Description of Advisory Firm
Defined Wealth Management, LLC (“Defined “the Firm” , “we” , “our,” or “us”) is a privately owned limited
liability company headquartered in Portland, OR.
Defined has filed for registration as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission. The Firm was formed in 2020 and is owned by Joseph Opsahl and Christopher Hatfield. As of
December 31, 2023, the firm has approximately $197,260,210 in assets under management for
approximately 501 accounts all of which are managed on a discretionary basis.
While this brochure generally describes the business of the Firm, certain sections also discuss the activities
of its Supervised Persons, which refer to the Firm’s officers, partners, directors (or other persons
occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), employees or any other person who provides
investment advice on the Firm’s behalf and is subject to the Firm’s supervision or control.
Advisory Services Offered
The Firm offers discretionary investment management and investment advisory services. Prior to the Firm
rendering any of the foregoing advisory services, clients are required to enter into one or more written
agreements with the Firm setting forth the relevant terms and conditions of the advisory relationship (the
“Advisory Agreement”).
Investment Management Services
Defined offers continuous and regular investment supervisory services on a discretionary basis. We work
with clients and have the ongoing responsibility to select and/or make recommendations based upon the
objectives of the client, as to specific securities or other investments that he/she recommends or
purchases/sells in clients’ accounts. We utilize a variety of investment types when making investment
recommendations/purchases in client accounts which include, but are not limited to: equity securities,
fixed income securities, alternatives and mutual funds. The investments recommended/purchased are
based off of the clients’ individual needs, goals and objectives. Defined offers investment advice on any
investment held by the client at the start of the advisory relationship. We describe the material
investment risks under Item 8 – Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies, and Risk of Loss. Financial
Planning may be provided to clients as a part of the Investment Management Services. When being
provided as a separate service it is described in this section under Financial Consulting Services below.
We discuss our discretionary authority below under Item 16 – Investment Discretion. For more
information about the restrictions clients can put on their accounts, see Tailored Services and Client
Imposed Restrictions in this item below. We describe the fees charged for investment management
services below under Item 5 – Fees and Compensation.
Financial Planning & Consulting Services
Our Financial Planning and Consulting Service offers clients the ability to have their investment portfolio
allocated among different financial institutions and reviewed by an Investment Adviser Representative
for a negotiated fee. This consultation offers the client a detailed look at their financial condition in
relation to their investment objectives, risk tolerance, time horizon, and any financial goals that they may
be seeking to achieve. This Financial Consultation Service offered by us may or may not be in conjunction
with one of our other fee-based programs.
We provide a variety of financial consulting services to individuals, families and other clients regarding
the management of their financial resources based upon an analysis of client’s current situation, goals,
and objectives. Consulting encompasses one or more of the following areas: Investment Planning,
Retirement Planning, Estate Planning, Charitable Planning,
Education Planning, Corporate and Personal
Tax Planning, Cost Segregation Study, Corporate Structure, Real Estate Analysis, Mortgage/Debt Analysis,
Insurance Analysis, Lines of Credit Evaluation, Business and Personal Financial Planning.
Our financial consultations rendered to clients usually include general recommendations for a course of
activity or specific actions to be taken by the clients. In performing these services, Defined is not required
to verify any information received from the client or from the client’s other professionals (e.g.,
attorneys, accountants, etc.,) and is expressly authorized to rely on such information. Defined may
recommend clients engage the Firm for additional related services, its Supervised Persons in their
individual capacities as registered representatives of a broker-dealer and/or other professionals to
implement its recommendations. Clients are advised that a conflict of interest exists if clients engage
the Firm or its affiliates to provide additional services for compensation. Clients retain absolute
discretion over all decisions regarding implementation and are under no obligation to act upon any of
the recommendations made by the Firm under a financial planning or consulting engagement. Clients are
advised that it remains their responsibility to promptly notify the Firm of any change in their financial
situation or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing, evaluating or revising the Firms
recommendations and/or services.
For financial consulting engagements, we provide our clients with a written summary of our observations
and recommendations. One-time consultations are typically completed within six (6) months of the client
signing a contract with us, assuming that all the information and documents we request from the client
are provided to us promptly. Services provided under an on-going consultation agreement are conducted
on a regular basis, but no less than annually with the client. The client is under no obligation to act upon
the investment adviser’s recommendation. If the client elects to act on our recommendations, the client
is under no obligation to effect the transaction through us.
We describe fees charged for Financial Consultation Services below under Item 5 - Fees and Compensation.
Betterment Advisory Services
Betterment for Advisors is a digital wealth management platform generally serving independent
investment advisory firms. Betterment LLC (“Betterment”), a registered investment advisor, serves as
sub-advisor to your clients (“Clients”). MTG LLC, dba Betterment Securities (“Betterment Securities”), a
registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and the SIPC, serves as broker-dealer and custodian.
The services provided by Betterment include:
• Goal-Based Investment Management: Betterment’s goal-based investment platform allows
advisors and Clients to identify multiple investment goals for each Client, each with specific
portfolio allocations;
• Portfolio Construction Tools: Advisors and Clients have access to a set of portfolio strategies,
each of which is comprised of low-cost, index-tracking exchange-traded funds or mutual funds
(the latter only for advisors who are approved to construct portfolios with Dimensional Fund
Advisors mutual funds), and are able to customize the risk-level for each investment goal;
• Automated Investment Management Services: Betterment’s algorithms automate back-office
tasks such as trading, portfolio management, tax loss harvesting, and account rebalancing;
• Website and Mobile Application: Betterment’s website and mobile application provide a
platform for account access and monitoring and delivery of account documentation and notices;
and
• Advisor Dashboard: Advisors have access to a dashboard for purposes of monitoring and
managing Client accounts.