Advus Financial Partners, LLC (hereafter referred to
as Advus) is a SEC-registered investment adviser with
its principal place of business located at the following
address:
1525 International Parkway, Suite 2071
Lake Mary, FL 32746
Advus began conducting business in 2021. Mark
Lamoriello is the sole owner of Advus.
Advus’ primary objective is to deliver unbiased,
conflict-free investment advice to our Clients. We
predominantly service clientele in three distinct
market segments: Private Wealth, Qualified
Retirement Plans, and Foundations & Endowments.
As we discuss in detail below, while the specific
services we provide will vary by the type of Client,
Advus consistently adheres to our core philosophy of
independence and is committed to providing the
highest quality investment advice to our Clients.
The services Advus provides to Clients and the type
of Client(s) to whom these services are provided are
set forth below:
Wealth Planning (Individuals)
Based on information provided to Advus by the Client,
Advus assists the Client in designing a plan to meet
their unique wealth objectives. Considerations in the
development of the wealth plan include, but are not
limited to, the Client’s:
Short, intermediate and long-term wealth
priorities;
Current savings and anticipated future savings
capacity;
Current assets and liabilities;
Unique life and family circumstances;
Need for liquidity;
Tolerance for risk; and
Need for Insurance.
Using this information, Advus performs scenario
analysis to estimate the probability that the Client’s
objectives can be achieved.
If the probability of attaining the objectives falls
below the minimum threshold, Advus works with the
Client to refine the plan until the probability for
success exceeds the minimum threshold. The Client
may request that Advus recalculate the probability of
success based on updated information provided by
the Client.
Investment Services (Individuals, Foundations,
Endowments, Corporations)
Advus provides Clients with Investment Management
solutions specifically tailored to the Client’s needs
and circumstances. An Investment Management
solution consists of (1) developing an investment
strategy, (2) implementing the investment strategy,
and (3) supervising the investment strategy.
Developing an Investment Strategy–Advus will work
with the Client to determine the Client’s objectives for
the portfolio. Factors that Advus will consider include,
but are not limited to the Client’s:
Return objectives
Tolerance for volatility and other forms of
investment risk
Time horizon
Requirement for liquidity
Future cash flow requirements
Asset class preferences
Unique restrictions
Unique tax circumstances
Implementing the Investment Strategy – Once an
investment strategy is developed and agreed upon by
the Client, an “Investment Policy Statement” is
designed to aid us and the Client in understanding the
general guidelines for managing the portfolio.
Included in the Investment Policy Statement is an
“Asset Allocation” strategy, which identifies the
different investment approaches that will be utilized
in the construct of the investment portfolio, the long-
term target weight for each Investment Style, and the
allowable weight ranges for each Investment Style.
In designing a Client’s portfolio, Advus will utilize a
variety of pooled investment vehicles and account
Page 5
strategies managed by investment advisors
(collectively “Investment Managers”), including, as
appropriate, Investment Managers that advise
mutual funds, exchange traded funds, separately
managed accounts and alternative investments.
For each Investment Style, or sub style thereof, Advus
will identify one or more recommended Investment
Managers who have passed Advus’ investment
manager screening process. Each of the
recommended Investment Managers will be
assigned a weight in the portfolio consistent with
the overall Asset Allocation Strategy.
Advus will, at the Client’s direction, consider existing
Client investments or Client selected investments for
inclusion in the portfolio (“Client Directed Investment
Mandates” or “CDIMs”). When Client Directed
Investment Mandates are utilized in an investment
portfolio, Advus will attempt to complete the portfolio
around the CDIMs by replacing one or more
recommended Investment Managers in the portfolio
with the CDIMs. Please reference Item 8 for
additional information about CDIMs.
Once the investment strategy and the investment
portfolio have been accepted by the Client, Advus will
work with the Client to open the necessary brokerage
account(s) and transfer the assets for management
into those account(s).
Supervising the Investment Strategy – Once an
investment strategy has been implemented, it is
supervised and actively managed on an ongoing
basis.
