Description of Services and Fees
We are a registered investment adviser based in Clinton Township, Michigan. We are organized as a
limited liability company under the laws of the State of Michigan. We have been providing investment
advisory services since 2002. Donald P. Carnaghi and Thomas R. Mazza are our principal owners.
Premier Estate Planners, LLC ("PEP") is a fee-only independent financial adviser that provides wealth
management services by incorporating financial planning and investment portfolio management. We
have several relationships with third party investment managers and work with both discretionary and
non-discretionary accounts. Our goal is to maximize client wealth through education, commitment and
professional partnerships. Currently, we offer the following investment advisory services, which are
personalized to each individual client:
•Portfolio Management Services
•Selection of Other Advisers
•Savings Plan Management
•Financial Planning Services
The following paragraphs describe our services and fees. Please refer to the description of each
investment advisory service listed below for information on how we tailor our advisory services to your
individual needs. Also, you may see the term Associated Person throughout this Brochure. As used in
this Brochure, our Associated Persons are our firm's officers, employees, and all individuals providing
investment advice on behalf of our firm.
Portfolio Management Services
We offer discretionary portfolio management services to our clients and prospective clients. Our
investment advice is tailored to meet our clients' needs and investment objectives. If you retain our firm
for portfolio management services, we will meet with you to determine your investment objectives, risk
tolerance, and other relevant information (the "suitability information") at the beginning of our advisory
relationship. We will use the suitability information we gather from our initial meeting to develop a
strategy that enables our firm to give you continuous and focused investment advice and/or to make
investments on your behalf. As part of our portfolio management services, we may customize an
investment portfolio for you in accordance with your risk tolerance and investing objectives.
We also provide investment advice for clients currently holding variable annuities within their
investment portfolio(s). Although persons providing investment advice on behalf of our firm will not
receive commissions on the sale of variable annuities to clients, where clients have granted us trading
authority, these accounts will be included for our annual AUM reporting obligation and may be included
for calculating our annual advisory fee. Please refer to our fee schedule below.
We may also invest your assets using a predefined strategy, or we may invest your assets according
to one or more model portfolios developed by our firm. Once we construct an investment portfolio for
you, or select a model portfolio, we will monitor your portfolio's performance on an ongoing basis, and
will rebalance the portfolio as required by changes in market conditions and in your financial
circumstances.
If you participate in our discretionary portfolio management services, we require you to grant our firm
discretionary authority to manage your account. Discretionary authorization will allow our firm to
determine the specific securities, and the amount of securities, to be purchased or sold for your
account without your approval prior to each transaction. Discretionary authority is typically granted by
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the investment advisory agreement you sign with our firm, a limited power of attorney, or trading
authorization forms. Clients may impose investment restrictions in the portfolios under our portfolio
management services.
Our fee for portfolio management services is based on a percentage of the assets we manage and is
subject to negotiation. The portfolio management fees range from 0.50% to 1.50% annualized.
Assets Under ManagementAnnual Fee
First $400,000 1.50%
Next $350,000 1.25%
Next $250,000 1.00%
Next $1 million 0.75%
Next $2 million 0.60%
Next $6 million0.50%
*Amounts above $10 million are
negotiable
Our annual portfolio management fee is billed and payable quarterly in advance based on the value of
your account on the last day of the previous quarter.
If the portfolio management agreement is executed at any time other than the first day of a calendar
quarter, our fees will apply on a pro rata basis, which means that the advisory fee is payable in
proportion to the number of days in the quarter for which you are a client. Our advisory fee is
negotiable, depending on individual client circumstances.
At our discretion, we may combine the account values of family members living in the same household
to determine the applicable advisory fee. For example, we may combine account values for you and
your minor children, joint accounts with your spouse, and other types of related accounts. Combining
account values may increase the asset total, which may result in your paying a reduced advisory fee
based on the available breakpoints in our fee schedule stated above.
