from various advisors to
our clients around tax suggestions, asset allocation, expenses, risk and liquidity factors
for each goal. This includes IRA and qualified plans, taxable and trust accounts that
require special attention;
• Design of a risk management plan including risk tolerance, risk avoidance, mitigation
and transfer, including liquidity as well as various insurance and possible company
benefits; and
• Crafting and implementation of, in conjunction with your estate and/or corporate
attorneys as tax advisor, an estate plan to provide for you and/or your heirs in the event
of an incapacity or death.
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A written evaluation of each client's initial situation or Financial Plan is provided to the client. The
recommendations will not be reviewed nor updated, unless requested by the client at which point
a new Agreement between Client and Adviser may be executed.
Third Party Money Managers (“TPMM”)
Our firm utilizes the services of a TPMM for the management of client accounts. Investment advice
and trading of securities will only be offered by or through the chosen TPMM. Our firm will not
offer advice on any specific securities or other investments in connection with this service. Prior
to referring clients, our firm will provide initial due diligence on third party money managers and
ongoing reviews of their management of client accounts. In order to assist in the selection of a
TPMM, our firm will gather client information pertaining to financial situation, investment
objectives, and reasonable restrictions to be imposed upon the management of the account.
Our firm will periodically review third party money manager reports provided to the client at least
annually. Our firm will contact clients from time to time in order to review their financial situation
and objectives; communicate information to third party money managers as warranted; and assist
the client in understanding and evaluating the services provided by the TPMM. Clients will be
expected to notify our firm of any changes in their financial situation, investment objectives, or
account restrictions that could affect their financial standing.
Consulting Services
We also provide clients investment advice on a more-limited basis on one-or-more isolated areas
of concern such as small business consulting, real estate, retirement planning, or any other
specific topic. Additionally, we provide advice on non-securities matters about the rendering of
estate planning, insurance, real estate, and/or annuity advice.
In these cases, you will be required to select your own investment managers, custodian and/or
insurance companies for the implementation of consulting recommendations. If your needs
include brokerage and/or other financial services, we will recommend the use of one of several
investment managers, brokers, banks, custodians, insurance companies or other financial
professionals. You must independently evaluate these firms before opening an account or
transacting business, and you have the right to effect business through any firm you choose. Also
note, you have the right to choose whether to follow the consulting advice that we provide.
Retirement Plan Advisory Services
Retirement Plan Advisory Services consists of helping employer plan sponsors to establish,
monitor and review their company's retirement plan. As the needs of the plan sponsor dictate,
areas of advising could include investment selection and monitoring, plan structure, and
participant education.
Pursuant to Section 402(c)(3) of ERISA, the client may appoint us as the Plan’s “investment
manager” with respect to the Plan’s portfolio of investment options. We acknowledge that we
are registered as an investment adviser under the SEC. Our firm acts as a “fiduciary” within the
meaning of Section 3(21) and 3(38) of ERISA with respect to the Plan. We offer advisory services
to employer sponsored retirement plans such as 401(k), 457, & 403(b). On the plan level, we
manage the investment line-up making changes as necessary as well as providing risk-based
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investment models for the participants. On the individual participant level, we manage risk-based
models using the current investment lineup based on risk tolerance of the individual investor. For
employer-sponsored retirement plans with participant-directed investments, our firm provides
its advisory services as an investment advisor as defined under Section 3(21) of the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”).
When serving as an ERISA 3(21) investment adviser, the Plan Sponsor and our Firm share fiduciary
responsibility. The Plan Sponsor retains ultimate decision-making authority for the investments
and may accept or reject the recommendations in accordance with the terms of a separate ERISA
3(21) Plan Sponsor Investment Management Agreement between our Firm and the Plan
Sponsor.
Under the 3(21) agreements, our Firm can provide the following services to the Plan Sponsor:
• Review or Development of an Investment Policy Statement
• Perform Due Diligence on Money Managers
• Provide Initial Investment and Management Selection - Our Firm typically uses mutual
funds/managed accounts/collective trusts/cash equivalents to structure portfolios
designed to meet client objectives and risk profiles.
• Provide ongoing Performance Evaluation and Monitoring of Money Mangers
• Make Investment Recommendations when necessary
• Retirement Plan Services Analysis - Our Firm will conduct an analysis of a client’s
retirement plan to evaluate the services currently provided to the client by third parties.
The areas of analysis may include asset management services, record keeping,
administration, customer service, participant education, etc. These services may also
include a cost/benefit analysis, recommendation of alternative vendors, facilitation of the
RFP process for solicitation of a new vendor, and/or assistance in fee negotiations with
proposed vendors.
• Provide Employee Education Services - Our Firm will provide enrollment and educational
services the content of the program will be generic in nature.
When servicing as in a 3(38) fiduciary capacity, our Firm is granted full trading authority over the
Plan and have the responsibility for the selection and monitoring of all investment options offered
under the Plan in accordance with the investment policy statement and its underlying investment
objectives and strategies for the Plan. Plan participants have the ability to exercise control over
the investment selection from the plans line up of investments, and we have no authority or
discretion to direct the investment of assets of any participant’s account under the Plan.
Disclosure Regarding Rollover Recommendations
A client or prospect leaving an employer typically has four options regarding an existing
retirement plan (and may engage in a combination of these options): (i) leave the money in
the former employer’s plan, if permitted, (ii) roll over the assets to the new employer’s plan, if
one is available and rollovers are permitted, (iii) rollover to an Individual Retirement Account
(“IRA”), or (iv) cash out the account value (which could, depending upon the client’s age, result
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in adverse tax consequences). Our Firm may recommend an investor roll over plan assets to
an IRA for which our Firm provides investment advisory services. As a result, our Firm and its
representatives may earn an asset-based fee. In contrast, a recommendation that a client or
prospective client leave their plan assets with their previous employer or roll over the assets
to a plan sponsored by a new employer will generally result in no compensation to our Firm.
Our Firm therefore has an economic incentive to encourage a client to roll plan assets into an
IRA that our Firm will manage, which presents a conflict of interest. To mitigate the conflict of
interest, there are various factors that our Firm will consider before recommending a rollover,
including but not limited to: (i) the investment options available in the plan versus the
investment options available in an IRA, (ii) fees and expenses in the plan versus the fees and
expenses in an IRA, (iii) the services and responsiveness of the plan’s investment professionals
versus those of our Firm, (iv) protection of assets from creditors and legal judgments, (v)
required minimum distributions and age considerations, and (vi) employer stock tax
consequences, if any. All rollover recommendations are also reviewed by our Firm’s Chief
Compliance Officer in a best effort to determine that the recommendation to a client was
reasonable or that the client has determined to make the rollover after being provided ample
information about their options. No client is under any obligation to roll over plan assets to an
IRA advised by our Firm or to engage our Firm to monitor and/or advise on the account while
maintained with the client's employer. Our Firm’s Chief Compliance Officer remains available
to address any questions that a client or prospective client has regarding this disclosure.
We are fiduciaries under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and when we provide investment
advice to you regarding your retirement plan account or individual retirement account, we are
also fiduciaries within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act
and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable, which are laws governing retirement
accounts. We have to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. At the
same time, the way we make money creates some conflicts with your interests.
Legacy Management Services
Our Firm may advise a Client about legacy positions or other investments in Client portfolios.
Clients can limit or restrict our trading in these positions.
