Kershner Grosso & Co. (hereinafter referred to as “Kershner Grosso”) is a registered
investment advisor with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Kershner Grosso
has been in business since 1979 and is owned by Christopher Grosso and Timothy Fontaine.
Investment Management Services
Kershner Grosso furnishes investment management services to clients, including
individuals, trusts, corporations, and other business entities. Christopher Grosso, Timothy
Fontaine and/or Kershner Grosso, also serve as a trustee or co-trustee for a number of clients.
The term "investment management services" is defined as providing portfolio
management services to clients with respect to the investment of assets in a client's account.
We provide such services on a discretionary basis (i.e., Kershner Grosso makes specific investment
decisions for a client without first obtaining the client's approval), although we may consider a
non-discretionary arrangement under certain circumstances.
Investment supervisory services begin with Kershner Grosso working with each new client
to identify the client's investment objectives and their tolerance for risk. We then develop an
investment plan for their account(s) and we manage the client's assets in a manner consistent
with the client's investment objectives.
Kershner Grosso has discretionary authority for each account we manage. We make all
investment decisions for the account. Our firm, without prior consultation with the client, will
buy, sell, and otherwise trade in stocks, bonds, other securities and other financial instruments,
subject to the investment guidelines and/or instructions that have been established for each
client's account.
Investment advice and portfolio decisions are based primarily upon the judgment and
experience of Kershner Grosso's principals after analyzing all available information deemed
relevant. Clients assume the risk that their investment returns may be negative or less than the
rates of return of other investment advisors, market indices, or investment products.
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Our guiding principles include:
1. We own what our clients own
The officers of Kershner Grosso and their families have all of their monies invested at
Kershner Grosso. We own, in our personal and retirement accounts, many of the same
securities we own for our clients in their portfolios.
2. We are long-term investors, not speculators
We are continually seeking to maximize our clients’ after-tax returns, which we can do
much more effectively and efficiently with individual stocks and bonds than can be done
by short-term trading or by owning mutual funds.
3. We operate under a strict fiduciary standard
We are paid only management fees by our clients, and our interests are identical to our
clients’ interests. We don’t receive any commissions, rebates, referral fees, or other
payments from mutual funds, insurance companies, or from any other third-party firm.
4. We minimize our clients’ fees
The annual fees our clients pay are typically considerably lower than the annual fees,
commissions, and trading costs charged by many stockbrokers or other financial advisors
who buy and sell mutual funds for their clients’ portfolios.
A client’s investment plan is designed according to the specific needs, objectives, and
tolerance for risk of that client. During the initial consultations, the client and Kershner Grosso
discuss
the client’s needs, including desired goals and risk tolerance. Plans may involve
consultation with other professionals, including attorneys and accountants. The development of
the investment plan for each client is ongoing in nature.
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Kershner Grosso will not act as custodian for any client accounts. Rather, a qualified
custodian will be appointed to maintain possession of the assets of the account, to buy and sell
securities in the account, to settle transactions for the account, and to accept instructions from
Kershner Grosso regarding assets in the account, subject to certain procedural restrictions. In
addition, the custodian will notify both the client and Kershner Grosso of any additions or
withdrawals for the account.
Advisory agreements will continue until terminated by either Kershner Grosso or the client.
Termination requires written notice from one party to the other. In the event of termination,
the client will be reimbursed any management fees due, on a pro-rata basis, and Kershner Grosso
will receive payment of any accrued fees as described below. Termination by the client will not
affect transactions our firm has initiated on the client’s behalf prior to the effective date of the
termination.
Retirement Plan Services
Kershner Grosso’s retirement plan services provide retirement plan design, education
services and investment selection, and monitoring. We are defined as an ERISA Section 3(38)
investment manager. As a 3(38) manager, Kershner Grosso assumes the fiduciary
responsibility from the plan sponsor to manage the plan assets and acts as the sole decision
maker with respect to the selection and monitoring of the investments offered under the
plan. Plan sponsors are thus relieved of their responsibilities regarding the selection and
monitoring of individual investments, but retain the responsibility to perform due diligence
on Kershner Grosso. A 3(38) fiduciary designation is limited to banks, insurance companies,
and registered investment advisors like Kershner, Grosso & Co. that are subject to the
Investment Advisors Act of 1940.
Kershner Grosso may provide one or more of the following services:
▪ Assisting plan sponsors in developing a customized retirement and investment
plan to fit the needs of individual plan participants.
▪ Investment selection, ongoing monitoring, and performance reviews.
▪ Planning and coordination for plan transfer and/or conversion.
▪ Assist human resource staff and third party administrators with items regarding
plan administration.
▪ Individual employee meetings, retirement planning, investment advice, and
distribution consultation.
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▪ Group education and enrollment meetings.
▪ Assistance with plan administrative tasks such as loan, distribution, and rollover
processing.
▪ General information on legislative, Department of Labor, and Internal Revenue
Service matters relating to qualified plans.
▪ Draft the plan investment policy statement.
Trustee Services
Christopher Grosso, Timothy Fontaine and/or Kershner Grosso provide trustee services
to a number of our clients. We have 25 years of experience with respect to serving as a court-
appointed trustee and/or guardian, administering trusts, and managing the proceeds of those
trusts on behalf of our clients. In addition to our work as a trustee, we work with family members
to manage the proceeds of trusts for a number of other persons for whom we do not serve as
trustee.