Company
Artifex Financial Group, LLC is a privately-held Ohio limited liability company that has
been registered as an investment adviser since January 2007. Artifex Financial Group, LLC
is strictly a fee-only financial planning and investment management firm. Artifex Financial
Group, LLC does not sell annuities, insurance, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, limited
partnerships, or other commissioned products. Artifex Financial Group, LLC is not affiliated
with entities that sell financial products or securities. Artifex Financial Group, LLC does not
accept commissions or finder’s fees.
Throughout this disclosure brochure, Artifex Financial Group, LLC is referred to as “AFG” or
the “firm”. The principal owners of AFG are Doug Kinsey and Darren Harp.
Services
AFG provides the following types of advisory services:
Personal Wealth Management Services
AFG provides personalized wealth management services. AFG believes that financial
planning is an integral part of the investment management process. The financial planning
component of this service will typically include some or all of the following:
• Cash flow and budget analysis
• Development of an investment policy statement
• Risk management planning
• Estate planning
• Tax planning
• Education funding
• Insurance review
AFG gathers required information through in-depth personal interviews. The initial meeting,
which may be by telephone, is free of charge and is considered an exploratory interview to
determine the extent to which AFG’s Personal Wealth Management Services may be
beneficial to the client. Information gathered includes a client's current financial status,
future goals and attitudes towards risk. Related documents supplied by the client are
carefully reviewed, and a written report is prepared. Other professionals (e.g., lawyers,
accountants, insurance agents, etc.) are engaged directly by the client on an as-needed basis.
Conflicts of interest will be disclosed to the client in the unlikely event they should occur.
Clients who retain AFG for this comprehensive service also receive investment management
services. Investment management will generally be provided on a discretionary basis,
wherein the client gives AFG authority to manage the client's assets in accordance with what
AFG deems to be in the client's best interest. Clients will have, however, the opportunity to
place reasonable restrictions on the types of investments which will be made on the client's
behalf. Clients will retain individual ownership of all securities. Assets are invested
primarily in no-load or low-load mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, usually through
discount brokers or fund companies, but may also include individual equity and fixed-income
securities.
Investment Management Services
Clients can also retain AFG to provide investment management as a stand-alone service.
Though clients that opt for this service will not receive comprehensive financial planning as
with the service described above, AFG will develop an investment policy statement based on
the client’s investment objectives and risk tolerance profile.
Investment management services will generally be provided on a discretionary basis,
wherein the client gives AFG authority to manage the client's assets in accordance with what
AFG deems to be in the client's best interest. Clients will have, however, the opportunity to
place reasonable restrictions on the types of investments which will be made on the client's
behalf. Clients will retain individual ownership of all securities. Assets are invested
primarily in no-load or low-load mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, usually through
discount brokers or fund companies, but may also include individual equity and fixed-income
securities.
401(k) Retirement Consulting Services
AFG provides 401(k) Retirement Consulting Services to both the sponsor of the retirement
plan (the “Client”) and plan participants (the “Plan Participants”).
Fiduciary Services
AFG shall provide to the Client the scope of services in connection with the investment and
reinvestment of securities, cash and/or other investments held from time to time in the
Client’s plan account (the “Plan”). AFG shall be a fiduciary of the Plan, as defined under the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), with respect to
the investment advice AFG provides to the Plan.
Non-Fiduciary Services
To the extent the Client is a plan sponsor of an individual account plan as defined under
Section 404(c) of ERISA, AFG shall provide Plan Participants the services set forth in the
scope of services in connection with the investment and reinvestment of securities, cash
and/or other investments held from time to time in the Plan Participants’ accounts under the
Plan. A Plan Participant shall exercise control over the assets in his or her account by
providing the record-keeper with investment instructions in the form requested by the plan
administrator regarding the investment of the account. AFG also provides Plan Participants
with sufficient information to make informed decisions with regard to investment
alternatives available under the Plan in accordance with ERISA regulation Section
2550.404c-1(b)(2)(i)(B)(1) and (2).
Project-Based Services
Clients can also retain AFG to provide project-based services. Typically, clients retain AFG
on a 90-day project basis to provide retirement projections, basic insurance and estate
planning analysis and basic
asset allocation recommendations.
