A. Courage Miller is a Delaware Limited Liability Company formed and registered as an investment
adviser in August 2008. Ralph Courage is Courage Miller’s principal owner, who serves as
Managing Member and Chief Compliance Officer.
B. Courage Miller offers investment advisory services, retirement plan consulting services, and
financial planning and related consulting services to its clients, who generally include individuals,
high net worth individuals, charitable organizations, corporations and other entities, pensions, and
profit sharing plans.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES
Clients can engage Courage Miller to provide discretionary or non-discretionary investment
advisory services on a fee-only basis. Courage Miller’s annual investment advisory fee is based on
a percentage of the market value of the assets placed under Courage Miller’s management. The
investment advisory fee compensates for initial and limited financial planning and consulting
services that Courage Miller provides in its sole discretion as part of the investment management
process, or as specifically requested by the client and upon Courage Miller’s agreement. Before
engaging Courage Miller to provide investment advisory services, clients enter into an investment
advisory agreement with Courage Miller setting forth the terms and conditions of the engagement,
describing the scope of the services to be provided, and the fee that is due from the client.
Courage Miller tailors its investment advisory services to the specific needs of each client. Before
providing investment advisory services, an investment adviser representative will collaborate with
the client to develop investment objectives, which are based upon an assessment of factors that
typically include: capital preservation; risk tolerance; income production; liquidity requirements;
client preferences; asset and liability levels; and investment restrictions. Then, Courage Miller will
allocate or recommend that the client allocate investment assets consistent with the designated
investment objectives. Courage Miller primarily allocates client investment assets among various
individual equity (stocks), debt (bonds), mutual funds, fixed income securities and exchange traded
funds (“ETFs”) (including inverse ETFs and mutual funds that are designed to perform in an inverse
relationship to certain market indices) on a discretionary or non- discretionary basis in accordance
with the client’s designated investment objectives. Once allocated, Courage Miller provides
ongoing monitoring and review of account performance and asset allocation as compared to client
investment objectives and may periodically execute or recommend execution of transactions for
the account based upon those reviews or other triggering events.
FINANCIAL PLANNING AND CONSULTING SERVICES (STAND-ALONE)
Courage Miller may offer to provide financial planning and consulting services (including
investment and non-investment related matters, including tax planning, estate planning, insurance
planning, cash flow analysis, etc.) on a stand-alone separate fee basis. Before engaging Courage
Miller to provide planning or consulting services, clients are generally required to enter into a
Financial Planning and Consulting Agreement with Courage Miller setting forth the terms and
conditions of the engagement (including termination), describing the scope of the services to be
provided, and the portion of the fee that is due from the client before Courage Miller will begin to
provide services.
RETIREMENT PLAN SERVICES
Courage Miller offers retirement plan consulting services to sponsors of self-directed retirement
plans organized under the Employee Retirement Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”). The terms and
conditions of the engagement between Courage Miller and the plan sponsor will be set forth in a
Pension Consulting Agreement. If Courage Miller performs these services in an ERISA Section
3(21) capacity, it will assist the plan sponsor with the development of investment policy statements,
and then the selection and monitoring of investment alternatives from which plan participants may
choose in self-directing the investments for their individual plan retirement accounts. Upon request
by the plan sponsor, Courage Miller may also provide participant education designed to assist
participants in identifying the appropriate investment strategy for their retirement plan accounts. If
the plan sponsor chooses to engage Courage Miller in an ERISA Section 3(38) capacity, Courage
Miller may provide the same services as described above, but may also: create specific asset
allocation models that Courage Miller manages on a discretionary basis, which plan participants
may choose in managing their individual retirement account; and/or modify the investment options
made available to plan participants on a discretionary basis.
MISCELLANEOUS
ERISA / IRC Fiduciary Acknowledgment. When Courage Miller provides investment advice to a
client about the client’s retirement plan account or individual retirement account, it does so as a
fiduciary within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act
(“ERISA”) and/or the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”), as applicable, which are laws governing
retirement accounts. Because the way Courage Miller makes money creates some conflicts with
client interests, Courage Miller operates under a special rule that requires it to act in the client’s
best interest and not put its interests ahead of the client’s. Under this special rule’s provisions,
Courage Miller must: meet a professional standard of care when making investment
recommendations (give prudent advice); never put its financial interests ahead of the client’s when
making recommendations (give loyal advice); avoid misleading statements about conflicts of
interest, fees, and investments; follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that Courage
Miller gives advice that is in the client’s best interest; charge no more than is reasonable for
Courage Miller’s services; and give
the client basic information about conflicts of interest.
