TriCord Advisors, Inc. is a SEC-registered investment adviser with its principal place of business located
in California. TriCord Advisors, Inc. began conducting business in 2010.
Listed below are the firm's principal shareholders (i.e., those individuals and/or entities controlling 25%
or more of this company).
Jeremiah J Lee, Chief Executive Officer TriCord Advisors, Inc. offers the following advisory
services to our clients:
INVESTMENT SUPERVISORY SERVICES ("ISS")
INDIVIDUAL PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
Our firm provides continuous advice to a client regarding the investment of client funds based on the
individual needs of the client. Through personal discussions in which goals and objectives based on a
client's particular circumstances are established, we develop a client's personal investment policy and
create and manage a portfolio based on that policy. During our data-gathering process, we determine
the client's individual objectives, time horizons, risk tolerance, and liquidity needs. As appropriate, we
also review and discuss a client's prior investment history, as well as family composition and
background.
We manage these advisory accounts on a discretionary basis. Account supervision is guided by the
client's stated objectives (i.e., maximum capital appreciation, growth, income, or growth and income),
as well as tax considerations.
Clients may impose reasonable restrictions on investing in certain securities, types of securities, or
industry sectors.
Our investment recommendations are not limited to any specific product or service offered by a broker-
dealer or insurance company and will generally include advice regarding the following securities:
Exchange-listed securities
Securities traded over-the-counter
Warrants
Corporate debt securities (other than commercial paper)
Certificates of deposit
Municipal securities
Variable life insurance
Variable annuities
Mutual fund shares
United States governmental securities
Because some types of investments involve certain additional degrees of risk, they will only be
implemented/recommended when consistent with the client's stated investment objectives, tolerance
for risk, liquidity and suitability.
INVESTMENT SUPERVISORY SERVICES ("ISS")
MODEL PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
Our firm provides portfolio management services to clients using model asset allocation portfolios. Each
model portfolio is designed to meet a particular investment goal.
Wisdom Tree U.S. Factor Portfolio - High Growth Equity Only
Wisdom Tree U.S. Aggressive Growth Portfolio - Blended Growth
Wisdom Tree U.S. Growth Portfolio - Blended Growth
Wisdom Tree U.S. Moderate Growth Portfolio - Blended Growth
Wisdom Tree U.S. Conservative Growth Portfolio - Blended Growth
We manage these advisory accounts on a discretionary basis. Account supervision is guided by the
client's stated objectives (i.e., maximum capital appreciation, growth, income, or growth and income), as
well as tax considerations.
Through personal discussions with the client in which the client's goals and objectives are established,
we determine if the model portfolio is suitable to the client's circumstances. Once we determine the
suitability of the portfolio, the portfolio is managed based on the portfolio's goal, rather than on each
client's individual needs. Clients, nevertheless, have the opportunity to place reasonable restrictions on
the types of investments to be held in their account. Clients retain individual ownership of all securities.
Our investment recommendations are not limited to any specific product or service offered by a broker
dealer or insurance company and will generally include advice regarding the following securities:
Exchange-listed securities
Because some types of investments involve certain additional degrees of risk, they will only be
implemented/recommended when consistent with the client's stated investment objectives, tolerance
for risk, liquidity and suitability.
To ensure that our initial determination of an appropriate portfolio remains suitable and that the
account continues to be managed in a manner consistent with the client's financial circumstances, we
will:
1. send quarterly written reminders to each Model Portfolio Management Services client
requesting any updated information regarding changes in the client's financial situation and
investment objectives;
2. at least annually, contact each participating client to determine whether there have been any
changes in the client's financial situation or investment objectives, and whether the client
wishes to impose investment restrictions or modify existing restrictions;
3. be reasonably available to consult with the client; and
4. maintain client suitability information in each client's file.
MANAGER OF MANAGERS PROGRAM
TriCord Advisors, Inc. offers advisory management services to clients through our Manager of Managers
Program. We provide the client with an asset allocation strategy developed through personal
discussions in which the client's goals and objectives are established based on the client's particular
circumstances. This asset allocation strategy is drafted into the client's Personal Investment Policy
Statement.
TriCord Advisors, Inc. performs management searches of various registered investment advisers. Based
on the client's individual circumstances and needs (as exhibited in the client's Personal Investment
Policy Statement) we determine which selected registered investment adviser's ("adviser" or "asset
manager") portfolio management style is appropriate for that client. Factors considered in making this
determination include account size, risk tolerance, the opinion of each client and the investment
philosophy of the selected asset manager. Clients should refer to the asset manager's Firm Brochure or
other disclosure document for a full description of the services offered. Client meetings are available on
a regular basis, or as determined by the client, to review the account.
