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Dougherty & Associates Financial Advisors, Inc.
103 Marty Drive
Suite 101
Buffalo, MN 55313
Telephone: 763-682-4014
Facsimile: 763-682-4461
March 7, 2025
FORM ADV PART 2A
BROCHURE
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Dougherty &
Associates Financial Advisors, Inc. If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure,
please contact us at 763-682-4014. 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 Dougherty & Associates Financial Advisors, Inc. is available on the SEC's
website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Dougherty & Associates Financial Advisors, Inc. is a registered investment adviser. Registration with
the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or any state securities authority does not
imply a certain level of skill or training.
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Item 2 Summary of Material Changes
Form ADV Part 2 requires registered investment advisers to amend their brochure when information
becomes materially inaccurate. If there are any material changes to an adviser's disclosure brochure,
the adviser is required to notify you and provide you with a description of the material changes.
Since the filing of our last annual updating amendment, dated March 8, 2024, we made the following
material change to our Form ADV:
1. We offer Financial Consulting Services. We charge a fixed fee ranging between $25 and
$5,000. The service provided may be one time or ongoing. Our fee is negotiable and will be
detailed in the agreement you sign with our firm. The scope of the services will determine the
applicable fee and is dependent upon the facts and circumstances of your financial and tax
situation, as well as the complexity of the services requested.
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Item 3 Table Of Contents
Item 1 Cover Page
Item 2 Summary of Material Changes
Item 3 Table Of Contents
Item 4 Advisory Business
Item 5 Fees and Compensation
Item 6 Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
Item 7 Types of Clients
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Item 9 Disciplinary Information
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading
Item 12 Brokerage Practices
Item 13 Review of Accounts
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation
Item 15 Custody
Item 16 Investment Discretion
Item 17 Voting Client Securities
Item 18 Financial Information
Item 19 Requirements for State-Registered Advisers
Item 20 Additional Information
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Item 4 Advisory Business
Description of Services and Fees
Dougherty & Associates Financial Advisors, Inc. is a registered investment adviser based in Buffalo,
MN. We are organized as a corporation under the laws of the State of Minnesota. We have been
providing investment advisory services since 2012. We are owned by Daniel Dougherty and Dillon
Dougherty. Daniel Dougherty is the CEO and President and Dillon Dougherty is the CFO and Chief
Compliance Officer. Currently, we offer the following investment advisory services, which are
personalized to each individual client:
• Portfolio Management Services
• Financial Consulting Services
The following paragraphs describe our services and fees. Please refer to the description of each
investment advisory service listed below for information on how we tailor our advisory services to your
individual needs. As used in this brochure, the words "we", "our" and "us" refer to Dougherty &
Associates Financial Advisors, Inc. and the words "you", "your" and "client" refer to you as either a
client or prospective client of our firm. Also, you may see the term Associated Person throughout this
brochure. As used in this brochure, our Associated Persons are our firm's officers, employees, and all
individuals providing investment advice on behalf of our firm.
Portfolio Management Services
We offer discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management services. Our investment advice is
tailored to meet our clients' needs and investment objectives. If you retain our firm for portfolio
management services, we will meet with you to determine your investment objectives, risk tolerance,
and other relevant information (the "suitability information") at the beginning of our advisory
relationship. We will use the suitability information we gather to develop a strategy that enables our
firm to give you continuous and focused investment advice and/or to make investments on your behalf.
Portfolios we construct may consist of equity securities, mutual fund shares, corporate debt securities,
municipal securities, U.S. government securities, and/or interest in partnerships, among others, if we
determine such investments to be in the best interests of our clients. Once we construct an investment
portfolio for you, we will monitor your portfolio's performance on an ongoing basis and will rebalance
the portfolio as required by changes in market conditions and in your financial circumstances.
However, some accounts may only require periodic supervision and re-balancing of the portfolio.
Management of these assets is not considered continuous in nature and the fee may be negotiated
accordingly.
If you participate in our discretionary portfolio management services, we require you to grant our firm
discretionary authority to manage your account. Discretionary authorization will allow our firm to
determine the specific securities, and the amount of securities, to be purchased or sold for your
account without your approval prior to each transaction. Discretionary authority is typically granted by
the investment advisory agreement you sign with our firm, a power of attorney, or trading authorization
forms. You may limit our discretionary authority (for example, limiting the types of securities that can be
purchased for your account) by providing our firm with your restrictions and guidelines in writing. If you
enter into non-discretionary arrangements with our firm, we must obtain your approval prior to
executing any transactions on behalf of your account.
Financial Consulting Services
We offer financial consulting services that primarily involve advising clients on specific financial-related
topics. The topics we address may include, but are not limited to, risk assessment/management,
investment planning, financial organization, or financial decision making/negotiation.