Wrap Fee Program
We also provide services on a wrap fee basis as a wrap program sponsor. Under our wrap
program, you will receive investment advisory services, the execution of securities brokerage
transactions, custody and reporting services for a single specified fee. The benefits under a wrap
fee program depend, in part, upon the size of the account, the costs associated with managing
the account, and the frequency or type of securities transactions executed in the account. A wrap
fee program may not be suitable for all accounts, including but not limited to accounts holding
primarily, and for any substantial period of time, cash or cash equivalent investments, fixed
income securities or no-transaction-fee mutual funds, or any other type of security that can be
traded without commissions or other transaction fees. The terms and conditions of a wrap
program engagement are more fully discussed in our Wrap Fee Program Brochure.
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We manage wrap accounts on a discretionary and non-discretionary basis. When managing a
client’s account on a wrap fee basis, we receive as compensation for our investment advisory
services, the balance of the total wrap fee you pay after custodial, trading, and other management
costs (including execution and transaction fees) have been deducted. Accordingly, we have a
conflict of interest because we have a financial incentive to maximize our compensation by
seeking to reduce or minimize the total costs incurred in your account(s) subject to a wrap fee.
Our Custodians have eliminated commissions for online trades of U.S. equities, ETFs, and options
(subject to a $0.65 per contract fee). This means that, in most cases, when we buy and sell these
types of securities, we will not have to pay any commissions to the Custodian. We encourage you
to review the Custodian’s pricing to compare the total costs of entering into a wrap fee
arrangement versus a non-wrap fee arrangement. If you choose to enter into a wrap fee
arrangement, your total cost to invest could exceed the cost of paying for brokerage and advisory
services separately.
Assets
As of December 31, 2024, our total assets under management were $729,594,023. Our
discretionary assets under management totaled $678,592,022 and our non-discretionary assets
under management totaled $51,002,001.
ITEM 5 - FEES AND COMPENSATION
Investment Management Fees and Compensation
Our Firm charges a fee as compensation for providing Investment Management services on your
account. These services include advisory services, trade execution, investment supervision, and
other account-maintenance activities. Our recommended custodian bills custodial fees,
redemption fees, retirement plan and administrative fees or commissions. See Additional Fees
and Expenses below for additional details.
Unless otherwise agreed to in the Advisory Agreement, the Advisory Fees will be calculated and
paid to the Adviser each calendar month in arrears based on the average daily value of the
Portfolio during the previous calendar month (calculated based on the Portfolio’s value at the end
of each day). In the event of termination, any paid but unearned fees will be promptly refunded
to the Client based on the number of days that the Portfolio was managed, and any fees due to
the Adviser will be deducted from the Client’s account prior to termination.
For purposes of this fee calculation, “value of the Portfolio” means the sum of the fair market
value of all of the holdings in the Portfolio. Equity securities listed or traded on a national
securities exchange or quoted on the over-the-counter market are valued at the last sales price
on the day of valuation or, if no sale price is reported, at the last bid price.
Our maximum investment management fees as a percentage of assets under management is
1.50%. Our annual fixed fees range from $1,000 to $500,000 depending on the level of
engagement. The specific advisory fees are set forth in your Investment Advisory Agreement.
Certain high net worth clients may be billed one flat fee in the event that the client would engage
in multiple advisory services offered by our firm.
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We may negotiate a lower advisory fee or have the right to waive the minimum fee. Fees may
vary based on the size of the account, complexity of the portfolio, extent of activity in the account
or other reasons agreed upon by us and you as the client. In certain circumstances, our fees and
the timing of the fee payments may be negotiated.
Unless otherwise instructed by the Client, we will aggregate related client accounts for the
purposes of determining the account size and annualized fee. The common practice is often
referred to as “householding” portfolios for fee purposes and may result in lower fees than if fees
were calculated on portfolios separately. Our method of householding accounts for fee purposes
looks at the overall family dynamic and relationship. When applicable and noted in the Investment
Management Agreement, concentrated stock positions will also be excluded from the fee
calculation.
The independent qualified custodian holding your funds and securities will debit your account
directly for the advisory fee and pay that fee to us. You will provide written authorization
permitting the fees to be paid directly from your account held by the qualified custodian. Further,
the qualified custodian agrees to deliver an account statement to you on a monthly basis
indicating all the amounts deducted from the account including our advisory fees.
Either the Client or the Adviser may terminate the Agreement by giving thirty (30) days’ prior
written notice of termination to the other; provided, however, such termination of this
Agreement will not affect: (a) the validity of any actions the Adviser has previously taken; (b) the
Client’s or the Adviser’s liabilities or obligations for transactions started before termination; or (c)
any provision, obligation or right that is specifically designated herein to survive such termination.
Upon termination, any fees owed to the Adviser will be paid by the Client on a prorated basis as
of the effective date of termination, and any fees paid by the Client that have not been earned
will be refunded to the Client on a prorated basis as of the effective date of termination.
Sub-Advisory Service Fees
Custos does not charge an investment advisory fee for its sub-advisory services to Independent
RIAs.
Financial Planning Fees
Custos will negotiate the planning fees with you. Fees may vary based on the extent and
complexity of your individual or family circumstances and the amount of your assets under our
management. We will determine your fee for the designated financial advisory services based on
a fixed fee or hourly arrangement described below.
Under our fixed fee arrangement, any fee will be agreed in advance of services being performed.
The fee will be determined based on factors including the complexity of your financial situation,
agreed upon deliverables, and whether or not you intend to implement any recommendations
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through Custos. Fixed fees for financial plans range from $1,000 to $100,000. The specific fixed
fee for your financial plan is specified in your planning agreement with Custos.
Under our hourly arrangement, financial planning fees are billed at an hourly rate up to $500.00
per hour depending on the complexity of the client’s financial situation. Prior to beginning service,
Custos will provide an estimate of the approximate hours necessary to complete the plan. If we
anticipate exceeding the estimated hours, your IAR will contact you to request authorization to
provide additional services. Upon delivery of the plan and billing invoice, the hourly fees will be
deducted from any retainer you paid, and any hourly fee balance remaining will be billed.
Typically, we complete a plan within a month and will present it to you within 90 days of the
contract date, if you have provided us all information needed to prepare the financial plan. Fees
are billed in with one half (50%) of the estimated fee due and payable at the midway point of the
project, with the balance due and payable at the time the financial plan is delivered. You may
terminate the financial planning agreement by providing us with written notice. Upon termination,
fees will be prorated to the date of termination and any unearned portion of the fee will be
refunded to you based on the agreed upon hourly rate (not to exceed $500.00). Services provided
up to date of termination but not yet paid to Custos will be billed to you based on the hourly rate.
We will not require prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees per client, six (6) or more months in
advance of providing any services.
When both investment management or plan implementation and investment management
services are offered, there is a conflict of interest since there is an incentive for us offering
investment management services to recommend products or services for which Custos receives
compensation. However, Custos will make all recommendations
independent of such
considerations and based solely on our obligations to consider your objectives and needs. As an
investment management client, you have the right not to act upon any of our recommendations
and not affect the transaction(s) through us if you decide to follow the recommendations.
Third-Party Money Manager (“TPMM”) Fees
As discussed in Item 4 above, there are occasions where an independent TPMM acts as a sub-
adviser to our firm. In those circumstances, the TPMM manages the assets based upon the
parameters provided by our firm. Under such arrangements where our firm elects to utilize a
TPMM, depending on the TPMM contract with Custos, the total advisory fee may be collected
from the custodian by our firm or the TPMM. This total fee includes our firm’s portion of the
investment advisory fee as well as the TPMM fee. Total fees for clients utilizing a TPMM will not
exceed 1.50%.
