Stavis Wealth Transfer Solutions, LLC (Stavis Wealth or Firm) is a newly-formed advisory and consulting firm that provides financial and estate advisory and planning services as well as related wealth transfer solutions to clients, for a fee. The Firm offers and provides integrated wealth planning management and wealth transfer services to high-net-worth (HNW) individuals and their families. Included is the coordination with attorneys regarding estate planning trusts and related vehicles, charitable organizations, private and family foundations, family offices, and other corporate and business entities. These services are designed to assist our clients in identifying and realizing their personal and family financial and wealth planning objectives in coordination with their other professional advisors. Stavis Wealth was founded and is majority-owned and managed by its Managing Principal Deborah Stavis.
Stavis Wealth, in offering financial/estate planning services and certain investment advisory supervisory services related to the client’s insurance policy, may also provide advice with respect to both discretionary and non-discretionary sub-accounts (fully dependent upon each individual carrier’s procedure). For such clients, we may provide other types of advisory services to the client from time to time, which can include investment policy advice and assistance, developing asset allocation strategies, manager selection and evaluation, and/or review of outside accounts to assist with adherence to investment policy guidelines. The types of service will be tailored to the needs of such clients and the availability of investment choices within each insurance policy. Services include an analysis based on client age, risk tolerance, and the availability and type of subaccounts (mutual-fund-like options) within each policy. When discussing investment options within a life insurance policy, both terms subaccount and Insurance Dedicated Funds (IDFs) may be used interchangeably.
Based upon client planning objectives and the client's expressed financial position, Stavis Wealth will prepare a financial, wealth and estate plan designed to meet client objectives.
We offer financial and wealth planning to clients as an independent service or as part of additional advisory, planning and/or consulting services. Certain aspects of financial- wealth planning include furnishing of investment advice as defined by the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”), in which the Firm acts as a fiduciary under the Advisers Act. Financial planning services are provided to advisory clients through a variety of means, including through in-person meetings, video conferences, telephone calls, digital platforms, e-mail, reporting, or a combination thereof. We also have available to us and use a variety of proprietary and/or third-party tools to aid in delivering financial planning services to our clients. Implementation of financial and wealth planning strategies and recommendations is entirely at the client’s discretion.
~ 2 ~ Also, Stavis Wealth is not required to verify any information received from the client or from the client’s other professionals and is expressly authorized to rely thereon. Moreover, each client is advised that it remains the client’s responsibility to promptly notify the Firm if there is ever any change in the client’s financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing, evaluating, and/or revising the Firm’s previous recommendations and/or services. Managing Principal, Deborah Stavis, is available for consultations at (713) 391-8200 and to discuss any changes or updates to a client's financial situation.
For financial planning, a conflict may exist between the interests of the Firm and the interest of the client to the extent the Firm recommends itself to support and assist with the implementation of its financial and wealth planning recommendations. The client is under no obligation to act upon our recommendations, and, if the client elects to act on any of our recommendations, the client is under no obligation to effect any transactions through us. Also, neither we nor anyone associated with us are attorneys, and therefore no advice that we confer should be construed as legal advice.
Planning, Consulting, and Analysis Services We offer stand-alone Financial, Estate, and/or Insurance Planning Services that typically encompass preparation of dynamic, easily understood and actionable recommendations, based on a thorough evaluation of clients’ personal financial situation and objectives. The customized action plan specifies strategic measures for the clients’ immediate implementation and execution into an existing financial, wealth transfer and estate plan.
The Firm works with HNW individuals and families on their planning needs, including: Estate/Legacy Planning Wealth Planning & Multi-Generational Planning (Stewardship of family wealth) Wealth Transfer Planning and Solutions Trust Planning & Trust Policy Management Strategic Planning and Family Governance Asset Protection Insurance Analysis & Risk Management Philanthropic/Charitable Planning & Giving The Firm works with business owners to develop plans for: Ownership transitions Key employee retention ~ 3 ~ Planning is a dynamic and continuous process. The following is brief summary of the process we follow in estate and financial planning.
