EWA, LLC (the "Company," "we" and/or the "firm") is a Delaware limited liability company founded in
2020 with its principal place of business in Pennsylvania. The Company is newly registered with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). We will also do business under the trade names
"Equilibrium Wealth Advisors" and "EWA."
Matthew Blocki is the majority owner of the Company. Jamison Smith, Stephanie Bogden, and Nick
Stonesifer have a minority percentage ownership interest in the Company. The specific ownership is set
forth in the Company's Form ADV Part 1 (Schedule A) on file with the SEC.
Wrap Fee Program
Wrap fee programs offer services for one all-inclusive fee, subject to limited exceptions. EWA sponsors and
is the portfolio manager for a wrap fee program held at either National Financial Services LLC, and Fidelity
Brokerage Services LLC (together with all affiliates, "Fidelity") or Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”).
Both Fidelity and Schwab are independently owned and operated, and have no affiliation with EWA, and
neither acts as a sponsor or portfolio manager of the wrap fee program.
Except as provided below, the Company offers its wrap fee program to all discretionary asset based advisory
clients who (1) custody their assets and establish a brokerage account with Fidelity, and (2) pay an advisory
fee based on a percentage of assets under management with the Company. Investment opportunities for
wrap fee accounts do not materially differ from those for non-wrap fee accounts. Clients who do not
custody their investment assets or establish accounts with Fidelity are not eligible to participate in the wrap
fee program. Thus, clients who custody their assets at a broker-dealer or use a broker-dealer
other than
Fidelity shall be responsible for all custody fees charged by the other custodian, and shall be responsible for
all broker-dealer fees, including execution and clearing fees, and transaction fees associated with
transactions in their accounts.
This program is not designed or expected to be a profit center for the Company. The program allows our
clients to pay a specified fee for investment advisory services and the execution of transactions. The fee is
bundled with our costs for executing transactions in your account(s). This may result in a higher advisory
fee to you. We do not charge our clients higher advisory fees based on their trading activity, but you should
be aware that we may have an incentive to limit our trading activities in your account(s) because we may
be charged for executed trades. By participating in a wrap fee program, you may end up paying more or less
than you would through a non-wrap fee program where a lower advisory fee is charged, but trade execution
costs are passed directly through to you by the executing broker. Based on the amount of assets out clients
place under management with us and custody at Fidelity and the nature of the security on which a
transaction is being made, we may be charged no or reduced transaction fees for executing transactions in
clients' accounts.
The program is intended to comply with Rule 204-3 of the Investment Adviser Act of 1940, as amended,
and Rule 3a-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
Investment Advisory Services
The Company offers continuous and ongoing investment advice and portfolio management services. Our
advice and services are tailored to meet our client's individual needs, life circumstances and investment
goals. We have discussions with the client to determine the client's investment objectives, risk tolerance,
time horizons and liquidity needs. We use the information we gather to create an individualized investment
portfolio for the client.
We may allow clients to impose reasonable restrictions and guidelines on investing in certain securities,
types of securities or industry sectors. We expect all such restrictions to be timely communicated to us.
Client restrictions and guidelines may negatively affect investment performance. We also expect clients to
inform us of any changes to their financial circumstances, investment objectives or risk tolerance, or of any
modifications or restrictions that should be imposed on the management of the client's account. In this
manner, we can better serve our clients' needs.
Account management and supervision is guided by the client's investment portfolio and market conditions.
We manage clients' investment accounts on a discretionary basis. Once we construct an investment portfolio
for a client, we will monitor the portfolio's performance on an ongoing and continuous basis, unless
otherwise agreed, and will adjust and reallocations as necessary due to changes in market conditions and
the client's circumstances as communicated to us. For our discretionary asset management services, the
Company will receive a limited power of attorney to effect securities transactions on behalf of a client.
Pursuant to an agreement with a client, we may agree to limitations on our discretionary authority. Such
limitations would not be typical, however.
We explore different types of investment options and strategies in the design of a client's customized
investment portfolio. Our investment recommendations are not limited by any specific product or service
offered by a broker-dealer or custodian. These recommendations will generally include, but not necessarily
be limited to, security types from the following list:
•Mutual fund shares
•Exchange traded fund shares
•Public securities
•Separately managed accounts
•Money market funds and other cash instruments
•Debt securities
Each type of security has its own unique set of risks associated with it, and it would not be possible to list
here all of the specific risks of every type of investment. Even within the same type of investment, risks can
vary widely. However, in very general terms, the higher the anticipated return of an investment, the higher
the risk of loss associated with it.
Because some types of investments involve certain additional degrees of risk, they will only be
recommended and implemented when consistent with the client's investment portfolio. Although we may
discuss private equity securities with a client and review private placement memorandums at the client's
request, we will not make specific recommendations as to whether a client should buy, sell or hold private
equity securities.
Direct Indexing
This program is generally for non-qualified accounts only and will consist of directly holding individual stock
positions that make up an index instead of using a mutual fund or an ETF to track the underlying index. A
direct indexing fee is assessed in lieu of internal expenses associated with index mutual funds and ETF’s.