We will deduct our fee directly from your account through the qualified custodian holding your funds
and securities. We will deduct our advisory fee only when you have given our firm written authorization
permitting the fees to be paid directly from your account. Further, the qualified custodian will deliver an
account statement to you at least quarterly. These account statements will show all disbursements
from your account. You should review all statements for accuracy. We will also receive a duplicate
copy of your account statements.
You may terminate the portfolio management agreement upon 30-days' written notice to our firm. You
will incur a pro rata charge for services rendered prior to the termination of the portfolio management
agreement, which means you will incur advisory fees only in proportion to the number of days in the
quarter for which you are a client. If you have pre-paid advisory fees that we have not yet earned, you
will receive a prorated refund of those fees.
Selection of Other Advisers
As part of our investment advisory services, we will recommend that you use the services of a third
party investment adviser ("TPA") to manage your entire, or a portion of your, investment portfolio. After
gathering information about your financial situation and objectives, we will recommend that you engage
a specific TPA or investment program. Factors that we take into consideration when making our
recommendation(s) include, but are not limited to, the following: the TPA's performance, methods of
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analysis, fees, your financial needs, investment goals, risk tolerance, and investment objectives. We
will periodically monitor the TPA(s)' performance to ensure its management and investment style
remains aligned with your investment goals and objectives.
The TPA(s) will actively manage your portfolio and will assume discretionary investment authority over
your account. We will assume discretionary authority to hire and fire TPA(s) and/or reallocate your
assets to other TPA(s) where we deem such action appropriate.
We do not charge you a separate fee for the selection of other advisers. We will share in the advisory
fee you pay directly to the TPA. The advisory fee you pay to the TPA is established and payable in
accordance with the disclosure brochure provided by each TPA to whom you are referred and
therefore the value of your accounts managed by each TPA are not eligible to be combined for
purposes of fee breakpoints available under our Portfolio Management Services as described above.
These fees may or may not be negotiable. Our compensation may differ depending upon the individual
agreement we have with each TPA. As such, we may have an incentive to recommend one TPA over
another TPA with whom we have less favorable compensation arrangements or other advisory
programs offered by TPAs with which we have no compensation arrangements.
You will be required to sign an agreement directly with the recommended TPA(s).
You may terminate
your advisory relationship with the TPA according to the terms of your agreement with the TPA. You
should review each TPA's disclosure brochure for specific information on how you may terminate your
advisory relationship with the TPA and how you may receive a refund, if applicable. You should contact
the TPA directly for questions regarding your advisory agreement with the TPA.
Savings Plan Management
Premier Estate Planners, LLC acts as a solicitor for an investment advisory program that provides
continuous advice to individuals on the investment options available to them within their company-
sponsored qualified savings plan (e.g., 401(k), 403(b), 457).
Investment decisions for individual accounts are based upon the Investor Profile information collected
and qualified by the Premier Estate Planners, LLC Investment Advisor Representative. Client portfolios
are comprised of mutual fund shares and, in certain circumstances, individual securities may be held
(generally company stock in the form of a unitized fund). Based on changes in a client's Investor Profile
information, the markets and/or the economy, the Savings Plan Management program provider
(Retirement Management Systems Inc.) may make allocation changes to the client's savings plan
account on the client's behalf.
Custody and execution services for Savings Plan Management are provided by the custodian and/or
third party administrator selected by the company sponsored defined contribution plan. There is no
relationship between Premier Estate Planners, LLC and the provider of such services.
The fee for Savings Plan Management ("SPM") is either a fixed fee per 12-month period per account
(discounts may apply),or an annual asset based fee in accordance with following schedule:
Account Value Fixed Fee Asset Based Fee
$0 to $250,000 $480 0.25%
$250,000 to $500,000 $720 0.25%
$500,000 to $750,000 $960 0.25%
Over $750,000 $1,200 0.25%
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The account management fee is payable upon acceptance of the SPM Agreement, and due on a
monthly, quarterly or annual basis, as selected by client. The SPM Agreement is automatically
renewable every twelve months and shall remain in effect until such time as either party to the
Agreement receives written notice from the other party of its desire to cancel the agreement. The
ending or termination of the Agreement does not affect Investor's obligation to pay the annual fee.
