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Item 1: Cover Page
Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure
March 2025
Prism Advisors, Inc.
4361 Tujunga Avenue, Suite A
Studio City, CA 91604
www.prismadvisors.com
Firm Contact:
Stacey Snow
Chief Compliance Officer
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Prism
Advisors, Inc. If clients have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact us at
(818) 760-3333. 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 our firm is also available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov by
searching CRD #286474.
Please note that the use of the term “registered investment adviser” and description of our firm
and/or our associates as “registered” does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Clients are
encouraged to review this Brochure and Brochure Supplements for our firm’s associates who advise
clients for more information on the qualifications of our firm and our employees.
Item 2: Material Changes
Prism Advisors, Inc. is required to make clients aware of information that has changed since the last
annual update to the Firm Brochure (“Brochure”) and that may be important to them. Clients can
then determine whether to review the brochure in its entirety or to contact us with questions about
the changes.
The last annual updating amendment of Prism Advisors, Inc. was on March 26, 2024. Material
changes relate to Prism Advisors, Inc’s. policies, practices or conflicts of interests only..
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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 & Compensation ..................................................................................................................... 6
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management .............................................................. 8
Item 7: Types of Clients & Account Requirements ................................................................................... 8
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss ........................................................ 8
Item 9: Disciplinary Information .............................................................................................................. 14
Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations .................................................................... 15
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in
Client Transactions & Personal Trading .................................................................................................. 15
Item 12: Brokerage Practices ................................................................................................................... 16
Item 13: Review of Accounts or Financial Plans ..................................................................................... 19
Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation ................................................................................... 20
Item 15: Custody ....................................................................................................................................... 20
Item 16: Investment Discretion ............................................................................................................... 21
Item 17: Voting Client Securities .............................................................................................................. 21
Item 18: Financial Information ................................................................................................................ 21
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Item 4: Advisory Business
Our firm provides individuals and other types of clients with a wide array of investment advisory
services. Our firm is a corporation formed under the laws of the State of California in 2003 and has
been in business as an investment adviser since 2017. Our firm is owned by Drew McCoy (50%) and
Amy Aquino (50%).
Our firm provides asset management and investment consulting services for many different types of
clients to help meet their financial goals while remaining sensitive to risk tolerance and time
horizons. As a fiduciary, it is our duty to always act in the client’s best interest. This is accomplished
in part by knowing the client. Our firm has established a service-oriented advisory practice with open
lines of communication. Working with clients to understand their investment objectives while
educating them about our process, facilitates the kind of working relationship we value.
Types of Advisory Services Offered
Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management:
Please see our Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1 (“Wrap Fee Program Brochure”) for information
regarding our Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management service.
Financial Planning & Consulting:
Our firm provides a variety of standalone financial planning and consulting services to clients for the
management of financial resources based upon an analysis of current situation, goals, and objectives.
Financial planning services will typically involve preparing a financial plan or rendering a financial
consultation for clients based on the client’s financial goals and objectives. This planning or
consulting may encompass Investment Planning, Retirement Planning, Estate Planning, Charitable
Planning, Education Planning, Corporate and Personal Tax Planning, Cost Segregation Study,
Corporate Structure, Real Estate Analysis, Mortgage/Debt Analysis, Insurance Analysis, Lines of
Credit Evaluation, or Business and Personal Financial Planning.
Written financial plans or financial consultations rendered to clients usually include general
recommendations for a course of activity or specific actions to be taken by the clients.
Implementation of the recommendations will be at the discretion of the client. Our firm provides
clients with a summary of their financial situation, and observations for financial planning
engagements. Financial consultations are not typically accompanied by a written summary of
observations and recommendations, as the process is less formal than the planning service. Assuming
that all the information and documents requested from the client are provided promptly, plans or
consultations are typically completed within 6 months of the client signing a contract with our firm.
Retirement Plan Consulting:
Our firm provides retirement plan consulting services to employer plan sponsors on an ongoing
basis. Generally, such consulting services consist of assisting employer plan sponsors in establishing,
monitoring and reviewing their company's participant-directed retirement plan. As the needs of the
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plan sponsor dictate, areas of advising could include: investment options, plan structure and
participant education.
Retirement Plan Consulting services typically include:
•
• Establishing an Investment Policy Statement – Our firm will assist in the development of
a statement that summarizes the investment goals and objectives along with the broad
strategies to be employed to meet the objectives.
Investment Options – Our firm will work with the Plan Sponsor to evaluate existing
investment options and make recommendations for appropriate changes.
•
• Asset Allocation and Portfolio Construction – Our firm will develop strategic asset
allocation models to aid Participants in developing strategies to meet their investment
objectives, time horizon, financial situation and tolerance for risk.
Investment Monitoring – Our firm will monitor the performance of the investments and
notify the client in the event of over/underperformance and in times of market volatility.
In providing services for retirement plan consulting, our firm does not provide any advisory services
with respect to the following types of assets: employer securities, real estate (excluding real estate
funds and publicly traded REITS), participant loans, non-publicly traded securities or assets, other
illiquid investments, or brokerage window programs (collectively, “Excluded Assets”). All retirement
plan consulting services shall be in compliance with the applicable state laws regulating retirement
consulting services. This applies to client accounts that are retirement or other employee benefit
plans (“Plan”) governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended
(“ERISA”). If the client accounts are part of a Plan, and our firm accepts appointment to provide
services to such accounts, our firm acknowledges its fiduciary standard within the meaning of Section
3(21) or 3(38) of ERISA as designated by the Retirement Plan Consulting Agreement with respect to
the provision of services described therein.