Brokerage Services
In addition to the advisory services, the wrap fee program includes certain brokerage services provided by
Fidelity or Schwab. Both Fidelity and Schwab are FINRA/SIPC member broker/dealers registered with the
SEC. EWA is an unaffiliated, independently owned and operated separate legal entity. Fidelity or Schwab
will only act in the capacity of a broker/dealer only, not an investment advisor. Schwab will have no
discretionary authority and will only act based on instructions from EWA or the client. Schwab is not
responsible for the services offered by EWA and does not monitor or supervise EWA. Schwab will
hold your assets in a brokerage account and buy and sell securities and execute other transactions when
instructed by EWA or the client. The custodian does not open the account for clients.
Advisory Wrap Fees
The Company's fee for our investment advisory services will be charged as a percentage of assets under
management with us, according to the following schedule:
Assets Under Management Annual Fee Rate
$0 to 500,000
$500,001 to $1,000,000
1.4%
1.0%
$1,000,001 to $3,000,000 .80%
$3,000,001 to $10,000,000 .60%
$10,000,001 to $20,000,000
$20,000,001 to $50,000,000
More than $50,000,000
.50%
.40%
.30%
In addition to compensating EWA for advisory services, the wrap fee allows EWA to pay for brokerage and
execution services provided by the broker/dealer. EWA does not charge clients a higher fee based on trading
activity but EWA has an incentive to limit trading in an account to reduce the trading costs, which is a conflict of
interest.
A wrap fee is not based directly on the number of transactions. Various factors influence the relative cost,
including the cost of the investment advice, custody and brokerage services if you purchased them separately, the
type of investment held in your account, and the frequency, type and size of trades in your account. The program
could cost more or less than purchasing investment advice and custody/brokerage services separately.
Fees and Costs not Included
The wrap fee does not cover all fees and costs. The fees do not include charges directly imposed by mutual funds,
index funds, or exchange traded funds, which are disclosed in the fund’s prospectus (i.e.. Fund management fees
and other fund expenses), mark-ups and mark-downs, spreads paid to market makers, fees such as commissions
or mark-ups for trades executed away from and another broker/dealer, wire transfer fees and other fees and taxes
on brokerage accounts and securities transactions.
American Depository Receipt (ADR) Fees
An American Depositary Receipt (ADR) is a
negotiable certificate issued by a U.S. depositary bank representing
a specified number of shares, usually one share, of a foreign company's stock. ADRs offer U.S. investors a way
to purchase stock in overseas companies that would not otherwise be available. ADR pass-through fees are
assessed quarterly by the local ADR agent to cover administrative and other costs for maintaining the ADR
program. These fees are outlined in each security’s prospectus. These fees are not calculated by custodian, they
are simply received and
passed through to the investor, not included in the wrap fee.
Fees for the direct Indexing program are as below:
Amount Invested Annual Fee Rate
Up to $5,000,0000.40%
$500,001 - $1,000,0000.35%
$1,000,00
1 - $3,000,000
0.
30%
$
3,000,001 - $10,000,000
0.
25%
$
10,000,001 - $20,000,000
$20,000,001 - $50,000,000
Above $50,000,001
0.20%
0.15%
0.10%
Although the Company has established the above fee schedule, we may negotiate other fee schedules
depending on the size of the account, type of account, the level of client service required and other factors
we consider relevant, including timing of client relationship.
The specific annual fee being charged to the
client will be set forth and identified in an agreement between the Company and that client. Asset based
fees are always subject to the management agreement between the client and the Company.
Fees are charged quarterly in advance based on the market value of the client's account(s), generally as
determined by the custodian, on the last business day of the quarter; provided, however, that for the initial
quarter the client engages in the Company, fees are charged on a pro-rated basis in arrears based on the
market value of the client's account(s), generally as determined by the custodian, on the last business day of
the initial quarter. For partial quarters, fees are pro-rated. All unearned fees will be refunded to the client in
the event the client terminates our services. Unless other arrangements are made, fees are directly debited
from a client's account(s), and each client is required to provide the qualified custodian of the client's
account(s) written authorization to deduct the fees described.
Cash and assets which are invested in shares of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds are included in the
calculation of the value of the client's assets under management with us for purposes of computing our fee.
Cash and money market accounts are also included in the computation. A client's margin balance is typically
included when calculating assets under management with us. This will be in addition to any margin interest
being paid by the client. The custodian sends the client a statement, at least quarterly, indicating the amount
of our fees and all amounts disbursed from the account to the Company for our fees. The client is responsible
for verifying the accuracy of the fee calculation, as the custodian will not verify the calculation. Payment
of fees may result in the liquidation of client's securities if there is insufficient cash in the client's account(s).
