4a: Firm Description
The WealthGarden f.s. LLC is a California limited liability company formed in the State of California in 2021 and has been
in business as an investment adviser since 2021. The WealthGarden f.s. LLC became registered as an investment advisor
with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2024. T h e WealthGarden f.s. LLC is owned by Josephti S. Cruz; Jade
Eagles; and Wendy Turk. Our main office is located in El Segundo, CA 90245.
4a1: Principal Members
Josephti S. Cruz, Managing Member: Ms. Cruz may be contacted by email at
[email protected] or by telephone at (310) 571-8489.
Jade Eagles, Managing Member/Chief Compliance Officer: Mr. Eagles may be contacted by email at
[email protected] or by telephone at (310) 896-5661.
Wendy Turk, Managing Member: Ms. Turk may be contacted by email
at [email protected]
or by telephone at (310) 906-0170.
4b: Types of Advisory Services
WealthGarden offers a variety of investment advisory services to our clients with discretionary and non-discretionary
authority. WealthGarden’s services include investment management, financial planning and consulting services. Prior
to providing advisory services, clients are required to enter into a written agreement with WealthGarden.
Investment Management Services
We work with our clients to identify their investment goals and objectives as well as risk tolerance in order to create an
initial portfolio allocation designed to complement their clients’ financial goals and objectives. We may create a
portfolio, consisting of, but not limited to no-load funds and/or load-waived funds, exchange traded funds, individual
stocks or bonds.
Each portfolio will be initially designed to meet a particular investment goal which WealthGarden has determined to be
suitable to our client’s circumstances. Once the appropriate portfolio has been determined, we will review the portfolio
and rebalance the account based upon our client’s individual needs, stated goals and objectives. WealthGarden’s
strategy, generally, will be to seek to meet client investment objectives while providing clients with access to personal
advisory services. WealthGarden may also provide advice about any type of legacy position or other investment held in
client portfolios.
As a fiduciary, WealthGarden always acts solely in your best interests. Your portfolio is customized based on your
investment objectives. You may make requests or make suggestions in writing regarding the investments made in your
portfolio. Restrictions on trading which, in our opinion, are not in your best interest cannot be honored and if forced
may result in the termination of our agreement.
In cases where we are not given discretion, we must receive permission from the client to make any trades on a non-
discretionary basis. In non-discretionary accounts, you have the right to decide whether to act upon WealthGarden’s
recommendations. If you elect to act on any of the recommendations, you have the right to effect the transaction
through a professional unaffiliated with WealthGarden.
Our firm utilizes the sub-advisory services of a third party investment advisory firm or individual advisor to aid in the
implementation of an investment portfolio designed by our firm. Before selecting a firm or individual, our firm will ensure
that the chosen party is properly licensed or registered. Our firm will not offer advice on any specific securities or other
investments in connection with this service. We 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 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; communicate information to third
party money managers as warranted; and, 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, or account restrictions that could affect their financial standing.
Financial Planning Services
WealthGarden offers a broad range of financial planning and consulting services for our clients. Planning services can
be provided on a stand-alone basis, or in conjunction with our investment management services. Financial Planning
services are generally complimentary for clients that have investment management services. The exception would be
if financial planning is requested for complex situations beyond our normal scope listed below.
The services take into account information collected from the client such as financial status, investment objectives, tax
status, and financial resources among other data. With respect to estate planning and tax planning, our role will be that
of a coordinator between you and your designated professional(s).
Financial Planning includes, in all or part, but is not limited to, the preparation of a financial plan for an investment
advisory client which may include reviews and recommendations on any or all of the following areas depending on the
client’s circumstances:
Investment Planning: Determine with the client, based on their goals, time horizon and risk tolerance, how to
structure a suitable portfolio (using mutual funds and ETF’s) using principles of diversification, asset allocation,
and sometimes asset location.
Investment Policy Statements: Determining specific parameters within which a client’s investments will be
managed that can include the weighting of stocks to bonds to cash, the limitation on the use of any particular
type of security, the methodology used for rebalancing and so on.
Portfolio review and evaluation: Assessment of a client’s existing portfolio to determine suitability of their
current investments and in some cases, evaluating the differences between such and the methods
WealthGarden utilizes to manage assets. Evaluation can include weighting of asset classes, types of securities
used, concentrated positions, tax efficiency of investments, expense ratios and so forth.
Capital Needs Analysis (Goal Funding): A method using time value of money calculations to determine how
much a client would need to save, at a given level of return, every month or year in order to achieve a certain
financial goal, such as paying for 4 years of college for their child.
Tax Management and Planning: Forward-looking tax strategy that can help a client minimize their tax expenses
and maximize what they have to invest. This can include planning for Roth Conversions, Strategic Charitable
giving, Deferring income into tax advantaged retirement accounts, tax-loss harvesting – to name a few.
Trust and Estate Planning: Helping a client understand how assets are distributed upon death and at times,
working with their estate planning attorneys to achieve both their financial and estate planning goals. This also
involves review of beneficiary designations and ensuring clients have the proper and updated documents
drafted to ensure they are always in control of how assets will be distributed.
Trust and Estate Planning Coordination Services
WealthGarden offers Estate Planning Services to our ongoing financial planning and investment management
clients to assist with general information
as it applies to reviews of existing plans, gathering information needed
to provide outside firms in the creation of documents and the updating of existing documents. Depending upon
client needs and desires for estate planning document review, preparation, or updates we will engage with
Helios Integrated Panning a third-party scrivener service and estate planning attorneys. The fees associated
with these services are separate and in addition to ongoing financial planning or advisory fees.