The fee billed is defined in the relevant Investment Management Contract as well as in the
individual Form ADV Filing of the respective Third-Party Manager. This fee may be debited directly
from your investment account or you may pay this fee separately. You will need to indicate how
you would like to pay this fee in your investment management contract. Additional fees and
expenses you may incur are brokerage commissions, principal markups and discounts, SEC fees,
mutual fund/ETF expense ratios, mutual fund 12B-1 fees, tax withholding on certain foreign
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securities, postage fees, wire fees, bank charges, and other administration fees as authorized by
you.
A TPMM relationship may be terminated at the IAR’s discretion. Custos may at any time terminate
the relationship with a TPMM that manages your assets. Custos will notify you of instances where
we have terminated a relationship with any TPMM you are investing with. Custos will not conduct
on-going supervisory reviews of the TPMM following such termination. Factors involved in the
termination of a TPMM may include a failure to adhere to their stated management style or your
objectives, a material change in the professional staff of the TPMM, unexplained poor
performance, unexplained inconsistency of account performance, or our decision to no longer
include the TPMM on our list of approved TPMMs.
Account custodial services may be provided by several account Custodians depending on the
investment management program offered. Programs may have higher or lower fees than other
programs available through Custos or available elsewhere. Investment management programs
may differ in the services provided and method or type of management offered, and each may
have different account minimums. Client reports will depend upon the management program
selected. Please see complete details in the program brochure and custodial account agreement
for each program recommended and offered.
Consulting Services Fees
We provide consulting services for clients who need advice on a limited scope of work. We will
negotiate consulting fees with you. Fees may vary based on the extent and complexity of the
consulting project. Fees will be billed as services are rendered. Either party may terminate the
agreement. Upon termination, fees will be prorated to the date of termination and any unearned
portion of the fee will be refunded to you as described in the Agreement and our hourly rate
described above.
Retirement Plan Services Fees
For Retirement Plan Advisory Services compensation, we charge an advisory fee as negotiated
with the Plan Sponsor and as disclosed in the Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans Consulting
Agreement (“Plan Sponsor Agreement”). Our maximum advisory fees do not exceed 0.75%
annually.
Typically, the billing period for these fees are paid quarterly. This fee is generally negotiable, but
terms and advisory fee is agreed to in advance and acknowledged by the Plan Sponsor through
the Plan Sponsor Agreement and/or Plan Provider’s account agreement. Fee billing methods vary
depending on the Plan Provider.
Either our Firm or the Plan Sponsor may terminate the Agreement upon 30 days written notice to
the other party. The Plan Sponsor is responsible to pay for services rendered until the termination
of the Agreement.
Legacy Management Fee
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Managed legacy positions are included within our Firm’s standard investment management fee
and are outlined in the executed investment management agreement.
Wrap Program Fees
In order to evaluate whether a wrap fee arrangement is appropriate for you, you should compare
the agreed-upon Wrap Program Fee and any other costs associated with participating in our Wrap
Fee Program with the amounts that would be charged by other advisers, broker-dealers, and
custodians, for advisory fees, brokerage and execution costs, and custodial services comparable
to those provided under the Wrap Fee Program.
Our maximum investment management fees on our wrap accounts are based on a percentage of
client assets under management, with a maximum annual fee of 1.50%. Our annual fixed fees
range from $1,000 to $500,000 depending on the level of engagement. The specific advisory fees
are set forth in your Investment Advisory Agreement. Certain high net worth clients may be billed
one flat fee in the event that the client would engage in multiple advisory services offered by our
firm.
Performance Based Services
Under our Performance Based Services, the client will be charged a reduced management fee and
a performance fee contingent upon the performance of a client’s account(s). The management
fee will be charged monthly, in arrears based on average daily balance. The performance-based
fee will be charged relative to an agreed upon benchmark. An example of a benchmark could be
a hurdle rate (i.e. 4.00%) or an index-based benchmark (i.e. S&P 500 or 40% MSCI World & 60%
Barclays US Aggregate). The benchmark to be used for the purposes of calculating the
performance-based fee will be agreed upon by the client & advisor and stated in the agreement.
The performance-based fee will be calculated quarterly and paid in arrears. The fee to be charged
will be a maximum of 20% of the net of fee portfolio performance relative to the agreed upon
benchmark capped at a maximum quarterly performance-based fee of 0.20% and not subject to
a high watermark. The firm will be responsible for any transaction costs charged by the custodian
in association with the implementation and maintenance of this strategy. Refer to Item 6 –
Performance Based Fees for more information on the conditions for qualified clients who are
eligible for performance-based fee arrangements.
Our firm does NOT have to achieve appreciation to receive the performance-based fee. Custos is
rewarded for outperformance relative to the agreed upon benchmark.
Administrative Services Provided by ORION
We have contracted with Orion to utilize its technology platforms to support data reconciliation,
performance reporting, fee calculation and billing, client database maintenance, quarterly
performance evaluations, payable reports, and other functions related to the administrative tasks
of managing client accounts. Due to this arrangement, Orion will have access to client information,
but Orion will not serve as an investment adviser to our clients. Custos and Orion are non-affiliated
companies. Orion charges our Firm an annual fee for each account administered by Orion. Please
note that the fee charged to the client will not increase due to the annual fee Custos pays to Orion,
the annual fee is paid from the portion of the management fee retained by our Firm.
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Additional Fees and Expenses
In addition to the advisory fees paid to our Firm, clients also incur certain charges imposed by
other third parties, such as custodians, trust companies, banks and other financial institutions
(collectively “Financial Institutions”). These additional charges include securities, transaction fees
(if not engaged in our Wrap Fee Program) , custodial fees, fees charged by the Independent
Managers, charges imposed directly by a mutual fund or ETF in a client’s account, as disclosed in
the fund’s prospectus (e.g., fund management fees and other fund expenses), deferred sales
charges, odd-lot differentials, transfer taxes, wire transfer and electronic fund fees, and other fees
and taxes on brokerage accounts and securities transactions. Custos’ brokerage practices are
described at length in Item 12, below. Neither our Firm nor its supervised persons accept
compensation for the sale of securities or other investment products. Further, our firm does not
share in any of these additional fees and expenses outlined above.
ITEM 6 - PERFORMANCE BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT
Our firm provides services and is compensated in a way in which we accept asset-based fees. That
is, fees based on the total amount of assets owned by the client. Additionally, we also provide
services and are compensated in a way in which we accept performance-based fees. That is, fees
based on a share of capital gains of the assets of a client. There are conflicts of interest that we
face by managing these accounts at the same time. For example, the nature of a performance-
based fee poses an opportunity for our firm to earn more compensation than under a stand-alone
asset-based fee. Thus, we have an incentive with performance-based fee accounts over those
accounts where we receive an asset-based fee. One way we may favor performance-based fee
accounts is that we may devote more time and attention to performance-based fee accounts than
to accounts under an asset-based arrangement.
There are other conflicts associated with performance-based fees that are not as common under
an asset-based fee arrangement. The nature of performance-based fees can encourage
unnecessary speculation with client assets in order to earn or increase the amount of the fee. The
result of riskier investments can have a positive effect in that results could equal higher returns
when compared to an asset-based account. On the other hand, riskier investments historically
have a higher chance of losing value.
Performance based fees can also cause an investment adviser to engage in transactions or
strategies which will increase the amount of the performance fees, but which may not increase
the overall performance of the client's account. For example, an account may lose value over any
given year and no performance fee will be earned. In the following year, we may receive a
performance fee for simply recouping losses from the previous year.
Our firm has established policies and procedures to address the various conflicts of interest
associated with charging a performance-based fee:
• We devote equal time to the management of performance-based fee accounts and
asset-based fee accounts.