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Types of Investments
We primarily offer advice on mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs); however, we may also
offer advice on equity securities, warrants, corporate debt securities, commercial paper, certificates of
deposit, municipal securities, variable life insurance, variable annuities, U.S. Government securities,
options contracts on securities, and interest in partnerships investing in real estate, oil and gas
interests, technology, equipment leasing, or any other industries as we may deem appropriate in order
to address your individualized needs, goals, and objectives.
You may request that we refrain from investing in particular securities or certain types of securities.
You must provide these restrictions to our firm in writing.
IRA Rollover Recommendations
For purposes of complying with the DOL's Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2020-02 ("PTE 2020-02")
where applicable, we are providing the following acknowledgment to you. When we provide
investment advice to you regarding your retirement plan account or individual retirement account, we
are fiduciaries within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and/or the
Internal Revenue Code, as applicable, which are laws governing retirement accounts. The way we
make money creates some conflicts with your interests, so we operate under a special rule that
requires us to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. Under this special rule's
provisions, we must:
• Meet a professional standard of care when making investment recommendations (give prudent
advice);
• Never put our financial interests ahead of yours when making recommendations (give loyal
advice);
• Avoid misleading statements about conflicts of interest, fees, and investments;
• Follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that we give advice that is in your best
interest;
• Charge no more than is reasonable for our services; and
• Give you basic information about conflicts of interest.
We benefit financially from the rollover of your assets from a retirement account to an account that we
manage or provide investment advice, because the assets increase our assets under management
and, in turn, our advisory fees. As a fiduciary, we only recommend a rollover when we believe it is in
your best interest.
Assets Under Management
As of January 31, 2025, we provide continuous management services for $352,206,543 in client assets
on a discretionary basis, and $1,679,519 in client assets on a non-discretionary basis.
Item 5 Fees and Compensation
Portfolio Management Services
Our fee for portfolio management services is based on a percentage of your assets we manage as set
forth in the following fee schedule:
Assets Under Management
Maximum Annual Fee
1.50%
1.00%
.080%
$0 up to $4,999,999
$5,000,000 - $9,999,999
Over $10,000,000
*fees are negotiable
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Our annual portfolio management fee is billed and payable quarterly in advance based on the value of
your account on the last business day of the previous calendar quarter. The initial fee will be due when
you sign the Advisory Agreement, although exceptions may be made. For example, the initial fee may
be waived until asset transfer is complete. If the portfolio management agreement is executed at any
time other than the first day of a calendar quarter, our fees will apply on a pro rata basis, which means
that the advisory fee is payable in proportion to the number of days in the quarter for which you are a
client. Our advisory fee is negotiable, depending on individual client circumstances. We will send you
an invoice for the payment of our advisory fee.
We will deduct our fee directly from your account through the qualified custodian holding your funds
and securities. We will deduct our advisory fee only when you have given our firm written authorization
permitting the fees to be paid directly from your account. We will send you an invoice showing the
amount of the fee. Further, the qualified custodian will deliver an account statement to you at least
quarterly. These account statements will show all disbursements from your account. You should review
all statements for accuracy.
You may terminate the portfolio management agreement upon 30-days' written notice to our firm. You
will incur a pro rata charge for services rendered prior to the termination of the portfolio management
agreement, which means you will incur advisory fees only in proportion to the number of days in the
quarter for which you are a client. If you have pre-paid advisory fees that we have not yet earned, you
will receive a prorated refund of those fees.
Financial Consulting Services
We charge a fixed fee ranging between $25 and $5,000. The service provided may be one time or
ongoing. Our fee is negotiable and will be detailed in the agreement you sign with our firm. The
scope of the services will determine the applicable fee and is dependent upon the facts and
circumstances of your financial and tax situation, as well as the complexity of the services requested.
Additional Fees and Expenses
As part of our investment advisory services to you, we may invest, or recommend that you invest, in
mutual funds and exchange traded funds. The fees that you pay to our firm for investment advisory
services are separate and distinct from the fees and expenses charged by mutual funds or exchange
traded funds (described in each fund's prospectus) to their shareholders. These fees will generally
include a management fee and other fund expenses. You will also incur transaction charges and/or
brokerage fees when purchasing or selling securities. These charges and fees are typically imposed by
the broker-dealer or custodian through whom your account transactions are executed. We do not
share in any portion of the brokerage fees/transaction charges imposed by the broker-dealer or
custodian. To fully understand the total cost you will incur, you should review all the fees charged by
mutual funds, exchange traded funds, our firm, and others. For information on our brokerage practices,
please refer to the "Brokerage Practices" section of this brochure.