As adjustments are warranted, either to the Asset
Allocation Strategy or to the Investment Managers
utilized to implement the portfolio, Advus will take
the appropriate action. If Advus is acting in a
discretionary capacity, Advus will make the
adjustments to the portfolio and notify the Client of
such adjustments.
If Advus is acting in a non-discretionary capacity,
Advus will notify the Client of the proposed changes
and, upon Client approval, execute such changes.
Client Reporting – Portfolio information, including
portfolio performance, portfolio Asset Allocation
relative to targets, and other Client requested
information, is provided to the Client at a frequency
and in a format reasonably requested by the Client.
Wealth Management (Individuals)
Advus’ Wealth Management solution combines
Wealth Planning and Investment Management into a
comprehensive solution that synchronizes the
Client’s Wealth Plan with their current financial
circumstances. As conditions which impact the
Client’s wealth changes, Advus evaluates the impact
to the probability of success and suggests
adjustments when warranted.
Advus also works with the Client’s other advisors to
ensure the necessary information is shared amongst
the advisors to maximize overall financial efficiency.
401(K) Plans, Pension Plans, Profit Sharing
Plans & Other Employee Benefit Plans
Advus specializes in helping Plan Sponsors fulfill
their fiduciary obligations to their 401(k), pension, and
profit sharing plans. We assist them in maintaining
compliance with ERISA, as well as DOL and IRS
regulations by providing industry accepted best
practices.
Some of the Services that Advus provides to Plan
Sponsors include the following:
3(38) Discretionary Investment Management
Includes Discretionary investment menu design,
monitoring, benchmarking and replacement.
3(21) Co-Fiduciary Investment Advice
Includes Non-Discretionary investment menu
design recommendations, monitoring,
benchmarking and replacement
recommendations.
Asset Allocation Services (Trustee Directed
Plans Only)
Investment Policy Statement Consulting
Portfolio model design and management on
either a discretionary or a non-discretionary basis
Plan Design Consulting
Plan Governance Consulting
Assistance with 404(C) Compliance
Page 6
Consulting on plan errors and compliance issues
Participant Education & Communication
Participant Financial Wellness
Vendor & Platform Selection Consulting
Retirement Plan Rollovers
When Advus provides investment advice to you
regarding your retirement plan or individual
retirement account, we are fiduciaries within the
meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as
applicable, which are laws governing retirement
accounts. The way Advus makes money creates
some conflicts with the Client’s interests, so Advus
operates under a special rule that requires us to act
in the Client’s best interest and not put our interests
ahead of the Client’s. Under this special rule’s
provisions, Advus must:
Meet a professional standard of care when
making investment recommendations (give
prudent advice);
Never put Advus’ financial interests ahead of
the Client’s when making recommendations
(give loyal advice);
Avoid misleading statements about conflicts
of interest, fees, and investments;
Follow policies and procedures designed to
ensure that Advus gives advice that is in the
Client’s best interest;
Charge no more than is reasonable for Advus’
services;
Provide Client’s basic information about
conflicts of interest.
A Client or a prospective Client typically has four
options to consider when leaving an employer as it
relates to the employer’s retirement plan:
Leave the assets in the former employer’s
plan, if permitted;
Rollover the assets to the new employer’s
retirement plan, if one is available and
rollovers are permitted:
Rollover the assets to an Individual
Retirement Account (IRA), or;
Cash out the retirement account value (there
may be tax consequences and/or IRS
penalties depending on the age of the Client).
If Advus recommends that a Client rollover their
retirement plan assets into an account managed by
Advus, such a recommendation creates a conflict of
interest if Advus will earn a new (or increase it’s
current) advisory fee as a result of the rollover. As a
fiduciary, Advus will only recommend a rollover if
Advus believes it is in the Client’s best interest. No
client is under any obligation to roll over retirement
plan assets to an account managed by Advus.
Assets Under Management
Clients will retain Advus on a discretionary or a non-
discretionary basis. As of December 31, 2023 the
amount of client assets under management was as
follows:
Discretionary: $2,588,637,912
Non-Discretionary: $175,751,731
Total: $2,764,389,643