Description of Advisory Firm An Exceptional Life Financial, LLC is (“AELF”, “Advisor” or “We”) is a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Indiana and registered as an Investment Adviser with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC). We are a fiduciary financial planning firm that specializes in providing holistic, personalized financial planning, investment management, and tax preparation services to individuals, families, small businesses, and educational institutions. As of March 5, 2024, our firm had over $200 million of client assets under management. Over $192 million on a discretionary basis and over $8 million on a non-discretionary basis. Types of Advisory Services Financial Planning We provide financial planning services on topics such as retirement planning, risk management, college savings, cash flow, debt management, work benefits, and estate and incapacity planning. Financial planning is an 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 affect and are affected by the entire financial and life situation of the client. Clients purchasing this service will receive written and/or electronic reports, providing the client with a detailed financial plan designed to achieve his or her stated financial goals and objectives. In general, the financial plan will address any or all of the following areas of concern. The client and advisor will work together to select the specific areas to include. These areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Business Planning: We provide consulting services for clients who currently operate their own business, are considering starting a business, or are planning for an exit from their current business. Under this type of engagement, we work with you to assess your current situation, identify your objectives, and develop a plan aimed at achieving your goals.
• 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 significant adverse impact 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 impact 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. Fees pertaining to this service are outlined in Item 5 of this brochure. Private Client Service We provide a Private Client Service that includes a combination of the components of our Financial Planning, Investment Management and/or Annuity Management, and Tax Preparation Services, and is available to clients with $350,000 or more in assets under management with our firm. Investment Management Services We are in the business of managing individually tailored investment portfolios comprised of a variety of account types and/or annuity options. Our firm provides continuous advice to a client regarding the investment of his or her 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 investment plan, with an asset allocation target, and then build and manage a portfolio based on that policy and allocation target. During our data-gathering process, we determine the client’s individual objectives, time horizon(s), risk tolerance, and liquidity needs. We may also review and discuss a client’s prior investment history, family composition, background, and other pertinent quantitative and qualitative information. 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. Advising on Held-Away Accounts In addition to managing investment portfolios directly, we will also provide ongoing advice and supervision on held-away accounts that the client chooses to have us monitor and provide recommendations for, but cannot be transferred under our management, such as employee retirement accounts or other held-away investment accounts. This portion of the service will include:
• Selection of the appropriate investments based on the options that are available for the clients' held-away account(s).
• Ongoing monitoring and reporting on those accounts.
• Rebalancing recommendations based on their overall portfolio. Under these arrangements, we will have informational access though an account aggregation service(s) available to our firm, and in limited instances, we may be able to obtain to a limited power of attorney on held-away accounts. Based on this access to their held-away accounts, those assets will be counted toward their total assets under management for purposes of calculating the annual advisory fee for assets directly under our firm’s management. Fees for advising on the held-away accounts may be paid from the managed account (or other accounts) the client has under our direct management. Tax Preparation We provide tax preparation services for our clients to assist with the filing of federal and state returns for individuals and businesses. We may ask for an explanation or clarification of some items, but we will not audit or otherwise verify client data. The client is responsible for the completeness and accuracy of information used to prepare the returns. Our responsibility is to prepare the returns in accordance with applicable tax laws. We will utilize the services of a third-party accounting, bookkeeping, and tax preparation firm to facilitate the preparation and filing of clients’ tax returns and work with them and the third-party in order to gather the necessary information as part of this service. We may observe opportunities for tax savings that require planning or changes in the way the clients handle some transactions. While an engagement for tax preparation does not include significant tax planning services, we will share any ideas we have with clients and discuss terms for any additional work that may be required to implement those ideas, whether through one of our other services or with an outside professional. Employee Benefit Plan Services Our firm provides employee benefit plan services to employer plan sponsors on an ongoing basis. Generally, such services consist of assisting employer plan sponsors in establishing, monitoring and reviewing their company's participant-directed retirement plan and/or health savings account plan(s). As the needs of the plan sponsor dictate, areas of advising could include: investment options, plan structure and participant education. This Form ADV Part 2A firm brochure serves as our ERISA Section 408(b)(2) disclosure. In providing employee benefit plan services, our firm does not provide any advisory services with respect to the following types of assets: employer securities, real estate (excluding real estate funds and publicly traded REITS), participant loans, non-publicly traded securities or assets, other illiquid investments, or brokerage window programs (collectively, “Excluded Assets”). All retirement plan consulting services shall be in compliance with the applicable state laws regulating retirement consulting services. This applies to client accounts that are retirement or other employee benefit plans (“Plan”) governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”). If the client accounts are part of a Plan, and our firm accepts appointments to provide services to such accounts, our firm acknowledges its fiduciary standard within the meaning of Section 3(21) or 3(38) of ERISA as designated by the Retirement Plan Consulting Agreement with respect to the provision of services described therein. The appropriate Employer Benefits Plan Service providers will be selected upon initial consultation, based on size, demographics, and needs of the plan and may vary depending on the specifics of each engagement. Fees pertaining to this service are outlined in Item 5 of this brochure. Educational Seminars and Speaking Engagements We may provide seminars on an “as announced” basis for groups seeking general advice on investments and other areas of personal finance. The content of these seminars will vary depending upon the needs of the attendees. These seminars are purely educational in nature and do not involve the sale of any investment products. Information presented will not be based on any individual person’s need, nor does ALEF provide individualized investment advice to attendees during these seminars. Fees pertaining to this service are outlined in Item 5 of this brochure. Client Tailored Services and Client Imposed Restrictions We offer the same suite of services to all of our clients. However, specific client financial plans and their implementation are dependent upon the client’s financial plan and investment plan 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.