Firm Description
Cornerstone Planning Group (the “Firm” or “Advisor”) is an SEC registered adviser. Carmine
Corino, Managing Member and Owner founded the Firm in 2007 and has been registered with the
SEC since December 2019 to provide client investment management and financial planning services.
Cornerstone Planning Group is a fee-only, independent firm. We do not accept any sales commissions,
referral fees or other forms of compensation from any third parties. We do not have any relationships
with any brokerage, insurance, or mutual fund company. We are a fiduciary to our clients and are
under an obligation to always act in the client's best interest.
Types of Advisory Services
Investment Management Services
We are in the business of managing individually tailored investment portfolios on a discretionary basis.
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 or an
investment plan with an asset allocation target and create and manage a portfolio based on that policy
and allocation targets. We will also review and discuss a client’s prior investment history, as well as
family composition and background.
Account supervision is guided by the stated objectives of the client (e.g., 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.
Fees pertaining to this service are outlined in Item 5 of this brochure.
Investment Management Services for “Employer Retirement ” Accounts
We offer an additional investment management service for “Held Away accounts,” such as 401(k)
and403(b). . These accounts are not opened at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. We use a third-party
platform, Pontera, to leverage an Order Management System to implement asset allocation and
opportunistic rebalancing strategies on behalf of clients. We regularly review the available investment
options in these accounts, monitor them, and rebalance and implement our strategies in the same way
we do other accounts, though using different tools, as necessary.
A link will be provided to Clients allowing them to connect account(s) to the platform. Once a client’s
account is connected to the platform, we will review the current account allocations. When deemed
necessary, we will rebalance the account considering the Client’s investment goals and risk tolerance,
and any change in allocations will consider current economic and market trends. The goal is to
improve account performance over time, minimize loss during difficult markets, and manage internal
fees that harm account performance. Client account(s) will be reviewed at least semi-annually and
allocation changes will be made as deemed necessary. The Pontera’s platform allows us to avoid having
custody of Clients’ funds since we do not have direct access to Client log-in credentials. We are not
affiliated with Pontera and receive no compensation from Pontera for using their platform. Pontera
charges us an annual fee of 0.25% of the assets on their platform.
Financial Planning
The Advisor takes the client through establishing their goals and values around money. They will be
required to provide information to help complete the following areas of analysis: net worth, cash flow,
insurance, credit scores/reports, employee benefits, retirement planning, insurance, investments,
college planning, investment analysis, estate, and tax planning. Once the client's information is
reviewed, their plan will be built and analyzed, and then the findings, analysis and potential changes
to their current situation will be reviewed with the client. Clients subscribing to this service may receive
a written or an electronic report if warranted, providing the client with a detailed financial plan
designed to achieve his or her stated financial goals and objectives. If a follow-up meeting is required,
we will meet at the client's convenience. The plan and the client's financial situation and goals will be
monitored throughout the year and follow-up phone calls and emails will be made to the client to
confirm that any agreed upon action steps have been carried out.
We may make certain assumptions regarding interest and inflation rates and the use of past trends and
performance of the market and economy. Past performance is in no way an indication of future results.
We do not offer any guarantees or promises that your financial goals and objectives will be met. For
certain situations we take an interdisciplinary approach to financial planning, bringing in other
professionals, such as estate planning attorneys or CPAs, who can advise you on the execution of
specialized elements of your financial plan.
Retirement Plan Services
We offer services to both plan sponsors and participants of retirement benefit plans. Such services
may consist of assisting employer plan sponsors in establishing, monitoring, and reviewing their
company's participant-directed retirement plan. In providing employee benefit plan services, our firm
does
not provide any advisory services with respect to the following types of assets: employer
securities, real estate (excluding real estate funds and publicly traded REITS), participant loans, non-
publicly traded securities or assets, other illiquid investments, or brokerage window programs
(collectively, “Excluded Assets”).
We offer assistance in creating and establishing a plan’s asset allocation and in evaluating, and
monitoring investment options. This may include reviewing appropriate investment options for the
plan, asset classes and investment styles, evaluating and recommending investment managers, types,
and selection of investment options. We may also conduct periodic reviews of the plan’s investments
to evaluate performance, risk characteristics and expenses and recommend changes where
appropriate.
In addition, we provide services to encourage participation and help plan participants choose
appropriate deferral rates and investment selections by holding enrollment meetings and providing
online or printed educational materials. We may also work directly with plan participants to help them
evaluate their retirement savings goals and implement appropriate contribution amounts and
investments available in the plan.
To assist plan sponsors in fulfilling their ERISA fiduciary responsibilities, we may compare a plan’s
services, investments, features and fees against those of comparable plans in similar sized
organizations, provide educational resources to help plan sponsors understand and meet their
fiduciary obligations and provide detailed listings and explanations of all fees paid by the plan and
participants to service providers and identify appropriate opportunities for cost savings. The following
services are considered fiduciary consulting services:
• Plan design consulting
• Investment Policy Statement development and refinement
• Asset allocation and model portfolios
• Manager evaluation and selection
• Qualified Default Investment Alternative evaluation and recommendation
• Fiduciary investment reviews
• Participant advisory services
The Firm acknowledges that in performing the fiduciary consulting services listed above that it is
acting as a “fiduciary” as such term is defined under either Section 3(21) or Section 3(38) of the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”). Depending on client needs, the Firm
may act as a 3(21) fiduciary and provide nondiscretionary investment advice only. Advisor acts in a
manner consistent with the requirements of a fiduciary under ERISA if, based upon the facts and
circumstances, such services cause Advisor to be a fiduciary as a matter of law. However, in providing
the fiduciary consulting services, Advisor (a) has no responsibility and does not (i) exercise any
discretionary authority or discretionary control respecting management of the client’s retirement plan,
(ii) exercise any authority or control respecting management or disposition of assets of the client’s
retirement plan or (iii) have any discretionary authority or discretionary responsibility in the
administration of the client’s retirement plan or the interpretation of retirement plan documents, (b)
is not an “investment manager” as defined in Section 3(38) of ERISA and does not have the power
to manage, acquire or dispose of any plan assets and (c) is not the “Administrator” of the client’s
retirement plan as defined in ERISA. If the client needs a 3(38) fiduciary investment manager, the
Firm may act in that capacity in lieu of being a 3(21) fiduciary. This will be determined in writing
between the Firm and Client in advance of their engagement.
The Firm does not serve as administrator or trustee of the plan. The Firm does not act as custodian
for any client account or have access to client funds or securities (with the exception of some accounts
having written authorization from the client to deduct our fees). In addition, we do not implement
any transactions in a retirement plan or participant’s account. For retirement plan consulting services,
the retirement plan or the plan participant who elects to implement any recommendations made by
us is solely responsible for implementing all transactions.
Educational Seminars
The Firm may host a series of seminars and workshops on various financial topics for clients and the
general public. Participants can increase their knowledge during these educational events and have the
opportunity to ask specific questions by interacting with financial professionals and experts who will
instruct such events.
Sample wealth education topics (whether addressed individually or in seminars and workshops) might
include, but are not limited to: Financial Plans, Estate Planning, Succession Planning, Retirement
Planning, Insurance (all types), Medicare or Social Security Enrollment and Administration. There is
no cost to attend these educational events.
Assets Under Management
When calculating regulatory assets under management, an Investment Adviser must include the value
of any advisory account over which it exercises continuous and regular advisory or management
services. As of December 2023, Cornerstone Planning Group provides investment management
services to more than $520 million in client assets.