A. Firm Information
The Perspective Group, LLC (“The Perspective Group” or the “Advisor”) is an SEC registered investment advisor
located in Kansas, and organized as a Limited Liability Company (LLC) under the laws of Kansas.
• In 2015, the firm registered as an independent investment adviser to directly offer comprehensive
financial planning and investment advice.
• The firm also offers brokerage services through LPL Financial LLC, a FINRA/SIPC member
broker/dealer and a separate unaffiliated legal entity.
The Perspective Group is majority owned by Steve Lane (97%), who started the firm as a sole proprietorship in
2004 and later incorporated as a limited liability company (LLC) in 2012 to offer brokerage and advisory services
through LPL Financial.
Steve also serves as the President, Chief Compliance Officer and is an investment adviser representative of The
Perspective Group. Steve graduated summa cum laude from The University of Kansas, School of Business with
a major in business administration and a minor in psychology. He subsequently earned his MBA from The
University of Kansas with a focus on investments, valuation, and finance. Following this Steve dedicated two
years toward completing the College for Financial Planning's Certified Financial Planner course and holds the
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM, or CFP® certification. Steve is also an Enrolled Agent (EA); enrolled to
practice before the Internal Revenue Service.
Steve prioritizes bringing the comprehensive approach instilled in the Certified Financial Planner program to the
advising process. This background, together with more than a decade of professional investment management
and advising experience, results in The Perspective Group clients' receiving a comprehensive and tested
perspective.
B. Advisory Services Offered
Advisor representatives are restricted to providing services and charging fees based in accordance with the
descriptions detailed in this document and the account agreement. However, the exact service and fees charged
to a particular client are dependent upon the representative that is working with the client. Advisors are instructed
to consider the individual needs of each client when recommending an advisory platform. Investment strategies
and recommendations are tailored to the individual needs of each client. Any and all material conflicts of interest
are disclosed herein.
Investment Management Services
The Perspective Group, LLC, through its investment advisor representatives, provides ongoing investment
advice and management on assets in the client’s custodial accounts. Advice may be discretionary or non-
discretionary as indicated in the client account agreement and is tailored to the individual needs of each client.
The Perspective Group will consider reasonable investment restrictions. More specific account information and
acknowledgements are further detailed on the account application.
Investment advisor representatives provide advice on the purchase and sale of various types of investments,
such as mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), variable annuity subaccounts, real estate investment
trusts (“REITs”), equities, and fixed income securities. The advice is tailored to the individual needs of the client
based on the investment objective chosen by the client in order to help assist clients in attempting to meet their
financial goals. Accounts are reviewed on a regular basis and rebalanced as necessary according to each
client’s investment profile.
The Perspective Group, LLC also offers clients the ability to participate in a professionally managed asset
allocation programs designed by LPL Financial. Advisor will assist the client in determining the appropriate
investment objective and have discretion to choose among the available models designed by LPL Financial and
outside strategists.
At no time will The Perspective Group accept or maintain custody of a Client’s funds or securities, except for
authorized deduction of the Advisor’s fees. All Client assets will be managed within their designated brokerage
account or pension account, pursuant to the Client investment advisory agreement. Please see “Item 12 –
Brokerage Practices.”
Guided Wealth Portfolios (GWP)
GWP offers clients the ability to participate in a centrally managed, algorithm-based investment program, which
is made available to users and clients through a web-based, interactive account management portal (“Investor
Portal”). Investment recommendations to buy and sell open-end mutual funds and exchange-traded funds are
generated through proprietary, automated, computer algorithms based upon model portfolios constructed by LPL
and selected for the account as described below (such model portfolio selected for the account, the “Model
Portfolio”). Communications concerning GWP are intended to occur primarily through electronic means (including
but not limited to, through email communications or through the Investor Portal), although The Perspective Group
will be available to discuss investment strategies, objectives or the account in general in person or via telephone.
Within the applicable allocation track and based upon a client’s chosen Retirement Age in the Client Profile, the
client will be assigned a Model Portfolio and one of five of LPL’s standard investment objectives:
• Income with capital preservation. Designed as a longer-term accumulation account, this investment
objective is considered generally the most conservative. Emphasis is placed on generation of current
income with minimal risk of capital loss. Lowering the risk generally means lowering the potential income
and overall return.
