A. Alpha Omega is a limited liability company formed on February 27, 2009 in the state of
Delaware (subsequent to which it converted to limited liability company under laws of the
Commonwealth of Virginia). Alpha Omega became registered as an Investment Adviser
Firm in April 2009. Alpha Omega is principally owned by Clay Hilbert and Everett
Reveley, and Clay Hilbert is the firm’s Managing Partner.
B.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES
Alpha Omega provides discretionary and/or non-discretionary investment advisory
services on a fee-only basis. Alpha Omega’s annual investment advisory fee shall be based
upon a percentage (%) of the market value and type of assets placed under Alpha Omega’s
management.
Before engaging Alpha Omega to provide investment advisory services, clients are
required to enter into an Investment Advisory Agreement with Alpha Omega setting forth
the terms and conditions of the engagement (including termination), describing the scope
of the services to be provided, and the fee that is due from the client. Before providing
investment advisory services, an investment adviser representative will ascertain each
client’s investment objectives. Thereafter, Alpha Omega will allocate and/or recommend
that the client allocate investment assets consistent with the designated investment
objectives. Once allocated, Alpha Omega provides ongoing monitoring and review of
account performance, asset allocation and client investment objectives.
FINANCIAL PLANNING AND CONSULTING SERVICES
Alpha Omega may provide financial planning and/or consulting services (including
investment and non-investment related matters, including estate planning, insurance
planning, etc.) in conjunction with its investment advisory services or on a stand-alone
separate fee basis. Prior to engaging Alpha Omega to provide planning or consulting
services on a stand-alone basis, clients are generally required to enter into a Financial
Planning and Consulting Agreement with Alpha Omega 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 prior to Alpha Omega
commencing services.
FAMILY OFFICE SERVICES
Some families have complex financial situations that require specialized service. Alpha
Omega views the investment advisory process as an integral part of the financial foundation
for a family’s lifestyle and legacy. Proper planning is the blueprint that allows clients to
achieve their goals. Alpha Omega takes pride in being the family wealth guardian, trusted
counselor and investment specialist. By working closely with family members, Alpha
Omega begins by evaluating the unique needs of each client. When developing the
investment strategy, Alpha Omega takes into account all objectives, constraints and risk
tolerances that shape life's priorities. Alpha Omega’s goal is to provide substantial value to
its clients’ lives in specific areas. Sound, comprehensive planning and investment
management is at the core of Alpha Omega’s services.
Financial Planning
Alpha Omega works closely with clients to identify their financial goals, understand their
financial situation and create a financial plan tailored specifically to them. Alpha Omega
coordinates with other professionals to help clients implement investment, tax and estate
strategies. Alpha Omega updates the client’s plan as the client’s life and the financial
landscape evolves.
Investment Strategy and Implementation
Alpha Omega implements an investment plan that is aligned with the client’s goals. Alpha
Omega carefully selects and actively monitors client investments and delivers
understandable reports that clearly display how investments are doing.
Family Philanthropy
Alpha Omega can help clients develop and implement a philanthropic plan that uses
clients’ talents, interests and resources to make a positive and lasting impact on the
community.
Household Finance
Alpha Omega helps clients get organized. Alpha Omega can assume the administrative
burdens of day-to-day household finance – like paying bills, coordinating insurance
coverage and managing household information. Alpha Omega understands the big picture
as well as the finer details of clients’ financial lives.
Family Education
Alpha Omega wants to help all members of a family attain a level of financial
understanding that allows them to participate comfortably in planning for the future. Alpha
Omega does this through individual consulting on routine matters as well as more
substantial education for entire families. Alpha Omega can help clients structure, plan or
facilitate family meetings.
RETIREMENT PLAN CONSULTING
Alpha Omega also provides retirement plan consulting services, pursuant to which it assists
sponsors of self-directed retirement plans with the selection and/or monitoring of
investment alternatives (generally open-end mutual funds) from which plan participants
shall choose in self-directing the investments for their individual plan retirement accounts.
