ELV8 Inc (hereinafter “Scout”, “we”, “us”, “our”) provides portfolio management to clients
under this wrap fee program as sponsor and portfolio manager. Scout was founded in 2020 by
Michael Haddix Jr, Chief Executive Officer, and Cindy Zeng, Chief Technology Officer.
Scout’s registration with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission became
effective in March 2022. Scout’s principal place of business is in New York.
Please note that registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training and that you may
direct any questions regarding our status as a registered investment adviser to our firm via the
contact information listed on the Cover Page of this Brochure.
Scout partners with colleges and universities to provide student athletes (“User(s)” or “client(s)”)
with access to customized tools, guides, dashboards and individual and group financial planning or
education sessions with financial professionals. Through its suite of services and interactive
platform, Scout seeks to partner with Users to understand their unique needs and to craft a
comprehensive approach to support financial wellness. Scout provides resources and tools for
understanding a variety of financial wellness topics in addition to the robo advisory services offered
through Scout’s app (the “App”).
The investing features in the App allow users to invest in one or more themed portfolios of stocks
and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) curated by Scout’s investment advisory professionals or
certain external investment professionals that Scout chooses to partner with. In instances where
Scout chooses to engage an external professional to assist in the develop of its investment portfolios,
Scout remains responsible for screening and ultimately choosing to recommend the investments
proposed by the external party.
Scout considers a client’s investment objective when recommending which portfolio to purchase.
A client’s investment objective is determined using a risk profile questionnaire that must be
completed for each account before making any investments through the App. Based on these
responses, Scout places the client into an appropriate risk category. The client will then be placed
into an investment model based on their risk category.
Although we review client risk profiles before recommending investments, we do not guarantee nor
ensure the success of any of the recommended investments. We rely on the individual responses to
the risk profile questions to provide investment recommendations to our clients. Clients must
provide accurate, complete, and truthful answers to the risk profile questions.
Scout manages client accounts on a fully discretionary basis, which means that Scout is authorized
to trade our clients’ investments to maintain the client’s target allocation or in response to changes
in our investment portfolios. From time to time, we may provide additional investment advice in
the form of educational material that may or may not relate to the assets that may be purchased with
Scout.
Scout engages Apex Clearing Corporation (“Apex”), an SEC registered broker-dealer and member
of FINRA and SIPC, to provide execution and clearing services to its clients. All client trades are
placed through Apex. Clients can only access our robo advisory services through the App; however,
clients can use other areas of the App for non-investment advisory services that are provided and
managed by ELV8 Inc.
Scout does not offer any legal or tax advice with respect to its investment recommendations, and
accordingly, the Adviser strongly urges individuals to work with properly qualified attorneys,
accountants, or other professionals regarding their financial and personal situations. Investments in
ETFs, equities, and other types of securities are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation or by any other federal government agency. ETFs and equities are not deposits or other
obligations of, or guaranteed by, Scout or any affiliate. Investments may lose value, including
possible total loss of principal.
Fees and Compensation
Scout does not directly bill clients for the investment
advisory services we provide. Rather, Scout
is compensated by the colleges and universities (the “Partner Schools”) who choose to provide
their student athletes with access to the platform. Generally, the Partner Schools pay a fee based
on a contract, and each fee and its payment frequency is privately negotiated. The fee may be
charged as a flat fee or on a per-User basis.
Clients are not charged any additional fees for becoming Scout clients and receiving Scout’s
investment advisory services.
In the Scout Wrap Program, the fee paid by the Partner Schools to Scout on behalf of our clients is
a single advisory fee that covers both investment advice and the execution of transactions. Scout
does not receive any compensation that is tied to the transactions that take place in a client’s account
and at no time will the wrap fee be charged to clients of Scout.
Neither Scout, nor any representatives of Scout receive any additional compensation beyond
advisory fees for the participation of clients in the wrap fee program. However, the compensation
we receive may be more than what would have been received if you paid separately for investment
advice, brokerage, and other services. Therefore, Scout may have a financial incentive to
recommend the wrap fee program to clients. Please also note that at this time, Scout’s advisory
services are only offered in the form of a wrap fee program and therefore, you are not able to pay
separately for investment advice, brokerage, and other services through Scout.
Certain of Scout’s investment advisory professionals may receive compensation for their
participation in other, outside business activities. Details of these activities can be found in the
individual professional’s ADV Part 2B Brochure Supplement.
Additional Fees
Clients are responsible for some additional fees that may be charged by Apex. These fees are called
Pass-through Fees, and they are: an SEC fee (sell side only), TAF Fee (sell side), and ADR Fee.
Apex may also charge other fees (different from the Pass-through Fees) for providing additional
services to Scout’s clients, and clients will pay those other fees directly to Apex. Other fees may
include fees for transferring a brokerage account from Apex to another brokerage firm, charges for
miscellaneous requests such as requesting a physical copy of a trade confirmation or statement or
requesting a tax document to be faxed or sent by regular mail, as well as charges for withdrawal or
other administrative requests, such as ACH transfers (outgoing) and wire transfers. To learn more
about the different fees that could be charged to you, please see the fee disclosures Apex provides
upon opening a brokerage account with them.
Clients who invest in ETFs may also indirectly pay management fees or other expenses to the
purchased ETF. ETFs pay their own management, transaction, and administrative fees and
expenses, and those fees and expenses are indirectly borne by the shareholders in those investment
vehicles. Depending on the activities or services (e.g., transferring an account to another broker,
requesting physical copy of a trade confirm, and so on), the broker could also charge you other fees.
These additional fees are deducted directly by the ETF and reflected in its net asset value.
Apex does not allow clients to maintain accounts directly with Apex. In the event that your
relationship with Scout terminates, you will be required to transfer the assets out of your Scout
account either by liquidating your holdings and transferring out as cash, or by transferring the assets
in kind to another broker dealer.
In the event of a transfer of your assets, any fees charged by Apex or the receiving institution in
connection with the transfer will be borne by you. If you choose to transfer the investments and
assuming that transfer instructions are received in good order by Apex, the transfer will occur within
30 business days. Clients can only transfer whole shares to other brokerages; fractional shares must
be liquidated.
Clients may terminate their investment advisory agreement without penalty, upon written notice
(via email at:
[email protected]).