Firm Description
FFI is the abbreviation of Future Finances Inc. The abbreviation will be used
in the brochure.
Future Finances Inc., FFI was founded in 1980.
Future Finances Inc. provides personalized confidential financial planning and
investment management to individuals, pension and profit sharing plans,
trusts, estates, charitable organizations and small businesses. Advice is
provided through consultation with the client and may include: determination
of financial objectives, identification of financial problems, cash flow
management, tax planning, insurance review, investment management,
education funding, retirement planning, and estate plan.
FFI is also in the business of offering annuities, insurance, stocks, bonds,
mutual funds, limited partnerships, or other commissioned products. FFI does
not compensate for client referrals.
Investment advice is an integral part of financial planning. In addition, FFI
advises clients regarding cash flow, college planning, retirement planning, tax
planning and estate planning.
Investment advice is provided, with the client making the final decision on
investment selection. FFI does not act as a custodian of client assets. The
client always maintains asset control. FFI places trades for clients under a
limited power of attorney.
A written evaluation of each client's initial situation is provided to the client,
often in the form of a net worth statement. Periodic reviews are also
communicated to provide reminders of the specific courses of action that
need to be taken. More frequent reviews occur but are not necessarily
communicated to the client unless immediate changes are recommended.
Other professionals (e.g., lawyers, accountants, insurance agents, etc.) are
engaged directly by the client on an as-needed basis. Conflicts of interest will
be disclosed to the client in the unlikely event they should occur.
The initial meeting, which may be by telephone, is free of charge and is
considered an exploratory interview to determine the extent to which financial
planning and investment management may be beneficial to the client.
Principal Owner
Max T. Larsen is primary owner. Bradley Huffman is a partial owner of the
firm.
Types of Advisory Services
FFI provides investment supervisory services, also known as asset
management services and manages investment advisory accounts not
involving investment supervisory services. FFI specializes in the use of
technical analysis as part of the overall investment management services.
On more than an occasional basis, FFI furnishes advice to clients on matters
not involving securities, such as financial planning matters, taxation issues,
and retirement planning.
As of 12-31-2023, FFI manages approximately $238,824,931 in assets across
approximately 646 accounts.
These assets are managed on a discretionary basis.
Tailored Relationships
The goals and objectives for each client are documented in our client
relationship management system. Clients may impose restrictions on
investing in certain securities or types of securities.
Agreements may not be assigned without client consent.
Types of Agreements
The following agreements define the typical client relationships.
Financial Planning Agreement
A financial plan is designed to help the client with all aspects of financial
planning without ongoing investment management after the financial plan is
completed.
FFI offers clients financial planning services that are designed to assist the
client with business planning, retirement planning, life and health insurance,
estate planning, tax planning, asset allocation and investment planning.
In preparing a financial plan the client must provide FFI with their past
financial history, present financial position and their current economic goals.
FFI may obtain additional information from client documents such as wills,
trust agreements, fringe benefit programs, tax returns, business agreements,
insurance policies and programs, past and current investments (including cost
basis, basis for investment, tax ramifications) investment objectives, income,
expenses, other obligations, financial goals, other advisors to the client, family
background, attorneys, accountants, banks, and all other information that
economically effects the client.
FFI will review and analyze the information provided for the purpose of
preparing a report detailing the clients’ current financial condition. Based on
the client’s goals and other factors the report will include detailed financial
recommendations. This report will be provided to the client in the form of a
plan that may be implemented at the client’s discretion. The client is solely
responsible for the decision of whether to follow the recommendations made
by the FFI representative.
Implementing these recommendations may require the assistance of
professionals who are unaffiliated with FFI. The services of such
professionals will be provided at an additional fee to the client charged by and
paid to the professional directly. No professionals will be involved without the
client’s prior approval.
The client at their discretion may implement the recommendations through
FFI acting in the capacity of an Investment Advisor, or the client may
implement the
recommendations on his or her own without further aid from
FFI. If the client chooses to implement the recommendations through FFI, the
representative may receive a commission to execute those transactions aside
from any fee earned herein.
Fees for financial planning services shall be charged on an hourly basis to
review, prepare, analyze and present the client with a financial plan. The
hourly rate shall range from $50 to $500 per hour and shall depend upon the
experience and expertise of the advisor; the complexity and
comprehensiveness of the service; and the client’s net worth. One-half of an
estimated fee shall be payable by the client at the time the client signs the
agreement. The remaining fee is due when the plan is presented to the
client. An estimate of the fee shall be provided to the client in writing and
must be accompanied with a disclosure statement.
A client may terminate the agreement upon written notice. Any prepaid fees,
which have been unearned, shall be returned to the client. The portion of any
refund shall be calculated based on the amount of time spent on preparatory
work and actual work at the predetermined hourly rate. The fee for a financial
plan is predicated upon the facts known at the start of the engagement. The
minimum fee is $1,250 and is not negotiable. Since financial planning is a
discovery process, situations occur wherein the client is unaware of certain
financial exposures or predicaments.
In the event the client’s situation is substantially different than disclosed at the
initial meeting, a revised fee will be provided for mutual agreement. The
client must approve the change in advance of the additional work being
performed when a fee increase is necessary.
Advisory Service Agreement
Most clients choose to have FFI manage their assets in order to obtain
ongoing in-depth advice and life planning. Various aspects of the client’s
financial affairs are reviewed. Realistic and measurable goals are set and
objectives to reach those goals are defined. As goals and objectives change
over time, suggestions are made and implemented on an ongoing basis.