Discovers to understand what the client is most committed to accomplish, fix or avoid, and collects financial information Analysis of client’s current situation, with special emphasis on uncovering gaps, inefficiencies and opportunities. “What if” scenarios are modeled to determine the short and long-term impact of planning options Quantifies the impact of recommended solutions, using flowcharts, graphs and state of the art planning software Collaborates with the client’s multi-disciplinary team in order to provide a balanced viewpoint and help the client make informed decisions. Provides observations and recommendations. Implements the clients’ desired estate planning decisions. Monitors the clients’ progress. Repeat the process as circumstances warrant. Financial-Wealth Planning Stavis Wealth Transfer Solutions offers Financial Planning to clients as an independent service or as part of another service offering. Certain aspects of Financial Planning include delivery of investment advice as defined by the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”), in which Stavis Wealth Transfer Solutions may act as fiduciary under the Adviser’s Act. Financial Planning varies among Wealth Advisors, clients, and the tools utilized by Wealth Advisors, as explained in more detail in Item 4 – Tools for Financial Planning; Tailoring Financial Planning below. Not all clients receive Financial Planning.
Financial Planning generally focuses on planning related to compensation and employment benefits, cash- flow, retirement, estate, insurance, investment, philanthropic, and tax, as may be appropriate. Depending on the level of service, Financial Planning is provided to the client either through meetings or digitally whereby the Wealth Advisor and the client will work together to develop a written or verbal financial plan and, with client cooperation, will endeavor to review risk profiles and objectives with clients no less than annually and update the financial plan to account for changes in the client’s situation. Stavis Wealth clients are not required to implement their financial plans through products and services offered by Stavis Wealth Transfer Solutions or its affiliates (each in their capacities as asset managers, insurance agencies, a bank or broker-dealers, as applicable).
Clients deciding to implement any portion of their financial plans through Stavis Wealth Transfer Solutions, or its affiliates generally do so by entering into separate agreements with Stavis Wealth Transfer Solutions or an affiliate. Stavis Wealth Transfer Solutions does not have discretion over specified client assets as part of Financial Planning but may have discretion as part of Assets under Supervision. Corporate Partners often have other relationships with Stavis Wealth as vendors, partners, or clients and they, their employees, or participants may receive benefits or preferential fees or rates as a result of such other relationships. See Item 5- Negotiated Fees and Item 11 – Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions.
~ 4 ~ In addition to the above services, Financial Planning is also offered to supplement advisory services made available to certain current or prospective clients serviced by other RIAs.
Private Wealth Advisors (“PWA s ”) , advisory personnel with other RIAs and family offices.
When Stavis Wealth Transfer Solutions provides Financial Planning only to current or prospective clients they undertake no responsibility for, and provide no investment or brokerage services related to, such clients’ investment accounts unless otherwise agreed to in writing.
Stavis Wealth Transfer Solutions offers Financial-Wealth Planning through the various programs described below: Executive Wealth Executive Wealth programs and services offered by Wealth Advisors are made available to executives and high-net-worth clients directly or through an RIA or family office.
Comprehensive estate and financial plans intended to maximize compensation and benefit programs, preserve and/or grow assets, manage income on a long-term basis, and integrate tax, retirement, and estate plans and goals. In order to deliver comprehensive financial planning services, Wealth Advisors analyze a number of factors, including, as applicable, the client’s financial status, sources of income, assets, personal obligations and debts, objectives, commitments, cash flow, family responsibilities and the effect of the existing income and estate tax structure on the client’s sources of income and accumulation of wealth.
Family Office Family Office services are designed to help individuals and families with significant wealth manage their complex financial affairs. Family Office services can be provided to clients directly or through an RIA and often includes work with several generations within one client family and coordination with the individual’s or family’s other advisers (as directed).
In many cases, Family Office services offer high-net-worth individuals and families an alternative to creating their own family office. Services include estate and trust planning and insurance policy trust management, review and evaluation of subaccounts within life insurance, portfolio monitoring, philanthropic and foundation planning, cash flow planning, tax planning and insurance audits.
Tools for Financial Planning As referenced above, Financial Planning services are provided to clients through a variety of means, including through in-person meetings, video conferences, telephone calls, digital platforms, e-mail, reporting, or a combination thereof. Wealth Advisors have available to them a variety of proprietary and third-party tools to aid in delivering Financial Planning services to clients.
~ 5 ~ Tailoring Financial Planning Financial Planning is typically designed to be personalized to the client, including such client’s unique circumstances and needs, personal financial goals, net worth, and/or complexity. Accordingly, the scope, duration, advisory personnel, deliverables, and channels through which Financial Planning is provided will vary among clients and services based on a variety of factors. Financial Planning will also vary among clients as a result of agreements with Stavis Wealth. Stavis Wealth will develop programs with Community-Based Partners.
Financial and Estate Planning programs will vary among organizations participating.
Certain programs may be tailored to address certain corporate partner needs or client events.