In addition, to the extent requested by the plan sponsor, Alpha Omega may also provide
participant education designed to assist participants in identifying the appropriate
investment strategy for their retirement plan accounts. The terms and conditions of the
engagement shall generally be set forth in a Retirement Plan Consulting Agreement
between Alpha Omega and the plan sponsor.
MISCELLANEOUS
Limitations of Non-Investment Consulting/Implementation Services. As indicated
above, to the extent requested by a client, Alpha Omega may provide financial planning
and related consulting services. Neither Alpha Omega nor its investment adviser
representatives assist clients with the implementation of any financial plan, unless they
have agreed to do so in writing. Alpha Omega does not monitor a client’s financial plan,
and it is the client’s responsibility to revisit the financial plan with Alpha Omega, if desired.
Alpha Omega may provide consulting services regarding non-investment related matters,
such as estate planning, tax planning, insurance consulting, etc. Neither Alpha Omega, nor
any of its representatives, serves as an attorney, accountant, or insurance agent and no
portion of Alpha Omega’s services should be construed as same.
To the extent requested by a client, Alpha Omega may recommend the services of other
professionals for certain non-investment implementation purposes (i.e. attorneys,
accountants, insurance agents, 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 Alpha
Omega.
If the client engages any recommended unaffiliated professional, and a dispute arises
thereafter relative to such engagement, the client agrees to seek recourse exclusively from
and against the engaged professional. At all times, the engaged licensed professional (i.e.
attorney, accountant, insurance agent, etc.), and not Alpha Omega, shall be responsible for
the quality and competency of the services provided.
Each client is advised that it remains the client’s responsibility to promptly notify Alpha
Omega if there is ever any change in client’s financial situation or investment objectives
for the purpose of reviewing, evaluating or revising Alpha Omega’s previous
recommendations and/or services.
Cash Positions. Alpha Omega continues to treat cash as an asset class. As such, unless
determined to the contrary by Alpha Omega, all cash positions (money markets, etc.) shall
continue to be included as part of assets under management for purposes of calculating the
advisory fee. At any specific point in time, depending upon perceived or anticipated market
conditions/events (there being no guarantee that such anticipated market conditions/events
will occur), Alpha Omega may maintain cash positions for defensive purposes. In addition,
while assets are maintained in cash, such amounts could miss market advances. Depending
upon current yields, at any point in time, Alpha Omega’s advisory fee could exceed the
interest paid by the client’s money market fund.
Cash Sweep Accounts. Certain account custodians can require that cash proceeds from
account transactions or new deposits, be swept to and/or initially maintained in a
specific custodian designated sweep account. The yield on the sweep account will
generally be lower than those available for other money market accounts. When this
occurs, to help mitigate the corresponding yield dispersion Alpha Omega shall (usually
within 30 days thereafter) generally (with exceptions) purchase a higher yielding money
market fund (or other type security) available on the custodian’s platform, unless Alpha
Omega reasonably anticipates that it will utilize the cash proceeds during the subsequent
30-day period to purchase additional investments for the client’s account. Exceptions
and/or modifications can and will occur with respect to all or a portion of the cash balances
for various reasons, including, but not limited to the amount of dispersion between the
sweep account and a money market fund, the size of the cash balance, an indication from
the client of an imminent need for such cash, or the client has a demonstrated history of
writing checks from the account.
The above does not apply to the cash component maintained within a Alpha Omega
actively managed investment strategy (the cash balances for which shall generally remain
in the custodian designated cash sweep account), an indication from the client of a need for
access to such cash, assets allocated to an unaffiliated investment manager and cash
balances maintained for fee billing purposes.
The client shall remain exclusively responsible for yield dispersion/cash balance decisions
and corresponding transactions for cash balances maintained in any Alpha Omega
unmanaged accounts.
Non-Discretionary Service Limitations. Clients that determine to engage Alpha Omega
on a non-discretionary investment advisory basis must be willing to accept that Alpha
Omega cannot effect any account transactions without obtaining prior consent to such
transaction(s) from the client. Therefore, in the event that Alpha Omega would like to make
a transaction for a client’s account (including in the event of an individual holding or
general market correction), and the client is unavailable, Alpha Omega will be unable to
effect the account transaction(s) (as it would for its discretionary clients) without first
obtaining the client’s consent.