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• Only qualified clients with the capacity to assume additional risks are solicited to engage
in a performance-based fee arrangement. We provide such clients full disclosure of the
additional risks associated with a performance-based fee arrangement.
• Our managing members will typically manage personal accounts using a similar
investment strategy used for clients.
• Performance of client accounts must reach a pre-determined and agreed upon
benchmark. For a complete description see Item 5 – Fees and Compensation.
• We have implemented internal compliance policies and procedures designed to comply
with applicable state and federal securities law. Procedures are available to clients upon
request.
Our firm does not represent that the amount of the performance-based fees or the manner of
calculating the performance-based fees is consistent with other performance related fees charged
by other investment advisers under the same or similar circumstances. The performance-based
fees charged by Custos may be higher than the performance-based fees charged by other
investment advisers for the same or similar services.
Our performance-based fee arrangement will comply with Section 205-3 of the Investment
Advisers Act of 1940. According to Section 205-3 (see Rule 205-3 there under), only natural
individual clients meeting the SEC's definition of "qualified clients" may enter into agreements
providing for performance-based compensation to us. A natural person or company must meet
the following conditions to be considered a qualified client:
• Have at least $1,100,000.00 under management with our firm at the time the client
enters into an Agreement; or
• Provide documentation to our firm so that we shall reasonably believe the client has
either a net worth of $2,200,000.00 or is a qualified purchaser under Section 2(a)(51)(A)
of the Investment Company Act.
ITEM 7 - TYPES OF CLIENTS
We provide investment advice to individuals, high-net worth individuals, corporations, charitable
organizations, defined benefit plans, institutions, foundations, trusts and estates. Our minimum
initial account value is $1,000,000; however, we may accept accounts for less than the minimum
at our sole discretion.
ITEM 8 - METHODS OF ANALYSIS, INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISK OF LOSS
Methods of Analysis
At Custos we pride ourselves in being experts in risk management. We believe far too often the
investment community, comprised of both professionals and individuals, make investment
decisions based on future expected returns or emotion. Rather, we focus on balancing the risk
and liquidity across the entire balance sheet. Indeed, most capital market assumptions utilized in
industry models rely on historical returns with small adjustments based on current
macroeconomic factors. Every model we have seen relies on historical correlations to continue
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into the future. We have an acute awareness of the evolution and timing of a given economic
cycle and the market’s potential downside risk.
For these reasons we spend a tremendous amount of time with clients at the initiation of a
relationship understanding both their financial goals and more importantly their willingness and
ability to assume financial risk. Often, we find these two factors are at odds. At this point we work
closely with clients on the trade-offs generally associated with risk and return. We help clients
understand the impact to their portfolios and futures.
Investment Philosophy
Ø Concentration Risk Is Real
Ø Asset Allocation Drives 85-90% of Portfolio Returns
Ø Asset Class Returns Should Be Captured Efficiently
Ø Taxes Are the Enemy of Returns
Ø Performance Matters
Investment Process
1) Fully understand a client’s current balance sheet, goals & ability to withstand market
volatility
2) Determine the optimal asset allocation strategy
3) Diversify away or hedge unacceptable risks
4) Implement strategy via the most efficient investment vehicles
5) Consistently measure net performance against benchmarks
6) Adjust strategy to meeting financial goals or a change in risk tolerance
Investment Strategies
Custos’ investment strategies are unconstrained by traditional asset classes and investment
vehicles. We allocate client capital across cash, fixed income, ETFs, mutual funds, separately
managed accounts, options, private investments (as a portfolio component), real estate and
commodities exposure through use of exchange traded funds or mutual funds.
Custos may include mutual funds, and exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) in our investment
strategies. Our policy is to purchase institutional share classes of those mutual funds selected for
the client’s portfolio. The institutional share class generally has the lowest expense ratio. The
expense ratio is the annual fee that all mutual funds or ETFs charge their shareholders. It
expresses the percentage of assets deducted each fiscal year for funds expenses, including 12b-1
fees, management fees, administrative fees, operating costs, and all other asset-based costs
incurred by the fund. Some fund families offer different classes of the same fund and one share
class may have a lower expense ratio than another share class. These expenses come from client
assets which could impact the client’s account performance. Mutual fund expense ratios are in
addition to our fee, and we do not receive any portion of these charges. If an institutional share
class is not available for the mutual fund selected, the adviser will purchase the least expensive
share class available for the mutual fund. As share classes with lower expense ratios become
available, we may use them in the client’s portfolio, and/or convert the existing mutual fund
position to the lower cost share class. Clients who transfer mutual funds into their accounts with
our Firm would bear the expense of any contingent or deferred sales loads incurred upon selling
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the product. If a mutual fund has a frequent trading policy, the policy can limit a client’s
transactions in shares of the fund (e.g., for rebalancing, liquidations, deposits or tax harvesting).
All mutual fund expenses and fees are disclosed in the respective mutual fund prospectus.
Independent Third-Party Manager Services
We seek to recommend investment strategies that will give a client a diversified portfolio
consistent with the client’s investment objective. We do this by analyzing the various securities,
investment strategies, and third party management firms. The goal is to identify a client’s risk
tolerance, and then find a manager with the maximum expected return for that level of risk.
We examine the experience, expertise, investment philosophies, and past performance of
independent, third-party managers in an attempt to determine if that manager has demonstrated
an ability to invest over a period of time and in different economic conditions. We monitor the
managers’ underlying holdings, strategies, concentrations and leverage as part of our overall
periodic risk assessment. Additionally, as part of our due-diligence process, we survey the
managers’ compliance and business enterprise risks.
A risk of investing with a third-party manager who has been successful in the past is that he/she
may not be able to replicate that success in the future. In addition, as we do not control the
underlying investments in a managers’ portfolio, there is also a risk that the manager may deviate
from the stated investment mandate or strategy of the portfolio, making it a less suitable
investment for our clients. Moreover, as we do not control the managers’ daily business and
compliance operations, we may be unaware of the lack of internal controls necessary to prevent
business, regulatory or reputational deficiencies.
Risk of Loss
Clients must understand that past performance is not indicative of future results. Therefore,
current and prospective clients should never assume that future performance of any specific
investment or investment strategy will be profitable. Investing in securities involves risk of loss.
Further, depending on the different types of investments there will be varying degrees of risk.
Clients and prospective clients should be prepared to bear investment loss including loss of
original principal.
Because of the inherent risk of loss associated with investing, our Firm is unable to represent,
guarantee, or even imply that our services and methods of analysis can or will predict future
results, successfully identify market tops or bottoms, or insulate you from losses due to market
corrections or declines.
Investors should be aware that accounts are subject to the following risks:
Market Risk — Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit.
Economic, political and issuer-specific events will cause the value of securities to rise or
fall. Because the value of investment portfolios will fluctuate, there is the risk that you
will lose money and your investment could be worth more or less upon liquidation.
Management Risk — An account is subject to the risk that judgments about the
attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the account’s investments may prove
to be incorrect. If the selection of securities or strategies fails to produce the intended
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results, the account could underperform other accounts with similar objectives and
investment strategies.
Foreign Securities and Currency Risk — Investments in international and emerging-
market securities include exposure to risks such as currency fluctuations, foreign taxes
and regulations, and the potential for illiquid markets and political instability.
Capitalization Risk — Small-cap and mid-cap companies may be hindered as a result of
limited resources or less diverse products or services, and their stocks have historically
been more volatile than the stocks of larger, more established companies.