Once we identify the most appropriate asset manager(s), our firm provides the selected adviser with the
client's Personal Investment Policy Statement, who then creates and manages the client's portfolio
based on that Personal Investment Policy Statement.
On an ongoing basis, we monitor the performance of the asset manager(s). If we determine that a
particular adviser is not providing sufficient management services to the client, or is not managing the
client's portfolio in a manner consistent with that client's Personal Investment Policy Statement, then
we may move the client's portfolio to a different asset manager and/or program sponsor. Under this
scenario, our firm retains the discretion to hire and fire the asset manager and/or move the client's
portfolio to a different program.
At least annually, we meet with the client to review and update, as necessary, the client's Personal
Investment Advisory Statement. However, should there be any material change in the client's personal
and/or financial situation, we should be notified immediately to determine whether any review and/or
revision of the client's Personal Investment Advisory Statement is warranted.
ASSETMARK, INC. PLATFORM
TriCord Advisors, Inc. may offer advisory services to Clients by selecting the AssetMark Platform. For
more information regarding the AssetMark Platform, refer to AssetMark Platform Disclosure Brochure.
The minimum investment required on the AssetMark Platform depends upon the Investment Solution
chosen for a Client’s account and is generally $10,000 for Mutual Fund and $100,000 for ETF Accounts,
and from $50,000 to $500,000 for Privately Managed and Unified Managed Accounts, depending on the
investment strategy selected for the account. These minimums are described in more detail in the
AssetMark Platform Disclosure Brochure. Accounts below the stated minimums may be accepted on an
individual basis at the discretion of AssetMark.
SCHWAB ADVISOR SERVICES™
TriCord Advisors, Inc. does 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). Your assets must be maintained in an account at a “qualified custodian,”
generally a broker-dealer or bank. TriCord Advisors, Inc. requires that clients establish brokerage
accounts with Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (together with its affiliates, “Schwab”), a broker-dealer
registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and a member of FINRA and SIPC, as the
qualified custodian to maintain custody of clients’ assets. TriCord Advisors, Inc. may recommend that
Trust and Estate accounts be opened at Charles Schwab Bank, member FDIC. Schwab will hold your
assets in a brokerage account and buy and sell securities when we instruct them to. Although TriCord
Advisors, Inc. may recommend that clients establish accounts at Schwab, it is ultimately the client’s
decision to custody assets with Schwab by entering an agreement directly with them. We do not open
the account for you, although we may assist you in doing so. TriCord Advisors, Inc. is independently
owned and operated and is not affiliated with Schwab.
Client accounts enrolled in the Program are maintained at, and receive the brokerage services of,
Schwab, a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and a member of
FINRA and SIPC. While clients are required to use Schwab as custodian/broker to enroll in the Program,
the client decides whether to do so and opens its account with Schwab by entering into a brokerage
account agreement directly with Schwab We do not open the account for the client. If the client does
not wish to place his or her assets with Schwab, then we cannot manage the client’s account through
the Program. Schwab may aggregate purchase and sale orders for Funds across accounts enrolled in the
Program, including both accounts for our clients and accounts for clients of other independent
investment advisory firms using the Platform.
Schwab Advisor Services™ (formerly called Schwab Institutional) is Schwab’s business serving
independent advisory firms like us. Through Schwab Advisor Services, Schwab provides TriCord Advisors,
Inc. and our clients, both those enrolled in the Program and our clients not enrolled in the Program, with
access to its institutional brokerage services—trading, custody, reporting and related services--many of
which are typically not available to Schwab retail customers. However, certain retail customers may be
able to get institutional brokerage services from Schwab without going through us. Schwab also makes
available various support services. Some of those services help TriCord Advisors, Inc. manage or
administer our clients’ accounts while others help TriCord Advisors, Inc. manage and grow our business.
Schwab’s support services described below are generally available on an unsolicited basis (we don’t
have to request them) and at no charge to us. 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.
Here is a more detailed description of Schwab’s support services:
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 the client and the client’s account. These services are not soft dollar
arrangements but are part of the institutional platform offered by Schwab
Schwab also makes available to us other products and services that benefit us but may not directly
benefit the client or its 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 some 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; and
assist with back-office functions, recordkeeping, and client reporting.