Independent Managers. Alpha Omega may allocate (and/or recommend that the client
allocate) a portion of a client’s investment assets among unaffiliated independent
investment managers, available through the Schwab separate account management
platform, in accordance with the client’s designated investment objective(s).
In such
situations, the
Independent Manager(s) shall have day-to-day responsibility for the active
discretionary management of the allocated assets. Alpha Omega shall continue to render
investment advisory services to the client relative to the ongoing monitoring and review of
account performance, asset allocation and client investment objectives. Factors which
Alpha Omega shall consider in recommending
Independent Manager(s) include the
client’s designated investment objective(s) and the Independent Manager’s size,
investment style/philosophy, process, management team, performance, and pricing. The
investment management fee charged by the Independent Manager(s) is separate from, and
in addition to, Alpha Omega’s advisory fee as set forth in Item 5.
Unaffiliated Private Investment Funds. Alpha Omega may recommend that certain
qualified clients consider an investment in unaffiliated private investment funds. Alpha
Omega’s role relative to the private investment funds shall be limited to its initial and
ongoing due diligence and investment monitoring services. Alpha Omega’s clients are
under absolutely no obligation to consider or make an investment in a private investment
fund(s).
Risk Factors: Private investment funds generally involve various risk factors, including,
but not limited to, potential for complete loss of principal, liquidity constraints and lack of
transparency, a complete discussion of which is set forth in each fund’s offering
documents, which will be provided to each client for review and consideration. Unlike
liquid investments that a client may own, private investment funds do not provide daily
liquidity or pricing. Each prospective client investor will be required to complete a
Subscription Agreement, pursuant to which the client shall establish that he/she is qualified
for investment in the fund, and acknowledges and accepts the various risk factors that are
associated with such an investment.
Fund Valuation: If Alpha Omega bills an investment advisory fee based upon the value of
private investment funds or otherwise references private investment funds owned by the
client on any supplemental account reports prepared by Alpha Omega, the value for all
private investment funds owned by the client will reflect the most recent valuation provided
by the fund sponsor. The current value of any private investment fund could be
significantly more or less than the original purchase price or the price reflected in any
supplemental account report.
Socially Responsible (ESG) Investing Limitations. Socially Responsible Investing
involves the incorporation of Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”)
considerations into the investment due diligence process. ESG investing incorporates a set
of criteria/factors used in evaluating
potential investments: Environmental (i.e., considers
how a company safeguards the environment); Social (i.e., the manner in which a company
manages relationships with its employees, customers, and the communities in which it
operates); and Governance (i.e., company management considerations). The number of
companies that meet an acceptable ESG mandate can be limited when compared to those
that do not, and could underperform broad market indices. Investors must accept these
limitations, including potential for underperformance. Correspondingly, the number of
ESG mutual funds and exchange-traded funds are limited when compared to those that do
not maintain such a mandate. As with any type of investment (including any investment
and/or investment strategies recommended and/or undertaken by Alpha Omega), there can
be no assurance that investment in ESG securities or funds will be profitable, or prove
successful. Alpha Omega generally relies on the assessments undertaken by the
unaffiliated mutual fund, exchange traded fund or separate account portfolio manager to
determine that the fund’s or portfolio’s underlying company securities meet a socially
responsible mandate.
Retirement Rollovers – Potential for 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 Alpha Omega recommends that a client roll over
their retirement plan assets into an account to be managed by Alpha Omega, such a
recommendation creates a conflict of interest if Alpha Omega will earn new (or increase
its current) compensation as a result of the rollover. If Alpha Omega provides a
recommendation as to whether a client should engage in a rollover or not, Alpha Omega is
acting as a fiduciary 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. No client is under any obligation to roll over retirement plan assets
to an account managed by Alpha Omega.
Use of Mutual and Exchange Traded Funds. Most mutual funds and exchange traded
funds are available directly to the public. Therefore, a prospective client can obtain many
of the funds that may be utilized by Alpha Omega independent of engaging Alpha Omega
as an investment advisor. However, if a prospective client determines to do so, he/she will
not receive Alpha Omega’s initial and ongoing investment advisory services.