Compensation for the Sale of Securities or Other Investment Products
Persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm are registered representatives with
Independent Financial Group, LLC, a securities broker-dealer, and a member of the Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. In their capacity as registered
representatives, these persons receive compensation in connection with the purchase and sale of
securities or other investment products, including asset-based sales charges, service fees or 12b-1
fees, for the sale or holding, of mutual funds. Compensation earned by these persons in their
capacities as registered representatives is separate and in addition to our advisory fees. This practice
presents a conflict of interest because persons providing investment advice to advisory clients on
behalf of our firm who are registered representatives have an incentive to recommend investment
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products based on the compensation received rather than solely based on your needs. Persons
providing investment advice to advisory clients on behalf of our firm can select or recommend, and in
many instances will select or recommend, mutual fund investments in share classes that pay 12b-1
fees when clients are eligible to purchase share classes of the same funds that do not pay such fees
and are less expensive. This presents a conflict of interest. You are under no obligation, contractually
or otherwise, to purchase securities products through any person affiliated with our firm who receives
compensation described above.
We have a fiduciary duty to act in our client's best interest including the duty to seek best execution.
Therefore, our mutual fund selection and recommendation process takes into consideration several
factors in order to meet this requirement. See the Brokerage Practices section for additional
information on our mutual fund share class selection process.
Persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm are licensed as independent insurance
agents. These persons will earn commission-based compensation for selling insurance products,
including insurance products they sell to you. Insurance commissions earned by these persons are
separate and in addition to our advisory fees. This practice presents a conflict of interest because
persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm who are insurance agents have an incentive
to recommend insurance products to you for the purpose of generating commissions rather than solely
based on your needs. You are under no obligation, contractually or otherwise, to purchase insurance
products through any person affiliated with our firm.
Advisory services offered through Independent Financial Group, LLC are separate and distinct from
services offered through our firm. Fees earned by such individuals in their capacities as investment
adviser representatives of Independent Financial Group, LLC are separate and distinct from advisory
fees paid to our firm. You are under no obligation to purchase advisory services through Independent
Financial Group, LLC or our Associated Persons in their capacities as investment adviser
representatives with Independent Financial Group, LLC.
Item 6 Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
We do not accept performance-based fees or participate in side- by-side management. Side-by-side
management refers to the practice of managing accounts that are charged performance-based fees
while at the same time managing accounts that are not charged performance-based fees.
Performance-based fees are fees that are based on a share of capital gains or capital appreciation of a
client's account. Our fees are calculated as described in the Advisory Business section above and are
not charged on the basis of a share of capital gains upon, or capital appreciation of, the funds in your
advisory account.
Item 7 Types of Clients
We offer investment advisory services to individuals, pension and profit sharing plans, trusts, estates,
charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities.
In general, we do not require a minimum dollar amount to open and maintain an advisory account;
however, we have the right to terminate your Account if it falls below a minimum size which, in our sole
opinion, is too small to effectively manage.
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Our Methods of Analysis and Investment Strategies
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We may use one or more of the following methods of analysis or investment strategies when providing
investment advice to you:
• Fundamental Analysis - involves analyzing individual companies and their industry groups, such
as a company's financial statements, details regarding the company's product line, the
experience and expertise of the company's management, and the outlook for the company's
industry. The resulting data is used to measure the true value of the company's stock compared
to the current market value. The risk of fundamental analysis is that information obtained may
be incorrect and the analysis may not provide an accurate estimate of earnings, which may be
the basis for a stock's value. If securities prices adjust rapidly to new information, utilizing
fundamental analysis may not result in favorable performance.
• Long Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that the value of those
securities will grow over a relatively long period of time, generally greater than one year. Long
term purchases may also be affected by unforeseen long term changes in the company in
which you are invested or in the overall market.
• Short Term Purchases - securities purchased with the expectation that they will be sold within a
relatively short period of time, generally less than one year, to take advantage of the securities'
short-term price fluctuations. Short term trading generally involves a greater degree of risk than
long term trading due to market volatility over a short period of time.
• Margin Transactions - a securities transaction in which an investor borrows money to purchase
a security, in which case the security serves as collateral on the loan. Buying on margin means
borrowing money from a broker to purchase stock. Margin trading allows you to buy more stock
than you'd be able to normally. An initial investment of at least $2,000 is required for a margin
account, though some brokerages require more. This deposit is known as the minimum margin.
Once the account is opened and operational, you can borrow up to 50% of the purchase price
of a stock. This portion of the purchase price that you deposit is known as the initial margin.
Some brokerages require you to deposit more than 50% of the purchase price. Not all stocks
qualify to be bought on margin. When you sell the stock in a margin account, the proceeds go
to your broker against the repayment of the loan until it is fully paid. There is also a restriction
called the maintenance margin, which is the minimum account balance you must maintain
before your broker will force you to deposit more funds or sell stock to pay down your loan.
