Introduction
Stackwell Capital Advisers, LLC, doing business as Stackwell, (“Stackwell” or “Firm”) provides
automated discretionary investment advisory services to Clients via the Stackwell investment
program (the “Program”). The Firm also provides impersonal Financial Counseling Services.
Stackwell helps Clients build smart financial habits and manage wealth by providing financial
education, tools, and guidance, and simplifying the way Clients save and invest. Stackwell is
registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and provides all
investment advisory services exclusively through virtual interaction conducted over the Internet.
Stackwell does not offer tax, accounting, or legal advice.
Client Contact
Clients may contact Stackwell’s customer support team via email at
[email protected] with respect to technical questions and service issues regarding the
Platform (as defined below). However, Stackwell does not provide investment advice in person,
over the phone, live chat, or in any other manner other than through the advisory services available
on the Platform.
Discretionary Investment Program
Stackwell interacts with Clients primarily through a technology platform developed and
maintained by Stackwell’s parent company, Stackwell Capital (as defined below), that is available
through Stackwell Capital’s mobile application (“Platform”). The Firm provides automated
discretionary investment advice (both personal and impersonal) and delivers advisory services to
Clients through the Platform. Stackwell does not provide investment advice in person, over the
phone, live chat, or in any other manner other than through the Platform.
The Program is an automated, web-based algorithmic system designed to help Clients invest
regularly, diversify, and think long-term about their financial futures.
Clients are required to input personal information via the Client registration process (“Suitability
Questionnaire”), which may include, but is not limited to, information about a Client’s identity,
liquidity needs, age, e-mail address, physical address, location, citizenship, financial situation, or
other information as requested on the Platform (“Client Information”). Stackwell provides
investment advice and recommendations based solely on Client responses to the Suitability
Questionnaire. Stackwell will periodically remind you to review and update your Suitability
Questionnaire. Clients agree to promptly update any Client Information provided to Stackwell that
is no longer accurate using the Platform.
Based on the information the Client provides on the Platform, Stackwell uses the Platform to
provide the Client with automated investment advice in the form of (i) discretionary managed
accounts utilizing one of the Firm’s three model portfolios, and (ii) Financial Counseling Service.
Each of the discretionary managed models consists of publicly traded exchange traded funds
(“ETFs”). The three models are designed to represent an Aggressive, Moderate and Balanced
investing approach. The model recommendation is based solely on Client provided responses to
the Suitability Questionnaire. Although the Platform recommends the model portfolio the
algorithm believes is best suited for the Client based on Suitability Questionnaire responses,
Clients may opt to invest in a more conservative model than recommended if they choose to do
so. Clients may not opt to invest in a more aggressive model.
Clients may impose reasonable investment restrictions on the management of the Client’s
Stackwell Account. Such restrictions may result in a Client’s Stackwell Account being
concentrated in one or a few sectors, industries, or securities. Concentrated positions typically
increase the risk and volatility of the Stackwell Account and may result in a decrease in
diversification. Clients who implement an investment decision that is outside the scope of the
recommendations should understand that such a decision may not be appropriate based on the
Client’s risk profile and that the Client’s portfolio may perform worse over any time horizon than
a portfolio designed according to recommendations or any other investment strategy.
Clients who want to implement the Program’s recommendation and invest utilizing one of the
Firm’s three model portfolios are required to enter into an investment advisory agreement
(“Advisory Agreement”) with Stackwell and a brokerage agreement (“Brokerage Agreement”)
with Apex Clearing Corporation, a New York corporation and registered broker-dealer unaffiliated
with Stackwell (“Apex”).
The Advisory Agreement discusses the advisory services the Client will receive, the fees charged
to the Client, and the conditions of the Client’s discretionary relationship with Stackwell. Our
advisory relationship begins upon the Firm’s acceptance of the Advisory Agreement. Any
preliminary information provided to the Client before the Firm accepts the Advisory Agreement
does not constitute investment advice under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended
(“Advisers Act”), and should not be relied on as such.
The Brokerage Agreement describes how Apex, will act as the clearing broker and qualified
custodian for the Client’s Account. Under the terms of the Brokerage Agreement, the Client
authorizes Apex to establish and carry the Client’s Account that holds the Client’s securities and
cash and records the Client’s transactions in the Program.
Assets Under Management
As of March 28, 2024, Stackwell has $1,495,172 in discretionary assets under management.
Impersonal Financial Counseling Service
Stackwell also provides certain educational tools to Clients (“Financial Counseling Service”). The
Financial Counseling Service includes a range of financial information, education and analysis
offered on a limited scope basis. The Financial Counseling Service is impersonal in nature, which
means that the advice is not tailored to a Client’s, or group of Clients, individual needs and does
not purport to meet the objectives or needs of specific Clients or accounts. Consequently,
Stackwell does not rely on Suitability Questionnaire information that the Client inputs into the
Platform
to provide the Financial Counseling Service. The Financial Counseling Service is
available to all Stackwell Clients.