Interest Rate Risk — In a rising rate environment, the value of fixed-income securities
generally declines and the value of equity securities may be adversely affected.
Credit Risk — Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a security may be unable to make
interest payments and/or repay principal when due. A downgrade to an issuer’s credit
rating or a perceived change in an issuer’s financial strength may affect a security’s value
and, thus, impact the fund’s performance.
Securities Lending Risk — Securities lending involves the risk that the fund loses money
because the borrower fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The fund
could also lose money if the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities, or the
value of the investments made with the cash collateral, falls. These events could also
trigger adverse tax consequences for the fund.
Exchange-Traded Funds — ETFs face market-trading risks, including the potential lack of
an active market for shares, losses from trading in the secondary markets and disruption
in the creation/redemption process of the ETF. Any of these factors could lead to the
fund’s shares trading at either a premium or a discount to its “net asset value.”
Mutual Fund or ETF Risk — Our models and accounts may use certain ETFs and mutual
funds to invest primarily in alternative investments or strategies. Investing in these
alternative investments and strategies may only be suitable for some of our Clients. These
include special risks, such as those associated with commodities, real estate, and
leverage, selling securities short, use of derivatives, potential adverse market forces,
regulatory changes, and potential ill-liquidity. Special risks are associated with ETFs that
invest principally in real estate securities, such as sensitivity to changes in real estate
values or changes in interest rates and price volatility due to the ETF’s concentration in
the real estate market.
The risks with mutual funds include the costs and expenses within the fund that can
impact performance, change of Managers, and the fund straying from its objective (i.e.,
style drift). Mutual funds have certain costs associated with underlying transactions and
operating costs, such as marketing and distribution expenses and advisory fees. Mutual
fund costs and expenses vary from fund to fund and will impact a mutual fund’s
performance. Additionally, mutual funds typically have different share classes, as further
discussed below, that trade at different Net Asset Values (“NAV”) as determined at the
daily market close and have different fees and expenses.
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Performance of Underlying Managers — We select the mutual funds and ETFs in the
asset allocation portfolios. However, we depend on the manager of such funds to select
individual investments in accordance with their stated investment strategy.
Liquidity Risk — Liquidity risk exists when particular investments would be difficult to
purchase or sell, possibly preventing clients from selling such securities at an
advantageous time or price.
Options Risk — Transactions in options carry a high degree of risk. Options are securities
which derive their value from the value of underlying securities in which they track.
Options can be used to hedge or to speculate on price changes in the underlying security.
The value of an option contract is a function of the price of the underlying security,
implied volatility, time to expiration and to a lesser extent market interest rates. At Custos
we use options to hedge against adverse market moves or to gain exposure to securities
we do not currently own. While investing in options always carries the risk of experiencing
a loss our option strategies are not designed to leverage portfolios which would
inherently increases the risk of investing. Option strategies will only be used in client
portfolios with client consent and we will continually review asset allocation and the
appropriateness of using option strategies to achieve client risk and return goals.
Alternative Investments — Investments classified as "alternative investments" may
include a broad range of underlying assets including, but not limited to, hedge funds,
private equity, venture capital, and registered, publicly traded securities. Alternative
investments are speculative, not suitable for all clients and intended for only experienced
and sophisticated investors who are willing to bear the high risk of the investment, which
can include: loss of all or a substantial portion of the investment due to leveraging, short-
selling, or other speculative investment practices; lack of liquidity in that there may be no
secondary market for the fund and none expected to develop; volatility of returns;
potential for restrictions on transferring interest in the fund; potential lack of
diversification and resulting higher risk due to concentration of trading authority with a
single advisor; absence of information regarding valuations and pricing; potential for
delays in tax reporting; less regulation and typically higher fees than other investment
options such as mutual funds. The SEC requires investors be accredited to invest in these
more speculative alternative investments. Investing in a fund that concentrates its
investments in a few holdings may involve heightened risk and result in greater price
volatility.
Cybersecurity Risk — In addition to the Material Risks listed above, investing involves
various operational and “cybersecurity” risks. These risks include both intentional and
unintentional events at our Firm or one of its third-party counterparties or service
providers, that may result in a loss or corruption of data, result in the unauthorized
release or other misuse of confidential information, and generally compromise our Firm’s
ability to conduct its business. A cybersecurity breach may also result in a third-party
obtaining unauthorized access to our clients’ information, including social security
numbers, home addresses, account numbers, account balances, and account holdings.
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Our Firm has established business continuity plans and risk management systems
designed to reduce the risks associated with cybersecurity breaches. However, there are
inherent limitations in these plans and systems, including that certain risks may not have
been identified, in large part because different or unknown threats may emerge in the
future. As such, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because
our Firm does not directly control the cybersecurity systems of our third-party service
providers. There is also a risk that cybersecurity breaches may not be detected.
Legacy Holding Risk — Investment advice may be offered on any investment a Client
holds at the start of the advisory relationship. Depending on tax considerations and Client
sentiment, these investments will be sold over time, and the assets invested in the
appropriate strategy. As with any investment decision, there is the risk that timing with
respect to the sale and reinvestment of these assets will be less than ideal or even result
in a loss to the Client.
Spot Bitcoin Virtual Currency-Based Risk (“SPBC”) — Our Firm may invest Client accounts
in SPBC products only based on an unsolicited request from a Client. Our Firm does not
recommend SPBC products in our portfolios. The investment characteristics of SPBC
assets generally differ from those of traditional currencies, commodities, or securities.
Importantly, SPBC assets are not backed by a central bank, a national, supranational,
quasi-national organization, hard assets, human capital, or other forms of credit. Rather,
SPBCs are market-based: the value is determined by, and often dramatically fluctuates,
according to supply and demand factors, the number of merchants that accept it, or the
value that various market participants place on it through their mutual agreement, barter,
or transactions.
The value of the Client's portfolios relates in part to the value of the SPBC assets held in
the Client's portfolio; fluctuations in price could adversely affect the value of the Client’s
portfolio. The price of SPBC assets achieved by a Client may be affected generally by a
wide variety of complex and difficult-to-predict factors such as supply and demand and
the risks associated due to bitcoin being primarily a speculative and highly volatile asset
that’s also used for illicit activity including ransomware, money laundering, sanction
evasion, and terrorist financing.
Timing risk — The risk is that the investment needs to perform better after its purchase
or sale. Moreover, if the Client requires redemption, the Client may face a loss due to
poor overall market performance or security performance at that time.
ITEM 9 - DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION
We do not have any legal, financial or other “disciplinary” item to report.
ITEM 10 - OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATIONS
Insurance
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Some of our Investment Adviser Representatives (“IARs”) of the Firm are licensed Insurance
agents registered with various State(s) Insurance Departments. IARs receives compensation
(commissions, trails, or other compensation from the respective insurance products) as a result
effecting insurance transactions for mutual client(s) of our Firm. Commissions generated by
insurance sales do not offset regular advisory fees. Our firm has an incentive to recommend
insurance products and this incentive creates a conflict of interest between your interests and our
Firm. We mitigate this conflict by disclosing to clients they have the right to decide whether to
engage the Insurance services offered through our IARs. Further, clients should note they have
the right to decide whether to act on the recommendations and the right to choose any
professional to execute the advice for any insurance products through any licensed insurance
agent not affiliated with our Firm. We recognize the fiduciary responsibility to place the client’s
interests first and have established policies in this regard to avoid any conflicts of interest.
IARs of our Firm do not have an application pending to register, as a futures commission
merchant, commodity pool operator, a commodity trading adviser, or an associated person of the
foregoing entities.
