About Us
Mainsail Financial Group is a registered investment adviser, offering financial planning and asset
management services to clients. Mainsail Financial Group has been in business since 2019 and
applied for registration as an investment adviser in 2022. Its principal owners are Adam Laibson and
Brandon Steele.
This Brochure is designed to provide detailed information relating to each item noted in the table of
contents. Certain disclosures are repeated in one or more items, and/or other items are referred to in
an effort to be as comprehensive as possible on the subject matters discussed. Within this Brochure,
certain terms in either upper- or lowercase are used as follows:
• "Mainsail", "We," "us," "the firm" and "our" refer to Mainsail Financial Group.
• "Advisor" refers to persons who provide investment advisory services on behalf of Mainsail
Financial Group.
• "You," "yours," and "client" refer to clients of Mainsail Financial Group and its advisors.
Description of Services Available
Mainsail offers a suite of investment advisory services and programs to its advisors for use with their
clients. Our investment advisory services and programs are designed to accommodate a wide range of
client investment philosophies, goals, needs, and investment objectives. Through these various
advisory programs and services, clients have access to a wide range of securities products, including,
but not limited to, common and preferred stocks; municipal, corporate, and government fixed income
securities; mutual funds; exchange-traded products ("ETPs"); options and derivatives; unit investment
trusts ("UITs"); and variable and fixed-indexed insurance products, as well as other products and
services, including a variety of asset allocation services, financial planning, and consulting services.
Our advisors may also offer advice related to direct participation programs, private placements, and
other alternative investments, such as alternative energy programs, research, and development
programs, leasing programs, real estate programs, and pooled commodities futures programs.
We offer the following programs:
Portfolio Management Services
Mainsail provides portfolio management services that are tailored to meet our clients' needs and
investment objectives. We will gather information about your financial situation and objectives, and
assist you in determining your investment goals, objectives, risk tolerance and income needs
(collectively "investment parameters). Through our discussion to determine your investment
parameters, we will provide you with recommendations and/or allocate your investments in models
constructed by our firm. These models are designed for investors with varying degrees of risk
tolerance ranging from a more aggressive investment strategy to a more conservative investment
approach. Typically models consist of no-load mutual funds and/or exchange-traded products ("ETPs")
to achieve the clients investment goals. In some situations, the advisor may utilize individual stocks,
bonds, and alternative investments to meet the needs of its clients.
If you participate in our discretionary portfolio management services, we require you to grant us
discretionary authority to manage your account. Subject to a grant of discretionary authorization, we
have the authority and responsibility to formulate investment strategies on your behalf. Discretionary
authorization will allow us to determine the specific securities, and the amount of securities, to be
purchased or sold for your account without obtaining your approval prior to each transaction. We will
also have discretion over the broker or dealer to be used for securities transactions in your account.
Discretionary authority is typically granted by the investment advisory agreement you sign with our
firm, a power of attorney, or trading authorization forms. You may limit our discretionary authority (for
example, limiting the types of securities that can be purchased or sold for your account) by providing
our firm with your restrictions and guidelines in writing. Each client has the opportunity to place
reasonable restrictions on the types of investments to be held in an investment portfolio. Restrictions
on investments in certain securities or types of securities may not be possible due to the level of
difficulty this would entail in managing the account.
We also offer non-discretionary portfolio management services. If you enter into non-discretionary
arrangements with our firm, we must obtain your approval prior to executing any transactions on behalf
of your account. You have an unrestricted right to decline to implement any advice provided by our firm
on a non-discretionary basis.
Individual Financial Planning Services
Mainsail's advisors provide financial planning services on a wide range of topics, including, but not
limited to, comprehensive financial planning, budgeting and cash flow analysis, advice on major
purchases, education planning, retirement income/longevity planning, portfolio analysis, estate
planning analysis, investment analysis, business succession planning, and fringe benefit analysis.