Schwab also offers other services intended to help us manage and further develop our business
enterprise. These services include:
educational conferences and events;
technology 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, it will arrange for third-party vendors
to provide the services to us. Schwab may also discount or waive its fees for some of these services or
pay all or a part of a third party’s fees. If you did not maintain your account with Schwab, we would be
required to pay for these services from our own resources.
For TriCord Advisors, Inc. client accounts maintained in its custody, Schwab generally does not charge
separately for custody services but is compensated by account holders through commissions and other
transaction related or asset-based fees for securities trades that are executed through Schwab or that
settle into Schwab accounts. Schwab Advisor Services™ also makes available to TriCord Advisors, Inc.
other products and services that benefit TriCord Advisors, Inc. but may not directly benefit its clients’
accounts. Many of these products and services may be used to service all or some substantial number of
TriCord Advisors, Inc. accounts, including accounts not maintained at Schwab.
SCHWAB may also provide other benefits such as educational events or occasional business
entertainment of TriCord Advisors, Inc. personnel. In evaluating whether to recommend that clients
custody their assets at Schwab, TriCord Advisors, Inc. may take into account the availability of some of
the foregoing products and services and other arrangements as part of the total mix of factors it
considers and not solely on the nature, cost or quality of custody and brokerage services provided by
Schwab, which may create a potential conflict of interest.
The availability of services from Schwab benefits us because we do not have to produce or purchase
them. We don’t have to pay for these services, and they are not contingent upon us committing any
specific amount of business to Schwab in trading commissions or assets in custody. With respect to the
Program, as described about under Item 4 – Advisory Business, we do not pay SPT fees for the Platform
so long as we maintain client assets in the accounts at Schwab The fact that we receive these benefits
from Schwab is an incentive for us to require the use of Schwab rather than making the decision based
exclusively on your interest in receiving the best value in custody services and the most favorable
execution of 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. It is primarily
supported by the scope, quality, and price of Schwab’s services and not Schwab’s services that benefit
only us.
PENSION CONSULTING SERVICES
We also provide several advisory services separately or in combination. While the primary clients for
these services will be pension, profit sharing and 401(k) plans, we offer these services, where
appropriate, to individuals and trusts, estates and charitable organizations. Pension Consulting Services
are comprised of four distinct services. Clients may choose to use any or all of these services.
Investment Policy Statement Preparation (hereinafter referred to as ''IPS''):
We will meet with the client (in person or over the telephone) to determine an appropriate investment
strategy that reflects the plan sponsor's stated investment objectives for management of the overall
plan. Our firm then prepares a written IPS detailing those needs and goals, including an encompassing
policy under which these goals are to be achieved. The IPS also lists the criteria for selection of
investment vehicles as well as the procedures and timing interval for monitoring of investment
performance.
Selection of Investment Vehicles:
We assist plan sponsors in constructing appropriate asset allocation models. We will then review various
mutual funds (both index and managed) to determine which investments are appropriate to implement
the client's IPS. The number of investments to be recommended will be determined by the client, based
on the IPS.
Monitoring of Investment Performance:
We monitor client investments continually, based on the procedures and timing intervals delineated in
the Investment Policy Statement. Although our firm is not involved in any way in the purchase or sale of
these investments, we supervise the client's portfolio and will make recommendations to the client as
market factors and the client's needs dictate.
Employee Communications:
For pension, profit sharing and 401(k) plan clients with individual plan participants exercising control
over assets in their own account (''self-directed plans''), we also provide quarterly educational support
and investment workshops designed for the plan participants when the plan sponsor engages our firm
to provide these services. The nature of the topics to be covered will be determined by us and the client
under the guidelines established in ERISA Section 404(c). The educational support and investment
workshops will NOT provide plan participants with individualized, tailored investment advice or
individualized, tailored asset allocation recommendations.
SELECTION AND MONITORING OF THIRD-PARTY MONEY MANAGERS
We also offer advisory management services to our clients through our Selection and Monitoring
of Third-Party Money Managers programs (hereinafter, "Programs").
Our firm provides the client with an asset allocation strategy developed through personal discussions in
which goals and objectives based on the client's particular circumstances are established. This asset
allocation strategy is drafted into the client's Personal Investment Policy Statement ("PIPS").