Retirement Plan Rollovers – No Obligation / Conflict of Interest. A client or prospective client
leaving an employer typically has four options regarding an existing retirement plan (and may
engage in a combination of these options): (i) leave the money in the former employer’s plan, if
permitted, (ii) roll over the assets to the new employer’s plan, if one is available and rollovers are
permitted, (iii) roll over to an Individual Retirement Account (“IRA”), or (iv) cash out the account
value (which could, depending upon the client’s age, result in adverse tax consequences). If
Courage Miller recommends that a client roll over their retirement plan assets into an account to be
managed by Courage Miller, such a recommendation presents a conflict of interest if Courage
Miller will earn a new (or increase its current) advisory fee as a result of the rollover. Clients are
not obligated to roll over retirement plan assets to an account managed by Courage Miller.
Limitations of Financial Planning and Non-Investment Consulting/Implementation Services. To
the extent requested by a client, Courage Miller may provide consulting services regarding non-
investment related matters, such as estate planning, tax planning, insurance, etc. Courage Miller
does not serve as a law firm, accounting firm, or insurance agency, and no portion of Courage
Miller’s services should be construed as legal, accounting, or insurance implementation services.
Unless specifically agreed in writing, neither Courage Miller nor its representatives are responsible
to implement any financial plans or financial planning advice, provide ongoing financial planning
services, or provide ongoing monitoring of financial plans or financial planning advice. Clients are
solely responsible to revisit the financial plan or financial planning advice with Courage Miller, if
desired. Courage Miller’s financial planning and consulting services are completed upon
communicating its recommendations to the client, upon delivery of the written financial plan, or
upon termination of the applicable agreement. Clients retain absolute discretion over all financial
planning and related implementation decisions and are free to accept or reject any recommendation
from Courage Miller and its representatives in that respect. Upon specific request, Courage Miller
may recommend the services of other professionals for certain non-investment implementation
purposes (i.e., attorneys, accountants, insurance agents, etc.). Clients are not obligated to engage
the services of any recommended professionals, who are responsible for the quality and
competency of the services they provide.
Asset Aggregation / Reporting Services. Courage Miller may provide access to reporting services
through one or more third-party aggregation / reporting platforms that can reflect all of the client’s
investment assets, including those investment assets that the client has not engaged Courage Miller
to manage (the “Excluded Assets”). Courage Miller’s service for the Excluded Assets is strictly
limited to reporting, and specifically excludes investment management or implementation. Because
Courage Miller does not have trading authority for the Excluded Assets, the client (and/or a
designated investment professional), and not Courage Miller, will be exclusively responsible for
directly implementing any recommendations for the Excluded Assets and the resulting performance
or related activity (such as timing and trade errors) pertaining to the Excluded Assets. The third-
party aggregation / reporting platforms may also provide access to financial planning information
and applications, which should not be construed as services, advice, or recommendations provided
by Courage Miller. Accordingly, Courage Miller will not agree to be responsible for any adverse
results a client may experience if the client engages in financial planning or other functions
available on the third-party reporting platforms without Courage Miller’s participation or oversight.
Portfolio Trading Activity / Inactivity. As part of its investment advisory services, Courage Miller
will review client portfolios on an ongoing basis to determine if any trades are necessary based
upon various factors, including but not limited to investment performance, market conditions, fund
manager tenure, style drift, account additions/withdrawals, the client’s financial circumstances, and
changes in the client’s investment objectives. Based upon these and other factors, there may be
extended periods when Courage Miller determines that upon review, trades within a client’s
portfolio are not prudent. Clients nonetheless remain subject to the fees described in Item 5 during
periods of portfolio trading inactivity.
Client Obligations. When performing its services, Courage Miller is not required to verify any
information received from the client or from the client’s designated professionals and is expressly
authorized to rely on that information. Clients are responsible to promptly notify Courage Miller if
there is ever any change in their financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of
reviewing or amending Courage Miller’s services or previous recommendations.
C. Courage Miller provides investment advisory services specifically tailored to the needs of each
client. Before providing investment advisory services, an investment adviser representative will
coordinate with each client to develop their investment objectives. Then, Courage Miller will
allocate or recommend that the client allocate investment assets consistent with the designated
investment objectives. The client may, at any time, impose reasonable restrictions, in writing, on
Courage Miller’s services.
D. Courage Miller does not participate in a wrap fee program.
E. As of December 31, 2023, Courage Miller had $344,850,581 in assets under management on a
discretionary basis and $37,150,070 in assets under management on a non-discretionary basis.