Financial and Estate Planning does not always address every aspect of a client’s financial life. Omission of one or more financial planning topics from discussions with Wealth Advisors

may be the result of differences and/or insufficient information provided by or on behalf of a client. Such omissions do not indicate that the Financial Planning topic is not relevant or applicable to the client’s financial situation, and clients are encouraged to consult with their other advisors regarding such topics (e.g., tax and legal counsel). In some situations, clients may be eligible for reduced or waived fees due to certain arrangements, such as legacy relationships.
Reliance on Information in Financial Planning In providing Financial Planning, Stavis Wealth relies on the accuracy and completeness of information provided by or on behalf of clients and does not assume responsibility to independently verify the accuracy or completeness of such information. Stavis Wealth does not assume responsibility to review, respond to, or incorporate into its services any materials uploaded by or on behalf of the client to any electronic storage system made available to clients. Clients must consult with and inform their designated Wealth Advisor regarding any specific materials they would like to include in the services.
Insurance Services Individuals affiliated with the Firm provide insurance and design recommendations to clients, as appropriate. We represent a wide range of life insurance, annuities, disability and long-term care products.
 Periodic monitoring of sub accounts within variable life insurance and annuity policies.  Annual trust policy management, including policies held within an irrevocable trust  Establish Trust related accounts to facilitate premium payment. With the exception of ongoing asset monitoring and investment supervisory services, assuming prompt provision of all information from the client, our financial planning ~ 6 ~ services are typically completed within 30-60 days of our engagement. Unless specifically requested by the client and agreed in writing, our performance of these services is typically accompanied by a formal written financial plan. On occasion, planning may be done on a project basis which may take the form of an informal written summary or checklist of action items and recommendations. Our final set of recommendations will be updated at least annually or upon a client’s specific request and upon re-engagement of our firm for such update(s) and the payment of a new advisory fee. Implementation of our recommendations will be at the exclusive discretion of the client and may be completed by our firm for an additional cost as agreed in writing. The client is under no obligation to use our firm to implement any recommendations provided.
Tailored/Customized Advisory Services – Financial/Wealth & Estate Planning Stavis Wealth offers personalized financial and estate planning advisory services, developed as a hybrid of any of the foregoing service offerings that are tailored to the unique needs of the client’s situation and financial reality. During the first information share meeting we will determine an appropriate mix of services based on the needs and circumstances of the client. The advice we provide is driven by each client’s individual, financial objectives, goals, personal risk assessment, liquidity needs, generational requirements, charitable desires, coordination of estate and trust planning documents with their attorney, and accountant for tax considerations. According to these needs, we develop and recommend an appropriate strategic plan.
-Examples of the products we might recommend include: life insurance, both fixed and variable, (including private placement life insurance), annuities, variable annuities, long- term care, and disability.
Ancillary Services Upon request, we may review a client’s existing estate plan and make recommendations in conjunction, with legal and accounting advisors, to provide guidance regarding the probate process, coordination, control, and distribution of assets to several various entities. These services offered in collaboration with legal counsel are provided to address certain issues with estate taxes, post-mortem control of assets, and other key details of a client’s post- mortem plan.
Trust Policy Management  Notices regarding the timing of the gift to the Trust checking account  Notification to beneficiary regarding withdrawal rights (Crummey Powers); continuous updating to the number of beneficiaries for utilizing the annual gift tax exclusion(s)  Notification to Trustee regarding timing of premium payment  Handle administrative policy details such as resignation and appointment of Trustees, change of address, etc. ~ 7 ~ Supervising/Oversight Advisor to Insurance Dedicated Funds within PPLI/PPVA Stavis Wealth may recommend that certain clients invest in private placement life insurance (“PPLI”) and private placement variable annuities (“PPVA”). When recommending PPLI, Stavis Wealth refers the client to appropriate insurance carriers in order to evaluate the individual Client’s specific needs and, when appropriate, may recommend a PPLI policy. After the PPLI policy is created, Stavis Wealth may be hired by the Client insured under the PPLI policy as a supervising or oversight advisor to help supervise the assets of the policy. The PPLI policy is a sponsored insurance dedicated fund ("IDF"). An IDF may also operate as one or more private investment funds each being organized as a designated series (each a "Fund") that is housed within an investment sub- account. Such IDFs are offered solely to segregated asset accounts of insurance companies established for the owners of private placement variable life insurance contracts or private placement variable annuity contracts. Each Fund typically has the ability to invest globally in speculative investments utilizing a variety of financial vehicles, including without limitation, funds, private investment vehicles, hedge funds, stocks, bonds, pools, warrants, options, preferred and convert debt and equity, real estate and any other investments which may be legally invested in by the Fund under applicable law. The investment strategy applicable to investments in all Funds varies from seeking capital preservation to capital appreciation. Investors in the Funds may not impose restrictions on the types of securities purchased.