Advisor services are provided through Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services
(IWS). IWS is a non-commission and advisory fee program where FFI
provides investment advisory services with securities execution, custodial and
other administrative services provided by Fidelity Registered Investment
Advisor Group and its clearing broker dealer, IWS. Through this program,
domestic stocks, exchanged traded funds (ETFs) corporate bonds,
government bonds, no-load mutual funds, load-waived mutual funds,
municipal bond funds, and ADRs may be utilized in an account.
FFI will gather information on a client’s financial history, goals, objectives, and
financial concerns and assist client in developing an asset allocation strategy.
All information gathered from the client is confidential. Based on client’s
investment objectives, risk tolerance, and financial situation, FFI will prepare
a portfolio analysis and portfolio recommendations. Additionally, FFI will
provide ongoing monitoring and periodically make recommendations for
changes to the account as deemed necessary. The minimum account size
requirement in order to participate in the Program is generally $500,000. The
minimum account size may be waived at the sole discretion of management.
Clients are advised that transactions in the account, account reallocations
and rebalancing may trigger a taxable event for the client, with the exception
of IRA accounts, 403(b) accounts and other qualified retirement accounts.
Clients will pay an advisory fee to FFI in accordance with the fee schedule
outline under Investment Advisory Fees section. Investment advisory fees
are billed and payable quarterly in arrears and pro-rated for any additions or
deletions during the quarter. The fee schedule may be lower based on the
needs and financial complexity of the individual. Additionally, clients will pay
transactional costs associated with each transaction.
Transactional fees assessed by Fidelity for the purchase or sale of stocks or
ETFs will vary based on the client account. For households with a value of
$1,000,000 and greater or for accounts that subscribe to electronic delivery
Fidelity’s transaction charge is $0. For households less than $1,000,000 or for
those that do not elect electronic delivery, the transaction charge is $4.95.
IWS provides full service brokerage accounts to clients. These accounts will
be monitored by FFI. All investment decisions will be made by FFI in
accordance with the client’s investment objectives set forth by the client.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY Fee
First $ 1.00 to $ 250,000 of investment assets 1.25%
Next $ 250,000 to $ 500,000 of investment assets 1.00%
Next $ 500,001 to $ 750,000 of investment assets 0.75%
Next $ 750,001 to $1,000,000 of investment assets 0.50%
Next $1,000,001 of investment assets and above 0.25%
Clients can engage certain persons associated with FFI (but not FFI) to
render securities brokerage services under a commission arrangement.
Clients are under no obligation to engage such persons and may choose
brokers or agents not affiliated with FFI. Under this arrangement, clients
may implement securities transactions through certain of FFI’s Supervised
Persons in their respective individual capacities as registered representatives
of Triad Advisors, LLC., an SEC registered broker-dealer and member of
FINRA. Triad may charge brokerage commissions to effect these securities
transactions and thereafter, a portion of these commissions may be paid by
Triad to such Supervised Persons. Prior to effecting any transactions clients
are required to enter into a new account agreement with Triad. The
brokerage commissions charged by Triad may be higher or lower than
those charged by other broker-dealers. In addition, certain of FFI’s
Supervised Persons may also receive ongoing 12b-1 fees for mutual fund
purchases from the mutual fund company during the period that the client
maintains the mutual fund investment. FFI’s Supervised Persons may
recommend no-load funds. FFI does not charge an advisory fee on the same
assets for which its Supervised Persons receive commissions.
A conflict of interest exists to the extent that FFI recommends the purchase
of securities where FFI’s Supervised Persons receive commissions or other
additional compensation as a result of FFI’s recommendations. FFI has
procedures in place to ensure that any recommendations made by such
Supervised Persons are in the best interest of clients.
For accounts covered by ERISA (and such others that FFI, in its sole
discretion deems appropriate), FFI provides its investment advisory services
on a fee-offset basis. In this scenario, FFI may offset its fees by an amount
equal to the aggregate commissions and 12b-1 fees earned by FFI’s
Supervised Persons in their individual capacities as registered representatives
of Triad.
If a mutual fund is held in an account, a client should understand mutual
funds charge management fees and expenses. Because mutual funds pay
advisory fees to their investment advisors and such fees therefore indirectly
charged to all holders of mutual fund shares, clients with mutual funds in their
portfolios are effectively paying both a direct management fee to Future
Finances, Inc. and an indirect fee through the mutual fund for the
management of those assets.
Retainer Agreement
Not applicable
Tax Preparation Agreement
Not applicable
Asset Management Agreement
Assets are invested primarily in no-load mutual funds and exchange-traded
funds, usually through discount brokers or fund companies. Fund companies
charge each fund shareholder an investment management fee that is
disclosed in the fund prospectus. Discount brokerages may charge a
transaction fee for the purchase of some funds.
Stocks and bonds may be purchased or sold through a brokerage account
when appropriate. The brokerage firm charges a fee for stock trades. FFI
does not receive any compensation, in any form, from fund companies or
brokerage firm for trading fees.
Investments may also include: equities (stocks), corporate debt securities,
certificates of deposit, municipal securities, investment company securities
(mutual funds shares), U. S. government securities, and options contracts.
Termination of Agreement
A Client may terminate any of the aforementioned agreements at any time by
notifying FFI in writing and paying the rate for the time spent on the
investment advisory engagement prior to notification of termination. If the
client made an advance payment, FFI will refund any unearned portion of the
advance payment.
FFI may terminate any of the aforementioned agreements at any time by
notifying the client in writing. If the client made an advance payment, FFI will
refund any unearned portion of the advance payment.