Legacy Asset Management:
Legacy clients who are actively involved in security selection and asset allocation for their portfolio(s)
and had a commission based pricing arrangement with the prior firm may be eligible for the Legacy
Asset Management service. As part of our Legacy Asset Management service, our firm provides
investment advice services as requested in creation of portfolios consisting of individual stocks, bonds,
exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), options, mutual funds and other public securities or investments, as
desired by the client. Once the appropriate portfolio has been determined, portfolios are periodically
monitored, and if necessary, recommendations are made by our firm as to rebalancing based upon the
client’s individual needs, stated goals and objectives.
Tailoring of Advisory Services
Our firm offers individualized investment advice to our Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management
clients. General investment advice will be offered to our Financial Planning & Consulting and
Retirement Plan Consulting clients.
Each Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management client may place reasonable restrictions on the types
of investments to be held in the portfolio. Restrictions on investments in certain securities or types of
securities may not be possible due to the level of difficulty this would entail in managing the account.
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Participation in Wrap Fee Programs
All Comprehensive Management services are only offered through wrapped accounts, which are
managed on an individualized basis according to the client’s investment objectives, financial goals,
risk tolerance, etc. Please see our Wrap Fee Program Brochure for more information.
Regulatory Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2024, our firm manages $447,444,162.00 on a discretionary basis and
$14,586,691.00 on a non-discretionary basis.
Item 5: Fees & Compensation
Compensation for Our Advisory Services
Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management:
Please see our Wrap Fee Program Brochure for information regarding our fees and compensation
for our Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management service.
Financial Planning & Consulting:
Our firm charges on an hourly or flat fee basis for financial planning and consulting services. The total
estimated fee, as well as the ultimate fee charged, is based on the scope and complexity of our
engagement with the client. The maximum hourly fee to be charged will not exceed $500. Flat fees
range from $1,500 to $10,000. Our firm requires a retainer of 50% of the ultimate financial planning
or consulting fee at the time of signing. The remainder of the fee will be directly billed to the client
and due within 30 days of a financial plan being delivered or consultation rendered. Our firm will not
require a retainer exceeding $1,200 when services cannot be rendered within 6 months.
Retirement Plan Consulting:
Our Retirement Plan Consulting services are billed on an hourly or flat fee basis or as a fee based on
the percentage of Plan assets under management. The total estimated fee, as well as the ultimate fee
charged, is based on the scope and complexity of our engagement with the client. The maximum
hourly fee to be charged will not exceed $500. Our flat fees range from $1,500 to $10,000. Fees based
on a percentage of managed Plan assets will not exceed 1.00%. The fee-paying arrangements for
Retirement Plan Consulting service will be determined on a case-by-case basis and will be detailed
in the signed consulting agreement. Clients will be invoiced directly for the fees.
Legacy Asset Management:
Our firm charges on a monthly flat fee basis for our legacy asset management services. Flat fees range
from $500 to $10,000. Fees to be assessed will be outlined in the advisory agreement to be signed by
the Client. Fees are negotiable and will be deducted from client account(s). Our firm bills on cash
unless otherwise indicated in writing. The total fees to be assessed per year shall never exceed 3.00%
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of managed assets. In rare cases, our firm will agree to directly invoice. As part of this process, Clients
understand the following:
a) The client’s independent custodian sends statements at least quarterly showing the market
values for each security included in the Assets and all account disbursements, including the
amount of the advisory fees paid to our firm;
b) Clients will provide authorization permitting our firm to be directly paid by these terms. Our
firm will send an invoice directly to the custodian; and
c) If our firm sends a copy of our invoice to the client, a legend urging the comparison of
information provided in our statement with those from the qualified custodian will be
included.
Other Types of Fees & Expenses
Clients will not incur transaction costs for trades by their custodian. More information about this can
be found in our separate Wrap Fee Program Brochure. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”) does
not charge transaction fees for U.S. listed equities and exchange traded funds.
Clients may also pay holdings charges imposed by the chosen custodian for certain investments
(including alternative investments), charges imposed directly by a mutual fund, index fund, exchange
traded fund, or hedge fund, which shall be disclosed in the fund’s prospectus (e.g., fund management
fees, distribution fees, fund performance fees, surrender charges, variable annuity fees, IRA and
qualified retirement plan fees, mark-ups and mark-downs, spreads paid to market makers, fees for
trades executed away from custodian, wire transfer fees and other fees and taxes on brokerage
accounts and securities transactions). Our firm does not receive a portion of these fees.
Termination & Refunds
Either party may terminate the advisory agreement signed with our firm for Wrap Comprehensive
Portfolio Management services in writing at any time. Upon notice of termination our firm will
process a pro-rata refund of the unearned portion of the advisory fees charged in advance at the
beginning of the quarter.
Financial Planning & Consulting clients may terminate their agreement at any time before the
delivery of a financial plan by providing written notice. For purposes of calculating refunds, all work
performed by us up to the point of termination shall be calculated at the hourly fee currently in effect.
Clients will receive a pro-rata refund of unearned fees based on the time and effort expended by our
firm.
Either party to a Legacy Asset Management Agreement and/or a Retirement Plan Consulting
Agreement may terminate at any time by providing written notice to the other party. Full refunds
will only be made in cases where cancellation occurs within 5 business days of signing an agreement.
After 5 business days from initial signing, either party must provide the other party 30-days written
notice to terminate billing. Billing will terminate 30 days after receipt of termination notice. Clients
will be charged on a pro-rata basis, which takes into account work completed by our firm on behalf
of the client. Clients will incur charges for bona fide advisory services rendered up to the point of
termination (determined as 30 days from receipt of said written notice) and such fees will be due
and payable.
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Commissionable Securities Sales
Our firm and representatives do not sell securities for a commission in advisory accounts.