• Income with moderate growth. This investment objective emphasizes generation of current income
with a secondary focus on moderate capital growth.
• Growth with income. This investment objective emphasizes modest capital growth with some focus on
generation of current income.
• Growth. This investment objective emphasizes achieving high long-term growth and capital
appreciation. There is little focus on generation of current income.
• Aggressive growth. This investment objective emphasizes aggressive growth and maximum capital
appreciation, with no focus on generation of current income. This objective has a very high level of risk and
is for investors with a longer timer horizon.
Both the client and The Perspective Group Advisors are required to review and approve the initial Investment
Objective. As a client approaches the Retirement Age, the Algorithm will automatically adjust the client’s asset
allocation. Any change to the Investment Objective directed by a client due to changes in the Client’s risk
tolerance and/or Retirement Age will require written approval from the client and The Perspective Group Advisors
before implementation. Failure to approve the change in Investment Objective may result in a client remaining in
a Model Portfolio that is no longer aligned with the applicable Client Profile. The Investment Objective selected
for the account is an overall objective for the entire account and may be inconsistent with a particular holding and
the account’s performance at any time and may be inconsistent with other asset allocations suggested to client
by LPL, The Perspective Group prior to client entering into the Account Agreement.
The terms and conditions for client participation in the advisory programs are set forth in The Perspective
Group Advisors’ advisory agreements and account paperwork for the advisory programs.
Financial Planning Services
As part of our financial planning services, The Perspective Group, LLC, through its investment advisor
representatives, may provide personal financial planning tailored to the individual needs of the client. A particular
client’s financial plan will include the relevant types of planning specific to their needs and objectives such as:
• Retirement – planning an investment strategy with the objective of providing inflation- adjusted
income for life.
• Philanthropic Planning - planning with the objective of sharing wealth with meaningful causes.
• College / Education – planning to pay the future college / education expenses of a child or
grandchild.
• Major Purchase – Evaluation of the pros and cons of home ownership verse renting as well as
buying or leasing a car, for example.
• Divorce – planning for the financial impact of divorce such as change in income, retirement
benefits and tax considerations.
• Insurance Needs – planning for the financial needs of survivors to satisfy such financial
obligations as housing, dependent child care and spousal arrangements as well as education.
• Final Expenses – planning to leave assets to cover final expenses such as funeral, debts and
potential business continuity.
• Estate Planning – planning that focuses on the most efficient and tax friendly option to pass on
an estate to a spouse, other family members or a charity.
• Cash Flow/ Budget Planning – planning to manage expenses against current and projected
income.
• Wealth Accumulation – planning to build wealth within a portfolio that takes into consideration
risk tolerance and time horizon.
• Business Succession Planning – planning for the continuation of a business in a smooth a
transition as possible with the use of buy-sell agreements, key-man insurance and engaging
independent legal counsel as needed.
• Tax Planning – planning a tax efficient investment portfolio to maximize deductions and off-
setting losses.
• Investment Planning – planning an investment strategy consistent with a particular objective,
time horizons and risk tolerances.
• Continuity Planning – planning to continue operations if a place of business is affected by
different levels of disaster which can be localized short term disasters, to days long building wide
problems, to a permanent loss of a building.
• Valuation Analysis – analysis to determine the economic value of an asset or liability. The
services take into account information collected from the client such as financial status,
investment objectives and tax status, among other data. Fees for such services are negotiable
and detailed in the client agreement.
The financial plan may include generic recommendations as to general types of investment products or specific
securities which may be appropriate for the Client to purchase given his/her financial situation and objectives.
The Client is under no obligation to act upon the investment adviser’s recommendation or purchase such
securities through The Perspective Group, LLC and the investment advisor representative. However, the Client
desires to purchase securities or advisory services in order to implement his/her financial plan, The Perspective
Group, LLC may make a variety of products and services available through its investment advisor
representatives. This may result in the payment of normal and customary commissions, advisory fees or other
types of compensation to The Perspective Group, LLC and the investment advisor representative.
• A conflict exists between the interests of the investment adviser and the interests of the client.
• If the client elects to act on any of the recommendations, the client is under no obligation to effect
the transaction through the investment adviser.
