Description of Advisory Firm
Mountain Pass Planning Corporation is registered as an Investment Adviser with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission. We were founded on September 28, 2012. James DeVico is the principal owner of
Mountain Pass. As of January 30, 2024, Mountain Pass manages $53,838,957 on a discretionary basis and $0.00
on a non-discretionary basis.
Types of Advisory Services
Comprehensive Financial Planning
This service involves working one-on-one with a planner over an extended period. By paying a monthly retainer,
clients get continuous access to a planner who will work with them to design their plan. The planner will monitor
the plan, recommend any changes, and ensure the plan is up to date.
Upon desiring a comprehensive plan, a client will be taken 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, employee benefit, retirement planning, insurance, investments, college planning and
estate 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 will receive a written or an electronic report, 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 sent to the client to confirm that
any agreed upon action steps have been carried out. On an as needed basis there will be a full review of this
plan to ensure its accuracy and ongoing appropriateness. Any needed updates will be implemented at that time.
Financial Planning
Financial planning is a comprehensive evaluation of a client’s current and future financial state by using currently
known variables to predict future cash flows, asset values and withdrawal plans. The key defining aspect of
financial planning is that through the financial planning process, all questions, information, and analysis will be
considered as they impact and are impacted by the entire financial and life situation of the client. Clients
purchasing this service will receive a written or an electronic report, providing the client with a detailed financial
plan designed to achieve his or her stated financial goals and objectives.
The client always has the right to decide whether to act upon our recommendations. If the client elects to act
on any of the recommendations, the client always has the right to affect the transactions through anyone of
their choosing.
In general, the financial plan will address any or all the following areas of concern. The client and advisor will
work together to select the specific areas to cover. These areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Cash Flow and Debt Management: We will conduct a review of your income and expenses to determine
your current surplus or deficit along with advice on prioritizing how any surplus should be used or how
to reduce expenses if they exceed your income. Advice may also be provided on which debts to pay off
first based on factors such as the interest rate of the debt and any income tax ramifications. We may
also recommend what we believe to be an appropriate cash reserve that should be considered for
emergencies and other financial goals, along with a review of accounts (such as money market funds)
for such reserves, plus strategies to save desired amounts.
• College Savings: Includes projecting the amount that will be needed to achieve college or other post-
secondary education funding goals, along with advice on ways for you to save the desired amount.
Recommendations as to savings strategies are included, and, if needed, we will review your financial
picture as it relates to eligibility for financial aid or the best way to contribute to grandchildren (if
appropriate).
• Employee Benefits Optimization: We will provide review and analysis as to whether you, as an
employee, are taking the maximum advantage possible of your employee benefits. If you are a business
owner, we will consider and/or recommend the various benefit programs that can be structured to meet
both business and personal retirement goals.
• Estate Planning: This usually includes an analysis of your exposure to estate taxes and your current
estate plan, which may include whether you have a will, powers of attorney, trusts, and other related
documents. Our advice also typically includes ways for you to minimize or avoid future estate taxes by
implementing appropriate estate planning strategies such as the use of applicable trusts.
We always recommend that you consult with a qualified attorney when you initiate, update, or complete
estate planning activities. We may provide you with contact information for attorneys who specialize in
estate planning when you wish to hire an attorney for such purposes. From time-to-time, we will
participate in meetings or phone calls between you and your attorney with your approval or request.
• Financial Goals: We will help clients identify financial goals and develop a plan to reach them. We will
identify what you plan to accomplish, what resources you will need to make it happen, how much time
you will need to reach the goal, and how much you should budget for your goal.
• Insurance: Review of existing policies to ensure proper coverage for life, health, disability, long-term
care, liability, home, and automobile.
• Investment Analysis: This may involve developing an asset allocation strategy to meet clients’ financial
goals and risk tolerance, providing information on investment vehicles and strategies, reviewing
employee stock options, as well as assisting you in establishing your own investment account at a
selected broker/dealer or custodian. The strategies and types of investments we may recommend are
further discussed in Item 8 of this brochure.
• Retirement Planning: Our retirement planning services typically include projections of your likelihood of
achieving your financial goals, typically focusing on financial independence as the primary objective. For
situations where projections show less than the desired results, we may make recommendations,
including those that may impact the original projections by adjusting certain variables (e.g., working
longer, saving more, spending less, taking more risk
with investments).