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees & Side-By-Side Management
Our firm does not charge performance-based fees.
Item 7: Types of Clients & Account Requirements
Our firm offers advisory services to the following types of clients:
•
Individuals and High Net Worth Individuals;
• Trusts, Estates or Charitable Organizations;
• Pension and Profit Sharing Plans;
• Corporations, Limited Liability Companies and/or Other Business Types.
Our firm does not impose requirements for opening and maintaining accounts or otherwise engaging
us.
Item 8: Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies & Risk of Loss
Methods of Analysis
We use the following methods of analysis in formulating our investment advice and/or managing
client assets:
Fundamental Analysis: The analysis of a business's financial statements (usually to analyze the
business's assets, liabilities, and earnings), health, and its competitors and markets. When analyzing
a stock, futures contract, or currency using fundamental analysis there are two basic approaches one
can use: bottom up analysis and top down analysis. The terms are used to distinguish such analysis
from other types of investment analysis, such as quantitative and technical. Fundamental analysis is
performed on historical and present data, but with the goal of making financial forecasts. There are
several possible objectives: (a) to conduct a company stock valuation and predict its probable price
evolution; (b) to make a projection on its business performance; (c) to evaluate its management and
make internal business decisions; (d) and/or to calculate its credit risk.; and (e) to find out the
intrinsic value of the share.
When the objective of the analysis is to determine what stock to buy and at what price, there are two
basic methodologies investors rely upon: (a) Fundamental analysis maintains that markets may
misprice a security in the short run but that the "correct" price will eventually be reached. Profits can
be made by purchasing the mispriced security and then waiting for the market to recognize its
"mistake" and reprice the security.; and (b) Technical analysis maintains that all information is
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reflected already in the price of a security. Technical analysts analyze trends and believe that
sentiment changes predate and predict trend changes. Investors' emotional responses to price
movements lead to recognizable price chart patterns. Technical analysts also analyze historical
trends to predict future price movement. Investors can use one or both of these different but
complementary methods for stock picking. This presents a potential risk, as the price of a security
can move up or down along with the overall market regardless of the economic and financial factors
considered in evaluating the stock.
Qualitative Analysis: A securities analysis that uses subjective judgment based on unquantifiable
information, such as management expertise, industry cycles, strength of research and development,
and labor relations. Qualitative analysis contrasts with quantitative analysis, which focuses on
numbers that can be found on reports such as balance sheets. The two techniques, however, will often
be used together in order to examine a company's operations and evaluate its potential as an
investment opportunity. Qualitative analysis deals with intangible, inexact concerns that belong to
the social and experiential realm rather than the mathematical one. This approach depends on the
kind of intelligence that machines (currently) lack, since things like positive associations with a
brand, management trustworthiness, customer satisfaction, competitive advantage and cultural
shifts are difficult, arguably impossible, to capture with numerical inputs. A risk in using qualitative
analysis is that subjective judgment may prove incorrect.
Sector Analysis: Sector analysis involves identification and analysis of various industries or
economic sectors that are likely to exhibit superior performance. Academic studies indicate that the
health of a stock's sector is as important as the performance of the individual stock itself. In other
words, even the best stock located in a weak sector will often perform poorly because that sector is
out of favor. Each industry has differences in terms of its customer base, market share among firms,
industry growth, competition, regulation and business cycles. Learning how the industry operates
provides a deeper understanding of a company's financial health. One method of analyzing a
company's growth potential is examining whether the amount of customers in the overall market is
expected to grow. In some markets, there is zero or negative growth, a factor demanding careful
consideration. Additionally, market analysts recommend that investors should monitor sectors that
are nearing the bottom of performance rankings for possible signs of an impending turnaround.
Investment Strategies We Use
We use the following strategies in managing client accounts, provided that such strategies are
appropriate to the needs of the client and consistent with the client's investment objectives, risk
tolerance, and time horizons, among other considerations:
Alternative Investments: Hedge funds, commodity pools, Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”),
Business Development Companies (“BDCs”), and other alternative investments involve a high degree
of risk and can be illiquid due to restrictions on transfer and lack of a secondary trading market. They
can be highly leveraged, speculative and volatile, and an investor could lose all or a substantial
amount of an investment. Alternative investments may lack transparency as to share price, valuation
and portfolio holdings. Complex tax structures often result in delayed tax reporting. Compared to
mutual funds, hedge funds and commodity pools are subject to less regulation and often charge
higher fees. Alternative investment managers typically exercise broad investment discretion and may
apply similar strategies across multiple investment vehicles, resulting in less diversification.
Asset Allocation: The implementation of an investment strategy that attempts to balance risk versus
reward by adjusting the percentage of each asset in an investment portfolio according to the
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investor's risk tolerance, goals and investment time frame. Asset allocation is based on the principle
that different assets perform differently in different market and economic conditions. A fundamental
justification for asset allocation is the notion that different asset classes offer returns that are not
perfectly correlated, hence diversification reduces the overall risk in terms of the variability of
returns for a given level of expected return. Although risk is reduced as long as correlations are not
perfect, it is typically forecast (wholly or in part) based on statistical relationships (like correlation
and variance) that existed over some past period. Expectations for return are often derived in the
same way.
An asset class is a group of economic resources sharing similar characteristics, such as riskiness and
return. There are many types of assets that may or may not be included in an asset allocation strategy.