When this happens, it's known as a margin call. If for any reason you do not meet a margin call,
the brokerage has the right to sell your securities to increase your account equity until you are
above the maintenance margin. Additionally, your broker may not be required to consult you
before selling. Under most margin agreements, a firm can sell your securities without waiting for
you to meet the margin call and you can't control which stock is sold to cover the margin call.
You also have to pay the interest on your loan. The interest charges are applied to your
account unless you decide to make payments. Over time, your debt level increases as interest
charges accrue against you. As debt increases, the interest charges increase, and so on.
Therefore, buying on margin is mainly used for short-term investments. The longer you hold an
investment, the greater the return that is needed to break even. In volatile markets, prices can
fall very quickly. You can lose more money than you have invested.
Our investment strategies and advice may vary depending upon each client's specific financial
situation. As such, we determine investments and allocations based upon your predefined objectives,
risk tolerance, time horizon, financial horizon, financial information, liquidity needs, and other various
suitability factors. Your restrictions and guidelines may affect the composition of your portfolio.
We may use short-term trading (in general, selling securities within 30 days of purchasing the same
securities) as an investment strategy when managing your account(s). Short-term trading is not a
fundamental part of our overall investment strategy, but we may use this strategy occasionally when
we determine that it is suitable given your stated investment objectives and tolerance for risk.
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Our strategies and investments may have unique and significant tax implications. However, unless we
specifically agree otherwise, and in writing, tax efficiency is not our primary consideration in the
management of your assets. Regardless of your account size or any other factors, we strongly
recommend that you continuously consult with a tax professional prior to and throughout the investing
of your assets.
Moreover, as a result of revised IRS regulations, custodians and broker-dealers will begin reporting the
cost basis of equities acquired in client accounts on or after January 1, 2011. Your custodian will
default to the FIFO (First-In First-Out) accounting method for calculating the cost basis of your equities,
options, and fixed income investments. With respect to mutual funds, your account custodian will use
the average cost accounting method. You are responsible for contacting your tax advisor to determine
if these accounting methods are the right choice for you. If your tax advisor believes another
accounting method is more advantageous, please provide written notice to our firm immediately and
we will alert your account custodian of your individually selected accounting method. Please note that
decisions about cost basis accounting methods will need to be made before trades settle, as the cost
basis method cannot be changed after settlement.
Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves risk of loss that you should be prepared to bear. We do not represent or
guarantee that our services or methods of analysis can or will predict future results, successfully
identify market tops or bottoms, or insulate clients from losses due to market corrections or declines.
We cannot offer any guarantees or promises that your financial goals and objectives will be met. Past
performance is in no way an indication of future performance.
Recommendation of Particular Types of Securities
As disclosed under the "Advisory Business" section in this brochure, we primarily recommend mutual
funds and ETFs; however, we may recommend other types of investments as appropriate for you since
each client has different needs and different tolerance for risk.
Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds: Mutual funds and exchange traded funds ("ETF") are
professionally managed collective investment systems that pool money from many investors and invest
in stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments, other mutual funds, other securities, or any
combination thereof. The fund will have a manager that trades the fund's investments in accordance
with the fund's investment objective. While mutual funds and ETFs generally provide diversification,
risks can be significantly increased if the fund is concentrated in a particular sector of the market,
primarily invests in small cap or speculative companies, uses leverage (i.e., borrows money) to a
significant degree, or concentrates in a particular type of security (i.e., equities) rather than balancing
the fund with different types of securities. ETFs differ from mutual funds since they can be bought and
sold throughout the day like stock and their price can fluctuate throughout the day. The returns on
mutual funds and ETFs can be reduced by the costs to manage the funds. Also, while some mutual
funds are "no load" and charge no fee to buy into, or sell out of, the fund, other types of mutual funds
do charge such fees which can also reduce returns. Mutual funds can also be "closed end" or "open
end". So-called "open end" mutual funds continue to allow in new investors indefinitely whereas
"closed end" funds have a fixed number of shares to sell which can limit their availability to new
investors.
ETFs may have tracking error risks. For example, the ETF investment adviser may not be able to
cause the ETF's performance to match that of its Underlying Index or other benchmark, which may
negatively affect the ETF's performance. In addition, for leveraged and inverse ETFs that seek to track
the performance of their Underlying Indices or benchmarks on a daily basis, mathematical
compounding may prevent the ETF from correlating with performance of its benchmark. In addition, an
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ETF may not have investment exposure to all of the securities included in its Underlying Index, or its
weighting of investment exposure to such securities may vary from that of the Underlying Index. Some
ETFs may invest in securities or financial instruments that are not included in the Underlying Index, but
which are expected to yield similar performance.