Private Placement Insurance Programs & Investment Sub-Accounts Through insurance sponsors or insurance broker/agents, accredited investors may choose to invest in PPLI or PPVA with the segregated investment account managed under the insurance sponsor’s PPLI or PPVA investment sub-account program. PPLI is a variable universal life insurance policy that provides a segregated investment account and a life insurance benefit. PPVA enables investors to defer income tax on investment gains without the traditional retail variable annuity features such as income guarantees or principal protection, thus reducing the internal fees. The life insurance portion of these products is provided through the insurance sponsor company.
Financial Planning and Consulting Services Stavis Wealth Transfer Solutions can provide financial planning and/or consulting services (including estate planning, insurance planning, divorce planning, etc.) to the extent specifically requested by a client. Financial and Estate Advisory planning or consulting fees are negotiable as described in Item-5 Fees and Compensation.
Stavis Wealth Transfer Solutions provides certain clients with access to an online platform hosted by eMoney Advisor Advisors, LLC (“eMoney”). The eMoney platform allows a client to view their complete asset allocation, including those assets that Stavis Wealth does not manage. The Firm does not provide investment management, monitoring, or implementation services for any assets.
~ 8 ~ The eMoney platform also provides access to other types of information and/or reports, including financial planning concepts. The generated information and/or reports are provided for educational purposes only and the client should not rely on it as the primary basis for insurance, investment, financial, and/or tax planning decisions. The generated report is not a recommendation of any investment strategy or transaction, rather it is a tool for Stavis Wealth and the client to collaboratively: (i) confirm the accuracy of the information on the client’s risk tolerance and other personal and financial information, and (ii) solicit the client’s input and feedback to refine the approach for the client’s financial future. Stavis Wealth Transfer Solutions shall not be held responsible for any adverse results a client may experience if the client engages in financial planning or other functions available on the eMoney platform without Stavis Wealth Transfer Solutions assistance or oversight.
Multi-Generational Strategic Planning & Family Retreats Stavis Wealth offers Family Retreats, typically a full day with the entire family in a non- office setting (including multi-generational family members). Each family participant completes a behavioral assessment that explores “how” they behave in various financial situations and their “why”, which reflects their values.
Stavis Wealth combines financial information with the family dynamics utilizing the profile of each family member. A meeting typically includes a review of family assets, estate and income tax forecasts, along with ways to minimize estate tax. Ways to reduce estate tax, ranging from design ideas such as Family Limited Partnerships, Trusts and charitable gifts, whether in a Donor Advised Fund or a Private Foundation, provide ways to reduce the estate tax, along with a discussion of the most economic ways to pay the estate tax and examine ways to overcome misalignment among family members. Critically, we examine and help develop ways to align family members regarding an optimum estate and philanthropic strategy.
Advisory Supervisory Services Stavis Wealth does not provide investment management services or manage assets on a fee basis. The Firm does provide certain investment advisory supervisory services and associated with the sub-accounts that exist in variable insurance products.
Options for investing the cash value within life insurance contracts are expanding at a significant rate, which creates:  Analysis of clients’ risk tolerance  At least a quarterly review of both asset allocation within the subaccounts and the need for more active investment within the cash value of the policy to properly assess client risk tolerance, offer significant optionality and  Active management within sub accounts may require additional monitoring at least quarterly ~ 9 ~  Provide an annual update and performance report on each insurance policy The Firm accepts discretion to allocate and reallocate insurance related investment subaccounts as part of its advisor supervisory services for clients. Advisory clients may grant us, respectively, discretion to: (a) select variable subaccounts for clients’ existing variable annuities and (b) allocate and reallocate any premiums among the variable subaccounts available from the specific annuity sponsor. In performing variable subaccount allocation services, the Firm will only consider the variable subaccount investment options available within the specific insurance or annuity purchased by the client. The Firm does not determine which variable subaccount options are made available by insurance companies or product sponsors, and variable subaccounts are not custodied at the Firm. If a client has not granted discretion regarding variable subaccounts as described above, the Advisers may provide clients with education regarding asset allocation principles or examples of model portfolios.
Assets Supervised/Managed As of February 28, 2024, the Firm has total advisory assets under supervision of approximately $53.8 million, consisting of $0 on a discretionary basis and approximately $53.8 million on a non-discretionary basis.