Client may terminate this advisory service without penalty within five (5) business days of signing an
advisory agreement with the program provider.
Retirement Management Systems, Inc. ("RMS") is the third party service provider (program provider)
upon whom we rely to service Savings Plan Management Client accounts. RMS provides various
administrative, technology and advisory support services. Clients grant RMS discretion over Client
accounts in order to fulfill the Savings Plan Management program obligations. Please review the RMS
ADV Part 2A and Privacy Policy for more information regarding their handling of Client accounts for the
Savings Plan Management program.
Financial Planning Services
We offer broad-based, modular, and consultative financial planning services to our clients and
prospective clients. Financial planning will typically involve providing a variety of advisory services to
clients regarding the management of their financial resources based upon an analysis of their
individual needs. If you retain our firm for financial planning services, we will meet with you to gather
information about your financial circumstances and objectives. Once we review and analyze the
information you provide to our firm we will deliver a written plan to you, designed to help you achieve
your stated financial goals and objectives.
Financial plans are based on your financial situation at the time we present the plan to you, and on the
financial information you provide to our firm. You must promptly notify our firm if your financial
situation, goals, objectives, or needs change.
You are under no obligation to act on our financial planning recommendations. Should you choose to
act on any of our recommendations, you are not obligated to implement the financial plan through any
of our other investment advisory services. Moreover, you may act on our recommendations by placing
securities transactions with any brokerage firm.
We charge an hourly fee ranging from $100 to $250 for financial planning services, depending on the
scope and complexity of the plan, your situation, and your financial objectives. An estimate of the total
time/cost will be determined at the start of the advisory relationship. In limited circumstances, the
cost/time could potentially exceed the initial estimate. In such cases, we will notify you and request that
you approve the additional fee.
We require that you pay 50% of the fee in advance and the remaining portion upon the completion of
the services rendered. We will not require prepayment of a fee more than six months in advance and in
excess of $1,200.
At our discretion, we may waive or offset a portion of the financial planning fee should you choose to
implement the plan through our portfolio management services.
You may terminate the financial planning agreement by providing written notice to our firm. You will
incur a pro rata charge for services rendered prior to the termination of the agreement. If you have pre-
paid advisory fees that we have not yet earned, you will receive a prorated refund of those fees.
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Types of Investments
We offer advice on equity securities, corporate debt securities, commercial paper, certificates of
deposit, municipal securities, investment company securities, unit investment trusts, closed end funds,
U.S. Government securities and options contracts on securities.
Additionally, we may advise you on any type of investment that we deem appropriate based on your
stated goals and objectives. We may also provide advice on any type of investment held in your
portfolio at the inception of our advisory relationship.
IRA Rollover Recommendations
Effective December 20, 2021 (or such later date as the US Department of Labor ("DOL") Field
Assistance Bulletin 2018-02 ceases to be in effect), for purposes of complying with the DOL's
Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2020-02 ("PTE 2020-02") where applicable, we are providing the
following acknowledgment to you.
When we provide investment advice to you regarding your retirement plan account or individual
retirement account, we are fiduciaries within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable, which are laws governing retirement
accounts. The way we make money creates some conflicts with your interests, so we operate under a
special rule that requires us to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. Under
this special rule's provisions, we must:
•Meet a professional standard of care when making investment recommendations (give prudent
advice);
•Never put our financial interests ahead of yours when making recommendations (give loyal
advice);
•Avoid misleading statements about conflicts of interest, fees, and investments;
•Follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that we give advice that is in your best
interest;
•Charge no more than is reasonable for our services; and
•Give you basic information about conflicts of interest.
We benefit financially from the rollover of your assets from a retirement account to an account that we
manage or provide investment advice, because the assets increase our assets under management
and, in turn, our advisory fees. As a fiduciary, we only recommend a rollover when we believe it is in
your best interest.
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2022, we provide continuous management services for $87,846,366 in client
assets on a discretionary basis, and $90,234,003 in client assets on a non-discretionary basis.