Each type of security has its own unique set of risks associated with it and it would not be possible to
list here all of the specific risks of every type of investment. Even within the same type of investment,
risks can vary widely. However, in very general terms, the higher the anticipated return of an
investment, the higher the risk of loss associated with it.
Item 9 Disciplinary Information
Neither our firm nor any of our Associated Persons has any reportable disciplinary information.
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
Registrations with Broker-Dealer /Other Investment Adviser
Persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm are registered representatives with
Independent Financial Group, LLC. Additionally, some Associated Persons are investment adviser
representatives of Independent Financial Group, LLC. Please refer to the "Fees and Compensation"
section above for more information regarding these other business activities.
Recommendation of Other Advisers
We may recommend that you use a third party adviser ("TPA") based on your needs and suitability.
We will receive compensation from the TPA for recommending that you use their services. These
compensation arrangements present a conflict of interest because we have a financial incentive to
recommend the services of the third party adviser. You are not obligated, contractually or otherwise, to
use the services of any TPA we recommend.
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and
Personal Trading
Description of Our Code of Ethics
We strive to comply with applicable laws and regulations governing our practices. Therefore, our Code
of Ethics includes guidelines for professional standards of conduct for our Associated Persons. Our
goal is to protect your interests at all times and to demonstrate our commitment to our fiduciary duties
of honesty, good faith, and fair dealing with you. All of our Associated Persons are expected to adhere
strictly to these guidelines. Our Code of Ethics also requires that certain persons associated with our
firm submit reports of their personal account holdings and transactions to a qualified representative of
our firm who will review these reports on a periodic basis. Persons associated with our firm are also
required to report any violations of our Code of Ethics. Additionally, we maintain and enforce written
policies reasonably designed to prevent the misuse or dissemination of material, non-public
information about you or your account holdings by persons associated with our firm.
Clients or prospective clients may obtain a copy of our Code of Ethics by contacting us at the
telephone number on the cover page of this brochure.
Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
Neither our firm nor any of our Associated Persons has any material financial interest in client
transactions beyond the provision of investment advisory services as disclosed in this brochure.
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Personal Trading Practices
Our firm or persons associated with our firm may buy or sell the same securities that we recommend to
you or securities in which you are already invested. We may also combine our orders to purchase
securities with your orders to purchase securities ("block trading"). Please refer to the "Brokerage
Practices" section in this brochure for information on our block trading practices.
A conflict of interest exists in such cases because we have the ability to trade ahead of you and
potentially receive more favorable prices than you will receive. To eliminate this conflict of interest, it is
our policy that neither our Associated Persons nor we shall have priority over your account in the
purchase or sale of securities.
Item 12 Brokerage Practices
We recommend the brokerage and custodial services of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (whether one or
more "Custodian"). Your assets must be maintained in an account at a "qualified custodian," generally
a broker-dealer or bank. In recognition of the value of the services the Custodian provides, you may
pay higher commissions and/or trading costs than those that may be available elsewhere. Our
selection of custodian is based on many factors, including the level of services provided, the
custodian's financial stability, and the cost of services provided by the custodian to our clients, which
includes the yield on cash sweep choices, commissions, custody fees and other fees or expenses.
We seek to recommend a custodian/broker that will hold your assets and execute transactions on
terms that are, overall, the most favorable compared to other available providers and their services.
We consider various factors, including:
• Capability to buy and sell securities for your account itself or to facilitate such services.
• The likelihood that your trades will be executed.
• Availability of investment research and tools.
• Overall quality of services.
• Competitiveness of price.
• Reputation, financial strength, and stability.
• Existing relationship with our firm and our other clients.
Research and Other Soft Dollar Benefits
We do not have any soft dollar arrangements.
Economic Benefits
As a registered investment adviser, we have access to the institutional platform of your account
custodian. As such, we will also have access to research products and services from your account
custodian and/or other brokerage firm. These products may include financial publications, information
about particular companies and industries, research software, and other products or services that
provide lawful and appropriate assistance to our firm in the performance of our investment decision-
making responsibilities. Such research products and services are provided to all investment advisers
that utilize the institutional services platforms of these firms and are not considered to be paid for with
soft dollars. However, you should be aware that the commissions charged by a particular broker for a
particular transaction or set of transactions may be greater than the amounts another broker who did
not provide research services or products might charge.
The custodian and brokers we use
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We do not maintain custody of your assets that we manage, although we may be deemed to have
custody of your assets if you give us authority to withdraw assets from your account (see Item 15—
Custody, below). Your assets must be maintained in an account at a "qualified custodian," generally a
broker-dealer or bank. We recommend that our clients use Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Schwab), a
registered broker- dealer, member SIPC, as the qualified custodian.