ITEM 11 - CODE OF ETHICS PARTICIPATION OR INTEREST IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS AND
PERSONAL TRADING
Our Firm and persons associated with us are allowed to invest for their own accounts or to have
a financial investment in the same securities or other investments that we recommend or acquire
for your account and may engage in transactions that are the same as or different than
transactions recommended to or made for your account. This creates a conflict of interest. We
recognize the fiduciary responsibility to act in your best interest and have established polices to
mitigate conflicts of interest.
We have developed and implemented a Code of Ethics that sets forth standards of conduct
expected of our advisory personnel to mitigate this conflict of interest. The Code of Ethics
addresses, among other things, personal trading, gifts, the prohibition against the use of inside
information.
The Code of Ethics is designed to protect our clients to detect and deter misconduct, educate
personnel regarding the firm’s expectations and laws governing their conduct, remind personnel
that they are in a position of trust and must act with complete propriety at all times, protect the
reputation of Custos, guard against violation of the securities laws, and establish procedures for
personnel to follow so that we may determine whether their personnel are complying with the
firm’s ethical principles.
We have established the following restrictions in order to ensure our firm’s fiduciary
responsibilities:
1. No supervised employee of Custos shall prefer his or her own interest to that of the
advisory client. Trades for supervised employees are traded alongside client accounts.
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2. We maintain a list of all securities holdings of anyone associated with this advisory
practice with access to advisory recommendations. These holdings are reviewed on a
regular basis by an appropriate officer/individual of Custos.
3. We emphasize the unrestricted right of the client to decline to implement any advice
rendered, except in situations where we are granted discretionary authority of the
client’s account. All TPM accounts are managed by the selected Manager and we do not
have any discretionary trading authority with respect to such accounts.
4. We require that all supervised employees must act in accordance with all applicable
Federal and State regulations governing registered investment advisory practices.
5. Any supervised employee not in observance of the above may be subject to termination.
You may request a complete copy of our Code of Ethics by contacting us at the telephone number
on the cover page of this Part 2; Attn: Chief Compliance Officer.
ITEM 12 - BROKERAGE PRACTICES
We generally recommend that clients utilize the custody, brokerage and clearing services of
Pershing, LLC, a division of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, (“Pershing”), Fidelity
Institutional Wealth Services (“Fidelity”), or Charles Schwab & Co., Inc (“Schwab”) (collectively
referred to as the “Custodians”) for investment management accounts. Our Custodians are
independent and unaffiliated FINRA-registered broker-dealers. We may recommend that you
establish accounts with these Custodians to maintain custody of your assets and to effect trades
for your accounts. Some of the products, services and other benefits provided by our Custodians
benefit us and may not benefit you or your account. Our recommendation that you place assets
with one of these Custodians may be based in part on benefits they provide us, and not solely on
the nature, cost or quality of custody and execution services provided by the Custodian.
We are independently owned and operated and not affiliated with these Custodians. They
provide us with access to their institutional trading and custody services. These services include
brokerage, custody, research and access to mutual funds and other investments that are
otherwise generally available only to institutional investors.
While our Firm may recommend that Clients use Pershing, Fidelity, or Schwab as a Custodian,
Clients must decide whether to do so and open accounts with the Custodian by entering into
account agreements directly with them. The Client opens the accounts with the Custodian. The
accounts will always be held in the Client's name and never in our Firm’s.
How Our Firm Selects Custodian-Broker
Our Firm seeks to recommend a Custodian-Broker who will hold Client assets and execute the
transactions on terms that are, overall, most advantageous compared to other available providers
and their services. Our Firm considers a wide range of factors, including, among others:
• Combination of transaction execution and asset custody services (generally without a
separate fee for custody).
• Capability to execute, clear, and settle trades (buy and sell securities for Client accounts).
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• Capability to facilitate transfers and payments to and from accounts (wire transfers, check
requests, bill payments, etc.).
• The breadth of available investment products (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-
traded funds [ETFs], etc.).
• Availability of investment research and tools that assist us in making investment
decisions.
• Quality of services.
• Competitiveness of the price of those services (commission rates, other fees, etc.) and
willingness to negotiate the prices.
• Reputation, financial strength, and stability.
• Prior service to our Firm and our other Clients.
• Availability of other products and services that benefit our Firm, as discussed below (see
“Products and Services Available to Us From Schwab”).
Client Brokerage & Custody Costs
For Clients' accounts, the custodian maintains and generally does not charge separately for
custody services. However, the Custodian receives compensation by charging ticket charges or
other fees on trades it executes or settling into Clients' Custodial accounts. In addition to
commissions, the Custodian charges a flat dollar amount as a "prime broker" or "trade away" fee
for each trade that our Firm has executed by a different broker-dealer but where the securities
bought or the funds from the securities sold are deposited (settled) into a Client’s Custodial
account. These fees are in addition to the ticket charges or compensation the Client pays the
executing broker-dealer. Because of this, our Firm has the Custodian execute most trades for
Client accounts to minimize trading costs. Our Firm has determined that having the Custodian
execute most trades is consistent with our duty to seek the "best execution" of Client trades. Best
execution means the most favorable terms for a transaction based on all relevant factors,
including those listed above (see How Our Firm Selects Custodian-Broker).
Products and Services Available to Us From Schwab
Schwab Advisor Services™ (formerly called Schwab Institutional®) provides
independent
investment advisory Firms and Clients with access to its institutional brokerage, trading, custody,
reporting, and related services, many of which are not typically available to Schwab retail
customers. Schwab also makes available various support services. Some of those services help us
manage or administer our Clients’ accounts; others help us manage and grow our business.
Schwab’s support services generally are available on an unsolicited basis and at no charge to our
Firm. These are typically considered soft dollar benefits because there is an incentive to do
business with Schwab. Receiving soft dollar benefits creates a conflict of interest. We have
established policies in this regard to mitigate any conflicts of interest. We believe our selection of
Schwab as Custodian-Broker is in the Clients' best interests. Our Firm will always act in the best
interest of our Clients and act as fiduciary in carrying out services to Clients. The following is a
more detailed description of Schwab’s support services:
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Services That Benefit Our Clients
Schwab's institutional brokerage services include access to a broad range of investment
products, execution of securities transactions, and custody of Client assets. The investment
products available through Schwab include some we might not otherwise have access to
or would require a significantly higher minimum initial investment by our Clients. Schwab’s
services described in this paragraph generally benefit our Clients and their accounts.
Services That May Not Directly Benefit Our Clients
Schwab also makes other products and services available that benefit our Firm but may
not directly benefit our Clients or their accounts. These products and services assist our
Firm in managing and administering our Clients’ accounts. They include investment
research, both Schwab’s own and that of third parties. Our Firm may use this research to
service all or a substantial number of our Client's accounts, including accounts not
maintained at Schwab. In addition to investment research, Schwab also makes available
software and other technology that:
• Provides access to Client account data (such as duplicate trade confirmations and
account statements).
• Facilitate trade execution and allocate aggregated trade orders for multiple Client
accounts.
• Provide pricing and other market data.
• Facilitate payment of our fees from our Clients’ accounts.
• Assist with back-office functions, recordkeeping, and Client reporting.
Services That Generally Benefit Only Us
Schwab also offers other services to help our Firm manage and further develop our
business enterprise.
These services include:
• Educational conferences and events
• Consulting on technology, compliance, legal, and business needs
• Publications and conferences on practice management and business succession
• Access to employee benefits providers, human capital consultants, and insurance
providers
Schwab may provide some of these services itself. In other cases, it will arrange for third-
party vendors to provide the services to our Firm. Schwab may also discount or waive its
fees for some of these services or pay all or a part of a third party’s fees. Schwab may also
provide our Firm with other benefits, such as occasional business entertainment for our
personnel.