The Financial Counseling Service will either supplement other investment advisory services made
available to Clients or will be offered separately from the investment advisory services made
available through the Platform. The Financial Counseling Service constitutes impersonal
investment advice and does not require the establishment of a Stackwell Account.
Cash Sweep Program
Free credit balances, including any cash balances and funds pending for investment, in a Client
Brokerage Account are automatically invested or “swept” daily, or at such other interval as
determined by Apex, into one or more bank deposit accounts in accordance with the Sweep
Program described in Apex’s Sweep Program Terms and Conditions Pursuant to the Brokerage
Agreement with Apex, Client cash would be held in an FDIC-insured interest-bearing bank account
at one or more banks participating in the Sweep Program.
As described in the Advisory and Brokerage Agreements, Clients are automatically enrolled in the
Sweep Program. This creates a conflict of interest. Stackwell may receive a portion of interest
revenue earned in the Cash Sweep Program under its clearing agreement with Apex. This
additional economic benefit gives Stackwell a financial incentive to have clients participate in the
Cash Sweep Program and to maintain cash balances in the Cash Sweep Program. In order to avoid
this potential conflict of interest, any funds that Apex sends us for Cash Sweeps will automatically
be rebated back to you, and Stackwell would not receive any economic benefit from the Cash
Sweep Program.
If the Client has questions relating to the Sweep Program, please email us at
[email protected].
Dividend Reinvestment
The Program automatically reinvests dividends paid by the ETFs in the model portfolios back into
the Client account. This reinvestment will trigger tax liability for Clients without any
corresponding payment to offset such tax liability. Clients will either have to pay their tax liability
for the dividend reinvestments with separate money or withdraw money from their account to
satisfy any applicable tax liability. There exists no opt-out for such reinvestment.
Model Portfolios
Stackwell currently offers three models designed to represent an Aggressive, Moderate and
Balanced investing approach. The Stackwell Aggressive Portfolio is designed to seek total return
through exposure to a diversified portfolio of primarily equity ETFs, and to a lesser extent fixed
income ETFs with a target asset class allocation of 90% equities and 10% fixed income. The
Stackwell Moderate Portfolio is designed to seek total return through exposure to a diversified
portfolio of primarily equity ETFs, and to a lesser extent fixed income ETFs with a target asset
class allocation of 70% equities and 30% fixed income. The Stackwell Balanced Portfolio is
designed to seek total return through exposure to a diversified portfolio of equity and fixed income
ETFs with a target asset class allocation of 50% equities and 50% fixed income.
Stackwell’s ETF selection process is more fully described in Item 8 Methods of Analysis,
Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss – Investment Philosophy below.
As part of the portfolio analysis and review process, Stackwell may add, remove, re-categorize or
replace Investments available under the Program. In the event an Investment is removed, it will no
longer be available for additional investing. In the event an Investment is removed and replaced
with another substantially similar Investment, Stackwell may liquidate Client positions to cash and
reinvest in the replacement Investment.
Stackwell’s Recommendations are designed to help promote diversification and long-term growth as
appropriate within the context of Client-specific age, risk tolerance and investment time horizon.
Rebalancing of Model Portfolios
Stackwell manages Client Accounts on a discretionary basis. This means that Stackwell is
authorized to trade on the Client’s behalf to maintain the target investment allocation within each
model portfolio. The Program utilizes software to conduct this trading to invest Client deposits,
fund Client withdrawals and perform rebalancing to maintain the target portfolio allocation in each
model portfolio.
An account will be automatically rebalanced by Apex when withdrawals or deposits are made into
the account. Apex will also provide a daily rebalancing recommendation to Stackwell if the
holdings deviate from the model’s target asset allocation. Stackwell rebalances with each trade in
Client Accounts. In this way, Stackwell seeks to maintain the client’s target asset allocation
through market fluctuation, withdrawals, deposits, and other events that may cause deviations
while seeking to minimize the transaction costs of frequent portfolio rebalancing. Rebalancing
transactions are automatic, as are dividend reinvestments.
The rebalancing and reinvestment processes are automated and not limited in terms of frequency.
As a result, Stackwell will sell over-concentrated ETFs and use the proceeds to buy under-
concentrated ETFs to bring Portfolios in line with their target allocations regardless of market or
other dynamics. The risks and limitations of the automated process could result in the continued
purchase of underperforming ETFs and the sale of better performing ETFs to achieve the targeted
allocation. Stackwell does so on a best-efforts basis and does not take into account individual tax,
market, or legal circumstances. In some market conditions, this may create capital gains and
potentially other tax liabilities. All transaction costs are rolled into the Stackwell Fee paid by the
customer. Any costs imposed by the manager of the ETF would be expressed through the pricing
of the ETF.
Clients are responsible for logging in to their Account(s) regularly to review performance and
access trade confirmations, periodic account statements, and other information available to Clients.
If the Client identifies any discrepancies, the Client should promptly report them to Stackwell by
emailing Stackwell at
[email protected].