We are independently owned and operated and are not affiliated with Schwab. Schwab will hold your
assets in a brokerage account and buy and sell securities when we instruct them to. While
we recommend that you use Schwab as custodian/broker, you will decide whether to do so and will
open your account with Schwab by entering into an account agreement directly with them. Conflicts of
interest associated with this arrangement are described below as well as in Item 14 (Client referrals
and other compensation). You should consider these conflicts of interest when selecting your
custodian.
We do not open the account for you, although we may assist you in doing so. If you do not wish to
place your assets with Schwab, then we cannot manage your account. Not all advisors require their
clients to use a particular broker-dealer or other custodian selected by the adviser.]
How we select brokers/custodians
We seek to recommend a custodian/broker that will hold your assets and execute transactions. When
considering whether the terms that Schwab provides are, overall, most advantageous to you when
compared with other available providers and their services, we consider a wide range of factors,
including:
• Combination of transaction execution services and asset custody services (generally without a
separate fee for custody)
• 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, bill payment, etc.)
• 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, margin interest rates, other
fees, etc.) and willingness to negotiate the prices
• Reputation, financial strength, security, and stability
• Prior service to us and our clients
• Availability of other products and services that benefit us, as discussed below (see "Products
and services available to us from Schwab")
Your brokerage and trading costs
For our clients' accounts that Schwab maintains, Schwab generally does not charge you separately for
custody services but is compensated by charging you commissions or other fees on trades that it
executes or that settle into your Schwab account. Certain trades (for example, many mutual funds, and
U.S. exchange-listed equities and ETFs) may not incur Schwab commissions or transaction fees.
Schwab is also compensated by earning interest on the uninvested cash in your account in Schwab's
Cash Features Program.
We are not required to select the broker or dealer that charges the lowest transaction cost, even if that
broker provides execution quality comparable to other brokers or dealers. Although we are not required
to execute all trade through Schwab, we have determined that having Schwab execute most trades is
consistent with our duty to seek "best execution" of your trades. Best execution means the most
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favorable terms for a transaction based on all relevant factors, including those listed above (see "How
we select brokers/ custodians"). By using another broker or dealer you may pay lower transaction
costs.
Products and services available to us from Schwab
Schwab Advisor Services™ is Schwab's business serving independent investment advisory firms like
ours. They provide us and our clients with access to their institutional brokerage services (trading,
custody, reporting, and related services), many of which are not typically available to Schwab retail
customers. However, certain retail investors may be able to get institutional brokerage services from
Schwab without going through our firm. Schwab also makes available various support services. Some
of those services help us manage or administer our clients' accounts, while others help us manage and
grow our business. Schwab's support services are generally available at no charge to us. Following is
a more detailed description of Schwab's support services:
Services that benefit you. 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 to which we might not otherwise have
access or that would require a significantly higher minimum initial investment by our clients. Schwab's
services described in this paragraph generally benefit you and your account.
Services that do not directly benefit you. Schwab also makes available to us other products and
services that benefit us but do not directly benefit you or your account. These products and services
assist us in managing and administering our clients' accounts and operating our firm. They include
investment research, both Schwab's own and that of third parties. We use this research to service all
or a substantial number of our clients' accounts, including accounts not maintained at Schwab. In
addition to investment research, Schwab 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 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, record keeping, and client reporting
Services that generally benefit only us. Schwab also offers other services intended to help us
manage and further develop our business enterprise. These services include:
• Educational conferences and events
• Consulting on technology and business needs
• Publications and conferences on practice management and business succession
• Access to employee benefits providers, human capital consultants, and insurance providers
• Marketing consulting and support
Schwab provides some of these services itself. In other cases, it will arrange for third-party vendors to
provide the services to us. Schwab also discounts or waives its fees for some of these services or pays
all or a part of a third party's fees. Schwab also provides us with other benefits, such as occasional
business entertainment of our personnel. If you did not maintain your account with Schwab, we would
be required to pay for these services from our own resources.
Our interest in Schwab's services
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The availability of these services from Schwab benefits us because we do not have to produce or
purchase them. We don't have to pay for Schwab's services. The fact that we receive these benefits
from Schwab is an incentive for us to recommend the use of Schwab rather than making such decision
based exclusively 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. We believe, however, that taken
in the aggregate, our selection of Schwab as custodian and broker is in the best interests of our clients.
Our selection is primarily supported by the scope, quality, and price of Schwab's services (see "How
we select brokers/custodians") and not Schwab's services that benefit only us.
Brokerage for Client Referrals
We do not receive client referrals from broker-dealers in exchange for cash or other compensation,
such as brokerage services or research.
