Description of the Advisory Firm
Solitude Financial Services Inc. (hereinafter “SFS,” “we,” “us, “our”) is an S-Corp organized and
located in the State of Virginia. SFS operates as a fee-only, fiduciary, investment advisory firm
registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
SFS has been in business since 2006, previously operating under the name of Kowalski Consulting.
SFS became an S-Corp on January 23, 2014. It is majority-owned and operated by the principal
Investment Adviser Representative of the firm, Gene Michael Kowalski.
Types of Advisory Services
Our firm offers investment advisory services to retail clients through our “financial life management”
approach. We define this service to include four specific areas of advice:
• We collaborate with the client to define measurable financial goals such as retirement at a
specific lifestyle, child education, estate planning, etc. Goals may vary because they are driven by
you and specific for you.
• We use financial planning software, combining lifetime cash flows (expenses and income) and net
worth (assets less liabilities) to test the likelihood of your financial plan successfully funding your
goals, and to identify and reduce failures from insurable events or market uncertainty.
• We create client portfolios and manage security selection in accordance with model portfolio
strategies, any applicable client requested trading restrictions, and funding your goals in the
required time frame.
• We advise how to use your next dollar of savings to improve the efficiency of funding your goals.
Standard services include discretionary investment authority to monitor client accounts, choose
investments, and make all needed and timely changes for our clients on a daily basis. Investments are
limited to publicly traded securities, to include equities, fixed income, and cash instruments. Planning
and wealth management activities are driven by client life events, annual milestones, and upon
request. At our discretion, we may provide portfolio and financial planning advice through an hourly
consulting arrangement to our client’s family members. We do not have
investment discretion in such
arrangements. Our firm does not have a minimum account size.
SFS uses simple option strategies such as covered calls and puts to control portfolio risk. SFS does
not specialize in complex strategies like market timing, technical trading, sophisticated options
strategies like spreads or straddles, microcap companies, private placements, or other less common
investments. If a client needs this type of advice, SFS will work with the client to find another adviser
who can assist in that area or manage their entire portfolio.
Client Tailored Services and Client Imposed Restrictions
SFS uses model portfolios to help guide the portfolio construction of client accounts. We tailor these
portfolios to any client-imposed restrictions requested by the client. Examples include maintaining
certain legacy security positions within the client account, strategies to manage concentrated security
risk, or excluding a security to which a client objects.
Tax Filing Reimbursement
SFS believes tax considerations play an important part in the financial life management process. We
encourage clients to have their tax returns professionally filed and have partnered with DeMarco,
Sciaccotta, Wilkens, & Dunleavy (“DSWD”) to offer tax filing services to our clients. Solitude will
contribute to our clients’ tax preparation expenses based upon their end of year (12/31) assets under
management and the tax preparer they use, as follows:
Tax Preparer SFS Reimbursement
DeMarco, Sciaccotta, Wilkens & Dunleavy 5 basis points
Client-selected tax preparer 2.5 basis points
Client self-files 0 basis points
SFS will pay DSWD directly for amounts up to the predetermined contribution. For client-selected tax
preparers, SFS will provide an advisory fee credit up to the predetermined reimbursement amount,
provided that SFS has received a copy of the client’s tax return and an invoice from their tax preparer.
Wrap Fee Programs
SFS does not use a wrap fee program, where a single fee would cover all fees and transaction charges.
Amounts Under Management
SFS has the following assets under management:
Discretionary Amounts: Non-Discretionary Amounts: As of:
$187,125,083 $615,955 December 31, 2022