If you are near retirement or already retired, advice may be given on appropriate distribution strategies
to minimize the likelihood of running out of money or having to adversely alter spending during your
retirement years.
• Risk Management: A risk management review includes an analysis of your exposure to major risks that
could have a significantly adverse effect on your financial picture, such as premature death, disability,
property and casualty losses, or the need for long-term care planning. Advice may be provided on ways
to minimize such risks and about weighing the costs of purchasing insurance versus the benefits of doing
so and, likewise, the potential cost of not purchasing insurance (“self-insuring”).
• Tax Planning Strategies: Advice may include ways to minimize current and future income taxes as a part
of your overall financial planning picture. For example, we may make recommendations on which type
of account(s) or specific investments should be owned based in part on their “tax efficiency,” with
consideration that there is always a possibility of future changes to federal, state, or local tax laws and
rates that may affect your situation.
We recommend that you consult with a qualified tax professional before initiating any tax planning
strategy, and we may provide you with contact information for accountants or attorneys who specialize
in this area if you wish to hire someone for such purposes. We will participate in meetings or phone calls
between you and your tax professional with your approval.
Investment Management Services/ Portfolio Management
We are in the business of managing individually tailored investment portfolios. 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 target. During our data-gathering process, we
determine the client’s individual objectives, time horizons, risk tolerance, and liquidity needs. We may 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.
Commission-Free Insurance
When appropriate, Mountain Pass may recommend that a client obtain insurance as part of an overall financial
plan. Mountain Pass has a relationship with DPL Financial Partners, LLC (“DPL”). By working with DPL, we can
provide access to insurance reviews/analyses, education, and insurance solutions. DPL is a third-party provider
of a platform of insurance consultancy services to SEC-registered investment advisers (“RIAs”) that have clients
with a current or future need for insurance products. DPL offers RIAs memberships to its platform for a fixed
annual fee and, through its licensed insurance agents who are also registered representatives of The Leaders
Group, Inc. (“The Leaders Group”), an unaffiliated SEC-registered broker-dealer and FINRA member, offers
members a variety of services relating to fee-based insurance products. These services include, among others,
providing members with analyses of their current methodology for evaluating client insurance needs, educating
and acting as a resource to members regarding insurance products generally and specific insurance products
owned by their clients or that their clients are considering purchasing, and providing members access to and
product marketing support regarding fee-based products that insurers have agreed to offer to members’ clients
through DPL’s platform. For providing platform services to RIAs, DPL receives service fees from the insurers that
offer their fee-based products through the platform. These service fees are based on the insurance premiums
received by the insurers. DPL is licensed as an insurance producer in jurisdictions where it is required to perform
platform services. Its representatives are also licensed as insurance producers, appointed as insurance agents
of the insurers offering their products through the platform, and registered representatives of The Leaders
Group. Clients are under no obligation to use DPL's service and may seek insurance advice from any licensed
agent. The insurance products and fee structures available from DPL may differ from those available from other
third-party insurance agents. Mountain Pass recommends that you fully evaluate products and fee structures
to determine which arrangements are most favorable to you prior to making an investment decision. We do not
receive commissions for insurance products from DPL, but rather compensated directly by the client as
described below in Item 5.
Depending on the client’s needs, James DeVico may offer traditional commission insurance products to the
client for comparison against the commission-free insurance option. Please see Item 10 for more information
on Mr. DeVico’s insurance activities.
Sub-advisory Services
In addition, we provide financial planning and investment analysis or consulting services to other registered
investment advisers and registered representatives of broker-dealers. These services are tailored to the
adviser’s specific needs and may include developing comprehensive financial plans or analysis of specific issues
on a case-by-case basis. Under this engagement agreement, we do not work directly with the registered
investment adviser’s individual clients, but rather prepare the requested analysis or financial plan for the
adviser, who then reviews and approves it before presenting it to its clients. We do not refer clients to these
advisers, and these advisers do not refer clients to us.
Client Tailored Services and Client Imposed Restrictions
We offer the same suite of services to all of our clients. However, specific client services are dependent upon a
client Investment Policy Statement, which outlines each client’s current situation (income, tax levels, and risk
tolerance levels) and is used to construct a client specific plan to aid in the selection of a portfolio that matches
restrictions, needs, and targets.
Wrap Fee Programs
We do not participate in wrap fee programs.