The "traditional" asset classes are stocks (value, dividend, growth, or sector-specific [or a "blend" of
any two or more of the preceding]; large-cap versus mid-cap, small-cap or micro-cap; domestic,
foreign [developed], emerging or frontier markets), bonds (fixed income securities more generally:
investment-grade or junk [high-yield]; government or corporate; short-term, intermediate, long-
term; domestic, foreign, emerging markets), and cash or cash equivalents. Allocation among these
three provides a starting point. Usually included are hybrid instruments such as convertible bonds
and preferred stocks, counting as a mixture of bonds and stocks. Other alternative assets that may be
considered include: commodities: precious metals, nonferrous metals, agriculture, energy, others.;
Commercial or residential real estate (also REITs); Collectibles such as art, coins, or stamps;
insurance products (annuity, life settlements, catastrophe bonds, personal life insurance products,
etc.); derivatives such as long-short or market neutral strategies, options, collateralized debt, and
futures; foreign currency; venture capital; private equity; and/or distressed securities.
There are several types of asset allocation strategies based on investment goals, risk tolerance, time
frames and diversification. The most common forms of asset allocation are: strategic, dynamic,
tactical, and core-satellite.
• Strategic Asset Allocation: The primary goal of a strategic asset allocation is to create an asset
mix that seeks to provide the optimal balance between expected risk and return for a long-
term investment horizon. Generally speaking, strategic asset allocation strategies are
agnostic to economic environments, i.e., they do not change their allocation postures relative
to changing market or economic conditions.
• Dynamic Asset Allocation: Dynamic asset allocation is similar to strategic asset allocation in
that portfolios are built by allocating to an asset mix that seeks to provide the optimal balance
between expected risk and return for a long-term investment horizon.[3] Like strategic
allocation strategies, dynamic strategies largely retain exposure to their original asset
classes; however, unlike strategic strategies, dynamic asset allocation portfolios will adjust
their postures over time relative to changes in the economic environment.
• Tactical Asset Allocation: Tactical asset allocation is a strategy in which an investor takes a
more active approach that tries to position a portfolio into those assets, sectors, or individual
stocks that show the most potential for perceived gains. While an original asset mix is
formulated much like strategic and dynamic portfolio, tactical strategies are often traded
more actively and are free to move entirely in and out of their core asset classes
• Core-Satellite Asset Allocation: Core-Satellite allocation strategies generally contain a 'core'
strategic element making up the most significant portion of the portfolio, while applying a
dynamic or tactical 'satellite' strategy that makes up a smaller part of the portfolio. In this
way, core-satellite allocation strategies are a hybrid of the strategic and dynamic/tactical
allocation strategies mentioned above.
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Cash & Cash Equivalents: Cash and cash equivalents generally refer to either United States dollars
or highly liquid short-term debt instruments such as, but not limited to, treasury bills, bank CD’s and
commercial papers. Generally, these assets are considered nonproductive and will be exposed to
inflation risk and considerable opportunity cost risk. Investments in cash and cash equivalents will
generally return less than the advisory fee charged by our firm. Our firm may recommend cash and
cash equivalents as part of our clients’ asset allocation when deemed appropriate and in their best
interest. Our firm considers cash and cash equivalents to be an asset class. Therefore, our firm assess
an advisory fee on cash and cash equivalents unless indicated otherwise in writing.
Exchange Traded Funds (“ETFs”): An ETF is a type of Investment Company (usually, an open-end
fund or unit investment trust) whose primary objective is to achieve the same return as a particular
market index. The vast majority of ETFs are designed to track an index, so their performance is close
to that of an index mutual fund, but they are not exact duplicates. A tracking error, or the difference
between the returns of a fund and the returns of the index, can arise due to differences in
composition, management fees, expenses, and handling of dividends. ETFs benefit from continuous
pricing; they can be bought and sold on a stock exchange throughout the trading day. Because ETFs
trade like stocks, you can place orders just like with individual stocks - such as limit orders, good-
until-canceled orders, stop loss orders etc. They can also be sold short. Traditional mutual funds are
bought and redeemed based on their net asset values (“NAV”) at the end of the day. ETFs are bought
and sold at the market prices on the exchanges, which resemble the underlying NAV but are
independent of it. However, arbitrageurs will ensure that ETF prices are kept very close to the NAV
of the underlying securities. Although an investor can buy as few as one share of an ETF, most buy in
board lots. Anything bought in less than a board lot will increase the cost to the investor. Anyone can
buy any ETF no matter where in the world it trades. This provides a benefit over mutual funds, which
generally can only be bought in the country in which they are registered.
An ETF typically pays out dividends received from the underlying stocks on a quarterly basis.
However, the underlying stocks pay dividends throughout the quarter. Therefore, these funds can
hold cash for various time periods throughout the quarter, even though the underlying benchmark
index is not composed of cash. With dividend-paying ETFs, the cash ends up in your brokerage
account instead, just like the dividend on a regular stock. If you want to reinvest that cash, you have
to make another purchase. ETFs are designed to replicate the performance of their underlying index
or commodity. Investors always know exactly what they are buying and can see exactly what
constitutes the ETF. The fees are also clearly laid out. Because mutual funds only have to report their
holdings twice a year, when you buy into a mutual fund, what you're getting may not be as clear.
One of the main features of ETFs are their low annual fees, especially when compared to traditional
mutual funds. The passive nature of index investing, reduced marketing, and distribution and
accounting expenses all contribute to the lower fees. However, individual investors must pay a
brokerage commission to purchase and sell ETF shares; for those investors who trade frequently,
this can significantly increase the cost of investing in ETFs. That said, with the advent of low-cost
brokerage fees, small or frequent purchases of ETFs are becoming more cost efficient.
Fixed Income: Fixed income is a type of investing or budgeting style for which real return rates or
periodic income is received at regular intervals and at reasonably predictable levels. Fixed-income
investors are typically retired individuals who rely on their investments to provide a regular, stable
income stream. This demographic tends to invest heavily in fixed-income investments because of the
reliable returns they offer. Fixed-income investors who live on set amounts of periodically paid
income face the risk of inflation eroding their spending power.
