Investment Management Services
Cassaday & Co Wealth Management, LLC (“Cassaday & Company”) manages investment
portfolios for individuals, qualified retirement plans, trusts, charitable organizations,
corporations and small businesses.
Focus Financial Partners
Cassaday & Company is part of the Focus Financial Partners, LLC (“Focus LLC”) partnership.
Specifically, Cassaday & Company a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Focus LLC.
Ferdinand FFP Acquisition, LLC is the sole managing member of Focus LLC. Ultimate
governance of Focus LLC is conducted through the board of directors at Ferdinand FFP
Ultimate Holdings, LP. Focus LLC is majority-owned, indirectly and collectively, by investment
vehicles affiliated with Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, LLC (“CD&R”). Investment vehicles affiliated
with Stone Point Capital LLC (“Stone Point”) are indirect owners of Focus LLC. Because
Cassaday & Company is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Focus LLC, CD&R and Stone
Point investment vehicles are indirect owners of Cassaday & Company.
Focus LLC also owns other registered investment advisers, broker-dealers, pension
consultants, insurance firms, business managers and other firms (the “Focus Partners”), most
of which provide wealth management, benefit consulting and investment consulting services
to individuals, families, employers, and institutions. Some Focus Partners also manage or
advise limited partnerships, private funds, or investment companies as disclosed on their
respective Form ADVs.
Cassaday & Company will work with a client to determine the client's investment objectives
and investor risk profile and will design a written investment policy statement. The Firm
uses investment and portfolio allocation software to evaluate alternative portfolio designs.
Cassaday & Company evaluates the client's existing investments with respect to the client's
investment policy statement. The Firm works with new clients to develop a plan to transition
from the client's existing portfolio to the desired portfolio. It will then continuously monitor
the client's portfolio holdings and the overall asset allocation strategy and hold review
meetings with the client regarding the account as necessary.
Cassaday & Company will typically create a portfolio of no-load mutual funds and ETFs and
may use model portfolios if the models match the client's investment policy. The Firm will
allocate the client's assets among various investments taking into consideration the overall
management style selected by the client. Cassaday & Company primarily recommends
portfolios consisting of actively managed assets and we may from time to time invest in
passive investments.
We implement investment advice on behalf of certain clients in held-away accounts that are
maintained at independent third-party custodians. These held-away accounts are often
401(k) accounts, 529 plans and other assets that are not held at our primary custodian(s).
We offer clients the option of obtaining certain financial solutions from unaffiliated third-
party financial institutions through UPTIQ Treasury & Credit Solutions, LLC (together with
UPTIQ, Inc. and its affiliates, “UPTIQ”). Please see Items 5 and 10 for a fuller discussion of
these services and other important information. We help our clients obtain certain insurance
solutions from unaffiliated, third-party insurance brokers by introducing clients to our
affiliate, Focus Risk Solutions, LLC (“FRS”), a wholly owned subsidiary of our parent
company, Focus Financial Partners, LLC. Please see Items 5 and 10 for a fuller discussion of
these services and other important information.
Financial Planning Services
Cassaday & Company‘s financial planning services typically involve providing a variety of
services, principally advisory in nature, to individuals or families regarding the management
of their financial resources based upon an analysis of client needs. Generally, financial
planning services involve preparing a financial program for a client based on the client’s
financial circumstances and objectives. This information normally would cover present and
anticipated assets and liabilities, including insurance, savings, investments, and anticipated
retirement or other employee benefits.
In general, the financial plan will address any or all of the following areas of concern:
- PERSONAL: Family records, budgeting, personal liability, estate information
and financial goals.
- EDUCATION: Education IRAs, financial aid, state savings plans, grants and
general assistance in preparing to meet dependent’s continuing educational
needs through development of an education plan.
- TAX & CASH FLOW: Income tax and spending analysis and planning for past,
current and future years. Cassaday & Company may illustrate the impact of
various investments on a client’s current income tax and future tax liability.
- DEATH & DISABILITY: Cash needs at death, income needs of surviving
dependents, estate planning and disability income analysis.
- RETIREMENT: Analysis of current strategies and investment plans to help the
client achieve his or her retirement goals.
- INVESTMENTS: Analysis of investment alternatives and their effect on a client’s
portfolio.
- ESTATE PLANNING: Analysis of clients’ estate plans and providing
recommendations designed to effectuate clients’ testamentary goals while
reducing estate taxes.
The program developed for 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 obtain insurance or revise existing coverage, establish an
individual retirement account, increase or decrease funds held in savings accounts or invest
funds in securities.
Cassaday & Company gathers required information through in-depth personal interviews.
Information gathered includes a client’s current financial status, future goals and attitudes
towards risk. Related documents supplied by the client are carefully reviewed and a written
report is typically prepared. Should a client choose to implement the recommendations in
the plan, Cassaday & Company suggests that the client work closely with his/her attorney,
accountant
or insurance agent. Implementation of financial plan recommendations is
entirely at the client’s discretion.