Our individual financial planning services begin with a formal consultation with the client to determine
the client's assets, liabilities, investment objectives, present and future foreseeable financial
obligations, income, and risk tolerance. Using this information, we will create a financial plan consistent
with the client's needs. When the plan is completed, our advisors will meet with you to present the plan
and answer any question you may have. You may also engage us for an annual update of your
financial plan. The fees for both the initial plan and subsequent annual updates (if desired) are listed in
Item 5 of this brochure. Mainsail Financial Group has entered into an agreement with Commonwealth
Financial Network ("Commonwealth), an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-registered
broker dealer, to offer the Retirement Plan Consulting program.
Retirement Plan Consulting
Our advisors provide a fee-for-service consulting program whereby advisors offer onetime or ongoing
advisory services to qualified retirement plans. Clients may engage our advisors for Retirement Plan
Consulting services on a negotiated flat, fixed, or asset-based fee basis. The maximum annual
consulting fee, when stated as a percentage of assets, is 1.50% and is negotiable. Fees may be paid
at the time of service, in advance of service, or after service has been rendered. Through the
Retirement Plan Consulting Program, advisors assist plan sponsors with their fiduciary duties and
provide individualized advice based upon the needs of the plan and/or plan participants regarding
investment management matters, such as:
Investment policy statement support
Investment selection and monitoring
Overall portfolio composition
Participant advice programs
Clients who participate in one or more of Commonwealth's programs will receive Commonwealth's
Form ADV Part 2 and/or Wrap Fee Brochure, in addition to Mainsail Financial Group's Form ADV Part
2. Clients should refer to Commonwealth's Form ADV Part 2 and/or Wrap Fee Brochure for detailed
information about Commonwealth and Commonwealth's programs.
Asset Management Services - Commonwealth Programs
Mainsail Financial Group has entered into an agreement to offer clients access to certain asset
management programs offered by Commonwealth. Specifically, Commonwealth's PPS Custom
Program (Platform) and PPS Select Account Program are offered.
PPS Custom Program (Platform)
The PPS Custom Program (Platform) account enables an advisor to assist the client in developing a
personalized investment portfolio using one or more investment types, including, but not limited to,
stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, unit investment trusts ("UITs"), variable and fixed-indexed
annuities, and alternative investments. Mainsail's advisor acts as portfolio manager with full investment
discretion. The account will be tailored to the particular needs of the client and generally consists of a
mix of asset classes and weightings based on risk profile, investment objective, and individual
preferences. The client will have the opportunity to periodically meet with the advisor to review the
account. The client account may be rebalanced at any time, pursuant to the discretion granted, to
maintain the chosen asset allocation. The client account may also be reallocated as necessary when
warranted by market conditions or changes in the client risk profile, investment objective, or other
relevant circumstances.
PPS Select Program
The PPS Select Program offers clients a managed account employing specific asset allocation models
developed and managed by Commonwealth's Investment Management and Research team as a
portfolio manager. The account will be made up of a mix of asset classes with weightings based on risk
profile, investment objective, individual client preferences, and availability. Clients will have the
opportunity to periodically meet with their advisor to review their account. The account may be
rebalanced at any time pursuant to the discretionary trading authority clients grant to
Commonwealth to help ensure that the account remains within reasonable deviation parameters of the
specific PPS Select asset allocation model selected by the client.
Mainsail's advisors will collect financial data from clients, help clients determine the appropriateness of
the account, and help clients identify the appropriate investment objectives and strategies to be used.
Each PPS Select account will have an appropriate percentage mix of asset classes allocated to the
account, composed of domestic and/or international fixed income, equity mutual fund shares, ETFs,
and/or variable annuity subaccounts.
Most often, several asset classes with varying degrees of risk will be used in a client's portfolio,
depending on the client's risk profile, investment objectives, individual client preferences, and
availability. Commonwealth will have complete and unlimited discretionary trading authority to
purchase and sell securities in the account, and to liquidate previously purchased securities that may
be transferred into the account, in accordance with the investment objectives and model allocations
chosen by the client.
Clients participating in Commonwealth's programs will receive a copy of Commonwealth's Form ADV
Part 2 brochure.