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Some examples of fixed-income investments include treasuries, money market instruments,
corporate bonds, asset-backed securities, municipal bonds and international bonds. The primary risk
associated with fixed-income investments is the borrower defaulting on his payment. Other
considerations include exchange rate risk for international bonds and interest rate risk for longer-
dated securities. The most common type of fixed-income security is a bond. Bonds are issued by
federal governments, local municipalities and major corporations. Fixed-income securities are
recommended for investors seeking a diverse portfolio; however, the percentage of the portfolio
dedicated to fixed income depends on your own personal investment style. There is also an
opportunity to diversify the fixed-income component of a portfolio. Riskier fixed-income products,
such as junk bonds and longer-dated products, should comprise a lower percentage of your overall
portfolio.
The interest payment on fixed-income securities is considered regular income and is determined
based on the creditworthiness of the borrower and current market rates. In general, bonds and fixed-
income securities with longer-dated maturities pay a higher rate, also referred to as the coupon rate,
because they are considered riskier. The longer the security is on the market, the more time it has to
lose its value and/or default. At the end of the bond term, or at bond maturity, the borrower returns
the amount borrowed, also referred to as the principal or par value.
Long-Term Purchases: Our firm may buy securities for your account and hold them for a relatively
long time (more than a year) in anticipation that the security’s value will appreciate over a long
horizon. The risk of this strategy is that our firm could miss out on potential short-term gains that
could have been profitable to your account, or it’s possible that the security’s value may decline
sharply before our firm make a decision to sell.
Margin Transactions: Our firm may purchase stocks, mutual funds, and/or other securities for your
portfolio with money borrowed from your brokerage account. This allows you to purchase more
stock than you would be able to with your available cash, and allows us to purchase stock without
selling other holdings. Margin accounts and transactions are risky and not necessarily appropriate
for every client. The potential risks associated with these transactions are (1) You can lose more
funds than are deposited into the margin account; (2) the forced sale of securities or other assets in
your account; (3) the sale of securities or other assets without contacting you; and (4) you may not
be entitled to choose which securities or other assets in your account(s) are liquidated or sold to
meet a margin call.
Sector Allocation: Our firm allocate client assets to various sectors of the fixed income market,
including US Treasury obligations, federal agency securities, corporate notes, mortgage-backed
securities and others, based on our quantitative and qualitative analysis in order to manage client
exposure to a given sector and to provide exposure to sectors our firm believe have good value. The
risk of sector allocation is that clients may not participate fully in an increase in value in any specific
sector.
Short-Term Purchases: When utilizing this strategy, our firm may also purchase securities with the
idea of selling them within a relatively short time (typically a year or less). Our firm do this in an
attempt to take advantage of conditions that our firm believe will soon result in a price swing in the
securities our firm purchase. The potential risk associated with this investment strategy is associated
with the currency or exchange rate. Currency or exchange rate risk is a form of risk that arises from
the change in price of one currency against another. The constant fluctuations in the foreign currency
in which an investment is denominated vis-à-vis one's home currency may add risk to the value of a
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security. Currency risk is greater for shorter term investments, which do not have time to level off
like longer term foreign investments.
Variable Annuities (“VA”): A variable annuity is a type of annuity contract that allows for the
accumulation of capital on a tax-deferred basis. As opposed to a fixed annuity that offers a guaranteed
interest rate and a minimum payment at annuitization, variable annuities offer investors the
opportunity to generate higher rates of returns by investing in equity and bond subaccounts. If a
variable annuity is annuitized for income, the income payments can vary based on the performance
of the subaccounts. Risks associated with VAs may include:
• Taxes and federal penalties for early withdrawal
• Surrender charges for early withdrawal can last for years
• Earnings taxed at ordinary income tax rates
• Mortality expense to compensate the insurance company for insurance risks
• Fees and expenses imposed for the subaccounts
• Other features with additional fees and charges
•
Investment losses
Risk of Loss
Investing in securities involves risk of loss that clients should be prepared to bear. While the stock
market may increase and the account(s) could enjoy a gain, it is also possible that the stock market
may decrease and the account(s) could suffer a loss. It is important that clients understand the risks
associated with investing in the stock market, are appropriately diversified in investments, and ask
any questions.
Capital Risk: Capital risk is one of the most basic, fundamental risks of investing; it is the risk that
you may lose 100% of your money. All investments carry some form of risk and the loss of capital is
generally a risk for any investment instrument.
Economic Risk: The prevailing economic environment is important to the health of all businesses.
Some companies, however, are more sensitive to changes in the domestic or global economy than
others. These types of companies are often referred to as cyclical businesses. Countries in which a
large portion of businesses are in cyclical industries are thus also very economically sensitive and
carry a higher amount of economic risk. If an investment is issued by a party located in a country that
experiences wide swings from an economic standpoint or in situations where certain elements of an
investment instrument are hinged on dealings in such countries, the investment instrument will
generally be subject to a higher level of economic risk.
Equity (Stock) Market Risk: Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations
and, volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers
change. If you held common stock, or common stock equivalents, of any given issuer, you would
generally be exposed to greater risk than if you held preferred stocks and debt obligations of the
issuer.
ETF & Mutual Fund Risk: When investing in an ETF or mutual fund, you will bear additional
expenses based on your pro rata share of the ETF’s or mutual fund’s operating expenses, including
the potential duplication of management fees. The risk of owning an ETF or mutual fund generally
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Prism Advisors, Inc.
reflects the risks of owning the underlying securities, the ETF, or mutual fund holds. Clients will also
incur brokerage costs when purchasing ETFs.