Retirement Planning: Gathering data that relates to a client’s assets, liabilities, expenses, goals and savings,
and evaluating such to determine the most appropriate strategy to achieving the greatest probability of being
able to retire in the lifestyle they desire and maintain such for the rest of their lives.
Social Security: Helping a client decide when to file for social security is a critical part of the retirement planning
process. Married clients are advised on how to make their selections based on their particular circumstances
as a couple and can involve a complex analysis that depends on longevity, income needs, and whether the
client/s intend to work in their retirement.
Employee Benefits: If a client is an employee and has access to benefits, an analysis of available benefits can
be done together with the client, offering advice on what benefits should be selected based upon the particular
client’s wishes, goals and family needs. This can include various types of insurance, Flexible Spending accounts,
Employee Stock Purchase plans, Restricted Stock Awards, Options, and so on.
Education Planning: Helping clients plan financially for the expenses involved in educating their children and
the function of various tax advantaged ways of saving for such expenses such as with a 529 plan and annual
gifting.
Budgeting and Cash Flow Planning: Determining with the client what their net income and monthly/annual
expenses are so as to determine where costs might be reduced to produce additional cash flow that can be
allocated towards goals.
Debt Management: Where a client has debts, gathering data on the nature and interest rates being paid on all
liabilities, then completing a cash flow analysis to come up with the best strategy for tackling the paying down
of debt in the most efficient way possible.
Business Planning: If a client has or wishes to set up a small business, advice can be provided on entity selection,
setting up of a retirement plan, employee benefits, and potentially a cross-purchase/buy-sell agreement.
Charitable Giving: When a client wishes to be philanthropic, WealthGarden can assist the client in how to
leverage their investments to maximize contributions and provide tax advantages simultaneously. This can
include gifting of required minimum distributions (RMD’s), setting up of Donor Advised Funds or gifting of highly
appreciated shares, to name a few.
Insurance Analysis: Gathering data on all current insurance policies that a client may have such as life, disability,
and long term care policies and running an analysis to ensure that there is an adequate transfer of financial risk
to the insurance company and a client still has the opportunity to meet their financial goals should something
unforeseen occur such as a premature death or an disability.
Risk Management (Life and Disability Insurance): WealthGarden does not sell insurance products but can offer
advice on what types of insurance a client may need or be lacking and how much would be adequate to ensure
their goals are still met in the event of a disability or premature death.
Disability Planning and Income Protection: Using various planning tools, an analysis of any current income
protection a client may have through work (or owned individually) is completed to determine whether there
any “gaps” that might leave the client’s family unable to meet financial goals and if so, providing advice with
finding the appropriate coverage.
Financial planning services can vary and is customized depending on each client’s complexity and circumstances. The
financial planning services will be defined and agreed upon by both parties in advance. For example, a client’s not using
WealthGarden’s investment management services may request a comprehensive financial plan, or certain components
of our planning services.
The amount of time it could take to provide each of the financial planning services will depend on the client’s unique
circumstances and will vary from client to client. Our services are customized based on what a client may request. In
addition, the amount of time it takes to provide these services is dependent on the quality and scope of the information
that is provided by the client to the advisor.
Clients are encouraged to review their plans on a regular basis.
WealthGarden has a conflict of interest because it offers both financial planning and investment management services. When
providing financial planning services, WealthGarden has an incentive to recommend itself for investment management
services as WealthGarden receives additional compensation. WealthGarden mitigates this conflict of interest by disclosing
this conflict to you and disclosing that clients always have the right to decide whether to act on any of the recommendations
made by WealthGarden and if you elect to act on any of the recommendations, you have the right to effect the transactions
through a professional unaffiliated with WealthGarden. Our fiduciary obligation is to always act and recommend in the clients’
best interest.
Consulting Services
WealthGarden provides a wide array of customized consulting services which may vary greatly in depth and scope and
may be offered in a variety of different situations or circumstances that relate to your financial picture. We may consult
with you regarding topics that are not covered under our general financial planning services or may not rise to the level
of financial planning in the extent of data-gathering and breadth and depth of recommendations. We may consult on
such items as a real estate purchase, a sale analysis or review of a financial account. Financial accounts may be accounts
that are held at other firms or qualified retirement accounts held through the Client’s employer. The scope and cost of
our consulting services are defined in writing prior to the engagement and will depend on the complexity of the situation.
Consulting services will be offered to any client who the advisor deems to have circumstances that could be aided by
our consulting services. Some factors in this determination may be the advisor’s experience and level of expertise with
the situation. Clients always have the right to decide whether to engage WealthGarden for consulting services.
4c: Client Tailored Relationships and Restrictions
As a fiduciary, WealthGarden always acts solely in your best interests. Your portfolio is customized based on your
investment objectives. You may make requests or make suggestions regarding the investments made in your portfolio.
Restrictions on trading which, in our opinion, are not in your best interest cannot be honored and if forced may result
in the termination of our agreement.
You are under no obligation to act upon WealthGarden's or associated person's recommendations.
4d: Wrap Fee Program
WealthGarden offers The WealthGarden f.s. LLC Wrap Program, where appropriate, to interested prospects and
advisory clients. The WealthGarden f.s. LLC Wrap Program may utilize different custodians for the wrap fee program.
For more detailed information regarding our wrap fee program, please read the WealthGarden f.s. LLC Wrap
Program brochure.
4e: Assets under Management (AUM)
WealthGarden, as of December 31, 2023, had $ 138675024 in discretionary reportable assets under management and
$505912 in non-discretionary reportable assets under management for a total of $ 139180936 assets under management.