The specific advisory program selected by the client may cost the client more or less than purchasing
program services separately. Factors that bear upon the cost of a particular advisory program in
relation to the cost of the same services purchased separately include, but may not be limited to, the
type and size of the account; the historical or expected size or number of trades for the account;
the
types of securities and strategies involved; the amount of fees, commissions, and other charges that
apply at the account or transaction level; and the number and range of supplementary advisory and
client-related services provided to the account. Lower fees for comparable services may be available
from other sources.
Investment recommendations and advice offered by Mainsail Financial Group and its advisors do not
constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. Clients should coordinate and discuss the impact of the
financial advice they receive from their advisor with their attorney and accountant. Clients should also
inform their advisor promptly of any changes in their financial situation, investment goals, needs, or
objectives. Failure to notify the advisor of any material changes could result in investment advice not
meeting the changing needs of the client.
LifeRaft On-Line Education Platform
We offer on-line educational coursework and content to individuals which focus on a variety of financial
topics ranging from investing for retirement to saving for children's educational needs. The educational
videos and content will be impersonal and not take into account the individual circumstances of the
attendee. As such, the educational virtual seminar should not be considered a comprehensive review,
analysis or customized advice in regards to the attendee's individual situation. In the event the
attendee decides to engage us for asset management services, financial planning services, retirement
plan consulting services and/or participate in Commonwealth sponsored advisory programs, attendee
will be required to execute a separate agreement and pay fees in addition to the fees paid by attendee
to Mainsail Financial Group for the online content.
IRA Rollover Considerations
As part of our financial planning and advisory services, we may provide you with recommendations
and advice concerning your employer retirement plan or other qualified retirement account. When
appropriate, we may recommend that you withdraw the assets from your employer's retirement plan or
other qualified retirement account and roll the assets over to an individual retirement account ("IRA") to
be managed by our firm. If you elect to roll the assets to an IRA under our management, we will charge
you an asset-based fee as described in Item 5. This practice presents a conflict of interest because our
Advisory Representative has an incentive to recommend a rollover to you for the purpose of generating
fee-based compensation rather than solely based on your needs. You are under no obligation,
contractually or otherwise, to complete the rollover. Furthermore, if you do complete the rollover, you
are under no obligation to have your IRA assets managed under our program. You have the right to
decide whether to complete the rollover and the right to consult with other financial professionals.
Some employers permit former employees to keep their retirement assets in their company plan. Also,
current employees can sometimes move assets out of their company plan before they retire or change
jobs. In determining whether to complete the rollover to an IRA, and to the extent the following options
are available, you should consider the costs and benefits of each.
An employee will typically have four options:
• Leave the funds in your employer's (former employer's) plan.
• Roll over the funds to a new employer's retirement plan.
• Cash out and take a taxable distribution from the plan.
• Roll the funds into an IRA rollover account.
Each of these options has advantages and disadvantages. Before making a change, we encourage
you to speak with your financial advisor, CPA and/or tax attorney. Before rolling over your retirement
funds to an IRA for us to manage, carefully consider the following. NOTE: This list is not exhaustive.
• Determine whether the investment options in your employer's retirement plan address your
needs or whether other types of investments are needed.
• Employer retirement plans generally have a more limited investment menu than IRAs.
• Employer retirement plans may have unique investment options not available to the
public, such as employer securities or previously closed funds.
• Your current plan may have lower fees than our fee and/or the Third-Party Manager's fee
combined.
• If you are interested in investing only in mutual funds, you should understand the cost structure
of the share classes available in your employer's retirement plan and how the costs of those
share classes compare with those available in an IRA.
• You should understand the various products and services available through an IRA provider
and their costs.
• It is likely you will not be charged a management fee and will not receive ongoing asset
management services unless you elect to have such services. If your plan offers management
services, the fee associated with the service may be more or less than our fee.
• The Third-Party Manager's or our management strategy may have higher risk than the options
provided to you in your plan.
• Your current plan may offer financial advice, guidance, management and/or portfolio options at
no additional cost. If you keep your assets titled in a 401(k) or retirement account, you could
potentially delay your required minimum distribution beyond age 72.