Financial Risk: Financial risk is represented by internal disruptions within an investment or the
issuer of an investment that can lead to unfavorable performance of the investment. Examples of
financial risk can be found in cases like Enron or many of the dot com companies that were caught
up in a period of extraordinary market valuations that were not based on solid financial footings of
the companies.
Fixed Income Securities Risk: Typically, the values of fixed-income securities change inversely with
prevailing interest rates. Therefore, a fundamental risk of fixed-income securities is interest rate risk,
which is the risk that their value will generally decline as prevailing interest rates rise, which may
cause your account value to likewise decrease, and vice versa. How specific fixed income securities
may react to changes in interest rates will depend on the specific characteristics of each security.
Fixed-income securities are also subject to credit risk, prepayment risk, valuation risk, and liquidity
risk. Credit risk is the chance that a bond issuer will fail to pay interest and principal in a timely
manner, or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such payments will cause the
price of a bond to decline.
Inflation & Interest Rate Risk: security prices and portfolio returns will likely vary in response to
inflation and interest rates changes. Inflation causes future dollars to be worth less and may reduce
the purchasing power of a client's future interest payments and principal. Inflation also generally
leads to higher interest rates which may cause the value of many types of fixed-income investments
to decline.
Liquidity Risk: Certain assets may not be readily converted into cash or may have a very limited
market in which they trade. This can create a substantial delay in the receipt of proceeds from an
investment. Liquidity risk can also result in unfavorable pricing when exiting (i.e. not being able to
quickly get out of an investment before the price drops significantly) a particular investment and
therefore, can have a negative impact on investment returns.
Description of Material, Significant or Unusual Risks
Our firm generally invests client cash balances in money market funds, FDIC Insured Certificates of
Deposit, high-grade commercial paper and/or government backed debt instruments. Ultimately, our
firm tries to achieve the highest return on client cash balances through relatively low-risk
conservative investments. In most cases, at least a partial cash balance will be maintained in a money
market account so that our firm may debit advisory fees for our services related to our Wrap
Comprehensive Portfolio Management and Legacy Asset Management services, as applicable.
Item 9: Disciplinary Information
There are no legal or disciplinary events that are material to the evaluation of our advisory business
or the integrity of our management.
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Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities & Affiliations
Representatives of our firm are insurance agents/brokers. When in the best interest of a client, they
may offer insurance products and receive fees as a result of insurance sales. A conflict of interest
exists as these insurance sales create an incentive to recommend products based on the
compensation adviser and/or our supervised persons may earn. To mitigate this potential conflict,
our firm will act in the client’s best interest.
Item 11: Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in
Client Transactions & Personal Trading
As a fiduciary, it is an investment adviser’s responsibility to provide fair and full disclosure of all material
facts and to act solely in the best interest of each of our clients at all times. Our fiduciary duty is the
underlying principle for our firm’s Code of Ethics, which includes procedures for personal securities
transaction and insider trading. Our firm requires all representatives to conduct business with the
highest level of ethical standards and to comply with all federal and state securities laws at all times.
Upon employment with our firm, and at least annually thereafter, all representatives of our firm will
acknowledge receipt, understanding and compliance with our firm’s Code of Ethics. Our firm and
representatives must conduct business in an honest, ethical, and fair manner and avoid all circumstances
that might negatively affect or appear to affect our duty of complete loyalty to all clients. This disclosure
is provided to give all clients a summary of our Code of Ethics. If a client or a potential client wishes to
review our Code of Ethics in its entirety, a copy will be provided promptly upon request.
Our firm recognizes that the personal investment transactions of our representatives demands the
application of a Code of Ethics with high standards and requires that all such transactions be carried out
in a way that does not endanger the interest of any client. At the same time, our firm also believes that if
investment goals are similar for clients and for our representatives, it is logical, and even desirable, that
there be common ownership of some securities.
In order to prevent conflicts of interest, our firm has established procedures for transactions effected by
our representatives for their personal accounts1. In order to monitor compliance with our personal
trading policy, our firm has pre-clearance requirements and a quarterly securities transaction reporting
system for all of our representatives.
Neither our firm nor a related person recommends, buys or sells for client accounts, securities in
which our firm or a related person has a material financial interest without prior disclosure to the
client.
Related persons of our firm may buy or sell securities and other investments that are also
recommended to clients. In order to minimize this conflict of interest, our related persons will place
1 For purposes of the policy, our associate’s personal account generally includes any account (a) in the name of our associate, his/her spouse,
his/her minor children or other dependents residing in the same household, (b) for which our associate is a trustee or executor, or (c) which our
associate controls, including our client accounts which our associate controls and/or a member of his/her household has a direct or indirect
beneficial interest in.
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client interests ahead of their own interests and adhere to our firm’s Code of Ethics, a copy of which
is available upon request.
Likewise, related persons of our firm buy or sell securities for themselves at or about the same time they
buy or sell the same securities for client accounts. In order to minimize this conflict of interest, our
related persons will place client interests ahead of their own interests and adhere to our firm’s Code of
Ethics, a copy of which is available upon request. Further, our related persons will refrain from buying
or selling the same securities prior to our clients on the same side of the trade on the same day unless
included in a block trade.
Item 12: Brokerage Practices
Selecting a Brokerage Firm
Our firm does not maintain custody of client assets (although our firm may be deemed to have
custody of client assets if give the authority to withdraw assets from client accounts (see Item 15
Custody, below). Client assets must be maintained in an account at a “qualified custodian,” generally
a broker-dealer or bank. Our firm recommends that clients use Schwab, a FINRA-registered broker-
dealer, member SIPC, as the qualified custodian. Our firm is independently owned and operated, and
not affiliated with Schwab. Schwab will hold client assets in a brokerage account and buy and sell
securities when instructed. While our firm recommends that clients use Schwab as custodian/broker,
clients will decide whether to do so and open an account with Schwab by entering into an account
agreement directly with them. Our firm does not open the account. Even though the account is
maintained at Schwab, our firm can still use other brokers to execute trades, as described in the next
paragraph.