Directed Brokerage
We routinely require that you direct our firm to execute transactions through Charles Schwab & Co.,
Inc.. As such, we may be unable to achieve the most favorable execution of your transactions and you
may pay higher brokerage commissions than you might otherwise pay through another broker-dealer
that offers the same types of services. Not all advisers require their clients to direct brokerage.
Persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm who are registered representatives of
Independent Financial Group, LLC may recommend Independent Financial Group, LLC to you for the
purchase or sale of certain securities. These individuals are subject to applicable rules that restrict
them from conducting securities transactions away from of Independent Financial Group, LLC unless
Independent Financial Group, LLC provides the representative with written authorization to do so.
Therefore, these individuals are generally limited to conducting securities transactions through
Independent Financial Group, LLC or other approved broker/dealers. It may be the case that
Independent Financial Group, LLC charges higher transactions costs and/or custodial fees than
another broker charges for the same types of services. If transactions are executed through
Independent Financial Group, LLC, these individuals (in their separate capacities as registered
representatives of Independent Financial Group, LLC may earn commission-based compensation as
result of placing the recommended securities transactions through Independent Financial Group, LLC.
This practice presents a conflict of interest because these registered representatives have an incentive
to effect securities transactions for the purpose of generating commissions rather than solely based on
your needs. You may utilize the broker-dealer of your choice and have no obligation to purchase or sell
securities through such broker as we recommend. Please see the "Fees and Compensation" section in
this brochure for more information on the compensation received by registered representatives who
are affiliated with our firm.
Block Trades
We may combine multiple orders for shares of the same securities purchased for advisory accounts we
manage (this practice is commonly referred to as "block trading"). We will then distribute a portion of
the shares to participating accounts in a fair and equitable manner. The distribution of the shares
purchased is typically proportionate to the size of the account, but it is not based on account
performance or the amount or structure of management fees. Subject to our discretion regarding
factual and market conditions, when we combine orders, each participating account pays an average
price per share for all transactions and pays a proportionate share of all transaction costs. Accounts
owned by our firm or persons associated with our firm may participate in block trading with your
accounts; however, they will not be given preferential treatment.
We do not combine multiple orders for mutual funds which do not trade in blocks.
Mutual Fund Share Classes
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Mutual funds are sold with different share classes, which carry different cost structures. Each available
share class is described in the mutual fund's prospectus. When we purchase, or recommend the
purchase of, mutual funds for a client, we select the share class that is deemed to be in the client's
best interest, taking into consideration the availability of advisory, institutional or retirement plan share
classes, initial and ongoing share class costs, transaction costs (if any), tax implications, cost basis
and other factors. We also review the mutual funds held in accounts that come under our management
to determine whether a more beneficial share class is available, considering cost, tax implications, and
the impact of contingent or deferred sales charges.
Item 13 Review of Accounts
Daniel Dougherty, CEO and Dillon Dougherty CFO will monitor managed accounts on an ongoing
basis to ensure that the advisory services provided to you are consistent with your stated investment
needs and objectives. Where you have contracted with the firm for non-continuous management of
accounts, asset allocation/portfolio monitoring services, or quarterly financial planning services, your
account will be reviewed periodically as agreed upon in the agreement executed between the you and
our firm.
You are encouraged to contact us with any questions or changes in financial situation or investment
guidelines as such situations/changes occur. Triggering factors that may stimulate additional reviews
include, but are not limited to, significant market corrections, large deposits or withdrawals from an
account, and your request for an additional review.
With respect to your managed account(s), you will receive monthly and/or quarterly reports and trade
confirmations from the custodian holding their funds and securities. Additionally, in conjunction with (or
in addition to) client meetings and account reviews, we may prepare and/or provide performance
and/or cost basis reports.
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc - Institutional
We receive an economic benefit from Schwab in the form of the support products and services it
makes available to us and other independent investment advisors whose clients maintain their
accounts at Schwab. We benefit from the products and services provided because the cost of these
services would otherwise be borne directly by us, and this creates a conflict. You should consider
these conflicts of interest when selecting a custodian. These products and services, how they benefit
us, and the related conflicts of interest are described above (see Item 12—Brokerage Practices).
As disclosed under the Fees and Compensation section in this brochure, persons providing investment
advice on behalf of our firm are licensed insurance agents, and are registered representatives with
Independent Financial Group, LLC, a securities broker-dealer, and a member of the Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. For information on the
conflicts of interest this presents, and how we address these conflicts, refer to the Fees and
Compensation section.
We do not receive any compensation from any third party in connection with providing investment
advice to you nor do we compensate any individual or firm for client referrals.
Refer to the Brokerage Practices section above for disclosures on research and other benefits we may
receive resulting from our relationship with your account custodian.
