Brian Low Financial Group, LLC - 4463 Bluebonnet Blvd. Suite B Baton Rouge, LA 70809
If a non-discretionary relationship is in place, calls will be placed presenting the
recommendation made and only upon your authorization will any action be taken on your
behalf.
Clients may engage us to advise on certain investment products that are not maintained
at their primary custodian, such as annuity contracts and assets held in employer
sponsored retirement plans and qualified tuition plans (i.e., 529 plans).
You are advised and are expected to understand that our past performance is not a
guarantee of future results. Certain market and economic risks exist that adversely affect
an account’s performance. This could result in capital losses in your account.
Financial Planning Services
While we will work with all clients to understand their financial objectives, we will not
present a formal financial plan to all of them. Through the financial planning process, our
team strives to engage our clients in conversations around the family’s goals, objectives,
priorities, vision, and legacy – both for the near term as well as for future generations. With
the unique goals and circumstances of each family in mind, our team may offer financial
planning ideas and strategies to address the client’s holistic financial picture, including
estate, income tax, charitable, cash flow and retirement income, wealth transfer and family
legacy objectives. Our team partners with our client’s other advisors (CPA, estate attorney,
insurance broker, etc.) to ensure a coordinated effort of all parties toward the client’s stated
goals. Such services include various reports on specific goals and objectives or general
investment and/or planning recommendations, guidance to outside assets and periodic
updates.
Our specific services in preparing a client’s formal financial plan may include:
● Review and clarification of financial goals;
● Assessment of overall financial position including cash flow and income, balance
sheet, investment strategy, risk management and estate planning;
● Creation of a unique plan for each goal, including personal and business real
estate, education, retirement, financial independence, charitable giving, estate
planning, business succession and other personal goals;
● Development of a goal-oriented investment and income plan, with input from
various advisors to our clients around tax strategy, asset allocation, asset location,
expenses, risk and liquidity factors for each goal. This includes IRA and qualified
plans, taxable and trust accounts that require special attention.
Consulting Services
We provide investment advice on isolated areas of concern such as estate planning, real
estate, retirement planning, or any other specific topic. Additionally, we provide non-
securities advice related to estate planning, insurance, real estate, and annuity. We also
provide advisory & consulting services for equity or debt investments in privately held
businesses. In these cases, you will be required to select your own investment managers,
custodians, and insurance companies to implement consulting recommendations. If you
need brokerage and/or other financial services, we will recommend one of several
investment managers, brokers, banks, custodians, insurance companies or other financial
professionals. You must independently evaluate these independent and unaffiliated firms
before opening an account or transacting business and have the right to effect business
through any firm you choose. You have the right to choose whether to follow the consulting
advice that we provide.
Sub-advisory relationships and Referrals to Third Party Money Managers
Our Firm may utilize the services of a sub-advisor or independent third-party money
managers for the management of client accounts. Investment advice and trading of
securities will only be offered by and through the chosen third-party money managers. Our
Firm will not offer advice on any specific securities or other investments in connection with
this service. Prior to referring clients, our Firm will provide initial due diligence on third
party money managers and ongoing reviews of their management of client accounts. In
order to assist in the selection of a sub-advisor or third-party money manager, our Firm
will gather client information pertaining to financial situation, investment objectives, and
reasonable restrictions to be imposed upon the management of the account.
Our Firm will periodically review third party money manager reports provided to the client
at least annually. Our Firm will contact clients from time to time in order to review their
financial situation and objectives and communicate information to third party money
managers as warranted. We will also assist the client in understanding and evaluating the
services provided by the third-party money manager. Clients will be expected to notify our
Firm of any changes in their financial situation, investment objectives, income needs or
account restrictions that could affect their financial standing.
Disclosure Regarding Rollover Recommendations
We are fiduciaries under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and when we provide
investment advice to you regarding your retirement plan account or individual retirement
account, we are also fiduciaries within the meaning of Title I of the Employee
Retirement
Income Security Act and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable, which are laws
governing retirement accounts. We have to act in your best interest and not put our
interest ahead of yours. At the same time, the way we make money creates some conflicts
with your interests.