Our firm seeks to recommend a custodian/broker who will hold client assets and execute
transactions on terms that are overall most advantageous when compared to other available
providers and their services. A wide range of factors are considered, including, but not limited to:
•
•
•
combination of transaction execution services along with asset custody services (generally
without a separate fee for custody)
capability to execute, clear and settle trades (buy and sell securities for client accounts)
capabilities to facilitate transfers and payments to and from accounts (wire transfers, check
requests, bill payment, etc.)
• breadth of investment products made available (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange
traded funds (ETFs), etc.)
• availability of investment research and tools that assist 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 them
reputation, financial strength and stability of the provider
•
• prior service to our firm and our other clients
• availability of other products and services that benefit our firm, as discussed below (see
“Products & Services Available from Schwab”)
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Custody and Brokerage Costs
Schwab generally does not charge a separate fee for custody services, but is compensated by charging
commissions or other fees to clients on trades that are executed or that settle into the Schwab
account. For some accounts, Schwab may charge your account a percentage of the dollar amount of
assets in the account in lieu of commissions. Schwab’s commission rates and/or asset-based fees
applicable to client accounts were negotiated based on our firm’s commitment to maintain a
minimum threshold of assets statement equity in accounts at Schwab. This commitment benefits
clients because the overall commission rates and/or asset-based fees paid are lower than they would
be if our firm had not made the commitment. In addition to commissions or asset-based fees Schwab
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 Schwab account. These fees are in addition to the commissions or
other compensation paid to the executing broker-dealer. Because of this, in order to minimize client
trading costs, our firm has Schwab execute most trades for the accounts.
Products & Services Available from Schwab
Schwab Advisor Services (formerly called Schwab Institutional) is Schwab’s business serving
independent investment advisory firms like our firm. They provide our firm 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 manage or administer our client accounts while others help
manage and grow our business. Schwab’s support services are generally available on an unsolicited
basis (our firm does not have to request them) and at no charge. Here is a more detailed description
of Schwab’s support services:
Services that Benefit 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 to which out firm might not otherwise have access or that would
require a significantly higher minimum initial investment by firm clients. Schwab’s services
described in this paragraph generally benefit clients and their accounts.
Services that May Not Directly Benefit Clients
Schwab also makes available other products and services that benefit our firm but may not directly
benefit clients or their accounts. These products and services assist in managing and administering
our client accounts. They include investment research, both Schwab’s and that of third parties. This
research may be used to service all or some substantial number of client 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);
• facilitates trade execution and allocate aggregated trade orders for multiple client accounts;
• provides pricing and other market data;
• facilitates payment of our fees from our clients’ accounts; and
• assists with back-office functions, recordkeeping and client reporting.
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Services that Generally Benefit Only Our Firm
Schwab also offers other services intended to help manage and further develop our business
enterprise. These services include:
• educational conferences and events
• technology, compliance, legal, and business consulting;
• publications and conferences on practice management and business succession; and
• access to employee benefits providers, human capital consultants and insurance providers.
Schwab may provide some of these services itself. In other cases, Schwab will arrange for third-party
vendors to provide the services to our firm. Schwab may also discount or waive 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.
Irrespective of direct or indirect benefits to our client through Schwab, our firm strives to enhance
the client experience, help clients reach their goals and put client interests before that of our firm or
associated persons.
Soft Dollars
Our firm does not receive soft dollars in excess of what is allowed by Section 28(e) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934. The safe harbor research products and services obtained by our firm will
generally be used to service all our clients but not necessarily all at any one particular time.
Client Brokerage Commissions
Schwab does not make client brokerage commissions generated by client transactions available for
our firm’s use.
Client Transactions in Return for Soft Dollars
Our firm does not direct client transactions to a particular broker-dealer in return for soft dollar
benefits.
Brokerage for Client Referrals
Our firm does not receive brokerage for client referrals.
Directed Brokerage
Neither our firm nor any of our firm’s representatives have discretionary authority in making the
determination of the brokers-dealers and/or custodians with whom orders for the purchase or sale
of securities are placed for execution, and the commission rates at which such securities transactions
are effected. Our firm routinely recommends that clients direct us to execute through a specified
broker-dealer. Our firm recommends the use of Schwab. Each client will be required to establish their
account(s) with Schwab if not already done. Please note that not all advisers have this requirement.
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Special Considerations for ERISA Clients
A retirement or ERISA plan client may direct all or part of portfolio transactions for its account
through a specific broker or dealer to obtain goods or services on behalf of the plan. Such direction
is permitted provided that the goods and services provided are reasonable expenses of the plan
incurred in the ordinary course of its business for which it otherwise would be obligated and
empowered to pay. ERISA prohibits directed brokerage arrangements when the goods or services
purchased are not for the exclusive benefit of the plan. Consequently, our firm will request that plan
sponsors who direct plan brokerage provide us with a letter documenting that this arrangement will
be for the exclusive benefit of the plan.
Client-Directed Brokerage
Our firm does not allow client-directed brokerage outside our recommendations.