Our Interest In Schwab’s Services
• The availability of these services from Schwab benefits our Firm because we do not have
to produce or purchase them. These services are not contingent upon our Firm
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committing any specific amount of business to Schwab in trading commissions. We
believe our selection of Schwab as Custodian and Broker is in our Client’s best interests.
• Some of the products, services, and other benefits provided by Schwab benefit our Firm
and may not benefit our Client accounts. Our recommendation or requirement that you
place assets in Schwab's custody may be based, in part, on the benefits Schwab provides
to our Firm or our Agreement to maintain certain Assets Under Management at Schwab
and not solely on the nature, cost, or quality of custody and execution services provided
by Schwab.
• Our Firm places trades for our Clients' accounts subject to its duty to seek the best
execution and other fiduciary duties. Schwab's execution quality may be different from
other broker-dealers.
• Our Firm does not routinely recommend, request, or require that the Client direct us to
execute the transactions through a specified Custodian. Additionally, our Firm typically
does not permit the Client to direct brokerage. We place trades for Client accounts
subject to our duty to seek the best execution and other fiduciary duties.
• We will aggregate trades for ourselves or our associated persons with your trades,
providing that the following conditions are met:
o Our policy for the aggregation of transactions shall be fully disclosed separately
to our existing Clients (if any) and the broker/dealer(s) through which such
transactions will be placed.
o We will only aggregate transactions if we believe that aggregation is consistent
with our duty to seek the best execution (which includes the duty to seek the best
price) for the Client and is consistent with the terms of our investment advisory
agreement.
o No advisory Client will be favored over any other Client; each Client that
participates in an aggregated order will participate at the average share price for
all transactions in a given security on a given business day, with transaction costs
based on each Client's participation in the transaction.
o
o Our Firm will prepare a written statement (“Allocation Statement”) specifying the
participating Client accounts and how to allocate the order among those Clients.
If the aggregated order is filled in its entirety, it will be allocated among Clients
per the allocation statement; if the order is partially filled, the accounts that did
not receive the previous trade's positions should be "first in line" to receive the
next allocation.
o Notwithstanding the preceding, the order may be allocated on a basis different
from that specified if all Client accounts receive fair and equitable treatment. The
reason for the difference in allocation will be documented and reviewed by our
Firm’s Compliance Officer. Our Firm’s books and records will separately reflect,
for each Client account, the orders which are aggregated, and the securities held
by and bought for that account.
o Our Firm will not receive additional compensation or remuneration of any kind
because of the proposed aggregation; and
Individual advice and treatment will be accorded to each advisory Client.
o
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Brokerage For Client Referrals
Our Firm does not receive Client referrals from any Custodian or third party in exchange for using
that broker-dealer or third party.
Aggregation & Allocation of Transactions
Our Firm may aggregate transactions if it believes that aggregation is consistent with the duty to
seek the best execution for its Clients and is consistent with the disclosures made to Clients and
terms defined in the Investment Advisory Agreement. No Client will be favored over any other
Client. Each account in an aggregated order will participate at the average share price (per
Custodian) for all transactions in that security on a given business day.
If we do not receive a complete fill for an aggregated order, we will allocate the order on a pro-
rata basis. If we determine that a pro-rata allocation is not appropriate under the particular
circumstances, we will base the allocation on other relevant factors, which may include:
• When only a small percentage of the order is executed, with respect to purchase
allocations, allocations may be given to accounts high in cash.
• Concerning sale allocations, allocations may be given to accounts low in cash.
• We may allocate shares to the account with the smallest order, to the smallest position,
or to an account that is out of line concerning security or sector weightings relative to
other portfolios with similar mandates.
•
•
• We may allocate one account when that account has limitations in its investment
guidelines prohibiting it from purchasing other securities that we expect to produce
similar investment results, and other accounts can purchase that in the block.
If an account reaches an investment guideline limit and cannot participate in an
allocation, we may reallocate shares to other accounts. For example, this may be due to
unforeseen changes in an account's assets after placing an order.
If a pro-rata allocation of a potential execution would result in a de minimis allocation in
one or more account(s), we may exclude the account(s) from the allocation.
• Our Firm will document the reasons for any deviation from a pro-rata allocation.
In certain cases, client requests or specific needs will trigger an unplanned transaction in a security
where an aggregate transaction occurred previously during the day. Under these circumstances,
client transactions will be excluded from the block transaction and ultimately receive differing
pricing.
Trade Errors
Our Firm has implemented procedures designed to prevent trade errors; however, our Firm
cannot always avoid Client trade errors.
Consistent with our Firm's fiduciary duty, it is our Firm’s policy to correct trade errors in a manner
that is in the Client's best interest. In cases where the Client causes the trade error, the Client will
be responsible for any loss resulting from the correction. Depending on the specific circumstances
of the trade error, the Client may not be able to receive any gains generated due to the error
correction. In all situations where the Client does not cause the trade error, the Client will be
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made whole, and we would absorb any loss resulting from the trade error if our Firm caused the
error. If the Custodian causes the error, the Custodian will cover all trade error costs. If an
investment error results in a gain when correcting the trade, the gain will be donated to charity.
Our Firm will never benefit or profit from trade errors.
Directed Brokerage
Our Firm does not routinely recommend, request, or require that the Client direct us to execute
the transaction through a specified broker-dealer. Additionally, our Firm typically does not permit
the Client to direct brokerage. Our Firm places trades for Client accounts subject to its duty to
seek the best execution and other fiduciary duties.
Fixed Income Trades
We have full discretion in the selection of brokers or dealers for fixed income trading only. We
seek to obtain quality execution for security transactions through brokers and dealers who in our
opinion are financially responsible. In selecting a broker or dealer, we may take into account
relevant factors with respect to liquidity and execution of the order, as well as the amount of the
capital commitment by the broker or dealer. Other relevant factors may include, without
limitation: (a) the execution capabilities of the brokers and/or dealers, (b) the size of the
transaction, (c) the difficulty of execution, (d) the operations facilities of the brokers and/or
dealers involved, and (e) the risk in positioning a block of securities.
ITEM 13 - REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS
Account Reviews and Reviewers – Investment Supervisory Services
The underlying securities within the investment supervisory services are monitored on at least a
monthly basis. These reviews will be made by the firm’s investment advisor representatives. An
annual review with the client is usually conducted in person or by telephone.
All accounts are reviewed for consistency with client investment strategy, asset allocation, risk
tolerance and performance relative to the appropriate benchmark. More frequent reviews may
be triggered by changes in an account holder’s personal, tax or financial status. Geopolitical and
macroeconomic specific events may also trigger reviews.
Statements and Reports
The custodian for the individual client’s account will provide clients with an account statement at
least monthly. Reports may also be provided at every client meeting. Communication to clients
will be done on an as needed basis with a minimum of 1 contact per calendar year. You are urged
to compare the reports provided by Custos against the account statements you receive directly
from your account custodian.
If you have an account with us that is managed by a third party manager, we typically review your
account holdings weekly to ensure that your account remains within reasonable variances of the
targets and investment models in place.
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Those clients who are exclusively Consulting or Financial Planning clients (i.e. those who have no
assets under management with us in our advisory program) will receive no regular reports from
the Firm.
ITEM 14 – CLIENT REFERRALS AND OTHER COMPENSATION
Custos does not pay referral fees or receive compensation for referrals.