Depending on the type of account that could be used to implement a financial plan, such compensation may
include (but is not limited to) advisory fees, commissions; mark-ups and mark-downs; transaction
charges;
confirmation charges; small account fees; mutual fund 12b-1 fees; mutual fund sub-transfer agency fees; hedge
fund, managed futures, and variable annuity investor servicing fees; retirement plan fees; fees in connection with
an insured deposit account program; marketing support payments from mutual fund, annuity and insurance
sponsors; administrative servicing fees for trust accounts; referral fees; compensation for directing order flow;
and bonuses, awards or other things of value offered by The Perspective Group, LLC to the investment advisor
representative.
To the extent that investment advisor representative recommends that Client invest in products and services that
will result in compensation being paid to The Perspective Group, LLC and the investment advisor representative,
this presents a conflict of interest. This compensation to investment advisor representative and The Perspective
Group, LLC may be more or less depending on the product or service that investment advisor representative
recommends. Therefore, the investment advisor representative has a financial incentive to recommend that a
financial plan be implemented using a certain product or service over another product or service.
A financial plan developed for or financial consultation rendered to the Client will usually include general
recommendations for a course of activity or specific actions to be taken by the Client. For example,
recommendations may be made that the Client start or revise their investment programs, commence or alter
retirement savings, establish education savings and/or charitable giving programs.
The Perspective Group may also refer Clients to an accountant, attorney or other specialists, as appropriate for
their unique situation. For certain financial planning engagements, the Advisor will provide a written summary of
Client’s financial situation, observations, and recommendations. For consulting or ad-hoc engagements, the
Advisor may not provide a written summary. Plans or consultations are typically completed within six months of
contract date, assuming all information and documents requested are provided promptly.
Financial planning and consulting recommendations may pose a conflict between the interests of the Advisor and
the interests of the Client. For example, a recommendation to engage the Advisor for investment management
services or to increase the level of investment assets with the Advisor would pose a conflict, as it would increase
the advisory fees paid to the Advisor. Clients are not obligated to implement any recommendations made by the
Advisor or maintain an ongoing relationship with the Advisor. If the Client elects to act on any of the
recommendations made by the Advisor, the Client is under no obligation to effect the transaction through the
Advisor.
Wealth Management Software
Through investment advisor representatives of The Perspective Group clients are able to access and use of
WealthVision, a personal financial information and wealth management software. The Perspective Group,
through its Representative, will provide Client(s) with maintenance services related to Client’s personal
WealthVision website, such services may include manual entry of financial data to the website, uploading and
maintenance of financial documents electronically stored on the website, support of the aggregation function of
WealthVision that permits Client(s) to view consolidated financial information from accounts at various financial
institutions, and ongoing customer support and training related to WealthVision.
• Client acknowledges that the services to be provided by Investment adviser representatives of
The Perspective Group pursuant to a specific agreement relate solely to the use and
maintenance of Client’s WealthVision website and do not constitute investment or financial
planning advice.
• If Client wishes to engage The Perspective Group to provide financial planning or investment
advice, a separate agreement setting out the scope of related services and fees will be required.
The annual fee for the services referenced above is agreed upon per client and documented on a Schedule A to
the WealthVision maintenance agreement.
Retirement Plan Consulting
Investment advisor representatives of The Perspective Group may assist clients that are trustees or other
fiduciaries to retirement plans (“Plans”) by providing fee-based consulting and/or advisory services. Investment
advisor representatives may perform one or more of the following services:
• Assistance in the preparation or review of an investment policy statement (“IPS”) for the Plan
based upon consultation with client to ascertain Plan’s investment objectives and constraints.
• Acting as a liaison between the Plan and service providers, product sponsors or vendors.
• Ongoing monitoring of investment manager(s) or investments in relation to the criteria specified in
the Plan’s IPS or other written guidelines provided by the client to investment advisor
representative.
• Preparation of reports describing the performance of Plan investment manager(s) or investments,
as well as comparing the performance to benchmarks.
• Ongoing recommendations, for consideration and selection by client, about specific investments
to be held by the Plan or, in the case of a participant-directed defined contribution plan, to be
made available as investment options under the Plan.
• Education or training for the members of the Plan investment committee with regard to various
matters, including plan features, retirement readiness matters, service on the committee, and
fiduciary responsibilities.