In addition to Alpha Omega’s investment advisory fee described below, and transaction
and/or custodial fees discussed below, clients will also incur, relative to all mutual fund
and exchange traded fund purchases, charges imposed at the fund level (e.g. management
fees and other fund expenses).
Cryptocurrency: Cryptocurrency is a digital currency that can be used to buy goods and
services but uses an online ledger with strong cryptography (i.e., a method of protecting
information and communications through the use of codes) to secure online transactions.
Unlike conventional currencies issued by a monetary authority, cryptocurrencies are
generally not controlled or regulated and their price is determined by the supply and
demand of their market. Because cryptocurrency is currently considered to be a
speculative investment, Alpha Omega will not exercise discretionary authority to
purchase a cryptocurrency investment for client accounts. Rather, a client must expressly
authorize the purchase of the cryptocurrency investment.
Alpha Omega does not recommend or advocate the purchase of, or investment in,
cryptocurrencies. Alpha Omega considers such an investment to be speculative.
Clients who authorize the purchase of a cryptocurrency investment must be prepared for
the potential for liquidity constraints, extreme price volatility and complete loss of
principal.
Portfolio Activity. Alpha Omega has a fiduciary duty to provide services consistent with
the client’s best interest. As part of its investment advisory services, Alpha Omega will
review client portfolios on an ongoing basis to determine if any changes are necessary
based upon various factors, including, but not limited to, investment performance, mutual
fund manager tenure, style drift, and/or a change in the client’s investment objectives.
Based upon these factors, there may be extended periods of time when Alpha Omega
determines that changes to a client’s portfolio are neither necessary nor prudent. Clients
nonetheless remain subject to the fees described in Item 5 below during periods of account
inactivity.
Client Obligations. In performing its services, Alpha Omega 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. Moreover, each client is advised that it remains their
responsibility to promptly notify Alpha Omega if there is ever any change in their financial
situation or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing, evaluating or revising
Alpha Omega’s previous recommendations and/or services.
Cybersecurity Risk. The information technology systems and networks that Alpha Omega
and its third-party service providers use to provide services to Alpha Omega’s clients
employ various controls, which are designed to prevent cybersecurity incidents stemming
from intentional or unintentional actions that could cause significant interruptions in Alpha
Omega’s operations and result in the unauthorized acquisition or use of clients’
confidential or non-public personal information. Clients and Alpha Omega are nonetheless
subject to the risk of cybersecurity incidents that could ultimately cause them to incur
losses, including for example: financial losses, cost and reputational damage to respond to
regulatory obligations, other costs associated with corrective measures, and loss from
damage or interruption to systems. Although Alpha Omega has established procedures to
reduce the risk of cybersecurity incidents, there is no guarantee that these efforts will
always be successful, especially considering that Alpha Omega does not directly control
the cybersecurity measures and policies employed by third-party service providers. Clients
could incur similar adverse consequences resulting from cybersecurity incidents that more
directly affect issuers of securities in which those clients invest, broker-dealers, qualified
custodians, governmental and other regulatory authorities, exchange and other financial
market operators, or other financial institutions.
Disclosure Statement. A copy of Alpha Omega’s written Brochure and Client
Relationship Summary, as set forth on Part 2A of Form ADV and Form CRS respectively,
shall be provided to each client prior to, or contemporaneously with, the execution of the
Investment Advisory Agreement or
Financial Planning and Consulting Agreement.
C. Alpha Omega shall provide investment advisory services specific to the needs of each
client. Prior to providing investment advisory services, an investment adviser
representative will ascertain each client’s investment objective(s). Thereafter, Alpha
Omega shall allocate and/or recommend that the client allocate investment assets consistent
with the designated investment objective(s). The client may, at any time, impose reasonable
restrictions, in writing, on Alpha Omega’s services.
D. Alpha Omega does not participate in a wrap fee program.
E. As of December 31, 2023, Alpha Omega had $910,651,980 in assets under management
on a discretionary basis and $84,573,785 in assets under management on a non-
discretionary basis for a total of $995,225,765.