Aggregation of Purchase or Sale
Our firm provides investment management services for various clients. There are occasions on which
portfolio transactions may be executed as part of concurrent authorizations to purchase or sell the same
security for numerous accounts served by our firm, which involve accounts with similar investment
objectives. Although such concurrent authorizations potentially could be either advantageous or
disadvantageous to any one or more particular accounts, they are affected only when our firm believes
that to do so will be in the best interest of the effected accounts. When such concurrent authorizations
occur, the objective is to allocate the executions in a manner which is deemed equitable to the accounts
involved. In any given situation, our firm attempts to allocate trade executions in the most equitable
manner possible, taking into consideration client objectives, current asset allocation and availability of
funds using price averaging, proration and consistently non-arbitrary methods of allocation.
Item 13: Review of Accounts or Financial Plans
Our management personnel or financial advisors review accounts on at least an annual basis for our
Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management clients. The nature of these reviews is to learn whether
clients’ accounts are in line with their investment objectives, appropriately positioned based on
market conditions, and investment policies, if applicable. Our firm may review client accounts more
frequently than described above. Among the factors which may trigger an off-cycle review are major
market or economic events, the client’s life events, requests by the client, etc. Our firm does not
provide written reports to clients, unless asked to do so. Verbal reports to clients take place on at
least an annual basis when our Wrap Comprehensive Portfolio Management clients are contacted.
Financial Planning clients do not receive reviews of their written plans unless they take action to
schedule a financial consultation with us. Our firm does not provide ongoing services to financial
planning clients, but are willing to meet with such clients upon their request to discuss updates to
their plans, changes in their circumstances, etc. Financial Planning clients do not receive written or
verbal updated reports regarding their financial plans unless they separately engage our firm for a
post-financial plan meeting or update to their initial written financial plan.
Retirement Plan Consulting clients receive reviews of their retirement plans for the duration of the
service. Our firm also provides ongoing services where clients are met with upon their request to
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discuss updates to their plans, changes in their circumstances, etc. Retirement Plan Consulting clients
do not receive written or verbal updated reports regarding their plans unless they choose to engage
our firm for ongoing services.
We will generally review accounts at least annually for our Legacy Asset Management clients.
However, we are under no obligation to do so as our Legacy Asset Management clients are actively
involved in security selection and asset allocation for their portfolios.
Item 14: Client Referrals & Other Compensation
Schwab
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 that have their clients maintain
accounts at Schwab. These products and services, how they benefit us, and the related conflicts of
interest are described above (see Item 12 – Brokerage Practices). The availability to us of Schwab’s
products and services is not based on us giving particular investment advice, such as buying
particular securities for our clients.
Referral Fees
Our firm does not pay referral fees (non-commission based) to independent solicitors (non-
registered representatives) for the referral of their clients to our firm in accordance with Rule 206
(4)-3 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
Item 15: Custody
Deduction of Advisory Fees:
While our firm does not maintain physical custody of client assets (which are maintained by a
qualified custodian, as discussed above), we are deemed to have custody of certain client assets if
given the authority to withdraw assets from client accounts, as further described below under “Third
Party Money Movement.” All of our clients receive account statements directly from their qualified
custodian(s) at least quarterly upon opening of an account. We urge our clients to carefully review
these statements. Additionally, if our firm decides to also send account statements to clients, such
statements will include a legend that recommends that the client compare the account statements
received from the qualified custodian with those received from our firm. Clients are encouraged to
raise any questions with us about the custody, safety or security of their assets and our custodial
recommendations.
Third Party Money Movement:
The SEC issued a no‐action letter (“Letter”) with respect to the Rule 206(4)‐2 (“Custody Rule”) under
the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”). The letter provided guidance on the Custody
Rule as well as clarified that an adviser who has the power to disburse client funds to a third party
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under a standing letter of instruction (“SLOA”) is deemed to have custody. As such, our firm has
adopted the following safeguards in conjunction with Schwab:
• The client provides an instruction to the qualified custodian, in writing, that includes the
client’s signature, the third party’s name, and either the third party’s address or the third
party’s account number at a custodian to which the transfer should be directed.
• The client authorizes the investment adviser, in writing, either on the qualified custodian’s
form or separately, to direct transfers to the third party either on a specified schedule or from
time to time.
• The client’s qualified custodian performs appropriate verification of the instruction, such as
a signature review or other method to verify the client’s authorization, and provides a
transfer of funds notice to the client promptly after each transfer.
• The client has the ability to terminate or change the instruction to the client’s qualified
custodian.
• The investment adviser has no authority or ability to designate or change the identity of the
third party, the address, or any other information about the third party contained in the
client’s instruction.
• The investment adviser maintains records showing that the third party is not a related party
of the investment adviser or located at the same address as the investment adviser.
• The client’s qualified custodian sends the client, in writing, an initial notice confirming the
instruction and an annual notice reconfirming the instruction.
Item 16: Investment Discretion
Clients have the option of providing our firm with investment discretion on their behalf, pursuant to
an executed investment advisory client agreement. By granting investment discretion, our firm is
authorized to execute securities transactions, determine which securities are bought and sold, and
the total amount to be bought and sold. Limitations may be imposed by the client in the form of
specific constraints on any of these areas of discretion with our firm’s written acknowledgement.
Item 17: Voting Client Securities
Our firm does not accept the proxy authority to vote client securities. Clients will receive proxies or
other solicitations directly from their custodian or a transfer agent. In the event that proxies are sent
to our firm, our firm will forward them to the appropriate client and ask the party who sent them to
mail them directly to the client in the future. Clients may call, write or email us to discuss questions
they may have about particular proxy votes or other solicitations.
Item 18: Financial Information
Our firm is not required to provide financial information in this Brochure because:
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• Our firm does not require the prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees when services cannot
be rendered within 6 months.
• Our firm does not take custody of client funds or securities.
• Our firm does not have a financial condition or commitment that impairs our ability to meet
contractual and fiduciary obligations to clients.
• Our firm has never been the subject of a bankruptcy proceeding.
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