Based on the client's individual circumstances and needs (as exhibited in the client's PIPS) we will then
perform management searches of various unaffiliated registered investment advisers to identify which
registered investment adviser's portfolio management style is appropriate for that client. Factors
considered in making this determination include account size, risk tolerance, the opinion of each client
and the investment philosophy of the selected registered investment adviser. Clients should refer to the
selected registered investment adviser's Firm Brochure or other disclosure document for a full
description of the services offered. We are available to meet with clients on a regular basis, or as
determined by the client, to review the account.
Once we determine the most suitable investment adviser(s) for the client, we provide the selected
adviser(s) with the client's PIPS. The adviser(s) then creates and manages the client's portfolio based on
the client's individual needs as exhibited in the PIPS.
We monitor the performance of the selected registered investment adviser(s). If we determine that a
particular selected registered investment adviser(s) is not providing sufficient management services to
the client, or is not managing the client's portfolio in a manner consistent with the client's PIPS, we may
suggest that the client contract with a different registered investment adviser and/or program sponsor.
Under this scenario, our firm assists the client in selecting a new registered investment adviser and/or
program. However, any move to a new registered investment adviser and/or program is solely at the
discretion of the client.
FINANCIAL PLANNING
We provide financial planning services. Financial planning is a comprehensive evaluation of a client's
current and future financial state by using currently known variables to predict future cash flows, asset
values and withdrawal plans. Through the financial planning process, all questions, information and
analysis are considered as they impact and are impacted by the entire financial and life situation of the
client. Clients purchasing this service receive a written report which provides the client with a detailed
financial plan designed to assist the client achieve his or her financial goals and objectives.
In general, the financial plan can address any or all of the following areas:
PERSONAL: We review family records, budgeting, personal liability, estate information and
financial goals.
TAX & CASH FLOW: We analyze the client's income tax and spending and planning for past,
current and future years; then illustrate the impact of various investments on the client's
current income tax and future tax liability.
INVESTMENTS: We analyze investment alternatives and their effect on the client's portfolio.
INSURANCE: We review existing policies to ensure proper coverage for life, health, disability,
long-term care, liability, home and automobile.
RETIREMENT: We analyze current strategies and investment plans to help the client achieve his
or her retirement goals.
DEATH & DISABILITY: We review the client's cash needs at death, income needs of surviving
dependents, estate planning and disability income.
ESTATE: We assist the client in assessing and developing long-term strategies, including as
appropriate, living trusts, wills, review estate tax, powers of attorney, asset protection plans,
nursing homes, Medicaid and elder law.
We gather required information through in-depth personal interviews. Information gathered includes
the client's current financial status, tax status, future goals, returns objectives and attitudes towards
risk. We carefully review documents supplied by the client, including a questionnaire completed by the
client, and prepare a written report. Should the client choose to implement the recommendations
contained in the plan, we suggest the client work closely with his/her attorney, accountant, insurance
agent, and/or stockbroker. Implementation of financial plan recommendations is entirely at the client's
discretion.
We also provide general non-securities advice on topics that may include tax and budgetary planning,
estate planning and business planning.
Exchange-listed securities
Securities traded over-the-counter
Warrants
Corporate debt securities (other than commercial paper)
Certificates of deposit
Municipal securities
Variable life insurance
Variable annuities
Mutual fund shares
United States governmental securities
Interests in partnerships investing in real estate
Interests in partnerships investing in oil and gas interests
Typically the financial plan is presented to the client within six months of the contract date, provided
that all information needed to prepare the financial plan has been promptly provided.
Financial Planning 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.
CONSULTING SERVICES
Clients can also receive investment advice on a more focused basis. This may include advice on only an
isolated area(s) of concern such as estate planning, retirement planning, or any other specific topic. We
also provide specific consultation and administrative services regarding investment and financial
concerns of the client.
Consulting 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. Financial Institution
Consulting Services
We provide investment consulting services to certain broker/dealers’ customers (“Brokerage
Customers”) who provide written consent requesting to receive the firm’s consulting services. Brokerage
Customers have entered into a written advisory agreement with TriCord Advisors, Inc.
Bill Payment Services
We provide to certain Wealth Management Clients Bill Paying Services who provide written consent
requesting to the firms bill paying services. Bill Payment Service clients have entered into a written
agreement with TriCord Advisors, Inc.
AMOUNT OF MANAGED ASSETS
As of 12/31/2023, we were actively managing $201,402,185 of clients' assets on a discretionary basis.
AMOUNT OF ADMINISTERED ASSETS
As of 12/31/2023, we were administering $19,284,843 of Fixed and Indexed Annuity assets for our
clients.