Retirement Planning Consulting Services:
Cassaday & Company provides retirement consulting services to employee benefit plans and
their fiduciaries. The services are designed to assist the plan sponsor (Company) in meeting
their management and fiduciary obligations to the plan under ERISA. Retirement consulting
services will consist of general or specific advice, and may include any one or all of the
following:
1. Strategic Planning and Investment Policy Development/Review. Meet with the
Company and/or the named fiduciary or their fiduciary delegate to assist them in
developing an investment policy statement (IPS). Alternatively, if the Plan has an
existing investment policy statement, Cassaday & Company will review the
existing IPS and assist the Company, named fiduciary and/or their fiduciary
delegate to determine whether the Plan is performing consistent with the IPS
and/or whether the IPS needs to be revised, based on an analysis of the Plan’s
liquidity requirements, performance goals and risk tolerance levels of the Plan
using information provided by the Company.
2. Plan Review. Conduct a review of the Plan design and advise the Named Fiduciary
whether the Plan is operating in accordance with Plan documents and applicable
provisions of ERISA; and review Named Fiduciary's compliance with fiduciary
responsibilities, including compliance with requirements for self-directed plans
(if applicable) under ERISA Section 404(c);
3. Plan Fee and Cost Review. Conduct an annual review of fees and costs charged to
Plan by other service providers to assist Named Fiduciary to determine
reasonableness of fees and costs paid by Plan;
4. Third Party Service Provider Liaison. Act as liaison for the Plan and the Named
Fiduciary when dealing with the trustee, custodian, plan actuary and other third
party service providers to Plan;
5. Assessment of Investments. Conduct a periodic review of fund expenses,
investment performance, and style drift for mutual funds offered by the Plan to
participants, comparing them with other funds in the same asset category using
Morningstar data from Principia and MPI Stylus; provide suggestions to the
Named Fiduciary from time to time as deemed warranted by the IAR for
alternative mutual fund options for the Plan to make available to its participants
(which decision shall remain the sole and exclusive decision of the Named
Fiduciary and/or their fiduciary delegate);
6. Participant Education and Communication. Coordinate and/or conduct
investment education and enrollment meetings for plan participants as
determined by the Company.
The Company may also engage Cassaday & Company to provide the following additional
services, for separate compensation:
1. Executive Benefits. Review, design and implement nonqualified
plans/deferred compensation.
2. Plan Conversion. Assist with conversion to alternate vendors, including
preparation of Request for Proposal (RFP) from prospective new vendors, and
review and comparison of responses to RFP.
3. Coordination with Other Third-Parties. Interact with outside advisors or tax,
legal and accounting counsel as necessary.
Cassaday & Company together with the Company will determine in advance the scope of
services to be performed and the fees for all requested services. Prior to engaging Cassaday
& Company to provide pension consulting services, the Company will be required to enter
into a written agreement with Cassaday & Company setting forth the terms and conditions
of the engagement, describing the scope of the services to be provided, and the relevant fees
and fee paying arrangements. In performing the contracted services, Cassaday & Company
shall not be required to verify the accuracy or consistency of any information received from
the Company.
Cassaday & Company provides pension consulting services as described above.
Cassaday & Company is a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
1974, as amended (“ERISA”) with respect to investment management services and
investment advice provided to ERISA plan clients, including plan participants. Cassaday &
Company is also a fiduciary under section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “IRC”) with
respect to investment management services and investment advice provided to individual
retirement accounts (“IRAs”), ERISA plans, and ERISA plan participants. As such, Cassaday &
Company is subject to specific duties and obligations under ERISA and the IRC that include,
among other things, prohibited transaction rules which are intended to prohibit fiduciaries
from acting on conflicts of interest. When a fiduciary gives advice in which it has a conflict
of interest, the fiduciary must either avoid or eliminate the conflict or rely upon a prohibited
transaction exemption (a “PTE”).
As a fiduciary, we have duties of care and of loyalty to you and are subject to obligations
imposed on us by the federal and state securities laws. As a result, you have certain rights
that you cannot waive or limit by contract. Nothing in our agreement with you should be
interpreted as a limitation of our obligations under the federal and state securities laws or
as a waiver of any unwaivable rights you possess.
Cassaday & Company does not provide legal, tax, or actuarial advice and will not be
responsible for ensuring that the IPS and asset allocation choices comply with any legal,
actuarial or other requirements that apply to the Plan.
As of December 31, 2023, Cassaday & Company had $4,975,020,215 in discretionary assets
under management.
As outlined in item 10, certain IARs of Cassaday and Company are also registered
Representatives (RRs) with OSAIC Wealth, Inc. (“OSAIC”), a registered broker-dealer and
member of FINRA. OSAIC and Cassaday and Company are not affiliated companies. These
RRs have client brokerage accounts that total $13,599,708 in assets as of December 31, 2023.
The brokerage assets are not managed by Cassaday and Company and are not included in
the AUM listed above. Total advisory and brokerage assets as of 12/31/23 are
$4,988,619,923.