As disclosed under Brokerage Practices, we participate in Custodians’ institutional customer
program and we recommend Custodians to you for custody and brokerage services. There is no
direct link between our participation in the program and the investment advice we give to our
clients, although we receive economic benefits through our participation in the program that are
typically not available to any other independent Investment Advisors participating in the program.
These benefits include the following products and services (provided without cost or at a
discount): receipt of duplicate Client statements and confirmations; research related products
and tools; consulting services; access to a trading desk serving advisor participants; access to block
trading (which provides the ability to aggregate securities transactions for execution and then
allocate the appropriate shares to Client accounts); the ability to have advisory fees deducted
directly from Client accounts; access to an electronic communications network for Client order
entry and account information; access to mutual funds with no transaction fees and to certain
institutional money managers; and discounts on compliance, marketing, research, technology,
and practice management products or services provided to us by third party vendors. Custodians
may also have paid for business consulting and professional services received by some of our
related persons. Some of the products and services made available by Custodians through the
program benefit us but may not benefit your account. These products or services assist us in
managing and administering your account, including accounts not maintained at Custodians.
Other services made available by Custodians are intended to help us manage and further develop
our business enterprise. The benefits received by our Firm or our personnel through participation
in the program do not depend on the amount of brokerage transactions directed to Custodians.
As part of our fiduciary duties to clients, we endeavor at all times to act in the best interests of
our clients first. You should be aware, however, that the receipt of economic benefits by our Firm
or our related persons in and of itself creates a conflict of interest and indirectly influences our
choice of Custodians for custody and brokerage services. Refer to Item 12 on information for
mitigating this conflict of interest.
Our Firm also receives from Pershing certain additional economic benefits (“Additional Services”)
that may or may not be offered to any other independent investment Advisors participating in
the program. More specifically, Pershing has agreed to cover client-focused costs we incur,
including client-focused software and data solutions.” Pershing provides the Additional Services
to our Firm in its sole discretion and at its own expense, and our Firm does not pay any fees to
Pershing for the Additional Services. Our Firm and Pershing have entered into a separate
agreement (“Additional Services Addendum”) to govern the terms of the provision of the
Additional Services.
Our receipt of Additional Services raises potential conflicts of interest. In providing Additional
Services to us, Pershing most likely considers the amount and profitability to the Custodian of the
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assets in, and trades placed for, our Client accounts maintained with Pershing. Pershing has the
right to terminate the Additional Services Addendum with us, in its sole discretion, provided
certain conditions are met. Consequently, in order to continue to obtain the Additional Services
from Pershing, we may have an incentive to recommend to its Clients that the assets under
management by our Firm be held in custody with Pershing and to place transactions for Client
accounts with Pershing. Our receipt of Additional Services does not diminish its duty to act in the
best interests of its Clients, including to seek best execution of trades for Client accounts.
Our Firm may be asked to recommend a financial professional, such as an attorney, accountant,
or mortgage broker. In such cases, our Firm does not receive any direct compensation in return
for any referrals made to individuals or firms in our professional network. Clients must
independently evaluate these firms or individuals before engaging in business with them and
clients have the right to choose any financial professional to conduct business. Individuals and
firms in our financial professional network may refer clients to our Firm. Again, our Firm does not
pay any direct compensation in return for any referrals made to our Firm. Our Firm does recognize
the fiduciary responsibility to place your interests first and have established policies in this regard
to mitigate any conflicts of interest.
ITEM 15 – CUSTODY
We do not have physical custody, as it applies to investment advisors. Custody has been defined
by regulators as having access or control over client funds and/or securities. Our firm has
constructive custody of the funds and securities solely as a consequence of its authority to make
withdrawals from client accounts to pay its advisory fee.
Deduction of Advisory Fees
For all accounts, our firm has the written authority to have fees deducted directly from client
accounts. Our firm has established procedures to ensure all client funds and securities are held
at a qualified custodian in a separate account for each client under that client’s name. Clients or
an independent representative of the client will direct, in writing, the establishment of all
accounts and therefore are aware of the qualified custodian’s name, address and the manner in
which the funds or securities are maintained. Finally, account statements are delivered directly
from the qualified custodian to each client, or the client’s independent representative, at least
quarterly. You should carefully review those statements and are urged to compare the statements
against reports received from Custos. When you have questions about your account statements,
you should contact Custos or the qualified custodian preparing the statement. Please refer to Item
5 for more information about the deduction of adviser fees.
Standing Letters of Authorization
Our firm is also deemed to have custody of clients’ funds or securities when clients have standing
authorizations with their custodian to move money from a client’s account to a third-party
(“SLOA”) and, under that SLOA, it authorizes us to designate the amount or timing of transfers
with the custodian. The SEC has set forth a set of standards intended to protect client assets in
such situations, which we follow. We do not have a beneficial interest on any of the accounts we
are deemed to have Custody where SLOAs are on file. In addition, account statements reflecting
all activity on the account(s), are delivered directly from the qualified custodian to each client or
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the client’s independent representative, at least quarterly. You should carefully review those
statements and are urged to compare the statements against reports received from us. When you
have questions about your account statements, you should contact us, your Advisor or the
qualified custodian preparing the statement.
ITEM 16 – INVESTMENT DISCRETION
For discretionary accounts, prior to engaging Custos to provide investment advisory services, you
will enter a written Agreement with us granting the firm the authority to supervise and direct, on
an on-going basis, investments in accordance with the client’s investment objective and
guidelines. In addition, you will need to execute additional documents required by the Custodian
to authorize and enable Custos, in its sole discretion, without prior consultation with or
ratification by you, to purchase, sell or exchange securities in and for your accounts. We are
authorized, in our discretion and without prior consultation with you to: (1) buy, sell, exchange
and trade any stocks, bonds or other securities or assets and (2) determine the amount of
securities to be bought or sold and (3) place orders with the custodian. Any limitations to such
discretionary authority will be communicated to our Firm in writing by you, the client. The
limitations on investment and brokerage discretion held by Custos for you are:
1. For discretionary accounts, we require that we be provided with authority to determine
which securities and the amounts of securities to be bought or sold.
2. Any limitations on this discretionary authority shall in writing as indicated on the
investment advisory Agreement. You may change/amend these limitations as required.
In some instances, we may not have discretion. In those cases, we will discuss all transactions
with you.
ITEM 17 – VOTING CLIENT SECURITIES
We will not vote proxies on your behalf. You are welcome to vote proxies or designate an
independent third-party at your own discretion. You designate proxy voting authority in the
custodial account documents. You must ensure that proxy materials are sent directly to you or
your assigned third party. We do not take action with respect to any securities or other
investments that become the subject of any legal proceedings, including bankruptcies. Clients can
contact our office with questions about a particular solicitation by phone at 303-578-7024.
Class Action Suits — A class action is a procedural device used in litigation to determine the rights
of and remedies, if any, for large numbers of people whose cases involve common questions of
law and/or fact. Class action suits frequently arise against companies that publicly issue securities,
including securities recommended by investment advisors to clients. With respect to class action
suits and claims, you will have the responsibility for class actions or bankruptcies, involving
securities purchased for or held in your account. We do not provide such services and are not
obligated to forward copies of class action notices we may receive to you.
ITEM 18 – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
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We do not receive or solicit prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees per client, six months or
more in advance. Therefore, we are not required to include a balance sheet for our most recent
fiscal year. We are not subject to a financial condition that is reasonably likely to impair our ability
to meet contractual commitments to clients. Finally, we have not been the subject of a
bankruptcy petition at any time.
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