The above advisory fees include charges for all custody costs, if any, all execution costs, trading costs,
exchange fees, clearing costs, and transaction fees associated with the wrap fee accounts custodied at
Fidelity, mutual fund fees, and ETF fees. The above advisory fees may include costs
for transactions placed by a third-party manager, mark-ups and mark-downs, odd lot differentials, IRA
maintenance fees assessed by Fidelity, American Depository Receipt agency processing fees, any short-
term trading penalty assessed by Fidelity, and alternative investment fees and specialized asset fees
otherwise chargeable by custodian to custody a specific asset;
provided, however, that if the Company is
not covering these charges, that will be set forth in the agreement with the client.
Disclosure of Cost Difference if Services Purchased Separately
Depending on a number of factors, such as the number, size and nature of the securities transactions in a
wrap fee account, the overall fees and charges borne by the client over time could be more or less that what
these fees and charges would be in the same services were provided on a separate basis. Bundled fees
generally provide an economic incentive for the advisory firm to select investments and strategies that
minimize trading costs.
We do not charge our clients higher advisory fees based on their trading activity, but you should be aware
that we may have an incentive to limit our trading activities in your account(s) because we may be charged
for executed trades. By participating in a wrap fee program, you may end up paying more or less than you
would through a non-wrap fee program where a lower advisory fee is charged, but trade execution costs are
passed directly through to you by the executing broker. Based on the amount of assets out clients place
under management with us and custody at Fidelity and the nature of the security on which a transaction
is being made, we may be charged no or reduced transaction fees for executing transactions in clients'
accounts.
However, the Company has a duty to select investments and strategies which serve its clients' best
interests.
Other Fees and Expenses
All fees paid to the Company are separate and distinct from fees and expenses charged by any private
placement, pooled investment vehicle, and/or real estate investment trust. The fees for private placements,
pooled investment vehicles and/or real estate investment trusts are described in the confidential offering
memoranda, subscription documents and/or trusts for each respective private placement and pooled
investment vehicle. These fees will generally include management fees, various expenses and a possible
distribution fee. There may also be an initial or deferred sales charge assessed against the client. These fees
are not included in the wrap fee.
Compensation
No person recommending the wrap fee program to the client receives compensation as a result of the client's
participation in the program. As such, there are no conflicts of interest in that there are no commissions paid
for selling or recommending the program. The Company is not paid any sales, service or administrative
fees for the sale or mutual funds, individualized securities or other investment products.
General Information
An investment management agreement may generally be terminated at any time, by us or the client, for any
reason upon prior written notice. The timing is specified in the client management agreement between the
Company and the client. In addition, if a client receives this Brochure at the time the client enters into the
investment management agreement, the client has the right to terminate the agreement within 5 business
days after entering into it by giving written notice of such termination to Company without penalty or fees
of any kind.
The Company will not take custody or possession of client funds or securities at any time. If the Company
directly debits advisory fees directly from the client's account(s) or has a standing letter of authorization to
effectuate certain third-party transfers from the client's account(s), we may be deemed to have custody of
the account under applicable law.
The Company has a fiduciary duty to all its clients and will put the client's best interests first. All conflicts
of interests should be disclosed to the client.
Clients should be aware that similar advisory services may or may not be available from other investment
advisors for similar or lower fees.
The benefits under a wrap fee program depend, in part, upon the size of the account, the costs associated with
managing the account, and the frequency or type of securities transactions executed in the account. For example,
a wrap fee program may not be suitable for all account, including but not limited to accounts holding primarily,
and for any substantial period of time, cash or cash equivalent investments, fixed income securities or no-
transaction fee mutual funds or any other type of security that can be traded without commissions or other
transaction fee.
In order to evaluate whether a wrap fee arrangement is appropriate, compare the agreed-upon wrap program fee
and other associated costs with participating in a Wrap Fee Program with the amounts that would be charged
by other advisors, broker/dealers and custodians for advisory services, brokerage execution costs and custodial
services comparable to those provide under the Wrap Fee program.
Conflicts of Interest
When managing a client’s account on a wrap fee basis, EWA receives as compensation, the balance of the total
wrap fee after custodial, trading and other management costs (including execution and transaction fees) have been
deducted. Accordingly, EWA has a conflict of interest because of a financial incentive to maximize compensation
by seeking to reduce or minimize the total costs incurred in the account.
Many custodians have eliminated commissions (transaction fees) for online trades of US equities, ETFs and
options (subject to a per contract fee). This means that, in most cases, when EWA buys and sells these types of
securities, EWA will not pay any commissions. Clients are encouraged to review the custodians pricing guide to
compare the total costs of entering into a wrap fee arrangement verses a non-wrap fee arrangement. If a client
chooses to enter a wrap fee arrangement, the total cost to invest could exceed the cost for paying brokerage and
advisory fees separately. For example, to see the transaction costs for a non-wrap fee account held at Schwab, see
the most recent pricing schedule at
schwab.com/aspricingguide.
Client Assets under Management
The Company currently has $408,115,720 discretionary of assets under management and $0.00 of non-
discretionary assets as of 02/26/2024.