• Assistance in enrolling Plan participants in the Plan, including conducting an agreed upon number
of enrollment meetings.
As part of such meetings, IARs may provide participants with information about the Plan, which may include
information on the benefits of Plan participation, the benefits of increasing Plan contributions, the impact of pre-
retirement withdrawals on retirement income, the terms of the Plan and the operation of the Plan. If the Plan
makes available publicly traded employer stock (“company stock”) as an investment option under the Plan,
investment advisor representatives do not provide investment advice regarding company stock and are not
responsible for the decision to offer company stock as an investment option. In addition, if participants in the Plan
may invest the assets in their accounts through individual brokerage accounts, a mutual fund window, or other
similar arrangement, or may obtain participant loans, investment advisor representatives do not provide any
individualized advice or recommendations to the participants regarding these decisions. Furthermore, investment
advisor representatives do not provide individualized investment advice to Plan participants regarding their Plan
assets.
Participant Account Management (Discretionary)
The Perspective Group, LLC uses a third party platform to facilitate management of held away assets such as
defined contribution plan participant accounts, with discretion. The platform allows us to avoid being considered
to have custody of Client funds since we do not have direct access to Client log-in credentials to affect trades.
We are not affiliated with the platform in any way and receive no compensation from them for using their
platform. A link will be provided to the Client allowing them to connect an account(s) to the platform. Once Client
account(s) is connected to the platform, Adviser will review the current account allocations. When deemed
necessary, Adviser will rebalance the account considering client 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 quarterly and allocation changes will be made as
deemed necessary. There is a .25% fee for this service provider that is added to the asset management fee.
Hourly Consulting Services
The Perspective Group, LLC, through its investment advisor representatives, offers consulting services including,
as selected by the client in the consulting agreement, advice regarding tax planning, investment planning,
retirement planning, estate planning, cash flow/budget planning, business planning, education planning, and
personal financial planning. The services take into account information collected from the client such as financial
status, investment objectives and tax status, among other data. The investment advisor representatives may or
may not deliver to the client a written analysis or report as part of the services. The investment advisor
representatives tailor the hourly consulting services to the individual needs of the client based on the investment
objective chosen by the client. The engagement terminates upon final consultation with the client. Fees for such
services are negotiable and detailed in the client agreement.
C. Client Account Management
Prior to engaging The Perspective Group to provide investment advisory services, each Client is required to
enter into an investment advisory agreement with the Advisor that defines the terms, conditions, authority and
responsibilities of the Advisor and the Client. These services may include:
• Establishing an Investment Strategy – The Perspective Group, in connection with the Client, may
a strategy that seeks to achieve the Client’s goals and destinations. The strategy is designed to
address the Client’s personal goals, investment goals, and both long-term and short-term
objectives.
• Asset Allocation – The Perspective Group will develop a strategic asset allocation that is targeted
to meet the investment objectives, time horizon, financial situation and tolerance of risk for each
Client.
• Portfolio Construction – The Perspective Group will develop a portfolio for the Client that is
intended to meet the stated goals and objectives of the Client.
• Investment Management and Supervision – The Perspective Group will provide investment
management and ongoing oversight of the Client’s relationship’s investment portfolio.
D. Wrap Fee Programs
Assets managed in a wrap fee account are not managed differently from a non-wrap fee account but the asset
management fee also includes the brokerage ticket charges as a single fee not to exceed 1.15%. The only
criteria considered for a wrap vs. non-wrap fee program being offered to clients is the account value. Account
with assets under management over $250,000 are managed in a wrap fee program. Assets under management
are considered twice a year in July and December.
The Advisor customizes its investment management services for its Clients. The Advisor sponsors The
Perspective Group Wrap Fee Program solely as a supplemental disclosure regarding the combination of fees.
Depending on the level of trading required for the Client’s account[s] in a particular year, the Client may pay more
or less in total fees than if the Client paid its own transaction fees. Please see Appendix 1 –Wrap Fee Program
Brochure, which is included as a supplement to this Disclosure Brochure.
E. Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2023, The Perspective Group manages the following assets:
Assets Under Management Assets
Discretionary Assets $162,301,599
Non-Discretionary Assets $15,896,598
Total $ 178,198,197
Clients may request more current information at any time by contacting the Advisor.