Advisory Business
FIRM INFORMATION
Erben Associates, LLC (“Erben Associates,” “we,” “us,” “our”), a limited liability company formed in
2006, is a registered investment advisory firm located in Austin, Texas.
PRINCIPAL OWNERS
Erben Associates is owned and controlled by James Erben, its Managing Director. Brittany Worrell is the
Chief Compliance Officer.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES
Financial Planning and Consulting Services:
We provide financial planning services that find ways to help you understand your overall financial
situation and help you set financial objectives. We provide advice in the form of a comprehensive Financial
Plan. Clients purchasing this service will receive a written financial plan, providing the client with a detailed
financial plan designed to achieve their stated financial goals and objectives. We accomplish this by
helping you review your financial goals, tax and cash flow planning strategies, asset allocation, death and
disability needs, risk management, retirement planning, and other areas and objectives.
We gather required information through in-depth personal interviews. Information gathered includes a
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 a 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 executive retention, business
exit planning, business valuation, and estate planning.
Our financial plan recommendations are not limited to any specific product or service offered by a broker-
dealer or insurance company and will generally include advice regarding exchange-listed and over-the-
counter securities, corporate debt securities, certificates of deposit, municipal securities, United States
governmental securities, variable life insurance, variable annuities, and mutual funds.
Typically, the financial plan will be 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 by the client.
Pension Consulting Services
We provide investment consulting services to certain 401(k) plan sponsors on a fee-only basis. Our
services include asset allocation recommendations; fund selection advice and monitoring; general
investment oversight; and educational services. Under this platform, we will require clients to retain the
services of independent, third-party managers.
Pension Consulting Services are comprised of four distinct services. Clients may choose to use any or all
of these services.
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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.
Manager of Managers Program:
We offer advisory management services to clients through the Manager of Managers Program
(hereinafter, "MMP").
Our firm will provide the client with an asset allocation strategy developed through personal discussions
in which goals and objectives based on a client's circumstances are established. This asset allocation
strategy is drafted into the client's Personal Investment Policy Statement.
We will then perform management searches of various unaffiliated registered investment advisers. Based
on a client's individual circumstances and needs (as exhibited in the client's Personal Investment Policy
Statement) we will determine which selected 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 disclosure document for a full
description of the services offered. We will meet with the client on a regular basis, or as determined by
the client, to review the account.
Once we determine which selected registered investment adviser(s) are most appropriate for the client,
we will provide the selected registered investment adviser(s) with the client's Personal Investment Policy
Statement. The selected registered investment adviser(s) will then create and manage the client's
portfolio based upon the client's individual needs as exhibited in the client's Personal Investment Policy
Statement.
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We will 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 Personal
Investment Policy Statement, then we may suggest that the client contract with a different registered
investment adviser and/or program sponsor. Under this scenario, our firm will reallocate the client’s
assets to a new registered investment adviser and/or program.
The management services provided by the selected registered investment adviser(s), the compensation
to be paid, and other terms of the relationship between the client and the third party will be described in
the selected registered investment adviser’s disclosure documents and its managed account agreement.
We will receive a portion of the investment advisory fee paid by the client to the third-party.
CLIENT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES/RESTRICTIONS
We tailor all of our financial planning and consulting recommendations to the individual needs of each
client. All financial plans and consulting recommendations are tailored based on information gathered
through client questionnaires, telephone, and in-person discussions. Our clients may impose restrictions
on recommending certain securities or types of securities as indicated in the client’s Personal Investment
Policy Statement. Depending on the registered investment adviser selected, MMP clients may be
permitted to impose restrictions on investing in certain securities or types of securities as indicated in the
client’s Personal Investment Policy Statement. Clients should refer to the selected registered investment
adviser's disclosure document for additional information regarding restrictions.
WRAP FEE PROGRAMS
Erben Associates does not participate in wrap fee programs; however, some of the third-party advisory
programs we recommend are considered “wrap programs,” in which the fee paid to the program sponsor
includes the program sponsor’s investment management fee, our solicitation fee, the advisory fees of
independent managers selected within the programs, the execution of the client's portfolio transactions
without commission charge, and/or custodial services for the client's assets. The disclosure brochure for
each program will disclose if it is a wrap fee program.
ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT
As of December 31, 2023, Erben Associates provided continuous and regular supervisory services of
$22,394,386 on a discretionary basis and $274,691,321 on a non-discretionary basis.