AFG’s recommendations are not limited to any specific product or service offered by a broker-
dealer or insurance company. All recommendations are of a generic nature. In performing its
services, AFG 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. If requested by
the client, AFG may recommend the services of other professionals for implementation
services. The client is under no obligation to engage the services of any such recommended
professional.
Consulting Services
Clients can also receive investment advice on a more limited basis. This may include advice
on only an isolated area(s) of concern such as estate planning, retirement planning,
reviewing a client's existing portfolio, or any other specific topic. AFG also provides services
regarding investment and financial concerns of the client.
Tax Preparation Services
In addition to providing tax preparation as part of its investment management services, AFG
may also provide tax preparation as a stand-alone service.
Wealth Club Network Services
AFG has created the Wealth Club Network to provide advisory services to clients that would
prefer a virtual, on-demand relationship with their investment adviser. AFG has entered
into a sub-advisory arrangement with MTG, LLC d/b/a Betterment Securities (“Betterment”)
whereby AFG provides Wealth Club Network clients with an initial consultation meeting
(via telephone), basic financial planning services, portfolio selection services and annual
account review services (via telephone) and Betterment provides the actual investment of the
account assets on a sub-advisory basis via the Betterment Institutional platform. Wealth
Club Network will execute investment management agreements with both AFG and
Betterment to manage their assets on the Betterment Institutional platform.
United Capital Financial Advisers, LLC - Sub-Advisory Relationship
For certain client assets, AFG may outsource a portion of its investment management
responsibilities to United Capital Financial Advisers, LLC (“UC”), an unaffiliated investment
adviser, who serves as a sub-adviser. UC is granted limited discretionary investment
authority over assets that AFG directs to UC. For the assets directed to UC for services, its
responsibility includes the authority to:
• exercise discretion to determine the types of securities bought and sold, along with
the percentage allocation
• apply its discretion as to when to buy and sell
• apply its discretion as to the timing of transactions
• select the broker-dealer for execution of securities transactions, if appropriate, and
• take other portfolio management actions AFG delegates or deems appropriate
UC sub-advisory authority applies only to the specific assets within the client’s custodial
account, for which UC has been appointed as the sub-adviser. UC shall not provide
investment advice, or have any advisory responsibility to the client, beyond the assets for
which it is appointed as sub-adviser. The terms of services provided by UC are directed in
accordance with a separate written agreement entered into between AFG and UC. UC also
provides separate services to AFG under its division FinLife Partners, as described below.
FinLife Partners Service Offering
In an effort to enhance the quality and breath of services that AFG provides to its clients,
AFG utilizes a suite of digitally powered technology solution offered by FinLife Partners, a
division of United Capital Financial Advisers, LLC (“FinLife Partners”). FinLife Partners
provide access to its technology platform to the AFG that includes use of certain technology
platform, training relating to use of such technology platform, and if elected by AFG certain
clerical document and data compilation services. FinLife Partners is not in any way involved
in, or responsible for, the individual investment management or guidance provided to AFG’s
clients. AFG pays FinLife Partners a flat fee for its technology implementation services and
fees calculated per percentage-basis formula in accordance with the volume of clients for
whom AFG utilizes such services and/or products. As such, for certain services offered,
clients indirectly contribute to the payment of cost of services paid to FinLife Partners.
No client is under any obligation to utilize UC’s sub-advisory services or FinLife Partners’
technology solutions. If a client does not want to utilize UC for sub-advisory services or
FinLife Partner’s technology solutions, the client may discuss alternative options with AFG.
Wrap Fee Programs
AFG does not offer a wrap fee program for its investment advisory services. However, AFG is
a participating investment adviser in certain unaffiliated wrap account fee programs. The
programs for which AFG manages investment advisory accounts on a discretionary basis are
sponsored by United Capital Financial Advisers, LLC. With respect to the wrap-fee programs
in which AFG is a participating investment adviser, clients pay their fees directly to the
wrap fee sponsor/manager, who in turn remits a portion of that fee to AFG. In addition to
AFG’s Form ADV Part 2A, clients that participate in such wrap-fee programs will be
provided with United Capital Advisers, LLC’s warp fee program brochure(s).
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2023, AFG manages approximately $232,921,000 in assets. All client
assets are managed on a discretionary basis.