A client or prospect leaving an employer typically has four options regarding an existing
retirement plan (and may engage in a combination of these options): (i) leave the money
in the former employer’s plan, if permitted, (ii) roll over the assets to the new employer’s
plan, if one is available and rollovers are permitted, (iii) rollover to an Individual Retirement
Account (“IRA”), or (iv) cash out the account value (which could, depending upon the
client’s age, result in adverse tax consequences). Our Firm may recommend an investor
roll over plan assets to an IRA for which our Firm provides investment advisory services. As
a result, our Firm and its representatives may earn an asset-based fee. In contrast, a
recommendation that a client or prospective client leave their plan assets with their
previous employer or roll over the assets to a plan sponsored by a new employer will
generally result in no compensation to our Firm. Our Firm therefore has an economic
incentive to encourage a client to roll plan assets into an IRA that our Firm will manage,
which presents a conflict of interest. To mitigate the conflict of interest, there are various
factors that our Firm will consider before recommending a rollover, including but not
limited to: (i) the investment options available in the plan versus the investment options
available in an IRA, (ii) fees and expenses in the plan versus the fees and expenses in an
IRA, (iii) the services and responsiveness of the plan’s investment professionals versus
those of our Firm, (iv) protection of assets from creditors and legal judgments, (v) required
minimum distributions and age considerations, and (vi) employer stock tax consequences,
if any. Our Firm’s Chief Compliance Officer remains available to address any questions that
a client or prospective client has regarding the oversight.
Wrap Fee Programs
We provide services on a wrap fee basis as a wrap program sponsor. Under our wrap
program, you will receive investment advisory services, the execution of securities
brokerage transactions, custody and reporting services for a single specified fee.
Participation in a wrap program may cost you more or less than purchasing such services
separately. The terms and conditions of a wrap program engagement are more fully
discussed in our Wrap Fee Program Brochure. We adhere to our fiduciary duty when
trading in your accounts. Trades are made only on the basis of the account’s stated
investment objectives, and without concern to the Firm’s trading costs and Firm’s expenses
that trading the accounts will create.
Assets
As of December 31, 2023, we manage $149,487,835 in discretionary assets under
management and $0 in non-discretionary assets under management.
Investment Management Fees and Compensation
Our Firm charges an advisory fee as compensation for providing Investment Management
services on client accounts. These services include advisory services, investment
supervision, and other account-maintenance activities. Our custodian charges custodial
fees, redemption fees, retirement plan and administrative fees or commissions. Financial
planning services by our Firm are included in advisory fees outlined below. See Additional
Fees and Expenses below for additional details.
The Advisory Fee will be calculated and paid to the Advisor each calendar month or quarter
in arrears based on the average daily value of the Portfolio during the calendar quarter. In
the event of termination, any fees due to the Advisor will be deducted from the Client’s
account prior to termination. The specific billing methods will be agreed to on the executed
advisory agreement set forth in Appendix A.
The market value will be determined as reported by the Custodian. Calculations are made
as follows:
“Average Daily Balance of the prior calendar month or quarter” X (“Annual Advisory
Fee/4”) =
Monthly or Quarterly Advisory Fee
Our Firm’s advisory fee schedule is as follows:
$0 to $999,999
$1 million and $1.99 million
$2 million and $2.99 million
0ver $3 million
1.25% annually
1.00% annually
0.90% annually
0.75% annually
We may negotiate a lower advisory fee or have the right to waive the minimum fee. The
specific advisory fees are set forth in your Investment Advisory Agreement. Fees may vary
based on the size of the account, complexity of the portfolio, extent of activity in the
account or other reasons agreed upon by us and the client. In certain circumstances, our
fees and the timing of the fee payments may be negotiated.
Unless otherwise instructed by the Client, we will aggregate related client accounts for the
purposes of determining the account size and annualized fee. The common practice is
often referred to as “householding” portfolios for fee purposes and may result in lower
fees than if fees were calculated on portfolios separately. Our method of householding
accounts for fee purposes looks at the overall family dynamic and relationship. When
applicable and noted in the Investment Management Agreement, concentrated stock
positions may also be excluded from the fee calculation.