Headquartered in Lafayette, California, Meridian is an independent investment-advisory firm registered
with the SEC under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and the Commissioner of Corporations of the
State of California.1 Meridian was founded in 2004 and is its principal owner is the Woodall Family
2010 Trust.
Meridian offers investment-advisory services to various categories of clients (“you”). Our service is
provided on an individualized and confidential basis. Meridian services relate to allocation of assets
among different classes, security purchases and sales, portfolio diversification, management of
portfolio risk and general financial planning. Asset management is guided by your stated guidelines
and objectives and we maintain all managed assets with a qualified custodian. Investment and
suitability restrictions (“restrictions”) are at your discretion and these will affect your overall account
performance.
When managing your assets we generally take these steps:
Your investment guidelines and objectives are identified by assessing your risk tolerance, time
horizon, income, net worth, tax situation, education, need for cash flows, investment goals,
and resilience to market volatility. We note any restrictions imposed by you. We request that
such guidance be focused and specific. We collect this information through meetings,
interviews, and a questionnaire;
After analyzing your financial situation and formulating together with you an investment
strategy, we implement an investment strategy through combination of investments;
We monitor capital market conditions and changes in your circumstances;
We make adjustments to your assets to reflect significant changes in any or all of the above
variables; and
You receive a quarterly report from us detailing asset positions and performance.
You may also retain us in a single engagement on a fixed fee or hourly basis to provide you with advice
categorized as financial planning. The term financial planning, as used herein, refers to helping you
formulate financial goals, and then helping you determine the direction you should take to reach these
goals, using your available financial resources. We make recommendations concerning
areas other
than securities, such as insurance needs, tax analysis and planning, estate plan review, retirement
planning, education funding analysis, mortgage and refinance analysis, opinion on current investment
strategy, employee stock option analysis, and other areas which affect your financial affairs but are not
necessarily related to securities. Such recommendations do not constitute nor substitute for legal or
1 Registration with the SEC does not imply a certain level of skill or training or that the SEC or other regulator
recommends or guarantees the quality of our services. It means that we meet the minimum requirements for
registration as an investment advisor.
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accounting advice and you are encouraged to consult with your legal and/or tax adviser on any legal or
tax matter. Implementation of the financial plan in a standalone engagement, not incidental to the
investment-advisory service, is at your discretion. Follow up services are billed separately at our then
current hourly rate.
In performing our services to you, Meridian will not verify any information received from you or from
your other professionals (i.e., attorney, tax preparer, bookkeeper, etc) and we will rely on you to
promptly provide us with any change in your financial situation or investment objectives that would
necessitate a revision of your portfolio and/or financial plan.
When Meridian provides investment advice to you regarding your investment accounts, including your
retirement plan account or individual retirement account, we are fiduciaries within the meaning of
certain state and federal laws such as the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) and/or
the Internal Revenue Code and the regulations of the SEC, as applicable. These regulations require
Meridian to act in your best interest and not put Meridian’s interests ahead of yours and to follow
special provisions.
Meridian does not provide advisory services to any wrap fee programs.
As of December 31, 2023, Meridian had approximately $486.8 million in assets under management, of
which 100 percent were managed on a discretionary basis. We do not manage assets on a non-
discretionary basis.