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Item 15 Custody
As paying agent for our firm, Schwab will directly debit your account(s) for the payment of our advisory
fees. This ability to deduct our advisory fees from your accounts causes our firm to exercise limited
custody over your funds or securities. We do not have physical custody of any of your funds and/or
securities. Your funds and securities will be held with a bank, broker-dealer, or other independent,
qualified custodian. You will receive account statements from the independent, qualified custodian(s)
holding your funds and securities at least quarterly. The account statements from your custodian(s) will
indicate the amount of our advisory fees deducted from your account(s) each billing period. You should
carefully review account statements for accuracy.
If you have a question regarding your account statement or if you did not receive a statement from
your custodian, contact your custodian directly.
Use of Client Log-in Credentials
We have access to certain clients' account login credentials, which gives our firm custody over such
accounts. We have engaged an accountant to audit such assets. Clients over whose accounts we
have custody will receive account statements from their independent qualified custodian.
Item 16 Investment Discretion
Before we can buy or sell securities on your behalf, you must first sign our discretionary management
agreement, a power of attorney, and/or trading authorization forms.
You may grant our firm discretion over the selection and amount of securities to be purchased or sold
for your account(s) without obtaining your consent or approval prior to each transaction. You may
specify investment objectives, guidelines, and/or impose certain conditions or investment parameters
for your account(s). For example, you may specify that the investment in any particular stock or
industry should not exceed specified percentages of the value of the portfolio and/or restrictions or
prohibitions of transactions in the securities of a specific industry or security. Please refer to the
"Advisory Business" section in this brochure for more information on our discretionary management
services.
If you enter into non-discretionary arrangements with our firm, we will obtain your approval prior to the
execution of any transactions for your account(s). You have an unrestricted right to decline to
implement any advice provided by our firm on a non-discretionary basis.
Item 17 Voting Client Securities
We will not vote proxies on behalf of your advisory accounts. At your request, we may offer you advice
regarding corporate actions and the exercise of your proxy voting rights. If you own shares of common
stock or mutual funds, you are responsible for exercising your right to vote as a shareholder.
In most cases, you will receive proxy materials directly from the account custodian. However, in the
event we were to receive any written or electronic proxy materials, we would forward them directly to
you by mail, unless you have authorized our firm to contact you by electronic mail, in which case, we
would forward any electronic solicitation to vote proxies.
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Item 18 Financial Information
As an investment adviser with discretionary authority or custody over client funds or securities, we are
required to disclose any financial condition that is reasonably likely to impair our ability to meet our
commitments to you. However, we do not have any financial condition that is reasonably likely to
impair our ability to meet our commitments to you.
Item 19 Requirements for State-Registered Advisers
We are a federally registered investment adviser; therefore, we are not required to respond to this
item.
Item 20 Additional Information
Your Privacy
We view protecting your private information as a top priority. Pursuant to applicable privacy
requirements, we have instituted policies and procedures to ensure that we keep your personal
information private and secure.
We do not disclose any nonpublic personal information about you to any non-affiliated third parties,
except as permitted by law. In the course of servicing your account, we may share some information
with our service providers, such as transfer agents, custodians, broker-dealers, accountants,
consultants, and attorneys.
We restrict internal access to nonpublic personal information about you to employees who need that
information in order to provide products or services to you. We maintain physical and procedural
safeguards that comply with regulatory standards to guard your nonpublic personal information and to
ensure our integrity and confidentiality. We will not sell information about you or your accounts to
anyone. We do not share your information unless it is required to process a transaction, at your
request, or required by law.
You will receive a copy of our privacy notice prior to or at the time you sign an advisory agreement with
our firm. Thereafter, we will deliver a copy of the current privacy policy notice to you on an annual
basis. Please contact our main office at the telephone number on the cover page of this brochure if you
have any questions regarding this policy.
Trade Errors
In the event a trading error occurs in your account, our policy is to restore your account to the position
it should have been in had the trading error not occurred. Depending on the circumstances, corrective
actions may include canceling the trade, adjusting an allocation, and/or reimbursing the account. Our
firm is responsible for reimbursing clients for all losses due to trade errors made by our firm in client
accounts. We are not entitled to retain "net gains" from trade corrections. "Net gains" are defined as
positive error account balances resulting from trade corrections. Schwab will automatically sweep any
of our firm's error account credit balances to a designated Schwab error account each business day.
Schwab will then donate the balances swept to the Schwab error account to charity.
Class Action Lawsuits
We do not determine if securities held by you are the subject of a class action lawsuit or whether you
are eligible to participate in class action settlements or litigation nor do we initiate or participate in
litigation to recover damages on your behalf for injuries as a result of actions, misconduct, or
negligence by issuers of securities held by you.
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