FM has provided investment advisory and financial planning services since January 1997
and has been registered with the SEC since November 1996. FM is organized as an Ohio
Corporation, which is owned by fourteen individual shareholders, none of whom owns a
majority of the firm.
As a registered investment advisor with the SEC, and under the rules of ERISA
(Employee Retirement Income Security Act), we provide advice in a fiduciary capacity,
acting in our clients’ best interests first, above all others. If an account is part of a
pension or other employee benefit plan (a “Plan”) governed by ERISA or an Individual
Retirement Account (an “IRA”) governed by the Internal Revenue Code, we
acknowledge that we are a “fiduciary” within the meaning of Section 3(21) of ERISA
(but only with respect to the provision of services described in our Advisory
Agreement). According to ERISA, the way we make money creates some conflicts of
interest, so we operate under a special ERISA rule requiring us to act in your best
interest and not put our interests ahead of yours. We represent that we are registered
as an investment adviser and duly qualified to manage Plan assets under applicable
regulations.
Our mission is to assist our clients in achieving their financial goals. We are a “fee-only,”
independent investment advisory firm, which means the only form of compensation are
the fees we receive from clients (i.e. no commissions, referrals, etc.). We offer wealth
management services through our two primary lines of business: financial planning; and
investment management. Clients may engage us for financial planning only, investment
management only, or for a combination of both services.
As of December 31, 2023, FM managed over $2,211,786,346 in client assets on a
discretionary basis, and $54,630,188 on a non-discretionary basis.
Our services include the following:
Wealth Management
We bundle our investment management and financial planning services under a
combined fee structure.
Investment Management: As part of our Wealth Management Service, we provide the
ongoing selection and management of investment portfolios for clients. In consideration
with return objectives, risk tolerance, liquidity needs, time horizon, tax status, and any
unique personal circumstances, we use a combination of individual securities, mutual
funds, exchange traded funds, alternatives, and private investments.
Generally, it is expected that your manageable financial assets are managed by us on a
“discretionary” basis, meaning we are granted the authority by you to determine the
securities or other assets to purchase or sell in the account. This discretion will remain
in effect unless revoked by you or FM. We will monitor your managed account on an
ongoing basis as part of our standard service.
Financial Planning: We provide financial planning as part of a Wealth Management
Agreement. Generally, a financial planning engagement consists of the following steps:
o Evaluation of your current financial situation.
o Discussion and definition of your financial goals.
o Development of a plan, or a road map to attain your goals.
o Assistance with implementation of the recommended actions.
Financial planning is a process not a product and each client is unique. For that reason,
we do not use “canned” financial planning software to create a “financial plan.” Our
work “product” is our advice and counsel. We document our recommendations and
analyses in writing, summarizing your key facts, and goals as well as our
recommendations.
We take a personalized approach to financial planning. We cannot prescribe remedies
without first conducting a thorough review of your financial condition. Our financial
planning service includes, but is not limited to, cash flow planning; retirement planning;
investment planning & review; tax analysis; college funding analysis; insurance needs
planning; and estate planning.
We are comfortable working with other professionals such as bankers, attorneys,
insurance agents, accountants, etc. We understand the importance of using other
professionals as needed during all phases of the planning process.
Institutional
Investment Management
This service includes investment management for endowments, foundations, charities,
non-profit organizations, insurance companies, corporations, and other institutions. We
provide the ongoing selection and management of investment portfolios, using a
combination of individual securities, mutual funds, and private investments, that takes
into consideration your return objectives, risk tolerance, liquidity needs, time horizon,
tax status, and any unique circumstances.
Miscellaneous
Charles Schwab Institutional Intelligent Portfolios Program (SIIP). (We no longer offer
this service.).
On a limited basis we had provide investment management services utilizing Charles
Schwab’s Institutional Intelligent Portfolios™ Program, an automated, online investment
management platform for use by independent investment advisors and sponsored by
Schwab Performance Technologies, Inc. (SPT). Through this program, we offered clients
a range of investment strategies we constructed and managed, each consisting of a
portfolio of exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) and a cash allocation. For those clients still
in the program the portfolio is held in a brokerage account opened by the client at
SPT’s affiliate, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Schwab). This program was described in the
SPT Institutional Intelligent Portfolios™ disclosures, which were available and provided
to clients by SPT during the online enrollment process.
FM, and not Schwab, are the client’s investment advisor and primary point of contact
with respect to the program. FM was solely responsible, (not Schwab), for determining
the appropriateness of the program for the client, choosing a suitable investment
strategy and portfolio for the client’s investment needs and goals, and managing that
portfolio on an ongoing basis. SPT’s role was limited to providing Schwab’s Program
disclosure information to clients and administering the program so that it operates as
described.
We contracted with Schwab to provide us with the technology platform and related
trading and account management services for the program. This platform enabled us to
make the Program available to clients online and included a system that automated
certain key parts of our investment process. FM has procedures in place for monitoring
the rebalancing in these accounts.
Non-Investment Consulting/Implementation Services. To the extent requested by the
client, FM may provide consulting services regarding non-investment related matters,
such as estate planning, tax planning, insurance, etc. Neither FM, nor any of its
representatives, serves as an attorney or insurance agent, and no portion of FM’s
services should be construed as same. To the extent requested by a client, FM may
recommend the services of other professionals for certain non-investment
implementation purposes (i.e. attorneys, accountants, insurance, etc.). The client is
under no obligation to engage the services of any such recommended professional. The
client retains absolute discretion over all such implementation decisions and is free to
accept or reject any recommendation from FM. Please Note: If the client engages any
unaffiliated recommended professional, and a dispute arises thereafter relative to such
engagement, the client agrees to seek recourse exclusively from and against the
engaged professional.
Client Obligations. It remains the client’s responsibility to promptly notify FM if there is
ever any change in their financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of
reviewing/evaluating/revising FM’s previous recommendations and/or services. In
performing its services, FM shall not be required to verify any information received from
the client or from the client’s other professionals and is expressly authorized to rely
thereon.
Please Note: Investment Risk. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of
risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment
or investment strategy (including the investments and/or investment strategies
recommended or undertaken by FM) will be profitable or equal any specific
performance level(s).