• Your 401(k) may offer more liability protection than a rollover IRA; each state varies. Generally,
Federal law protects assets in qualified plans from creditors. Since 2005, IRA assets have been
generally protected from creditors in bankruptcies; however, there can be exceptions. Consult
an attorney if you are concerned about protecting your retirement plan assets from creditors.
• You may be able to take out a loan on your 401(k), but not from an IRA.
• IRA assets can be accessed any time; however, distributions are subject to ordinary income tax
and may also be subject to a 10% early distribution penalty unless they qualify for an exception
such as disability, higher education expenses or a home purchase.
• If you own company stock in your plan, you may be able to liquidate those shares at a lower
capital gains tax rate.
• Your plan may allow you to hire us or another firm as the manager and keep the assets titled in
the plan name.
It is important that you understand your options, their features, and their differences, and decide
whether a rollover is best for you. If you have questions, contact us at our main number listed on the
cover page of this brochure.
Individualized Services and Client-Imposed Restrictions
The investment advisory services provided by our advisors depend largely on the personal information
the client provides to the advisor. In order for our advisors to provide appropriate investment advice to,
or, in the case of discretionary accounts, make tailored investment decisions for, the client, it is very
important that clients provide accurate and complete responses to their advisor's questions about their
financial condition, needs, goals, and objectives and notify the advisor of any reasonable restrictions
they wish to apply to the securities or types of securities to be bought, sold, or held in their managed
account. It is also important that clients promptly inform their advisor of any changes in their financial
condition, investment objectives, personal circumstances, or reasonable investment restrictions
pertaining to the management of their account, if any, that may affect their overall investment goals
and strategies or the investment advice provided or investment decisions made by their advisor.
In general, the client's advisor is responsible for delivering investment advisory services to clients, and
clients generally deal with matters relating to their accounts by contacting their advisor directly. Of
course, clients may contact Mainsail Financial Group directly with questions about the advisory
services offered by our firm.
Wrap Fee Programs
Commonwealth's PPS Custom (Platform) and PPS Select programs, offered by Mainsail Financial
Group, are considered "wrap fee" programs in which the client pays specified fees for portfolio
management services and trade execution. Wrap fee programs differ from other programs in that the
asset-based fee structure for wrap programs is intended to be largely all inclusive, whereas non-wrap
fee programs typically assess trade-by-trade execution costs that are in addition to the asset-based
fees.
The PPS Select Program is managed in accordance with the investment methodology and philosophy
of Commonwealth's Investment Management and Research team. The PPS Custom (Platform)
program is managed by your advisor in accordance with his or her own investment methodology and
philosophy.
For the investment advisory services provided to you by Commonwealth, Mainsail Financial Group,
and your advisor, Commonwealth, Mainsail Financial Group, and your advisor receive a portion of the
wrap fees you pay. Commonwealth receives a higher portion of the wrap fees you pay when you
participate in Commonwealth's PPS Select programs to compensate for the investment management
and research services provided by the Commonwealth Investment Management and Research team.
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2022, we provide continuous management services for $112,468,772 in client
assets on a discretionary basis and $1,130,990 in client assets on a non-discretionary basis.
Program Choices and Conflicts of Interest
Clients should be aware that the compensation to Mainsail Financial Group and your advisor will differ
according to the specific advisory program chosen. This compensation to us and your advisor may be
more than the amounts we would otherwise receive if you participated in another program or paid for
investment advice, brokerage, and/or other relevant services separately. As a result of the differences
in fee schedules and other sources of compensation that exist among the various advisory programs
and services offered by our firm and your advisor, Mainsail and your advisor have a financial incentive
to recommend a particular program or service over other programs or services. Lower fees for
comparable services may be available from other sources. Mainsail and your advisor have a financial
incentive to recommend advisory programs or services that provide us higher compensation over other
comparable programs or services available elsewhere that may cost you less.
It is important to understand all the associated costs and benefits of each option so you can decide
which types of accounts and services may be best suited for your unique financial goals, investment
objective, and time horizon. We encourage you to review its Form CRS and to discuss your options
with your advisor.