Our professional mission is to help individuals, couples and families develop holistic, comprehensive
financial plans and asset management strategies. As Certified Financial Planner™ CFP®, professionals,
we honor our fiduciary responsibility and are ethically bound to act in clients’ best interests. As
independent financial advisors, we have no proprietary products to sell nor any corporate agenda to
fulfill.
Heritage Financial Counselors is a limited liability company formed under the laws of the State of
New Jersey in 2016, and is wholly owned by Charles P. Weidman, CFP®, Managing Partner.
Types of Advisory Services Offered
GENERAL:
Heritage Financial Counselors provides a variety of financial planning, investment management and
consultation services.
Financial Planning:
Our integrated financial planning approach is designed to educate clients and to create a strategic
collaboration regarding retirement planning, tax planning, multigenerational estate planning,
insurance planning, and investment management, all within the context of their life plan/situation.
Heritage Financial Counselors’ five-step financial planning process includes (1) discovering client
financial goals and priorities, (2) analyzing client financial situation, (3) developing the financial plan,
(4) implementing financial strategies, and (5) monitoring financial progress. Clients are provided
summary reports (net worth, cash flow, retirement projections), detailed analysis where
appropriate, and a secure login to access their financial planning information online. Financial plans
generally include recommendations for a course of activity/action(s) to be taken by the client and by
Heritage Financial Counselors, as appropriate. The Financial Planning & Consulting Agreement
describes services, roles and responsibilities, including the fee arrangement.
Limitations of Financial Planning and Non-Investment Consulting/Implementation Services.
To the extent requested and engaged by the client to do so, Heritage Financial Counselors will
generally provide financial planning and related consulting services regarding matters such as tax
and estate planning, insurance, etc. per the terms and conditions of a separate agreement and a
separate fee as discussed at Item 5 below, the fee for which shall generally be based upon the
individual providing the service and the scope of the services to be provided. Prior to engaging
Heritage Financial Counselors to provide planning or consulting services, clients are generally
required to enter into a Financial Planning and Consulting Agreement with Heritage Financial
Counselors setting forth the terms and conditions of the engagement (including termination),
describing the scope of the services to be provided, and the portion of the fee that is due from the
client prior to Heritage Financial Counselors commencing services.
Clients recognize that the value and usefulness of Heritage Financial Counselors’ services will be
dependent upon the information the client provides and the client’s active participation in the
formulation and implementation of Planning objectives. We believe that it is important for the client
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to address financial planning issues on an ongoing basis. It remains each client’s responsibility to
promptly notify Heritage Financial Counselors if there is ever any change in his/her/its financial
situation or objectives.
Investment Management:
Investment management is the process of aligning the goals in a client’s financial plan/situation with
targeted investment strategies. Our objective is to help clients clarify the purposes for their wealth,
both near term and longer term. We then develop investment management strategies to help clients
achieve their aims. We base our portfolio recommendations on client goals, time horizon and risk
profile. Investment portfolios are primarily comprised of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and no-
load, low cost, asset-class mutual funds. Once a client’s asset allocation strategy is established, we
utilize the operational, administrative, and information reporting services provided by Buckingham
Strategic Partners. Heritage Financial Counselors provides non-discretionary investment advisory
services on a fee basis as discussed at Item 5 below. The Wealth Advisory Agreement describes roles
and responsibilities, as well as the fee arrangement.
For individual retail (i.e., non-institutional) clients, Heritage Financial
Counselors’ annual investment
advisory fee shall generally (exceptions can occur-see below) include investment advisory services,
and, to the extent specifically requested by the client, financial planning and consulting services. In
the event that the client requires extraordinary planning and/or consultation services (to be
determined in the sole discretion of Heritage Financial Counselors), Heritage Financial Counselors
may determine to charge for such additional services, the dollar amount of which shall be set forth in
a separate written notice to the client.
Please Note: Non-Discretionary Service Limitations. Clients that determine to engage Heritage
Financial Counselors on a non-discretionary investment advisory basis must be willing to accept that
Heritage Financial Counselors cannot effect certain account transactions without express consent to
such transaction(s) from the client. Thus, in the event that Heritage Financial Counselors would like
to make a transaction for a client’s account, and client is unavailable, Heritage Financial Counselors
may be unable to effect the account transaction (as it would for its discretionary clients) without first
obtaining the client’s consent.
Portfolio Activity. Heritage Financial Counselors has a fiduciary duty to provide services consistent
with the client’s best interest. Heritage Financial Counselors will review client portfolios on an
ongoing basis to determine if any changes are necessary based upon various factors, including, but
not limited to, investment performance, market conditions, fund manager tenure, style drift, account
additions/withdrawals, and/or a change in the client’s investment objective. Based upon these
factors, there may be extended periods of time when Heritage Financial Counselors determines that
changes to a client’s portfolio are unnecessary. Clients remain subject to the fees described in Item 5
below during periods of portfolio inactivity. Of course, as indicated below, there can be no assurance
that investment decisions made by the Heritage Financial Counselors will be profitable or equal any
specific performance level(s).
Please Note: Socially Responsible (ESG) Investing Limitations. Socially Responsible Investing
involves the incorporation of Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) considerations into
the investment due diligence process. We do not have or recommend an ESG strategy.
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Client Obligations. In performing our services, Heritage Financial Counselors shall not be required
to verify any information received from the client or from the client’s other professionals, and is
expressly authorized to rely thereon. Moreover, it remains each client’s responsibility to promptly
notify Heritage Financial Counselors if there is ever any change in his/her/its financial situation or
investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing/evaluating/revising our previous
recommendations and/or services.
Please Note: Investment Risk. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it
should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy
(including the investments and/or investment strategies recommended or undertaken by Heritage
Financial Counselors) will be profitable or equal any specific performance level(s).
Disclosure Brochure. A copy of Heritage Financial Counselors’ written Brochure as set forth on Part
2A of Form ADV and Form CRS (Client Relationship Summary) shall be provided to each client prior
to, or contemporaneously with, the execution of an agreement between the client and Heritage
Financial Counselors.
Tailoring of Advisory Services
Our firm offers individualized investment advice to our Asset Management clients. We also tailor
financial consulting engagements to meet specific situations, including estate settlements, business
succession planning, or charitable giving strategies. Each Asset Management client has the
opportunity to 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.
Participation in Wrap Fee Programs
Our firm does not offer or sponsor a wrap fee program.
Regulatory Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2023, our firm manages $179,205,556 on a non-discretionary basis.